"I know this isn't always going to be easy, but I'm excited to be trying it out. I think working here is going to be great experience, since I'll be meeting lots of different ponies and working under conditions I'm not entirely used to," Twilight rambled, adjusting her uniform a bit with her magic. The orange pony before her simply chuckled, watching as her younger sister poked away at the greasy, cheesy pizza before taking a huge bite out of it. It wasn't often that the Apple family ate so unhealthily, and the purple pony couldn't help but smirk to herself as her friend awkwardly tried to stomach the cheese and dandelion pie they'd ordered.
"I believe it, Twi," Applejack replied, giving an amused smile, "but don't'cha think you're gettin' a little ahead of yourself? After all, you got a lot of responsibility, watchin' over all these ponies," she gestured to the crowd, all happily gathered around tables or in booths, some foals playing arcade games while their parents talked among one another. Atop the stage stood three animatronics, each looking out over the patrons as they sang joyful tunes and danced in their usual, mechanical manner. It was more than heartwarming to see all these ponies together enjoying themselves, and Twilight gave a dismissive flick of her tail in response.
"I'm not worried, AJ. Not about that, anyway," her ears twitched, eyes averting their gaze briefly before she continued, "but I am a little worried about Fluttershy. Do you think I did the right thing? Convincing her to help out here, too, I mean. She never really goes anywhere, and doesn't have any real job experience or anything, so I thought a quiet shift here..."
"Ah know, ah know," the orange mare raised a hoof, pressing it to the unicorn's muzzle to keep her from rambling. "You just wanna help out. I'm sure she'll be just fine," Applejack gave a firm nod before glancing back to her sister, who had managed to inhale her slice of pizza and vanish in the amount of time it hat taken for her to reassure Twilight. "Dang it, Apple Bloom," she puffed, moving to stand before the purple pony beside her extended a hoof.
"I'll find her, I do work here, after all," she smiled brightly, eliciting a somewhat coy smile from the other.
"Alright, but don't come cryin' to me when you got your hooves full," AJ chuckled, turning back to her pizza. Twilight was pretty sure she wasn't going to eat it, but it was fun to watch her watch it uncomfortably.
"Be back in no time," she hummed, trotting off in the direction of the arcade. Maybe Apple Bloom had gone off to play some games? She was rather energetic, so she'd probably go for one that required some strength. So, Buck Tester would likely be the game a filly like that would enjoy! Twilight happily headed over to the more physical game, smiling and waving to some of the other foals as she passed. Everyone looked like they were having such a great time, and the unicorn couldn't help but grin as she thought about all the fun they must be having.
As she neared the stage, the three mechanical ponies performing looked out among the small gathering of colts and fillies, the largest, brown animatronic leaning down to address them.
"Hey there, kids! What's your names?" after he said this, there was a chorus of answers, some boldly shouting their names while others mumbled them quietly. "Really? Well, it's nice to meet you! Do you know who I am?" again there was a mix of loud and quiet answers, as well as a few confused glances from some of the younger foals. "That's right! I'm Freddy! Freddy Fazpony! And I'm so glad I can see you all today! Have you been sure to eat your pizza before you came out to play? It's important to always make sure your belly's full, so you can play longer!"
Twilight stopped for a moment, watching the show with twinkling eyes. All the machines were so friendly, and each one was a different kind of pony. Freddy was a large, brown earth pony with a cute little top hat and bow, Bonnie was a purple unicorn with a red bow and guitar hanging from his neck, and Chica was a yellow pegasus, wearing a bib that said "LETS EAT" in big, colorful letters. They all had a special sort of charm to them that she couldn't quite explain, which was further made apparent when Bonnie turned to her and gave a playful wink. The unicorn couldn't keep herself from giggling gleefully, continuing to watch for a few more minutes before remembering that she had to look for Apple Bloom.
With some regret, the purple pony tore her eyes from the stage, trotting further into the arcade while keeping an eye out for light yellow fur. By the looks of it, however, Applejack's sister was nowhere to be seen. Could she have run off elsewhere, or left entirely? She wouldn't put it past the filly, considering how much mischief she and the other 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' got into. Then again, perhaps she was just assuming things. Surely the little pony wasn't that bad, was she?
Purple ears twitched as the sound of doors being opened reached them, head turning to the direction of the back room. Twilight briefly caught a glimpse of light fur and a red tail vanish into it, bringing a knowing smirk to her lips. Looks like she had gone off to get into some trouble. Oh well, it couldn't be helped.
With a roll of her eyes, the unicorn followed after, trotting into the back room and vanishing behind the swinging doors.
"I know, ma'am. We're doing everything we can to find her," the officer stated coolly, standing between the earth pony and the restaurant doors. The sun was nearly set across the horizon, and the eatery had been closed for the day at around seven o'clock. There were two or three other policeponies in the area, one heading inside while the other spoke to a very frantic purple mare.
"I-I don't know, she just walked back and then... then she was gone! I thought maybe she left through the back door, but I didn't see her outside, so I headed back in. I-- we looked all over for her, me and the one other security team member," her words were quick and anxious, tail and ears flicking in fear as she gave the area another look, as if the filly would simply appear out of thin air somewhere nearby.
"Calm down, miss," the red stallion stated, resting a hoof on her shoulder, "we're sure it's not your fault, but we need all the information we can get. Have any of her friends been contacted?"
"Yes, as soon as I told Applejack she paid and left, and went to the CMC hideout-- that's where Apple Bloom and her friends play-- and they said they hadn't seen her. Then she spent some time looking around Ponyville until I got off work, and after that we went back to the farm to see if she was there, but Big Mac hadn't seen her either," she took a few nervous steps, mostly staying in place while the policepony nodded in understanding, "I've already asked to stay overnight, just in case she hid somewhere and I couldn't find her."
"Where's the other guard?" the red stallion asked, raising a brow.
"I don't know, he didn't get off work until seven, when we close."
"What's his name?"
"His name? Um..." Twilight blinked, trying to remember. The pony she worked with hadn't really been the talkative sort, and seemed a bit more resentful of his job than she was. "I-I think his name was... Violet? Violet... Heart? No, that wasn't it... darn it!" she stamped her hoof, eliciting another reassuring pat from the officer.
"Hey now, it's alright. Just think for a moment, and don't worry. If you don't remember, I'm sure the manager has his name written down somewhere, and if not, then we'll just talk to him when he's on shift tomorrow. You just focus on keeping an eye on the place, if you're going to stay overnight."
"Y-yeah, yeah... Alright," she nodded sadly, ears falling back and head lowering to the ground. "I just... I guess I can keep Fluttershy some company while I look," though he might not have understood, the officer gave a nod, finally taking his hoof off her shoulder and heading over to meet his partner as the mare stepped out of the restaurant. She gave a shake of her head, indicating that nothing had been found. The two exchanged some words before heading over to Applejack and the stallion that was trying to keep her from doing anything rash, motioning for him to follow them as they began to head back to the police department.
The second she could, AJ darted up to Twilight, a disrespectful and worried quip on the tip of her tongue, only to be interrupted by the purple unicorn.
"I know, I know, this is all my fault, but I'll make it up to you, Applejack! I'm going to find her," there was a spark of determination in her eyes, and the orange mare gave a small sigh as she seemed to realize fighting wouldn't be of any use here.
"Okay Twi... ah know you'll give it your all. I just hope she's okay," the farmer admitted, glancing down towards her hooves for a moment.
"I'm sure she's fine, AJ," the unicorn leaned up against her friend, nuzzling her mane before taking a step back. "I'm sure Apple Bloom is okay. She's just as tough as her big sister," the two friends smiled at this, exchanging another hug before Applejack reluctantly turned to trot back home. Twilight stood there for a moment, watching her friend leave before heading back into the restaurant. It was nowhere's near twelve, so Fluttershy wouldn't be showing up anytime soon, but she was looking forward to when she would, provided the purple mare didn't pass out while searching for her friend's little sister.
