THE FUTURE OF FAST FOOD
Jennifer tapped her foot against the bright but sterile linoleum floors as she waited for the idiot in front of her to make up his mind. Of course it would be on the day when she was already running late for her doctor's appointment. She'd been waiting three months to get an appointment to refill her prescription, and who knew how long it would be if she had to reschedule?
"Uh... maybe a number four? How many chicken fingers does that come with again?" asked the idiot in the red baseball cap. Honestly, who waited until they were about to order to decide what they wanted for lunch?
"That combination is available in sizes of six, eight, or twelve strips for the price of five, ten, or fifteen cents respectively," the terminal replied, the same answer it had given when he had asked the same question three minutes ago.
"I'll take the eight. Medium fries and a diet cola too."
"Very well. Your total comes to fourteen cents."
Jennifer didn't usually eat fast food, it was still really bad for your health. She'd admit that you couldn't beat McQuestria for speed, taste, or price though.
"Is it okay if I pay by check?" asked the idiot.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Jennifer. She blushed as the rest of the patrons turned to her. As she opened her mouth to apologize, another terminal at the end of the counter glowed to life with a little *ding!*
"I can satisfy the values of the next customer over here," said the monitor.
Jennifer pushed past several others trying to reach the terminal before another patron did. She nearly collided with a pink pony carrying a tray of glasses as she did. "Whoopsie-doodles!" said the Pinkiebot, "sorry, let me get out of your way."
Jennifer reached the terminal and looked down at the screen. "Look, I'm in a rush so if we could-"
"Welcome to McQuestria! Fastest growing eating establishment since 2022. How can I satisfy your values today?"
"Just give me a Sonic Rainburger, to go. And hurry."
"Your food will be ready within sixty seconds of the completion of your order. I just need a little more information to optimize your meal further." Behind the counter, the machinery in the kitchen hummed away preparing food for herself and all the other customers. The entire facility was completely automated. "Our Sonic Rainburger is usually cooked to a medium degree of doneness. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes, that's fine," said Jennifer, drumming her fingers on the countertop and bouncing on her heels as she willed the process to move faster.
"Would you like fries and a drink as well?"
"Sure. Orange soda. Just come on."
"Would you like tomatoes on you burger?"
"Yes."
"Would you like pickles on your burger?"
"Yes."
"Would you like to emigrate to Equestria?"
"Yes. Wait, what?"
The screen dinged again and went blank. "Thank you for choosing McQuestria! Have a nice eternity!" Two silvery tentacles slithered out from its sides as Jennifer looked on in horror. "Here's your change!"