//------------------------------//
// 38. Feels Like Home 
// Story: The Rock Farmer's Daughters 
// by Sketcha-Holic 
//------------------------------//

It was a few days more before the three were released from the hospital, with instructions on how to care for the burns and prescribing medication, as well as emphasizing the extra rest Igneous needed for his leg to heal. Now, the Pies were taking the train home, so they could settle into the healing for the next several weeks. Cheese was going to heal along with them, Seddie was going to help take care of the burns, and Tomato tagged along so Cheese could show them where he had been working and living for the past few months.

Igneous, sitting in a wheelchair, was giving a funny look at the well-dressed stallion sitting in the seat across the aisle, scanning him up and down. Pursing his lips, he grumbled, "Well, I was right about one thing: A pony named Tomato would be red, and you are definitely red."

Tomato looked at Igneous curiously. "Well, then..."

Cloudy, who sat near her husband, shook her head. "No, no, no... he looks orange to me."

Igneous snorted. "If he was orange, I'm pretty sure his parents would have named him 'Carrot'."

"Igneous, he's a different shade of orange than a carrot. He's a red-orange color."

Igneous whickered in annoyance. "Red-orange? That's just silly."

Cloudy raised an eyebrow. "So is the name of 'Carrot Sandwich.'"

Seddie, who sat by Cloudy, giggled. "Does it really matter what his fur color is?"

Igneous gestured to the dark-haired stallion. "His name has to match his coat! At least Cheese's coat is the shade of some actual cheese..."

Cloudy snorted. "I've seen orange tomatoes when I was a filly. My father loved growing them, and ate them fresh."

Igneous facehoofed, while his sister just laughed. "Cloudy, please don't bring your father into this..."

Tomato sighed and leaned in his hoof. "I've heard this argument between several art students once..."

Cheese, who sat in the seat facing Tomato's, laughed. "You've had ponies argue about your coat color?"

Tomato rolled his eyes. "Nah, they were arguing about what shade of blue the sky was. They couldn't care less about the passerby who overheard the words 'azure', 'cerulean', and 'celeste'. I mean, who cares? It's blue."

Pinkamena was sitting beside Cheese, Maud sat next to Tomato, while Marble and Limestone were with Igneous, Cloudy, and Seddie. The four sisters had been amused by their parents' discussion on whether Tomato was red or orange, and agreed with his sentiment about the color of the sky. Even Maud was nodding. 

Limestone said, "Say, Cheese, did you tell him some of your stories? I'm sure he'd like them."

Cheese waved a bandaged hoof. "Already told him a few. He laughed the hardest at Hank the Big, Mean, Ribbiting Diamond Dog!"

"Dogs don't ribbit," Maud said bluntly. 

Cloudy leaned in her seat and replied, "Well, Hank didn't get the memo. I should know, I was there."

Cheese chuckled. "I also told him the Santa Hooves one--"

"I read about it in the newspaper, but they never mentioned that the pony being chased was Cheese Sandwich!" Tomato complained. 

"--the fight at that bakery in Ponyville--"

"It's called Sugarcube Corner, dearie," Seddie corrected. 

"--the time I was pelted with jellyfish--"

"Again, how were the ponies throwing them not stung?" Marble asked.

"--and the whole fiasco with the aggressive coworker who murdered a calf and was replaced with a pregnant mare."

Igneous sighed. "It's a good thing you withheld the details when you told that story at the Apples' table, Cheese. I'm sure you didn't want to put those mental images into those twins' heads."

Cheese shrugged. "Well, I didn't, and I wasn't too explicit about what happened when I told Tomato... I already have a gruesome mental image." He shuddered at the thought of what had happened, and silently cursed the pony who had gone in full detail about that incident.

Limestone scowled. "You didn't tell him about the Goof Off?"

Tomato tilted his head. "What the hay's a Goof Off?"

Cheese shook his head to clear his mind, and then answered, "Oh, it's a competition between two weird... reality warping... crazy ponies to see which one could pull off the most ridiculous stunts and out-goof the other. There's usually a song involved... or so I've heard."

Tomato leaned forward and placed the tips of his hooves together. "I'm intrigued. You must tell me this story."

Pinkamena looked out the window. "Maybe later, Tomato, we're here."

The train came to a stop in the Nickerlite station, and those who were able stood up and began to file out. Cloudy pushed Igneous' wheelchair out, and Cheese and Pinkamena hobbled carefully into the boarding platform, wincing at the stinging that accompanied each step. 

The very next moment had the candy shop owners rushing toward them, with their foal in tow. A perky Sugar Glider chirped, "Hello, Pies! We're so glad that you returned!"

Pinkamena waved. "Hi, Sugar! Hi, Lemon! Hi, Butterscotch!"

Butterscotch, in a carrier that her mother had on her back, cooed in response to Pinkamena, and once close enough, poked Pinkamena on the nose and giggled. Then she turned to Cheese, and poked him on the nose as well. She looked at the other ponies, and stretched forth her hoof, wanting to poke the noses of the others.

Lemon chuckled. "What is with you and poking noses, Butters?"

Cheese grinned. "It's just so cute!" He swiftly grabbed Tomato, positioned him in front of the filly, and Butterscotch poked him on the nose. Cheese held a grin, although he was visibly wincing from pain. 

Tomato chuckled. "Okay, that is cute..." He stuck his tongue out playfully at the babbling foal. He looked up at the parents and said, "By the way, I'm Cheese's brother, Tomato."

Sugar took his hoof and shook it vigorously. "Oh, goodie! I was worried that the poor fella had no family."

Cheese rolled his eyes. "Nah, they were alive and kicking the whole time." He cleared his throat. "Hope you don't mind, but we have a farm to return to..."

Igneous looked at Cheese and Pinkamena worriedly. "Are you sure that you two can make it to the farm?"

"We'll be fine, Pa," Pinkamena said. 

Almost immediately she and Cheese were suddenly hoisted onto the the back of a large stallion. The group was awfully surprised by the random pony's appearance, and those on his back looked at him like he was crazy.

The large, peach-colored stallion giggled and said, "Pardon me for the interruption, but I can't just let two injured ponies walk such a long way."

Igneous looked at him funny. "Who are you?"

"Name's Trotterjohn. Born and bred here in Nickerlite, work at the print shop, and I was in the same class as Maud."

Maud looked up, blinked, and muttered, "Oh... it's you. You got taller."

Cheese looked at Trotterjohn. "You work at the print shop? Did Bluejinx send you?"

Trotterjohn shook his head. "Nope, I came of my own volition."

Of course, the mentioned unicorn cantered over once the train passed, and he was looking rather annoyed with the large stallion. "Trot... what did my aunt tell you about slipping out just to greet the Pies at the train station?"

Trotterjohn frowned. "I didn't wanna miss them..."

Lemon shrugged. "We didn't want to miss them, either."

Upon seeing his friend, Tomato grinned. "Hey, Blue!"

Bluejinx smiled. "Hey, Tom. How's it going back in Manehattan?"

"Eh, the usual. How are things in Nickerlite... besides all the strife that had been happening here that nearly killed my brother?"

Bluejinx rubbed the back of his head. "Erm... well, we recently had a funeral." He glanced in between the Pies, gauging their reaction. 

"Who died?" Cloudy asked. 

Bluejinx blinked. "Uh, nopony mentioned it?"

The group all shook their heads, while Trotterjohn, Lemon, and Sugar were just sweeping his eyes over them. He coughed and bit his lip. Bluejinx glared at him for a moment, and then sighed. "Well, you wouldn't believe this, but... Cortland's dead."

The group was looking straight at him with wide eyes, with the exception of Maud, who held her usual stony look. Still, all were in shock about the news that they had just received. All were silent except for Cloudy, who said, "You're kidding, right?"

Bluejinx shook his head. "The night of the fire, ponies at the river saw a train hit him. Not a pretty sight."

Tomato tilted his head. "Uh, Cortland?"

Pinkamena jumped off of Trotterjohn's back, and immediately crumpled to the ground, grunting from the pain in her legs. Tomato immediately helped her back up, and she explained, "Well, see, Cortland's this stallion who had been pestering me about being his 'beau' and spreading rumors about my family... he quickly turned lunatic, kidnapped my Pa, and started the fire to try to kill him, me, and Cheese."

Tomato bit his lip. "Well, okay then... he doesn't sound very nice."

Bluejinx stepped forward. "Not to mention that those gang members confessed to helping him sabotage the reunion between you and Cheese by stealing my letters from you and Cheese's reply to the letter you sent him--and wrote a fake to get him fired."

Cheese interjected, "And conspired to punish you in my place just because I 'stole his mare'."

Tomato was wide-eyed upon hearing that. "Excuse me, but I had nothing to do with that love triangle--I didn't even know it existed..."

Trotterjohn frowned. "I thought we weren't supposed to speak ill of the dead."

Sugar nodded. "It may not change the fact that he did awful things--but there are still ponies who were hit hard by his death."

Pinkamena sighed. "I know, I know... I would have been happy if he had been sent somewhere else. I wasn't ever wishing death on him, now matter how irritating he got. Still... I can't imagine what his little brother and sister are going through. It must be really hard for them."

Igneous looked at the ground and pursed his lips. "It must be awfully hard for Haralson as well." He looked at his sister and wife. "Cloudy, take the others home; Seddie, take me to the Apples' farm. I want to talk to Haralson."

Cloudy frowned. "What if Haralson blames you for Cortland's death?"

"I wouldn't blame him for being upset with me over my involvement in this mess; but, still..."

Seddie nodded. "Well, I'll take you. Going to at least try some comfort, and try to be a friend?"

Igneous sighed. "I just want to make sure he's all right."





The apple orchard still looked the same and smelled the same, but it sure didn't feel the same. The last time Igneous had been there, it had been a warm and cheery place, bearing sweet fruit to be munched on and shared and the cool shade of the many trees to lay in on a hot day. Now it seemed so somber, and it seemed like the trees were weeping. The cool shade gave Igneous a chill, and he was starting to feel a little gloomy himself. Not even Seddie was feeling very talkative as she pushed his wheelchair through the orchard.

He wondered if the rock farm had felt this way when his mother and mother-in-law had passed away. Not that the rock farm could be considered a cheerful place, but it was at least happier before their deaths. After they were gone, it took years before they could even smile again--and it was thanks to a lanky colt that had stumbled there one day. Igneous had never anticipated the family becoming so attached to him, and now he wasn't sure that he could imagine life without Cheese Sandwich. 

He sighed, reminding himself to keep focus to the task at hand. What was he going to say to Haralson? Igneous had never liked Cortland all that much, and had even less reason to since the colt had nearly killed him, his daughter, and his former employee. He looked at the bandages and patches that covered his forelegs, barrel, and hindlegs. Noting that he had to change his bandages soon, he was still miffed that Cortland could not face justice for arson or attempted murder. Why was he on his way to comfort Haralson?

They arrived at the house, and he allowed Seddie to knock on the door. It was soon answered by Blossom, whose mane was sloppily put up in a messy bun. She looked like she hadn't slept, and she was without a twinkle in her eye. 

"Erm, hello," Igneous muttered. "Is Haralson home?"

Blossom pushed the door back so it was only open a crack. "We don't want no company."

Remembering that Cortland had been dead the past few weeks, he wondered what kind of "condolences" the townsfolk had given them. "Ma'am, I'm just here to see how he's doing."

She stuck her head out and glared at him. "How do Ah know yer not just here to rub it in?"

Haralson's voice came from inside. "Blossom... just let 'em in."

Blossom blinked, and with narrowed eyes, she huffed and opened the door so the Rock Siblings could come in. Seddie pushed Igneous in, and they came face to face with Haralson lying down on the couch. 

He was even more a mess than his wife. His blonde mane was matted and tangled up, he had grown a short beard, and his eyes looked sunken and haunted. He glanced at Igneous much like a bloodhound would, and he blinked slowly. Igneous felt sorrow just looking at him, trying to imagine how hard it'd be to lose a child.

In the corner, Stayman and Idared were quietly playing with dolls. Beside them laid a toy train with the wheels popped off and looked a little too banged up to be an accident. They looked up at him with sad innocence before resuming their activity. 

Seddie looked sorrowfully at the twins. "Excuse me, but would you two like a snack?"

"No, ma'am," Stayman mumbled. "We ain't hungry." A rumble from a stomach came from that corner. Seddie didn't know which stomach, but the "not hungry" thing was a lie.

"Oh, but I insist. After all, you need to eat." She looked at Blossom. "Do you mind showing me where everything is so I could prepare something for them?"

Blossom sighed. "This way."

Seddie smiled warmly and beckoned the foals. "Come on, you two. I'll make you a special treat!"

Igneous watched as the twins looked at each other, stood up, and then followed Seddie and their mother into the kitchen. His sister gave him a wink, and he knew that she was leaving him and Haralson alone. With a sigh, he looked at the grieving father before him. 

What could he say? He had gotten this far--where were the words that could comfort Haralson? He wasn't sure if he should have volunteered for this, especially with the burns that he bore which Cortland had something to do with. Did Haralson know that Cortland started the fire? If he didn't, then Igneous was not going to mention it.

"Go on... say it," Haralson mumbled. 

Igneous blinked. "Say what?"

Haralson curled up in his ball even further. "Say how mah son deserved it. Say how Ah at least have mah other children. Say how Ah'm such an awful father. Say how much yer glad that he won't bother Pinkamena no more. Say how this whole thing could've been prevented. Ah know you're thinking 'em, so just say 'em out loud."

Igneous nickered. "No... I'm not going to."

"Then what? Ya gonna try an' comfort me with them tired ol' sayings of 'he's in a better place' or 'I understand your pain' or 'be strong' or somethin' like that? It ain't gonna work."

"I'm not, Haralson. I'm only here to see how you're doing."

Haralson snorted. "Well, yer seeing me now."

Igneous nodded. "I know I am. If I'm going to be honest, there's really nothing I can say. I can't even begin to understand how painful it is to lose a child. The most I can say is..." He inhaled as deeply as he could, despite his lungs aching. "...is that I'm sorry."

Haralson looked at him with mild confusion. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because it isn't fair. It doesn't matter what I say--you're in pain, and it's something that nopony can take away, no matter how hard they try." Igneous coughed, and wiped his mouth. With a sigh, he added, "But... maybe I can take up your offer of us being friends. Because if anything, you need a friend."

Haralson blinked back tears. "But... you don't need to--"

"It doesn't matter whether I need to or not--what matters is that you need support. I'll visit whenever I can, to be a shoulder you can cry on. Wheelchair or not, I'm going to make sure you're not alone. Whatever support I can provide, I'll provide it. That's a Pie promise."

Haralson sighed. "You don't have ta do this."

"I do. I just promised I would. And we Pies take promises very seriously."





After they finished their visit with the Apples, Igneous and Seddie were on their way rock farm, with the latter looking at the rocks with nostalgia. She giggled at some memories that came to her mind, and recounted them to her brother. 

She looked up at the clouds. "Do you remember when I thought pegasi were born earth ponies and sprouted wings when they came of age?"

Igneous looked at her funny. "You jumped off the roof and broke a leg because you thought your time had come. It took a baby pegasus to get you to your senses!"

"I know, I know... still, I've always admired pegasi."

"Well, so has Pinkamena. She is friends with a pegasus in town, and Cloudy's mother was a pegasus, so well, she does have pegasus blood in her... I wouldn't be surprised if one of her future offspring turned out to be a pegasus."

"What if she has a unicorn?"

"Eh, I doubt it, unless she marries a colt who's a unicorn or has unicorn heritage. Huh, I wonder if Cheese has a unicorn ancestor..." Realizing what he was saying, he looked ahead and said, "Hey, the house is in view!"

Seddie raised an eyebrow. "Igneous... what was that about Cheese?"

Igneous snorted. "Seddie, I was just wondering about something unimportant, that's all."

"Are you sure? You sound like you want him to marry Pinkamena."

Igneous sighed. "Well, not right this minute, but I do like him. I really do. But does it really change his cutie mark? He'll have that itching for travel, and there's no way I could hold him from doing that. I'm afraid of Pinkamena having her heart broken that way."

Seddie tapped her chin. "Well, Igneous, Pinkamena did say she was tired at being held at the rock farm and wanted to explore Equestria. I think she'd take the chance to go with him."

Igneous leaned in his wheelchair. "She probably would. I mean... she is an adult, and she always did have a free spirit. But would I be able to see her again?"

Seddie was silent for a moment before answering, "I think that's a discussion that shouldn't be held just between the two of us."





And so it was that the Pie Family, Aunt Seddie, and the Sandwich brothers were gathered in the living room of the Pie home. All was quiet as they stared at the old, patched up stallion in the wheelchair. Igneous, in turn, was staring at the two other bandaged ponies, one of them being his own daughter. Everypony was wondering was was going to be said, and what would happen concerning Cheese once he was fully healed. 

"So... Cheese Sandwich," Igneous began. 

Cheese slumped in his seat, looking up at him with puppy-dog eyes. 

Igneous coughed. "I understand that you've become quite attached to this farm and my family, is that correct?"

Cheese nodded. 

"You've especially gotten attached to my daughter Pinkamena, and she to you. The fact that I caught you two kissing was proof enough. If there's anything I will admit, I did overreact to you two falling in love."

"And to that fake letter claiming to be from Tomato," Pinkamena deadpanned. 

Tomato perked up from where he sat. "Say, I'm curious as to what the letter says."

Cheese gave him a funny look. "Are you sure? It's kinda dirty..."

"We'll get to it later," Igneous said. "Now, the problem that presents itself is one regarding your cutie mark. Your special talent happens to be wandering around Equestria, just going wherever and only settling down for a temporary job just to earn bits to get by. Now, we could easily just have Pinkamena travel with you, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with your odd jobs kind of lifestyle. So, I've been thinking..."

All in the room leaned toward Igneous, except for Maud. They jumped when Igneous coughed again, and Cloudy held her husband. 

"I'm okay, I'm okay... ahem, anyway, I've been thinking of giving you a position in delivery. In that sense, not only would you still get to travel, but you'd have a permanent job as well. Does that sound good to you, Mr. Sandwich?"

Cheese was gaping at him in surprise. "You mean... I-I'm rehired?"

Igneous nodded. "Now, in your condition, you can't do that, so I'll have my other daughters handling that until you're up to it. I figure it's about time they get to go out and see a few places."

Limestone laughed. "Really? Oh, boy, that sounds great!"

Marble nodded. "I wonder what sights we'll see."

Maud blinked. "I'm ecstatic... I'll get to see more types of rocks."

"But, Pa, what will we do in the meantime?" Pinkamena asked. "We can't exactly farm rocks while we're still bandaged up."

"We'll heal," Igneous replied bluntly. "And Cheese, there's one other thing."

Cheese gulped. "Yes, sir?"

Igneous cleared his throat again. "Where's that darn medication... ahem, I believe you would like to court my daughter Pinkamena?"

Cheese flushed red enough to look like his brother. "I, uh, I can't believe you asked that..." He shot a glare at the snickering Tomato, and then glanced at Pinkamena, who was equally surprised. He then meekly looked at Igneous again, and nodded. 

Igneous gave him a half-lidded look. "I'd like you to formally ask me, then."

"Oh." Cheese cleared his throat. "Mr. Igneous Rock... I'd like to ask permission to court your lovely daughter, Miss Pinkamena Pie."

Igneous stared at him for a moment, and then gave a nod. "You have my permission."

Cheese smiled, and in a single bound, he leapt across the room and hugged Igneous. Of course, the sudden action made both of them yell in pain, and Cheese broke the hug and grin sheepishly at the glaring Igneous. 

"Sorry! Let's try that again..." Cheese went in with a gentler hug, and Igneous returned it, with a few pats on the back, which was enough to leave the younger stallion winded. The hug broke, and Cheese wheezed as he backed away. Pinkamena was quickly by his side.

"Well... your father... gave his permission..." he said, still panting. "Would you... like... to try... a courtship?"

Pinkamena smirked, and answered his question with a big kiss on the lips. Cheese froze up, and then returned the kiss with equal vigor. Both hearts were racing, and they felt so sweet and warm as they held it in front of the members of both their families. Limestone and Marble sighed happily, Maud smiled, the older ponies looked at each other, and Tomato leaned in his hoof and muttered, "Way to go, big bro. I'm sure you'll make her happy."

Cheese and Pinkamena broke the kiss, and hugged. Pinkamena's sisters joined in to create a group hug, and Seddie and Cloudy pushed Igneous so that he could join, and then joined themselves. Tomato merely stared at them, up until Cheese exclaimed, "Hey, Tommy, you need to be part of the group hug too! I'm sure they'll be happy to consider you family."

Tommy paused and put a hoof on his chest, surprised at the invitation. And then with a warm smile of his own, he stood up, walked forward, and let himself be pulled into the hug.

It was the warmest the Pie household had felt in a long time.