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 Notes:

I need sleep.