Orange and Blue, I Do (Book 3)

by LotusTeaDragon

Support Your Local Librarian

CHAPTER FOUR
“Support Your Local Librarian”

It was after a quick lunch at a local cafe, that Rainbow Dash, and Violet, decided to head home. As the town of Ponyville grew on the horizon, Violet raised the subject of her prospective employment once more.

“Rainbow?” she called, as they steered wide of the Everfree Forest, towering, dark thunderheads forming in the distance.

“Yeah, kiddo?” the older pegasus replied.

“Suppose I don’t get a job on the weather team?”

“Why do you say that? You’re smart, almost as fast as me, and you’re a part of the Dash family. Sunny would be crazy to pass you over, and he’s never lied to me before. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“I know, I know, but what else is there to do if I can’t work the weather team?”

Rainbow Dash scratched her chin in thought for a moment. “Well,” she said, “there’s not many other jobs for pegasuses...”

Violet rolled her eyes, but let the error slide. Rainbow didn’t notice.

“but you might be able to work on the ground. I bet Pinkie Pie would have something for you at Sugarcube Corner.”

Violet balked just a bit. “Oh, uh, the pink pony with the giant cotton candy mane?”

Rainbow raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, her mane does look like cotton candy, doesn’t it?”

Violet pressed. “I don’t think I could do that. She’s a very sweet pony, and I like her a lot, but I don’t know if I could handle her energy.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Yeah, she can be a bit much if you aren’t around her all the time. She’s a great prankster, though.”
Violet smiled. “She must be a great one if you’re complimenting her on her pranking skills.”

Dash grinned in return. “You have no idea, kiddo.”

“So any other ideas?” Violet asked as they glided over Town Hall.

“Well...” Rainbow began, but was interrupted when she heard someone calling her name. The voice was faint, but unmistakeable. She glanced downward, and saw Twilight Sparkle waving her forelegs in an effort to get her attention.

“Hey kiddo, looks like Twilight needs to see me for a sec. You wanna come on down or head on back to the farm?”

Violet smiled. “I’ll follow you down, Dash. I have a couple of questions for Twilight.”

Rainbow nodded her head, and together they descended from their higher altitude, landing gracefully along the pathway near the Golden Oaks library, where Twilight Sparkle was standing, a scroll held off to the side, encapsulated in her magic field.

“Heya, Twilight, what’s up?” Dash asked as she shook the dust out of her wings and tucked them to her sides.

“Hello Dash!” the purple unicorn responded. She looked to her friend’s companion and nearly dropped the scroll she was still holding. “That can’t be!” She exclaimed, turning and running back into the library without another word.

Violet nervously glanced to Rainbow Dash, whose muzzle showed a smirk, though she only shrugged, indicating she had no idea what Twilight was doing.

A few moments later, the unicorn emerged from the library, holding a large album. She was presently flipping through it, mumbling to herself.

Violet lightly dug a forehoof into the soil, glancing around to see if anypony else was watching the eccentric mare in front of her. No one seemed to pay the slightest bit of attention.

Dash broke the silence. “Tw-”

“Psht!” the unicorn interrupted from behind the massive tome.

A second later, and she shouted triumphantly. “Ha HA! Found her!”

She shut the book, and tossed it through the open doorway. Without the tiniest hesitation, Twilight leapt forward, making Violet jump in surprise, but before she could do anything to ward off her attacker, she was wrapped in the warm embrace of the brilliant mare.

“Violet! Oh, it is so good to see you!” Twilight called out, her voice muffled in Violet’s mane. The purple unicorn pulled back. “Look how much you’ve grown in such a short time! I would estimate at least 3.4 centimeters! Maybe more! I’ll have to get a ruler and get proper measurements.” She stepped back. “I’ll be right back!”

Before the erstwhile mare could make hooftracks for her tools, Rainbow Dash cleared her throat loudly.

Twilight turned around, her face flushing a light red.

“Oh, er, yeah, I’m sorry, I kind of got carried away.”

Dash just shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, it’s no problem, right Violet?”

Violet gave Twilight a half smile, “No way. Actually, if I were a stallion, I’d be flattered at that kind of attention.”

Twilight’s blush turned a darker crimson.

“So Twilight,” Rainbow Dash added, “what did you call us down here for? I mean, you were waving your forelegs like it was really important or something.”

Twilight shook her head clear. “Oh Celestia, that’s right! I have a letter I need to send to the Princess, and Spike won’t be back until tomorrow. He’s over at Rarity’s. I mean, I could take the scroll over there, but if I interrupt him again, he’ll be really angry, and I don’t want a repeat of what happened after that time at the Canterlot Rock Gardens.”

Her expression became bashful. “I don’t mean to make you sound like just a regular mailmare, but, could you, maybe, fly this to Canterlot? I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. The Princess needs this data I’ve collected, and she needs it soon.”

Dash estimated the time it would take to travel to Canterlot and back. At her best speed, she could make it there in less than an hour, and her return trip would be shorter due to the current tailwind. Plus, it was her dear friend, and it seemed important.

“No problem, Twilight. I can get it there faster than anypony in Equestria.”

Twilight floated the scroll over to the cyan mare, who snatched it, gave Twilight a crisp salute, and then shot off toward the direction of Canterlot.

Twilight watched her friend’s profile recede until it became a dark smudge on the horizon.

*ahem*

Twilight looked downward, and saw Violet standing in front of her, rubbing one foreleg with the other, and looking around without making eye contact.
Twilight giggled. “I’m sorry, Violet! How rude of me to forget you were standing there! I promise that won’t happen again! Would you like to come inside for tea?”

Violet smiled, and visibly relaxed. “I sure would. It will be nice to talk with you for a bit until Rainbow returns, if that’s all right with you.”

Twilight nodded, and motioned for the young mare to follow her inside.

***

“And that’s why we were returning from Cloudsdale when you waved us, er, Rainbow Dash, down.”

Violet was sitting on a pillow, in front of a table upon which a pot of tea, a saucer of biscuits, and two empty cups now sat. She had been filling Twilight in on the events of that morning, as the purple unicorn nodded her head to indicate that she was listening.

“I see,” Twilight spoke when there was a lull in the conversation. “I’m rather surprised that there were no opening available. You would think a large facility like the Cloudsdale Weather Service would always have open positions for ponies, particularly ones of your stature and speed.”

Violet blushed at the compliment.

“Still,” Twilight continued, “I can’t see any hostile motive behind the rejection. It is quite likely that his story is true.”

Violet nodded. “I think so, too. I guess it’s just painful to be rejected so quickly after trying. I just want a job until I can figure out what I want to do with my life, you know?”

Twilight tilted her head to the side with a slight frown. “I thought you wanted to be a Wonderbolt? Dash told me you were all excited about it. I remember the competition in Los Pegasus, and just assumed that you were on your way to training for the team.”

Violet took a deep breath and sighed. “Actually, I don’t want to be a Wonderbolt. I mean, I thought I did, but I realized I just wanted to be more like Rainbow Dash. The more I thought about it, especially after the competition, the more I felt it wasn’t for me.”

Twilight paused. “Oh.”

Violet nodded. “Yeah.”

“How did Rainbow Dash take the news?”

“She doesn’t know yet.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Yeah. I’ve tried to tell her, but something always happens to take her attention away, and I miss my chance every time. Plus, I’m a bit of a scaredy pony.”

Twilight gave the young pegasus a warm smile. “No, Violet, you’re not a scaredy pony, you’re a pony who loves her sister and doesn’t want to disappoint her. That just makes you a good sister.”

Violet gave Twilight a sad smile in return. “Not much of one, if I lay this on her with only a few weeks before her own wedding. That’s a lot of pressure, and the last thing she needs is her younger sister telling her that the dreams she has are not good enough for her own.” She hung her head.

Twilight stood, and ambled over to the young mare. She wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders. “Violet, your dreams are your own. You have to find them, and make them yours. Rainbow Dash is your big sister, and she has her own dreams. You can’t replace yours with hers, just as she wouldn’t replace hers with yours. You’re a lot alike, the two of you, but you’re not the same pony, and you shouldn’t be the same. For one, you’re probably better at math.”

The two ponies giggled at the small joke.

“Yeah,” Violet said quietly, after a moment, “she never could pull off trigonometry. She would always eyeball everything. It resulted in some... unusual... injuries.”

“You should have seen the catapult.” Twilight commented, her voice tinged with recalcitrant glee.

“Catapult?”

“Oh, yes. Ask her about it sometime.”

“I will. This should be good.”

“It is. Trust me. If you can’t get it out of her, talk to Applejack. She was there.”

“Okay, now I really have to know what happened!”

Again, the ponies shared a laugh.

Violet suddenly sat up straighter. “Oh, that reminds me! I have to ask you something.” she said.

Twilight turned to the young mare with curiosity. “Yes?” she asked.

“When I was in Cloudsdale, before the heart crushing rejection of my immediate goals, I saw something. In the lobby of the Cloudsdale City Hall, there was a unicorn pony who was walking on clouds.”

Twilight nodded. “Uh huh.”

Violet continued. “Anyway, she was just walking along the clouds, like they were solid ground. Rainbow Dash told me that you had found an old cloudwalking spell, modified it, and had made it available to everypony.”

“Really? Rainbow Dash used the word ‘modified’?” Twilight asked.

Violet chuckled. “Not in those words, no. Still, would you tell me how you did that? Why didn’t you seek some kind of notoriety for it? I mean, it’s your business, Twilight, but you’re too smart a pony not to get the attention you deserve.”

Twilight blushed at the compliment. “Thank you, Violet. I’d be glad to show you how I did it, even though you don’t need it. As for notoriety, I’m not interested in being famous. I’m just interested in helping everypony achieve their dreams.”

The unicorn mare paused for a moment, and rubbed her chin with her forehoof.

“Hmm.” she said, in deep thought. “Speaking of achieving dreams, you say you need a job?”

Violet nodded.

“I think I can help you with that.”

Violet smiled, her ears perking up. “Really?”

Twilight smiled in the affirmative. “Yes, I can. I have a stipulation in my own contract for hiring on a research assistant. You have to be willing to do a lot of reading, and you’ll work most weekdays, but I can offer you a small salary in exchange for your help.”

Violet squeed, and it was the purple unicorn’s turn to be caught off guard, as Violet embraced Twilight in a suffocating hug. “Thankyou!Thankyou!Thankyou! Twilight!”

Twilight’s face had become darker, her eyes bulging as she tapped Violet’s foreleg.

Violet, realizing that she was choking her prospective employer. “I’m sorry, Twilight!” she cried out, panic on her face.

The purple unicorn sat backward, gasping for air. “It’s...okay.” she said, between gasps. After a few more moments, she calmed down, her breathing returning to normal.

“Can I get you any water, Twilight?” Violet asked her, concern on her face.
Twilight shook her head. “No thanks. I’ll be fine.” She smiled. “I’ll take your zeal as a sign of your dedication to doing a fair and proper job.”

“Really, though, I appreciate what you’re doing, Twilight.”

“It’s really no problem, and believe me, you’ll work hard.”

“I promise you I will.”

“And I believe it.”

“So, when do I start?” Violet asked after a momentary silence had passed between them.

Twilight appeared to be in thought for just a few moments, before replying. “Give me a day to organize your work schedule, and to get my own schedule adjusted. You can be here the morning of the day after tomorrow.”

Violet smiled. “Awesome. I’ll be here with bells on.”

A few moments later, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in!” Twilight called out.

A few seconds later, Rainbow Dash poked her head around the door. “Hey, there you are!”

Violet and Twilight greeted the brash pegasus.

“Would you like some tea, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.

Dash waved her off. “Nah. I got that letter delivered. Handed it right to the Princess.” She looked at Violet. “You ready to go, kiddo?”

Violet nodded, turning to Twilight. “Thanks for all your help, Twilight.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “What help?”

Violet turned and walked over to her big sister. “Twilight said I could work for her as a research assistant.”

Rainbow Dash patted her younger sister on the back. “Awesome! You didn’t have to do that, Twilight! That’s a pretty cool thing to do!”

Twilight smiled, blushing slightly. “Well, I needed a research assistant for a while, and Violet, here, is really smart.”

Rainbow Dash ruffled her sister’s mane. “She sure is! She’s going to make a heck of a Wonderbolt someday, aren’t ya kid?”

Violet’s smile faltered slightly. “Um, yeah.” she said, but she managed to bring the smile back. She’d work on that problem later.

“Well, see ya, Twi,” Dash called as she and her sister began heading out the front door.

Twilight nodded as she stood and headed toward the door to close it behind them. “Thank you for taking that letter to the Princess, Dash. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem!” Dash called out behind her, disappearing with her sister past the door.

Twilight ambled over to the door, preparing to close it. As she did, she heard a young voice asking, “What’s this thing about a catapult?”

Twilight smiled as she shut the door with her magic.

***

“We’re back!” Rainbow Dash called out as she opened the door to the farm house.

She could hear Applejack rooting around in the kitchen. “What took y’all so long? There wasn’t much trouble, now, was there?” she said, as she entered the family room, a plate of apple crullers piled high, and sitting on her back.

Rainbow Dash grabbed a cruller, giving Applejack a peck on the cheek on the way past. “Nah,” she said, taking a bite of her cruller, “I mean, well, yeah, a little, but Twilight helped fix it.”

Applejack’s eyebrows went up, as she sat the crullers down on the coffee table. “Twilight? You saw her in Cloudsdale?”

Rainbow Dash’s mouth was stuffed, so Violet answered, lest Dash send baked goods across the room. “Oh, no. You see, the weather authority didn’t have anything open, so we headed back home. On the way, Twilight flagged us as we passed the library, to see if Rainbow Dash could deliver a letter for her. While I waited in the library, Twilight mentioned that she could use some help, and brought me on as a research assistant. I start in two days. I get a salary, and a schedule and everything.” The smile on Violet’s face was effervescent, and it was easy to get caught up in her happiness at finally having a source of income all her own, and a responsibility all her own.

Applebloom tumbled into the room, snatching a cruller on the way by as she gave Violet a hug with her other foreleg. “That’s great, Violet! Twilight’s one of the neatest ponies Ah know! She’ll be real nice to ya, and ya even get some bits to go spending whenever ya like!”

“Applebloom” Applejack interrupted.
“Not only that,” the excited filly continued, “but you’ll be able ta find out all kinds o’ stuff about magic, an’ special talents, and-”

“Applebloom.”

“An’ ya may even discover something’ really groundbreakin’-”

“Applebloom, ya ain’t gonna crusade with Violet when she’s workin’ with Twilight. She's gonna have her hooves full enough as it is, an' she don't need ya messin' about gettin' yerself inta trouble. Ya best get yer saddlebags so ya can head on over ta Rarity’s for yer sleepover.”

The small filly stopped her stream of compliments, and sighed, a flat expression on her face. “Fine.” With that, she made a beeline for her room.

Violet smiled to herself as she watched the little filly galloping away, and wondered if she had every tried anything like that with her parents.

For a moment, she thought about them, and a pang of guilt made its presence known, but was quickly squelched. She had made her decision. It didn’t mean she didn’t love them, it just meant that she had her own life to live now, and if current events were any indication, that life had truly begun it’s own path, with or without them to guide her. She only hoped that they would understand why she needed to do this, and why every filly had to become her own mare.

She took a cruller for herself, and nibbled as she made her way up the stairs to her own room.

(/)*(\)

Comments

[LotusTeaDragon]

The next chapter is up. I hope you all enjoy it.

[Tchernobog]

2778237
Huzzah! Lovely. I figured Twi would offer her a job as soon as she made an appearance. But research assistant? That's bound to be fun.

*eyes Violet and Twilight*

...naah. I gotta put those goggles away.

[AppleFire-Fan99]

Well I hope Twilight watching Rainbow disappear into the distance and forgetting about Violet wasnt her starting to crush on dash or her already crushing on dash.
Also it seems Violet found a decent job for the time being. Cant wait to see what she decides for a future job.

[LotusTeaDragon]

I love being vague and confounding.

[UncleChan]

Uncle do research now... One more thing, I enjoy this story.

[LurkingToRead]

“Why do you say that? You’re smart, almost as fast as me, and you’re a part of the Dash family. Sunny would be crazy to pass you over, and he’s never lied to me before. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

How is it the Dash family? Her parents are named Wind and Thunder. Heck, the Apple family aren’t even named Apple, although their names do have an apple theme.