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// Future's call part 3 
// Story: The chef's student 
// by vincent789 
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10 Months before Luna's return


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After Twilight daring success outside the cooking industry. Her name became slightly more known. She far from recognized but she wasn't a nobody anymore. This would help kickstart Twilight's future.

Right now however, Twilight had her hoofs filled with homework and the need to graduate in atleast 2 year time. Her school stress had really build up the last few weeks. And going to fitness wasn't going to cut it anymore.

She needed to go out and eat something. Something a bit different. She decided that going to a cafe was a bit too cramped. Not to mention she disliked alcohol unless it was mixed with food. This left an exhausted Twilight to roam Manehattan to search for a place to eat.

Thanks to better regulation on meat lately, many restaurants that previously refused to touch meat, suddenly had chosen to add meat on their menus. This caused a boom of income to the restaurants. Because they were now also tapping into the tourism market. Most meat eaters were outside Equestria. And most meat production was also outside Equestria.

This meant that  the trade to the outside had improved and so had the relationships with the import industry. This brought more tourism and had caused the restaurants inside Manehattan to nearly always be full unless she had reserved. She had not.

This would mean that Twilight was forced to search the city for a restaurant to eat at. On one hoof she was happy. This meant that Twilight's compromised had eating patron could be improved. On the other hoof, she was stuck searching for a place to eat. If she could find one, then she wouldn't be forced to eat at a snack bar. Something which she had been forced to do for the last few weeks.

She was tired of oily, greasy meat and vegetables. So today she was searching extra hard as her nightmares had been filled with fried food. She then spots a black sheep in the crowd of filled restaurants. A single restaurant was nearly entirely empty. Nearly, because the last two guests left enraged. Twilight decided to get closer to overhear the angry complaints of the two guests.

"Could you believe it?!" The older stallion said.

"Ugh. That is so disgusting. Fresh ingredients my ass. Those flowers looked dead!" The younger pony said.

Twilight approached the duo, "Can I ask you a question?" She asked innocently.

The older stallion looked her direction and smiled, "Of course, young lady. What is the matter?" he asked.

"I was just wondering why, out of all restaurants here, this one in particular seemed... Abandoned." Twilight asked curiously.

"Oh, this restaurant has recently fallen out of the spotlight. They used to make the best dishes, when suddenly it became the most terrible dishes. It's a real shame. We were big fans. If they ever choose to return to the world of proper food, I would gladly return. Until then I recommend that you stay away." The older stallion said disappointed.

"I heard the boss had a falling out with his head chef and also lost a bunch of staff members. This restaurant was the diamond in the rough. And yet its falling so deep." The young pony said. She seemed to be particularly disappointed.

"I take it something bad happened. And this caused a chain reaction." Twilight deduced.

"Most likely. Truly sad." The older stallion said, "Well it was good talking to you miss. We have to get going."

"Thank you." Twilight said as she waved at them.

'So a diamond in the rough. Falling to literal rock bottom. And losing staff.' Twilight thought deeply.

She decided again the wishes of the duo to enter anyways. The bell at the door rang and a tired and depressed looking waiter came to her.

"Did you reserve a spot?" He asked in a depressed tone.

"I did not." Twilight said, 'Hm. Atleast their question seem appropriate. And yet they have a clearly tired looking waiter come to guests. This is worrying.'  She thought.

"Very well. Every table is available. You can choose you seating." He said after which he slowly walked away towards the bar.

Twilight took a seat at the corner. It had a comfy chair next to the window. Her eyes inspected the place. The floors looked old, it hasn't been replaced in years. The wallpaper was dirty. The table's looked god awful. They clearly haven't cleaned this place up. Twilight was getting even more worried. She wanted to attempt to save this restaurant.

"Here is the menu and drink menu. Please call if you need anything." A different more bored looking waiter said.

"Is there anything you recommend?" Twilight asks innocently.

"Hm. I recommend leaving and choosing a different restaurant to eat at." The waiter said before leaving.

Twilight looks at him in shock. No waiter should ever say this. Annoyed Twilight raises her voice. "Oh? And why is that?" she asked somewhat annoyed.

The waiter turns around and moves closer to Twilight's ear. "Because we have to no kitchen chef, kitchen staff or head chef. The boss is forced to make everything and he is a terrible chef." he said quietly.

Twilight looks shocked at him, 'Nobody in the kitchen. at most two waiters that also do the bar. This is not good.' she thought.

"Then please get me a mango, strawberry smoothie." Twilight said as if she didn't hear that.

"Okay. That will arrive in a few moments." he said.

'To restart such a failing restaurant would require a new chef. A new host. A new barista at the minimum. Not to mention they will have to ask for help by the mayoral office. They need a new influx of money and atleast to a full clean of the restaurant.' Twilight thought, 'But before anything could happen. The boss will want to save his restaurant. If he doesn't want to save it. Then I can not assist him.'

"Here is your smoothie." The stallion in front of Twilight, looked like he owns the place.

Gulping, "It would seem this place is failing." Twilight said out loud.

"It has. I don't know what to do. My kitchen staff refuses to return and my cleaners refuse to return to work." The owner said.

"Why is that?" Twilight asked.

"They refuse to follow a terrible boss. I have been trying to change, but it's an slow process. They did not have the patients to wait. And left." he said.

"Did you also stop giving them money?" Twilight asked.

"I did. I offer them a decent amount. But even that is apparently not the reason they refused to return. Money wasn't the issue. I was." He said depressed.

"Hm. And what about you did they dislike?" Twilight asks.

"What is it to you?" The owner asks seriously.

"I want to attempt to save your dying restaurant. But I can only do so much." Twilight offered.

"Okay. I will admit. When I was younger I bossed my staff around like I was a king. They disliked me because of it. Then as my parents forced this restaurant on me, in an attempt to make them proud. I advertised this restaurant as the best. And when ponies asked, why it was the best. I took the fame away from the kitchen. And I guess at some point they just lost it. Which is while we are already going into the ground." The owner explained.

"Do you admit that you did wrong?" Twilight asked.

"Yes. I admit that I was doing it for fame in the hopes of making my parents proud. They didn't even bat an eye at me. And once it all came crashing down. I was alone. My parents, my staff and my guests abandoned me at my greatest time of need." He said, "I am truly sorry." he added in a small voice. He seemed truly apologetic. Twilight meanwhile smiled.

"Then let me help you. I know a thing or two about owning a place and food and stuff. It's better than everyone leaving you out to die." Twilight offered.

"Thank you, young lady. My name is Fun Chef. Royal's failed younger brother." Fun said.

"Good. First thing first. I fear that keeping your restaurant open any longer would destroy its reputation. We are at rock bottom. We can only go up. Close the place, then we shall start talking about this place." Twilight said.

Fun nodded and closed the place for the day. Twilight meanwhile told the staff to take a break and maybe some coffee.

"This is going to be long night." Twilight said out loud.

"I closed the place. Now what?" Fun asked.

"First we need to check something. If we are to rehire some chefs. We need to go for new ones. The old will have prejudice that is negative on this restaurant. We need new and optimistic chefs." Twilight instructed.

"We need to check if every dish on the menu doesn't need to removed or changed. We can't prepare high quality dishes with only a few chefs. And I will teach you on how to cook in between." Twilight said, Fun simply nodded.

"But, first and foremost. We need your waiters to go and take a break. They look absolutely awful. We need them to start do a full house clean. I want the wallpaper replaced with white paint and I want some pine wooden flooring placed as soon as possible. The place has to look homely and clean. Right now it looks like garbage." Twilight said.

"We don't have enough money to get some cleaning equipment and cleaning stuff. We also lack the money for the paint and flooring." Fun said.

"Don't worry. I will invest some starter money into you." Twilight said, "Hopefully 50 thousand bits should do."

"I- thank you. I will do my best to repay you." Fun said.

"Repay me once you are in the green and have a decent guest base." Twilight said.

"Okay. I will." Fun said determined.

"Good. Let's start right now by putting this letter on the door." Twilight said.

Fun decided to read what it said,

'Dear Guest,

I am sad to inform that due to some nasty weather, this restaurant is going to stay closed to the near future.
We will announce our reopening, once we are fully prepared to take proper care into our guests.
Your safety and happiness is our top priority and we simply do not have the means to accomplish this right now.
This restaurant is now closed until further notice.

Thank you for your kindness and see you soon.
The owner, Fun Chef.'

"There. That should let people know that we are working on the problems we are currently experiencing." Twilight said,

"And that acknowledge that fact." Fun said smiling for some reason.

"I see that weight has been lifted off your back." Twilight said with an smile.

"It has. I can't wait what the future will be like." He said excited.

"One step at the time." Twilight warns.

"I know. I will close the security shutters." Fun said as he closes the shutters over the windows.

"Good, now lets start cleaning these tables and chairs. Then we are going to move them to storage until further notice." Twilight said.

While cleaning, Twilight took a good look at these benches. They appeared to be from 80' they were blue and had that familiar look to them. Twilight also noticed that they were in very poor condition.

"We might have to buy newer and better benches. They look too worn out and is in very poor condition. I think the look of a family restaurant fits the aesthetic of this place better." Twilight said.

"I agree. I just never though on which type bench. Do you have an idea?" Fun asked.

"Yes. I will have to talk to an old friend about it." Twilight said.

"Okay. Then we might need to replace the tables also. I see signs of woodworms on the table." Fun added.

"I see. I will look into it." Twilight said as she moves the benches after cleaning using her magic into storage. She then also moved the tables into storage.

"Hey boss. Is there anything we can do to assist?" The previously tired looking waiters asked. they look refreshed and happy.

Fun looks at Twilight, then back at the waiter. "Nah. You two can go home. I will pay you for the remainder of the day. I will have some preparing to do. Tomorrow we are going to remove the floors and wallpaper to replace them. We will need your help then." Fun said somewhat humbly. He had already learned from his mistake.

The waiter look surprised at him, but then said, "I can't leave you alone boss. I know what you did was wrong. But I won't let you suffer alone. Please let me help."

Twilight smiles at the waiter. 'Atleast they are loyal. That is a good sign.' she though.

"I know. But tomorrow is going to be an heavy day. I will need you fully rested then. You can go home. All we will do is clean a bit and prepare for the flooring overhaul. Don't worry I will be fine." Fun said smiling.

"Fine. But I refused to be paid for the remainder of the night." He said and walked off.

"I agree." The other waiter said and walked off.

"Atleast they are loyal. That is a very good sign." Twilight said.

"That they are. They have helped under some of the most stressful days. And I assisted them when they needed me the most." Fun said with an proud smile.

"That is an exceedingly good sign. Now we only need a chef and a sous chef. Then we can restart the business." Twilight said.

"And a barista. They are good runners. But they can't make single cup of coffee." Fun said.

Twilight nodded. Despite his earlier hiccups in the restaurant business. He seem like a good boss. Twilight just knew that this family restaurant is going to survive just fine. With a little help of course.

"So when are you arriving tomorrow?" Fun asked.

"At four O'clock in the middle of the day. I am still just a student." Twilight said. "By the way my name is Twilight Sparkle. I forgot to introduce myself didn't I?"

"You did." Fun said smiling.

"Now that was all the tables and benches. Now we need to clear out the bar. If the tables had woodworm then the bar most likely also." Twilight said.

"Okay. Do you think that we need a new coffee machine?" Fun asked.

Twilight inspected the machine, it was a partial manual. This meant that the water was being added elsewhere, but they would have to add the ground mashed coffee beans and make their own milk frothy. It appeared to be in an excellent state. Almost brand new.

"The coffee machine is in perfect condition. No need to replace it." Twilight said.

"Good. I feared that I or the waiters might have accidentally broke it." Fun said.

"Well, let's detach it from the pipes and the electricity. Then move it into the kitchen. Fun please call the company to do a full part clean throughout the machine. I will start bundling the other things away from the bar. And start to dismount the bar entirely from the placement. I will go look for a new bar at an particular place. I know a few places." Twilight said.

"Okay. I will remove the cash register from the bar and make that phone call." Fun said as he moved to remove the cash register. Twilight meanwhile already removed the coffee machine from the bar and started to bundle all the other things that were on the bar into the kitchen. She also made sure move the white wine and rose wine into the fridge. Moving the red wine into a cupboard in the kitchen.

Fun meanwhile succeeded in removing the cash register and moving it to the office. He was making the phone call. It would seem that the company did not want to do that. "Twilight they refuse to clean it!" Fun shouted.

"Tell them that if they refuse, that the house Sparkle will sue them." Twilight shouted.

Fun spoke those exact words into the phone. Fun heard a gulp and then they agreed. Smiling, he shouted, "That did the trick!"

Twilight smiled back as she used her incredible strength to simply pull the bar out of the ground. Fun was simply staring at this incredible display of strength. He looked shocked.

Realizing that no normal pony could do this, she returned the shocked face with an sheepish grin. Before simply carrying the bar into the storage. She placed it on the ground causing the ground to slightly crack from the weight.

"How did you-?" Fun simply asked.

"I do a lot of fitness. Now anyways, I will go out and go home.... argh! I forgot that I came here to eat something. Tell you what. To show you my ability to cook, I will make you a simple and nice fried rice." Twilight offered.

"Sure. I am pretty hungry too." Fun and Twilight both walked into the kitchen.

Twilight grabbed a wok pan and a rice cooker. She turns it on and fills it with water. She then add some rice and waits for it to complete. Meanwhile she quickly chopped an assortment of vegetables. As soon as the rice is complete she let it cool down.

Meanwhile she adds some oil to the pan while also putting the flame on high. She pushes the oil left and right. To make sure the whole pan had a dose of oil. She then removed the oil and added the vegetables. Cooking them for a few moments, she adds the rice and sweet soy sauce* and stirred it very frequently. She then added an assortment of Chinese spices and she cracks an egg or two into the pan. Mixing it often with a spatula.

After a few moments, the kitchen was filled with an incredible smell. She grabs two deep plates and plated them with nice oval shaped fried rice mixture. Adding a little bit of sweet soy sauce as decor. And finally placing a softly boiled egg on top.

"It's done!" Twilight said.

Fun grabs a plate and took a bit. One moment later and he devoured the dish. It was delicious. Twilight too grabbed a plate and took some nice slow bites. She could tell that she has improved immensely. She smiles as she watches Fun devour his portion.

"Oh my Luna! It's been so long since I had a decent meal. You truly are an amazing chef!" Fun said as he praises Twilight. Twilight simply looked away with an humble blush.

"I trust you. Please help my restaurant get as good as that single dish of food." Fun said as he laid on the ground praying.

"I will do my best!" Twilight said. "Well it's getting late. I still have to go to school. Tomorrow I want you to replace the floor and walls, while I am in school. I hope that you are done as soon as I return. I will teach you about how to run a bar and kitchen. After that I will leave to go and get new benches and tables. The bar will have to wait for now."

"I understand. I will try to complete that in the allotted time. I will clean these plates. Good luck with school." Fun said.

Twilight nodded before leaving the restaurant to go home. And once she is at home, she collapses on bed. The following day she goes to school, and then she goes to fitness for an hour. After that she arrives at the restaurant.

"How far are you?" Twilight asks as soon as she entered.

"I am done. I am an handy pony. Replacing the floor and walls was no problem." Fun said with an smile.

"And I take it that you took a shower?" Twilight asked.

"Yup." Fun said.

Twilight looked at his handy work. The walls looked professionally painted and the floor looks clean. The location near the bar was also clean. She also noticed spray cans of bug repellent on the floor.

"Okay. Remove those cans of bug repellent. And get ready. I looked at the menu and have decided that the current dishes are out-dated and too hard to make with the current standard of the restaurant. I removed it all. And this is the up-coming menu." Twilight said as she showed Fun.

'The black sheep food menu.

A beet hayburger 15 bits,
A beef hayburger 20 bits,
Some hayfries 12 bits,
A tomato soup 12 bits,
A goat cheese grilled sandwich 14 bits.'

This goes on and on. Most consisted of a burger, a soup or a sandwich of any kind. Fun also noted that there were about three types of salads.

"This looks reasonable." Fun said, "Most I would probably be able to make."

"Don't. That is the job of the kitchen. Your job is to make sure everything runs properly. Your attention is not the guests, but the staff. You need to make sure everything works the way it should." Twilight said.

"I see." Fun said.

"You can also play host. If your waiters are too busy. Or assist the kitchen where ever they need you." Twilight said, "You are not in control of the kitchen. You are in control of the staff. Remember that. If a guest gives you a complement then you will have to push that complement to your staff. They enjoy it when you praise them."

"Praise them when they do good. Punish them when they fail. This is the basics of staff management. The remainder you will learn with experience." Twilight explained.

"I understand. I will try to keep that up." Fun said.

"Good, now-" Twilight started to talk about the basics of the inner workings of an kitchen. The process from ingredient to proper dish. The safety to keep a note of and the healthiness of both your staff as well as the ingredients.

Twilight then moved to the would be bar. She explained the safekeeping of wine and coffee beans. How to use the coffee machine and the upkeep cost regarding the staff.

Finally Twilight explained the upkeep and importance of cleaning and cleaning like tasks. The stuff any kitchen would need and a bar would need. The best equipment, etc.

"And that is about as far as my experience goes. Was this helpful?" Twilight asked.

"It was. Thank you." Fun said with an smile, "Now what?"

"I will go and search for some furniture. You must train your staff about the new menu and the importance of cleaning seats and tables." Twilight instructed.

"Understood. Leave it to me." Fun replied.

"Good. Now off I go." Twilight said as she walked out the back door.

'Good. Now I need to go to an old friend. He works here in Manehattan.' Twilight thought as she moved towards the industry district.

Once she had arrived, she looked around. Until she noticed an familiar shop front. Moving towards it, she looked inside. It was open. She saw some customers.

Twilight entered and was greeted with an annoyed looking receptionist.

"How can I help you?" The receptionist asked annoyed.

"Is Flour Dance currently working?" Twilight asked.

"What are you to her?" The receptionist asked.

"A friend and customer." Twilight said.

"Fine. She is currently inside the large furniture section of the store." The receptionist said.

"Thank you." Twilight said before walking off towards that location.

Once inside, she already saw a bunch of benches that looked interesting. Twilight decided to continue, however. Once she had arrived she saw the perfect bar for the restaurant. And also Flour Dance behind it. Flour appeared to be distracted.

"Can I ask you a question?" Twilight said as she approached.

"Of course-" Flour started until she saw Twilight with an innocent smile.

"Twilight, it's been awhile." She said.

"It has been awhile. I am here on business. I need your help at picking the right choice." Twilight said.

"Of course. What do you need?" Flour asked curiously.

"I need some restaurant benches that fit the family business theme. And some match tables. I also want a professional looking bar for inside it." Twilight said.

"How many benches?" Flour asked serious.

"About 25 benches. They need to be rot resistant. And disliked by most woodworms." Twilight said.

"What is the budget?" Flour asked.

"About 100 thousand bits. But I want try and keep it below 25 thousand for the benches and tables." Twilight said.

"Hm. How about these?" Flour showed some two seated benches that were of a warm color and these nice cushions on it.

"I prefer the whole seated part of the bench to be a single cushion." Twilight said as she dismisses these.

"I see. I have these." Flour points at very light looking benches.

"I prefer darker colors. The floor is made of pine and the walls are white. I would make it a nice contrast." Twilight said.

"Well how about them?" Flour asks as she shows some interesting looking bench. The lower area was a single cushion. The back was an rustic looking cushion. And the bench itself gave it a outdoorsy type look. And Twilight thought that these are perfect.

"They are perfect. I will take 25. How much is it?" Twilight asked satisfied.

"Only 10 thousand bits. I made these. They are not easy to produce." Flour said happily.

"I will pay an addition 5 thousand bits if you can make and ship these to the black sheep restaurant in less than two days." Twilight offered.

"Deal!" Flour said as she shook Twilight's hoof.

"Now about that bar. I thought that this bar is perfect. It has the right dimensions and is pleasing to look at. Not to mention it's unique." Twilight said as she points at the bar that Flour stood behind earlier.

"Well it's a bit outside your price range." Flour said nervous.

"How much is it?" Twilight asked surprised. Flour isn't normally this nervous.

"Well, 5 million bits." Flour said.

"Hm. Why is it so expensive?" Twilight asked.

"That there is made for nobility. Not some random Manehattan citizen." An very smug looking artisan said.

"That is no excuse for the price. Nobility won't just buy it because of the price." Twilight said annoyed.

"Fine. It was endorse by princess Celestia herself. She has one in her personal chambers." The artisan said.

"Is that so." Twilight said as she looks at Flour, "I need to talk to the boss. Is he in?"

"Arms? Well I think so." Flour said, "Would like to see him?"

"Yes." Twilight said. This caused Flour to walk towards the staff phone and pick it up.

"Boss it me Flour. I have an important individual that wishes to talk to you. What? No it's not an princess. Wait! It's Twilight. Okay. Understood." Flour said as she hanged up. "He is inbound."

"Twilight!" Prince Arms Keeper said as he hug Twilight from behind.

"It sure has been a while, Arms." Twilight said with an big smile.

"So what is the matter?" He asked curious.

"Remember that you said that I would get to choose my present once I made my mind up?" Twilight asked.

"You did. So what is it?" Arms asks curiously.

"I want that." Twilight points at the bar.

"Are you sure? I won't count that as your present. I will give it away for free to you." Arms said.

"Are you serious boss?! That is made for royalty not just some random pony!" The artisan shouted.

Arms slowly looked at him. His stance suggested that he was very angry. Twilight learned about stances thanks to her training. The artisan also noticed which caused him to shrink a little.

"This young lady. Has befriend lots of high classed ponies in Canterlot. She is talking to the princesses on a first name basis. And is one of the strongest unicorns in Equestria. She is Twilight Sparkle of house Sparkle and house Armor. Daughter of a famous archaeologist and a famous astrologist. She single hoofed brought change to the meat industry and recently obtain F rank in karate after she destroyed the a beginners tournament on her first attempt. And you call her a random pony!" He boomed. "She is far from random!"

Twilight eyes went wide eyed at his incredible amount of information he had on Twilight. Twilight hadn't seen him since she was younger, yet he knew this much. It would seem that Flour also didn't know those things.

"I am sorry boss. I will make my self scarce." The artisan said before hurrying off.

"Come to my office later today. I head some interesting things about your recent work ethics lately." Arms shouted.

"How did you know?" Twilight asked surprised at Arms.

"Princess Celestia has been watching both Trixie and you. She tends to talk to Trixie about your accomplishments. I am often standing next to Princess Celestia. I hear lots of things. Plus my knight are still watching you. In the hopes of preventing a second disaster." Arms said as he drooped at the last thing.

Twilight smiles, "Thanks Arms. I understand. I would also be vigilant if some pony could be a ticking time bomb. whether I like it or not, I did cause a whole lot of ponies to die." Twilight said in an understanding tone.

"Good. Now, why would you need this large bar? It doesn't fit your home." Arms said.

"I am currently helping a restaurant from going out of business. The bar they had was destroyed by woodworms. I am trying to replace it." Twilight said.

Arms smiled, "Doing another good deed eh? Which restaurant?" he asked.

"Black sheep." Twilight said.

"Oh?! You are helping a restaurant that is princess Celestia's favorite?! Nice!" Arms said with an smile.

"I did not know that. I will relay this information to Fun Chef." Twilight said.

"Good!" Arms said.

"By the way. Do you happen to know your side of the story regarding it's downfall? Fun already told me his side, yet somehow I feel like a whole bunch more happened. That he didn't know about." Twilight asked curious.

"Yes, well. From what I understand. There was whole list of problems, before Fun even became in charge of it. For starters, Fun's family was under paying the staff. There wasn't a proper break room and the like. Fun did add a proper break room, but he failed to realize that his family was under paying the staff." Arms said.

"Is that so. I will talk to him about those problems. Anything else?" Twilight said as she made a mental note.

"The family wanted that restaurant to fail. Is what I overheard Royal say to the princess after her visit. He also said that Fun was currently a disgrace to the family. Just as the name of the restaurant, he is the black sheep of the family. He can't cook, he doesn't understand economics, etc." Arms said, his tone suggested that he was not happy with those revelations.

"Good. He is starting from rock bottom. He can go only up from there. I will teach him how to cook. I will teach him the basic management skills. And I will teach him about giving staff raises and increased pay." Twilight said with an smile.

Arms smiled, "Please show his family that he can be successful if he tried properly." he said.

"Sure. Will you move the bar to the restaurant, alongside the benches and tables?" Twilight asked.

"Will do. I will see you at Black sheep, Twilight." Arms said as he started to redirect his staff to start picking the stuff up.

"Here is the money for the tables and benches." Twilight said as she hoofed over 15 thousand bits to Flour.

"Thanks for doing business, Twilight. I can't wait to see how your own restaurant will turn out." Flour said.

"Me too." Twilight said as she walked off. Exiting the furniture store, Twilight ran towards the Black Sheep restaurant.

Once Twilight had arrived, she noticed an smiling staff and a stern looking Fun talk to them about what is about to happen. They looked proud at Fun. Twilight smiled when she realized that they were waiting for him to turn the business around.

"And that is about it." Fun said, "Please take a break to let all of that soak in."

"Okay!" Both smiling waiters said before leaving towards the break room.

"Fun." Twilight said.

"Twilight your back. How did it go?" Fun asked curious.

"The bar should arrive soon. The benches and tables should arrive in a few days." Twilight said.

"Ooh! I thought you were going to wait on searching for the bar." Fun said surprised.

"I happen to have noticed a good one. While looking for the tables and benches." Twilight admitted.

"I see." Fun said happily.

"Anyways, I got some information regarding the more likely reason that your staff left." Twilight said serious.

"What is it?" Fun said as his face turned very serious.

"It would appear that your family had been under paying the staff. And the lack of a break room early on, led a lot of staff to become stressed." Twilight said.

"I see. I will look into what the average wage is for a waiter and kitchen staff. And I will change it accordingly. I will give those two waiters that have been very loyal despite the bad pay an additional raise and a bonus as thank you." Fun said as he quickly walked off to the mayoral office to ask about the average pay for each staff member.

'I guess I don't need to teach him about that. He seems surprisingly capable despite his bad reputation.' Twilight thought smiling.

"Psst!" One of the waiters said as he slowly approached Twilight.

"Hm? What is the matter?" Twilight asked.

"I just wanted to say thank you for helping us. Fun may have been a spotlight thief, but he did have many good quirks that makes him perfect to run a business." The waiter said.

"Oh like what?" Twilight asked.

"He is fast walker. He learns quickly. And he is very protective over his staff. He is not afraid to tell a high-paying guest off after the guest abuses the staff." The waiter said with an smile.

"At some point he might have realized, just how abusive his parents were with this restaurant. He began to change. Sadly at that time it was too late. The restaurant just fell apart." The waiter said saddened.

"That is good to hear." Twilight said smiling.

"When the kitchen staff started to leave. Fun realized that his parents actions are going to destroy his life. In the end he tried everything to keep even the most least experienced staff in the kitchen. They wanted to leave, because they wanted a better owner. But really it was more of them being disappointed with his family. Not him." The other waiter said.

"In fact the head chef left as last. He said to me that he hoped that this restaurant is still standing in a few years. He would not mind coming back. He just want Fun to be even better at managing the staff. He left in the hopes that he will be in fully charge of the restaurant and that he would become a proper owner of the restaurant." The waiter said, "He will come back. He hasn't entirely left. He wasn't on a fired leave. No he left due to family complications. And as such, we still have a head chef."

Twilight's eyes widen, "That is amazing news! We will still need a barista and sous chef though." Twilight said with an surprised smile.

"I know a barista that might be interested in joining the restaurant. She has a master degree in coffee and has 10 years of experience in the bar keeping business." One of the waiters said,

"Bring her here. I will discuss my terms with her." Twilight requested.

"I will." he said before leaving to go and find her.

"Hm. I know of a temporary sous chef. That might be interested in joining up. Of course I will pay her, not the restaurant. She can't stay permanently." Twilight said.

"Good. Please go and ask her then. I will make sure that the furniture group places the bar in the right place." Fun said.

"Sure. Will you give the waiters the good news?" Twilight asked.

"I will." Fun said smiling.

"Good. I will be back in a few moments." Twilight said, she looked outside, the sun was going down. Before leaving to go to her old friend in the black market within Manehattan.

Twilight walks towards the more shady part of the city. Many of these buildings belong to some of the most dangerous criminals known to Equestria. Some were even owned by Lunarium's mafia organization.

After looking around she spots a familiar door. Twilight approaches the door and knocks on it.

"Who is it?" an male voice asked.

"A customer." Twilight said cryptic.

"This is not some normal market, young lady." The male voice said.

"And I am not some ordinary customer. I am the purple beast." Twilight said with a growl, "Let me in!"

The male raised his eyebrow before taking a little look of Twilight. "Fine." he said before opening the door.

Twilight enters, her magic was ready in case of an ambush. Walking down the stairs, she stops to take a good look. She spots the potential sous-chef helping Royal Chef in the distance.

Walking closer, Twilight over hears a conversation between Royal chef and Black Chef also known as Becky.

"So how is the castle?" Becky asks Royal.

"Ugh. Boring. Without Twilight, the castle feels so empty. I miss Twilight and her antics." Royal said bored.

Becky smiles, "So you miss her? I thought you work also for the school." she said.

"Not anymore. The stallion that is normally in charge of the bullet fish had returned. I was told to leave, they didn't need me anymore." Royal said.

'Hm. I might be able to borrow both of them, then.' Twilight thought with an smile as she approaches Becky and Royal.

"Hey Becky!" Twilight shouted.

Becky turn her head towards the sound rapidly, she smiles. "Twilight! It has been awhile. How is school?" she asked.

"School is fine. I have a potential temporary job for you two." Twilight said.

"What is it?" Becky asked, Royal was still stunned at Twilight's sudden appearance in the black market. In the background a shocked Minno was also staring at Twilight.

"I am trying to save a restaurant. This restaurant has a lot of potential, it just that their head chef is away on family leave and the everyone else, left due to bad pay." Twilight explained. "I need a temporary sous-chef and head-chef."

"Is that so. How much is the pay?" Royal asked after he properly recovered.

"Considering that I am currently investing into the restaurant. The pay goes out of my pocket. I was thinking of 50 bits an hour for the sous-chef and 100 bits an hour for the head-chef." Twilight explained.

"I see." Becky and Royal said at the same time.

"I am prepared to pay for 60 times of 12 hour shifts times two. For each chef." Twilight explained.

"So sixty day of work." Becky said.

"And who are you hiring for the head-chef position?" Royal asked.

"I was thinking of you. While giving the sous-chef position to Becky." Twilight said.

"I see. Fine, I will join." Becky said.

"Are you sure? I haven't even said which restaurant." Twilight asked surprised.

"I trust you." Becky said.

"I will also join. I also trust you." Royal said.

"Okay. Please sign here." Twilight said as she grabs two contracts out of her backpack.

They both sign it and then they asked, "So which restaurant?"

Twilight smile turned into a smirk, "Well. I am going to honest. This is going to be interesting." she said.

Royal gulped, he did not like were this was going. "Well?" he asked worried.

"Black Sheep." Twilight simply said. Royal and Becky eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

"This is what you get for not reading the contract." Twilight said laughing out loud.

Becky face palmed, "Well shit." she said.

Royal also started to laugh loudly, "It has been awhile since I have seen my younger brother. I can't wait to get to work." he said.

"Well, I want you to go there as soon as I need you in the kitchen. This is the renewed menu. Read it and test the recipes yourself at home. As soon as I call you, I expect you to come without complaining." Twilight said, her leadership voice started to really shine.

"Yes, Yes. Ugh, remind me to read you contracts next time. Twi." Becky said.

"Nah." Twilight said as she walked off, smiling innocently.

"Twilight?" Minno said as she suddenly appeared in front of Twilight.

Twilight took one look at Minno before running at top speed out of the black market.

"Twilight, wait!" Minno shouted. "Ugh, get her." she added as she points at her goons.

Twilight quickly realized that she is in trouble, prepares her non-lethal combat magic. 'Taser magic should do.' She quickly thought.

As soon as the goons got close, Twilight cast an AoE** spell on the ground behind her. Tasering every goon and bystander with an amount of electricity that would stun them for atleast 5 minutes. Twilight safely ran away.

"Tch! She got away." Minno said annoyed, "I guess I will have a little chit-chat with you later."

Before Minno walks back inside the black market. She notices a decently angry looking Lulu approach her. "Minno. What was that?" Lulu asks with a growl.

"A Twilight copycat." Minno answered.

Lulu wasn't fooled, she saw Twilight's magic and was easily able to recognize it from a distance. "I will talk with father about what you just did." Lulu said angrily.

"Okay sis. Just know that Twilight entered our turf without out permission." Minno said to Lulu.

Lulu looks at Minno, "Are you sure that was truly not a copycat?" she asks with an smirk.

"I am certain. Besides she wasn't allowed to just enter the black market." She said as an angry glance at the door keeper.

"Actually she is allowed. She is on the white list as an VIP. She was placed as that by princess Celestia." The door keeper stated. "Her nickname in here is 'the purple beast'"

Minno and Lulu look surprised at the door keeper. "Is that so?" Minno asked faster than Lulu.

"It is, look!" he said as he points at the white list.

Lulu and Minno look at the list and indeed saw Twilight's name. "Well that is a surprise. Dad wanted me to track down this 'purple beast' but now I don't have to do that anymore." Lulu said.

"Why did you have to track her down?" Minno asked.

"I guess Twilight has been lost track off by the knight. The princess doesn't know where she is anymore." Lulu said.

"She is currently staying at the Black Sheep." Royal said as he approaches Lulu.

"And a fair warning to you," Becky started, "Twilight is an incredibly strong pony. Besides the karate, she has magic that rivals princess Celestia in power."

"I know. She is my best friend. No need to get all hostile and stuff." Lulu said annoyed.

"Good." Royal and Becky said before walking home.

Meanwhile Twilight had returned home. She was exhausted after running and shooting magic at the same time. It has been awhile since she did that. 'Phew. That was too close.' Twilight though as she sighed, she knew that she is going to have to talk to Minno later at school.

Twilight was about to look at the clock before she fainted of exhaustion onto her bed. She saw at a small glance that it 9 O'clock, roughly.

The following day started out as normal. She had an ordinary school day until,

"Twilight you are going to stay seated until I tell you to leave." Minno said, with a passive-aggressive voice.

Twilight gulped as she stayed seated. Twilight noticed the knights on the roof of the opposite building. They looked angry. Twilight felt alarmed, she prepared a teleport spell just in case. She hoped that it was nothing.

Then out of nowhere, Princess Celestia walks into Twilight's classroom. Twilight's eyes widen in panic. And even though she saw Trixie in the corner of her eye. Her body tensed up. Her training in karate put her body on high-alert.

"How do I owe this pleasure, Celestia?" Twilight asked, panic was shown in her voice.

"Do not worry, Twilight. I just had a few questions." Celestia said regally. Twilight trained senses said something else, they took a single look at her body and said that she was annoyed.

"What questions?" Twilight asked nervously as she totally ignored Trixie.

"I was wondering why you were avoiding my knights." Celestia asked.

"I wasn't? I have been walking around recently. No reason for concern." Twilight said.

"And why were you in the black market then?" Celestia asked calmly.

"I was going there to hire some old friends to help a dying restaurant." Twilight said.

Celestia eyebrow rose, "Which one?" she asked somewhat surprised.

"One that I heard used to be your favorite. Black Sheep." Twilight said.

Celestia and Minno look shocked at Twilight. "You are trying to save Black Sheep?!" Celestia shouted surprised.

Celestia's shout caused both Minno and Trixie to flinch. Twilight nodded without missing a beat.

"I see. This was a big misunderstanding then." Celestia said as her body finally relaxed. Twilight also lowered her magic. Removing the need to teleport.

A kind smile graced Celestia's lips, "I see. That is why both Royal and Black looked shocked. You tricked them into helping Fun. Right?" she asked.

"Yup." Twilight said with an smirk.

Celestia nodded, she looked at her knights and they immediately stood down. "I guess we didn't come here for a good enough reason. Trixie you are going to have to make an assay about the black market." Celestia said. Trixie immediately looked annoyed at Celestia.

"Sorry for ignoring you, Trixie. It's just unusual for Celestia herself to enter my classroom." Twilight said apologetic.

"I know. That is why I didn't try to get you attention while you talked to Celestia." Trixie said, smiling to her best friend.

"Good, well I have to go. The restaurant isn't going to fix itself you know." Twilight said in a bit of an hurry. She still had to go to fitness before actually going to the restaurant.

"I see. Well give me a call when it's finished. Me and Trixie will visit it." Celestia said.

"Very well." Twilight said as she quickly packed her bag and left the school.

Before Celestia left, Minno approached the duo. "My apologies for the false alarm. I truly thought that she-" Minno started before getting cut off by the princess.

"It's alright. I know it was tough. You were just surprised that Twilight came without those knights following her. I am just going to make sure that they improve their watchful eye on Twilight." Celestia said.

"Uhm. Your highness, why are you so careful with Twilight? Is she so dangerous still that you are watching her?" Trixie asked worried.

"Just in case. She needs to understand that actions bring consequences." Celestia said calmly.

"Well she is already feeling the consequences. Your highness. She hasn't forgotten." Minno said somewhat dissatisfied at Celestia's response.

"What do you mean?" Celestia asked confused.

"A few weeks ago, Twilight was explaining that she joined a fitness school to lose weight. And after hearing that she was being discriminated because of her race AND gender, I lost myself and smashed her school desk. The loud sound of the bang opened up some old wounds. Causing her to get a mental breakdown. It appears that she has been deeply traumatized by the event. She to this day can lose her emotions when she think of the disaster." Minno explained.

"How bad?" Trixie asked.

"She was sobbing and having nightmares for 5 hours straight. It took the combined effort of Coffee, Tart, Tree and Flower to calm her down. After that she appeared empty for the rest of the week. Her eyes were empty and she spoke like she was deeply depressed. A visit to an old friend fixed her mental state." Minno said, drooping a little when she remembered that she was the cause.

"Oh my Luna." Trixie said looking deeply hurt by Twilight's mental breakdown.

Celestia on the other hoof stopped thinking for a moment. She could just picture it, Twilight depressed state. Celestia felt bad. She looked at Trixie, she looked down. Celestia looked at Minno, she also looked a bit down. she sighed. 'Perhaps Shining Armor was right. She did get harmed more by it then I thought.' Celestia thought.

"She also said it took a lot of willpower, not to kill herself. And to continue on living. Even if she felt that she deserved death." Minno added.

Celestia and Trixie look in shock at her. Trixie knew what it felt like to feel depressed. But not to this extend. Celestia on the other hoof knew what it was like. No, it shocked her that a 8 year old filly could have such thoughts.

"I should have been there for her. I was powerless." Trixie said very sad.

Instead of just standing there, Celestia hugged both Trixie and Minno. Minno nearly jumped in shock at her motion, but allowed it anyways. "I am sorry. I did not know that she was that way. Perhaps prince Arms was correct. I am stepping over an boundary that I shouldn't cross." Celestia said, she used her body to allow Trixie cry a little into her fur. Minno simply took the hug with an grain of salt.

And while they are still in the middle of a emotional hug. Twilight finished her time at fitness before heading towards 'Black Sheep' and as she was arriving she noticed that the two knights that have been accompanying her for nearly 5 years suddenly broke off. Leaving Twilight alone on the street.

Twilight's eyebrow rose slightly before continuing. As soon as she had arrived at the restaurant she sees a proud Fun looking at her through the window. She saw that the benches were already in place and that the barista that the waiter told about was already cleaning some wine glasses behind the bar.

"Fun. It would seem that everything had arrived early." Twilight simply said.

"It did. And while you were gone, I heard that bartender over there. She was more than happy with the promised salary." Fun explained, while giving an humble smile.

"Good. I got us some back-up chefs. One sous-chef and one head-chef. Their contracts last for 60 days of work. During that time we need to get a permanent sous-chef and look if that head-chef is done with family business." Twilight explained.

"Who is it?" Fun asked curiously.

Twilight smirked evilly, "I got some old friends tricked into helping you." she said.

"Who?" Fun asks again, this time more nervously.

"Royal Chef as head-chef and Black Chef as sous-chef." Twilight said with an evil smile.

Fun's eyes widen as big as dinner plates. "You got big sis and older brother to help me?" he asked surprised.

"Yup." Twilight said.

"And they accepted?" He asked even more surprised.

"They signed the contract before they asked who they were assisting. Also they didn't read the contract." Twilight said.

Fun looked at Twilight, before falling over, laughing. The punched the floor while laughing. Twilight just watched him totally laugh himself into the ground.

"Gosh. That is funny. Thank you for getting them both on board." Fun said in glee.

"Now, did you properly instruct the bartender and waiters?" Twilight asked, turning very serious.

"I did." Fun stated as her voice also turned serious.

"Did you read the books I left for you on the kitchen table?" Twilight asked.

"I did. I learned a lot. It will help immensely." Fun said.

"Did you buy the ingredients for all the products on the menu?" Twilight asked.

"I outsourced it all from the local farms. Yes." He said.

"Final thing. What is your task?" Twilight asked.

"I will receive guests and assist them to their table. I will take their order to the kitchen. Then I make sure everything works as intended. The runner will bring the food and drinks after the bartender makes it. I will guide the staff where ever I am needed." Fun said like a real restaurant owner.

"Very good. Did you get in connection to the head chef before I could, or?" Twilight asked.

"No. He did say that he will come back as soon as I call him. Should I?" Fun asked.

"No wait until 2 months have passed. Then we can remove Royal and by that time I am sure that we found a new sous-chef." Twilight said.

"Good. Then let me get everyone started for this evening." Fun said.

"I will call the duo. And call some people to tell them that we are open for business." Twilight said.

"Very well. After this, are you going to stay?" Fun asked.

"No. After this, it's your turn. I have done my part. You must now make your restaurant stick. I know you can do it." Twilight said.

"Okay. See you tomorrow next time then." Fun said.

"Yes. Next time we meet, I am proper chef that even you can hire." Twilight said with an smile.

"I can't wait." Fun said before walking towards the bar to prepare everything.

Twilight walked outside and used to call Royal and Becky.

"Royal, Becky. You work days are Monday to Sunday. From 12 O'clock midday to 12 O'clock midnight. Your work day starts over 15 minutes. You are now required." Twilight said.

"Understood." Twilight heard on the other side of the scroll in unison.

Twilight then pick up the scroll that she got from Celestia, and called her.

Celestia meanwhile was still sitting in Twilight's school after hearing of her mental breakdown. She was sipping some thee inside Coffee's living room. When she got a call from Twilight.

"What is the matter, Twilight?" Celestia asked through the scroll.

"The Black Sheep will open at 8 O'clock this evening. It's open for business when ever you feel like dropping by, you can." Twilight said.

"Will I meet you there?" Celestia asked.

"You will not. My job here is done. Now it's Fun Chef's job to do the remainder of the job. I am going home." Twilight said.

"Thank you for saving the place. I can't wait to come again in the next few days." Celestia said before hanging up.

Twilight was about to walk away when she spotted the duo she met while they were leaving the Black Sheep unhappily.

"Sir?" Twilight asked as she got closer.

"Yes, Young lady?" The older stallion asked with an soft smile.

"The restaurant has reopened. I heard their management has improved with some new menu items." Twilight said as she points at the reopened restaurant.

"Thank you, miss?" The pony besides the older stallion asked.

"Twilight." Twilight said.

"Well Twilight, Thank you." The duo said before walking towards the restaurant. And entering it.

Twilight could hear Fun's voice through the door before it closed, leaving Twilight on the street.

"Now. What am I going to eat this time around?" Twilight asked herself as she once again searched the streets of Manehattan for a place to eat. Just like those days ago.