Brotherly Bonding Time

by Sketcha-Holic

17.1--Friendly Faces

Out of courtesy for their cousin, Cheese and Tomato took the train for their last stretch of the journey to Seaddle. It was a nice ride, with simple conversation between the three--mostly Tomato and Creamy, due to Cheese finding that sticking his head out of the window was more fascinating than talking. His mane tossing and his ears and tongue flapping in the wind, Cheese appeared to be having a blast with such a simple activity. Unfortunately, some folks behind him scowled at some of the drool that splattered on their windows.

Tomato had attempted to hold a conversation and read his book at the same time. The former ended up winning more than anything, as Creamy was very curious about his life since she had last seen him as a little kid. He wasn't even sure what was going on in the book's scene anymore, so he set the book down and got fully into the conversation.

"So, let me get this straight..." Creamy said. "You turned into this serious grouch of a nerd because your mother told you it was the right way to perform your special talent?"

Tomato crossed his front legs and huffed. "You say 'nerd' like it's a bad thing. Besides, it's not the only reason." He pointed to his brother. "I went along with it because I was mad at him for insulting my cutie mark, and I wanted to spite him. Too bad that I lost any joy I had in my talent, and it took a couple of incidents this summer to regain at least some of it. I even wasn't allowed to have any hobbies outside of it."

Creamy shook her head. "Oh, that's crazy! I have hobbies outside of dairy farming--like playing ball with my brother or one of the calves, or singing my heart out in karaoke."

Tomato scoffed and turned to rest his cheek on the seat. "I used to love singing. But, I'm always told it doesn't match my cutie mark, that I shouldn't be doing it so liberally as if some agent somewhere would hear me and take me away to shallow fame and fortune, and my life is not a musical, so if I don't want anypony to stare at me and think I'm crazy, I need to keep my mouth shut. I set myself up for embarrassment every time I sing for a crowd."

"So, you just sing in the shower?"

Tomato smirked. "Heh, of course. Or if I'm so hopped up on some strong emotion that I forget I'm in public."

The speaker above Tomato started to play a song, and the young stallion immediately perked up upon hearing the first few notes. "Oh, sweet! I love this song!" He patted on the seat to the beat and sang, "If you said goodbye to me tonight..."

Creamy giggled. "Like... fanboyism?"

His singing didn't go unnoticed by the other passengers of the train. Several of them glanced his way, a couple raising eyebrows but deciding not to cause a fuss because his singing didn't ruin any enjoyment of the song. Some even patted their seats along, and a few of them even hummed. One group of large ponies in particular stared at him, taking note at how happy he seemed to be singing at that moment, as well as his various features, from his colors to his body shape.

The large ponies turned to their smallest member, who had the majority of their body covered in a trench coat, hat, and scarf, despite the summer heat. After their direction was turned to Tomato, they scratched their chin, only for a cough to come out after a few moments. Still, Tomato seemed awfully interesting to that particular pony.

Tomato didn't even notice, getting as hopped up on strong emotion as he said he did. "...I haven't been there for the longest time!"

---

When they hopped off the train that evening, the first thing that Tomato did was look at the contents of his wallet. Through the various parties, the food and activities at fairs, and the train rides for some of the farther party sites, he worried that he was starting to get a little low on bits. As much as Cheese reassured him that their trip didn't need that much thanks to party pony magic, the fact was that there were still things that they had to pay for. Cheese only had change that he found on the ground in his own wallet--which was mostly used for party permits and pictures anyway.

Thankfully, they didn't have to pay for lodging or camp in the park this time around, because sleeping over at their aunt and uncle's house will do. Plus, after the last few days in the wilderness, it would be nice to have a shower.

He took a bit to take in his new surroundings as Creamy led him and Cheese to her parents' house. Past the neighborhood he walked in, he could see Seaddle's buildings tower over the bay they overlooked, with the city's iconic Space Needle sticking out like a sore hoof among them. The air smelled of a combination of wet pine needles and seaweed, and every tree that he passed was so green that it was scary. Passing a park had him spotting plenty of conifers within it, and he felt chilly just looking at it.

"Some of the parks in this city look like that, Tomato," Creamy said. "As does much of the surrounding area. Still, there are some waterside parks with a view of either the bay or the lake, and there are a few parks that are landlocked that don't look like a spooky forest."

"You know which park this charity concert's going to be?" Tomato asked.

"Nah, I can't remember. I'll have to ask Mom."

They stopped in front of one house, and Creamy proudly presented it with a smile. "And here we are! The humble abode of the Nut--"

She was interrupted by an explosion from inside the house, causing a flash in the windows and the chimney to erupt smoke like a volcano. The neighbors stuck their heads out their windows, grumbling about what the Nuts did this time. Though there was a mix of curiosity and exasperation, there was very little panic. In fact, most of the panic came from the dogs barking and howling, with only a few ponies out on a trot suddenly leaping into a gallop.

Creamy sighed. "--Family."

Cheese looked around wildly. "I know, Mr. Beagle! That was a big boom! Yeah, it was jarring to hear, Señor Chihuahua! Yes, Miss Collie, I'll have to admit that it's my aunt and uncle's fault..." His ear twitched and he pursed his lips. "Apparently, again. Calm down, Sir Retriever, I'm sure they're okay! And don't worry, Madame Poodle, you're safe!"

Tomato gave him an odd look. "Are you talking to the dogs?"

Cheese waved a hoof. "Hey, I'm trying to reassure them that everything's all right."

Two figures in lab coats burst out of the door, coughing and leaping into the yard as they cried, "Fresh air!" Though the couple's manes were spiky for the time being and they were covered in soot and had their fur and manes singed, the stallion's light orange and the mare's tan coats still stuck out to the brothers as that couple rolled around in the grass. Their tails--light brown and dark brown respectively--were singed as well, but not as badly as the front, and there were minor burns that made Cheese gingerly touch his bandaged foreleg.

As the couple finally got their breath and wiped their eyewear, they looked up to find Creamy at their gate, staring at them. Standing up and brushing themselves off, the stallion grinned sheepishly, wiping his glasses some more to reveal eyes that matched hers. "Oh, you came early, Creamy! We weren't expecting you to come until the day of the concert, when we'd have the fireworks all ready for the show! Sorry you had to see that... my tail knocked over one of the more volatile compounds in the lab."

The mare removed her goggles and wiped her freckled face. "How many times have I told you to be careful, Acorn? That could have nearly killed us, and well, it would not sit well for Peanut Butter if his parents died less than two weeks before his wedding!"

Acorn rubbed the back of his head. "I know, I know, I can be a total klutz when I'm jamming to Moonwalk, Cocoa."

The older mare looked at Cheese and smiled. "And you brought your cousin, too!" She jumped forward and nudged him. "Let me guess, you're here to help bring in some more pizzazz to the August Kickoff Charity Concert, am I right?"

"Apparently, I am! My Cheesy Sense did lead me here."

"Nice! Because, let me tell you, Seaddle's charity folk are horribly uncreative. Glad your presence will attract more ponies to the concert."

She turned to Tomato, and her face sunk into a confused frown. She stared at him for a good, long moment, as if she was trying to process what she was seeing. Tomato smiled uncomfortably, and gave her a small, shy wave.

The moment had passed when she finally said, "...Hay Burger?"

Tomato backed up. "Uh, no. I'm actually Tomato... you know, his younger son?"

Cocoa blinked. "Tomato? Really? Oh, my goodness, you're all grown up! You were just a little munchkin when I last saw you, and now, you look so much like your father!" She looked up at the twilight sky. "Well, at least in this light. Let us fan out the smoke and bring you inside so I can get a better look at you."

Acorn sighed. "I hate pulling out the giant fan."

---

One usage of a giant fan, a few showers, and a cleanup of the lab later, Cocoa Butter and Acorn Compound had gathered their daughter and nephews into the living room, which held furniture that boasted all shades of light brown, from beige to tan, with only the bookshelves lining the back wall being the exception, as they were white. They sat and drank hot chocolate together as they started to catch up. Even though the house still smelled like a fusion of a campfire and a chemical lab, the couple assured the younger ponies that it was safe.

Inevitably, Cocoa asked, "So, it looks like you boys are getting along now. Got over your grudge, huh?"

Cheese lapped up some of his chocolate before answering, "Well, I'm certainly glad that Tommy stopped being a little butt."

Tomato nudged him. "Oh, please, you were just as much of a butt."

"Psht, not as much as you. You can be a bit overdramatic, you know."

"Excuse me?"

"Whoa, boys," Acorn said. "Take it easy, I think we get the idea. Still, I'm curious about how you two made up enough to have a trip together."

Cheese leaned back into the couch he and Tomato sat in. "Well, we spent the day together at a lovely Fall Festival... that, I, of course, set up with some assistance some the townsfolk. We did a lot of fun activities together, just like we would have when we were small--reminded me about how much I missed the good old days, and I implored Tommy to shed his bitterness and jealousy of me to rebuild our bond--and he miraculously agreed! It unfortunately turned into a disaster when an acquaintance of mine decided to meddle. And for some reason, Tomato made me bake an apology cake for her!"

Tomato raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what? First off, I will admit I was jealous of your freedom and bitter about my life, but you were just as jealous and bitter about how I was apparently the "favorite" of everypony while you were either ignored or a punching bag. Second, we were fighting the entire time; the disaster was just as much our fault as it was Pinkie's. And third... the cake was your idea, genius, and I couldn't bake it because my foreleg was broken. At least I managed to coach you into making it good."

Cheese scoffed. "Didn't know you had an imagination, bro, because that's not how I remember it going down."

Tomato gave him an odd look. "Okay, did losing that memory alter all your other memories somehow? Because with how wonky your brain has been lately, I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. I think you still might need to take your med--"

"I don't need the medicine! The elixir stopped the headaches, it can stop every other symptom!" Cheese barked, throwing his mug on the floor and shattering it. It was loud enough for Tomato to shrink and shudder, spilling his hot chocolate all over the couch.

The sudden downturn of the conversation made the other three dead silent, their eyes wide from the shock of seeing Cheese in such a state of anger. It had looked like he was about to eat his brother then and there, with both the hair on his mane and tail, and fur that poked out from under his shirt bristling.

Cheese breathed heavily through bared teeth until he noticed the other ponies staring at him, and then licked his top lip. "Excuse me, I... I don't know what came over me." He climbed off the couch and yawned. He swept up the pieces of the mug with a brush and dustpan pulled from his mane. "I'll just be, uh... getting some wet rags..." With a sheepish grin, he scurried away.

Creamy raised an eyebrow. "Uh... what was that memory thing you were talking about?"

Tomato sighed. "We had an incident earlier this summer where we were involved in a horrible event. Cheese is a key witness, and thus the perpetrator likely had a friend of his steal Cheese's memory of it so he can't tesify, and he's been acting off ever since. His magic's even weakened somewhat, and he had headaches until some guy gave him an elixir that stopped them."

"That... sounds absolutely crazy," Cocoa said. "Then again, we're a family of weirdness magnets."

"I was worried he inherited his mother's temper," Acorn said.

Cocoa snorted, her magenta eyes briefly flashing red. "Wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. Mozzarella does have my baby bro under her hoof." She looked up at Tomato. "But, still, you have a memory thief to track down? What does a memory even look like outside your head?"

Tomato opened his mouth to answer, but was briefly interrupted by a couple of wet rags flying out of the kitchen and landing on his head. He scowled as Cheese hollered, "Okay, here's two wet rags, now I'm going to look around the house!"

"Hey! Clean the couch yourself!" Cocoa shouted.

Tomato took the rags off his head and started scrubbing the chocolate stains. "It's fine, I'll take care of it. Anyway, from what I learned during an exhibit at Canterlot, it's like a crystal ball that glows with the same color of the owner's eyes and replays the memory within it."

Acorn leaned forward. "Fascinating!"

"Yeah, it is fascinating, hon," Cocoa said. "But I don't think there's anything we can do to help. We're chemists, not wizards. The only magic we ever delve into is fiddling with the magical elements in the realm of alchemy and I don't think there's anything we can make to help find it."

Tomato scrubbed harder. "I'm aware that chemistry might not help, but you could keep an eye out for it."

Acorn scratched his chin. "Perhaps... still, maybe you could find an expert magic user who can track the memory by way of reading Cheese's magic signature. After all, no two magic signatures are the same, and it's likely that the memory still contains some of his magic."

Tomato turned to him. "Really? How do you even know that?"

Acorn laughed. "A childhood friend of mine works at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and we still keep in touch. He tells me about things all the time, from the funny mishaps with young unicorns to a recent tragedy involving a colleague's son." He paused for a moment before he added, "Want me to contact him?"

"Thank you, but we've got Princess Twilight on the case. If she hasn't figured that out yet, I'll be sure to tell her."

Acorn, Cocoa, and Creamy all blinked, and the last one asked, "Wait, how do you know Princess Twilight?"

Suddenly, from the other room, Cheese shouted from the basement, "Ow! My nose!"

Upon hearing that, everypony immediately got up and rushed downstairs to see what had happened. They entered the lab--which took up the entirety of the basement, with white counters and cupboards being home to a variety of chemicals and tools--to find Cheese sitting on the floor, his eyes watering as he cradled his now-red nose and whined like a puppy. He rocked back and forth in some feeble attempt to stave off the pain, and only stopped to look up at his aunt and uncle.

Creamy put a hoof to her mouth. "Oh, my word..."

Cocoa scowled. "Cheese, what are you doing in here?"

Cheese's voice sounded like he was plugging his nose. "I was just looking around."

"Cheese, this place is off-limits to visitors for a reason. Were you just smelling stuff willy-nilly like a hound?" Cocoa put a hoof to her face. "Because smelling strange chemicals in a lab is not to be done without caution! Now, what did you smell?"

Cheese, still looking much like a defeated dog, pointed to a beaker of clear liquid on the counter. "That."

Tomato rubbed one of his temples. "Cheese... you should know better! Aren't you the guy with the better survival instinct?"

"Sorry, I just... now have this random urge to investigate with my sense of smell!" Cheese rubbed his head, and then gingerly touched his nose in curiosity. "My nose has a mind of its own now."

Tomato and Creamy looked at each other, the latter saying, "That's weird, even for him," as the former nodded.

Acorn walked around Cheese to the counter, picked up the beaker to examine it, and placed it with several other matching beakers. "You're lucky that little solution can only numb your olfactory system, though that inflammation does look like it hurts."

"It numbed my what now?" Cheese asked.

Acorn sighed. "Your sense of smell. Be thankful you didn't get to smell anything that could damage it or even your brain."

Cocoa patted his back. "Yeah... you're not going to be able to smell for a few days."

Cheese sighed as he stood up. "And I hear a weakened sense of smell affects taste..." He hung his head. "Awww, I won't get the full experience of tasting fruit-flavored fireworks..."

Cocoa gave him an odd look. "What?"

Cheese perked up as he turned to his aunt. "Oh, yeah, I was going to ask you to make that! Can you imagine watching fireworks in the night sky, and opening your mouth to eat the remnants after it explodes? And the best part, it doesn't taste like gunpowder..." He started pacing back and forth, his grin growing wider and wider with each step. "It tastes like apple! Or grape! Or cherry! Or like any fruit flavor you can think of! Wouldn't that be amazing!"

Cocoa blinked. "Amazing, yes..." Her lids went halfway down her eyes. "But I highly doubt it's possible."

Creamy blew upwards at her bangs. "Told you, Cheese."

Cheese's ears drooped. "Aw, Auntia Cocoa, you doubt yourself too much. You have access to a bazillion chemicals and elements both natural and magical! I'm sure you can concoct something amazing with some combination of those and present them at the concert!"

Cocoa rubbed a temple. "Even if it was possible, it'd take months to find a good formula for it to work. I'm not sure Acorn and I could whip something up in a couple of days, especially with the demands of the folks setting up the concert for the actual fireworks, writing lesson plans for fall semester, preparing for my son's wedding..." She grabbed Cheese by the shirt and dragged him to her face. "Do you know how stressful preparing for a wedding is?! Especially if you have to pack to go to Applewood after the concert! Do you really think I'd have time for preparing fruit-flavored fireworks?!"

Acorn, who leaned on the nearby counter, shrugged and said, "I dunno, I'm up for a challenge."

Cocoa turned to glare at him as she dropped her nephew. "Acorn Benjamin Compound! You can't be serious!"

"Hey, preparing the real firework powders are easy for me," Acorn continued, waving a hoof. "Now making a variety that can explode while remaining safe and delicious? Oh, ho ho, I haven't had something this challenging since that fertility formula back when we were trying to conceive! At least any failed attempts won't temporarily turn me into a mare."

Tomato made a weird face at the sound of that. "Wait, how did--"

Cocoa held up a hoof to stop him. "It's a long story that you don't really want to know." She turned to her husband once again. "Honey, you know Cheese's idea is a crazy one that's not likely to happen anytime soon!"

Acorn leaned forward and waggled his eyebrows. "Aw, darling, I thought you loved crazy. You married me, didn't you?" He slid onto the counter and posed in a manner that made the younger adults in the room cringe. He ignored it as he cupped his wife's chin. "Come on, I know you can't resist the allure of the mad scientist. Shall we do our chemistry together, my sweet sugarcube?"

Creamy backed up and gagged. "Dad! Stop being seductive in front of my cousins!"

Tomato covered his eyes. "I didn't need to see that."

Cheese turned away with a grimace. "Uh, Aunt Cocoa? Please make him stop."

Cocoa pouted. "Acorn, you know it can't be possible. You'd have a better chance of getting my brother to stop hating me over my teasing when we were young. There is absolutely no way that--"

---

"We're making fruit-flavored fireworks!" Cocoa said with a forced smile.

Standing in one of Seaddle's waterside parks, Acorn Compound and Cocoa Butter faced the head of Seaddle's charity organization, Golden Glee. As ponies behind her were busy fixing up the stage, the cute middle-aged yellow mare, bearing a beauty mark on her face and her multi-toned orange mane up in a bun, pouted curiously. The big grins of the couple were a little unnerving, but she decided to humor them anyway.

"Oh... fruit-flavored fireworks?" Golden Glee said. "What a unique idea! Tell me, where did this come from?"

Cocoa forced a laugh. "Oh, none other than our lovably insane nephew, Cheese Sandwich!"

Cheese appeared upside-down next to Golden. "Oh, psht, I just got the idea from my brother telling me about exploding soda." He pointed to Tomato, who sat against a tree as he read a book. "Ain't he adorable?"

Golden pouted. "Why, yes, he appears to be a little bookworm! Makes me wonder if he'd make good friends with my nephew."

"Depends on if your nephew can stand Tomato being a grumpy party pooper."

Golden laughed. "Oh, I'm sure they could discuss books with little trouble. Though my nephew can get a little long-winded about how good his favorites are and how awful his least favorites are. He gets his motormouth tendencies from my sister."

"Ahem!" Cocoa said.

"Oh, right, the fireworks. Well, if you manage to make them by the time of the concert, feel free to add them to the show! I'm sure both the audience and the performers will love it." Golden Glee looked up at Cheese again. "Just as much as they'd love you being the host!"

Cheese pointed to his nose. "Even if my voice sounds honky?"

"Oh, you're known for being funny! I'm sure they won't mind if you sound funny." Golden Glee trotted off. "Now, I better go check on some other technical stuff. We don't want any fires happening or anything during the show!"

Acorn and Cocoa waved goodbye to Golden Glee. Then, Cocoa's face fell into a frown as she snarled, "I hope you two are happy."

Acorn and Cheese just laughed in response, and high-hoofed each other. Acorn wiped a tear from his eye, bumping his large glasses in the process. "Sorry, hon, but I just can't resist roping you into a challenge. Besides, we're a team; I don't think I'd like doing it by myself."

Cocoa sighed. "Well, I doubt we'd have our 'eureka' before the concert. It'd probably take several years, to be honest, considering our jobs at the university."

"Ah, I don't care how long it takes, as long as I'm doing it with you," Acorn said, giving her a smile and a kiss.

Cheese gagged. "Okay, you two, get a room. Please. Don't repeat that scene from last night."

"All right, all right." Acorn slung a front leg over his wife and walked away. "We're going to get started on those fireworks now, so we'll see you later! Make sure our daughter has something to do!"

"Gotcha!"

When they were gone, Cheese climbed back up the rope he was hanging from, and continued to work on the spotlights with the technicians. While up there, he attached confetti cannons, and candy cannons similar to the ones Bananas used to the catwalk, and made sure that they were at safe settings. He made a note to load them with candy, and adjust some of the lights before deciding that the technicians got them covered.

With a nod, he jumped back down onto the stage, unfortunately stumbling on the landing. Landing on his burn made him yelp in pain, and he laid there for a moment while the searing sensation lingered. With a growl, he punched the stage, cursing that wound. When he was able to stand up again, he started nipping at the bandages, hoping to reach the burn so he could lick it better.

"Cheese Sandwich?"

Cheese turned to face a pale blue mare, with a long, pink mane with a purple streak tied up in a large ponytail sticking out from the top, thickly applied eyeliner, a dark veil over her face, and a bedazzled purple jacket with matching accessories. Though she was all spruced up in glitz and glam, there was a genuine, kind smile on her face, which served as a friendly greeting. Beside her, a white, pink-haired stallion in a suit stood, with a less-than-friendly raise of the eyebrow.

Cheese spun around. "Aaaaaand it's the Countess! Heheh, looks like you're here a bit early, huh?"

"Well, all the performers promised are here. The Piano Ponies and even... ugh, Snapdragon Apple have also arrived, and we're all excited to perform." She suddenly stamped Cheese's cheek with a heart. "Hoofsies!"

Cheese laughed. "Dang it, you got me. Now I need to hit you with a rubber chicken."

The stallion stood between them. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to bruise the Countess' face with fake poultry! She has an image, you know, and she must maintain it flawlessly for the show!"

Cheese gave him a half-lidded look. "Hello, Svengallop."

Svengallop adjusted his tie. "Hello to you too, Cheese Sandwich. Just remember who'll be sued if Countess Coloratura's image is defiled."

"Lighten up, Svengallop," Coloratura said. "He's just playing."

"Yeah, I wouldn't hurt her," he said. He smiled and added, "By the way, let me get a couple of someones for you to meet."

He sped off to the tree where Tomato sat, and grabbed him without warning. Before Tomato could protest, he carried him back to the stage, and set him in front of pop star and manager. With a proud smile, he said, "I introduce to you, Tomato Sandwich!"

Svengallop scoffed. "Is he your new manager or something? He's awfully young for that."

Tomato wrinkled his nose. "I'm his brother."

"Oh! I had no idea Cheese Sandwich had a brother," Coloratura said, giving Tomato a "hoofsie" in the process. "I can definitely see the family resemblance. So, Tomato how does it feel to have Cheese as a brother?"

Tomato rubbed his cheek. "Well, sometimes he's fun, sometimes he's annoying, and sometimes I annoy him."

Cheese nudged Tomato. "Say, Tommy, where's Creamy?"

"Getting supplies for homemade ice cream."

"Dang it, I wanted to see her fangirl." Cheese turned to Coloratura. "Creamy's our cousin. She works in the dairy industry, and I think she wants to make ice cream for the concert goers."

"Homemade ice cream?" Coloratura smiled blissfully. "I had that often when I was a little filly. Me and my friends would make it at Camp Friendship and it was always so good!"

Svengallop forced a smile, and seemed like he was holding back a gag. "Sounds delightful."

Coloratura spotted Cheese's bandaged foreleg and frowned. "Oh, my! What happened to you?"

Cheese took a look at his leg, and then quickly tried to hide it. "Well... we kind of got caught in a forest fire when camping in Unicorn Range."

Svengallop raised an eyebrow. "I certainly hope it wasn't poor handling of a campfire that started it."

"Hey, we didn't start the fire!" Tomato said. "It was the weatherponies that did it, and Cheese nearly killed us by hearing things and running off to fulfill his savior complex. That's how he got that nasty thing too."

Cheese chuckled nervously and pushed him away. "Okay, bro, you can go back to your book... I'll holler when I need you to do something, okay?"

"Fine by me," Tomato said as he trotted off. "Her perfume was killing me, anyway."

Cheese sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Excuse him, he can be pretty grumpy. I don't know why he has to be so sour all the time--it drove me absolutely crazy when we were teenagers, and I'm trying to get him to lighten up with a road trip."

"Oh, my brother and I drove each other crazy, so I understand." Coloratura nodded. "By the way, thank you for filling in for me at the Shining Vocals, even if that did turn out to be a disaster. I never thought Windswept Goldenmane would stoop so low as to blackmail the judges."

Svengallop stamped his hoof impatiently. "Come on, Countess... you have a meeting with fans to get to..."

Cheese shrugged. "He technically didn't have enough time to get dirt on me like he did with the other two, though I suspect he would have used my brother to blackmail me. Seriously, he kidnapped him because he found out the underhoofed tactics!" Cheese glanced at his brother getting resettled under the tree, turning to face the bay. "Well, Tommy won't get nabbed again under my watch, lest the kidnapper bring out my bad side."

Coloratura nodded. "Good to hear. Anyway, I've got to meet with fans. It was nice talking to you." She turned to leave and started to walk off with her manager, who was giving him a dirty look.

Cheese waved bye before he remembered something and started to chase them. "Hey, wait! I wrote a parody of one of your songs!"

---

As Tomato got comfortable and reopened his book, he muttered, "Well, he seems to have many famous acquaintances. Oh, bother, I'm going to be listening to a bunch of corny pop songs, aren't I?"

He sighed. "Maybe the talent show portion won't be so bad. With Cheese as the host, nothing could go wrong."

He spotted the paragraph he was on before, and started to read. With the smell of wet pine filling his nostrils and relaxing him, he prepared himself to get lost in the narrative, despite his imaginings of how the concert would go down. Maybe for once, this little shindig could actually go smoothly.

The next thing he knew, he was suddenly grabbed and thrown into a sack. In spite of all his kicking and punching of the bag's sides, he was helpless as the ponies who nabbed him were carrying him to who-knows-where.

"Come on! Who's kidnapping me this time?!"

Author's Note:

And here we are in the next part, where we get to meet Aunt Cocoa Butter and Uncle Acorn Compound!

Hilariously, as I was writing the part where Tomato sings along with this song:

That very song came on the radio I was listening to at the time.

And lastly, the canon character of the week is Countess Coloratura. Yeah, after her not appearing earlier in the Shining Vocals, I had to throw her in here. Also, friendly reminder that this story takes place pre-CMC cutie marks, so she's in her "Gaga Outfit" and still has Svengallop around.

No, Tommy, stop getting into trouble without even trying.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

I have an idea who is kid napping Tommy. If I'm right, tommy will be part of the show.

[Goldfinch142]

"Hey, wait! I wrote a parody of one of your songs!

Missing quotation marks at the end.

I feel like Cheese's inability to smell is important...maybe because now he can't track Tomato or the kidnappers' scent? Assuming he gained an enhanced sense of smell to begin with, but I'm pretty sure he did. Doesn't mean they can't get a real dog to do it, though, if there's enough scent left.

"Well, Tommy won't get nabbed again under my watch, lest the kidnapper bring out my bad side."

...Cheese, you make a terrible guard dog.

Wow, Tommy. Getting kidnapped twice within a month of each other? That takes talent.

[superfun]

So, when during the series would this take place again? As in, this current story arc?

Also:

"Dad! Stop being seductive in front of my cousins!"

That is one of my favorite out of context lines from any fanfic ever.

[Sketcha-Holic]

7679893
Somewhere between Made in Manehattan/Brotherhooves Social and Crusaders of the Lost Mark. As a matter of fact, this entire story takes place before the latter (assuming their school year is a lot like modern society's).

Also, that scene is a perfect example of my lame dirty humor--I am not a very dirty person.

[superfun]

7679913 And that is exactly why it's so funny.

[Dashie04]

There’s Tomato showing his love for Billy Joel again...

[Godslittleprincess]

Acorn and Cocoa seem nice.