//------------------------------// // Choice // Story: Ultra Combo: Brother, Gamer, Pony // by UltraCombo //------------------------------// The gate to Sweet Apple Acres swung open and Ultra and Applejack bolted through and into the farm. Ultra immediately began scanning the farm, searching for his sister. Nothing appeared to be any different than how they left it a few hours ago. "Well," Ultra said in between breaths, "at least they didn't destroy anything." "Very true, but that don't mean they haven't been gettin' inta anythin'." "Also true." Ultra went back to searching around the farm. Applejack began checking around the multiple barns on the farm. Eventually, she checked around the side of the barn closest to the farmhouse and spotted the two little fillies playing with some chickens. "Hey, Ultra! Ah found 'em! No need ta fret!" Ultra heard her and quickly rejoined her. Joystick and Applebloom turned and looked at her when she called to Ultra, bright smiles on their faces. "Hey, Applejack!" said Joystick in a cheery tone. "Hey, you two!" Applejack replied, approaching the two, "So, what've y'all been up to since we left? Not gettin' inta any trouble, ah hope?" "Oh, no." she assured AJ, taking deep breaths as if she had been running a few moments ago, "I told Applebloom that I saw an Italian Stallion trying to chase chickens in a movie and it looked really hard. She was all, 'That don't seem too hard!', so we tried it." Joy looked back at the chickens as they scurried about. "She was wrong." Joy took a breath and continued talking. "We also played hide-and-seek! And we had a race, just like you two did!" Applebloom chimed in, "Who won that, anyhow?" Applejack chuckled. "Seems ah'm needin' t'exercise a bit more, 'cause Ultra beat me, fair and square." She gave Ultra a light, friendly push. "Golly!" Applebloom exclaimed, "Y'all must be pretty good t'beat mah sis in a race! She's one of the bestest in all of Ponyville!" AJ felt a slight blush cross her face, and Joystick laughed, hugging her brother, feeling very proud of him. She could tell just by looking at her that Applejack would not be an easy opponent to defeat in a race, so she knew Ultra had DEFINITELY accomplished something big. "Seems we'll have more t'do back at his place though. Ah've agreed t'help him finish up his house, since he won." Applejack told the fillies. "She helped you with the wall, Ultra?" asked Joystick. "Yep!" he answered, "Took most of it down in one buck!" Joystick was astonished at this information, looking up at Applejack like she was the strongest mare in the world. "Wow! Applejack, that's sooo coool! I had no idea you were so strong!" Applejack felt the blush return to her cheeks, this time much more intense. "Well, shucks. Y'all are makin' me more than a bit embarrassed here." She let out a little giggle, feeling very good about herself. She leaned down next to Joy and put a hoof around her small shoulders. "And if y'all wanna be as strong as mahself, y'all need to take care of yerself, get lotsa sleep, an' most importantly, believe in yerself." She turned to Applebloom, directing her comments at her too. "Y'all will find yer callin' one day, believe me about that." She smiled brightly at the two, and they smiled back just as wide. "Gee, AJ. That means a lot. Thanks." Joystick said, giving Applejack a hug. Suddenly, she gave out a huge yawn. Ultra looked to the horizon and saw that the sun was beginning to set. "That whole idea of getting lots of sleep seems pretty good right about now!" "Good idea. We'd better get going." Ultra agreed, "Besides, we need to be up pretty early tomorrow to bring you to the train station." Ultra began to saunter up to the gate. However, when he arrived, he noticed Joy wasn't with him. She was standing in between him and the Apple sisters, head hung low. "What's wrong?" "I....I forgot I was leaving today...." Joystick's eyes filled up with tears and her lip quivered. Joystick's sadness spread to the other ponies, as Applebloom trotted over to Joy and gave her new friend a hug. She leaned away from the hug and smiled at Joy. "This ain't the last time we're gonna meet," Applebloom said comfortingly, "so don't frown now." "Applebloom's right." Applejack added, "Y'all are welcome back here anytime ya feel like it." With that, AJ joined the hug. She was shortly followed by Ultra, who was strangely quiet for the duration of the hug. They all stood there, just enjoying the moment as the sun slowly started to set. After the hug broke, Ultra wiped the tears from Joy's eyes, looking to AJ and Applebloom. "How would you two like to take me to see Joy off at the station tomorrow?" "Y-Yeah...That w-w-would be really n-nice..." Joy said shakily. The two sisters glanced at each other, nodded, and answered, "Sure will!” in unison with one another. Applejack walked over to Joy again and patted her head. “C’mon now, don’t be sad, Joystick. We’ll all be here when ya come the next time, an’ we’ll have a blast, ah promise!” Joystick smiled back at her, wiping her eyes. “Okay...” she responded. Applejack suddenly felt a tug on her tail. She turned to see her sister jumping up and down with glee. “What is it, sis?” “I’ve got an idea! I’ve got an idea!” she cheered, whispering her plan into AJ’s ear. As she did, a smile curled up on Applejack’s face. “Well, ah don’t see why not.” she said once Applebloom was done whispering. Applebloom hopped up in down with delight as AJ turned to Ultra again. “Hey, Ultra?” “Yeah, AJ?” “How would both of ya like t’stay here tonight?” she suggested, “We’ll all go down to the train station in the mornin’ t’see ya off then!” “R-r-r-really???” THAT got Joystick’s attention. She immediately stopped crying, looking up at her big brother. “Can we, Ultra? PLEEEEEEASE?” Ultra smiled. There was NO way he could turn that sort of offer down. It would break the poor little filly’s heart. Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t taunt her a bit. “Hmm...I dunno...” Ultra said, rubbing his chin with one hoof. “Oh, Ultra! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEEEEEASE say yes!!!” “Well...” he said, his hoof still up to his chin, “we should probably go back to the house and pack your bags for tomorrow, but afterwards, I don’t see why not!” “YAY!!” You would’ve never guessed Joy had been crying. She and Applebloom began hopping about happily, already planning what to do. “Alright, alright.” Ultra piped up. The two fillies calmed down and stopped dead in front of him. “Good. Now, lets go Joy. We’ll go pack up and we’ll be back in a jiffy.” “Yes! Okay!” Joystick hopped onto Ultra’s back, and he sped off towards town. “We’ll be back in a little bit!” Ultra called back to AJ. “An’ we’ll be ready fer ya!” AJ called back. After Ultra and Joy were out of sight, AJ turned to Applebloom. “Well, little sis, lets go get the house tidied up. We ‘ave guests, an’ we don’t want ‘em t’feel uncomfortable, now do we?” Applebloom nodded in agreement, and the two sped off towards the farmhouse. -------------------- Ultra entered his house, with Joystick close behind. She began to climb the stairs, moving quickly up to her room. "Be sure you don't forget anything! I'll pack all your stuff down here!" Ultra called after her as he moved into the living room. He grabbed a nearby saddlebag and began to grab some of Joystick's possessions that she had left downstairs. While sifting through the mess, he noticed something: the mail that had begun to accumulate since a few weeks ago. The mail that he probably should have thrown out. There were many different documents and envelopes strew across the table, bills, cards from friends of Ultra's father, stuff like that. But only one document caught his eye. The one that would force him to make an impossible decision... ------------------- Ultra sat up in his bed and let out a loud yawn. It was his day off, and he was determined to milk the most laziness he could from this day, since he had been working so hard at work, as well as his own projects. He looked at the clock. 12:30? I think that's late enough..., he thought to himself. With a tired moan, he swung his hind legs over the edge of the bed and got up, stretching his aching muscles. He then went about his daily routine, washing up, combing his mane, and making himself look presentable. Afterward, he went downstairs into the kitchen and grabbed a cinnamon bun, buttered it, and threw it in the microwave. All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door, and Ultra scurried off to answer it. Huh...who could that be? he thought to himself. He opened up the door and a stallion carrying a briefcase and wearing a tie stood in his doorway. Ultra shot him a smile, but did not get one in return, only a somber, sad look. "Umm...hello?" he said. "Hello." responded the stallion, his voice gruff and stuffy, "Are you...Ultra Combo?" "Yes, that's me. What is it?" "...And your father is Steel, correct?" Ultra was beginning to get concerned. "Yes. But, he lives way out in Fillydelphia. If you want him, you're in the wrong place." "My name is Dark Veil. I'm with the Fillydelphia Funeral Home..." Dark Veil winced, and finished with, "...I regret to inform you that...your father has passed on..." -------------------- The memories of that day continued to race through Ultra's head like a runway freight train as the two siblings approached Sweet Apple Acres again, many of their possessions slung over their backs. Ultra approached the front door of the farmhouse and gave it four light knocks, and in no time at all, the door opened to reveal the Apple sisters smiling back at them. "Long time no see!" joked Applejack, beckoning the two inside, "If ya follow me, ah'll show ya where you two'll be stayin' fer the night." The two sisters made their way upstairs, as Ultra and Joy followed close behind. Joystick and Applebloom were already chattering away to one another when Ultra began to speak with AJ. "Hey, AJ..." he said, "Thanks a lot for this. Joy has never dealt well with leaving her friends, and I haven't seen her that sad since the day I told her I was leaving home. This will really help her say goodbye." "Ah'm hopin' so," responded Applejack, "cause seein' her sad wasn't helpin' me out, neither." Eventually, she arrived at the door to the spare bedroom, allowing Ultra to enter first and check it out. Ultra did so, looking around at the rustic, old-fashioned guest room as he placed his heavy saddlebag on the bed. "Appleboom's real happy, too." she added as she smiled briefly, only to have it turn into a small frown, "She don't act it cause she thinks she's mature an' everythin', but truth be told, I know Joystick leavin' was draggin' her way down in the dumps too..." "Yeah..." he said, letting out a tiny sigh, "...but they're tough little fillies. I'm sure they'll be fine." He poked his head down the hall to see the girls run down to Applebloom's room, giggling all the way. He chuckled to himself, and went back to inspecting the room. Everything was very neat, and almost looked as if nopony had ever stayed there before him. "You know, now that I take the time truly appreciate it, I can see that you have a beautiful home, AJ!" She reacted as she usually does when receiving a compliment, with a little blush and a scuff on the floor with her hoof. "Y'all are makin' me blush with yer kind words. Yer home was quite nice too...Well, even more so when its finished ah'd imagine." she grinned. She exited the room, looking back in one more time. "Go ahead an' unpack, then we'll go downstairs an' talk s'more if y'all would like ta!" With that, she left him to prepare himself. Ultra opened up his saddlebag, beginning to unpack things he'll need for the morning, all the while with the horrid memories of the day he received the news of his father's passing echoing in his mind. --------------------- The world stopped. Ultra's world was completely drained of color, of hope. All of his emotions were set off at once. Anger, sadness, grief, regret, guilt, they all sparked within his mind at once, creating a hellstorm of confusion and chaos in his head. "...May I come in?" asked the stallion, "We...have much we need to talk about..." Ultra broke from his trance and nodded. Dark Veil stepped in and Ultra led him to the kitchen. There, Ultra spent the worst 30 minutes of his life. They talked about things that Ultra only dreaded having to hear about again after planning his mother's funeral. Guests, coffins, the wake...these were all things he KNEW he would not be able to attend...not after last time. He could barely make it through at THAT funeral. How could he make it through this? "Mr. Combo?" Ultra snapped out of his trance. "Oh...uh...sorry...um...yes?" "I...I know this must be very hard for you...but there is one last thing we must address." Ultra swallowed hard. "...Yes?" "...Your sister." ------------------- Ultra didn't know how long he just sat on the bed, just lost in thought, but eventually, he snapped himself out of it again. He got up and made his way downstairs where he found AJ in the kitchen. "Ah! There y'all are!" she said, "All done unpacking?" "Yup, everything is ready for tomorrow..." His mood was fouled. He wanted to act friendlier, but every time he did, he felt a sharp pain from his anguish. It was building, but Ultra managed to keep it down for now. "Yeah...tomorrow..." AJ said, absent-mindedly. She quickly shook her head, trying to dismiss the subject. "Hopefully y'all found everything alright up there?" Ultra nodded with a dull smile. Applejack sighed, looking around the kitchen. Her gaze landed on the bottle of grape juice, usually opened for special occasions. She grabbed the bottle and turned back to Ultra. "Do ya like grape juice?" she asked. "Uh, yeah, sure." Ultra answered, moving into the dining room. Applejack grabbed a few glasses and set them on the table, pouring an average amount of juice into each glass, when, all of a sudden, Ultra felt a pressure building around his eyes. No. Don't you bucking dare. You promised her there would be no tears, so you'd better not. Ultra took a sip, the pressure building. No matter how much he tried, his gaze would not leave the floor. Don't. "Thanks, Applejack. This is really good." DON'T. Too late. A single, solitary tear escaped his eye. He turned his head, trying to hide it as he dried it, but it was too late. He could tell by the confused look on Applejack's face that she had seen it, clear as day. "Huh?" she said, concerned, "Why're ya cryin' all of a sudden?" Ultra still tried to hide his anxiety, saying, "Oh, sorry. I'm the...biggest buzzkill tonight..." Just speaking caused more tears to fall from his eyes. Applejack got up from the other side of the table, wrapping a single hoof around Ultra's shoulder as she frowned slightly. "Yer hidin' somethin' deep down, ah can tell. Y'all can go ahead an' tell me anythin', mah muzzle's sealed an' ah won't tell nopony." Ultra's damp eyes met with Applejack's. He saw that they still radiated an equal amount of honesty and dependability. He continued to fight back tears as he began. "There's something I haven't told you about Joy and I...About 5 years back, our mom disappeared. She was never found. My dad did a great job watching us afterward, b-but..." Ultra felt the flood gates breaking. "...just a few weeks ago...someone showed up at my door...from Fillydelphia. ...Our...our dad passed away last month." And with that, Ultra broke. His head dropped to the table as he broke into sobs, reduced to a quivering, scared foal of a pony. Applejack immediately brought Ultra into a side hug, rubbing his back comfortingly. "Ultra...ah...ah'm sorry t'hear that..." she whispered, not knowing what else she could do for him. Ultra managed to stop his sobbing, but tears still streamed down his face. "...Thanks. However...that's not what I'm crying about. I've cried all I can about that." Ultra looked up at the ceiling, where he could hear the girls playing about in Applebloom's room. "...It's her I'm worried about." --------------------- "...What about her?" Ultra asked. His sister? What's wrong with Joy? "Well...you see Mr. Combo...Joystick doesn't have any living relatives she could remain with...except you." His heart stopped. His brain was overloaded with emotion again. "You...don't have to take her. Trust me, there are many good foster care agencies in Fillydelphia. We will make sure she is well taken care of if you feel you aren't ready for something like this." the stallion said. "Well...you're kinda springing this on me...I really don't know what to do here..." "Look..." the stallion said, getting up from his seat, "We need to send her here for in about two weeks, anyway. She'll be here for a week. In that time, you can make your decision. If not...just send her on back, and we'll make sure she is treated well." "..." "Mr. Combo..." "Yes...yes, I understand." Dark Veil nodded to him, using his magic to place some papers on the counter. "I'm so sorry..." added Dark Veil as he exited Ultra's home with haste. Ultra stared at the papers. A wall of text lined them, and they were punctuated at the bottom with a long dotted line where a name belonged. Ultra wanted so bad to sign them, right there and then, but... --------------------- "...But I don't know if I'm ready for that responsibility.....I don't know if I can provide...." Ultra ended. Applejack frowned, and said, "Ultra, bein' a pare-...a guardian of a sibiling is hard work, ah'll tell ya that much. But...there comes a time in a pony's life when y'all gotta take responsibility though, an' believe in yerself that ya can get the job done no matter what." She spoke every word from the bottom of her heart, smiling a bit at him and wiping the tears from his face. "Y'all aren't alone either. If she comes t'live with ya, we can try an' help ya out as well if'n when ya need it." she finished, offering him a hoofkerchief. "...Thanks." Ultra took the hoofkerchief and dried his eyes. "I think I need to just...think about this a little more...Thanks, AJ." Ultra smiled. "Now, do you think I could get some more grape juice?" --------------------- Later that night, Ultra lay in bed, the sounds of Applejack tending to the last chores of the day coming from the window. Ultra couldn't stop thinking about his conversation with her. Was he really a good enough brother to do something like this? He had goals, goals that he had left his family for. He questioned the credibility of his love for his sister. Restless, he got up out of bed and walked down the hall. He stopped in front of Applebloom's room and gently opened the door. There, he saw the two little fillies, sleeping soundly next to each other, tucked in snug as a bug. Ultra smiled. Well...I don't want to lose too much sleep over this...I can't let it get to me. he thought. He was about to go back to bed when he stopped himself. He opened the door again and quietly tiptoed into the room. For a while he just watched his little sister sleep soundly. Then, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Joystick..." he whispered into her ear. She stirred a bit, but still slept soundly. Ultra smiled, content with his actions, and went back to bed.