Graham's Bed and Breakfast

by Golden Graham

Rating: teen
Tags: Random, Slice of Life, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Comedy, Romance
Length: 11983

A group of ponies of various walks of life get together every weekend for a game of Myths and Mayhem.

Golden Graham is a young pegasus stallion who owns a bed and breakfast in the middle of Ponyville, and where he works alongside his childhood friend and all-around party-mare, Creme de Menthe. As the town's fame grows in the wake of all the goings on with the Elements of Harmony, more and more visitors begin to frequent their quaint cobblestone streets, and Graham finds himself swamped with work, finding it difficult to enjoy his free time anymore.

So finally, he decides that he's going to take some time off every week to enjoy himself and spend some time socializing with friends. And it just so happens that his old friend from high school, Higgs Boson - a nerdy unicorn who loves science - is looking to start up a Myths and Mayhem campaign.

Soon enough, Creme de Menthe gets invited to join, and she manages to rope her friend Lemon Meringue Pie, a professional pastry chef from Manehattan, to join the game as well during her weekly forays to Ponyville. The game also strikes the interest of a young foreign unicorn mare named Rising Sun, a visiting diplomat from the land of Haysia, as well as her escort, Stainless Steel - an obsessive compulsive pegasus who serves in the royal guard.

Art by GrandpaLove.

Published 2014-12-04 07:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2014-12-04 07:30:01 UTC

Meet the Cast

Golden Graham

Owns a bed and breakfast in Ponyville, hosts a game of Myths and Mayhem every week with his five friends. May have a crush on Creme deMenthe.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Distant cousin of Pinkie Pie, runs a pastry shop in Manehattan. Meets Graham while visiting her best friend Creme de Menthe in Ponyville and decides to join his game. May also have a crush on Stainless Steel.

Rising Sun

From the far away land of Haysia, soft-spoken and polite. Spends the night at Graham's bed and breakfast while visiting Ponyville, and decides to join his game after she finds a place to settle in Ponyville.

Higgs Boson

Preternaturally smart, did not grow up with a lot of friends. Went to school with Graham, GM's the weekly Myths and Mayhem game. Picked up Haysianese from reading lots of imported comics. May have a crush on Rising Sun.

Creme de Menthe

Hyperactive, coffee and liqueur connoisseur, free spirited and loves to dance. Cousins with Lyra Hearstrings, best friends with Berry Punch and Lemon Meringue. Works at Graham's bed and breakfast.

Stainless Steel

Extremely fastidious and obsessed with keeping his armor sparkling clean. Works for the royal guard in Canterlot. Plays Myths and Mayhem with Graham and his friends so that he doesn't have to scuff up his armor for real.

Art by GrandpaLove. Models designed in generalzoi's pony creator.

Prologue

The wind tussled the young mare's long, black mane as the boat pulled into harbor at Van Hoover bay. It had been a long three weeks at sea, and the train ride to Canterlot promised to add another day to the journey. Sleeping conditions had been hardy, the provisioned food had been hardier still, and the ship's crew made for poor company on the journey overseas. Rising Sun was nothing if not resilient, however. She had a mission to fulfill, and she was determined to see it through, no matter the cost.

When word had reached Haysian shores that the Elements of Harmony had awoken, all the noble-ponies of the land had made a squabble, trying to decide how to act. The Elements of Harmony had been dormant for centuries, and had been all but forgotten to the ages. In the years of their absence, the lands surrounding Equestria had risen steadily in prominence and power. Princess Celestia was still a powerful figure, but even she had to make accommodations for the needs of her peers. Now that the Elements of Harmony had returned, however, the land of Equestria would have an untold level of magic at their disposal once more, which would shift the balance of power on a global scale.

An entire year had passed, and the squabbling had not died down. The customary emissaries had made their usual forays back and forth, portending all the expected niceties. Pleasantries were exchanged and formalities upheld with all due etiquette, while all the while, those in power overseas stewed in indecision. Finally, the sovereign ruler of Haysia, Princess Cherry Blossom, had decided that nothing would be accomplished by sitting on their hooves, and decreed that Haysia appoint an official diplomat to represent their interests in Equestria. Many young mares and colts were considered for the opportunity, those with diplomatic training and knowledge of magic given higher regard. Finally, a diplomat was appointed to the task, and just like that, Rising Sun was sent off on a boat bound for Van Hoover.

What had she gotten herself into, she wondered? While it was a great honor to be chosen for such a task, that still did not take away the heartache of leaving her home. She missed her parents, she missed her friends, and she missed her home draped amidst the cherry blossoms. She missed sitting by the stream and practicing calligraphy and listening to the cicadas drone on into the summer night.

What was waiting for her in Equestria? She spoke the language, but beyond that, she knew almost nothing of its customs and traditions. She would have so much to learn, and would have access to only what few amenities she could take with her, or whatever could be sent from care packages from home. Beyond that, she was a stranger in a strange land.

What fate awaited her on this distant shore, she could only guess. She could only hope she was up to the task. What sort of lives did these foreign ponies lead? All of her peers who had any experience in Equestria had told her that ponies were ponies at heart, wherever they hailed from, and that it was the little differences that would stand out most of all. While she was curious as to the culture of this strange new world, a part of her would always yearn for home.

How long must she remain here? The Princess had not given her a definite time-frame. Perhaps weeks, perhaps months. All she knew is that for the foreseeable future, Rising Sun was to remain in Equestria to ensure that if so ever the Elements of Harmony were used, that they were done so with Haysia's interests in mind.

That was it. That was all her role entailed. She was to be Haysia's security blanket. Haysia had remained secure in its interests for centuries before this time without the need of any kind of overseer looking into all of the magical goings on around the world. Why should the Elements of Harmony be any different? Was their power really so mythical? The nobility of Haysia had been up in arms ever since word of the Elements had started circulating through the grapevine, and enough of them had grown up to bedtime stories of their power that the very mention of them had somehow instilled a great fear into their hearts.

A fear borne of ignorance.

Well, fie upon them all. If it was ignorance that had somehow made Rising Sun their one and only recourse, then she would learn all she could about the Elements, and report back her findings. Surely they could not be as bad as all that. Surely, the nobility would see reason once she could safely and confidently say that their fears had all been for naught.

She certainly hoped so. If the nobility back home were not convinced of their safety, then who could say how long she would remain in Equestria for? If their fears were not abated and soon, then Rising Sun saw herself becoming a permanent resident in this strange, alien land, never again to see the cherry blossoms bloom in her family's garden.

With a sigh of resignation, she disembarked the ship. A taxi-cab driver was waiting for her there to take her to the train station. There, a train would take her to Canterlot where she would finally meet with Princess Celestria and, presumably, with the Elements of Harmony.

Hopefully, this first meeting would be her last.

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.

Special Delivery

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!"

The Doubtful Guest

Rising Sun looked up at the brick and mortar walls of the Ponyville Inn with a dubious eye.

"Is this where I am to be staying?" she asked in a carefully guarded tone to the pegasus guard at her flank.

The guard looked like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was, but he afforded her all the courtesy expected of a diplomat to Equestria.

"That's correct, ma'am," he said soberly, before a troubled expression overtook his gaze. "Is it...not to your liking?"

Instantly, Rising Sun felt ashamed. Her predicament was coloring her feelings on everything, including her living arrangements. She knew that Princess Celestia had arranged her accommodations with every possible courtesy in mind. That she would still be living far away from her home was beyond her control, but she had been treated with nothing but the utmost respect since arriving here in Equestria, and thus far, every-pony she'd met, including this guard, had been nothing but kind to her.

It was not that she found Equestria or its inhabitants repulsive or anything. It was all just...different.

After spending the night resting in Canterlot and being treated to a small but formal meeting with the Princess, Rising Sun had been promptly informed that the Elements of Harmony were not located in Canterlot, as she had originally expected, but in Ponyville, a small village to the south of the capital, about half a day's ride. Moreover, it turned out, the elements themselves had been returned to the Tree of Harmony in order to suppress the dark magic buried within the Everfree Forest by the God of Chaos, who in Rising Sun's home land was known as as the dark lord Kogami, but here was known as Discord. Perhaps one day, the Princess informed her, the elements might be retrieved once again in a time of need. That day would not come for likely hundreds, if not thousands of years, however, while the tree regained its strength, and the plunder-seeds deep within the forest eventually withered and died under the strong magical force of the elements.

In the meantime, she learned, the Elements' original bearers retained much of their magical power within themselves, and oversaw the small town of Ponyville where they lived with the newest of the four princesses in Equestria. When Rising Sun wrote back to inform Princess Cherry Blossom of this development, she was promptly ordered to travel to Ponyville, as she suspected she would be, and see to the matter personally with Princess Twilight.

So after all the necessary pleasantries were exchanged, it was off she went aboard yet another train, but not before being saddled with a "royal escort" - a pegasus knight named Stainless Steel.

Rising Sun let out a sigh. Since arriving in Ponyville, she had received even more bad news. After a formal meeting with Princess Twilight had corroborated Princess Celestia's story, her correspondence with Princess Cherry Blossom had resulted in her worst fears being confirmed: she had been ordered to remain in Equestria, to remain in Ponyville, and report on any future developments that arise with the Elements of Harmony.

End of message.

Just like that, her entire world shattered. She would spend the rest her days here in this tiny little village in a far away land. Either the Elements of Harmony would remain dormant until her dying days, or something would happen that would awaken them and prove to her people back home that her presence here was even more crucial. Either way, her life as she knew it was over. She would never again see the cherry blossoms of her home, never taste the soft juicy fruit of the Haysian peach trees, never fall asleep to the sound of the cicadas cry.

So no, she was not happy. Not with her mistress, not with these foreign princesses, and certainly not with her escort. For as polite and professional as Stainless Steel had been with her since they had set out from Canterlot, she could not help but be frustrated with his presence. None of this was the pegasus knight's fault, she knew. She supposed it was her own fault, really. While she was sure to keep her correspondence with Princess Cherry Blossom as cordial and formal as possible, her manner of writing in her letters may have hinted at her deeper feelings on this whole voyage.

In her latest response, she had been ordered to ask that Princess Celestia provide the diplomat from Haysia with an escort to accompany on her on her trip to Ponyville to keep her appraised of any cultural disparities that might arise, as well as ensuring her protection (not that the sovereign ruler of Haysia would suggest that anything could possibly happen to one of her diplomats on Equestrian soil under Princess Celestia's watch).

Still, Rising Sun could not help but feel a twinge of frustration at her mistress's imposition. She did not want a guide, what she wanted was to go home! The Princess' private correspondence with her, which suggested that she give the foreign land a chance and to get to know the local ponies, was of no help to her either. Knowing her mistress, she had somehow deliberately conspired with Princess Celestia to arrange for the handsome gentle-colt she had been conscripted with in an effort to sway her opinion.

She knew that this was irrational, but it made it difficult not to direct her ire towards the dark-coated pegasus knight, who she knew was just doing his job. Her thoughts had a tendency to get away from her at times, but she was nothing if not a disciplined individual, and it would reflect poorly on her homeland were she to let her disposition reflect on the young stallion.

Still...

"What about that establishment over there?" she spoke up, gesturing towards the smaller, quainter looking house with the thatched roof and wooden walls. She saw two earth ponies, one green, one yellow, carrying what appeared to be luggage containers into its doors, so she gathered that it must be a place of rest, like the inn. If she was to stay in a foreign land for an indefinite period of time, she would at least like to stay somewhere quieter and less luxurious - somewhere that reminded her of home.

"The bed and breakfast?" the pegasus, giving the the building an appraising look. "I don't know much about it. I suppose arrangements could be made if they have room, but the service there isn't going to be as good as the inn, ma'am. I can't recommend it."

"I care not for service, Sir Steel," she said stubbornly, turning to face him directly. "It is decided. I wish to stay at this bed and breakfast."

She saw the knight nod his head once in acceptance. He was used to following orders, it seemed, and while he did little to disguise the exasperation he felt with her, he did not hesitate to follow her directive. She liked that about him, she decided.

She lifted her luggage with her magic (Rising Sun patently refused to allow any-pony to carry her baggage for her) and made her way towards the establishment, which looked tiny by comparison to the inn. She knew that she was being difficult by altering the Princesses' plans, but she did not care. She had so few ways of lashing out that had not been programmed out of her system by years and years of regimented training and discipline that her options left her little recourse. She was not able to outright oppose her mistress, but she could at least control where she laid her head at night.

The sight that greeted her when she entered the door, however, was something that she could not quite comprehend.

"That's plus three to my Terrelian Dracolich," a white coated unicorn with a black mane and glasses cried out from his seat at a round coffee table at the center of the room. "Swinging at you for eight damage."

"I'll block with Indomitable Snowman," replied an orange-coated pegasus with a red mane, before returning to his conversation with the two earth ponies who had just walked in. "Don't be ridiculous - if you're just here for one night, it's on the house. You're one of our valued suppliers."

The green pony was practically bouncing up and down with excitement, and the yellow pony was looking more and more flustered.

"Honestly, Mister Graham, it's not a problem," the yellow mare said politely. "I would not want to impose."

"Tell you what," said the pegasus, who Rising Sun took to be the proprietor of the establishment. "Throw an order of croissants in our delivery each month, and you can stay here as often as you like."

"Do it!" the green mare bounced. "Do it! Those croissants are amazing! Also, he's a cheapskate - you'll never get a deal like that again!"

"Hey!" the pegasus frowned.

"That sounds equitable," the yellow mare nodded. "Deal."

"Alright!" the excitable mare shouted. "Slumber party!"

"Your turn, Graham," the unicorn said from his position by the table.

"Be there in a sec," the pegasus said, handing the yellow mare a key. "Here you are, room 6, just upstairs. Creme will make sure you have...everything?"

The green mare had already made a mad dash to what appeared to be a dining area.

"Just a sec," she hollered. "This calls for some coffee!"

The pegasus just sighed, looking helplessly at his customer.

"She'll, uh...get back to you in a little bit," he said. "Talk to me if you need anything."

The yellow mare started looking at the board game going on by the coffee table with a curious eye. "Hmm? Oh, yes, no hurry. Now, what's all this then?"

"Knights of Equestria," the unicorn said. "It's a really great strategy game - if someone would sit down and play already."

"Give me a second, will you?" the pegasus finished jotting down something in a notebook marked guest list.

Then he took a step towards Rising Sun and her escort.

"Welcome to Graham's Bed and Breakfast," he said cheerfully. "No better breakfast in town. Will you be needing a room for the night?"

The foreigner and her guard had no immediate response. He simply stood in silent stoicism while awaiting his charge's decision. She took a moment to glance around the room, trying to reconcile what she was seeing. Each conversation had seemed to go on simultaneously. While she could follow along with what was being said, she could make sense of very little of it.

The very air seemed to be constricting around her. The presence of so many ponies talking all at once was making her claustrophobic. She had grown up keeping mostly to herself, and even when she had attended affairs with a multitude of ponies in the room with her, they were all usually quite and well disciplined. This bunch seemed ready to burst at the seams!

The entire room was just so loud by her standards, and it was all rather intimidating and overwhelming to her. She had no idea how long these ponies would be staying at this establishment, but she had no reason to believe those that took their place would be any different. Were these to be the types of ponies she would be associating with from now on? While there was nothing inherently wrong with them that she could see, they were all just so strange to her, and there was such boundless energy emanating through the room because of them that she was beginning to feel dizzy.

Perhaps she would have better luck at the inn after all.

"Please forgive me," she inclined her head low to the ground. "There has been a mistake. I am sorry to have bothered you."

The orange pegasus looked a tad disappointed as the foreign unicorn turned to go.

"Oh..." he muttered softly. "Well, okay. Feel free to come back any time if you change your mind."

Rising Sun turned around and started heading for the door. She was discouraged - she had honestly thought that the smaller, homelier bed and breakfast would have provided her with a smaller group of strangers to have to contend with. For all she knew, it still did, relatively speaking. If that were the case, she would have some adjusting to do. She was prepared to contend with such rambunctious individuals if she must, but only if she must.

Her royal escort pushed his way through the door and politely held it open for her. She was about to exit the premises, when her ears began playing tricks on her.

""

She froze in place, seemingly stunned, as if the words had made no sense to her. She understood their meaning, and she had processed that she had heard them, but something about their utterance made absolutely no sense to her.

Then it hit her - they had been spoken in Haysianese! It had been weeks since she'd heard any-pony speak the language of her homeland that she had almost not recognized it for what it was!

"I wish you wouldn't mutter to yourself in moon-speak like that," the proprietor said absently as he returned to the small table upon which their little game was being played. "You're probably scaring off my customers."

The white unicorn merely adjusted his glasses. "Hehe...sorry. Anyway, it's your turn, Graham."

Rising Sun watched the two of them for a moment longer, blinking in confusion. Had she imagined it?

"Ma'am?" her escort had returned to see what was keeping her. She disregarded his question as she watched the dynamic of the room play out before her. She would explain her actions to the guard in due time.

Then, when the pegasus played his hand, the unicorn slapped down a card of his own.

"Your general is banished to the moon!" he cried out in elation. "Hahaha! "

Rising Sun couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was that unicorn speaking Haysianese?

"Come and get your fresh brewed caffeinated deliciousness!" the green earth pony had returned from her task in the dining room carrying a tray of small, steaming mugs.

Her yellow earth pony friend graciously accepted one of the mugs.

"Great!" she smiled. "Do they still make your teeth wiggle?"

"Only at first," the green mare winked.

Rising Sun tried to tune out the noisy barista to focus on the game. This unicorn stallion was baffling her.

"Enjoy this short-lived victory while it lasts!" the pegasus taunted back, before playing a card of his own. "Celestial Recovery! My general returns to my hand."

"Oh, very clever..." the unicorn said in a tone of false modesty. "If it weren't for my...Equestrian Exile! Target player discards his hand!"

"Aww, come on!" the pegasus said in dismay as the unicorn played his trump card. "I had all my best cards drawn!"

The unicorn crossed his arms and sat back with a smile.

"," he said in a wizened tone.

Rising Sun's eyes widened. Those were the words of Uma no Chie, one of Haysia's oldest philosophers. There were students in her old class that had yet to memorize his teachings, and this Equestrian unicorn was reciting them in her native tongue!

She studied the unicorn with a meticulous eye. He did not bear any Haysian resemblance himself, though he was sitting on his knees on the floor on the low coffee table in a very Hasyian style.

Just who was this young stallion exactly?

She supposed there was one way to find out. She would just have to get over this stupid social anxiety of hers. They were just ponies, after all. Loud and undisciplined, perhaps, but it was not like any of them intended her any harm. Just because they were foreign to her did not make them bad ponies. What was wrong with her? Was she so xenophobic that she could not simply approach some-pony who interested her? Or was she just so homesick that any-pony who demonstrated any familiarity with her homeland garnered special attention from her?

"Ma'am?" Stainless Steel asked her, his patience evidently wearing thin. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, smiling at the crowd of ponies that now gathered around the small coffee table. The more she watched them as they interacted, the more she realized what a fool she had been. Her friends back home had been right all along. Ponies were ponies at heart, wherever they hailed from. It was the little differences that stood out most of all. Sometimes though, it was nice to know that the things that made you different weren't all that strange to every-pony.

"Dude," the orange pegasus said in a hushed tone, looking nervously back up at Rising Sun. "Ix-nay on the moon-speak, would you? You're probably offending our...um..."

He straightened as he saw the foreigner approach the table, her lithe, noble features commanding an air of respect. Her corn curved upward slightly, and her mane and tail were so long and vibrantly black that they extended nearly to the floor, nearly covering the red sunrise cutie mark for which she shared a name.

"I'm, uh...terribly sorry, ma'am," he said politely. "I didn't mean to offend."

She shook her head simply. "It is no matter."

"Oh," he said, sounding slightly relieved. "Well then...is there something else I can help you with?"

The Haysian unicorn eyed the other ponies around the table, her eyes lingering on the other unicorn who had spoken her language, who was now blushing and refusing to meet her gaze.

A pity, she thought. She had been hoping to speak with the young stallion, but it seemed he was intimidated by her as well. She supposed she could be rather imposing without realizing it. She clearly had a lot to learn when it came to interacting with other ponies. She was used to social functions where everything was cut and dried for her. Introductions were made by one noble house to another, and the ponies she met were only there to serve a function, as she was. It was not about making friends, it was about establishing ties and cementing bonds. Nothing personal, just business.

She made a mental note to spend more time working on her social skills. It seemed she had nothing but time on her hands, in any case.

"Ma'am?" her escort asked, completely unsure of what to do next.

Rising Sun cleared her throat.

"I would like to stay here," she said simply, bowing her head low to the floor once again. "If that would not be a problem."

The other ponies in the room all exchanged a glance, including the pegasus knight, who seemed as confused as they were. Finally, however, the one called Graham got to his feet, and offered her a friendly smile.

"Of course," he said enthusiastically. "Welcome to Graham's Bed and Breakfast."

Let The Games Begin

Creme de Menthe woke up with a hangover the next morning. This was not unusual for her, but the manner in which she had acquired it was. Her usual evening routine consisted of either tracking down Berry Bunch or Pinkie Pie and seeing if there were any parties going down that night and trying to get into one, and if not, simply going home and vegging out in front of the TV. Either way, alcohol was usually involved. Last night, however, there had been no TV, and no parties - at least, not the type of parties she was normally acquainted with. No, this party was a complete and total nerd-fest of board games and card games, and weirdest of all, it had gone down in the common room of her own workplace.

Golden Graham's high school friend, Higgs Boson, had stayed until the wee hours of the morning, before finally leaving for home - but not before leaving a select number of his games with Graham. He had actually needed to call his mom to let her know that he would be staying out so late, as well as the fact that he would be getting dinner with his friends. Graham had ordered a pizza and Creme had mixed some drinks for the entire group. Lemon Meringue had enjoyed herself at least, but rather than staying up in one another's bedroom's to gossip, they had both been sucked into a long game of Oranges to Oranges that had lasted most of the evening. Then Graham and Higgs had started up a game called Mustangs of Catan, which she and Lemon Meringue had tried their hand in with mixed success. The two boys had to explain most of it to them, but it was easy enough to pick up once the game got going.

She was just pleased that Lemon Merginue at least seemed to be enjoying herself. She had been worried that she would be bored by the two nerds geeking out over their games, but to her surprise, her friend from Manehattan had been delighted to join in, which made it all the more fun for Creme herself. It was an odd thing, that a game could take such a simple concept - pieces of plastic and cardboard and dice - and make it seem challenging, as if to offer a distraction from that complexity of the real world in a way that was still engaging, if pointless. Still, it had managed to keep them occupied for the duration of the evening, and seeing the two boys having so much fun with it was really something to see.

Even that strange foreign diplomat and her guard had stayed and watched, though neither had participated. After some polite small talk, Creme had learned that she had apparently been stationed in Ponyville as an overseer to the Elements of Harmony, and would be staying at the Bed and Breakfast for the foreseeable future, which Graham was more than willing to accommodate. It just meant more money for him, and the funds were coming directly from Canterlot, so he was only too happy to accept her. The bed and breakfast charged roughly the same as the inn, for while their service was marginally lower, the inn served only drip coffee - Creme gagged - and store bought hay bagels for their guests.

The pegasus knight was apparently staying with the local guard station, and had not reserved a room for himself at the bed and breakfast. As an appointee from Canterlot, he was under no-pony's jurisdiction but the diplomat's, and was at her disposal until she dismissed him for the night. Every so often, she would ask him something in a hushed tone, which he responded to in an equally quiet voice. The snippets that she could catch indicated that she needed clarification on a joke that had resulted from one of their games. Creme got the feeling that she was curious about the games they were playing, but did not yet feel comfortable approaching any-pony to ask - that, or she did not yet feel familiar enough with the group just yet. She hoped that one day, she would become more sociable. If she was to be a permanent fixture at the bed and breakfast, it would be rather boring otherwise.

After the games had ended, and the pizza and mixed drinks began slowly dwindling, the small group had simply sat around the coffee table and chatted. It was mostly Graham and Higgs discussing their high school days when the two of them would game together with other friends. Creme didn't have many fond memories from high school - in fact, aside from Berry Punch and Lemon Meringue, Graham was about the only other friend she still spoke to from those days. Still, it was fun to listen to them carry on about their games, particularly when they started discussing something called Myths and Mayhem. That game in particular seemed to be the source of the two boys' most amusing stories that evening.

It was not the first time she'd heard of it, but she had never quite understood what it was. After listening, it did not seem to involve the strict board-game setup that she was familiar with. While there was a grid-lined mat that was used to establish a setting, the details of the game seemed mostly free-form, and could be arranged to exhibit whatever setting was needed. What she did not appreciate, however, was that one of the players had to take on the role of Game Master, and essentially run the game as its ruler and decision maker. That seemed weirdly unfair to her, but after hearing Graham describe one of the campaigns that he had run in high school, she began to see that the Game Master was still ultimately responsible for making the game fun for the other players. The other thing that seemed strange to Creme de Menthe was the fact that the game was usually composed of a long-standing campaign divided into multiple sessions and could last anywhere from a few weeks to a few years, depending on how much the players enjoyed it. That seemed like a rather unrealistic commitment to her.

The best part about it, though, was that the players could come up with their own unique character, and give it whatever personality they desired. There were some terms she was not accustomed to, such as paladins and bards, but ultimately, she got a pretty good idea of what type of characters they were talking about when describing their builds. There were a lot of numbers involved, which didn't really mean anything to her, and Higgs Boson seemed obsessed with eking out as many extra points as he could, but she still got the gist of it from Graham's descriptions, as he always took an extra moment to elaborate on something for the rest of the group.

As entertaining as it was to sit and listen, asking the occasional question and being amused by the answer, there were still the odd guest to take care of. Some customers came in late and needed to be directed to specific amenities, and they could not raise their voices above a certain level for fear of disturbing those trying to sleep. Still, it had been a fun, if low key way to spend the evening, and once the hour became late enough, it was time to wrap things up and turn in for the night. Higgs and the pegasus knight - she thought she'd heard his name was Stainless Steel? - left for their respective sleeping quarters, and the rest of them filed upstairs to their bedrooms, and Creme still went to bed with content buzz in her system.

She stumbled downstairs the next morning, as per usual, and perked right up with a shot of espresso. Such a glorious thing was caffeine, she thought, as she cleared her vision to gauge her boss' mood.

To her surprised, Golden Graham was actually whistling while he worked this morning, casually flipping pancakes and walking with a little spring in his step as he wandered back and forth between tasks in the kitchen.

"Well, aren't you chipper this morning?" she asked with a smirk.

He blushed at little at her comment, and cleared his throat as he turned to focus on his work. "Oh, just...you know...in a good mood."

She giggled. He could be kind of cute when he was flustered like that.

"So, what did you think of Lemon Meringue?" she joked playfully. "Pretty cute, right?"

His disposition did not seem to change.

"Yeah, I suppose so," he admitted, sprinkling some cinnamon over some Prench toast. "She seemed more interested in that other pegasus though."

Creme was disappointed at first that her jibe wasn't able to get a further rise out of him, but her smile widened when she heard his reasoning.

"Jealous much?" she smirked.

He threw an unreadable glance in her direction.

"No," he said slowly. "Just making an observation."

Creme shrugged. She suppose she had noticed her friend casting the odd wayward glance in the guard's direction last night. Lemon Meringue had always had a weakness for stallions in uniform, she supposed, and it seemed that was still the case.

"So what's got you in such a good mood this morning then?" Creme asked, as she started readying the place settings for their guests when they arrived.

Graham poured some more pancake mix on the griddle, making six perfectly sized silver dollar hotcakes.

"Just been a while since I've been able to sit down with friends and enjoy myself," he said, somberly. "I haven't had that much fun in a while."

"I'll say..." Creme agreed, sipping at her coffee. "I don't think I've ever seen you cut loose like that before."

He ignored the jibe. "I just wish it could be like that more often, you know? Get a group together, play some board games, maybe get a campaign started. I miss doing that stuff."

She shrugged as she retrieved a jug of milk from the refrigerator. "Well, what's stopping you?"

Graham seemed confused by that. "What?"

"Well, you pulled it off easily enough last night," she said simply, frothing some milk and brewing a cappuccino. "Why can't we do it again? Like, maybe get together once a week, play some games, have some pizza and some drinks and just live it up for the night?"

Graham paused his work for a moment as he pondered that.

"Yeah..." he said slowly, as if coming to realization himself. "Yeah...why can't we? It's not like Higgs will have any trouble getting here, with his mom constantly on his case about getting out more. And if you're down for it, that makes three of us."

"Yeah!" Creme said, excitedly. "And now that Lemon Meringue has free room and board here, I wonder if she'd be available..."

"Available for what?" came a voice, as the yellow mare stepped downstairs, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Speak of the devil," Creme smirked, stepping up to her friend and placing the freshly made cup of cappuccino into her hooves. "That was pretty fun last night, huh?"

Lemon Meringue took a sip of her beverage and hummed in satisfaction. "I certainly enjoyed myself. Didn't think a simple delivery trip could be this interesting."

"I know, right?" Creme grinned. "Anyway, my boss was thinking of doing something like this on a more regular basis. And since you've managed to score yourself a room here whenever you like, we were wondering..."

"Oh honey, that's so thoughtful of you!" Meringue smiled widely. "I would love to join in!"

"You sure?" Graham asked skeptically. "It's not too much trouble coming down here each week?"

"Oh, not at all," she smiled, waving him off as she found herself a seat at one of the tables. "I have to send deliveries here every week anyway. Usually I have one of my employees to do it, so I could just take on that role for myself. Write it off as a business expense. And it will be much cheaper, now that I don't need to worry about staying at a hotel."

Graham smiled, uneasily. "Well, as long as you're sure..."

Creme wrapped her arm around Meringue's shoulder. "Perfect! Now if only we could convince miss Rising Sun and her guard to join."

"I would be honored."

Four heads swiveled up to see the unicorn mare stepping down the stairs, her mane and tail looking pristine and perfect.

Golden Graham, ever the conscientious one, was the first to speak up.

"Oh, we're sorry, ma'am," he said, flustered. "We didn't mean to talk about you behind your back."

"It is no matter," she responded curtly. "I greatly enjoyed watching you all last night, and I have given much thought to this. I do not wish to remain a passive observer while I remain here. So if you would have me join your weekly gathering, I would be honored. And I will implore Mister Steel to accompany me."

The other three ponies just exchanged glances before smiling.

"Well then," Graham said, enthusiastically. "I guess it's settled then."

"Awesome!" Creme grinned as she wrapped her arms around both Graham and Meringue. "Same time next week?"

The yellow mare smiled and nodded. "Same time next week."

Rising Sun inclined her head low to the ground in a Haysianese fashion.

"I look forward to learning from you all," she said somberly.

"Now then..." Graham said, flipped one of the pancakes on the griddle. "Who's hungry?"

Author's Note

End of Part 1.

This is what I originally joined this site to write. I wanted to create my own MLP story with my own cast of characters. The cast of the show might make occasional appearances, and certainly be mentioned often enough, but ultimately, this is a story about a different group of six friends whose motivations are of a more pedestrian nature than saving Equestria, who all come from various backgrounds, and are united by a common interest. Through this interest, they will learn more about each other, come to appreciate one another, and grow as a group. Some friendships may blossom into romance, others may become strained by tension, but ultimately, it is the characters that will make this story, and not the other way around.

That said, you'll find a lot of aspects of the main cast of MLP in these characters. Creme de Menthe has Pinkie's boundless energy and Rarity's inclination for perfection in her craft, for instance. There are probably many similarities and parallels that could be drawn between my characters and other characters in the show. They're unavoidable - though please let me know if any of the names I've chosen have already been taken if you notice any!

All in all, however, I hope that this fic is able to stand on its own. If all goes well, its characters should develop naturally on their own, and the story will have a distinct beginning, middle and ending, and ultimately, will exist for its own sake.