An Unlikely Second Chance
“This is not how I thought this day would go!” a gray stallion yelled as he galloped through a crowded city street. He was being pursued by a number of guards, all too eager to see him captured.
“Stop, thief!” one of them commanded.
Heh, you're wasting your breath, the pony thought, why should I stop? He weaved around a stall, made a turn around a corner, and continued on. The stallion spotted the train station up ahead. Aha, perfect.
As he drew closer to the station, he saw smoke billowing from the engine's chimney and a pony standing on the platform, staring intently at a ticket. He maintained his gallop, and in a flash he rushed past them, taking their luggage and ticket. The unicorn on the platform stood bemused, and when it dawned on him that his things had been stolen, his gaze shot over to the train's doors, which had just closed.
The train rumbled to life and began to leave. The gray stallion took a glance out the window and watched the guards' stares as the train left the station. “Looks like you just made it,” a voice said. “May I see your ticket?” It took him a second to process the request.
“O-oh, he you go” he said as he gave the pony the stolen ticket.
He punched a hole in the ticket and remarked, “Ah, another one, huh? I'll show you to your seat.” This comment struck the stallion as odd, but he quickly dismissed it, glad to have escaped the guards. The pony led him back a few cars and said “here you are, sir. Enjoy the ride”. He took a glance around the car.
They were all unicorns, and they all had the same uniform on. This struck him as odd, making him feel a bit out-of-place amongst the others. At least he too was a unicorn, so his presence there wouldn't be too suspicious. The stallion spotted an empty seat and walked over to it. “Ah, a fellow newbie I see,” spoke the unicorn sitting in the window seat.
“I-is it that obvious?” he asked, putting on a nervous face in an effort to maintain his ruse.
The pony let out a laugh. “Yeah, though you might want to change into your uniform before we get there. You'll be judged quite harshly if you show up without it on. There's a room in the back that you can use to change.” The stallion nodded and thanked the unicorn, and headed into the room.
Once inside, he opened the suitcase and scanned its contents. A pair of uniforms matching the ones the other unicorns in the car were wearing, and a few other things. Books mostly, but there were a few items that might be significant to the pony they belonged to. No bits to speak of, though. He sighed at this. Money and I are infrequent company, it seems. He turned his attention to the uniform. The outfit consisted of a white undershirt, a powder-blue jacket and a red tie. The stallion put it on and admired himself in the mirror. The jacket seemed to compliment his gray coat and mane quite nicely. After he was finished looking himself over, he closed the suitcase and went back to his seat.
“How do I look?” he asked the pony at the window.
“Like it was made for you.”
He smiled and took his seat.
“Say, I didn't catch your name earlier, may I ask what it is?” the pony asked as he sat down.
“Quicksilver, and yours?”
“Star Chaser,” the unicorn at the window replied. “So, are you excited to start working?”
“Uh...” Quicksilver mumbles, trying to come up with a good answer. Work? he thought, these are employees? Where is this train headed?
“Nervous, huh? I can see why, I've heard it can be quite intimidating for some.” The two engaged in idle conversation for the next few hours to pass the time. Their conversation broke as the train was nearing a corner. “Ooh, we're almost there! Take a look!” Star Chaser had an excited expression on her face, and gestured for Quicksilver to come to the window. The train clears the bend, and off in the distance was an enormous complex built on top of a mountain range. The building was certainly an impressive structure to behold, an air of elegance and grandeur in its architecture. He stared in awe of its magnificence.
The front car door opened and a female earth pony walked out. “In a few minutes, we will be arriving at the Equestrian Grand Resort, the most luxurious resort in all of Equestria,” she said. His jaw dropped when he heard this. Not only were they heading to the most elegant and luxurious place in Equestria, but they were going to be working there? If this is a dream, he thought, I don't ever want to wake up.
“As you all know, this resort is the result of the richest ponies in Equestria coming together to create a resort to match their own wealth. Some of the finest artisans and brightest minds were brought in to make this dream a reality. It boasts accommodations for ponies in the thousands. Each room so lavish, you’ll feel like royalty. Several large swimming pools, a recreation area filled with many different kinds of activities, a library with a collection of books to rival the Canterlot Library, and that barely scratches the surface.” as she concluded her speech, the train slowed to a stop.
“Now, normally, this is where we would begin orientation, but unfortunately due to the celebration of the five year anniversary of its opening, we need all the help we can get, so we have to throw you into the thick of things.” The train ground to a halt, the doors opened, and ponies start to file out of the car.
Quicksilver grabbed “his” luggage from the rack above and filed out with the rest of the unicorns. As he emerged from the train car, the building's facade came into view. Seeing it from the train was one thing, But now that it was right in front of him, it was an even more amazing sight to behold. Large, ornate Corinthian pilasters decorated its facade, and tall, arched windows framed the space inbetween. A large stone archway with ornately carved pillars lead to a pair of large wooden doors. Could this be my second chance at life? he thought. Only one way to find out.
Author's Note
Hmm, this chapter doesn't seem too bad, but I think it could use a little improvement. I'm just not sure how.
Chapter Two: A New Life
All the uniformed ponies had lined up in the entrance hall. An instructor stood in front of them. “The moment you walked in those doors, is the moment you lost your name. It may as well be 'waiter', 'sir' or 'madam', or even 'hey, you'.”
Quicksilver frowned at the instructor's words and thought, I already don't like this guy…
The stallion continued, “If I were you, I'd write your name down on something and keep it close to your heart, because it won't be often you hear it, if at all. That message aside, let's get started. The first thing you'll need to do is head over to that counter and get your ID.” He motions to a counter behind him as he said this. “Then after that, you'll be given instructions as to your job. This is a very important day for the Equestrian Grand Resort, so I must ask that you do all in your power to make sure it goes perfectly. When this evening is concluded, you all are to meet back here in the morning, so that we may give you a proper orientation. Now, off to your tasks.”
He turned around and left as soon as he'd finished talking, and the others had begun making a line at the counter. Quicksilver filed in line, and began contemplating what job they might have for him. His train of thought interrupted when the pony at the counter called “Next”, and realized that he was the next in line.
The mare at the counter pulled out what looked to be a blank card, placed in front of him and said, “here's your ID.”
The card seemed ordinary enough, until he went to pick it up. As he touched it, an image of his face appeared on it, along with his cutie mark as well. Quicksilver couldn't help but stare in amazement. “Wow, that’s amazing! How does it work?”
“It’s a very complex spell designed to record identifying features. The higher-ups had it created so the employees have a form of identification, for safety’s sake. Certainly makes my job easier. Now, head down the hall to your left to receive your assignment.” She pointed to the door beside him.
He slowly walked down the hallway, the gears in his head still spinning, thoroughly perplexed by his current situation. To go from petty thief to catering to the needs of Canterlot’s upper echelon? Surely, the powers at work here were playing a cruel joke. It seemed almost too good to be true. But what harm could come from hoping for the best?
Quicksilver found himself standing before another counter, with a pony stationed behind it. “ID please”, the pony said flatly. He fished his newly acquired ID card from one of his uniform’s pockets and placed it on the counter. The stallion grabbed the card and waved it over a raised symbol in the counter. A shine emitted from the symbol as the card swiped over it. Numbers appeared on the ID, which he wrote down on a clipboard before returning it.
“If you have no further questions, please clock in and get to your station.” The stallion behind the counter returned to his seat, and resumed writing on a clipboard.
Quicksilver approached what the other pony referred to as "the terminal". It appeared to be a stained black mirror, with a card-shaped outline etched into it's lower right corner. With a wave of the card, the terminal lit up with information: His face, his cutie mark, ID number, the current time, and the words "clocked in". He took a moment to study the number that now adorned his ID card, "1019". He quickly scanned the board to find his number.
"‘Tray Duty‘?" Quicksilver pondered out loud as he found the listed number.
"Oh? You've got Tray Duty too?"
He jumped at the sound of a voice that was not his own.
"Oh, sorry, it does get a bit quiet in here." He turned to face the pony who addressed him. A uniformed stallion met his gaze. "You must be new here."
Quicksilver shook his head and cocked an eyebrow. "Wha-, how can you tell?"
"For starters, you've still got that bright-eyed look about you, and I never forget a face." He gave a slight smile.
“That’s an… interesting talent to have there.” Quicksilver rubbed the back of his head
"Eh, it has its uses. So, you know where the kitchen is from here?"
He shook his head. “Can’t say that I do.”
The unicorn gave a wave of his hoof. “Well come on then, it’s just down this hall”
As they walked through the halls Quicksilver took a moment to peer down the side halls as they passed.
“This is what you might call the ‘skeleton’ of the resort. These hallways are for employees and allow easy access to the important areas in here,” the unicorn said, looking over his shoulder.
“So it’s usually busy then?”
“Not particularly,” he explained, “only during special events and the rush hours will you really be seeing anypony in the halls.”
“So then, how come the halls have been empty?” Quicksilver pondered.
“Oh, this event is quite important to the resort,” the stallion responds, “they’ve been making preparations for hours. Well, here we are.”
They stood in the kitchen, various appliances and cooking ware decorated the outer walls. chefs stood in front of the stoves, each pouring over dishes of all kinds. A number of trays holding a variety of snack foods covered the table in the center of the room. Ponies occasionally entering from the door on the far side of the room, grabbing a tray off the table, and heading back out. “And here’s the kitchen,” the unicorn said, “ now, what you need to do is take a tray and offer these appetizers to ponies passing by. Sounds simple enough, right?” Quicksilver nods. “Well then, after you.”
Quicksilver levitated one of the trays off the table, and pushed the door open with his magic as he walked out. He froze in his tracks at the sight on the other side of the door. A large number of ponies stood in the halls, all dressed in fine clothing, some conversing with one another. He even recognized some of them.
The unicorn gave a laugh. “If you think this is bad, you should see the dining hall.”
He took a second to regain his composure. “I’d always had the impression this place had some money, but not this much money.”
“Starting to sink in, Eh?” He let out another laugh. “Well, this is where we part ways,” the stallion said, walking down the hall.”
“Well,” Quicksilver said, glancing about the hall, “This is going to be an experience”
Author's Note
It's only been like, what... eight months in the making? Yeah, I've been trying to do too many things at once, which succeeded in me getting nothing done... but I've worked on getting things in order, and gonna get back into writing. But enough about me.
Yay, more exposition... but hopefully I've layed out enough groundwork to get to the meat and potatoes of the story.
...that being said, though... I feel like my descriptive writing could do with a bit of work, so I'm gonna put this on a back burner for a bit, so I can do some one-shot stories to flex my writing muscles a little. I WANT this story to be good, and I feel it's not as good as it could be, hence the break.
