"Raborn, can you hoof me my shoe?"

"Here."

"Merci."

"I'm still not sure about today."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's just that...I'm not sure if Maud's going to enjoy where we go today. It's so hard to gauge whether she's enjoying herself or not."

"I know what you mean. I used to have a-BOWTIE!"

"You used to have a bowtie?"

"No, it's just that Chicory knows how to tie a bowtie and I...can't...get it...RIGHT."

"Need a hoof?"

"No. I am...perfectly...CAPABLE....Yes, if you wouldn't mind."

"Sure."

"Like I was saying, I used to have a customer like her. He was a Prench Zebra but he was totally unreadable. He would order a cup of coffee or a beignet (a little too tight) and sit at his table. There wasn't even that spark in his eye like when ponies normally eat my beignets."

"How's that?"

"Great. Thanks, Raborn. Anyway, it was just so hard to judge if I was doing something wrong. He didn't say much and I had never seen him as much as nod in acknowledgment."

"What did you do?"

"I just did my best and eventually he stopped coming. I'm not sure if he was sick of my beignets or he just went back to Prance, I just tried not to think on it too hard. I did my best and if it couldn't make him happy, then that's just how praline crumbles."

"Hmm...I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Beignet."

"No problem. Now let's go across the hall and see if she's up."

Raborn knocked the door, his mind trying to go over their schedule for the 30th or 40th time since he woke up.

It wasn't a complicated schedule by any means. It was quite tentative incase they wanted to stay in one place longer than others. He hoped that they could do everything on the schedule and get back early enough that he could start pre-DerpyCon South preparations.

First things first, Maud had to open the door.

Raborn raised his hoof to knock again when the door opened. There stood Maud who, aside from her mane looking recently brushed, looked exactly like she did yesterday.

"Good morning, Ms. Pie!" said Beignet, "I do hope you had yourself a nice sleep."

"The bed was a bit too soft," said Maud, "Besides that it seemed good enough."

"Ummm...Ms. Pie?" Raborn spoke up, "Your room has the hardest mattress that the Hamptrot Hotel could find. Just like you requested."

Maud just shrugged and Raborn made a mental note to talk to the staff later.

"Well, mattresses aside, are you ready to head out?" asked Beignet, "We have a full day planned. Right, Raborn?"

With mention of his name Raborn's ears perked up. He had been lost in the thought of how to go about increasing mattress hardness when Beignet had said his name. He vaguely remembered Beignet saying "Day planned" and she was now looking at him expectantly. Raborn just nodded and hoped to the Princesses he didn't agree to something weird again. Like those buffalo yodeling lessons.

"Riiiiight!" said Beignet with a slight sing-song in her voice, "If y'all are just about ready, Ms. Pie, it's just about time to head to our first stop...Breakfast!"

Author's Notes:

This is where this story ends. I really don't know enough about New Orleans to keep writing and I have no will to really continue with it. I apologise.