Brotherly Bonding Time

by Sketcha-Holic

20.7--Past, Present, and Future

Hours were spent going back and forth between the geyser field and the healing pool. Each trip consisted of carrying makeshift stretchers to the many injured animals, and carrying them to the healing pools. Most of those who went to the healing pool first were the most gravely injured, while the ones with lesser injuries could wait just a little bit longer.

Along the way, the dead animals were buried. The four nature talkers were solemn in digging the graves and placing the bodies in; despite the fact that scavengers were likely to disturb the graves because it was free food, the ponies at least wanted to give the fallen a dignified funeral.

Fluttershy was quiet, with a tinge of bitterness that many sensed was toward Cheese, and moments of staring at nothing with a furrowed brow that meant something was bothering her. She had not let Cheese touch any of the animals, for good reason, and ordered him to his cabin, where he was essentially grounded. Nopony blamed her, and most quietly helped with the trips.

Then, after carrying the last of the animals to the healing pools, they had to do damage control at town hall.

"Why did you invite me here?!" Filthy shouted, his hair still disheveled from the near-death experience. He hadn't even bothered to clean up for this meeting with the mayor and the three main ponies involved with the mishap. "When I heard that there was an animal problem, I thought it was just critters running 'round the streets and raiding garbage cans, not anything like big city gang members!"

The mayor leaned on her desk, barely composed and glancing at Fallow and Tomato as she replied through her teeth, "Well, clearly somepony's idea to show you the nature park was a terrible idea. You clearly had a friendlier and safer idea, Mr. Rich, but somepony just can't accept competition against his precious forest."

Fallow groaned. "Well, I'm sorry for showing him what my park--which is part of the town, mind you--has to offer."

"Yes, where the animals are poised to strike the moment you turn your back. Great job keeping them under control."

"Well, I'm sorry that two ponies couldn't get all of the animals under control in just three days! Seriously, with that deadline you gave me, I wouldn't be surprised if you were purposefully trying to get rid of my park!"

"Because it's not safe, and those stupid beasts keep harassing the citizens! But you and those stinkin' flowerponies--especially your son--" She paused to glare at Grapevine, who seemed to barely acknowledge the conversation, instead staring sadly off into space. "--have to give me your tired save-the-forest-protect-the-animals spiel, when most of you don't even give a flying feather about pony safety!"

"I'd like to make my park safer for ponies, but it's hard with my financial troubles, my being outnumbered by the animals I'm trying to discipline, and everypony's black-and-white mentality!"

Tomato jumped from his seat into the middle. "Hey, hey, hey! Playing the blame game is not going to solve the problem. I'm sure that there's a way to work this out, and everypony will be hap--"

Filthy stomped a hoof, making him shut up. "All of you are at fault! And boy, I get that you have good intentions, but good intentions can lead to Tartarus! What were you thinking trying to convince me to partner with your uncle when he can't even discipline his animals?!"

Tomato backed up and shrunk. "But, sir..."

"My life was in danger, and customers' lives would be in danger! How would my little girl feel if her daddy didn't come home from what should be a harmless business trip? Why should I build a business where ponies are at risk of getting kidnapped and killed if they cross the animal mafia? As far as I'm concerned, you're all better off moving out of this town, and I'm better off seeking business elsewhere!"

As Filthy turned to leave the room, the mayor cried, "But this town needs the money!"

He ignored her and walked out the door. All the mayor could do was slump in her chair and cover her face with her hooves. Fallow sighed, knowing full well that both the town and his park were as good as dead, since word about this incident and how dangerous the town was would likely spread. Tomato sat on the floor, crushed from the failure and once again wondering if he deserved the mark on his flank.

Grapevine stared at them for what seemed like hours, but was more likely mere moments. He supposed that he technically won the war, as the businesspony was walking out the door. But it was all hollow, knowing all of the damage, bloodshed, and heartbreak that it took to get there. The ponies couldn't keep fixing their property forever, the healing pools couldn't bring the dead animals back to life, and no matter how much he disliked the mayor and had disagreed with his father, they were losing something they held dear. Looking at Tomato, Grapevine felt sick over how he just cast his own newfound cousin aside as the enemy, which nearly cost Tomato his life.

He silently slid off his seat, and cantered out into the hall.

As he caught up to Filthy who was at the front door, he said, "Hey, uh, Filthy, is it?"

The older stallion cringed, and corrected, "Call me Mr. Rich."

"Uh, why get all uptight with names, man?"

"Well, when you have a derogatory word for your first name, you may get a little offended." Filthy turned his head for an easier look at the green pony. "Now, why are you following me?"

Grapevine rubbed his leg, not making eye contact. "If you need to put the blame on someone, put it on me. Communing with nature is my talent, and I... I did it all wrong. My mom always said all ponies needed to be free from the oppressive laws of The Mare and live in harmony with each other and nature, free from all wants, needs, or cares, and free to be ourselves. I tended and taught the animals by that philosophy, and tried to sway the ponies to it... even though the animals were oppressing them."

Filthy raised an eyebrow and turned fully. "What did you think was going to happen? That selfishness would just disappear and pony and animal would sing kumbaya together? If anything, all you did was fester it and make the critters entitled to what we ponies have."

"I get that now. I was trying to be kind like my mom was, but a fellow nature talker told me earlier that I was being irresponsible."

"I agree with him."

"Her."

"I agree with her." Filthy scratched his chin. "So, why are you apologizing just now?"

"Just wondering what you were gonna do? Yanno, with my old stallion?"

Filthy sighed. "Your father and cousin were convincing me that the unspoiled nature in that park was awe-inspiring, and just as relaxing as a spa. I got to thinking that maybe it could become a big resort, for both the outdoor adventurers, the sightseers, and pampered spa attendees. It seemed like a good idea at the time--I get to build that spa I promised my wife, your father gets to keep his park and protect his animals, and we'd both earn more money doing it. Don't know what Tomato would have gotten out of it, I guess he just finds this fun."

"Man, his mind works weird."

"I think that too, but for an entirely different reason," Filthy said with a chuckle. He then frowned once again. "But now I'm not so sure if it is a good idea. I don't know if you were paying attention, but animals acting like delinquents is not good for business."

Grapevine pursed his lips, and he cringed at what he was about to say next. "...if I set some, uh... standards for the animals, like my dad wants me to, will you rethink not working with my dad? The town's important to the mayor, the park's important to my dad, and... my cuz Tomato's done more to help than I did, and if it wasn't for me, well..."

Filthy nodded. "I get it, especially Tomato's part. I like the kid, it's obvious that he's got potential. He's just a little naive, crazy, and needs some refining. When he grows into the role, I'm uncertain over whether I want to hire him or fear him as a competitor..."

He sighed. "But regardless, can you do what you're promising? I don't want expanding my business here to be too risky..."

"Some of the worst are... in the next life now, but maybe the survivors will be open ears. Dad and my soul sister Tree Hugger can do it too, so we can make sure that both pony and animal can respect each other."

Filthy thought for a moment, stroking his chin in thought. "I suppose I could come back in a couple of months, and make sure that it's really safe..." He straightened up and nodded. "Well, since you're willing to make up for all the damage, I might as well go back in and see if the other three will agree to it."

Grapevine smiled sadly. "Righteous."

---

Later that night, after Filthy Rich returned to his Graze Valley hotel, most of the ponies who had tried to help in some manner were having a modest party in Fallow's cabin. Fluttershy and Tree Hugger were telling each other stories over tea, Lemon Zest and Toola Roola were playing an improvised ping pong game on the coffee table, Fallow Track was laying over the ground rules of animal discipline to Grapevine, and Tomato was telling Summer about incidents back home in Manehattan. The only one not present was Cheese, who was still grounded.

"Oh, there's absolutely no way that this Flora could beat up several muggers in five minutes!" Summer said, taking a swig of hot cocoa. "Are you saying that your little psychologist buddy is also some kind of ninja? Next you're gonna tell me that she's an alicorn princess."

"Oh, no, she's an earth pony," Tomato stated confidently. "She's just really into martial arts, and it scares me sometimes, to the point where I ask, 'Should Peace really be part of her name?'."

Summer tugged at a lock of hair. "Well, it sounds like you attract the crazies! I mean how do you even get along with a ninja hippie when you couldn't get along with your own cousin?"

"I ought to tell her about your 'ninja hippie' comment, she'll get a kick out of that." Tomato peered into his empty mug, and set it on the nearby bookshelf. "Besides, she's not crazy... okay, being friends with me does put her in the crazy category a little bit. Still, she's so sweet and friendly that I can't help but be comfortable around her, and she's reminded me to slow down and relax very often. I have no idea how she saw a better me within that grumpy shell she first met, but I'm glad that she did. It had been years since I had a love that tender..."

Summer held a tight smile, and slightly cracked her mug. "Love, huh?"

"I mean a more platonic love, Summer," Tomato said, scratching his chin. Dang, he must have confused her with his poor choice of words. "She's kind of a mother hen, and well, when we were kids, Cheese was kind of a mother hen to me. That's what I meant."

"Right..." Summer murmured.

"Well, it's not like our mom was mother of the year, despite her delusions of grandeur!" Mentioning his mother reminded him of a misunderstanding that he had to clear up, and he looked over to his uncle at the kitchen door. With a sigh, he said, "Well... I'm sure you'd like her. Now, I got something to tell Uncle Fallow."

Summer shrugged. "Eh, sure, go ahead. I'm sure it's important."

It was odd see Summer not excitable or wanting to talk literature, but he thought little of it. He trotted to where Fallow and Grapevine stood, hoping that he wasn't interrupting an important part of the discussion. Luckily, they more or less seemed to be instead exchanging tales of their separate lives, not unlike how he and his pals would do it back in school. He looked forward to the day where he could relay the wackiness of the summer to them, though he wasn't sure he wanted to relay a certain bloody part of this story..

Grapevine turned to him first, his expression going duller and more unsure than normal. "Hey, cuz, whatcha hanging for?"

They hadn't really spoken since city hall; Tomato was a little too busy reeling from Filthy Rich's change of heart and decision to come back later, thanks to Grapevine of all ponies. The most that they had spoken since then was Tomato asking why Grapevine did it, to which the older cousin replied with something that he had heard from Fluttershy: protecting animals should not mean harming innocent ponies. With that in mind, Tomato could call it a half-success if there was still a little hope for both town and park.

"Oh, just waiting for this conversation to end so I can tell your dad something."

Fallow tilted his head. "Oh?"

"Yeah."

Grapevine interjected, "Before you do that, I should say something. Cuz, I'm not proud of how our first meeting went down. I went all harsh judge on you just because you had a talent that was more mainstream. Freedom of choosing your destiny belongs to the squares too, and I should not just call you the enemy just because you think differently from me. Can we try the cousin thing again?"

Tomato was still not a fan of Grapevine's lifestyle, and half-wanted to push him away because it was just embarrassing to be related to him. Still, it wouldn't be fair to Grapevine, who went through much heartbreak and sacrifice in one day, and Tomato would be a hypocrite for not accepting Grapevine after accepting Cheese back during the Fall Festival.

So, he shook Grapevine's hoof and said, "You've got a deal."

And then, much to the laughter of all those in the room, he was treated to another musty-furred hug.

---

Now outside on the front porch, Tomato and Fallow were outside breathing the fresh night air. Crickets played their nightly melody, the trees basked under a bright gibbous, and the stars adorned the sky like crystals, some sparkling brighter than others. Other than the crickets, neither could hear any disturbances in the forest.

"What a beautiful night," Fallow remarked. "The only way it could be perfect was if the moon was full."

Tomato patted the porch's railing. "Yeah, it does seem peaceful, doesn't it?"

"So, what'd you want to talk to me about? Are you still worried about Aura Springs' future? Come on, if it wasn't for you, I think the animals and ponies would have waged full war until the town was destroyed. Right now, we'll just have to rely on ponies who work in Graze Valley to keep the town alive."

Tomato chuckled. "That's... not it at all. I just want to clear up something about my mom that I couldn't thanks to the recent mess."

Fallow gave him a quizzical expression. "What do you mean? Cheese said she was hard, but she can't be that bad if she let him be a party pony."

"That's just it," Tomato said. "She didn't let him. He ran away from home."

Fallow blinked. "Wait, what? Why?"

Tomato grabbed the railing, as if he was going to rip it off. "Yes, she is hard, but she expected her sons to be these perfect kids with perfect grades and grow into perfect stallions with a respectable job. Thanks to her mom being of noble blood, she thinks that we need to pick up the slack that Grandma dropped since she couldn't, and she just pressured and nagged us and forgot the basic idea of empathy in the process!"

He rested his chin on the railing. "Being the oldest, Cheese had the most pressure, and he couldn't handle it. So he took off. He thought that being the 'favorite' meant I had it easier. He was wrong... Mom was so upset about Cheese leaving that she took it out on me, expecting me to be ten times better, like I apparently already was in the social skills and academic sense. But I was so crippled by her stupid ideas on what my talent should be, and so angry at Cheese that I fell from grace. I've thought about ending it all, but my one friend left wouldn't let me."

Tomato sighed, and straightened up. "I'm sorry that the sister-in-law that you want to meet isn't someone all that pleasant. I didn't want to disappoint you, but I don't want you to find out the hard way, either. No wonder that your wife ran away from home, my mom's horrible!"

There was a pause. A pause only filled with the chirps of crickets, and the howl of a wolf in the distance. Fallow had gone through motions of blinking, stroking his beard, and gathering his thoughts on what to say. Tomato expected him to be unhappy with the sudden revelation, and think of him as a lying, spoiled brat.

But, Fallow just said, "I didn't want to disappoint my nephews either."

Tomato blinked. "Huh? What do you mean--" He stopped himself when remembering what Grapevine had said about Honeydew and what that implied, and then waited for Fallow to continue.

"You might have noticed a difference in opinion between Grapevine and Lemon Zest over their mother," Fallow said. "Well, when I said that your aunt Honeydew was sensitive, I meant the 'ditch me and spend a week at the commune to heal' kind of sensitive. When I said that she valued letting our foals choose their own path, I meant the 'no rules whatsoever and no discipline because that's mean' kind. And when she said that we should all just love each other and everything would work out..."

Tomato furrowed his brow. "Did that mean that you couldn't disagree with her, or else she'd throw a fit about how you didn't love her?"

Fallow ran a hoof through his mane. "I shouldn't speak ill of the dead, I really shouldn't. But it always frustrated me that she was so lazy, and such a goshdarn moron that had no idea how to do anything. In fact, I think the only work she ever did was tend her garden and feed the baby. She always claimed that she was this sweet and kind thing, but acted like a spoiled foal whenever I told her to take care of the house while I was working, or to cook dinner for once, or maybe enforce the rule about our foals not going into the forest alone!"

Tomato looked in the house, and could see Lemon Zest knock a ping pong ball onto her sister's forehead, which resulted in a chase. He glanced back at Fallow, who watched his older daughter sprint and jump around the room like an acrobat as the others in the room laugh.

"Lemon bumped into a bear." Fallow pursed his lips, and tensed his muscles. "She was lucky that I heard her scream, and I came galloping in before the final blow. She was in bad shape when I found her, and I was furious. It was the only time I've ever killed an animal, because you do not mess with a nature talker's kid... you just don't. Got her to a healing pool, and chewed Honeydew out for neglecting her job again, and how she thought Lemon could talk to animals like Grapevine could. Naturally, she ran off to the commune to cry, which I hope was because of guilt and not because I was scary."

"To be fair, a guy who can kill a bear in a rage is pretty scary."

Fallow glanced at him tiredly. "Ha ha. Well, thanks to that incident, Lemon's afraid of animals, and she's as much of a daddy's girl as Grapevine is a mama's boy." He put his face in his hoof. "Honeydew had eight years to influence Grapevine before she passed, and it feels like I'm arguing with her all over again whenever I argue with him. No doubt, they're both pretty stubborn, and it has worn me out."

He looked up and turned to face Tomato. "With both secrets out, the questions now are who was worse, and who started it? I can see my wife being against all rules and discipline after dealing with your mom... but I can also see your mom being a dictator because she had to put up with a lazy and irresponsible sister. It could go either way, but I'm not sure if we'll ever find out."

Tomato leaned on his hoof. "I'm a little freaked out that my Mom may have been right about her sister being a spoiled brat."

"Well... in any case, there is an important lesson from their parenting styles and the last few days," Fallow said. "Too many rules can prevent a pony from becoming their best self, but no rules at all can easily turn them into their worst self."

Tomato took a moment to process it, and nodded.

Fallow patted him on the back. "I'm glad that we both got those off our chests. In any case, even if the respective mothers aren't great, I'm at least happy to have met my nephews." He frowned, and looked at the small guest cabin in the distance. "Although we all learned about a pretty nasty dark side of Cheese Sandwich. I'm not so thrilled to be related to him now... does he get that from your mom?"

Tomato jumped. "What? No! Well, uh, he's always had a temper, which I'm sure he did inherit that from Mom... still, he usually can control it, and even then, the whole murderous rage thing has never happened before!"

Fallow just stared at him skeptically. "Well, where did it come from?"

Tomato rubbed the back of his head. "Eeeeh... it involves a memory thief that we're trying to find... it's kind of why we're going back to Ponyville with Fluttershy tomorrow, because she has a friend that can help! I promise you, Cheese is not himself right now!"

"Hm. Well, if that's the case, I better meet him when he is himself. But you're sleeping on the couch tonight, because clearly, he's dangerous."

Fallow trotted back into the house, leaving Tomato alone to stare at the small cabin with his thoughts.

Tomato groaned. He couldn't believe just how stupid he was to let the whole thing fester. There was clearly a problem back in Seaddle, when Snap had told him about Cheese's outbursts; it was then that Tomato should have insisted that they go to Ponyville--no, scratch that, they should have done so right after Salt Lick City, when he found out about the missing memory thing. By now they would have found the memory and the thief, and Cheese would be back to normal. If it wasn't for that stupid Cheesy Sense excuse...

In any case, there was still the nagging feeling that there was more than just a stolen memory going on with Cheese. The question was if it was a number of memories, or there was something else going on. If the first option, how many memories had to be stolen to turn a nice and fun-loving party pony into an angry killer? If the second, then what the heck was this other spell?

Whatever it was, Tomato was glad that they were finally going to get to the bottom of this. There was no doubt in his mind that it would lead to a certain unicorn, and whatever that guy's intentions were, they were destined to be stopped.

He yawned. Hopefully the party will end soon so that he can go to bed.

Author's Note:

Well, I guess I can say that I wrapped up the Aura Springs arc! And just before the New Year, too!

I guess that means I'll start the next arc next year.

Comments

[redmar]

I guess that both mothers got more extreme after in their views after Honeydew ran away. Now they need to get to Ponyville find Wayer Runes restore Cheese Sandwich and banish Wayer Runes to Tartarus again.

[Goldfinch142]

Off to Ponyville at last! With any luck, Cheese won't have any more 'episodes' before they can all get him there.

That being said, I'm glad that Grapevine came around and not only resolved to discipline the animals, but also convinced Filthy Rich to give them a chance! Hey, maybe they'll even take his advice about monetizing the healing pools. Perhaps even the entire town will have learned something from this about their "with us or against us" mentalities.

And now that Fallow Track knows the truth about Mozzarella, I do wonder if he'll ever bring his family to visit regardless and get a first-hand experience.

[Godslittleprincess]

I think Tommy and Flutters might want to put a muzzle on Cheese just in case.