Coffee

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Chapter 1

The reflection on the water’s surface breaks as your bucket dips into it. Water flows right in, taking no time to fill the bucket. Once it reaches the desired level, you pull it away and place it in the cart alongside the other filled buckets.

“Hey Fluttershy! You ready to go?” you yell from the small pond outside her cottage. She pokes her head out of the front door, a smile fresh on her face.

“Almost, Anon. I’m waiting for Angel to finish getting ready.” You let out a sigh and wipe the sweat from your forehead. The humid air from the summer’s day was perfect for the plants’ growth. Fluttershy exits the house, carrying the small bunny in her hooves. As she approaches you, he jumps out of her grip and onto your shoulder, tapping his foot repeatedly on it. Reaching into your pocket, you pull the small bag of sunflower seeds out and hand him a pinch, which he shoves into his mouth. He gives a satisfied smirk and jumps onto a small, empty spot among the buckets on the cart. Turning to Fluttershy, she gives off a small giggle as you push the cart forward.

“Thanks again for this, Fluttershy,” you say, slowly following the path towards the Everfree Forest. “The fruit should be ripe enough for picking today and you’re the one who knows this part of the forest best.” She blushes at the compliment as you both make your way into the dark forest.

“It’s no problem at all,” she mutters with a soft voice. “I don’t like to venture into the forest alone, but as long as you’re with me, it isn’t so scary.” She gives you a smile warm enough to melt ice. No matter how bad of a mood you’re in, that smile always brought one to your face. You both continue your way throughout the thick brush of the forest, pressing past trees and bushes, eventually leading to the little sanctuary that hid within.

The warm sun pours into this small area, not blocked by a single tree. Like magic, the air in this area was completely different: It was humid and musky all year long. It was almost like being in the eye of a storm, completely calm and broken off from the forest. Small coffee plants cover the land here, lining the small pond they used to drink. The thing about coffee plants, however, is that they need a lot more water than that, so you’ve been tending to their needs for the past couple of months, making sure to water and care for them.

Grabbing a bucket from the cart, you begin to pour the water down onto the soil and plants themselves, making sure not to add too much; you didn’t want to drown them. You carefully tend to all the plants water needs and place the buckets back into the cart. Kneeling down, you inspect the plant’s small, cherry-like fruits.

“These plants are funny,” you mutter to yourself. “They’re definitely coffee plants, but they aren’t anything like Earth’s coffee plants.” Fluttershy cocks her head in confusion, placing her hoof to her chin.

“What makes them so different?” she asks as she hovers over your shoulder. Grabbing one of the cherries from branch, you pluck and place it inside of the empty buckets.

“Back on Earth, these things take years to bare fruit.” You lift the branch carefully, making sure not to damage it in any way. “Yet these took a mere two months to grow from seedlings to full grown plants.” Fluttershy softly lands next to you, making sure not to step on any of the plants.

“Well, the soil in Equestria is magic, so maybe that has something to do with it.”

“Another thing that gets me is this area.” You look around the small clearing, noticing the small details amongst it. “Ever since I arrived here, this place has yet to lose its humidity and warmth, even in the winter.”

Fluttershy looks around the area as if the answer was right in front of her. “Well, the Everfree Forest is... strange to say the least.” She pokes at the ground with her hoof, unsettling the soft soil. “Everything works on its own. The weather, the animals; nothing is normal, which is why ponies tend to stay out of it.”

“Magic is a strange element, isn’t it?” you whisper to yourself, continuing to pick the rest of the cherries. After an hour or so of picking with Fluttershy’s help, you turn back to the cart which contained mounds of small cherries. Angel picks one up with his mouth wide open, ready to consume it.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, buddy,” you insist, pointing at him sternly. “They may look like cherries, but they sure don’t taste like them.” The bunny rolls his eyes and shoves the cherry in his mouth, taking no regard of your warning. The instant he bites down his face changes to that of complete horror. Spitting it out, he begins to wipe his tongue, trying to rid his mouth of the bitter taste. Fluttershy begins to giggle as you dig into your pocket and pull the small bag of seed out. Handing him a pinch, he shoves it into his mouth and calms down. You can’t but help giggle as well. Grabbing the cart’s handle, you make your way back home with Fluttershy and Angel.

As you make your way throughout the forest, the only sounds you can hear are the soft flapping of Fluttershy’s wings and the creaky wheels of the cart. It was a nice calm day, unlike last week when the manticore tried to attack you, only to be scolded by Fluttershy.

As you exit the dark forest, you cover your eyes from the blinding sunlight. The walk is short, but the dark quickly consumes your vision whenever you step into that accursed forest. Pressing forward, you push the cart up the small hill and stop once you reach the cottage’s backyard.

“Are you sure about letting me prepare the coffee here?” you question. “I don’t want to impose on you.”

Fluttershy gives a reassuring nod, patting you on the shoulder. “It’s no problem at all. Besides, you live here. My home is your home.” Giving a small breath of relief, you wrap your arms around her and give her a hug. Fluttershy’s face burns up as you tighten the grip around her torso. As you let go, you head to the shed in the back and begin the preparations.

Taking out the tables, wooden boxes, and cauldron, you begin lining the tables up in the fenced area of the yard, making sure to align the boxes across them. Fluttershy begins unload the buckets of cherries from the carts and place them next to the tables. Taking the cauldron down to the small stream, you fill it up with fresh water. Making sure not to spill it, you carefully carry the heavy canister back to the tables. Fluttershy looks at it curiously, then back to you.

“Anon, what exactly is that for?” Taking one of the buckets of cherries, you dump it into the cauldron and wait.

“The thing about coffee cherries is this...” You point at the cauldron as a few cherries float to the surface. “The floaters, or the ones that aren’t ripe, float right to the top. The ones we need, the drowners, are on the bottom right now.” Using your hand, you scoop out the floaters and place them back into the bucket. “We can actually take the floaters and use them for a couple of things.” You begin to remove the drowners and place them inside a different bucket marked with an “X”. “We can grind them up and use them as a fertilizer or we could plant them and grow more coffee plants.”

Taking the drowners, you place them into a wooden box and lay it down on the table. As you grab the next bucket, Fluttershy looks over at the table and back to you.

“How do you know so much about coffee, Anon?” Looking at your reflection in the water, you think back to your times on Earth.

“I’m what you called an ‘enthusiast’ when it comes to coffee. I love the taste, the aroma; pretty much everything about it. At one point, I ended up flying down to Brazil to see how it was grown.” Fluttershy gives you a confused look as you shake your head. “Brazil was a country on Earth. It’s one of the biggest distributors of coffee.” She nods as you grab another bucket and dump it into the cauldron. “From there on, I learned how to grow, process, and prepare coffee.”

“So what do we do with the cherries?” Removing the floaters, you place them into the bucket before turning your head towards her direction.

“Well, we have to dry out the cherries so that the beans are easier to extract. Most distributors had machines for this process, but I prefer the old fashioned method.” Dipping your hand into the cauldron, you remove the drowners and place them into another cardboard box. “If you let them dry out in the sun, the beans tend to taste a lot better.”

Fluttershy gives you the next bucket which you proceed to dump into the cauldron. “Once that’s done, we take the dried cherries and peel away the fruit to extract the beans.” You continue on with the procedures of preparing and processing the beans, from polishing them to grinding them as you continue dividing the good fruit from the bad fruit. Fluttershy listens attentively, not taking her eyes off you the entire time. Before you know it, all the buckets are empty and the table is cover in boxes of cherries.

“Darn it, I forgot.” You turn to Fluttershy with a sign of frustration in your face. “By any chance, do you have a net? I don’t want any of the animal eating at these and getting sick.”

Fluttershy puts her hoof to her chin and thinks for a second. “I have something even better, actually.” She goes into the shed and returns with a bottle filled with a green paste. “This is some repellent that Zecora made for me. If I put it down, it’ll keep the animals away for a few days.” Before you say anything, something inside you tells you it’s probably a bad idea to ask what it’s made of. She grabs a cloth and dips into the pasty substance, spreading it all around the edges of the table. It has an acidic smell, almost as if it’s bitter. Once applied, you both head back to the house to attend to your daily routine.

With each passing week, you inspect the cherries to check if they are ready or not. They are slowly drying out, looking more and more like raisins. Sure enough, Fluttershy’s repellant worked wonders: Not a single cherry was out of place or touched for that matter. The only time they have been moved was when you had to move them for the rain.

Around the fourth week, you decide to check on them, before heading out to the forest to help Fluttershy with an errand. And sure enough, the cherries are completely dried out. With a raisin in hand, you run to Fluttershy as she sorts through her medical supplies.

“Hey Fluttershy, check it out!” you exclaim, holding out the cherry for her to see. You place it on her hoof as she curiously inspects it. She pokes at it a few times as if she expects something to happen.

“Are they ready?” You give her a nod.

“Yeah, we just have to peel them and they’re good to go!”

“Alright, I’m going to go into town today and ge-”

A hard knock rasps out from the front door interrupts her. You make your way for the door and open it to reveal a very distraught Minuette standing in the doorway.

“Please tell me Fluttershy is home,” she pleads. Taking a quick glance, you notice a basket hovering over the ground by magic. It holds a small ferret who seems to be in dire pain. Moving aside, you allow the unicorn to enter as a confused Fluttershy looks over. Her eyes widen as she takes notice of the small creature and immediately starts to grab medical supplies.

“Anon, I’m sorry, but can you start without me? I need to take care of this.” You give her a nod. She replies with a nod and mouths ‘sorry’. Giving it a shrug as if to say ‘don’t worry about it’, you turn and head back outside. Taking the cauldron from the shed, you head down to the small stream and fill it up, watching the water slowly take its place in the large pot. Carrying the heavy canister up the hill, you place it down next to the table of raisins.

Looking down at your watch, you note the time.

11:24 am.

If you work at a steady rate, this should take only a couple of hours. Grabbing a handful of raisins, you begin ripping the outer layer of skin and remaining pulp from the fruit, revealing two small green beans. Taking the beans, you throw them into the cauldron. The sun slowly goes on about its business as you continue extracting beans from the fruits throughout the day.

As you finish ripping the flesh off the last fruit, Fluttershy enters the backyard, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a hoof. Throwing the final bean into the cauldron, you give her a small smile as you stand up and stretch.

“How’d it go?” you ask her. She lets out a sigh and peers into the cauldron.

“The poor little ferret had a horrible fever. After some medicine and proper care, his temperature went down to a suitable level.” She dips her hoof into the cauldron water and gives it a little stir. “I’m sorry that I took so long and you had to do all the work.”

You kneel down and place your hand on top of her head, giving her a warm smile. “Fluttershy, don’t worry about it. You have your own things to worry about. I can take care of it myself.” Giving her a quick pat, you turn back to the cauldron. “I have to get some firewood to roast these. Do you mind gathering some stones so we can make a place for the fire?” She gives you a quick nod and trots off as you walk towards the edge of the forest. Gathering a few branches and sticks, you compose a pile of wood large enough to build a lasting fire. Bringing back the spoils of your venture, you see Fluttershy already placing the stones down for the fire.

You place the wood down and enter the house, making sure to grab a box of matches, a strainer, a pair of oven mitts, and a skillet. As you approach the fireplace, you notice the wood has already been placed inside, ready to be lit. Using a few matches, you light up the fire and it illuminates the area around you. You hadn’t even noticed that the sun was beginning to go down. Looking at your watch, you check the time again before taking it off.

6:15 pm.

Time really does fly when you don’t pay attention to it. Taking the strainer, you begin scooping out some of the beans and letting the water drain. You take them and place them on the skillet.

“Now we just have to roast them and they’ll be ready to make coffee with.” Placing the skillet over the flame, you return to the cauldron to ready the next batch. “We’re going to make different roasts. Some days have different tastes.” Fluttershy raises an eyebrow at your statement and you chuckle. “It’s a weird expression used by some Brazilian baristas, or coffee members. ‘Gosto do dia’, or ‘tastes of the day’ is a way of saying that different days haves different moods, so you accommodate those days with different roasts.” She gives you a slow nod, but knowing Fluttershy, she still didn’t get it. She just didn’t want to hurt your feelings by going too far into it.

Looking into the skillet, you inspect the beans. They no longer had a green color, and were now a beige-like color. They looked almost like peanuts. “Look at this,” you call out to Fluttershy. “They’ve already hit the drying phase. All the water inside the beans is gone at this point. Now we just wait for them-” The beans begin to give off loud cracking sounds and Fluttershy yelps, hiding behind you. You can’t help but giggle at her expense and she quickly follows after she realizes there is no danger.

She takes a seat next to you, eyes a taken by the fire. “Anon,” she whispers, “you have a great passion. I’m pretty sure if you were a pony, you’d have a coffee bean as your cutie mark.” She begins to chuckle at her own joke and before you know it, you do as well. Checking the beans, you notice their light brown coloring. Pulling the skillet off the fire, you ready take the beans and pour them into a bucket.

“These are called a cinnamon roast. They have a light coloring and have very acidic tones. When it’s brewed, it looks almost like tea. These are good for days when you wake up after a good night’s sleep or as a beverage with a very sweet dessert.” You take the strainer and prepare the next batch of beans. “We’re going to make four more roasts. We should have enough beans in here to make quite a few batches.”

For the rest of the night, you continue roasting the beans, making sure to time them and check their colors accordingly. Fluttershy brings you a plate of veggies and fish for dinner as she takes a seat next to you. Waiting for the last batch, you look down at your watch.

11:18 pm.

It was getting late, but the last batch was almost done.

Small, subtle snores begin to enter your ear as a very tired Fluttershy lays her head against you. Poor thing had a long day, so it was only natural that she’d pass out by now. Finishing the last batch up, you pour the last skillet into the bucket before lifting Fluttershy up and heading inside. You place her in her bed, making sure to tuck her in well before venturing back outside. Taking the remaining water in the cauldron, you pour it onto the fire and clean up your day’s worth of work.

As the early birds begin their chirping, you open your weary eyes to a brand new day. Lifting yourself from the couch, you head into the small kitchen and realize a mistake you made last night. Roughly twenty or so buckets of beans cover the floor and table, leaving very little room to move around. Giving a disgruntled sigh, you begin grabbing the buckets of beans and place them in the shed. As you reach for the last bucket, you stop and look at the counter. Sitting on top of it is a brand new coffee maker, along with some filters, sugar packets, and other coffee essentials. This must have been what Fluttershy went into town for. Shaking your head, you take the last bucket and place it on the counter. Inside was your favorite kind of roast: The City Roast. Boasting a medium-brown color, this roast is good for tasting the varietal character of a bean.

Looking around the cabinets, the only thing you can find to grind the beans is a mortar and pestle. You aren’t exactly keen on such an old way, but beggars can’t be choosers. Taking a handful of beans, you begin crushing them, making sure that it results in a texture similar to sand. The clanging from ceramic stone rings throughout the kitchen as you pulverize the beans into dust.

“Good morning, Anon.” You turn around to see a very sleepy Fluttershy who has taken a seat at the table.

“Morning Fluttershy,” you say in a chipper tone. Taking the grounds, you place them inside one of the coffee filters and ready the machine. The machine does its work, filling the pot with the black liquid. The aroma quickly consumes the room, leaving a sensual, pungent trail. Fluttershy lifts her nose into the air and takes the aroma in with a deep whiff. A look of concern spreads across her face as you pour the coffee into a mug and hand it to her.

“I want you to try it first,” you tell her, pouring another cup for yourself. You weren’t going to drink it until she took her first sip; it was bad luck for the brewster to take the first sip of the harvest. She stares down into the cup before lifting it to her lips with a bit of worry on her face. Her eyes widen as the liquid enters her mouth.

“Goodness...” You lean forward, waiting for her to finish her response. She closes her eyes and takes another whiff before a smile slowly creeps across her face. “This is amazing, Anon!” She takes a long draught from the cup, letting the aftertaste settle in her mouth. Grabbing your cup, you take a sip for yourself.

The taste perks your tongue almost immediately. The usual bitter taste was there, but there was a hint of something else. Though very light, there was a slight taste of...

“Caramel.” You look over at Fluttershy who returns you a look of confusion. “My coffee has a hint of caramel.”

“That’s strange,” she says, looking into the cup. “Mine had a hint of banana in it.” Grabbing the coffee pot, you stare at its contents.

Just what kind of coffee did you find?

Author's Note

After twelve hours of Party Boy and many cups of coffee followed, this was the result. I need to get out more.

Chapter 2

Putting the coffee pot down, you grab Fluttershy’s cup and take a sip.

Caramel.

You hand her yours. “Drink mine, tell me what it tastes like.” She looks into the cup cautiously and takes a sip.

“It still has a hint of banana in it.” This was absurd. How was it possible that this coffee was the same yet tastes different? Grabbing the beans from the bucket, you inspect them. They hold the usual dry appearance a City Roast bean, but have no sign of being special in any way.

“This is weird,” you mutter. Fluttershy gives you a concerned look as she gets up from her chair.

“What’s weird, Anon?” Taking one of the beans, you pop it into your mouth and begin chewing it. The bitter taste is there, but the caramel slowly makes its way across your taste buds. Swallowing it, you turn to Fluttershy with a grimace plastered across your face.

“These aren’t normal beans,” you tell her. “Something is odd about these. You taste a hint of banana in them, I taste caramel.” She rears her head back, taken aback by this realization.

“That is strange,” she whispers, looking down to the ground. “Maybe we should get Twilight to look at them. For all we know, she might have a book on them.”

You give her a nod and turn back to the counter. Grabbing a thermos from the cabinet overhead, you pour the remaining coffee inside of it, making sure to pocket some of the beans as well.

“I’ll go with you, Anon. Just let me take care of the animals first.” Fluttershy grabs the box of animal food and enters the living room. The sleepy animals perk up as the food clangs against the metal bowl. Backing up, you watch as the horde of animals comes rushing to the bowl in a crazed frenzy. You give off a small laugh, thinking back to the first time when you didn’t back up and almost got trampled.

Fluttershy closes the box and grabs her saddlebag before following you out the door. The orange glow from the rising sun covers the hills like a beautiful painted scene. An occasional cool breeze greets the warm summer air, making it the ideal weather for a perfect day. As you make your way into the town, you watch the ponies open their shops and get ready for their daily routines. Many of them looked tired, not ready for the day at all.

“We’re here.” Fluttershy’s voice breaks you out of your weird trance as you look up at the giant tree-like building. Giving the door a hard knock, you can faintly hear someone call out “Coming!” as you wait. The door opens and Spike pokes his head out, looking at both of you with weary eyes.

“Oh, hey Fluttershy, hey Anon.” He opens the door, allowing you both to enter.

“Is Twilight home?” Fluttershy asks. “We need her help with something.”

“Twilight!” Spike yells from the bottom of the stairs, “Fluttershy and Anon are here.” Twilight makes her way down the staircase with a smile lurking across her face. You take notice the bags under eyes before she starts speaking.

“Good morning, you two. What brings you here this early in the morning?” Looking down at your watch, you glance at the time.

7:18 am.

Fluttershy pulls the thermos out of her bag with her wing and gives it to you. You pour the bitter liquid into the cup-like lid as a confused Twilight watches. The aroma hits the nose of everyone in the room, bringing a look of ecstasy on their faces. Once the lid is filled to the brim, you hand it to Twilight.

“Try this,” you urge, handing her the cup. A magic aura surrounds it, lifting it to her face. You can see the uncertainty in her eyes as she hesitantly brings it to her view.

“Uh, I’m more of tea person,” she says, returning the cup to you. “Thank you, though.” Not reaching for the cup, you give her a stern look and shake your head.

“Just drink it and tell me what you notice.” She looks at the cup once more time with a look of doubt on her face. Lifting the cup to her lips, she takes a slight draught from the cup. As the liquid touches her tongue, her eyes fly open and a smile comes to her lips. She downs the rest of the cup’s contents and gives it back to you.

“That was amazing, Anon!” You place the lid back onto the thermos and look her dead in the eyes.

“What did you taste?” She looks down at the ground, as if she’s embarrassed to answer.

“A hint of lavender.” You look over at Fluttershy with an uneasy stare that she returns. Twilight looks between the two of you, confused at your expressions. “Was that the wrong answer?” she worriedly asks.

“It’s not that it’s the wrong answer, it’s that we had the same exact coffee, and it tasted different to both of us.” Taking the coffee beans out, you hand them to her. “For some strange reason, I can catch a hint of caramel in mine, but Fluttershy tastes bananas.” Twilight picks up the beans with her magic, a perplexed look crossing her face. See brings them closer and inspects them, as if she’ll find the answer right before her.

“Where did you find these?”

“The Everfree Forest,” you answer. Twilight looks at you with concern.

“How did you find these beans? Better yet,” she begins, giving you a suspicious look, “why were you in the Everfree Forest?”

“We found a little clearing one day while helping a lost bear cub find her mother,” Fluttershy says.

“Why didn’t you tell anypony about it?” Twilight asks. Fluttershy looks down at the ground as if she’s afraid to look her friend in the eyes.

“She didn’t tell anyone about it because I made her promise not to,” you sternly say. “As for why, there was no reason for anyone to know about it.” Twilight gives you a suspicious glare before shrugging it off. Taking the beans with her, she opens the door to her basement, motioning her hoof as a signal for you all to follow her.

Following behind her, you slowly descend into the dark room, waiting for some sort of light source. A revving sounds roars throughout the room, causing something to yelp and jump into your chest. Grabbing a hold of the object, you can tell from the weight and feeling that Fluttershy must have been spooked and jumped into your arms out of instinct. You wrap an arm around her begin stroking her mane as she violently shakes. Her shivers begin to die down as the lights come back on, revealing everything around you. She looks up at you with rosy cheeks, completely embarrassed.

“Thanks,” she mutters, leaving your grip and stands by your side.

You give her a nod and whisper, “No problem,” before turning towards the revving noise. Before you is a giant machine, covered in flashing lights and wires. Twilight takes the beans and places them inside a small beaker, which she inserts into a small compartment in the side of the machine. She closes a cover over it, causing the machine to roar. The revving intensifies as Twilight begins inspecting the paper spewing out. Her brow furrows as she continues reading off the sheet. You turn to Fluttershy, who has the same look of confusion on her face.

“What does it say?” you finally blurt out. Twilight lets out an annoyed sigh before turning to you.

“The machine doesn’t see anything wrong with it. It doesn’t have any noticeable magic traces in it, so I don’t understand how the tastes are different. I’m going to look into this further, but for now, it’s safe enough to drink.” Giving it a shrug, you thank Twilight for her help and head back outside.

“Good morning,” says a mellow voice behind you as you close the door. You turn to find that the voice belongs to Rarity, her eyes slowly drooping as she attempt to stay conscious.

“Rarity, are you okay?” Fluttershy whispers, concerned about her friend’s well-being. Rarity puts on a small smile and slowly nods.

“Yes, dear, I’m just tired is all,” she says, letting out a sleepy groan. “I’ve been up since yesterday working on new designs for the upcoming fashion show in Manehatten. I must say, I’ve never hit such a block in all my career.” Reaching for you thermos, you give her a small laugh.

“I’ve got just the remedy,” you boast, pouring the coffee into a cup. She looks down into the cup and shakes her head.

“I’m more of a tea person, but thank you for the kind gesture.” Shaking your head, you throw your arms into the air.

“Why doesn’t anypony like coffee?” Fluttershy casually shrugs to signal that she didn’t understand either. Looking back at Rarity, you give her a persistent stare. “Rarity, trust me on this. You’ll enjoy it and thank me.” Rarity grabs the cup with her magic aura, then proceeds to look at it and back to you. The cup slowly reaches her lips, allowing the magic drink to enter her mouth. Her eyes shoot open as if all sleepiness in her body was removed instantaneously.

“Oh my!” she exclaims, retracting the cup from her mouth. “Such a wondrous taste! The bitterness is mild and the hint of cream and strawberries makes the drink such a delicacy!” She takes another sip before handing you the cup. “How did you know they were my favorite?”

“Funny story actually, the beans I used seem to taste different to everyone, from the looks of it.” She puts rubs a hoof against her chin and ponders for a moment.

“Well, why not make use of this?” You raise your eyebrow in confusion as she scoffs at your expression. “Sell the beans for money, dear. Make some bits off your discovery!” Fluttershy nods her head in agreement.

“Come on, Anon. It can be fun! We can set up a stand and sell the extra beans we have.” Looking down at Fluttershy, you could see the excitement in her eyes. Giving off a shrug, you let out a sigh.

“Eh, why not?”

The orange sun begins to rise over the mountainside as you start assembling the stand in the town market. Fluttershy decided that it would be best to accompany you so you had an extra pair of han- hooves to rely on. As you fiddle with the contraption, Fluttershy continues to unload the buckets of beans from the cart. Ponies begin to flow into the market as time goes by, creating quite a bit of noise while they set up their own stands. Some give you nods and small “hello”s, while others give you silent stares, almost like they were judging your every move.

Wiping the sweat from your forehead, you take the buckets and place them on top of the stand. Murmurs begin to travel about the market as you finish setting up the stand.

“What is he selling?”

“They look like peanuts.”

“No, I think those are beans.”

“Is he selling coffee beans? Who would buy them?”

The whispers and small jeers begin to fill your head as they continue making their way throughout the market. You turn to Fluttershy, who innocently hums to herself as she sets the sign up for you.

“Hey, Fluttershy?” She looks down at you and notices your concerned look. “I don’t think this was such a good idea. Ponies don’t really drink coffee that much and it seems like not many ponies here are flattered to see me selling it.” Fluttershy hovers down to your level and places a hoof on your shoulder, looking into your eyes with her crisp blue eyes. You feel the tension in your joints lessen as you make eye contact with her.

“Listen, Anon, I’m nervous too,” she says with a sheepish grin. “But if anypony can sell these beans, it’ll be you.” Letting out a sigh of relief, you wrap your arms around her and pull her in for a hug. She returns the gesture by wrapping her hooves around your neck. Once your heartfelt moment comes to an end, you raise your fist in the air.

“Let’s sell some beans!”

The plan is simple: Fluttershy watches the stand as you attempt to lure customers in. Taking your trusty thermos out, you pour yourself a cup and take a seat right in front of the stand. Several ponies glance at you as they pass by, watching you indulge in your cup of coffee. Their expressions scream of curiosity, but none approach you. Doubt begins to settle in your mind, telling you this was a bad idea, but you shake it off. Patience was key to a properly brewed cup of coffee and this should be no different. Taking another sip of your drink, a shadow looms over you as you lower the cup. A grey mare stands before you with a curious look on her face. If you weren’t mistaken, her name is Derpy.

“Pardon me,” she says, pointing at the cup, “What is that? It smells delicious.”

“Oh, this?” You extend your arm out and give her the cup. “It’s coffee. Would you like to try some?”

The mare nods at you before muttering, “Thank you” and drinking from the cup. You can feel the stares coming from the ponies in the surrounding area, watching with bated breath to see this mare’s response. As she removes the cup from her mouth, she smacks her lips and lets out a satisfied sigh. “Mmm. This is good!” she exclaims, giving you back the cup.

“I need to ask you secret question.” You beckon her to come closer, cupping your other hand over your mouth. The confused mare moves in closer, lending her ear to you. “What did you taste besides coffee?” She leans back, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“Cinnamon. I tasted cinnamon.”

“I see. Thank you. Would you like a bag of beans? They’re only five bits.” She gives you a nod and eagerly digs into her saddlebag to grab her purse. Handing her the bag with a smile, you take the five bits and give them to Fluttershy. “These bags will last you about four cups of coffee, so if you run out, by all means, come back and I’ll sell you more!”

She lets out a small giggle as she spreads her wings and takes off. Another pony approaches you, sporting a mint green coat and lyre cutie mark. She pokes at the ground nervously before looking up at you.

“Um... Do you mind if I try some?” Giving off a subtle chuckle, you pour another cup and hand it to her. She takes a sip, giving off the usual performance with wide eyes and smacking lips. She reaches into her saddlebag and grabs a sack of bits. Before you know it, ponies are all around you, asking to sample the beverage. Fluttershy begins handing out beans like there’s no tomorrow, clearly having trouble keeping up. You run behind the counter, lending her a hand while giving out samples to different ponies.

After about six hours of catering to the ponies’ coffee needs, you put a small sign out labeled “CLOSED” on the counter. You let out a long sigh before turning to Fluttershy with a smirk.

“How much did we make?” She places the last bit inside the metal canister, shutting and locking it swiftly.

“About three hundred bits.” A smile creeps onto her face as she shivers from excitement. “Oh, Anon, this is just wonderful!”

A small tapping sound from the counter catches your attention. You turn around and look down and see a pink filly with a poofy purple and white mane. She gives you an impatient look as she taps her hoof on the counter repeatedly.

“Can I help you, Miss?” She rolls her eyes whilst giving you an annoyed sigh.

“You sell coffee here, right? Why aren’t you doing your job?” Giving her a deadpan look, you shake your head.

“Sorry, Miss, but you’re much too young to be drinking this stuff.” She begins walking away from the counter and towards a stallion who seems to be conversing with another shop vendor. Tugging at his shirt, she grabs his attention and points in your direction. “Oh boy, here we go,” you whisper to Fluttershy as the two walk your way. The stallion adjusts his tie, giving you a grade A smile.

“So, this must be the popular coffee stand I’ve been hearing all about all day.” He places a hoof on the counter and widens his smile. “Mind if I try a sample?”

“Sure,” you reply, grabbing the thermos. You hand it to him, waiting for the usual reaction. He chugs down the coffee and gives the cup back to you, taking a moment to let the aftertaste settle. His face makes no change.

“Interesting,” he grunts. “I’d like to buy all your beans and all your future crops.” You turn to Fluttershy, who shares your flabbergasted look.

“Uh, come again?”

Author's Note

I need more coffee.

Chapter 3

“I said, I’d like to buy all your beans.” You scratch your forehead, trying to process this. The words were understandable, but you’re having a hard time comprehending them.

“Why?” you suddenly blurt out. Filthy Rich lets out a sigh and shrugs.

“Ponies like your product. It makes money. If I sell it, I make money as well. It’s that simple.” Fluttershy throws you a concerned look, making you feel even more uncomfortable.

“Excuse us for a moment,” you tell him, turning around and crouching down to Fluttershy’s level. You bring your head close to enough to her that you can feel her hot breath brush against your cheek. She has a look on her face that screams uncertainty.

“Who is this guy?” you whisper to her, checking over your shoulder to make sure he wasn’t eavesdropping. “No one comes up to a stand that just opened and asks to buy all of their product!” Fluttershy looks out the corner of her eyes, double checking that he wasn’t listening.

“He’s Filthy Rich. He owns a chain store called Barnyard Bargains that sells things for ridiculously cheap.” Her gaze doesn’t break from yours as a bigger frown creeps onto her face. “Why he would suddenly want your beans, I have no idea.” You look down at the ground and put yourself deep in thought.

Maybe you’re overthinking this. He’s an entrepreneur, just like you, looking to make money off of a product. If you’re lucky, you could strike it big with this guy and work with coffee for a living.

“I say we take a chance,” you mutter. Fluttershy’s eyes widen as she places a hoof on your shoulder.

“Anon, if you’re certain about this, I’ll follow you every step of the way, but please be careful. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” You give her a smile and place your hand on her head, tousling her hair a bit. She gives you a small smirk and lets out a sigh as you both turn back to Filthy Rich who is still standing at the counter patiently. He grins as you make eye contact with him again.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to discuss a few things with you before agreeing to such an offer,” you bluntly say. He gives a slight nod, not breaking eye contact with you.

“By all means. I wouldn’t expect you to jump into this blindly.” Grabbing a bag of beans, you place it on the table.

“These beans can’t be mass produced. The procedure to growing and processing them takes time and care.” He furrows his brow and looks into the bag of beans.

“Aren’t they just coffee beans? It shouldn’t be hard to grow them in mass quantities.” You shake your head and lower your voice down to a whisper.

“These beans are special. They taste differently to everyone. Whereas I taste a hint of caramel, Fluttershy here tastes banana.” Fluttershy meekly nods upon being mentioned. Taking a deep breath, you continue. “As for the growth, they don’t seem to grow outside of a specific spot in the Everfree Forest.” You remember taking the beans and planting them outside Fluttershy’s house with no success. “The processing is also done by hand, so mass producing these beans is out of the question.”

Filthy puts a hoof to his chin and ponders for a moment. He closes his eyes for a moment and hums as his daughter rolls her eyes at his little thinking process. After a few seconds, he opens his eyes and smiles.

“How about a café? I’ll set you up with a store here in Ponyville for you and all you have to do is make coffee for anypony who walks into the shop. The only conditions I have for it are that the store will be under my name and I get fifty percent of the profits after you pay off the store. You can do whatever you want with it; you run the show.” You almost jump up in glee. If there was anything you wanted more, it was your own cafe. Back on Earth, you never had the money to start your own shop, so there was no way you could pass up this opportunity.

“What about staff and equipment?” you ask, trying to hide the excitement in your voice.

“It’ll all be taken care of. All you need to do is keep the place running.” Peeking out of the corner of your eye, you look over at Fluttershy. She shrugs and nods.

“Alright, I guess that’ll work then. I assume you’ll get all the paperwork for this ready?”

“Of course. I’ll have my boys write something up real quick and you can look it over when you get the chance. Once you sign it, give it in and I’ll take care of it from there.” He slaps five bits down on the table and grabs the bag of beans. “And thank you for the beans.”

As he walks away, you pull off a little victory dance. Fluttershy can’t help but giggle as you bounce up and down, waving your arms around. You pick her up and dance with her, only to have her giggles turn into hysterical laughter. After a little while, you stop and try to catch your breath. Fluttershy still has a case of the chuckles as you pant like a dog.

“I... can’t... wait...” you breathe. Fluttershy finally breaks off from her fit and clears her throat.

“Neither can I. I’m so happy for you, Anon. How about we celebrate?” Finally catching your breath, you nod in agreement.

“I don’t see why not. I’ll clean up the stand and meet you back at the cottage.” Fluttershy makes her way to Sugarcube Corner as you begin packing everything up and placing it in the cart. Grabbing the two handles, you start your venture back home. The sun was beginning to set, leaving a nice, warm glow across the landscape.

As you enter the small property, the animals come to greet you with their usual chitter and chatter. Making your way into the backyard, you unpack all the goods into the shed and head inside the small cottage.

“Maybe I should try it...” you mutter to yourself. Entering the kitchen, you fill a kettle with water and place it on the stove.

“It’s the end of the day. Knowing Fluttershy, she went and bought a cake, so a French roast would be ideal.” You dig into the cabinet and grab a small bag containing almost blackened beans and pour them into the pestel. The clanging of the mortar against the ceramic bowl echoes throughout the empty kitchen as you crush the beans into a fine powder. Behind you, you hear the front door shut. Fluttershy walks inside, carrying a package in her mouth. She places it on the table as you pour the grounds into a filter.

“I got your favorite cake to celebrate: Chocolate and caramel with peanuts.” Your mouth begins to water. That cake tasted just like a Snickers bar, but it melted in your mouth. Fluttershy takes a seat down at the table and begins humming. Removing the kettle from stove, you set it down on the counter on top of a coaster and grab two mugs. Fluttershy pokes her head around curiously as you place the filter filled with grounds into a funnel over the cup.

“What are you doing, Anon?”

“I’m making coffee, but in a different way. It’s called hand dripped coffee.” Pouring the water from the kettle into the filter, the hot water begins to develop a light foam on top of the grounds. “This is how people used to make coffee before they had coffee machines on Earth. If done correctly, it’ll taste a lot better.” The water begins to build up in certain spots, leaving little pools of water. “It’s important to spread only enough water to barely cover the top.” You stop pouring and watch as the water slowly drains into the mug.

“I never knew there was more than one way of making coffee,” Fluttershy says.

“There’s actually many ways, but it depends on what type of coffee you use and such. Espresso, French Press, Cold Brew; there’s more ways than I can count on my fingers.” Fluttershy’s eyes widen as this new tidbit of information hits her.

“You really do love coffee, don’t you, Anon?” Removing the funnel, you dump the filter and grounds into the garbage and place the two cups on the table along with some dessert plates.

“In a way, yes. But, don’t think it can take your place in my heart,” you reply, booping her on the nose with your finger. Her cheeks turn a bright red as she turns her head to hide her embarrassment. You can’t help but chuckle at her expense. Opening the box, you take out the cake, resisting the urge to dig your face into it. As you place it down on the table, Fluttershy sticks a single candle on top of it. You give her a confused look as she giggles.

“I can’t believe you forgot,” she laughs. “Today is also the anniversary when we first met, remember?” Looking over at the calendar on the wall, you check the date.

“Wow, you’re right. It’s been a whole year since I showed up here.” Thinking back to that day brings many memories.

You had been working the coffee fields non-stop in Brazil, making sure to make waterways for the plants. A heavy storm was going to run by, so you didn’t want them to drown. No one had told you how fast the weather developed in the area, so before you knew it the rain came pouring down. You can only remember brief moments after that: Running, lightning, then blacking out. When you awoke, the little yellow pegasus pony that sat before you was right in your face, trying to wake you.

“I have to admit, it was kind of scary finding you in the Everfree Forest. I didn’t know what you were!” You laugh because it was the same way for you. When you woke up after the storm, Fluttershy was the only thing you saw in front of your face. It wasn’t until that day you knew what your scream sounded like and to be quite frank, you weren’t proud of having a girly scream. Fluttershy had just helped one of her animal friends back into the forest after being treated for a week when she stumbled upon you and that ‘sanctuary’. It took a couple of weeks getting used to the fact that you were in a world of talking, multicolored equines.

“Well, if it wasn’t for you, I would been killed in that forest. I kind of owe you a lot, especially since you’ve given me a place to live and have taken care of me all this time.” Fluttershy shakes her head, a wide smile forming on her face.

“It’s not like you’re freeloading here. You pull your weight and you’re great company, Anon.” She pushes a matchbook towards you with her hoof. “Now, enough about that. Let’s have some cake!” You smile as you light the candle and make a wish.

“I wish...” You stop for a moment and eye Fluttershy. She cocks her head like a confused dog and stares back. A smile creeps onto your face as you look back at the candle. “I wish for nothing but happiness between me and Fluttershy.”

Blowing out the candle, you watch as the smoke slowly rises and disappears into the air. Fluttershy takes the cake knife and begins cutting a piece for you, placing it on the plate. Grabbing a fork, you wait for her to cut her piece. Just as you’re about to dig in, Fluttershy mutters something. You look up to see her face is completely red, her eyes avoiding any means of contact with yours.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. What did you say?” She takes a deep breath and puts on a face of determination.

“I have something important to tell you,” she says sternly. You place your fork down on the table and lock eyes with her. She gulps as her hooves shake frantically. “For a long time, I’ve had this feeling in my stomach everytime I’m with you. Whenever I hear your voice, whenever I see you, even at the mention of your name, I always get nervous. I’ve alway felt different around you since the day we met.” You stand up from the table and walk up to her. Leaning over, you wrap your arms around her and embrace her in a hug. She lets out an eep, not expecting this at all.

“I know where you’re going with this Fluttershy. I’m not blind, deaf, or dumb. You kinda make it obvious.” You catch the scent of lilacs in her hair, completely washing your nose. “This isn’t something you should rush into, Fluttershy. Let’s take it nice and slow. For the most part, I do have the same feelings for you.” Leaning your head back, you look into her eyes. They slowly begin to fill with tears as a small smile takes her lips.

“Anon, I...” She begins leaning forward, lips puckered and eyes closed. You find yourself doing the same, inching close to her face, feeling her hot breath press against chin.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

You both open your eyes at look over at the door. Releasing your grip, you check to see who it is.

“Ah, so you are here!” exclaims Filthy Rich. “I’ve been looking all around for you. I had forgotten to ask where you live, but thankfully your friend Rarity was so kind as to tell me!” He pulls out a piece of paper from inside his coat and gives it to you. “Here’s the contract. You can look it over and give it to me when you’re ready. After that I’ll start the necessary preparations and get your store on the map.”

He takes his leave as you look at the paper and close the door. Fluttershy enters the living room and hovers over you to peek at the paper.

“Is that the contract?” she asks.

“It would seem so. Eh, let’s worry about it tomorrow. For now, we have some delicious cake to eat!”

Author's Note

I ran out of coffee. :[

Chapter 4

Biting into the cake, you feel your taste buds almost explode from pure bliss. The mixture of chocolate, peanuts, and caramel come together in a perfect harmony, bringing total ecstasy to your mouth. Fluttershy giggles as you continue making orgasmic faces.

“It’s always funny to watch you eat this cake. You act like the cats do when I give them nip.” You’re not even concern with the fact that she compared you to an animal right now. This cake was just too good! Fluttershy grabs her cup and brings it to her lips. Her eyes widen as the liquid enters her mouth.

“Kiwis?” she mutters, looking into the cup. You place your fork down and take a sip from your cup of coffee. The taste has certainly changed.

“Mine tastes like chocolate now.” Looking up at Fluttershy, you exchange confused looks.

“This is weird,” Fluttershy adds, taking another sip.

“I guess it the beans change flavor according to the preparation. I can only imagine what other flavors they hold.” Grabbing the cup, you take another sip and let it settle in your mouth. It was so confusing. It still had its bitter qualities, but the chocolate flavoring settled right along with it. Maybe it was best not to overthink it. Grabbing your fork, you dig into your cake and resume eating your dessert. Fluttershy continues to stare at her drink, not taking a second to remove her sight from it and sips again.

“We should probably go over the contract and get ready for tomorrow. It’ll be a big day for you, mister store owner,” she playfully says, cracking a wide grin. You look up from your plate with a deadpan stare and grab your cup of coffee, taking a sip from it.

“I suppose we should,” you reply, getting up from your seat. Fluttershy jumps down from hers and heads into the living room. Clearing the plates from the table, you follow her and take a seat on the couch. Grabbing the sheet of paper, you begin reading it over as she lays her head on your lap. Using your free hand, you start stroking it through her mane, listening to her coo. The document was rather self-explanatory: You were to do what you wished with the actual store, but Filthy was to own the name and do whatever he wanted with it. He would also take half the profits made, even after all the loaned money was paid off. After reviewing it a couple of times, you remove your sight from the paper and look up at the ceiling.

“I won’t be making a lot of money from this, but at least I’ll be doing what I’ve always wanted to do, right?” You look down at the yellow coated mare who is now fast asleep on your lap. Letting out a silent chuckle, you pick her up, making sure not to wake her, and take her upstairs to her room. Making sure to tuck her in tightly, you lean over and give her a peck on the forehead before going back downstairs.

No matter how hard you try, you can’t sleep. Excitement and fear keep overcoming your want for rest. The fact that you were going to be running your own shop keeps flooding your mind. Tossing and turning, you eventually slip into an uncomfortable slumber. The entire night is filled with dreams that make no sense: one second you’re flying and then the next your wings disappear. You begin plummeting down to the ground, unable to stop, when out of nowhere Fluttershy barely catches you. She tries her hardest to hold you up, but you’re much too heavy. She loses her grip and you begin falling again. She screams your name as you fall faster and faster towards the ground.

“Anon!”

You’re coming close now. The thought of hitting the ground at this speed makes you break into tears.

“Anon!”

It was all over. Everything you’ve done, everything you’ve worked for, gone at the blink of an eye.

“Wake up, Anon!”

You jolt forward, cold sweat dripping down your forehead. Fluttershy stands beside you, concern plastered across her face. She places a hoof on your arm and lowers her voice down to a whisper.

“Are you alright, Anon? You look like you had a terrible dream.” Wiping the sweat from your brow, you look over at the distraught mare and force a smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just had a weird dream is all.” A smell courses your nose, making your stomach rumble almost instantly. “Did you make breakfast already?” Fluttershy blushes and removes her line of sight from yours.

“Um... Yes. I just figured since, you know, it was a big day for you, um, I’d make you your favorite meal,” she says, slowly trailing to a barely audible whisper. Leaning over, you give her a kiss on the cheek, making her entire face change to a shade of red. Standing up from the couch, you head into the kitchen. A large pile of pancakes sit on a plate, waiting to be consumed. Your stomach rumbles, begging for the food to be put inside it. Pulling out the chair, you stop yourself before sitting down.

“Hey, Fluttershy?” you start as she enters the room. “Have you ever tried iced coffee?” She shakes her head.

Digging into the pantry, you grab the little bag of beans labeled “French Roast”. Most enthusiastic coffee drinkers wouldn’t be caught dead drinking this roast in the morning; it’s a coffee to go along with desserts. But, being that this was going to be used for iced coffee, it’s always best to use a darker roast. Taking a handful of beans, you begin crushing them into the usual fine powder, making sure it was fine enough to pass as sand. Placing the grounds in a filter, you start brewing a pot of coffee.

“I prepped these yesterday,” you gloat, opening the freezer. Digging through the popsicles and corndogs, you pull out a tray filled with ice. Fluttershy peers into the tray and is taken aback.

“Anon, I don’t think the water you used for those is any good. You should throw them out.” Chuckling, you grab one of the cubes and throw it into a cup. It has a glossy black coloring.

“These ice cubes are made out of coffee.” She tilts her head in confusion. “I used the leftover coffee from last night and made them into ice cubes. When you use normal ice cubes, they dilute the coffee as they melt, making it more like muddy water. So with this, we can chill the coffee and not lose the flavor.”

“Oh, that makes a lot of sense,” Fluttershy says with a nod. Filling the glasses with ice, you stand by the pot of coffee and wait for it to finish, making sure to take in the aroma. As the last few droplets enter the pot, you remove it from the machine and pour it into the cups. The ice begins to crack as the hot liquid rushes against it, startling Fluttershy. Grabbing some milk from the fridge, you pour it into the cup until the color changes from black to a very light brown, making sure to stir slowly. You both grab your cups and take a seat at the table. Placing three pancakes down on your plate, you restrain yourself from devouring the fluffy breakfast cakes. You wanted to make sure of something. Fluttershy looks at you, probably wondering the same thing as you. You give her a nod, lift your cup, and take a sip as she follows in suit. The taste throws you off completely.

“C-Chocolate chip mint ice cream?” you stutter, completely bewildered. Fluttershy seems to share the same response.

“Mine tastes like strawberry-kiwi sherbert!” Taking another sip, you double check to make sure your taste buds weren’t wrong. Sure enough, it was still the same. Now this was something you hadn’t had since you were a kid: pancakes and ice cream. Cracking a smile, you continue to enjoy your morning meal. Once done, you pat your full belly and groan.

“I ate way too much...”

Fluttershy snickers as she clears the table of all the dishes.

“I have your suit ready. It’s hanging in the closet in the living room. I’m going upstairs to get ready myself and we’ll head to Mr. Rich’s store to talk about the contract.” You give her a nod as she leaves the kitchen and heads up the stairs. Lifting yourself from your seat, you make your way to the living room where Angel has taken your spot on the couch. He looks up at you with a blank expression as you put on your suit.

“I don’t want to say it, but I’m nervous, Angel.” He nods, points up the stairs, and begins pacing back and forth on top of the couch. From what it looks like, he was telling you that Fluttershy is nervous as well.

“I figured she’d be just as nervous. This is a big step in my— no, our lives.” Angel takes a deep breath and slowly lower his arms.

“You’re right, I should just calm down. If I worry too much, it’ll just add more problems.” The sound of hooves clip-clopping come from upstairs as you finish straightening your tie. Fluttershy makes her way down the staircase, sporting a very professional suit. You can’t help but feel a little flustered by her appearance; she looked adorable in it. Her cheeks turn red as you continue to stare at her.

“Is there something wrong with it? I’m too overdressed, aren’t I?” You shake your head and kneel down to her level.

“You can never be overdressed for an occasion, only underdressed. It looks great on you.” Her cheeks grow a darker shade of red as you stand back up and grab the contract. “Let’s get going. We don’t want to keep Filthy Rich waiting.” As you exit the small cottage, you look up at the clear sky and stretch out. The weather was perfect: the sun was shining, there wasn’t a single cloud, and it was neither hot nor cold; the temperature was just right. Making your way into town, Fluttershy follows in tow as you approach the massive building known as Barnyard Bargain.

As you walk through the main doors, cool air covers your body almost instantly. The place was huge! How could you not have seen it in town before? It seems like your usual mega corporation: everything you need at a low, low price.

Looking around, you see a mare sitting at a desk with a sign overhead saying, “Customer Service”. As you approach her, a forced smile sneaks onto her face.

“Hello! Welcome to Barnyard Bargains. What can I help you with?”

“We came to speak to Mr. Rich. Would you be able to get a hold of him for us, please?” The mare steps away from the counter and walks to a door behind her, knocking on it lightly.

“Mr. Rich, the human and a mare are here to see you.” Filthy exits from the room, making sure to adjust his collar, and walks up to you with a teeth baring grin.

“Anonymous, how are you doing today?” he asks, extending his hoof out for a shake. You firmly grasp it and give him a nod.

“I’m doing fine. And yourself?” He shrugs and looks around the store.

“Some would say I’m living the dream. But enough small talk! Come into my office and we’ll talk business!” He walks you into the small room, furnished with a mahogany-finished desk, shelves filled to the the brim with books, and plenty of filing cabinets.

“Please, take a seat,” he suggests, pointing at the two chairs. Fluttershy takes a seat as you stare at the chair. There was no way you would fit in this thing. It was made for a pony. It takes a moment for Filthy to take notice.

“Carol!” he bellows. Within a couple seconds, the mare from the customer service desk opens the door.

“Yes, Mr. Rich?” He points at the chair with a slightly embarrassed smirk.

“Do me a favor and get an extra large chair from the floor for Anonymous here.” She gives him a quick nod and gallops away.

“I do apologize for this inconvenience, Anonymous,” he says as he rubs his hoof against his forehead in frustration. Carol enters the room, pushing a bigger chair which is still a tight fit for you. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Grabbing the paper, you place it on the desk and hesitate.

“This is a big step in my life. I’m sure you imagine what’s going through my head since you’ve been in my position before, being that you run a fine establishment like this.” Filthy merely nods. “I’m nervous. I want to be sure that I’m not digging myself a grave here.” Filthy stands up and turns away from you, looking up at a portrait. It was of a stallion wearing a straw hat, selling jars of jam.

“Many years ago, my grandfather came to this town and started Barnyard Bargains as a small family owned store. He started it with nothing but a few bits and a hope to make it big. Today, we have stores all across Equestria.” He lets out a long sigh before turning back to you. “My family handed down this franchise to me, so I don’t know the hardships of starting a business. That’s why I suggest we start a business together. It may seem selfish, but I’m not only doing this for you, but for myself as well. I can assure you that I’m not trying to screw you over. This is our business, and I want it to strive.”

Grabbing a pen off the desk, you sign the paper and push it forward.

“Then let’s get started, partner.”

Author's Note

I need sleep.

Chapter 5

Placing the large sack of beans down on the floor, you look around the building once more. Filthy Rich has really outdone himself with place. The floor is covered in a nice ceramic tile, the walls are a beautiful cherry oak, and the mahogany and granite counter was a perfect combo to the entire place. Along with the dim lighting, it brings a nice atmosphere to the café.

It’s been a long five months, what with all the permits and building Filthy needed to get this shop up and running. In the time it took, you ended up harvesting more beans than ever before. You still remember venturing out there a few months ago like it was yesterday...

“Ready to go?” you ask the yellow pegasus. She nods, a look of determination on her face. Grabbing the handles of the cart, you enter the dark forest, bracing yourself for anything that it might contain. The trip is the same as always: Head in straight and turn left when you get to the tree with the notch that looks like a bunny rabbit, eventually leading to the small clearing. As you approach the plants, you park the cart and grab a bucket of water, ready to give them their daily drink. Something catches your eyes immediately: the cherries were back, fully ripe and ready for picking.

“This is strange,” you mutter. Fluttershy turns to the plant and inspects it, wondering what you’re talking about. “Usually a coffee plant can take anywhere from three weeks to nine months to regrow their cherries. It’s only been a day since we picked them!”

Grabbing a cherry from the branch, you squeeze it until it pops out the beans within. Sure enough, they slip out with ease and are the correct shade of green, meaning they’re ripe and ready to be processed. This is truly mind boggling; how were they fully grown and ripe in only a day’s time?

“Anon, with the way these grow, you can never run out of coffee!” Fluttershy exclaims. This is true. If they grow like this, there’s little chance you could run out of beans.

“I guess you’re right,” you say, pouring the water onto small bush. Fluttershy begins to pick them as well, placing them in one of the many buckets you emptied when watering them. It’s a good idea to grab some of them now; it would make less work when you came back later to grab the rest. Placing the buckets into the cart, you stack them and begin your trip home. The wheel cranks slowly as you drag the cart through the dark forest, following Fluttershy’s lead. The same thought keeps processing in your head.

‘Maybe it’s best to listen to Rarity’and sell these.’

“Slacking off, huh?” asks a voice behind you. Wiping the sweat off your brow, you turn around and look down to find Filthy Rich staring up at you with a devilish grin. “I’m just messing with you!” He gives you a playful kick in the leg with his hoof before taking a seat at one of the small table stationed throughout the store. He pulls out a notebook from his jacket pocket and places it down on the table.

“Tomorrow’s the big day,” you remind him, taking a seat across from him. “I must admit, I’m kind of nervous.”

“There’s nothing to worry about, son!” he says, waving his hoof in the air, trying his best to calm you down. He pushes forward the small notepad and leans over the table. “I have everything here to help you out. This checklist should assist you and keep everything running smoothly. It based off of my own list that I use when I run Barnyard Bargains.” Looking over the notes, it seems like basic stuff you knew already know: Check on the customers, make sure the employees are doing their jobs, keep count of supplies; the things a manager is supposed to do.

“Do you have a pencil?” you ask, putting your hand out. He furrows his brow, but responds with a nod before reaching into his pocket. He gives you the writing utensil and and watches as you scribble at the pad.

“Adding something?” he questions, peering at the notepad suspiciously.

“I’m adding the things that need to be done besides the usual tasks, like clearing out coffee pots every half hour or so.” He leans back in his chair with an impressed expression across his face.

“See, right there! You shouldn’t have a problem with managing this place,” he boasts, smacking his hoof against the table. He watches as the other ponies begin pouring in, carrying large sacks of beans. “Just how much did you grow in the few months that I had this place being built?” Looking up from the paper, you put the pencil to your chin and think.

“Let’s see... Twenty times four... Half a kilo is about a pound... I’d say roughly over a little four hundred pounds worth of beans.” Filthy’s eyes widen to the size of saucers.

“You grew that much in a few months? That’s some serious dedication!” You look over the notes one last time and make sure you haven’t missed anything.

“Yeah, I’ve wanted my own café since I was young, but that’s beside the point. Let’s get back to business.” Filthy nods in agreement. “What are the plans for tomorrow’s opening?”

“Well, I’ll we’ll be doing a red tape cutting for the grand opening with Mayor Mare and Hoity Toity as special guests, so just be here at nine in the morning. What are the hours you were planning again?”

“Six in the morning to nine at night.” Filthy cocks an eyebrow, eyeing you in a stern manner.

“Why such a long work day?” he questions, not taking his eyes off you.

“Most ponies will be getting up in the morning. They’ll be tired so what will they need to wake them up? Coffee. Lunch time will roll around and ponies will be going to our neighbor, Sugarcube Corner. After something sweet, what’s a good way way to balance it? A bitter cup of coffee. Dinner comes along. What’s good with dessert? Coffee. And what about ponies who need to stay up late with overnight work or studying? What will they need? Coffee.” You lean back in your chair, a confident smile across your face. “Face it, coffee is a full time job.”

“Dang. Well, I’ll be.” A slick grin creeps onto Filthy’s face as he chuckles. He follows your example and leans back as well, shaking his head. “You’ve had this game of chess planned out right from the get-go, huh? You truly know your stuff, Anon.”

“I’ve worked as a barista before. You learn and notice things if you stick around long enough,” you modestly say with a shrug. Pocketing the notepad, you stand up and extend your hand out to Filthy for a shake. He returns the motion and nods before taking his leave. As you step outside, a cool autumn breeze brushes against your cheek. Winter is just around the corner, meaning cold and snow would be following it.

“It might be best to get hot chocola—” Something taps at the back of your leg, breaking your concentration. You turn around to see one of the employees that was helping carry the beans to the store. He’s a young stallion and has a cutie mark of three coffee beans going into a cup with a cinnamon colored mane.

“Sorry to bother you, boss, but all the beans have been loaded in the storage room.” You nod, acknowledging his statement.

“Good job. You guys can head home now. It’s starting to get late anyway.” He looks at you with a hesitant stare, almost as if something or someone was holding him back. “What’s the matter?” The stallion scratches at his leg with his hoof nervously, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“I’m a little nervous, is all. I’ve been learning all about being a barista while in Canterlot, but I’ve never actually done it out in the field.” You chuckle as he looks up at you with an innocent stare. Kneeling down, you place a hand on his shoulder and grin.

“Listen, I used to work as a barista as well. There’s nothing to worry about, trust me. Working as a barista is much like brewing a cup of coffee. It’s all about preparation and presentation. Make a good cup of coffee and don’t be afraid to show it off.” He puts on a slight grin and nods.

“Thanks boss.” You ruffle his mane and stand back up as he head off towards the town. Taking one last look at the store, you read the name under your breath.

“Cool Beans. It has a nice ring to it.”

Making your way down the road, you head back home to the small cottage. The animals run to you, excited to see you after not being home all day. You kneel down and pet the critters, most fighting with one another to get your attention.

“Anon, is that you?” Fluttershy asks, her voice coming from the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’m finished for the day,” you groan, making your way into the room. A familiar smell consumes your nostrils, making yours stomach growl like a vicious beast. Fluttershy turns around from washing dishes, sporting a her cute apron with a heart. On the table lays your dinner, but it isn’t the usual salad or vegetable meal: It was meat. Bacon to be specific. Your mouth begins to water from looking at it. It’s been so long since you’ve had any meat. You look at Fluttershy, who stares at you idly.

“Is that what I think it is?” you question, pointing at the plate. She shakes her head, smirking a bit.

“It’s actually a magically enhanced veggie that looks, smells, and tastes like bacon. I thought you deserved a special meal since tomorrow is a special day,” she says, grinning from ear to ear. Grabbing one of the strips of ‘bacon’, you bite into it. Dear God, it was like sex in your mouth!

“This is something you feed the animals with, isn’t it?” you joke. Fluttershy’s face turns red as you bite into another strip. It doesn’t really matter to you: if it tastes like bacon, it’s bacon in your book. She takes a seat next to you and eats the small salad she has prepared for herself. Leaning over, you give her peck on the cheek. She blushes as a smile creeps onto her face before going back to her meal.

“So, what did you do today?” you ask. Fluttershy looks up from her bowl and swallows the bits of lettuce and hay from her salad.

“Well, I helped a tortoise get back to his home. He got lost somehow trying to find food and ended up here. Then I went to Twilight’s place for cake. She wanted me to give you a note.” She steps down from her seat and grabs a letter from the counter. Opening it up, you skim over the letter. Basically, it says how Twilight has discovered that the soil in that clearing had a different soil mixed with it. It was nothing like Equestrian soil and was possibly from a different world, causing the plants to react differently. You rub your forehead and think. Could it be possible that Terran soil crossed along with you when you ended up on this world?

“I’ll have to talk with Twilight about this myself. Let her know that I’ll talk to her on my next day off about it the next time you see her.” Fluttershy nods and lets out a quiet yawn.

“I’ll let her know tomorrow. What time is the opening tomorrow.”

“Nine in the morning.”

“I think we should get to bed then.” Standing up from your chair, you grab your plate and place it in the sink.

“Yeah, you’re right.” You bend down and grab her by the chin, pressing your lips against hers. Her eyes widen at first, completely taken by surprise, but quickly calms down once she realizes what’s going on. She lets out a small gasp as you remove your lips and smiles.

“Goodnight,” you mutter, making your way to the living room.

Fluttershy responds with a tiny squeak as you leave the room. Angel lies on the couch and peeks as you enter the room. He springs up and moves aside as you lay down, but quickly jumps onto your lap to curl up and resume his sleep. Fluttershy shuts the lights off before heading heading upstairs, murmuring a subtle, “Goodnight.”

An hour or so goes by with no success. You just can’t fall asleep, no matter how hard you try. Being this nervous was not helping you whatsoever. Angel already jumped down from your lap, rather annoyed with your constant tossing and turning. Sitting up, you look out the window at the calm, moonlit sky. Maybe a walk would calm you down.

Grabbing your hoodie, you walk outside and lay down on the grass by the stream. The trickling water was very calming as you look up to the sky, staring at all the stars. Looking up at the stars always made you feel better. You didn’t know why; it just did. The sound of a light clipclopping breaks the silence, making you look around in wonder. Fluttershy lies down on the grass next to you, a look of concern on her face.

“Can’t sleep either?” You nod.

“Yeah. Just nervous is all.” She shivers and moves closer to you. “You cold?”

“Just a little.” Sitting up you remove your sweater and put it around her. “That’s not fair to you, Anon! You should have the sweater!” You grab her and lay her head on your chest, slowly stroking her mane.

“There, we’ll keep each other warm.” She rubs her head against your chest until she finds a comfortable spot and nods off. Looking down at her once more, you feel your eyelids grow heavy. You manage to whisper one last statement before nodding off.

“I may be nervous, but as long as I have you around, I feel like I can take on the world.”

Author's Note

I ran out of coffee and Jack. T_T

Chapter 6

Opening your weary eyes, you look at your surroundings. The sun's morning glow begins to radiate from behind the mountainside, signalling the start of a new day. A heavy weight presses down against your chest as you attempt to stretch and rid yourself of your morning kinks. Fluttershy looks up at you with glassy eyes, a smile protruding from ear to ear.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she says, followed by a giggle and a kiss on the chin. Letting out a contented sigh, you return the kiss and lift her up from your person, placing her down gently on the ground beside you. She stretches out her front legs, lifting her behind into the air to stretch out her back legs as well. You can't help but peek at her rump as it rises up and she doesn't hesitate to laugh as she catches you in the act. Feeling embarrassed, you quickly turn your head away and get up from the ground.

"Looks like we fell asleep outside," you blurt, trying to remove the focus on the situation. You find yourself feeling even stupider than before, pointing out an obvious fact like that. Fluttershy finishes up and looks around, probably in an attempt to make you feel better.

"Yeah, seems like it. We should get inside and get for you ready for the opening of your shop today." Nodding your head in agreement, you both head back into the house where Angel impatiently taps his foot against the ground, pointing at the clock on the wall. It's already six o' clock.

"Crap," you mutter under your breath. "I better get ready and head down to the shop." Fluttershy looks at you, confused.

"Isn't the opening at nine?" she asks, watching you scramble around the room, looking for your clothes.

"The opening may be at nine, but I still need to get my team prepped and the store ready for the customers. I told them all to be there at six thirty," you say in a rush, throwing on your apron. Fluttershy grabs your tie and hovers up to throw it around your neck. Making a quick adjustment to it, you tighten it up and give her a hug before running off.

"I'll be home late tonight!" you yell as you head out to the main path. She waves goodbye as you sprint off into town, checking your watch every so often. Ponies watch in confusion as you run past them towards the small shop where several stallions and mares stand outside, waiting for you. Looking down at your watch once more, you check the time.

Six twenty-five: Five minutes to spare.

"You all ready?" you ask the group with a nervous smile. "Today's the big day." They all nod as you unlock the door and enter the building.

"Everyone take a seat. We're going to have a quick meeting before we start." Each pony takes a seat at a table, looking up at you with skittish stares. Clearing your throat, you grab a bag of beans from the counter and show it to the crowd.

"Coffee is special. People and ponies are always overlooking it, not realizing its usefulness." One of the stallions scoffs, rolling his eyes at your statement. "Is there something you'd like to share with us?" you ask, pointing your finger at him.

"It's only mud water to me," he says with a shrug. "I'm just here because I need a job." Lobbing the bag of beans onto his table, you slowly approach him, wearing a deadpan face. Sweat begins to bead on his forehead as you draw nearer, showing clear signs of submission. Kneeling down to his level, you bring your face to his.

"I can respect the fact that you don't like coffee, but I will not have you trying to act like a rebellious colt in my shop. Do I make myself clear?" you utter, making sure to keep a stern tone. The stallion gulps and nods violently. Pulling yourself away from his face, you turn your gaze back to the group who now looks a bit frightened by your current display.

"As I was saying," you saying, trying to resume your place, "coffee is an essential part of everyday life. It helps bring energy to someone's day when they're off to a slow start, yet it brings them to calm after a long day of work. We have to do our best to ensure that each and every pony gets their need fulfilled along with excellent service." The look of fear on their face seems to disappear as they turn to each other, nodding their heads in agreement.

"I can't do this alone. None of us can. But, together, we can pull it off. We can send off every pony with a smile and a cup of coffee in han— err, hoof! Let's work as a team and achieve greatness!"

"Yeah!"

"We won't let you down, boss!" All the stallions and mares begin stomping their hooves, cheering for you. You can't help but slyly smile and bow. That was probably the cheesiest thing you've ever pulled off. Regaining your composure, you begin splitting the ponies into teams.

"You three will take the front counter and take orders, you four will take care of brewing and preparing drinks, and you..." You point at the stallion who tried giving you trouble earlier. "You're in charge of dish washing." The stallion groans and sulks to the back of the kitchen, grabbing an apron with his magical grip. Someone pokes at the back of your leg, trying to grab your attention. It's the stallion from yesterday, his eyes shining with determination.

"What job do you have for me, boss?" he eagerly asks.

"You have the most important station," you mutter to him, pointing at the pantry. "I need you in charge of the beans. You'll need to grind them up and make sure the baristas are well prepared for their orders." His ears tilt back as he his wide smile quickly fades away.

"You mean I won't be making any drinks?" he asks, looking almost like a heartbroken child. Kneeling down to his level, you place a hand on his right wither and look him in the eyes.

"Listen, these guys here have a lot of experience in this field. I need you to learn before I can put you on barista duty. Think of it this way: I'm starting you off as a bean. Eventually you'll become a magnificent cup of coffee." The stallion nods and puts on a small smile, showing his understanding before running off to the pantry in the back. An hour and a half passes by rather fast as you run around getting everything ready. The smell of fresh coffee wades throughout the building, filling your nose with bitter deliciousness. Grabbing a cup, you pour yourself a cup of coffee and give it a taste. The bitterness washes over you tongue, only to be replaced by the sweet taste of caramel almost instantly. You turn to the the group of baristas and give them a thumbs up. They stare back at you, confused as to what that signal means.

"It's good," you say. Their faces show relief when they hear this as a distinctive clearing of the throat catches your attention. Filthy Rich stands behind the counter, a grin plastered across his face.

"It's show time!" he exclaims, pointing a hoof out the door. Looking over him, you see a huge crowd of ponies standing right outside, eagerly waiting for the shop's opening. Leaning over the counter, you check yourself in the reflection and fix your collar and tie before heading outside with Filthy Rich. A few murmurs pass your ears as the crowd lowers its collective voice. Words like "alien", "freak", and "monkey" course your ears.

"There seems to be quite a few ponies that aren't normally from Ponyville here today," you whisper to Filthy. He glances at you from the corners of his eyes.

"It's expected when you have a celebrity at an opening. Word travels fast, Anon," he mutters back, removing his focus on you. A few gasps and squeals erupt from the crowd as a primp and fancy looking pony descends from the sky on a chariot. He walks down from it and immediately makes his way to Filthy, a cheap and obviously fake smile across his face.

"Filthy! Long time no see!" he exclaims, embracing Filthy Rich in a hug. Filthy's face screams discomfort, but he returns the hugs anyway.

"Yes, it's been a while Hoity. How goes the fashion business?"

"Dreadful, my friend. But enough small talk! We have work to do, no?" Filthy nods and points in your direction.

"Oh, before I forget. This is Anonymous, the one who will be running this store." Hoity lowers his sunglasses and examines you, as if he was ready to summarize you just from your attire alone.

"Exotic! He looks like a minotaur, but leaner and much more well groomed. I say, what do you know about coffee?"

"Enough that you'll want to drink mine over any other pony's," you gloat. Hoity places his sunglasses back up top his snout and puts on a genuine smile.

"Cocky and exotic. Not bad a bad pick, Filthy, not bad at all." The murmurs begin to circulate throughout the crowd again, this time repeating the words "exotic", "well-groomed", and "cocky". Shaking your head, you return your attention back to Filthy, who throws you a wink before focusing on the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlecolts! It is my pleasure to mark the grand opening of 'Starbucks'!" Your brain pulls off a flip inside your head as the crowd begins to stomp their hooves and cheer.

“ 'Starbucks'? I thought we agreed on 'Cool Beans'?" you whisper as he cuts the red tape in the front entrance.

"Starbucks seemed like a better name in my opinion. Besides, the contract says I can do whatever I want with the name, remember?" That is true. And you did agree to it. You shrug it off; the name is what matters. It's the product you sell. Entering the building, you wave your hand to signal the employees. They all rush to their positions, their faces showing clear determination for the challenge ahead. The wave of ponies hits hard and fast; you don't even get a chance to relax. Orders start flying behind the counter in a matter of seconds.

"Two medium roasts, please!"

"I need a dark roast, light and sweet!"

It's only a matter of time before you have to jump in and help everyone out. Before you know it, you find yourself helping the newbie grinding beans and cleaning out old filters.

"Anonymous, come here for a second!" you hear Filthy bellow from across the building. Stopping for a moment, you look over at the unicorn from inside the pantry as he shrugs.

"Go ahead, boss. I got control of everything here."

"Thanks," you reply, running over to Filthy and Hoity. Filthy wraps his foreleg around Hoity's shoulders and grins.

"This guy wants a special drink. Think you can get it for him?" Turning to Hoity, you nod.

"Sure. What can I get for you?" Hoity leans forward, beckoning you with his hoof. Leaning forward, you listen to his request.

"I don't see it on the menu, but I would love a frappé." Your heart sinks for a moment. How the hell would this stallion know what a frappé was?

"I'll see what I can do," you say, quickly turning on your heel. Running up to the unicorn stallion, you grab him and turn him to face you.

"Boss, are you okay?" His face shows a hint of fear as you try to catch your breath.

"Not really, buddy. Listen, do you know any spells to freeze something with magic and possibly one to remove water as well?" He shakes his head.

"Sorry, boss. I don't."

"I do."

You turn around and see the dishwasher stallion standing in the doorway. The bean stallion looks back and forth between the two of you, completely bewildered.

"What's going on boss? I'm so confused!"

"Hoity Toity just asked me for a frappé. The only way to make a frappé properly is to make it with instant coffee." You turn back to the pantry and wave your arm. "These are all home grown and hold special qualities. We don't have any instant coffee made from them."

"Why not just run to the store and buy some then?" the dishwasher asks. You find yourself shooting him a glare before you realize it.

"I would never disgrace my store with that garbage. So, in this case, we'll have to make our own." Grabbing a scoop of French roast, you place them in the grinder and let the machine do its work. "I keep forgetting both of your names," you tell them, trying to hide your embarrassment. Truth be told, you've never really asked them for their names.

"I'm Brewster," says the bean stallion.

"And I'm Puck," mutters the dishwasher.

"Anon, in case you didn't know," you reply adding another scoop of beans. "I need you two to get me two pots, some boiling water, a baking pan, a small wooden mallet, a piece of cloth, and a large strainer. Make it quick!" The two stallions sprint off in different directions as you continue to grind more beans. They return shortly after with the items they were asked for. Dumping the mound of grounds into the pot, you begin to pour the boiling water over it, making sure to constantly stir. Several minutes go by as you continue to stir, watching the water turn from clear to an almost oil-like black. Lifting the ladle up, you take a sip and almost gag. If rocket fuel was edible, it'd probably taste like this.

"Perfect." Brewster and Puck exchanged worried looks.

"What are you doing?" Brewster asks, looking almost disgusted as he peers into the pot. You bring the ladle to his nose and wave it slowly.

"This is how they make instant coffee. It's the most bitter form of coffee before it's processed." Placing the strainer over the second pot, you grab the cloth and set it across the strainer.

"It's not the grounds we want." You pour the contents of the first pot into the strainer and watch as clumps of coffee grounds creep their way up as the liquid goes down. Closing the cloth up, you squeeze it tight to extract the excess liquid into the pot. "It's the liquid that will turn into the instant coffee." Throwing the clump into the garbage, you pour the liquid into the pan and turn to Puck. "All you have to do it is keep it frozen as I crush it up."

Puck press his horn against the sheet and does as you ask. The liquid slowly turns into a solid slab of instant coffee. Grabbing the mallet, you begin crushing the frozen panel into tiny granules as Brewster watches in amazement.

"Okay," you start, turning to Puck again, "I need you to remove the water from all of these if you can." Sweat begins to bead down Puck's forehead as his horn's magical aura intensifies. Small droplets of water lift from the tiny shards of coffee, accumulating in midair as they are removed. Puck moves the water over to the empty pot and ceases his magic, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Great job," you tell him, patting him on the back. He rolls his eyes and points at the granules.

"You do know you don't need to use instant coffee for a frappé, right?" Puck seems taken aback as you nod your head.

"I know. But I want the best for our customers. The granule form of instant coffee is a lot stronger than a usual brewed cup of coffee or the cheap spray-dried instant stuff. It locks the bean's natural flavor inside and will release when added to hot water." Brewster's eye gleam as he jumps between you and Puck.

"Boss, I beg you! Let me make this frappé! I want to show you what I can do." You hesitate for moment before shrugging and handing him the granules in a bowl.

"Work your magic." He lifts a shaker with magic and places the contents for a proper frappé inside: the instant coffee, some ice, lukewarm water, sugar, and cream. Placing the top on the shaker, he begins thrashing the canister in the air, making sure to thoroughly shake it. Brewster than pours the contents into a glass, making sure to let the foam takes its place on top of the liquid.

"There," he says under his breath, levitating it over to you. "It's done." Patting him on the head with your free hand, you give him a grin.

"Good job." You turn to Puck and smile at him as well. "Both of you." Hoity Toity watches carefully as you place the glass on the table in front of him, licking his lips in delight.

"Oh, it's been forever since I've treated myself to a treat like this. I hope my dietician doesn't find out," he says, looking around the room. He takes a sip of the delicious drink, emitting a purr of satisfaction. "By Celestia! This is the best frappé I've had in my life! The fancy shops in Canterlot can't even compare!" he boasts, grasping the attention of all the ponies in the room. They begin to stare as the star downs his drink, licking the foam of his lips like a child would.

"I must ask you," he whispers, leaning in towards you. "How did you know chocolate mocha was my favorite flavor without me telling you?" The room grows silent as all eyes and ears lay on you, waiting for your response. Only a select few knew that the beans were special. The last thing you needed was people thinking you and your beans were a fraud.

"...Magic," you mutter with a sly grin. Hoity leans back into his chair laughing maniacally, making yourself and a few ponies uncomfortable. A couple join in, probably in hopes that he would take notice in them.

"A coffee enthusiast, a comedian, and an exotic being! Filthy really hit the jackpot finding you, didn't he?" Nodding your head nervously, you slowly make your way into the back of the store.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I'd love to stay around and talk, but I have to get back to work," you reply, slipping behind the counter and back into the prep room.

Grabbing the open sign, you switch it over to closed and lock the door. Part of your team finishes up their cleaning as the rest put out the goods for tomorrow morning. It's always best to be prepared. Brewster finishes up the last of the coffee grounds and places them into a sealable container.

"You did good, newbie. You'll be a barista soon at this rate," you hint, giving him a light nudge in the side.

"Thanks boss. I'm all done here. Do you mind if I go home now?" You nod, signalling the end of his shift. He trots off out of the store as you turn to Puck, who is still washing dishes. Grabbing a sponge, you grab a cup and begin washing it. Puck looks up at you with a concerned look.

"Why are you helping me? You're the boss. Aren't you supposed to just tell me what to do?"

"I'm not a scumbag, Puck," you grunt, placing the cup in the drying bin. "I may be your boss, but I'm still fair and I won't hesitate to help you. Don't take that the wrong way; you better not slack." Puck puts on a smile for the first time all day and continues to wash dishes with you in complete silence. After they're all done, he makes his way for the door and stops.

"You're an alright guy... boss." You find yourself chuckling as he leaves in hurry, hoping you didn't hear him.

"The rest of you can go home. I'll finish up here." For the next couple hours, you finish up the list of manager duties: make sure the shop is ready for tomorrow, count the money and check the profit/loss of the day, and close up. Looking at your watch as you walk home, you check the time. It's already twelve-thirty.

Making your way up the small hill to the cottage, you feel your feet drag. It was a long day today, but it felt good to finally have your own shop. Slowly opening the front door, you poke your head inside and look. Fluttershy is fast asleep on the couch with something on the coffee table. A small cake with the words, "Congrats on your first day, Anon!" lies in a small box. The poor thing must have waited for you to get home in hopes of surprising you. Scooping her up from the couch, you head upstairs to her bedroom and gently lie her down on her bed. She mutters something as you open the door to head back downstairs.

"Please... Be reasonable... Anon..." You feel your stomach twist as these words meet your ears. Leaning over her, her face seems scrunched up. Must be a bad dream. Laying down next to her, you wrap an arm around her and bring her close. Her smile replaces the sad look on her face as you kiss the back of her head.

"I wouldn't even think about it," you whisper into her ear before falling asleep.

Author's Note

Sorry guys, I'm working on my stories when I can, but I'm really busy with IRL problems right now. I'll try to get another update soon.