Chapter 4

Today, Pen asked Dewey, Cotton, and Ash if they could help clean out the attic while Mint and Vanilla were out shopping. "You know I'm surprised you agreed to help Ash." Pen commented. "You kidding, I just wanted to see if you had any cool stuff around." he said. "He Pen, what's in this box mark 'camping supplies'?" Dewey asked pulling a box down. "Probably camping supplies, numb skull." he said. Dewey opened the box, but found a bunch of magazines. "Pen, there's no camping supplies in her, just a bunch of magazines." he said. "Probably got mixed up or something." Pen said. Dewey levitated one of them out which had an attractive looking mare. "What's Equestrian Beauties? Some kind of mare magazine?" he asked. "Probably..." Pen then realized what the box was really full of. "Whoa!" Dewey shout as soon he opened it. "Whoa, I knew there would be cool stuff! Pen, you've got a box of filly mags!" Ash exclaimed also looking at the magazine. "Please, put that away!" Pen demanded. "You know I subscribe to a lot of these. Playcolt, Stripe Monthly, Pegasins. But I don't think I've heard of this one." Ash said. "Holy crap, they have a maids of Canterlot issue. And look who's the center fold!" Dewey said. "Dude, that's your wife!" Ash commented. "I'm keeping this one." Dewey said. "No way, besides that's your sister-in-law." Ash said trying to take it away. "Yeah, better she be ogled at by family!" Dewey said. Pen took the magazine away from both of them.

"Neither of you with defile my wife with your lewd thoughts. Now you can kill each other over the rest of them, but that's it!" Pen demanded. The two of them agreed and took the box downstairs. "And make sure Mint and Vanilla doesn't see them when they get back!" Pen shouted. Cotton took down a box that was oddly unmarked. "Hey Pen, do you have more magazine in here or is this where you keep your pony skulls?" he joked. "I don't know, I don't remember half the stuff we put up here." he said going through a bunch of junk.

Cotton opened it and it was books, only not the erotic kind. These were photo albums. "Huh, this is a pretty mare." Cotton commented looking through it. "Oh yes, that's mother." Pen said looking at it as well. "And who's that?" Cotton asked pointing to a stallion. "That's...that's...my father." Pen said sadly. "What happened to him?" Cotton asked. "He die, before we were born. Actually the same day we were born." Pen said. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring it up." Cotton said. "It's alright, I mean can't miss what you never knew." he said. Cotton flipped the pages and found a pair of colts only they weren't Dewey or Pen. "Who are they?" he asked. "The one on the left, that's my father and the one on the right is uncle Print." he said. "Wow, can't believe how young Print was." Cotton commented.

The next set of photos were also of colts only these were much familiar. "Ah, now I know these two." he said. "You damn well should." Pen said. "Huh, this odd." Cotton said. "What is?" Pen asked. "I've never seen you smile with your brother around." he said. "I guess things change over time." Pen stated. "Why is that?" Cotton asked. "I don't know, I guess the more time you spend with one pony. The more they annoy you." he said. "Don't you love him?" Cotton asked. "I should, and I do...but, he's a pain sometimes." Pen sighed. "Even still, from these pictures you two were pretty close." Cotton said flipping through the various pages. "We did share a womb for eleven months. Then all twenty-something years we've been alive." he said. "Aren't there any good memories?" Cotton asked. "Let's see...well, we liked to play in the snow a lot. We'd go to our cabin up north, we'd play outside for hours until our hooves started going numb. Mother also liked reading to us, a perk of living on top a book store. I remember she'd read a few books to us, my favorite being 'The Red Dawn of Hushtown' I never did get the ending. Dewey's was always 'Mr. Sunshine and Magic Tap House Shoes'..." he said getting hit by waves of nostalgia. "I think I read that once." Cotton said.

"Does it bother you, hating him?" Cotton asked. "Hate? No, no, I don't hate him." Pen said. "Then why do you two fight?" Cotton asked. "Why do all siblings fight? We just do." Pen explained. "Not me and my sister, we've rarely had fights." Cotton said. "Regardless, I don't hate nor ever said I hated him." Pen said. "You sure show your love real well." Cotton said sarcastically.

Later, after the cleaning was done Pen laid awake in bed thinking just how much he loved his brother. He turned to his wife who was already asleep and woke her up. "Oui, Pen?" she asked. "I have wonder. Do you like my brother?" he asked. "Dewey? Oui, I zuppose I do." she said. "Why do you ask?" "Well, earlier today Cotton asked if I hated my brother and to be honest I don't know." he said. "How do you feel about him?" she asked. "He annoys me at times but, he is helpful, does his work and is tidy." Pen said. "Oui, but how do you feel about him?" she asked. "I don't know...you what forget it." he said rolling over his side of the bed.

"Pen...we promised that we don't keep zecrets from each other. Your problems are my problems, you don't have to do this alone." she said hugging him. "I know." he said quietly. "If it bothers you, why don't you ask the one pony who knows you and your brother best?" she suggested. He nodded and went to sleep.

The next morning, Pen took his wife's advice and went to see the one pony in Canterlot who knew Pen and Dewey best. Pen walked through the door of the book store and rang the bell. "Be right there." a voice from the back of the store said. "Welcome to Misty Grove Books. I'm Dream Journal, what can I...Pen, it's good to see you!" the Unicorn mare said, then hugged him. "Hello mother." he said. "My I didn't know you were coming. What the occasion?" she asked. "Well, I was cleaning out my attic the other day and some photo albums from here must've got mixed up in the move." he said levitating them out of his bag. "Thank you sweet heart, I've been looking for these. Oh, look at how handsome your father was." she said. "Well, that's not why I'm here. I came here because I need to ask you something." he said. "Of course dear, tea?" she asked. "Yes two..."

"Two sugars and a bit of lemon, just how you like it." she going into the back. Later she came back out with a tray and two cups of tea on it. "Thank you." he said before taking a sip. "So, what's on your mind?" she asked. "Well...do I love Dewey?" he asked. Dream looked a bit confused by the question. "I mean, I starting to wonder did I ever love him?" he asked. "Oh sweet heart, of course you do. I remember you two were with each other day and night. I can't count how many times I've checked your room, because two little colts wouldn't go to sleep." she said. "I know, but I'm starting to think maybe I've be harsh on him. I don't know." he mumbled. "Sweetie, siblings fight, siblings have arguments, and siblings fight each other. But they will always love each other no matter what." she said. "I suppose you're right." he said. "Sweetie, I'm a mother. Of course I am." she said, then she went back to the photo album. "I miss you and Dewey." she said. "Mother, it's not like we moved to another city or anything." he said. "True, but...you two not being here, it feels a little empty in here. It felt like that when your father died." she said. "You still have us." Pen said. "True, he did give me two handsome colts to look after their mother and nights of passion I'll never forgot." she said going off in her own little world.

"Little weird." Pen said taking a sip of tea. "I can remember where you two were conceived." she said, cause Pen to spit out his drink. "It was right in the gardening section." she continued. "Alright, uh...mother, nice talking to you. I'll speak with you again when...hopefully whatever this is stops." he said leaving the store.