Brotherly Bonding Time

by Sketcha-Holic

9.3--Not Quite Party Animals

This is a terrible idea. I am not a party pony.

Under the light of the lantern sitting upon the stool used for a nightstand and sitting up in the bed that Party Favor had made for him out of balloons--since he couldn't stay in the sick house with Cheese--Tomato looked over the list of what he'd seen Cheese do since they started their trip. He could see the pieces of a party, but just how was he supposed to put them together? As much as he wanted to help this town, Tomato literally had no idea what to do.

The goal sounded simple; they needed to showcase the town's hospitality to this committee, and hopefully it'd be enough for said committee to agree to establish a ski resort near the mountains. Tomato knew that the townsponies were hospitable, even if they were a little creepy with the smiles he had caught glimpses of throughout the day. When trying to brainstorm with Party Favor earlier that day, the unicorn had responded to a question about their usual welcome with a perfect emulation of that same grin and a forcefully cheerful, "Welcome!"

He shivered, whether from the memory or the cold night air of this area he didn't quite know. He shifted himself to make himself more comfortable, though he kept on cringing at the loud squeaking of the balloons, thinking that his sleeping host would hear it. He stopped his shifting, and went back to the clipboard. He ran through the list, hoping to somehow figure out how to put these puzzle pieces together.

"All right..." he whispered. "Cheese sings, he dances, he blasts that huge party tank of his... how does he even store that...?" He shook his head. "Components of a party include food... and games... and music... and banners and streamers..." He scratched his chin. "How much in the way of all that stuff does this town have?"

This town was smaller than Nickerlite, in both population and number of buildings, located far away from the nearest train station, let alone the nearest city, and was frankly the most unremarkable place he had ever been in. The only thing that amazed him was the proximity of this desert to snowy mountains that Double Diamond had deemed good for skiing. He hoped the snow was good enough for that ski committee.

He huffed. "Market your dang snow, pal. There's plenty of it even when it's almost July."

He set the clipboard under the stool, and then turned off the lantern. He leaned forward, continuing to rub his chin. "These guys should have a Plan B... but what else do they have around here? What could they possibly have that'll attract other ponies and raise capital?"

He laid down and looked at the ceiling, wondering just what strengths of the town that these ponies could display for the coming prospect. The mountains were one, even if Tomato didn't like his and Cheese's ride in the snowball when they were there. Surely the doctor was a plus, since skiing often results in injuries. Sugar Belle's bakery was great for the locals, and outsiders like him and Cheese found her goods delicious--well, at least he did, since earlier Cheese complained that he couldn't taste anything. That clothes shop was nice.

He sighed, unsure if there was anything else that was interesting that could catch the attention of curious outsiders. Maybe he could go around and see what kind of plans the business owners like Sugar Belle had for their businesses should the town get the approval of that committee. Or maybe find a need of the town that couldn't be provided by anypony else here and tell Double Diamond to ask somepony out of town to establish a business there. Or maybe--

He shook his head. He didn't live here, and he shouldn't be intruding in other ponies' business. Besides, it wasn't like he was any good at the very talent that his cutie mark represented. He could still remember the disaster that the last time he followed his mark lead to, and he kept licking his teeth and getting itches on two certain spots on his back as reminders. And for all he knew, he could have gone through all of that trouble for nothing, for Silver back in Halterside to fail and drown in his sister's medical bills.

Might as well just try to get party implements and arrange them into something cohesive... somehow. Perhaps it'd bring him back to his lively, smiling colthood days, before he had turned into this mess hiding under a suit jacket. Maybe for once on this trip, he'd feel like he did something worthwhile. Maybe he was overthinking it, how hard could it be?

He closed his eyes. Despite the slightly creepy air about them, these ponies were so nice. He didn't want them to fail.

---

The next morning, Party Favor took Tomato to Sugar Belle's bakery once again, this time for breakfast. Surrounded by a few others who had decided on eating out for breakfast as well, the two awaited Sugar Belle so that she make take her order. As Tomato leaned on the table, he noticed that once again, Party Favor was fluffing his mane and performing a spit shine on his horn again.

"Is there any particular reason why you do that?" Tomato asked.

Party Favor looked up, and then straightened in his seat. "Oh, uh... I'm just doing a couple more late get-ready-for-the-morning things, that's all. I like my mane nice and fluffy... and well, we unicorns like our horns nice and shiny!" He twiddled his hooves.

"I have a unicorn friend. He's done that on the first day of school each year, before job interviews, and before dates. Is it a nervous tic for unicorns?"

Party Favor rolled his eyes. "Not for all unicorns... just those without access to a good horn cleaner..."

Tomato raised an eyebrow. "So, are you still nervous about the party that has to be done?"

Party Favor sank in his seat, briefly glanced at Sugar Belle waiting at another table, and after a pause, answered, "...yes."

Tomato pulled out the clipboard and slid it across the table to him. "Well, I've compiled a list of what I've basically seen Cheese unleash at his parties. Hopefully they'll be good guidelines in setting up this thing."

Party Favor took the clipboard and scanned it. "What, no balloons?"

"Balloons are implied. I've seen them in every size."

"Well, good." Party Favor made his chair lean back, and his front legs were spread wide open as he looked to the heavens. "What's a party without balloons and balloon animals? My life would be a downright tragedy without balloons!"

Tomato leaned on the table and rolled his eyes. "Is your life currently a comedy?"

Then, Sugar Belle came to their table, notepad in magic and cheerfully saying, "Hello, Party Favor and Mr. Tomato!"

Party Favor stumbled back and he crashed onto the ground with a yelp. Both Tomato and Sugar Belle jumped upon the crash, the latter dropping her notepad, and they winced at the sight of him dazed on the floor, his eyes rolling in different directions and his tongue lolling out.

"Oh, my goodness!" Sugar Belle levitated both Party Favor and the chair off the ground, and placed him back into a good sitting position. "Are you okay? That fall looked painful."

"Mama, Kazam popped my balloons again..." he slurred.

"You think he needs to see the doctor?" Tomato asked, itching his own back.

"He doesn't listen! You ground him a lot, but he doesn't listen..."

Sugar Belle cringed. "Party Favor...?"

Party Favor shook his head, and shouted, "I'm okay!" He rubbed his head and grinned sheepishly. "I'm okay, I have a tough skull."

Sugar Belle giggled. "Good. I'd hate seeing one of my favorite stallions with head trauma." She levitated the notepad back up, and asked, "So, what can I get you boys?"

Tomato looked at the menu on the table. "Uh, I'll just have a bagel with cream cheese."

Party Favor raised his hoof. "Blueberry muffin, please!"

Sugar Belle scribbled them down and beamed at them. "Would you boys like any coffee?"

"Nah, you know I'm a juice kind of pony," Party Favor said.

Tomato pursed his lips and looked away. "I don't mix well with coffee, so no, I'll just have juice."

Sugar Belle nodded. "No problem."

She went inside the bakery, and it wasn't long before she returned with the bagel, the muffin, and two glasses of juice. Setting them in front of the two stallions, she said, "Here you go! I hope it's good."

Party Favor beamed at her, his eyes shining as he stared at her. "I just know it's good, since you baked it."

Sugar Belle waved a hoof. "You flatter me a little too much, Party Favor. You know I'm not the only one in town who can bake."

Party Favor took a bite out of his muffin. "This has your name all over it."

Sugar Belle blushed. "Well, I did bake that."

Tomato bit into his bagel. Nodding as he chewed, he swallowed his bite and said, "You are quite the baker." He looked around at the ponies sitting at the other tables. "It looks like everypony in town is quite fond of your work. If anything, you should be proud of your talent."

Sugar Belle looked at her cutie mark. "Well, I do try to appreciate it more often."

Tomato took another bite of his bagel. "You know, if this whole ski resort plan does come into fruition, then a lot more ponies would appreciate your baking. The more they appreciate it, the more ponies they'd inform, and the more ponies they inform, the more customers you get and the more money you earn, and the more money you earn, the better you can make this town, your life, and your business!" He stuffed the rest of his bagel into his mouth and swallowed it whole. "Why, you could provide the treats for the welcome party. Show this committee firsthand that you're a good baker!"

Sugar Belle backed away from him, and warily glanced at Party Favor. Biting her lip, she replied, "While the thought of other ponies trying my goodies is... nice, part of me kind of doesn't want the ski resort thing to happen."

Tomato blinked. "Why not?"

Sugar Belle rubbed her leg. "Well... you see, I don't want to flaunt my talent. I'll bake for my friends in this town, but the thought of strangers silently judging my goods and just tasting the extra grains of sugar or that there was a little less flour than needed or the fact that I overcooked it by a minute... that scares me. I'm just keeping a brave face so I don't disappoint Double Diamond."

Party Favor looked up from his half-eaten muffin. "Those are so minor nopony would notice."

"My father always noticed," Sugar Belle growled. She sighed. "I also don't want to bring attention away from my friends and have them be jealous of me. I mean, I couldn't face Party Favor for days when he said he envied my baking abilities."

Party Favor sank in his seat, to the point where his muzzle was under the table. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Tomato raised an eyebrow. "You could just teach him how to bake, Sugar Belle."

Sugar Belle put a hoof to her mouth. "I don't know. I mean... Double Diamond has tried to teach us how to ski, but none of us can get it and he's frustrated with how little progress we've made. We're just not good at it like he is. And if we're not as good as him, what if we end up envying him like Party Favor envied my baking? What if we can't be friends anymore because we're not equal in ability of what we teach each other?"

Tomato gave her a funny look. "Uh... how'd you come to that conclusion? I tutor a friend in math, and it took a while for her to wrap her head around it. It was frustrating, but it was a big reward when she finally got it. In turn, she's taught me a few relaxation techniques for when I get too stressed out for whatever reason. Obviously, I'm still better at math, and she's still better at being at peace, but, you know... we practice. And when we say we 'envy' each other... we just mean it as a joke."

Sugar Belle pursed her lips, and then looked at another table. "Well... I'll oblige and bake some treats for the welcome party for my friends' sake. If you'll excuse me, there are more customers and I must be waiting on them now."

She hurriedly shuffled away from the stallions' table. When she was out of earshot, Party Favor glared at him. "Thanks a lot, Tomato. You made her uncomfortable."

Tomato snorted. "How was I supposed to know she was sensitive about growing a business and sharing a talent? My brother never got anywhere when he didn't share his musical talent--if he wasn't sick, he'd show you guys just how amazing of a party planner he is now."

"Speaking of party planning, let's hurry and eat so that we could plan for tomorrow," Party Favor said.

Tomato took his glass of juice and sipped it. "Right."

---

Later, the two were looking down the main street, both trying to envision what the party was going to look like. Party Favor was explaining the layout of other parties that the town had before, but he wanted to give it a little more oomph. At the same time, Tomato kept referring back to the clipboard, trying to imagine what Cheese would do in this situation. While his mind kept referring to the accordion incident, he shook it out of his head, reasoning to himself that he was older now, and that he was capable of more careful planning.

He looked around at the areas that Party Favor pointed out. Sugar Belle's shop was where all the cakes and brownies and other goodies were going to be served, as well as some fruits and vegetables. Party Favor suggested that the tables arranged into one long table, to which Tomato replied, "You better ask your baker friend about that."

"Oh, I plan to," Party Favor replied. Scratching his chin, he asked, "So... where should I put the balloons?"

"Uh... just string as many of them to the buildings that you can."

Party Favor pulled out a balloon and stretched it. "How big should I inflate them?"

"Uh... as big as you can."

Party Favor nodded and began to inflate it. It was quickly the size of his head, and it was steadily growing bigger as he continued to exhale into it.

"Hey, that's looking good..." Tomato then frowned. "Wait, don't you need a helium tank?"

Party Favor paused in his exhaling and shook his head. "I've got magic breath, so they can float without helium. They're also very durable--I once built a balloon bridge and it lasted for a month! So, they'll survive the night."

"Oh, okay, I'll just see what else we could do as you work on the balloons." Tomato looked down at the clipboard as Party Favor resumed inflating the balloon. Clicking his tongue, Tomato muttered, "Okay, I suppose we need a banner... is there a good artist around here? I sure hope so, this banner needs to look good, and I can't draw worth a darn."

He went down to the next item on the list and groaned. "And who around here can sing and dance? I'm not going to, not just because I'm not meant for entertainment, but also because I don't even live here, so I can't represent this place. Can anypony play an instrument?"

He sighed as he looked at the next item of the list. "And do we really need games, to be honest? These guys are here for business, so while they'll eat and mingle, ultimately they're here to see what the snow's like and what the ponies here are like. I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it."

That was when Double Diamond approached them. "How's the planning go--WHOA! Party Favor, that's too big!"

Tomato looked up and jumped at the sight of the balloon inflated to an enormous size, nearly as big as a house. And it was growing ever bigger as Party Favor continued to blow, and much to their astonishment, it didn't seem like it was getting ready to pop.

"Yikes! Party Favor, stop!" he shouted.

Party Favor snatched the neck of the balloon and then gave Tomato an annoyed look. "You said to inflate it as big as I can."

"I thought you'd blow it up to the size of a watermelon, not the size of a hot air balloon!"

Party Favor continued to glare at him, even as the balloon was lifting him up. "Well, if I suppose that this balloon is not good enough for you, I'll just pop it." He readied his horn to prick the rubber, not caring about the drop he was going to take.

"Party Favor, wait!" Double Diamond hollered. "Don't pop it, you'll fall and hurt yourself!"

Party Favor stopped. "You know I can cushion myself with a balloon when I fall, Double Diamond!"

He then looked at the balloon, rubbing his chin. "Oh, wait, I forgot about the shockwave that popping this thing would bring... not to mention it'd be a waste of a good balloon." He sighed. "I'll just let the air out instead."

He let go of it and fell. He quickly inflated another balloon, using it to bounce on the ground and soften his landing. Once he was safe, he looked up along with the other two stallions, as well as others out on the streets watching the deflating balloon in the sky.

The balloon was zipping all around the sky as it expelled the air from it's hole, making a raspberry noise that was making nearby foals giggle. It flew to the north, then snapped it's direction to the east, then to the west, then back south. It shrunk as it continued it's speedy and noisy dance in the air, nearly hitting Night Glider as she was hauling a bucket of water.

"Whoa!" Night Glider yelped, spilling some water from her bucket. "Ugh, Party Favor, careful with your balloons, you'll end up hurting somepony!"

Party Favor simply shrugged sheepishly.

All of a sudden, the balloon swerved downward, and Party Favor and Double Diamond ducked. Tomato was in the motion of ducking when the balloon rammed into him, and with a yelp he found himself swiftly being pushed into the stone wall of one of the houses.

CRASH!

Party Favor, Double Diamond, and a landing Night Glider winced at the sight. Party Favor idly caught the now deflated balloon, which had jumped away after hitting Tomato, still staring at the dazed Sandwich on the wall. The vermilion stallion was clearly seeing stars, and it seemed like he was about to throw up. He peeled off the dent in the wall, and landed in the street, muttering, "The waitress is practicing politics..."

Night Glider sighed. "How are we going to tell Spilled Milk what happened to his house?"

---

"Okay, it's a good thing you weren't hurt too bad..." Party Favor grinned sheepishly. "Sorry..."

Tomato winced from the bump that had formed on the back of his head. Through gritted teeth, he said, "It's fine... accidents happen..."

Party Favor clapped, and then snatched the clipboard from Tomato's tail. "Okey-dokey! What to do for more plannaroonies?"

Tomato pouted at him. "Well, for one, a good party needs music. Can you sing?"

Party Favor scoffed. "Like a dying animal. I don't think anypony will be happy if I break their windows.' He rubbed the back of his head. "But that's no problem, Tomato, there's plenty of ponies here with music talents that'll be happy to play their instruments and sing!"

"Can you play an instrument?"

Party Favor tilted his head. "Does Cheese?"

Tomato raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, he's pretty adept at the accordion."

Party Favor nodded, and then pulled out some balloons. With some quick motions of his hooves twisting the balloons, he soon had created a balloon replica of an accordion, and then started to play it. Tomato blinked at the fact that it was making the actual sound of the accordion, and it was sounding like an actual coherent tune.

"How are you even doing that?" he asked.

Party Favor laughed. "The only way I can play an instrument is if it's made out of balloons."

Tomato blinked, and then chuckled back. "So... can you try the piano?"

Party Favor nodded, and then took out some more balloons. He rearranged the balloon accordion and added those balloons into the mound. He was quick to mold the stack of balloons into the shape of a grand piano, and once he was done, he started to play a classical tune on it.

Tomato clapped. "Holy beefsteak, of all the balloon modelers I've seen, I've never seen them do that! Oh, try a violin!"

Party Favor stopped playing, rearranged the balloons again, and then played a lover's waltz on the resulting instrument.

Tomato chuckled. "Okay... how about a xylophone?"

Party Favor rearranged the balloons into said instrument, and then pinged at the thing with little balloon mallets.

"Okay, now try the oboe!"

The unicorn rearranged the mallets and a couple of the keys into a balloon oboe, and played another tune with unprecedented grace.

Tomato bit his lip as he suppressed laughter. "Okay, okay... how about the tuba?"

Party Favor sighed, and then rearranged the balloons into a tuba. He took a deep breath, and then blew into the tuba. The resulting noise was so loud, and the force so great, it sent Tomato and several others out and about flying, and bowling more ponies over. Tomato found himself colliding into a building again, this time on City Hall, and was seeing stars once again, with the outside of his head in pain and the inside feeling numb.

Double Diamond peeked out of the door, a confused look on his face. He looked at an embarrassed Party Favor, holding a tuba made of balloons, and then to the dazed Tomato on the wall.

Tomato laughed and sang, "I've been searching for something... taken out of my soul..."

Double Diamond gave a look of exasperation to Party Favor, who twiddled his hooves and muttered, "We were experimenting with music."

---

Later, when he and Tomato were sitting at a table for a break, Party Favor asked, "So... what else does your brother do when planning a party?"

Holding an ice pack to his head, Tomato looked at the clipboard, and said, "Well... uh... he jumped out of a cake and played the accordion at one party..."

Party Favor stuck his tongue out. "I don't want any frosting in my hair... or hair in the frosting... or whatever."

Tomato chuckled. "Sounds like an exchange I had with somepony who was tempted to dunk his head in a giant chocolate fountain."

Party Favor's eyes were as big as dinner plates. "Whoa... giant chocolate fountains? You mean those exist?"

"Well... Cheese summoned them from bizarreland, where all the party pony necessities come from. Not even Celestia knows how you guys do it. Say, could you summon anything that would make this party more interesting than what we've got?"

Party Favor reached behind his back, and pulled out uninflated balloons. "Is this enough?"

Tomato blinked. "That's it? That's all you've been pulling out since we started!"

"Yeah. They're the only things I can summon."

Tomato stared at the small rubber bags. "What are we supposed to do with them?"

Party Favor took a few, inflated them all at once, and then twisted them into the shape of a skiing pony. "Ta-da!"

Tomato blinked, and leaned in his hoof, his other hoof over his head in both holding the ice pack and shielding his head. "I suppose they'd make good decoration alongside everything else we've got... anything else?"

Party Favor sighed. "I can't pull out a chocolate fountain, if that's what you want. What, do you expect me to be some absurdly powerful unicorn mage or talented magician like the rest of my family? Because..." He tapped his horn, a disgruntled look on his face.

"I don't know, your sister said that your balloon sculptures were impressive--and from what I've seen, she's right. Still, we don't want to distract from the real reason that committee's coming. Just... make your balloon sculptures winter-themed." Tomato chuckled. "Funny that we're doing a winter-themed party in the summer, right?"

Party Favor idly drew circles on the table. "Yeah."

---

They had begun to decorate, enlisting several bored ponies to attach balloons to the houses and play catch with rolls of streamers that Party Favor had stashed in a trunk in his house. A couple of ponies were working on a banner, one doing the drawing calligraphy and the other painting over the sketches. Most of the other ponies that weren't helping to decorate were washing the dirt off their homes and businesses as to present a feel of cleanliness.

After checking up on Cheese--who was stubbornly refusing to go to sleep, even as he argued with the lamp, used Boneless 2 for a tissue, and was acting afraid of his own brother--Tomato went back outside to see the commotion that was going.

Ah, yes, that committee would approve of cleanliness, Tomato thought. He looked around, a smile refusing to come. But Cheese said that this party was meant to be big--this isn't big!

The party was looking nice so far--but it didn't seem to be shaping up to be a big celebration that would require two party ponies to create. Heck, there was only one party pony with a specialization in balloons and a stuffy little college student that didn't know what the heck he was doing in planning this thing, and the stuffy little college student was completely relying on what he saw his brother do before.

And so far, he hadn't quite figured out anything that would make a good Plan B for the town to attract outsiders--whether it be in tourism or changing residencies. In trying to plan and asking others to help with some work, he managed to glean some more info about what this town could offer and what it needed, even if some ponies seemed a little nervous and hesitant at first, as if he was doing an interrogation.

From what he had learned, there were some gems that some residents with mining talents had chiseled out of nearby caves--though they were admittedly kinds that were a bit cheap. There was a river that was quite a ways away in a small basin, where those with gardening and farming talents were growing food--though just enough for the town to eat, with just a little to spare. And there was talk of a few ponies planning to bring cows to the town--there were those with dairy cutie marks itching to use their talent.

And all the ponies agreed on one need: plumbing. They were tired of fetching water from the river.

As far as Tomato could tell, there was at least a little economic progress for them with Double Diamond and a few others going out of town to trade every so often--which should be easier once that train station was finished. But it was clear to him that Double Diamond and a few other ponies wanted to speed the growth along--though it seemed like some ponies didn't seem to be very excited about the prospect of a new business coming to town. Probably because tourists were obnoxious--Tomato himself had come across plenty in Manehattan.

Still, this was not a place that many ponies would want to go--it was just too out of the way. Tomato wanted to know just why this Starlight character built a town in the middle of nowhere. Who in the right mind would even want to live here in the first place?

He idly walked down the street, passing by some busy ponies. Some of them looked up and grinned at him, sending a chill down his spine. Why did they smile like that? Did they want to scare the committee?

He finally came across Party Favor putting the finishing touches on a snowflake-shaped balloon model and letting a fellow unicorn hang it from the eaves. Once that was done, Party Favor turned, and then blinked in surprise at finding Tomato standing there.

"Hey, there," Tomato said.

"Hi," Party Favor replied. "So... how's your brother doing?"

Tomato groaned. "Oh, he's awake, and doesn't want to go to sleep. He's still a pretty sick and tired stallion."

Party Favor snickered. "Sick and tired of what?"

"Of being in bed all day and not working on this party."

Party Favor nodded. "Somepony's antsy..."

"Probably because his brother stinks at this party planning thing." He gestured down the street. "Even if I call this 'nice', I could hardly call this up to standard; if it wasn't for your touches, I'd say it's kind of dull."

"We're not even done yet."

Tomato whickered. "I've seen plenty of parties being set up in this way, and even in the middle of setup they were more lively than this!"

Party Favor brushed a hoof on the ground. "Well, you aren't very creative..."

Tomato could have sworn he felt a curl pop from his mane. "Excuse me?"

Party Favor bit his lip, and then gulped. "It's pretty obvious that you're just treating this like some sort of checklist. Like, I get the whole music and food and stuff, but... it feels kind of soulless. I don't even think we got anypony appropriately excited for this."

Tomato snorted and stomped his hoof. "Great, good to know that I'm some soulless, uncreative mind that can't comprehend the fine art of setting up a celebration. Even if I had any type of nonsense magic at my beck and call, I'd be lousy at this."

"I'm sorry we don't have much," Party Favor said. "Maybe if we had some other implements in this town, you could have made better creative contributions to this--you know, make it as big as Cheese would have it or something."

Tomato huffed. "Not like you're any more creative--all your suggestions involve balloons."

Party Favor glared at him. "Hey! What's wrong with balloons?"

"I got plowed into a wall twice thanks to you and your balloons. Stands to say that I'm not in a good mood about them right now."

Party Favor looked away with a pout and growled, "Gee, I'm sorry that it's the only way I can access my own magic, and that I just want to appreciate it more. If I ever lost my special talent again I don't know what I'd do!"

Tomato blinked and turned to him. "Wait... 'again'?"

Party Favor's eyes widened, and he covered his mouth. Looking around, he avoided Tomato's gaze and answered, "That doesn't matter, you're overthinking it." Then, in a cool tone, he droned, "Maybe you should just refer to the clipboard, see what kind of creativity that sick brother of yours has come up with in parties past."

He turned to him, pulled out a balloon, and inflated it. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more balloon snowflakes to make."

Party Favor trotted off with a balloon in one hoof, and Tomato, with a sigh, headed off to find somewhere to sit.

---

Sitting at a table by Sugar Belle's bakery, Tomato kept scanning the words he wrote down the night before, trying to find what else that needed to be done in order for this party to work. After all, this event felt too much like a standard party, with little effort put into it--Cheese would be disappointed in how it turned out, and Tomato assumed everypony else would as well. While Tomato was sure Party Favor had some suggestions of his own to make it better, he was also sure that it involved balloons--it's not like the party needed any more balloons.

He scratched his head. "Uh... maybe we could serve snow cones?"

A mild gust of wind blew and flapped the paper on the clipboard. He sighed and laid his chin on the table.

"This is hopeless. Filling in for a party pony for a two-party pony job? Yeah, not like I'm creative enough for the job. Sheesh, this is harder than I thought."

Suddenly, he heard a voice to his right. "Oh, come on, buddy, don't give up yet!"

Tomato sat up straight and looked to his right, where there was nopony there. He looked to his left, and there were other ponies talking as they went about their chores and party decorating. However, none of them were talking to him.

"Over here, on your shoulder!"

Tomato looked at his right shoulder, and sure enough, there was a little pony there. But not just anypony--it was a smaller version of himself, one that had his curly hair set free, was without glasses, and was wearing a green button shirt with red polka dots. The mini him had a big grin and bright eyes, looking awfully similar to Cheese.

Tomato pursed his lips. "Um... hi?"

Mini Tommy stretched. "You're seriously underestimating yourself, Big Me! After all, didn't you take charge of that fundraiser when you were a colt? You made it fun, successful, and you earned your cutie mark from it! You're more creative than you realize, this party should be a cinch!"

Tomato twiddled his hooves. "Look... I appreciate that you're trying to encourage me, but it should be clear that I was a poor fit for this job. I'm not a party pony, Little Me--I can't do this job as well as Cheese can."

Then, a feminine voice chipped in with, "Of course not. Did you forget what was on your flank?"

With wide eyes, he turned to his other shoulder, and froze at the sight of who it was. "Mom?!"

Mozzarella was sitting on his left shoulder, filing her hoof. "Let's not forget that the time you tried to throw your own little party at home, Cheese was angry enough with you to run away from home. You know that the only parties you can throw are the ones that would end up disappointing Cheese in one manner or another."

Tomato sank in his seat. "Please don't remind me--you've been doing that for years to remind me how much I needed to 'reform'. Don't you think that's a little hurtful?"

"What's a lesson without pain? Sometimes the harsh lessons were the ones you needed to learn the most... and you definitely needed some painful lessons to not become what that thing is on your other shoulder."

Mini Tommy glared at Mozzarella. "Quit trying to convince him that party ponies are a bad thing! So far, all the party ponies he's met are awesome! Cheese, Pinkie Pie, Party Favor... okay, Comedy Gold's a maybe, but she'd be awesome if she hadn't been sick."

Mozzarella scoffed. "I can think of plenty of ways that a party pony could go wrong--drunkenness, too much noise, only caring about fun, and goodness, gracious, what if a party pony forces others to be happy, regardless of their well-being?"

Mini Tommy scoffed. "Oh, please... if anything, we're the least likely to be evil. Unlike, say, a businesspony, who we all know are boring and tasteless, have no appreciation for pony emotion, and are so greedy, they'd do every kind of underhanded and immoral method just to get their hooves on some more moolah."

Tomato blinked. "Hey... I'm not evil!"

Mozzarella growled. "But you would have been if you kept on going down your path of carelessness. I was always afraid that you'd be in jail!"

Mini Tommy rolled his eyes. "Come on, Madre, let him cut loose for once. He's just holding back on his party pony powers because he's afraid of you!"

Tomato gave his littler self a funny look. "Excuse me... but how could a businesspony be a wielder of that kind of magic? Because, you know, I'm just about the furthest thing from a party pony--look at this half-baked disappointment!"

He gestured to the street, with it's standard party decoration, aside from the balloon sculptures Party Favor had created. Some ponies had turned to stare at the pony talking to his shoulders. They were all looking at him like he was some sort of nutjob, with some forcing that same creepy grin in nervousness, and a few others awkwardly shuffling away.

Tomato slowly put his hoof down, and hissed, "Besides, I'm pretty sure I have normal economy cultivation magic in me--not to mention that party pony magic is completely contradictory to it, because as Cheese said, 'party pony powers aren't meant to be used for profit'."

Mini Tommy examined his hoof. "What, you didn't notice that you don't behave normally?"

Tomato furrowed his brow. "Everypony knows I'm the normal Sandwich! Besides, I've already earned my cutie mark. I can't remove it and get a different talent, you know."

Mozzarella nodded. "Exactly. While you did earn your mark in the fundraiser, it was mainly because you took every step to ensure that your school had the money it needed to replace the chalkboards. Surely, you could do better to help these ponies with their predicament than help some weird balloon-obsessed unicorn throw a party."

Mini Tommy leaned forward. "How about this... he has to throw the party to convince this committee that this town is worth establishing a ski resort near it! After all, if it has good snow and fun-loving ponies who love visitors, who wouldn't want to come here?"

Mozzarella rolled her eyes. "What insane individual established a town way out here?"

Mini Tommy scoffed. "Does it matter? They're gone now!" He jumped up and pulled on Tomato's ear. "Come on, buddy, just try to unleash that magic within you for once! It'll make this party spectacular, and this town would be a shoo-in for a new ski resort!" He leaned on Tomato's neck. "Even if I'm not a fan of business... wouldn't you want a business established here so that this town could grow faster?"

Tomato leaned on the table. "I don't know... I mean, it'd be nice if the party could convince them that this town is welcoming... nopony around here has any enthusiasm for this entire thing... plus, it'd be nice to know just what that part of me can do."

Mozzarella held a worried look. "I'd like for you to help this town--but what would the consequences be if you let that part of you run wild?! I'm fairly certain that with your lack of self control, you'd do more harm than good!"

Tomato glared at her. "'Lack of self control'? You still don't have confidence that I can control my own impulses? Mom, I'm an adult!"

Mini Tommy shook his head and clicked his tongue. "You should have let him experiment, Mother. Right now, it comes out in harmless spurts."

Mozzarella glared. "Stick with the magic that you do know how to use! Trying to use that secret magic of yours will end in disaster!"

Tomato crossed his front legs. "Look, Mom, I can make my own decisions, and I'm ready to do anything to make sure this town grows! And if I have to use this weird magic within me... well, so be it. Let's see if I can use this nonsense magic that's apparently in me."

That was when Sugar Belle came to the table. "Uh... who are you talking to?"

Tomato blinked, and both the mini version of him and his mother were gone. With a beet red face, he turned to the pink unicorn, and said, "Uh... I was just talking to myself. Hehe, it's a way to make sure I understand my own thoughts."

Sugar Belle raised an eyebrow. "Okay... so, are you here to have something to eat?"

Tomato leaned in his hoof. "Nah, I'm not hungry."

Suddenly, a thought came to him. Putting a hoof to his mouth, he wondered if he could access that magic they've been talking about. So far, he didn't really do anything that could make anypony think he could throw an effective party, but there was one way that he could possibly get that creativity that Party Favor told him that he was lacking.

"On second thought... I'd like a cup of coffee."

Sugar Belle blinked. "I thought you said you didn't mix well with it."

"Well, if you're thinking that it brings on digestive problems or makes me jittery, well, you're wrong. I'm just trying to see if I can rein in the unusual consequence of my coffee ingestion. And maybe, perhaps, spur some creativity within me a little bit more." He forced a grin, hoping to send the message for her to not question it.

Sugar Belle stared at him, and nervously smiled back. She quickly went in to the bakery, calling, "Cuppa Joe! A customer asked for a mug."

It wasn't long before she returned, and she set down the mug of the hot, dark-colored liquid in front of Tomato. Still holding the nervous grin, she said, "Okay, here you go. I hope you like it."

Tomato slid the mug closer to him, and stared at his reflection in the liquid. This was either stupid and reckless or it was the kick start he needed to make this party better, make it one that Cheese would be proud of. He hoped that it could be made good enough to convince that committee that these ponies could provide a warm welcome and that the ski resort was worth establishing here. This party was too dreary--it needed a little more... 'oomph' as Cheese called it.

He picked up the mug. This would have to be the weirdest way to help that he had ever done.

"Bottoms up." He dumped the contents of the mug into his mouth and down his throat. He held his breath, his face heating up and his throat burning as he held on to the table, bearing the heat of the drink as it made its way down to his stomach.

After a few moments, he relaxed and exhaled. However, he wasn't relaxed for long, as he started feeling a rush within him. He could feel his heart racing, every muscle in his body itching to move, and and his brain overflowing with so many insane ideas. He looked around the square, wanting to go there, or there, or way over there. Blinking rapidly as this new sensation came over him, he involuntarily began to giggle, and then leapt onto the table with a whoop.

Sugar Belle zipped back into the bakery in fright when Tomato's mane and tail exploded into curls.

Author's Note:

In which I just write a lame filler chapter of Tomato and Party Favor trying to "wing it." You know how groaners are... I hate writing them because ideas don't come to me as naturally, and they always come out sub-par in my eyes. Ugh.

It would be like Tomato to jot down a list of what Cheese did before and try to imitate it--but, you know, he just doesn't have the talent (or experience) to actually pull it off. And as for Party Favor... well, he's the more creative one, but it all has to do with balloons, and it doesn't seem anypony wants balloon overload (especially after Tommy getting hurt twice because of them).

Yeah, it would be weird talking to mini versions of your alternate self and your mother sitting on your shoulders. I don't even know who's the angel and who's the devil in this case. Tommy's confused, especially when it comes to a certain thing they're talking about.

Also, and the coffee thing... that's actually been an idea for his character for a long time (since last summer--in fact, it was established in the blog). Take a wild guess on what he's going to end up doing.

This chapter feels so risky...

Comments

[RadicalDishonesty]

Whether this is a slow chapter or not, I like the exploration of the trying-to-break-free of their previous pessimism and unexceptionalism of the Our Town ponies. I particularly like seeing Sugar Belle's reasoning as to why being all similar is the right way to be, and the implication that this is what made her so vulnerable to Starlight Glimmer's ideals.

There's a lot going on by now, with Tommy's self recrimination, and the scars from the incident in Las Pegasus, in addition to the normal brotherly conflicts, and Our Town being still sorta broken from Starlight's influence, and I think you did a good job of writing the chapter where everything seems bleak, and I was still quite compelled.

[cowbrony93]

"The waitress is practicing politics..."

[SageBrony07]

I'm scared now. What just happened to tomato? I think I'm going to hide under a house now. Thanks for the update.

[KawaiiShadow]

it just dosent work without cheese

[Goldfinch142]

Whenever you need party planning skills, simply down a cuppa joe from Cuppa Joe and watch as you become an expert! Limited edition! Buy now for the low, low price of only five bits a cup!
May cause temporary giggle fits and the appearance of insanity. Ask your doctor before using a cuppa joe from Cuppa Joe.

Ads aside, it'll be interesting to see what Tomato's parties are like without him trying to copy Cheese.

I like how when a mini-Tomato and a mini-Mozzarella appeared on Tomato's shoulder, he just rolled with it. Yes, so used to weirdness, Tomato is, that he barely bats an eye at mini-ponies on his shoulders. Nice.
I guess mini-Tomato was his party pony magic manifesting as such to tell him it's there. As for mini-Mozzarella...maybe she was his regular cultivation magic (and his own doubts) trying to reject the party pony magic. Party ponies lose their natural magic included with their race, after all.

Shame Tommy got slammed into a wall, though. Twice. By balloons, of all things.

Time to see if his idea will pay off, or if it'll be a flop and damage his morale even more.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Besides, it wasn't like he was any good at the very talent that his cutie mark represented.

Wow. There's being self-defeating, and then there's just flying in the face of fact.

Tomato leaned on the table and rolled his eyes. "Is your life currently a comedy?"

A comedy/adventure, going by the tags.

Ooh, a bit of history with Sugar Belle. After all, everypony in the village had a reason for joining Starlight. And the damage done by the propaganda isn't going to be undone in an instant.

Huh. Wasn't expecting a Billy Joel reference. And Tommy really should know better than to tell a party pony something like that.

This is clearly more of a case of modron and slaad than angel and devil, though it seems to working a lot better here. In any case, it's certainly interesting to see Tomato manifest his nature and nurture and debate with them. It'll be especially interesting to see what he does when caffeinated. For good or for ill, this is going to end impressively.

[Princess rosa]

I'm scared to know what happens next.

[Jordan179]

Night Glider sighed. "How are we going to tell Spilled Milk what happened to his house?"

... and you just know he'll cry over it. It's almost inevitable.

[Dashie04]

6523358
Dangit, I though I was the first one who caught that, anyways, whatever the reason, Tomato appears to really like Billy Joel.

[Godslittleprincess]

Yeah, is it me or does this sort seen to heavily hinge on ponies refusing to talk about things that need to be talked about? I'm just saying.