Brotherly Bonding Time

by Sketcha-Holic

13.4--Growing Up Too Fast

Cheese was going too slow of a pace for his liking. Having to keep his use of his magic to a minimum out of courtesy for Coco and fear of scaring ponies into calling the authorities, he dreaded having to walk around a large city at a normal pace. Especially when it'd be far more efficient with his lamppost jumping in order to find his lost brother. Heck, he'd personally like to get a yo-yo and use it to swing around town in hopes of finding the kid.

Running had already gotten him yelled at, as well as having him leave behind Coco at several points. She was clearly not much of an athlete, nor could she swim through a crowd as effectively as he. The only reason he had let her tag along was because an extra pair of eyes would definitely help with looking down two directions at the same time; still, he didn't appreciate having to be hindered in his search.

Thoughts flew through his mind as he and Coco strode down the street, his heartbeat punctuating every image of every time that Tomato got into trouble as a colt, so many being close calls. He saw the possible results of himself arriving just one second too late, his stomach lurching at the thought of a dead colt. For all he knew, this could be the very scene on some other street.

Could Cheesy Sense alert him if Tommy was dead? He wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

As they approached the next corner, he suddenly found a newspaper shoved in his face, to the point where it nearly suffocated him. Beside him, Coco squeaked and backed up, trying to keep from gagging at the sight of wrinkled, wild-eyed, and frizzy-maned pony that smelled of sewage and was covered in dirt. He held the paper so that it was molded to Cheese's face, much to the party pony's displeasure.

"The end is upon us!" the raggedy pony sputtered. "I knew the demons of Tartarus would descend upon Equestria, and they've already begun their campaign!"

Coco rubbed her foreleg, pursing her lips. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

As Cheese peeled the newspaper off his face, the raggedy pony continued, "The vampires in Las Pegasus, of course! The demons have chosen that city to feast upon first, for their sinful lifestyle makes for delicious meals!" He leaned close enough to Coco that she could smell his rancid breath. "But that's just the appetizer... the main course would be either those in Canterlot or us in Manehattan!" He sprung back to the corner and rubbed his chin. "Question is if they want to attack the political center or the city with the most ponies..."

Coco tilted her head. "Uh, Mister, those weren't demons, it was an experiment made by a crazy pony."

The pony gave her a stink eye. "Oh? How do you know that he's not a demon?"

"Oh, I'm sure it was just an isolated incident that happened only... once..."

"Are you sure? Because it could be demons! Or worse... a government conspiracy!"

As Coco argued with the dirty pony, Cheese looked at the newspaper, with his heart sinking as the headline jumped out at him:

Myth No More! Powerful Warlock Attacks Las Pegasus With Vampire Army!

The picture below the headline was that of the Pegasus Strip, clearly at what was nighttime and taken from indoors. What looked like the unholy combination of pony and bat was descending on the cloudy streets, each of them either tackling or scooping up fleeing civilians, foals included. Each pony had their blood-stained fangs bared, with some ready to sink into another's neck. Their red eyes glowed under the neon lights, and the shadows of even more of those monsters hovered over the pavement.

So it really did happen. A aching tingle erupted in Cheese's neck, and he rubbed it in an attempt to soothe it. That was the event that he had forgotten? When he had imagined it upon Pinkie telling him, it wasn't nearly as disturbing of an image as this. He attempted to search for himself in the picture, but to no avail... he did see the Great and Powerful Trixie in the background, fighting some off with a frying pan. He hoped she didn't get bitten.

Then he remembered that he may have almost got bitten. In a scene like that, with palpable fear and even the sight of blood, there was no way the situation was in any way funny, even with him involved. This was clearly the stuff of nightmares! Rubbing his head as it began to ache, he wondered if he even wanted his memory of the event back. Whoever had stolen it, they can keep it.

He gave the newspaper back to the conspiracy theorist, and started crossing the street without looking both ways.

Coco, however, only looked in one direction of the street before shouting, "Cheese, wait! There's a--"

A driver trying to skid to a halt rammed into him, and Cheese Sandwich was sent flying.

Coco winced at the sight. "...carriage."

He inadvertently curled up in a ball as he soared through the neighborhood. He bumped into one building, and then another. And another. And another. In fact, he was bumping into a lot of buildings in the manner of a pinball, hitting the walls of buildings with distinct pinging noises, much to the confusion of pedestrians. He narrowly missed a lot of ponies, each looking as if they nearly had a heart attack. He was also bouncing off various carriages and buggies, cracking a lot of windows, and bending several street lamps as he ricocheted around the block.

"Oh, dear!" Coco looked both ways before running across the street, chasing Cheese in his large pinball game.

---

"...and that's when he zoomed in on his wagon! And he picked me up and we rided down the street away from the evil candy pony!" Tomato rambled, dancing the motions on the sidewalk in front of Penny and Noble. Two legs could be considered clumsy for a colt his age, but little Tommy was surprisingly graceful in his reenactment, flowing through the zooming motions, bouncing off the walls of nearby buildings, standing up, and pointing with ease. He barely dodged pedestrians, who gave him looks of either confusion or annoyance.

A starry-eyed Noble leaned on his mother's back. "Wow... your big brother sounds so awesome! He's like a real superhero!"

Tomato bounced alongside the gray mare, still looking up at the gray colt. "Of course he's awesome! Did I mention his acker-dee-dum?" He stood up and pumped his hooves as if he were squeezing something large between them. "He plays it lots, and we dance and sing and make funny faces..."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Penny replied.

Noble pouted. "I wish I had a big brother."

"I'm afraid that's not possible, sweetheart." Penny gave a small smile toward him. "However, your father and I have been discussing giving you a little brother or sister..."

Noble gasped. "You mean I can be the big brother?"

"If you're willing to be as amazing as Cheese."

Noble clapped and grinned at Tomato. "Oh boy! Did you hear that? I can be a big brother! Can Cheese give me big brother lessons?"

"If we find out where Tommy lives, I'll consider arranging a playdate."

Tomato grinned and bounced. "Cheese will love giving you big brother lessons! It'll be lots of fun with him teaching you acker-dee-dum and cowspies and tiny parties and funny faces... and singing! Singing's lotsa fun and we're really good at it, wanna hear? I have a song in my head I wanna sing."

"Go ahead and sing," Penny said.

Tomato let his angelic little voice rang, "Somewhere there's a mountain... it must be far away..." Tomato put a hoof to his chin. "Uh... something something some-thing... darn, I forgot the words."

"That's a beautiful song, I've never heard it before," Penny said, tapping a hoof in applause alongside Noble's clapping.

"Yeah, I overheard Flora singing it once. She's got a lovely voice." Right after the words escaped his mouth, Tomato's expression took on a perplexed form. "Wait... who's Flora?"

Before either Penny or Noble could reply, they were interrupted by the loud pinging, similar to that of a pinball machine. They looked across the street, where ponies who had been strolling in a humdrum manner before suddenly jumped and ducked. A couple seconds passed as a large wad of orange, yellow, and brown struck the building right behind where the ponies had stood, and bounced off to directly across the street, prompting even more ponies, including Penny to duck as well. Screams sounded as the ball of fur rebounded left and right, with one pony even getting slammed into a wall at one point, another getting knocked into the nearest building, and a carrot dog vendor having his umbrella knocked off his cart.

As other ponies rushed away from the street, one off-white mare arrived, gauging the gamboge ball as it ricocheted on the street. Her eyes fell on the trio, and she gasped. She looked up at the furball to yell something, but she thought better of it when it bent a street lamp. Biting her lip, she looked between the furball and the group, specifically Tomato, before she screamed, stared straight at the street signs on the corner for a few moments, and repeated the street name to herself as she followed the furball around the other corner.

"Huh, it's almost like my sister is in town. And is it just me, or did that mare look familiar?" Penny looked around at the shaking, wide-eyed ponies, all the while maintaining her own composure. "Never mind that, let's get you to the police station as fast as we can, Tomato."

Tomato was wide-eyed himself. "That was so weird! Is that what Mama means when she says I bounce off the walls?"

He eyed the carrot dog cart, with the grumbling vendor trying to fix his umbrella. "Oooh! I love carrot dogs!"

Before Penny could stop him, he zipped to the cart, and bounced in place in front of it with a big grin. He still grinned as the mustard-coated stallion looked down at him, his whiskered chin in a curious pout.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Hi, I'm Tommy and I'd like to have a carrot dog please!"

The umbrella clicked, and the stallion released it, only for it to fall again. With a sigh, his marigold eyes looked at him. "Tommy, huh? I knew a Tommy when I was a colt..." His eyes widened as he continued to stare at the colt. "And uh... oddly enough, you look a lot like him..."

Tomato tilted his head. "Does that mean I get a discount, Squirt?"

The stallion blinked. "You even know my colthood nickname. That's just creepy."

Tomato gasped. "I guessed your nickname?! Oh, oh, is it short for Mustard Squirt Bottle?"

Squirt backed away. "My full name, too? What the hay, kid?!"

Tomato whooped and jumped. "Yay! I get a hundred percent discount! It's free! It's free! It's freeeeee..."

Squirt plopped down on the sidewalk, threw his white paper hat on the ground, and threw his hooves up. "I never said anything about a discount! Heck, you're too young to know about discounts!" He glared at the dancing colt in front of him. "If your name is Tomato Sandwich, you're not getting a discount."

Tomato stopped his dance, growled, and stomped as hard as he could on the sidewalk. "Augh! No fair! I never told you my name! How did you know?"

Squirt stared at him with wide eyes, and ran his hoof through his brown and green mane. "Please tell me this is a dream."

Penny caught up, and glared at Tomato. "Look, we shouldn't dilly dally with the carrot dog vendor. I'm sorry if you're hungry, but it's best that we get to the police station so that your family can find you. And, well, they'll feed you."

Tomato turned to her and pouted. "But I'm hungry right now!"

"Well, maybe if you're lucky, one of the officers will give you a donut."

Tomato's pout intensified into a scowl. "I'm in no mood for a donut."

"I'd like a donut," Noble said, licking his lips.

Penny rubbed a temple. "Do you want your grandparents to find you or not? And I'm sure Cheese is worried about you as well."

Tomato growled at her, but that growl morphed into a groan, and he started to clutch his stomach. Penny, Noble, and Squirt watched as the colt began to glow, and he steadily grew larger. His pig-nosed snout sharpened into a fine muzzle befitting of a young stallion, and he shed some of his baby fat. Once the glowing had stopped, Tomato unrolled out of his ball, now resembling a colt that was just under ten.

Squirt stared at the colt for a moment, and rubbed his head. "I need to stop taking trips to the bar."

Tomato looked up and blinked. Squinting his eyes, he asked aloud, "Am I in the city? What am I doing here?" He felt his face. "Where are my glasses?" He pulled at his cheeks, stuck his hoof in his mane, and then in his tail. "I don't even have my spares! Oh, no, Mom's gonna kill me..."

He stood up, walked to the corner, and then shimmied up the street sign. Squinting at the sign, he gasped, and muttered, "This is the street the police station's on!" He slid back down and turned to the blurry gray blob that was behind him, pointing to the crosswalk he stood next to. "Uh... you pony... can you tell me if this is the right way to the police station? I have something important I need to do."

"Yes, that's the right way..." Penny answered, with an uncertain lilt to her voice. "We were headed there anyway, Tomato."

Tomato's eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"

"You... you told me."

Tomato backed up. "But... I don't know anypony with that voice, or has that mane and coat color combo... or... or... I don't know you!"

"Did you forget me?" Noble said. A whine came from his throat. "We just became friends!"

Tomato backed up into the street, his fearful eyes gleaming like he had just been stabbed. "Don't be silly! I don't have any friends, everypony hates me now!"

"Tomato, get out of the street!" Penny yelled.

A carriage barely missed Tomato's nose, and made him stumble back. His heart pounding, he barely had any time to process what just happened when he heard another carriage coming his way. The driver of said carriage saw him, and attempted to swerve out of the way, just missing Penny, Noble, and Squirt, and sending the carrot dog stand flying, much to the vendor's distressed cries.

The stand hit a taxi carriage, with the driver galloping away from the wreck without realizing that he wasn't even pulling it anymore. Another driver skidded to a halt when seeing the wreck; unfortunately, those behind him and those crossing on that very intersection weren't fast enough at stopping, and the result was a cacophony of skids, crashes, and howls of pain accompanied one big splintery pile of wood and ponies.

Tomato rolled out of the street, panting from his near death experience. Standing up shakily, he attempted to walk to the station by himself, but Penny and Noble zoomed across the street and stopped him.

"Okay, I hope you have a good explanation for your sudden growth spurt and why you didn't listen when I told you to get out of the street," Penny growled.

Tomato pushed her away and tried to run. "Stop following me!"

There was a clang as he bumped into a stop sign and cried out in pain. With a growl, he yelled, "I'd be able to find my way around if I just had my stupid glasses!"

Noble leaned over his mother's shoulder and pulled at her front pocket. "Can your reading glasses help him, Mama?"

"I don't know," Penny replied. "They might not be the right kind." With a sigh, she said, "Look, I assure you that Noble and I are friendly, and we'll read the signs for you in order to help."

Tomato glared at the gray blur before him. "How do I know you're not gonna kidnap me?"

"We just want to return you to your grandparents and brother--that's what you told us your problem is. Do you remember that conversation?"

Tomato blinked, his lashes getting damp as he fought the lump in his throat. "That can't be right... Gramma and Grampa are dead, and... and my brother..."

He took a deep breath and yelled, "That's why I need to get to the police station! I wanna know if they found him yet!"

Penny blinked. "Wait, I thought you were lost, not your brother."

"I might as well be lost without my glasses..." Tomato glanced up, taking a closer look to get a clearer picture of the mare's face. "I... guess you're friendly? You're obviously a mother, so I guess you're not that bad. You'll read the signs to help me get to the station, right?"

"On my honor."

"Me too!" Noble chirped.

Tomato sighed. "Okay. Let's go."

---

When they finally made it to the police station, Tomato did not hesitate to jump onto the information desk and demand answers on the whereabouts of his brother. The officer at the desk told him to settle down, and asked that Tomato be more calm and clear with his request. The officer in question was older and had been part of the force for fifteen years, but had quite the amazing memory. So when he heard the name and description of a young Cheese Sandwich, he realized why this exact scene, down to the worried colt in question, was so familiar.

What confused him was how that same colt apparently never grew up--by now, this little red (he didn't care what his fellow officer said, that kid was red to him) colt should be a young adult, or at least a teenager. He had never quite got the Sandwich brother's age.

And when he calmly explained that that case had been closed years ago, and that Cheese Sandwich was now an adult...

Tomato's eyes widened, and out came the great scream of "WHAT?!"

---

Coco didn't know how she could keep up with Cheese, but she managed to follow the ricocheting stallion around the city, going around in circles, and weaving around blocks. She pushed her way through crowds, who often yelled at her for that and only received a hasty apology from her. Even worse was that she saw Tomato at some point, but she couldn't pause for long to confirm, lest she lose Cheese. She wouldn't be able to explain the weird age situation to him without his brother, after all! So, she made sure to memorize the street that she last saw him.

She followed him until he bounced across a bridge to one of the smaller neighborhoods. She considered it a miracle that he didn't fly off the bridge and plummet into the water, only hitting the support beams, buggies of all shapes and sizes, and a train that happened to be rolling in. She paused to take a breath once she saw that he was slowing down and going straight, reasoning that she could catch up to him later.

Her legs were ready to collapse under her any moment, and her lungs were sore as she panted. "Oh... I always... hated... gym class!"

---

It was deep in the neighborhood that Cheese finally unrolled out of his ball. The soreness that permeated his body, especially the pain that gripped his brain, squeezed a groan out of him. The blue sky above him was spinning, as if he was lying on a merry-go-round. Clangs of rusty bells were in his ears, echoing their thunderous noises to draw more pain from his headache. His stomach churned and bubbled within, threatening to overflow had he been allowed to continue in the Manehattan pinball game. And once again, he felt as if he was floating away again.

"Hey!"

Cheese winced from the echoes of that shout, and looked up at an annoyed taxi driver.

"You're right in the middle of the road!"

Celestia, that echo hurt! That was a painful reminder of why he needed that memory back. At least Cheese was able to understand him, and forced his aching body to roll on the hard pavement all the way to the gutter. Now nestled between the road and the sidewalk, tiny pebbles piercing his skin, he watched the taxi driver trot away in a huff. Now that he wasn't in anypony's way... maybe it was a good time for a nap. So, he closed his eyes.

Then, he heard a vibrating, feminine voice say, "Of all the things I expected today, finding my eldest son in the gutter was not one of them."

Cheese snapped his eyes open, and looked up to find a familiar mare of golden yellow. Her mane was a reddish-orange color, her ponytail a bush behind her neck and a distinctive curled forelock above her head. Her eyes were the sharpest brown out of anypony in Equestria, managing to stand out among her thick lashes. She wore a purple pearl necklace crowned by an aquamarine gemstone--a piece of jewelry far too fine for someone of her low social class.

Cheese stared at her for a moment before croaking, "...hi, Mom."

His mother, Mozzarella, still glared at him. "Get up."

Cheese groaned, and he rolled onto his stomach. He boosted himself up with his front legs, despite the soreness making them shake and nearly making him stumble back to the ground. Once he balanced himself, he turned to her, rubbing his head. "Watch the tone; I've been having a bad day."

Mozzarella raised an eyebrow. "A bad day? And here I was thinking that a 'party pony' could not have one of those."

He sighed and was about to ask what she was doing in this neighborhood, but a quick look around at the modest homes and some of the residents walking about convinced him otherwise. Some ponies were walking about without a care in the world--some of them resembling classmates of his from when he he was a colt. He hated the fact that all of those former classmates that he saw were those bullies that were always on the forefront of his mind when remembering school.

There was the ever-spoiled Skippy Bit, always bribing other foals and even teachers to look the other way when he did something wrong; the bad-tempered Yorker, who had broken Cheese's glasses at least three times--and got him in trouble with his mother for that. A mare reminded him of the notorious River Belle, who took pride in literal mudslinging and water dumping with best pegasus friend Zippy. From around the corner came Wally, ever full of greed and stealing any spare bits Cheese had on hoof. And there came Skeeter Pumpkineater, who definitely looked like a pumpkin and used size to his advantage. And then Balcony Flowerbox trotted by, and he exchanged glares of mutual disgust with her before she left.

Tense in his already aching muscles and the echos of both past and present ringing in his ears, he started wondering when these ponies would notice him and start laughing about all the torment they put him through. He was already feeling the pangs of anger just looking at his mother, for all her bossy, harsh, insensitive nature--he did not need those jerks making things worse.

"You know... seeing you reminds me..." Mozzarella said, examining her own hoof. As she set the hoof down, she asked, "Where's your brother?"

Shoot. How was he going to explain to her the Fountain of Youth thing and the fact that Tomato's lost in Manehattan? Heck, it'd be worse if she asked about what happened in Las Pegasus--Pinkie had said that Tomato turned into a vampire. He was thankful that she most likely didn't know about both her sons' involvement in that--if she did, she'd ask about details that Cheese didn't have at the moment.

Mozzarella forced his head closer to hers so that they were eye to eye. "I asked you a question."

He hated the eye-to-eye tactic. "Oh, he's... at the library! Yeah, Manehattan Public Library! I asked him to research a... a..." His brain screamed as he tried to think. "...aaaabout the recorded history of... theater! Yeah, there's a theater party in Central Park that I'm helping somepony throw for various friends she has in Manehattan. I just got hit by a carriage, sending me bouncing around the city, and I ended... up... here." Cheese pursed his lips and rubbed his leg. "In my home neighborhood." He forced himself to grin at her. "Funny, isn't it?"

Mozzarella's lips were tight before she answered, "Yes, hilarious. Ha ha. You know what else is funny?" She released him and stomped a hoof. "How he blatantly lied to me about what he was doing at the beginning of his summer vacation!"

Figures Tomato didn't tell her. Not that Cheese could blame him, but he did set up at least one of them facing their mother's wrath. He didn't want to think about what Tommy would face come the end of summer.

Mozzarella continued, "He told me that he was just seeing a friend off at the train station. You know, the hippie, since Bluejinx and those actor twins had already left by then. But I smelled something fishy when night fell and he still hadn't returned home. I asked a worker at the station, and they confirmed that he met you there, and went with you on some adventure. At the very least, he didn't go with the tramp and elope with her; on the other hoof, who knows what kind of debauchery he'd commit when with you!"

Cheese smacked his forehead, and slid his hoof down his face. "Mom, I've told you a million times that I don't do those kinds of parties! I strive to make them for ponies of all ages! And furthermore, if you knew some of the things he's done during the trip, you would be proud!" His voice lowered into a darker tone. "Then again... it's hard to make you proud, isn't it?"

Mozzarella snorted. "It's hard to be proud when ponies comment on how much of freaks both my sons are, and shift blame on me for any trouble they cause." She grumbled under her breath, "As if I hadn't received enough blame for my sister's crocodile tears back in fillyhood."

She shook her head. "Why couldn't you just succeed in a normal job like a normal pony? Why can't you just let your brother be and let him be the normal one? I do not appreciate this vacation you two are taking without my permission."

Cheese held a vicious glower toward her, with tight lips, clenched teeth, and wrinkles on his nose and brow. "Oh, yeah, freak! As if you were ever a good motivator! How about words of encouragement instead of scaring me? How about some comfort after all these jerks--" He made a sweeping gesture toward his now grown classmates. "--pummeled me, covered me in filth, locked me out of the school, or unleashed whatever other torment on me just for being that shy, weird geek? Or how about just letting me be a kid back then?" He poked her chest, making her step back. "And last time I checked, I don't need your permission to bond with my brother."

Skeeter Pumpkineater protested from his spot across the street, "Hey, wait, I don't remember doing anything to a pony like you!"

Cheese turned to him, still holding his glare, whipped out a pair of his old glasses, and set them on his muzzle. Skeeter staggered back as Cheese jumped toward him and snarled, "Remember 'Four-Eyes'?"

Skeeter blinked, and his eyes widened in realization. "Wait, you're...?"

Cheese ignored him, and glanced at Wally at the corner, who was clad in a suit and tie. He zoomed right into his face, watching him sweat. "How about 'Poofhead'?"

A trembling River Belle on the opposite corner squeaked when Cheese popped up in front of her. "How's it feel to be the 'Squeaker' now?"

He rolled to Skippy Bit, and pointed at his flank. "Hey, look, I'm not a blank flank anymore!"

Skippy Bit stuttered, "W-w-we already knew you weren't a blank flank anymore! I-I-It's so obvious that you'd earn your cutie mark by now! Why are you so angry... uh... Curly?"

Cheese growled. "The name is Cheese Sandwich. And quite frankly, I don't want to be here!"

"Cheese Alfred Sandwich!" Mozzarella yelled. "Leave bystanders out of our discussion!"

Cheese snorted, and walked back to his mother. "Yeah, sure, have me at your beck and call for now, but don't you dare suggest that it was all in my head, that I just imagined their cruelty and was overreacting to everything. At least Tommy realized he was insensitive about the situation as a colt, unlike the rest of you..."

He swept his eyes around the block, taking note of the ponies that stared, especially the former bullies. "None of you seem to think that you did anything wrong."

There was a pause as everyone was staring. The tension was palpable, especially with an angry party pony just a few yards away. Soon, one by one, they left, not wanting to deal with the fallout that was sure to erupt. Fear and confusion were especially evident on the former bullies' faces, and some softly murmured about how the Sandwiches seem to have scary tempers.

Once all had left, Mozzarella replied, "Making assumptions on everyone's character now? That's not a good way to argue."

"Well, I'm not assuming anything about your character, am I?" Cheese huffed.

"You assumed a lot about your brother whenever you visited to try to 'cheer him up'. And it was always the same thing every time. He has a bad day like we all do, you show up, do your silly circus acts, and when he refuses to crack a smile, you change face to your mean side and wonder why he's so unhappy when his life is 'perfect'. Even if I have a part in Tomato's change... don't you realize that you're a big influence on his attitude as well?"

Cheese paused, and sighed. "Look... I realized how I was hurting him last fall... can't you realize your part in hurting him?"

Mozzarella shook her head. "If I'm going to be honest... if he emulates that freak nature of yours, how is the business world supposed to take him seriously? The city has no patience for ponies of that nature, so I best nip it in the bud before he embarrasses himself. Then again, he's already done that, and his blatant disobedience is not helping matters."

Cheese snorted. "Of course... why am I not surprised? Well, I intend to spend the whole summer with him, no matter what you say, and we're only halfway done. Maybe it'll give him a chance to release some of that 'freakiness' that he's pent up for years."

Mozzarella narrowed her eyes. "Of course you won't listen. But maybe you'll listen when I say that he better still be in one piece by summer's end. You know how he tends to get into trouble."

Cheese turned his back on her. "Don't worry about it. I want him in one piece too."

"I intend to have a word with him the next time I see him... he could get it over with while you're still here, or put it off until the end of the summer. It's his choice."

"Puh," Cheese spat as he started walking through the neighborhood and headed back to the bridge. He thought about just ignoring his mother and forget about bringing Tomato home, and instead keep his baby bro by his side not just for the rest of the summer, but for the rest of his life. After all, what could be better than two best brother buddies having adventures throughout Equestria together? Isn't that what Tommy always wanted, to grow closer with him and have that same bond like they were little? Cheese was sure it'd be a blast!

Then again, Tomato would not be happy about being a college dropout, or having minimal contact with his friends, who wouldn't be able to know where to send letters. While Tommy probably could manage finances behind the scenes on their travels, who's to say that he wouldn't want to establish his own business in an actual building... and in an actual city? What if Tommy wanted to settle down with a nice mare and raise a family? The thought of him as a father boggled Cheese's mind, and he hoped that he didn't end up like their own father.

The modest homes gave way to larger buildings, boasting businesses of all kinds. One such building was an old red one, with a large sign above large windows, and a spring green door facing the corner. He paused in his tracks, the imagined smell of pizza wafting through his nose, and the taste filling his mouth. Good memories had been made in that building, and he wanted to see if Tomato went in there to see his dear grandparents. It hurt to think of the disappointment Tomato would face when learning that they're gone.

Cheese smiled sadly. "Gee, I wonder how Tommy's going to react when he finds out he's actually..."

Cheese didn't dare finish the sentence with his brother's true age. Tomato still had some growing up to do, no doubt about it. Still, it didn't stop Cheese's heart from sinking over the fact that his baby brother was becoming an adult. And it hurt to think that he had missed most of Tomato's adolescence, feud or not.

He ran his hoof through his mane, groaning from yet another headache, and looked back at the neighborhood several blocks back. A pang of guilt hit him in the chest, and he thought about going back there to apologize to those ponies for letting his anger about colthood get to him and derail the discussion. However, he trudge on forward, deciding that their fear wasn't the right reason for any regret. Nor was the fact that he's now the Super Duper Party Pony that was worth respecting.

He hated to admit it, but he despised being in this city. Even with the good memories like playing with Tommy and visiting their grandparents, layers were being peeled away to reveal his own bitterness about the rest. He shouldn't let the dark days of his colthood taint his visits here, but unlike most other times in most other cities, he couldn't exactly 'forgive and forget'.

He passed many more various buildings, be they apartments or businesses, along several blocks, and soon found himself nearing the bridge. He thought of something he had told Pinkie before: "I vowed that day to change my life, the past I did set free."

He sure tried.

He ended up bumping into Coco, much to his surprise. He had been certain that he had accidentally left her behind on that corner, and he had no idea how she tracked him down. However, seeing as her face was just fading from redness and her legs were simply carrying her at a safe, almost-non-painful pace, he could tell that he ended up putting her through a bit of torment.

"Sorry about getting us sidetracked like that... you look don't look so good!" he said.

Coco waved a hoof. "No trouble... no trouble... but I have good news."

"Yeah?"

"I caught sight of Tomato earlier as you were bouncing off the buildings, and I memorized the street name!" She smiled brightly at him. "He was with a mare and what I think is her son, and they were clearly heading toward the police station."

Cheese blinked as he took in the news, and his face slowly broke into a large grin. Then, he whooped and jumped high in the air, hovering as he yelled, "He's not dead! It's a miracle, my baby bro is not dead!" He landed back on his hooves, and scratched his chin. "We might have to figure out a way to not scare him and get in trouble with the police, but by golly, we have a lead!"

He bolted off into the city, shouting, "Come on, let's go!"

Coco turned and cried, "No, wait! Leeeeeegs..."

As she flopped down on the sidewalk, moaning in agony, Cheese zipped back, and said, "Oh, right. Sorry..."

---

After an argument with that police officer about time, what year it was, and Cheese's apparent state as an adult stallion, Tomato had stormed out of the station, claiming to be heading home. However, Penny had remembered his myopia, and wondered why he didn't just ask for an escort home so that he didn't have to worry about bumping into trouble. So, she caught up with him, and asked him that very question.

Tomato refused to answer, even as Penny pressed him. The wreck earlier should have proved to him that it was dangerous for him to walk alone in the city without his glasses, and yet he was intending to do just that. She tried to guess what it was that was bothering him. Was it anger at the police sparking off pride? Was he just disoriented by somehow ending up in the future? Or was he upset about having missed his big brother growing up?

They stood at a corner, she read the street name, and continued on, crossing the street to the next block. Then they turned another corner and went straight forward in silence, passing several blocks until they came to a view of the river. By then, Noble had fallen asleep, and Penny had to keep him balanced on her back.

Tomato went forward to the railing, and leaned on it in order to stare off into space. It wasn't as if he could pinpoint anything with his blurry view of anything further than his muzzle. "Look... you don't have to follow me. I can find my way home."

Penny raised an eyebrow. "Something tells me that you're lying, and you don't intend on going home."

Tomato snorted. "What does it matter to you? I'm a kid stuck in the future, and I don't know if I'll be able to go back. If I do go back and get to grow up... I guess I'd like to find older me right now, just to see what I'm like. And maybe find Cheese too, and ask him when he came back, and if he forgives me."

Penny recalled the argument, which involved matters of time, the date, and a flurry of confusing information about Cheese Sandwich's age, as well as that of Tomato Sandwich. Those two names stuck out to her, those being the names of the stallions that had helped her two youngest siblings, Silver Shill and Comedy Gold, with a couple of big problems they had. She wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence, Silver was encouraged to open a restaurant by a little kid, or Tomato ended up getting hit with an age spell. If she recalled correctly, time travel was too difficult a spell to maintain for long by any unicorn, as a friend once told her.

Noble stirred on her back and let out a sleepy sigh, and she in turn tenderly stroked his mane.

Tomato had glanced back to see that action, and sighed. "Even then... I don't really like going home. For a long time, I had lots of fun with my friends, and got to see lots of new things in this city. It's always amazing to find something new in a city you lived in for so long. It's like... finding out a family member's secret."

Tomato brushed his hoof back and forth on the top of the railing. "But going home... it's just so cold and lonely. Dad's always working on stuff he brought home from his job; Mom only asks me about homework or snaps at me when I do something bad... she doesn't even have a sense of humor!"

He hugged the railing. "And then... my big brother. He used to play with me when I was little, but for some reason, he now pushes me away, locks himself in our room, and just turns his back on me. I tried to help him beat his shyness and show my friends how amazing he really is, but that just made everypony mad... and I don't like mad, it scares me. 'Specially when Cheese exploded at me for breaking his accordion, and ran away after that. I didn't even get to say 'I'm sorry'."

Penny walked to his side. "So... are you saying you have a dreary family life?"

"I guess you could say that." Even with his vision, Tomato could see that the sun was beginning its descent to the western horizon, though said horizon was blocked by many towers. "Can't cry about it; I'm a big colt, after all. Last time I cried, everypony laughed at me and made fun of me for missing Cheese." Tomato sniffed and wiped his eye. "I can't help being sad; I lost my best friend."

Penny reached forward and patted his back. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love, and try to be strong for everypony else. I went through the same thing when my father died." She looked back at her sleeping son. "I named my firstborn 'Noble Metal' in his honor."

She turned back to Tomato. "It's normal to feel sad when those things happen, and it takes a long time to heal... even then, you don't feel like you'll be the same. I'm sorry you haven't had much in the way of support--that's what a grieving soul needs."

Tomato put a hoof to his chin. "Well... I still have my friend Bluejinx. He's still my friend, and stays in class with me during recess, and helps me with my homework... I'm usually good at school, but I can't really think straight and I get headaches." He smiled. "At least this trip to the future says that Cheese is okay, and he grows up..." He frowned again. "I just really hope he's still not mad at me."

Penny smiled at him. "I don't think he will be. I hear Cheese Sandwich is a nice fellow, and you're too wonderful of a pony for him to hate."

Tomato had turned and smiled back, enjoying this lady's presence. Normally, it was wise to heed the advice of not talking to strangers; but he was grateful that he was lucky enough to come across a nice stranger. It struck him as odd that she already knew his name, but she really did have an interest in bringing him to the police station, or even home. It'd be nice to meet her and Noble again after this.

Much to his surprise, he suddenly found himself glowing. Before he could remark on it, a sharp pain erupted in his abdomen. He clutched his belly, and rocked in an attempt to soothe himself. Groaning, he just felt first aches of his slowly extending bones, his stretching skin and muscles, and all his organs working overdrive to support the growth before everything went black.

Penny watched as the glowing Tomato grew bigger once again. An extra shine on his flank ended up waking Noble up, and the small colt rubbed his eyes and blinked as a young adolescent Tomato emerged from his aura, with a cutie mark to boot. And for some reason, he was scowling.

Tomato looked up at Penny and squinted, feeling his face for his glasses. After a moment, he backed up, giving her a wary glare. "Who are you?"

Penny sighed, wondering if he was going to forget her every time that happened. "My name is Platinum Pen, and the colt on my back is Noble Metal. I promise we're friendly, and I'm here to help you."

Noble blinked. "Whoa... Tommy grew up to a big kid!"

Tomato looked at his legs, which had grown longer, and growled in a cracking voice, "I'm not a kid! I'm an official teenager now! See the growth spurt I'm having right now, or are you hearing my deepening voice?"

Penny was not impressed. "Don't talk to my son like that. Now... I've heard about you and your brother. How is he?"

Tomato's glare sharpened. "You mean that arrogant, self-righteous jerk? He can go to Tartarus for all I care!"

Penny blinked. "Huh?"

"What happened?" Noble asked.

Tomato snorted and turned around. "It's none of your business."

As Tomato broke into his canter and crossed the street, Penny attempted to follow, only for a buggy to pass by. The buggy passed, but Tomato had disappeared. Crossing the street and rushing to the next corner, she looked left and right to see if he had turned anywhere, but he was not in sight.

Noble climbed up onto her head and looked around. "I don't see him, Mama!"

"Me neither. Judging by his squinting, he still needs glasses, and he's now at that age where he thinks he knows everything, including how to survive without them... or worse." Penny kept looking around, biting her lip as she waited for the indication that it was okay to cross. "I don't know if anypony else will help him before it's too late."

---

Cheese and Coco had caught a taxi to take them to the very street the latter had described, and their hearts were beating in anticipation as they approached ever closer to the location. Cheese's leg bounced impatiently when the taxi stopped, every second that could be used to find Tomato, explain things, and get back to the party being wasted in watching a little old mare crossing the street. It was no help that his head was pounding, but there was no way he was pausing to take his medicine until Tommy was safe.

A sensation bit his flank and made him shudder, causing Coco to lean back and ask, "What was that?"

Cheese rubbed his flank. "Dang, Cheesy Sense doesn't usually act up unless I'm done with a party. And... it's telling me that... Tomato earned his cutie mark?" He blinked, and his eyes widened as he realized what that meant. "Oh, boy, what age is he now? In any case, I better find him and give him his glasses!"

The taxi moved once again. Coco said, "Don't worry, we're almost there... and, uh, do you need some itching ointment?"

Cheese was now scratching his flanks like crazy, alternating between his hooves and tail to relieve his itch. He turned to her with a pained grin. "Oh, no worries, Cheesy Sense is just telling me I have to resolve an old conflict with him... ugh, again."

Comments

[redmar]

This is going to be awkward when they find Tomato again. Hopefully he will be back to his normal age soon.
It's also a bit problematic that Tomato doesn't remember anything from between his growth spurts.

[Goldfinch142]

Penny is awfully calm about witnessing not one, but two age-ups. Guess she's the kind of pony who takes weirdness in stride. She does have a party pony for a sister, after all.

Jeez, Mozzarella, lighten up. No need to call Cheese names. Poor Tommy, having to face her at some point.

I can't see teenaged Tomato willing to forgive adult Cheese all that easily. There's bound to be a fight. It probably won't result in a broken leg, though. And even if it did, it would probably heal with the next age-up. Followed by it breaking again as he passes the events of Brother Bothers...

I can't help but think Tommy's going to start getting embarrassed about his nudeness and start hiding in bushes and being all sneaky-like.

[howard035]

Great to see that big confrontation with Mozzarella we all knew was needed. She's brusque as usual, but she's a good arguer, and she does have a few points about Cheese drifting by and not really being part of Tommy's life when he was a teenager. Of course, I love that Mamma Sandwich is already judging "that hippie pony." She is headed for an unpleasant surprise in a few years!

It was nice that Cheese called out a lot of his former bullies, now that they are old enough to have matured and feel remorse for their action, I hope he's given them food for thought. I kind of hope this series ends with a big Manehatten party where Tommy and Cheese get to finally break through to their parents and peers, and effect some kind of reconciliation.

[Godslittleprincess]

Oh gosh! If Mozzarella ever finds out about everything those boys went through already, they're never going to live it down. Maybe she'd be useful in a military academy.