Rainbow Factory Quality Control

Chapter 4: Wastewater

"Its really sweet of you to help me out-er? QC was it?"

"My pleasure Mr Frankly," QC helped to move a pile of folders and papers from one desk to another. "I'm one of the few who have been here the longest and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. If you could answer a few of mine."

"Quid pro quo my dear?"

"Exacte," QC went back for another box while Frank chuckled. "I admit that I haven't meet many Puppets before, and the ones I had met in the past were considerably smaller. They often traveled to my homeland in wagons and set up little shows that we would all watch."

"They sound like Marionettes. They come in all sizes and tend to have nomadic lives. Puppets do have a very wide range of species and subspecies. Some of us are small, and others can even be the size of buildings. Some of us are buildings. It pretty much depends on the strength of the magic used."

"Magic? The Ponies that were here before used a lot of magic in their day to day. Are Puppets magical?"

"Of course we are," Frank sat down at his desk. He had painted the office and had just finished moving his furniture and files back in. "Granted there are many schools of magic so it becomes a philosophical debate on exactly how its used or if it even exists. When something becomes commonplace in your life its easy to take for granted. And now its your turn Ms QC, what are you? You're not a Puppet."

QC sighed with a smile. "I come from a different place entirely. Called Rainbow Land. I lived with many of my friends. We called ourselves the Color Kids, even though I'm not a kid anymore. We all have to grow up sometime right?" she smiled sadly. "We all had important jobs to do, together with our leader we brought color to so many worlds. I was in charge of the color Yellow. So I was given the name Canary Yellow."

"You sound like a magical creature yourself Ms Yellow. Although more of an Elemental than a sprite," Frank chuckled again. "What an interesting conversation this is turning out to be!"

"You don't find it unusual?" QC asked.

"I find it fitting that a color elemental works in a factory that makes rainbows. My neighbor Julie can speak to flowers. If I can accept that, then why not this?"

QC giggled a bit despite herself. Wally didn't have a high opinion of Frank, but QC was beginning to warm to him. "I suppose you're right," she held picture frames of butterflies while Frank drove nails in the walls to hang them. "So what do you think of the Factory so far?"

"Its a mess and needs a lot of work. The files and filing systems are ancient, I can't determine who is still working here and who quit, we need new certifications for so many things. I did manage to fill the cafeteria needs and I'm currently on the lookout for medical personnel. With that in place I can get better talent in to fill out the rest. This place may be a factory but that doesn't mean it has to be miserable."

QC pondered that. She had only known misery in this place, from one day to the next. The idea that it could be an actual pleasant place to work never really crossed her mind. Suffering seemed to be the point. Ms Dash certainly made it part of the process. That Pony had felt that suffering brought out brighter colors, and she wasn't wrong about it either.

"Are you okay Ms Yellow? You look like your kitten just died."

QC tried to brighten up again. "Yeah, just lost in thought. Its been so long since anyone has been remotely hopeful about this place. It feels weird."

Frank nodded, his head spun around for another frame and QC handed one over to him. It was a lovely butterfly with a soft gradient of reds and yellow that softened into deep blue. "Coming into a mess can be daunting. I do not envy Wally in the slightest."