Chapter 28 - Competition
"Good morning. My name is Amber Glow, and I'm here about the sales position that's been advertised."
Amber was slightly shorter than your average mare. Her golden mane shimmered and flowed over a brown coat that sported a single white streak from her neck to her chest. She was more cute than elegant. Her pose was confident, her face kind.
Trixie already didn't like her.
"The shifts are every day, early morning to early evening until either we run Lyra's Ultimate Item Emporium out of business, or we run out of funds and go into bankruptcy ourselves. If you want a break you have to earn it, and don't expect any discounts on products. You'll earn a small commission on every sale, and that's it. No sales, no pay. If you can't handle that, I'm sure you can find the door yourself. Any questions?"
Amber blinked. A moment later she asked, "Can I earn more than one break each day?"
Trixie rolled her eyes. "Sure you can. You can have one for every, oh I don't know, three thousand bits worth of merchandise you sell." With that said, she turned her back on the potential hire and busied herself with adjusting her cape. With any luck the foolish young mare would leave her to enjoy some peace and quiet before she had to deal with some annoying customer.
The moment she had that thought, the bell over the front door rang. Wonderful! For once something had gone her way. She turned back around only to experience immediate disappointment when she saw that Amber had not, in fact, left the store. She was still standing there with that ridiculous smile on her face. Worse, now there was a customer in the store.
"Um, one more question. When can I start?"
Not even silently counting to five could hide Trixie's annoyance. She indicated the customer and skeptically said, "Let's see what you've got."
Amber's smile widened only slightly, then she turned to face the customer: an elderly stallion with a curly white mane and spectacles.
"Welcome to Filthy Trix. My name is Amber Glow, and it's my pleasure to serve you. Might you be interested in anything particular this fine morning?"
Trixie mentally gagged and turned her attention elsewhere. If this Amber Glow was actually going to stay and work, she needed some excuse to leave the store. Anything would be better than hearing that sickeningly sweet voice any longer. She spied Diamond Tiara coming out of the back room and had to physically stop herself from cringing. Whenever the filly was around, it felt as if her mother would suddenly appear at any moment, intent on firing Trixie for even the smallest of infractions.
She needed to get the kid out of the store before that could happen.
"Oh Diamond Tiara?" Trixie asked as nicely as she could. "Would you mind accompanying me to... um—" suddenly a brilliant plan formed in her mind "—to the Adventurer's Guild? I have some... business to attend to there."
Diamond backed a step away, only to have to catch herself as her leg gave out. She bit back a verbal response to the pain and faked a smile. "Are you sure there isn't anything around here I can help with? I'd rather not go out if—"
"Oh just come on!" Trixie interrupted. She glared moodily towards Amber Glow as the new hire piled items onto the checkout counter for the customer before looking back at Diamond Tiara. "I'm giving you a break for... reasons. Now come along. We're leaving."
With that, Trixie left the store quickly, and Diamond slowly limped after her.
Flim and Flam returned to the guild hall with an unwelcome guest following after them. Sure, they had signed her up as a guild member, but there was something unsettling about Maud Pie.
"You did something wrong."
That right there. That was the problem with Maud Pie. One of the problems, anyway. Had the duo been aware of her uncanny ability to seemingly read their minds, they certainly wouldn't have had any dealings with her at all. It was all very disconcerting, and probably would do no good for their profits, either.
Truth be told, however, Maud hadn't needed to read their minds. She happened to have stumbled across them just as they were testing Flam's slime concoction. Caught red-hoofed! And after they had been so careful about everything to that point.
"Fix it."
Flim placed a hoof over his face. "My dear, sweet Maud. We've tried fixing things! This whole monster business isn't our fault." He swallowed as she stared, unblinking, at him. "Not entirely our fault, anyway. And we've been looking out for anypony who might be, er, inconvenienced. Surely you realize we're not to blame here, right?"
"Fix it."
"Alright! My brother and I are looking into it. Believe me when I say that although our original intentions may not have been, ahem, entirely virtuous, ever since Lyra Heartstrings took over the guild my brother and I have seen things from a different perspective. We're trying to be, er, 'good.'"
To their great relief, that answer seemed to satisfy Maud. She turned around and headed straight out the exit without another word. Before the door could close, two more ponies entered the hall.
"Trixie Lulamoon," Flam said as he moved behind the counter and prepared to give it its daily polish. "What brings you to our humble hall?"
Trixie wasted no time. She walked over to the job board and scooped up every job there was. She then cantered proudly over to the counter and placed them all upon it. Diamond took a seat and watched.
"Trixie would like to take on these contracts," she announced.
The brothers looked at each other, then back to Trixie.
"My dear," Flam said, leaning on the counter. "You've never gone on a single contract, and now you want to take them all on? I know you call yourself great and powerful, but you may wish to gain a bit of experience before taking on most of those. Besides, you do recall who runs the guild now, correct?"
Trixie's grin was wicked. At that moment a cloaked figure entered the hall and stopped short at the sight of Trixie and Diamond Tiara. It moved over to the job board and let out a small gasp as the realization sunk in that there were no jobs available.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Trixie said to the cloaked figure. "There aren't any contracts available if that's what you're after. Such a shame, too." She looked at Diamond Tiara. "You know, Flam's right. You never know how long it will take for Trixie to become experienced enough to finish any of these. It could be a while." Her last words were spoken with mock sweetness. With that, she gathered the contracts and left the shop.
Diamond Tiara made her way slowly towards the exit of the guild hall. Trixie was already outside, but Diamond's injuries slowed her down too much to follow closely. She was finally nearing the exit when the door suddenly slammed shut in front of her and the cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows to block her way.
Diamond frowned. "What do you think you're doing, Scootaloo? Get out of my way."
There are times in everypony's life where they might disagree with another pony. Perhaps they are fans of rival authors, or maybe one pony's favorite food is another's nightmare. On occasion, these disagreements can lead to arguments, or in some rare instances, even physical conflict.
And sometimes, conflicts were resolved through songs. As music began to swell seemingly from nowhere, it became apparent that this was one of those times. Scootaloo crossed her forelegs. It was on.
"Right here, right now. I'll help you to get out. You won't admit it, but you know I see it." She walked past Diamond and moved towards the counter where Flam stood watching.
"You run, with us... we'll save you from the fuss... and all the misery that you've been feeling." She knocked on the counter and Flam slid a small mug of cider her way. She caught it and downed it quickly, then continued.
"So take your stubborn pride, and just throw it aside. You think it's too late, but it's never too late. You can keep up your facade, or break free from that old fraud. Just take a little risk and see..." She suddenly jumped up onto one of the tables and stood on her hind legs.
"Don't you want to get away from this uptown part you have to play? Can't you see that you and me, we can finally be unified? Come and join the other side." She pointed a hoof at Diamond.
"You can do like you do, or you can do like me. Take charge of your life so you can be free. See now, we can overcome this great divide... if you join the other side."
Diamond Tiara backed away, but stumbled over her injured leg. Scootaloo's eyes widened and she jumped down from the table to help her up, but Diamond held out a hoof and shook her head. It was her turn to sing.
"Okay, my friend, you want to let me in? Well sorry to say it but it just won't happen." She stood up and turned to leave.
"So thanks, but no. I think I'm good to go. And I quite enjoy this life you say I'm trapped in." She rolled her eyes as Flim and Flam moved to block her retreat. She turned around and poked Scootaloo with a hoof.
"Now I admire you, and this whole thing you do. You're really something, and I'm not judging. But I live in luxury with no interest in drudgery... I guess I'll leave that up to you." With that she pushed Scootaloo back into a chair and hopped up onto a table herself.
"Don't you know that I'm just fine, with this life I live by my design? I've got all that I need and I don't need to have a guide. I don't need to join the other side." She began to mimic Scootaloo's moves on the table.
"So go and do what you do. I'll have to disagree. Don't pretend like you know what's best for me. I don't need my life modified. I don't need to join the other side."
With Scootaloo on the ropes, Flim and Flam quickly swooped in on either side of Diamond Tiara. They had their own verse to sing.
"Is this really how you want your life to be?" Flam asked.
"A lonely journey through hyperbole?" Flim chipped in.
Diamond frowned and shoved past them. "If I were mixed up with you it'd be the start of the end. Disgraced and disowned, a pain that I could never mend."
Sensing an opening, Scootaloo closed in. "But you could finally live a little..."
"Finally laugh a little," Flim added.
Scootaloo continued. "You'll have the freedom to dream. We can see that it's, your heart that's aching. Your old life just needs forsaking..."
Flam grinned. "Now that's a deal that seems worth taking!"
Flim then opened the doors to the guild hall. "But I guess we'll leave that up to you..." Then he, his brother Flam, and Scootaloo all stepped back respectfully.
Diamond looked outside. Trixie had apparently just realized that she was missing, and was stomping back toward the hall. She wore a frown on her face. Diamond glanced down to the floor, deep in thought, and pondering possibilities that she had never before dared to imagine.
A moment later she slammed the door shut in Trixie's face and turned to the three ponies who had had the tenacity to allow her to hope.
"Well it's intriguing but to join would cost me greatly. So what percentage of the gains would I be taking?"
Scootaloo sighed, but Flim stepped in and put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. He addressed Diamond.
"Fair enough, you'd want a piece of all the action. We'll give you seven, strike a deal and make it happen."
Diamond laughed, but it seemed strained. Her hooves were shaking almost imperceptibly. Almost. "For all the risk I'm taking, eighteen is only fair."
Flim smirked. "Or we can call it quits and all you'll be left with is air."
Diamond's eyes grew wide. "Fifteen!"
Flam shrugged and addressed his brother. "Shall we go?"
"Twelve!" Diamond shouted as Trixie began to bang on the the guild hall doors.
"I think we're done," Flim casually remarked.
"Ten!"
The sound of desperation that accompanied Diamond's offer gave pause to Scootaloo, and she pushed past Flim and Flam to be beside Diamond Tiara. Diamond was huddled on the floor, her forelegs covering her head. Her entire body was shaking, and Scootaloo looked back at the brothers and shook her head slightly.
The brothers nodded. No words were needed. For once in their lives, this wasn't about the money. It was about breaking a child out of a life of feeling like she were above everypony else, and taking her away from a path that was going to lead her to...
...well, becoming like them.
Scootaloo wrapped her forelegs around Diamond Tiara until she calmed down. She then helped her former enemy to stand and, after a moment's hesitation, helped wipe the tears from her eyes.
She then held out a hoof.
Diamond stared at the extended hoof, even as Trixie pounded away at the now-locked doors. When she raised her eyes to meet Scootaloo's she was wearing a genuine smile. She extended her hoof and bumped Scootaloo's, sealing the deal.
She was finally free.
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Yayifications!
Ooh! Cool use of the song!
So betting that Amber Glow's a better salespony than Trixie thought.
But without contracts, now what?
And with Diamond Tiara on the team, now what?
Typo(s):
Maude > Maud (x?)
Eh. I don't know the song, so the lyrics were lost on me.
Yayifications for DT, tho!
I have a feeling Amber Glow will become Trixie's boss shortly. Or just have a buttload of breaks at once.
I love that song! Great story, you earned my like!
I love that song.
9238849
I can see that becoming a thing.
I didn't see this coming, but I am happy that it was done! ^^
9238847
I've added a link to the original in the Author's Notes.
9238766
I'm imagining a contract to recover the stolen contracts
9239563
Nice! I wonder who'll take it. Maybe Diamond Tiara on a theft mission?
I'm so glad this isn't dead. It's still awesome.
I hope life's going well for you, Slorg!