Author's Note

My editor wanted to make this one of the next stories before we move onto Skystar. Also, I couldn't add Upper Crust because the website didn't have her name enlisted in the characters list. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this story. Brony on

First Taste of Fancy Living

Restoring A Lady’s Trust

Written by Israel Yabuki

Edited and Co-written by NineTailBeastBall

You sat in the small bedroom of your apartment, simply staring at the ceiling and whistling one of your favorite tunes. It was a usual pastime for you when you weren’t working your low paying job as a local bartender in this small town you call home.

You didn’t have any support from your parents since from a young age, they chose to devoted themselves in supporting your sister. So every day, you were on your own. You had to make your own food, help other people out by cleaning up their lawns just to buy groceries.

Sure you didn’t have the most comfortable life, but you always kept in mind that no matter what the situation is like, it could always be worse. With that in mind, you did your best to keep yourself happy, as evident by how much you liked to sing.

Your fondness for music all started back in high school when these reformed bullies asked you if you wanted start a singing group. They were nice enough to hang out with you every chance they got. Whether it was at lunchtime or after school, you'd sing with them throughout the neighborhood.

By your Junior year, the people gave you the nickname “The Neighborhood Jukebox.” On some occasions, you would sing for a few school charity projects, other times it was just for fun.

Even after you graduated, the group is still together, though you all got jobs to make sure you could support yourselves. As talented as your little band was, singing for your little neighborhood didn’t pay the bills.

Looking at your watch, you saw that today’s scheduled rehearsal would start in 15 minutes. You didn’t have to work on weekends, so the free time was a perfect opportunity to come up with some other songs for the next rehearsals.

You grabbed the notebook where you wrote down lyrics for a good song as well as your acoustic guitar. You looked at the instrument remembering how your friends gave you this guitar 4 years ago on your 21st birthday. It was worth a good deal of sentimental value to you and never left home without it.

As you were writing down the lyrics, you were interrupted by the commotion of the outside construction workers. You ran to see what all the commotion was.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” you asked.

“Stay back, the building’s coming down on the 2nd and 3rd floor!” one of the workers said. You stayed back at first, but when you saw one of the other workers underneath the falling debris, your body acted on its own.

You got past the workers blocking the entrance and ran over to rescue the guy that was trying to escape the 1st floor of the building. The floor above you two was coming down fast and it felt like you weren’t going to make it. Of course, thinking such negative thoughts won’t do you much good.

“Come on, man! Move them pudgy-wee legs!” you exclaimed, trying to get him to run faster. As you expected he glared at you, but if he wanted to get out here alive, there was no time for breaks.

The building was almost ready to fall on top of you two. There was no time left, so you resorted to the only thing that would give you a little peace. You summed up all of your strength and threw the worker safely out of the collapsing building. Chances are he’ll have a broken arm, but at least he would be alright. You, on the other hand, weren’t so fortunate.

Closing your eyes, you awaited for the inevitable as you played your guitar. All the people watched you perform your final act. Eventually, you felt the debris crush you and screams rang out for a split second before silence filled your ears.

In the endless black abyss, your mind and body drifted peacefully, waiting for the right time to find and enter the light. You reminisced all the great times you had with your bestest friends and all the songs you sang.

As usual you held onto hope, and got a feeling this seemingly endless abyss didn’t actually go on forever. Your hope held strong and was rewarded with a beautiful bright light shining down upon you. Instinctively, you reached out for the light and felt its warmth wrap around you like a big, comfortable blanket.

Blinking a few times, you found yourself lying underneath a beautiful tree and heard the sounds of people talking. Your head was still spinning and pounding from the debris falling on your head. But then you realized something.

“H-How can I still feel pain? Didn’t I just die?” you asked yourself, getting up. Your head pounded even harder and you grunted in pain. “Okay, somehow I'm not dead and it looks like I’m gonna need some aspirin. My head is killing me.”

Unfortunately you were in for even more of a headache for what you saw next. Not a single human in sight, instead there was a bunch of these horses dressed up all fancy-like and had their noses up like a bunch of snobs. What’s even more weird is the fact that they’re all walking on two feet... or hooves in this particular case.

“What in the blazes- oh dear, it’s coming back...” you groaned, feeling the throbbing in your head get even worse. You would have to resort to other methods to get rid of the pain, as you doubt your money would be of any use to these horses. If you couldn’t buy aspirin, perhaps a nice walk would solve things.

So, you strolled through the town and could hear the sounds of the other horses judging you and talking behind your back. Then again, you can’t really blame them since this was probably a foreign world.

Due to your headache, you couldn’t think straight and it was messing with how you were trying to walk steady.

By the time your head had started clearing up, you accidentally bumped into one of the locals and landed on your side, still gripping your head.

“Gah! S-Sorry about that!” you grunted before you looked up to see who you ran into. While of course it was one of these humanoid horses, you noticed that this one had a horn, meaning she was a unicorn. Her coat was cream color and had these huge glasses that seemed to slide loose. She wore a dark blue sweater and had red mane with two stripes, one being a darker shade of purple than the other a lighter shade of purple.

“It’s all good, it’s all good,” she assured as she stood and dusted off her clothes. Once she was clear of any dirt, she pushed her glasses up while taking a good look at you. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Just a headache. I’ve had them before, but this one really takes the cake,” you replied, rubbing your head. “I hoped a little walk in this unfamiliar town would do some good and I was almost right,”

“Oh my. Well, why don’t you follow me back to my place. I’m sure that I’ll have some aspirin. And my husband should be home for his lunch break Mister umm...” she trailed off waiting for you to introduce yourself, which you did.

“Oh, it’s very nice to meet you. My name is Moondancer. Follow me, I’ll lead you to my house and I’ll have my husband look after you until my shift is done.” With that, you let the nice mare lead the way, relieved to know the aching would stop soon enough.

“You sure are nice, ya know that? I just kinda thought you'd react like the rest of the locals and look at me like I was a weirdo,” you said.

“Well my husband is a human like you; unfortunately, many of the locals here still don’t trust humans because they’re not like them. No sufficient wealth, or social standing. But I think it’s probably just because they’re all too scared to see how good you can be,” she explained.

You took in this information with great interest. “So does that mean there are more people that live here?” you asked

“Why yes, lots of humans have arrived here. Most of them live in Ponyville, though. There are still a few humans here in Canterlot and in other places even I haven’t been to,” Moondancer explained before noticing newspaper article on the notice board about Queen Novo's marriage to her new husband who goes by the name “Bellator.”

‘Well that sure proved her point,’ you thought to yourself as you read the news. You’ve only heard of a hippogriff once from a mythology book back in school. Only in this world, it looks like the hippogriffs are real.

Before your headache was able to get any worse, you and Moondancer finally reached your stop. Her house was quite large, given it was also a library. Moondancer unlocked the door and stepped inside and invited you in. You walked inside after her and suddenly heard a baby start crying.

“Oh no, again?” Moondancer groaned.

“Afraid so, honey. This is his 4th diaper in just 2 hours,” a man called out.

“Lunar, I told you not to overfeed him,” Moondancer reprimanded as she pulled her glasses up to pinch the bridge between eyes. Things were beginning to feel awkward.

“I guess I showed up at a bad time, huh?” you asked, laughing nervously. It was here that the one called Lunar noticed you.

“Looks like we have a guest,” he said as he walked up with the baby wrapped up in a blue striped blanket and held in his arms. Not wanting to risk dropping the infant, he gave him to Moondancer before offering you a handshake. You accepted it and told him your name.

“Nice to meet you. As you probably know, I’m Lunar and of course, you’ve already met my wife, Moondancer.” he gestures to the cream colored unicorn. “And lastly, this is our special little boy, Comet Dancer,” he gestures to the now quiet baby.

The baby in question had a horn on his forehead just like his mother, while each of his eyes were a different color. One was the same color as his father’s and his other eye had the same color as his mother. It was quite extraordinary in your opinion. You went up to the child and gently stroked his head with a single finger. The baby let out a cute yawn and cooed before closing his eyes.

You were then painfully reminded of why you came here as the throbbing in your head hit you hard like a ton of bricks. You grunted and gripped your head tightly.

“I almost forgot, I need some aspirin. Have you got any?” you asked hopefully.

“Oh yeah, just follow me and I’ll show you where they are.” Lunar then leads you into the bathroom and opens up one of the cabinets and takes out a pill jar. He takes out 2 pills and gives them to you. Lunar then leads you out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. There, he grabs a cup and fills it up with water and then hands it to you.

You drink one pill at a time and chug down the rest of the water. The effects weren’t automatic so you allowed Lunar to lead you to the guest room to lay down.

“You look like you’ve had a rough day, my friend. Did you hit your head or something?” Lunar asked.

“In a way, I guess you could say that. Back home, I was just a humble guy who started up a band with a couple of friends. We became this neat band called the Neighborhood Jukebox. We were supposed to meet for another rehearsal, but fate had something else in mind,” you explained.

“What happened?” Lunar asked.

“There was some kind of commotion that was going on at this nearby construction sight so I decided to see for myself. Turns out the whole kitten kaboodle was toppling down fast and one of the workers was trapped underneath the building. I don't know why, but my body acted on its own and I ran towards the guy. I got him out of there, but I was the unlucky one to get crushed. I guess it was the debris that fell on my head that gave me this headache.”

After you got done explaining, Lunar was stunned, since not a lot of would risk their lives just to save others, especially in that type of situation.

“But hey it could be much worse. And at least I got to play my guitar one final time, and with a smile, no doubt,” you said trying to look at the positives. “Even though I died I managed to save that man’s life.”

“So what do you want to do now?” Moondancer asked as she sat on the bed.

“Well I guess I should start by looking for some employment,” you answered looking out the window.

“Well I wouldn’t mind lending you some clothes,” Lunar said. “Would you like a job here in the library. We could always use another set of helping hands.”

“That's very kind of you, but I'm sorry. I want to be able to explore all of my options before picking the job that’s right for me,” you said gazing back at the window. Canterlot was a big city, there were plenty of choices.

“Well for now why don’t you just relax. Feel free to help yourself to shower while we get some lunch ready. And like I said I’ll lend you some nice clothes for when you’re ready to go back out,” Lunar said, making you smile.

While of course you had access to showers back at the apartment, it wasn’t nearly as nice as the one in the library. The water was warmer and lasted way longer than the one back at your old apartment. You let out a relaxed sigh as you scrubbed yourself. Looking down, you saw all of the nasty dirt washed off your body.

You must have spent at least 20 minutes washing yourself before you decided to get out. As you dried off, you recalled how Lunar told you there would be a nice suit ready for you when you’re done. Naturally, you wanted to see the suit for yourself.

Turns out Lunar wasn’t lying, as you saw a nice black suit with a snazzy blue necktie. The outfit looked brand new and smelled fresh as well. Wasting no time, you unwrapped the towel you were wearing around your waist and started getting dressed.

You were surprised to find out that it wasn’t just brand new, but it also fit you like a glove. Walking to the nearby mirror, you made sure your necktie was tight and straightened out, but not so tight that it would squeeze the air out of your throat.

Once you finished getting dressed, you made your way out of the guest room and could smell the delicious aroma of lunch. Thanks to Moondancer’s instructions, you knew how to find the kitchen. You saw that she was cooking what looked like grilled cheese sandwiches with some side salads. She also has some orange juice, apple juice, milk and some water.

“Mmm, lunch sure smells good, Moondancer,” you said rubbing your growling stomach.

“You’re looking nice, hungry?” she asked, smiling when she noticed you enter kitchen.

You took a seat next to Lunar as Moondancer placed a plate in front of you. You made sure to eat at a nice pace. After all you didn’t want to accidentally get any food on your fresh suit. Moondancer’s cooking was pretty tasty, much better than your home cooking.

“Looks like that new suit is really working out for you.” Moondancer complimented.

“I have you two to thank. Where'd you even get this snazzy suit? Must have costed a good price,” you said.

“It’s actually one of my new suits I ordered from Canterlot Carousel, I just got it some time yesterday,” Lunar explained. “But considering the circumstances, I’m willing to let you use it.”

You continued to eat at a respectful pace until your plate was finally empty. Your manners were well rewarded as not a single spec was on your suit. Though you did have to go back upstairs to clean your teeth with one of Lunar’s extra tooth brushes.

Once you were nice and clean, you made your way down the streets of Canterlot. But even though you planned on finding a job, it’s gonna be even tougher to find a place to crash for the night. Even so, you still chose to look on the positive side of things.

At first, you had no luck in landing certain jobs because you had connections to any sort of big companies, you didn’t have a college degree and the snobs thought you were just too weird-looking. Life was just as difficult here as it was back when you first applied for your old job.

As usual though, you weren’t going to let their judgement get you down. As you always told yourself, there’s always a light at the end of the darkest tunnel.

And so, for your next stop, you decide to apply for this fancy 5 star restaurant. The sign said they needed a waiter, so you can always give that a shot. You knew your chances were slim, but you were always one to try.

You soon stepped inside the restaurant and approached the horse at the front desk. He looked disgusted just from looking at you, but he cleared his throat and addressed you.

“Do you have a reservation, sir?” he asked in a posh tone.

“Actually, I’m here to apply for a job and I was wondering if the position was still open,” you said, politely. He sighed, obviously against the idea of giving you the job.

“Fortunately for you, sir, the position is still open. Wait right here and I shall get the manager.” The stallion stepped away from the desk and walked to the back of the restaurant out of your line of vision. You patiently waited by humming a song to yourself as you usually do in your spare time.

The stallion came back with the manager and he was just as against the idea of hiring you. He pushed his glasses up as he looked at you with disgust. Despite this hostility, you kept yourself calm as you had a chance of working in such a fancy establishment.

“Normally, I would’ve told you to leave, but due to the new laws the princesses have passed, I have to let you fill out an application. Afterwards, you will be given an interview and then an evaluation,” the manager explained in a rough tone. He gave you said application, which you gladly accepted and thanked him.

The manager didn’t respond to your gratitude and simply returned to his office to wait for you to finish. You fortunately didn’t need a college degree to be a waiter. The info you filled out in the application was fairly simple enough. In no more than five minutes, the form was complete and you made your way to the manager’s office to begin your interview.

You finished the interview and were preparing to take orders from your first customers. Having been officially hired, the manager gave you your uniform which like the suit Lunar lent you, was a perfect fit. Once you were presentable, you walked up to your assigned table.

The ponies waiting to order were quite a nice looking couple. From afar they seemed to be closer than any couple you’ve seen so far. However, when you got closer to them, they were the opposite of a happy couple.

“So what are you saying it’s my fault?” the stallion asked, obviously offended.

“Jet Set, you hardly ever tell me where you go after work and I practically have the servants slave all day just to cook us the finest meals for us and I bust my flank off to look for you!” the mare argued.

“Fine, if you must know, I sneak off with a few of my workers just to have a glass of wine. Whenever I don't come home, my workers let me stay at their houses in the guest rooms. Are you satisfied?” the one named Jet Set asked, annoyed.

“And how do I know you’re not lying? What’s to stop me from...” she stopped as she noticed that you were walking up to them with a notepad. The couple gave you the same harsh look that the manager did, but you got over it.

“Are you ready to order?” you asked. “May I start you off with something to drink?”

“Hmph! I had hoped this establishment would hire somepony with a bit more class, not some common human filth,” Jet Set said with his wife nodding in agreement. “Bring us the finest bottle of wine and be quick about it.”

Focused more on your job rather than the insults, you wrote down the order and left to go to the other couple sitting near the window.

Not only was this couple much more friendly, but the mare’s lover was also a human. Sitting in between them was an adorable little girl that was half pony, half human.

“Good afternoon, everyone. May I start you off with something to drink?” you asked.

“Of course, good sir. Would you be kind enough to serve my family a nice, cold, refreshing cup of water, please?” the mare asked politely. The mare in question was an elegant unicorn mare with long, silky pink hair and had a horn on her forehead. Her eyes were colored purple, matching that of her daughter’s.

“Yes, of course. I’ll have your cups of water ready for you in no time,” you reply, writing down the orders. You later leave and give the orders to the cooks in the kitchen.

As the drinks were being prepared, you couldn’t help look at Jet Set and his wife who were apparently still bickering. You weren’t given too much time to observe their argument before the chefs got your attention. Grabbing the bottle of wine and a pitcher of water, you take them with you to each table and served Jet Set and his wife first.

You carefully poured the wine in each cup, making sure it was just the right amount.

“Now are you ready to eat?” you asked taking your notebook out again. Though they were still disgusted with you as their waiter, they nonetheless allowed you to take their order.

The mare who you learned from listening to their argument on your second trip to their table was named Upper Crust, told you she wanted a deluxe salad dish with a baked potato. Jet Set on the other hand asked for a hor d’oeuvre platter with some steamed diced carrots.

Once you finished writing down the orders, you moved back to take orders from the elegant unicorn and her human husband.

The mare, who’s known throughout Canterlot as Fleur De Lis, orders a salad with mashed potatoes. Her husband, Fortis, orders the veggie style omelette with a side order of carrot stew.

Receiving gratitude from the nice couple, you returned to the chefs to give them the notes. This time you were given more time to wonder what’s going on between Upper Crust and Jet Set. You just don’t understand why they would be fighting like this. Perhaps it must be some kind of misunderstanding considering what you heard them say earlier. For their sake, you hope they’ll sort it out.

The food was ready after 45 minutes of patiently waiting. Since Jet Set and Upper Crust placed their order first, you started off with them. They didn’t seem to be arguing anymore but their expressions were far from happy.

“Thank you for waiting,” you said as you set the food down. “And enjoy the meals to your hearts’ content.”

“Yes, yes, now shoo, skedaddle,” Jet Set scowled. This made you frown, but only for a second.

“Please enjoy yourselves,” you said walking away to now serve Fleur’s family.

Later on, after everyone was served, both couples paid the front desk and you cleaned off each of the tables. Though you noticed how roughly Jet Set dragged his wife when they took their leave.

While you were still cleaning up, the manager walked up to you and tapped you on shoulder. You instantly looked at him with curiosity. He cleared his throat before he finally spoke.

“I suppose not every human acts like a low class wretch. As hard as it is for me to say this, you’ve displayed excellent service to both of our reserved guests. Be sure to arrive here tomorrow at 11:00 A.M sharp. I want this place to be spick and span by 12:00 P.M when we open for business. Can I trust you to do something as simple as that?” he asked.

You nodded. And just like that, you were officially the new waiter in this luxurious restaurant. Though as you made your way back to Moondancer’s library, you wondered what other surprises would be in store for you.