Bubble Berry's Bakery

by Bright Light

Chapter Three: Fresh Meat

After the Sugar Cube Corner closed, and Berry finished counting his drawer, he dashed out to the main area to wait for his applicants to arrive for their interviews. Berry took a coffee cupcake out from the display and chomped down on it. He still had work to do. Outside there was a small line of ponies holding papers, anxiously waiting for Berry to invite them in.

“Oh goodie! They’re here!” Berry smiled and went to open the door. “Okie dokie! First pony please! The next pony can enter after the last pony leaves.”

The first pony entered in. Berry invited her to sit down and she calmly sat down. Her eyes were sagging a bit along with the rest of her body. Berry noted that she had a certain...scent. Her mane was long and free-flowing. She had a nose-ring that Berry couldn’t help from glancing at every few moments. Berry sat across from the mare with a smile. He looked at her resume. The resume looked as if it was quickly written by hoof on a ripped piece of parchment with a grocery list scrawled on the back.

“So, Petal Blossom, would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Nah, I’m good. Thanks.” Petal nodded

“So, what makes you interested in working for the Sugar Cube Corner?” Berry readied his pen to write down a response. After a long moment of silence from Petal, she blinked and said.

“Well. I’ve always liked cupcakes and eating pastry.” She nodded. Berry nodded with a tight lip and scribbled in his notepad pretending to write something.

“What do you feel you can bring to Sugar Cube Corner?”

“Oh man, I’d want to just bring people together, you know? Just like, make this a place where people can not only enjoy pastry but enjoy the stress free environment. I want to bring a more slow paced workload to the table. You know? It’s not about the money it’s about making people happy. “

“T-This is a retail job. It’s not really suppose to be slow.”

“Nah man, you just gotta think outside the carriage of life. What you think as a retail job I think of as a re-tailoring of people’s lives. You know? Make people whole again, not just with foods but with their soul.”

“Okay, well, thank you for answering my questions, we’ll call you after we process your interview.”

“Alright man. Cya.”

The next interviewee was an old mare named Sugar Stick.

“What would you say your greatest weakness?”

“Oh well my arthritis causes me to get a bit slow but I try my best. My retirement funds didn’t work out for me so well you see so I have to be looking for a job at the moment to pay the bills. After my husband died it’s been hard getting food on the table. My grandchildren haven’t contacted me for the longest time so I have to support myself at this point.“

“Wowie, that’s depressing! Welp. Uh, we’ll contact you if you fit the qualifications after we review everything.”

“My life is draining every day. I don’t know if I’ll die tomorrow.” She mumbled as she slowly made her way out of the shop.

Eight difficult applicants and two coffees later, Berry was feeling like the life was being drained out of him, they same way it felt when he donated at the Sugar Cube Corner blood drive except without the gloating rights.

The second hand on the clock was just about to hit the 6pm mark, suddenly the door of the Sugar Cube Corner burst open and a young mare came in panting with papers in her mouth.

“Uh...Here for an interview?” The pink pony raised an eyebrow.
The mare simply nodded. She placed her saliva soaked papers on the table and Berry gestured for her to sit. The young mare was gasping for breath. Berry gave her a glass of water. After a moment, she catched her breath and straightened her hair. The mare had a blue mane with yellow fur.

“My name is Daisy Flour.” She extended her hoof to Berry and shook his. “I’m sorry about the dramatic entrance. I just got back from the copy shop to get a copy of my resume made. I only saw the posters for the help wanted this morning.” She smiled. Her teeth were almost as bright as Berry’s.

“Nice to meet you. So, I see you worked at Canterlot in a doughnut shop for three years?”

“Yes Mister Bubble I-”

“Please, call me Berry.” Berry interrupted in a cheery tone.

“Berry. Ever since I got my cutie mark as a young filly I knew my destiny was serving ponies food with a smile.”

“Good, good. If you don’t mind me asking, why did you leave?” Berry asked

“Well...” Daisy started “To be perfectly honest, the Canterlot culture is a bit too...slow paced for me. I wanted to move on to something bigger and better and I heard so much about the Sugar Cube Corner, and their wonderful bakery boy, I just had to come here as soon as possible!”

“Aw you’re a flatterer.” Berry smiled to Daisy, waving her off.

“I try.”

After Daisy jumped the hurdles of the common interview questions Berry decided to quiz Mrs. Flour.

“Alright Daisy, were almost done here, I have one little question for you to test your knowledge on baking?”

“Okay, shoot.”

“Which clockwise direction should the frosting be applied on a freshly baked cupcake?”

Daisy then scoffed. “The answer is no frosting.”

“No frosting?” Berry's tone couldn't be any more sarcastic.

“Of course. Frosting on a freshly baked cupcake would just melt off and also ruin a batch of cupcakes. But after they have been cooled for five minutes, assuming we’re talking about your typical swirl cupcake, you apply the frosting in the direction of your dominant side for the best quality spread.” Daisy said as Berry nodded in excitement.

“Well Daisy, you seem very qualified for this position! But, it’s up to a unanimous decision by me and my partner to decide. Seeing as we’re short on time, I’ll ask them now.” Berry got up and started to head to the kitchen, taking the papers and Gummy with him. “I’ll be right back.”

Berry approached Gummy in the kitchen. “So, what do you think?”

Gummy stared into the distance silently. “You make a good argument. Okay let's have a vote. All opposed in hiring her raise your appendage.”

Gummy stared into the distance silently and didn’t move. Berry didn’t move either but watched Gummy.

“Okay so we’re in agreement.”

Berry returned to Daisy.

“Congratulations!” He threw colorful confetti. “You have been hired to work at the FABULOUS Sugar Cube Corner!”

“R-Really? Just like that?!” Daisy squeaked. “Oh my goodness! This is wonderful! W-When can I start?” She was squirming in her seat with excitement. Berry pondered for a moment, pieces of confetti rested on the ground.

“I guess...Come back this Saturday at 10 AM!” Berry chirped.

“Oh my goodness. Thank you! Thank you Mr. Bubbl- I mean, Berry! T-Thank you so much!" She exited the Sugar Cube Corner and did a victory dance outside the shop. Berry sighed contently, he walked over to the pan and broom in the corner of the room and started to sweep up the confetti.

“Confetti is always worth the mess.” He nodded.

Saturday came, and the Sugar Cube corner wasn’t as busy as it was during the week. Not as many ponies were looking for their usual caffeine fix. Berry was behind the register with Daisy at his side.

“Alright Daisy, your duties out here will be to handle the register, serve the food, and bus the dining area. On your resume it said you worked at a bakery in Canterlot before as a cashier, yes?"

“Yeah, we had a really old one. This one looks much more modern.”

“It should be the same thing. I know you probably know all this stuff already so we’ll cut this part short.” Berry grabbed a dusty sign from behind the counter that said "We’ll Be Back in Few Minutes!" and placed it on the front of the register.

“Follow me.” Berry started to walk away from the register, past his office to another door down the hallway. “I want to show you the stockroom.” Berry opened the door which lead to a set of stairs down into darkness. They both went down and inside was large shelves of dry ingredients in bulk. “After the store closes, you and me will take stock of all the dry ingredients, to keep track of what was used.”

Daisy nodded in response. She looked over to a door in the corner of the room.

“Do we have to count what’s in that room as well?”

“Unless you’re wanting to count mops his post” Berry chuckled, starting to trot up the stairs. “Come on, let's head back up.”

Berry went back to the counter and removed the sign from the register. Daisy stood next to him back to where they were before. Berry started to give the next part of the training.

“Alright so, the next part I just want to refresh you on is busing tables, the thing is about balancing out betw- Oh! Hello sir!”

A stallion with black hair and a white coat approached the counter.

“Hello, I’m P.P.D. Detective Gum Horseshoe.” He flashed his badge to Berry.

“Oh from the police department! Are you here for an order for the office?”

“Actually I was curious if I could ask you a few questions.” The stallion said putting away his badge. Daisy’ looked to Berry and Berry raised his eyebrows.

“Uh...I mean...S-Sure!” Berry said. He looked over to Daisy. “Do you mind taking over for a moment?”

“Yeah no problem.” Daisy took Berry’s place. Gum followed Berry into his office. They both sat across from each other in awkward positions, trying to fit in the small broom closet.

“So” Berry readjusted himself. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Do you happen to know a young stallion by the name of Score?” Gum asked.

“Oh yeah! He comes in here all the time...Why? Is he okay?” Berry leaned forward.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard about the outburst that happened the other day at the Town Hall? Score started to beat his girlfriend and an officer shot him. He’s currently in the hospital in a coma but reports came back that he has Mad Cow Disease.”

A deep sense of dread washed over Berry that he hasn’t felt in years.

“So, I, and a health inspector, are going to perform an investigation in this establishment to see if anything he ate may have given him this disease.”

Berry sat there with a tight lip for what felt like an eternity.

“What day do you need to come in.” He manage to finally croak out.

"Mad Cow Disease, Berry?!" Mr. Cake shout echoed in the now closed Sugar Cube Corner.

"Mr. Cake, please! We have nothing to do with this!"

"Oh we better not!" Mr. Cake shouted.

"Listen, Mr. Cake, I know this seems bad."

"Bad?! Berry! We're going to lose so much profit!"

"Y-You don't think I have anything to do with this do you?"

"No Berry. No." Mr. Cake rubbed his face. There was a long moment of silence before Berry spoke up.

"I mean we have nothing to worry about Mr. Cake! The Sugar Cube Corner is clean!"

"That's not the point, Berry. The point is our publicity is going to plummet! Mrs.Cake's already stressed out enough taking care of the two little ones, this is just...too much!" Mr. Cake shook his head.

"Mr.Cake, I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to clear this up. " Berry nods putting a hoof on Mr. Cake's shoulder.

Mr. Cake pauses, he takes out a handkerchief and pats his sweaty forehead. He puts the handkerchief away and looks to Berry sternly.

"Berry...You're a good colt. I trust you...We need to think of some things that would attract crowds back that get scared away. We're probably going to slash our cupcake prices and see how that goes. They said they'll be here sometime tomorrow?"

"Yeah. But don't you worry, I'm fully prepared!" Berry said with a determined grin masking his nervousness.