Manehattan The snake in the garden... [ENDED]

[ancara22]

<p>In the busy streets of Manehattan, Colts and Mares go about their usual business. Some head to work, ready to work their flanks off for another day's pay. Others head to lavish playgrounds of the rich, known as casinos, to gamble their pay away. A few even go to the theater, excited for the latest big musical they are about to perform. All enjoy the high life know, and could care less about what else happens to them.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>But then there are those....not so fortunate. They are the poor, the homeless, those who either work in the most dangerous of jobs just for the minimum pay, or end up on the streets, having to go so low as to make everything they need from the dumpsters and dropped goods just to survive. They are looked down by those who have more bits, no matter if they were once poor themselves, or were born into riches. The highlight of their day is simply knowing that for one more day, they can keep on trying, dreaming and hoping for a better life than this.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>For one particular colt, this was the life he had to live. The cards he was dealt, so to speak. Eventually, due to both a painful goodbye and a rage-filled departure, he left the only family he knew, angry at those who ridiculed him and other like him to the point of hatred, only because of the number of bits they had. This led him to the current life he lived, and to what he was getting ready to do to the next rich stallion he came across.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>He walked up to the door of a fancy mansion, a strange briefcase held by one hoof, and his watch on the other. <em>"If this works...."</em> he murmured to himself with a bit of contempt shown in his voice, <em>"That'll be one more who realizes their stupidity."</em> He straightened his green tinted sunglasses, making sure whoever was there would never see his eyes, and thus making it easier for him to do his 'job' properly. He calmed himself down, ever-tempted to just throw the briefcase at the door to let out his anger right there, and took a deep breath.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>He reached a hoof out to the door, knocking on it three times. If he was to make his plan work, he needed to look, act and <em>be</em> convincing to whoever opens that door, no matter how much he would want to tear their fancy suit off to spite them. He waited for the door to open, ready to get this over with and make his 'job' as a 'salespony' work flawlessly, lest it goes horribly wrong.</p>

[Bannhammer]

The halls of the Rockefilly mansion were silent. Maximilian Rockefilly jr was working quietly, signing papers that would, through various legal and not-so-legal means, make him much much richer. Sure, it would involve ponies losing their livelihoods, but it wasn't Max's fault that those ponies had something he wanted.

The portraits of his father and grandfather hung above him, a solemn testament to his legacy and expectations. Some ponies were born into wealth, and Max loved it. He was given the chance to do something many ponies could never dream of, make a difference. Not necessarily a positive one, but a difference none the less. He felt no sympathy for the ponies his actions hurt, intentional or not. Max just did what he was raised to do, make bits. Besides, some ponies are simply meant to succeed, and others to fail.

With a sigh he placed the quill back on his desk, and prepared to head over to a meeting with some powerful ponies. Before he could leave, however, he heard a knocking on his door. A butler came to his office, bent over in respect.

"Sir, there's a pony at the door..."

Max didn't reply, he simply ushered the servant away with a gesture and made his way over to the visitor. The door pony bowed and was about to greet his boss, but he was cut off.

"Just open the door..."

Upon his command the door pony flung the doors open, and Max saw a strange purple-ish pony in front of him. After noticing his briefcase Max remarked:

"I don't do charity..."

[ancara22]

Snake Oil saw the Stallion that had come out, and was already starting to lose his temper. He had several things that made him feel un-eased: A fancy suit, living in a big mansion, a snobby manner to his attitude, and just the general manner in which he presented himself to Snake at that very first moment. He was about ready to punch him in the face for how snobby and cold he seemed to be, but he decided to hold back. Such an action would end up ruining his plans. Besides, several months of jail time does not a good record make.

Looking at Max, eyes of anger concealed by his sunglasses, he faked a smile and began his plan.

"Ah, it's nice to meet ya!" Snake said in a somewhat-cheery manner, "I'm a salespony here with the answer to all of yer problems!" He reached for his briefcase and set it back-down, opening it. Inside was a strange bottle containing a weird pink fluid inside of it. It was bubbling and had a strange, almost sweet scent to it, like the smell of a delicious strawberry pastry at a bakery.

He took the bottle from the briefcase and began his planned-out speech. "Ever have to deal with a messy mane? Other shampoos fail you by not working like you wish they could?" He then took the bottle and raised it so Max could see. "With this, your bath issues are solved! Just a week's worth of using this, and you could be styling one of the most gorgeous of manes anypony in Manehattan has ever seen!"

Reaching again into the briefcase, he slyly said "But wait, there's more!" Pulling out an attachment for the bottle, he then smirked and told him "If you buy this, i'll also throw in this: The aroma-sprayer attachment! With it, you can make anything smell as sweet and nice as a strawberry! Never again will you have to worry about those long-lasting stenches that can plague a Stallion's home, when all you need to do is applied a spray of this and it's good as new!"

"But i'm sure you're a stallion that wants proof." He looked at his briefcase and then told him "I can actually let you try it yourself, and if you're satisfied, then I'll set you up with a batch of them....for a modest fee, of course." With a sly look with his eyes, again concealed with his sunglasses, he looked at Max, hoping he goes with it. "So what say you, my good sir? I'm sure you'd like a trial first, to be sure." He had no idea what to expect from this Stallion, but if they were like the others, then he would have an easy time here.

[Bannhammer]

Maximilian was surprised, to say the least. The rich stallion gave the sales pony a quick look over. Maximilian wasn't impressed. A random pony gets to his doorstep to sell shampoo? He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Just another schmuck trying to make a few quick bits. Max didn't want to waste his time on this insignificant pony. When he spoke, it was as condescendingly as possible.

"My good Pony, I do not need to try your ridiculous shampoo. I never have to deal with a messy mane, my stylist does. That is what I pay them to do! I can afford to have other ponies take care of my hair, so why would i need your product?"

Max continued on, sneering at the purple pony in front of him. "And I won't be needing your 'aroma sprayer' to freshen up my house. That's why I import the finest flowers and fruits into my home!"

The Rockefilly went down to Snake Oil's level and got right into his face.

"Unless you have something better to offer i suggest that you get off of my steps, you're dirtying them up.

[ancara22]

Listening to what this rich Stallion had to say to him, the way that he just so plainly got into his face the way that he did, it was driving Snake insane. He was about ready to just sock him right in the face while so easily close, just to end it there. But no, he knew such an act of violence would end up with only himself being considered the "bad guy" when in court. He had to convince this....stubborn stallion to buy his 'product', and he was going to do it, no questions asked.

Staring hard at Max through his sunglasses, he tried his hardest to fake a smile, and then said to him "Ah yes, of course you would be able to afford those sorts of things. How....silly of me to think otherwise. But i'm sure this next item will definitely be more of your.....how should I put it.....kind of thing?" Reaching into his briefcase, he grabbed another bottle, this time holding a stable, green liquid inside of it.

I swear that if this doesn't work, and I hear another 'witty' remark about the kind of colt I am..... he thought to himself while grabbing both it and it's spray attachment, .....I will take this stupid bottle and shove it down his throat He was so tempted to, and if things got bad enough, he wouldn't mind performing what he thought of doing.

Showing the new bottle, he then looked at Max, a newly smug face shown, and said to him "While i'm sure that your mansion looks amazing.....on the inside...." He then pointed a hoof at his mansion's front garden. "....I couldn't say that much for the outside. Especially the garden. I mean, look at those untrimmed hedges! The wilting flowers and tress! And don't even get me started on the lawn itself!" He then raised the bottle for Max to see, making sure he saw it. "With this handy little bottle, a simple spray and your problems are solved! Hedges become neat and tidy, trees and flowers can grow! and grass settles in just right, even removing and replacing dead yellow grass! All that, to make for the perfect garden to make your neighbors, pardon the pun, green with envy."

Hoping that his description of it's uses would pay off, he then smirked and slyly spoke to him, saying "I'm sure you don't believe me. I wouldn't myself. So here's my offer: Give it a shot on your garden, for free. If ya like what you see happen, i'll sell ya a batch, cheap even. All ya need to do is just give it a shot. The worst that could happen is it does nothing." He then took the spraying attachment and placed on the bottle, setting it up for a testing. Then, smirking and ready for this to pay off, he took it and held the bottle towards him, ready to see what he'd do.

"So then, what do ya say? Do we have a deal?"

[Bannhammer]

Max was about to sick security on this strange pony. He had a strange feeling about him. The guard could be seen through the doorway, a large earth pony wearing a uniform, at Max's beck and call. The rich Stallion motioned for him to come, but he stopped him when he heard Snake Oil's offer.

Normally Max would chew this pony out for criticizing him, who did he think he was? The nerve of that pony to come to him and tell him what he needed. After a moment of reflection and observation, Maximilian realized that there may be some legitimacy to the purple pony's claim. Of all the things he had, his lawn was the only thing he never took much care of. A free trial of this product wouldn't hurt.

"You know, you're a better sales pony than the one's I've seen before. Of course, compared to the scum of the slums, that isn't saying much. So... Deal. If this stuff works I can fire my Groundskeeper, that's one less dead weight pony to pay."

If it worked, he might actually buy some. Of course, if it didn't, his guards would teach this worthless pony a lesson.

[ancara22]

It seemed that his plan had worked, and Max would actually go along with it, even if he attitude was getting on his last nerves. All I have to do is make this look like it only does so much..... He thought to himself, ....and it'll all go as planned. He didn't want to cost the job of a hard-working Colt, but if he wanted to make this work, he'd have to make sure he was sold on buying it.

Going towards his hedges first, he held onto the trigger of the spraying attachment. Aiming at a single hedge, he gave it a few good squirts, making sure he got it all. A few seconds later, the hedge he sprayed, untidy as it was, started to shake. Soon, the leaves attached to it started to fall off, one by one. After a few seconds of hedge shenaniganry, it was neat and tidy, as if a professional hedge trimmer had just finished a hard day's work on such an item.

Seeing the hedge being the way he wanted it seen as, he then pointed at the flowers, giving them just as much of a spray as the hedge. Like the last item he sprayed, they too began to vibrate. Soon, they began to liven up, the wilted ones even springing back to full livid life, even becoming a bit bigger in size, looking a tad more exotic than they were before. It was indeed an impressive display, but Snake still had one more item to spray before he knew he'd have him convinced.

He saw a nice yellow patch of dead grass, every gardener's worst nightmare, and aimed at it as well. The same few squirts hit that patch of grass, and within a few seconds, the familier vibrating of the grass occurred. The grass became green as an emerald in a jewlery store, and grew taller until it had matched the length of the grass surrounding it. Truly a feat in botanical means.....and exactly what Snake wanted him to see.

He carefully detached the sprayer from the bottle, and placed both in his briefcase, taking out a package containing 6 bottle of the same stuff he used, plus another sprayer attachment. Bringing them to Max, he chirped with a gleeful smile "I think now that I've shown you what this little beauty of a item can do, what do you think? Is it to your liking, my good stallion?" All he had to do now was wait for the response, and if it wowed him enough, then everything would work out as planned.....provided that he actually wanted to buy it, of course.

[Bannhammer]

The effects were astounding! This pony might be strange, but his product sure works! Maximilian did some lightning fast calculations, trying to determine if it was more cost effective than having grounds keepers. Once he was sure that this was a wise investment, he faced the Sales pony and extended a hoof.

"A deal's a deal. I believe that 700 bits is a fair price."

Before he could shake Snake Oil's hoof and exchange the goods with him, he had one slight preference that the purple pony should be aware of. Max withdrew his hoof and stated plainly:

"I can't make a deal just yet..." His horn started to glow, and he levitated the sunglasses off of the Sales Pony's face. "Father always said, 'Look a pony in their eyes, then do business"

[ancara22]

Snake was aghast when his sunglasses were taken off by Max. He could handle most things, but one of the few actions that could offend and tick him off more than anything else was another Pony or Colt removing his glasses. He was gritting his teeth so hard, trying to keep himself from simple strangling Max for touching one of the few precious items he kept with him always, let alone the way he did it.

Amazingly he didn't immediately grab his rich, snobby neck, for whatever reason his couldn't figure out. Don't do it Snake he said under his breath, You'll regret it and lose this deal you set up.... He scrunched his left hoof hard, trying to compose himself again, before looking at Max again. All he had to do was put up with 2 more minutes of this and then he was home free, with his plan set in motion.

"Of course. I wouldn't want to....cause any trouble for you....now would I?" He then looked into his eyes. He relaxed a bit, knowing that it was only this and the payment standing between him and freedom from this madness of dealing with such a.....pain in the flank, so to speak.

[Bannhammer]

Max Grinned.

"Nopony wants to cause me trouble." He sensed that his actions had irked the pony, and it gave him great joy. He rarely passed up an opportunity to get under some pony's skin.

"Of course, now I can follow through with our deal."

He pulled a very small coin purse out from inside of his Tux. Max levitated a single bit out, then another, then another, continuing this process until a large amount was stacked up in front of the Sales Pony.

"700 bits... How you take it with you is your problem."

Max gleefully had his staff take the new product and spray it all over his grounds. Little did they know that a few of them would be fired immediately afterwards. He watched as they improved his lawn dramatically. Taking his attention away from the spectacle for a moment, he turned back to Snake Oil.

"If you ever find any new products, visit me again. Maximilian Rockefilly jr." He normally didn't share his name with strangers, seeing as the Rockefilly name is one of the most infamous in Manehattan, but he didn't see any harm. "I don't believe i caught your name..."

[ancara22]

The Earth Colt looked at Max and said to him "Call me....Snake Oil. Classy name, I know, but ya work with what yer given." He normally didn't like giving his name, since he knew most of his targets could afford lawyers to sue him into oblivion, but considering what would happen, he figured that this one time wouldn't affect him as much.....or at least hopefully it wouldn't. "Also, I have a habit of being a bit....nervous during a chat sometimes. Happens all the time, trust me. It's just what someponies go through around my age, I guess."

He took the 700 bits given to him and said "If I do have anything else to show ya, you'll definitely know." Putting back on his sunglasses, he gritted his teeth one last time so as to tide his temper for those last few moments being in this mansion, so as to make sure the charade would be fully completed. Snake grabbed his briefcase, gave him a final stern look, hoping that his plan would give the proper effect, and then trotted out of the mansion's front gates.

After moving several blocks away from Max's manor, he took a sigh of relief, knowing the deed was done and the seeds of his plot were planted, so to speak. All he had to do now was wait 24 hours for the.....side effects of his little green potions to take effect, and then he will have wished that he never met him or bought his product.

But then again..... Snake thought to himself as he waited on a wooden park bench for his plan to unfurl, Isn't the gullibility to believe what they see and their Greed, trying to save some money no matter what, traits that can become the very things that can bring about the humbling of their soul?

[Bannhammer]

Snake Oil... Max made sure to remember that name, a pony selling good products was always one to keep in contact. He noticed the tenseness of the Sales pony, and had to give him credit for his convincing sales pitch.

After his grounds crew was done, they were immediately fired and sent back to their original homes, jobless. Of course, Max was more concerned with how to use their former quarters. Maximilian gave his lawn a final look over, and he was pleased. The formula had worked as promised, and his grounds were beautiful! He slept easy that night, confident that once again, he made a good deal.

The next morning was uneventful, a few of his other staff claimed that the plants were acting strange. Max told them to put more formula on them and to stop worrying. A few hours later, around the same time that the odd sales pony had arrived the previous day, a servant busted into Max's office.

"Sir!"

"What is it? I'm trying to do paperwork here!"

"The plants! They're growing out of control!"

"What are you talking about?"

His question was answered when he saw that a tree was blocking his view out the window... It wasn't like that yesterday...

"What the hay is going on!"

"I don't know! The whole lawn just started growing like crazy!"

"Fix it!"

"How?!"

"Don't you know how to deal with plants? Where are the groundskeepers?"

"You Fired them!"

"I'll fire ALL of you if this isn't fixed NOW!

The staff were put to work with chemicals, machetes and other various methods of killing plants. The press showed up, wondering what in the heck had happened at Rockefilly manor. They wrote articles, calling it an 'embarrassment for the richest pony in Manehattan', and 'A plant-tastrophy.' The PR disaster soured him even further, and even though his staff finally fixed the wild growth, they were all fired and replaced.

Maximilian stayed inside during the whole ordeal, writing two words on a piece of paper over and over again and crossing them out.

Snake Oil Snake Oil Snake Oil SNAKE OIL SNAKE OIL

Whoever this pony was, he'd just made a powerful enemy...

[ancara22]

When Snake went to grab a newspaper, as he tended to do about that time time of day normally, he eyes immediately noticed the front page's article:

EXTRA! EXTRA! MAXIMILLION MANOR HOME OF PLANT-TASTROPHY! MORE DETAILS ON PAGE 3!

Of course the very next thing he did was buy a copy of the paper, using a small amount of the very money he had gained from Max no less. Reading the paper, he saw that his potion plan was a success after all, having done so much PR damage to him. He chuckled a bit and said to himself "Now that's quite a nice event that happened." He stared at his briefcase, telling himself in an almost jester-ist manner"If only I was there to tell him about the whole regrowth effect in the thing to keep plants from dying out from pesticides and what-not....." He pondered the thought for a moment and said ".....nah. I think i'll leave that little surprise for himself to find out."

Looking up at the sky, with a bit of a chuckle, Snake whispered to himself "After all, where's the fun in getting them to learn if it's only a temp thing?"

Walking past the newspaper stand, he noticed a couple of kids hiding in an alleyway, scared half to death for whatever reason. They look like they've been through heck and gone he pondered as he kept his eyes on them. Figuring that it'd both get at Max's goat if he's ever caught and would also be the nice thing to do, he walked over to them, showing a decent, honest smile. "You kids got a home or somethin'?"

The kids shaked their heads, making it obvious that they weren't exactly the most happy of personalities in Manehattan. One of them, a little blue filly, pointed to their mother, hunched up and sick as a diamond dog. They didn't need to say anything to him for the colt to know what was going on here. "I can tell your mother is sick. She'll need the right medicine to get better than she is at the moment...." The other kid, a yellow filly with bruises on her leg, looked at him with sad eyes, telling him "Our mum's all we got left, and she's tried to help us out.....but her sickness has made her too weak to stand anymore. We have no money, no home, no nothing anymore.....and soon, she'll be....." At that point the little filly burst into tears, knowing that her mother would soon depart from this world if she didn't get help soon.

Snake, seeing the situation before him, decided that if anypony deserved bits in this city, it was ponies like these three. reaching into the briefcase, he took out 450 bits and handed them to the yellow filly. "I think you guys deserve it much more than a Colt like myself." Closing the briefcase, he then walked away from the trio, hearing sounds of joy from the two fillies, who now could afford what he assumed to be the medicine their mother would need to get back to normal. He wasn't exactly a perfect Colt, but he at least had a heart....or at least knew when things needed some bits to help make things better for those needing it the most. He couldn't help everypony he'd cross paths with, but he at least would do something if he was given the chance to.

Looking back at the clear blue Manehattan sky, he chuckled a bit, and said in a quiet tone "I may not be the greatest Colt, but I at least care about these folks here....." Looking at the sky, he wished that others would view things the same he did, that not everypony is just another quick buck to take from or a dirty slob waiting to ruin their life, and is actually just another Mare or Colt, just like them.

[Bannhammer]

The grounds were finally fixed, and yet Max couldn't sleep easy. The idea that somepony had swindled him was enraging, and yet impressive at the same time. Max had a new enemy in Snake Oil (If that was his real name), and he would find a way to deal with him in the morning. He already had ponies searching for any sign of him, checking the papers, Manehattan's records, patient lists at the hospital, every list of names they could find in order to locate this one purple pony. Maximilian finally drifted off to sleep with a grin on his face, Snake Oil may have gotten him once, but Max had the advantage now.

Without warning he was violently awoken from his peaceful sleep. A newly hired servant was standing next to the bed, shaking Max furiously. The rich stallion shoved the butler away and got out of bed.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"The Plants!"

Max facehooved. "What now...." He was certain that the problem was fixed, what could possibly be wrong now?

"They're growing like crazy! It was so fast, all the doors are blocked with vegetation!"

Maximilian grabbed the butler. "WHAT?!" He shoved his servant aside and stomped off to assess the damage. What he saw amazed him. His windows were covered with vines, blackening the hallways; trees and bushes blocked the doors, making any exit almost impossible. A few of his staff were unfortunate to be caught outside, and they were quickly enveloped by the growth and were lost in it, yelling for help. Max didn't care, his mind quickly focused on one thing.

That tricky little punk

With a bound he headed towards the door, and he ordered what was left of his staff to try and create an exit. Max stood back and watched, formulating a plan to deal with the slimy pony who had tricked him twice. He knew that his problems could be taken care of, the plants AND the pony...

[ancara22]

During his morning walk Snake decided to take a look at his 'handy work' over at the mansion he went to. He wasn't sure whether it was due to morbid curiosity of what could be going on, or just to see if it was working as planned. If things went right, then it was going to soon get very interesting.

Getting close to his destination, he saw a large group of Mares, Colts, Stallions and other Ponies staring at something. What it was surprised even Snake himself: The mansion looks less like a mansion and more like they took a section of the Everfree Forest and placed it there. The hedges had become several stories tall, the flowers and plants grown to mammoth proportions, and even the grass was taller than those in the group watching this bizarre event unfurl in front of their own two eyes. The mansion itself was almost completely engulfed by creeping vines, covering and growing around it. It was truly an amazing sight that one wouldn't believe, even if they were there to see it themselves.

Snake knew that if it went as he expected it to, Max and his staff of workers, guards and anypony else that worked there was likely trapped inside that building and unfortunately for the stallion, if it also went as planned he'd end up seeing the plants soon.....or they would end up seeing him. Depending on how well the structural strength of the mansion can handle such a botanical attack of the place he probably thought was of importance to him, of course. He didn't like putting anypony in situations like this, but if he was to be sure that he realized how his rashness and need to save a quick buck no matter what would cause problems to him and to others like this, he'd have to let him realize it first.....or at least give him some time before getting the plant dryer spray to him to save his sorry rich face from such a fate.

He wasn't sure what would come first: His humbling or the plants getting too close for comfort. Either way, he'd give it some time. If i've learned anything from what I do..... he queried to himself as he watched the vegetation madness occur in front of him, It's that if I rush in quickly for them, they'll never realize what it means to have your bits cause danger to yourself.

[Bannhammer]

The plants were growing too fast! There was no way his staff could force their way through the door. With a shout Max ordered his servants back from the door. He had no clue of what to do. His mansion was built of pure stone, and could surely withstand the plant problem... but could he? With a frenzied desperation the rich Stallion galloped up to the highest point of his house, hoping to find some way of exiting. Max managed to find a single unblocked window, but it was far too high up for him to use.

From his position up above, Max could clearly see the damage. His grounds were ruined, overgrown so badly that it did not seem like they could be saved. A crowd of ponies stood idly by and watched it unfold, Maximilian hurled obscenities at them that could barely be heard by an attentive pony. He screamed at the passive ponies for not helping him in his time of need. Could they not simply do something?

Max noticed something, and he stopped yelling. A familiar pony was standing near the crowd. Purple with brown hair and sunglasses... Maximilian was silent for a moment, and then he yelled as loud as he could, making sure the ponies down below could hear him clearly.

"SNAKE OIL!"

[ancara22]

Snake heard his name being called out from above, probably the top of the manor. He had recognized that voice in an instant and then realized who was in there. It seems that Max had seen him and now knew of what his 'product's' full extent of its strength was. He was tempted to flee the scene, just leave him there to wallow in his mess of a garden-covered mansion he was trapped in, but even he couldn't just leave another Manehattan citizen to possibly end their existence, even if they were as rich and snobby as Max was. There was the chance that he'd sue him into nothingness the second he got free from this mess, but he knew that even though he acted crooked and stern towards those of the rich and uptight, he at least wasn't going to let himself follow into the same cruel nature of those he tried to humble.

Staring at the window which he presumed was where Max was currently located at, he yelled as loud as he could to make sure he heard him. "I'm sure ya now realize the full extent of what ya bought from me! Then again, considering the fact that you let yourself fire those that could help with this and tried to save a small amount of bits by buyin' the stuff, are ya truly surprised that yer actions led to yer situation at this very moment?"

He faced away from the mansion and exclaimed indirectly towards Max as best he could "Those like you act so mighty, so uptight and 'classy' when you can get your way, using those less fortunate around ya to get what ya want! But seeing the situation you're in, you show what you're truly made of! Let me just ask one simple question....."

Turning to face the mansion again, he pointed his watch-wearing hoof directly at the mansion, using the full extent of his voice's strength to say to Max "Do you realize what your actions have done to those around you, let alone yourself, even at this very moment?!" He was indeed mad as heck, and wanted to let everypony there know exactly what such a 'classy' individual's true nature was like. There was only one thing he wanted to hear, one outcome he hoped would come: The humbling of this stallion, and the realization of how his actions could have the same effect on himself as they have on others.

[Bannhammer]

Max was dumbfounded by the pony's words. Was he trying to preach to him? This low-life had the nerve to trick him like this and then act all high and mighty? Maximilian took a deep breath and yelled right back at Snake Oil.

"Listen here! I don't act mighty, I AM mighty! I can topple families with a signature, I can end dreams with a nod of my head! I get what I want because I have the drive! I may not have earned my fortune when I was born, but I've worked tirelessly to increase it and improve my business!"

Maximilian continued to yell."My actions are up to me, and I accept responsibility for them. If you want me to get on my knees and beg forgiveness, it won't happen! What happens to those around me is of NO concern, even at this very moment."

He paused, before resuming his rant. "I know that I hurt others, but that's life! Life's a game! Somepony's gotta be the winner, and somepony's gotta be the loser, and I'm the pony who knows the rules."

Max flashed his trademark grin before adding. "And I don't mind cheating if I have to."

He took a deep breath, calming himself down, before finishing.

"You may say I'm 'taking advantage' of others, yet you yourself lied and deceived to get what you wanted! How are you any different than me?"

[ancara22]

Snake was dumbfounded at what he had heard. So he just like everypony else he had met, one who would crush those he thought needed stomped out. A Stallion who couldn't care less about anypony if it gained him profit. Just another rich and snobby elite acted all high and mighty towards others. He couldn't stand it anymore, and decided enough was enough.

"You listen to me, you bucking snobby flank!" He yelled out to the window, letting out all his rage at once. "You think yer so high and mighty, above everypony else, but lemme tell ya: yer not!" Pointing a hoof hard at the direction of the window, he continued. "As you yerself said, you crush the dreams of those that oppose you or those you don't like, and you couldn't give less of a bucking care about them! Yer just like the rest of 'em: Cold and careless, viewing those below you as below dirt, as if they were trash, or never even existed!"

Snake then took off his glasses, something he rarely ever did, and with a harsh glare, exclaimed to him "I've learned that myself with the way you treat your own staff! Ya use them to do the dirty work around your mansion, but as soon as ya get something 'better' that out-does them, ya fire them! And for what? A few extra bits saved?" He was just on full steam, letting out every bit of his anger, his rage towards this one Stalltion, having had enough of his......mannerisms.

"You think i'm no better than anypony like yourself, using trickery to set you in this situation? When it comes down to it, yes, I indeed use such tricks on......those such as your bucking self, but at least I had planned on getting you out after this bull had reached its climax. I may not be the most graceful of Colts in Manehattan, but at even I have a heart.....somewhat." Still fully enraged, he blurted out to him "Tell me then, oh great and mighty Maximilion: if we were switched with each other in this very situation, would you even care enough to do anything? Would you even care to save one of your own family?" Finally just letting it all out, he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Would you really care enough, or is your stupid bits ALL YOU BUCKING CARE ABOUT?!"

[Bannhammer]

"My money is ALL THAT I HAVE!" He yelled back."I don't have any family to save! I don't have anypony besides ME!" A moment of reflection followed, why would he tell this pony that? Max couldn't understand why he blurted it out, but he just went with it.

"My father's dead, and my mother's a shut in whom i haven't seen in years! I've never had anypony around for me, except for myself. I'm not going to help others, because everyone else is only in it for themselves!" He was screaming now, full of passion and anger.

My whole life is dedicated to my work, and I don't need you or any pony telling me how to live my life!"

Maximilian somehow managed to calm down. He was still angry, but he managed to hold it back."I may be cold and careless, but that's that's the ONLY attitude that will get you where you want to go..."

He glared down at Snake Oil. This puny purple pony was a fool. Idealism made Max sick. He pondered Snake's question for a moment before replying, his words slow and deliberate, with a menacing tone.

"If the positions were switched, if I were in your hooves and you in mine; i wouldn't help you. I'd leave you to rot! And i suggest you do the same! If i get out of here, I WILL track you down, and I WILL make you wish you'd stayed back in the mud WHERE.YOU.BELONG!"

[ancara22]

Snake realized what was going on here: His family had left him, just like his own mother and father did. He actually felt a bit sorry for Max, seeing that his upbringings led him to being the Stallion he was today. If he was to break through into that thick skull of his, he'd have to do something he didn't expect himself to do.

"Listen, I don't care about the way you act or yell towards me, but I do understand what it means to be without the very family that was supposed to take care of you and being alone to fend for yourself."

He turned his head to face away from the mansion, and then exclaimed to him "I used to live a......decent life, so to speak, happy with my mother and.....my dad. It wasn't the best of lives one could live, me and father working our flanks off just to stay alive long enough to see the sun rise again the next day.....but it was a life. But as I would learn soon enough" he yelled, his tone becoming more filled with rage, "I learned the hard way of the cruel reality of what the elite side of this city were truly like....."

"My mother became sick with a strange disease, one that only the best hospital in Manehattan could possibly cure, but if I knew what would happen next......" Looking down at the ground, he continued. "Your elites' precious hospital ended up not only making the bill for the medicine she'd need too expensive for anypony not of the elite to even hope to afford, but they even had the nerve......no, they had the GALL to not only throw us out, but also ban us from ever being able to go there ever again! Soon enough, she became too sick, and shortly afterwards she.....past on...."

He began to sob, about to lose it right there. "But it doesn't end there. Oh noooo, not even close." Scrunching up his front hooves tightly, he then went on. "After that, my father became hateful, spiting ever thinking of marrying such a 'good-for-nothing buckin' MULE'. We ended up in a heated argument over her which led to us saying some.....spiteful things towards each other. He even wished he had 'married that rich unicorn when I had the chance, so I wouldn't have ever needed to deal with such a useless piece of manure like you'!"

More tears went down his cheek, all his rage and sorrow focused on this one Stallion. "I couldn't stand it anymore, my own dad having become the living embodiment of hatred and spitefulness that plagued this city. I left him and never went back, knowing that the Stallion that he used to be, the father figure I once cared about, was no more. As such, I was left by myself, seeing what this city was truly like."

"You may think that the way you act is the only way to last here, and that everypony is as cold and careless as you try to portray yourself.....but you're wrong." Pointing towards the crowds and facing the window, he yelled out at him. "Everypony here, Earth Pony, Unicorn and Pegasus is just like you. We may all have our own ways of viewing things, and some of us disagree, but we all want the same things in life.....to be able to enjoy it, and live it to the fullest, no matter what cards in life the dealer gives to us. I don't know exactly how you view people other than what i've seen, but even I can see a good Stallion inside. You may be the biggest pain in the flank I have ever met, and rightfully so, but even you should realize that you don't have to live life as cold and uncaring as you try to in order to live it the way you want to." He had no idea if anything he was saying was even getting through Max's head, but he figured if he was going to try, he might as well go all-out on this.

[Bannhammer]

Max was astounded. For a pony who HATED him, who LOATHED him to share something so personal and private was simply amazing. He reflected further, hoping to see the point Snake Oil was trying to make. His optimism was ridiculous, yet inspiring.

"I would say that I know what you mean, but I don't. I can't possibly compare my life to yours..." Max shook his head, his painful memories flooded his mind but he retained his composure.

"For a pony who has seen so much, to remain optimistic... it's... it's unreal. I won't bore you with the details, but my problem was a lack of a father figure..." Max had a glazed look in his eye as he reminisced about all the time he didn't spend with his father.

Maximilian looked down from his window and tried to figure out what next to say. He still didn't like the purple pony, but he couldn't bring himself to be rude anymore. "If you think I'll have an epiphany, don't count on it. You've made a point, but I don't regret what I've done, the past is the past."

"I was raised to be this way... My father was like this and his father before him..." Max tried to justify himself to the pony, but he couldn't do it. The words of so many came back to him. The last words his mother told him, the scathing reports of journalist, the cries of the ponies in the streets... He just couldn't keep doing it.

"I can't use that as an excuse any longer, can I? To fall back on my legacy as a justification for my actions is irresponsible, a way for me to shift the blame." He spoke, not realizing what he had just said.

Max sighed and continued. "Maybe It's time for me to make my own legacy, and maybe do things a bit differently... The Rockefilly name shouldn't be synonymous with graft and corruption any longer."

With a glare his head snapped back up and he looked Snake Oil dead in the eyes. "Don't think I'll dedicate my life to charity. I simply admit that maybe, MAYBE, i could try to do business without hurting too many ponies."

[ancara22]

Snake nodded, then said to Max "Alright then. I didn't expect a perfect 180 change for ya, just at least to understand about what you've done." Opening his briefcase, he pulled out another bottle, this time of a brown, almost syrup-like liquid, and attached his sprayer attachment to it. He then trotted up to the start of where this jungle mess started at, and looked up again at the window.

"Give me but a few minutes, and your flank will be home-free!" He started spraying the rapidly growing grass, still getting taller by the minute. After a few seconds, the grass began to shorten, and soon that particular patch of grass was back to normal size. Of course, he knew that was nothing compared to the rest of the vegetation in the way. As such, he started to get to work. But no sooner than he had walked past it, the grass had grown back to being tall again. The stuff he was using only had a temporary effect on the plants here, so he'd have to work fast if he wanted to get Max and his staff out of there before it was too late.

"I just hope he's ready to get out of here asap" he told himself as he started his trek to the front door, "I only got so much of this stuff to use after all!"