> I'll Be Home For Hearth's Warming
>  by Sketcha-Holic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> You Can Count on Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

He didn't make it. He couldn't keep that promise.

During Hearth's Warming, Cheese Sandwich had been stuck in the town his brother Tomato lived in. The train had been unable to chug out the night before, because an avalanche from a nearby hill, caused by some strong wind, had tumbled onto the tracks, and it had to be cleared before anypony could come and go. And to his dismay, Cheese couldn't go home to Ponyville, and it was too far to walk.

Cheese had been devastated, especially since he had promised his wife, Pinkie Pie, that he'd return from his party campaign before Hearth's Warming. When he had made that Pinkie Promise, he had been confident that he could keep it, since he had managed to make it to previous Hearth's Warmings, not to mention her birthday and that of the twins', including the day they were born. However, he had unfortunately missed the birth of his and Pinkie's third foal in November, and now, missing Hearth's Warming just threw salt in the wound.

Tomato had to drag Cheese to his house when he just broke, unable to move and only muttering about how he couldn't break the promise, not when he was so close to the holiday, and that he'd just upset Pinkie, Pizza Pockets, and Fudge Fondue. And he didn't even get to meet baby Rocky Road!

Even though Tomato and his wife had made sure that Cheese was comfortable and included in their Hearth's Warming celebration, Cheese was still rather homesick. Still, he had to keep smiling to keep them from worrying, and he played with his baby niece, Bell Pepper, to keep himself occupied so that he wasn't consumed with his worry and disappointment. 

The snowdrift was gone the day after Hearth's Warming, and soon enough, Cheese was on a train back home. He waved goodbye to his brother, sister-in-law, and niece as the train departed from the station. He even had a special goodbye for Bell, namely that of making a goofy face in the window and making the little red filly laugh. He had laughed back, pleased that she had a sense of humor. 

Soon, he was out of that town, and he sunk in his seat, wondering what he was going to face once he arrived in Ponyville. 

The radio of the train playing "Blue Hearth's Warming" was not helping. 





He stepped off the train, all dressed up in his poncho, hat, and a thick sweater underneath, and his warm breaths permeating the frosty air. He trotted off the platform, and then turned to the town. As he trotted through town, he looked up at the buildings, noting that he hadn't seen them in a few months. He idly counted the icicles that hung from the eaves, and kept expecting the snow on top of houses to tumble off. Looking at some of the fellow townsfolk, he worried that some of them would be caught in an avalanche. 

Like the railroad was a couple days ago. He snorted upon thinking about that. 

His steps slowed, and his mind wandered to the very reason he had been stuck in that town. He had decided to step off that train and visit his brother, see how he was handling being a father. It was going to be a few hours, he had reasoned to himself. Just a few hours of chatting with Tomato and his wife, making sure they were happy, telling them stories, and singing a few silly Hearth's Warming Carols to entertain their daughter. 

Oh, how wrong he had been. 

Passing by town hall, he was suddenly pelted by two snowballs. Staggering back, he snapped his head around to one of the bridges, where he spotted a pair of forelock curls, not unlike his own, only one of them was reddish-orange instead of brown like his mane. Blinking, he smiled, knowing that they had sensed him like they always did.

Staring at them, he snickered, and then hollered loudly, "Oh, my... where did those snowballs come from? I sure hope nopony's attempting some sort of attack on me!"

The two curls rose from behind the bridge's rail, followed by two pairs of teal eyes--one pair, belonging to the brunette, being accompanied by big, round glasses. Glancing at the bridge, Cheese pretended to ignore them and looked elsewhere. "Is Rainbow Dash pulling something on me? Or are the squirrels being aggressive again? Or did Discord make two snowballs come to life just to hit me?"

He looked up, expecting Discord to suddenly appear and summon something weirder just to jinx him. Then, he looked at the bridge, saw the two figures duck behind the rail, and snickered. He started to trot toward it. "Oh, well, maybe I'm just imagining things. I don't see anypony out here... not a mane of Rarity's... or a tail of Fluttershy's... or a hat of Applejack's..."

His tail scooped up some snow. "But what if it's one of the munchkins around here? What if Orchard Soil decided to attack? Or his cousin Apple Butter? Or is it Fauna? I hear she's a fiery one!"

He slowed to a stop, just before the bridge, and tapped his chin. Then he gasped in mock horror. "But... could it be? No, it cannot be true! Could the culprits be..."

He jumped on the bridge railing, and grinned maniacally at the bespectacled pink filly and freckled yellow-orange colt that sat there. "...my own children?!"

Pizza Pockets and Fudge Fondue screamed, and then sped away. Cackling, Cheese hopped off the railing and chased the laughing foals. With the twins in sight, he launched the snow from his tail, and watched it rain over their heads. Pizza and Fudge ducked in response to the snow falling down on them, with Pizza pulling down his green cap to protect his face, but kept on galloping. 

Cheese used his tail to scoop up some more snow, and catapulted more on them, but it didn't slow them down. He did it again and again, watching them duck as the snow plopped upon their heads, the snow dusting their coats. He threw his head back in an evil laugh, confident he was winning. 

The twins soon nabbed some snow with their tails, and then turned around to catapult the snow onto him as he had done to them. However, this was a mistake, as Cheese quickly had them in his clutches, and they all ended up rolling in the snow laughing. 

They rolled for a bit until Cheese was on his back, at the mercy of the two foals standing on top of him. Pizza and Fudge glanced at each other with mischievous smirks, and then fell upon him and put their hooves on a few ticklish spots on his belly. The weird sensation made Cheese jump up to his haunches and hoot, laughing as he caught the two before they hit their heads on the ground. 

After a good moment of laughing, the two gave him hugs, and he hugged them back, his cheeks pressing on theirs. The moment made him realize that he had forgotten how warm Pizza and Fudge were, how soft their coats were, and just how fluffy their manes were. He could have sworn that they gotten bigger and heavier again, and he wished that they'd stop growing while he was gone. It was weird to think that come next February, they'd be eight. 

Once they broke the hug, Pizza looked up at him and stared at him with a smile. However, his eyes widened as he remembered what day it was, and then his brow furrowed as his face contorted into a scowl. 

He started to punch Cheese's chest. "Why. Are. You. Late?!"

An alarmed Fudge grabbed Pizza and pulled him back. "Pizza, stop hurting him!"

Pizza snorted, glaring up at his father. "You missed Hearth's Warming! You promised you'd be home by Hearth's Warming!"

Cheese bit his lip. "I'm sorry... the train was blocked by a big snowdrift, and I had to spend a couple of nights at your uncle's house while it was being cleared. I tried my best to get home, I really did."

Fudge licked her buck tooth, and glanced away. "We thought you were dead. Mom got really worried when you didn't come home on time."

"Hey, Fudgy, you know I don't die easily." He put his hooves behind his head and leaned back. "I faced a lot of monsters and goons during my years of travel. The one who was closest to killing me was your uncle, but he saved me at the last second."

"Yeah, Dad, we know the story, Uncle Tomato was hypnotized," Pizza said. "But, geez, you didn't even send a letter?"

Cheese straightened up, processing what he had just heard. He shook his head. "No, I didn't get the idea until the morning, and the postal service is closed on Hearth's Warming. I hate those late ideas, you know?"

Pizza groaned. "We had to pause our Hearth's Warming so that we could do it all together as a family. It's hard not to have opened your presents when your friends keep rubbing their new presents in your face and making fun of Mom for wanting to wait for you."

"At least Mom's friends understood and let Mom wait to open the presents from them," Fudge said. "Though, I think she's about to explode."

Cheese shot up to his hooves. "Well, we better get home before she does explode!"





When Cheese returned home with the twins, he walked in after stomping the snow off his hooves. The twins immediately bolted upstairs, and Cheese was left alone in the living room. As he waited, he looked around, smelling the scent of cake frosting that was so rampant wherever Pinkie Pie lived. Whether it had been in her loft when she lived with the Cakes, her old room at the rock farm, or this house he stood in, he loved that smell; it always told him that he was home.

He glanced to the Hearth's Warming Tree, all finely decorated with colorful ornaments and tinsel, holding candy canes upon its branches, and with a glowing star on top. He smiled at those ornaments which were just painted rocks, which were presents from Pinkie's sisters from a few years ago, and an "origami snowball" from Tomato. Then there were those that were drawings made by the twins when they were younger, of friends and family. The mantle of the fireplace had little dolls of each member of the family, all made out of rock--there was even one of him. And finally, unopened gifts were stacked around the tree, being of various shapes and sizes. He was amazed that they had waited for him, though they didn't need to. 

He heard steps descending the stairs, and a gasp. "Cheese!"

Cheese turned around, and there she was. Her light pink fur, raspberry curls, and big, blue eyes were always a welcome combination to him. Of course, he scarcely had a moment to take it in before she bolted toward him in a flash and squeezed him in a tight hug. Cheese gasped for breath, and she relaxed the hug, allowing him to wrap his own front legs around her. He buried his face in her mane, taking a deep whiff of her cotton candy and strawberry scents. Her fur was so soft, and her body was so warm. His heart fluttering as it always did around her, he wished the moment could last forever. 

But, they had to break the hug, and when they did, Pinkie didn't hesitate to say, "You broke the Pinkie Promise."

Cheese sighed. "I know."

Pinkie glared at him. "Well, you better have a good reason, mister."

Cheese's ears drooped. "I took a little detour to visit my brother on Hearth's Warming Eve, just to see how he was doing with his family. I meant to get back on the train and go straight home, but unfortunately, the darn wind blew some snow off a hill and made a huge pile of snow fall on the railroad. And thus... I was stuck."

Pinkie tilted her head. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, I wanted to send you a letter explaining it, but postal service is closed on Hearth's Warming so..." He blew a raspberry to emphasize his point. 

Pinkie pursed her lips. "So, you meant to keep it, huh?"

"Yes, I did Pinkie, but I didn't make it. I'm so sorry for disappointing you, making you wait longer and having to celebrate Hearth's Warming late. I mean, it's okay if you celebrate without me! I miss a lot of things anyway, so why even bother waiting for me even when there's a chance of me not showing up?"

"Well, you always come home in time for Hearth's Warming!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I was really, really sad when you didn't show up all day, especially at night, when I was pacing back and forth and back and forth, wondering where you where! Then I was angry because you broke a Pinkie Promise, and I had no idea where you had gone or what you were doing! And then I was worried, because, what if you were dead?  Pizza and Fudgy were getting that same idea, so I had to calm them down with a song. But, overall, I was not very happy on the happiest day of the year because you were gone and it didn't feel right to celebrate without you! But now I know why you were gone, and it makes sense, so I don't know whether or not I should be mad that you were late."

Cheese rubbed his leg. "Again... I'm sorry, Pinkie. Maybe I shouldn't have made a Pinkie Promise that I was going to end up not keeping. I guess I underestimated how many parties I had to set up this year, especially a bunch of Hearth's Warming parties." He backed up and then fell onto the couch. 

Pinkie sat next to him and patted his head. "There there, you obviously didn't mean to break it. I mean, after all, that snow drift sounded like it was just bad luck, and you are always pulled by the Cheesy Sense to one party or another. I guess I should have expected you to end up missing a Hearth's Warming, or in the case of last month, a foal of ours being born! I was a little sad when you didn't burst in to see Rocky pop out, like last time when you came in right as I had just birthed Pizza Pockets."

Cheese furrowed his brow and glanced away. "Thanks for bringing that up. I see that moment now and the memory is very clear."

"You're welcome!" Pinkie chirped. 

Cheese blinked, and then shook his head. "Maybe I shouldn't make promises ever again, because who knows when I'll miss a birthday? Or another Hearth's Warming? Or when the twins earn their cutie marks, whether it's at the same time or at different times? And what if I miss one of their weddings when they're adults? I mean, it's not like you can count on me to be there for something important!"

Pinkie gasped. "Cheesy! Don't think that way!

He rolled over to face the frame of the couch. "I'm sorry, Pinkie. You deserve better than me. Maybe the Choosing Stone should have picked someone else after all."

Pinkie sighed, and then scratched her chin. Then, with a smile on her face, she said, "You know... since I postponed our Hearth's Warming celebration yesterday, you technically didn't miss it! And since you tried your best to keep the Pinkie Promise, we're going to have it for you, right here, right now!"

Cheese glanced up at her, and sat up. "Uh, Pinkie, shouldn't I be punished for breaking the Pinkie Promise?"

"Nah, you just have to make amends by celebrating with us. Seriously, Cheesy, you, a party pooper?" Pinkie scoffed. "That's so not the Cheese Sandwich I know. So, why don't I start off this thing by giving you the first present?"

Cheese blinked. "Uh, Pinkie, I kind of don't think that's fair, because that's technically involving me in two Hearth's--"

Pinkie stopped him with a smooch on his lips, and then grinned at him. "Don't worry about it! I don't mind that you were with your brother  and his family yesterday. I better get the kids and your present." With that, she sped up the stairs, calling, "Pizza! Fudgy! It's time for you to open the presents!"

Cheese felt his mouth, a little disappointed that Pinkie's kiss didn't last longer. Still, her kisses always made him feel like he was walking on air, and this time was no different. With a small smile, he supposed that he should make the most out of the time he had while home. After all, like Pinkie had said, Cheese Sandwich was no party pooper. Besides, the kids had been waiting for some time for their holiday, so why ruin it?

The twins bolted down the stairs and leapt on the couch on opposite sides of Cheese. They were grinning widely and fidgeting, glancing between the stairs and their father. Chuckling at them, he asked them, "Hey, kiddos, are you going to tear into those presents or what?"

They shook their heads. Then, Fudge said, "Oh, we want to watch you react to your first present before we open ours."

Cheese raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Pizza nodded. "Yeah, you're going to love it!"

That was when Pinkie came down the stairs. Cheese turned to face her with a smile on his face, but his face was that of awe when he saw what--or rather, who she had in one of her front legs. 

The tiny colt had a tan coat, matching that of his grandfather Igneous Rock. His messy mane was brown like Cheese's, though it was a lighter, grayish brown at the ends. The foal was looking around, blinking his gray eyes in confusion. He turned to Cheese and tilted his head, furrowing his brow at the sight of this stranger sitting on the couch. 

Pinkie had stopped in front of Cheese, and said to the colt, "Rocky Road, meet your father, Cheese Sandwich." She gave little Rocky to Cheese. "And Cheese, meet your new son, Rocky."

Cheese and Rocky stared at each other as the former cradled the latter in his hooves. Cheese brushed a hoof on the cheek of Rocky, who winced at the touch of this new pony. Though he had held a baby just yesterday, the fact that this was his own had him feeling like he was about to burst into tears. It had been over eight years since he had held a little foal that was his own offspring, and those feelings he had when first meeting the twins were erupting in him all over again. 

He felt a pang of guilt, knowing that he'd probably be in and out of his life like he was with the twins. Pizza Pockets had already gotten upset with him for that, and he and Fudge missed him. He wondered how Rocky was going to feel about it when he was older. 

He looked up at Pinkie with a little smile. "He looks better than the picture you sent me. So, uh, what day was he born?"

"That's easy! His birthday is November 28, and he'll be a month old in two days!" Pinkie's eyes went wide, and she gasped. "Oh, my goodness! We need to plan his monthaversary party!"

Cheese laughed. "Is that so? Well, we can start the planning... right after we open these presents."

Pizza and Fudge cheered, and jumped off the couch to pick out the first present to open. Cheese set down little Rocky, who toddled after his big brother and sister. Pinkie jumped onto the couch beside her husband and cuddled him. 

"So... how do you like meeting Rocky?" she asked. 

Cheese scratched his chin. "Well... seems like he's an easygoing colt. I wonder what he'll be like when he's grown up."

"I know! I'm excited to find out how all of them turn out!"

"Just as long as none of them turn into criminals, I'll be fine." Cheese frowned. "Will they hate me because I wasn't home enough?"

"Hey, I don't hate you. I mean, I do get lonely when I feel like snuggling with you and you're not home, or when I have to see a milestone that you're not there for, or when I want to tell you something in person instead of in a letter."

Cheese pulled her closer. "I get lonely when I think of you, too."

"I really do love the times when you're home. And so do they. Let's keep making the most of them, okay?"

Cheese smiled, and bumped her nose with his own. "Okay."

Suddenly, Pizza Pockets cackled, "Sweet! I got a scooter! Now Roly Poly will eat my dust!"