It was just another bright, sunny day in Equestria. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of trees, grass swayed across rolling hills, and little butterflies floated about without a care in the world.
Right then, however, there was only one thing on Zephyr Breeze's mind: namely, himself. He brushed his long, golden hair from his eyes as he checked his reflection in a store window, flashing himself a cocky smile. Brushing a hoof through his mane, he nodded in satisfaction. "Still got it."
"Oh, for Celestia's sake, Zeph!" a voice said behind him. He turned to see his older sister, Fluttershy, glaring at him with her face all scrunched up and red. "That is so embarrassing!"
"You're just jealous that I'm such a stud." Zephyr gave a short chuckle and stuck his nose in the air.
"But you're not a stud! You're unemployed, and... well, you're still living with Mom!" Fluttershy stammered, staring daggers at her brother. "You can't keep bouncing back to them like that! I know it's difficult for you to get a job, but... well, there are better ways to spend your time than watching soap operas on the couch all day!"
Zephyr's eyes narrowed as he adjusted his tie. "Watch me. I have this entirely under control." With his nose high, he marched into the store with his best smile. A cheery jingle rang out as the door swung open.
"Now hiring, huh?" He sauntered up to the front desk.
A female pegasus with an ice-blue mane looked up from the counter and blinked at him. "Hello! Are you looking for a full treatment? We can squeeze you in, just barely." She glanced down at her calendar.
"Nah, not interested in that today. I was thinking of applying for a job here."
"Oh?" She looked him over. "Well, we are looking for a hooficurist." She put the calendar away and drew out a new pad. "Do you have experience?"
Zephyr straightened himself up, raising his wings. "Well, as you can see, my mane is gorgeous. My tail's pretty great, too."
The pegasus rubbed her chin as she leaned forward to examine him. "I see. But hooficurists work here." She raised a hoof into view, waggling it at him. "Trimming, evening, painting, glossing. There's so much to do to keep a pony's hoofies looking great!"
"Really? Huh." Zephyr leaned over and peered down at the hoof. He shrugged and stood up straight again. "Sure, why not?"
The pegasus dropped her smile as she returned to her work. "There's an application form over there. I'll call you in a minute." She shook her head slowly. "Seriously, why are you applying for a job you very obviously don't know how to do?"
Zephyr blinked and shuffled over to the stand where the forms were kept. He picked one up and gazed at it. He wasn't entirely sure what it was asking him, but it didn't matter. He was going to ace that thing! He grabbed a pen in a wing and got to work busily jotting down his answers as he whistled.
"I think I have a great attitude, that's gotta count for something, right? What else? I'm super good at math, because I keep track of my spending money and stuff. What else? Oh, I have excellent timekeeping skills. I always show up for my soap operas on time!"
A few minutes later, Zephyr put his pen down with a grin and returned to the counter. "Here you are. Take your time." With all the confidence in the world, he moved to stand by the seats, as if sure the answer, positive, was a moment away.
The pegasus slid her chair back and grabbed the application, skimming over it with a frown. "'What are your strengths?' 'I'm an awesome stud.'" Her eyes flicked over the page. "'My greatest weakness is my younger sister.' Do you seriously think this is the kind of application we're looking for?" She leaned forward with a glare.
Zephyr twitched. "Uh, yeah. I'm a hard worker and I take any opportunity I can to shine."
She sat back with a sigh, letting the application fall. "Look, if this is your first job, you should just say so."
"Oh, nah. It's my third, actually." Zephyr closed his eyes.
"Your third job?" The pegasus leaned in a little with a doubting look.
"Yep." Zephyr's confident shook a little in his voice. "Ready to please!"
The pegasus frowned and took a look at her calendar again. "Well, I suppose you can help us out with some deliveries. We're running a bit short-hoofed this week. Can you fly long distances? I know we have a few packages to go out to Manehattan, Canterlot, and Baltimare."
She could see his horrified expression and shook her head. "Never mind. Look, tell me, what is it you want to do?"
Zephyr tapped a hoof in thought. "Huh. Well, if you insist..." He struck a pose, his eyes closed, his smile wide, his mane wafting gently in the breeze. "I want to help ponies look their best! I want to make them shine so brightly all eyes turn towards them. I want them to look at least half as good as I do."
"Uh-huh." She shuffled some papers. "So, you want to be a hooficurist?" She brought her hooves under her chin. "But you don't know how, because your hooves are naturally wonderful."
"Exactly!" Zephyr nodded at her quickly. "You understand."
She sighed and gestured towards the door. "Thank you for coming in, sir, but we're looking for a qualified hooficurist who can take over today while we find someone new. This is a great opportunity for anypony looking to break into the hoof care business."
"W-wait! But I do want to break into the hoof care business!" He slapped down a hoof on the counter. "Please! Let me try!"
The pegasus fixed her lavender eyes on him as she folded her hooves. "Are you willing to start from the bottom? All the chores we don't have time to do? Do them well and pay attention and we'll show you the basics, and we can work up from there."
"Yes!" Zephyr said quickly. "I mean, 'yes, sir!' I'm a hard worker, ma'am!"
"Don't call me 'sir.'" She stared at him with a flat expression. "And you don't strike me as a hard worker. No more lies, Mister Breeze. The truth. Can you promise me that?"
"Of course!" He grinned at her. "I want to earn your trust and-"
"Stop smiling. It's creepy." She looked him over again. "First thing." She put everything down. "You're a mess. Looking like that, you'll drive the customers away. First lesson, how to present yourself."
"No way! My mane is perfect!" Zephyr held up a hoof and glanced around, making sure he still looked amazing.
"I'll bet it takes you half an hour every morning to make it look that messy." She waved him forward. "I'd charge a pony for this, so thank me, then sit down. We're deep-washing that wild nest you call a mane."
Zephyr shuffled over with a dejected expression. "But I only came in to apply for a job..."
The pegasus pointed at a chair next to a basin. "Then you need a bath. You want that job? Up!" She slapped the chair. Once he was in it, she got the water going and began washing him diligently. "I hope you're not wasting my time. I'm giving you a chance here."
"You won't regret it, miss..." Zephyr blinked and lowered his head. "I never did get your name."
She frowned. "It's Twister, but I'm still just a trainee." She grabbed a bottle in her mouth and squeezed out a dollop to work with her hooves. "I was a mane-care specialist before I came here, lucky you."
"Right! So, Twister, I am-"
"Shut up." She nudged his head back. "Don't move. And for Celestia's sake, knock off the attitude." She reduced his mane to a sudsy mess before dousing him in clean water to clear it all away. "Oh, that's already looking better. Look at yourself, nice and clean." She waved at the mirror that covered the wall in front of them.
Zephyr smiled sheepishly at his reflection, before beaming as he nodded. "Wow, I really do look good." He stuck out his tongue and pulled a funny face, grinning again as he flicked his now-sleek hair back into shape.
She grabbed that slick hair and began to brush it diligently. "Now, to repeat, this is work. I can't say for sure if you've worked before or not, but I want you to promise, to me, and yourself, that you'll work, or you get up and walk out and enjoy your free shampoo."
"Right!" Zephyr gulped and straightened himself up. "I'm here to work!"
Twister grinned at him, returning the smile as she brushed his hair. "Now we're getting somewhere."
Once his mane was dried and brushed, she tapped the ground. "Down. First hard part." She waved over him. "I expect you to show up looking proper each and every day you're on duty."
"Well, sure, but how long will that be?" Zephyr leaned forward, keeping his eyes on the mirror, as if missing his own reflection would hurt him.
She raised a brow. "It could be the rest of your life. Some ponies never switch jobs. I have a feeling you will eventually. I do ask for at least a one moon warning before you do! If you start work and quit overnight, I will hunt you down!"
Zephyr blinked at her. "Oookay then." He leaned in to see what she was doing. "Uh, miss Twister?"
"Don't call me that." She rolled her eyes as she put her various tools away.
"But..." He blinked at her in confusion. "What should I call you then?"
She sighed. "You may call me teacher, like my students do. As for you, Mister Breeze..." She folded her arms in front of herself. "Expect to be called 'you' and 'new pony' a lot until you earn better." She cracked a smile. "But I'm hoping you'll fight your way past that."
Zephyr rubbed his chin, an awkward smile forming. "Sure, teacher! So, I'm hired then?"
"Not yet." She pointed at the counter. "Here is where you'll spend your first two weeks. Watch what I do and let me know when you're ready to try your hoof at it. She wrinkled her nose. "Also gives us a chance to make sure you're worth the trouble. Vanish before those two weeks are up and we know you wimped out. Got it?"
Zephyr gave her a quick nod. "Yes, ma'am!"
"Yes." She grinned and put a hoof forward. "Teacher."
He gulped and extended a wing. "Yes, Teacher!" he got out in a forced proper cry.
Twister nodded. "So, right here. Come back at seven AM tomorrow. That means tomorrow morning, pony. And you'll be working with..." She leaned back and gave a little whistle.
A second pony walked out from the back, a stallion. "Are they the new hoof pony?"
Twister shook her head. "He's starting at the bottom. Use him for whatever, but he wants to learn." She nudged Zephyr in the ribs. "You do want to learn, right?"
Zephyr shook himself out of his state of stupor. "Yes, Teacher! Whatever it takes to learn the beauty trade!" He turned an ear back. "You can really show me? You won't judge me?"
She hiked a brow. "I'll judge you a lot if you quit on me! Stick around and you'll get to make ponies pretty. They'll line up around the corner for a chance to be worked on by you."
Zephyr straightened up and smiled. "Right! I'll learn it all! But, uh..." He looked over at the other pony. "And you are?"
The stallion put a hoof forward. "Hoof Forward, pleasure to meet you." He clopped hooves with Zephyr and they shook. "I'll have a lot for you to do, but I'll be teaching while I do it. You need to know what each brush does before you use them." He gave Twister a knowing look. "And before he starts using the dye!"
"There's dye?" Zephyr swallowed.
Twister made a wide circle with a hoof. "Every color of the rainbow and a few more besides. You'll get to work with some colors, when you're working on hooves. Earn it."
Zephyr Breeze returned a meek smile. "I'm looking forward to it, teacher."
She flashed a light smile. "Go on home. See you tomorrow."
He grinned at them and bowed before taking off out the door.
Hoof Forward gave a sigh. "You really think he can do it?"
"If he really wants to. Don't worry." She shrugged lightly. "If he shows up tomorrow, I think he'll do alright. If not, nothing lost."
Author's Note
I did this because I wanted to. You can't stop me! I was challenged to write a story with Zephyr being likeable. I think he's on a good path here.
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