The rest of Bright Stone's day went on without much happening. He'd went to the store and met up with his Mother, Grover, and Crystal Hymn and helped them load up their wagon with non-perishable food items as well as minor building supplies that they needed for minor repairs to the house.
"So, you find out where to get gemstones?" Crystal leaned over slightly, interlacing her fingers behind her back.
"Indeed," Bright Stone hefting a sack of flour into the wagon. "The owner of the shop was most generous in supplying me with the location of a nearby quarry, and a contact list she that uses to get gems for her dresses."
That remark caught Crystal's attention. "Was ah... was she pretty?" She scratched her face lightly while looking away.
"By most stallions' standards she'd be one of the most gorgeous mares ever seen," Stone commented nonchalantly loaded the boxes. "She had the most adorable little sister too." He looked at Crystal who looked a bit annoyed. "Are you alright Crystal?"
"I'm fine," She walked off.
"Did I say something?" Stone looked at Grover who merely rolled his eyes and shook his head.
His mother watched from inside the store as she paid for their supplies. 'Oh Bright, you can be even denser than you father sometimes.'
"That'll be two hundred and fifty bits ma'am," The stallion who was the proprietor and local mogle said.
"Here you go Mr... Sorry I never got your name," Mystic Hammer chuckled.
"Filthy Rich ma'am," He gave a slight bow. "May I have your name, Miss?"
"Mystic Hammer," She smiled.
"Where are you folk from?" He said as he counted out the coins. "A mare with a grown son and mare coming to town at this time wouldn't be unusual as the Summer Sun Celebration is only a few days away and while moving to town isn't unheard of but it's in the middle of the year so close to the festivities. Don't you think it would've been better to wait till after the commotion died down to move?"
"You make a lot of since Mr. Rich but at the time we left our home in the mountains outside Stalliongrad, we didn't know the Summer Sun Celebration was going to be held here in town," Mystic sighed. "We spent the last few months traveling to get here and we're out of the loop as far as information goes."
"Oh, that makes sense," He counted up her change. "Stalliongrad aye," Filthy rubbed his chin. "You would happen to be the jewelry smith, Mystic Hammer would you?"
"That's me. Why do you ask?" She tiled her head.
"I would like to put goods in my store for a small cut of the pay," Filthy offered. "You work is legendary, second only to that fabled blacksmith from your neck of the woods. How about it?"
"It's tempting Mr. Rich, maybe after we're settled in more," She chuckled then looked at him. "How did you know I had a son and not two daughters?"
"Hahaha... I'm a father myself," He belted. "I can tell the difference in his stride and the way he carries himself. His voice was a dead give away though. As for that girl out there, the way she looks at and acts around him, it's a dead give away that she likes him very much. That kind of love is different from the love of siblings, comes from knowing each other a long time. I see it in your eyes too."
Mystic looked down a little depressed.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you sad, I never met the Conductor but he had the deepest respect and I was sad to hear of his passing," Filthy tried to consul her.
"Thank you for your kind words Mr. Rich but... we must go now," Mystic left the store holding back her tears.
"Poor mare, I know they say time heals all wounds, but it's hard to recover from losing your soulmate," He said pulling out an old photo wedding of a mare and him, causing his own eyes to start to dampen. "Right Gleaming," He sighed as he returned the photo to his desk. "What would you say to me if you saw how our girl is acting and treating other foals, " He remarked as he rubbed the back of his while walking back into the store to stock it.
Third day
Stone was on the roof of the barn patching the major holes that had fallen through over time. He'd been up before sunrise as usual and had set up for the day while waiting for his mother and crystal to wake up. After they'd woken they all had a hardy breakfast and went to work on getting the homestead into more livable conditions. While the women worked on clean the house Stone focused on the repair work to it and the barn. He'd finished the house in no time at all and quickly moved to the barn.
He was just about to have way done when a familiar face from yesterday showed up.
"Hey?" Said a multicolored mare.
"What do you want?" Stone asked he continued to nail boards in place.
"Look, we got off on the wrong hoof yesterday and I wanted to apologize after Sweetie Belle told me what happened," Rainbow Dash rubbed her arms as she fluttered in place. "Rarity is a really good friend. She's very generous and sometimes ponies take advantage of that. I thought you did something really bad to her and Sweetie from the screaming I heard while I saw you leaving from the shop."
Bright Stone continued to patch the roof. "So you put one and two together to make three," He said bluntly. "Then you harass me in the street without even going to check on your friend."
He hit a nail into a board, driving it into the wood with a single strike while Rainbow winced at the sound.
"Look I'm really sorry about what I did, and I wanted to apologize right after Sweetie Belle told me what happened but I couldn't find you after you walked away and I had to get to work. So I'm sorry for... ya know lifting you up off the ground," Rainbow said sincerely.
Stone stopped hammering and looked over his shoulder. "HAAAAaaa..... Look, I don't want trouble, FROM anypony. It would cause necessary stress from my mother and friends. " He stood up and turned around. "Not to mention unwanted attention to be drawn to us. I'll accept your apology on two conditions." Stone held up two fingers. "First we start over with our names and two you help me fix this roof."
"Sure, I'm Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in Equestria. Weather pony of Ponyville, nice to meet you..." She vigorously shook his hand.
Stone notices the bruises on her wrists, "Bright Stone, and I'm sorry about your wrists."
"Don't sweat it, dude, I got worse bruises from crash landing when I was a filly," She pushed it off. "Got an extra hammer?"
"Look over by the bear," Stone said as he went back to work leaving Rainbow confused.
"Bear?" She raised an eyebrow.
Some time passed and Rainbow came back with a hammer in hand. "So, you have a pet bear... that's awesome!"
"He's not my pet, just my friend," Stone said as his attention never wavered. "He wanted to come with us when we came here so I let him come as long as he helps out and pulls his weight around here." He hit nail after nail.
"I have few questions for you and if you don't want to answer then just say so okay?" Rainbow hammer asked.
"Very well," Stone agreed.
"Where ya from?" Rainbow asked as she looked up. Her plan was to question him and lead up to the feather she saw fall from his cloak.
"Stalliongrad," Stone hammered.
"Wow, you guys sure came a long ways," Rainbow looked on in slightly shocked. "What're you doing all the way here?"
"My mother was reminded of my father constantly back home so we moved here, no more questions about why we came," He looked sternly at her. "It's personal and you're not close enough to know. "
"I get that," Rainbow threw her hands up in defense. 'Guess I better not push my luck?'
Between the two of them, the barn was done in the next hour. Rainbow waved bye and rushed off to only she knows where.
Crystal Hymn noticed her fly away and grew a little concerned. "Stone, who was that?"
"Her, " He thumbed behind him. "The local weather pony. She got into a little tussle with me yesterday over a misunderstanding and came by to apologize. I roped her into helping me finish the roof. Is it time for lunch yet?"
'I need to tell him how I feel before one of these pretty mares asks him out, maybe.."
"Yoohoo... Stone to Crystal. Ya, there songbird?"
She had been caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize Stone was now in front of her face. "Ah! " she let out a startled yelp and headbutted the alicorn stallion.
"OW! My horn!" Stone hissed. "Why'd you do that?!" he grabbed his head.
"You scared the crap out of me!" Crystal scowled. "Stupid Hammer Head!" She pouted storming off while she rubbed her own forehead.
Bright Stone rubbed the base of his horn. "Hammer head. She hasn't called me that in a long time..."
Stone looked at the ticked pegasus as she kicked the dirt. He wasn't sure what was up with her be he knew she was lost in her own world at the moment and it was best to let her work out her thoughts. In the meantime, his own thoughts drifted to his old life as a living magic stone. It made him miss his first father and want to like him what' he'd do if he was in the same situation. About how Crystal was acting and how best to handle it. He was so lost that he walked straight into the house.
"Note to self, watch where you go," Stone said shaking his head.
Day 4
Stone was walking through the pear orchards on his property. He had the sense that someone was watching him but there was no pony that he could pick up. His ear twitched as he moved under a tree and then heard a quick whooshing sound above him. He looked up and then got noticed a rainbow tail sticking out of one of the clouds.
"Got you tail down!" He called out in annoyance, The tail slightly twitched. "I can see you tail Rainbow Dash! Now come out and tell me why you're spying on me!"
The pegasus in the cloud let out a sigh. She fluttered down slowly to land in front of an annoyed Bright Stone who was scowling with his arms crossed.
"Well?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Look, I'm not trying to be a creeper here but the other day I saw something when you were leaving. I heard from Sweetie that you lived next to Aj and so I went to her and asked her if she met you," Rainbow Dash explained. "She said she did and I wanted to know what she thought of you and she said other than just meeting you for a little bit she said you were an honest guy, but she couldn't shake the feeling you were hiding something."
She pulled out a silver feather from her pocket and held it in front of the stallion. Bright Stone's anger faded as the color faded from his face and his pupils shrank.
"What does that feather... h-have to do with me?" He looked away.
"I don't know, maybe because I saw it fall from under your cloak that day we met in town," Rainbow leaned in. "What up with you where that cloak anyways? Why is this feather silver like your fur? Tell me the." She stomped her hoof. "Who are you?"
Bright let out a rough sigh. "No hiding it when you find one of my feathers." He looked at Rainbow. "I'll tell you, but you have to swear on your life that you won't tell a soul, not even your friends can know about this."
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Rainbow said as she did the motions while Stone raised a confused brow. "It the Pinkie Promise. You can't ever break it, now spill the beans, Buster!"
"Fine," Stone gave a heavy sigh as he pulled off his cloak and unfurled his large shining silver wings. Rainbow merely stood there do her best imitation of a fish out of water.
"Your... AN ALICORN!" She shouted causing Stone to rush over and place his hand over her mouth while tackling her to the ground.
"Keep your voice down!" he said through his teeth quietly.
"mhhmmhmhmh..." Rainbow mumble as her eyes were still as wide as dinner plates.
"What?" Stone raised an eyebrow while Rainbow gave him deadpan stare and then snorted. "Oh Sorry," he got off her and help her to her hooves.
"What a prince doing here of all places?" Rainbow tilted her head as she fluttered over and poked his horn to make sure it was real. "I mean, the Princess Celestia's son hiding out or laying low is one thing, but how come you never mentioned."
"Yes I'm an alicorn, no I'm not related to Princess Celestia in any way shape, or form," Stone rolled his eyes as he threw his cloak back on. "My birth mother is Mystic Hammer and she is my only mother. She raised me back in Stalliongrad."
"But if you're not related to princess then how are you and alicorn?" Rainbow squinted.
"I was born an alicorn," Stone sighed.
"Why'd you move here? And why are you keeping it a secret?" Rainbow simply curios at the point.
"Like I told you yesterday my mother couldn't move past the loss of my father, to many reminders back home," Stone sighed again. "We kept my nature a secret because the local lord would've tried to cash in on it. That he'd try and claim me as his son and use me as a tool to gain more power and influence."
"Well, now you live here. You don't have to hide it anymore," Rainbow smiled.
"There is still the threat that the lord will come here, and my reputation as a smith doesn't help me either," Stone sat on the ground. "Everypony knows me for who I am and what I do back home, not for what I AM."
"I get it," Rainbow come over and plopped down next to him. "You like what you do and you do it because you like it. That why I'm trying out for the Wonderbolts. You want to do what makes you happy and you don't want to be known for being an alicorn."
"You're not dumb as you look," Stone smirked as he looked at Rainbow out of the corner of his eye.
Rainbow annoyed at the last comment, "I may be a jock, but I got my smarts too," she pouted. "So who else knows about... you know. Anypony in town?"
"You're the first pony I've told since coming here, though obviously, my mother has known since day one," Stone lightly chuckled.
"What your sister?" Rainbow tilted her head.
"She's not my sister, but my best friend since we first met," Stone looked at the sky with a smile. "I told her not long after our first meeting and we've been together ever since then."
"So she's your friend and nothing else?" She raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Believe it or not Rainbow Dash, she's my best friend and nothing more," Stone gave a slight scowl. "I don't have romantic feelings for her, but I do hold her very close to my heart."
"If you say so buddy," Rainbow patted his shoulder. "And I SWEAR I won't tell anypony about your secrets. I've to get to work so see ya." She rushed off leaving a rainbow trail behind her.
"At least the Pink Demon didn't go advertising it, I'm pretty sure she knows, just a gut feeling," Stone sighed as he stood up. "Back to work. I can't wait for this day to end already," he complained.
Little did Stone know he was about to have a great task forced upon him.
