Cutiemarks: French Press

I walked through the doors of the newest hair saloon in Canterlot. The floor had yellow tiles with brown comb designs in it. The wallpaper was a blinding white and it looked like one of the regular hair saloons. It had chairs behind sinks, chairs in front of mirrors. Numerous tables and counters with hair conditioners. Moisturizers, hair sprays and all that good stuff. The one thing that did stick out in my mind was all the staff, they running around like a chicken on roller skates. And the place was packed with ponies wanting their hair done. My hair began to frizz up wanting to help ponies with their hair but I ignored it. 'I can't do hair or anypony will think I'm a wuss.' I thought then I got an idea, a wonderfully sneaky idea. 'I can always sneak around and do the ponies hair.' I thought as I looked around and found a brown brush with big yellow bristles that kinda looked like my hair. I grabbed the brush and saw my first target. It was a grey stallion with red hair, his cutiemark was a stick of dynamite. He sat in one of the chairs by the mirrors and I quietly snuck over. 'Am I the only one who's slightly concerned with him having DYNAMITE as his cutiemark!?' I thought as I quickly climbed on top of the chair and looked around. I smiled everypony was so busy they hadn't even noticed me. I quickly brushed and rearranged the stallions hair. Then I jumped off before anypony saw me, the stallions hair I had done was put up in a sleek fancy style. I looked around for another victim, then I saw a white mare with light pink hair. She had a red cross cutiemark with pink hearts on each corner. She had yet to find a seat so I jumped onto her back and as she tried to see who was on her back I styled her hair into a bun. Then I jumped off and ran into a crowd of ponies. I looked over and the mare walked to the nearest mirror and smiled and she payed ten bits to counter and left. I was just about to find somepony else until an orange mare with perfectly styled magenta hair. Her cutiemark was a close-up of a pony manikin wig dresser. I gulped and the mare put me in an apron and gave me a small duffel bag. She whispered,
"I need you to work here, I saw you styling hair and you're a genius! I'll pay you twelve bits an hour good luck!" said the mare as she left. I felt my cheeks heat up, and I was very grateful that I had a red coat or someone was bound to notice. I bit my lip and my back legs shook, 'Why!? What did I do to deserve this TORTURE!' I looked around for a way to escape I couldn't be seen doing hair or else I'd end up being a laughingstock! I easily saw the front door and tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately I ended up slamming into a light blue leg, I looked up knowing I wouldn't like what I'd see. And I was right, the mare had bags under her eye's and she had black hair. Her cutiemark was covered by the apron, she gave me a confused look then an understanding look.

"Wait you work here don't you?" said the mare, I bit my lip hard
"U-Uhhh.......I-I'm--" I said as I could feel my face heat up even more. The mare grabbed me by the hoof and pushed me towards one of the empty chairs. I would've tried to fight back but the duffel bag was too heavy.
"Just wait here for your next customer." said the mare as she walked off. Now I was stuck in a very deep hole and I had no idea how to dig myself out of it. 'This could not get any worse.' I thought and as if the universe wanted to give me a bad day Filthy Rich walked in and sat in my chair. I wanted to scream not only was I stuck doing this but that stallion is a big influence in Ponyville. If he tells anypony I did his hair I might as well kiss my reputation good-bye. 'Please don't let him see me.' And as if the universe wanted to make me suffer Filthy Rich turned around in the swivel chair and his eye locked on me. He gave me a quizzical expression and I did something I never thought I would do, I begged.
"Please don't tell anypony I was here! Or else they'll get the wrong idea! And my dignity and reputation will tank, and I'll be doomed to a life of teasing and humiliation!" Filthy Rich then looked as if he was thinking over something. Then he spoke,

"Okay, tell you what if you do my hair and I like it then I won't tell anypony you did it or that you we're here." said Filthy Rich, I let out a sigh of relief and nodded. I opened up the small duffel bag and pulled out some hair spray. I placed it on the ground as I climbed the back of Filthy Rich's chair. I then got to the top of the chair and quickly styled and brushed his hair into the fanciest style I could pull off. Then I whipped one of the yellow strands of my tail and grabbed the hair spray. Then I sprayed generous amounts of it onto Filthy Rich's hair. I then jumped off and turned the chair around towards the mirror. I bit my lip as Filthy Rich examined my work, then he smiled and said.

"Superb work for a little filly, I say I'm impressed," then he jumped out of the chair and put five bits in my hoof as a tip. "and I'll keep my word. Though I must say it's a waste of a good talent." Filthy Rich finished as he went off to pay his bill. I signed and thanked Celestia that I wouldn't have to do that again. 'Now all I have to do is get this stupid apron off and then get out of here and I'm home free.' I thought before I saw the door to the hair solon open and saw princess Celestia herself walk in. And just like that everypony stopped what they we're doing to bow in front of the princess. I however hid I didn't need the princess of the sun let alone the mother of Timidthy to see me here. Celestia stopped the ponies from bowing and walked towards my chair. Then everypony got back to work. And I began to wish that every known god to pony kind past and present to strike me right then and there. I tried to quietly get to Celestia's chair without her noticing. I failed, Celestia immediately noticed me and gave a surprised look. It felt as if time had frozen and I felt unwanted memories bubble to the surface of my brain.

' I was about three years old and my parents we're in the house cooking dinner. I had dolls and hair manikins in front of me and all of them had thier hair styled perfectly. I was just about to grab and start another one when three shadows loomed over me. They we're one tomboy filly and two colts they looked about two years older than me. I was just about to try to walk away very slowly, but the tomboy filly spoke.

"So you like doin' hair huh?" she said I fearfully nodded my head. The filly then grabbed me by the collar bone and didn't let go. At the time I wasn't really that strong so I had no way of escape. The colts followed and started breaking my dolls and manikin's,

"Stop!" I cried as tears began to well up in my eye's, but the colts didn't listen. Instead the filly slammed me into the ground and said,

"Doin' hair us for chumps and wussy's ponies who do hair are nothing but namby pamby losers! Especially little blank flank baby's like you!" I busted out into tears and ran towards my parents house as the colts and filly left.'

Time seemed to start back up again as Celestia was coaxing me over to do her hair. I felt fear bundle up in my chest as I slowly took a few steps back and ran. I ran past every obstacle thar got in my way, until I ran into a supplies closet and met a dead-end. Then I heard hoof steps. Celestia came in and tried to speak. But I did something else that I never thought I do, especially in front of royalty. I cried, I let tears stream down my face and hid my face behind my mane. I didn't want the princess to see me like this, Celestia walked over and put her right-wing over me.

"It's okay French Press, do you wish to tell me what's bothering you?" she said in a calm voice as if she's done this before. I sniffed and still hid my mane as I spoke,

"I-I was picked-on for doing hair when I was younger. A-And ever since then I-I've never wanted to be seen doing hair." Celestia gave me a smile of reassurance and said,

"There's nothing wrong with doing hair, it's who you are and you should embrace it. You shouldn't let what anypony else say dive what you do." said Celestia I sniffed some more and grabbed my brush and started brushing Celestia's mane. As Celestia and I sat comfortable silence I watched as her mane simmered every time I brushed it. Then I started twisting and braiding her hair. And after a few hours I showed her what I did and a smile beamed onto her face. I had braided her hair into two long and skinny and flowing braids. I thought Celestia would like to look a few hundred years younger. She smiled, thanked me and left. And ya know what I felt good, I helped the stylers do the other ponies hair and helped close up shop. As I took off the apron and put it on top of the small duffel bag the manager approached me. She gave me a small bag of bits and said,
"So how did you like your first day? If you would like I could let you work part-time here." she said. And I smiled,
"I liked it here and ya know what? I'd like that. And at first I was afraid everypony would make fun of me for doin' hair. But now I honestly don't care what anypony thinks. I love doin' hair and that's all that matters. I want to do ponies hair and make them feel special. It makes me feel fulfilled when I see a pony smile because of what I've done. And I hope that whatever I do when I grow up will be stylin' ponies hair and making them feel nice." I said as the staff around me listened teary eyed and all of a sudden a flash from my flank. And everypony looked my cutiemark had appeared! It was the same hair brush I'd been usin' all day to brush and style ponies hair. And everypony in the solon cheered for me. As a big smile spread across my face cause now it was official I'd be doing my favorite thing for the rest of my life.