Creme de Menthe was surprised when Graham came back to the bed the and breakfast with a friend. He generally wasn't the most social pony in the world. In fact, in Creme's view, the orange pegasus could be a real stick in the mud sometimes. He was a fair boss, and he was a nice guy when it came down to it, but he was just so serious all the time. Always on task, never taking a moment to ever sit back and smell the roses. Creme preferred to take life as it came to her, and enjoy as much as she could while it lasted. Graham was a worrywart; Creme was as laid-back as it came.
Which was why it struck her as odd that he would bring any-pony over like this - particularly when the two of them started playing board games together!
"You just activated my trap card!" the nerdy unicorn said triumphantly.
The two of them were sitting in the waiting area, where guests usually filed in through the door. There were two couches and two chairs opposite each other with a wide coffee table in the center, and the two of them were sitting across from each other with a hoof full of cards in their hands. The coffee table, usually littered with newspapers and magazines for the guests to peruse, was now covered with a graph-table mat with tiny figurines, as well as several cards already on the table.
"What!?" Graham cried in disbelief, staring at the table aghast. "When did they add that card?"
"Fifth edition," the unicorn said, adjusting his glasses. "All your attackers get a minus-two penalty until end of turn."
"Aww, no fair!" Graham complained. "If I'd know something like that could have happened, I would have revised my strategy!"
"Hey you guys," Creme interrupted, kneeling down by the coffee table to inspect the board. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Playing Knights of Equestria," Graham responded without looking up. "It's a strategy game. Oh yeah, Creme, this is Higgs Boson, my old buddy from high school. Higgs, this is is Creme de Menthe. She's been working here for...gosh, has it been two years already?"
"Two and a half, if you're counting," she grinned and offered her hoof. "Pleasure to meet you!"
The unicorn gingerly shook her hoof. "Umm...y-you too..."
"Alright, your move, bro," Graham set his cards down on the table, before looking at Creme. "Didn't I give you the rest of the day off? I figured you'd be long gone by now."
"Sure was planning on it," she replied, shrugging. "Just can't believe what I'm seeing though - Golden Graham, slacking off while on the job?"
"This place is pretty much dead all afternoon," he argued, watching as Higgs moved some pieces around the board. "I'm right here in case any-pony walks in, and we only get a few walk-ins at most. Since the kitchen's closed, the most I'll need to do is check some-pony into a room or make a reservation, which takes five minutes. Dishes and laundry are all done, so there's really no need for me to waste my time sitting behind that desk all day. So I figure, why not make the most of it?"
"Attacking you for four points of damage," Higgs said, moving two of his cards forward on the board.
"I'll block with Cerulean Barricade," Graham responded, moving one of his cards up.
Creme smirked in amusement. "Huh. Never knew you were a gamer."
"Let me know it's my turn," Graham said to Higgs, before looking back to Creme. "You play at all?"
Higgs nodded, and Creme shook her head.
"Only party games, like Oranges to Oranges," she admitted. "Never really been a fan of strategy games."
Higgs' eyes lit up at that. "I, uh...I actually brought Oranges to Oranges with me if you'd like to play."
Creme giggled, looking up thoughtfully. "Hey, that sounds like fun! But I gotta go meet my friend real quick - who knows, maybe she'll want to play."
"Sounds good - the more the merrier," Graham smiled, before slapping down a card onto the table. "Ha! Elemental Fury! Feel my wrath!"
"Hey, all cards on the field are still under the effect of my Summoner's Disdain card," Higgs comment, gesturing towards his card.
"Not for long," Graham smirked, before putting another card on the field. "Destroy target enchantment!"
"Awww, man!" Higgs groaned.
Creme smirked as she got to her hooves. "I'll see you two clowns later."
"Seeya, Creme!" Graham hollered, before pushing his cards forward. "I attack with all my forces."
The green earth pony stepped out of the building and into the afternoon sunshine. She stretched and rubbed her eyes, taking a deep breath of fresh air. Cooped up indoors all morning, she was glad to finally be outside. It wasn't that she disliked her job - far from it, her job afforded her a roof over her head, three meals a day, as well as all the coffee she could drink, and that was all on top of her regular paycheck - but Creme de Menthe was a free spirit, and was deathly allergic to monotony.
In fact, she usually only worked morning shifts. Occasionally Graham would ask her to help out in the evenings on weekends when things got busy, and holidays were usually out for her as well, but that was rare enough that it didn't bother her. This freed up most of her evenings and allowed her to do as she pleased, which usually consisted of partying. True, that kind of lifestyle didn't allow for much sleep, but a quick cup of coffee each morning saw to that. She had been a coffee lover almost all her life, ever since her mother had allowed her to take her first curious sip from her own coffee cup one morning, and she had perfected the art of brewing it in all its forms from that day onward.
Of course, that was only half the story. She had gone to high school with Berry Punch, and after the two mares had graduated, she had been exposed to the wonders of coffee liqueur, and suddenly, everything she knew changed. Before she knew it, she was studying mixology, and applying all of her barista training when it came to matching flavors into making cocktails, with coffee liqueurs of course taking the spotlight. She had found her niche in the world, and the entire world of the Ponyville nightlife had opened up to her. She'd been in the thick of it ever since.
This meant that she was burning the candle at both ends most nights, which made her coffee brewing skills an invaluable asset to maintaining her lifestyle. She also usually caught up on sleep by napping during her afternoon breaks. Not today, however. Today, a friend of hers had traveled all the way from Manehattan to make a special delivery in Ponyville, including to Graham's Bed and Breakfast. Creme de Menthe had gone on and on about her friend's baking skills and convinced Graham to try one of her creations, and they had been ordering from her pastry shop ever since. It had been years since she'd seen her, however, and she couldn't wait to hear how her culinary career had been treating her.
So when the train from Manehattan arrived at the Ponyville train station that day, Creme was there waiting with a gift-wrapped bottle of Grande Canterlot Royale as the yellow earth pony stepped onto the platform, a porter rolling a cart of boxes behind her.
"Lemon Meringue!" Creme cried out, rushing up to her and throwing her arms around her.
Meringue looked surprised, but smiled all the same as she returned the fervent embrace. "Oh my goodness! Creme de Menthe! It's so good to see you again!"
Creme parted with her and offered her the bottle she held in her hoof. "When I got your letter saying you'd be making this delivery yourself, I was so excited to hear about it!"
Meringue accepted the gift, placing it on the cart with her luggage. "Oh, thank you sweetie! But don't be silly - I wouldn't dream of missing this chance to see you all. It's been so long since I've been home, and it was high time I come by for a visit. How is every-pony?"
"Oh, the family's doing alright," Creme said, as the two of them began walking in the direction of town, as Lemon Meringue's hired porter pushed the cart along with them. "My cousin Lyra is going to be auditioning for a part in a concert band in Canterlot, and Berry Punch and I are still painting the town every chance we get."
Meringue chuckled at the mental image. "Sounds wonderful. Speaking of, have you heard from my cousin Pinkie at all, lately?"
Creme rolled her eyes. "Me and the whole town - ever since that new castle's popped up, the number of special events here in Ponyville has sky-rocketed. And Pinkie Pie plans as many parties as she can get her hooves on."
"Well, she hasn't changed much," the yellow pony smiled. "So, tell me - how on Earth did you wind up working at a bed and breakfast, of all places? I mean, I can see how any type of inn would benefit from a barista such as yourself, but those hours! I've never known you to wake up before noon of your own free will."
"Har har," Creme droned, bumping into the other mare with her shoulder, the two of them laughing. "Yeah, no, the hours suck, but the arrangement is pretty sweet. I get free room and board as long as I'm working there, so I can save up my paycheck and maybe one day open that coffee shop I always talked about in high school."
"Oh, how marvelous!" Meringue trilled. "Do let me know the day that you do! I'll do everything to ensure that you are well stocked with biscotti and the like."
"Sweet! So how is the bakery coming along, anyway?" Creme asked, waving back at the porter and the sizable stack of boxes laid upon it. "Looks like business is booming."
"Oh, I'm more of a pattiseure than a baker, honey," she said, gesturing at her cutie mark with which she shared a name. "There are some real bakers in Manehattan that would put any attempt I make at bread to shame. But my little pastry shop has found its niche, I think."
"Rich snobs who are willing to pay out the nose for confectionery the size of a grape?" Creme asked with a wry smile on her face.
"Oh, hush," Meringue stuck her tongue out. "So, what have you got planned for today? I'm only in town for the night, so I wanted to pay my cousin a visit, and maybe drop by Sweet Apple Acres to check on things. They're one of our primary suppliers, after all."
Creme shrugged. "I figured we could hang out for a bit, maybe get some coffee. My boss and his friend invited me to play some board games later if you were interested."
"Hmm..." Meringue looked thoughtful. "Could be fun. Just let me check into my room at the bed and breakfast."
"You're paying for your own room?" Creme asked, befuddled. "Come on, I just told you, I get free room and board. Friends-of-employee discount, girl! You can spend the night in my room. I've got a fold-out bed just for these sort of occasions."
"My dear, I wouldn't dream of denying your employer of a paying patron," Meringue said adamantly, placing a hoof on her chest. "Especially when he's nice enough to go out of his way to order from my little pastry shop on the other side of Equestria. Although I do appreciate the gesture, sweety."
"Well, fine," Creme pouted. "But I'm totally coming over to watch scary movies with you tonight!"
"Very well," the yellow mare nodded. "And afterward, maybe we can style each other's manes, just like we did in high school."
"And gossip into the wee hours of the morning!" Creme de Menthe giggled.
Lemon Meringue smiled. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
The two ponies grinned as they both leaped into the air, shouting with excitement as pedestrians looked on in confusion.
"SLUMBER PARTY!"