Once upon a time, there lived an eminently sensible earth pony named Clyde. Clyde was the youngest of three brothers, and when their father died, the eldest was given his house, the middle his rock farm and Clyde only his cat.
Clyde, being so eminently sensible, did not dwell on this apparent injustice and went to find work. However, the cat stopped him and said “Do not worry about such things, my good master. If you will but buy me a pair of boots, I will show you how to make more of a fortune than you can imagine.”
Clyde merely shook his head. “That is a generous offer,” he said, “but I would not wish for such excess.” He regarded the cat critically. “However, if I were to sell you to a more ambitious pony, your evident intellect would be of far more use, and the money gained from selling a talking cat would be enough for me to make a living. I will not sell you against your will, of course, but I think this would be better for both of us.”
The cat thought about this proposition, then nodded. “That seems equitable enough. You are to be commended for your self-awareness, if not your ambition.”
Clyde merely shrugged.
He sold the cat to a passing traveller, and used the money gained from the sale to purchase his own rock farm. The farm did modest business, until one day, a contract came from a pony known as the Marquis of Carabas to exclusively supply his region with rocks and gemstones. This contract enabled Clyde to live in comfort for the rest of his days.
The moral of the story is: An ounce of good will can be worth more than a pound of gold.