Cupcake Chronicles Side Story: Rich Yet Poor

Rich Yet Poor
A Cupcake Chronicles Side Story
by milesprower06

The late morning sun shone over the hills and meadows of central Equestria, the wind gently breezed through the grass and trees, creating a serene atmosphere. Birds sang songs composed of various whistles and chirps.

For Stinkin' Rich, this was proving to be quite the change in his usual routine. The young farmhand normally worked his days away up on a farm dozens of miles away, where he had lived for most of his life. It was hard, satisfying work, but he had always felt that he was destined for something more. He had been saving up all the bits he could for years. He enjoyed work on the farm because he enjoyed getting ponies the things they needed in everyday life. But if he had his way, he'd be more along the lines of supplying, not harvesting. He would rather have a more direct way of interacting with the ponies that the crops would be feeding. That's partly why he had taken his weekend to travel down here; to mingle with others that were making even longer journeys to try some exotic food. Nothing like it had been found in Equestria before.

Needless to say, Rich was looking forward to the ambitious railroad project finally being completed, so travel between the spread-out towns would be easier, rather than taking this week-long journey here. But if Equestrians from all corners of the nation were making treks longer than he was...this must be some treat he was in for. He was excited at first when the path became a little more crowded, and then forming into a line. He figured he had finally arrived. What followed was over three hours of standing in line, and going over four more hills. When he finally saw the top of a barn over the next hill, it was high noon, and his straw hat was the only thing keeping him from baking in the sun. The next 45 minutes were spent moving over the next hill, to where Stinkin' finally saw what was being sold. It was apparently a rainbow in a jar. He had every intention of inquiring further when he got to the vendor stand, which finally came at one o'clock.

“Well, howdy-do, there, stranger! Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres. Name's Granny Smith!”

Stinkin' initially stumbled in his introduction, honestly humored by the name of the white-haired farm girl currently attending the stand, giving a soft chuckle.

“Howdy yourself, ma'am. Quite a name you got there.”
“Yep, Ma and Pa had a sense of humor, I suppose. But I'm proud to have the namesake of one of the most popular apples, not to mention of the easier to grow. Besides, it'll become more appropriate with age.” Granny Smith said with a snicker of her own, clearly having encounters like this before.

“So what do you have here that's attracting these enormous crowds?” he asked. Somewhat surprised that he didn't hear anything while standing in line, Granny Smith ducked under the stand and came back up with a jar with the rainbow substance in it.

“Behold, our original Zap Apple Jam. Compliments of the Everfree Forest.”

Well that certainly explained it. The Everfree Forest was infamous for it's dangers, and it's self-sustaining life. Manticores, dragons, and timber wolves were only some of the local residents. The only connection it had with the rest of Equestria was the ancient castle, from which Celestia and Luna ruled before Canterlot was built. It was also the location of the duel between the two Royal Sisters, where Luna was defeated after refusing to end the night, and was imprisoned in the moon. That had been well over 900 years ago. To this day, the moon had the unicorn silhouette on it, though by now it had become more of a myth than actual history.

Rich dug out the asking price of 10 bits for the jar, and immediately unscrewed the lid upon walking away from the stand. Even before getting to taste it, he relished the sweet scent it produced. He dipped the tip of a hoof into it, and gave it a lick. His taste buds were immediately perplexed by this new, exotic spread.

Not too far away from the main gate to the Acres, Stinkin' noticed another stand, operated by a simple farm worker like himself. Upon reading the sign, this was a baker, selling two slices of bread for a bit. Quite the capitalist, to have thought of such a thing. He stood in the, thankfully much shorter line, and was at the stand within a matter of minutes.

“Well good day to you, traveler! Name's Sponge Cake. The Apples have graciously given me use of their oven to make toast for this amazing jam they're selling. I've been thinking long and hard about opening a bakery. Based on the compliments I've gotten on my bread, why I think I might pursue that.”

Sliding two bits to Sponge, Rich was eager to talk up another new friendly face.

“Goin' into business for yourself is never easy. Sure you're up to taking the risk?”
“Well, I figure, why not? The Apples risked a mighty lot by coming to settle here. Once this jam is gone, what have they got for the rest of the year? Baking has always been a passion of mine, and judging from your clothes, I'd say we have two very similar professions. Workin' our days away on new farmland, eh?”

Stinkin' Rich nodded.

“It's good money, but I aspire to be something more. Like you, I've always wanted to own my own business. But I'm more along the lines of logistics, supply and demand, that sort of thing.”
“Well, how'd you feel about putting stakes down here?” Sponge Cake suggested.

Rich was caught off guard by this suggestion.

“Well, I had planned on spending a few days in the area, but...really? Moving here?”
“Think about it. You want to run a store, from the sound of it. We've all really been taking in the beauty of this region. A few of us have been talking about staying and starting a life out here together. Begin a new community and all. I sure can't think of a better opportunity to start a business of your own.”

The possibilities began running through Stinkin's mind.

“I can see your point. I can't think of a better opportunity, but...what can I sell first? I know I'll eventually set up orders with all the farms around here, but I don't have enough money to build up a store just yet. I think maybe I could afford a stand like yours here for now.”

“Well, I'll give you a helping hint. This jam? It's made from apples that grow on magical trees. If they aren't picked fast enough, they vanish. At least that's what Granny Smith told me. So if they made as much as they possibly could, they're probably gonna have some surplus. You could buy what they have left, and sell it. You can absolutely justify a bit of a higher price if it's not in season.”

Rich gave this young entrepreneur a smile.

“Thanks, friend. That's really something to think about.”

Taking his jar of jam and toast, Rich found a spot on the grass not too far away, and spread a generous amount of zap apple jam onto one piece and took a bite.

Needless to say, he was done thinking.

SEVENTY YEARS LATER

Filthy Rich could not remember the last time he departed from work early. But this afternoon, he had an excuse. The business tycoon spent most of his life getting Barnyard Bargains to where it was today. Unfortunately, it had cost him his marriage, but he had moved on. 'Every success story has a price' he told himself. But just an hour ago, he found out that his focus on his business had also hampered the upbringing of his daughter, which the message he received from Ms. Cheerilee proved. He had told Mrs Cheerilee to let Diamond Tiara walk home after detention, and he had spent the next thirty minutes wondering how he was going to approach this.

He walked slowly past town hall, as he closed in on his home, one of the largest cottages in Ponyville, which was set within the center circle of homes surrounding town hall. His trot was slow as he began to cross the street. He was determined to set his daughter straight, but he was unsure of how to go about that at the moment. But he had never backed away from an uncertainty, and he was not going to start now. Any hesitation would've proved that he wasn't prepared to nip this situation in the bud.

He put a hoof on the door, pushed it open, and stepped inside his home. He set his suitcase at the door, and walked from the foyer to the living area, where Diamond Tiara was on the couch, reading a magazine. Either she knew it wasn't going to do much good hiding in her room, or she wasn't expecting him home early.

“H-hey Dad. How was work?” she asked, her tone suggesting that it was the latter. Reading her father's stern expression, she immediately knew what brought him home early.

“Well? Anything to say for yourself?” he asked her, the disappointment and anger apparent in his voice. When she didn't answer after nearly ten seconds, he decided to carry on.

“What, do you think that just because you're rich and wealthy, you can say whatever you want with no repercussions? There is a difference between riches and wealth, Diamond Tiara, and you have neither. I have the wealth, and I earned every cent of it. Being my daughter entitles you to nothing. You have taken the privileges I've given you for granted, so that's going to change. The hooficures and mane appointments are gone. Starting now, you're going to eat meals that only a pony on minimum wage can afford, and you'll do chores every day to earn them.”

“Dad, that's not fair!” Tiara protested, as her free ride came screeching to a halt.

“As long as you live under my roof and eat my food, I will decide what is and is not fair. Do I make myself clear?”

“Dad, you're actually defending what they do with-”

“AM I?!!” Filthy asked rhetorically, screaming so loudly at his filly that it made her flinch, cutting her off mid-sentence. Diamond Tiara gasped at her father's sudden loss in temper, afraid that he was going to lash out and hit her.

“Yes. I am! Because it is not my place to judge anypony else, and I don't know what in CELESTIA'S NAME makes you think it is yours! How DARE you!! You truly have NO comprehension of how PISSED I am that you brought shame on this family because YOU think it's okay to make comments like that. Did you even THINK before opening your mouth? That those dozens of ponies picketing the front of the Feed 'n' Seed are angry at those exact types of comments? I'd say your damned lucky that Scootaloo held Applebloom back, because if not, you'd probably have a black eye and some missing teeth, and that's exactly what you deserve.”

Filthy Rish paced the living room a few times while Diamond Tiara fought back tears. He had never spoken that way to her in her life.

“Go to your room.” he said flatly.

“But...what about dinner?”

Filthy had to do a quick mental double take at what he just heard.

“You don't get it. You are not the least bit sorry for what you said today. You're lucky to have a roof to sleep under tonight. Now GO!”

Diamond Tiara got up and left the room, finally breaking down. Filthy heard her run up the stairs and slam her bedroom door. The hurt and confusion from his daughter's actions today caused him to sit in silence for nearly 10 minutes before walking outside into the late afternoon. There was another pony he had to see.

He was about to set out for the west side of town towards the Acres, but his impeccable timing brought Applejack across his path in the center of town square as she was heading home from the schoolhouse.

“Applejack!” he called out, trotting over to the farm pony.

“Evening, Filthy.”
“Applejack...I'm so sorry for the way Diamond Tiara acted in school today. There's no excuse.”
“Well now, Filthy, we can't watch over our kids every second of every day.”
“I'm just...really concerned that what she said today is gonna blow up in my face just like it did with Marty today.”

Applejack put an empathetic hoof on the business tycoon's shoulder.

“Ah don't think it'll come to that, Filthy. Marty blatantly exposed us and opposes what Rainbow and I have, not to mention making even more of a scene of it after Rainbow broke his window. Diamond Tiara just made a comment and caused a scuffle. It's not as serious as what Marty did. Besides, and no offense, but it's not exactly a secret that she can be an opinionated brat.”

Filthy nodded. “Well, I guess that settles it...I've focused too much on my business and not enough on  raising my daughter. She's...she's not even sorry for what she said.”
“Filthy, she's just a filly.”
“I don't care how old she is; she shouldn't be judging others like that, and there has to be consequences, especially for something like this. After I finally hit the big time with the family business in Ponyville, I could've packed up and moved to Canterlot. I know I could've made it there. But I stayed because I'm proud of the heritage I have in Ponyville. Thanks to Granny Smith and her Zap Apple Jam, my great grandfather found his pot of gold. Then, to find out that my daughter denounced you and your family like she did today...you'd better believe I'm gonna do my best to set her straight...I'm just trying to figure out the best way to go about it. I doubt it's gonna be as simple as disciplining an employee. I can't exactly cut her hours back, ya know? Applejack...you help run a farm, and you've also taken up the responsibility of being Applebloom's surrogate mother. So...I guess I'm asking for help. What do I do?”
“Well, what have ya done so far?”
“Sent her to her room without dinner, put a stop to her hooficures and mane treatments, and given her chores to be done daily to earn her meals, which aren't gonna be above what somepony on minimum wage can afford.”

Applejack had to admit, she was a bit impressed. “Well, Filthy, it's a good start, but like you said, she's not sorry. The punishment has to fit the crime, yes, but then how is she going to learn from her mistakes?”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Doing household chores might get the job done, but how about some farm labor? It's a good, honest day's work. We're always looking for extra help around the farm, and it may get her some respect for more rustic lifestyles.”

Filthy Rich thought over this for a moment.

“When would you like us?”
“Us?”
“This is as much my fault as it is hers. I've spent half my life going over checklists and balancing budgets. It's been so long since I've had a good hard day of physical labor. I think it would help her along if I shared in the punishment. She got like this from lack of parenting and hanging out with the wrong ponies. I might as well change that starting now. Not to mention, it'll be an excellent way of honoring where my family came from.”

Applejack smiled.

“Since you put it that way, crack of dawn around six should be good.” she said.

“We'll be there.” Filthy said with a smile, and a polite nod. He watched Applejack trot off into the setting sun, then made his way home. He paused by the Feed 'n' Seed, as the protestors finally started to disperse for the night, staring at the scene with worry. Trying to find solace in what AJ told him, he did his best to reassure himself that it wouldn't come to this.

Making his way home, he came in quietly, and found his daughter's bedroom door still closed, with light escaping from the bottom into the darkened hallway. He returned downstairs and made himself a simple daisy sandwich for dinner. Afterward, he had to double take when he almost set his suit out for tomorrow. Knowing that he'd need plenty of rest for tomorrow, he set his alarm for 5AM, and climbed into bed.

He was nearly asleep when he felt the bed vibrate. Just as the possibilities were starting to register, the entire bedroom shook violently with a bang as the shaking increased tenfold. Filthy jumped out of bed, fully alarmed, but unsure what to do. His clarity and priorities snapped back into place when he heard his daughter scream from upstairs.

“Diamond Tiara???” he yelled as he stumbled out of his room, various picture frames and shelved items crashing to the floor.

“Daddy??” she called back from the stairs. He motioned for her to come down the stairs. Losing her balance a bit, she leaned against the railing, and made her way down to her father. Doing his best to shield his daughter from falling debris as they ran for the kitchen, and took cover underneath the dining table.

The freak earthquake lasted another 10 minutes. When the shaking finally came to a halt, the two ponies under the table didn't move for nearly half a minute, wanting to make sure it was over. Filthy's front legs were wrapped securely around his quivering daughter, who had become quite frightened by the ordeal.

“Are you okay?” he asked, releasing her from his grasp. She nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks. He hugged her one more time, then they crawled out from under the table, and surveyed the damage. First looking around the kitchen, there seemed to be nothing more than a few broken dishes. The two of them headed outside, and Filthy was relieved to not see any structural damage to his home. He took in the scene around him. Dozens of confused ponies were headed in all directions, either to get help or offer it. Some structures didn't fare as well as his. Town Hall had several splintered supports, but fortunately, didn't look like it was in any immediate danger of falling.

“Dad, how can we help?” Diamond Tiara asked. Filthy looked down at his filly, a bit surprised at her. She had also been looking at the mild chaos around the area. He snapped out of his shock.

“Come on, this way.” he told her, and they headed to the marketplace. Several owners were here checking to assess any damage to their businesses. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any apparent damage to Barnyard Bargains as Filthy unlocked the door. He quickly headed down the bedding aisle and came back with a pull cart full of blankets.

“Here. You take half, I'll take half. Give them out to anyone who's stuck out in this cold night air. Free of charge.” Filthy instructed, draping a dozen fleece blankets over her back.. Diamond Tiara nodded, and headed off towards the east side of town while her father took the west. As he began handing out blankets to ponies too wary to go back into their homes, he noticed Marty come out of the Feed 'n' Seed with bottles of water, handing them out to citizens helping each other through this crisis.

It was at this moment where he felt all his concerns and worries melt away. This was what made him so proud to be a part of this town, and for his family to have roots in the history of it. Marty had done wrong, but he was doing his part in the town's time of need. Filthy hoped he would get out of this crisis a redeemed stallion.

As immediate recovery efforts got underway, it would seem that the excitement was not over. While Filthy wasn't present in the area, he heard that there was a 'confrontation' of sorts near Sugarcube Corner and the memorial fountain, which he heard had been completely decimated in the quake. Reports were mixed, and it seems that every eyewitness had a different story, probably because of how quickly everything happened. Something...supernatural had occurred. Some ponies claimed they saw Pinkie Pie, the Cupcake Killer, who was pronounced dead at the scene of her crimes weeks ago. Twilight's assistant dragon burned a book in the remains of the fountain, and after that, those present claimed that pony spirits rose up from the rubble for just a few moments and then vanished. Shortly after, Rainbow Dash was taken to Ponyville Urgent Care. Deciding that they had quite enough of an adventure for one night, Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara retired back to their home to finally get some rest.

Filthy's plans with Applejack were clearly postponed while cleanup efforts began. Good thing, too. In his anger, he didn't make sure there would be managers to cover for him whenever he was at Sweet Apple Acres. Now he could make such plans. The longest part of this task would be the building inspections, to make sure every structure in Ponyville was safe to inhabit. In anticipation, Filthy went to Barnyard Bargains, and marked all lumber 50% off. Customers coming in to take advantage of the sale were constantly talking about the events of last night, and how Rainbow Dash had miraculously gotten her wings back from the supernatural occurrence.

It was another three weeks before Filthy had heard anything from the Apple Family again. He was having his morning coffee, just getting Diamond Tiara her breakfast, when there was a knock at the door. Going to answer it, he was greeted by the muscle of the Acres, Big Macintosh.

“Howdy there, Mr. Rich. I'm just headed into the square with the cart to start sellin' today, and mah sister wanted me to stop by and ask if your arrangement with her was still on, and was wondering if she could alter it a bit.”

“Absolutely, please explain.” Filthy replied.

“Apparently, she's gotten an invitation from the Wonderbolts to participate in their next tour of performances with Rainbow Dash. It's six months training and another six months performing around Equestria. She knows it's too much to ask for an entire year of farming, but she wants you to come by whenever you have some free time. We're calling in favors from all over the family to keep things running in her absence.”

Filthy smiled. “Thanks for asking me for help, Big Mac. I'll be available as soon as this afternoon.”

With a nod, Big Mac headed off for the market square.

When he closed the door and came back into the kitchen to his coffee, it was apparent that Diamond Tiara overheard.

“Farming? My dad is going to work on a farm???” she asked.

“What makes you think it's just going to be me?” Filthy retorted. Diamond Tiara's eyes widened.

“But...but-”
“Did you honestly think I forgot about your little stunt at school? I highly doubt one freak earthquake magically put your priorities in order and taught you to respect those that don't live and think exactly like you.” Filthy said with a smirk.

His daughter pouted over her cereal. Filthy sat down to his coffee and paper.

“Look. I know I haven't been the best father in recent years. Your mouth in school is evidence of that. My successful business cost me my relationship with your mother, and I'm not about it to let it cost me my relationship with you. I love you, Diamond Tiara. You're more important to me than any profit margin or expense report. You know that, right?”

Diamond's gaze made it's way from her cereal to her father's sincere eyes.

“Yeah” she replied with a mutter.

“Good. You know, I never really did discuss with you where we came from. So I think I'll take this time over Saturday morning breakfast, to tell you about your great grandfather, Stinkin' Rich...”