The Voices (In My Head Again)

“So, it’s a deal?”

“Seems so Mr...um, Sketch, right?”

“Yup, one hundred pounds of chocolate a week and we will be business partners, we will advertise for your shop as well, but then again, who doesn’t know about your shop, right?” This gets Cupcake to giggle slightly.

“I’m just surprised you can go through that much for being a coffee shop.” Carrot cake says in surprise

“Yeah, well, things work in odd ways sometimes, see you tomorrow to pick up the chocolate.” Sketch states.

“Sorry to say, but we won’t get any more milk or dark chocolate for another three days,” Cupcake says.

“What’s today?” Sketch asks.

“Tuesday,” Twilight says.

“You get it on Friday?” Sketch checks to see if he’s right.

“Yes, is that okay?” Cupcake asks.

“Could you put in a rush order? We will pay extra for it..” Sketch offers.

“I’ll see what I can do.” She says with a smile.

“Alright, also do you have red velvet cupcakes? I’d like to buy one.”

“Here, take one on the house as a present for our new partnership.” Carrot Cake says.

“Thanks, see you guys tomorrow.” As Sketch leaves the couple looks back on him as he leaves.

“Honey, do you know what exactly he is?” The husband asks.

“I haven’t the slightest, but he is good business.” Cupcake replies.

Back at the cafe with the cupcake in hand Sketch opens the door setting off the bell on the door frame.

“I’m back with a cupcake and a hundred pounds of chocolate a week, fifty dark chocolate and fifty milk chocolate.”

“Dang somepony… or whatever you use, really seems to love this job!” Mocha Jon says as he starts cleaning the bean hoppers. “Alright, you think you can learn the espresso machine?”

“Ummm, maybe?” Sketch answers confused, Long story short it was the cheapest coffee he could get to order at the coffee shop back on campus. All he ever drank was black coffee, not anything fancy like that was probably sold at an establishment such as this.

“Look it’s very simple, you just put the grinds into this small little handle, press it, hold the cup under the dispatch area, and hold another cup for the frothing milk and out pour the two together. Then you just add the flavorings and you’re all set, wanna try?”

“Uh huh...repeat that again?” Sketch asks in utter confusion, why did coffee have to be so confusing.

“Alrighty… you just put the grinds into this small little handle, press it, hold the cup under the dispatch area, and hold another cup for the frothing milk and out pour the two together. Make sure to watch for the steam because it is hotter than Applejack’s br…” Mocha begins to say, but his extreme nervousness caught up with him, “Uh, Applejack’s breaded Apple Pie…” Mocha says as he begins to blush.

“Who’s Applejack?”

“One of the other elements of harmony I told you about after we were done talking about biology, don’t you remember?”

“Oh yeah, the one named after the cereal.”

“Only in your world, and please don’t compare her to cereal when she’s around.”

“Fine…” Sketch says as he attempts to make the coffee Mocha made but as Sketch put a cup to the machine… He forgot to look out for the frother and steam hit him on the chest… And the steam was not cold…

“Son of a! Mother, ugh that hurt like hell!” Sketch says restraining himself not to curse in front of a ...how old was Twilight again?

Mocha eyes widen at the response and tries to break the tension for the customer, “I’m so sorry ma’am, he’s new here, have a free cake pop to help forget that just happened…” He said as he looks over at Sketch, “I know how breaded apple pies are tasty but I meant negative connotation…” He snarked.

“Sorry I just messed up again, kinda happens a lot when I’m in the kitchen. Usually I just accidentally cut myself. Now that I think about it I get hurt a lot.”

“So you basically lied about a crucial part of the job during the interview… Wow, your kind must really know how to get ahead in the corporate ladder.” Mocha jokes as he takes the cup and fixed the coffee for himself. “Alright I’ll make the drinks, you just try taking orders, there’s somepony coming in right now,” Mocha says as he points to the door. As he looks around, he notices it is a large red Earth pony with a reddish yellow mane, making Mocha blush slightly…

“Quick what’s the name of the cafe? I forgot out of bad memory.” Sketch asks quickly, but before he could get a response the customer rang the bell on the counter. “Hi, welcome to Mocha Jon’s, what will ya have today sir?”

Mocha Jon looks a little confused, as the store was not named after him but he figured that could be fixed easily. The red stallion grins and responds in a deep voice with a thick accent, “Howdy, I’ll take a Double Shot Triple pump Caramel Macchiato with Soy Milk and light on the drizzle with Half-Caf espresso please.”

“Coming right up sir, that will be four bits.” As he says that the stallion puts down four bits and one in the tip jar. As Mocha Jon makes the order he can’t help but look over at the stallion every few seconds almost spilling the drink on himself.

“Oh hey Big MacIntosh, I remember your specialty, just order the ‘Big Mac’ menu item and I’ll make it for you,” Mocha says as he starts using his horn to carry the drink, but due to the small size of his horn and the fact he wasn’t the best magic user, he almost drops the coffee… Big Mac expected this and caught it before it fell on and burned Sketch.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac says as he takes his drink and waves goodbye, surprisingly not phased by the strange being at the counter.

“How’d I do?” Sketch asks.

“Well, you need to be able to read orders back, corporate policy, not mine…” Mocha said as he looks annoyed, hating that rule himself, “But for one of those complex orders you see in the movies I don’t really mind you skipping.”

“Okay, well since we aren’t busy wanna chat and kill some time over a cup of black coffee?”

“Black? I need a lot of cream and sugar in my stuff, but I can still chat, what do you wanna talk about?” Mocha asks as he starts using the espresso machine like an arcade cabinet.

“Alright I’ll go first, do you like that red stallion that was just in here? I know that face when I see it..”

“What face? I didn’t see anything?” Twilight says.

“It’s the same face Twilight made when I mentioned Flash Sentry.” At this Twilight squees out of nowhere in embarrassment.

Mocha freaks out when this subject is brought up and the steam sprayed on him when he flinched, “OUCH! Wait, him, Uh he’s a nice guy and a regular here.” Mocha says as he nonchalantly drinks the unfinished beverage.

“Sure he is...Your turn.”

Mocha was not ready to admit that to ponies of whom probably don’t consider him a friend yet, “Okay Sketch, I’ve heard rumors that in some world ponies are nothing but farmers, have you heard that?” He asks, referencing a horror comic he once read.

“Yup, and if they were a race horse they were put out to stud for the right price, and were non-sentient either. My turn!”

“Okay… I didn’t know they had horror comic books on your world.” Mocha responds, missing the point of his answer.

“That's horrible Sketch!”

“Still true though. Hmmm, what to ask…" And so Sketch asks the most important question ever asked, ever, of all time, but the writer is too lazy to write it so we just fade to black on the scene like in the final episode of the Sopranos. Spike, Twilight, and Sketch head back to the castle for the night, tomorrow was going to be a busy day, fifty-four days left...