Graham's Bed and Breakfast

by Golden Graham

Morning in Ponyville

Graham was out of bed before dawn that day, as he was every morning since the bed and breakfast had been opened. He hated waking up so early, and had hated doing so all his life, but he had a job to do, and he was determined to stick with it. Each day seemed to present him with a new set of challenges ever since he'd moved out of his parents' house to start his own business, though truthfully he supposed that he should still consider himself fortunate to still be in business in the years since he'd been open.

While most of his peers had gone off to flight school, Golden Graham had spent most of his youth indoors. Though his wings saw little use these days, his culinary skills had been put to use on a regular basis. When he first asked his parents if he could try helping in the kitchen at home, they had been delighted to let him join in. By the time he was in middle school, he was making his own lunches, and once he was in high school, he was cooking brunch for his family every weekend. He had gotten so good at it, that one day, he woke up with a cutie mark on his flank bearing three cinnamon rolls, his favorite breakfast confectionery. He knew then that his calling in life would not be in the air, but in the kitchen, doing what he did best.

Graham's Bed and Breakfast was located in the heart of Ponyville. It was small, even when compared to the Ponyville Inn, which housed the bulk of the town's visitors. It helped that his business was live-in, which meant that not only was their no commute, but he could write off most of his living expenses as business expenses. The rent was low enough that Graham didn't need to bring in that much to stay afloat, and he usually only had a handful of guests at that. On most days, his overnight guests made up only half of his clientele anyway. For while his place was smaller and simpler than his chief competitor across the street, his business offered something that the Ponyville Inn simply couldn't top:

The best damn breakfast anywhere in Ponyville.

Each day began in the kitchen. Eight burners fired up under four griddles, and four waffle irons were placed in the oven as he began mixing batter. The waffle batter he had made the night before and let to rise, but the pancake batter had to be made fresh each morning. Cracked wheat bread from Sugarcube Corner soaked in whisked eggs from Sweet Apple Acres. The Orange family had fresh squeezed juice delivered every week, which needed to be doubled on holidays and special occasions, and he had specialty pastries and other confectioneries shipped in from a patisserie in Manehattan to complement the breakfast ensemble.

By the time the coffee started brewing, the first of the guests was usually awake and following their noses down the stairs to see what was cooking.

If he was particularly lucky, his assistant might even shamble out of bed before that happened so he wouldn't have to set the tables all by himself.

"Mornin', Graham," came the throaty croak of the lime green earth pony mare as she wandered into the kitchen, a sleepy look on her face, her vibrant green mane a tangled mess.

Golden Graham did not even look up from his task of ladelling batter onto one of the griddles as he blew a stray lock of his red mane out of his face.

"Good morning, Creme," he said, trying not to let his irritation show. "Glad to see you made it up before noon today."

"Coffee first, then you can bitch at me..." Creme de Menthe said, closing her eyes as she sniffed the air, walking like a zombie towards the nearest source of caffeine she could find - which happens to be the cup that Graham had poured for himself.

Golden Graham let out a puff of air. He enjoyed working with Creme, and she was a big help around the bed and breakfast, but she never seemed to take the job as seriously as he did. Though he assumed that it was unfair to have such expectations - after all, this was his business, his brainchild, his baby - and to her credit, Creme brought quite a lot to the table that he simply wasn't able to.

For instance, her taste for coffee.

"PHHHHHBTHBTHBTHBTHBTH!" she sputtered as she spat out her coffee, spraying it all across the kitchen, including Graham himself.

Graham flicked a droplet of coffee and spittle off his nose as his expression went from agitated to downright dour. "You are going to be cleaning that up, right?"

Creme ignored him, a look of total exasperation on her face. "What in Celestia's name is this stuff!?"

He raised an eyebrow "Uhh....coffee?"

After a quick glance around the kitchen, she spotted the coffee maker that he had used, and she fixed him with a glare that comes from working with dilettantes who know not the craft of true art.

"Drip coffee!?" she demanded, turning her coffee cup upside down, letting its remaining contents spill out across the floor. "You're serving our guests drip coffee!?"

Graham's yellow wings sagged in defeat. "Would you at least pour that down the drain instead of on the floor?"

"Not a chance - I am making a point here!" Creme said, shaking her head, eyes closed as if she were contending with a child. "Now step aside, mister - clearly you know not what you are doing."

Graham watched in helpless indignation as the young mare shoved past him and made her way to the espresso machine, moving like clockwork as she expertly wrenched one of the arms free, cranked the coffee grounds out of the grinder into the filters, tamped it down, before notching the arm back into the machine and flicking it on. In moments, aromatic black espresso began dripping from the spout into her tiny waiting mug.

She downed it all in one go, and her hair instantly shot up straight as her body went rigid, bouncing off the floor, before contorting into every shape imaginable. When she finished spasming, her hair fell neatly back into place as if it had been perfectly groomed, and she looked as refreshed and rested as she had ever been.

She repeated the brewing process once more, and offered him a cup of his own.

"And that is how you make a cup of coffee, sir!" she declared, holding the tiny mug out to him.

He regarded the cup of jet black steaming hot caffeine with a skeptical eye. "No thanks - I like my digestive track intact, thank you."

"Your loss," Creme shrugged and downed the second cup, once again going into a fit of spasms, before getting to work cleaning up her mess and setting the dining area.

And just in time too, as the guests began filing downstairs just at that moment.

"Good morning, Mister and Misses Browncoat," Graham said, tugging his apron off and putting on his best customer service smile. "Did you both sleep well?"

The two aptly named earth ponies meandered downstairs and found their way to one of the many tables set up for guests. Contrary to restaurant style settings, the guest accommodations for Graham's bed and breakfast sat every-pony right in the communal home-style kitchen so they could see and smell everything being made for them. The floors were burnished red tile, and the counters were granite, and stove cast iron, and the entire building smacked of a rustic, colonial appearance. There was only room for about twenty patrons or so, but there were usually only a dozen guests at any given time. Only about half of those were overnight guests, the rest were simply locals wandering in for a bite to eat.

"Mmmh-mmm!" Misses Browncoat hummed in approval as she sat down. "Oh wow, where to begin? Everything smells so delicious!"

"Well, I know what I want," her husband said, tying a napkin around his neck. "I'll have some eggs benedict and some wheat toast, please!"

"Coming right up," Graham said heartily, as more guests came down the stairs.

While Ponyville was not exactly a tourist destination, things had been changing ever since Princess Twilight's castle had sprouted out of the ground earlier that year. Graham made a point of getting to know each of his guests, in order to encourage them to come back again. The Browncoats were going on a tour across Equestria, Misses Goldsmith was visiting her daughter in town, and Misses Willow was staying in town on her way to Canterlot for vacation.

It was not a particularly large crowd, but that was not taking into consideration the morning rush.

"So that's two orders of buttermilk pancakes, an order of waffles and a side of hash browns," Graham said hurriedly as he took down orders from the family that had walked in. "Can I get anyone a refill on orange juice?"

"Actually, is there any more coffee?" the older gentle-colt asked.

"Coming right up," Graham responded jovially. "Creme?"

"On it!" the green mare paused her busing of tables to speed back over to the espresso machine for another round of caffeinated goodness.

The two of them had a friendly competition going ever since she started working here. While Golden Graham's special talent was centered around breakfast food, Creme's cutie mark was a cup of coffee. She lived and breathed the stuff. So the two of them kept a running tally of all orders of breakfast food versus all orders of coffee each day, and compared their score at their mid-day break.

"Good morning, Mayor Mare!" Graham said exuberantly as the town official stepped through their doors. It was not the first time the mayor had visited his bed and breakfast, but it was always a notable occasion when she did. "Can I interest you in some of my world famous cinnamon rolls?"

The middle aged mare just smiled. "Actually, I just needed a nice strong cup of coffee before work today."

Creme de Menthe seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Coming right up, ma'am!"

She got to work, brewing the mayor her espresso as Graham rung her up at the register.

"Better make it a double, sweetheart," she said to the barista, taking a sigh. "It's going to be a long day today."

"No problem!" Creme said, tossing another shot of espresso into her cup before bringing it to the register.

"Thank you, dear!" the mayor said, sipping from the steaming cup, a shiver running through her body as the first jolt of caffeine ran through her. "Oooh...nice and strong! Just what I needed!"

"Glad you like it!" Creme said, winking triumphantly at Graham.

Graham just grumbled. "You win this round, Creme..."

"This round and every round," she grinned as she practically skipped off to bus the next table.

By the time the last guest filed out of the building it was well past noon, and Graham was in dire need of a break.

"You okay watching the front desk for an hour or so?" he asked the green mare as the two of them dried dishes.

"You got it, boss," she saluted gleefully, ever full of energy.

He nodded in thanks as he hung up his apron, treading tiredly out the door and out onto the streets of Ponyville.

Running the bed and breakfast was a full time job. Even when there were no guests to take care of, there were bed sheets to clean, dishes to be done, and ingredients to procure, and some-pony had to watch the front desk all throughout the day to take any potential guests checking in for the night. Every so often, there would be a night or two with no-pony staying over, but their dining area was almost always full during the morning hours. It was even more busy on weekends!

He enjoyed working there. He enjoyed working with Creme. He enjoyed making breakfast and having every-pony enjoy his cooking, but still, he needed some downtime. Creme was paid full time, minus the expense of room and board, which worked out well for her, since she didn't want to live with her parents and couldn't afford her own place anyway. Still, Graham couldn't afford to hire on any more help, which left all of the work of maintaining an entire two-story, twelve-bedroom building with a full kitchen and dining room to the two of them. It was grueling work.

Graham slumped down on a park bench, watching the world go by as he zoned out. He remembered growing up that he used to retire to the indoors to escape from the world. Now, it was his home that he needed the escape from, and it were these rare moment outdoors that he could snatch up every chance he got that represented any reprieve.

Could he keep going like this?

"Graham?" a voice interrupted his musings.

Graham had been leaning his head back on the bench, fore-legs splayed to either side, staring at the sky, when the voice came. He sat up, looking around to see who had called out to him, and saw a familiar face.

"Oh, hey Higgs," he said, his tone still somewhat distracted. "What's up?"

Higgs Boson was a small and slight young unicorn stallion with a jet black mane and spectacles on his nose. He stood on the cobblestone walkway by Graham's bench, with a hand-me-down saddlebag draped over his flank, a spinning atom cutie mark just barely visible underneath.

Graham knew the unicorn from high school - the two of them used to hang out after school a lot, but they had drifted apart after graduation, when Higgs had gone off to Canterlot Academy and Graham had started his own business. Graham had seen the unicorn around Ponyville from time to time afterward, though never for any real stretch of time.

"Oh, uh...just out and about..." Higgs said, looking away shyly.

Graham eyed the young stallion dubiously. "Your mom forcing you to get out and get some fresh air again, huh?"

The unicorn lowered his head in resignation. "Yeah...I keep telling her the sun isn't good for my complexion..."

Graham rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll bet. So what's in the saddlebags?"

Higgs' eyes seem to light up at that. "Oh! Well, since my mom wouldn't let me stay inside all day, I figured I'd just bring my games out here."

"Oh yeah?" Graham nodded in approval. "That's pretty smart. What'd you bring?"

"Ummm..." Higgs began rummaging through his bags. "I've got Mustangs of Catan, Oranges to Oranges, Battle-Colts, a chess board, my Friendship: The Gathering decks..."

Graham was whisked back to his high school years, as he recalled many a wasted evening playing these games. What he wouldn't give to spend just one more night, reliving those carefree days. He couldn't even remember the last time he had gotten to spend an evening to himself like that.

As he looked over the games with a nostalgic glow in his eyes, something occurred to him about Higgs' predicament.

"Umm...Higgs?" he mentioned glumly. "These are all multiplayer games."

The young stallion nodded. "Yeah, about that...I was kind of hoping to find some-pony to join me. I know it's a long shot, but..."

Graham cringed at the unspoken suggestion in his voice. His hour was almost up.

"Umm...yeah, sorry Higgs," he said, biting his lip. "I really wish I could join in, but I should really be getting back to the shop."

"It's okay," the unicorn said, lowering his head. "I understand."

Graham got to his feet. "No, I mean it - I really wish I could stay and play, but..."

"It's alright, Graham," Higgs said, hiding the unhappiness in his voice. "You've got a business to run. I know it's busy work."

"It is..." the pegasus sighed. He could tell that Higgs had really been hoping for him to join in. In truth, Graham wanted nothing more. He really missed those days of just goofing off and having a good time. The more he thought about it, the more he felt bad about it. Not only was he letting his friend down, but he was letting himself down as well. The bed and breakfast still needed some-pony behind the desk, however, and he couldn't put any more work on Creme's shoulders just to slack off with an old friend. She had a life too.

Confound it! Was this to be his life now? Never getting to do the things he enjoyed because he was too saddled with responsibilities? Was that the fate of any-pony who started their own business? Did they have to find their sole joy in their job because that was all there was to their life? There had to be more to it than that! There had to be a way he could satisfy his responsibilities and still be able to spend time with his friends.

That's when smile crept up Graham's face.

"Hey, Higgs," he said, wryly. "Does your mom care where exactly you spend your time out?"

Higgs had been about to turn to go, but he turned to look back at his old friend.

"Not really..." he admitted, shrugging shoulders. "Just as long as its out of the house."

Graham nodded, conspiritorially. "Out of your house, specifically? Meaning she'd be just fine if you were at some-pony else's house?"

Higgs blinked, not understanding. "I'm...pretty sure that's not what she means, but..."

The pegasus just snickered. The more he thought about this idea, the more he liked it.

"Doesn't matter," he said excitedly. "As long as you're out of your parents' house, that's all that counts, right?"

Higgs looked more uncomfortable now. "Yeah...I suppose so..."

Graham hopped to his feet and wrapped his foreleg around Higgs' back.

"Let's go then!" he said, excitedly.

The poor unicorn had about a second to ask "Where...?" before Graham took off in the direction of the Bed and Breakfast.

Comments

[Kanzuke]

and once he was in high school, he was cooking brunch for his family every weekend. He had gotten so good at it, that one day, he woke up with a cutie mark on his flank

Implying he didn't get his cutie mark until high school? Is that intentional?

Friendship: The Gathering

You get points for that one though