Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait. But with all the skype calls and messages, I've been getting way more sidetracked than I thought I would, but I have a brand new story for you here and if you spot any errors, I welcome the constructive critisism, so anyways, thank you and brony on.

Brotherhood

Family: it's one of the very things that are most precious in this world. Some families have it rough and end up getting torn apart, others cherish it even after they've departed into the afterlife. Almost everybody never takes their family for granted and that's mostly because whenever anyone's backed into a corner and need help, their family is there to lend a helping hand, even if it's just a minor problem. Sometimes, when the problem is severe, some families put all of their efforts into trying to get each other out of jams.

Half the time, things work out, other times, they don't. But in the end, it's the time, love and effort that really counts in the end and that's what everyone is suppose to realize. Especially for someone like you and your beloved 12 year old brother, whom your parents named Antonio.

You were 6 years old when your brother was first brought into your life. He's the best little brother you could ever ask for and the same was said about both your mom and dad. As the years went by, you and Antonio were inseparable, you would play "Secret Agent" during the summer, which involved you and him shooting each other with water guns and used water balloons as pretend grenades. You always played the role of the main villain and he always played as the hero. Sure, there were times when you and Antonio would fight sometimes, but you always made peace with him with delicious meals.

During your high school years, after finishing your homework, you and your brother would constantly play video games such as Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 on your old PS2 or sometimes play Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on your little brother's Xbox 360. You never really liked the Xbox, but you still played on it with your brother, because it makes him happy and seeing him smile always makes you happy.

But a few months after you graduated high school, your parents were struck with a devastating illness that landed them in the hospital. Your mom was diagnosed with breast cancer for quite some time, but she never told you about this and your dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. It certainly explained why he was always coughing intensely in his bedroom at night. That also explained the bloodstains on his bedsheets.

Your parents soon died the next day after they were hospitalized. Your whole world came crashing down when both you and Antonio were left without parents. You were both all alone. You had no aunts, no uncles, no older cousins, nor did you have any grandparents.

However, your parents didn't leave you with nothing. In their will, they stated that their vast fortune of $500,000 was to be split 50-50 between you and your brother. They even left the deed to the house in your hands, as well as your dad's truck and his guitar. Your father used to be a part of an old mariachi band when he was around your current age, but he quit the band 10 years later to start a family with your mom, which is something you love and respected about your father.

You held the funeral for your parents after they were creamated. The church then gave you the urns with both of your parents' ashes to keep. Your brother hasn't smiled ever since your parents' deaths and it was tough for him to socialize with anyone at school.

Right now, it's already been 3 weeks since your parents died. Today, you recently caught your brother walking home from school... on his own. Since your parents' deaths, you were trusted to look after him as his legal guardian and seeing him walk home from school wasn't something you were too pleased to see, and when you confronted him, you two got into a bitter fight where he would punch, kick and even try to bite you just so he could escape from you, but he failed.

You gave him a scolding about how he wasn't suppose to be going out on his own and that he should've stayed at school when you drove to pick him up. You had a driver's license and you passed the driving test, so driving your dad's truck was a simple enough task.

But back on the subject of your little brother, the fight got worse when he wouldn't bother trying to talk things out and just hurl insults at you like how you should just sell him and buy a rabbit. You got mad at him and told him how at least a rabbit would behave better than him and would be much quieter.

But then, you sent him to his room just as Antonio said "It's all your fault mom and dad are gone, you jerk!" It hit you real hard when he told you that, which is why you sent him off to his room, but you had to yell loudly at him to show that you were the man of the house, and it worked, but he never stopped scowling at you until he disappeared inside his room, slamming the door.

This was probably one of the worst fights you've ever gotten into with your brother. You wanted to try to talk things over with him, but he just made things more difficult on you. Even though you said those things to him, you know you would never replace him for a rabbit. But in order to think more clearly and not make anymore mistakes, the first thing you needed was to get a glass of water.

Later on as nighttime arrived, you purchased a pizza and finally simmered down after a couple of movies you watched in the living room. You looked up at your brother's bedroom door which was directly up the stairs across the hallway, thinking he might be hungry.

You got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a plate and a couple of slices of pizza before heading up to your brother's room. You knocked on the door.

"Come in," he called out, probably feeling sad.

You opened the door and saw him sitting on his bed, holding a handheld picture frame that displayed himself, you and your deceased parents. "Hey," you said. "I brought you some pizza in case you were hungry." you walked into his room, getting up closer to him.

"We're a broken family, aren't we?" he asked, feeling a little guilty. You set the pizza on his nightstand and sat at the foot of his bed.

"No." you said, but who were you trying to fool. "Well... maybe a little..." You couldn't deny that your family was broken a little more than a bit. "Or maybe a lot, I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"We're brothers. It's our job," Antonio pointed out, still looking at the picture.

"Yeah, well from now on--"

"I like you better as a brother than a dad," he said, cutting you off. You smiled warmly at him and nodded. But your smile disappeared when he buried his face and asked you a question that really hit you hard. "And you like me better as a brother than a rabbit, right?"

Though, you didn't cry, you scooched over and gave him a comforting hug. "Yes," you answer honestly. There was a long pause between you two, but as the older sibling, you sat next to your brother, silently and patiently waiting for him to speak and let out what was causing him so much pain.

"I picked a fight with the school bully and kicked him," Antonio said, regretfully.

"You kicked him?" you asked, surprised.

"Before I punched him."

"You punched him," you thought that would explain why he was acting so violently with you earlier. You placed a hand on his shoulder. "Antonio, you shouldn't--"

"People treat me different," he cut you off again, shedding a tear.

"They just don't know what to say," you assured him, wiping away his tear. "I'll tell you what. If you promise not to fight anymore, I promise not to yell at you, except on special occasions."

"Tuesdays and bank holidays would be good," he joked. You chuckled brought your brother in for a nice bro hug before you got off his bed. "Hey, I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

"It's alright, bro. I'm sorry, too. Now go on ahead and enjoy your pizza. I'll come back with a movie we can watch and after that, it's bedtime," you replied. Antonio nodded and grabbed the plate you set on his nightstand and started eating it like there was no tomorrow. You walked out of your brother's room and headed back down the stairs, then moved into the living room where the pizza was still at.

You grabbed the box and a couple of movies with you. Afterwards, you headed back up to your brother's room, seeing your brother finishing up the pizza crust.

No words were said when you entered the room. You gave your brother the rest of the pizza that was in the box and then showed him which movies he wants to watch. Antonio picked the movie Coco. You nodded and took the disc out of its case and popped it into the DVD player. Antonio grabbed the remote from his nightstand and turned on his TV. You sat right beside him as you both watched Coco together.

The next day, after getting ready and eating breakfast, you drove Antonio off to Canterlot Junior High. You were just pulling up to the front of the school. Right as he was about to get off...

"Antonio, hold on, I gotta tell you something," you said. He looked at you with confusion. "Listen, if any of those bullies try to pick on you, tell the teachers or even the staff members. And if they're still giving you trouble, you let me know, I'll give the school a call. Besides, the last thing I want to happen if you end up getting suspended, or even expelled. I want you to have a future when you grow up."

"I know. And I know mom and dad would want me to have a future, too," Antonio replied.

"Yeah. Now go on and get to class before you miss the 2nd bell," you said. You and your brother hugged each other before he climbed out of the truck and closed the door. You waited for him to get inside the building before you drove off to find yourself a good, paying job. The fortune your mom and dad gave you wasn't going to last forever, so you needed start your search as soon as possible before you and your brother go broke and have to sleep in a cardboard box.

So, you drove around the city, searching for any kind of job opening. But to your disappointment, none of the stores or shops were hiring. Nevertheless, you kept your search up until later on during noon, you drove back home and decided to check the newspapers.

You and your brother didn't have laptops, so the newspapers were the only things with job listings. Sadly, the only jobs that were hiring were telemarketers. Other jobs were looking for people who can fit the qualities of managers or are skilled in the pharmacy department. You wanted to rip the newspaper apart, but then you found something that you recognized. On one of the pages, the add said "Sweet Apple Acres looking for an extra set of hands to pick apples and ship them to the farmer's market. Must have a driver's license and be able to lift at least 60 pounds."

This could be the break you were looking for. You checked the number on the newspaper for Sweet Apple Acres and dialed the number. You can hear the dialing tone for a little while until you hear the sound of another person on the other end.

"Howdy there. This is Applejack," she said over the phone. Your heart skipped a beat when you heard AJ's voice since you've had a crush on her since sophmore year. You told her exactly who you are and heard her gasp on the other end as she knew who you are now. "Well wallop mah whithers. Ah haven't seen ya since graduation, what've you been up to?" AJ asks.

"Job searching. I found your add in the paper and was wondering if the job is still open."

"Lucky fer you, we just so happen to be still hirin'. How soon can ya head on over here?"

"I'll be there right away."

"Good to hear. Ya got mah address on the paper. Ah'll be waitin' with Big Mac and Granny Smith. Talk to ya later, partner, an' see ya then," after that, both of you hung up and you got off the couch. You checked the Google Maps on your phone, typing in Sweet Apple Acres before heading out. You exited the house and locked up before unlocking the door to your truck and climbed in. You closed the door and buckled up before putting the keys in the ignition and starting up the engine.

You pulled out of the driveway and drove off to Sweet Apple Acres. You followed the directions on your phone, following the specific route to get there.

10 minutes after your drive, you pulled up to the barn entrance and put your truck in Park. You unbuckled your seatbelt and stepped out of the truck and walked over to the house and knocked on the door. You waited a good 15 seconds until the door opened up and Applejack stepped out. It's been a while since you last saw your high school crush, which was during high school graduation.

"Nice to see ya again, partner," she said, shaking your hand and pulling you into a warm hug. "So, ya came as promised an' lookin' to work at Sweet Apple Acres, right?"

"Yeah. See, the money I inherited from my parents' will is gonna run out sooner or later and I can't keep relying on it for the rest of my life," you explained.

"Ah heard 'bout them passin' away. Sorry fer yer loss, sugarcube," she said comforting you.

"Thanks, Applejack. That means a lot," you said with a sad smile. She brings you into a warmer hug and you returned her hug back. "So, anyways, I also need to know if I qualify for the job. I can't seem to find any decent-paying jobs in the city." After explaining, Applejack thought about it for a while. Once she was done thinking it over, she looks at you with a smile.

"Well, partner, if ya want the job so badly, Ah have to test ya. Can ya lift at least lift or move 60 pounds on yer own, since ya already know how to drive a truck?" she asked.

"Yeah, my maximum is 65 pounds." she nods and then guides you to the apple orchard. She explains that if you can carry those big baskets onto the back of the truck, then deliver the apples over to the farmer's market and the supermarket in under 30 minutes, then you'd qualify for the job. You accepted the challenge and started off with this simple task. You grabbed the two 30 pound baskets and placed them into the back of the truck without spilling a single apple.

After closing up the truck's trunk door, you walked to the left side of the truck and climbed onto the driver's seat and closed the door. You buckle up and were about to start the truck. But then you soon realized you didn't have the keys to the truck.

"Uh, AJ? I'm gonna need the keys. And uh... I don't have the addresses down," you called out. Applejack ran up to you and handed you a piece of paper with 2 addresses and the keys to the truck. "Thanks, AJ, I'll make sure the apples are delivered on time."

"Ah know ya will," she said, confident in your abilities. You nod and then start up the truck before driving off with the fresh baskets of apples. You made sure to put in the addresses into your Google Maps app on your phone so you'll know where to go first.

You made sure not to drive too fast, but not to slow either. It took about 7 minutes for you to reach the farmer's market and hand deliver the first basket of apples. 8 minutes later, you headed into the city and were able to deliver the last basket of apples. Once the truck was empty, you drove on your way back to Sweet Apple Acres, proud that you made it in time with your deliveries. If you land this job, then all your worrying will wash away and you'll be able to provide for you and Antonio.

Speaking of Antonio, you're hoping he's not causing any trouble and followed the advice you gave him. Having to be his legal guardian isn't exactly a cake walk in the park.

On top of being his legal guardian, it's also a bit of a hassle when it comes to preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner for him when you and him are hungry. Antonio has a high metabolsim and he's a pretty big eater, which is one of the reasons why you're worried about the money you have now from your parents' will.

You stopped thinking about that once you saw Sweet Apple Acres in plain sight. You pulled up to the driveway where you left your own truck. Applejack came up and said to you as you exited the truck.

"Well, Ah'll be, ya made it back with 5 minutes to spare, sugarcube! A promise is a promise, since the apples were delivered on time, that means ya got the job. Be here by 8:00 A.M. Ah know ya still got yer little brother who has to get to school every mornin, sugarcube," In those simple words, a huge stone fell off your heart and you could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, AJ," you said, shaking her hand. You gave her the keys to her truck before you got back in your own truck and waved at her. "I'll see you tomorrow!" She waved back at you as you started up the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

Once you made it back to Canterlot City, you were driving back home, thinking about the wonderful news you were gonna break to Antonio. Now that you landed the job, you'll have to hold back on sleeping in since you usually do that every day after you take your brother to school. On top of that, you'll have to make sure to eat something that'll last you for a few hours before work.

But out of the corner of your eye, you saw two people who were lying on the ground. You gasped and stopped the truck on the curb. You quickly got out of the truck and ran over to them.

"Hey! Are you guys alright, talk to me!" you asked, shaking them to see if they were alright. "Come on, don't you give out on me now!" you started to panic and wondered if they were hurt or not. You had to find out, so you turned them onto their backs and examined them. One of them was a man with red hair and bright yellow skin who wore a stetson hat. The other one was a woman who had long, poofy orange hair that was covered in buttercup flowers and had peach colored skin.

To your relief, they were still breathing. But judging by their empty pockets and wallets, they must have gotten mugged and were left for dead.

You wanted to call for an ambulance, but then you heard the man groan as he opened up his eyes. They looked exactly like Applejack's eyes. The woman next to him opened up her eyes and you saw that her eyes were actually sky blue colored. She rubbed the back of her head, groaning in pain.

"What in tarnation was that?" the man asked.

"Ah dunno, but mah head hurts," the woman said. Both of them had the same country accent as AJ. Before you could even ask them if they were alright, they looked at you and got confused. "Who might you be?" the woman asked with a polite, but pained smile.

You told them your name and explained to them what happened. "I saw you guys lying on the ground and I thought you might be hurt. I guess I was right since both of you got mugged."

"Mugged? Well don't that just beat all. Now where are we gonna stay?" the man asked his wife. Judging by the rings on their left wedding fingers, you could tell they were married. "Without money, Ah'm afraid we can't buy food, or find a hotel to sleep at."

"Well, if you guys want, I could take you to my house. I have a guest room set up," you offered.

"Oh no, we couldn't do that. The last thing we want is to burden others with our troubles," the woman said, looking down on the ground.

"Nonsense, you're not burdens at all. And if at all possible, I'll even talk with my new boss to see if she can get you guys a nice, paying job," you insisted.

"Y-You'd do that fer a couple o' strangers? Don't that seem a bit risky? What might yer parents think? Ah don't think they'd approve of ya bringin' home strangers," the man pointed out. Your smile quickly went away at the mention of your parents.

"My parents are no longer alive," you said, looking down.

"Aww, Ah'm mighty sorry to hear that," the woman said. She stood up, along with her husband and looked at each other for a few brief moments. "Hun, maybe we should just take 'im up on his offer, it might give us a chance to start over fresh."

"But we can't burden this boy with our own troubles," the man argued.

"Hun, this boy is more than willin' ta take us in an' let us stay at his house. The least we can do is offer ta stay in exchange fer cleanin' the house. He's only tryin' to help us out. Don't ya think it'd be rude to refuse an offer as kind an' honest as his?"

The rest of the time they talked so quiet, you couldn't even hear them. But soon, after they finished their little arguement, both of them sighed and smiled at you.

"If ya want us to stay so badly, the least we can do is introduce ourselves. Mah name's Bright Macintosh, pleasure to meet ya, partner," the man said. You shook his hand. "An' this here is mah wife, Pear Butter, but Ah usually jus' call her Buttercup fer obvious reasons."

"Wonderful to meet you two. Come on, hop in. I'll take us back to my house," you said. Bright Mac and Pear Butter both climbed into the truck and closed the passenger door while you climbed into the driver's seat and started up the truck.

You quickly drove back to your house and parked up onto the driveway and put the truck in "park" before taking out the keys and getting out of the truck. Bright Mac and Pear followed you to the front door. You unlocked the front door and opened it up. The three of you stepped inside of the house before you closed the front door and hung the keys back up on the wall.

"Mah word, this place sure is amazin'. Ya sure this is yer house?" Bright Mac asked.

"Yeah, this is one of the things my parents left me in their will. Are you guys hungry, or do you want to watch TV, or rest up in the guest room?" you asked.

"Ah think Ah'll jus' rest up. Mah head is killin' me," Pear Butter said. You nodded and guided her upstairs and to over to the door on the left.

You opened the door and showed a big bed that was already made. It was a queen-sized bed with two nightstands on each side of the bed. A dresser was right across from the bed and a closet on the far left of the room, althought the closet was without a doubt empty. Pear Butter smiled and thanked you before she walked on over to the bed and laid herself down on the pillow and closed her eyes.

With her resting easy, you quietly closed the door and headed back downstairs were Bright Mac was sitting on the couch, relaxing his tired body.

"If you're tired, you can go upstairs and sleep with Pear Butter," you said. Bright Macintosh gave you a thumbs up before he gets up from the couch and walks with you to the upstairs room on the left. You open the door and allow him to walk in and lays himelf down next to his sleeping wife. With them resting easy, you close the door and head back downstairs and sit down on the couch and wait for when the time is right for you to go and pick up your brother from school.

But for some reason, you couldn't help but think Bright Macintosh and Pear Butter might be related to Applejack in a way, yet you're not sure how. Maybe you can ask them about it you and them have time to talk.