Can't Take The Heat

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Chapter 1

Authors Note:

This is my first fan-fic and I am currently looking for proof readers and editors. If your interested drop me a line on here and we can get that setup. Also I am Canadian so I will be using the Oxford English Dictionary spelling of words so if you are American you may see a few extra "U"s and "Z"s in place of "S"s

Feel free to be brutal as I will learn from my mistakes.

NOW ON WITH THE SHOW!

It was the start of another busy night at Toss, the newest restaurant in Ponyville. The kitchen was in full swing ready to take on the rush of the service to come. Everywhere you looked you saw Ponies, in sharp and pressed white chef jackets, readying sauces and preparing vegetables for garnish. The ovens were on and the low hum of the ventilation system droned on in the background. One unicorn pony came rushing out of one of the large walk-in coolers almost colliding with another pony, there was a quick two step and they were both off on their way to their respective corners of the kitchen.

In an office in the back of the kitchen there was one lone, butter yellow unicorn pony with lightning blue hair modeled after his favorite DJ, preparing himself for the night ahead. Never in his career had he ever been so nervous, excited, and scared for one service. Surrounded by paperwork and cookbooks he collected his thoughts.

“It’s cool Chéz you got this.” He spoke to himself attempting to rid the self-doubt he had. “It’s not like this is the first time you have done this, you have been cooking for years now.”

Tonight was unlike any other night for Chéz. Tonight was his first night at Toss but he was not just another Commis Chef or Sous Chef, no tonight he was THE Chef. This was his dream job, to be a big name in town for the culinary industry; he had dedicated so much time and effort for this moment. Not to mention had gone above and beyond all the competition for this position and he got it! But now he was starting to stress out a bit.

“What if they don’t follow me out of the gate? What is there is a mistake in one of my calls? What if I send the wrong product to the wrong –“He was cut short in his battle with himself by one of his Sous Chefs coming in to the small office.

“Chéz…” He paused. “Chef, are you fighting with yourself again?” It was one of his best friends Sear. The tall dark stallion with a pure white mane had worked with him for years at different establishments around Equestria but it had been another year since he had last worked with Chéz. That was until Chéz showed up at the front door saying he was the new Executive Chef.

“How long have we been working together? Are we going on 12 years now?” Sear asked himself aloud.

“Yeah got to be around that long by now,” Chéz responded “I still can’t believe I’m here now.”

“Hey, you have worked your flank off for too long to not have this. You know I will always have your back. So stop moping around in here YOUR team is waiting for their head chef.” Sear always knew what to say to get Chéz back on his feet.

“Alright, alright I’ll get out there and do them proud. What would I do without you, you big lug?” Grinning Chéz got up and gave him mate a playful hug and headed out of the office head held high and ready to go. But he was stopped short by Sear one last time

“HEY CHEF!” He shouted “Can’t be a Chef without the big hat!” Joking as he tossed the new Chef his hat.

“Thanks Sear we’re off to good start now!”

Chéz made his way out to the prep kitchen to make sure all was well with the main support team of the kitchen. As he walked through ponies left and right looked up to him and either welcomed him or acknowledged his presence in one way or another. He paused at one table to watch as one of the cooks was working on very intricate designs for garnishes made out of fruit peelings and a multitude of vegetables. He pondered over it for a second complimenting the cook and moved on, he still had a hot kitchen to look over.

“Chef if I may have a moment of your time?” He swirled around to see a short azure mare, with a purple mane, behind him in a very smart looking little black dress ‘Damn she is looking all nice tonight’ he thought to himself.

“Yes?”

“Sorry I have not had the chance to introduce myself I am Oculus the Sommelier of Toss.”

“Well, Hello to you as well but I may ask that you don’t sneak up on my like that next time “Chéz chuckled to himself.

“Oh I’m sorry I understand that you are under a lot of pressure tonight, but I thought I might get a quick introduction in before we got started, perhaps we could … get a drink once we are done here tonight?” Oculus questioned, blushing slightly mostly from the fact that she just asked the new Chef out for drinks, and she had just met him.

“Hmm, sure that sounds like a swell plan.” Chéz replied. “Anywhere you had in mind?”

“I have a couple spots but we can talk about that later, I must get back to the front and you sir have a kitchen to run.” She knew that taking any more time would not be good she was running late for a service team meeting and had to run quickly out of the kitchen.

Chéz was pleased with himself, he hadn’t been in the building more than 5 hours and already had a date with a cute little mare. He hummed to himself as he made his way to the Hot Line and mentally prepared himself to address his team.

When he got there he saw the cleanliness of the kitchen, the stainless steel sparkling, the cutting boards were so white you’d have thought they had never been used. Even the pans that had been used hundreds of times yet looked like they had just been taken out of the box. As he looked over the kitchen his eyes came to rest on his team all dressed for success and looking sharp. Behind them with a goofy shit eating grin on his face was Sear. ‘Damn he always knew how to get me in a good mood.’ As Chéz came to stop in front of this team he knew he was in good hands. They were well trained and knew their jobs down to a grain of rice.

“Good Evening” Chéz announced out to the team of 20 ponies all ranging in colours, builds, and races.

“Good Evening Chef!” They called back, Chéz got a good chuckle out of hearing that but now was not the time to be getting a big head.

As he was deflating himself a bit, one of the younger earth ponies stepped forward and introduced herself “Commis Chef Apple Surprise ready when you are Chef.” This was the front lines leader of this team she had them all setup and ready to roll for this would be one hay of an interesting night.

Chéz gave a quick introduction and said his hello’s before he dismissed them to head off to work on their final preparations. Once they were all off and back to work, he called Apple Surprise over to get the quick run-down of how everypony works together and which ponies didn't. Surprisingly enough, he found out that they hadn’t had a personal issue since they opened 7 months ago. Boy was he glad to hear that.

The clock finally ticked down the final minutes, and he got himself ready for the night that was rapidly approaching. It started off rocky; Chéz started doubting he would be able to keep the name of Toss happy and going. But with a wink from a certain azure mare he picked his spirits right back up and kept going all though the night.

The dinner service lasted just over 5 hours, and it was a busy one. All the regulars coming in to see this new Chef that would be taking over. Once the rush died down, Chéz decided he would go for a quick stroll around the dining room to see how everything was doing with the guests. As he made his rounds he chatted with a group of 6 ponies that he knew were important; they were all dressed beautifully and were looking just amazing when he spotted one he recognized from his time in Canterlot.

“Rarity” He proclaimed as he approached the table stopping behind the White Unicorn with the flowing purple mane “How have you been my dear?”

“Chéz? You are the new Chef they brought in? That is just wonderful! Is Sear back in there as well?” she jumped up giving him a quick hug and quick peck on each cheek.

“Oh yes, yes. He is hiding back there I’ll be sure to send him out I know how much you had a thing for him.” He chuckled as he returned the embrace and helped her back to her seat.

Once they had said their hello’s Rarity went around the table introducing her friends. Chéz went around and shook every one of their hoofs and then signaled for Oculus to come over.

“Yes Chef, may I be of some assistance?” She questioned as she approached the table.

“Oh Oculus this is Rarity one of the greatest fashion designers out there these days, and one of my good friends. Could you see to it that they are taken care of with a couple bottles of our finest wine. Let Rarity choose. She always had an eye for good wine. And I will be covering their bill tonight as well.”

The table started clamoring that Chéz couldn’t do that and how they wouldn’t accept it but it was already final.

“Chéz, you have out done yourself again,” Rarity exclaimed” You must stop by my boutique and perhaps we can get you a nice new personalized jacket?”

“I would love that Rarity, You mares have a good evening” he called as he parted from the table.

Chéz began to make his way back to the kitchen when a surprising event took place in the corner of his eye. He knew it was a special night for him but for two mares it was only going to get crazier. He watched as the white unicorn filly with a crazy blue mane got down on her knees and brought a little red box out of her bag. Then, right there she asked her fillyfriend, a grey mare with a black mane and a treble cleft for a cutie mark, to marry her. The entire restaurant went silent as if they were all waiting for the grey mares answer. She started to well up and tears started to stream from her eyes, the white unicorn looking dejected started to leave but the grey mare pulled her back and into a very passionate kiss, at this the restaurant exploded in applause and cheers of joy.

Chéz walked over to the happy couple to pass along his congratulations but even after walking across the dining room the two mares were still locked in a tight embrace and kiss so he thought better to not interrupt and instead left a bottle of Champagne for the engaged couple.

The rest of service went smoothly and Chéz knew that his team had done well. So when all was said and done and there was little cleaning left he decided to let the rest of his cooks out early so he could finish up and get out meeting up with Oculus. In his frantic cleaning and organizing he didn’t hear the doors to the kitchen open or hear the hoof steps of the short azure mare as she snuck up behind him.

“Hey how long are you going to keep a lady waiting?” she joked knowing it would give him a start.

“AHHHH!” Chéz jumped a good 3 hoofs in the air. “Yikes you scared me, what did we talk about earlier?”

“I know, I know it was more out of pure entertainment on my part.” She giggled as he calmed down. “Well how much longer do you have … or should I just start walking home … all alone, by myself” she started to play with him.

“Oh don’t worry your little heart out there. I just have to change and I’ll meet you out front in five.”

He watched as she trotted out of the kitchen his eyes never leaving her flank and spotting the resting heron cutie mark. ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ he thought as he headed back to his office to change and get ready to go.

Chéz emerged a few minutes later looking like a whole new stallion. His mane was brushed and he was wearing a very stylish looking sport jacket. He made his way through his new kitchen one last time for the night to ensure everything was turned off and once he pushed the final switch he watched as the kitchen was plunged into darkness.

As he made his way out front he noticed the lights were all off and the only light was from Luna’s moon shimmering in through the window. He opened the kitchen doors and met Oculus at the front doors. With the way the moon stroked across her body Chéz knew he had never see something so beautiful he looked over her once more and then caught her gaze. He didn’t realize until that moment that she had the most amazing emerald eyes that reflected the moons light just perfectly. After a couple of seconds he broke the stare and turned to get their jackets hiding so the blush burning under his face didn’t show so much.

“Ahem” He cleared his throat and carried on “Well shall we?”

“Yes” she paused still stuck on this stallion in front of her, he looked magnificent in her eyes the moon playing off his muscles and caressing his baby blue eyes. “Would you prefer a pub, a club, or a lounge?” She asked having no preference where they headed tonight.

He pondered it for a quick second ‘I could try getting closer to her at a lounge but I’m feeling like moving tonight, and I bet she has some good moves’

“How about a club for some dancing? I need to blow off some steam after tonight.” It had been a stressful day for him and he knew if he tried to relax he wouldn’t, only way to wind down after that was to go out to the club and just dance it out.

“That sounds like a great plan!” Oculus exclaimed “I know the best place to go and it’s only a couple blocks from here!” Sounding even more and more excited.

They headed out of Toss locking the doors behind them and made their way down the street, for two ponies that had just met each other no more than 12 hours ago they walked fairly close. They arrived at the club a couple of minutes later, Oculus wasn’t lying it was only 2 blocks away, out front shone a neon sign that read the clubs name “Buck Wild”. They got in line as soon as they showed up and thought that they might be in for a long night. Awhile later and the line not moving at all they started to think all hope was lost and that they weren’t getting in. When all of a sudden 2 very familiar mares walked by one of them instantly recognizing Chéz.

“Hey you’re the new Chef over at Toss right?” the White Unicorn filly asked

“Oh dear thank you so much for the bottle of Champagne it was such a perfect way to celebrate our engagement” the grey earth pony added.

“Yes, yes I am and congratulations on your engagement it was an honor you choose our establishment for the occasion.” Chéz replied beaming

“Hey how long have you guys been standing out here?” the white unicorn asked

“Oh about 20 minutes already” Oculus replied shivering. Chéz took that as his moment and he stepped closer and passed his jacket to her. Oculus had to hide her face to keep from blushing.

“Hmm well that’s not right gimme a second I’ll be right back.” The unicorn called as she headed to the front of the line.

“What is she up to – Oh I’m sorry I never got you name ma’am” Chéz asked turning to the grey earth pony.

“Oh I’m terribly sorry, that would be my fault. My name is Octavia Philharmonica.” She responded

“Wait THE Octavia? The pony who has played to sold out shows in Manehattan and Canterlot?” Chéz was stunned “I’m a huge fan of your work!” ‘Okay easy buddy don’t start gushing’

“Yes the Octavia, and thank you for your kind words. Oh look here comes Vinyl hopefully with good news.” She giggled

“Okay so told the guy at the front and he started apologizing so he is grabbing the owner and we are heading in” she spoke to Octavia and started walking back to the front.

Not knowing what to do Chéz and Oculus stood stunned that they had just been in the presence of Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Philharmonica, when Vinyl shouted back “Hey are you two coming or what?” Realizing that she meant them both ponies made their way to the front of the line where, standing behind the velvet rope was none other than Sear. Chéz just chuckled and waved as he walked right past and in stopping inside to get one of the bouncer ponies to let Sear in.

Once inside they made their way through the crowd towards the VIP booths and finally sat down. Chéz, being a kind gentlecolt, offered to go grab the first round of drinks for the ladies taking mental note of what they all wanted, for Oculus a glass of red wine, a double Jura Whiskey neat for Octavia, and a Barcolti for Vinyl. As he was turning away he heard a chuckle come out of the three ladies. As he completed the turn he was surprised to see a waitress already there and taking the order from behind him. He forced a chuckle out of himself and ordered a Coltanee, sitting back down feeling a little hurt.

As the night carried on Chéz and Oculus left the two love birds, who weren’t much for conversation as they were still celebrating, and headed for the dance floor. Both had a nice buzz going and were having the time of their lives as they spotted Sear from across the room. They made their way over to him and of course had to explain how they got in before him and how a bouncer finally let him in after standing there forever.

They each had one or two more times on the dance floor before the effects of more alcohol kicked in. Sear got cut off and was dragged out of the bar and the other two took that as their cue to leave also. When Chéz and Oculus made it out the bar they looked around for Sear but couldn’t see him hoping he went home Oculus turned to Chéz.

“Well I suppose I must be heading off I’m this way.” She said pointing in the opposite direction as Chéz had to go.

“I’ll walk you home” he jumped in, “I mean if that is okay with you. I just want to make sure you're safe.” He tried to cover up being cool.

“Why that sounds lovely” she giggled as she snuggled up to him for the walk home wearing his jacket and nuzzling his neck.

A few minutes later they arrived at her front door. Oculus turned to him and just stared deep into those baby blue eyes almost getting lost in them. Chéz matching he gaze and sinking into her giant emeralds she had for eyes. She broker he gaze after a couple seconds, making both of them blush, but neither minding if the other saw.

“Well … this is your stop. Have a good night Miss Ocu –“He was cut off by her pressing her muzzle to his and giving him a deep passionate kiss. Stunned at first Chéz resisted then caved as he began to press back. After a good while they had to break for air. Oculus coughed quietly trying to breath. The met each others gaze once more.

“Good Night Mr. Chéz” Oculus cooed.

“Good Night Miss. Oculus” Chéz replied, as she slipped into her house.

‘Oh wow what a night’ Chéz thought and he knew it ended on a high note. Now he just had to find his way home somehow.

On his journey through Ponyville back to his house he thought of his past and how everything that had ever happened to him and how it had shaped him to be whom he is now.

Chapter 2

On the walk home, his mind was drifting from the events of his life that had lead up to this point. He thought of his family, more so about his father, an amazing Chef in his prime. Chéz had learned more than his fair share about cooking from his dad. He was taught all the basic cooking skills while he was still just a young colt. He was always helping out in the small kitchen in their home. And a couple times he got to tour his father’s real kitchen. But when his dad passed away, it still took Chez a while to figure out that cooking was what he wanted to do. In his time of mourning, he finally understood, and his cutie mark shone through for the first time.

~~~~~~~

20 Years Earlier

“BUT MOM!” Chéz whined, “Do I have to get a job?”

The argument had been going on for weeks if not months. Chéz had dropped out of main stream High School and was doing distance learning. Over time, his mother had given him the ultimatum of “Get a Job or Get out!” It was tough love, but she knew it would work. He lazed around the house and barely got any school work done; he was just wasting his time away. These days, he just didn’t have the energy or willingness to do anything. He had dipped into a deep state of depression since his dad died. He didn’t know it, and, if he did, he wasn’t about to admit it.

“Yes, and stop bickering about it” His mother shot back. “Here is the classifieds and I know that the Brohawk Pizza up the street is hiring. So get moving, there are plenty of jobs out there, so find one.”

“Ugh, Alright, Alright, I’ll get to it” Chéz moaned as he headed back to his room. He knew he had to get his flank in gear so he meandered his way over to his desk and started looking around for a parchment and quill to write out what little information he had for his resume.

The next day he set out to finally get his first job, he took his mother’s advice and started at the Brohawk Pizza. When he entered the building, he asked the host if he could have an application for a kitchen position. The host obliged and passed over the paperwork that was needed to be filled out and lead Chéz to a booth. Just as Chéz was finishing, the manager came over and had a little talk with him. It was just the basic interview questions, but Chéz was so nervous that he ended up blowing the interview. He left quickly after applying, knowing he wouldn’t get the job. As soon as he was outside, he let a nervous and depressed sigh out, finally understanding that getting into the working world was not going to be easy. Inside the building, unbeknownst to Chéz, the manager had kept his resume and passed it off to one of his friends’ who was opening a similar restaurant not far away.

Two days after applying at Brohawk Pizza, he got a job offer from a different Pizza joint that Chéz had never applied at or even heard of before. He didn’t think anything of it at the time, all he could think of was, ‘Hey at least my mom will stop bugging me’, but this was going to be the start of the rest of his life. Working in kitchens, he soon found out was where he wanted to be. It was hard work but you always got to see the fruit of your labour from the look in in the guest’s eyes as they ate their meal. Sure it was nothing glamorous it was pizza but it was the first thing he took pride in in the year since his father passed away.

~~~~~~

Chéz finally got home, not realizing how easy it was to get lost in the small town. He did learn one thing on his trek, he is on the exact opposite side of town from Oculus, and Toss is right in the middle. He made his way up the stairs to his front door fumbling, for his keys. He finally got them out and cursed at himself for not leaving the front light on so he could see the key hole at night. After a couple of minutes of fighting with the door, he hit the sweet spot and turned the key before it had a chance to fight its way out.

Making his way inside, Chéz lit a cigarette and stumbled to the fridge. Opening the door, he quickly realized that he had what was joked as a Bachelors Fridge. Having nothing but; condiments, left over Balikun Food, milk and apple cider. He grabbed a cider and released it from the other five in the six pack. Heading upstairs, he went to the bathroom to have a quick shower before bed. Finishing his cider and putting out the cigarette, he jumped in and could feel the sweat and strain of the day wash off of him as the shower beaded down on him. Letting out a relaxing sigh, he turned off the water, grabbed the towel and made his way to the bedroom to sleep. He closed the door behind him and felt his way to his bed because he was too tired to even try to find the lights. Just before he slipped, into bed something outside his window caught his eye. Backing away from the bed he made, he, shuffled over to see what couldn’t be described with mere words. Looking over the town of Ponyville from his third story bedroom window, in his house on a hill, he could see everything and it was just breath taking. Luna’s moon that beamed from overhead and glistened off the river and fountains while lanterns that danced in the streets gave a small warm glow to the houses that lined the streets. It was a beautiful night; he knew this was where he wanted to stay. He smiled calmly to himself and made his way to his bed. Life couldn’t be any better for the stallion.

The next morning, Chéz woke bright and early to the sound of his alarm clock’s loud buzzing and beeping. These days it was the only thing that could pull him out of sleep. With almost military-like precision, a hoof flung up from the bed, smacked the snooze button and shot back under the covers. It was amazing that a colt his age could still pull off such speed and movement, but to Chéz, it was all just muscle memory.

“Ugh….” He grumbled to himself. “Why did I drink last night?”

Memories started flowing back to him about the previous night, slowing to rest on the memories of Oculus. “Heh, right, that’s why” he chuckled as he decided not to wait for the alarm to go off again and slowly made his way out of bed. He cringed a bit when his hoofs touched the chilled floor of his bedroom. It was already late September and the temperature was beginning to slowly drop.

As he made his way from his room, he decided that a quick shower would provide some relief to his aching joints. After the shower, he headed downstairs for breakfast. After reaching the landing he headed towards the kitchen but stopped for a moment to admire the old family photos that rested above the fireplace in his living room. There was a photo from almost every generation there; multiple from his mother’s side of the family most dating from the days of his youth, but there was only one from his father’s side. In a rose wood decorative was the large extended family Chéz never met, the only way he knew them was stories his dad told of them. The picture was one of Chéz most prized possessions he always put his family first and would always miss those that had passed on. Taking one last look at the pictures he headed off to the kitchen to see if there was anything worth trying to eat for breakfast.

As soon as he stepped in the kitchen, he realized that he had previously looked last night and knew all that was in the fridge was a little leftover take-out from the other night. He never had any food in the kitchen, ironically for being a well-respected chef he wasn’t one for home cooking. He chuckled at the thought of having the same conversations growing up with his mom.

~~~~~

“It’s your turn to cook tonight, Chéz!” his mother hallowed down the hall.

“Ugh … but MOM I cook all day for people, the last thing I want to do is come home and cook for more people.”

“Oh just do it, there is smoked tuna in the fridge and some pasta or rice in the cupboard.”

He never once won that conversation, it always ended with her just giving him a list of main course ingredients and leaving it there for him to cook. It wasn’t that Chéz was forced to cook, or that he hated cooking for his mother. It was just the fact of cooking that one more meal for the day to end.

“Alright I’ll do it. What do you want rice, pasta … or we do have that romaine in the fridge, I could do a smoked tuna Ceaser salad?”

“Salad sounds good.”

~~~~~~

It was just then that he realized he hadn’t gone to see his mom since he arrived in Ponyville, ‘Maybe she would like to go for breakfast’ he thought about it for a few seconds, and with that he was out the door and heading out. He got about three steps outside before he turned right around and jumped back in the door. He had forgotten how cold it had gotten recently and the crisp fall air nipped at his flesh. He trotted downstairs to the basement, to see if he could find the box of winter clothing that he had thrown randomly down there, not thinking he would have needed it so soon. He finally came across it and grabbed one of his favourite scarfs; it was a plain butter yellow scarf with jet blue tips. His mother had given to him a couple years ago as a Winter Moon Festival present. He made his way back through the sea of boxes, up the stairs and back outside.

Chéz arrived at the front door of his mother’s house after a short trot around town. It was a quaint little bungalow house with large garden that, during the summer, bloomed such brilliant colours. Chéz trotted up to the door and gave a quick knock. His mom was always an early riser, and even in retirement, she got up at the hours she had been so accustomed to. As the door slowly creaked open there was a shill of glee from the other side. The door blew open the rest of the way, and his mother came bounding out so happy to see her son after such a long time.

“Chéz!” she screamed “You finally decided to come visit your old mother, eh? What has it been, two or three years?”

“Hi Mom,” He replied when his mother had calmed down.

His mother looked like she hadn’t aged in almost 10 years. Her royal purple coat and flowing crimson mane still held the same shape and colour as it had for so long. She was still spry and always had too much energy for her own good. After she had broken the longest hug Chéz could remember, she realized that he wasn’t supposed to be in Ponyville; last she heard, he was working in a fancy hotel in Manehattan.

“Chéz…? Why are you standing on my door step?” she asked “Are you no longer working in Manehattan?”

“No, I left Manehattan a couple months ago. I only just recently moved back to Ponyville.” He replied.

“So…. Why are you back then?” She was a little worried now knowing full well that his temper could get the best of him and had, on multiple occasions, left him jobless.

“Well, I was offered an opportunity I couldn’t refuse” he was starting to get excited “I am now the Executive Chef of Toss here in Ponyville.”

There was another shrill sound of glee that came from his mother as she jumped up again to give him another huge hug. He saw this one coming and had braced himself accordingly.

“That’s amazing Chéz, we should celebrate! OH, your father would be so proud of you.”

“Well that’s kind of why I’m here, I was wondering if you wanted to go get breakfast; I have nothing to eat at home and I would like to try out some of the breakfast places around here.”

“Oh, that’s just perfect, I know a great spot for some pancakes.” she ducked back inside to grab her scarf and popped back out moments later.

“So mom which place did you have in mind for these pancakes?”

“Well, there is this darling little place that me and some of my friends love called Sugar Cube Corner. The Cakes are such masters in the art of baking that it’s a very popular spot.”

As they were walking down the street they chatted about the past couple years and all that had happened. Chéz sighed to himself. He was glad to be back with family.

Chapter 3

As Chéz and his mother made their way to Sugarcube Corner they took in the sights and sounds of Ponyville. It was a lazy Sunday morning in the residential district that soon met a bustling downtown core. Colts and fillies could be seen running to and fro playing in the town square amidst the autumn weather. The leaves on the trees in Whitetail woods could be seen in the distance and had begun to change and shone in radiant oranges and reds, The Running of the Leaves would be happening soon. Upon reaching Sugarcube Corner they made their way inside and quickly found a table by the window.

The waitress trotted up and introduced herself as “Ms. Cake one of the owners of Sugarcube Corner" while she passed out the menus and asked what they would like to drink. “Two coffees and two waters.” It had always been the same for years this being one of the many things Chéz had in common with his mother. As their drinks came they quickly ordered the pancakes and apple syrup that was famous in Ponyville. While they waited for their food to come they got in some catching up and Chéz soon realised how long it had been since he had been to see his mother. They talked about Chéz’s moves in cooking and why he had left Manehattan. ‘Staffing Issues’ was all Chéz had to say and his mother knew that he had gotten over stressed and blown up. He always had problems with his temper.

“So what have you been up to these past couple years mom?” Chéz asked curious as to how his mother had managed to keep busy in her retirement.

“Well …” she thought aloud. “There is the garden that keeps me busy for about 9 months, and I have been helping old Cherilee, the teacher at Ponyville Elementary, I don’t know how she keeps going. I have also been spending plenty of time at the library helping the Librarian; OH she is such a sweet unicorn filly. You should meet her you might like her.” His mother always was trying to get him to find a marefriend and settle down; but his response had always been; “I want to get my career settled before I do”

“Of course you would think that mom, but don’t worry I may have found someone already” He didn’t want to give too much yet, in case things didn’t work out.

The food arrived shortly after and they dug right in. It was always amazing how quickly they would stop talking and eat until it was done and pick up the conversation where it left off. The pancakes were massive and filling, but Chéz could not get enough of the syrup and didn’t want to stop eating against his bloated stomachs wishes. They finished up, paid and decided to take a stroll around town while the food digested.

Leaving Sugarcube Corner they headed down Main Street towards to a giant tree that Chéz was surprised to see near the middle of the downtown core. Trotting at a very leisurely pace they went from shop to shop with Chéz’s mother giving a grand tour that Chéz had not had the chance to do yet. As they stopped into a little shop that surprisingly was named “Quills and Sofas”, presumably for what they sold, a chipper old mare trotted up.

“Merlot it’s so nice to see you out and about, and who is this sharp looking stallion accompanying you today?” It was Cherilee the old teacher at the school house.

“Ah Cherilee how nice to see you today; this here is my colt Chéz he just moved to Ponyville and is the Executive Chef of Toss. You know the new fancy place that just opened up.” She said proudly almost boasting.

“Oh that is so wonderful to hear, I may have to stop in there some night.” Cherilee remarked.

“That would be wonderful ma’am; I would be pleased to have you anytime.” Chéz chimed in.

Cherilee and Merlot chatted for just a little longer while Chéz looked around and talked to the shop keeper about getting a couple quills for work. He soon learned that they were all out of quills, it seemed curious to Chéz, for a place that only sold two items and to be out of one was odd.

As Chéz and his mother left the shop they continued down stopping at a couple of vendor stalls to see what the ponies had to offer. When they finally made it down to the end of the shops they were right in front of the now massive tree that Chéz had spotted at the beginning of their trip. As he examined it further he saw it had windows and a door on the front and a balcony protruding from the right further up. He peered inside and was shocked to see it was hollowed out and furnished with bookshelves filled with thousands upon thousands of books.

“Wha… What is this!?” Chéz was stunned he had never seen anything like it before. He had lived in big cities for most of his life and had never come upon something so bizarre.

“This” his mother replied “is the Ponyville Library. I had the same reaction when I first came upon it. It still boggles my mind how they did it but with proper training a unicorn can do just about anything. Which brings me to the librarian, she is a… well-read pony she studies constantly and is always reading something, she‘s also Celestia’s personal student.” She paused for a moment to let Chéz take it all in. “Well shall we? I’m sure she will be so glad to meet you.” Chéz was about to enter when he stopped to think about what his mother had just said.

“Mom … Have you been telling stories of me again?” Chéz asked quizzically. All his mother could do was beam at him in response. Chéz sighed to himself, Merlot always told stories of his life and his screw ups. It was almost like his life was an open book for the entire world to read. Sometimes it was funny but there were times when it got embarrassing. He knew it was just that his mother was proud of him.

“… Maybe” Merlot replied in a sing-song voice. “She is such a sweet girl so we get talking and you happen to come up… A lot.”

Chéz face hoofed and let out a small groan “Alright then let’s get inside its starting to get cold just standing here.”

They trotted up to the door and knocked on the purple door. As soon as Merlots last knock hit the door it flung open to reveal a small purple dragon standing in the door way.

“Hi Merlot!” the dragon exclaimed, a big grin appearing on his face. “Who’s this you brought today?”

“Hello Spike, this is my colt Chéz he is the new Head Chef of Toss just off main street. Is Twilight in?”
“Hello Chéz… Oh wait you’re the one that Twilight was talking about this morning” Spike replied

Chéz was a little taken aback ‘Had he already met this mare?’ He thought to himself. He knew that he had drank a bit more than he should have but he didn’t remember leaving Oculus’s side all night.’ As the purple mare walked up it dawned on him who Twilight was.

“Well hello Chef. I didn’t expect to see you in my library so soon.” Twilight said motioning Chéz. “Merlot it is so nice to see you again as well. Do you know Chéz?”

“Okay what is going on here?” Chéz’s mother asked quizzically. “How do you two know each other?”

“Well Rarity, you remember her I wrote about her being a regular back in Canterlot, well her, Miss Sparkle and their friends were kind enough to grace us with their presence last night at Toss. I had only known Rarity and decided to thank them for coming out I bought a bottle of wine for their table.”

“Actually Merlot he left out a little detail… He bought our entire meal.” Twilight got in to get the record straight.

Merlot was shocked and quickly asked Twilight “Were all the girls there last night?”

“Oh yes there was Rarity and I, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, even Lyra and BonBon came out.”

“Wow… um okay then.” Merlot replied turning to Chéz “Do you realize who you bought dinner for last night?”

“Oh Merlot … Let’s not dwell on that right now I’m sure you two have other things to be doing than gossip.” Twilight quickly interjected trying to hide something. This piqued Chéz interest he would have to ask his mom where she was going with that point later.

“Well, Twilight, I had brought Chéz here to introduce him to you but since that seems to have been done last night I guess we will be back on out tour of Ponyville.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you properly Miss Sparkle” Chéz chimed in.

“It was nice to meet you in better lighting and finally see what Rarity– never mind, and please call me Twilight.”

“Very well then I will see you soon Twilight,” Merlot said “hopefully we can get a bit more work done tonight.”

“Be seeing you!” Twilight called as she closed the door.

As they walked away they heard a girlish giggle from behind the door but made nothing of it as Chez and his mom made their way around town once more. As they walked they talked about the past again, it wasn’t the brightest of subjects but it was one of the more emotional topics. They talked of his father and his past career.

~~~

Chéz had just walked in the door of Pepper’s Appleoosa Grill. He made his way over to the bar and had sat down since has still had a half hour before his shift started. He made small talk with the bartender and had a quick burger.

“Chéz! There you are why are you just sitting there?” It was one of his managers. “You’re a half hour late for your shift.”

“WHAT?!” Chéz replied shocked. “Okay sorry I’ll get up there now I thought I still had enough time when I got here a while ago.” He was apologizing the entire way to the kitchen. Even the bartender backed him up that he had been there for almost thirty minutes. The manager fairly understood once she heard what was going on and all seemed fine as Chéz walked onto the line to start the night.

“Hi guys sorry I miss read the schedule.” He announced to his team.

“Why are you so late!?” another one of his managers came flying out of the back obviously pissed he was late.

“I already explained to Jade what happened it’s all good no need to get excited.” He replied with a fair amount of sarcasm in his voice.

“Well you can cut the attitude and just get to work, I’m also writing you up for this.”

“Why need to fill your quota for the month?” getting excited himself he knew he was on the edge and all it took was one more line from her and he would over and angry.

“Well we don’t need your horrible attitude around here every day so just get to work.”

“HA BUCK YOU!” He bellowed ensuring that the entire team knew what was going to happen. Almost like he wanted to degrade her even more since this was going to have a crowd. “IF YOU DON’T WANT MY HORRIBLE ATTITUDE, THEN I GUESS YOU DON’T NEED ME!” and with that stormed out of the kitchen grabbed his bag and threw his jacket at the office door. As he left out the back door he made sure to give it a forceful slam and headed for home.

He had made it home just after his mother and knew there was going to be questions as to why he was home already and what he was going to do next. The conversation went on for just over an hour and thankfully his mother saw most of his side. They were cut short by a phone call.

*RING* *RING*

Chéz picked up “Hello.”

“Chéz it’s Iron” ‘Great’ Chéz thought ‘here it comes’ Iron was the General Manager of Pepper’s

“Yeah Iron I was expecting your call”

“Can you come in tomorrow, I believe we need to talk” he said flatly.

“Yeah I suppose I could, but I think both of us know where it’s going to go”

“Alright I just want to talk to you face to face come in at two tomorrow afternoon”

“Okay I guess I will”

With that Chéz hung up not even wanting to keep that conversation going any longer.

“Well… Guess I have a meeting with Iron Arrow tomorrow” he said as he turned to his mother. She just smiled and nodded.

“I’ll drive you there what time do you need to be there?”

“Two… But I need to get to bed I am way to angry to think straight right now” he headed to bed not even waiting for a response.

That night Chéz had one of the most relaxing sleeps he had had in months working at Pepper’s he had no priorities and no extra jobs to worry about. In the recent months of work he would get maybe 4-5 hours of sleep a night. It wasn’t healthy and usually made him sick every few weeks.

The next morning he woke fully rested around ten. He made his way out to the kitchen and grabbed a quick breakfast. He wasn’t in any sort of rush but he did want to wander the shops before having to go to Pepper’s. After showering and freshening up he headed out to Main Street to see if there was anything new in the shops worth buying. After a few hours he decided he didn’t need anything and that he should get going to Pepper’s.

Chéz made his way down the streets deciding that if he was going to face the looming meeting he would need to be relaxed. Pulling a cigarette and lighter from his saddle bags he paused for a couple minutes outside of Pepper’s to finish his smoke. ‘Alright … here goes something.’ He thought to himself as he entered the door.

Inside the usual bartender Bateo was serving a couple customers but spotted Chéz and gave him a friendly wave. Chéz returned the gesture and headed upstairs towards the kitchen and the upcoming meeting. Chéz chuckled to himself as he passed the manager, that he had walked out on, on the stairs all she could do was give him a dirty look.

“Chéz you’re a little early.” Iron was at the top of the stairs and didn’t look happy.

“Yeah a couple of minutes I suppose, I can wait at the bar if you want.” Chéz suggested

“No, no let’s get this over with.”

The two made their way over to a small table by the window. Iron sat down and started going through some paperwork strewn about.

“Alright Chéz … what happened?” Iron asked with a hint of sympathy.

“Well I came in for what I thought was a later shift, sat down …” Chéz told him the entire story right up to the point of Iron’s call the other night. Chéz even admitted he was in the wrong for what he said to the manager.

“Okay … You know you bucked up pretty hard yesterday that’s good. But I can’t let this slide… what do you think I should do? I don’t want to have to fire you.” Iron was sounding more sympathetic than usual. He and Chéz had a good work relationship and had gotten along well over the past couple years.

“For what I did … I shouldn’t be treated different from any other employee. But Iron I made the choice last night when I walked out that I wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon.”

“That’s what I thought you would say … alright then … I guess this is good luck. I’m sure we will see you around in the future?”

“Iron you couldn’t get rid of me even if you tried.”

As Chéz got up they shook hooves and he quickly headed to the kitchen to thank the cooks working for everything over the past year and to say good bye. It was a little emotional but all understood that it was for the best.

~~~

“So Mom what were you going to say about Twilight before she cut you off?”

“Well you know the stories of Nightmare Moon and Discord that you learned back in school and at camp?” Merlot replied “Well those are actually true. Well one is no longer true… Twilight and her friends are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and close friends with Princess Celestia. Chéz they are VERY important ponies… and you bought them dinner” She finished with a squeal of excitement. Chéz could only chuckle finally realising that he had served and bought dinner for the most influential ponies in Equestria.

‘Hmmm this job could really be paying off’ Chéz smiled as he looked at the large clock tower in the middle of town.

“SHIT!” Chéz said partially under his breath “Mom I got to get going I have to work tonight I promise I meet up with you later.”

“Okay I’ll bring the girls by in the next few nights!”

With that they shared a quick hug and parted ways.

Chapter 4

Chéz made his way to Toss after spending a good deal of the day with Merlot and he could not be late. As he made his way up to the front doors, he saw Oculus standing out front having a conversation with an earth pony stallion.

"No leave me alone … haven't I told you enough already?" Oculus stated flatly.

"Come on … you're doing this again? The stallion replied.

"Yes we are through … It's over for good I don't need you anymore!" She replied getting aggravated.

"No we're not. Now come home I'm not talking about this in public"

"No I am not going back to your place or anywhere with you. I'm done taking your abuse and your shit Macho!" Tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"Oh your coming home" Macho started to shout as he raised a hoof to hit her. That was the tipping point for Chéz he had seen enough and didn't need to see it carry on any further. He jumped in between the two at the last second and took the blow that was meant for Oculus.

"Ooof" Chéz gasped as he buckled slightly but stayed upright and glared down the other stallion.

"Alright buddy obviously you didn't hear the mare the first time leave her be and be on your way" Chéz growled.

"Whoa. Look at the big shot jumping in here! Thinking you can stand in between my girl and me? You looking for trouble or something bud?" Macho said sizing up Chéz

"No but I bet the guards over there would love to see you and me go at it." Chéz was a bit intimidated by the other stallion but was not about to back down. "Care to give them a show or are you going to leave?"

"Fine but watch your back from now on buddy the guards won't be around forever." And with that, Macho turned and headed down the street.

Chéz never took his eyes off him making sure he didn't pull any cheap shots or double back. When he was out of his eyeshot, he realized that Oculus was still behind him. He turned around to see her frozen stiff with tears streaming down her face.

"T-Thank you …" Oculus spoke softly trying to hide the tears in her eyes. "You didn't have to…"

"It's okay lets go in and we can talk about this." Chéz said attempting to comfort the broken mare in front of him.

Chéz got out the keys for the building and quickly unlocked the door. Once they were inside Oculus excused herself to use the restroom to clean herself up. Chéz took this opportunity to put on a pot of coffee and grab a couple pastries from the bakery cooler in the kitchen.

"Coffee?" Chéz asked once he saw Oculus returning from the restroom. She had cleaned her face off and had reapplied make-up that had run with her tears. For a pony so sad, she had a soft glow to her.

"Yes please. Thank you … for everything." She said quietly.

"It's nothing." Chéz responded.

"You're not going to ask about what just happened?" Oculus asked.

"Nope I learned a while ago that I need not pry into other people's business and focus on my own life, but I am always an open ear for others to voice their problems. If you ever want to talk I'm always here."

"Thank you… "There was a few moments of silence as they had their coffee and pastries before Oculus spoke again. "Well I guess we should get started on the day" Her voice was still a little shaky but they both knew that they had their own jobs to do and the other staff would soon be arriving.

"Alright I'll be in my office and roaming the kitchen if you need anything."

"Okay, and thanks again."

As Chéz started the equipment and overhead fans he could not get the thought of what had happened earlier out of his head. Was it the pain of taking a blow from the other stallion, or was it the pain he felt for the mare that he took the blow earlier for. He shook his head to try to hide the memories and ready himself for the night that was to come. Saturday was always a busy night in any kitchen, but he felt ready for it and the team was one of the best he had worked with.

"Chéz, you hiding back here?" Sear called from the hot line. Sear was always one of the first in each day. He took pride in this and Chéz had always poked fun at him about it.

"Oh is that the Overtime milking stallion?" Chéz replied. "Yeah I just got the equipment turned on come on back."

"So what ended up happening between you and Oculus? I asked her when I walked in but I got the hint at the shade of red she turned." Sear was always a stories or straight to the point guy.

"Nothing Sear I walked her home after leaving you in the bar –"

"Yeah, that wasn't nice either you just left me drunker than hell and take the girl… "Sear interrupted putting on a playful pout.

"Like I was saying nothing happened I walked her home and then I went home and passed out."

They left it at that with a quick wink from Sear. As the two parted to get changed and ready the thought of Oculus crept into Chéz mind again. 'Damn I need to get her off my mind' he quickly thought to himself.

An hour later the rest of the staff was finally ready and at their stations preparing for the dinner ahead. Kitchen was a blur to the untrained eye but Chéz loved watching the hustle and bustle of a professional kitchen. Every once in a while Chéz would walk up to one of his cooks and have a quick chat while assisting with whatever task they were doing. The hours ticked down until service and Sear was readying the hot line team. Going over reservation numbers, what the special was tonight and the usual cleanliness talks. As one of the cooks saw Chéz approach they nudged Sear and he spun around almost as if planned.

"Chef. Do you have anything to add?" it caught Chéz off guard at first and he took a second to recover.
"Yes actually … I do," it was Chéz's turn to catch Sear off guard. "I'm going to be on the line tonight if no one has any objections. I would like to see how this team works together and I would like you to see how I work."

"Decided not be an office Chef eh?" Sear replied with a bit of playfulness.
"No that was one of the thing I told myself in school was that I would not be and I would like to stay on the line as much as possible. Is this alright with everyone?"
The collective "Yes, Chef" gave Chéz a goofy looking grin. As the teams cleaned and readied their stations on the line Chéz got a quick rundown on the ordering system and was ready to go.

"BZZBZZBZZBZZBZZ" The first bill started printing at 7 o'clock sharp.

"Alright people lets have some fun" Chéz called as he ran off the first ticket. "Ordering one fish, one steak med rare, one salad, one Penne"

"One fish, one steak, one salad, one Penne, Yes Chef" The callback was crisp and out of every one of the nine ponies working the line.

As the night ticked on, the whole kitchen was in full swing when one of the wait-staff came to the line."Chef may I?" It was the easiest and best way to get any ones attention in a kitchen.

"One moment, Ordering one chicken, one fish, one soup" After the callback came Chéz continued. "Alright what can I do for you?"

"Table eight would like to see you if you have time."

Chéz rolled his eyes and nodded. "Sear take over your on ticket eighty-four"

"Yes Chef"

Chéz made his way out to the dining room and was pleased to see the faces of the happy customers enjoying the food. Doing a couple laps of the room, he made his way to the table that had requested him.

"Well, well, well. Look who made time to come out and say hi!" A voice called just ahead of Chéz. There sitting at the table he was heading for was Merlot and her friends Belle and Spring. At the sight of the two mares Chéz perked up knowing his two biggest critics were dining tonight.

"Ladies how is everything tonight?" Chéz questioned taking an empty chair at the table.

"Everything tastes fabulous. How did you manage to get the Chef's position here?" Belle replied.

"Ah that would be the secret 'Phone List' of the trade that landed me here." Chéz joked.
The group chatted for a little longer all the while Chéz was keeping an eye on the food and the staff to make sure everything was running smoothly.

"Sorry Ladies but I must head back in it was lovely to see you again. Feel free to stop by anytime." Chéz spoke as he rose from the table knowing that he was needed in the kitchen.

"See you around Chéz."

"Glad to see you again"

Chéz exchanged hugs with the group and headed back into the kitchen.

"Well, well, well look who decided to join us." Sear called out "You're on ticket 106 Chef!"
With that, the kitchen was back in full swing. The night carried on and soon the constant sound of the printer died to a small trickle.

"Good job everypony!" Chéz called out as the last order of the night left the kitchen.

"Thank you Chef." The few raged voices called back as the closing cleanup began.

The kitchen was quiet and empty, the cooks had gone, and the service staff had all left over an hour ago. Chéz slowly made his way out of his office after finishing the paperwork. Sighing he made his way to the front to turn off the lights and do his final checks. Making his way past the hot line, he heard the sounds of a pony crying. He moved through the dining room getting closer and closer to the sound. Turning around a booth he saw her.

"Chéz … I'm so sorry…"

"What … is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry…"

*THUNK*