Chapter 1: At Least The Pay Is Good

A grey Pegasus stepped slowly into the dim office. The room was musty, and pictures and documents were hung on the walls. The only pieces of furniture in the small office were two chairs and an old oak desk, set up for a one-on-one conversation. An earth pony stallion sat at the desk, wearing a dress shirt with the top two buttons undone. His face almost seemed to be in a permanent scowl, causing the newcomer to double check the sign on the door. It still read “Elderly Outreach Program, Ponyville Office”, and that was good enough for him.

Closing the door behind him, the grey Pegasus stood awkwardly in the room, waiting for the stallion at the desk to take notice of him, or at least offer him a seat. When no invitation came, he coughed lightly, to make sure the stallion at the desk knew he was there.

“One minute.” The stallion waved a hoof as he finished reading whatever was on his desk.

The room fell back into the awkward silence it had been in before. The grey Pegasus looked around at all of the plaques and portraits. All of them were from some kind of construction work. There were employee of the month awards, pictures of crews and buildings they had made, and a certificate stating the date he had retired. All were kept in pristine condition, polished and kept behind glass frames.

“Alright.” The stallion at the desk looked up. “Have a seat.”

As the Pegasus got comfortable in the wooden chair, he noticed what the other stallion had been reading. It was the job listings page of the local newspaper.

“Who are you?” The stallion asked, quickly flipping the paper over.

“Quick Fix.” The grey Pegasus replied, offering a hoof-shake. “And you are?”

“You'll call me boss.” The stallion responded flatly. “What're your past work experiences?”

A little embarrassed, Quick Fix retracted his hoof. “I was a member of the Pony Protective Platoon Reserves for two years before leaving and looking for work elsewhere.”

“How did it end?” The stallion asked.

Quick Fix cocked his head. “What?”

“Your previous employment.” The stallion repeated. “How did it end?”

“I resigned.” Quick Fix nodded. “It wasn't for me.”

The stallion coughed. “So why do you want to work for the EOP?”

“Because...” Quick Fix shook his head. “Because it's the only job I could find that I might have been qualified for. There's really no other opening for a job in my field.”

The stallion sighed. “And that field would be?”

“Maintenance.” Quick Fix stated.

“Hmm.” The stallion snorted. “What makes you think you're qualified for this job?”

“Probably the same reason you're qualified for your job.” Quick Fix smirked. “I'm the only one who signed up for it.”

“Oh yeah?” The stallion sneered. “What makes you think I'm the only one who signed up for this?”

“There's nothing in this office that makes you look like any kind of a caring person.” Quick Fix looked around. “You're passionate about your work, but there are no pictures of Grandparents, or any of the elderly you've reached out to.”

“I don't have to give you the job, you know.” The stallion growled. “I can find someone more qualified.”

“No, you don't have to give me the job.” Quick Fix shook his head. “But you're going to anyway. The only ponies qualified for this job are probably in nursing or long term care homes. This is like the kiddy table of that idea, why would they want to downsize?”

The stallion smirked, and almost chuckled. “You know what?” He reached a hoof out. “You get it. Yeah, I don't like this job. I want to get back into construction. But there's not a lot of demand for construction workers.” He pulled a sheet of paper out of the desk. “Here's your assignment.”

“I got the job, then?” Quick Fix asked, a little surprised.

“No.” The stallion stated. “I just like giving out old folks' personal information.” He shook his head. “Do you want the job or not?”

“Yes.” Quick Fix replied immediately. He took the form and began reading it. “Granny Smith Apple?” The grey Pegasus looked up, and the stallion shrugged before Quick turned to read on. “Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville. Where else would it be?”

“You can read more on the way there, your shift starts pretty soon.” The boss looked over at the clock on the wall.

“Wait. Now?” Quick Fix became frantic as he looked over at the clock too.

“Do you want the job or not?” The boss asked.

Before he could answer, Quick Fix was running for the door. The door slammed shut behind him as he started towards the orchards. He read the form as he went.

“Ah don't want somepony I don't know lookin' after me!” Granny Smith stomped a hoof, winced from the pain it caused, and took a seat on the couch in the small farm house they were in. Applejack pulled a blanket over her and adjusted the pillow beneath Granny's head.

“Now, Granny.” Applejack stated. “After that rough tumble you took, you're in no shape to be workin' the farm.”

“Ah can take care of mah self.” Granny Smith groaned as she lay back on the couch.

“Granny, you're hurt.” Applejack shook her head. “Y'all heard the doctor. You've gotta stay off that hip for at least a couple weeks. Ah can't have you hurtin' yourself more. With me and Big Mac workin' the fields all day, we can't keep an eye on you. And Apple Bloom is too young to be lookin' after y'all all by herself.”

“Ah don't need no strange pony comin' into mah house and lookin' after me.” Granny insisted.

“This is not negotiable, Granny.” Applejack said, heading towards the door. “They'll be comin' over today, and that's final. Just try to be kind to him, please? For me? Ah really gotta get back to the field.”

“Fine.” Granny huffed, pulling the blanket up and turning over, away from Applejack. “But ah don't like it!”

Applejack closed the door behind her and came face to face with a grey pegasus who was just about to knock. His fur and his usually well kept dark brown mane had been wind tossed from his run over to the house.

"Can ah help you?" Applejack asked him.

"I'm..." Quick Fix panted lightly, "I'm Quick Fix. I'm from the Elderly Outreach Program."

"Oh, ah see." Applejack nodded. "Well, Granny's inside. Ah can't talk long, apple's won't buck themselves."

"Wait." Quick Fix stepped in front of her. "Sorry. I read the file, but it wasn't very clear on what exactly happened."

"D'you want the long or short?" Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Short," Quick Fix coughed, "I'm actually on the clock right now."

"Okay." Applejack lowered her voice. "Granny was workin' the farm, you know, quality control. Anyway, she thought she would come and see if I needed any help. On her way over, she took a nasty fall. At her age, well, most falls are nasty. Doc said she hurt her hip, wasn't much, but to be safe he told her to stay off her feet for at least the next two weeks. Anything else you need to know?"

"What's she like?" Quick Fix asked offhandedly.

"She's a sweet ol' thing." Applejack replied, adjusting her hat and heading off to the fields. "But she's not too keen on havin' another pony look after her."

"Well, she's better get over it fast." Quick Fix muttered as he reached for the door handle. "Or this'll be the worst two weeks of both of our lives."

He quickly cleared his throat when he saw Applejack peering back at him, obviously having heard some of what he had said, and he pulled open the wooden door.

“Mrs. Smith?” Quick Fix called, peering into the home. Stepping forward, he peeked around the corner to the living room. He saw the blanket on the couch, but assumed it was just left there from another time. He called again, “Mrs. Smith?” Quick Fix looked back and forth, “Are you here?”

Granny Smith sighed, looking over to the newcomer. “Who is it?”

“My name is Quick Fix.” Fix said. “I was sent by the Elderly Outreach Program to... Well, I guess to help you in any way I can.”

“Fine.” Granny Smith groaned.

“So...” Quick Fix began in an attempt to avoid another awkward silence. “How can I help you? Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?”

“Nope.” Granny Smith shook her head. “Ah'm fine.”

Quick Fix nodded awkwardly as he stood in the corner of the room, unsure whether or not to make eye contact with the old mare. He absorbed the way the room looked. Clean, well lit, comfortable family environment, bright colours. Even with all of the homely comforts, he felt like he really did not belong in this house, like somehow he was trespassing. Maybe it was just the grouchy old mare on the couch, he thought.

“You sure?” Quick Fix asked, eyes darting around the room, looking for something to do, even if it was as simple as straightening a picture frame. Anything to break the ice which seemed to completely fill the space between them.

“Yup.” Granny nodded.

“This is going to be a long day.” Quick Fix muttered to himself.

“You say somethin'?” Granny raised an eyebrow.

“No, Mrs. Smith.” Quick Fix shook his head madly in disagreement before looking over to a seat in the corner of the room.

“Might as well.” Granny sighed before Quick could ask to sit. “You're gonna be here a while, might as well sit down.”

Without a word, Quick took the seat in the corner and rocked back and forth in the following silence.

“You're from the city, ain't ya?” Granny noted.

“How could you tell?” Quick Fix looked over to her.

Granny sighed. “You can't handle peace and quiet.”

“Sweet Celestia,” Quick Fix groaned as he came back into the Elderly Outreach Office, “Am I glad that's over!”

“How was the old bird?” The boss looked up from his paper, the same classified job section as before.

“You know, I don't think she really likes me.” Quick chuckled sarcastically as he took a seat. He took a hoof and brushed back his mane, “We sat in the room looking awkwardly at each other for five hours.”

The boss folded the paper back up. “Sounds like a date.”

“Who's my next assignment?” Quick Fix asked. “I need to know if I have to wear my give-a-damn face tomorrow.”

“Oh, there is no next assignment,” The boss snorted. “The old Apple is your only assignment. For the next two or more weeks, you're going to be her personal nurse.”

Quick Fix groaned, “Two weeks? I don't think I can take that much.”

“Do you want the job, or not?” The stallion at the desk growled.

“Yes.” Quick Fix hissed. “I need the money.”

“Well then,” The stallion grinned slyly. “Pay day is on the weekend. Until then, you don't need to be in this office.”

“Where am I supposed to sleep?” Quick Fix asked. “I'm a little low on cash.”

“Not my problem.” The boss shrugged, before turning back to his paper. “Here.” He called, tearing out a page of the paper and tossing it to Quick Fix. “That's the housing section. Apartments and hotels are on the bottom.”

“Oh boy.” Quick Fix faked enthusiasm as he headed out the door of the office, “You are too kind.”

Slamming the door behind him, Quick immediately skimmed over the housing page. There were quite a few places to lodge, even for a small place like Ponyville. They all seemed very nice, but only a few were within his price range. Finding the cheapest one, Quick Fix took down the location and headed off towards the apartment.

When he arrived, he saw the place looked bleak, even from the outside. It was by no means run down, it was just small and weathered. Like everything else in Ponyville, the house was brightly coloured and oddly shaped, but the paint on this one was faded more than the rest, and the siding was in need of repair.

“Well, the price seems fair.” Quick Fix sighed as he headed towards the house. "And at least the pay is good."