//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Big Brother 
// by Worm 
//------------------------------//

	"Another boring day at work" I say as I punch out for the day "At least its Friday." Living in Fillydelphia wasn't everything people made it out to be, at least not for me. Being an average pegasus in an average city makes for a boring life. "OAKS!" I hear my boss yell. "Oh crud here we go..." I mumble to myself

"WHERES MY DAMN REPORT" He yells as he storms across the office towards me. "You had 2 weeks to get that report done and you have nothing to show for it!" I'm pretty sure that vein in his forehead is about to pop.

"Sorry Mr. Moneybags I've been a little distracted lately." I say "I'll have it done by next Friday" I say trying to avoid getting fired.

"You'd better" He yells as he storms off probably to yell at somepony else. "What a dick" I say under my breath as I walk out the door. "Hm I think a stop at mom and dad's might cheer me up" I say to myself. I decide to stop at home for some dinner before heading for my parents home on the other side of town. As I reach my apartment door I notice a letter poking out underneath it. "Hm what's this" I say picking up the letter "Foal Protective Services" I read the heading of the letter. "Why would they be sending me a letter?" I wonder as I unlock my door and go inside. I set my things on the floor and open the letter.

Mr. Oaks,

You are hereby summoned to Ponyville to take custody of your sister from the city, failure to show will result
in legal actions. For your convenience a train ticket has been provided.


Thank you for your time.
Mr. Basol


I sit there for a good half hour trying to compute what I had just read. "Wait a minute I don't have a sister..." I decide to skip dinner and go straight to my parents, hoping they might know what this is about. The whole time walking there all I was thinking about was that letter. "Maybe they have the wrong pony" I say to myself "No they addressed me by name." All these questions were burning a hole in my head.

Upon arriving at my parents I was greeted by my mom and a huge spine breaking hug. "How are you sweety." She says overjoyed to see me "Come in come in" She shuts the door behind us. "What brings you all the way across town?" she asks

"Well I kinda need to talk to you and dad" I say still thinking about the letter "Is he home?." I take a seat in the living room as I try to figure out how to ask them about the letter and me supposedly having a sister.

"He should be home from work anytime now" She says "You want something to drink?" she asks walking into the kitchen. "Tea is fine" I say, mind still racing. "Is something wrong dear?" She asks looking concerned. "Eh sort of" I say "I kinda wanna talk to you and dad about it together if that's cool"

Just then dad comes trotting in the door "Man never a boring day at work.......oh hey Daruc" He says as he spots me sitting there. "Hey dad" I reply "What brings you all the way across town" He asks hanging up his coat and hat. "Well you and mom mind coming in here for a minute" I say pulling out the letter. "I got this today and I have no idea what it means"

Dad picks the letter up and reads it, I could see his face go from cheery to utter dread as he sets the letter down. "Well this was unexpected" He says taking moms hand and whispering in her ear. She burst into tears as she looks over to me. "We were really hoping we wouldn't ever have to tell you this." At this point I'm both confused and curious.

"Daruc you know we both love you very much." Mom says through her tears "Of course I do" I start worrying about what they are about to say. "Son" dad says clearing his throat "You were adopted as a foal..." I could see it hurt him to say this but no nearly has much has it hurt me to hear it. "Wh....what?..." I managed to say "I'm adopted?" tears started welling up in my eyes as hard as I was trying to hold them back. 

"Why did you never tell me" I say hurt and angry "We were hoping you would never have to know" my "mom" says still crying. "You were only a few days old when we got you." 

"Your biological parents didn't want to give you up." they explain "They just felt like they weren't ready to be parents yet and wanted to do the best thing possible for you"

Still hurt and now even more confused than I was before all I could think was 'I've been living a lie my whole life', Before I realize even if I was adopted, these ponies raised me, took care of me and loved me like I was their very own, so who was I to be angry with them.  "Mom, Dad, you are and always will be my parents, I love you and that will never change" I say wiping a tear from my eye "I just wish you had told me sooner."

"Honey we really wanted to but we just didn't know how" Mom says still crying some. "It was never our intent to lie to you it was just easier for us to not say anything."

"I understand mom" I say as i start to calm down "Do you know who this filly is that they are saying is my sister?" I ask wondering even more. I had been an only child for as long as i can remember, the thought of having a younger sibling was almost scary, yet exciting, I had always wondered what it would be like to be a big brother, just wish it was under better circumstances.

"Well I should probably head home and start packing for my trip." I say "I'll probably be gone for a few days at least." I hug my mom and dad and reassure them that I wasn't mad at them for anything and told them I loved them. "I'll be sure to stop back in when we get back" I say as I walk out the door, closing it behind me.

I decide to take the long was home, I needed to clear my head and think about some things. 'Wonder what she is gonna look like' I think to myself as I walk down the street. It was starting to get dark but the sounds of the city were just as loud as any other time of the day, I found it somewhat relaxing, after all I grew up with it and its all I've ever known.

Upon arriving home I decide to wait and pack in the morning, I was tired and it had been a very long day. I lay down and soon fall asleep.

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The next morning I wake up and go about my regular Saturday routine, take a shower, eat some breakfast and read the Fillydelphia Times. Then I noticed the letter and train ticket sitting on the table and remember yesterdays events.

"Hm that's right I'm supposed to leave for Ponyville later today" I say to myself as I scratch my wing and take a bite of toast. "Guess I should pack." I walk back to my room before realizing I really don't need to pack, I don't wear clothes and I'm only going to be gone a few days at most. 

After a few hours of doing nothing but wasting time I set off for the train station. I had only ever gone on the train once before, to see my aunt in Las Pegasus when I was younger. I don't remember most of that trip aside from seeing Las Pegasus for the first time, no one can forget that site.

I arrive at the train station a little earlier then I had planned, guess I got a little excited about the trip, I'm not sure why. I walk up to the ticket master and and him my ticket, "Ponyville huh?" he says looking at the ticket, "Your in for a long trip sonny" I shudder at the thought of being stuck on a train for any long period of time, I wasn't exactly the most patient of ponies. "I'm sure it will go fast" I reply "I might just sleep it away"

"That's what most folks do" he says with a smile as he stamps my ticket and hand it to me "Enjoy your trip"

"Thanks" I say "I'm sure I will..." I take the ticket and make my way to the train stopping briefly to pickup some reading material for the trip. "This should keep me occupied" I state as i hand the clerk the bits for the magazines and news paper I picked out.

As I near the train I hear the conductor yell "ALL ABOARD, TRAIN FOR PONYVILLE DEPARTING IN FIVE MINUTES"

I board the train and find my seat, I notice sitting across from me is a young couple with what looks like a very young foal and next to me is an older looking stallion reading a news paper. 'This is gonna be a fun trip' I think to myself as I sit down trying not to make too much noise as to not wake the couples foal, both for their sake and mine.

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The trip went on without incident surprisingly, I arrive in Ponyvile after what seemed like a lifetime. As I step off the train the first thing I notice is how much cleaner everything seemed, even the air tasted cleaner and noise wise, aside from the occasional "hello" from a passing pony or the sound of a pony pulling a cart it was quiet. The next thing I noticed was how quaint and peaceful it was, nothing like the city's busy streets and sky scrapers. 'I can see why someponies would leave city life for this' I think to myself.

I decide I'd better go check myself in at the local hotel before it got too late. I stop briefly to buy a few apples from a mare running an apple stand, I gotta say, best apples I'd ever eaten, "I'll have to buy a few of these and take them home for mom and dad to try" I say to myself as I eat the last of the apples. I finally find the hotel, or in this case an Inn, I walk inside and pay for the three nights i planned on staying for. "Your in room 4" the inn keeper says handing me a key "We serve breakfast at 8 am" she says with a smile "Enjoy your stay" I take the key and reply "Thanks" I say smiling back at her, "Oh where is town hall located?" I ask realizing I had no idea where I was suppose to go for my appointment tomorrow. "Its on the other side of town" she replies "Big building you can't miss it" I thank her again and make my way to my room, I was tired and needed some rest. I open the door to my room, it was a small room, with a bed, chair and a couple end tables and in the back a small bathroom. "I can live with this for a few days" I say to myself (I do that a lot) as i set the few things I brought with me on the chair. I lay down on the bed to find it to be very comfortable and soon after I fall asleep.

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The next morning I wake early enough to give me time to get cleaned up before breakfast. I make my way downstairs where I see a table with assorted breakfast foods and a few ponies sitting at tables enjoying their breakfast. After looking over the selection I decide on a bowl of hot oats a couple pieces of toast and my usual cup of black coffee. Upon finishing I make my way across town to town hall. I was both very nervous but also a little excited, I was going to finally meet my "sister", I just hoped I would make a good impression. The mare at the inn was right, town hall was very easy to spot, it was different then the other building in the town, more government like.

I make my way inside and walk up to the front desk, "Hi I have an appointment at 9:30" I say to the clerk, "Ah yes Mr. Oaks" she says looking at her appointment list, "Have a seat the Mayor will be right with you" she says pointing at the waiting area. I walk over and sit down waiting to be called in. After waiting what seemed like an eternity I hear the clerk say "The Mayor will see you now." Relieved I head back into her office. "Have a seat Mr. Oaks" I hear the Mayor say.

"We need to go over a few things and do some paperwork before you meet your sister" she says in a very serious tone "First things first, you have adequate income and a suitable home for the filly?" she asks "We have to be sure she is going to a good home"

"Yes ma'am" I say "I hold a full time job and my own apartment in Fillydelphia" She looks up from her desk "Fillydelphia you say?" she says surprised "That's quite the ways away"

"Yea it was quite the journey to get here" I say thinking back to the train ride, "I was raised there so I'm sure she will like it" I notice the mayor giving me a concerned look. "You should know your sister has alot of friends here"

"Oh" I say feeling bad about the situation "Yea unfortunately I don't have a choice, my job and everything is all back in Fillydelphia" The mayor starts looking perky all of a sudden, "You know we have a few job openings here in Ponyville, and I can set you up with a house." I was surprised at how determined the Mayor was. "As much as I appreciate the offer I'm gonna have to pass" I say "I can't just up and leave my life in Fillydelphia just like that." I think about my parents, friends and that mare i wanted so badly to ask out. "I'm sure the little filly will come love it in time" I say trying to brighten the mood which at the time was very very depressing.

"Well that is your decision," she replies "I'll let you be the one to tell her" I was not looking forward to that, but it had to be done. "Well that takes care of the formalities" the Mayor says putting the paperwork into her file cabinet, "Why don't we get you two introduced"

"Just one more thing," I say,  "What happened to the parents?" I ask not sure if i wanted to hear the answer, "They were avid travelers and were killed in an accident a couple weeks ago" the mayor says, "Oh" I say regretting that I had even asked.  

"Anyways lets get you two acquainted"  She says pushing a button and saying "Bring her in Mr. Basol"

I turn around to see a very serious looking stallion in a suit walk through the door followed by a little filly that looks striking similar to me, same orange coat, hair was a little different her's was purple and mine a darker shade of blue, but still the similarities were breath taking. "I'd like to introduce you to your sister, Scootaloo" the suited stallion says. "Nice to meet you" I say not sure how to go about greeting her, after all she was my sister. She seemed very shy at first but after a minute of talking to her and Mr. Basol, who turned out to be her case worker and temporary caregiver, she started warming up to me. "So your my brother huh" she says eyeing me up "I've never had a brother before" I smile and reply "Well its a first for me too" 

Surprisingly we actually got along great for having never met before. We walked around town for the better part of the day as she showed me around town, we stopped briefly for lunch before continuing. She told me about "our" parents and how she wasn't even close to them, they were aways on a trip or too busy to spend time, this made me sad and angry at the same time. 

"Well I promise you I will never be too busy to spend time if you need to" I say it felt good to say that too I might add. "You don't have to do that" She says "I've done pretty good so far." This fillies determination was impressive. "Your young and deserve to have a childhood" I say smiling "I'll do my best to give you that." We continue our tour around town, she introduces me to some of the residents, one in particular named Pinkie Pie was determined to throw me a party, I had to talk her out of it on the pretense that I was only in town for one more night.

"Well she was a friendly one" I say with a chuckle "Seems like a very friendly little town."

I wasn't sure how long I could put off telling Scootaloo that we couldn't stay and the more she introduced me the harder it got. Before we headed for the inn for the last night in Ponyville she took me to a little club house just outside of town and introduced me to her two best friends, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, she told me how they started a club called the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their main purpose was finding their cutie marks. At this point I was dreading having to tell Scootaloo that we were leaving for Fillydelphia in the morning. After she got done telling me all about her club we made our way back to the inn. I was not looking forward to the conversation we were going to have when we got there.

"Scootaloo" I say prepping myself for what was about to happen "We aren't staying in Ponyville..." I expected her to take it bad but to my surprise she took it very well. "Yea I know" she says "I kinda figured we wouldn't." This hurt me more then her taking it bady would have. "I'm sorry" I say holding back a tear "I promise we can come visit as often as you want"

After our little chat she laid down on the bed and fell asleep, I was still feeling horrible about having to take her away from a life she worked so hard to build. I stepped outside for some air and to think. It was a clear night and the stars and moon were shining brightly, it was a beautiful sight. After standing outside for about twenty minutes or so I make my way back up to the room. Scootaloo was fast asleep, her wings buzzing now and again probably from a dream. I gotta say she was adorable sleeping all curled up, I sit down in the chair and my mind begins to wander again, not long after I fall into a very light sleep. Worst night of sleep in my life, I wake the next morning to see Scootaloo still sleeping, I decide not to wake her just yet our train wasn't due to leave till later in morning. As i sit there watching her sleep, I can't help but shed a tear, I was taking her away from everything she knows and loves and she wasn't even mad at me for it.

I sit there trying to make my decision sound better to no avail, then I notice Scootaloo has woken up. "Gmorning she say with a smile as she rubs her eyes, "What time is it anyways?" she asks looking around for a clock."Gmorning to you too" I say with a warm smile, "Its about 8 or so, why don't we go down and get us some breakfast?" She jumps down off the bed and we make our way downstairs. Funny we both pick out the same thing for breakfast, Toast, one of those delicious apples and a glass of juice. Afterwards I ask if she needed to get anything before we left for the train station, only thing she seemed to want to take was her scooter and Cutie Mark Crusader cape.

As we near the train station I hear 2 familiar little voices behind us, it was Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, they had come to say goodbye to Scootaloo. We still had some time before the train departed so I let her go off and spend some time with her friends. They ran off into the distance and started talking amongst themselves. After awhile they said there goodbyes and Scootaloo made her way back to me. I noticed her two friends looking sad and almost crying as they walked away. This hurt me more then anything, who was I to breakup a friendship like that, I felt like a horrible pony. I had purchased our tickets and we were about to board the train when I stopped. 

"Scootaloo wait..." I say tears welling up in my eyes "I can't do this" She had stopped and was looking at me with a confused look. "Can't do what?" she asks "Take you way from this" I say looking back at the town. "I just can't bring myself to." She gave me the biggest hug. I felt my heart explode.

"Its ok really" she said trying to cheer me up, "I can always come back and visit remember." This filly I swear, I'm the monster taking her away from everything she knows and shes more worried about me.

"No" i state composing myself "I've thought it through and we aren't going anywhere." It felt as though a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. "But what will you do for work?" she asked concerned "And where will we live?"

"Well the Mayor mentioned there was some job openings in town" I say "And she offered to rent us a house if I decided to stay" My mind was made up, I would send for my things back in Fillydelphia and send a letter to my parents explaining why I wasn't coming back. I'd be sure to visit but this was my new home, here in Ponyville with my little sister Scootaloo.