Setting off to Ponyville, the pair was lucky that little difficulty had come upon them on their way there. The weather was nice, the days were peaceful, and none of the animals that they encountered were hostile. Tomato had been expecting more, but he supposed that his imagination prior to the trip had just been running wild with every possible thing that could go wrong. Still, with the journey just beginning, they still needed to be on guard.
Still, it didn't prevent him from being curious about the surroundings he and Cheese found themselves in on a daily basis. Very rarely had their family taken trips, and even then the trips were usually not far from Manehattan. The farthest that Tomato had been personally was to Ponyville, and that was with friends.
Never had he thought that he'd see so many beautiful fields and meadows and forests within a short time. Never had he seen such a variety of flora and fauna comfortable in the environments that they called home. And never had he slept in a different place each night, exchanging stories, counting stars, and partaking in leftover party food that Cheese somehow carried around.
Soon enough, Cheese was sensing that they were drawing near to Ponyville.
Cheese's excitement was palpable. It was obvious to Tomato that Ponyville was his brother's favorite place in the world, if only for a certain pink mare. He figured that if Cheese were to settle down, it'd most likely be there, where he could see Pinkie Pie. After all, often seeing the pony that had inspired you would most likely be exhilarating.
Cheese was speaking a lot about Pinkie and her "absolute perfection". Tomato raised an eyebrow, seeing as his own interaction with Pinkie was anything but perfect. Still, he had seen newlyweds with the same sparkle in their eyes that Cheese had. He had seen many couples on moonlit strolls in the park, with smiles very similar to the one on a daydreaming Cheese. And he had talked with classmates who had gushed over their special somepony, not unlike Cheese did about Pinkie.
Looking at Cheese and sensing his excitement, Tomato couldn't help but feel disappointment about one certain couple, who despite being married, was definitely lacking in love. He wondered if one or both parties had felt that swell of emotions that many a pony had felt, and what it was like for them until things went stale. Looking back, things already been pretty empty at least back to Tomato's first memory of them.
He shook his head and snorted. Think happy thoughts, Tommy. We're just about to arrive at our first stop, throw our first party on this trip, and if Cheese does turn out to be in love with Pinkie, be supportive of him.
That's when Cheese turned to him. "Hey... is everything all right?"
Tomato cleared his throat. "My mind's just wandering, that's all. Why do you ask?"
"You were looking kind of sour."
Tomato blew a quick raspberry. "Well, I'm trying to think happy thoughts. Say, how long until we get there?"
Cheese smiled, grabbed Tomato's foreleg, and dragged him up the hill. He stopped at the crest, and did a grand gesture toward a simple little town. Rising above the humble homes was a grand, crystalline tree, gleaming in the sunlight. Though Tomato still felt that it clashed with the rest of the town, he supposed that it was a grand enough home for a princess.
A grinning Cheese then said, "Here we are... Ponyville."
The two slipped into town, with Cheese listening around for hints of what the party was about. So far, all he had heard was snippets of conversations that he was certain had nothing to do with the party. He had noticed the townsfolk staring at the two ponies in cowpony getup, but that was par for the course.
Behind him, he noticed Tomato pulling his hat over his face, glancing nervously at the townsponies. It was peculiar seeing him act so shy, but perhaps he just wasn't used to the staring. Cheese stretched out his tail to pull him closer and patted his back in an attempt to comfort him. "Don't worry, these ponies take weirdness in stride. We'll be fine."
He noticed the ponies whisper, although there were a few who weren't very quiet. He heard murmurs of "Aren't they hot under those ponchos?" and "Is that who I think it is?" and some similar things, but he and Tommy still needed to be low key until they met up with Pinkie.
They found themselves at town hall, looking around the square for any sign of Pinkie or her friends.
"So, where do you suppose she usually is?" Tomato asked. "What does she do when she's not throwing a party?"
"Well..." Cheese began. "She lives and works at Sugarcube Corner, sometimes does some Friendship Council stuff with her friends in Twilight's castle, goes and solves friendship problems on occasion, goes around cheering ponies up, spends time with her friends, plays with me whenever I drop by... oh, and sometimes she goes to save Equestria."
Tomato gave him a funny look. "Eh? You're making saving the country sound like no big deal."
Cheese shrugged. "Probably is a big deal. Can't imagine either one of us having the fate of the country in our hooves."
"True. So... are you saying that she could be anywhere?"
"Well, yeah... but hey, if a party's going to be thrown here, that means she's in town and not out saving Equestria!" He pursed his lips and tapped his chin. "I wonder if she and her friends have done that recently..."
"I just hope this party's not a funeral."
Cheese shot him a glare. "Tommy, I don't plan funerals--unless they're for a fellow party pony that wants to have ponies celebrating their life instead of crying over their death." He noticed Tomato's skeptical look, and then covered his mouth when he realized what he said. "Please, Pinkie, don't be dead..."
A giggle sounded above them. "Silly Cheese, I'm not dead!"
Cheese looked up and locked eyes with the pink-coated and raspberry-maned mare that they had been speaking of. She was hanging upside-down from the railing of the hall's second floor balcony, and wearing the most adorable smile on her face. He was in awe of how her blue eyes were gleaming, and for a moment, he felt like it was just the two of them in the world.
Of course, he snapped out of his trance, and exclaimed, "Heya, Pinkie!"
Pinkie held a huge grin as she waved, and then fell ungracefully from the railing and landed face first in the dust. Cheese gasped and rushed to her side, while Tomato winced.
As Cheese helped her up, Pinkie said, "No worries, I'm okay."
Cheese was brushing dust off of her coat. "Goodness, Pinkie, you need to work on your landings."
Pinkie puffed out her cheeks. "Not as much as Boneless 2 needs to work on his dancing--last I saw him, he was a little rusty."
Cheese looked at the rubber chicken on his back. "He's been practicing, Pinkie... honest!"
Pinkie giggled, and looked at Tomato. "Hiya, Tommy! Lookin' good in that cowpony outfit!"
"Uh... thanks," Tomato mumbled.
Cheese chuckled and looked around. "Okay, Pinkie... who's the party for, and what do I need to do?"
Pinkie's smiled faded and she tilted her head. "I wasn't planning a party."
Cheese was taken aback by that statement. "What do you mean, Pinkie? My Cheesy Sense lead me here, and told me that this party was going to be a doozy." He looked worriedly at Tomato, who looked just as confused as he was.
Pinkie gasped. "Really? You mean there's somepony planning a big shindig without me? Or there's a party for ghosts around here somewhere? Or maybe it's the birthday of one of Fluttershy's animals? I know today's not anypony's birthday..."
Cheese checked his mental calendar. It was already past Pinkie's birthday, and it was definitely not the Summer Sun Celebration yet. He didn't know if there were any festivals that Ponyville had this time of year, and like Pinkie said, it wasn't anypony's birthday. What was going on here?
A trio of fillies--one on a scooter and towing the other two in a wagon--nearly crashed into Cheese, which made him jump in surprise and land in Pinkie's forelegs. The one on the scooter exclaimed, "There you are, Pinkie! Geez, I thought we'd never find you."
Cheese climbed out of Pinkie's forelegs. "Huh?"
Pinkie waved to the fillies. "Hi, Scootaloo! Hi, Apple Bloom! Hi, Sweetie Belle! Hehehe, you wouldn't believe it, Cheese and Tomato Sandwich stumbled upon my hiding spot, and I couldn't help but say hi!"
Apple Bloom hopped out of the wagon. "Well, they sure made hide-and-seek with ya easier!" She turned to the two stallions. "Howdy, Cheese Sandwich! Howdy, Cheese's brother!"
"Pinkie just said his name was Tomato," Sweetie Belle said. She looked up, smiled, and waved at Tomato, who waved back.
"Eh, repeat it often and it'll stick," Tomato said.
Cheese chuckled, and then asked, "Say... you fillies wouldn't happen to know of any kind of special event that's happening in this town, do you? My Cheesy Sense brought me here, and it hasn't failed me before."
The fillies nervously looked between each other, and at Pinkie, who was starting to look suspicious. Cheese could see the beads of sweat forming on the fillies' foreheads, the nervous pawing at the ground, and the glancing around at seemingly random places. That's when he started to connect the dots.
Suddenly, Scootaloo blurted out, "Pinkie! Tell us your cutie mark story!"
Pinkie blinked. "Did you forget it?" She tapped her chin. "Or did I forget to tell you about it..."
"Well, uh... better safe than sorry?" Sweetie Belle said.
"Eeyup," Apple Bloom added. "Why don't we take you to the Crusaders' clubhouse, and you can tell us there?"
Sweetie Belle jumped excitedly. "Yeah, because we have snacks!"
"Ooh, I'm up for a good snack!" Pinkie clapped her hooves.
"Yeah, and when you're finished... uh..." Scootaloo looked at the two stallions. "Maybe Cheese and Potato can tell us their stories."
Cheese stifled a laugh, while Tomato put a hoof to his face. The latter sighed and said, "Wrong produce."
"Oh, whatever, let's just go!"
Cheese rubbed the back of his head. "Er... go on without me. I've got to locate the event that caused my Cheesy Sense to go off." He noticed the sad look on Pinkie's face. "Don't worry, Pinkie, once all is said and done, we can have plenty of time to catch up."
Pinkie sighed. "Okay, Cheesy... oh, and if you find my friends, please let me know. I haven't seen them all day!"
Cheese tipped his hat. "Will do."
Pinkie leapt into the air. "Great!" When she landed, she grabbed Tomato and told him, "You're going to love my cutie mark story: it's a gem!"
Tomato sighed. "Let me guess... it involves a party."
Pinkie gasped. "Shhh! Don't spoil anything!"
Scootaloo hopped back onto her scooter and Apple Bloom back into the wagon with Sweetie Belle. She zoomed off, with Pinkie tailing them while dragging Tomato with her. Cheese waved goodbye at them, holding a grin on his face. Once they were out of sight, however, his face fell and he scratched his head.
"What kind of surprise party are they planning for her? Is it a late birthday party or something?"
That's when Rainbow Dash hopped out of the clouds and landed beside Cheese. "Ha ha ha! Now Pinkie's anniversary party will be awesome!"
Cheese turned to her. "Anniversary party?"
"Psht, of when she moved to Ponyville! Everypony in town's pitching in to throw one for her!"
"Really?"
Rainbow nodded. "It's a good thing you're here, too, because the way Twilight is organizing things is giving me a headache. I don't even know what she's talking about half the time."
"Well, what are we standing around talking for? Lead the way, Rainbow Dash."
Once they were at Sweet Apple Acres, the Scootaloo had slowed down to a more leisurely pace on her scooter, slow enough that Tomato was comfortable walking beside the wagon carrying Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. They all listened as Pinkie told her tale of how she threw her first party for her family.
Watching Pinkie leap from tree to tree, Tomato recalled how she had done that back during the Fall Festival. This time, she seemed to be doing acrobatic stunts in the trees, and he couldn't help but wonder if she was showing off. He wondered how she was still rambling on about a rock farm when any other pony would be out of breath by now.
"...and then, they smiled! Oh, seeing them smile was such a relief for little itty-bitty me, especially since I was worried that I had done all that work on the party for nothing! And then we all started dancing, and then my big sister Maud came in and pointed out my cutie mark!" She lowered herself from a branch, hanging by her tail, and giggled. "You should have seen her smile! It was the biggest one she had ever done!"
"I would have expected them to yell," Tomato said.
Pinkie dropped from the branch and bounced to her hooves. "They did yell! It was happy yelling!"
"Happy yelling, huh?" Tomato had done that a lot as a colt, so it was no mystery to him. If only that was the kind of yelling his mother had done when Cheese first returned home and presented the family with his cutie mark. But alas, she was never a happy mare.
"Hey! I do happy yellin' a lot!" Apple Bloom said.
"Well, a lot of us do happy yelling," Scootaloo added.
Sweetie Belle tapped her chin. "Isn't that called cheering?"
"You're right," Tomato told Sweetie Belle. "It needs to be it's own separate word to distinguish it from angry yelling, yelling to talk to a faraway pony, and--YIKES!" Tomato jumped as a gray, fanged, pig-like face with red eyes suddenly popped into his vision upside-down. It hissed in response to his shout.
"Hey! What are you doing out of the sanctuary?" Apple Bloom snapped, hopping out of the wagon.
Pinkie gasped and glared at the creature hanging from Tomato's forelock curl. "Bad vampire fruit bat, BAD!"
"Vampire fruit bat? What, is it going to bite me and turn me into a vampire?" Tomato sneered.
"Not on my watch!" Pinkie pulled out a fruit hat, put it on her head, and bounced away, cooing in a singsong voice, "Come and get it..."
The bat hissed at Tomato once again, and then flew in pursuit of Pinkie. The other four watched the scene of the bat following Pinkie and being joined by some of its friends. Tomato glanced at the Crusaders, who were looking at one another.
"I wonder how many bats got out of that sanctuary," Sweetie Belle said.
"So far, it looks like a lot," Scootaloo stated.
Apple Bloom looked at the trees in horror. "This is awful! If all those bats aren't rounded up soon, they'll suck every apple dry! And if they suck every apple dry, Applejack and Big Mac won't be able to harvest them! And if we don't harvest them, we can't sell them! And Ponyville is going to starve!"
Tomato looked up at an apple on the branch above him, and watched as a bat swooped in and suck the juice out of it, spitting it onto his head. He growled as he wiped it off. "There's certainly going to be a lot less revenue for your farm if this keeps up. One of us needs to go and get help for this situation."
Scootaloo jumped and hovered. "Or maybe this is our chance to get a fruit bat roundup cutie mark!"
Tomato blinked. "Now, wait just a--"
"No, we can't wait! The Cutie Mark Crusaders are not going to abandon the farm when it's being attacked by bats!" Apple Bloom declared. "Pinkie Pie ain't backin' down, so why should we?"
Tomato looked at Sweetie Belle, who was the only one who looked unsure about this plan. With a sigh, Tomato said, "Because none of you fillies have the proper equipment to gather them--honestly, this is best left to adults."
Another bat flew over, and spat out the apple it had in its fangs. The mushy fruit landed straight on Sweetie Belle's horn, and she squeaked out an "OW!" She turned to the bat and glared at it, removing the apple from her horn. Then she turned to her friends, and said, "Are you sure that we shouldn't just get Applejack?"
Apple Bloom stamped her hoof. "We can't waste any more time! We need to put the bats back in the sanctuary now!"
"Besides, Tomato can tell the others if he really wants to, since that's his idea," Scootaloo said. "But for now..." She hopped back on her scooter and flapped her wings. "We have bats to catch and cutie marks to earn! Come on, girls!"
With a nod, Apple Bloom hopped back into the wagon with Sweetie Belle.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tomato said. "Girls, can't I just explain a little problem with--"
Before he could finish, however, the Crusaders zoomed away from him and deeper into the orchard. He stared for a moment, and then grumbled under his breath about their refusal to listen to him. He put a hoof on his face for a brief moment, and once he removed it, he took a deep breath.
"I don't even know where anypony is!" He stomped his hoof. "Grr... where is that darn party being planned?"