Brotherly Bonding Time

by Sketcha-Holic

20.4--Fair For Its Time

"...and that's why you shouldn't destroy others' property." Fluttershy looked around at the debris that was scattered around the intersection she stood on, and then back to the ashamed raccoon family. "Don't worry, maybe if you clean up this mess, the townsponies won't be so harsh toward you."

The raccoons looked at each other, chattered for a moment, and then immediately began to pick up strewn pieces of wood. As they dragged the wood to the nearest trash can, Fluttershy beamed in encouragement. "That's the way to do it! I have to go for now, but I'll be happy to see your progress when I come back."

Once they chattered their goodbyes, Fluttershy turned and left the raccoons to clean up. As much as she wanted to help them, there were other animals in town that were still causing trouble, and she had to find those that Fallow wasn't already dealing with. Walking through the streets of Aura Springs, she scanned every foot of the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of even a tail of one of the troublemakers. If she was lucky, perhaps she could find the infamous Porcupine Mafia and give them a piece of her mind.

Turning the corner, she stopped when seeing the crowd of flowerpony protesters surrounding city hall. She stood there, blinking, and read some of the signs that they were brandishing. They were clearly short phrases about living in peace and not letting greed destroy the animals' home, messages of which she agreed with. However, surrounded by scattered trash and splintered buildings, she had to question just why these ponies were looking the other way when the animals misbehaved.

She managed to spot Grapevine's darker green out of the many colors of the other flowerponies, and he seemed to be at the head of the protests, apparently arguing with the mayor in the window. Fluttershy had met him before, as she did Fallow Track, Tree Hugger, and others, when going to study the Breezies; Grapevine had seemed like a pleasant fellow then. Now she wasn't so sure, given the situation and how Grapevine was clearly front and center in the debate.

Fluttershy wanted to know why he was letting the town devolve into chaos, but there were too many ponies around and she didn't know how to broach the subject. It was best for her to just continue on with giving the animals around town a good talking to.

However, as she attempted to leave, Grapevine had already let another take a turn in debating so that he could apparently recharge. So he seemed to have suddenly appeared in front of her, greeting, "Ey, Fluttershy!"--which was more than enough for her to jump with a squeak. After receiving an awkward hug, she caught her breath, realizing that now she had to face him sooner rather than later.

"What're you doing here, soul sister?" Grapevine asked. "Are you here to save the animals from tyranny?"

"Well, uh, I'm definitely saving the animals..." Fluttershy said, bearing a grin that she hoped he didn't see through.

Grapevine didn't appear to notice, now musing, "Wow... it's like we have a psychic link... I wonder if it's a thing all ponies have or it's just those who've mastered nature talking."

On hearing "psychic link", Fluttershy's mind immediately went to Pinkie's panic over not receiving some sort of signal from Cheese. At least when she returned, she could give comfort to Pinkie over Cheese's safety. Granted, she might have to bring the Sandwiches over there anyway, given how Twilight had something to help Cheese with his unfortunate condition.

She shook her head and went back to the current conversation. "Oh, no, no psychic link. Just a letter."

Grapevine raised an eyebrow. "I didn't send a letter."

Fluttershy sighed, and then put her stern face on. "No, you didn't. Your father did, requesting help in getting the animals under control."

Grapevine's eyes widened, and he backed up a few steps. "Now you are wanting to control the animals? Why would you do that?"

"Why would you just look the other way when they're clearly making the townsponies miserable? Do you not see the damages?" Fluttershy swept her front leg out to the messy streets. "I just don't see why you'd let this happen."

Grapevine stared at the street for a moment, and replied, "The animals have every right to be upset that ponies invade their land and destroy it with their carelessness. I don't blame them for wanting to tear down the establishment."

Fluttershy rubbed a temple. "Standing up for animals doesn't mean hurting innocent ponies. I'm all for animals and ponies coexisting peacefully, but there are boundaries that need to be set so neither side gets hurt."

"Boundaries?" Grapevine scoffed. "Sounds like the unfair rules that The Mare uses to oppress ponies, and keep them from being their true selves. My mother escaped the city for a reason; she told me that her stickler sister was so controlling and harsh, and vowed not to be like her. I mean... just look at my cousins... I pity them, I can sense that their chakras are all messed up."

Fluttershy pursed her lips. "Okay, some ponies in charge aren't so nice, and maybe there are some rules that are unfair in some places. But I still set boundaries for the animals back home, because while they are my friends, I can't let them push me around or hurt my pony friends. Not every animal is a saint, so I have to nudge them in the right direction."

"Or brainwash them."

"What?" Fluttershy could not believe what she just heard. "No! Guiding an animal or a pony to become a better... uh... citizen of Equestria that treats others kindly is not brainwashing! I don't control them, I communicate with them! So why don't you do your job, and tell these animals that their anarchy is only going to bite their tails if they don't clean up their act?!"

Grapevine rubbed the back of his head, his face taking on a neutral expression. "Yeah... uh, wouldn't it be hypocritical to put myself in charge when I'm trying to stop The Mare's tyranny? I'm not big on authority figures controlling my life, so why would I want to control others?"

"I'm not asking you to be a tyrant, I'm asking you to be responsible," Fluttershy said. She turned around and started to walk away. "Now, I must be responsible with my talent and convince more animals to stop harassing the townsponies before someone gets hurt."

As she left, she held her head up in pride. But, alas, she felt her heart sink at the thought that all she convinced him was that now she was against the coexistence of pony and animal. She didn't want to look back, but her resolved failed with a quick glance behind her. Though his face showed a neutral calm, she worried that he might be seething under the surface.

Her head slowly sunk into a slouch.

---

Meanwhile, in a Barnyard Bargains store in Graze Valley, the main executive of the chain had been making recommendations to the manager in order to improve business. A proud stallion of brown with dark hair and blue eyes, he talked about how the displays for each section of the store could be arranged, adjusting prices, and taking note of what was and what wasn't selling. It was a fine meeting and inspection that day, and now they were just having a friendly chat.

"Wow, I had no idea you liked country music, Mr. Rich!" the unicorn manager said.

Mr. Filthy Rich laughed. "Well, of course! I've always enjoyed how down-to-earth and homey it sounds, and it reminds me of some favorite business partners of mine. It's a real shame that kids these days can't appreciate it; even my daughter complains when I put Low Places on the record player."

"Just wait until their kids complain about their music." The manager chuckled, brushing some of her mane out of her face. "So, what are you planning to do while you're here?"

Filthy rubbed the back of his head. "Well... I've been thinkin' of expanding my horizons a little bit when exploring Aura Springs. While another Barnyard Bargains wouldn't hurt, I want to see what that town has to offer, and perhaps build that spa resort that I promised my wife."

The manager frowned. "Are you sure you want to do that? Aura Springs has been having trouble with the wildlife for some time now."

"Oh, it can't be that bad. I like animals."

As they trotted out of the aisle, they were stopped by a group of rolling barrels, much to their confusion. They stared at the young, lean stallion that balanced himself on the final one, pushing the others with its forward roll. As the employees paused in their tasks to stare at the sight, the young stallion glanced at them with an expression that said "What?", and continued on to the front counter. There, the bespectacled, reddish fellow hopped off his barrel, and started heaving it right side up with his tail.

Filthy whispered to the manager, "Might want to have a training session with the employees so they'd stop nonsense like that in the future."

"Noted." The manager then marched up to the young stallion, who seemed to make the cashier a little nervous. "Excuse me, young stallion... but, might I ask why a slim fellow like you is doing with all these barrels of... uh..."

"Apples," the young stallion replied.

"Apples, yes. But I'll kindly ask you not to roll those barrels down my aisles again. I'm not risking displays getting knocked over or customers getting hurt. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am. I was going to leave anyway... just as soon as I pay for my apples."

Filthy Rich joined them. "Apples? Ah, good choice, young pony! The farmers of those apples are some of the finest ponies you'd ever meet, and they have the finest apples that you ever did taste. I'm proud to have done business with them and help them spread their fruit across the land. I could also give you a sample of their delicious Zap Apple Jam."

"Maybe later." The young pony pulled a surprisingly large bag of bits from his brown jacket--Filthy wondered how it could fit in there--threw it on the floor, and then almost literally dove headfirst into it. With just his hind legs keeping the hind half at bay, the front half was busy swimming through the bag, and counting the bits inside.

Filthy crouched down to get a good look at the bag's size. "How does he even fit?"

The cashier drummed her hooves on the counter. "I've been hearing some talk about some weirdo in a suit going around and dragging ponies into some kind of weird business of his... I'm starting to wonder if that's him right there."

Choking was heard from the bag, followed by, "Gak! Dang it, I swallowed one!"

The manager nickered in bemusement. "Do I call the cops on him?"

"He's not technically breaking any laws..." Filthy scratched his head. "Except maybe the laws of physics."

The young stallion erupted from the bag with a small armful of bits, and dropped them all on the counter. "Okay, here's the money for my bushels. I counted them, but of course you're recounting them to make sure..."

He trailed off as he realized that the cashier was now ignoring him, counting the bits as fast as she could. With a sigh, he looked around for a bit, muttering to himself about the place. It took a bit before he finally noticed Filthy Rich staring at his glorious curled forelock, adorning the forefront of his mane like the embarrassment it was. The pony attempted to slick it down, staring back at Filthy, but it was in vain as it sprung back up with a boing. With a groan, he grumbled, "I'll kindly ask you to not stare at my forelock."

"Oh, pardon me about that. I'm curious about what all the apples are for."

"Fundraiser. My brother came up with a caramel apple dipping activity, and well, here I am." Tomato noticed his bag on the floor and then swiped it, storing it in his jacket. Filthy still didn't know how he was fitting that bag in there without any noticeable lumps."

Filthy scratched his chin, scanning the boy up and down. "Say... have we met before? You look awfully familiar..."

The younger stallion raised an eyebrow. "No..."

"Hmm... what's your name, son?"

"Tomato Sandwich."

Filthy tapped his head. "Sandwich... Sandwich... now where have I seen a guy named Sandwich...?"

Just then, the cashier tapped Tomato on the shoulder, glaring at him. "Hey, buddy, you're one bit short."

Tomato blinked in disbelief. "What? How did I miscount? I had a system of organizing the bits into fives and tens!"

The cashier presented her stacks of bits, one of which was clearly shorter than the others by one bit. "I do too, and the stacks don't lie. Now, are you going to cough up one more bit?"

Tomato groaned and made a move to pull one out of his jacket, but then he started to cough, which was soon followed by heaving. Filthy stepped back, worried that Tomato was having an asthma attack or was about to throw up. He teetered on the guesses on what was happening between the wheezing and the choking and the coughing. Should he get somepony to get a doctor?

Then, Tomato pulled at his tie, and out flew a bit.

The cashier jumped at the spit-covered coin landing on the counter, and stared at it in horror. Tomato stared as well, a hoof on his chest. His head slowly raised, his face flushed redder than normal, and he muttered, "You might want to sanitize that."

The grimacing manager levitated the coin. "I'll do just that. You can... take your apples..."

Once the manager had left, Tomato smiled and was about to gather the barrels, only to stop and stare at the several that he had rolled down the aisle. Filthy Rich could see the realization dawning on him that he probably should have brought help to carry the apples to the fundraiser site. A stomp, a snort, and a curse under Tomato's breath indicated his change of mood.

Filthy Rich looked out the window, and noticed some ponies pulling carts outside. "Tell you what, why don't I get those fellas out there to help you out. I'm sure they won't mind a little persuasion..." He pulled his wallet out of his saddlebag. "If you know what I mean."

Tomato raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what's the catch?"

"You seem like a nice fellow, if a bit eccentric. Besides, I have nothing better to do today and I'm curious about that fundraiser of yours."

Tomato scanned Filthy's person, cutie mark included. He blew at his forelock, and answered, "Well... the fundraiser's nothing fancy, but with my brother's talents, it's at least serviceable. But, anyway, I guess you could help me out with this thing."

---

After having sung and played polka to any pony he could find, Cheese Sandwich was now wheeling back to the fairground. He didn't know where Summer was, but wherever she had flown off to, he trusted that she could fly her way back. He himself was almost there.

He didn't exactly feel like the Pied Pony Piper, but at least they made sure that everypony in town knew of a fundraiser carnival today. He hoped that they weren't expecting bouncehouses--they were out of reach for the time being. Or amusement park rides, he wasn't sure he could arrange one of those within an hour. In fact, he hoped for realistic expectations for a simple fundraiser carnival that was also partially a yard sale, but if any of those ponies knew who Cheese Sandwich was, they definitely had high expectations.

The carnival was good for a normal pony... but subpar for Cheese Sandwich. Heck, even his advertising was subpar next to his normal shenanigans. If only he could do more than just play the accordion on a unicycle.

He wasn't fully paying attention to his surroundings, and thus was caught off guard when he bumped into a cart and tumbled onto the barrels within, inadvertently throwing his accordion in the process. The trip had not been nice and he was now sore, but he didn't have time to be concerned about that when his precious instrument was now soaring in an arc.

Tomato just so happened to be by the cart with a couple of other ponies, attempting to greet him, but swiftly interrupted by Cheese's "Gah! My accordion! Oh, no no no, somepony catch it!"

Tomato turned around to see said accordion having reached its peak and was now descending, heading on an collision course toward the crude karaoke stage that Lemon Zest was busy straightening. "Uh oh."

The Sandwiches were bracing themselves for the shattering of the instrument, but thankfully, a certain green pegasus dressed as a book popped out of nowhere and caught it. She was knocked onto the stage, surprising Lemon Zest, and for a couple of moments she lay still. But she held accordion up triumphantly, and wheezed loudly, "Caught it!"

There was a sigh of relief, and the Sandwiches raced to the stage, where Lemon helped Summer up. There, Tomato said, "Hey, are you okay? That looked like it hurt."

Summer scoffed and waved a hoof. "I'll be fine, I'm a tough girl." She gave the accordion to Cheese. "Here you go. Don't want that breaking, you know?"

"Heh, thanks." Cheese looked it over and played a few notes, relieved that all that was needed was some tuning. "With my magic on the fritz, I don't know if I can fix it like I usually do. And if I can't fix my accordion..." He didn't even bother finishing the sentence, he was getting angry just thinking about it. He was releasing it through laughter, but the others just instinctively started backing away when he did so.

"Hey!" the cart puller still on the sidewalk shouted. "Where do you want these apples?"

"With the candy mare!" Tomato shouted back.

Tomato's other companion came trotting forth, looking around at the carnival. "Well... you were right in saying that it wasn't fancy. It's like you fused a school carnival and a yard sale together." He looked straight forward and pointed to Cheese. "And you've got Cheese Sandwich right there! You'd expect more out of him." He paused a moment to contemplate just who he was seeing. "Uh... how did you get Cheese Sandwich, Tomato?"

"He's my brother," Tomato answered.

Cheese narrowed his eyes, feeling himself bristle. It was frustrating enough without somepony pointing out today's shortcoming. "Yep. I could show you baby pictures and everything."

"Ooh, show them!" Lemon exclaimed.

"I bet they're cute!" Summer squealed.

Tomato pursed his lips. "Please don't."

The companion's eyes widened, as if something clicked. "So that's why you looked familiar! You were at the Fall Festival in Ponyville!"

Both Sandwiches groaned, and Tomato grumbled, "Well, thanks. I didn't think anypony remembered that when we went to Ponyville earlier this summer."

Cheese scoffed. "Come on, you can be annoying, but you're not to blame for that disaster. It was Pinkie Pie's fault." He ignored the concerned confusion that Tomato had on his face, and turned coolly to the brown businesspony. "Anyhoozles, just what might your name be, Mister?"

"Name's Filthy Rich," the older stallion replied with a sparkle in his smile.

Tomato snapped his attention to Filthy in shock, and with a gasp, he grabbed Cheese and Lemon and pulled him behind the neighboring attraction. Tomato made sure to flash a grin to Filthy and said, "Excuse us for a moment, Mr. Rich, I've got to have a word with my bro and cuz."

Filthy Rich raised an eyebrow and said to Summer. "It's fairly obvious they're about to talk about me. Now, uh... may I ask about the costume?"

"Advertising," Summer deadpanned.

Meanwhile, behind the bean bag toss, Tomato peeked through one of the holes at their guest. With a hoof to his forehead, he murmured, "I can't believe that I was being friendly with Filthy Rich! He's one of the biggest names in Equestrian business, how could I have missed it? I'm pretty sure I've seen his picture in the business section of the news a few times!"

"Get a hold of yourself, Tomato," Cheese said. "I don't really see what the commotion is."

"Well, when you have a big businesspony in a relatively unknown area that's expecting a big businesspony..."

Lemon's eyes widened. "You're not saying that he might be the guy who's visiting Aura Springs tomorrow, are you?"

"I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised." Tomato peeked at Filthy once again. "If he is, the question is if he's building another Barnyard Bargains or if he's got something else in mind. Whatever he's thinking, we need to make sure he's playing in our favor."

"Does he know what the fundraiser's for?" Lemon asked.

"Well, he was following me because he was curious about it and apparently had nothing better to do... so, yeah."

Cheese crossed his front legs, rolling his eyes. "Well, I don't think we're impressing him with this cheap 'school carnival'. Sorry for having an off day."

Tomato glared at him. "Look, I know it's not up to your usual faire, but we still arranged it the best we could, and we'll have to show him that just because it isn't anything fancy doesn't mean it doesn't have merit. We've come this far, so we can't back out now!"

---

At last, the carnival was opened, and the first few curious ponies came in. They were mostly parents with eager foals, and if this fair could stave off the kids' boredom, it was as good as anything. Fillies and colts quickly ate up the bean bag tosses, caramel apple dipping, and silly string fights. Toola Roola was especially popular with the kids, since many of them wanted their faces painted or wanted a picture of them drawn. Meanwhile, their parents browsed through the yard sale portion of the fair.

Tomato wasn't surprised that the first fair-goers were families. After all, a lot of the games seemed to be kiddie fare, especially with candy and toy prizes. When it came to child customers, he made things cheaper for them due to allowances smaller than an adult pony's paycheck. At the very least, some of the parents picked up the slack by buying some of the stock from the yard sale section.

Soon enough, curious adults--single or dating, but without children regardless--came trotting in. They were more drawn to Tree Hugger's yoga sessions and the daring sky cart rides, but some of them joined into the kid activities. Some teenage colts were getting a little too into the silly string fights, teenage fillies were browsing Kimono's dresses and jewelry, and couples were commissioning sketches of themselves from Toola Roola.

So far, so good, Tomato thought. He explored the fairground as the carnival went on, with Filthy Rich beside him and watching the ponies have their fun. Tomato gauged the older businesspony's reaction throughout the tour, trying to keep a straight face. Filthy's face was neutral, but neutral faces had a way of looking angry or disappointed. Tomato's insides felt like an earthquake as he tried to guess what was on the older businesspony's mind, and some of his guesses were negative to say the least.

Nevertheless, he had to make sure to keep a good relation between them.

---

They went to the petting zoo, where Filthy didn't seem to mind petting the animals. He commented about how soft the fleece on the lambs was, fed the ducks, and even joked and laughed about Tomato being a 'chick magnet' when the latter had chicks climbing all over him. He even baby talked a couple of them, especially the puppies and kittens.

It seemed to go pretty well... up until they had to play tug-of-war with a goat snacking on Filthy's tie. Tugged as they might, they couldn't save the tie from the hungry goat, who cackled triumphantly when the tie ripped and ate the half it already had.

Filthy glared at the goat. "Your owner's lucky I decided to pack spares."

The goat glared back, and then rammed the fence, making both stallions jump. Tomato then dragged Filthy away, saying, "You know what? Animal time over, don't sue the goat. Let's go elsewhere! Oh, how about the silly string fight?"

Filthy looked down at his half-eaten tie. "I've had enough wardrobe damage for today."

---

"Now, you must arch like a feline..." Tree Hugger crooned, doing just that.

Among the ponies in the yoga session, both Tomato and Filthy were attempting to copy Tree Hugger's pose. Tomato seemed to be doing well at it; Filthy on the other hand, seemed to be straining to keep the pose.

"I don't understand... how my wife... can handle this..." he croaked.

"Takes a bit of practice to really feel it," Tomato replied. "I only know a little because I have a friend who does this kind of thing and made me join her a few times. It's pretty relaxing once you get it down."

Tree Hugger stopped her arching, and then rose onto two legs. "Straighten out... and slowly reach for the sky..."

Tomato groaned. "I hate this one."

Filthy glanced at him. "Why?"

Tomato wobbled as he tried to reach for the sky, only to fall back on all fours halfway. "With these long legs, it throws me off balance."

As Tomato tried again, Filthy got it right. "Hey, you're right, it is relaxing! I should do this more often, my life gets awful stressful. I oughta have these yoga sessions as one of the options of a spa resort. I'm sure my wife would love them."

Tomato caught himself before falling on his face. "Spa resort?"

"Promised my wife I'd build one. Question is where I'd build one, be it in this area or someplace else."

Tomato took note of that revelation.

---

They swam through the yard sale section, where Tomato paused and looked at the selection of books that Summer was selling. It was mainly a bunch of romance novels and Daring Do, neither of which Tomato really cared for, but it was nice to see that she had a selection of classics like A Hearth's Warming Tale, Dr. Jockey and Mr. Hide, Frankenstag, and more. However, what caught his attention the most was a blast from the past that made him gasp.

"'The Adventures of Richard Duckworth'?! This was my favorite book series as a kid!" Tomato grabbed the book and flipped through it. "I wanted to be him for Nightmare Night once, but my mom's a wet blanket and since my grandparents usually took us treat-or-treating and they had died the year before, I didn't get to. I was disappointed, because being an adventure capitalist duck would have been amazing!"

Summer grinned at him. "I loved reading those as a kid too! As as an adult, you realize just how smartly written it is."

"Oh, you bet!" Tomato stopped at a page and showed her. "I mean, look at it! It actually understands how economics works! Not to mention the great relationship between Rich and his nephews and how they look out for each other and banter and teach each other important lessons. I used to annoy Cheese with how much I talked about these books."

"Say, did he ever read?"

"Eh... it was usually comics, books gave him a headache trying to figure out what's going on or what something looked like. I'd always catch him reading Mr. Bizarro or Al Ammo. Those might have influenced his personality quite a bit."

Summer looked over to elsewhere in the field, where Cheese was juggling for some foals. "I get the Mr. Bizarro part, but what about Al Ammo?"

"He dresses up as a cowpony between towns," Tomato said.

Summer noticed a pony waiting at the other table with the dog toys. "Excuse me, got to help this guy."

Tomato had his eyes on the book he held. "Go ahead, I'll just flip through the book and see what other tidbits I can find."

As Summer turned away, Filthy Rich came back. "Well, there are some necklaces and dresses I personally think are beautiful, but unfortunately, Spoiled has a way of smelling when things are not from the highest rated jewelers or seamstresses." He took a look at the book Tomato flipped through. "'Richard Duckworth'?"

Tomato didn't take his eyes off the book. "Favorite book series as a kid, and now I realize just how smart of a series it is. Why does everyone get so hopped up on Daring Do? Sure, there are smart moments, but the stories are mediocre and repetitive, and I can't stand her as a character."

"Careful, some Daring Do fans will get on your case if you say that out loud."

Tomato was about to reply when a shrill whistle shot through his ears, sending a shudder through his entire body. He dropped the book and covered his ears. His first instinct was to turn in Cheese's direction, but he could see that Cheese was hearing it too, lashing out at the kids and scaring them off. Naturally, some parents were marching his way to scold him.

Tomato uncovered his ears, thankful the whistle stopped. Heart pounding, he turned to where Summer was getting paid by a hooded figure, holding a dog whistle in his magic. Rubbing his ear, he glared at the whistle and cursed the leftover bat hearing he had.

"What was that you just did?"

Tomato turned back to Filthy Rich. "Sudden earache. Left as quickly as it came."

Filthy had picked up the Richard Duckworth book and looked at it. "Hey, it has an excellent understanding of economics!"

---

They passed Toola Roola's "art bar", where the mare was having trouble deciding what to do next. Between the murmuring lines for the sketch commissions, face painting, and selling her pieces, Toola Roola noticed him and cried, "Tomato! I'm popular and I can't keep up! Help!"

Tomato scratched his chin. "Do you have any art friends?"

"Of course I do! But I can't leave to go get them!"

Tomato nodded, and then trotted off toward the karaoke stage, where Lemon Zest sat bored. Knocking at the wood, he asked, "Hey, Lemon, since business is slow for you, do you think you could find some of Toola Roola's friends? I think she's overwhelmed."

Lemon leaned to look beyond Tomato and Filthy Rich to see her sister nearing a breakdown. "Typical Rools, biting off more than she can chew. Yeah, I know where they live, one of them is the sister of one of my aerobics classmates."

Lemon hopped off the stage and trotted off, saying, "Things are slow for me, so I'll be back soon enough."

Watching her leave, Tomato sat down on the stage, picking up the mic and tapping it. "Weird, ponies love music. I thought they'd be all over the karaoke music. Do none of these ponies know how to sing?"

"Perhaps they need a little more convincing," Filthy Rich suggested.

"You're not going to bribe them into it, are you?"

"What? No, I pride myself in being an honest businesspony! I meant somepony should demonstrate how fun it is to sing."

"Oh, you're right." Tomato stood up, looked across the field to a puppet show, and shouted, "Hey, Cheese! You want to help me bring attention to this attraction?"

Cheese shouted back, "I'm kinda busy! Do it yourself!"

Tomato froze, and then laughed nervously. "Uh... I think it'd work better if you were singing, Mr. Super Duper Party Pony!"

"Well, I can't just stop in the middle of a puppet show!" Cheese made one sock puppet hit the other with a baseball bat, making a squeaking noise and making a bunch of toddlers laugh.

"You know how I am about stage fright!"

"Oh, please, the ponies loved your singing back in Seaddle, you'll be fine!" And with that, Cheese just decided to ignore the rest of Tomato's complaints, continuing with a slapstick puppet show.

"How dare you leave out the context of that event!"

"What context?" Filthy asked.

Tomato froze. There was no way that he could tell the truth to Filthy Rich or any curious bystanders without getting himself--as well as Snap--in trouble. He glared at Cheese for playing that card, and not only did he have to come up some stupid lie, he was now forced to back up the implication that he could sing. Maybe, since nopony was watching or caring, he could get away with it...

"Oh, uh... I lost a bet and had to sing karaoke."

Filthy raised an eyebrow. "So, you can sing?"

"Well, yeah, I can. I mean, I'm no Bridleway singer or anything, in fact, my Mom always said that I should stay away from it because it might tarnish my image, and ponies are always judging me for one reason--" He looked at his cutie mark. "--or another." He could feel the bitter taste of coffee on his tongue and felt a brief, terrifying rush. "It's just not my place, Mr. Rich."

"Well, I know it's not your place, son. Your place is clearly on your flank," Filthy said. "Doesn't mean singing can't be a hobby. After all, if I did business all the time, I'd work myself to death and be one of the most boring and stifled ponies in Equestria."

Tomato blinked. "What do you mean by 'stifled'?"

"Nopony is made up of just one talent--especially not businessponies, no! You need several talents in mathematics, money management, social interaction, advertising and others to survive in that world. And even then, if you don't explore your options outside those areas, how would you know just what you want your business to be about? A fellow businesspony in Ponyville has interest in fashion, and that's the business she pursued. And let me tell you, after opening her second boutique, it's clear that she's thriving."

Tomato's mind flashed back to how miserable his teen years were. Whether it was by Mom's paranoid restrictions or his own stubborn pride, it was clear to him now that Tomato had been practically dead during that time. His social life barely existed, going out for fun was forbidden, and all silly inclinations were suppressed--all because they were trying to avoid the possibility of him being like his rebellious brother. Perhaps Ponyacci's statement about him being afraid of himself had merit in areas other then his silly clown phobia. And perhaps his mother was afraid of him, and the ways that his repressed crazy could go terribly wrong.

Then his mind landed upon that school fundraiser. He looked forward, and he could see those same hard workers working for a cause, those same curious eyes looking at the many options presented to them, and those same smiles of ponies enjoying themselves, seeing old friends and making new ones, and having fun as they gave bits for the benefit of both parties. Tomato did so much to make that school fundraiser a success and earn his cutie mark, and he could see the echoes of the past in this fundraiser here. He didn't need to be so overly serious and dull to make either of them work--he just needed his eyes on the prize and work for it.

Maybe, just like when he was a colt, Tomato could make his innate silliness work for him and his special talent.

He held the mic up, and flipped it. "Huh, I guess you're right, Mr. Rich, I do need to be more than just one talent. I'm not meant to be completely boxed into one thing all of the time--frankly, it was impossible to be just the 'business student' when travelling with my brother all summer. Seriously, I think his crazy rubbed off on me!"

He looked across the field at his brother and smiled warmly. Who would Tommy have been if it wasn't for Cheese's idea of a vacation? "In trying to be perfect for someone else who thought she knew better, I guess I was shutting out the way to be my best self. I guess I can sing if it means bringing attention over to this neglected area. Just don't count on it being a regular thing."

Filthy looked confused. "Uh, I have no idea what you just had an epiphany about, but all right."

Turning on the karaoke machine, Tomato played the tune of one of his favorite songs, and began to sing heartily.

Author's Note:

It's been a month since the last chapter. The only reason being that I was having a hangup over whether or not I wanted to use Filthy Rich for this. It was a case of asking myself way too many questions about him, his personality, his business(es)... so yeah, big road block he was, yikes.

But, I've written him now, and it's kind of fun to play with him and his various reactions to Tomato and the carnival. Though, if he were reading this, I think he'd disapprove of me calling him 'Filthy' a bunch (don't want to use full names all the time, though in some cases, like Tree Hugger, it'd be really awkward to shorten it to... Tree).

Take a wild guess on what some of the mentioned media in this chapter is based on.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

I'm glad that Tomato is learning he can be more than just a business pony. I can't to see how his party magic continues to evolve and grow. Thanks for a good chapter.

[Goldfinch142]

I think it's wonderful that Tomato's finally gaining some more confidence. Enough to sing in public, even! And perhaps one day, enough to stand up to his mother.

And luckily for him, Filthy's a pretty reasonable guy (despite having such an unfortunate first name). He outta be relatively easily convinced to help out Tomato and friends with the animal situation.

Heart pounding, he turned to where Summer was getting paid by a hooded figure, holding a dog whistle in his magic.

Hoo boy. I knew he was going to show up again sooner or later. Only question is what he'll do now.

[howard035]

Filthy Rich is a great mentor for Tommy.

[Godslittleprincess]

Oh my gosh! I love DuckTales.