//------------------------------//
// 05:30-06:00 "Just A Plain Barista" 
// Story: Ponies All Day-Writing Challenge 
// by ThunderTempest 
//------------------------------//

Java Joy was a rather plain unicorn. With a white coat, golden mane kept swept back in something approaching a faux-hawk, he was nothing out of the ordinary, in visual terms. His cutie mark, a pair of coffee beans, adorned his flank proudly. He ran a small coffee plantation on the edge of Fillydelphia, and owned a shop in Fillydelphia proper. Nothing special about him, but his one claim to fame was that he could make the best pot of coffee in Fillydelphia, a sentiment which was resoundingly echoed by any who visited his store. Sure, maybe he couldn’t compete with the global giant that was Lunabucks in sheer volume, but he still made a decent living.

His first customer of the morning was always, and would likely always be, Tight Ship, who showed up as he was literally opening the doors to Java’s Coffee House. The fellow unicorn, a brown coated mare, with a grey and white mane, was an avid coffee lover, and always ordered the same thing: three spoons of beans, rough grind, full thermos of boiling water and one teaspoon of sugar. No milk. Stir vigorously, drink slow. Sometimes, she would be accompanied by one of her co-workers. Broken Record, the earth pony, never ordered anything, seemingly content to sit and wait for his boss, while Thunder Tempest, the pegasus of the group occasionally ordered a flat white with four teaspoons of sugar.

After Tight Ship’s morning visit would come a bit of a dead period, then the morning rush would begin about half an hour later. Java Joy had never needed an assistant, remembering everypony’s orders perfectly as he ground, mixed, poured and served with the grace that only long years in retail can give a pony. Java always insisted on grinding the beans right there in front of the customer, Luna dammed if they had to wait two extra minutes. He was all about quality. If they wanted pre-ground horseapples, he maintained, they could go to Lunabucks.

The morning rush would finish just after nine o’clock, and then it would be more or less steady business for the rest of the day, as business ponies dropped in for their lunchtime pick-me-ups. Occasionally, depending on how her day had gone, he’d see Tight Ship again about midday for a refill, and the midday weather patrol rush, as all the pegasi who’d been on the early morning shift would come off work, looking for something to keep them awake long enough to get home. Sometime around four, there would be another small rush, as tradesponies would all be finishing for the day, and would come in for something to get them home. Then, at around six, the last closing rush, as once more the afternoon weather patrol was let off, and the few pegasi rostered on night duty clocked on, all seeking coffee to either get them back home, or through the night.

Java Joy may have been just a normal unicorn, but he knew that the service he provided to everypony was nearly indispensable to them. And he was happy with this, and always went to sleep with a smile on his face.