Sugar Hoof Farms

It was a beautiful morning in Ponyville. The refreshing morning air, the dew on the grass, the sunrise, the purple sky turning to blue. I'm a simple man turned unicorn stallion... or, turned colt? It's difficult to keep track nowadays, but this place? There were things that the desert caverns simply could not provide. We had a nice little home just on the outskirts of Ponyville, a stone's throw away from the now re-darkened Everfree Forest, and to Ponyville proper. Thanks to my treants and their absurdly strong work ethic, I had plenty of gold to burn through, and I purchased a decent plot of land, nowhere near as big as the caverns when I first carved it out, and hired a construction crew to build a home for three.

Not to say we don't still use the cave we were living in when we moved here, but really, I'm the only one who ever goes there. It's become a sort of laboratory for me, where I can practice and study in peace when the I'm done with my chores for the day. Yes, you heard me, chores. I've started up a farm, you see. Nothing like what I used to have, enough to feed an entire continent, I farm just enough to make the boys in government think that everything's on the up and up. I grow wheat, chocolate, vanilla, and, most importantly, sugar here. I'll sell them all plain of course, but that doesn't mean that I won't sell specialty items from time to time. Primarily, boxes of chocolate.

A nice mixture of fresh ingredients and a hefty supply of magic produces some of the finest candies and chocolates Equestria has ever known. Thanks in part to a secret stash I keep in the cave, I can even produce truffles, smother the truffles in chocolate, oh those will sell like hot cakes, I'm sure. Not that I really require people to want to buy my products, If it's a slow day, I could always just mind control a pony to buy my merchandise, like I did back in Kluge Town so long ago.

Tempest Shadow walked outside with some difficulty. Honestly, she seemed more like she was waddling outside than walking. "Good morning, Sugar." She greeted.

"Morning, Tempest," I replied, "You feeling okay?"

The unicorn mare smiled and blushed, "Yeah, Greg just... had me up late last night." She admitted.

I was thankful I cast a soundproof spell on the rooms so I didn't have to hear what they were doing. "If you're hurting, I can help with that." I lit up my horn for emphasis.

"No, that's alright, it's a good pain." She said, dismissing me. I should ask more questions, but oddly enough, I'm not too concerned about the romantic intimacy of a flesh and blood unicorn mare and a mostly metallic griffon male.

"Greg and I will start looking for work later." Tempest explained.

I widened my eyes slightly, "Oh, you know you don't have to. I've got plenty of bits to keep us going for a good few centuries if we don't go wild."

"We know, but we talked about it last night. Neither of us like the idea of mooching off of you." She looked off towards Ponyville, hearing some of the ponies wake up and head outside to start their day.

"You're both planning for what happens later." I deduced.

"We can't live with you forever, Sugar." She admitted, seemingly upset by something? Was she nervous?

"That's good." I said with a soft grin. "Neither of you need a colt turned elder turned adult unicorn whatever holding you two back." Neither of us laughed.

The door to the house swung open and Greg looked out. "Ditching me to hang out with Sugar, are we?" He stated jokingly.

Tempest laughed, "I was just explaining to him that we were going job hunting later."

"Later though, right?" Greg said, looking at Tempest with an odd glint in his eyes. "Come on back inside." The griffon then escaped back inside and Tempest trotted after him.

"I'll... see you later, Sugar." The unicorn mare said, blushing.

Judging by the glint in Greg's eyes, Tempest was either about to get laid again, or she was about to be murdered. I'm betting on them just mating again. Despite Greg being all metal from the neck down, he was still somehow able to feel pleasure during sex, or maybe even more. Could they have kids? Now there's a thought. Can griffons and ponies even bear young naturally? I doubt it, and Greg's condition likely only makes the chances lower. Assuming he is shooting something out, I highly doubt it's fertile.

With my thoughts consumed with possible problems and solutions to the medical scope of Tempest and Greg's relationship, I head over to a shed on the side of the building and gather up some supplies for me to begin harvesting today's crop yield. Little did I know I was being watched by an orange apple farmer a ways off.

"Now Applejack, what have I said about you spyin' on that Sugar Hoof feller?" Stated Granny Smith as she rocked back and forth in her favorite rocking chair.

Applejack had just arrived back home after an early morning of staring angrily at the only competition her family has had in decades, Sugar Hoof Farms. They had appeared entirely out of nowhere, nobody had ever even heard of them before, and strangest of all, there were no earth ponies who worked there. Only two unicorns and a griffon, and Applejack had never even seen the unicorn mare or the griffon do any of the farm work, just the stallion. It didn't make any sense in her mind, unicorns lacked the magical capabilities to be good farmers, but their crops were stronger than ever.

"It ain't right, Granny." Applejack said, feeling helpless as the truths she was taught as a filly were seemingly not absolute. "Two unicorns and griffon, and their crops are fine. Heck, they're better than fine. What if he starts sellin' apples?"

Granny Smith didn't seem worried though. "The Apple family has had this kinda sitch'i'ation before, If'n this thing persists, we just handle it th' old Apple Family way."

"Eeyup." Answered Big Mac, as he entered the living room.

"Don't y'all go 'Eeyup'in nothin' now!" Said Applejack sharply, growing irritated. "'Specially if it ain't you on the line!"

"If'n we can't beat our competitors out of the market through old fashioned Apple Family hospitality, Applejack, we gotta charm 'em instead." Granny Smith replied.

"Granny, ya'll can't be serious. Ah ain't even ready for that yet." Applejack pleaded.

"The Apple Family has survived for generations this way, it ain't steered us wrong yet. Try everything else ya can first, but if Sugar Hoof Farms don't go away on they own, ya'll gotta charm 'em."

Applejack stared outside the window at the bright morning sky as she mentally prepared herself for market today.