It was night in Ponyville. After some delays during Twilight and Spike's travel thanks to some buffaloes, they finally arrive in Ponyville. In the middle of the night that is. The train was actually quite heavily packed with ponies. So a lot of ponies left the train together with Twilight and Spike.
As Twilight carried a sleeping Spike on her back. She took a glance around the train station. It was small but cozy. Lots of dim lights lit up the station. It certain looked like a small village train station. And due to the delays, the train station operator was still active inside his room. Twilight watched as she saw ponies that were going further away from Ponyville approach the operator and ask questions about the rest of their trip.
Twilight meanwhile walked down the pathway leading to the center of Ponyville to find their way. Luckily her mother was actually waiting for her along the pathway. She was sitting on a bench next to Lyra. Lyra was also waiting for her roommate but had fallen asleep.
As Twilight approach her mother, she watched a pony with a bonbon cutiemark poke the sleeping mare. The mare had an friendly smile while poking. Twilight then turned her attention back to her mother.
"Hi mom. Sorry for the delays." Twilight said happily. Albeit a tad bit sleepy.
"I heard about the buffalo incident from Pinkie. It is fine. Night has gone ahead a go back using the hot air balloon method." Velvet said friendly. She then points at the hot air balloon taxi pad.
"Well let's go towards the cafe. I need to put Spike to bed." Twilight said impatient. Her back was starting to hurt a bit.
Velvet nodded as she led the way towards the humble cafe. While they walked, Twilight passed some iconic buildings around Ponyville. The tree library, the mayors office, the market place. Until eventually, she spotted her new home. It was two stories building. The ground floor clearly looked like a cafe, while the upper floor seemed a more private.
As Twilight and Velvet walk up the staircase on the side of the building. Velvet puts the key in the door and turns it until the door opens. Opening the door, Velvet and Twilight walk inside. Despite the small scale on the outside, by using some advanced magic spells, it was a lot bigger on the inside. Big enough to fit two bedrooms, two bathrooms, one large living room and absolutely massive kitchen into the apartment.
Twilight opened Spike's new personal room and placed him onto his own bed. She then closed the door, allowing Spike some privacy. Meanwhile Velvet made some nice hot thee to get Twilight settled. Twilight meanwhile took a seat on the couch, it was a very comfy couch. Perfect for taking a break after long workday.
"So, this is my new home. Huh?" Twilight said somewhat curious.
"It is. I used my most powerful dimensional magic to make this place work." Velvet said pleased. She placed the thee kettle onto the table and poured two the cups with the thee. Before taking a seat in an armchair.
Twilight picked the cup up with her magic and took a sip. "Well it sure is quiet. I hope the sound cancelling magic works as intended." She commented.
"So do I." Velvet agreed.
"Did you see the small backyard with the big tangerine tree?" Twilight asked.
"I have. I placed a small wooden bench parallel to it." Velvet said.
"Very good. How is the material for the seating?" Twilight asked again.
"Sturdy and comfy. The tables looks real nice too. It seems that whoever you employed for the job, did an amazing job." Velvet commented.
Twilight simply smiled, "Used one of Dad's contacts for that one." she said.
"Oh! You mean..." Velvet said excited.
"Yes. Him." Twilight said equally excited.
"What about the costs?" Velvet asked.
"Hm. For all the furniture. It was roughly one hundred thousand bits. Which is cheap, since that includes a podium and the entire kitchen. Minus appliances. And minus the cushions and electronica." Twilight said.
Velvet nearly spit out the thee she drank, "That is cheap?!" she said.
"Either that or, well several hundreds of thousands of bits." Twilight admitted.
"So, he did you a freebie?" Velvet asked.
"No. It was because of my royalty status. And my fame." Twilight said annoyed. She didn't like her own status or the fame for that matter.
Velvet sighed in relieve. "Thank goodness. Anything I should help you with? Since I will use my advanced teleportation spell to go home otherwise." she asked.
"No. Thanks." Twilight said with a sad smile, as she hugged her mom.
"Don't worry. We are not going anywhere. You are always welcome back home!" Velvet said as she returned the hug.
"I know. I might go home once I can. If I ever have the time for it. Until that day arrives, you know where to find me." Twilight said in return.
Velvet smiles, before releasing the hug and standing clear of Twilight. Her horn lit up as she teleported all the way to Canterlot.
Leaving Twilight finish her thee by herself. The time for holding hooves was over. She was now finally living with Spike alone. Away from her family. Did this make Twilight feel a bit lonely? Yes, but also excited. Since a lot of the responsibilities that were missing, has now been placed on her. She felt somewhat refreshed by this.
As Twilight cleaned the kettle up, she walked to her own personal bedroom and laid down in it. Putting the bed sheet over herself, Twilight fell asleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.
As the moon was slowly moved down, due to Luna not being the one to move it down. It was moving a bit too slow. Since Moon never had the chance to do this. Meanwhile the sun came up on the other side, its speed not changed despite Luna being the one raising it. Celestia watched closely as her youngest sister rose her sun for the first time in a long time.
Twilight meanwhile woke up to the sounds of birds outside her window. A big city as Canterlot never had birds chirping her awake, due to sounds of artisans working in the background. Nonetheless, Twilight trained ears heard the birds. Causing her to wake up extra early.
After washing herself in her new bathroom, she woke Spike up. He woke up grumbling, though he didn't seem very annoyed about waking up. Twilight watched Spike walking into his own personal bathroom, meanwhile she made them pancakes. Her own version of course.
And after eating this alongside Spike, the went downstairs into the cafe. As Twilight turned the lights on, Spike took a good look at the kitchen. Despite it not being made of steel, it still looked quite impressive. Every appliance a kitchen needs was available. The fridge was large, the freezer equally large. And the storage had all the ingredients needed to start a day.
"So Spike, I placed the menu on your workplace. Do take a look and try to follow it as close as possible. Alright?" Twilight instructed.
"Yes Boss!" Spike said as he started to investigate the menu and the recipes on said menu.
"I am going to inspect the bar. We will not open today. The official openings day is in three days. Since Pinkie will hold a party today and I still need to talk to Vinyl about his payment rate. And I also need to discuss the potential sessions to Octavia." Twilight explained.
"And that is besides having to meet the element of harmony wielders, correct?" Spike asked.
"Of course. Because of this, I cannot open in such a short notice. I will also need to do some word to mouth type advertising to others in Ponyville." Twilight said.
"Sure. I will stay here to prepare some things that I can prepare when we open. And I will also guard the place. Why don't you start by making some more friends?" Spike offered.
"That is a good idea. I will see you in a bit then." Twilight said as she walked outside.
As soon as she was outside, Pinkie saw her and did a big gasp before running off. Twilight smiled, as she knew what was about to happen.
"Wait Pinkie! Where is the place?" Twilight asked, hinting at the fact that she knows what is about to happen.
"Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie said as she ran off.
"That isn't very helpful. But thanks." Twilight somewhat serious.
"Near town hall!" Pinkie said, despite being so far away that Twilight shouldn't be able to hear her.
"Thanks!" Twilight said as she returned the trick. She could tell the this caused Pinkie to jump a little.
Twilight meanwhile walked towards the most obvious of the main six. The absolutely massive Apple farm on the outskirts of Ponyville. While walking towards a big barn, Twilight saw a big stallion kicking a tree and dropping all the apples from the tree perfectly into the buckets. It was then that she saw a younger mare, carrying some apples.
"Are you Applejack?" Twilight asked.
"Ah sure am!" Applejack said in a accent, "Who is the pleasure that is asking me?" she added afterwards.
"The name is Twilight Sparkle. I am a new neighbor in this small village." Twilight introduced.
"Is that so? Where is your new home?" Applejack asked curious.
"Right over there." Twilight said as she points at her home from a distance.
"Ah. Nice to meet ya. So anything I should take note of?" Applejack asked.
"I might become your best customer." Twilight said.
"Why is that?" Applejack asked.
"Since my home is also a cafe. And apples are the most versatile fruit in existence. Besides the peer." Twilight said.
Applejack's eyes widen, "A new place to eat at?! Great! There simply isn't enough places to chat at, at the moment." She said, as a more foreign accent peeked through her speech.
"If you are ever interested. We will open in three days. We will be open as a cafe during the day and a cocktail bar during the evening." Twilight advertised.
"Cocktails? What is that?" Applejack asked.
"Think of it as more fancy beverage then if you drank alcohol straight from a bottle or cup. It basically is a alcoholic drink that tends to look beautiful. It is not something that your local pub might sell." Twilight said. "If that peeked your interest, I suggest taking a look once we open up."
"Is it only that cocktail bar? Or is there more to it?" Applejack asked curious.
"There is also a podium. Every evening one of three performers will play on it. Its either Pinkie as a comedian, Octavia with a her classical or Pop music or Vinyl Scratch also known as DJ Pon-3 with his EDM music." Twilight explained.
"Sure. Perhaps once I need a breather. When is the evening period?" Applejack asked, she seemed very curious.
"Between Five O' clock midday and eleven O' clock in the evening." Twilight said.
"Thanks. I might visit you then. Do you need any apples right now?" Applejack asked.
"No. I bought some apples from another one of your family farms." Twilight dismissed.
"Alright. Once a year I also sell zap apples. Just so you know." Applejack said.
"I am aware. Thanks." Twilight said before walking off.
Twilight next stop was a small cottage on the edge of the Everfree forest. She was visiting a shy Pegasus named Fluttershy. Twilight faintly remember her in the past. But only a little bit. While walking towards her home, she sees a massive clock tower and a small school. The school appeared to be in session. And the clock showed that it was ten O' clock in the morning.
Twilight then knocked on the door. After a few minutes of waiting, a yellow Pegasus with Butterflies as a cutiemark.
"How can I help you?" Fluttershy asked quietly.
"Ah my apologies. I only came here to introduce myself. I have recently moved into the area." Twilight said. Twilight voice was careful, she has heard the rumors of her shy nature.
"Oh! Nice to meet you, I am Fluttershy. Who are you?" Fluttershy asked.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am moving here and starting a new cafe at the same time." Twilight said.
"A cafe? What type of cafe?" Fluttershy asked slight curious.
"A cafe that likes to show off dishes from all over Equestria." Twilight said.
"Oh. Anything else about this cafe?" Fluttershy asked, her curiosity was high.
"Yes. During the evening period, which is between Five and Eleven O' clock in the evening. The cafe turns into a Cocktail bar with musicians playing on the podium." Twilight explained.
"Cocktail?! Ooh, it has been a long time since I had one. Rarity loves those." Fluttershy said excited.
"Anyways it was nice meeting you." Twilight said.
"Yeah. If you ever need animal related help, I am your Pegasus." Fluttershy offered.
"Thanks!" Twilight said before walking off.
After walking away, Twilight quite literally bumped into a blue Pegasus with a cloud and rainbow lightning as cutiemark.
"I am so sorry." Twilight said apologetic. She looks at the Pegasus. "Ah. You must be Rainbow Dash." She added later on.
"I am." Rainbow said proud, "So, who are you?" she asked.
"A new neighbor. The name is Twilight Sparkle." Twilight introduced.
"With the Cafe and Cocktail thing, right?" Rainbow asked.
"I see. Word travels fast." Twilight said smiling.
"Will you also sell cider?" Rainbow asked.
"No. Since that would make me a direct competitor to your local pub. The closest thing to some cider is our Cider related cocktails." Twilight said.
"Huh. When is the openings date?" Rainbow asked.
"Three days." Twilight said.
"I see." Rainbow said in thought.
"By the way, where is Rarities boutique? And Sugarcube Corner?" Twilight asked.
"If you take this path, and keep following it in straight line." Rainbow said.
"Thanks. Well I am sure we will meet again. Especially with Pinkie holding a party for my arrival." Twilight said knowingly.
Rainbow smiled, "Sure thing." she said before flying off.
As Twilight walked the route Rainbow gave her, she indeed almost walked straight into the boutique and that sugary looking building has to be Sugarcube Corner. Twilight proceeded to enter the boutique and almost step on a young filly sitting right in front of the entrance.
"I am so sorry." The filly apologies.
"It's quite alright. Nobody got hurt. What is your name?" Twilight asked.
"Ah! My name is Sweetie Belle. And I am a Cutie mark crusader!" Sweetie Belle said.
"Ah. My name is Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you." Twilight said.
"Likewise. Let me go get my sister real quick. I accidentally broke the entrance doorway bell." Sweetie said.
"Sure. I just go and take a look at the dresses." Twilight said, she watched Sweetie Belle run up the stairs and shouts at her sister's name.
Twilight barely payed attention to the dresses. No, she was far more interested in Rarity herself. As she saw Rarity run down the stairs and nearly bump into Sweetie Belle that was still standing on the stairs.
"My honest apologies. As my sister explained, she kinda broke the bell on the door. Welcome to Rarity's boutique, where we as generous with our dresses as we are with our prices. How may I help you?" Rarity asked.
"Ah. I didn't come as a customer. I simply wished introduce myself, since I recently moved into this neighborhood." Twilight said.
"Ah. The Cafe owner with an evening Cocktail bar with music. Twilight Sparkle correct?" Rarity asked.
"That is correct. I heard from Fluttershy that you love Cocktails." Twilight said.
"I do love one, sometimes." Rarity said, Twilight could tell that she was suppressing her excitement.
"And you must be Rarity. An up-and-coming Dressmaker." Twilight said.
"That is correct. I only recently became a bit more recognized. Thanks to the element of Generosity." Rarity said.
"So I hear. If you are ever interested. We will open in three days from today. I also heard that Applejack is total newbie in Cocktails." Twilight offered.
"Is that so..." Rarity said, her business smile turns more mischievous.
"Anyways. I have to get going. Perhaps I will come to you again if you ever sold any cushions." Twilight said.
"I will think about. It was nice meeting you." Rarity said.
"Likewise." Twilight said before walking out of the boutique.
Twilight had one last trip to make, before she would make her way towards the patisserie. She would meet an good old friend. Trixie Lulamoon. In her library treehouse. As Twilight got closer to the library, the sheer size of the tree became more and more apparent. It was large. From a distance it looks like a simple tree, but up close, it was massive.
Twilight then proceeded to open the door into the library.
"Welcome to Ponyville Library-" Trixie started and ended as she saw who entered the library.
"Oof." Twilight said as Trixie attack hugged her.
"It is so good to see you!" Trixie shouted as she hugged Twilight tightly.
"Can't breath." Twilight said as she is gasping for air.
"Oh!" Trixie said as she let go, "Sorry." she added.
"It certainly is good to see you too. How is the library life been?" Twilight asked.
"Honestly? Boring." Trixie admitted, "So what brings you to my humble library?" she asked.
"I am simply saying hello. I have now moved into the neighborhood as a cafe and bar owner." Twilight said.
"Oh! Good. Perhaps I will go and take a look once you open. It was in three days, right?" Trixie asked.
"It is." Twilight confirmed.
"Good. So, why are you stalling for three days longer?" Trixie asked.
"My cafe partner needs to become used to the new menu. And I still have some things to discuss about the evenings with Pinkie, Octavia and Vinyl." Twilight explained.
"Ah. Pinkie will probably do it for free." Trixie said.
"I don't care. Those that play on my podium, gets paid the full six hours. Whether they like me to or not." Twilight said adamant.
Trixie smiled, "I know. But I felt like I should mention it." she said.
"Anyways, I have to go to Sugarcube Corner. I don't want to miss Pinkie's surprise party." Twilight said.
"I knew that you were aware. Even if I don't get it." Trixie said.
"Believe me. If you try to figure my logic out, you might as well get a headache like from Pinkie." Twilight said while smiling.
Trixie sighed, "Fine. Let's go. We don't want keep them from waiting any longer." she said as she headed out.
Twilight simply smiled as they walked towards Sugarcube corner. As soon as Twilight entered the room, celebration paper was blown into her face. As soon as the lights turned on, Twilight saw Pinkie and rest of the cast of the main five in the room. In the corner she also spotted Spike.
"Surprise!" Pinkie said excited. "How was my surprise?" she asked.
"If it wasn't for the fact that we think quite alike, I would have been more surprised. Sadly I am not that surprised. Sorry." Twilight admitted.
"That is fine." Pinkie said, she sounded a bit disappointed.
Twilight then decided to talk some with the element holders to get to know them. And after five hours, the party had finally ended. Everyone including Spike dispersed. Leaving Twilight and Pinkie in the room alone.
"How was the party?" Pinkie asked.
"Fun. And informative." Twilight admitted.
"Good. So, is there any reason why you haven't gone home yet?" Pinkie asked.
"It's about the evening podium time." Twilight said.
"Oh?" Pinkie said.
"After some counting, and research. I have decided that if you decide to work as a stand-up comedian for my evening time, I will pay you ten bits an hour of podium time. And since the podium is open six hours, you will receive sixty bits for your work as stand-up comedian at my place. How does that sound?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie's eyes widen, "No, no, no. I merely wish to do it one time. I don't want to do it as a job." she said.
"Ah. I forgot to add. When you wish to perform as stand-up comedian, do make sure to tell me. I will plan you into the schedule. Which means this is neither a part-time nor full-time job. Think of it as venue that you can act at, whenever and however you wish to play it as. And no, I refuse to not pay you work your work as a stand-up comedian." Twilight said determined.
"Your serious?" Pinkie asked surprised.
"I may not hold the element of generosity. But hold my beer." Twilight said as she literally spawned a beer into Pinkie's hoof.
This caused Pinkie to giggle, "Fine. I will take it." she said while giggling.
Twilight smiled, "Very good. And one last thing. You aren't bound to just stand-up comedian. You can also do slapstick and other forms of comedy. Just make sure to tell me that ahead of time." she said.
"Alright. See you next time as either a customer to Sugarcube corner or boss at your cafe." Pinkie said.
"Yeah. Good night." Twilight said.
Twilight then walked home, as soon as she entered her home. She sees Spike waiting for her.
"What is it Spike?" Twilight asked curious.
"I forgot to ask you the most important question." Spike said serious.
"Which is?" Twilight asked worried.
"What is the name of the cafe?" Spike asked.
"Oh that?" Twilight smiled, "It's 'Cafe Omurice'" She replied.