//------------------------------//
// Customer Satisfaction 
// Story: The Pony Store 
// by Wonderbolt Writer 
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The interior of the illustrious Sunny Store was spacious. Enough to house a dozen aisles of various pony products, a bakery, four check-out stands and two restrooms. It was not particularly cool but at least it was well-lit.  Massive windows spanned the walls, letting in ample light. 

Twilight cleared her throat to begin addressing her new recruits. "In short, Princess Celestia has asked us to run this store for her today. I have been placed in the position of acting Manager with Spike as my Assistant Manager."

She levitated over a stack of newly written employee manuals, handing them out to each pony as she went along, telling them of their new responsibilities.  "Pinkie Pie, you will be in the bakery. Rainbow Dash you are in charge of stocking the shelves. Rarity will do the book-keeping and handle customer service. Applejack, you'll handle home-deliveries and general maintenance. And finally Fluttershy...you are the cashier."

She doled out that last role with a tinge of hesitance in her voice. And evidently rightly so as she  bore witness to the pony once known as Fluttershy turn to goop. 

"C-Cashier? As in the pony that has the most  contact with other p-ponies?" she asked, quivering on the floor as she tried hiding behind her manual. 

"Ehhhh..." Twilight gently whirled her head, buying time to think up a way she could make the job sound less intimidating to her. "Well, yes. But don't you worry Fluttershy. You'll have me and Spike here to help you if you have to many customers. All you have to do is place items in a bag and take bits. Oh and there is one other thing..."

"What?" Fluttershy asked, sounding a bit less frightened.

"You also have to make a little, teeny uh... boop noise every time you take an item off the conveyor belt and place it into a bag." 

"A Boop?" 

Twilight flipped open her thick 'Master Maual'. "According to Princess Celestia's wishes. She said to 'Please tell the cashier (Fluttershy) to make a small boop noise with her mouth every time she bags an item off the belt.' "

"I know it doesn't really make sense." Spike said. "But just roll with it, you'll do great!"

Fluttershy gulped, obviously still fearful. But she most definitely didn't want to disappoint her dear friend Twilight or Celestia. "O-Okay, I'll do m-my Best."

"Well my job looks super easy." boasted Rainbow Dash. "How hard can it be to put stuff on a shelf? With my speed, it'll be all too easy! Hello lotsa free time and sipping cider in the break room, yeah!"

"And I get to bake cookies!" shouted Pinkie. "Just leave it to me Captain Manager Twilight." After a split-second salute Pinkie disappeared to her station.

"Pinkie, don't forget to read your manual." Twilight called out. But she was far too late, she could already hear the sound of mixers coming from the bakery and see a light fog made of flour slowly envelope the area. "Well as everypony can see, this store already comes completely ready and stocked." 

"Three, two and one..." Spike said, who had been on her back the whole time. "It's time to open up Twilight, it's noon."

"Oh? Thanks Spike. Okay, everypony please take your stations. I'll go unlock the front doors."

As Twilight cantered off to open the flood gates Sweetie Belle finished helping her sister Rarity into her 'store uniform'. Twilight hadn't issued any any store attire to them but Rarity saw it fit to make something more work appropriate. It wasn't her best work given such short notice but it would suit her needs for the day just fine.

The little Crusader pushed the entirety of Rarity's packed supplies into the already cramped Customer service booth. "Whew...you know what? Twilight seems to be taking all of this reeeaally well. Don't you think so, Rarity?"

Rarity trotted past, taking her place in the booth. "Now, now, dear. Don't mention it or we might see Twilight's head explode. Then Applejack would have to clean up the mess...and that wouldn't be very nice at all now, would it?"

Sweetie hung her head low. "I-I guess not..."

"Attention Sunny store staff!" Twilight announced, inserting the platinum key into the lock. "We are now officially open for business!" She unlocked the two glass front doors and flipped over the enormous closed sign to the side that read - open.

Then she pressed her face against the front window, eagerly awaiting  her first customer to come strolling in. However none were even in sight yet.

"Pssstt...Applejack" Rarity motioned to her friend, making sure to keep her voice down. "Where is Fluttershy?"

"In the bathroom, I think?" came the reply. "She's pretty nervous, I-I'll go talk to her." 

She didn’t waste a second, in through the door to the latrine she went. The thin door did little though to drown out her booming voice. “Hoo-wee, faaancy! Whadda ponies need such a highfalutin place like this to take care of their business? Makes no sense to me...”

"Ohh! Our first customer!" Twilight squealed with delight. "It's Mrs. Cake!"

Twilight herself opened the doors for her as the first potential patron of the day came in. "Hello and welcome to the Sunny store Mrs. Cake. We sincerely hope that you enjoy your shopping experience with us. As our very first customer may I present to you this coupon, good for twenty percent off your first purchase."

"My, well t-thank you Twilight. Where did all of this come from?" she asked as she took the offer.

"Well, Princess Celestia sent over a team of very skilled construction ponies, who had this place built in no time. Then she had another team fully stock this whole store full of all the goods we'd need. All in only a few hours, amazing really."

Mrs. Cake stood there nodding her noggin, surveying the layout of the store. "Is...is that a bakery?"

"Why yes it is, uh..." Twilight stopped when she notice her audience had pulled a Hoofdini on her. "W-Were did she go?"

"Upon yonder hill....Zzzzz." Spike half answered, sleeping soundly, nuzzled against her soft mane.

Mrs. Cake found herself drawn to the Bakery, it called to her. She could her somepony singing right along with their work behind the counter. It was a voice she could recognize in her sleep in a heartbeat. "Pinkie? Is that you?!"

"Huh? Oh Hi Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie said happily. Without even turning around she placed two large sheets full of sweet delights into the oven. Of course she could tell as well who was speaking to her by voice alone, given that they practically lived together.

Mrs. Cake took a gander at the prices, printed large and in charge upon the board overhead. "M-My, these sure are some low prices you got here. Only 3 bits for two dozen cookies?"

Pinkie came out to greet her friend, looking rather ghost-like due to all the flour and confectioners sugar coating her. "I know, isn't it great?"

"Uh, yeah...sure is." Mrs. cake gulped. "How are you able to make a profit on that?"

"Dunno..." Pinkie shook her mane, releasing a cloud of white. "It takes more than that just in ingredients to make em'. Though I do try not to question the low price of desserts or late night, feel-guilty-about-it-in-the-morning chocolate cake. You know?"

"But uh...how can Sugarcube Corner possibly hope to compete against this? Mr. Cake and I couldn't do it, we'd be forced out of business in no time. Pinkie how could you stand by and do this?"

"What?" Pinkie was baffled by the thoughts now swirling through her mind. "I-I'm not trying to force Sugarcube corner outta business. I would n-never-"

"So what will you do?" Mrs. Cake's tone wasn't taking this lightly in the slightest.

"I can't just change the prices but uh, maybe..."

Honestly Pinkie didn't really have a clue as to what she should do at first. Finally a thought did come to her. She hopped on the unicorn magic-powered string cup intercom. "Uh, Twilight could you come to the bakery for a sec? A customer isn't feeling to sunny about the Sunny store at the moment, heh heh."

"...Kinda busy right now Pinkie. Just a second! Rarity, can you possibly-" Twilight was interrupted mid-sentence by a tidal wave of tissue boxes burying her and muffling any further attempts at communication.

"No need, Pinkie. I'll just settle this matter with Celestia herself. I'll give her a piece of my mind." Mrs. Cake calmly and promptly left the premises. All attempts by Rarity and Pinkie to stop her from leaving, just to stay and talk it out fell on deaf ears. She blew right passed, ignoring all.

"Please wait! I'm sure we can come to an understanding." Rarity's still outstretched hoof barely made contact with the entrance doors surface as they swung back gently to a close. She lowered her limb and turned to Pinkie. "Well, so much for customer satisfaction."

"Did that seem kooky to you?" asked Pinkie. "Or do you think that was all completely justifiable?"

Sweetie Belle came into play, stroking her lower jaw as if a long beard was flowing off it. "Maybe it just comes with the territory? Ya know, build a store and cranky customers will come."

Pinkie squinted her eyes and began mimicking the young ponies movements. "I see, so if we build it, they will.... It is all becoming clear now."

"What is?" the two sisters asked in unison.

"Beats me, I was just saying stuff. Everything will be okay, you'll see." Pinkie poofed back to her normal self and bounced away. "La, de da, de da...weeeee!"