//------------------------------//
// 26. The Letter 
// Story: The Rock Farmer's Daughters 
// by Sketcha-Holic 
//------------------------------//

Hiding out in his clubhouse early in the morning, Cortland read the letters over and over again, seeing what snippets of the life of this mysterious Tomato Sandwich he could find that would be useful. After all, if this brother of Cheese Sandwich could provide some dirt on him, Cortland would be more than happy to use that to his advantage. Any kind of dirt would be suitable.

Still, all he was reading was about mishaps and memorable moments in Manehattan that the fellow had to write about. Cortland skimmed through mentions of some sort of Bridleway number on the street, a reckless taxi puller, and rumors of a sewer monster. Tomato seemed to write about things like that, as well as how he was doing and how naggy his mother was. There were also mentions of other friends, but Cortland didn't care about them.

There were a couple of letters that mentioned Cheese. One was expressing surprise at the whereabouts of said pony; the other saying that he built up the courage to write him, and was nervously awaiting his reply. There was a sense of downheartedness at the possibility that Cheese wouldn't answer at all, thanks to some "accordion incident".

Cortland knew that mentioning Cheese's family was a sore spot; his reaction when it was brought up during the Pies' visit to the Apple homestead told him that much. Stayman and Idared had also confirmed that he was cold upon being asked where he was from and who his family was. Whatever this "accordion incident" was, it had hit him hard.

Even so, Cortland still didn't feel any closer to getting Cheese fired and running him out of town. How in the hay was he supposed to use this Tomato to do it, anyway? Igneous wouldn't care about Cheese's brother unless they had been partners in crime or something and posed a threat. And since Igneous would be a tough pony to convince, especially for one who had been relentlessly pursuing his daughter…

He sighed. "What could Ah even say to him? That pony hates mah guts."

He stood up and stretched his legs. He trotted out of the treehouse, and headed for the house, shaking his head. It was no fun being stumped.

After walking past a fair number of trees, the house was in view, and his father was casually leaning against the wall.

"Howdy, Cortland," Haralson said. "Mind goin' to the post office later today? Ah'm sendin' a letter to Granny Smith."

"Psh, what for?"

"Ah've just been writin' her to see how the Ponyville branch of our family is doin'. Now, don't try ta argue, and just go."

Cortland rolled his eyes, and then went back inside the house.





"Okay, how do I start this thing?" Cheese mumbled, rocking back and forth on his bed, looking at the blank paper in front of him. Rolling his pencil between his teeth back and forth, he racked his brain for the words to put down.

"Okey dokey… um… 'Dear Tomato Sandwich'…" He shook his head. "Nah, too formal. Hmm… 'To Whom It May Concern'… nope." He knocked on his head and exclaimed with a grin, "'Hey, bro! How ya doin'?!" He held his grin for a few moments before it fell into a frown. "Ugh… that was stupid."

"Cheese, what are you doing?"

Cheese turned to the doorway, where Pinkamena stood, tilting her head. Tapping his hooves together, he looked away, flushing. "I… uh… I… thought about what you said last night."

Pinkamena strode to the bed and sat beside him. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'm writing him a letter."

Pinkamena smiled. "Good to hear. That was faster than I thought it would be."

"Ah, well… that letter I received was from him; I just took forever to read it."

Pinkamena gave him a mild scowl. "So, you had his letter the whole time?"

"Hey, you prompted me to read it!" Cheese reached over to the nightstand, grabbed the letter, and gave it to her. "Take a look for yourself, Pinks."

She raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but then shrugged it off and read the letter. Her face was impassive when she first started to read, but soon her eyes were growing wider and wider as she continued. Her mouth was in an O shape, and she gave slight nods to some points. Cheese watched her the whole time, gauging her reaction.

Finally, she set the letter down and turned to him. "Sounds like he missed you a lot."

Cheese turned away and gazed at his blank page. "Yep."

"Are you writing him?"

"Yep. I figure I might as well invite him over here, see what he has to say, maybe introduce him to you… stuff like that." He scratched at his cutie mark as he said this, which Pinkamena noticed quickly.

"So… the hobo thing's not a problem?"

"Er… um…" Cheese stopped his scratching and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know…"

"Okay, that's obviously a lie."

Cheese glared at her. "Being stuck with our parents for years would most likely make him judgmental like they are, and think that maybe big bro's not worth the time he wasted in getting here. Ugh… I dunno, maybe I oughta tell him that it'd be a waste of time seeing me, since he'd embarrassed to be related to me."

"Hey, now, don't think that way. He did say in his letter that he knows about the rock farm, and rock farms don't exactly have the best reputation. If he's still willing to see you regardless, well, he sounds like a pony I'd like to meet."

"Maybe… I guess…" Cheese sighed. "But what do I write? How should I broach the subject? What day should I suggest that he come? Heck, I don't even know his school or work schedule or if he has any free days that he could just drop on by!"

"Cheese!" Pinkamena grabbed his head and turned it toward her, and drew close enough so their noses touched. "Calm down. From what I've read, I'm sure he's nervous too. If anything, he thinks you're still angry with him. Right now, just focus on reassuring him and telling him that there's nothing to fear." She pulled back and smiled at him. "It'll make things easier on both your nerves."

Cheese smiled back. "Well… I suppose I am just overthinking things… I'll keep that in mind."

"All right." Pinkamena hopped off the bed. "Though I'm not so sure you have time to write—we've got to start work soon."

Cheese's smile fell into a frown. "Darn."





As he and the Pies did the same old routine with the rocks, Cheese was thinking about what he wanted to write. He couldn't remember the last time he wrote a letter, but he was sure it hadn't taken as much thought as this one. He needed to present himself as approachable, and save the sensitive stuff for when he and Tomato were face to face. He also figured that he should tell him about the Pies, so he didn't get caught off guard by their rough exteriors.

However, his focus seemed to be switching between the letter, his job, and Pinkamena. Every time he took a look at her, he'd rub his cheek where she had kissed him. He silently noted that she was growing more beautiful with each passing day, and felt warm upon remembering when he first saw her smile. However, he'd end up glancing at Igneous, and jerk his focus back to the rocks, the fear of Igneous somehow reading his thoughts setting in.

I must be crazy, he thought. Igneous has nothing to worry about, I'm just treating his daughters as if they're my sisters, nothing more.

It was usually after a thought like this that he found himself unconsciously drifting toward her, with the urge to hold her close permeating his body and the curiosity of how kissing her lips would feel popping into his head. A surge of panic would overtake him, and he'd hurriedly trot to the next rock. He'd notice Limestone and Marble looking at him with concern, while Maud would stare at him with those impassive eyes of hers, almost as if she was judging him.

He struggled to both keep his actions on the rocks and his thoughts on the letter he was going to write. Beautiful and coherent sentences were forming in his head, and he looked forward to putting them down on paper.

As he imagined writing down the part about the Pies, the most flowery of the sentences in his head were about Pinkamena, describing her as a walking miracle that was tough and gritty on the outside, but very sweet and compassionate on the inside. She was strong and steadfast, not willing to cave to the pressures of the townsfolk, and very stern, and yet she was a helpful and caring pony. Her smile could light up the darkest of caves and her voice was like a bell. Her hair appeared as a smooth waterfall of raspberry juice, her coat as pink and soft as cotton candy, her shimmering eyes matching the clear blue sky, the rocks on her flank resembling joyous balloons—

Why the hay was he thinking like that? That's not how he spoke at all!

He wanted to keep the letter sounding like him and as brief as possible. Describing how wonderful Pinkamena was might bore his poor brother to death. Besides, the point of the letter was to set up a time and place where they'd finally meet after over a decade.

Finally, lunch break had arrived, and once Cheese had scarfed down his lunch, he sped up to his room, grabbed the pencil and paper, and laid down on the hard, wooden floor to write.

It was then he realized that he had forgotten the coherent sentences that he had formed in his head. He dropped the pencil, and then slammed his head on the floor.





The sentences were not as he had imagined them before, but at least he wrote something. It was a simple, "Hello, how you doing" kind of thing, telling his brother that he was alive and well, answering "yes, come on over, let's talk", and brief descriptions of the Pie Family. He had found himself wanting to overdescribe Pinkamena again, but kept himself to a simple overview of her personality and how she looked. He hated just writing, "well, she's pink", but she stood out from the rest of her family anyway.

Reading it over three times, he deemed it good enough, and then made his way downstairs, the folded letter between his teeth. There, he found the Pies in the living room, just resting a little before they started work again.

"Hey, do any of you know where an envelope is? I have a letter to send."

They all looked at him, and after a moment, Limestone hopped out of her seat. She went to the bookshelf, and pulled a box from one of the shelves. "They're in this box."

Cheese smiled and approached the bookshelf. "Thanks, Limestone." He took an envelope and slid the paper in. "Okay, now to get the address on this thing and I'm good to go."

He rushed back upstairs, with the Pies staring at him as he did so.

After a moment, Cloudy said, "You know, he's been acting kind of squirrelly lately."

"Yeah…" Igneous mumbled. "What do you suppose is going on with him?"

"Must be the pony he's sending that letter to," Marble replied.

Well, duh, Pinkamena thought. He's going to speak with his brother after so many years. It was getting harder and harder not to smile at the possibility of Cheese making peace with his family. She was a little unsure about his parents, given that Cheese was apparently not too fond of them, but his little brother was a good start.

Cheese came back down, and trotted to the front door. "I am off to the post office, folks! I'll be back soon!" He was out within five seconds of saying that.

Igneous shook his head. "He didn't have to announce something so obvious."





Once he reached Nickerlite, he paused to catch his breath and sat in the dirt. He pushed himself a little too hard on the gallop to town, so a moment of rest was welcomed. He was so winded he didn't notice a certain blue unicorn donning saddlebags approach him.

"Hello, Cheese, what brings you to town?"

Cheese looked up, still panting. "I… decided… to reply to… the letter."

Bluejinx blinked, and then smirked. "Well, good. I was afraid that you had torn it up." He frowned again. "So I take it that you're telling him that you're not comfortable with letting him into your life again?"

"Actually, no. I'm letting him come over and talk things out."

Bluejinx smiled again. "Really?"

Cheese got back onto his hooves and started walking. "Really."

Bluejinx walked beside him. "Ah, yes, I see… okay, mind telling me about your change of heart?"

"Er…" Cheese looked away. His talk with Pinkamena did push him to do it, but if he said that, Bluejinx might get the wrong idea about their relationship. "Um… I, uh… I watched the Pie Sisters in action."

"Really?"

"Yeah. The girls are close, and once you get to know them, they're actually quite warmer than their stony exteriors indicate. Seeing Maud and Pinkamena confide in each other, Limestone and Marble bicker in a silly way before making up, or all four of them just having each other's' backs, it was just amazing. I guess… I realized that I missed having that bond with Tomato."

Bluejinx nodded. "He always did admire you. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to hear from you."

"I sure hope so. And I hope he likes the Pies; they have been my family the past couple months."

"The way you talk about them, you've grown attached to them."

"I don't deny that." Cheese sighed. "I'm actually dreading the day I have to leave."

"Well… why do you have to leave?"

"Look at my cutie mark for that answer. I'm supposed to travel, leaving my hoofprints all over Equestria, going from town to town. I could hardly call it a destiny marking a permanent career and settling down somewhere."

"Unless you were a traveling salespony."

"Psht, what would I sell? Rocks?"

"Uh…"

"Never mind that. I've got to get to the post office and then head back to the rock farm, and you've got to… do whatever you're supposed to be doing."

"Oh!" Bluejinx reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a several papers. "Aunt Purple's making me set up fliers for the carnival in two weeks. It sounds like an awful lot of fun for a small town such as Nickerlite, seeing as there's not much to do other than work, talk, or hang out in the saloon."

"Avoiding the saloon, thank you very much." Cheese quirked an eyebrow at the sound of a carnival. "Say… mind giving me a couple of those?"

"Uh, sure?" Bluejinx stared as Cheese took two of the fliers and asked, "Um, why?"

"You got a pencil?"

Bluejinx used his magic to pull a pencil out of his saddlebag and gave it to Cheese. "You still didn't answer my question."

Cheese set down his letter, leaned against the closest building, and wrote on the back of one of the fliers. Once he was done, he sat back down and folded the flier. Then he opened the envelope, slid the flier into it, and then closed it again. "There. Hope he doesn't mind going to a small town carnival."

Bluejinx's jaw dropped. "For real? You're going to invite him?"

Cheese spat the pencil back into Bluejinx's saddlebag. "Well, why not? Of course, I'll have to check with Igneous, but I'm sure he'll understand. I'm just hoping Tommy's schedule will allow it."

"Well, then… good luck. Let's hope everything goes smoothly."

Cheese nodded and picked up both the envelope and remaining flier, and Bluejinx turned around to continue his task. Taking a deep breath, Cheese marched through town, ready to mail his letter.





Cortland swore that he could feel other ponies' eyes on him. Whether it was looks of scorn branding him a liar or looks of pity for his failed romance, he just knew that they weren't welcome. He wanted neither their scorn nor their pity; he just wanted things to go back to normal.

Of course, things won't be normal until the drifter who ruined his life was out of town. Unfortunately, he had no surefire way to expel him. He was in over his head when he promised himself that he'd get rid of Cheese, and the options he had would get him into deep trouble. How would he be able to convince Igneous to fire him? Get an angry mob that hated Cheese on his side?

He made it to the post office to find Cheese strolling out, whistling a tune. Cortland paused, and watched the lanky stallion turn away and trot down the street, still whistling merrily. After a moment, Cortland glared at the chipper pony.

"What's he so happy 'bout?"

He sighed and looked at the letter to Granny Smith. He was here to send his pa's letter to her, not glare at that hobo. However, before he could go inside, the mailpony walked out, making Cortland stagger back. The mailpony looked up, and then spread his wings to take off.

"Whoa there, pardner!" Cortland exclaimed. He stuck the letter in the mailbag. "Be sure ta stop by Ponyville and give mah letter to Granny Smith."

The mailpony chuckled. "Will do, mister!" The very next moment, the pegasus took off, flying to places to deliver letters to. Unfortunately, some of the letters wouldn't reach their destinations, as some of them had flown out of the bag when he took off and were now laying in the street.

Cortland groaned. "Doggone mailpony should be more careful!" He walked around, picking up the letters from the dust. He checked the names and address on each one, making sure that the one to Granny Smith hadn't been dropped.

However, when he checked the final letter he picked up, to his surprise, it was addressed to Tomato Sandwich. And even more to his surprise, it wasn't from Bluejinx; it was from Cheese.

Glancing around to see if anypony was watching, he slid the envelope under his hat, a smirk crawling onto his face. Looking at the other letters, he trotted into the post office, muttering, "At least Granny Smith gets her letter; shame Tomato Sandwich won't get his."