Gladmane, CEO of his extravagant resort chain sat in his executive office chair, hoofing through some business papers given to him by the seemingly eccentric entrepreneur named Popcorn. He looked up, watching the young mare draw sales graphs on a whiteboard she had brought with her while she nervously messed with her mane. She mumbled a curse word after having dropped her dry erase marker.
“Popcorn, slow your roll. I’ve cleared my schedule just so you would have all the time in the world to tell me about your project.” Gladmane explained followed by his odd head bobbing mannerism. “Huh, huh!”
“I just want this to make sense!” Popcorn hastily replied.
Well, why don’t you show me what you have to offer.” Gladmane asked.
Popcorn reached for a box she had brought with her. Gladmane thought it looked too big for a mare to lift, but she placed it on his desk with ease then took a see through bag out of it.
“Now what’s this then?” Gladmane asked, examining the red and green orbs contained within the bag.
“Holiday Popcorn!” Popcorn enthusiastically answered. “Inspired by hearts warming eve!”
Gladmane leaned back in his chair, thoughtfully placing his hooves together. “May I try some?” Gladmane asked.
Popcorn tore her product open like a child ripping a gift wrapped present to shreds, letting the pieces of red and green popcorn spill onto Gladmane’s desk. “I caramelized the Popcorn with red and green coloring then used some special flavoring courtesy of Sweet Apple Acres. Red is sweet and green is tart, but both also have a hint of mint mixed in!”
Gladmane scooped up a hoof-full of the entrepreneur’s popcorn then threw it into his mouth. His tongue quivered, tasting the fruity mix. It was like he had bitten into a plump crispy apple, it’s juices washing over his taste buds only to be cooled by a frosty splash of mint. “Hmmm...I like this. What amount of sales do you annually make?”
Popcorn cocked her head over her shoulder, looking at her whiteboard which had incomplete graphs on it along with receipts from past customers. Unsure of what to say, she looked back at Gladmane after having decided to just be honest. “I’m just a startup. I make my popcorn myself. I try to sell to any pony I can.”
Ironically, Gladmane felt a kernel get stuck in his throat. He gagged, hacking it up then slammed his hooves on his desk. “Wait a gad darn minute, your telling me you don’t sell this commercially?” Gladmane’s eyes went wide with fury.
A fearful look formed on Popcorn’s face as Gladmane stood up, towering over her. “Ugh, no...I’ma Popcorn sales mare. I thought I made that clear…” Popcorn defended.
Gladmane rudely slept his hoof across his desk, swiping away all the popcorn on his desk. “Popcorn, my company’s is a very large entity. In fact, it is so large that I do not have a minute to spare on a startup like yours!”
Popcorn gritted her teeth, frowning. “You invited me into your office, you asked for my time, not the other way around!” Popcorn shouted back.
“You need to leave, now…” Gladmane bellowed, motioning for his security personnel who stood near the door, leading to the lobby.
“You can forget about me selling Popcorn in your gift shops then!” Popcorn asserted after having slapped the guard's hoof away from her. She stormed out of Gladmane’s office.
The guard stood idle for a second, feeling dumbfounded. “Sir, she put her hooves on me…” The guard said, his voice trailing off.
“Well, what are you waiting for, an invitation?” Gladmane replied.
The guard nodded. He followed Popcorn, two other guards joining him. The trio met Popcorn in the lobby, grabbed her then carried her towards the front door. Popcorn flailed about, grunting various swears at the overzealous guards.
The guards threw Popcorn towards the street. “And stay out!”
Popcorn flew through the air with her eyes close. Another pony named Mirror Shine walked. She had hitched a ride to Las Pegasus and couldn’t believe the sights around her. There seemed to be ponies everywhere, and a lot of flashing lights. Over her coat was her exposure which drew some curious looks, but she paid them little mind. It was either this or struggle to trot with braces on her legs, she preferred looks of curiously over looks of pity. Mirror did notice the occasional pony huddled in an alleyway, and it made her sad. She may be living in an orphanage, but she was grateful for the fact that she had a roof over her head and three wonderful friends.
Mirror was planning to do some volunteer work when unexpectedly a mass landed on top of her, pinning her to the ground. She winced feeling metal dig into her back, and she couldn’t get up as her suit was only meant to bear the weight of one pony. “Ow, please get off…!” Mirror pleaded.
Popcorn rolled herself off of Mirror, hastily getting onto her hooves. “I’m sorry! Some jerk threw me at you!” Popcorn replied.
Mirror groaned as she got back onto her hooves, shaking her head. “It’s fine, are you alright?” She asked with a concerned tone in her voice. Her back was hurting from where the frame of her expo had dug in.
A confused look formed on Popcorn’s face. “Ugh, I landed on you, but yeah.” She replied with a nod.
Mirror turned her head to see the pony who had just landed on her like a ton of bricks, and a few things caught her attention. Right off, her mane was certainly unique and her coat contrasted sharply with it. She thought the stranger appeared unconventional. “So mind telling me why someone threw you like a hail mary pass?” She asked in as kind a tone she could.
Popcorn sat down, waving her hooves for effect while she spoke. “So I was trying to sell some Popcorn to a big business pony named Gladmane, but he didn’t like how small my business is and thought I was wasting his time so he threw me out. I mean, just because I don’t have offices, warehouses and factories to make my popcorn doesn’t make what I do worthless!” Popcorn paused, pulling her own hair. “I’m a popcorn sales mare and I run a good business!”
Popcorn rubbed her eyes then gave the pony a interested look. “My names Pocornia, but Mose ponies call me Popcorn, what’s your name?”
During Popcorn’s rant Mirror tried not to cringe; she hated ponies yelling, but she tried to be kind and listen, and when she heard it all she tried to put a hoof to her chin. Her ego made a grinding noise at the elbow joint as she tried to move a foreleg up and with a grunt of effort she settled for setting her hoof back down on the ground again. But it now seemed her turn to speak. “My name is Mirror Shine, but most call me Mirror to save time. I think it’s inexcusable to literally throw somepony out for nothing more than not being interested.” Mirror paused. “But uh, you said you were trying to sell some Popcorn?” She asked curiously.
Popcorn nodded. “Yeah, but what brought you to las Pegasus?” She asked while casually reaching into her saddlebags for a bag of Popcorn.
“May I try some? Also, I came here to help some homeless ponies. It was either that or be force to participate in caroling and I simply don’t have a singing voice.” She shuddered at the thought of having to sing in front of more than a couple ponies. “So Popcorn, what’cha gonna do now since Gladmane was a total flankhead?” Mirror asked as carefully as she could, not wanting to upset the Pegasus.
Pocornia shrugged then handed Mirror a bag of her popcorn. “Well, I got nothing else planned, but now that I think about it. I haven’t done any volunteer work, so , maybe I could follow you?” Popcorn asked.
Mirror smiled and accepted it. “Thank you very much. How much do I owe you?” She asked with a more cheery tone than she previously had. As she reached for her saddlebag her expo made the same grinding noise again and after a grunt of effort she sighed and set her hoof back down again. “That crash might have damaged the servo…” she muttered to herself before sighing. “My bits are in my saddle bag, can you help me get it off?”
Popcorn got up, moving close to Mirror while carefully removing her saddle bag. “Here.” Popcorn said as she handed Mirror her saddlebag.”Five bits for the Popcorn.”
Using her good foreleg Mirror opened the saddle bag and handed Popcorn five bits before putting the bag back in it. “I know this is going to sound tedious, but would you please help me put it back on?” She asked blushing. She hated feeling like she needed to be taken care of. “Also as for you joining me, please do. It’d be nice to have some company.” Mirror accepted, showing a friendly smile.
Popcorn did as requested of her, not putting much thought into the matter. “Yeah, sometimes good company can turn a bad day around. “Popcorn added.
Mirror got to her hooves and nodded appreciatively. “In that case, follow me!”
—————————————————————————————————————
Gladmane slid his hooves across a pile of bits on his desk as if it were a crystal clear pool of water. He enjoyed making money, but he knew, honestly, that other ponies valued different things, but he loves making a profit. Maybe, not so much for the money, but the prestige and power that comes with it. Yes, he thought, ponies give respect when they talk to stallions like him, well...most of the time.
However, the reputation Gladmane has built over the course of his career tends to cause problems around this time of year, but he has a plan for this year and it won’t be long until he starts to carry it out.
Gladmane stood from his chair, walking over to a window to look down at the ponies walking along the streets below him, briefly watching them until a pony who had entered his office spoke. “Gladmane, I have news for you.” He said
“Good news or bad?” Gladmane asked, assuming the latter over the former.
“Coco Pommel has not paid her rent on the building she is using.” He explained.
Gladmane blew air from his nostrils. “Nifty Laws...go give her a eviction notice.”
Nifty law’s closed his jade green eyes, taking a soundless deep breath. “Sir.” He said after having opened his eyes. “Can you give her a break on this months rent, the holidays are near.”
“No.” Gladmane blankly replied “Business is business.”
Nifty Laws turned his gaze to a the door then back to Gladmane. “Yes sir.” He replied as he left.
Gladmane stood idle, seemingly brooding as he watched the ponies outside walk in and out of shops.
—————————————————————————————————————
Popcorn walked alongside Mirror, trying to get a good look at Mirror Shine’s body suit without making her side glances noticeable. She checked the long cylinder rods connecting with metal joints, thinking that it may be some sort of support system, but that would mean that something is wrong with Mirror’s body.
Mirror hummed quietly as she trotted along, looking around at the sights of Las Pegasus. “I love this time of the year. Almost everypony has a smile on their face and those that don’t you can try to give them one.” She turned to her friend and smiled. “What’s your favorite part of Hearth’s Warming Eve?”
Popcorn drew a quick breath. “Well…” She said, pausing to recall a memory. “It may make me sound greedy, but I like making my holiday Popcorn. Sure, I’ll sell it, but it reminds me of when I was a filly.” Popcorn’s eyes started to water slightly. “My mommy would make it for me every year and I miss that.” Popcorn sniffled. “That is why I try to get others to buy and hopefully enjoy it.”
Mirror turned her head away and squeezed her eyes closed for a few seconds. “Doesn’t make you sound greedy in my opinion. If you were to just give your popcorn away for nothing at all, you wouldn’t be able to do it for long; you’d run out of money.” She internally considered the logistical difficulties of just giving a product away for free. “What’s your holiday popcorn taste like?” She asked.
“It’s like eating a red and green apple at once with a mint already in your mouth.” Popcorn replied, looking ahead to see if she saw any homeless ponies. “So what do you and your folks do for the holiday’s?”
The second Popcorn asked that Mirror came to a halt and grit her teeth. “That’s, that’s something I don’t feel comfortable answering.” She deflected the question and shook her head.
Popcorn gave Mirror a confused look. “Ugh…” Popcorn thought about it for a moment, wondering if she should or shouldn’t say anything further, but haphazardly decided on the former over the latter. “Well, you gotta be...wait, do you live alone?” Popcorn asked.
The mare looked back at Popcorn and gave her a hateful glare. “No, I live in a crap orphanage with my three close friends.” She responded angrily. “Happy now?!”
Popcorn pulled her head back, eyes widening like she had just watched a pedestrian get violently ran over by a runaway wagon. “Wha...jeeze, I’m sorry!”
Mirror still had her angry glare. “Yeah, like I haven’t heard that one befo-” a sight caught her eye. “Hey, look!” She pointed her hoof at a robed pony who appeared to be sneakily stealing from another. “We should do something.” She suggested.
Popcorn peered at the pony Mirror had pointed out, immediately noticing a few details. First, the robed pony had a thick gray beard and long hair sticking out of his hood and his robe looked filthy like it hadn’t been washed in days which Popcorn interpreted as an indicator that the petty thief was likely homeless. “I dunno, he could respond violently.” Popcorn replied.
“Then I’ll call him on it. If he tries anything I’m sure my exo can take the hit.” She turned to the other pony. “Hey sticky hooves! Leave ‘em alone!” The robed pony looked startled and galloped away. “After him!” Mirror shouted, taking off at a gallop.
“Crud!” Popcorn muttered, having realized she is now involved despite her objections. Popcorn ran after the presumed thief, a great distance between herself and Mirror. She watched Mirror close the gap between herself and the thief. As her friend got close, the thief slowed down unexpectedly and shoved her. Mirror fell hard and landed with a loud “Oof!”
Popcorn’s brows narrowed. “You did not just do that!” She screamed at the thief.
She looked at her approaching friend, sparks coming from a damaged part of her exo. “You go after him, I’ll catch up!” She urged.
The thief realized he had provoked the wrath of a seemingly strong adversary thus decided to leave the scene the quickest way he could. He ran towards a fence then climbed over it, Popcorn reaching then climbing over the fence just as he had gotten over it. “I’m gonna get you!” Popcorn threatened.
The thief ran around a corner, quickly he ducked behind a dumpster thinking Popcorn wouldn’t realize he had decided to hide over continuing to run down the long alleyway, but Popcorn stopped after having noticed the distance between where she was and the end of the alleyway. She turned around, immediately spotting the thief. “Don’t move!” Popcorn ordered.
The thief ran back towards the fence, but Popcorn threw herself at him forcing them both onto the ground. Popcorn held the thief there, waiting for Mirror to show up.
A few minutes later Mirror arrived. With every step she took however she had to drag her back left leg, the drive on it damaged. “Sorry I took so long, I couldn’t, couldn’t move well.” Stating the thing that bugged her the most brought tears to her eyes. “And you.” She glared at the robed pony. “Let’s see who you really are.” She grabbed his good in her teeth and pulled it off of him, but she didn’t recognize who it was. “Popcorn, do you know who this is?”
Popcorn studied the stallion’s face for a second then pulled on his beard which came right off of his face, revealing the strong chined and well groomed CEO she had met earlier, Gladmane. “I do, but it makes no sense.” She replied, her voice hollow with surprise.
“Ahg!” Gladmane grunted, letting his face hit the pavement. “You got me, might as well call the police now...”
“Mirror, this is Gladmane!” Popcorn stated.
Mirror sat down and raised an eyebrow. “What the hay?! why’d you steal those bits anyway? Aren’t you already really rich?” She asked curiously before beginning to inspect the damage on her exo.
“Yeah, why would you steal?” Popcorn asked, not understanding Gladmane’s reasoning for what he was trying to do.
Gladmane felt the diminishing sensation of defeat wash over him. He felt powerless, much like he did when Princess Twilight’s friends Applejack and Fluttershy tricked him into revealing a deceptive business trick he had been using to help improve his business. “I used to turn my employees against each other then make it look like I was their friend as if i was the only pony they could trust.” Gladmane cleared his throat. “All of my employees left then the media showed up. I still can’t believe I was able to keep my business running after that!”
Popcorn slowly let Gladmane go, carefully watching his movements as he stood. “But, why did you steal from that pony?”
“That pony is one of my wealthier associates; he won’t even notice. But more importantly Coco Pommel is several months behind on her rent. I planned to leave her enough bits to cover her debt, but I keep most of mine in savings and don’t usually have many bits of hoof.” He ran a hoof through his hair and took a deep breath. “To this end I was collecting bits from more wealthy ponies I knew wouldn’t notice so I could leave them in addition to some of my own for Coco to find and pay me with.”
“Why not just withdraw the bits from savings and leave those rather than steal at all?” Mirror asked.
“The banks would notice me withdrawing and subsequently depositing large amounts of bits in a short time. Bankers would start questioning it, rumors would circulate, and I’d eventually be found out.” He responded without an ounce of hesitation.
Popcorn rubbed her head with her hooves, trying to put all of the information together. “You keep dodging the issue, why is donating a bad thing!” She shouted, demanding a answer.
Gladmane gave Popcorn a quizzical look. “Because my business associates would think less of me for being charitable!”
Popcorn brought a hoof to her nose, squeezing it. “Oh, okay. I see why that is a problem.”
Mirror raised an eyebrow and looked at her friend. “Really? Please enlighten me. I don’t understand.”
Popcorn pointed a hoof at Gladmane. “Because he works in the corporate world and business ponies in that kind of environment have a dog eat dog mindset.” Popcorn sat down, folding her arms. “So if he did something nice for somepony then all of the other business ponies would see that as a sign of weakness.” She huffed. “Profit before everything else, right Gladmane?” She asked, using a condescending tone.
Gladmane nodded. “Those friends of the Princess were a blessing in disguise, but when I tried to think of a way to help, I couldn’t think of one that didn’t put my image at risk. That is why I would dress up as a homeless stallion so ponies wouldn’t recognize me.”
A smile grew on her face when he explained himself. “I have an idea, why don’t you put your disguise back on and come with us? We’re going to volunteer at the shelter, why don’t you join us?” She offered.
“Yeah!” Popcorn agreed, smiling at Gladmane. “That way you can help and protect your image!”
Gladmane tapped a hoof against his chin. “Really?”
“That is what I’m doing and you should too.” Popcorn encouraged.
—————————————————————————————————————
Popcorn, Mirror and the disguised Gladmane all stood in a kitchen within a Homeless Shelter, the trio taking orders from Coco pommel.
“I want you to serve the soup.” Coco told Gladmane, not recognizing Gladmane under his disguise “And you stay in the kitchen to help your friend prepare food.” Coco told Mirror and Popcorn.
Mirror nodded eagerly. “You got it Ms. Coco, we’re on it!” With a pep in her step she trotted towards the kitchen, looking back to see if Popcorn was following her.
Gladmane went straight to work, throwing on an apron as he stepped out into the dinning hall to greet homeless ponies. He looked around, seeing a mixture of sad, hopeless and frustrated ponies all of whom were wearing torn shaggy clothes. “Wow...these ponies aren’t thinking about their future at all.” Gladmane thought. “Not like a business pony like me.”
Popcorn yelled from the kitchen, after having placed a tray of food out. “Order up!”
Gladmane picked up the tray then gave each pony a meal, feeling an odd sense of fulfillment mixed with accomplishment.
—————————————————————————————————————
After all of the homeless ponies had their meals and left, Coco pommel and her trio of volunteers were all sitting in Coco’s office, discussing how the evening went.
“Well, that was exhausting.” Mirror was still trying to catch her breath from all the running around she had to do.
Popcorn had sprawled herself out on a couch, her face flat against the couch cushion. “Mhm mur mmm” she hummed.
“What did you say?” Gladmane asked.
Popcorn lifted her head up. “I said yeah, but it was the right thing to do.”
Coco pommel held her hooves together, smiling. “You did a wonderful job, all of you.”
“I wish more ponies would donate.” Gladmane replied.
Mirror smiled and nodded. “That’s part of the magic of the holiday; it isn’t about donating really, it’s about doing nice things for your fellow ponies that can give both some joy.” She looked over to the disguised business pony. “Did it feel that way for you too?”
Gladmane thought about how he helped struggling ponies get through their day just by doing something as simple as serving them a meal. “Yes, it did…” Gladmane answered as he thought about the holiday tales he heard when he was a filly. “Now that I have seen that, I think volunteer work is good work.”
Author's Note
Special thanks to Rhinostrong for co-writing this story with me. Mirror Shine, his O.C is a wonderful character and I really enjoyed writing this with him. You can find his page below.
https://www.fimfiction.net/user/333939/Rhinostrong
I hope everypony has a wonderful holiday!
