It was three months later, time for Sunset to come back through the portal for her third trimester. I’d been checking in on her from time to time, making sure she was okay. We’d gotten a few ultrasounds, but decided not to learn the gender of the baby.
Personally though, my money’s on a boy.
I was in front of the portal, waiting for her to come through. I had a bucket at the ready for the inevitable puke when she got here. Everything was ready; Twilight had plenty of doctors on standby in case something went wrong, and Starlight and Spike had done plenty of research to determine what foods she could and couldn’t eat.
The only thing I was worried about was letting Princess Celestia’s secret slip. Luckily, I had a pretty good feeling the Celestia would keep pretty close quarters with Sunset and the baby, so she’d be able to tell her herself.
I’d still neglected to tell Twilight due to... well, confusion I guess. I don’t want to be the kind of husband to keep secrets, but I just didn’t know how to tell her.
The portal lit up in front of me, and I held up my arms to catch Sunset. Sure enough, she shot right at me. I caught her and held up the bucket. She made eye contact with me, but immediately dipped her head into the bucket and hurled.
That sound will never cease to make me feel sick to my stomach.
As soon as she was done, she looked at me and chuckled. “I, uh, see you took precautions.”
“After the last time you came through, you bet your flank I did,” I replied.
The portal lit up again, to my surprise, and through came a wheelchair.
“What’s this for?” I asked.
Sunset heaved herself onto the chair, with a bit of difficulty, and answered, “Well, I went to the doctor a few days ago, and he said I’d been spending too much time on my feet. He suggested that I spend the rest of the pregnancy in bed as to avoid a heart attack or something, and I suggested that he go screw himself. Hence, the wheelchair.”
“Oh yay, the hormones are finally kicking in,” I said sarcastically.
“Hey, at least the baby’s perfectly healthy,” she responded.
It was then that I noticed that Sunset was really showing. Part of me was excited, and part of me was a little sorry that I’d done this to her.
I knelt down and got a better look. “Hey, sweetie. I’m your daddy,” I said, giving it a rub.
Sunset chuckled again. “Alright, I promised myself that the first thing I’d do is go see a doctor. Also, my friends say ‘hi’.”
She tried to use her hooves to move the wheels, but to not much avail. “Little help?” she asked, looking very embarrassed.
It was now my turn to chuckle as I pushed Sunset out the doors and through the hall. “So, how’re things back at CHS?”
“Surprisingly good,” she answered. “I didn’t get a lot of flack for the baby. In fact, a lot of people actually offered to help. I told them I appreciated the offers, but I already had plenty of help. Speaking of which, is Princess Celestia here?”
A few hours later, Sunset was at the doctor’s office. We also got a letter from Princess Celestia saying that she’ll be here as soon as she’s done with her business with the nobles.
I have a feeling I’m gonna be seeing a lot more of her.
It was just me and Twilight in the library, with my photo album.
“You’ve babysat for Flurry Heart before. You’ve gotta have some experience,” I pleaded.
“Jake, Flurry Heart is an alicorn. I’m pretty sure raising your child is gonna be miles easier than raising her. By the way, do you know the gender yet?” Twilight replied.
“Nope, but it won’t matter. Boy or girl, I’ll love it the same,” I answered.
Before Twilight could say anything, a loud ringing sound drew our attention.
“Somepony must be at the door. I’ll get it!” she said, getting up.
I, however, was confused. “I didn’t know there was a doorbell.”
Twilight ignored my comment and simply walked through the foyer toward the doors. I followed her as she opened them to reveal her brother, Shining Armor, Sunburst, and Flash Sentry.
“Sorry to bother you, but there’s something out here you should see,” Shining said.
“Is it something Flurry made?” Twilight happily asked.
Sunburst shrugged. “I doubt it, but it is a possibility. Nopony’s sure what happened exactly.”
“Jake’s gonna get a kick out of this too,” Flash chuckled.
I rolled my eyes. “This oughta be good.”
The five of us went outside and up to a chariot. Sunburst walked up to the door and put his hoof on the handle.
When the door opened, I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was a human! Like, an actual person with hands, fingers, feet, and toes.
He wore a dark pair of jeans and a black hoodie.
“...Ow,” he slurred. “Hey... this isn’t Pizza Hut!”
“He kept asking for... ‘Taylor Jake’. We thought of brining him here anyhow, so here we are,” Shining said.
“Did... did he give you a name?” I asked, kneeling down to the person.
“Nope, we just found him, wobbling through the streets. His reaction to us was... strange, to say the least,” Flash answered.
“We’ll, uh, we’ll take him off your hooves,” Twilight told her brother.
“Alright. I’ll tell Cadance and Flurry you said ‘hello’,” Shining replied with a hug.
I waved goodbye, and the three of them made their way out of Ponyville.
The man simply stared up at me, his entire head unable to remain still. “You look like me.”
From the way he was talking, and the scent of liquor on his breath, I could easily tell he was drunk.
“Here, let’s get you inside and sobered up,” I said, offering him a hand.
He simply went wide-eyed. “Woah! You have hands too! Everyone here just has those weird stubby things.”
“Okay, let’s just get you up and inside!” I said, heaving him up, having lost my patience.
We quickly came into the library, and I let the man fall onto one of the couches. I pulled up a few chairs for Twilight and me.
“Those three horses told me that your name is... Take Jaylor,” he drunkenly slurred.
Twilight laughed, I glared at her, and she stopped.
“My name’s Jake Taylor. What’s yours?” I asked.
He straightened up a bit. “I’m... Louis Moxon, friends call me ‘Mox’,” he replied.
“Would you, uh, like some coffee... Mox?” Twilight asked.
“You know what?” he said, his tone of voice raising. “That would be great. Thank you, miss... whoever you are.”
Twilight smiled. “I’m Twilight Sparkle.”
With that, Twilight went off toward the kitchen, leaving me with Louis.
“So, Louis, what you doing here?” I asked.
“Well, that depends. Are you Jake Taylor? Because if you are... that’s why I’m here,” Louis answered.
I leaned forward. “Do I know you? Because if not, I’m not sure why you’d be looking for me.”
“No, no you don’t know me. It’s a bit of a long story. I was on my motorcycle when I suddenly hit something and slammed into a tree. I woke up here, laid low, heard about... you, and got a bit excited,” he explained.
“By excited, I’m assuming you mean...”
“Drunk, yes. That’s something to know about me right off the bat... I’m a bit of an alcoholic. Hey, you don’t suppose you could drive me to my AA meeting on Tuesday do you?” he asked.
“Umm, we’ll see,” I answered. I heard Twilight walk back in.
“Wow, you’re right, Twilight, it is like looking in a mirror,” I heard Spike.
I turned my head to see Twilight had brought Spike and Starlight back with her.
“Hey, guys, this is... Louis,” I greeted. “Louis, this is Spike and Starlight Glimmer.”
“Hello, Spike and Starlight Glimmer. Call me ‘Mox’,” Louis said.
“Nice to meet you, Mox,” Starlight said, sitting next to me.
Spike handed Louis a cup of coffee before sitting down as well. Louis took a sip of the coffee and grinned. “This is good. Hey, do any of you want pancakes?”
“No thanks, Louis,” I said with a chuckle.
“Now, wait a second,” Starlight joked.
We all shared a small laugh before I got us back to the topic. “So, Louis-“
“Mox!”
“Mox, why exactly were you looking for me?” I asked.
“Well, I’d thought you were dead before I got here. You were in the morgue and everything!” he said.
“I’m sorry, but... morgue?!” Starlight asked, alarmed.
“That’s right, I only told Twilight. I was on my death bed before I came here. Now, Mox, why were you looking for me again?” I asked again.
“Well, my foster parents, Johnny and, uh, Jewels, got really sick a few weeks ago and told me about my birth parents. They said my birth parents were called... Ben and Maggie Taylor,” he explained.
“I’m sorry, Ben and Maggie Taylor? There must be some mistake; those are my parents, and I’m an only child,” I countered.
“Apparently,” he continued, ignoring my statement, “they were all good friends in college or something, and when Maggie got pregnant with twins, she gave one of them to my foster parents. That was... me? Or was it you?”
“Wait, wait, are you saying that you and I... are brothers?!” I cut off.
“That’s great! Now you have family here with you!” Twilight cheered.
“I guess, man. Here, my foster parents gave me a photo; I’m assuming it’s me and you,” he said, handing me a photo.
I took it and looked at it. Sure enough, it was of my parents, my mother holding me right after I was born. I’d seen this photo before, but only half of it. The other half was of my father, holding another baby, probably Louis.
“I’ll be damned. I’ve got a twin brother,” I chuckled. Only, when I looked at Louis, he was passed out.
“And he didn’t even make us pancakes,” Starlight complained.
About half an hour later, Sunset was back at the castle with, no surprise from me, Princess Celestia.
“So, let me get this straight; you have a twin brother that you never knew about, and he’s passed out drunk?” Sunset asked.
“Pretty much, yeah,” I answered. “Oh, and he offered to make pancakes... if he even remembers that when he wakes up.”
Sunset laughed.
“It is good to hear you have family of your own in Equestria,” Celestia said with a warm smile. “I still remember your parents’ mock funeral. It will be good for you to be able to bond with someone so close.”
“Thanks, Princess. I just hope he wakes up soon,” I said.
As if on cue, the doors to the kitchen opened, and in walked Louis, holding his head.
“Speak of the devil. Hey. Louis, glad you’re awake,” I greeted.
Louis smiled. “Seriously, man, call me ‘Mox’.”
“Alright, Mox, I want you to meet Sunset Shimmer and Princess Celestia,” I introduced.
He grunted, but waved. “Nice to meet you. Full name’s Louis Moxon, if you need it.”
I stood up. “Here, take a seat. You look like you need it more than I do.”
Louis nodded and sat down. “Sorry about earlier. I’ve been trying to quit drinking for a while now.”
“May I ask you something, Mox?” Sunset asked.
“Is that it?” Louis joked.
Sunset giggled. “How come you aren’t so... freaked out? I mean, talking ponies aren’t exactly a thing where you come from.”
“I’ve been here a lot longer than you think, just been out of sight,” he answered.
“Out of sight? How have you managed that for so long?” Celestia asked.
“Oh, um, back where I came from, I served in the army for a year in Iraq. I was taught basic stealth techniques and the like,” Mox replied. “Hey, what ever happened to... oh what were their names?”
“Twilight, Starlight, and Spike? They’re... out,” I answered.
“Well, if I remember correctly... and I’m not sure I do, I told them I’d make pancakes,” he said.
“In that case,” I said, standing up, “I’ll go get them while you get started.”
“I thought you said they were out,” Sunset whispered.
“Yeah, out of this room.”
“So, Mox, how long have you been in Equestria?” Twilight asked, taking a bite of her pancakes.
Louis turned away from the stove in thought. “Well, best guess, two to three weeks. The calendars here are a bit different than the ones back home.”
“You sure you don’t need any help with those?” I offered, standing up.
“Well, I guess you could get another pan,” he said, scraping out the last pancake. “This one’s kinda... used up.”
I took a look at what he meant, and he was right; the pan had a bit too much leftover pancake to be used again. I opened the cupboard and grabbed a new pan. Unfortunately, I accidentally pulled more than one out, and a few crashed onto the ground right next to Louis’s foot.
“Dude, what the hell!” Louis shouted. “You could’ve broken my foot!”
“My bad,” I said, picking up the pans. “Should’ve been more careful.”
“Damn right, you should’ve been more careful! I got a fragile toe implant that I can’t replace!” he yelled.
Twilight stood up and got between us. “Hey, he said it was an accident.”
“You stay out of this!” Louis screamed.
I pushed Twilight out of the way and got into Louis’s face. “Don’t you yell at her.”
Louis rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, or what?”
“Or I’ll kick your ass,” I whispered.
He scoffed. “Oh really, you kick my ass? Yeah right; I’m outta here,” he said, leaving the kitchen. “Enjoy the freakin pancakes.”
We were all silent as he slammed the door shut behind him.
No one said a word until Starlight spoke up. “That was... dramatic.”
“He’s either on steroids, or he’s pregnant too,” Sunset stated.
“No,” I said, shaking my head, “I think I know what’s going on.”
A few hours later, I found Louis by the back of the castle, sitting next to a campfire.
“Hey,” I said, getting his attention.
“Hey,” he replied.
“Mind if I join you?” I asked.
“Go ahead, I’m making some fried potatoes,” he offered as I took a seat across from him.
For a long while, the only sounds around us were the birds chirping, the fire crackling, and the potatoes frying.
“Listen, I’m sorry about earlier-“ he started to say.
“Hey, there’s no need to apologize. You just freaked out a bit; happens to all of us,” I cut off.
“Well, it seems to happen to me more than anything,” he replied.
We were silent again. I had to choose my next words very carefully or he might freak out again.
“Did... does this happen very often?” I decided to ask.
“Sometimes. When there’s a sudden, loud noise nearby, I just... go off like I did before,” he explained.
I leaned forward. “Did this start happening after Iraq?”
“Sure as hell never happened before Iraq,” he answered. “I was a driver for a convoy. For the most part, I was told I did pretty good. Then one day, we had to go through one of the most dangerous cities in the country.
“I was told that as long as I kept moving and didn’t stop for anything, we would be okay. But then, a little kid, couldn’t have been older than four or five, ran out into the middle of the road, right in front of me.
“We locked eyes, I stopped, and...”
He paused, his eyes tearing up. Mine were quickly doing the same.
“And next thing I knew,” he continued, “we were under such heavy fire... that I couldn’t see anything in front of me. By the time the rescue convoy got there to get us out... it was just me left, no one else.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. It couldn’t have been easy,” I sympathized.
“That’s not even the worst part. I was sent back in a few weeks later, same city and everything. Only now, I had no choice but to adapt to the enemy’s tactics,” he said, his breath hitching. “If they sent a little kid into the middle of the road as a decoy... which they did... I couldn’t stop.”
I moved next to him and put my arm around him.
“I-I had to... to keep g-going,” he said, tears running free.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I said, rubbing his back. “Did... did you ever try to get psychological help?”
He shook his head. “I tried, but... I just got buried under all the red tape. Had to back out before it took everything from me.”
I thought of my next move. If I mess this up, he may leave and never come back.
“I... I may know a guy who might be able to help you. He, uh, used to be a soldier too,” I offered.
“I can’t accept that. I don’t want you to be in the middle of this,” he said, standing.
I stood up as well. “Come on, you’re my brother. I want to get to know you, I want you to meet your niece, I want you to get over this.”
“I wanna know you too,” he replied. “If you’re sure this guy will be able to help me... I’ll give it a shot.”
“Thanks, man,” I said, pulling him into a hug.
Once again, there was silence between us. I had a brother, a family member whom I’d never thought existed. I wasn’t just going to let him leave.
“Wait, I have a niece?” he suddenly asked.
“Story for another day, Mox.”