Radio Station Dilemmas

Chapter 5

Azura sighed again as she slowly closed the records room door behind her. She decided she would help Spike find Fluttershy and then find out why Rarity had behaved in such an anti-social manner when she remembered she had been friendlier. Plus, the photo, Spike showed her presented a happy and smiling Rarity too and she was beginning to think this change of behaviour had something to do with Discord. Azura stroked her chin with her front left hoof as she began to ponder about the connection. Then, Azura froze as she remembered witnessing Discord put his talons on Rarity’s head and being blinded by some type of magic spell or light and immediately afterwards when she opened her eyes again, Rarity was dull and grey.

Azura shivered as she remembered being frightened by seeing Rarity change and just what Discord could had done to her too. She began to wonder if it was so wise to help Spike and to figure out how to stop Discord, but she thought about Rarity generously holding the door open for her and when she had colour, she was much friendlier. Azura even thought she could be friends with Rarity and decided that alone was worth trying to stop Discord’s plans.

Azura gazed down the clean and shiny corridor and noticed her blue eyes still appeared a little unsure, but in her mind, the decision had already been made and Azura trotted down the corridor. As she trotted, she began to notice how eerily quiet the corridor was and it was kinda spooky that her hooves were making the only clopping sound. Then, Azura saw a door leading to another room ahead and trotted to it and opened it up.

The door opened up into a canteen area with ten small tables accompanied by twenty wooden uncomfortable looking chairs that were lined up in an oblong fashion across the rectangular room. Strangely, only one chair was out of place and wasn’t fully pushed in against a table like the others. A memory shot through her mind as Azura gazed at it as she remembered she had sat in that specific chair at lunch breaks before. Puzzled by the fact the chair seemed so familiar to her, Azura trotted over it and wondered if she touched it or sat down on it that somehow she might remember more things about being in this room before.

Azura began to wonder that if she had been in the room for lunch breaks, then it was possible that she had been around or had met Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash before, but there was a cloudy haze inside her mind and she couldn’t remember. Azura touched the chair hoping it would trigger a memory, but nothing further came back to her. Azura scratched her head with her right front hoof and thought maybe by sitting in the chair that might trigger a memory. However, she began to think did she really have time to try and remember things when she had agreed to help Spike find Fluttershy and perhaps that was a little more important than trying to recall lost events.

“Hey you!” A voice shouted out and gained her attention. Azura looked over to where it came from and behind the servicing area, there was a dull and grey earth pony who was wearing a Stetson hat and somewhat resembled an orange earth mare with sap green eyes in the photo Spike showed her.

“Lunch is not for another half an hour! And what are ya’ doing here anyway? Haven’t ya’ got ya’ own job to do?” sassed the earth mare.

Azura trotted back in surprise as she hadn’t noticed the earth mare when she first trotted into the room.

“Well, ya’ better hop back to ya’ job before I inform Discord of ya’ neglect,” the earth mare lightly threatened, but when Azura saw her dull and grey eyes look toward her, she knew the earth mare was under some sort of spell, but she didn’t know how to break it.

“Well, what’s your name?” Azura decided to ask in an attempt to get somewhere. She hoped she wouldn’t tell the earth mare wouldn’t tell her that her name was unimportant or something like that.

“My name’s Applejack, not that there’s a pony who cares and I slave making lunches and apple pies for my colleagues like you and I never even hear a thank you for my labour and I would complain to Discord, but he insisted I perform an essential role ya’ hear,” Applejack grumbled intensely.

Despite the dullness of her eyes and lack of colour, Azura could see Applejack didn’t appear happy with her job and she remembered Twilight had appeared to change slightly when Azura noted she appeared to be debating about saying thank you and maybe by thanking Applejack, the same thing would happen to her. Azura judged it was worth a shot.

“Well, thank you for making such delicious lunches and apple pies for every pony,” Azura tried and decided to trot a little closer to see if something might change.

Applejack stood still and Azura noticed she didn’t seem to believe she had just got a thank you, but then, she came around the servicing area and stared her dull and grey eyes into hers.

“Are ya’ telling the truth?” Applejack asked.

Azura noticed a glint of a spark deep inside the dull and grey eyes of Applejack that wasn’t there before, but she couldn’t remember lining up at the canteen and taking what Applejack had slaved to make and then eating it. There were cloudy and extremely hazy visions of brief scenes inside the canteen instead, but after struggling to recollect something a little more clearly, Azura remembered every time she had come into the canteen had been the same. She would trot in at twelve, move the seat she sat at and then eat a pre-prepared packed lunch she made herself back at home as a matter of routine and she couldn’t remember ever approaching the canteen or ordering any food from the kitchen.

“I don’t know, I can’t remember,” Azura mumbled honestly. Her brain felt frazzled and was desperately searching for answers, but it actually felt like something inside her mind was fighting against her attempts to remember.

“Wait, I think I know ya’, you’re the pony who always sits so quiet in the same chair every day I’ve seen ya’ and ya’ always had a packed lunch on ya’, so ya’ have never even tried my food have ya!” Applejack accused angrily.

“I don’t know, but you might be right because I don’t think I have,” Azura mumbled sadly, but in all honesty, she couldn’t remember.

“Then, ya’ better  come back in slightly less than half an hour, but in the meantime go back to ya’ job,” Applejack fumed and turned her head and trotted back into the kitchen and slammed the door behind her.

Azura stood there and felt a little sorry for Applejack. If what Applejack had told her about slaving away to make meals and never being thanked for it, then it was perhaps understandable why she didn’t like her job very much. However, she found herself wondering what did Applejack make?

Azura sniffed the air and she detected a whiff of something cooking in an oven and whatever it was it smelt delicious. Azura decided she just had to see for herself and trotted to the kitchen door and opened it up only to be greeted by a stronger waft of smell. Then, Azura saw Applejack open up an oven door and some type of pie was inside the oven and Applejack checked it over and then shut the door.

“What type of pie are you making?” Azura asked as she trotted over.

“Apple! And what are you still doing here? I told ya’ to come back and I would tell Discord about ya’!” Applejack snapped.

Azura instantly backed off as she saw Applejack puff her chest out a bit and noticed a familiar looking yellow swirling effect in her eyes. Then, a stream of memories flooded her thoughts as she remembered she had seen the same effect in Rarity’s, Spike’s and Twilight’s eyes and instantly thought the effect had to be connected to the spell she saw Discord insert into Rarity by controlling her head with his talons.

  “Well, ya’ better be going or I’ll walk straight out of the canteen and tell Discord about ya’” Applejack threatened and snapped Azura out of her stream of memories.

Upon snapping out of her memory trance, Azura happened to look toward a sink and saw a dirty pile of barely balanced dishes and neglected dirty cutlery near a sink and was horrified that it looked to her it had been just left there and not cleaned up for days.

“How about I help you clean those dishes instead,” Azura offered as she was disgusted by how dirty and untidy they looked.

“Haven’t got ya’ your own job to do? I would greatly suggest ya’ go and get back to it,” Applejack huffed in reply.

Despite, her huff, Azura decided she just couldn’t tolerate the messy dishes and cutlery. So, she trotted over to the sink and got the water running which startled Applejack.

“What in the hay do ya’ think ya’ doing?” Applejack asked in a bit of surprise.

“Getting the water running, these dishes are just plain filthy and I just can’t tolerate it,” Azura replied and started to search for the soap bar now the water was getting warm enough.

“Well, stop it, washing them dishes is my job, though I never seem able to motivate myself to do them,” Applejack rubbed her neck in some small confusion as she began to think why she never got around to cleaning up.

“Well, I can help,” Azura replied stubbornly as she looked at just how many dirty dishes there was and couldn’t believe Applejack would refuse help.

“You would help me?” Applejack asked with a bit more confusion and Azura noticed a small bit of sap green colour return to her eyes and a small bit of her face became orange as Applejack’s voice gained her attention.

Azura smiled as finally something was beginning to change and maybe if she continued to hep Applejack, more would change and then she located the soap bar and started to get the warm water soapy.

“Yeah, I’m helping you,” Azura said to confirm.

“Well, that’s very kind and a might generous of ya’ but I can handle things here myself,” Applejack stated boldly. Then, Azura noticed Applejack trotted away from her with quite some confidence in her paces and seemed determined to do things herself. However, as Applejack trotted away, Azura saw a small part of her tail change to golden yellow. Azura smiled as being helpful to Applejack seemed to be making things change.

“Now where did I leave them utensils?” Applejack asked herself as she started to search through draws.

Azura ignored her and thought Applejack would soon turn and notice she was helping and washed the first dish and put it on a draining grate. Then, she got startled by the sound of a quick gallop toward her.

“Hey! I didn’t say ya’ could get started and I said I’ll handle this mess,” Applejack hollered in annoyance.

Azura sniffled a little and she felt offended and she was only trying to help.

“You can grab a towel and dry afterwards if you want to help,” Azura whimpered a bit as she began to think Applejack wasn’t appreciating her help one bit.

“Oh, fine then,” Applejack hollered again and stubbornly turned herself around and trotted away.

Azura felt a tear creep down her face and though her colour had changed slightly, Applejack appeared too stubborn to accept help. However, Applejack returned with a red towel in her mouth and then placed it near the dishes and began to dry them. Azura decided not to comment and just get the job done and then leave. A few minutes passed by and slowly the job was being done.

“Well, consider me darned, that’s half the dishes already,” Applejack commented out of nowhere. Azura sniffled and thought Applejack was just going to throw another insult.

“I almost feel as I should say something as I never been able to motivate myself to get the dishes done myself,” Applejack continued to comment as Azura heard her dry another dish.

Azura didn’t actually think Applejack would say thank you as she had been so resistant to her help and just washed another dish. However, when Azura reached over to put another dish into the sink, she looked up and noticed Applejack was putting the dishes away afterwards as well as drying them and a little more of her fur had changed into an orange colour. Plus, it was only with Applejack’s help that the dishes didn’t end up into another disorganised stack after they were cleaned. Azura turned her head as she heard Applejack place another dish inside a cupboard.

“Hey, why are you stopping, sugar cube, half is done already, we might as well finish the job now,” Applejack commented and Azura noticed her voice sounded a lot friendlier.

Azura sniffled again, but this time in relief as she wasn’t getting yelled at and she even felt if she finished helping Applejack, maybe more friendliness was to come and so Azura concentrated on finishing washing the dishes while Applejack dried them and put them away.

Azura sighed greatly in relief as she grabbed the last dish and washed it and then turned to see if helping Applejack had changed more of Applejack’s appearance. Azura smiled broadly as she saw most of Applejack’s fur had changed colour from grey to orange and some of her mane and tail had changed from grey to a dazzling golden yellow colour.

“Well, actually this time, I’m going to say it, I do thank ya’ kindly for ya’ help,” Applejack spoke up in a friendly manner.

Azura’s smile grew broader and then she got a surprise when she saw Applejack was smiling back.

“Now, I think about it, I don’t think I ever got your name and I definitely think we could be friends,” Applejack said with a friendly glint in her sap green eyes.

“I’m Azura,” Azura introduced herself and put a hoof out for Applejack to shake, only to get a firm grip and a shake afterwards.

“Well, ya’ already know my name, but I’ll tell you again just to be a bit formal, I’m Applejack,” Applejack said and then let go and smiled back at Azura.

Azura felt very positive about making her first friend inside the radio station and she almost wanted to hug Applejack, but out of the corner of her eye she realised there was only one minute left to twelve. She realised Twilight or Discord could step in the dining room at any minute and what would they do if one of them caught her in the kitchen with Applejack.

“Look at the time,” Azura stuttered nervously as she realised she could be in trouble if Twilight and Discord found out as she somehow doubted the anti-social Twilight wouldn’t rat her out to Discord and she feared Discord would change both her and Applejack back into dull and grey ponies.

“Oh, nelly, thanks for that, I nearly forgot to check the pie, it should be ready by now, I’ve always endeavoured to make sure it’s ready to be served at lunch time for some reason,” Applejack scratched the back of her neck and then she trotted over and opened up the oven door.

Azura was instantly hit with the delicious smell of the well baked pie and stood still and drooled in delight of the scent. Then, she heard hoof steps moving about in the canteen.

“You know I’ve been thinking, why does Discord even bother allowing us lunch breaks?” A loud voice complained.

“How in the heck should I know? It’s not I really care anyway,” answered back a brash complainer.

“It’s in the contract you signed,” dully stated the familiar voice of Twilight and Azura hoped she wouldn’t poke her nose into the kitchen and rat out her to Discord.

“Like I care, the sooner I back at work and earning my gem the better,” complained Rarity’s voice.

“Hmm, where’s Applejack, she should be at the service counter by now. She has five minutes before I report her as late to Discord,” Twilight commented.

“Well, that’s my cue,” Applejack said as she passed by Azura. Azura didn’t particularly want Applejack to go out and greet them, but she pushed the doors open before she could stop her.

“Soup’s on, every pony and thanks to Azura, I’ve got enough fresh and clean dishes for every pony,” Applejack greeted the crowd. Azura shivered again as she heard Applejack mention her name as she was sure Twilight would investigate…