Silver Finds Gold

He stopped his reading when his secatery walked into his office and put a tray on his desk. He scaned the tray and saw that it had the can of coffe, a empty cup and a sandwich that he had asked for but he also noted something he hadn't asked for.  The was  a blueberry muffin on the tray.
”Coffe, sir?” Aquilla his Griffin secatary said.
He put down his book and  rolled his eyes before he pointed at the muffin.
”What is that?” he asked.
Aquilla being a little taken aback by his wierd question answered with the obvious.
”A muffin.”
”No, I mean why is it on my tray. If your are trying to bribe me with baked goods, then you should know it is futile and I will not give you an increase for that.” He stared at her coldly with eyes piecering into her.
”No, that wasn't my intent sir... Really, I just baked some for my children back home before i got here and thought that you might want one too.” Aquilla blather nervously as she looked at the hem on her maid outfit that she was fiddling with her talons.
”Aha.” Silence filled the room for a moment before Silver spoke up. ”Well, are you going to fill my cup today or...”
”Sorry, sir.” Aquilla  a bit stressed got into action and poured him a cup. She managed to even with her hasty movements not spill anything. When she had was done, she put the ediables and the cup on his desk with the exception of the muffin. When she kept the muffin on the tray, Silver said.
”I will eat the muffin but I only wanted to make sure that you didn't get any false hopes up.” He pointed on the muffin and with dragging motion towards his desk. In the begining it seemed like Aquilla was annoyed by this but when she meet Silver's gaze she gave him a smile but it seemed forced.
She was about to turn and walked out of the office with her tray when she remembered something.
”By the way, sir. You had an apointment with a Mr. Grounds in about a half an hour but it seems he is already here. He is currently sitting in the waiting room. I am not saying that you need to take his apointment now, sir. I just wanted to tell you tha-”
”Um-ch Sen-*Swallows*-d him *slurp* in.” Silver said. His voice barely audible because he was in the middle of stuffing his mouth the muffin.
”Now?”
He shoke his head.
”Yes, now. What are you waiting for, a promotion? Go and fetch him.”
A grimace of irritation displyed itself on Aquilla's face for  but a moment before she left through the door.
Silver had just managed to finish eating his sandwich and muffin before Mr Grounds entered his office.
”Mr. Coffe Grounds, you are here because you wanted to discuss and potentially sell your coffee shop in Ponyville. Is that about right?” Silver said. His voiced seemed almost monotone and he looked generlly bored. He wasn't even looking at Ground direction but instead seemed to be searching for something in his drawer.
”Yes, and I think you will pleasently surpirsed by what I am offering. Ehh?” Coffe looked around and then back to Silver. ”Do you perhaps have a chair that I may borrow?”
”No, I don't. Or Rather. You will soon be leaving anyway since I am not even remotely intrested.” A grin fromed on Silver's lips as he  found what he was looking for and therefore looked back to face Coffee.
”But sir. I asure you that this is a great offer. If I didn't need a change of pace, I won't sell it. The shop has interior desgined by the local famous fasionista, Rarity herself. It has a great location; there exist no competing coffee shop in the distict. And-” Coffee Grounds ranted on despreatly until Silver interupted him.
”That was well worded, Coffee Grounds.  Cudos to you. Indeed it is the only [i]coffee[/i]shop in the area but there is this little bakery you see. Called Sugercube corner. Do you know about it perhaps? It has the adress Ponyville Square fourteen and your shops has the same namn but number sventeen.” A smirked had formed on Silvers lips. His voice was calm and quiet but there seemed to  be somekind of taunting glee in his voice as he spoke.
Coffee breathed at a faster rate and tears of sweet were starting to form on his forhead.
”Well, you see-” He began.
”And waht do we havve here.” Silver leviteded the thing he had found in the drawer from before. It was an article that had been cut out from its newpaper but any keen news follower could clearly see by its layout that it belonged to the prestigous newspaper Horesenews.
”This article is from five years ago. It reads: [b]The Paraspryte Infestation in Ponyville Threatens the Local Stores in longterm.[/b] Mhm, why is that I wonder

”Let's see if we can figure it out okay?” Silver said with a juvenile voice.
”There are three things in this article that I think is interesting. Number one: [i]One of the most affected by the parasite swarm is the store's owner Earl Grey, who runs a coffee shop in Ponyville Square-[/i] Wait a minute, Ponyville Square? Isn't that where your coffee shop is? Was there another one in Ponyville just recently?”
Coffee Beans swallowed and had a weird out of place laugh and grin.
”Uhm, Earl Grey was the last owner of the coffee shop. I bought it from him.”
”Did you now. How long time ago was this, if I may ask?”
Looking really uncomfortable Coffee answered.
”Two and half years ago.”
Silver nodded in a mock understanding.
”Let's keep reading. There is three interview in this article. They are interviewing the mayor here about some new law she has implemented. [i]”The municipality of Ponyville can't afford to pay for potential parasite egg merging in the future but we cannot let this happen again. Therefore I have decided that there has to be a law that if you find parasites in your home or store, you yourself most ensure that they are dealt with. So it is the law that you to take care of any parasprites if you find them since if they multiply they can cause us all damaged but the municipality won't help you with the removal of them,” said Mayor mare to our reporter.[/i]”
”If you had read your scientific paper like I do, you could have read last week, I think it was, in the latest number of Dora the Explorer that parasprite reproduced asexually by vomiting out a bunch of ”eggs”. These eggs later merge together to form a new parasprite, however, this ”later” can vary. The eggs have a biological clock on them that decides when they will merge. The time it takes can vary from immediately to, well the oldest specimen so far is from three-hundred years ago. It is speculated that they this is a mechanism to ensure that the parasprites survive even if a major catastrophe happens.”
”What means for your store is that unless there is a complete utter top-to-bottom renovation were you remove all the eggs that possibly could exist there almost wrecking your own coffee shop in the process, there can always pop-up one little parasprite that can cause havoc in Ponyville. And if I then own the store from where the parasprite, I will need a good lawyer.”
Coffee Beans seemed to be turning pale even though he had fur.
”I by no means meant to deceive you. It is not as bad as it sounds. It-” Coffee said quickly.
”I am not done.” Silver said, which caused Coffee to stop promptly.
”Not only do I have to be on constant alert that no parasprites minutes from my shop but I also have to pay professionals to remove them. They do mention that in the article, by the way, that the poison used to kill off parasprites and their eggs are completely different. The first one is harmless against ponies, the other one is hazardous and costs a fortune, which they speculate that none of the stores could reasonably afford to do.”
Before Coffe could interject Silver continued talking.
”And to top it off. I have tasted a cake made by your competition. They along with some other chefs made a collaboration of some sort that won the national dessert competition that was held in Canterlot a few years back. And what do I have to compete with them with Coffee and FUCKING sandwiches!” Silver had suddenly realized that he was justified to be angry at this pony who tried to trick him so he shouted out the last part and slammed his hooves on his desk.
”B-but s-sir!” Coffee had backed away with his hooves in the air.
”You got duped two years ago and now you're trying to dupe me!”
”Two and a half.”
”It doesn't matter! You idiot!”
Silence lingered in the air for a moment before Coffee turned for the door. When he had reached the door, Silver called.
”Come back.” Silver said. He seemed to have calmed down and was now leaning back in his armchair with a bored expression.
Coffee did as he was told and walked back to the desk. His face showed signs of fear as if he feared that Silver would reprimand him in some way.
”What prized had you imagine to sell it for?”Silver asked.
Coffee braced himself.
”Two-hundred-thousand bits,” he said as he braced himself.
”Make that fifty-thousand bits instead. I am not going to bid higher for this-” He trailed off  for a moment as he made circler motions with his hoof while he was searching for the right word.”-place.”
>Coffee pondered it for a moment before he agreed. The transaction went fast enough. Silver read thoroughly through the contract to make sure everything was well with it. Aquilla had come in during this an offered coffee to them but Silver had declined on Coffee Beans behalf before he had could answer. Saying that something along the line that, ”He wanted a change of pace away from coffee.” After both Silver had signed the two copies of the contract with their signatures and Silver had handed Coffee a check of fifty-thousand bits, Coffe who was fuming at this point walked out of the office.
>Silver drank from his new cup of coffee. While looking at the newly signed contract, his eyes began to wander over to the news article. As previously stated there were three ponies interviewed in it: Earl Grey, Mayor Mare, and the last one, Applejack.
>He stared grimly at the last name and then looked back at the contract again.
”Honesty, huh, Applejack? ” He whispered to himself.
>Letting go of those thoughts. He swiveled around in his chair and looked out at Canterlot through the window that could only be described as a glass wall.
>The sun was sinking down behind the horizon. He looked over his shoulder and to the clock on his desk.
>He snickered a bit to himself as he saw what time it was and spun a few laps in his chair before he stopped at his desk.
>Then there was a knock on the door.
”You may enter.”
>Aquilla walked in.
”I will soon be taking my leave for today, sir. I just wanted to know if there was anything you want me to do before I go,” Aquilla said.
”Oh, nothing really... Perhaps you could pour me a shot of that whiskey by Emerald whiskers. I feel like celebrating It is a transparent bottle with a big label that reads Liquid Emeralds. It is in that cupboard, the second shelf from the top to the right.” He pointed at cupboard in the corner of the room. ”Also before you leave today I would like you to book a chariot flight for  tomorrow I am going to visit my newly bought shop in Ponyville.”
>Aquilla nodded and said.
”I'll make sure that I do it before I leave.”
She waited for a thank you but Silver had already begun staring out the window again.
>Aquilla then went into action and found the bottle and a shot-glass rather quickly in the cupboard. As she began to screw the cork into the cork of the bottle, Silver stood with his back turned towards her and looked out the window.
”Hehehe, the princess lowered the sun too early today. Tsk tsk, Princess what are you doing?” Silver said in a chirpy voice.
>This caused Aquilla to giggle a little, which caused Silver to smiled proudly over himself but the smile faltered as quickly as it had come.
 ”How's your day sir? You sound cheerful.” Aquilla had finished removing the cork from the bottle and was ready to pour him a shot.
He turned around and sat down in at his desk again.
”Ha, we don't know yet. I might regret this day later but I believe I should be able to turn this location into something beneficial in the end. Can you believe that that guy intended to sell such a place for such a prize? That he even dared to try to trick me.” Silver said, seemingly fascinated by the nerve of Coffee Beans.
”He tried to trick you?” Aquilla said as she glanced at the door.
”Indeed he did.”
”Then I understand that you are upset and didn't want to offer him any coffee before. How shameless,” she said. Then she saw that he still had some coffee in his cup. ”Do you want to pour you shot now even though you still got some coffee left.” She pointed with a claw at the cup.
”Yes, do that. I will drink it now.”
>As Aquilla held both the bottle and the glass as she pours it, Silver mumbled something.
”Like you are any different.”
>Aquilla's face contorted to that of complete rage for a second and threw down the glass into the floor. It shattered in thousands of pieces and left a transparent green puddle on the wooden floor.
”No! I am not like that!”
>Both of them seemed stunned and shock by what had just transpired. Aquilla woke up first from the shock and put the bottle back on the desk. Before her eyes went searching for a paper or a rag to wipe it up with.
”I am sorry sir.”
>This shock Silver out of his slumber.
”You better be! Do you know how much that brew and glass cost? The things I own are not for breaking! They are expensive, you moron!” he shouted at her and practically stood on his desk with his hooves planted on it.
>Aquilla had already gotten past her point of patience so it was easy to make her angry again.
”You can not call me that! I'm not a moron or some con-artist after your money! If you keep on berating me like this, I'll quit! I 'll quit. I tell you.”
”No, you don't quit because you're fired!”
>Those words made Aquilla lose her breath. Slackjawed she just stared straight into the wall. Then she turned to Silver with tears in her eyes and a pleading look.
”P-p-please sir. I-I have kids... I need this job...” Aquilla was now sitting on her haunches with her claws clasped together as if she prayed.
>Silver still looked angry and sort of disgusted. His upper lip rose and crinkle displayed itself between his eyebrows and he was practically shaking.
”Well, you should have thought about that before you threw a temper tantrum in my office. Now leave and don't show your face here again,” he said.
>At fist Aquilla didn't seem to want to move. She just sat there as if this was all bad dream that she soon would wake up from. She only got up and walked to the door when Silver said, ”Are you deaf? I said get out.”
>Just before she was about to close the door after her, she leaned on its handle like she needed to support herself and stuck her head in through the crack of the door into Silver's office. Her head low and she wasn't looking at Silver but the floor when she spoke.
”You know. You are right. I lied this morning. I didn't bake those muffins for my children. I baked them for you.” She looked up at him. He looked surprised. ”I wanted to thank you for getting this job two weeks ago and also... Because I pity you. In my life, I have never met someone, pony nor Griffin, as lonely as you. You spend all your day occupied in the top of this tower isolated. To me, it seems as if you don't have any loved ones in your life.” She noticed his perplexed expression. ”Do you?”
>Her question was meet with silence because Silver was thinking about the question.
”I thought so,” Aquilla said before she closed the door behind her and left the office.
>Waking up from his shellshock, Silver sprung into action and tried to catch up to her. As he opened the door to exit his office he saw that Aquilla was half-way through the corridor that leads to the elevator.
>With quick steps he caught up to her and walked alongside her as he spoke.
”Ha, pretty clever retort you had back there. Yeah, I am the bad guy because you actually thought about me. Right. I believe in that.” As he talked the got to the elevator and Aquilla pushed a button and the doors opened and she walked inside leaving Silver there.”It was more like you wanted to secure your position not by actually hard work but by milking my.”
Aquilla looked at him with almost pitiful eyes as she said.
”Goodbye, Silver Star.”
>Then the elevator doors shut close.
”Yeah, that is right no rebuttal!” He screamed at the elevator and then began walking back to his office. Well, there he saw the mess on the floor looked at the open bottle that still stood on the desk. He grabbed it as he walked by the desk and to a doorway that leads out on his balcony. He opened it and walked out. The day had turned into night and the moon and the stars were out.
>Above his head on the wall of his incredibly high skyscraper stood the logo for his company, ”Silver's Industries” in pop-out black color contrasted from the rest of the silver colored skyscraper.
>As looked down on the city below but couldn't see any ponies from this height. His tower was only rivaled by Canterlot's castle itself.
>Something stung in his chest and he took a large swig of his bottle.
”No, it is not I who is the bad.guy. I have just realized the truth.” He whispered to himself. ”All ponies are by nature selfish and only gullible fools believe that anyone genuinely cares for another.”He looked back at the door in his office as if he was addressing it. ”Anyone who believes that they actually have friends are fools. You are stupid!” He shouted the last part, then he turned towards the city below again and screamed from the top of his lungs down at them. ”YOU ARE ALL IDIOTS!” In his scream, his voice cracked.
>Howver, since he was so high up the ponies below, didn't see and even less hear him.


>And then he farted.