The Brothers Stone
“Calm down? Calm down?! This is a travesty, a damn travesty! I won’t accept it, do you hear me?”
“Stikin, he’s just a colt. He can’t just choose where his destiny lies."
“There is no excuse! I won’t stand by and let the Stone Family have a black stain on its legacy.”
“But he’s done nothing wrong!”
“Nothing wrong?! Are we seeing the same thing? Because I see a disgrace to my great grandfather!”
Every word that echoed from the wall stung like a knife in the heart. Jimmy felt like crying, and they weren’t even talking about him. He kept his younger twin tucked under a protective wing. Nye could only bury his head under the covers to hide his tears. The poor colt was shaking like a leaf, and Jimmy didn’t blame him.
“He’s your son, Stikin. Our flesh and blood! You can’t condemn him so quickly. Give him a chance, let him try!”
“He’s no son of mine!”
Nye flinched, his hooves struggling to cover his ears with the covers. Jimmy nuzzled the back of his neck for comfort, knowing it wouldn’t help much.
“I knew you could be harsh, but this is barbaric! For the love of Celestia, Stikin, be reasonable.”
“There is no reasoning with this. How do you reason with this?”
“So help me, Stikin Stone, if you condemn our boy just because of a cutie mark I will leave this house and take both our sons with me!”
“What?! You would destroy a generations-old family legacy for that, that…?”
Jimmy lowered his head to whisper words he hoped were true. “He doesn’t mean it, Nye. You know he doesn’t mean it.”
Nye only sobbed.
“I mean it, Stikin. You need to decide right now what’s more important to you: your precious legacy, or this family!”
“Sweet Dream…”
Silence. Horrible, agonizing silence, broken only by the muffled sobs of a colt in despair. Jimmy listened intently for any hint of what might be passing between their parents, but there was nothing. All he could do was keep his brother under his wing and let time drag on for what seemed like an eternity.
And then, at last, the door opened.
Jimmy nudged his brother, and they both sat up straight in preparation. Nye was barely able to control his sniffling, his blonde mane a tangled mess over his wet face. Jimmy eyed him, feeling a chaotic mix of misery and sympathy, and hoped his words had been accurate.
Stikin Stone stood in the door. Tall, white with a silver mane, impeccably dressed in his brown business suit. Green eyes as hard as granite. He stood there, silent, gaze locked on his twin sons for some time. Jimmy knew his fear couldn’t possible match his brother’s.
Stikin closed his eyes with a heavy, careful sigh, then entered the room. His cutie mark came into view: a building under construction. “Jimmy. …Nye.” Jimmy winced at the hesitancy of the second name. “We’ll make this work.”
He was followed by Sweet Dream. She was a pegasus, short with an orange coat and blonde mane. Though a beauty, her pristine face was marred by a barely-contained scowl aimed at her husband. Yet when she looked upon her sons she managed a smile as only a mother could.
She approached the bed and studied Nye for a moment, wiping his face with a tender hoof. Jimmy caught sight of her cutie mark: a four-layered chocolate cake. “My boys. Everything will be fine. Your father and I love you, and we only want the best for the both of you.”
Jimmy turned to his father, who maintained that stately, unpleasant air. “Indeed,” the big stallion said, his voice strained. “We won’t let this be a problem. I’m…sorry boys, I let my emotions run wild for a moment.”
Jimmy wanted to believe him. He really did. He tried to believe him.
Sweet Dream nuzzled Jimmy affectionately, and he returned the motion happily. Stikin approached and set a hoof on his shoulder, which was perhaps one of the most affectionate things he’d done in years. The pegasus colt gazed up into his father’s eyes and saw focus, determination…and hope. A message was being sent, and he read it loud and clear. He instinctively rubbed his flank, where his own cutie mark of three wrenches sat.
Their mother embraced Nye. “My boy finally earned his cutie mark,” she whispered. “I couldn’t be more proud!”
Jimmy glanced at their father and saw the stallion’s face harden. He knew what he was looking at; he could see it too. He gazed down at his brother’s flank.
There rested a high heel and some tacks.
“Your grades are unacceptable, Nye,” Stikin announced with his ever-solemn air.
Boarding school, in the twins’ dormitory suite. They stood like soldiers before their parents, well prepared for what was coming.
“We know you’re trying your best, sweetie,” Sweet Dream added, her smile warm.
Stikin scowled. Jimmy knew that expression. His father acquired it whenever he was trying to hold himself back. He only had that look when their mother was around.
“I want an explanation,” Stikin continued after a few tense seconds.
Jimmy didn’t glance at his brother. He didn’t need to look to see that Nye was struggling for some acceptable excuse. Of course, he had one already, but their father would have never acknowledged it. He wouldn’t try to offer support, not at such a dangerous moment. Nye knew he was there for him.
At last his twin spoke. “I have no explanation.”
“I see.” Stikin’s eyelids lowered dangerously, but he cast a brooding glance towards his unnoticing wife and held his temper. His attention jerked to Jimmy. “You, on the other hand, have excellent grades. You’re working hard, son. Know that we appreciate it.”
“We’re very proud,” their mother corrected. “Of both of you.”
“Yes,” Stikin agreed with a curt nod. “Proud.” He looked at each of the brothers with a hawkish gaze. “But these grades are a problem. Jimmy, you’re the responsible one. I’m expecting you to keep your brother in line.”
Sweet Dream barely avoided scowling at his tone. “A good example, Jimmy. That’s all we’re asking, and you’re setting a very good example, indeed.”
The tension made the air seem almost liquid in its intensity. Jimmy took a moment to clear his throat and consider his response. Carefully, carefully. “I will set an example, mother. Do not worry; Nye is improving. He just needs time.”
Their father snorted. “How much time do you think you have left? You both graduate in two years.”
Jimmy glanced at his brother, whose barely-controlled anger was obvious. “I’ll keep a closer eye on him. You have my word.”
Stikin took a long, steadying breath, and his gaze loosened. Just a chip in the armor. “Well son, I have faith in your word.” He took out a pocketwatch. “We need to leave soon, before the train arrives. I will be watching you both. I have high expectations for the next quarter.”
The stallion turned to leave. As he did their mother approached and wrapped them both in a comforting hug. “He’s just worried,” she whispered in her kind voice. “Don’t worry, boys; he means well.”
And with that they were gone, and the two young stallions relaxed.
“‘Means well,’” Nye snarled. “Like hell he does.”
“He just wants you to succeed,” Jimmy noted in a confident tone, turning and going to his desk in the corner.
“My grades are fine,” his twin snapped. “Not perfect, but I’m doing good for a pony with no talent.”
“You have talent,” Jimmy corrected.
“In shoes! In case you can’t read the sign on top of the main building, this is an engineering school.” Nye stomped over to his bed and flopped onto his back. “I’m not even supposed to be here.”
Jimmy wanted to get back to his building design, but reminded himself of his promise. “Pops is a hard guy, but Mom’s right. He’s only trying to look out—”
“—for our best interest,” Nye finished for him, face twisting into a sour expression. “If he cared so much, he’d spend some time with us! I mean really, come to the school for two hours just to check our grades and give us a lecture? They could have stayed for supper at least. Damn train won’t leave for another hour! He just wanted to get the hell away from me.”
“Don’t talk like that,” Jimmy demanded with a glare. “He’s our father, for Celestia’s sake!”
Nye said nothing else, only scowled at the ceiling with wet eyes. Jimmy watched him for several seconds to see if he’d add anything to the conversation. He didn’t, so the elder Stone went back to his class project.
Several minutes passed, minutes punctuated by the soft scratching of quill to paper. Jimmy tried to absorb himself in his work, but he couldn’t stop thinking about his brother. Without looking up, he finally broke the silence. “You should be studying, or working on your new project.”
“What’s the point?” Nye grumbled from the bed.
“You need to keep your grades up.”
Nye sniffed in a derogatory fashion. “Keep them up. Right.” Jimmy could hear him shifting in the bed. “Why bother? I struggled to get this far, and the old man thinks I’m unacceptable.”
“So you’re just going to quit?”
“If the work’s not rewarding, why do it?”
Jimmy found that answer…startling. He turned to give his brother a perplexed look from over his work glasses. “What about your responsibilities?”
Nye was lying with his back to him. “Responsibilities? To who, him? I’m done with him.”
Jimmy sighed. “You don’t mean that.”
“No?” Nye sat up and sneered at him. “You remember when you first learned to fly? I do. I remember watching you soaring with mother and wishing I’d been the one born with wings. That way I could have flown away from that house and never come back!”
Jimmy dropped from his stool and walked over to his brother. “Seriously? You were jealous of my wings?”
“Green with envy,” Nye admitted, head lowered and eyes dark. “I wanted to run away so badly. I used to dream about it.”
The elder twin didn’t like this at all, but he had to ask. “If you really felt that way, why didn’t you?”
Nye gave him a dirty look that slowly shifted to an expression of misery. He dropped down onto his belly, his blonde mane flopping over his eyes. “Because I knew it would break mother’s heart. She’s the only reason I’m still here, Jim.”
That stung. “What about me?”
Nye’s eyes drifted up to him from beneath his curls. “You’ve stood by me bro, and I always appreciated it. But you’re father’s ‘diamond in the rough.’ You’ll inherit his legacy; we all know it, and I know you want it. You belong in the Stone family…unlike me.”
Jimmy gave him a weak smile. “Yeah, right. You check my cutie mark, lately? I’m a mechanical engineer, Nye. That’s not a builder.”
“It’s close enough to be valid in his eyes,” Nye answered. “And you’ve been studying civil and structural, not mechanical. You’re trying to be his heir.”
Jimmy couldn’t deny that. Nye was right; he wanted to be part of the family legacy, to be as great as their father. But not like him in every way. “Father needs somepony to carry on the family business,” he answered, a sad frown on his lips. “He needs this, bro. He works so hard, and this is his dream.”
Nye sat up again, his expression grim. “You think he cares about us, don’t you?”
“Of course he does.”
The younger twin jumped down from the bed and headed for the door. “For your sake, I hope you never realize how wrong you are.”
“Where are you going?”
“To find some place to cool off.”
Jimmy considered stopping him, but instead he let the door close. His brother needed time, that was all.
Just a little time.
“You can’t leave!”
Nye’s room, years later.
“Sure I can. Just watch me!”
Jimmy blocked his brother’s path to the door. “You told me you’d give it time. It’s only been a week!”
“A week is all it took.” Nye tried to move around, but Jimmy opened his wings to take up more space. “Get out of my way.”
Jimmy set his hooves on his twin’s shoulders. “Look, you’re hurting. We all are. But running away won’t solve anything.”
“Oh, yes it will,” Nye countered, knocking his brother’s hooves away. “It’ll get me out from under his shadow. That, Jim, is the Holy Horseshoe of my life!”
“And where will you go? What will you do?”
“I don’t know. I don’t care. As long as I’m not here!”
Nye tried to use force, shoving up against his twin, but he was never the stronger pony. Jimmy shoved back and kept him in place. “Mother worked so hard to keep us together, as a family. Think about what she—”
“Mother is dead!”
For a single piercing moment, there was silence as the twins reeled from having said it out loud for the first time. It didn’t last.
“She’s gone, Jim.” Nye was crying, but his face was hard. “I told you before, she was the only thing keeping me here. But she’s gone, and so am I.”
Jimmy forced back tears as his brother began to walk past him. “What about Pops? He’s hurting too, you know.”
Nye turned on him. “Oh, listen to you. Daddy’s little colt, always aiming to please! So determined to be a legend like the old stallion. You can have his legacy, and him! Why should I care? Why should he care? He wants me gone!”
Jimmy couldn’t take anymore of his brother’s self-pity. He’d listened to it all his life. “You want to go? Then go! If you don’t want to be part of this family then you should just leave. Go on, damn Ma’s memory and get out!”
“That’s enough.”
The two stallions froze, bodies heaving from anger and frustration. But they kept quiet. They turned in unison to see Stikin Stone standing before them, his granite appearance as impeccable as always. His icy gaze was locked with Nye’s.
But for once Nye wasn’t intimidated. He stepped forward with determination. “I’m leaving.”
Stikin studied him coolly for some time, like a judge regarding a convicted felon. Finally, he reached into a pocket and tossed something small in the air. It fluttered and dropped to the floor before Nye’s hooves. The brothers eyed it seriously.
“What’s this?” Nye asked.
“A bank card.”
“I can see it’s a bank card,” he snapped at his father. “Why are you giving it to me?”
Stikin kept his head high and his voice steady. “When the two of you were born, your mother and I started a fund for each of you. A financial safety precaution to keep the two of you safe if anything terrible were to happen. A lot of bits have accumulated in them over the years. That card accesses your account. Take it.”
“I don’t want it.”
“You’re going to take it anyway,” Stikin ordered without emotion.
But Nye took a step back from the card. “Don’t you get it? I don’t want anything to do with this family anymore!”
Jimmy gave his brother a sour look. “Pops is trying to help you out, Jimmy. Take the card.”
“Give me one good reason why I should.”
“I’ll give you two,” their father declared. “First, remember that your mother loved you, boy. I don’t understand why, but she did. Take it from a stallion who loved her dearly; she would have wanted you to have it. If I don’t give it to you I know she’ll haunt me, and not in a pleasant manner. So consider it a mother’s blessing, because it certainly isn’t mine.
“Second, after tonight I intend to wipe your stain from the Stone legacy. All pictures, all notes, all records. If you don’t take that bank account I’ll wipe it away, because I don’t want it.”
Jimmy stared at his father, unable to believe his ears. Surely he didn’t mean that…
But Nye’s expression was hard. He believed it, that much was clear. “Keep the legacy pure.”
“That’s the idea.” Stikin gestured to the card. “Take it. Take it and get out of my house.”
The two glared daggers at one another for several long seconds. Jimmy felt as if he should say something, but the words wouldn’t form. All he could do was watch and know that at this moment his family was broken. Perhaps irreparably.
After what seemed like ages, Nye bent down and took the card. He cast a dark glance at Jimmy, a final silent farewell, and stalked out of the room. And just like that, Jimmy’s brother was gone.
After all that had been said – the anger and frustration – all Jimmy wanted to do was cry.
But his father was there, so he held in his tears and kept his face balanced. No sadness, no emotion at all must be revealed.
Stikin heaved a deep sigh, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He walked to Jimmy, set a hoof to his shoulder and, for what may have been the first time in Jimmy’s life, smiled.
“Don’t worry, my son. The Stone legacy will live on through you.”
The door creaked open, as if it objected to the motion. Jimmy stared into the dark room, a strange wave of emotion coming over him. What had told him to do this? He couldn’t tell. Nostalgia, perhaps. He entered hesitantly, felt around for the switch. The fluorescent lights blinked, sputtered and slowly emitted their glow.
Nye’s room. The bed still unmade, books and tools spread all about. A thick coating of dust emphasized the passage of time. He looked around quietly, observing the signs of his brother’s former presence. The maids hadn’t touched this place since that day. Father’s orders.
He walked to the low mirror by the bed, the one Nye had bought to help with his shoe hobby. Hobby. It sounded almost insulting, to call somepony’s special talent a mere ‘hobby.’ He bent down and used his elbow to wipe away the dust from the reflective surface, and for a moment he thought he saw his father. It was just his reflection, of course; he’d grown to look so much like the stallion in the past year. So much so that he’d gone and added purple streaks in his silver hair, just to differentiate himself.
Staring at his own face in that mirror, his father’s face, Jimmy felt a little ill.
He rose up and looked around some more. There on the desk were blueprints, drafts of a building’s steel skeleton. It was a common design, not anything special; Equestria was full of nearly identical buildings. The math was off, too. The lower supports were too small and the upper supports of all the wrong materials. But for Nye, this was a good design. He might have been known for his laziness, but this proved how hard he’d tried.
Jimmy started to turn away, but paused when he noticed how the blueprints were raised up at one corner. Curious, he pulled the papers aside.
It was a piece of wood. No, two pieces, shaped like two halves of a hoof with a screw connected through them both. Curious, Jimmy picked it up and saw that it had been sitting on a flat rubber…something.
Ah, it must be a tool for designing a shoe. He eyed the screw, tried turning it; the two pieces gently moved apart as he did. So it was for designing shoes of different hoof sizes?
He lifted up the rubber and found a smaller blueprint, a diagram of a shoe with some nails inside. Some sort of new invention, perhaps?
It struck Jimmy as so horribly sad. His poor brother had still been working on his special talent, in spite of everything. Being forced to do what you wanted in secrecy like this just seemed so…wrong.
“Been a while since anypony came in here.”
Jimmy jumped up and dropped the tool and rubber. He turned to find his father standing at the doorway, glancing about the room curiously. “What’s my star apprentice doing in a place like this?”
A place like this? It was still they’re house. “I just…wanted to take a look around,” Jimmy admitted. “Like you said, it’s been a while.”
Stikin entered the room, eyeing the bed with a strange expression Jimmy couldn’t place. “Not all that long, really.”
Did Jimmy hear that right? It had been over a year!
“Actually, I’m glad to see you here,” his father noted. “I’ve been doing some thinking. You’re moving along quite nicely in your apprenticeship, and this room is just taking up wasted space. And as you know, wasted space is an engineer’s worst enemy.”
He turned to Jimmy with a light smile. “I’m thinking of having this room remodeled. We’ll get rid of all this junk and you can use it as your personal office and workspace. It’s about time you started some projects without the old stallion looking over your shoulder.”
Jimmy stared, mouth agape. He knew he should say something, but nothing would come to mind. At least, nothing he could say out loud. This was like a promotion, yes. But…get rid of Nye’s room? There were no signs of his younger twin’s existence anywhere in the house; Stikin had kept his promise of that day and thrown it all out. But this room he’d left alone. Jimmy had always assumed it had been because of some secret guilt, a guilt that he’d hoped would open the door to his brother’s return.
But it seemed that door was going to be closed.
He couldn’t let him do this, not without saying something. “But… Pops… What if… What if Nye…?”
Stikin’s gaze became as cold as ice, and Jimmy couldn’t form any more words. He lowered his head, struggling with his throat. At last he was able to speak again, and he felt like a coward for it. “Of course, this room will be perfect.”
Stikin watched him for a few more seconds, but then smiled and took another look around. “Yes, yes it will. As soon as we get rid of all the trash.”
“Thank you, Pops.” Jimmy had to fight to keep his voice above a whisper. He marched to the door. “I need to go, I had a meeting scheduled for this afternoon.”
“Of course,” his father declared, beaming at his prodigal son. “That’s my boy, working hard! Your great-grandfather would be proud of you, son.”
If only Jimmy could feel proud, as well.
He left the house and walked the Manehattan streets. There was no meeting, not for today…but he simply had to get away from that stallion. Every now and again he would take these long walks, trying to forget the weight on his shoulders. He wanted a legacy, but his father’s expectations were always so big, and Jimmy knew deep down that he wasn’t as good as him. Of course he wasn’t; his talent was in mechanical engineering, not structural. Most layponies didn’t know the difference, but he knew it was a lot bigger than they imagined.
Sometimes, when going on these head-clearing strolls, he would watch the crowds. He did this now, eyeing each passing face, looking for something familiar. Perhaps he was hoping to spot Nye among them. Yet with every passing glance, he reassured himself that he would never find his brother in Manehattan. He was probably on the complete other side of Equestria. Maybe beyond, if his urge to escape were strong enough.
He had been walking without direction through the busy streets and shining lights, but before he knew it he was in Central Park. Suddenly he knew where he was going, and what he intended to do.
The cemetery. His father visited once a week, every Saturday. Jimmy didn’t come so often; he’d always respected his father’s need for privacy. So it had been a while. Even so, he could have found the grave in his sleep.
Sweet Dream.
Beloved wife and mother.
He lay in the grass before the tall tombstone. He felt like crying…but his thoughts were centered on Nye.
“I’ve been trying, Ma,” he whispered. “I wanted Pops to crack, to show some sort of grief. At times like these I wish you were here. I can’t control him like you did.
“Nye is still gone, Ma. I… I’m starting to think he’ll never come home. I miss him, almost as much as I miss you. With how Pops acts, it’s almost as if Nye’s died, too.”
He lay his head in the grass, nose barely touching the cool stone. “Tell me your secrets. Tell me why he listened to you. He always was willing to give Nye a chance when you were around. Tell me why. How did you make him care? I want him to care.
“I need help. I can’t bring Nye back on my own, not with things being as they are.
“Please. Help me.”
There was no telling how long he lay there, waiting for an answer he knew wouldn’t come. He listened to the birds, the wind in the trees, the distant humming of a city that was all around, yet also distant. He listened to himself crying. He just listened.
Perhaps he had nodded off. He couldn’t be sure. All he knew was that when he finally looked up it was well into the afternoon.
And he wasn’t alone.
“Having difficulty coping with the loss?”
Jimmy slowly, wearily raised himself into a sitting position. He glanced over his shoulder to see a tall mottled brown unicorn with a black mane. He rubbed his eyes and turned away, not bothering to answer.
“It’s difficult, when a mother dies,” the unicorn continued in a forlorn tone. “I suppose I should feel lucky, though; I didn’t lose a brother in the process.”
Jimmy blinked, rubbed his eyes free of tears one last time, then looked over his shoulder. “What did you just say?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Jimmy jerked his head away. “Just go away.”
“I would if I could, but I’m afraid it’s not possible. At least, not yet. I’m here on business.”
“Business?” Jimmy gave a weak laugh. “It can wait.”
“It’s been waiting for a long time, as it is.”
Jimmy was already tired of this guy. He stood and turned to the unicorn with a glare. “What do you want?”
“Oh, no,” the unicorn countered with a stern glare. “The question is what do you want? What’s more important to you? The Legacy of a father who may never see you as anything more than the assurance of his own immortality? Or the one pony still living that thinks of you as family?”
Jimmy stared, not just a little surprised. “You… You seem to know a lot.”
The unicorn glanced away with an innocent expression. “You overestimate my knowledge, Mr. Stone. I just read the papers.”
“Who are you?”
“A concerned citizen.”
“Stop playing games!” Jimmy wanted to buck the stallion in the teeth, but held his anger back. “Why are you here?”
“I’m just posing a question,” the ever-calm unicorn replied. “Be careful about your answer.”
Jimmy sighed and turned away to stare at his mother’s grave once more. “Just…please, just go away.”
For a moment he thought the unicorn had left…but then a white envelope dropped onto the grass next to his hooves. He stared at it, frowning with disinterest. “What’s that?”
“The Legacy or your brother. When you’ve made your decision, open it. What you do with the information within is up to you.”
Jimmy turned back, but the unicorn was gone.
He considered leaving the envelope where it was. Then he considered ripping it open and seeing what was inside. In the end, he picked it up and went home, mind heavy with questions.
Jimmy’s heart was heavy as he opened the front door of Stone Manor. His first completed project had been met with acclaim, but he hadn’t been fooled. He’d read the reviews, heard what so many critics weren’t willing to say to his face. The building was good, but it wasn’t Stikin Stone good. It wasn’t original enough, it wasn’t delicate enough, not practical enough, not cheap enough. Talent was shown, but he was still but a candle standing before a lighthouse.
Disappointing. So very, very disappointing.
He didn’t want to see his father, who was no doubt prepared to give his own personal review. He dreaded that moment, because he knew – he knew – that he’d failed to fill his horseshoes. So instead he decided to go to the one place he could expect to be alone to prepare himself; his office. Nye’s old room.
What a severe displeasure, then, to find his father at his desk.
“Pops!” He tried to keep his tone light. It wasn’t easy. “I wasn’t expecting you to be in.”
“Is that so?” Stikin Stone turned about, and Jimmy’s heart sank; he had in his hooves the shoemaking tool that had once belonged to Nye.
But he wasn’t just worried. He was also upset. “So you’re looking through my property, now?”
Stikin’s eyes were as cold as they’d ever been. “My home, my rules.” He raised the tool demonstrably. “This belonged to him, didn’t it? Saved it from the trash can, did you?”
Jimmy scowled. “Can’t you at least say his name?”
The tool dropped to the desk. The sound of the hit seemed inordinately loud.
“Jimmy,” Stikin said after a pause, “I’ve been very proud of you. I saw your work. A huge success. Not as brilliant as my own work, yet for my successor it was a great accomplishment. But this?” The stallion stepped aside and placed a hoof down on something atop the desk. Jimmy took a tender step forward; it was the envelope. He’d held on to it for months, but never opened it.
It was open now.
“You…! I can’t belie… How dare you!?”
“You’ve been busy, I see,” Stikin declared, lifting the envelope. “I’m very disappointed. I thought my position was clear.”
It was. Suddenly it was very clear.
Jimmy took another daring step forward. “What does it say?”
The elder Stone’s eyebrows raised in mild surprise. “You mean you don’t yet know?” A long silence. “It’s a location.”
Jimmy’s heart skipped a beat. His father wouldn’t say, because that would mean mentioning his name, but he knew what was implied. “Let me see it.”
Stikin spoke slowly, confidently. “You will never investigate this again. You will not speak of it, mention it. Not even think of it.”
“Let me see it.”
The stallion stared at him for some time. Then, as if it were a simple thing, he turned and dropped the letter into Jimmy’s paper shredder.
“No!”
Jimmy dove for the device, but it was too late; the information was gone.
He stared at the shredder for several long seconds, rage slowly building up within him. His ears rang, his eyes saw red. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold it in this time.
He turned on his father in a fury. “He’s my brother!”
“Impossible,” Stikin replied, voice calm. “That would imply I had another son.”
“Did you ever, ever care about him?! Is there even the tiniest scrap of love in that black and withered thing you call a heart?!”
But his father wasn’t bothered by Jimmy’s fury. “That bastard was set to ruin the Stone legacy. I don’t want to hear about him, think about him, remember him. You need to think about what’s truly important, Jimmy.”
“Important?!” He was going to hurt the stallion. He just knew it. “Mother always told us you cared, that deep down you were just concerned for us. But Nye was right. You’re a monster!”
“Your mother?” For the first time Stikin showed some emotion, his eyes flaring dangerously. “Do not speak of your mother to me! I loved the mare, I truly did. She was the light of my life. But she was a baker. A damn baker!” He stepped away from Jimmy, as if to hide his face. “That pegasus came from such great stock. Her uncle, an architect. Her sister, a mason. Her mother at least taught engineering! And she had to go and be a baker!”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Jimmy demanded.
“Don’t you see?!” Stikin cried. “This is all her fault! She polluted the waters! A cobbler, of all things she gave me a cobbler!”
“That’s your wife you’re talking about!”
“I loved Sweet Dream!” Stikin was in Jimmy face, and there was more anger in those eyes than he’d ever revealed before. “She was perfect in almost every way. One flaw, one single Celestia-be-damned flaw, and the Stone line was almost ruined! I can forgive her, for I adored her, but I cannot forgive the spawn she gave me.”
“He’s your son!”
“He’s not my son!” Stikin practically screamed. “He’s a bastard! A mistake! He never should have been born!”
Jimmy stared, seeing his father for the first time. When he at last spoke, his voice was quiet. “And me? We’re twins, Pops. If he shouldn’t have been born, what about me?”
Stikin stared at him, face locked in a grim frown, then turned away. “You’re my son, Jimmy. You are the future of the Stone Family. My Legacy, my name, will live on because of you! Do you know how precious that makes you?”
He’d said it. He’d actually said it. “Is that all I am to you? A means to your immortality?”
Stikin stared at him from over his shoulder. His gaze pierced into Jimmy’s soul. Those eyes. Those horrible green jewels. Jewels that shined as cold as that day when he and Nye were colts, waiting in their room for a verdict.
Now Jimmy knew his father.
He turned, grabbed the shoemaker’s tool in his teeth, and fled the house.
It was raining when he reached the cemetery. Good, it made his tears less obvious. He lay in the wet grass before his mother’s grave and wept, wept as he’d never wept before. His entire world was so empty, so devoid of meaning. He didn’t know what to do anymore, save to lie at that grave and beg for his mother to come and tell him everything would be okay.
But Sweet Dream would never come.
He was all alone.
“I take it you’ve made a decision?”
His head jerked up and about. There was the mottled-brown unicorn, right where he’d been before. No umbrella; he just stood in the pouring rain as if it were natural.
The unicorn’s face was grim, but when he spoke again his voice was soft. “In a certain culture, they believe that when a good pony dies, the first thing the pony sees in the afterlife is his mother. She purveys the good news.”
Jimmy turned away to drop his head back in the grass, too miserable to respond.
“Bad ponies, on the other hand, meet their fathers. Bad news.” A moment’s silence. “I wonder which one Stikin Stone will meet?”
Jimmy considered the question, wiping away tears and rain from his face. “He’ll meet grandpa.”
A long, tender silence.
“He’s in Ponyville.”
Jimmy stood and turned. The unicorn was still there. “Why are you telling me? Why?”
“I’ll be seeing you, Jimmy Stone.” The unicorn turned and walked away, soon disappearing in the sheets of rain.
Jimmy stepped off the train in Ponyville, feeling a touch confused. It was so…open. And green. Nothing like Manehattan. Had his brother really come to a place like this to live? He’d had his doubts, but he’d wrestled with them all the way over here. This was the only lead he had, so he might as well try.
But where to begin?
He wandered away from the station, anxiously observing the locals and their small houses and businesses. He marveled at how amazingly quiet it was; no massive crowds, no carriages running to and fro; no subways, no bright flashing lights. Just grass, trees and sunshine.
He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.
He began asking around. Nopony knew a ‘Nye Stone,’ but they did know ‘plain old Nye,’ who matched his twin’s description perfectly. Jimmy should have known his brother would abandon his last name. He was mildly surprised; Nye was well known in this place. A few even spoke as if they were friends with him. That was especially strange, for Nye had never been good at making friends.
Maybe living in a little place like this had been good for him.
In a curious turn of events, Jimmy learned that the Nye matching his brother’s description was working as a ticket attendant at the railroad station, so he doubled back. When he asked the attendant at the window, though, it turned out that the stallion was off for the day. Jimmy’d been frustrated, but at least he earned a new lead; it seemed Nye was fond of spending time with somepony named Rainbow Dash.
And everypony in town knew that name. Apparently she was a major figure of Ponyville, a sort of local hero. By her description she wouldn’t be hard to find, either. At one point he met an unusually happy pink pony who insisted on singing a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ song while using a strange contraption that exploded cake batter in his face. She was tickled silly to inform him that Rainbow loved to take naps near a certain pool.
Ah, naps. No wonder Nye liked hanging around her.
And so he got some directions from the pink pony – with some difficulty as she was so very hyper – and soon found himself at the pond. And, as hoped, he spotted the ‘famous’ pegasus loafing on a tree limb, front hooves behind her head and a leg dangling lazily just above the water’s surface.
“Are you Rainbow Dash?”
The blue mare sat up and raised her sunglasses to eye Jimmy before grinning and laying back down. “The one and only! If you’re here for an autograph, you’ll have to wait. I’ve barely started my nap.”
“I only need to know one thing,” Jimmy told her with utmost seriousness. “Where is Nye Stone?”
“Nye? You’re here for Nye and not me? Seriously?” She waved a hoof to gesture at the tree. “He’s right down—” she turned to look down the opposite side of the tree, “—there? Huh?”
Jimmy let out a gasp and darted around the tree; Nye wasn’t there. He was in the distance, running away.
“Nye!” Jimmy opened his wings and flew like he’d not flown in ages. At last, after all this time, he’d found him! “Nye, it’s me, Jimmy!”
“I know!” the stallion cried.
“Whoa, whoa.” Rainbow was abruptly flying at his side, a multi-colored streak in her wake. “What’s going on?”
Nye spun about and gestured wildly at her. “Rainbow, keep him back so I can get away!”
“What?” she asked, completely clueless. “And go where?”
“Somewhere, anywhere, as long as it’s away from him!”
Jimmy beat his wings harder, determined to catch up. He thanked Celestia that his brother was never very athletic. “Nye please, I just want to talk!”
The younger Stone leapt into some bushes, disappearing from view. His voice rose from somewhere within. “Forget it, Jimmy. I’m never going back!”
Jimmy paused above the shrubs, his voice desperate. “I don’t want you to go back!”
“Go back where?” Rainbow demanded, flying circles around him. For somepony about to take a nap, she seemed awfully energetic.
There was a long, agonizing pause as he waited for his brother’s response, ignoring the questions from the orbiting mare. He began to wonder fearfully if Nye hadn’t fled under cover already.
But then Nye’s head appeared from within the bushes. “You mean you’re not here to take me back to Manehattan?”
Jimmy lowered himself to the ground, head bowed in shame. “I… I left Pops.”
Nye’s eyes went wide. “You did what? But what about the Stone Legacy and all that?”
“Stone Legacy?” Rainbow hovered over their heads. “What are you two talking about?!”
“I don’t want to be part of that anymore,” Jimmy confessed miserably. “Not when he’s attached to it.”
Nye crawled his way out of the bushes, face severe. “Finally figured it out, then?”
Jimmy eyed Nye, keeping his head low and feeling so very guilty. He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out something; the old shoemaking tool. Nye’s eyes widened at the sight of it, and he took it in both hooves tenderly. “I… I’m sorry, bro.”
“Bro?!” Rainbow Dash landed next to Nye to get in his face. “This guy’s your brother?”
He pushed her back with an annoyed look, then turned it on Jimmy. His face was hard, studious. Jimmy didn’t bother to defend himself. He just waited.
Nye turned the tool over and over in his hooves, clearly thinking hard. At last he sighed with an exasperated smile. “Yeah… Yeah I guess he is.”
Jimmy was so happy he gave his twin a big hug. His brother returned it slowly. “Umm, kay. Yeah… This isn’t like you at all, Jim.”
Jimmy didn’t care. He was just so happy to have a brother again.
At last Nye pushed him away and asked, “So…how did you find me, anyway?”
“Ummm…” Jimmy rubbed his head, considered, got a bit lost. “That’s kind of a strange story.”
“Well come on, you can tell me at my place.”
Rainbow jumped in front of them. “Would somepony please tell me what’s going on?!”
Princess Luna
I apologize for not giving you this information in person, but at the moment I’m traveling in accordance with my investigation of potential candidates and could not find a chance to return to Canterlot.
I wanted to inform you that I have completed my investigation regarding the third candidate, one Jimmy Stone. You will be interested to know that he is the elder twin of your friend Nye, and a pegasus pony. As you are aware, I was very concerned about his qualifications, due to his uncharacteristic procrastination regarding an important decision he had to make. I am pleased to report that Jimmy overcame the issue and made the proper decision. In so doing he has created for himself entirely new problems, but I believe the decision marks great progress on his part and thus secures him a place in our future.
Included with this letter is the full report on my investigation of Mr. Stone, for your digestion.
Also: I’ve found that moon sugar mixed in with hot cocoa and mint is a delightful combination they’ve made here in Manehattan. They call it a ‘Lunar Metropolis,’ possibly in honor of you. If you can get the ingredients, I highly recommend it.
Your ever-loyal ally,
Fine Crime
My Dear Princess Luna
An exciting thing has happened today: my brother has come to Ponyville! To be honest, when I saw him I was terrified. I told you all about my father in a previous letter, if you’ll remember. I always assumed Jimmy was in father’s pocket, but the two have had a falling out over me.
I’m sorry to say I severely misjudged my twin. But I’m happy I have a brother, and that makes life in Ponyville so much brighter! He’s crashing with me until he gets a job and place of his own. I don’t suppose you know anypony in Canterlot who needs a good mechanical engineer?
Oh, by the way: Jimmy introduced me to this new thing they’ve got going in Manehattan. He called it a Luna Metropolis, or was it Lunar? Whatever. Point is you’ve got to try it! Make two cups hot cocoa, mix in three teaspoons each of mint before heating and moon sugar after. Trust me on this, it’s awesome!
I love having a brother again.
Your friend,
Nye Stone
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Never be worried about length. Fallout Equestria fics average anywhere between 20,000 and 50,000 words, and those are the /good/ ones.
5237904
Thanks! This first story had a number of particularly memorable scenes for me, and that last one between Jimmy and Stikin is a standout in my mind.
LETS MAKE SOME SKOOMA
Stikin can eat a bag of..male genatalia. I was thinking of all kinds of ways I could destroy that pathetic excuse for a father/stallion. Good job with that last scene with Jimmy and his D bag dad, really flared up some emotions. Question:Will we ever find out how their mother died? Just curious. On to the next chapter!
5525231
Answer: No. How Sweet Dream died isn't pertinent, just the fact that she did.
Given your statements regarding Stickin Stone, you're gonna love what happens in Book II.
I like this Jimmy better than his brother. He started in a position of advantage, but he made the decision to abandon it for what he believes in. Nye's woes are, for the most part, inflicted upon him instead of something he brings about for himself.
He's really going the extra mile, isn't he? It's like he found a book on bad parenting and thought 'Fuck this guy, I can do worse.'
So Nye didn't want to be associated with his family and his old life when he ran away, but he didn't change his name and made no attempt to disguise himself. I suppose he can add "starting anew" in his list of things he's not good at.
RIP Sweet Dream
.
.
.
Stikin...see you in hell.
As to how she died, I imagine she died of a broken heart, for all we know, if she had taken the boys and left Stikin, she might still be alive. Not saying its her fault, Stikin was a true blue narcissist and possibly abusive, she hoped that she could help change him, or was trapped.
The other hypothesis is that she had a tragic "accident". But if that was the case, why wouldn't Stikin have "taken care" of the problem sooner. So this one isn't likely.
Either way, it must have been an arranged marriage because I can't see someone like him going after a mere baker. Unless they got married before they even had cutie marks, which I sincerely doubt, the aristocracy isn't quite that bad 🙄cough.
10651040
I never got a chance to clear this up, and since I'm probably done with this AU, I see no reason not to clarify.
Sweet Dream died of illness, possibly cancer (although I never pinned it down). Stickin never abused her, physically or verbally, and the marriage was not arranged. He genuinely cared about her, which is the only reason she could control him so well.
Stickin was an asshole, to be sure. But not to his wife. Never towards her. She was the Fluttershy to his Discord.