Brotherly Bonding Time

by Sketcha-Holic

15.7--A Firm Foundation

Sitting in Spires Garden was a favorite pastime of Flora Peace--if anything, it was the one place that she felt matched her name best. There was always a peace that came with just simple meditation and pondering when surrounded by fragrant flowers and shady trees. Birds sang and bees buzzed, and there was little chatter from passersby touring around the square. Sitting on the edge of a fountain basin, she just had to close her eyes and imagine herself by a waterfall, feeling and smelling the cool mist. Even with the chaos that had happened earlier, she appeared calm as a summer's morning.

It didn't mean that she was happy, however. Guilt was a strong emotion, one that eats away at one's core the longer it's held in. Flora felt like there was something she should have done to prevent Cheese's rampage down the parade. Something to prevent the mess of candy that was scattered along the street and buildings of the parade route, the cannons having possibly hurt civilians. Something to have kept her own cousin out of trouble.

"Flora?"

She opened her eyes, finding Tomato standing between two of the garden islands just meters away. His brow was creased with concern, but his mouth pouted in a sense of confusion. He stood there silently, as if he was awaiting an answer that he asked a parent. Flora always found it strange that for all his resemblance to a mature adult, there was a whimsical, childlike air about him, especially evident in his eyes.

"I thought you were going back with the others," she said.

Tomato slowly ambled forward. "I just want to know what you're upset about."

"What, a girl can't want to be alone without being upset?"

"You make it fairly obvious." Tomato sat down next to her. "You know... I'd expect somebody be happy that they stopped a pony from shooting the city's main landmark." Tomato gestured to the Salt Spires nearby. "I don't think anypony would have liked seeing chocolate or taffy staining it."

"Oh, no, I... am a bit happy that I talked him down and that he's seeing a doctor." She glanced at him. "He was just fine when I last saw you two. What exactly happened between then and now?"

Tomato fiddled with his white shirt. "I really don't know. Weird things have been going on for about a month, from the headaches to forgetting things to getting kind of irritable to most recently hallucinations. I want to know what's going on, but I'm not sure I want to really anger him with mentioning the point where it started to go downhill."

"Well, after his doctor's visit, he's going to have to come clean to someone. They'll probably recommend a therapist."

Tomato paused for a moment to let it sink in and think about it, but then shook his head. "Well, fair enough. But right now, I'm concerned with how you're being kind of glum. Does it have anything to do with your cousin?"

Flora scoffed. "Which one?"

"You know the one."

Flora took a deep breath and covered her stinging eyes. "I failed her! I failed to introduce a change in her attitude before it was too late! Every summer since I've started college, I've been trying to be patient with her, trying to make sure my family let her feel welcome here, trying to teach her about honesty and kindness and having fun without all the style that Manehattan provides!"

Tomato winced. Flora assumed that he was disappointed that she had failed to turn her own cousin's attitude around--especially since said cousin was a major source of anguish for him. She wished she could have gotten Creme to at least apologize to Tomato.

She threw her front legs up. "And I kept my family from mentioning you to her because that could have led to trouble like we just witnessed, and maybe I should have dragged her along with me and Cheese and Bananas this morning so that she couldn't mess with the medicine that Cheese forgot!" She snorted. "I don't get what her problem with you is. All I know is that she looks down on you for coming from a lower-income family."

Tomato's mouth was in an O shape. He slowly closed it and nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "Well... I think she might have had a bit of a one-sided rivalry with me over who gets the attention of the schoolyard. Can't have a little 'plebeian' like me making more friends than her, miraculously with no candy or toys to bribe them with. Doesn't help my crush must have been horribly annoying for her. I wonder if she doesn't get enough attention at home."

She slouched forward and leaned in her hooves. "I wouldn't be surprised. When I went to Manehattan for the first time, I discovered just how busy Uncle Custard and Aunt Jasmine are. They're really nice ponies, no doubt, but their jobs are demanding."

"I always did found their mansion kind of big and lonely, even with the servants. Still doesn't excuse how awful of a pony she is, but I do wonder if it could have been prevented."

Flora sighed. "Yeah. And now my family failed cleaning up the mess. Maybe if I had just settled for a college here in the valley instead of going across the country, then I could have done more."

Tomato leaned forward. "Why didn't you, then?"

Flora straightened up a little and twiddled her hooves. "Well... have you ever had the impression that you needed to do a certain thing or go to a certain place? When browsing through my options, I had a strong feeling that I was needed in Manehattan. Me and the rest of my family thought it was to comfort my aunt and uncle about their discovery about their daughter, plus, I was feeling a little adventurous, so I followed through with that impression. And you know... I don't regret it, because I met you."

Tomato blinked, his eyes wide with awe. Flora could barely catch a hint of blush across the stallion's face, and she smiled as he cleared his throat and said, "Oh? Well, I'm glad you came to my city, because, well, I've had problems making and keeping friends during my adolescence. Longest friendship sans Bluejinx was a filly named Summer Wind, and she moved away a few months after I met her..."

Tomato paused to take a deep breath. "It was horrible being so lonely and feeling like the world's against me. Nopony, not even my own brother, even wanted to hear my cries for help, because anypony with my cutie mark obviously has a good life. Bluejinx was my only anchor, and I'm not sure how long he would have held out before he gave up on me. I think you might have saved us both by coming along."

"Oh, you're giving me too much credit, Tommy," Flora giggled.

"No, Flora, I don't think I can go over the praises I have for you in just one day! I just... I just... I, uh..." Tomato looked away and twiddled his hooves. After a slow exhale, he said, "I'm really grateful to you for giving me a chance and being my friend. I guess accepting you, and later the twins, made it so it'd be easier for me to forgive my brother for his wrongs. Apologizing for mine was still a bit of a struggle, though."

Flora's mouth twitched into a brief smile before she frowned again. "Still, I feel awful for not doing right with my cousin."

Tomato patted her back. "I know it's awful, Flora. Still, one failure doesn't mean you're a bad pony. Really, it all came down to her own choice to accept or reject what you and your family were trying to teach her. If anything, I think you're all good ponies to care about her enough to try, and there's really no way that I can't admire that."

Flora stayed silent, but she looked up at him. Somehow, an opening between the leaves of the trees allowed a sunbeam to shine right over his smiling face, making him look like some sort of angel right then and there. Just the sweet innocence of his expression was making her heart leap. Thinking back to when she first met him and the early days of their friendship, it was remarkable that the warm, loving look was coming from the same stallion that had once bore either a cool, detached expression or a scowl most of the time.

"So..." Tomato said. "Are you ready to go back now?"

Flora shook her head. "I'd, uh, like a bit more time to think of what to say to my aunt and uncle."

Tomato stood up, and held out a hoof for her to take. "Very well. While you think about it, if it's not too much to ask, I'd like for you to show me some things you've got around here."

Flora took the hoof, slid off the edge of the fountain basin, and stood up. "Well, I do have a couple ideas on where to go."

---

"Holy moley..."

Tomato looked up at sleek, polished mini-cupboards with bins of scrolls and shelves of glowing orbs and crystals that towered yards above him all the way to the ceiling. Several columns had been grouped together, with family trees drawn beside them. Each seemed to be organized by family name, generation, and alphabetical order. The various names had filled up much of the building, and there were apparently enough names to require both an upstairs and a downstairs. In the midst of it all, a bunch of ponies were working on adding more, keeping the organization intact.

"Okay, you weren't kidding about the genealogical library here. You'd expect something like this to be in Canterlot." Tomato said, still looking around. "You guys seem to care a lot about ponies long dead."

Flora shrugged. "Well, Canterlot did designate this as the official Equestria Family History archive. Everypony has a story, even dead peasants from way back when."

"Okay, but don't you think that storing memory orbs of dead ponies is a little creepy?"

Flora blinked. "How did you know those things store memories?"

"Exhibit at Canterlot's Summer Sun Fair," Tomato answered.

"Oh, yeah, I think Canterlot has some of those things to study. We even had a guy show up in my psychology class and give us a presentation on them. I have to say, it's neat."

"I thought so, too."

"Anyway..." Flora started to walk toward the front desk. "Let's check out some of your family's stories, I bet they've got some good ones."

Tomato followed, and just stood back as Flora greeted the mare there, who was apparently named Family Tree. It would have been something to chuckle at had it not been for a million other ponies bearing names similar to their talents and jobs. From what he knew, former friends Carpet Burn and Mustard Squirt Bottle were just a couple of examples, being a carpet pony and a hot dog vendor respectively.

"All right dear," Family Tree said to him, catching his attention. "Can I help you?"

Tomato shuffled on his feet. "Uh... question. Did you get permission to keep these?"

Family Tree nodded. "Yes, we did, all from the families and even the deceased themselves before they went on to the next life. Our goal is to preserve the memory of ponies long passed, so that their descendants can know their stories. Many ponies do yearn for their heritage..." She scowled and looked away. "Even though some don't know it and fail to see the beauty in Equestrian history..."

"Okay, I think I get it." Tomato looked around the shelves, noting the many colors that lined the shelves. "So... any chance my ancestors are here? I mean, I know I'm from Manehattan, but you do have files on those outside of the Salt Lick Valley, right?"

Family Tree smiled. "Oh, absolutely! We want all to experience the joys of genealogy! What's your name?"

"Uh, Tomato Sandwich?"

"Ah, yes, of course! Sounds like you might be descended from the Bread and Fruit families. What about any names of living relatives?"

"Well, my brother's name is Cheese Sandwich, my father is Hay Burger, and my mother is Mozzarella."

"Hm, it's likely that you're also from the Cheese family. All right, those three families are upstairs in the A-I categories. If you'd like, you may look for other possible family names on this floor in the J-R categories, or downstairs in the S-Z categories." Family Tree opened a drawer and hoofed him a brochure. "Here's a little guide to handling memories, and if you need any help, me and my follow librarians can help you out. Have fun browsing, and remember to put things back where they belong."

---

"Memories of the dead are safe to handle, but shattering them means they're lost forever. It's the memories of the living you must look out for; save for a few select ponies, the memories will zap anypony who tries to handle them. However, a shattered living memory simply returns home to its owner, provided they're within a certain radius."

Handle with care Tomato did, looking through the memories of his forefathers. There were places he did not recognize, with the scrolls thankfully providing the information the memories were missing. He looked on through the beads, which when tapped suddenly grew to the size of baseballs. The first time it happened, Tomato nearly dropped the orb in fright, but caught it, which left Flora giggling. After nudging her in a "Stop that" way, he went on to see the past through his ancestors' eyes.

He saw through the eyes of a metalworker, working on Mare Harmony in Hoofson Bay. He watched a donkey that another ancestor was partnered with as he invented bean burritos and hay tacos. He watched another found a town called Buckskin, and then saw his Grandma Panini grow up in a large and loving family, before going to school to become a teacher. He watched her eventual husband, Beans, hang out with his older brother, only for the news of his brother's death to shatter him, and for his parents' already strained relationship turn to physical abuse.

When that particular memory played piano music as Grampa Beans once did, Tomato tapped it frantically, looking around at the librarians and other patrons staring at them. "Flora, does the brochure have instructions for turning the sound off?"

He went on to Gramma Cucumber Melon and Grampa Pizza Pockets. Before going through them, he paused, feeling what was left of them. He had no idea if they had been removed before or after death, or whether permission was given by them or Mom, but some part of him was glad that there was some part of them preserved. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't think of anything.

Flora looked at him. "Hey... are you all right?"

Tomato sighed. "I'm fine... I just miss them."

Flora leaned into a gentle half-hug. "It's okay to miss them. I miss my grandpa, too."

He laughed when Flora freaked over Grandma Mel having been a member of the Canterlot elite before being disowned for her elopement with his Grandpa Pizza, and they watched their odd love story unfold, with Flora cooing "awww" all the while. Tomato just wondered how Creme would have reacted to that, only to figure she'd bring up the disowning thing. When Mel's brother showed up, mentioned having seen his Great Uncle Lemon Lime earlier that summer, and how he was entertained by that 'sneeze show'.

After scanning records of his family tree, Flora showed Tomato some stories from her family tree, first starting with the Flower side of the family. After ending her stories by showing the orb of her great-grandparents' memories of when her Grandma Flower Power came to the Valley by following a guy she had a crush on (who was not her grandfather), they went downstairs to check out the Wood family tree.

While looking for it, Tomato had bumped into a cabinet, accidentally knocking off a large scroll on top and a memory orb just below it.

"Ah, whoops!" He said, picking up the scroll and catching the orb with his tail. He looked up at the top of the rather tall shelf. "Aw, geez, we need to get one of the pegasus workers to put this Mister..."

He shouldn't have been surprised when the scroll was marked 'Wayer Rune.' With his eyebrow twitching, he grumbled, "You like to follow me, don't you, Wayer?"

Flora trotted back to him from her place and looked at the scroll. "Oh, yeah, the Werewolf Guy. He's been mentioned in each of my psychology textbooks." She noticed the orb and took it in her hooves. "And I think this was his wife?"

Tomato noticed the pegasus worker popping up beside him, and passed the scroll to the pony to return to the top. "Why is he there, I wonder?"

"Because he's a pioneer of memory magic." Flora watched as the pegasus flew up. "His discoveries set the groundwork for the study and use of magic to deal with trauma and mental illness, as well as memory removal in order for ponies to have something left behind from a deceased loved one, since there were no cameras then. While it's not always the best--I mean, it's been refined over the years to create less painful and more efficient spells--it does at least give us in these latter days more reliable archives. It's just mainly used on dead ponies."

Tomato chuckled. "If he hadn't done the werewolf nonsense, I think he'd be better remembered for the memory thing."

Flora frowned, watching the stallion in the orb go from a curious young wizard that the goofy mare would tease, into a raving madhorse threatening to tear out somepony's mind. "Well, the textbook also mentioned him as a warning."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... long story short, removing soldiers' memories of war unfortunately scrambled their minds and left them without any sort of peace." The pegasus came back down, and Flora gave the memory to her. "Add that to the infamous Wolf Plague, and you just have a cycle of bloodshed and memory removal until those poor veterans were more canine than equine." She shuddered just thinking about it. "If his wife's memory is anything to go by... he may have been a good pony before the war. It saddens me to know that he went off the deep end and just turned pure evil."

They both watched as the orb was perched back onto its shelf. Tomato idly licked his teeth, and he felt those two familiar itches on his back. "I hear the guy who caused the Las Pegasus incident is his descendant. What a lunatic." It sickened him to think of Silk Shimmer and Party Favor, two of the nicest ponies he had ever met, as also being descended from Wayer Rune. "At least history's not completely repeating itself--the princesses cured that curse without it going too far out of the city."

Flora nodded. "Yeah. I wouldn't want to witness any curses like vampires or werewolves or whatever other hybrid, so I'm glad things like that don't linger for long. Still, it must have been horrifying to encounter, as a witness or a victim. I hope the Las Pegasus citizens are doing okay."

Tomato's tongue ran over his teeth, and he idly scratched his back, hoping that the fangs and wings didn't sprout back out right in front of her. He still wanted it to have been nothing but a bad dream, but with everypony in every city having mentioned it, there was really no denying it. Still, his main concern was if Cheese was doing okay.

Tomato smiled at her, not willing to press the matter further. "All right, let's get back to finding the Wood Family Tree."

---

After browsing some of Flora's family records, they trotted to the neighboring Pioneer Museum. There, they looked at old wagons and two-wheeled carts, old outfits that were similar to the bonnet and shawl Flora currently wore, and chunks of granite from when the Salt Spires were being built. Paintings of scenes of pioneers trudging through mud, pulling carts through snow, and even burying loved ones along the way hung on the walls .

"Why did they do this, anyway? What was wrong with their old home?" Tomato asked.

"They were outcasts," Flora said. "They just couldn't fit in with the societies of each city they were from, and they ended up gathering together, happy to find misfits just like them. After trying to settle in several other places, Bridle Yearling finally led them here to the valley, made them spread out, and he and the other leaders encouraged them to use their talents to make this desert bloom."

"Ah, that makes sense." Tomato thought about how Cheese left Manehattan partly because he was essentially an outcast, and how he himself was now scoping out other places to move to after feeling like he just doesn't belong in that city anymore. "Well, I'm glad that the exodus was success--YIPE!"

In turning to look at another exhibit, Tomato jumped at the sight of two plaster molds of dead looking faces. Clutching at his heart, he backed away from the molds as if they were about to leap toward him. Flora patted his back in reassurance.

"Oh, those are just death masks. The good old earth pony way of preserving a loved one's face after they have passed; after all, we can't exactly pull memories out of their ears to keep as a token."

"Doesn't make it any less creepy," Tomato remarked.

---

They walked out of the pioneer museum and trotted all around the square, with Flora explaining what the buildings and monuments they passed were. Tomato finally got what the seagull statue was for--those birds saved pioneer's crops from parasprites. The hall across the street, which was a silvery white with a waterfall falling over it, was where the Tabernicker Choir performed. A large, white building--decorated with ornate carvings, and looked like a U from the front and back (sans a sliver of building in the middle) was Hotel Salt Lick. By it were the historical homes of Bridle Yearling.

They took a trip up to the balcony of one of the taller buildings--which Tomato didn't think was that high--and Flora pointed out more things, like another view of Big Salty and the Salt Lick Desert (which Flora described as one giant salt lick), the local university, large silos marking the welfare square, various hiking trails on the mountains, and the heritage park marking the place where Bridle Yearling first saw the valley, complete with a large memorial statue of many of the ponies involved. From their perch, they even saw that the cleanup of the parade route had made great progress.

After they had left that building, they headed back to the parade route, deciding that they had dilly-dallied long enough. However, it started to rain when they were taking a shortcut through the plaza near Spires Garden. Though Tomato wished he had his jacket, Flora was happy to jump forward and start dancing on the red path, throwing off the bonnet and letting the drizzle dampen her hair, though it couldn't dampen her spirit.

Tomato joined her and took a deep whiff of the damp air. "Well, I sure hope this rain helps with the tougher stains on the buildings."

"Oh, it's a pre-firework rain," Flora replied. "With how dry this place gets, we want to lessen the chances of fire." She pulled him forward and half-twirled him. "Come on, Mr. Sandwich, dance with me!"

"Aw, geez, you like the rain, don't you?" Tomato looked up at the gray sky, feeling the droplets patter onto his face. It was a few moments before he looked back at her bright, smiling face. "Well... I haven't danced in the rain since I was small..."

He took her hoof, and the pair bowed toward each other. Tomato felt a bit nervous about dancing in the rain on a Salt Lick City street, especially since dancing was kind of unfamiliar to him. He had been dragged into yesterday's dance by Cheese, and while he was awkward, he found being involved in it was better than sitting on the sidelines with Creme Brulee. He just hope that he remembered some of the moves that he had ended up doing with the Neighton residents.

Few ponies were around to notice them go up to their hind hooves and shuffle into a humble waltz. Much of it was Tomato awkwardly shuffling into the steps, counting to three over and over in a rhythm. Still, Flora led him smoothly, whispering to him to watch his step. Their only music was the pitter-patter of rain, which bothered Tomato more than it should have. Still, holding her hooves and seeing the light in her eyes return was well worth it.

But, as he couldn’t stand the silence, he sang,

“I number my steps, under this rain
I didn’t think I would do this today
But now here we are, in Salt Lick City
Letting you lead me each step of the way.”

He got the guts to carry her in a quick half-twirl, and flinched when she ended up landing in a puddle with a splash. Pulling her out, he scanned her for any signs of annoyance over that, but her giggle told him that she enjoyed his move there. Almost against his will, he continued.

“I know you are in the midst of doubt
About the extent of your special talent
But I have much reason to give you my trust
Because to me, you are heaven-sent.”

They drifted apart, with only held hooves attaching them. They only let go briefly in a quick do-si-do, quickly having the other hoof grab their friend's at the end of it. Flora quickly twirled under his, and they drifted apart again, mirthful chuckles coming out of both their mouths. Hair stuck to their necks, and Tomato's now free curls cascaded down into waves thanks to the rain. They came together and came apart over and over, rounding themselves in a circle all the while.

"Your compassion and mirth is why I like you
When I am around you, I am at peace
I'm forever grateful that you are my friend
Because without you, would I have been reminded
Of my love for my brother Cheese?"

The two circled each other, giving eye contact of the warmest kind. Slowly their hooves plodded around on the street, carrying them automatically as they were in their trance. Even under the gray clouds pouring down their shower, their little circle felt so warm and loving, almost as if they had reached the highest point of heaven in that moment. Between Flora's eyes reminding Tomato of a clear summer sky and Tomato's reminding Flora of a lush green meadow, they couldn't help but be happy in their daze.

Tomato sighed, breaking the silence with,
"I know you suffer with regrets
Between me, Bananas, and Creme Brulee"

He took note of her downcast face, and then lifted it up by the chin.
"But we all make mistakes, we all have our sorrows
I trust you're forgiven, and that you'll be okay."

The rain faded into a drizzle, and a team of pegasi were already breaking the clouds. The very area they broke first allowed sunlight to shine on Flora's face of all places. It was strange how she was practically glowing in his vision, and he had to wipe water droplets off his glasses to see it better. He was no stranger to seeing Flora in a peaceful glow, but this time, there seemed to be a new sparkle to it, even for him to feel the tingle of magic within him.

His heart skipped a beat, and he wondered again if this was how Cheese saw Pinkie.

"All right," Flora said, breaking him out of his trance. "I think I'm ready to face my aunt and uncle about... you know..."

Tomato stared for a moment before nodding. "Yeah..."

They continued on their way, with Flora saying, "If my family's not at the parade route, they're likely at the fair in Livery Park. They're probably wondering why we took so long."

"Most likely. I wonder if the doctor released Cheese yet."

As they left the plaza and crossed the street under the Phoenix Gate, Tomato looked up at it and asked, "So, why's that there?"

Author's Note:

Welp, I think this arc now just matched the Canterlot arc in number of chapters. I'm pretty sure the next one is the wrap-up chapter of the Salt Lick Valley arc, and then we can move on to the next.

I hate that I took so long to write this chapter. Why am I so lazy...?

Still, I really enjoy writing the Tomato and Flora relationship. It's just the sweetest thing.

Also, the dancing in the rain scene was inspired by these:

I have absolutely no regrets about that second one. I like the freakin' song.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

Great chapter. I love what you did with slay lake city. It is a lot of fun to read this part.

[RadicalDishonesty]

Yep, that was a sweet scene between the two. It would be a crime if we left this part of the story without seeing it.

Also some more data on Wayer Rune, which might come in handy soon...

[Goldfinch142]

However, it started to rain when they taking a shortcut through the plaza near Spires Garden.

were taking

Flora, there's no point in dwelling on the what-ifs. Like Tomato said, Creme Brulee's actions were her choice and her choice alone. She has no one to blame but herself, and neither does anyone else.

On an unrelated note: Aw! Tommy and Flora are so cute together! Today, we have some good old bonding on the menu. With each chapter, I ship them even more. Friend-ship, that is! Though I also kind of ship them in the regular way too...

[redmar]

The scrolls Twilight has in Pinkie Apple Pie come from Salt Lick City that's nice to konw. The conversation between Tomato and Flora was nice. Wayer Runes shows up again and it's clear that he went complety insane after the war with the Minotaurs.

[Godslittleprincess]

So, did anyone bother to right down the side effects of a memory removal spell? If anyone did, it shouldn't be too hard for everyone else to figure with was wrong with Cheese.