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.
I looked over my cart for the second time, checking off boxes on a mental checklist. "Vanilla, check. Chocolate, check. Sugar, check. Flour?" I looked around in all the compartments of my cart, but couldn't find my bags of flour. "Flour? Now where'd I leave my flour?"
"Sugar, you'd better hurry up." Tempest warned.
"You're losing daylight." Greg said, without missing a beat.
"Right, sorry." I said before levitating over a few more bags of flour and inserting them into my cart.
Once that was done, the three of us left our home and entered Ponyville proper, cart in toe. I built this cart myself thanks to a mixture of chaos and life magic. Some wooden planks, a few quality of life spells, and even a few protection spells went into it.
I didn't really know what to plan for, but I went ahead and started soaking up some shadow magic into my horn. I was going to market again, so I'd probably need the boost to sales I used to get Klugetown hooked on my product. I remember I tried to do this in Appleloosa that one time, but I don't think I ever did... I'm not really sure I can go back there without remembering what I did, what my own thralls did.
"You sure you'll be okay, Sugar?" Greg asked, "You're looking kind of down." Now both of them were staring at me.
"Yeah, of course. I'm just... planning up the best possible business strategy, that's all." It wasn't a lie entirely. Though, my thoughts were broken as I witnessed a large prismatic explosion just a short gallop away from Ponyville. Greg and Tempest stopped and stared as the aftershock brushed through their fur and feathers. I could see building material, broken into pieces being scattered around the explosion site, though I was unsure of what building just blew up. "I hope that's not radioactive."
"I'm sure it's alright, nopony is fleeing in terror at least." Greg said before leading Tempest and I towards the market.
It was around noon when we arrived. I could've been here earlier, but I had to build the cart. The marketplace was bustling with activity, and soon, so would my market stall. We passed by a flower stall, a honey stall, an apple stall, a firewood stall, a tea stall, and numerous other places of business. The marketplace was a mish-mash, far different from the Klugetown market, and seemingly far more kid friendly.
I set up my stall instantly with my magic, and Greg and Tempest said their goodbyes and left to go find work. After they were out of view, I looked back around the market, and waited for the right moment. My cart must've seemed very boring, I hardly ever got a glance, but I started to filter in shadow magic that would be sure to increase business. Of course, this type of magic can't just be used willy-nilly, as I have previously learned. Whereas I had the aid of my treants in case something went wrong, now, all I had was Greg and Tempest... If something went wrong I'd likely be dead before they got back. I held the shadow magic still in my horn, and waited for the right time to strike.
Not long did I wait, until a very snobbish looking mare showed herself, followed by a smart looking snake oil salesman pony who I assumed to be her husband. She did not seem pleased with something... perhaps the air quality? Regardless, Chocolate is one of a woman's best friends, and I doubt she's any different. So as I found a big fish couple to hook, I let the magic free from my horn and took the marketplace as my own.
Just one second, that's all it took. Just one moment and all eyes were on me, on my merchandise. Everyone, shopkeeper and customer alike soon found themselves at my stall, buying up anything and everything I had, though I made sure to save the best merchandise for the two rich looking folk. The mare took one bite of my chocolate and then it was all smiles.
"Oh my, this is simply divine! Filthy, you must try this." The mare pressed some chocolate to her husband's mouth and also being under the same spell, he couldn't resist.
"This... this... Nothing can be this good!" He pointed his hoof at me, "Where did you get this chocolate? Who is responsible for this... perfection?"
"All my products are grown at my farm, just outside of town. The chocolate bars I made myself, fresh this morning, in fact." I explained, to which I heard happy murmuring grace my ears.
There was a face sticking out of the crowd, a massive pony who looked strong enough to lift a tree off the ground, roots and all, his fur was a bright red and he had sharp green eyes. I figured he was a farmer, since he was wearing a piece of farming equipment around his neck. He seemed to be still interested in buying something from me, but also seemed... upset? Something to do with this Filthy, fellow?
"Now, I represent Rich's Barnyard Bargains here in Ponyville, we're a store down here, ya see. I was wonderin' if you'd be so kind as to allow me to sell some of your products in my store?" Filthy asked. "With a, 50/50 split on the profits, of course." He added on with a grin.
I thought about it for a second, and it seemed like an okay idea. It would offer me more mobility when it came to trading, and maybe get me some good will with the residents if they could see me interacting with society.
"Happily, I'll deliver some of my products to your store tomorrow morning." I said, and he seemed happy, though the big red fella behind him seemed to be even more nervous. After that, everything continued as normal. I'd sell everything I had in stock that day, and I was down to my last bar of chocolate. With a bag full of bits, I was left with the one customer I hadn't gotten to yet.
The big red stallion stood before me, and while I knew I shouldn't have, I felt intimidated. He was massive, one hit from any of his massive hooves could've easily done me in, as weak as I was. I played it cool and hoped that he couldn't read my face.
"Good evening, can I... interest you in a bar of chocolate? Only thing I've got in stock today." I asked.
"How much?" He asked back.
"Eh, take it." I didn't want to fight over money with this guy. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Uh... consider it a gift, from one shopkeep to another?"
He took the chocolate and put it away somewhere. "You're that... Sugar Hoof feller, right?" He asked, with a southern drawl.
"Yep, that's me." I replied, and he responded with a grunt of acknowledgement. He smiled.
"My name's Big Macintosh."
"Nice to meet ya, Big Macintosh."
He stepped closer to the cart, "First time in market, and you've already got the Rich Family eating out of your hooves. How'd ya'll swing that?"
"I run the farm to the west of here, just outside of Ponyville, I use only the freshest ingredients." He didn't seem deterred.
"Why don't ya'll stop by Sweet Apple Acres sometime for dinner?" He asked, with a face that I couldn't read.
As the sun was beginning to go down, I saw Greg and Tempest turn a corner and approach my cart.
"I'll keep that in mind, Big Macintosh." I answered, more at ease now that I had backup should anything happen.
"Please, call me Big Mac." He said before turning around to leave.
