//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Student Six Order Tacos // by Muggonny //------------------------------// The voice box crackled, and a pathetic, shrilly voice came through. “Welcome to Pogo’s, may I take your order?”  Gallus leaned his head out the window and spoke into the receiver, “Yeah, do you guys still have the Cheddar Supreme?” “No, we stopped carrying that last week.” “What did you say?”  “I said we stopped carrying that last week.” Gallus, allowing a little bit of frustration to seep into his voice, said, “So why is it still on the menu?” “It’s company policy, sir. We must leave it up there until it’s time to change it.” “That’s stupid. You should take it down when you’re no longer serving it.”  Silverstream, sitting in the rear window seat, leaned forward and poked the griffon’s shoulder. “Hey Gallus, can you get me a Pogo’s Jr. meal? I want the toy!” He nodded and turned back to the voice box. “Hey, can I get a uh, a uh Pogo’s Jr. meal, and a uh…” “Do you want apple slices or french fries with that?” “Apple slices!” Silverstream shouted next to Gallus’s ear, causing his feathers to jolt up around his neck. “And to drink?” Silverstream tapped her beak. “Can I get some apple juice?” “We’re all out of apple juice.” “Darn. Okay, do you have any chocolate milk?” “Yes, we still have that.” “Okay! I will have that—hmm, hrm, nah; I’ll have the rootbeer.” “Okay, so that’s one Pogo’s Jr. meal with a side of apple slices and a rootbeer. Anything else?” “Yo!” Smolder called from the passenger’s seat, hovering over the glove department. “I want the beef enchilada combo, and can you throw a shitload of that fire sauce into the bag? It’s dah bomb.” “What size and what to drink?”  “Shhhiii… hmm, I don’t know. What kind of shakes you guys got?” “Strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate.” “Hmmm, okay, I’ll have the chocolate shake and, uh, and make it large. I want a large chocolate shake and fries.” “The shakes come in only one size.”  “Fuckiiiiiing fine, I will take it as is I guess.” “Okay, so that’s a number nine with—” Yona slammed her head through the window, shattering the glass, and spoke into the receiver. “Yona want chicken nuggets!” “Hey!” Gallus yelled at the yak sitting behind him as she picked shards out of her coat. “I just had this thing paid off!” “How many pieces do you want?” “Yona want forty!” “So two twenty-piece nuggets?” “Yes! Yona wanna wake up from greasy coma tomorrow.” “Would you like to make one of those a meal?” “Large! Largest yak can take!”  “What do you want to drink?” “Diet Dr. Pepper. Yona trying to watch figure.” “Okay, anything else?” Ocellus tilted forward from the middle seat and whispered into Gallus’s ear, “Can you order for me? I don’t feel comfortable shouting in your ear.” “What do you want?” he asked. “Can you ask them how much their salad is?” He turned back to the voice box. “Hey, how much is the salad?” “Which one?” “Uh, what kind do you have?” “We have Ceasar, BLT, and regular.” “Uh…”  “Regular,” Ocellus said. “Yeah, regular. How much is regular?” “Six ninety-nine with tax.” Sandbar, sandwiched between Ocellus and Yona, whistled. “Seven dollars for a salad, damn…” “Err…” Ocellus murmured. “Ask them how much a side salad is.” “How much is the side salad by itself?” Gallus asked. “Four ninety-nine.”  “Okay.” Ocellus tapped a hoof to her chin. “I’ll have that with a box of apple juice.” “They’re out of apple juice,” Silverstream corrected. “Oh, that’s right! Fine, I’ll have the one-percent milk.” Gallus peaked his head back out the window. “A side salad with one-percent milk, and… hey Sandbar, what do you want?”  “Oh, I’ll just have a veggie chalupa. That’s all.”  Gallus twisted around to face Sandbar in the backseat. “No fries, no drink?” Sandbar shook his head. “I’m good.”  “Hrm, alright.” He turned back to the voice box. “A veggie chalupa; no fries, no drink. Aaaaaaand I’ll have the uhhhhh, I’ll have the… I’ll have the Siesta Enabular with chicken instead of beef, no onions, medium fry, medium Coke.” “Will that be everything for you?”  “Yeah, sure.” “Okay, so that’s one Pogo’s Jr. meal with apple slices instead of fries, and to drink a rootbeer—” “Actually,” Silverstream chirped, climbing over the driver’s seat and poking her head through the window. Gallus refrained from lashing out at the hippogriff for evading his personal space. “I change my mind. Can I have chocolate milk instead?” “Okay, so that’s a Pogo’s Jr. with apple slices and chocolate milk—not rootbeer. A beef enchilada meal with a chocolate shake and large fry. A—” “With a shitload of fire sauce!” Smolder called. “Sorry about that ma’am. A beef enchilada meal with fire sauce; two twenty-piece chicken nuggets, one meal, large and with a diet Dr. Pepper; a side salad with one-percent milk; a veggie chalupa, no sides, no drink; and a Siesta Enabler with chicken instead of beef, and a medium Coke will that be—oh. My manager just informed me that we still have apple juice.” “Do you still want some apple juice?” Gallus asked Silverstream, who was still lingering over him and poking her head out the window like an excited puppy. “Nah, I’m good fam. I want some choccy milk!” “Ocellus?” “Yes please.” “Hey, instead of the one-percent milk, can we get the apple juice.” “Okay, instead of the one-percent milk you want the apple juice. Will that be everything?” “That’s it.” “Okay, your total is fifty-eight-oh-seven. See you at the next window.” Gallus pulled up to the curb, set the car in park, and rummaged around in the bag of food, taking each item out one at a time. "Okay, so Sandbar, here's your chalupa; Ocellus, your side salad; Yona, your chicken nuggets and fries; Smolder your enchilada and fries; and Silverstream your Pogo's Jr. meal." He took out his Siesta Enabler, a soft taco with copious layers of chicken, onions, jalapeno peppers, sour cream, shredded cheese, and olives. "Shit," he said as he unraveled it from its paper. "I asked for no onions." Smolder finished chewing on a packet of hot sauce, swallowed, and belched. "I'll take it if you don't want it." "Nah, I can still eat it. I just prefer it without onions. Hey, can I have some fire sauce?" Smolder stuffed a handful of the sauce packets into her mouth, red dripping down her chin like the blood of fresh game, and said with her mouth full, "Thereth noff enough." "Aww, this is a boys toy!" Silverstream said, holding up a Power Ponies action figure. "Go back inside and ask for another one," Gallus simply stated. Silverstream sighed. "Nah, I don't wanna be rude. Hey Smolder, you want it?" "Sure!" Smolder took the toy and popped it into her mouth. "Yona think drinks got mixed-up. This taste like Coke." Gallus sipped on his soda. "I think this one is yours, and they got the size wrong too." They traded sodas. "Hey Sandbar," Ocellus said. "Sorry if I'm invading your personal space, but can I have a bite of your chalupa? It looks delicious." Sandbar held it out toward the changeling. "Sure!" "These apple slices are a little dry," Silverstream said, munching. "Hey Gallus, can I have whatever fries are at the bottom of the bag?" "Go for it." Silverstream picked up the bag sitting on the glove department and rummaged through it, occasionally taking out a fry and sticking it into her mouth with unbridled joy. Finished with the fire sauce packets, Smolder started on the beef enchiladas, eating the plastic tray that came with it.