• Published 25th Oct 2020
  • 890 Views, 82 Comments

You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Wearing a Maid's Dress... - TikiBat



A Stallion down on his luck has an interesting story behind why he's wearing a maid's dress of all things...

  • ...
4
 82
 890

Maid For The Job

I slowly, but confidently trotted up to the gate and gave the bell a ring, waiting for a few moments as an attendant trotted up. The sun was low in the sky, but not quite at sunset yet, but I figured being early was far better than being late, and if I wanted to sort everything out then that would be my best option. First impressions really made a huge difference between whether you’d be able to swing someone or not, and I really needed to put my best hoof forward.

“Greetings, how may I help you?” They asked, cutting through my thoughts.

I greeted them with the warmest, most confident smile that I could muster, which really wasn’t all that hard anymore, “Good afternoon, I’m here to start my orientation as one of the maids.”

“Oh you’re our new hire. Splendid,” he opened the ancient looking iron gate and waved me in, “Starshine, right?”

I shook my head, “Stardust. It’s a long story though, there was a mixup with some paperwork but I’m here to start the job. Just need to talk with the head maid and get everything sorted out.”

The attendant seemed to eye me with a confused mix of surprise and indifference, which dug into me a little bit. For a moment I felt as if I said something wrong and was about to be escorted off property, (which probably would have made me look like some kind of lunatic mind you), but soon enough his face softened and that chipper smile returned.

“Right this way. Satin Ribbon will be able to assist you with anything you might need.”

He began to lead me along a fancy cobblestone path, taking me alongside the manor’s lush gardens and meticulously manicured lawn. A smaller, though just as ornate looking building sat a short distance away, and I could only assume that this was the servant’s quarters. Did the rest of the staff live here? I wondered to myself.

As if he had read my mind, he chimed up, “This is the servant’s quarters and main area for all of the manor staff. Some of our staff live on property, but from what I understand, you have your own lodging?”

I nodded, “Yeah, just an apartment like 20 minutes away.”

“Wonderful. Now of course, there will be a room assigned to you, you’re free to use it at your discretion, but you won’t be expected to live on property.”

“So I get my own room even though I have my own place?”

“Yes. Some of the shifts here run late, and it’s exhausting work at times. If you find you need a place to rest your head before or after work you’re free to do so. It also gives you a place to change and rinse off after a hard day’s work if you so desire.”

I nodded along, unsure of what to make of this so far, “That’s a pretty good deal. So what kind of shifts am I looking at?”

“Head maid Satin will be able to answer that for you.”

I nodded as he led me through the ornately carved wooden door and into a cozy looking foyer. He turned to me and held up a hoof, “Go ahead and wait right here, I’ll go call for the head maid and she’ll explain the rest to you.”

“Thank you Mr…”

“Stone Wall.”

“Thanks,” I smiled.

He nodded his head and trotted through one of the nearby doors, leaving me alone to inspect the place. I probably should have just stayed put, but I couldn’t help but wander around the foyer, scrutinizing the details of my new workplace. The whole place looked like it was straight out of some Hearth’s Warming card, and every inch of the place was textured with artisanal detailing that was definitely not cheap.

You wouldn’t guess it from my designs or the way I decorated my apartment, but I was in love with the way this place looked, and a part of me was more than overjoyed that I was going to be working here for the foreseeable future.

“Mr. Stardust?”

I perked up and turned away from the large grandfather clock I was looking at and caught sight of a dark red pegasus with her bright blue mane tied up in a large flowing satin ribbon.

“Satin Ribbon?” I questioned, though it was pretty obvious to me.

“Nice to meet you. So you’re our new maid eh?”

“I uhhh… well, you could say that. I’m gonna wager a bet and say you were expecting a mare named Starshine to show up?”

She nodded, “Yep. And obviously you aren’t her, so I’m going to wager my own bet and say that this is another case of mixed up paperwork from the job agency?”

“How could you guess?” I teased, “So does this happen a lot or something?”

Satin Ribbon let out a cheerful laugh, “If I had a bit for every mixup they’ve caused I’d have my own manor. So that leaves you in an awkward position, but I hope we’ll be able to come to some kind of compromise that’ll work for you.”

This all seemed great so far. Satin was very cheerful and welcoming, and the way she carried herself in the conversation made it feel less like a work related conversation, and more like a personal one.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” I paused, “So what do you have in mind?”

“Well that depends on what you want to do. The maid position is still open if you’re interested, and you did take the time to show up in full uniform, but what do you actually want to do?”

“Well, I guess first thing’s first, is there any chance I could just switch to the butler job? That’s what I originally signed on for and if it’s possible I’d like to go do that.”

She nodded her head slowly but began to frown, giving me a sense of worry. Why would she be frowning if there wasn’t bad news coming?

“I see… well… I don’t know how to break this to you in a way that doesn’t just kill your spirit, but that position’s been filled, and the pony that filled it isn’t interested in switching over to the maid position.”

“Right… So, I guess I really only have two options here then.”

“Which are?” She asked with a raised brow.

“Well, I can either stick with the maid job or go find work somewhere else. Considering that I know what the other option is, and I really don’t want to go for it,” I took a deep breath, “I’ll stick with the maid job.”

Satin’s eyes opened wide and I couldn’t tell whether her expression read I can’t believe he’s actually doing this or He doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into. But I didn’t really have another choice.

“That’s… unexpected, but perfectly alright!” She cheered back, “I’d love to have you onboard, and if you want I can show you the ropes and get you started on your very first shift!”

A small smile slowly spread across my face, “I’d love that… but just one more thing…”

“Oh? What’s up?”

“Is there any chance I could get a different uniform?” I gestured down to the dress I was wearing.

She paused for a moment and flashed me another sympathetic glance, “I’m sorry, but there aren’t any others available. Is that going to be an issue at all?”

I felt my heart drop a little, but seeing as how I didn’t really have any other options, I shook my head, “No… no, it won’t be.”

The smile returned to her face, and she cheerfully waved me toward the door she had come out of, “Super! Now if you just want to follow me I can go show you the ropes!”

I nervously adjusted my dress and began to follow her, excited to start my job, but unsure of what the future held in store.

Everything would work out in the end, right?

Author's Note:

Today would have been the usual release date for my passion project, however I decided to focus on this story this week just because it unexpectedly took off. To everyone that's left comments and feedback, thank you so much. You don't know how much that means to me, and it's something I've been trying to get on some of my other serialized stories for a while now.

If you're interested in reading my passion project, I would be overjoyed. Especially if you left a comment or two telling me what you thought of it. It's been a labor of love and a story that I'm very attached to, and I love seeing what people think about it. Feel free to check it out here

EDo Ponies on Earth have Magic Dreams?
The story of an optimistic young night pony, the special pony that enters his life, and how the two of them follow their dreams to make the world a better place!
TikiBat · 193k words  ·  72  9 · 1.6k views