Red closed the door as softly as he could, leaving a perturbed Luna standing awkwardly in the dead of night. She sighed slowly and gave up.
Luna turned around and approached the railing behind her, staring pensively at the marble pathway beneath her hooves. She outstretched her dark cerulean wings and took flight, gliding back to the Palace Watchtower to finish her night duty.
"I do hope that colt is OK... bah! What am I saying? He just needs to find a job or something somewhere around Canterlot and find some friendlier ponies. I'm sure he'll be fine."
Inside, Red drifted into the bathroom and inspected himself in the mirror. His short, dirty brown mane fell to one side of his forehead. He ran a hoof through it, massaging his pounding head gently.
"Tomorrow."
He leaned over the sink and drew his face closer to his foggy reflection. He looked sternly into his own eyes, trying his hardest to convince himself of what he was about to say.
"Tomorrow will be different. I promise."
* * *
"So... what could you offer to the "Canterlot Cup", young man, that would benefit the establishment?"
Red paused, studying his possible answers. The interviewer seated behind the flashy looking desk wore a pair of fake designer sunglasses, despite the weather being cold and rainy, and it being a few weeks before Winter Wrap Up.
"Well...*cough*, I, uh, I'm a hard worker, always... y'know... keen to learn! As they say."
A thick silence filled the air.
"Um, also, I-"
"Let me stop you right there, kiddo. I've heard that same horseshit from all our employees. Let me ask you again. What can you offer to this wonderful coffee serving establishment?
He leaned back in his chair instantly, as if avoiding an oncoming missile, and hovered a clipboard and pen in front of him.
Red gawked at his interviewer, unsure which direction the conversation was heading in.
"Well... I'm looking to be a good leader. I've spent a lot of time avoiding society and escaping from my world. And I want that to change as soon as possible. This place might only seem like a coffee shop on the outside, plain and ordinary. But I'll bet any money that there's a whole world, that I have yet to discover.
Red felt like he was no longer speaking to anyone, rather speaking to his own ears.
The executive leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk, comprehending thouroughly what had just been said.
"You know... I like that way of thinking. The more you put into something, the more you get out of it."
Red nodded quickly. "Absolutely, sir."
The pony looked down and nodded in accedement.
"So!" He threw his hoofs together, hearty clearing his throat. "Do you have any form of resume?"
Red felt a sinking feeling fall through him. "No, actually. I haven't got any credentials whatsoever." He watched his interviewer frown and spin slowly left to right in his office chair.
He sighed deeply and removed his expensive glasses and set them deliberately and carefully on the desk. "You see, the problem is that I feel this company could use more ponies like you. Unfourtunately I don't have any gauge on your capabilities."
It was Red's turn to be disappointed and he started to get up on his hooves. "I'm sorry for wasting your - "
"BUT!"
They both stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity.
"Listen Red, one of our baristas... Fayla I think her name is... she could use an assistant of some sort I suppose. I'll let her teach you the art of crafting one of our world famous brews."
Red had to stop himself from erupting with joy. "That would be amazing!" He returned, trying his best to contain himself. He forced a crooked smile at the pony behind the desk. His smile dropped slightly when something struck him.
"I'm sorry, but I never got your name?"
"It's Rayban."
***
"See? And then you push the 'add froth' button. That's for ponies who order cappuccino."
Fayla pressed the button and let the hot, bubbly milk fall into the muddy mixture. "Got it so far?"
Red snapped out of his gaze on the stained cup underneath the nozzle. "Oh! Uh, yeah. Cappucino, froth, hot, Sundays, No fat chicks... wait what were we talking about again?"
Fayla stared at him as if he had just mixed the decaf with the regular, before cracking a toothy grin and punching his shoulder.
"You're funny! We need more funny people around this bleak town."
Red patted the ground and fake a giggle. "Yeah, maybe, heh."
"Cmon, let me show you how to use the mop!"
With a grin on his face, Red followed the mare to the next tutorial.
***
"...and then she showed me how to make a cappuccino and use a mop! It was brilliant!" Red rolled over on his duvet and sighed with relief. Luna sitting opposite him on the spare bed smiled pleasantly as she listened to his excited account on his first day on the job.
"Well, I'm glad you like it! This Fayla lady... is she pretty?" Luna asked, grinning.
"Well, um, yeah, she's okay I guess. I dunno, I never really- well that is, yeah she's hot." Red stumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
Luna giggled, and got up off the bed. "Well, I suppose I should be leaving you to get some sleep now."
Red watched her make her way to the front door of his apartment. Before opening it, she turned to look over her shoulder.
"I'm really happy for you, Red."
"Thanks Luna." He smiled back.
She looked back, as if to say something, but she paused, turned around, and left.
That night, Red slept better than he could ever remember.