Emerald's family is falling apart. Seeing no other way, he accepts his older brothers offering for a job at the Cloudsdale Weather Corporation as an assistant mechanic to pay a debt to his mother.
Emerald Shadows' family is falling apart, his father has been missing for over five years, he has just been expelled from Luna's school of the arts, his mother is caught between furious and losing her mind, and his brother is as passive as ever. Wanting to prove himself to his mother and pay her back for the bits she spent on school, he leaves home to work with his brother as an assistant mechanic at Cloudsdale Weather Corporation, not knowing what awaits him in the floating city.
"If some families are like fudge, then mine is peanut brittle.” -Screwloose
Steam Shine was tired, he had just now finally reached Canterlot from his daily commute to Cloudsdale and was few more bits richer now than he was in the morning. As his wings ached, he felt no need to rush to the royal district and simply glided. No, there wasn't a need to be on time for his weekly bowling engagement, and no need to get to the white building with purple trim he'd grown up in. No, even his mother and little brother could wait a few moments longer than usual.
He continued to absentmindedly ride the wind currents down, until it dawned upon him that he was directly over Trotway Avenue. With a smile on his face the stallion landed on the side of the road and walked the rest of the way to his destination. He looked up at the sign with a smile as he noted that the purple quill and question mark was repainted. Next to the rendering, in neat script the sign read, Black Shadows, Psychologist. "Looks like Emerald finally got around to helping with that rusty old sign," he thought to himself.
He reached out a hoof to the door and froze, his mane was sticking up all over the place, and his work coat was sporting a crooked collar. "Oh this won't do at all, she can't see me like this." Steam quickly spat into his hooves, and slicked back his mane before adjusting the rebellious collar, "And Steam Shine the Smooth strikes again," he mumbled to himself as he finally opened the door to step inside.
As expected, the waiting room he stepped into was the same as it ever was. A neutral calming kind of room that could have adorned any psychologist's waiting room. It was filled with the tones that ponies who make a living by studying, and specializing in colors claim are calming to look at. Those desaturated shades of grey, some purple, and blue.
He frowned at the bland waiting room and walked forward to the desk, only to be disappointed that the receptionist had long gone home by now, which only made sense as it was past closing time. He then walked around it and opened the door into the back. Calmly, he made his way down the short hall, passing a few rooms used to store papers, the main office, and where his mother would see her patients. His goal was a lone door in the back that would lead him to the private home upstairs.
Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass came from upstairs, followed quickly by shouts. "What's going on? Did somepony break in?" Reacting quickly, Steam Shine yanked open the door and galloped up the stairwell, thrusting with his wings in an attempt to push him faster than his legs could move. It did not take him long to reach the top, and when he did, he couldn't help but notice that the door was partially open.
Steam Shine moved his way closer to the door, and was able to hear what was going on. Curious, he slowed down as the sound of a mare yelling at the top of her lungs at an unfortunate victim became obvious to him. He cautiously entered the doorway, and his jaw dropped at the sight that greeted him.
Black Shadows, the usually calm and collected psychologist had her horn aglow, a sheet of paper levitating next to her. Her anger however was more apparent in what she wasn't doing on purpose. As she continued yelling at her youngest son, her magic was discharging at an alarming rate, causing anything not nailed to the ground to go flying in all directions as the occasional glass object exploded suddenly. Steam Shine looked up, and spotted his brother hovering near the ceiling, moving frantically as he tried to dodge the volley of weaponized nick-knacks., "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! Are you on drugs or something?"
As she screamed, a saucer flew from the coffee table and finally beaned Emerald Shadows on his forehead. He grabbed at his skull too late and fell to the ground while still trying to defend his actions. "OW! Ma! No, I'm not using drugs! The teachers just don't appreciate my art!"
"YOUR ART?!" the mare screamed as she attempted to ram herself into the now downed pegasus. Emerald quickly flapped his wings to dodge his enraged mother only to find his green tail wrapped in the blue aura of his mothers magic forcing him back down, "OH NO YOU DON'T! You are going to explain to me, RIGHT NOW how in Celestia's Equestria did you think that this was art?"
She held up a photograph of the offending piece, and Steam Shine squinted from where he was to see what he had done to make their mother so angry. The picture showed a wall with a rather crude painting of Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. The two regal ponies were standing tall with crossed eyes, slack jaws and tongues hanging out. Around them were different members of the nobility, some with their heads shoved up each other's rears. Others were depicted whispering into the ears of the princesses, who pointed over a field of soldiers, marching towards a machine that would grind them into bloody chunks as faceless, grey ponies were forced to clean up the mess that was left behind. Emerald scoffed at the photograph and shrugged his wings, standing proud with what could only be described as the smug look of superiority he responded simply with, "everypony is a critic."
Steam Shine raised a hoof, "Excuse me, but maybe I can-"
"NO." the reply came in stereo from mother and son before they turned back to each other. Steam Shine snapped his mouth closed and sat on the floor to watch the events unfold.
"I can't believe you," she started again, " you begged, BEGGED me to let you go into Luna's School of the Arts. I had to pay five thousand bits up front, to let you be enrolled in the first class of the school. PLUS an additional thousand bits a year to pay for classes and art supplies, and for what? For you to get yourself expelled! I have spent over nine thousand bits on you to go to that school, money that I can never get back! Now what do you have to show for it HUH!?" The mare screamed, causing her magic to flair up which accidentally sent a lamp flying in Emerald’s direction. It hit it's mark, causing the shattered ceramic to spray against the ceiling above him before plummeting together with Emerald, back onto the ground covered in a fresh set of small cuts.
As suddenly as the lamp had exploded, Black Shadows' temper had died off as she realized what she'd done. Both herself and Steam Shine rushed up to help Emerald, as her instincts as a mother overrode her anger she pulled the ceramic away from him. "Oh my, my little colt, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that." Tears of regret began to pool up in her eyes, and both brothers in the room felt as if a knife were twisting in their chests. "Here, let me help you."
Steam Shine offered a hoof to his brother, and Emerald took it. He shakily stood up and gave his older brother a rather defiant look. The look didn't go unnoticed, and Steam quickly backed away. Emerald looked his mother in the eyes with a look no son should ever give his own mother and decided to fan the flames by trying again to explain himself. "You know what? I don't care-"
"Don't care," the mare said numbly, interrupting Emerald before he could finish his sentence. “Don't care that you insulted the royals that OWN the school you were going to? Or don't care about the money I spent on you? Or is it that you don't care to apply yourself for a job?" As she continued talking, Steam Shine could see that she was getting irate again, and swiftly ducked out of her eyesight, just in case she decided to bring him into this, or turn on him next. "Why couldn't you have followed your real talent? The one you cover up with that stupid spray painted X on your flank?"
Even though she didn't yell, and the exploding objects had stopped a while ago, her words had struck a nerve. Emerald’s head snapped up to look dead on at his mother, a new fire glowed in his eyes as he spoke in a dark tone, "That X is a statement against the system, I can do anything that I want. I don't have to be a slave to a symbol on my flank."
Black Shadows seemed not to hear Emerald as she put the photo of the wall he'd defaced in a drawer. She then looked up at a set of swords crossed over each other on the wall instead of her son. "You could have been a captain by now if you joined the royal guard like your father."
That was all it took, one small off hoof comment and something snapped inside of him as he backed away from his mother. A hurt, and dead look suddenly haunting his features. "How dare you," he started off softly before suddenly yelling at full force. "How DARE you mention him!"
Steam Shine and their mother noticed that she struck a nerve as he began to pace the living room, making jerking motions with his head and wings. "He abandoned us all for Celestia, because of some misguided belief that he had to serve our princess." He continued to yell as he suddenly ran down the hall. "I told you then I would never be like him. I write my own destiny!"
"Son, wait!" Her cry came too late as the sound of Emerald’s bedroom door slamming shut echoed through the apartment, shortly followed by music being played at full volume behind the door. Steam Shine looked at his mom as she stood still in the mess that was her living room. Slowly, she blinked a few times before turning away, hoping to keep the tears inside. Finally, after almost a minute of inactivity, her horn sparked to life and began to pick up the broken objects from the floor. Instinctively Steam rushed over and tried to help his mother, only for her to push him away, "Not now... It's my mess. I should clean it up."
Steam Shine gave his mother a sad smile, "It's okay Momma, let me help you." She opened her mouth to protest at first, then closed her mouth and nodded as she moved away from him to another cluster of broken things. The work was silent, as the two ponies shuffled about the room, throwing the broken glass and splintered wood into the kitchen trash can.
The room was nearly clean when the loud music finally stopped, and the sound of a door opening reached the two ponies ears, they looked up to see Emerald standing in the hallway, overstuffed saddlebags strapped to his back and sides. "I'm going to stay with Steam for a while," he announced as he purposefully made his way over to the pair. "I need time to rethink my life. I'll come by when I know what to do." Emerald walked past the pair to the balcony overlooking an alleyway, he paused at the door, but did not look back as he spoke again. "I'll be back later with a cart for the rest of my stuff." He then slid open the glass door and stepped out to the balcony. For a few moments he stood there, eyes closed as he nodded to himself slightly, mouthing words that only he could hear, as if reassuring himself before finally taking off.
Steam Shine looked at his mother as she stared at the empty spot her younger son had just flew away from. Already he could see the signs that tears she kept at bay all this time, had finally won over and began falling from her eyes. As she tried to blink them away, Steam was unsure of what to do, and he lay a wing across his mom's back and tried to soothe her. "There there, its okay Momma, it will be alright. I'm sure he'll come home soon."
Black Shadows to her credit, managed to stifle back most of the tears and put on a brave face. "I know, he'll be okay with you," she smiled in a sad way as she continued to sniffle slightly. "I'm not really mad at him you know, just disappointed. He could have been great at being a guard, but he didn't want it," she shuddered a bit as she tried to hold the tears back, "I supported him anyway and now... I feel like he just slapped me in the face."
Steam Shine did the only thing he could think of and gave his mom a comforting hug, "It will all be okay Momma," he started, "He can stay with me for a couple weeks. Maybe I can get him at the factory as my assistant until he lands on his hooves again."
Black Shadows smiled through her tears. "You promise you can take care of him?" He looked down at his mother, and saw in her eyes a mare that was broken, and needed a promise. He silently gave his word by simply nodding his head. Suddenly he felt the collar from his work clothes shift around his neck, "You really are a handsome young stallion, you should keep your collar straight though if you ever want mares to look at you," he smiled despite himself as she spoke, because even with everything that had just occurred, she felt the need to mother him. "And all that grease, do you bathe in it or something?"
Steam Shine laughed a little as he rubbed his head. "Momma, I work on machines all day, I'm bound to get grease on me."
His mom kept fussing over him for a few moments, clucking her tongue as she did so before, thankfully coming to a stop. "Well get outta here, look after your brother. We can go bowling next week okay?"
Steam Shine nodded as he went out the same way his younger brother did. As he stood on the balcony, he looked back and tried his best not to look worried. "Okay momma, I'll be back next week. Are you sure you will be alright all by yourself?"
She laughed a little bit as she began again to pick up the last of the thrown items in the room, "Son, I've got a horn, this mess is almost done, and I can still use your father's sword if a burglar was idiotic enough to break in here." She pointed with a hoof to the wall where under the two decorative crossed swords and sheild, a well maintained military sword rested on the fireplace mantle.
Steam Shine nodded as he placed a pair of flight goggles over his eyes. He paused for a few moments to breathe in the air, and make sure he had everything with him. He then smiled slightly, looked to his mother and said, "Alright Momma, I'll see you later. Love ya."
"Love you too son,” she looked up at him for a few awkward moments, then finally finished off by saying, “Be safe yeah?"
"Yeah, I will." He shut the door behind him, turned to face the railing and took off. He rose into the air a few hundred feet, and looked around for a few moments. He sighed as he took in the beauty of the city as the lights began to flicker on, then took off for his small apartment in the south end of Canterlot.
Emerald Shadows' word wasn't quite gold, but when he said something, he would more or less stick to it. It was well over an hour after the argument between his mother and himself, and Emerald was hanging out at his favorite diner. He was drinking coffee, only because it was cheap, and they always gave free refills of the stuff. He personally hated the drink, but felt that he needed the dark, bitter brew to calm his nerves. It naturally did not work.
"I don't get it," he thought to himself. "She should be proud of me for not being as blind as everypony else. She's wrong, I've done what every great artist did by making a great truth known through art!" Despite the confidence he mentally shouted in his mind, somewhere in the back a much smaller one suddenly spoke up. "The same way that a punk with a spray can would, on the side of a wall." He snorted at the thought, pretending that it never even crossed his mind in the first place as he drained the last of his coffee. Giving off a small sigh, he looked at the clock hanging over the wall separating the dining room from the kitchens. "Seven o'clock, I should go," he opened one of his saddlebags and found a few bits inside. He quickly lay them on the table and walked out into the cool evening air.
Emerald took a deep breath, and reveled in the crisp scent of air pregnant with inevitable rain. The sound of thunder rolled across the sky as he spread his wings to take off, southward to his brother's home. The flight wasn't long by any means, but it did take awhile to find the location, due to the massive amount of similar looking buildings in the area. Finally, he spotted the correct multistory brick building, only because of the painfully obvious giant brass cannon on the roof. Emerald landed on top of the building and gave off a sigh, only for a voice to call out to him. "Hey Babe."
Emerald turned to the source of the voice to see his older brother leaning back in an old, torn barcalounger with his forehooves crossed behind his head. Despite how dark it was, he wore sunglasses over his face. Emerald scowled slightly at his brother before responding, "I thought I told you to never call me that."
"Sorry, old habit," the older brother said with a laugh. He sat up some and raised his glasses before continuing the conversation. "So, you want to stay here with me?"
Emerald nodded a bit as he adjusted his saddlebags. "Yeah, at least until I know what I'm going to do."
Steam rolled out of the chair and stretched on the rooftop before walking over to him. With a casual smile he bumped Emerald's shoulder with a hoof, "Well, come on let’s go in."
The two ponies opened the roof’s access door and wound their way down a couple flights of stairs before turning down one of the hallways. As they made their way down the hall, Steam pointed out that there were only four apartments on this floor, his one bedroom, a two bedroom, and two studio apartments. As Steam began to unlock the door, Emerald raised his ears to the sound of clacking, "Hey, what is that noise?"
Steam Shine raised an eyebrow, turned to the source of the loud noise and frowned. "Hm? Oh its just my neighbor working on another story."
The door opened as the two ponies filed in, "How often does he use that thing?"
"So often you won't even notice it," the older sibling casually responded. He tossed his keys on a table and shut the door behind them before continuing. "Now, you can stay on the couch for now, at least until things cool off between you and mom, okay? Emerald?" He looked around and could not find a sign of his brother anywhere in the living room. Steam turned the corner and looked in his bedroom to see his younger brother had already curled up asleep on his bed.
He sighed to himself and threw a blanket on his brother before removing his work clothes and throwing them in a hamper. He went to the fridge and pulled out a box of leftover noodles and munched on them contently for a while as his eyes skimmed the newspaper.
As the evening wore on, Steam was left alone with his thoughts, "Momma will get over it before Emerald does. If he really is anything like Dad, he can hold a grudge for a few days. I wonder… did I leave the welding torch on at work? No, wait, focus Steam... How long can you support Emerald before you go bust?"
Steam Shine placed the noodles down on the counter top and began searching through the cabinets in the apartment. Finally, he found what he wanted on a shelf in the living room, and grinned as he pulled down the abacus, "Okay, I make about two thousand bits a month, give or take depending on if I get over time or sick, rent is eight hundred a month, I spend almost three hundred on food, five hundred in utilities, with the rest of it going toward leisure shopping and R and D on my inventions. Double the food bill, and add one hundred in rent for adding him to the lease if I have to, and... I'm broke in a month. Unless I drop leisure shopping entirely... Oh boy."
He dropped the abacus down on the coffee table before settling on the couch and giving off a small sigh, "Maybe it won't be that bad, after all, how much can he need that I don't already have?"
Steam smiled to himself, finally content with the idea that things will be alright, and soon afterwards fell into a peaceful sleep.
"The best kind of a job work would be one that you could make a living off of, without having your soul killed in the process" ― Pressed Bit
Emerald turned over in his sleep, he could barely hear the birds outside the window chirping, but they were quiet enough that the sound was of little bother to him. As he slept in the early morning sunlight, the bedroom door creaked open to reveal his older brother. Steam chuckled silently as he stealthily slunk away to the other end of the apartment. It was then that Emerald was suddenly jolted awake by a cacophony of sound that had all the musical enjoyment of a piano falling down stairs. Giving a shout as he tumbled out of bed, Emerald groaned aloud as he started to crawl to the living room. Upon entering, he yelled the first eight words that came to mind, "WHAT IN THE NAME OF TARTARUS IS THAT?!"
Steam Shine was grinning from ear to ear with welding goggles mounted over his eyes. He danced about adjusting several valves sticking out of what looked like an upright piano with other instruments attached to it. "ISN'T IT FANTASTIC! I CALL IT A PLAYER PIANO! IT'S GONNA REVOLUTIONIZE MUSIC AS WE KNOW IT!"
"WHAT?!"
"SORRY I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
Emerald flew over to the piano with his hooves over his ears. After looking at the machine frantically for a few moments he yelled, "DOES THIS THING HAVE AN OFF SWITCH?!"
Steam Shine smiled wide and laughed before adjusting another valve. As excess steam blew out he yelled out a response, "NOPE! FORGOT TO DESIGN ONE! BEST TO LET IT FINISH THE SONG!"
Emerald quickly looked over the infernal machine in hopes of finding some way to kill it. Finally after a few moments, he found near the top a roll of paper with holes punched in it. Without thinking he grabbed the paper, and Steam instantly shot a hoof into the air and yelled, "EMERALD NO!" He ripped the paper out of the turning drums, and for a moment every key on the piano struck, while every instrument attached to the monstrosity played one last sour note before finally going silent. Rather than being angry, Steam Shine was laughing so hard he looked like he was going to split a side, "Well good morning sunshine! Equestria says, HELLO!"
Emerald growled at his older brother before walking off into the kitchen. "So what's for breakfast,” as he asked and began to open all the cabinets in search of something tasty, “I could go for a daisy sandwich right now… maybe some eggs and toast."
"I don't have any of those things," Steam replied with a frown. Emerald groaned slightly, but before he could start to really complain, Steam Shine gestured with his wings to the top of the fridge, "But I have some Toasted O's cereal and cold milk if you're hungry."
Emerald snorted as he grabbed the cereal from the top of the fridge. He frowned at the smiling foal on the box and turned it over so his older brother could look at it. "Toasted O's? What are you four?"
Steam Shine grinned, pulled a Daring Do toy off of a shelf and held it up. "Why grow up all the way when there are all these toys to play with?" he quipped before placing it with a small collection of other toys.
Emerald rolled his eyes as he poured the cereal into a bowl. "Idiot," he muttered to himself before raising his head. "Why even invent such a contraption in the first place? That piano I mean, don't we have records for home music already?"
Steam smiled as he patted the top of the player piano. "Hey, I don't know if you ever noticed, but unless you are a unicorn it's really hard to play piano." Emerald continued to chew his food, gesturing with a hoof for Steam to continue. "So, I decided to give those struggling earth pony and pegasus musicians a way to get on an even playing field. All they have to do is program the machine by punching holes in this paper roll, feed it in, and BAM instant musician!"
Emerald finally swallowed down his food, and after a few moments of silence he gave his brother a deadpan look and responded with, "So, it's a cheat machine."
Giving off a sigh as he removed his goggles, Steam suddenly gave Emerald a serious look. "Let's just change the subject. I want you to get ready, we have a long day ahead of us."
Emerald looked up at his brother and watched as he grabbed his saddlebags and a fresh white work coat. "What do you mean we?" he asked in confusion. “Do you mean as in the royal we?”
"We, as in us. The plural we, as in you and I, are going to Cloudsdale today to see about getting you a job," Steam paused as he struggled for a few moments getting into the coat. It wasn't until he put the last button through it's hole before he continued. "So do whatever it is you do in the mornings, but do it quick and make sure you smell good. I'm going to have you meet with my boss about working at the factory."
Emerald snorted a bit before laughing for a moment. Finally he looked at his brother with a frown. "I'm an artist, what are they going to do? Have me make cloud sculptures?"
"Not likely," Steam replied with a snap. "Now hurry up."
The morning was all a blur to Emerald. One moment he was eating cereal, the next he was in the shower. Then he was brushing his teeth, tail and mane. Soon followed by the usual routine of applying the black X over his cutie mark with a stencil. The next thing he knew, he was out the door and suddenly he found himself in Cloudsdale with his saddlebags and ID card ready to go. "So, your first real job interview, how do you feel little brother? Excited? Nervous?"
"Confused,” he answered honestly. “Why am I doing this? Aren't we rich enough I shouldn't have to work?"
The two ponies flew around the cloud buildings and talked as they headed to the Weather Factory. "No, MOM is rich enough that she doesn't have to work. We, as in you and I, couldn't buy our way into a doughnut convention without a job to back us up."
Emerald looked at his brother with an eyebrow raised. "You have a funny way of putting things."
Steam shrugged as they flew up to the gate of the factory. "Whatever works, any-who we're here." Emerald looked up at the cloud structure with an almost bored look as he took in the sheer size and scope of the cloud structure.
As they flew closer to the pristine white industrial cloud material, Emerald couldn't help but notice a definite ancient pegasus motif. Grand columns and intricately sculpted art reliefs graced the walls. Images of pegasi creating different kinds of weather patterns tried to grab at his attention, yet failed to impress.
"Pretty neat huh?" Steam cut in as he patted his brother on the back. "I tell ya babe, er... I mean bro, working here really fills you with a sense of pride." Emerald’s response was to roll his eyes as they landed in front of the open door and walked in to the giant reception room. The interior showcased different pieces of fine art relating to weather and the stewards of it. The two ponies walked together over to the main desk, and Steam Shine gave the mare a wide smile. "Hey Sunshine, this young stallion to my right is applying for a job here."
The secretary gave off a bored expression as she ran a file across her hoof. "You know what to do Steam," she pointed lazily with her file to a basket full of applications. "Have your friend fill out an application, take a seat, and prepare to be processed."
As the two walked away, Steam gave his younger brother a sly wink. "She digs me."
The bored voice of the secretary called out to the duo as they walked to the seats, "Not if you were the last stallion on earth, goggle butt."
Steam laughed a bit to himself as Emerald fished a quill and inkwell out of his bags and started to fill the paperwork out. Steam looked over his shoulder in the meantime, making sure that everything was taken care of properly. A few moments in and Emerald looked up to ask a question. "Uh, Steam, what position am I applying for? Weather team? Snow artisan or cloud sculptor?"
"None of those, they have a waiting list a mile long kid," Steam said with a wave of his hoof. "No, if you want a job starting Monday, you apply for assistant mechanic."
Emerald tried to restrain the groan that was building up inside him. He turned to look him in the eye and said, "But I'm not a mechanic!" in a loud hissing whisper.
"No you are not,” Steam Shine said is he leaned in to whisper more quietly. “That's why you apply for assistant. That way you are payed to learn a trade, and if you become good enough you can become a full on mechanic." Emerald stared at his brother with a deadpan face for a few moments before the elder of the two gave off a sigh. "Look, just do this for me, okay? This is all just a hoof in the door, and when it's all said and done, you can try out for those other positions when there is an opening, 'kay?"
"Alright,” he said in a begrudging tone. “You're the boss." He checked the little box his brother suggested before moving down the rest of the application.
It only seemed like mere moments later when Emerald found himself sitting in what had to have been the world's most uncomfortable chair ever designed by a pegasus. Sure, it was made of clouds, but the shape was clearly made for looks rather than comfort, and tortured his body to actually sit in. Naturally this caused the already nervous young stallion to twitch while trying to find a way to be comfortable, all the while wishing that the pony interviewing him would turn her back for at least a minute so he could remold it into something more comfy. This of course meant that her eyes were on him the entire time.
The mare behind the desk glanced down at Emerald with a heavy frown. He couldn't help but feel like he was being scrutinized, like he was a disease that needed to be eliminated. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him and finally asked, "So tell me Mister Shadows, what makes you think you are weather pony material?"
Emerald flashed his best smile as he tried his best to stop fidgeting under her glare, and look her in the eye as he spoke. "Well, as a student of Luna's School of the Arts, I had used many tools such as welding torches, sculpting knives, and wrenches over the four years there. I am a quick adaptable learner, and I am sure that before you know it, you will be having me move up to a full on mechanic."
The older mare behind the desk leaned back in her chair and placed her forehooves together across her chest. She closed her eyes and looked at the ceiling for a few moments before asking, "You know what I can't stand?"
Emerald looked her up and down for a few moments before answering, "A pie without ice cream?"
The mare blushed slightly as she tried to suck in her slight paunch and slouch behind the desk a little more. "I can't stand smart asses that think they know it all." She looked over the paper before her as she continued to speak. "Congratulations to you on taking the safest, most generic route a dropout could muster up, but I want the truth this time," she gave a cruel smile as she leaned forward at Emerald. "Why should I hire you."
Emerald gave off a shrug, already fed up with the mare, and the seat he spoke his mind. "You know what? I don't know. I'm an art school drop out and I owe my mom a ton of bits. I'm staying with my older brother, and I just need to do something with my life." Emerald paused and thought about what he said. Suddenly, he started to laugh a little as he finished with, "You know, my brother is the only reason why I am here."
The mare held up a hoof, "I've heard enough." She looked him up and down for a few moments, scrutinizing and looking over every little detail about him. After several uncomfortable moments of silence, she spoke. "I'll tell you what, your brother is a good guy, puts a lot of hours here." Emerald nodded at the statement as he began to feel the sweat pour out of his face. "So here's the deal, I'll hire you on your brothers word. You will assist him and Silver Streak. If I hear any complaints anywhere about you, you're out. Got it?"
He shakily nodded at her again, "Yes ma'am, I got it."
"Good, you are officially on your training period. You start Monday bright and early. Come to work with your brother, stick with the crew." She passed a sheet of paper across the desk to Emerald before pointing to the door. "Go talk to the secretary, she will have somepony escort you to get your work badge and uniform. See you Monday."
The young stallion took the paper and ran out the door, thankful to just be out of the chair. After the door was closed, the sky blue pegasus pushed down on the intercom to her private secretary. "Paper File, I need a list of the best gyms in the city..."
Emerald Shadows was lost. Having decided to decline a guide to Pony Resources, Emerald instead thought that he could find it himself. As he wandered through the maze like halls, he saw various sections. He discovered Division One made various clouds, Division Two would impregnate some of them with rain, and Division Three was hail, while Division Four was sleet. Sometimes Emerald would find an open door, and he couldn't help but peek into them, and saw some of the different ways the pegasi would work with water to make different precipitation patterns.
Emerald shook his head as he continued down the hall muttering to himself, “Come on you don’t have time for this. Just hurry up and find the pony resources department.” That’s when he came across an open area that looked up to the sky, and saw several rainbow streams flowing from a building higher up. The only thing attaching it to the main factory was a stairway, and several cloud columns. The round area reminded Emerald of a public park or courtyard, the way it had benches for employees to sit on and look at the rainbow pools and fountains.
Emerald looked around the area searching for any sign that could point him in the right direction. After a few moments, a gruff voice spoke suddenly behind him. "Can I help you?" He turned around to see a pegasus standing behind him. He was yellow with purple hair, but what made Emerald nervous was that he was wearing a security guard uniform and mirrored sunglasses.
Emerald swallowed down some saliva before giving off a nervous smile. "I am looking for pony resources, so I can get my ID and uniform."
The guard gave off a friendly smile as he pointed down one of the halls attached to the courtyard. "Head down that hallway there, take a left, go three doors down and you will find a sign pointing it out on the door, can't miss it."
"Say, thanks!" Emerald said with a smile as he took off to the hall, and several moments later, Emerald found himself standing outside the open doorway to Pony Resources. He walked across the floor over to a stallion behind a desk. "Excuse me, but I was told to give you this paper?" Emerald winced as it came out like a question, but the stallion took the paper anyway.
"Hmm, mister, Emerald Shadows?" He looked up from the paper and gave off a stern expression. "Have a seat and we will get right to you."
The pegasus sat down, and tried to find a comfortable position. "What is with these chairs, you would think that making a chair out of clouds would feel better than this."
An orange mare walked out from behind a door holding a clipboard. "Emerald? Emerald Shadows?" Quickly as he could, he stood up and trotted across the floor to her. "Come on back here, lets get you fitted out for work."
He gave off a sort of shy smile to the mare as he moved past her, took off his saddlebags and sat down in a chair before she fluttered over the desk into her own seat. "Now, I just need you to sign a few things before we get started, for insurance reasons." The mare pulled out a small pamphlet of papers for him to fill out, and slid them across the desk. "Just your name, and somepony we can contact if there is an emergency." Emerald nodded along with what she was saying as he quickly wrote the information down. "Okay now, initial here, here, and date here. Perfect, just sign on the bottom, and done. See that wasn't so painful was it?"
Emerald gave off one of his better smiles to the mare, "No, not at all. What next?"
The mare gave off a small smile as she filed away the papers. "Well, I just need a picture of your face, and cutie mark for the ID badge, and to know what size coat you wear."
"Oh, I wear a size medium." He said with a smile.
"Okay," she flew over to the far end of the room as she spoke." Now just follow me here and I'll get your picture taken." Landing behind the operational end of a camera attached to a rather large machine.
"Mister Shadows, against that wall if you please?" She pointed at a blank wall across from the camera. He followed her directions, and stood facing the camera. "Now I want you to turn to your left, and look at the calendar on my wall."
He complied, the calendar had a photo of Spitfire in a bathing suit, posing in a suggestive way in front of the weather factory . Emerald's eyes zoned in on the picture as a grin started to spread across his face.
*CLICK CLICK*
The mare behind the camera was trying to stifle a giggle as she saw Emeralds now shocked expression. "Sorry, but I never get tired of that trick."
The machine started to whir and click loudly for a few moments, before a little card with two pictures popped out of a slot. One was a profile shot of Emerald's face with a sleazy grin, the other of a black X on a grey background. "I think I captured your true personality with this shot." Emerald started to feel a blush come to his face as the mare turned away to pull down some freshly bagged work coats. "Replacement ID badges cost three bits, uniforms ten. Try not to lose them, alright?" The still flustered pegasus simply nodded at the mare in reply. "Then you are free to go, I hope you enjoy your first day."
As he made his way out the door, Emerald looked back at the calendar and noticed that it was two years old. "Hey, I think you need a new calendar in here."
"And miss taking pictures like that?" the mare said with a smile. "Not on your life bud."
Emerald gave her a nervous smile, grabbed his saddlebags off the floor, and ran out the door to meet his brother in the main lobby. He had good news to tell him.
“My parents were the greatest, they always supported me no matter what in their own way. My mom would encourage me, and my dad would crush my soul by being gone. I like to think that kept me in reality. ” ― Mild Mischief
Steam Shine was sitting in a chair when Emerald came out from the back of the building. He quickly stood up with concern as his brother walked up with a frown. "So, how'd it go?"
Emerald sighed a little as he held up his I.D. badge. "Meet employee number twenty, eight, twenty four, dash one, one, three, eight."
Steam smiled as he wrapped a foreleg around his brother. "I told you that you could do it!" He quickly let go and lead the way out the door as he gave Emerald a playful punch on the shoulder. "Come on, lets go celebrate, I know a great café Silver and I go to sometimes. They have the best deep fried lilies, and coldest sarsaparilla west of Manehatten!" The two brothers flew away from the factory, and Steam lead the way to their destination. It was a small, round building using mixed materials to be sturdy, yet light enough that the clouds beneath it could hold it up easily.
Emerald glanced up at the sign. It had a picture of a pegasus winking out at the world, holding a basket of hay fries and an indistinguishable sandwich. Next to the winking pegasus, the name of the restaurant was written in simple red writing, A Little Hole In The Clouds. Emerald could smell the deep fried goodness coming from within the café and couldn't help but salivate slightly. Steam grinned widely as he lead the way into the building.
If the outside smelled good, then the smell inside was heavenly. The inside looked like it hadn't been updated in twenty years, with logos for long extinct brands, images of former pop stars and garish neon colors awash all over the place. Steam lead the younger brother to an open booth seat and let him slide in. "Trust me little bro, I'll cover the order. You are going to love it," with that said he was off.
Emerald put his forehoof to his chin as he let his eyes wander about the establishment. "I wonder what the work is going to be like. Maybe I can give the money back to Momma and let all arguments be over with. Wait…what is that?" His eyes had wandered to a corner of the building where a lone arcade cabinet stood. It was one of the older ones that used a projector with several sets of reels.
He got up and wandered closer to it, and read the title Wild Gunmare, underneath the marquee of the machine, was the recessed screen, and in front of him was a fake hoof canon on a string along with a holster on a belt. Emerald gave off a wide smile as he strapped the holster on, stood up on only his rear hooves and deposited a bit into the machine.
Footage of a dusty black pony with a western hat on his head galloped across a field. As the image played, a voice came out of the speaker, giving the basic rules of play. "After the eyes flash on the screen, SHOOT! Place hoof canon in holster, and prepare to draw!"
The scene changed and showed a silver unicorn walking down the streets of what looked like Dodge Junction on a budget. Emerald smiled as she nodded at him through the screen, a wave of nostalgia flooding him. Suddenly, her eyes flashed! Emerald drew the gun out and shot as quick as he could, and waited to see the result. The reels took only a second to change, and the mare on the screen fell over in an overly dramatic, bloodless defeat. The words You Win flashed on the screen before being replaced with Replace hoof canon in holster and prepare to draw.
The next round had a dirty grey earth pony with a horseshoe mustache on his face. He was wearing a sombrero on his head that partially covered his eyes, and a poncho that covered his body. Suddenly the pony on the screen whipped off his poncho as his hat flew back showing the flash in his eyes. Emerald reached for the gun, stumbled and the pony on the screen fired. You Lose.
The next three scenes went on for a few seconds each. Emerald was a little rusty, but still pretty good at this game, and defeated them easily. However, he missed another shot on the fifth screen before getting a last chance warning. on the screen.
Then it showed a white pegasus with blue hair and eyes flying through the air. Unlike some of the others, who wore their holsters closer to their forehooves, or would hide their weapon completely, his hoof canon was displayed in a holster close to his flank. Drawing the players eyes to his cutie mark, the only one easy to see in the game. It was a black storm cloud with a lightning bolt that covered the sun from view. Emerald saw the mark, and shook with a mix of nerves and emotion for a few moments as he waited. The pegasus flashed a smile, showing his crooked teeth. "Son, you best step back if ya wanna see another day."
Emerald kept his gun holstered, he knew this trick well and waited. The game continued to play the footage of the pegasus slowly flying away. Before he got too far, the stallion looked back at the camera for a moment and there was the flash. Emerald yanked out the holster and fired. Only, he missed. The pegasus on the screen gave off a laugh before holstering his gun back up without firing a single shot. You Lose flashed across the screen before it displayed a game over and shut down.
Emerald placed the gun and holster back in its slot before heading back to the booth to find his brother sitting down with another pony chatting away. He was turquoise green with fire red eyes, his mane had matching tones of red with a silver base. The pony had an easy going grin on his face as he nibbled on a simple lettuce sandwich. Emerald smiled at the two as Steam looked up at him. "Hey little bro, I want you to meet Silver Streak!" The mentioned pegasus raised a hoof in greeting, "I was just telling Silver here about how you are going to be an assistant to us both."
Emerald scooted in the booth seat next to his brother and smiled. "Nice to meet you," he said as he looked the newcomer over from across the table, and offered a hoof to him.
"Nice to meet you too, Emerald right?" he said with a smile, and took Emeralds hoof to shake it.
Steam Shine grinned as he picked at his sandwich for a minute. "So I saw you playing that old game...did you beat Dad?"
Silver's ears went up at this question but he didn't say anything yet as he watched Emerald’s expression change. "No, I missed the target completely and he flew off, again."
"'Scuse me, but what do you mean 'beat dad'?" Silver asked with a hoof in the air.
Steam Shine pointed with a wing to the arcade game behind them. "Our dad is one of the bad guys on that game,” he explained casually. "For some reason, neither of us could ever get past him."
Silver looked at the machine as a colt got up to take on the challenge of Wild Gunmare. "Oh? Well then, better luck next time."
Emerald snorted as he picked up the sandwich that was passed to him. "Thanks," he said dismissively as he took a bite. The flavor exploded in his mouth and he couldn't help but give off a grin. "What is this thing made out of?"
"Oh its a new kind of soy product that is fried as a patty, with some flowers and garden vegetables served between a bun and secret sauce," Steam said dismissively. "It's probably deadly to ponies if they eat too much of it, and possibly radioactive."
Silver laughed as he pounded a hoof to the table. "That explains why I glow in the dark!"
The three ponies laughed for a little while before they went back to eating in silence. It wasn't until all the sandwiches were gone, and they were just picking at the fried lilies that the conversation picked up again. "So tell me Silver, what is it we exactly fix around the factory?"
Silver wiped his face with the back of his fore leg, much to Emeralds disgust, before answering. "What don't we fix I think is the better question. Team awesome, that's your brother and myself, go all over the factory fixing anything that needs to be repaired."
"Team awesome?" Emerald said with a snort as he chewed on his sandwich, "What is that some kind'a wanna be hoofball team name?"
Steam gave off a grin as he sipped on his drink before answering. "Well yeah, sort of. There are about half a dozen teams of two or three that work all over the factory. Some of us specialize in certain things, but for the most part we rotate on repair duties and make a game out of it."
Silver waved a hoof in the air as if to prove a point before he actually spoke. "So far, Team Frosty is in the lead because of those blasted air conditioning units for the snow and hail divisions." He paused to chomp on a fried lily, swallowed, then continued. "But, I hear those cloud generators are groaning again, probably time for a classic team awesome weld job to put us back in the lead!" Steam and Silver gave off a shout as they high hoofed each other with wide grins.
Emerald watched their behavior in mild confusion. After the two settled down, he swallowed another mouthful of food before asking, "So we fix everything in every division?"
Steam picked at the lily fries for a minute as he thought of an answer. "Well, almost everything. Division seven has its own repair team, but other than them, yeah we go where we gott'a go in the factory."
"Everything from a burnt out bulb to an exploded steam engine we do it all!" Silver said with a near maniacal grin. He then ate a few more of the fried lilies as Steam began to laugh at the crazed look he was making moments ago.
The general mood was so contagious, that Emerald couldn't help but join in on the laughter. After a few moments he finally asked the question on his mind, "What makes division seven so special?"
It was a simple question that brought the other two stallions at the table to halt their usual off work shenanigans, and bring a serious look to Silver's face. "You mean you don't know?"
"I never told him," Steam started.
"You never told him?" Silver asked again in a near shout.
"Well I thought it could wait until he actually got to work on Monday!" Steam shouted at his friend and coworker.
Steam and Silver both face hoofed and groaned at the same time as Emerald watched in awe at the sheer idiocy of his older brother. "So, are you going to tell me?"
"You tell him Silver," Steam said as he grabbed his drink and started to gulp it down.
"Right right," Silver Streak said with a wave of his hoof. He then cleared his throat and looked over his shoulders, as if somepony could be listening. Satisfied that nopony was, he leaned forward and began to speak in a low voice. "Well, division seven is rainbows, and they don't let just anypony in or out of there. Not without clearance."
Emerald looked at Silver as he waited for more. After a few moments of waiting for him to continue with no results, he waved a hoof in a rolling motion as he waited. "And..."
"And, that's it," Steam Shine said with a crooked half smile. "It's just Silver and I like to guess about what they do back there that's so secret."
"Yeah like what do they use to make their rainbows to make them so consistently bright and vibrant." Silver interrupted. He stopped, took a drink of water before asking, "I'm sure a young pegasus such as yourself knows a bit about pony made rainbows right?"
Emerald scoffed as he grabbed the last of the fried lilies. "Not really, I know that it relies on pegasus magic, some colors and a liquid for the base."
Steam Shine was about to speak when Silver quickly held a hoof up and interrupted him, "You're close colt, I'll give you that," he grabbed his glass of water off the table and dipped the tip of his hoof in, "Anypony could make a natural rainbow by filtering light through water." He then tossed his hoof up, and the water flew in a fine mist, creating a small rainbow in the dim light. "Sometimes though,” he continued, “Different towns and cities request a rainbow for special events, or just to lift the town's spirits."
He then pulled out a broken feather from his wing and dipped it in the water, "Now if you add color to water, and use some of that pegasus magic you got in you, you can mix your own rainbows where the color will stay separate, and can be painted onto the sky itself." After a few moments, the water turned the same turquoise color as the feather that was dropped in. Silver then dipped another hoof into the liquid, and grabbed the feather, using it to trace a line in the air, leaving a dull turquoise streak in the air. "It's not a full rainbow mind you, so it won't last long. But I think you'll get the point." Even as he said it, the dull line in the air faded away to nothingness, as if it were never there.
"Winsome and Rainbow Falls are the only two places where this phenomenon happens naturally," Steam then said with a contemplative look, "But we don't use it because of imperfections, it doesn't stick to the sky long enough, and just falls as colored rain." Steam Shine looked at a clock on the wall and sighed a bit before turning to Silver Streak. "Hey as much as I would love to just hang out and chat about the mysteries of rainbows all day, I gott'a get back to Canterlot."
Silver stopped drinking from his cup to give him a deep frown. "Already? What plans do you have on snob mountain?"
Emerald stood to let his brother out as the three filed for the door. "Gott'a go see how much it will cost to rent a moving wagon, talk to my landlord about adding him to the contract," he said as he pointed a wing at his younger brother, "And probably go food shopping because Sir Picky here doesn't like Toasted O's."
"What's wrong with Toasted O's?" Silver asked as they left the building.
"That stuffs for foals. I need real food. You understand right?"
Steam and Silver looked at each other with a grin. "NOPE," the two said in unison before bursting into fits of laughter.
"I'll see you Monday Steam, bright and early! Nice to meet you Emerald!" Silver called out as he flew away to enjoy the rest of his day off.
The two brothers looked at each other for a while with smiles on their faces before Steam took to the air. "Come on, we really have to get back to Canterlot now if you want to rent a wagon by the end of the day." Emerald gave off a groan as he took off after his brother.
The flight back to the capital city was uneventful to say the least, as well as Emerald's meeting with the landlord for the apartment. She was a friendly older mare named Fair Price, she was the color of a faded lemon with a mane and tail the color of copper with several streaks of silver. That was the only memory that Emerald wanted to remember about her, because her only other defining feature was that the old unicorn tended to mutter nonsense every few moments to herself, right before smiling and continuing the conversation at hoof.
Not too long after that slice of awkward pie, Emerald and Steam Shine found a place that rented carts and carriages. Quickly they rented the cheapest cart that still worked before hauling it off to their mother's place. As the two ponies pulled into the back alleyway, Steam unhitched himself from the cart and looked up at the balcony window, then at the back door. "Which way you want to go in?"
"Depends, what time is it?" Emerald replied as he continued to get tangled while trying to unhitch himself.
Steam Shine looked at the watch just above his right hoof before facing his brother, smacking himself in the face. "It's only four o'clock."
"Front door then, she might be working," Emerald said with a frown as Steam quickly helped him out of the harness. The two brothers then flew up over the building, and landed on the front stoop before they entered.
Walking into the drab world of greys, purples, and blues that was the lobby for their mother's business, always tended to be disorienting to the brothers, especially during business hours. Across the room, an off white pony with tan colored mane looked up from behind her glasses, "Oh, it's you two. I suppose you are here to see your mother."
"That's right," Steam Shine started, "We're here to-"
"We're here to get my stuff out of her mane,” Emerald interrupted. “Can we just go back there and grab my stuff, we don't need to bother her."
The secretary took off her glasses and polished them on her shirt before speaking. "Emerald, by now you should know better than that. You can't just waltz in and out of here as you please, especially when she is seeing a client."
Emerald looked like he was on the verge of whining, which brought a look of amusement to his older brother's face. "Oh come on Miss File Marker, you don't need to be that way."
"It's what I am payed to do until I clock out. Now your mother is with a client so it's going to have to wait." Emerald gave off a grumble as the two pegasi sat down. The earth pony behind the desk grabbed some files before she briskly trotted through the door that eventually leads to their mother's analysis room.
Emerald folded his forelegs across his chest in a huff. "Hmf, she should know better than to make us wait in the lobby."
"Babe, momma's working and probably locked the door that leads upstairs. Besides we don't live here anymore."
"We might not live here, but all my stuff is still in there!" Emerald cried out as his wings flared. “And don’t call me babe! It’s weird.”
The door opened once again, and the receptionist came back to sit down. "She'll be right with you boys, her patient is about to leave now."
Steam Shine nodded and smiled wide at File Marker, then turned back to his brother. “There is nothing weird with calling you babe, it’s just short for baby brother.”
“Yeah?” Emerald started as he gave his brother the stink eye. “It’s also what ponies call each other when they are dating.”
Steam was about to respond to that, when the door opened again. This time a tan unicorn with a black mane done in a comb over stepped out, with an actual grin on his face, rather than the fake one worn by most ponies in Canterlot’s circle of elites. "So I'll see you next week?" he asked with a slight tone of worry.
The voice of their mother floated out from behind the open doorway, responding to the exiting pony. "Of course Sound Advice. Just remember, if there is an emergency, don't hesitate to send me a note and I will always listen."
"Thank you Momma B, I don't know what I would do without you," the unicorn said with a nervous smile. Sound Advice then grabbed an appointment card from the receptionist and walked out the front door, ready to face the world once again.
Steam Shine got up out of the chair and trotted over to their mom. "Black Shadows, everypony's momma, doing her best work. Once again thanks to your efforts, sanity seems attainable to yet another patient," he said with a smile as he gave her a hug. "How are you doing Momma?"
"I've been fine,” she said as she hugged him back. “Always a bit crazy when a member of Blueblood's house staff comes in, but other than that good."
While Steam was trying to be pleasant, Emerald was in no mood to visit, and he made it apparent in the way he spoke. "Hey Mom, we got a cart for my stuff."
Black Shadows blinked for a few moments at the bluntness of her youngest son. "Well, alright then. Let me unlock the door to the upstairs and you can get what you need."
The three made their way to the end of the hall, and she opened the door to the stairs. "Go on ahead Emerald, I want to talk to Steam for a minute before I send him to help. You need help with the furniture, right?"
Emerald gave off a shrug, "Steam doesn't have the room for my bed and stuff. I just want my art supplies, clothes and a few other things."
Their mother looked down at the floor for a moment in embarrassment as she spoke. "Oh, well I'll still send him up in a bit," she said. Emerald only nodded in reply as he headed upstairs. A few moments passed, and once the door upstairs shut, Black Shadows turned to Steam Shine. "Son," she said with a prod of her hoof.
He did not turn however, as his attention was focused on a painting of his family. His dad, Stormy Skies smiled as he stood in his royal armor with Steam Shine on one side, and Black Shadows on the other. Emerald, being the youngest and wildest one, stood on his fathers back with a giant grin wearing his dad’s golden helmet. "It's hard to believe that was over seven years ago," Steam started as he looked at the picture. "Where does the time go?"
Black Shadows gave off a sigh as she magically tugged on her son's wing. "Down the drain, taking the good and bad with it. Come on Steam, into my office."
The two walked into the room and settled down, Momma in her usual desk chair, and Steam in the chaise lounge that clients would lay in. The dark grey unicorn gave off a sigh before starting the conversation. "Son, I feel like our family is falling apart."
Steam Shine cocked his head to the side as he raised an ear. "What do you mean mom?" he asked, suddenly very interested.
The mare gave off another sigh as she adjusted herself before explaining. "I mean, ever since your dad went M.I.A. on a mission for the princess, Emerald hasn't been the same. He's always so angry, he used to be so proud of his natural talent and now he is scared, no, ashamed of thinking he might be like his father." The two looked at each other for a few moments, as a pause filled the air. Finally, his mother continued to speak with a heavy tone, "You already were mostly grown up at the time, and you found a job that suits you. But Emerald was still mostly a little colt when it happened. Now I feel like he is lost, and angry. Do you think it was the right decision to let him leave with you?"
Steam Shine clopped his forehooves together as he contemplated the idea for a few moments. He weighed his words carefully before he spoke up. "Well, he is very stubborn. He genuinely believes that he has to pay you back the money you spent on his schooling," he paused to think about how to word things before continuing. "I helped him get a job where I work, like I promised. The truth is, that odds are he will quit after a month and he will come home to you."
His mother frowned for a few moments before speaking. "You're playing games son. Even Celestia wouldn't make such risky move in chess."
"I'm just trying to keep everypony happy in this family mom," he casually responded as he kept his eyes glued on the ceiling.
Black Shadows’ eyes narrowed. "Be that as it may, you are taking a huge gamble, and are playing with your brothers future." She then gave off a massive sigh before turning to her desk. "Go help your brother, and promise me you will keep an eye on him at the factory. If he decides to pay me bits, I'll just save them for him."
Steam Shine got up from the couch and made his way to the door to help his brother. He stopped in the doorway and looked back at his mother with a kind smile. "You have my word," he responded simply before exiting the room. Once the door was closed, she waited for almost a minute. Once she was sure that she was alone, Black Shadows cried silent tears for the second time that day.
"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal." — Oscar Wilde
Once somepony said, “Time waits for nopony. It’s constantly on the move, so fast that in a blink it’s gone.”
As time went by, Emerald fell into a noticeable schedule, wake up at sunrise, grab a quick breakfast, fly off to work, repair whatever they needed to, fly home, sleep. Wash, rinse and repeat. This continued on for three months, until one day something unexpected happened.
It was one of the few slow days that mid summer tends to bring about. The vast space that made up the machine shop that was usually buzzing with ponies working on machines was nearly empty.
Steam Shine was keeping busy by continuing work on one of his inventions, Silver Streak was tidying up the workspace, and Emerald was attempting to design a more comfortable cloud chair when the sound of hooves clacking on the solid floor that made up the room drew their attention. “Well well well," Silver Streak said with a wide smile. "Look who decided to come to our humble little corner of Division Zero boys.”
It was Frostbite and Pilot Light, the unicorn and earth ponies that made up team cooler, “Hello Silver, how’s things?”
Silver gave a shrug as he put the dustpan and broom back in the closet, “Things are fine, how’s that cloud walking spell holding up Frostbite? Don’t need you to get a migraine and send the both of you plunging to the earth again.”
“ONE time,” Frostbite yelled as she pointed an accusing hoof at Silver Streak, “That only happened ONCE!”
“And who saved your sorry flanks?” Steam shouted to the group before striking a pose with Silver, “Team Awesome, that's who!”
Emerald rolled his eyes at the pair as he continued to mold his patch of cloud. The icy blue unicorn waved a hoof before continuing, “I didn’t come here to discuss the past. I was wondering if you three had any plans for lunch today.”
Steam gave off a grin, “Hey I’m all for a date, but we got my kid brother with me. I don’t want him to be exposed to my dangerously high class of cheesiness”
“I already am,” Emerald called out, causing the rest of the group to laugh.
“Alright boys laugh it up. Pilot and I are just thinking of taking an early lunch today since its going so slow and thought maybe you would like to join us.”
Emerald, Steam, and Silver all looked at each other before shrugging, “Sure,” Silver said with a smile, “You pick the location. Our treat.”
The two mares grinned before trotting back to the five small offices used for the different mechanic teams, no doubt to make a nefarious scheme to go out to the most expensive restaurant in all of Cloudsdale.
Emerald always felt stiff whenever he was wearing a collar and tie. Despite how uncomfortable he was about it, he still felt under dressed compared to his brother and Silver Streak. He couldn't help but admire how well Silver and Steam could handle wearing a full suit in the middle of a summer day.
Emerald looked around the restaurant with some trepidation as he took in the pure white atmosphere around him. The dining room of Bon Foin was packed wall to wall with ponies from the kind of high society that he would speak against for a laugh at any other time. Seeing that half of these aristocrats were also his employers, he felt this was not the time to speak his mind on political views and instead nervously looked at the twelve pieces of silverware before him.
Steam Shine on the other hoof was all confident smiles as he chatted away with the rest of the group about everything and nothing. It was not long at all before they were interrupted by a waiter, “Welcome to Bon Foin, my name is Garçon De Vivres, have you made your selection?”
“Hmm,” Silver Streak started as he looked down the menu. As he did he noticed that every single dish was no less than fifteen bits, and all started or ended with the word foin, “What is this foin you serve with everything.?”
The waiter looked down his looked down his muzzle at Silver Streak like he was a roach in the salad, “It is what you would call hay.”
At this revelation Silver looked up and down the menu a few more times. Finally giving in he swallowed his saliva and felt a hole grow in his wallet as he uttered two words, “Ladies choice?”
Pilot Light looked down at the list with a smile before suddenly looking up at Garçon De Vivres, “I believe that five orders of Foin avec un côté des carottes will be enough for everyone. And I do think that a bottle of Boisson de fruit mélangée fine2010 would be a suitable drink to compliment the meal.”
The waiter wrote everything down on the pad before tucking it under one of his alabaster wings, “A fine choice madame, I will be back with your drinks and entre.”
The other four ponies stared at Pilot Light with confused looks on their faces. She looked back confused at their confusion, and uttered back only one word, “What?”
The meal turned out to be a rather bland experience with very little to offer in taste or conversation. Once the meal was finished with the ladies excused themselves to the mares room, leaving Steam, Silver, and Emerald at the table to split the bill.
“I don’t see why we can’t just split it three ways, I mean we all ate.”
“Steam, look I don’t know about you but I didn't want to impress my coworkers to try to land a date later on, so why don’t you and Silver pay for yourselves and your dates and I’ll just pay for myself.”
Silver Streak looked at the two bickering brothers, “Look, why don’t I just pay for the mares, I said it would be our treat.”
Steam Shine waved a hoof, “No none of that. You gotta... gotta, oh buck me!”
Emerald and Silver looked at him with a raised eyebrow, “What? What is it?”
Silver ducked down low in the seat suddenly as he kept his eyes to his left, “Its Thunderkeg Blastbomb.”
Silver looked in the same direction as Steam and then ducked down as well, “Crap, what’s he doing here?!”
Emerald stopped picking at his remaining carrots to look in the same direction and saw a pegasus of simple brown colors laughing it up with a group of ponies in suits. Scrutinizing the stallion as if he was going to make a portrait of him, he noticed even at a distance that the smile did not quite reach his eyes as he talked things over with the business ponies. Suddenly, Thunderkeg looked in their direction and started to walk to the seated trio. “Uh hey you two, don’t look now but I think he’s coming this way.”
“Oh Celestia I don’t need this today, he knows that I’m not busy at work today. I just know he knew I was here,” Steam Shine said as he grew nervous trying to think of an excuse, “Maybe I’ll tell him I am sick, or... no, then why am I here.”
“You can just pony up and say no.” Silver offered as he sat up a little straighter, “It’s not like you haven’t before.”
The trio watched as Thunderkeg calmly trotted past them and headed to the restrooms in the back of the dining hall. Finally Steam Shine released a breath he was holding and sat upright once again, “I don’t get you two, why are you avoiding him?”
Steam Shine looked at his empty plate and gave off a sigh as he picked up his glass of juice and sipped deeply, “Thunderkeg works for Division Seven, he’s been trying to get me to transfer for years but...”
“Division Seven is weird, I don’t trust it.” Silver finished as he slammed a hoof down on the table, “Especially not that guy. He gives me the willies.”
“You two are paranoid, you know that?” Emerald exclaimed as he ate the last of the carrots on his plate, “I’m sure its fine. You said it yourself Silver, rainbows aren't that complex to make. He probably just is trying too hard to be friendly is all.”
The three ponies looked at each other in silence as the waiter came back to clear the dishes, once he left the bill, the conversation shifted back to who’s paying how much.
The conversation was halted by the sound of a pony clearing her throat, when Steam Shine, Silver and Emerald looked up they found Pilot Light and Frostbite “I do hope we aren't interrupting, but it’s time we head back. See you at the shop?”
“Oh, of course. Silver, would you escort the ladies to the door, I’ll meet you there.”
Silver Streak opened his mouth to protest but silently nodded and stood, “Ladies,” he said casually as he draped a wing over the back of both ponies in a polite manner as the three walked for the door.
Steam Shine and Emerald looked at each other for a few moments in silence before the younger brother finally opened up, “What is on your mind Steam?”
“I know what you are thinking,” Emerald opened his mouth to protest but Steam raised a hoof to stop him before continuing, “Don’t think for a moment that I don’t. Stay away from Thunderkeg. There is something wrong with Division Seven and I want you to promise me you won’t set hoof in there.”
Emerald looked at his older brother with narrowed eyes, “Well, I don’t think that...”
“OH so that’s where you have been hiding Steam Shine!”
The two brothers looked up and saw Thunderkeg Blastbomb quickly making his way to them. Steam Shine and Emerald both immediately stood up, “Hello Thunderkeg, how are you today?”
“Fine, just fine,” he smiled as he said it, but it was harder to tell if it was genuine or not as his aviator sunglasses covered his eyes giving off a cold calculated look. Emerald could not help but shiver as the two exchanged hoof shakes with him.
“Hey listen, Steam Shine, I was wondering if we could talk. We lost another mechanic over in Division Seven the other day. Terrible that we had to let him go, but old Greasy Hooves hasn't been what he used to be,” He paused as he looked the two over top to bottom, “I’m telling you Steam, come on over. We can use a good pony like you. Got a frozen set of gears that need some working loose, and if you do good there then maybe we can get you in.”
“Not interested, you know I love where I’m at. Come on Emerald.”
The two ponies started for the door, and Thunderkeg followed, “Steam, they will pay for your troubles for the day. A nice fat bonus just for working over some frozen cogs.”
The two brothers kept walking away from the pony and were nearly at the doors. Silver Streak waved at the duo from the cash register before he noticed Thunderkeg was behind them, “Think about the opportunity, your pay would be doubled if you came into Division Seven.”
Steam Shine and Emerald Shadows both froze. Steam turned about to finally tell Thunderkeg to leave him alone when Emerald spoke, “I’ll do it.”
Thunderkeg raised an eyebrow and lowered his aviators to look the younger brother over, “And who are you?”
Emerald started to introduce himself, but Steam Shine stepped in to quickly intervene, “Ah, that is my younger brother Emerald. Come along it’s time we got going.”
“Now hold on here,” Thunderkeg raised hoof to stop the pair, “I like you kid, you've got drive. I can see it in your eyes. So vivid and, green.”
Emerald felt leery, but smiled at this remark just the same and nodded his head a bit, “Thank you sir. I feel that if you see an opportunity you should take it before it slips away.”
Thunderkeg snorted a little bit before he reached in his vest and pulled out a small piece of paper, “Once you clock back in, come to Division Seven and show the security guard at the front desk this pass. I will come down to see you in.”
Emerald took the paper and tucked it away beneath his wing, “Thank you. I’ll see you soon.”
Thunderkeg smiled as he trotted past the pair and exited the building. Soon after he took to the air and was out of sight, Emerald felt the slap of a hoof on the back of his head, “Idiot! I told you to stay away from him, you promised you wouldn't talk to him!”
Emerald rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head, “I don’t remember promising anything.”
“You were going to,” Steam Shine said as the two met up with Silver Streak. They quickly paid for the meal before leaving together, “You know I sometimes wonder if you were dropped as a foal, because you seem to do the dumbest of things without thinking.”
“No, clearly you aren't thinking,” Emerald said as he stopped, making the rest of the group stop with him, “More money? I can pay back mom, move out from your apartment. I can have a life.”
“And then what?” Silver jumped into the conversation, “Look it’s not my business how you work as a family unit, but there's rumors about the rainbow factory. High injury rates... missing ponies... the high security. I don’t think you should risk it.”
Emerald looked at the two concerned stallions and laughed, “You’re both just paranoid.”
Thirty minutes later and Emerald was suited up and standing outside of Division Seven, his tool kit strapped over his back and the pass given to him tacked to his identification card.
Emerald looked up at the rainbow factory of the Cloudsdale Weather Corporation and noted how big it was. Easily the cloud structure was minimum eight stories tall, and the size of an entire city block square.
He looked up at the building as he flew up over the stairs to the only entrance of the building. Emerald paused for a moment before finally stepping in. Unlike the open and airy lobby for the main weather factory, the lobby for division seven was, to put it simply, cramped. Rather than giving a sense of awe and fancy, it gave a very low profile feeling. Almost as if it was never meant to be seen by anypony outside of working there. Emerald walked across the simple white tile to a half circle desk. Two guards eyeballed him before one finally asked, “Can I help you?”
He smiled at the two guards as he pulled the pass off his I.D. and gave it to one of the guards. After taking the paper, the guard raised an eyebrow before pushing down a device in his ear, “Thunderkeg? Yeah its Taserline. I’ve got an Emerald Shadows here to do some work. Yeah? Okay,” The guard let go of the device and pointed to a simple folding chair, “Sit there, you will wait for your escort through the factory. Afterwards you will do as he says and only what he says. Understood?”
Emerald gave a nod as he quickly sat down in the lone folding chair along one of the walls. The wait turned out to be short, for soon enough Thunderkeg walked out of the doors that led further into the factory, “Emerald, welcome glad you could make it. Follow me, don’t wander away, I’ll tell you more about this division on the way to the job.”
Emerald stood and walked closer to Thunderkeg, “Alright. Your time, your dime.”
“So direct and efficient...I like that.” The two walked into the hallway and the steel doors slammed shut behind them.
Thunderkeg set a rather brisk pace as the two pegasi made their way through the hallways of Division Seven, walking past several doors without windows. All the while Thunderkeg talked, “As you can see, here at Division Seven we have a solid steel construction building so we can house heavier equipment without having to cast special spells. Instead, we just have unicorn staff enchant the building once a decade to keep it on its cloud base. However due to Cloudsdale zoning laws, we had to make a cloud façade to make it visually appealing.”
Emerald Shadows nodded along with Thunderkeg as if he was actually interested. “As a result of our unique construction, we have the highest hiring rate of non pegasus ponies in all of Cloudsdale,” the duo turned a corner and were met up with a simple metal staircase and took it up, “This first floor has only housing units for our employees, we offer mandatory free apartments for our employees until we can trust them with the secret recipe.”
“And what is the secret recipe?” Emerald asked without thinking.
Thunderkeg just chuckled at this as they passed the second floor marking, “I could tell you, but I would have to kill you.”
Emerald froze quickly before he started to laugh and caught back up with Thunderkeg, “I get it. It’s a secret.”
“Exactly, and don’t forget it. Now top floor is where we make our powdered and wet ingredients, fourth floor is where we actually mix the rainbows. That's where we are headed, where the frozen gears can be found.” Before he knew it, Emerald was on the fourth floor and running down the long hallway after Thunderkeg to the lone door at the end, “We gott'a hurry, summer and winter are our busy seasons to make and store as much as we can for the spring and fall seasons,” Emerald caught up with Thunderkeg and panted for a few moments. Concern crossed Thunderkeg's features as he looked Emerald over, “You okay kid?”
“Fine,” Emerald gasped a few times before continuing, “Just... these tools are heavy.”
“Well its almost done,” Thunderkeg smiled as he opened the door and let Emerald in ahead of him. He was then treated to the glorious sight of a cramped square room with nothing in it.
“Hey where is the equipment?” he quipped while looking around the tiny room for some sort of hint.
Thunderkeg laughed a little bit before answering, “On the other side of the security door. Give the security team a few moments and the wall to the right will open,” the two ponies stood in the small room and began to wait. After a few minutes, the tool bag on Emeralds back was really starting to hurt him as he stood waiting. Suddenly the wall in front of him swung outward and Thunderkeg stepped forward briskly, “Here we go.”
As soon as the door opened the rest of the way, Emerald gasped at the sight that greeted him. The room where the rainbows were mixed was at least three stories in height, with pipes leading in from the floor above draining powdered and wet ingredients of different colors into several great glass vats.
Emerald could not help but be awestruck by the grand size of everything as he walked behind Thunderkeg to a machine near the center of the room, “This here is what’s giving us problems, the mixing device for the red vat. Think you can fix it?”
Emerald looked over the great glass container and noted that the giant mixer within it was not moving. “It looks like a really big blender, like my mom's.”
“It’s not too different from any moms, just bigger. The motor is up there near the top.” Thunderkeg pointed up near the ceiling at a metal box attached to the vat’s mixing paddle.
Emerald quickly flew up to the device, found an access panel and opened it. The door unleashed a plume of red smoke causing Emerald to go into a small coughing fit. After the smoke cleared, he looked the gears over for a few moments and noted that they were covered in a red liquid before nodding, “You've got a frozen gear alright, fused together from overworking the motor without proper coolant.”
Thunderkeg hovered beside him with a hoof to his chin, “Well, can you fix it?”
“Yeah, I just need to hook up a harness seat for myself, and secure my tools and parts,” Emerald quickly unstrapped his tool bag and searched inside for a few moments before grabbing a set of strong magnets attached to a sling. Emerald set up the sling below the access panel, and sat down in it. He then stuck the tool bag to the side of the motor unit with another strong magnet.
After that, things moved fairly quickly. Emerald removed the two fused gears and pulled a new matching set out of his tool kit and replaced them in moments. He then cleaned and checked over everything to see why it over heated, “Here’s your real problem, someone hooked up your water intake to the vat below. It needs fresh water if its going to cool the motor, not partially made rainbows.”
Thunderkeg looked at the cleaned up motor and frowned slightly, “Must have been one of the old mechanics we let go, thought they could do a cheap fix instead of filling the water supply.”
Emerald nodded a bit as he moved the hose to where it was supposed to be, “You know, if you are using pure water for the wet part of the mix, then you can share the water supply with that to keep the engine cool.”
Thunderkeg shook his head, “No, the liquid we use for mixing with powders is not water, but I’ll go get you a gallon to add to the reservoir for this engine.”
Emerald nodded without thinking as he closed up the access panel and took to wing once again to put away his equipment. By the time he was finished, Thunderkeg returned with not a bucket, but the end of a hose, “Here, I think you can find the intake for coolant on your own, fill ‘er up.”
Emerald nodded and looked up to see the small hole for the hose to go into. He gained some altitude and gave the lever a squeeze to fill the reserve up. A few minutes later, Emerald and Thunderkeg walked out of the rainbow room, Emerald looking at Thunderkeg for his approval. “You did great up there colt. Listen, I’m going to talk things over about getting you a transfer in here full time if you want.”
“Oh well, I don’t know. I’ll have to talk it over with my family.”
“That’s fine, sleep on it. Its the weekend. Come in Monday and you can tell me then, okay?”
As the two left the hallway on the first floor, Emerald was stopped by security, “Hold it right there, we need to scan you for traces of rainbow.”
Emerald complied and let the two search him over, one using his horn to magically scan for anything suspicious. It wasn't too long when they found the fused gears smeared with the red liquid, “Sorry but this will have to be confiscated.”
Emerald shrugged, “No skin off my muzzle, but really if I wanted to steal your recipe, wouldn't I just get a sample from the finished product you let flow out the bottom of the building to the court yard?”
The two guards laughed for a few moments, “It would take a pony a century of undisturbed work to unravel all the ingredients in the final product. Standard procedure dictates you can’t walk out with any raw ingredients.”
Emerald shrugged with his wings as he headed out, “Hey! Wait right there,” He stopped and turned back to see Thunderkeg galloping over to him with a slip of paper, “The check for your troubles.”
Emerald took the check in his right wing feathers and looked at it for a few moments before speaking, “Is this a mistake? This is more than I make a week.”
“No mistake, it’s to compensate for your time taken away from your regular division, plus payment for the actual work done here.”
Emerald glanced at the two guards and Thunderkeg for a few moments before placing the check in his uniform’s pocket and galloping out the door to get back to his own division.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Thunderkeg muttered to himself. “That little colt might be just what we need. But his brother is going to be the barrier I have to break down.” Thunderkeg smiled deviously as he turned and headed back towards his office. “It’s not like I've never had to do that before though...just wish I could get both of them on board.”
