AJ's Diner and the weirdos that work there

by NonAlcoholicMartini

Delivery Grudge

There was a hitch. A lot of hitches.

Applejack sat in the messy office, contemplating life and how to fix the problems that had come their way, when Pinkie carefully peeked her head in.

"Applejack?"

She took a very deep breath. "What?"

"We're out of salad." She shamefully admitted.

Alongside the moldy bread and pasta, this felt to Applejack like the easiest of the problems she was currently facing. After taking another breath, she jumped up from her seat. "Don't take anymore customers that ask for salad, ask if you can give 'em somethin' else. Ah'll have to make some calls, could you be a dear and take over for me for a while?"

Pinkie gave a brief nod and left.

Applejack followed her into the kitchen, there didn't seem to be any pressure on her co-workers. That was good, Applejack figured, she didn't want them to stress out as bad as she was doing right now. Brief glances and smiles were thrown her way when she passed, which she gratefully returned. She walked out of the exit and leaned her back against the wall, breathing in the cool fall air.

Then, she took out her phone and dialed a number of an old friend she knew. She waited, pacing the length of the wooden fence to the greenhouse, the rhythmic beeping filling her ears, making her more and more anxious. Then, it stopped.

"Ya, what's up?" An almost exhausted voice answered from the other line, Applejack almost felt bad for her.

Almost.

"Yes, hello, Applejack speakin'. Remember how you owe me a favor?"

She could hear rumbling and rustling on the other side, presumibly the girl untangling herself from her bed that she loved so much. "I do, infact, remember that." She answered, her voice much clearer now. "Whatcha got?"

"You can drive, right?"

"Legally yes. Why?"

Applejack smiled as she leaned against the greenhouse this time. "Would you like a job?"

Silence. For moment Applejack was worried she might've weirded the girl out, but she couldn't have, right? Maybe she was just considering the offer. Yeah, that's it.

"Applejack don't tell me you want to rob a bank or some multi-million dollar company. I mean I'd be down but I'm a horrible getaway driver."

The former farmer roared with laughter, of course that would be the first thing that came to her vivid imagination. "No, no, don'tcha worry, you won't end up in jail this time." Once Applejack had calmed down, she layed out the details. After a pretty lengthy explenation on what happend and what she had to do, Applejack seemed much more confident than before.

"So I just go there and get fresh stuff for you whenever ya'll run out?" She asked.

Applejack nodded, which she of course couldn't see. "Yeah, that's the gist of it. Think you can handle that?"

"Psh, sure I can." The girl on the other line yawned, still pretty tired.

Smiling, Applejack asked: "Long night?"

"Yeah, had four gigs in a row." She responded. "You won't believe this, but some shithead stole my color-correcting glasses a few days ago! Who does that? Who steals color-correcting glasses?? Do you know how expensive that thing is???"

"Uh-" Applejack stuttered. "Yeah, who would do that?" She coughed and set her crooked hat back on her head. "Anyway, can ah count on ya to be there tomorrow?"

"Uh huh!" The girl responded. "Totally, gonna be there, gonna be fun." She yawned again.

"Great! Have a good rest, Vinyl!"

"Yep, totally, see ya, man." The long beep indicating that the other person had hung up could be heard now, and Applejack did the same. Smiling, she turned back to the entrence, already having an idea on how to fix the problem with the mold.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" She yelled as she burst into the kitchen. "Where's Sunset?"

"In the guestroom, serving curry." Rainbow responded, in the process of cutting up a piece of meat.

Applejack waited for a moment until Sunset came back. "Okay, now everyone listen up!"

Sunset almost dropped her notepad at her friend's sudden outburst and quickly composed herself.

"Ah fixed the problem with our ingredients running out, ah hope. And ah happen to have an idea to solve the issue with the mold."

Everyone turned to her expectantly, except Rainbow, who occasionally glanced at her meat to make sure she didn't cut her-- "Ouch!", nevermind.

"If we clear out this room-", Applejack knocked on the door of the large empty room beside the employee's exit, "-we can store the bread and pasta in here, seperate from the meat and veggies. That should prevent them from going bad so quickly!"

The others exchanged curious looks before turning back to her.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, throwing her pan in the air for emphasis and miraculously catching it and everything that was inside a moment ago in one swift motion.

Sunset shrugged and smiled at her boss. "Sounds like it could work."

Rainbow Dash didn't say anything, too busy trying to stop her finger from bleeding by sticking it in her mouth, she simply gave a thumbs up with her free hand.

"What about the other thing?" Sunset asked. "Didn't you say you fixed that?"

Nodding proudly, Applejack showed them her phone. "Ah called in a favor from a friend of mine, you'll see, it'll turn out great!"

"Are you sure?" The red and yellow haired girl crossed her arms and furrowed her brows with worry. "I don't know if one favor is enough to fix this, I mean this problem will come back again pretty soon after too..."

Applejack waved nonchalantly. "Don't you worry 'bout that, sugarcube. It's all covered!"

"If AJ says this is gonna work, then it's gonna work!" Pinkie Pie said, cooking peacefully as before as if she never took her attention off of the sizzling frying pan and Rainbow nodded in agreement. Sunset only sighed.

"Well, if you guys think so."

"They know so, Sunset. When have ah ever been wrong?"

"You thought caramelizing onions meant literally putting caramel on them when we were in High School."

"You make ONE MISTAKE." Applejack took a deep breath. "That was a one time thing!" She pouted and made her way through the kitchen and to the bar to attend to new guests. "Ya'll keep doin' watcha doin' there!"

A chorus of confirming sentences rang through the kitchen, leaving Applejack with a grin on her face. Tomorrow would be much, much better and easier she thought as she rang up their next guest.

---

"Heya, AJ!" Vinyl greeted her friend, jumping out of her van. "I got the stuff you wanted to load up your pantry- WHOA!" She was caught off-guard by Pinkie Pie, coming out of nowhere as per usual, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Air! Please!"

"Sorry!" Pinkie grinned widely. "I'm just so excited to see you! We haven't hung out since-... since uh..."

"Last week?"

"YEAH! That was sooooo long ago! I missed you! How have you been? Are you Applejack's favor? Are you gonna work here now too?!" The pinks blur bounced up and down, shaking the poor delivery girl along with her.

"I missed you too, Pinkster." Vinyl's head spun when she was let go and for a moment she could swear she was seeing double. "I've been good, just like a week ago. Yes, I am Applejack's favor and yes, I am gonna work here now."

They turned their heads toward the sound of an engine roaring like a mighty lion with a horrible cold growing louder as it came closer toward them. Rainbow Dash, owner of the motorcycle that just arrived, removed her helmet and got off her bike.

"What's up, who's the new--... meat..." Rainbow paused, awkwardly trying to shuffle inside the building.

Vinyl's expression morphed into utter annoyance and anger. "YOU!"

"Me!" Rainbow grinned uncomfortably.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STOLE MY GLASSES!"

"No, I didn't! YOU gave me permission!"

Vinyl pointed and accusatory finger at the girl. "I was drunk! Any and all agreements made while in an intoxicated state are invalid!"

"You seem to have experience with that~", Rainbow raised a brow, giving her a cocky glare, causing the usually relaxed new delivery girl to blow a fuse.

It was not long before the two of them were physically at each others throats.

Applejack sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose as Sunset arrived, watching them with great concern. "Are they alright?"

"They'll be fine!" Pinkie waved them off. "Can we go inside now?!" She asked, already heading for the entry. "Imagine all the things we can do for our guests now that we don't have to worry about supplies!"

Applejack followed suit. "Hey, you're right! Sunset, you comin'?"

Sunset only stared at the scene in front of her with great intrest, and great confusion. "Give me a minute, I wanna see who wins.", she paused.

"Why is the blue haired one wearing pyjama pants?"

To that Applejack did not have an answer, she just shrugged and went inside, hoping the two would break it up soon.

The evening was followed by an almost smooth shift, Sunset only accidently messing up a recipe once, but other than that the day was a major success and Applejack could not be happier about it. It may have taken a week and some more, but she was sure that now she had all the essentials to run a successful buisness with her friends.

Comments

[Bookwurm666]

"Applejack don't tell me you want to rob a bank or some multi-million dollar company. I mean I'd be down but I'm a horrible getaway driver."

now that is a good friend.