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[Bareback Gulch] With a little Help


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Sterling moved outside the Rhinestone that had finally quieted down after the previous evening, smiling brightly to herself as she lifted herself onto her hind hooves and went through the process of scratching out a few positions on her Help Wanted sign in great satisfaction. Not only did she have business again - but she'd hired not one, but two new staff members in a promising hiring spree. Scratching her pen through the blocky lettering she'd made so it was readable she took a moment to write in a new addition she wanted after how busy it had gotten the previous evening she let herself down and stepped back to look over her work with a slight nod.

HELP WANTED

- Repair Worker(s)

- Cook

- Waiter/Waitress/Server(s)

Inquire Within

With a Bartender and Entertainer now on the payroll she was down to needing a cook and a handy pony or two, but after the bustling crowd she'd decided a few extra serving hooves wouldn't be bad either. She gave a slight sigh to herself in quiet peace and delight before moving back along the porch and slipping inside. Any ponies from the previous night that weren't being housed in their own homes or at the local inn were given rooms here at the Quarry and it being still somewhat early she expected most of them to still be slumbering though Sterling herself was an early riser.

Sterling with the help of her new employees had cleaned up the saloon the previous night and now it was fresh and clean and ready for a new crowd of patrons today. Already Sterling was running over a list of things she might need to do, she'd have to double check her stock of drinks after having so many at the bar last night, and see about restocking her kitchen for when she finally hired a cook. The table that had been knocked over by a clumsy unicorn had been repaired and a new vase and flower arrangement were sitting on it as the usual center piece.

Moving back around the bar and ducking into the kitchen Sterling immediately began wiping up breakfast - this morning would be a mix of different fruit muffins that baked and were then set out on a selection of trays at the bar for when ponies emerged from rooms upstairs or came stumbling in the front door.

(( OOC; For those that want a time reference, this is the following morning from [bareback Gulch] the Rhinestone Quarry ))

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Martini Paradise was running late. Her foal, Sunrise Beach, had a terrible time getting up this morning, making them both late in getting her to school. Martini found herself having to gallop quickly as she could out of town towards the Rhinestone Ranch, which had certainly already opened for the day.

As the ranch came into view, Martini had started to feel a small panic attack; "Second day on the job and already you are tardy, way to go Martini!" All sorts of nightmare scenarios ran through her head, "Will I get fired? I hope I don't get fired.. We need this job so badly." Martini already felt terrible from yesterday because she didn't have any sort of outfit for the job such as the beautiful ones Ms. Stone and Djemba wore and had no idea how she would acquire one any time soon.

Martini ran through the doors and quickly looked about, seeing nopony out in front, she trotted behind the bar to catch her breath. "At least there are no customers yet, maybe I won't be in such trouble," she thought to herself still worried as she looked about for Ms. Stone.

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BRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!!!

The grating noise of the alarm clock's bells rang coldly in Dio's ears. The Pegasus groaned and rolled over in bed, throwing the comforters over his head with a flick of his front hooves, burying himself in the sheets. The sound didn't get any softer or less jarring and the sunlight peeking in through the window of his Rhinestone Quarry guest room didn't get any weaker. There was no getting around it; it was a weekday.

Dio sighed and gingerly pushed the sheets off his body, grudgingly rolling out of bed. The big Pegasus smacked the alarm clock with a hoof, silencing it at the expense of knocking it flat on its face. He quickly propped it back up with a nudge of his muzzle to read the time. 8:00am on the dot. Just enough time to clean up and get ready to fly back out to Ponyville.

Dio suppressed a shiver as he walked to the bathroom and splashed water on his face. The morning after was never good. The Pegasus was not nearly as awake as he wanted to be and the aftereffects of hammering down drink after drink last night didn't help at all. He swore that he had gone through half Martini Paradise's drink repertoire by the time he'd turned in for the night. Really, that wasn't the way Diomedes had planned his evening.

Last night had been a blur. One package delivered and the night had pretty much exploded. Magician unicorns, Griffons with mechanical arms, talk of flying cacti, and cute bartenders had floated through his head all night long, though mostly the last bit. Diomedes sighed and shook his head. It definitely wasn't the worst hangover he'd ever had, but he still wasn't as focused as he liked to be. Maybe breakfast would help.

He took the time to preen his feathers and refill his canteens before grabbing his saddlebags with his teeth. Dio threw them over his shoulder with practiced precision and fastened the harness to his flanks and back with one fluid motion. The material was familiar, well-worn over many flights, but still durable and waterproof. He'd picked up the bags in the Griffon lands; their materials science was far in advance of anything the Equines had to offer. Diomedes, was above all, a practical pony.

The big Pegasus made his way down the stairs, taking in the smell of freshly baked fruit muffins. That smells delicious! When he was halfway down the stairs, the doors to the saloon flew open and a certain pink unicorn rushed into the Quarry, her green and yellow mane and tail streaming out behind her. She was obviously in a hurry. Martini?

In his moment of distraction, Diomedes missed a step on the stairway, causing his foot to fall to the step below it. What followed could best be described as a comedy of errors; stumbling, skidding, and overcorrecting, the red Pegasus bumbled his way down the stairs. The end result was an intact but displaced table and an unhurt but rather embarrassed Diomedes Ironwing.

Glancing at the pink unicorn sheepishly, Diomedes offered, 'Mornin' Martini.'

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Satchel yawned as he rolled over and lazed in the bed. Hanging that mirror later as he'd promised had taken longer than he had expected with a couple of drinks in him. "Satchel, 'ol boy, you need to learn to hold your liquor better or next time you'll have worse than a banged hoof. You're lucky the mirror went on straight the first time or you'd have been there even longer." he yawned again, then rolled over once more, slipping out of bed and landing on the floor with a clop of all four hooves. "But won't be too long this morning, got places to be, places to go and things to see. "And ponies to meet, of course. Miss Sterling's a great gal, but you can't let yourself get too attached, though maybe someday..." he chuckled and shook his mane back into place, tucking his things back into his pack before hoisting it onto his shoulder.

The stallion poked his head out of the door to the sound of clinking glasses and minor voices downstairs. AFter nosing the door open and leaving it there to air the room out, he trotted down the hallway and down into the main room. "G'morning, folks." he called to the inhabitants as he stretched and yawned again. His nose wiggled as he took in the scent of baking muffins. "Aw, Sterling, you sure know how to spoil a fella with your wares." he nosed into his money pouch and drew out a bit. "When you've got 'em ready, surprise me, would you?"

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Sterling was arranging muffins as the ponies began rushing and quite literally stumbling back into the main room of the Quarry, three trays each with a selection of the fruit muffins spread down the bar in perfect intervals so that ponies didn't have to crowd around one tray for a bite to eat. A light chuckle left the pegasus and she gave a light shake of her head to herself but was overall thankful to have ponies back at the Quarry that had been so relatively dead and quiet the past few weeks.

"Good Morning ponies.." She chimed in happily - somehow or another Sterling managed to be perky and delightful even in the early morning. A knowing smile crossed her face as her attention turned to Martini as the bartender made her way around to take her place behind it near where Sterling was settled. "Don't you fret darling, I know you got a youngin' so I don't mind you being occasionally late or anything, I'm more then willing to be flexible with you." Sterling reassured the unicorn even as she was fetching a few napkins to set on the bar before the stallions.

Sterling was just glad to have another bartender, being flexible to accommodate for the unicorn's foal was something she was more then willing to do if it meant Martini would keep the job - and be good at it. Turning next to Dio, Sterling smiled, "Good Morning.. This fellow looks like he could use a morning after drink, don't all you bartenders have something like that in your repertoire?" She greeted the stallion before mentioning to Martini and then moving on to her next guest.

"Here you go darling." Sterling chimed in as she settled one strawberry and one banana muffin onto a napkin and pushed them towards Satchel. "Let Martini know if you want anything to drink." A lovely smile spared to the trio before Sterling made her way to the stairs to fetch the used bed linens so they could be washed and hung out to dry.

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Martini began to busy herself behind the bar, glasses and bottles moving themselves about, organizing themselves for quicker access in the day ahead as they glowed with her unicorn magic. She was nervous, would be nervous for a while, but she could show how serious about her job she was. In her focus on her job, she didn't notice Dio at the top of the stairs, not until the large crimson Pegasus tumbled down them in a rather comical fashion. Martini squeaked in shock and worry, putting her forehooves over her mouth, and she was about to leap over the bar counter when he suddenly smiled and said good morning to her as if nothing untoward had happened. "Uh ... umm ... Good Morning to you too, Dio, umm, you're ok right?" she said with a slightly giggly grin.

Martini was about to step out from behind the bar to give the handsome Pegasus as hoof when Sterling came out with the batch of muffins that were already smelling so good. Martini sheepishly moved back behind the counter - she didn't know Sterling very well yet, and though the mare seemed like a nice pony, she wasn't yet sure what kind of boss she was. She didn't know what would get her reprimanded - or worse, fired - and she had a long history of bad jobs behind her to make her nervous. Martini's concerns, though, proved to be unfounded as it turned out - Sterling was extremely understanding about the whole situation. "Oh thank you, thank you, Ms. Sterling", she said with maybe a little bit too much enthusiasm. She was even about to shake Sterling's hoof unilaterally when she heard her boss ask her about a morning after drink for poor Dio. "Oh! Yes, absolutely! Let me make that right now!"

Martini looked to Dio and winked, "So, would you want something that'll wake you up, or a bit of hair of the dog?" As she let him ponder that question, she turned to the brown earth pony, "And what would you like this fine morning?" She smiled cheerfully, feeling anew like she had a new lease on life.

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'I'll be fine! I think...' Dio's cheeks burned redder than his coat as he stood up and dusted himself off. That level of klutziness was unforgivable! He'd spent his entire life trying to get rid of the stereotype of being big and clumsy and all it took was one little distraction to put him flat on his backside. On the other hoof, he had definitely gotten Martini's attention and her muffled giggle was more one of amused concern than scornful derision.

Still gotta fix this. The big Pegasus gently nudged the table back into place with his muzzle before approaching the bar. As he took a seat, he adjusted his wings and straightened the few feathers that had become ruffled during his rather ungainly dismount. The muffins that Sterling had just brought out smelled delicious, prompting Dio to immediately retrieve one from the tray before responding to Martini Paradise.

'I don't drink on the job,' Dio laughed, not without a touch of awkwardness. His head still wasn't quite on straight after the fall, but at least he had the presence of mind to offer her a smile. 'Standard issue wakeup juice will be fine, no cream or sugar. Unless, of course, you've got something special in mind...'

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Satchel sniffed at the muffins fresh from the oven, and smiled broadly at the fare. "Wow, those are absolutely delicious." he selected one and tottered to a spot in the bar. Raising his hoof towards Martini, he called out, "Just an orange juice if you got some this morning, ma'am, that would be right nice." then his muffin occupied his attention as he delicately nibbled at the piping hot top. "Oh, cranberry muffin, that's just what the doc ordered this morning. Something nice and tart will carry me through the whole day. Sterling, anything else you got planned for the day before I take off? I'm looking to be in Rockwington by the end of the week, so anything you'd like me to take with me, I'd be sure happy to oblige."

He openly gaped as he realized Dio's less than graceful predicament. "Goodness, feller, how'd you end up down there? I must have been more out of it than I thought, and of course, distracted by this here sweet. You alright there?"

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"I'll live," Diomedes replied flatly. He did his best to mask his embarrassment to Satchel, hopefully without seeming rude. "If I can survive falling through forest canopy, I think stairs will be far from the death of me."

The winged stallion nibbled at his muffin. Sterling could have opened a bakery! He was tempted to tear into it like a colt who'd just discovered cupcakes, but refrained from doing so, lest it be a further breach of etiquette. Instead, he reviewed his flight plan in his head.

His best bet would be to head north to the Cimmaron Pass in the Swayback Mountains; that would obviate the need to burn time surfing thermals to climb high enough to fly over the mountains. Though he really didn't have to check in until tomorrow, Dio had a few things he wanted to take care of at home before he went to work. Letters to write, a journal to keep up with…

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  • 2 weeks later...

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"None that I can think of!" She called over her shoulder to Satchel as she was heading up the stairs to straighten up used rooms. "But you be sure to drop in again on your way back as usual, darling." She offered, pausing at the second floor landing to flash the other a smile. A pretty black-tipped wing lifting to give a bit of a wave to him before she had turned the corner and disappeared down the hallway.

Sterling made quick and easy work of tidying up the rooms that had been used that evening - thankfully neither of the stallions seemed all that messy and after putting a few things in order and removing bed sheets she was headed out again. Descending the stairs she had the bed sheeting piled on her back and paused only a moment to see that her quests were being taken care (which they were thanks to Martini) before heading out back to do some washing.

A quiet hum and a bit of drifting off with her thoughts and the washing was done, bedsheets toss up over a line. Sterling's washing room was behind the Quarry in a room of its own - one with glass windows that would let in the sun and heat to dry wash without allowing the dust in to ruin the cleaning that had been done. Tasks done she was free to rejoin her quests and tender, slipping behind the bar behind the unicorn with a quiet smile and a nod of approval.

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Satchel polished off his breakfast with a grateful burp, somewhat subdued politely with a hoof. He tidied up the remains of his meal and left the refuse on the edge of the counter where it could be collected when the barmare did her rounds. He cast her a winsome smile, and another back up to Sterling from her presence on the stairs. "Then thanks again, ma'am!" he cocked her a hooftip salute to the side of his head, and turned to shoulder his namesake on his back. He loved this thing, and it seemed to be made almost more of patches than anything else, but he loved it almost more than life itself.

"I'll be sure to check in town again next time I'm through here for anything you've sent out for, as the usual, Miss Sterling! Don't know when I'll be back this way, but you can be sure it'll be sooner rather than later!" And with that, he gave a nod and a smile to Martini, leaving a few bits on the counter where he'd been sitting a few moments before, then trotted out the door. Ah, the Painted Pinto Plains, where would you take him next. Once he'd made his way out into the world, he paused to look back towards the little place. He loved Sterling's, one of the few places in Equestria he truly considered his favorite, and of course, the proprietor. Maybe one day, he'd see if she'd be willing to take a night off in his company. But, not today. Someday.

Satchel kicked up his hooves and headed around in a small circle, before he randomly took a point and contined in that direction. Who knew what lay just over the next horizon! High-Ho, Satchel! Away!

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Martini smile warmly to the large red pegasus, happy to see that not only was he alright, but that he was good natured about the entire embarrassing accident. She has seen patrons in the past at various locales where she worked who, in similar circumstances, would have become angry, even violent, over the affront to their pride. Fortunately the imposing pegasus had a good disposition - there would have been little she could do if he hadn't, which made him all that more appealing to her.

Martini winked, "Well, I think I can quickly whip up some good ol' fashioned strong coffee for you, hon". Her horn glowed, and a trailing, rippling blob of coffee floated up out of the coffee pot; regular, black coffee, but not good enough for Martini. She wanted to show off - the floating bubble of coffee suddenly contracted, expelling steam in every direction, as she took the coffee and distilled it to double-strength, before letting it spiral down into a mug on the bar. She seemed to do this without even considering it as she continued chatting with Dio, radiating sincere curiosity. "So hon, where will you be flying off too next? Any place exciting, or new?" She hoped he didn't mind talking about his job!

One thing about being an expert at bartending and having unicorn magic was the ability to do multiple things at once - so even as onlookers were watching, a bowl of ripe, brightly colored oranges floated out through the kitchen's doorway. Three oranges parted from the rest of the bowl before it deposited itself behind the counter, and Martini showed evidence of concentrating slightly, a small smirk on her lips. An empty glass floated up, under one of the oranges... the orange distended, seeming misshapen, before it actually twisted in a spiral, her magic wringing it out like a rag, and spilling the juice out into the glass, till there was nothing left of the orange but a mangled rind. The second orange did the same, filling the glass up to 2/3 full, but the third orange was a bit different. It floated over to Martini, who waited with a sharp knife held sideways in her mouth. The orange twisted as she slashed her head left, then right, cutting out a spiraling orange slice. Only then did the third orange squeeze itself out into the glass. A little paper umbrella lifted itself from a supply behind the bar, opened itself, and stabbed first through the spiraling orange slice, then through a cherry, before propping itself up on the rim of the glass.

She slid the orange juice down to for the beige earth pony carrier who had already made some good headway into the morning muffins. She couldn't help but let out a small giggle at being called "ma'am". "Here you are, sir, one official orange juice," she said with a teasing, friendly grin.

With the two customers served, Martini started to collect the plates, noticing that Sterling had returned downstairs and back around the bar in a fine mood. Perhaps I can finally get to know Miss Stone. it would be nice to finally have a stable job and place to settle ... I hope this is it, she thought eagerly to herself, if with a touch of nervousness.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Dio would have to write his dad to see if they were still on for dinner at the Viridian that weekend, as Aristotle's last letter had mentioned a long series of administrative meetings at the palace; something going on in Stalliongrad? Something was always going on in Stalliongrad. It wouldn't have been the first time that—

— that the bartender smiled at him.

Dio almost did a double take. Really, if he didn't know any better he'd think that she was actually making a pass at him. The pink unicorn did an interesting trick with Dio's coffee, giving it the press treatment, sans press. The red Pegasus cocked his head in curiosity. Martini really made an art of working the bar; it was just as much a performance as the lady Pegasus at the piano the night before or the indie bands at the Apple Bark back in Ponyville.

He watched the bubble of coffee in fascination as it spiraled around Martini's head, lazily dribbling itself into the mug she had floated over to the table. Of course, that's when he realized that she'd been gazing at him the whole time while Dio's eyes had been following the coffee like a colt chasing fireflies. The pegasus' ears drooped for a moment as he realized his faux pas. He cleared his throat, using the distraction to both regain his composure and make eye contact with the pretty pink mare.

'So hon, where will you be flying off too next? Any place exciting, or new?' She said. Dio wasn't sure if she was oblivious to his momentary lapse of attention or merely being polite. He was hoping the former.

'Exciting never goes in the same sentence as Pony Mail unless one is negating the other,' he chuckled, getting back in conversational stride. 'But since you asked so nicely, I'll let you know that I'm headed to Canterlot. Yes, I know it's across the continent, but I can't really choose where they send me to deliver packages now, can I?'

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