Setting Up Shop

It was a good harvest today. Great for Red Harvest. Good for food and profit. Oh the profit.... Red finds an available spot in the Ponyville marketplace and sets up his stand. It's rather simple, just a table and a couple signs. The biggest sign reads "Fresh Corn. 10 bits an ear." He looks at all the ponies passing buy, making friendly conversation, trying to persuade them into buying. So far it's been pretty successful. He can even save a few for himself tonight

Blackfire trotted through the marketplace with a forced grin on his face. Being nice isn't something he was used to and neither was smiling for little to no reason. But if he wanted to give off a friendly vibe, smiling was a good way to do it. He was feeling a bit hungry today, and he was sick of the junk food he ate on a daily basis, so he chose to hit the marketplace in search of some fresh produce, ready for consumption. He overheard a pony speaking fresh corn and the signs indicating them for sale, and Blackfire's smile went from forced to sincere, he liked corn, it would be a healthy alternative to say, potato chips. Approaching the table, the unicorn used his magic to draw a bag of bits from a pocket in his hoody and placed them on a table.

"I'll have your best ears my good pony. Money is not an option." Blackfire said, patting his small bag of bits.

Red looks at the bag of bits and just says, "Yes sir!" He takes out the freshest ears he still had left, gives the pony the corn and takes the money. You're pretty hungry, ain't ya?" He analyzes Blackfire a little more and notices his "smile." He can tell that he was struggling to look happy.

"Somethin' bothering you mister?"

Blackfire licked his lips at the sight of the ear of corn, it looked way better than anything he had eaten in the past two days. He took a bite, filling his mouth with the sweet kernels.

"Oh man, this is outta sight. You have some sweet corn here." he said, swallowing his mouthful and picking his teeth with his hoof.

"Bohering me? Uh, no. I don't think you know who I am. I am Blackfire, I am a carpenter. I am the best in the world at what I do. And now I am trying to make friends. Smiling is something that makes friends but unless it's a smirk on my face, it just doesn't come naturally. So yes, something is bothering me. But that isn't your fault kid, you're alright." The unicorn went on and on, taking another bite of his corn.

Red's face lit up. "Making friends? That's great! And a great place to start." Red extends his hoof to Blackfire and says "I'm Red Harvest, Mister Blackfire." He was quite a friendly pony, but he didn't have many friends. But a lot of ponies do like him

Blackfire bumped Red's hoof as he had seen young ponies do lately. Was this pony hoping to become Blackfire's friend? He smiled sincerely, this whole 'Smile all the time' scheme was working.

"Soon, I'll have enough friends to start an army. Okay, I have to stop thinking like that." He thought to himself, putting the corn in one of his hoody pockets and drawing a comb from his other pocket.

"I like the sound of that Red. I don't think I've seen you around here before. Are you new in town?" the unicorn asked, combing his mane.

Red put his hoof behind the table he sold his delicious corn from, still smiling. "New? Not very. I do come and go from here, but I'm certainly not new. In fact, my farm is in this town. Haven't seen you either." Looks like they both met new ponies. Red chuckled at him saying the friend army part. An army huh? Just don't go gettin' yourself killed, then

"Not the way I run things, kiddo." Blackfire said, smugly.

"Besides, I travel often, so I'm rarely in Ponyville. But whenever I'm here, I make sure that everypony knows who I am, so that when I return, they will give me the ovation I deserve. Unfortunately, these ingrates have yet to realize that I am as goo as I say that I am, that I am the best in the world at what I do. It's not a nickname, it's not a pseudonym. I don't just say it, I am it." The unicorn ranted, his tone getting louder and louder throughout his speech.

"Anyways" he started again, in a calmer manner, "you have a farm, huh? Your family help you out there?" he asked, drawing the corn from his pocket and starting to eat again.

Red's face goes from ecstatic to a little sad. "Family? Well..... I used to help my Mamma work the farm. But she left and hasn't come back for some time. I wonder where she is......." Red goes back to happy "But, not important. Just glad you enjoyed my food."

"You travel a lot? That's interesting. Most days I can't leave the farm. But when I can I can only sell crops. But I've seen some interesting characters doing so. Like you."

Blackfire smiled, this kid had some gumption. Working on a farm was not easy, and doing so alone must've been far more difficult. And yet, here he stood, smiling and giving out compliments. The citizens of Ponyville could follow his example, it would be such a nice place if they did.

"I like you kid. You've got gusto, just like I did when I was younger. Who knows, keep it up and maybe you'll become the best in the world at what you do someday." Blackfire said, winking.

Red was shocked at Blackfire's compliments. He hasn't heard that in quite some time "Really? Why, thank you. This pony just made his day. Normally, when he says he has no parents to help him, they see the bad in it and treat it like a sob story. This actually felt...... nice.

This stallion is actually really nice. Maybe Red found himself a new friend?

Blackfire finished his corn and left the cob in his pocket to throw away at a later time, when the proper receptacle would be available. Reaching over the table, he patted Red's shoulder, prepared to tell him some wise words of wisdom his father told him.

"Reach for the stars kid, and never let anypony tell you that you can't do anything. If a stallion tries hard enough, he can do anything." Blackfire said, still smiling. "As for me, I think I should get going. I need an ice cold beverage to refresh my senses after that corn. Would you like to join me?"

"That's very inspirational, sir. You're the nicest pony I've met so far." Red was really taking a liking to him. Who woulda thought making a friend would be that quick?

Hearing Blackfire's invitation for drinks, Red hopped over his stand and "Absolutely! He quickly followed Blackfire, ecstatic about what has happened and about to happen