Applejack plopped another blender cup into a bin full of soapy cleaning solution, and scrubbed more blender lids while said solution soaked away dirt and impurities from the cups. She hummed a little song to herself as she scrubbed—a light, airy song that was reflective of just how content she was with life in general.
Working at the Canterlot Mall Juice Stop had been enjoyable for her from day one—it was a lot like making cider at Sweet Apple Acres, only with a lot more order to it, much better tech, and far more supply. Business had really started booming, however, once she'd taken a chance and bucked tradition, going beyond the pre-made recipes handed down to her by corporate.
Mixing and matching fruits, vegetables, and overall flavors had, in hindsight, probably been dangerous for a recently-hired juice server to try, but now she had the ear of corporate, who promptly offered compensation for each new popular drink she managed to invent.
Upon hearing Twilight Sparkle explain to her just what the word "compensation" meant in a corporate context, she happily accepted. It was uncanny—when she'd first taken up this job, she'd just wanted some spare cash to buy a few fix-ups for the family barn, and maybe a new dress. But now she had enough money for those barn fixups and five new dresses, and had something amazing to put on her college portfolio besides!
Even so, achievements and corporate notice didn't exclude Applejack from her daily stated duties, and that meant cleaning the juicers and blenders when they needed cleaning. Which was just fine with her. It was so fine with her that she didn't hear her name being called until it happened for the fifth time.
"Ap-ple-jaaaaaack!"
Applejack looked over to see a bright yellow girl with rich red hair, wearing another Juice Stop uniform. Strawberry Sunrise was one of her more recent coworkers, and even Applejack had been surprised at just how fast the two hit it off after the latter had been hired. When the two of them were on shift together, the hours usually flew by so fast it was a wonder anything approaching 'work' ever got done.
"Whoa! Sorry, Sunrise." Applejack chuckled sheepishly. "What seems to be the problem?"
"Yeah, so, there's, like, some crazy girl at the counter who keeps asking for you by name. And asking. And asking. And not stopping." Strawberry clutched her head with both hands.
"Huh?" Applejack said, pointing to herself. "You mean, me by name me?"
"Yeah!" Strawberry rolled her eyes. "I've been telling her you're busy, because, well, you are, but she just won't take no for an answer! Says she won't order from anyone but you! It's like she's obsessed with you or something." Strawberry mock-scoffed. "I think I'm jealous."
Applejack grinned. "Probably just one of my friends from school," she said. "I do have a few recipes tailor-made to their specific likes. Rarity in particular just will not have anything from this place unless I mix up some strawberries, blueberries, and kale just so."
"Okay, then. Wanna switch up?" Strawberry asked.
"Works for me," Applejack said, prompting the two to grab fresh aprons and gloves, and for Strawberry to take her place at the cleaning bins. "Got half the blenders done, though a few are still soaking. I, uh, only just got started on the lids."
Strawberry "pfft"ed. "You always leave them for last, too, huh?"
"C'mon! Food bits in them things're more evil than flies hoverin' 'round window pies!" Applejack said.
Strawberry giggled and pointed. "I knew it! I'm not gonna touch 'em, either!" she sing-songed, with a playful grin.
"Someone has to scrub 'em, though," Applejack said, laughing. "If you ain't, then I sure ain't."
"Fine!" Strawberry teased. "We'll both run out of juicers and blenders, have to close up shop, and get fired on the same day." She crossed her arms, and looked away with dramatic haughtiness. "Hmph."
Applejack chuckled again, and wrapped her arm around Strawberry's shoulder. "All right, all right. We scrub only as many as we need to now, and during end-of-shift cleanup, we'll tackle all of 'em together. How about it?"
"Yeah." Strawberry closed her eyes with a smile. "Together sounds nice."
"See?" Applejack said. "Problem solvin' at work."
"As usual from AJ." Strawberry nodded towards the door which led to the store's booth. "Think you can solve the problem out there?"
Applejack donned her new apron and gloves. "I'll give it my best shot."
Strawberry waved Applejack off with a soapy gloved hand, as the latter headed out to the customer service counter. "All right, how can I help—" was as far as she got before another boisterous voice immediately overpowered her.
"Applejack!"
Applejack stopped short, holding her ears. The world really needed to stop yelling her name in italics today.
She focused her vision and found herself looking directly at a platinum-blonde blue-skinned girl, wearing a blue sweater-vest, and a desperate scowl. Within seconds, Applejack knew, and lamented, just who she was dealing with. Her earlier assertion had been half right, at least.
"I knew you worked here," the girl went on, pointing a finger skyward. "The Great and Powerful Trrrrrrrixieeee requires assistance from someone she can actually trust!"
"Whaddaya mean, 'trust'?" Applejack said as she watched Trixie examine her raised nails. "This is a juice bar. We serve juice. Anyone here can do it. What was so wrong with Strawberry that she couldn't serve you?"
"Hmph! What wasn't wrong with her?" Trixie shot back. "Trixie looked into her eyes and saw nothing but vapidity! A lack of basic knowledge everyone should possess."
Applejack shook her head. "Uh, Strawberry's plenty smart. Heck, she's got better grades than me at her school." She chuckled. "'Fraid you're gonna have to do better than that, sister."
"What I mean is that, when the Great and Powerful Trixie told this 'Strawberry Sunrise' just who Trixie was, to her face? When Trixie bestowed upon her the benevolent honor of regaling her with tales of Trixie's unimaginable exploits? All she did was shrug!" Trixie leaned over the counter, getting in Applejack's face. "A classic case of pearls before swine! Can you believe the nerve? I've had students at school put in detention for less!" She paused, then added, "Or I would if Vice Principal Luna would simply take my publicity petitions seriously."
Pushing down her annoyance at Trixie likening her newest friend to a hog, Applejack rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Right. Is this, uh, goin' somewhere?" She checked to see if there was a line behind Trixie, to have a reason to mercifully shuffle the magician along, but alas, rush hour had just ended, and the booth was otherwise empty. Trixie had Applejack's undivided attention. "Anywhere at all?"
"Trixie's point is that she refuses to deal with the uninformed and oblivious," Trixie said, crossing her arms as well. "But, Trixie knows that her reputation precedes her when it comes to you."
Applejack sighed. "Yeah, for worse and worse. Look, are you here to order something?"
Trixie nodded.
"Then I'll get you something. Whatcha need?"
"Excellent," Trixie said, slamming her hands on the table, and leaning forward again. "Trixie requires the strongest thing you have."
Applejack blinked. "Uh... say what?"
"You are a 'drink stand', aren't you?" Trixie said in indignation. "Trixie requires a drink powerful enough to make her forget her troubles!"
Even though Trixie was technically the only customer around, Applejack looked around to make sure they weren't heard in any nearby crowds. "You, uh, sure we shouldn't be having this conversation three or four years from now? We just do juice here," she hissed.
"Of course you do, that's why I came!" Trixie said, putting her hand to her forehead. "The Woeful and Worried Trixie is in dire straits, and she's heard that there are fruit mixtures out there that have calming effects. I simply want the best mixture you have."
Applejack froze. Trixie was right. First time for everything, she supposed. "Oh!" she said. "That is a good point. Welp, I can help you with that here, lickety-split."
"Hold on." Trixie furrowed her eyebrows, staring into Applejack's eyes. "What did you think the Great and Powerful Trixie meant?"
"N-n-nothin', nothin' at all," Applejack said with an embarrassed laugh, then walked back to the mixing stand. "Anywho, there're definitely fruits that studies have shown can help with mood. I drink 'em all the time, myself!"
"See?" Trixie said. "Trixie knew it was the right thing to do to come to you!"
Applejack swelled with confidence as she placed fruits into a blender. "Well, sometimes intuition's even more bang-on than usual. Anyway, for your needs, I'd suggest your basic orange, strawberry and banana mix—"
"Ooooh, sounds delectable!" Trixie said. "Sweet and tangy at the same time—"
"With some avocado," Applejack finished, popping a large green slice into the blender, and plopping the lid on top.
Trixie stepped back in shock. "What?"
"Don't knock it till you try it, hon," Applejack said with a wide grin as she held up the rest of the green fruit. "Good as fruits are for you, most of 'em are sugar factories, which can do just as much harm as good if you take too many. You gotta balance out." She pointed to the full blender cup. "Them B vitamins from this here avocado will get straight to work on your worries, while also workin' with the bananas to turn your juice into a bona-fide smoothie."
"Hmmm." Trixie put her fingers to her chin in thought. "You have Trixie's curiosity. Which has bought you one chance to impress her."
"Heh. Guess I better not waste it, then." Applejack pressed the mixing button on the blender for several seconds, until the fruits morphed into a smooth, dark-greenish mixture. She poured it into a cup and handed it to Trixie. "Order up."
Trixie took the cup, sniffed it pensively... then tried a sip. Applejack watched her expression change from wary, to analytical, then genuinely surprised. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth hung open. She looked down at the cup, took another sip... which turned into a long guzzle, and a satisfied exhale at the end of it, with the cup now only half full.
"And you now have Trixie's attention," Trixie said, wiping her mouth, and putting down the cup. "I'm not sure if I'm less worried yet, but I'm too happy to care! This is fantastic!"
"Glad you like it! Just be sure to drink responsibly. A little at a time, so y'all don't get sugar shock. Or brain freeze. Plus, it'll just plum last longer! Hmm... plums. That may not be a bad idea. May have to pitch that to the home base," Applejack said idly as she rang up Trixie's order.
"Sure, whatever," Trixie said, paying with her card. "Now that Trixie has her wits about her, may she make one more request?"
"Uh, sure," Applejack said, doing her best to not show too much surprise at Trixie's newfound politeness.
"You have a farm, right?" Trixie asked.
Applejack nodded. "Sure do! Finest in Canterlot! Also, uh, only one in Canterlot."
"Perfect! The Great and Powerful Trixie is in the market for an animal to use as a stage assistant. Perhaps she could visit your 'farm' and make a deal?"
Applejack cringed, sucking in her breath. "Sorry, Trixie, no can do. Our family runs an apple farm, not an animal farm. Ain't no one there but a couple o' farm hands, and I don't think livestock works well on stage anyway."
"You're right, I've tried. Well, that's a bummer," Trixie said. "Where is Trixie supposed to go to buy an animal?"
Applejack put her hands on her hips. "Have you, uh, tried the pet store? Just a wild, out-of-the-way guess, here."
"B-but Trixie needs something special and exotic!" Trixie protested. "Something wild and eye-catching!"
"Y'all can find those there," Applejack said. "Pet store sells all kinds. Seen 'em with my own eyes! Trust me, Fluttershy'll be happy to hook you up."
Trixie gasped. "You are a lifesaver, Applejack! Twice over now. That's why I called for you. Simple, straightforward answers, no beating around the bush." She held up her cup. "You didn't even try to upsell me on this drink!"
Applejack panicked. Trixie was right. She hadn't. "W-w-wait, hold on! I'm actually supposed to pitch you the rewards card right about now—"
"Too late!" Trixie said, a blue canister bearing her personal moon-shaped logo already raised in one hand. "Trixie, out!"
Trixie threw the canister on the ground, and one cough-worthy cloud of smoke later, she was nowhere to be found. A few passersby applauded at the sight. Applejack merely shook her head and sighed.
Strawberry walked up behind her. "Are all of your friends from CHS like that?" she asked, scratching her head.
"'Friend' ain't exactly the word I'd use," Applejack said, "so, no, not really."
"Whew," Strawberry said, wiping her brow. "Good. I couldn't imagine having customers like that all the time."
"Nah, she's one of a kind," Applejack said, straightening some nearby cups. "You can tell by the way I only barely managed to keep her from driving the entire floor crazy."
Strawberry gasped. "Are you kidding? You were practically perfect out here! You always are!"
"Shucks, I'm not sure I'd go that far." Applejack placed a hand behind her head. "I mean, sure, it went fine, if you don't count the bit where I forgot the upsell, or the rewards card, and even let her drink before charging her for it—"
"And it still could have gone way worse! Did you see how her eyes lit up, though? I know that look. We've made a customer for life!" Strawberry blanched. "Oh, no. We will have a customer like that all the time now."
Applejack chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I'll school you on how to deal with her. It's really not hard."
"I think I get it, now that I've seen you," Strawberry said, looking at Applejack with a happy smile. "I took this job because I like helping people out with the power of fruit, same as you. Seeing you in action... always makes me really happy you're here." She looked away, her cheeks as red as her namesake, before adding, "A-as an example to follow, I mean."
Applejack stepped next to Strawberry, taking her hand—which didn't help Strawberry's complexion any, Applejack noticed. "Yeah. I'm glad you're here too. Honestly, I can't think of any setting where I wouldn't be. You're just fun."
"Yeah, I feel the same way." Strawberry said, gripping Applejack's hand firmly. After a short while, she said, "Hey, you... wanna go hang out after both our shifts are over?"
"Hmmm," Applejack said. "On one condition. Anything but smoothies. That's half my life, now."
Strawberry giggled. "Well, duh, same here. But no, I was thinking the new place that opened up. You know, Just Desserts? They serve everything sweet." She took Applejack's other hand, and stared into her eyes. "We could share apple pie. With strawberry ice cream on top."
Applejack met Strawberry's stare with her own appreciative gaze. "It's a date, sugarcube."
Upon hearing those words, Strawberry's fingers slipped out of Applejack's hands as she fainted on the spot.
With a worried gasp, Applejack stopped her co-worker's falling body before she hit the floor, letting her down gently. "Strawberry? Oh my stars, Strawberry, speak to me!"
Applejack looked down at a prone Strawberry Sunrise, who now wore the goofiest grin on her face. Thank goodness, she was still breathing, and—wait.
Was that a... happy, shuddering sigh?
It was.
"Best... day... ever," Strawberry just barely managed to breathe through closed lips.
Applejack groaned. "Not again," she said, going to get the smelling salts from the first aid box. "Dagnabbit, Rarity keeps tellin' me to hold off the 's-word' until I 'mean it', but it ain't my fault it works for everything under the sun..."
It was going to be one of those days again, after all.
