Brotherly Bonding Time

by Sketcha-Holic

3.2--The Big Sibling

Cheese forced a grin as he waved goodbye to Tommy from his seat at the table. The younger brother was being taken to the zoo by one of his friends, leaving Cheese home alone with Mom once again.

Tommy waved back. "Bye, Cheesy! See ya later!"

As Tommy shut the door behind him, Cheese's face fell, and he went back to the grand old torture of childhood.

Homework.

As he faced the paper, he glanced at his mother, who was sipping at a glass of water. When she finished her sip, she sighed, and looked at the garbage can, which miraculously did not have anything broken as a result of any burst of energy from her younger son. Then she looked at her older son, who had never broken any of her things. She shook her head.

"Siblings... quite an enigma. They always manage to be so different while bearing similar traits. I mean, just how did I end up producing both a quiet son and a rambunctious son?"

Even if he didn't have a pencil in his mouth, Cheese would have not answered. He rolled his eyes in response, knowing that the inevitable comparison that was coming. He tried to focus on his division, which unfortunately required him to divide big numbers with big numbers. He was stuck on number five, which meant he was wasting the afternoon on this stupid paper. He squinted his eyes, suppressing a snarl at the numbers lying before him. Who invented homework?

His mother sipped at her glass, rubbing her head. "I remember when my sister would drive me up a wall. I've tried to keep her in line, but our mother and father wouldn't let me. They always saw her as the little angel that could do no wrong, just because she was younger. Puh, all she was was a lazy, timid filly who always cried her way out of trouble."

Cheese winced. While he had his own problems with Tomato, at least he wasn't bad enough for Cheese to let out a string of insults about him. He was a little bit glad that Tommy was out with with friends this time, since if he kept bothering him, Cheese would never get his blasted homework done. He shook his head. If only all his outings were this convenient.

His mother finished her glass. "I'm glad you never got to meet her; she left once she earned enough money from her job and bought a house somewhere far away. I don't know, she never told us where she was moving. Even so, she would have been a bad influence on you boys had she stayed."

Cheese was curious about his aunt, but it was best not to question it. After all, what if she was as bad as Mom said? He nearly shuddered at the thought of his Dad's sister, Cocoa, who was not very nice.

His mother sighed. "Siblings are such a curse, I wish I had been an only child."

Cheese raised an eyebrow. She was exaggerating again. If siblings were such a curse, why did she have two foals? Why would she want to curse her firstborn with a little brother? And if anything, playing with Tommy made him happy. Though he wondered if Tommy was just happy to have fun, no matter who he was playing with. Would it have made any difference if Cheese wasn't around anymore, now that Tommy had made friends?

"Now, your brother's smart, but he's a destructive little animal. You're a mellow colt, but you're lagging behind..."

Cheese leaned into his hoof. Here we go again.

His mother walked to the sink, washed out her glass, and took out a towel to dry it. "Somehow, I need to make you two have the best of both worlds, so I won't be a failure as a parent. Imagine what you could become once you get those grades up. A doctor, a lawyer, a businesspony--perhaps even the mayor! The possibilities are endless, Cheese, and hopefully you'll become one of those I mentioned, settle down with Dolly's little girl, and maybe rise to the top and become a respected member of society. And Mozzarella will be a proud mother."

Cheese gagged. "Mom, I told you, I don't like Balcony Flowerbox."

Mozzarella scoffed. "Nonsense, Cheese. That's what all colts say about a filly that's their destined. Your father didn't like me when we were foals."

Cheese pointed at his glasses. "Mom, she called me four eyes and made fun of my hair."

"Some foals express affection that way. Besides, Dolly and I agree that you two would go well together. And if she and I agree, well, it must be a perfect match."

Cheese cringed. "Mom!"

She opened a cupboard and put the glass in it. "Don't argue, Cheese. Mother knows best. Besides, your brother has good taste in fillies."

Cheese stuck his tongue out. "Creme Brulee's worse... I need to knock some sense into Tommy..."

"He already has sense in that department. He just needs to learned to be sensible with that energy of his. Otherwise, he'll end up breaking something expensive."

Cheese sighed, and looked at his math paper. At this rate, with his mother yammering on, he'll never get it done. Though the thought of asking her for help was arising in his mind, he knew it was useless, and would most likely bring more of her scolding.

Mozzarella walked out of the kitchen, went to the coat rack, and grabbed a coat. As she put it on, she said, "Now, I have a book club to go to; your grandmother's coming over to watch you and make sure you finish that homework. After all, last time I left you home alone, you kept playing your noisy instrument instead of finishing that essay on frogs."

Cheese snorted. Of course she took a potshot toward his accordion. It wasn't like it was hurting anypony; all he was doing was making music. Still, he was tempted to smile upon hearing that Gramma was coming over. Being as nice and smart as she was, there was no doubt in his mind that she'd be a ton of help in helping him finish his homework.

Plus, he was curious about this sister of Mom's.

---

Cheese still sat at that table, at least now starting to get long division. Beside him sat his grandmother, Cucumber Melon, gently helping him through his problems. She spoke slowly and softly, going quiet to let Cheese answer the question once she had given the proper instructions. She worked with him on the last problem, watching as he wrote down the final numbers.

"...and that should leave you with a remainder of five," the green unicorn said.

Cheese breathed a sigh of relief, spat out his pencil, and ran to the coat rack to stuff the paper in his saddlebag. He then jumped onto the couch, glad that it was finally done. He smiled at his grandma, who walked in and climbed on the couch to sit with him. "Thanks, Gramma. I was worried that I'd never get this dumb division. After all, if I don't get it, Mom would yell at me again."

Cucumber shook her head. "Do I have to keep reminding her that scolding you like that instead of working through the problem will get her nowhere? There's challenging your children, and then there's just stressing them out."

Cheese turned and threw himself onto one of the throw pillows, looking up at the ceiling. "I hate math."

"Lots of ponies do, Cheesy, dear. Sometimes I wonder if it's even necessary."

"Necess... airy?"

"Necessary. It means needed."

"Oh." Cheese twiddled his hooves. "Is it?"

Cucumber nodded. "When you need to count things quickly, figure out how much time it would take to get from Point A to Point B, manage the bits you earn, to figure out just how many certain things you need for a certain event, make proper measurements for when you're building something... oh, goodness, why are there so many branches of math?"

Cheese whickered. "I don't know, but Tommy seems to have it figured out."

Cucumber blinked. "Oh? Well, good on him."

Cheese snorted and grabbed another throw pillow to mash in his face. "Why did he have to be the smart one? He keeps almost dying for being dumb! Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't save him and just let him die."

Cucumber gasped. "Cheese! That's an awful thing to say!"

Cheese sat up. "Sorry, Grandma, but he better stop running into the street, or leaning too far when we're near the bay or on the bridge or on a building, or approaching a scary-looking pony with candy. Maybe if he died, Mom would stop telling me to be as good at math as he is." He blew a raspberry. "It's only because he's got the easy math. Wait until he gets to division with BIG numbers."

Cucumber stared at him for a moment, her brow creasing. "Cheese... are you jealous of your brother?"

Cheese fell back onto the throw pillow. "No. Why?"

"The way you're talking, you sounded like you were jealous. I smell a sibling rivalry brewing."

"Why would I be? He's the one who's jealous of me!" Cheese grinned. "I'm the one who plays an instrument. He keeps wishing he could."

Cucumber pursed her lips. "I really need to talk to Mozzarella about how she treats you boys. I'm worried that she'll drive you two into a bad relationship like she and her own sister are in."

Cheese sat back up. "I wanted to ask about that. Who is Mom's sister? Is she as bad as Mom says she is?"

Cucumber sighed, and leaned back into the couch. "Your aunt Honeydew was a shy little filly, who could hardly bring herself to talk to very many ponies. She made it no secret that she hated city life, and oftentimes, the rudeness of some ponies made her cry. Yes, she was very sensitive, and didn't really want to share some of her personal desires with anypony.

"However, she loved nature and flowers and animals like there was no tomorrow. She loved it when we camped, and let me tell you, she was the type to roll in the dirt and make weird chirping noises at random objects. She'd play in the river, crawl through hollow logs, and pretend that she was a pegasus. Your grandfather and I held great joy in watching her explore, and wished for the day she'd bloom and express herself."

Cheese giggled, twiddling his hooves. "I know how she feels. I'm... kind of... shy myself. Say, was she a unicorn like you, Gramma?"

Cucumber shook her head. "No, she was an earth pony like your grandfather and mother. Anyway, she was pretty much the opposite of your mother." She frowned. "Unfortunately, instead of focusing on common ground, like the fact that they both had a love for dress up and enjoying swimming, they kept fighting about the things that set them apart. And, well... it always ended with Honeydew crying."

She rubbed her temples. "No matter how much Pizza and I tried to keep them from fighting, the fights only grew worse and worse. Honeydew always accused your mother of being too bossy and mean, and your mother always accused her of faking her crying just to get attention and being a spoiled brat. Their teenage years were a nightmare..."

She sighed. "Once they reached adulthood, Honeydew packed up and left, telling us that we let your mother be mean to her for far too long. After that, we never heard from her again. Our hearts were broken, and we thought ourselves horrible parents for letting it get out of hand."

She turned to Cheese. "I hope from the bottom of my heart that you and Tomato don't end up like that. Your bond has been a joy to behold since you've first held him and called him 'your baby'. Can you try your best to keep that bond strong, even after those times you do fight?"

Cheese crossed his front legs. "I don't know... he's got lots of new friends now, and hasn't played with me in a while." His face fell. "I'm just the lame, four-eyed geek that everypony picks on. He doesn't need me to embarrass him when he's got the 'cool kids' hanging out with him."

Cucumber leaned forward and put a hoof on his shoulder. "Don't worry, it's only the excitement of a new experience getting to him. He'll come back around. After all, no matter how many friends he has, there is nopony... absolutely nopony who can take your place in his heart. Not even his future spouse--if he ends up with one--could do that. It may not seem like it now, but he'll still need you for years to come."

Cheese looked into her brown eyes, pursing his lips. He slowly nodded, and just accepted the hug from his grandmother.

"Oh, I love you so much. You're such a wonderful colt, and I know you're destined for something amazing."

As they broke the hug, Cheese asked, "Gramma... you think when I'm grown up, I could find Aunt Honeydew? I'd like to meet her someday."

Cucumber chuckled. "Be sure to say 'hi' to her for me, Cheese."

---

The longer he sat on the red-and-purple plaid couch across from Sedimentary Rock, felt himself growing comfortable after sitting in a tree all day, and breathed in the pine smell, the more and more familiar that the mare looked. It struck him as odd, because when he went through these woods before, he never ran into anypony. Especially not Bighoof of all ponies. Boy, he couldn't wait to tell that crazy story, and he wondered if Tomato would tell it, or just assume that nopony would believe him and keep quiet about it.

He and his brother were wrapped in blankets, and in their hooves were mugs of hot cocoa. Tomato was looking curiously around at the pictures that hung from the walls, while Seddie sipped at her own cocoa.

"Well, you certainly like cats... and trains... and rocks," Tomato said, looking at each picture.

Seddie put her mug down on the coffee table and nodded. "I've always wanted a cat. Unfortunately, my father was allergic to not just cats, but also dogs, rabbits, and several other kinds of animals, so we never had a pet. Trainspotting is one of my hobbies, since I've found them fascinating since I was a little filly. As for the rocks... well, I grew up on a rock farm..."

Cheese chuckled. "What a coincidence! I have a friend who grew up on a rock farm. Gee, no wonder you're so tough."

"Yeah, rock farmers do develop great strength. And keeping Bighoof in check keeps me strong."

"Do you know how he came to be?" Tomato asked.

Seddie shook her head. "I don't. He just appeared out of nowhere one day and attacked me. Of course, I beat him into submission and he hasn't crossed me since." She giggled. "So, where are you boys from?"

"Manehattan," Tomato answered.

"Oh, Manehattan." Seddie sighed and leaned in her hoof. "I've been there... lots of character, lots of diversity, but also a lot of attitude! I've bumped into many a snippy pony while I was there."

Tomato rolled his eyes. "I hear that a lot. In fact, that's how my friend's first day was."

Seddie tapped her hooves together. "Oh, that wasn't my biggest problem. Quite frankly, the tall buildings scared me."

Tomato blinked. "I don't hear that often."

Seddie shrugged. "What can I say? Sometimes I wonder how they stay up. I just kept imaging a major disaster in that city that would make buildings fall over, or crumble, or shake some ponies off the buildings. No matter what, my mind just kept going to a worst case scenario involving skyscrapers where a lot of ponies die!"

Tomato stared at her for a moment, put his mug down, and hid under his blanket. "Thanks for getting it into my head. Sheesh, the buildings are supposed to be stable, lady!"

Seddie rubbed the back of her head. "Also, I couldn't catch a cab."

"It happens."

Cheese cleared his throat. "Well, if I'm going to be honest, I've actually been out on the road since I was eleven. I'm just dragging Tommy around on a road trip this summer to show him the rest of Equestria and strengthen our bond as brothers."

Seddie put a hoof to her chest. "Aww... so are you the older brother?"

Cheese nodded. "Yep! You got it on the first try!" Cheese put his mug down, reached behind his back, and pulled out a slice of cake. As he gave it to her, he said, "Your prize, ma'am."

Seddie blinked as she received the cake, and stared at it for a moment. As she sniffed it, she began to laugh. "Oh, my! Where did you get this?"

Cheese put a hoof to his lips and winked. "Shh... a party pony doesn't reveal his secrets."

"Not even to his brother," Tomato remarked from under his blanket. Cheese elbowed him in response.

Seddie giggled. "Like a magician? Well, I wouldn't want to ruin the magic now, would I?" She took a bite out of the cake, and hummed in delight. She gazed at the lump where Tomato hid as she chewed.

She swallowed her bite, and told him, "Make sure you appreciate the things that your big brother does for you; from what I gathered from my own big brother, it's a pretty tough job to look after your younger siblings. Cheese here is like... the gift that was prepared for you before you were born!"

Cheese put a hoof to his chest. "D'aw, I'm a gift? You're too kind."

"Well, you're both gifts to each other from your parents, am I right?"

Cheese's grin fell, and he glanced at the lump under the blanket. He recalled the day Tomato was born. As far away as it was, Cheese could still remember the soft colors of the hospital room, the nurse writing down the name of the newborn foal, the excited but reverent whispers of his grandparents, and the new baby smell. But most prominent was how amazed and happy he had been to cradle his baby brother with his own small forelegs. Cheese had not been much bigger than baby Tommy, but he still felt strong as he held up the little foal and announced, "This my baby."

But for the life of him, he couldn't recall if his parents smiled or not.

Cheese forced a grin, and he nodded. He felt like he was lying, but there was no way he could read his parents' minds. He was probably just overthinking it.

Seddie sighed, set her cake next to her cocoa, and leaned in her hoof. "Yeah, it's times like this that I miss my own brother."

Tomato poked his head from under the blanket. "Is he dead?"

"Oh, no no, he's... actually, I haven't contacted him in a long time. I don't know what he's been up to since the last time we've seen each other. Oh, I sure hope he married that mare he was courting..."

"So, uh... when did you last see each other?"

"About thirty years ago."

Cheese nearly jumped out of his seat. "Uh... just what happened between you two that made you unwilling to speak for that long?"

Seddie raised her head and raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Unwilling? Are you saying we're feuding?"

Cheese and Tomato glanced at each other and winced. Clearing his throat, Cheese said, "Oh, no, no, no, I didn't mean to imply that... okay, maybe I did. But that's just because neither of our parents saw eye to eye with their siblings, especially since our mom's sister ran off and we never met her, and Tommy and I are kinda sorta recovering from our own squabbles and--"

Seddie leaned forward and shoved a hoof in Cheese's mouth, her brow furrowed. Once she removed the hoof, Cheese sank in his seat, and it was his turn to hide under his blanket.

Seddie sighed once again. "It wasn't that we had a bad relationship--oh, no, we actually got along pretty good. It's just... I was a foolhardy teenager that didn't listen to his warnings about some things I was doing, and ended up getting myself into trouble and getting humiliated for it. The last time I saw his face, there was just so much shock and disappointment in it that I couldn't bear to look at him. So... really, I've just been too ashamed to talk to him for all this time."

There was silence. Cheese slowly brought his head out of the blanket, looking around and trying to find the words to say. Seddie picked up her mug and sipped, her eyes looking downward and her face somber. Tomato reached forward and picked up his mug, and started gulping down his cocoa. After a moment of thinking, Cheese gave up on coming up with consoling words, and did the same as Tomato.

Once the cocoa was finished, Seddie looked at the clock. "Perhaps you boys should get to bed."

---

So it was that they were spending the night in one of Seddie's spare rooms, where she'd let travelers and lost hikers and campers stay so they didn't have to spend the night outside. After all, with Bighoof out there, they were most certainly in danger.

The brothers laid in two beds that were across the room from each other and near the window. There were a couple of other beds on the other side of the room, and Cheese wondered just how many ponies had been lost at one time. There was a nightstand with a lamp between his and Tomato's beds, and there was a couple mirrors on the walls. But, other than that, the room was pretty bare.

Cheese laid awake in the dark, staring at the ceiling. Once morning rolled around, he'd have to gather all his party items, fix his accordion again, and then he and Tomato would head to Nickerlite. If he recalled correctly, they had to find the rail line and follow it there. Then, whatever shindig was being planned in the small town would be grand.

Still, he couldn't help but ponder about his role as the older brother. He glanced at Tomato, who was curled up into a ball and facing the wall, with slow, even breathing that indicated a peaceful slumber.

He recalled hearing somewhere that a big sibling was like a mini-parent, a foal who'd have to watch someone from a young age and be their protector, even though their parents were usually around. Seddie was right in saying it was a tough job, since he knew from experience just how irritating a younger sibling could be. He remembered all the times that Tomato had done something stupid to nearly kill himself, his obliviousness, his klutzy nature, the continual pestering to come out of his room and show Tommy's friends just how "cool" of a pony he was.

Even now, when he had become a far more mellow pony, Tomato found new ways to be irritating.

Cheese shook his head. Sometimes he wondered why he was born first. Sometimes he wondered why he wasn't an only child. Sometimes he wondered that out of all possible brothers and sisters, he got Tomato.

He looked at Tomato again, and just noticed that this was how their room had been arranged when they were foals--minus the extra beds and with more furniture, of course. Staring at his little brother, he was half-expecting Tomato to jump out of bed and right onto him, like when they were colts. He half-expected a request for them to sneak a midnight snack from the fridge. He half-expected a random telling of a dream, like that time Tommy blurted out his dream of Cheese being a dog and they played under a full moon.

He smiled. Of course it was those little, funny moments of bonding and playtime and inside jokes that made putting up with Tomato's annoying moments worthwhile. Those moments where Tomato would happily greet him when he came home from school; those days when they'd play in the fall leaves or the snow in the park; those hours they'd spend being cowspies and fighting Dr. Sauerkraut. Those colthood days when they had been two peas in a pod who believed they'd be "best brother buddies" forever.

He sighed. He was still ashamed to say that those days didn't last.

He had made a promise to Grandma that he'd try his best to keep their bond strong. But so much of the stress from nearly every single thing that was in his life got to him, and it didn't help that she and Grandpa had passed away soon after, so he had no one to turn to. And in turn, he shut out Tommy out of jealousy of all the friends, the high marks, and the praise the younger brother earned, and resentment of his own situation.

Cheese huffed and turned to face the wall. Why am I doing this again? His life back in Manehattan couldn't have been that bad if he had it good as a colt. Please, somepony tell me what he needs me for.

He wanted to hit himself after thinking that. He had to remind himself that the trip was only just beginning, they didn't even do a Summer Sun party yet, and that this whole thing would be worth it. After all, he was doing this because he loved his little brother, and wanted to see him happy.

Also, he Pinkie Promised. An that was a promise that he couldn't break.

Still, he couldn't help but worry that things would go bad again. He didn't want to end up like Mom and her sister or Dad and his sister. He didn't even want the kind of shame that isolated Seddie from her brother. He felt torn by her words spoken just a couple hours before, and the words of his mother from long ago.

Is Tomato a blessing or a curse?

Author's Note:

And now, another flashback.

And more on the Mozzarella and Honeydew story.

And more Seddie.

And hot cocoa. Now I'm thirsty for hot cocoa.

Pfft, yeah, I'll just say now that the flashbacks won't exactly be in order. After all, we first have the Tomato's cutie mark flashback, then the setup for the big confrontation that made things worse between Cheese and Tomato, and then a flashback to before their grandparents died.

Eh, I just thought this flashback fit the chapter.

Oh! I almost forgot! Credit for this "Balcony Flowerbox" filly that was set up for Cheese by his mom mentioned in the flashback goes to Scoots2. I hope you don't mind... I liked the idea...

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Every time I read about Mozzarella...
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/196/328/5f3.png

Seddie rubbed the back of her head. "Also, I couldn't catch a cab."

Well, even royalty can't, so there's no shame there.

In any case, it really is a shame to see how the toxins left by their mother still linger in the Sandwich boys. It's a Catch-22: Frank, open discussion could resolve a lot of the resentment, but some resentment needs to be resolved before they can have such a discussion. Well, there's plenty of trip left. We'll see how it goes for them. And if Pinkie will need to make a cross-country trip to punish a promise-breaker.

[SageBrony07]

Thanks for a nice chapter. As an older brother myself, I can relate big time with this chapter. I would say though my brother was a blessing and we really got along.

[RadicalDishonesty]

I'm really liking how all the parallels between other siblings is coming out in the story.

I think the flashbacks were not confusing and well timed: It thematically applies to two other sibling relations here.

I hope they meet Honeydew later. Jury is out whether I hope for a heartfelt reunion with their mother.

[Drifting Heart]

5660892
Oh oh! um can i help with the urge to kill rising because i am certainly feeling it too. XD sorry i honestly hate parents like mozzarella people er ponies like that do not deserve children at all if they are just going to treat them like trophies and something to boost their reputation. oh and the pinkie promise thing oh god if they don't resolve this then.
iambrony.dget.cc/mlp/gif/187348__safe_pinkie-pie_animated_reaction-image_angry_the-last-roundup_pinkie-promise.gif
Run boys run!

[Drifting Heart]

This chapter breaks my heart the more i fall in love with these boys the more i just want to hug poor cheesie and tommy everytime their past comes up. I can totally relate to Cheese here being an older brother just like him i got compared a lot to my younger brother and it made me so angry don't worry we are good now as adults. Of course seddie is awesome as usual gotta love her igneous is lucky to have her as a sister.

[Jordan179]

He tried to focus on his division, which unfortunately required him to divide big numbers with big numbers.

NED STARK: Long division is coming!

[scoots2]

I'm finally--FINALLY--catching up, because a Certain Thing needs to be written.

Eeeee Balcony Flowerbox! I'm thrilled you used her!

[Sugarcookie29]

Cheese had not been much bigger than baby Tommy, but he still felt strong as he held up the little foal and announced, "This my baby."

I said the same thing when my brother was born

[redmar]

I wonder if Honeydew is related to Fluttershy. Mozarella is no better than Spoiled Rich.

[Godslittleprincess]

Is Seddie going to Nickerlite with them?