Brotherly Bonding Time

by Sketcha-Holic

20.5--For Beauty and For Profit

At last, evening fell.

As Cheese was preparing to wow the crowd with fruit-flavored fireworks, Tomato was sitting in Summer's cart, busy counting the total of bits raised by every event in the carnival. From the games to the food, the karaoke to the petting zoo, and the art to the white elephant items, everypony had been kept busy throughout the day. Mare, stallion, and foal alike got to enjoy themselves in at least one thing.

However, there were complaints, of which Cheese relayed to Tomato while sitting behind the karaoke stage with their tasks, as Lemon Zest distracted the guests with songs. With the accordion strapped over his shoulder and Boneless 2 in his mane, thanks to his new inability to reach his secret compartment, Cheese was making it clear that he didn't exactly have the best carnival run that day.

Cheese looked over the mini firework launcher. "Some parents were mad that I scared their kids. Well, sorry that I heard the most annoying whistle in my life and felt like murder!" He snorted and shook some dirt out of the barrel, and then went on to tighten a screw. "I also had to make sure bugs didn't get into the caramel, and keep some ponies from harassing the petting zoo animals. I also tackled a couple of thieves and graffiti artists bothering Toola Roola, got headbutted by a goat, nearly had my accordion and rubber chicken stolen, and some ponies were taking cheap shots at other ponies with the silly string."

"The eyes?"

"Yep."

Tomato grimaced. "My eyes hurt now."

Cheese huffed. "And there were the ponies that were just plain rude. Do you know how many ponies took one look at me and said to my face, 'This doesn't look like a Cheese party'?" Cheese tightened the screw on the launcher, set the screwdriver aside, and cocked the launcher. "About two or three dozen. I think a couple of them were outraged that it wasn't the grand festival that I'm known for."

Tomato pursed his lips. "For what we could do, it turned out pretty good."

Cheese stroked the mini launcher, glaring at the grass. "Not so dumb when you know you've done better, and ponies always expect you to bring your A-game."

"Well, you are kind of sick."

"I am not sick," Cheese growled.

Tomato held his hooves up. "Okay, I could have worded that better. I'm sure that once this is all over, Fluttershy can take us to Twilight, and whatever solution the Princess has will, uh... make you whole again."

Cheese looked up at the rising moon. It was nearly a half moon. "Yeah... sure. We want the whole thing."

The mesmerized stare and monotone in his voice sent shivers down Tomato's spine. Just when he gets comfortable with Cheese again, something happens that makes him reconsider being so close. It made him almost glad that Cheese barely had any party magic on him at the moment, because if Cheese snapped, somepony would die horrifically and hilariously, and there wouldn't be a thing anypony could do about it. At least as an almost normal pony, somepony could stop him before he could do too much damage.

Lemon Zest poked her head into their space. "Yo, I'm out of songs, does Cheese have the fireworks ready?"

Cheese shook his head and said, "Oh, yeah, I do!" He tightened the strap on his accordion, and then picked up the firework launcher. "Let them know I'm ready!"

Lemon grinned and bounced back to the stage. "Ladies and gents..."

As Lemon made the announcement, Cheese took a deep breath, and then looked at Tomato and his bits. "You know very well how businessponies are driven by profit. Tomorrow, your new friend's going to be considered the enemy, and if he decides on that spa resort... well, Fallow's park can't really survive against that."

Cheese trotted onstage to launch the fruit fireworks, leaving Tomato alone with the bits and his thoughts. Putting the bits in stacks of ten and putting the stacks in groups of ten, he thought about how that spa would go. How big would it be? How much damage could it cause to the environment around them? And even if Fallow paid for damages, there was still the fact that there clearly wasn't much funding or profit for the park. Sooner or later, it would likely be sold off.

At last, he finished counting; however, to his dismay, he was around 150 bits short.

He sighed, putting his face in his hooves and shaking his head. He should have known that the presence of Cheese Sandwich would have led to high expectations, followed by disappointment that scared off ponies that otherwise would have come. Fallow could at least pay off most of the damages to the town, but the mayor's threat could still wipe out the park sooner rather than later. This was frustratingly less like the fateful school fundraiser and more like Madame Bookshelf's shop. So close, and yet so far.

Still, there was one last thing Tomato could do. Pulling out a limp bag with the remainder of his bits, he estimated that there was still around 200 bits in there. He had spent so much trying to improve this carnival, despite plans for his own education, buying his own home, and starting his own business one day. Now, with a heavy heart, he dumped the rest into the box.

A firework boomed above him. He caught one of the flavored sparks with his tongue, because he had to treat himself somehow.

---

Tomato's last contribution was worth it to see Uncle Fallow's smile when they returned to his cabin that night.

"You actually did it? Sweet Celestia, you guys are amazing!" Fallow caught his daughters and nephews in a bear hug, squeezing the wind out of them. Tree Hugger and Summer Wind stood by, taking in the happy moment.

Fluttershy smiled as she watched the scene from the couch, holding a cup of tea. "I knew we could count on you."

"Ack! Dad..." Toola Roola squeaked. "Can't... breathe..."

He set them down. "Sorry about that, I got a little too happy. Still, I'm grateful that you helped me cover the damages. Between this and our getting the animal situation under control, things are looking up."

Fluttershy nodded. "The best way to get them to listen is to remain calm, but stern. We even got some of the animals to start cleaning up."

"Wow, aren't you persuasive," Cheese said. He pointed to his brother. "Kind of like how Tomato managed to persuade a bunch of other ponies to help us after..." He trailed off, instead holding up a hoof to stare at dolefully.

Lemon Zest finished for him. "His magic's fried. He tried pulling party stuff out of nowhere but he got nothing, not even confetti! Weird part was when Tomato pulled stuff out of nowhere and shook stuff out of Cheese... like, what? Can you explain that?"

"It'll make your head explode," Tomato said bluntly.

Fluttershy had been staring at Cheese in concern. "Cheese, are you all right?"

Cheese had still been staring at his hoof, though his doleful look faded into a mild scowl. "I'll be fine. I just... need to go to bed."

With that, Cheese turned around, and went out the door, slamming it hard enough to make pictures shake and the others flinch. They all looked at each other in concern, and then turned their attention to Tomato, who just said, "He didn't have a really good day. Ponies expect a lot more from him than, quote, 'a fusion of a grade-school carnival and yard sale'."

Summer hovered by Tomato, squeezing him with a big grin. "Even if it was that, Tomato was so persistent and persuasive and wily and...you know, amazing! I don't think we'd have made it if it wasn't for his quick thinking! Even if Cheese wasn't doing too hot, the rest of us had a lot of fun! Am I right, or am I right?"

"I did get overwhelmed with art requests before my friends came along," Toola Roola muttered.

Tomato pried himself out of Summer's grip and looked between Fallow and Fluttershy. "So... dare I ask if either of you bumped into Grapevine?"

Fluttershy sipped her tea and sighed. "I tried to talk sense into him, but I think all I did was convince him that I was brainwashed."

Tomato groaned. "Of course it didn't work! If he tried to persuade me to change my cutie mark, then what point is there in reasoning with him? What's his deal anyway? He's like a parent that refuses to be responsible for his own children, and blames the rest of us when they misbehave."

Tree Hugger sat next to Fluttershy. "I've known him since we were small flower children. He's been off balance since his mother passed into the next life, so I suppose he's just trying to live up to her legacy of love, kindness, and oneness with nature for all."

Tomato leaned on the wall and chuckled sardonically. "I bet she was more reasonable about it."

Lemon scoffed, and went to fill a nearby chair, crossing her front legs. Fallow rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably, while Toola Roola looked around confusedly and said, "Probably. I dunno, I was a newborn when she died, so I only have secondhand accounts."

Fallow then decided to change the subject. "So, shall we discuss the game plan for tomorrow?"

Summer perked up. "Oh, yeah, turns out Tomato made friends with the businesspony that's coming. I think he's the Barnyard Bargains guy?"

"Filthy Rich?" Fluttershy asked.

Tomato nodded and started to pace back and forth. "Yep, Filthy Rich. He's thinking of branching out of Barnyard Bargains and making a spa resort for his wife, which... I'm not sure how that would affect you and the park, Uncle Fallow, so I'm inclined to be wary of the spa idea and maybe convince him that maybe he should just build a Barnyard Bargains here instead. Still, I'm more concerned about how this town is more likely to survive on tourist revenue, and a spa resort is an attraction that many ponies would like and be willing to travel to and, so... ugh, I'm so conflicted!"

Fallow shrugged. "Well, I don't know much about spas, all I know is that it's going to get a lot more attention than my park when it's built. I mean, nature's pretty relaxing, but it can't compete with the glamour of a spa. Unless you can get Filthy Rich to sponsor my park so that ponies can learn to appreciate nature, the most I can do is hope for stragglers finding my neck of the woods and enjoying the wonders within it."

Tomato perked up halfway through Fallow's talking, the wheels in his head turning. A smile gracing his face as Fallow finished, he said, "You know, not everypony relaxes at a spa. So, tell me, what are these wonders?"

---

"Dear Cheesy,

"Where the hay are you?! The last I heard from you was Salt Lick City, and I was getting ready to send you an update on Twilight's research when all of a sudden I couldn't figure out where to glide my paper to! East? West? To Baltimare? To Whinnyapolis? To Applewood? I didn't know, and it wasn't long before I realized that I was sensing you this whole time, like you're right next to me and letting me know you're doing great, and now you're gone. Sheesh, I don't know why I can't sense my friends like that, but I guess it's a party pony thing. Pinkie Sense keeps surprising me! Sadly, I don't think I can sense your missing memory. Pleeeeeeeease tell me you're not dead!

"If you're not, then you really, really must know that Twilight found something really neat! Well, she found a lot of neat stuff on memory magic but I'll tell you the important one so she'll gush about the others. She said she can track your lost memory through your magic signature, which is weird, because earth ponies can't use magic to write. She had to tell me that it meant a magic DNA thing which is unique to only you. It's reeeeeeally important that you come back to Ponyville as soon as possible so she can take your magic signature (still a really weird term), track your memory, and put it back in your head. I don't want you to have those awful headaches, Cheese!

"Oh, and I wrote to Party Favor and Silk Shimmer about the thing. They don't know about any friends their big brother had, sorry. But, Silk Shimmer said she was going to Kazam's trial! I can't wait to meet her in person, she sounds really nice. I hope we find the memory before the trial, because wouldn't that be awkward if you showed up without it!

"Other than that, how's your trip going? Are you taking your medicine? How's Tomato doing? What kind of parties did you throw and in what cities and what other crazy adventures did you have? I really want to hear it! It's going to be so much fun catching up when we see each other again (unless you're dead), and I hope those headaches aren't making you too cranky.

"Love, Pinkie Pie"

After reading through the letter, Cheese sneered and tore the paper to pieces. Sure, he loses his magic, but she was most likely still partying it up in Ponyville like some spoiled child. He didn't need her stupid pity and wished that she would just leave him alone.

At least she didn't rip teenagers to pieces like some rabid animal, the voice in his head taunted, if only to summon nausea within his gut. Maybe you're losing your magic because of your anger issues.

He threw the bits of paper out of the window, and slammed his head onto his pillow. "I am not angry... I am not angry... I am not angry..."

---

The morning sunlight washed over Aura Springs the next day. The townsponies had gotten to work cleaning up more of the debris from the streets, all the while keeping an eye out for any critters that didn't listen to either Fallow or Fluttershy the day before. When some small animal families showed up, the ponies instinctively froze until the critters showed them that they were helping clean up. The ponies continued on with their work, but still gave them wary looks.

Other animals had gone to the commune, where the flowerponies were picking special herbs from their gardens to soothe various illnesses that the critters had developed. These days, animals visiting for healing was not uncommon, whether it be eating the wrong thing or getting into one mishap or another. If any illness or injury was bad enough, then an animal was carried to the healing pool.

Grapevine made a tea out of his herbs and gave it to a cougar. It wasn't long before the big cat vomited out a sock.

Grapevine picked up the sock. "Surely you know the difference between food and not-food, right? Thistle Whistle had that assembly last week about what's good to eat and what's not."

The cougar glared at him. "Rowr..."

"Well, I'm sorry that you didn't understand a word she said. I'll make sure her language is clearer next time."

As the cougar sauntered off, Grapevine trotted to the next ailing animal, a shivering fox, and cradled it as it took a sip of the tea. He caught the diaper that it coughed up, put it in the sock, and then returned to cradling the fox as it relaxed in his forelegs. He took a look around at the other flowerponies, all offering healing herbs from the gardens to the animals, as well as some food to go, but holding back physical comfort thanks to said animals snapping at them. The only one who was physical was Tree Hugger, who was off in the corner, singing to and massaging a bear who was recovering from a pie-induced bellyache.

It was so strange, seeing most of the commune, who wanted a connection with nature and animals, to be unable to touch the animals that they wanted to heal. Grapevine wondered if they simply hadn't meditated enough, hence the lack of connection that came so easily to him and Tree Hugger. His mother had always said that it should be easy to connect with nature, and that everypony could find the nature-talking ability within themselves so that all may live in harmony. Who was he to question his mother's wisdom?

But, sometimes there was a haunting echo from long ago, that still made his heart ache whenever he thought about it.

"Honeydew, just because Grapevine can do it, doesn't mean that Lemon can! If it wasn't for the healing pools, we would have lost her!"

He quickly shoved that thought aside before the image of the blood could show up in mind's eye. Like most others, he didn't want to remember a painful part of the past. A happy distraction in the present would be welcome so that he could stave off the nausea.

There was a distraction, all right, but it didn't exactly make him happy.

There, with the mayor, was that big businesspony he had been hearing about throughout the days of protest. They were not hard to spot, as they clearly all sported neckties, slicked back their manes with artificial goop, and a smugness that reeked of exploitation. He recalled his mother saying that she had seen many of that kind in Manehattan, and that anypony with a moneybag cutie mark was a sign of trouble. It hurt to know that one of his own cousins was one of them. What was next, another cousin that's a bloodthirsty, warmongering soldier?

He quickly gave the fox to Tree Hugger, who asked, "Hey... are we swapping the healees? I hope you've been perfecting your sonic bliss..."

"Uh... I'll come back, I gotta persuade The Mare's new friend to leave this paradise as it is..."

Grapevine turned to leave, but Tree Hugger said, "I don't know... animals falling ill and ponies with negative vibes doesn't feel like paradise to me..."

Grapevine breathed through his nose. "Well, maybe if the townsponies treated the environment with respect, the animals would be nicer. The animals have a right to be upset over ponies' carelessness."

Tree Hugger gave him her dull stare. "Should you argue with blocked chakras?"

"My chakras are fine." Grapevine turned around and left without another word.

---

"Now, Mr. Rich, I assure you that our proximity to the forest will guarantee some of the freshest air in Equestria and the tranquility of nature should bleed into this town and refresh the spirits of any visitors to our humble town!" The mayor clapped giddily. "So, there you have our little town of Aura Springs. Gotta love our hard workers and the beauty of our landscape, right?"

Filthy Rich looked around the streets, and stared at a raccoon carrying a garbage bag to the nearest dumpster. "I don't know what anypony's talking about in regards to an 'animal problem'. Most of the critters I see have been picking up trash instead of raiding it."

The mayor forced a grin. "Yesiree, we have some amazing wildlife... the local researcher sure loves those creatures..." She then muttered under her breath, "If only he could keep them in check and that stupid commune wasn't so irresponsible..."

"What's that about a commune?" Filthy asked.

"Oh, just a group of flowerponies living on the outskirts of town, and you can see them just over there..." The mayor's ears pinned back and she groaned. "Aaaaaand here comes one of them now, it looks like their ringleader."

Filthy barely paid attention to that approaching pony, for he was distracted by other approaching ponies running down the hill.

Both approaching parties had come onto the scene a little too rapidly. Both Filthy and the mayor cringed as red-orange in a suit and green in a vest collided headfirst with an audible bonk, sending both on their haunches while cradling their heads. The other ponies with the former had slowed down and stopped upon seeing the collision, and grimaced at the sight, with the yellow pegasus coming forward to make sure both were all right.

The mayor turned to the party from the hill, and focused on the oldest one, who stood among his daughters and older nephew. "Oh, hello Fallow. I hope you're here to tell me that you miraculously obtained the bits to pay for damages."

"Well, that's one of the reasons I'm down here." Fallow pointed to the disoriented Tomato Sandwich trying to guess how many feathers Fluttershy had. "My nephew right there arranged a fundraiser to help me out."

Cheese Sandwich cleared his throat. "With the help of his certified party pony brother, of course. I mean, I wasn't completely useless, you know..."

Lemon Zest and Toola Roola had on saddlebags that jingled with the money. The former stated, "We're gonna go around town and pay those ponies back for all the crap they had to deal with for a while."

The latter nodded. "I mean, if anypony destroyed my art, I'd demand restitution too." She gave her sister a stink eye, to which Lemon glared back with a 'I thought we settled that years ago' look. Toola Roola then turned back and said, "I think we have enough to cover it."

Fluttershy stood up. "I'll be checking for any animals that are still naughty and making sure they understand why their behavior is wrong. I still have that Porcupine Mafia to track down and talk some sense into."

Filthy's eyes widened. "Porcupine Mafia?"

Tomato, now back to his senses, made a throat slashing gesture. "Ex-nay on the Orcupine-Pay Afia-May."

Fluttershy covered her mouth. "Oh, right. Uh... better go now!" She flew off, off to do the duty she proclaimed she would.

Cheese started to awkwardly shuffle away. "Aaaaaand since I'd be useless in what Tomato's planning to do, I'm going to help Fluttershy out." He pointed to the accordion slung around his shoulders. "I hear animals like music, so I might as well just... uh... go."

Watching Cheese leave, Lemon said, "Well, guess me and Rools will head out, too."

The sisters left, and the mayor and Filthy looked between Fallow and Tomato. The mayor asked, "And just what do you plan to do, young stallion? Turn our town into a zoo and profit off that? Because that's not the kind of business that I'm asking for."

Grapevine now stood up. "Oh, putting animals in cages is just cruel. How would you like to be trapped in one for your whole life and never knowing freedom?"

Tomato glared, lingering on Grapevine a little too long before going back to the mayor. "Will you ponies stop putting words into my mouth? I'm not planning on putting anything in any cages! Besides, I'm just here to ask if you showed Filthy Rich everything that your town has to offer."

The mayor scoffed. "What kind of question is... of course I have! The wares and souvenirs our shops sell, our tradesponies, our government buildings, our schools, our library, our residences, the scenery... and apparently the wildlife cleaning up everything for some odd reason."

Tomato put a hoof to his chin and smirked. "What about the nature park?"

The mayor waved a hoof. "As if Filthy Rich is interested in some campground. What use would it be for his business?"

"Do not speak for me, I have my own opinions," Filthy Rich said. "Besides, that's not really showing me what Aura Springs has to offer, is it?"

Tomato chuckled and started to prance around. "No-siree! I mean, he deserves to know what kind of place he's considering expanding his business into, what kind of risks and benefits that building here has to offer, and possibly finding out other ways to make a profit for himself and his employees around here." Tomato turned to the mayor and quirked an eyebrow. "Have you never taken a hike up there? Somepony would have had to approve Fallow's park..."

"The previous mayor did. I have better things to do than walk through a forest."

Tomato stopped and leaned onto his uncle. "Well, Fallow and I will happily take over and show Filthy Rich what wonders of nature are in that park, because it's only fair that he sees those things for himself."

"Hold on!" Grapevine objected. "How can you say that you want to exploit nature with a straight face? Surely you understand that animals are our equals, and that they shouldn't be enslaved to become circus performers for uneducated masses."

"Um, what?" Filthy Rich asked. "I don't run a circus, boy, and I hire ponies to do work for me. I'll be leaving the critters alone."

"Are you sure? How do I know that you won't be destroying their homes instead?" Grapevine picked up a passing chipmunk and held it in Filthy's face as it chirped. "Perhaps you should learn to communicate with nature before doing any business with them."

"Oh, now you're just using emotional appeals!" Tomato exclaimed. "Besides, I don't think he has the gift of tongues."

Filthy silently brushed the chipmunk-holding hoof aside. "Now, I do admit that cutting down some trees is likely; can't go through life without hurting something or someone. Still, if you want me to do as little damage as possible, isn't it best that I learn about this park and what's in it? I'm trying to find a good spot for my business, and if keeping the damage to a minimum will make ponies happy, well, I'll see to the most cost-efficient manner to do so." He turned to Fallow. "I hear you run that park right there. Please educate me."

Fallow nodded. "Well, you're definitely a polite fellow, Mr. Rich. If I have Miss Mayor's permission, I can give you the tour."

The mayor sighed. "Well, you do know your way around the park. But don't be feeding him to any bears!"

Fallow laughed. "No worries! I think they prefer party pony anyway."

From the distance, Cheese yelled, "I heard that!"

As the older adults dispersed, Tomato was left to face Grapevine, who only seemed to have a slight furrow of the brow to indicate any anger. Tomato wondered when the last time he was that stoic was, and couldn't help but be impressed at Grapevine's self-control. Still, there was an incoming argument, and Tomato was grateful that this time he had the upper hoof.

"What's your damage, man?" Grapevine asked. "Why are you getting an oppressor that only cares about money interested in this place?"

Tomato groaned. "Oh, for the love of... he's not an oppressor if his job is convincing ponies to make a purchase. You still have a choice to either buy the thing, or boycott it if he displeases you; nopony's forcing you at spearpoint."

"But do the animals have a choice?"

Tomato pursed his lips and snorted hotly. Wouldn't that have been quite the zinger had it not been for recent circumstances. "Oh, they've made choices all right. They made the choice to interpret your speeches of 'coexistence' to mean that they can do whatever they want without consequence. They made the choice to disrupt the lives of innocent ponies that were just minding their own business. And they made the choice to destroy property, steal food, and leave a mess behind for the rest of us to clean up! If animals are equals to ponies, then you better hold them to standards like ponies are!"

"They've been victims of pony carelessness for far too long, and 'standards' are always just some lame excuse to control them. Same applies to ponies oppressing other ponies, keeping them from finding their true selves!" Grapevine turned his back. "I swear, spoiled squares like you would do better to actually listen."

Tomato could feel heat rising throughout his body, and he felt like he was going to explode. "Okay, first off, what do you know about my life? You think that just because I wear a suit and have this cutie mark, my life is perfect? I've got many stories to prove you wrong, pal.

"Second, maybe the reason these townsponies don't listen is because the animals are actively ruining their livelihoods! If you wouldn't sympathize with violence, what makes you think they will? They don't see poor abused souls, they see spoiled little monsters taking as they please and throwing temper tantrums when something doesn't go their way! And you have the gall to be a whiny little snot waving slogans around like a flag while your father is left picking up the pieces!"

Tomato turned his back as well, knowing that Grapevine clearly wasn't listening. "I've been giving so much of my time, energy, and talents to help your father, while you just held a sign and complained. And frankly, I'm not finished yet."

He galloped off without another word, intending on catching up to Fallow Track and Filthy Rich.

Grapevine, on the other hoof, just started slowly going home, still silent and still steaming. He put his little chipmunk down, patted its head, and said, "There's no reasoning with him, little guy. He's too brainwashed by The Mare for us to reach. I wish I knew a way to stop them before you and your friends lose it all. Mom would have been crushed."

As Grapevine walked away, the chipmunk's doleful stare lingered on him for several moments. Scratching its chin, it decided that if their pony friend couldn't stop those oppressors, then perhaps it could fetch someone who could.

And thus, it scurried off.

---

For the rest of the morning and half the afternoon, Fallow led them through every trail of the nature park. Much of the journey was quiet, with only chirps of birds and moments of idle chatter breaking the silence. Uphill and downhill, over dust and rock, and through the gorgeous greens of conifer and deciduous, he intended to have every inch of his park shown to Filthy Rich, hoping that he'd be impressed.

Fallow did not quite understand why Tomato seemed so confident about this. It was ridiculous, this Filthy Rich guy would never agree to help him out with the visitor problem; he had his own things to attend to, after all! Mr. Rich didn't even seem to have that much reaction to everything around him.

But, nevertheless, he had to see all of what Aura Springs had to offer, and well, this park was technically an attraction of the town. It was nice to give a tour after such a long time, but he could still feel his stomach clench throughout the entire thing.

They skimmed the edge of the forest, putting tall, majestic mountains into view, with some looking like bread loafs or cones, and with the stone varying between colors of gray, brown, and even yellow. They paused one time to take in the sight of Unicorn Horn Falls, which did indeed resemble its namesake. The shape was one factor, but it also went the extra mile and created a sparkling, rainbow-colored aura in its mist. Just looking at it cast a spell on the two outsiders.

"My, oh my, I do wish I brought my camera," Filthy Rich said.

He was startled by a snapshot, followed by Tomato giving him a freshly-taken photo. "Here you go."

Fallow blinked. "Hey, wait, where'd you get a camera?"

Tomato dropped the camera into his shirt. "Out of nowhere."

Filthy just stared at his new picture. "Shame the sparkles don't shine through."

---

They soon moved on, climbing the hill to the top of the waterfall to see the view of the valley. The hills rolled through many shades of green, speckled with dots of color assumed to be wildflowers. The river cut through the valley, but its shimmering waters only added to the beauty of the valley. They even caught glimpses of the buildings of both Aura Springs and Graze Valley.

They moved on, following the river upstream for some time before coming across a beaver family working on their dam. As the ponies paused and watched the beavers in action, Fallow said, "I hate to pick out favorites, but I've always enjoyed watching the beavers. It fascinates me to see those master engineers at work, changing the landscape around them by creating their own little reservoirs." He paused when a beaver hollered and a tree came crashing down into the river. "Also, did you know that beavers are monogamous?"

"Oh, really?" Filthy asked. "And here I thought only ponies were like that."

"Nah, we're not alone in that. Wolves are also part of the club, their packs are made up of family. I could name a few more species that stick with one mate." Fallow stroked his beard and waved at the beavers, who waved back. "It's interesting to think of the ways that various animals have in common with us ponies. Some are very intelligent and solve puzzles, some build, some create family units... just seeing how they work is just remarkable."

"Huh..." Filthy tilted his head. "And here I just thought they were entertaining."

Suddenly, the beavers in the water screamed, and swam out of the way of a ball of three bull moose, tangled by the antlers that tumbled from a nearby hill. The moose landed in the water with a big ker-splash, resulting in a tidal wave that rammed beavers into the dam and riverbanks, and dumped water on the three stallions. While both Filthy and Tomato glared at the moose, Fallow just laughed.

"Well... I'll give you that, there are animals that are entertaining, like those stooges there." Fallow turned to see the beavers glaring at the moose and brandishing sharpened sticks, with some even showing off orange teeth in the process. "Excuse me, I've got to untangle the moose and keep the beavers from hurting them." With that, he went wading in to keep the peace.

Tomato tried to find something dry to wipe his glasses with. "Well, at least we didn't get attacked by anything, just splashed. But don't worry! Fallow can keep any of the meaner animals away from us! I mean, he can talk to them, heheh..."

Filthy squeezed water out of his tie. "I really should not wear my nice clothes when venturing into nature."

From where they stood, they could hear Fallow scolding, "Hold still, Curly! I can't have you kicking us!"

---

"All right, now that you've seen some wildlife, it's time for some really neat stuff I've found when hiking around here," Fallow said, climbing a hill. Helping both of the business-stallions up, he gestured into a large pit. Filthy looked uncomfortable for a moment, but peeked in closer, where in his sight were giant bones, petrified scales of many colors, and fossilized broken eggs scattered across the pit's floor.

Filthy backed up. "What is that?"

"Well, I think it might be an ancient dragon graveyard. I'm no expert in that field, so I can't really say anything about it, though I have been meaning to call a paleontologist over here to take a look ever since I stumbled onto--or rather, into--this thing."

"Well, why didn't you?" Tomato asked.

"Well, I don't know if I can afford it. I mean, you know that the Graze Valley folk are usually too busy to visit, and I'm sure Aura Springs is boycotting me for recent events, so haven't been making much money. I've even had to lay off rangers to the point I've only got Gloriosa and Timber left."

Fallow looked into the pit forlornly. "Well, such is life. This graveyard isn't even the best part."

---

After climbing another hill, they looked over a ledge to see a wide basin of steaming vents, colorful hot springs, and bubbling mud pits scattered among both barren landscape and green hills. The land had a rotten egg smell and it was noticeably warmer than the rest of the forest. Nevertheless, they were a different feature from what Filthy Rich had been expecting.

Fallow smirked. "Now, don't build any spas in this field. Killing ponies is bad for business."

Filthy had a hoof to his nose. "I don't think tourists would appreciate the smell either."

"Well, I don't know why it smells bad, I think it might be some weird chemical reaction happening in there or something. I don't know exact details, I'd like to have some kind of geologist take a look at this too." He leaned over to ask Tomato, "Say, what time is it?"

Tomato pulled out the pocket watch. "Two o'clock. Why?"

"Okay, good, we're just in time to see an eruption."

"What?"

One of the steaming vents in the middle of the basin bubbled, and sure enough, one large bubble gave way to a jet of white water spewing out of the vent. The fountain sprayed meters into the air, garbed in a robe of white steam and raining its hot tears around the immediate stone ground. A rainbow formed around the sight, almost in a manner of the geyser smiling at them. Tomato whistled at the sight, while Filthy just blinked in amazement.

"One of these things erupts every hour or so, and they like to take turns," Fallow said. "They're pretty to look at, so sometimes when I want to be alone, I go up here and just watch them blow."

"I see why. That Tree Hugger lady mentioned meditating near geysers," Tomato muttered. "That was the only part of her sentence that made sense."

"Dare I say, that looks like it could be a fantastic tourist attraction!" Filthy exclaimed. "Is it possible for ponies to take a closer look?"

Fallow grimaced. "I've tried it before, I've gotten scalded for my troubles; and the less said about about incidents about animals I couldn't stop from wandering in there, the better. Like I said, I need to get a geologist to figure out where it's the safest to traverse the field. But, like the paleontologist thing, I'm not sure I can afford it."

Filthy huffed and softly kicked at the ground. "For a guy who runs a big park, you sure have money troubles."

Fallow sighed. "Don't remind me."

Tomato pawed at the ground. "Well... we've seen flora, fauna, rocks, dragon bones, and hot water. I think it's about time he sees the town's namesake."

Fallowed nickered grumpily. "Do I have to?"

"Ow! Where'd that rock come from?!" Filthy yelled.

Tomato glanced at Filthy's now bleeding fetlock and the older businesspony's reluctance to put weight on it, and said, "Well... now you do."

---

Back on the hill with the town in view, Filthy Rich got to dip his hoof into the healing pools, and was amazed at the sight of his fetlock being restored to normal within seconds. Bringing his dripping hoof up to eye level, he said, "Wow. I had no idea that anything like this ever existed! I mean, doctors always tell me that there's no 'heal-all' spell, and yet, here it is! Right here!"

Tomato grinned. "Well, it's handy for when a pony gets hurt in the park..."

Fallow nodded numbly. "Yeah, we don't even need a hospital."

"I'm surprised nopony in Equestria heard about this place." Filthy looked down at it, rubbing his chin. "It'd make a fine attraction for sure, enough that anypony who heard about it would drop everything just to heal some affliction they had. If there were more of these across Equestria, hospitals would go out of business. Have you given a fine to anypony you caught taking a dip?"

Fallow raised an eyebrow. "Odd question, but no. Closest I've ever done was give my wife a scolding for using it to cure our kids' minor cuts, bruises, and the common cold. I kept on telling her to use it for emergencies only, but..."

"Wait, it can cure the common cold?" Tomato asked.

"I told you, Tomato, it can heal any non-magical affliction."

Tomato's mind flashed to Cheese, and he wished that the pool could do more than just repress any physical symptoms of a spell. Even then, he was still wondering if that extended to brain chemistry. If not, then Cheese was doing a heck of a job keeping his anger in check.

Fallow sighed. "But, honestly, the reason I never even tried to bring attention to this park beyond Aura Springs and Graze Valley is because I fear that ponies would swarm these pools, and not just for anything life-threatening--for dumb things like colds and bellyaches, all with an excuse of 'it could actually be a life-threatening condition', when most of the time they're not. I've managed to convince the animals to save it for emergencies, but I may be a bit of a pushover when it comes to ponies. This fear kinda bit me in the flank, since now most ponies around here are either too busy or angry with me to even come."

Filthy still stared down at the pool. "I'm well aware that this sounds cruel, but you need to erect a fence and put a price on these. Otherwise, ponies would end up abusing it like you've said. The idea of paying money for it will make ponies evaluate their priorities, and if the sickness or injury is bad enough, then they're more likely to take the risk. Nopony's that cheap."

"I don't know... wouldn't that just make ponies mad?"

"I know it would. But, not only will it protect those pools, but it may just give you some much-needed bits." Filthy looked at Tomato. "Your nephew here can't be saving your behind forever, he's still young and has his own life to live. Though, if I may, perhaps I may provide some assistance as well."

Fallow blinked. "Pardon?"

"I'm no outdoor pony, but that doesn't mean everypony else isn't as well. I know some ponies back in Ponyville who would consider this place paradise. They could hike, climb, go river rafting, take in the scenery, see animals... maybe along with a spa for those who like to be pampered, perhaps my plans for a resort can include your nature park for all those who like to channel their rugged mountain horse. Of course, if you and the mayor are willing, we could start discussing plans for how it'll work."

"I, uh, don't know what to say..." Fallow said, scratching his head. "I just... is there a catch? Is there any reason I should be concerned about what happens with the healing pools, the geysers, the animals?"

Tomato slid in between them. "I'm hoping that the most damage that happens is just that a few trees are felled, because I'm sure the point of Fallow's park is to protect nature and to help ponies appreciate the beauty of it. And Mr. Rich's spa is meant to help ponies relax, wind down, gain back their senses, teach them new relaxation techniques... you know, they're both meant to help you get away from the stresses of life!" Tomato rubbed the back of his head. "I think my friend Flora would be able to explain it better if she was here, but I know they can coexist, especially if Mr. Rich leaves the natural things alone."

"Well, perhaps not completely alone," Filthy said. "Some paths need fixing up, you need new signs, some cabins like that one should be built, and you clearly need more than two rangers. I may have to tweak prices in Barnyard Bargains to cover those, but perhaps we can make this work."

Fallow smiled. "Well, that sounds fair enough, and I appreciate the burden off my shoulders. For my part, I'll be keeping the animals in check, so that they don't hurt anypony or damage property, and educate the ponies on how to respect the creatures. I want every visitor to be safe and respectful. And I'll keep your fines suggestion in mind."

Tomato grinned at the sight of the compromise. They said it couldn't be done, that both sides couldn't coexist like that. But here he was, having orchestrated events so that the cards could play in both favors. While there were still some rogue animals that Fluttershy and Cheese were looking for, and the flowerponies were going to protest no matter what they did, Tomato still felt victorious over seeing the agreement unfold before his eyes.

Fallow's ears perked up at the sound of his daughters calling about extra bits. "Oh! I think we still have some bits left over. I guess I'll put that away for safekeeping." He laughed and patted Tomato on the back. "I bet your parents would be proud to hear what their son did."

Not noticing Tomato's sudden frown, Fallow started to walk away. "I'll meet you at city hall!"

"Uh, actually..." It was too late, Fallow was too far for Tomato to correct. "Never mind."

As both started their way down the hill, Filthy quirked an eyebrow. "Hey, what's with the sour face? All he said is that your parents would be proud."

Tomato sighed. "I just... ugh, he doesn't know that my mom--his sister-in-law--is insanely hard to please. No matter how close I am to her 'perfect son', if my entire person isn't perfectly aligned with what her interpretation of my mark, I'm a criminal destined to fall into Tartarus with my brother if I'm not corrected. I want to tell Fallow the truth, but I don't want to disappoint him with the harsh reality of my mother."

Filthy just stared at him, and pursed his lips. "'Perfectly' perfectly? We businessponies have standards, and my pappy was hard on me when I did wrong, but... you don't sound like you're free. You sound like you've been put in too small of a box all your life."

"Not all my life, just after I got my cutie mark." Tomato inwardly recoiled at his next thought. "Maybe Grapevine was about half-right about some rules keeping you from truly blooming. But, don't worry about me, because this trip my brother concocted helped me out of my box."

Filthy laughed. "I'm guessing that that was the epiphany you had yesterday, huh?"

Suddenly, after Tomato had finished his nod, something zipped by their faces and planted itself in a nearby tree. Turning to see what it was, they were surprised to see a porcupine quill, with a rope tied to it and stretching from where it came. Filthy strummed the rope curiously, Tomato could feel a sense of horror dawning upon him as he stared at the quill.

"What the...?" Filthy murmured as the rope started falling loose.

Tomato pawed at the ground. "Mr. Rich, we need to get out of--"

They heard a battle cry, and they turned to see a porcupine riding upon the back of a falcon, clutching the end of the rope and flying right toward them. Tomato attempted to hurry Filthy away, but the rope was suddenly in their way, followed by another roped quill-arrow and another porcupine riding in on a hawk. Several more roped quill-arrows followed, embedding themselves in trees and surrounding them, as porcupines and other animals rode in on large birds and started to circle them. The animals looped around quicker than Tomato could react, with the ropes being pulled tighter and tighter. All either Tomato and Filthy could do was wonder how they could coordinate such an attack without stumbling, and what the animals were planning to do with them once they had them.

Now tied up with layers of rope, finished with pretty bows, Tomato could feel the pressure on his chest and the wobbling of his legs as both he and Filthy tipped over, their faces hitting the pine needle ground. They could only look up as a gang of porcupines and other critters stood over them, and laughed at them, high-fiving each other. They even patted a little chipmunk on the head.

"Oh, no, not the Porcupine Mafia," Tomato groaned. "I thought Fluttershy was taking care of that."

"Uh, what are they going to do to us?" Filthy asked with panic in his voice. "They don't look as nice as those beavers were!"

The lead porcupine chattered threateningly at them, though with no nature talker in sight, all Tomato and Filthy could do was just stare in fear and confusion. Then, before they knew it, the leader snapped his claws, and they were picked up by a bear. It was too much effort for either to resist gagging at the bears rancid breath, and when the bear roared at them, Filthy just cowered, while Tomato hissed back.

As all animals in that area, big and small, chanted their war cries, they carried the two ponies off into the forest, to a fate unknown.

Author's Note:

Well, this is longer than I expected it to be.

Regardless, here's another installment of the story, which yet again took a while to write because I was lazy half the time I was worried about it being forced I was lamenting about how any research I do doesn't cut it and I'm a failure of a writer real life has its demands. Also, it's fun to randomly look up beavers and geysers to see what you can add to the story.

I think I may have fused Yellowstone and Yosemite for that park. Ah, whatever, it's Equestria, not everything is perfectly aligned with America, like how Pony China is in the equivalent of New England.

I'm still more amused than I should be about the Porcupine Mafia.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

Stupid Grapevine. Good chapter.

[redmar]

I hope that Fluttershy and Tree Hugger will be able to help. Grapevine is an idiot and should be forced to realize that his actions aren't without consequences.

[Leviathan Splash]

Amun-Ra dammit, Grapevine...

[Goldfinch142]

Welp. Looks like Grapevine's irresponsibility has finally come to a head. Perhaps getting two innocent ponies kidnapped will teach him a lesson.

If there's anything Grapevine and Tomato have in common, it's that their mothers give really bad advice.

Unfortunate that Cheese is refusing to better his condition, but he'll be forced to address it eventually.

[howard035]

I wish Angel was here. He'd show the porcupine mafia what's what!

[Dashie04]

I’m willing to bet Tomato sang Billy Joel on that karaoke machine.

[Godslittleprincess]

I have a question. Are party ponies bound by party pony magic to make their parties family-friendly or are there other party ponies out there who are much less responsible than the ones we've seen so far?

[Sketcha-Holic]

10015156
They could do adult parties if they wanted to, but most of them prefer family friendly parties where all ages could have fun.