The tension in the conference room was palpable, and everypony, including the only human in Equestria, Anonymous, could feel it. A business deal involving hundreds of millions of bits was almost unheard of among anypony in the steel supply industry. Manehatten was growing, and the older buildings were no longer up to the latest building codes. It didn't help the fact that Equestria had faced numerous villains, invasions, and the occasional natural disaster that made the buildings compromised over the years.

But to Anonymous, it was an opportunity for progress and money. It blew his mind that steel existed but that most of the ponies were squandering its potential. He was determined to see steel become more integrated into Equestrian society for better uses. He also did not mind getting paid for the trouble along the way.

Anonymous would never forget seeing Tirek causing destruction a few years back. The destruction of homes Tirek laid upon the dwellings caused them to collapse too quickly. It was a miracle nopony had been killed, but it wasn't for lack of trying on the centaur's effort. It cost the ponies a lot of money to rebuild, and he had seen too many wives and foals cry at the loss of their homes while the husbands worked overtime to earn the bits.

The five business ponies sat across from Anonymous and his bat pony boss, Mr. Bagbits, and bat pony assistant, Mrs. Tap Typer, reading the terms of the deal very thoroughly. They were extremely thorough to the point that even Mr. Bagbits started sweating. His boss leaned over to Anonymous and whispered,

"I'm a bit concerned; they've been going over that proposal for over an hour. You and Mrs. Tap Typer doubled check all the details with the legal department, right?"

Anonymous confidently nodded an affirmative "Yes.", as did Mrs. Tap Typer. Even her husband, head of the design department, worked with her and Anonymous to ensure the proposal missed no detail. Even the legal department, full of freshly graduated and experienced lawyers from Canterlot Univerity, double-checked the proposal. There should have been nothing wrong with it, yet, the Night Steel Works Company's professional head honcho was sweating bullets. Anonymous had learned a lot of valuable lessons from the older bat pony stallion, and yet, here was that same stallion barely holding his composure.

Anonymous leaned in and reassured his boss in a whisper, "Don't worry; this deal is too good to pass up. They can't pass this up, and they're fools if they do. No other company can provide the same price and speed as we can. Our safety features and building designs are like no other. I took inspiration from Earth's standards, and the design department flipped their lids over it. We got this deal in the bag."

"I certainly hope you're right." Mr. Bagbits whispered back and returned his attention to the ponies across the table. The ponies, all unicorns, reviewed the proposal for another fifteen minutes before setting it down. All five of them looked at each other and nodded,

"Mr. Bagbits, we've reviewed the proposal very thoroughly. Everything seems to be fair and in order. After looking at the specifications and design of your steel plans, we've come to a consensus."

Anonymous crossed his fingers under the table, hoping it would seal the deal. The company would make millions of bits, and no doubt create more jobs for the local bat pony community where he lived and worked. Anonymous also had no doubt he would get a raise and bonus for his efforts. His time in the NSW Co. was five years and considered short by most standards. However, Anon's Master's degree in Business earned back on Earth had prepared him well for his future. He never expected his future would be in Equestria, but he wouldn't change it. He had to provide for his family, and it wasn't that far his eldest daughter would be nearing her time for college.

The head pony sat across the table, then said, "The proposal is...BUCKING GREAT!"

"Damn right, it's fucking great! FUCK YEAH! Another deal sealed!"

Anonymous smirked just as Mrs. Tap Typer sighed in relief while Mr. Bagbits sat frozen in his chair. Anonymous tapped him on the shoulder to get him out of his shocked-induced stupor. It worked as the stallion then replied, "Y-you're serious? You like it?"

The business ponies laughed before the unicorn stallion continued, "By Princess Celestia's grace, you're bucking right; we love it! We've never seen something so innovative before."

The mare beside him added, "The safety features alone are brilliant. These designs are going to revolutionize buildings as we know them. And we will be the company to build them with your steel products."

The stallion on the farthest right asked, "How soon can we finalize this deal? Please tell us there's no other company aware of this?"

As soon as the stallion's question was asked, Mr. Bagbit's confidence returned. Anonymous smirked as his boss finally re-took control of the situation.

"My fellow ponies, be at ease; you're the only company we've proposed these plans to. We can finalize everything tomorrow afternoon and begin order fulfillment. If that's all, we can meet at 3:00 PM here with our legal team. If that's all, we will see you all tomorrow!"

Anonymous turned to Mrs. Tap Typer and said, "And you were worried? I told you they'd accept. Your husband owes me five bits."

As Mr. Bagbits walked over to hoof bump and talk to the business ponies, Mrs. Tap Typer turned to Anonymous with an annoyed look. "I can't believe my husband bet against the deal. And I can't believe he made a bet at all! I'm going to talk to him later."

The older mare jumped off her chair and went over to her boss just as Anonymous added, "So, I'm still getting those five bits, right?"

She blew a raspberry at him and added, "Take it up with my husband. He owes you the money, not me."

Anonymous shooked his head while chuckling, "Real professional Tap, real professional."

Anonymous joined Mr. Bagbits and Mrs. Tap Typer, escorting and chatting with the visiting company representatives. Plenty of hoof bumps and congratulations were made before they finally left the building. As the ponies left, Anonymous' boss and assistant remained in the conference room. Mr. Bagbits produced a bottle of champagne from a small cooler. With three glasses filled, each of them took one as Mr. Bagbits made a toast.

"Today was a good day, and I propose a toast to our hard work and success!"

"Here, here!" said Anonymous.

Mrs. Tap Typer nodded as they all took a sip from the drink. Their boss added, "And to celebrate our success, I will have the company host a party at the Manehatten Conference Center. All employees and family members are invited."

"You'll get your five bits at the party Anon. I'll have him bring it there."

Mr.Bagbits was confused, "Five bits?"

"Her husband bet against my proposal idea for the company. He lost, and she's annoyed he bet against it."

The bat pony mare rolled her eyes and added, "And he's going to get an earful when I get home."

Their boss chuckled, "Well, he shouldn't gamble against the company's success. In any event, you and your husband will easily make that money back starting tomorrow."

Both the human and the older bat pony mare went wide-eyed. Neither of them could have believed what they were hearing, even though Anonymous suspected that the deal might have resulted in a pay raise. And Anonymous was right, as Mr. Bagbits added,

"Due to your hard work, you two are getting a raise added to your salary and a bonus of bits. Thank you both for your hard work; I mean it. This deal will rake in the bits for the foreseeable future. Our company is going to grow fast. And the raise and bonus are..."

Their boss told them the amount and both of them couldn't believe it. The raise was higher than he expected, and the bonus wasn't even expected. Anonymous was on the verge of jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas Day. But the man held his composure and held out a fist for this boss to hoof bump.

"Thank you, sir. I very much appreciate it."

His boss returned the hoof bump and said, "No problem; now I believe you two have spouses to break the good news too!"

The stallion gulped down the champagne and our himself another glass. Anonymous did the same and had his glass refilled, but Mrs. Tap Typer fainted and spilled her drink over the floor and on herself. Mr. Bagbits shook his head and added, "Didn't expect her to react that way, but I'm sure her husband will be happy about the news. Mr. Anonymous, would you do her a favor and help her?"

Anonymous nodded, set his glass down, and helped the older bat pony mare back up.

"I hope my wife doesn't faint. What is she doing now? I can't wait to break the news!"

It didn't take Anonymous that long to get home to his apartment. He got a taxi carriage the moment he walked out of the building. The stallion wasted no time in getting to his upper-scale apartment. Not only did Anonymous have an excellent paying salary, but he was lucky to get his upscale apartment when he did. When he found it, it was almost as if Princess Luna herself aligned the moon's warm luminescent light over his building. It was as if she guided him to a better place. Luxury apartments were not only hard to secure but also expensive to boot.

Fortunately, he didn't have to compete against any other pony for the apartment. Anonymous had walked up to the Apartment landlord just as the stallion was ready to list it for sale. After a quick tour and a review of the terms and rent price, Anon sealed it from any other pony who would otherwise snatch it from him. His family moved in three years ago, and his wife nearly fainted when he broke the news. His foals were ecstatic and grateful to move out of their older, less desirable apartment with a list of never resolved issues.

"My wife will faint when I tell her the good news. I can't wait to see her reaction!"

Anonymous paid the Taxi stallion and went inside the building. He took the elevator and walked into the hallway to his wonderful home. He pulled out the keys, and before he could open the door, it revealed his best friend, Eclipse Cover. The stallion wasn't super impressive; his looks were average at best, and he wasn't the fittest by bat pony stallion standards. His mane sometimes wasn't as clean as it should be, and his teeth could have had some orthodontic work done. But he was a nice guy and had been Anonymous' closest confidant, aside from his wife. Anonymous was sure if he took the time to improve himself and drop the sense of being owed a mare, he'd eventually find his own wife.

"Surprise, Anon! Before you ask, "Why are you here?" I figured we could hang out and share a night ale."

Anonymous smiled, "Oh hey, Eclipse! Sure thing, bro! I didn't expect to see you today, but I'm down for hanging out. I got some good news to share."

As Eclipse cover made his way to their fridge, Anonymous saw his wife, Sweet Shade, sitting on their couch. No matter how many years he had spent with her, Anonymous' heart skipped a beat every time he saw her. She was his rock and center in Equestria, and his life was better than ever when they married. Anonymous didn't think he would have attracted any mare's attention being a human, but to his surprise, many mares made it clear they wanted him.

He was always curious to know if it was because he was an exotic guy, if Equestria had too many young single mares, or if they were merely a more open-minded society. In any event, he didn't have a problem getting a date. The only issue was that he didn't click with many of them. There was one mare, a rookie cop at the time, that he thought was a promise, but she lost touch with him. Anonymous never saw her again, but he wished she was safe and happy regardless of why she never showed up to their last date. He could have remained a bachelor and bedded a couple of mares (which he had on a few one-night stands), but he didn't want that life. Ever since Anonymous was a young boy, he knew he wanted to live a simple, honest, and happy married life.

Never in a million years would the man have suspected he would wind up with a pony, lest in another world of all places. But he had all he could ever want and had it all with Sweet Shade, the mare of his dreams. She was beautiful to him with her blond mane in a blunt bob with bangs mane-cut, blonde tail, soft violet coat, and beautiful dark emerald bat eyes. Even as an older mare, she maintained a fit figure and had a screaming plot. She had volleyball on her flanks for a cutie mark. Anonymous tried playing against her on the beach in a "stallions vs. mares" volleyball contest. The stallions never had a chance in Tartarus with her on the mare's team.

Many stallions told Anonymous numerous times that he had quite a catch for a wife. And to top it off, she had a fantastic personality to match. She was practical, grateful, and cooperative with Anonymous when a problem or disagreement arose. Even when the rare spousal verbal fight broke out, they always agreed to go to bed early and cuddle to deal with it in the morning. The idea worked, and an equitable compromise was always reached. She was gentle with their foals and firm when she needed to be. He had the utmost confidence and respect for her ability to raise their foals when he was at work.

She shared many of the same interests and loved him in the sack. Anonymous had also slept with a few women back on Earth, but neither the women nor the mares he previously slept with could come close to her. Even if the hottest woman in the world bent over for him, he'd go to Sweet Shade every time.

"It's true what the stallions have told me. Once you go mares, nothing compares!"

For some reason, she was avoiding eye contact with him. This behavior was out of the ordinary for her. She would greet him with a smile, a hug, and a nuzzle whenever he came home and show off her cute fangs. Anonymous commented her fangs were pretty on their first date. Sweet Shade had made it a point to show them off to him to please him. As he took his suit top off and put it on the wall hook, he asked,

"Babe, is everything okay? You look lost in thought."

She nodded and continued to avoid eye contact with him. Anonymous walked over and bent down on his knees, meeting her at eye level. He raised her head, and she finally looked at him with her emerald-colored eyes. Anonymous was slightly disturbed as she looked almost sad or guilty. He had no idea why but the man smiled at her and gave Sweet Shade a soft, romantic kiss. This was enough to snap her out of her strange state and put a smile on her face.

With her cute fangs now visible, Anon's heart skipped a beat, and he smiled back at her. "Now there's the beautiful wife I know!"

Sweet Shade kissed him again and asked, "Thanks, honey, now what's the good news?"

Anonymous beamed a smiled before saying, "Well, you remember that deal I've been talking about, right?"

His wife nodded as Eclipse Cover put two wooden mugs on the marble countertop and opened up two bottles of the night ale. Eclipse Cover asked, "Is that the big steel deal you've been trying to get going? Something about getting construction companies to use them more or something?"

Anonymous nodded, "Yup, that's the one! And well...they accepted our offer."

Sweet Shade gave him a surprise hug and nuzzled Anonymous' neck. "Oh, honey! I'm so happy for you! I'll bet Mr. Bagbits was very happy too!"

As she let go of her husband, Sweet Shade smiled at Anonymous. The man smiled and continued, "He is, and I am happy too. Mr. Bagbits was so damn happy that he gave me a raise."

Sweet Shade's eyes went wide upon hearing the news, and Anonymous smirked at her reaction. He continued, "And I haven't gotten to the good part."

Eclipse Cover finished pouring the ale into mugs and put them on a small tray. He walked over to Anonymous with three legs and held the tray with his hoof like a waiter. He was careful and deliberate with the tray carrying ale, ensuring not to spill on their luxurious carpet imported from Saddle Arabia. Before Eclipse Cover could make it to Anonymous, the man finished, "Well, you see honey, the raise is 250,000 bits."

The room went silent as Anonymous dropped the news of the raise. Sweet Shade and Eclipse Cover couldn't believe it, as Anonymous had already made more money than most ponies in Manehatten. They were technically considered upper middle class, despite having a higher-class apartment. Sweet Shade was the first to break the silence as she asked, "So that's your new salary? One hundred fifty thousand thousand bits a year?"

Anonymous laughed as she asked the question. The man was already making 200,000 Bits a year. Even after taxes (which were way less than New York or California's taxes), they were still doing good, despite the higher cost of living in their area. Sweet Shade was annoyed at his laughing and asked, "What's so bucking funny?"

"Oh, ponies are incredibly PG-rated, aren't they?"

Anonymous stopped laughing and answered, "No, that's 250,000 ADDED to my current salary. My new salary is 450,000 Bits a year."

Now it was Eclipse Cover's turn to be shocked, "Dude, that's a lot of Bits. How big was this bucking deal?"

The man turned to the stallion and took his mug full of ale. The very dark, almost black as the night ale was still foaming in the mug, and the man took a sip. It looked almost like Guinness, but it tasted radically different. It was just as good as any finely crafted beer back on Earth and one of the few things he was grateful for in Equestria. Anonymous enjoyed the taste and replied,

"Big deal, it's a huge deal. We are talking hundreds of millions of bits big. I'm telling you, homes and buildings will be sturdier and more rigid. Villains of Equestria will have a more challenging time destroying stuff from here on out."

The man took one more sip of the delicious ale and added, "That's not even the best part, though; I also got a bonus that will be deposited to our account tomorrow afternoon."

The man took another sip before Sweet Shade asked, "Don't keep me waiting, Anonymous! How much?!"

The man grinned as he said, "500,000 Bits."

Eclipse Cover stumbled and almost dropped his mug but managed to catch himself before he could. Sweet Shade's eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped. Anonymous took his free hand, pushed her jaw back up, and gave her another kiss. His wife closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensual and loving kiss. Her face was beet red, and she replied in a way Anonymous did not expect. The mare put her hooves in her face and started sobbing.

"Woah, I did not think this how she would react. I wonder what the hell is wrong?"

Sweet Shade continued crying, and before Anonymous could ask, Eclipse Cover interrupted, "Woah, this is...good news. I should go and let you guys celebrate. She seems to be a bit overwhelmed by the news. Congrats again, bro! See you later, Sweet Shade!"

The mare's crying picked up even more as Eclipse Cover made his way out. Her crying was now bordering on hysteria, and just as Anonymous tried to hug her, Sweet Shade pushed him away. The man was now at a loss as to why his wife was unhappy. Before he could ask further, she suddenly started shouting, "Why?! What do you see in me?! I don't deserve you! I'm a garbage pony! I'm a worthless mare who doesn't deserve you or deserve to benefit from your success! I'm-"

Anonymous put a finger over her mouth and silenced her. He held her in a hug, and Sweet Shade cried into his shoulder. Anonymous could feel her tear soaking his white undershirt, but he grabbed her tight. He rubbed his fingers through her mane and back, doing his best to soothe her. It worked as she let go and made eye contact with her. He wiped away a few tears from her eyes and held a hand on her cheek.

"Sweets, I don't know what's wrong, but I know that whatever it is, you will always have me. I fell in love with you long ago because you were always there to listen to me. You always valued me for me. None of the other mares I dated came close to what you gave me. Don't ever doubt my love for you, please. Every day I go out that door, it's for you and our foals. Am I yours forever."

Sweet Shade sniffled before Anonymous moved in and kissed her. She returned his kiss with her tongue and explored his mouth with a fiery passion. Despite the taste of ale in his mouth, she enjoyed every second and moaned with loving affection. Anonymous put his fingers through her mane once more before they separated. A strand of saliva was between their lips before Anonymous wiped it away.

Sweet Shade's breathing was heavy, and her wings made a "POMF!" noise. She flushed beet red as Anonymous smiled; he knew she had become aroused. The man asked, "Are the foals asleep?"

Sweet Shade nodded and added, "They are at my parent's apartment tonight. They hadn't seen them in a month, so I took them there earlier. I plan on picking them up tomorrow."

Anonymous gave her one more kiss before saying, "Good." Before she could react, Sweet Shade found her picked up by Anonymous and held in his strong arms. Despite having a white-collar job, the man prioritized fitness and maintained a robust and fit physique. Any creature in Equestria could tell he was a man not to be messed with in a fight, almost as fit as a Minotaur bull.

Sweet Shade made an "EEP!" squeal as he carried her to their bedroom. Anonymous threw her on the bed as he quickly ripped his shirt off and took his pants and shoes off with lightning speed which impressed her. Sweet Shade's wings continued to be unfurled and were stiff at the sight of a now-naked Anonymous. Her breathing was heavy, and her eyes were filled with a loving lust for her human husband.

"H-Honey, what are you-" asked Sweet Shade.

Anonymous grinned and interrupted her by saying, "I'm doing you. More importantly, I'm MAKING LOVE to you. And you're doing enjoy it until you can't walk. You're also going to be FILLED by me."

Sweet Shade couldn't respond before Anonymous jumped her like a hungry lion. Their lovemaking lasted two hours before Sweet Shade fell asleep in Anonymous' loving embrace. The moon's warming glow pierced through the window and shined over the married couple as they drifted asleep. Sweet Shade's sadness was replaced with love, and the man felt all was right in Equestria. Neither of them had slept this well in a long time.

Author's Note

Things are awesome for Anonymous! Dude loves to win and loves his wife! Stay tuned for another chapter for Family Facade! Hope you guys and gals like it!