Silly Stories of the Student Six

by Level Dasher

Customer Service (Contest Entry 3)

“Sandbar? I’m not really sure about this.”

“Don’t worry. I did it two years ago and I made a haul on tips alone.”

Silverstream cocked a brow. “I mean, Smolder, sure—she looks perfectly happy in that apron, but Gallus looks like he’s about to rip his off.”

“Silverstream have more faith in Gallus,” Yona said from beside Sandbar, putting down her menu. “He come around.”

Ocellus pursed her lips. “I dunno, Silverstream hit it on the head. Smolder’s perfectly happy to be out there, but I think Gallus wants to slam that tray he’s holding right on that customer’s head. He puts up a good front.”

They all sat at the corner table just outside Ponyville’s local cafe. The out-of-towners had decided to stay in their dorms over the summer with Headmare Twilight’s permission. Two of them had decided to work for some extra bits.

Smolder approached their table, her notepad held up with confidence. She took a glance at the cafe’s eagle-eyed manager out of the corner of her eye, then stopped in front of the table with a smile and loudly said, “Good afternoon, everyone! How are you today?” She winked as she waited for their response.

“Quite well. Thank you very much,” Yona answered with perfect punctuation and enunciation.

The other four by the table all cringed. “I thought you said you weren’t gonna do that anymore,” Silverstream whispered.

“How else Yona supposed to act?” she responded quietly.

Smolder took a revitalizing breath. “Not like that.” She looked over at Sandbar. “This was a great idea. Thanks.”

“No problem. Glad you’re enjoying.”

Clearing her throat, Smolder then continued at a normal volume, “That’s great to hear. Are you ready to place an order?”

“Yes please,” Ocellus replied.

---

As his four friends placed their orders with his fifth, Gallus grumbled internally, Of course they get placed in her section. All the normal ponies are in her section. Why are all of the crazies in mine?

“Boy!” a voice called. “I said one lemon wedge in my water! This has two!”

Gallus groaned. “Sorry, Sir, I’m coming.”

“Boy! Where is my daisy sandwich? I ordered twenty minutes ago!”

You ordered it FIVE minutes ago, lady. “I’ll go check, Ma’am.”

“Excuse me! This is not what I ordered!”

YES IT IS, LADY, IT WAS ON MY PAD. “One moment, Ma’am, let me see what happened in the kitchen.” Gallus glared over at his friends’ table as Smolder left them with a smile on her face, having taken their orders, and retreating back to the kitchen. When he caught Sandbar’s attention, he narrowed his eyes at him. I am going to throw you into the Abysmal Abyss.

---

“Okay, yeah, didn’t need you to say anything to read that one, Ocellus,” Silverstream said. Looking over at Sandbar, she continued, “He wants to hurt you real bad.”

Sandbar waved a hoof. “It always happens. Sometimes you just have bad days. This isn’t even half as bad as when I worked here. Give it time, he’ll be fine.”

Over the course of their meal, the four of them watched as Gallus went from customer to customer to customer, doing his best to satisfy them all. After going back and forth into the kitchen four times, and being yelled at three more, they could see his resolve crumbling. Smolder even glanced over at him with a sympathetic frown multiple times when they passed each other on occasion.

Eventually, while Gallus was on his way into the kitchen, one of his customers stood up with her muzzle in the air. “This service was terrible. I refuse to pay. I’m leaving this very moment!”

Gallus’s ears sprang up as he whipped around and saw her walking towards the exit, past a customer at one of his other tables. Said customer turned to look at the moving mare, accidentally knocking a spoon to the floor. The mare slipped over the spoon, causing her to swing in a backwards circle and angle herself into bucking a mare holding a daisy sandwich right in the barrel. The sandwich flew through the air, landing right atop the head of a stallion who was in the process of drinking a glass of water with exactly one lemon wedge in it. The stallion flinched, dropping the glass into his lap and spilling the water everywhere.

Five teens’ hooves and claws shot to their muzzles as they suppressed their laughter. The rest of the cafe held no such restraint. The three customers involved in the tangle turned beet red.

As Smolder elbowed him in the shoulder, giggling, Gallus shut his beak, but curled it into a grin. Tears dripped down his cheeks as he basked in the work of sweet, sweet, karma.

“W-what’d I tell ya?” Sandbar cried, smacking a hoof on the table before he settled himself. He took a deep breath before he continued. “Just needed to give it time. Good things come to those who wait."

Author's Note:

This is the final official entry for the Feghoot contest. All others after this are purely for my own (and hopefully your) enjoyment.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

The first two entries got a wince out of me. This one? The only reason I didn't burst out laughing was because I'm at work. Very nice. Best of luck in the contest.

[PresentPerfect]

have you no shame

[BlazzingInferno]