Average life? What's that? I barely know of the concept nowadays. It's not always easy, being a Human in a land of talking, anthropomorphic creatures, particularly the land of Equestria, inhabited by the Ponies. Yes, we at least somewhat resemble each other physically, but some Ponies just aren't all that fond of the "hairless Apes" that came from the Planet Earth a few decades ago following....eh, what was it....? Some natural disaster? Something like that, and it sent a few hundred of them from the nation of America to Equestria, and they've spread out from there since. I guess anyway. I'm not fully sure, as it happened well over a decade before my time. Anyway, enough about how the Humans got here for now, and let's focus on the reason why you're all here.....or at least, let's start on the road to get there. I was born in the year 2008 in Equestria, or more specifically, the town of Ponyville, to loving parents. They named me "Brian", but that name doesn't have too much meaning to me anymore, and neither does my original last name, "Grey". I was a happy baby for the first 3 years of my life, but then, in the year 2011, tragedy struck. My parents were killed in a car accident, and since I had no other living family, and my parents didn't have too many friends in Equestria, I unfortunately became a ward of the state, thus ensuring that I wound up in an orphanage in Ponyville.

From the time I was 3, until I was 8, I was at that orphanage, and I seemed to be the only Human there. I didn't really have any friends, and the other colts and fillies really weren't very nice to me. I was bullied a lot, and called names because I was a Human, and while the staff tried to stop the bullying, it was hard when so many colts and fillies had it out for me. I tried to stand up for myself, and this did get some of them to finally back off, but others still bothered me. They told me that I would never be adopted because nopony wanted an ugly Hairless Ape; they only wanted an adorable little colt or filly to love and take care of. Some of them even told me that I would die alone, and I began to believe them. For a long time I'd seen other Pony couples, or even single parents come to the orphanage to adopt, but true to what the other kids told me, they really didn't give me a second glance. One mare oh so kindly told me to, "Piss off and die in a hole you ugly little hairless rat! NOPONY wants YOUR KIND in Equestria! If I was your mother I'd drown you!" Thank Celestia she yelled her hate loud enough for others to hear, and because of it, that horrible mare was barred from EVER adopting any child from that orphanage, Pony or otherwise. For another 2 years I would remain unadopted, however, in the late spring of 2016, when I was 8 years old, my luck changed forever.

I was sitting by myself under a tree next to the playground at the orphanage, just blankly staring off into space, when all of a sudden, I felt a shadow come over me. I looked up, and to my surprise, I saw an older filly looking down at me. She had a thick blonde mane, blue cat-like eyes, 2 fangs, gray fur, gray, furry Bat-Pony ears, a thick blonde tail, and black bat-like wings. She was wearing a white shirt and black shorts, and to my surprise, she appeared to be a Bat-Pony, which was quite a rarity in Equestria.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw me. "Hey Mom, come over here! They have a Human here!" She then looked back at me. "Hello there. What's your name?"

I was surprised. Who was this girl, and why was she not being mean to me like most other Ponies? She seemed genuinely happy to see me. "Eh....I'm....I'm Brian." I finally managed to sputter out.

"Brian. That's a nice name. I'm Starry Skies, but you can just call me Starry. I'm a Bat-Pony!"

"Yeah. You're cool!" I remember saying.

Starry giggled a bit, but was soon joined by another Bat-Pony female. This Bat-Pony was a mare with a thick, reddish-ginger mane, blue cat-like eyes, 2 fangs, gray fur, gray furry Bat-Pony ears, a thick reddish-ginger tail, black bat-like wings, and was wearing casual Summer clothes. When this mare saw me, her face softened.

"Aww, it is true what they told us at the front. They really do have a Human here for adoption."

"He's cute, isn't he, Mom?"

The mare nodded. "Yes, yes he is, Starry." She then squatted down to where I was sitting, and asked me if I wanted to be adopted by her. She said that she had 4 beautiful girls, but she always wanted a colt, so now she was looking to adopt one.

My eyes went wide with shock. "Wait. Y-you...you want to adopt me?" I stammered a bit. "W-why?"

"Because I want to give an orphaned Human a better life. You and the other Humans do NOT deserve all of the hate that other Ponies give you, and I heard from staff that you were bullied because of your species, which I think is horrible. Do you want to be a part of my family? You'd have me as your Mom, my sister, Sandy, who'd be your Auntie, and aside from Starry, you'd have 3 other sisters too; Stella, Dawn, and Cherry, and they're only a few years older than you."

I was still in disbelief. Here I was being offered the chance to be adopted, and finally be able to leave this orphanage, and I was too stunned to take it. Eventually though, I was able to pluck up the courage to say "Yes!", and once Starry helped me up, she hugged me tightly.

"Eeeee!!!" She screed. "I have a little brother now!"

I hugged her back. "Wow, you have really soft fur, Starry." I said with my head between her chin and her chest.

She giggled a bit. "Thanks! You're really sweet, Little Brother."

I just blushed a bit, but the mare, who I soon learned was named Scarlet Shadow, took a picture of us while we hugged. After this, Scarlet went to sign a LOT of paperwork, forms, and other things. I soon learned that I was going to be given a new name, "Arctic White" (which I was ok with, as nopony had ever really called me "Brian", so the name meant little to me), and that I would also be given a serum that would allow me to become a Human-Pony hybrid, and better adapt to my new world. I'd heard some of the other kids talking about the serum; some thinking that it was cool, others thinking that it was scary, and still others who didn't even believe that it was a real thing. However, I was learning firsthand now that it was indeed real, and that I was going to be given it.

I was taken down to the small infirmary at the orphanage, where a nurse had me take off my shirt, and while Starry held my hand, the nurse took a bottle off a shelf full of a purple liquid, filled a syringe with it, and injected it into my arm. At first, I didn't feel anything, but then I felt a searing pain in my back like I was leaning against a metal slide that was WAY too hot, my head felt all tingly, my lower back hurt, and my eyes felt like they were bone dry, and burning. The pain was not entirely unbearable, but it still hurt like heck, at least to 8-year old me. However, the procedure was soon over, and 5 minutes later, the pain stopped. I was asked if I wanted to see what I looked like now, and a mirror was held up for me.

I was surprised. Whereas before I had blonde hair and blue Human eyes, I now had a thick white mane, blue cat-like eyes, furry, gray Bat-Pony ears, a thick white tail, and dark blue bat-like wings, but no fur. I now looked like a cross between a Human and a Bat-Pony, and I thought that I looked good.

"How do I look, Guys?" I asked my new Mom and Starry.

"Looks good, Little Bro. I like it!"

"Yeah, Starry's right. That look suits you, Arctic."

Arctic. My Mom just said my new name for the first time. It felt good to hear her say it, and it felt like that had been my name my whole life, and I was just now learning what it really was.

"Thanks Mom, thanks, Starry."

They both hugged me. "You're welcome, Arctic."

And from that moment forwards, I adopted the name "Arctic White" for all time. I had a new name to go with my new look, and a new life with a new family. For once in my life, I was truly happy, and I knew that everything was going to be ok.

After leaving the orphanage, we went to Scarlet's green Jeep (yes, Scarlet drove a Jeep, or at least the Equestrian version of the Jeep-Cherokee, though from 1996, so it was definitely older) that she and Starry had used to get to Ponyville, and after making a few stops along the way to pick up things like new clothes, a few items of furniture, and a few toys, everything was placed in the trunk, furthest back row of seats, or strapped to the cargo rack on the roof, we finally began the 3 hour drive towards what would become my new home.

"We Bat-Ponies tend to live together in our own communities called 'Colonies', as like you Humans, other Ponies aren't always too nice to us Bat-Ponies either, as we look so different." Scarlet explained. "My family and I live in the Bat-Pony colony of Deepwood, which is located in the Great Western Forest near the Smoky Mountains, pretty far away from any other Pony towns. The nearest one to it is Las Pegasus, and that's over two hours away. It's not the largest town ever, as it's home to maybe 1,200 Bat-Ponies, but it has restaurants, a few movie theaters, a public pool, a few libraries, a grade school, middle school, and high school, a bowling alley, a hospital, and other such town-comforts. It's a really nice place to live, and it's surrounded by forests and hills, and there's even a small river that runs by the colony. We live just outside of the colony in a large cabin near the river. I think that you're going to like it there a lot, Arctic."

"I hope so, Mom. It sure sounds like a great place, and it's my new home, so I hope that I can fit in."

"I'm pretty sure that you will, Arctic. You won't be the only Human-Bat-Pony living there, but you'll be one of only a few. However, you need not fret. Bat-Ponies are almost always very accepting of others, even those not native to Equestria."

"And just wait until you meet Aunt Sandy, and my sisters; Cherry, Dawn, and Stella!" Starry added. "My sisters were also pretty eager to have a little brother, and Aunt Sandy was eager to meet her new nephew. I think that you're gonna fit right in!"

I looked over at Starry, who was sitting next to me. "I hope so, Starry. This is all so new to me, but I hope that they like me."

"They will." Scarlet reassured me. "My daughters have been talking about today for WEEKS, and so was my Sister, Sandy. All of them were there to see us off when we left this morning to head to the Ponyville Orphanage."

"And all of us Girls wanted to go, but there would only be room for one of us with the stuff we'd have to buy for our new little brother. We had to play Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would go, and let's just say that while I won, my sisters weren't too happy that they wouldn't get to go, but are still eagerly waiting for us to get back."

I was surprised. "Really? They were that eager to have a new little brother, Starry?"

She nodded. "Oh yes. I just got lucky. I'm the youngest at 12, so it was a pretty big deal for me. I had to face off against my 13 year old twin big sisters Dawn and Stella, and my 14 year old bigger sister Cherry for this!"

"Wait, you have 2 twin sisters?"

"Yeah. Dawn and Stella are identical twins. The ONLY way that you can tell them apart is thanks to Stella letting her mane grow longer, and Dawn keeps hers short. Other than that, it's almost impossible; they even dress the same!"

Scarlet laughed a bit. "Yeah, that was a fun day when my husband and I found out that we were having twin daughters, as we'd only been expecting one!"

I paused. "Wait. I have a Dad too?"

Scarlet frowned, and then shook her head. "No, unfortunately you don't, Arctic. My husband, Thunderbolt, was a Night Guard, but he was lost in combat about 8 years ago. I married him when I was 19, and just 6 years later, when Cherry was 6, Stella and Dawn were 5, and Starry was 4, my husband was killed. I miss him, and my girls miss their Daddy. His passing was so hard for us, and my sister, Sandy moved in to help me raise the Girls. I never remarried after that either."

When I heard that, I froze where I was. Starry and her sisters didn't have a Dad either? "That's.....that's so horrible." I said quietly. "I don't have a dad either."

Starry then reached over and held my hand. "Which is another reason why I think we'll get along so well. We're in pretty much the same boat with things like this. We'll make it through, right, Mom?"

Scarlet nodded. "Yeah. We've always made it through before, and we'll just keep on going. Now though, we have Arctic to make the journey with us!"

"Yeah!"

I agreed, and we spent the rest of the trip talking about various things. However, I still felt perhaps more than a twinge of sadness at the thought of Starry not having her Dad, and him being taken from her by Death, just as mine had been. At least she had her mother Scarlet though, and now I had a Mom too, and I knew that we would be a happy family. I kept looking out the window, hoping to see Deepwood before too long.

Eventually, we reached a fork in the road, and after turning right onto a narrow 2-lane road, we entered the woods.

"See all these trees, Arctic? These are part of the Great Western Forest. We're only about 20 minutes or so from Deepwood, and then it's only another few miles to our cabin."

I was impressed. "Wow, this is so cool, Mom. It looks like it came from a postcard I saw some of the staff at the orphanage get. So many trees, and even hills with more trees on them!"

"It wouldn't surprise me if they made a postcard from around here, Arctic. I've seen a few before made from companies outside of Deepwood, but mostly within Deepwood itself."

After the road that we were on wound on deeper and deeper through the trees, with no other vehicles in sight, we eventually saw a large wooden sign with a stone base, with flowers around it, and white letters spelling out, "Welcome to Deepwood, Home of the Sky-High Scrambler"

"What's the Sky-High Scrambler?" I asked Scarlet.

She smiled. "The Sky-High Scrambler is the most famous meal at the Deepwood Diner, the most popular eatery in town. It's got 4 eggs, cooked any way you like, 4 sausage links, or sausage patties, 4 pieces of bacon, 4 slices of country ham, hashbrowns, 4 pancakes, or 4 waffles, 4 slices of toast, and orange juice. It's all piled on a plate sky-high, hence the name. It's been featured on several different TV shows where Ponies go around Equestria looking for popular little eateries like this, and trying their most famous dishes, and everypony who's tried it loved it. I love it, and so does Sandy, and most of my girls. We'll have to eat there someday soon. Maybe you and one of my girls can split a Sky-High Scrambler."

My eyes were wide, and my mouth was almost watering when Scarlet finished describing the Sky-High Scrambler. "That.......that DEFINITELY sounds like something that I'd like to try Mom! We'll have to eat there sometime."

"Yeah, I agree with Arctic, Mom. And I'd split a Scrambler with him, as I haven't been able to eat a full one by myself!"

I agreed, and soon after we passed that sign, we reached Deepwood itself. I was surprised when I first saw it. The town was in the middle of a forest clearing, and it looked kinda like Ponyville, but the buildings were a bit more rustic-looking, and it seemed to resemble a small town in the backwoods of Kentucky, or Tennessee. There were a few cars driving down the main street, and other Bat-Ponies were milling about, and going in or out of the various buildings. I spotted a few restaurants, a number of stores, the bowling alley, a movie theater, the post office, and a small police station, while Scarlet and Starry pointed out the grade school, middle school, and high school, which were all part of the same large complex, the fire station, the public pool, the Deepwood Diner, a library, the small local hospital, and even the town's large power plant, which ran on coal from the nearby mines.

"Since Deepwood is close to the Smoky Mountains, there's a number of coal mines close by. Coal is our town's main export, and we ship it out from the small railyard located at the base of the Smoky Mountains. Most of it goes to the cities and towns along the Equestrian West Coast, but some of it goes East too."

I looked at the power plant as we drove past it. It had 2 smokestacks, both of which were putting out whitish-gray smoke, as well as a large main building that the smokestacks were attached to, and several smaller buildings were surrounding the main one, as well as a series of electric transformers that seemed to connect directly to the power lines that led towards town.

"Wow. So all of the power comes from right there? That's a big place."

"Yeah, it is." Scarlet agreed. "A little over a quarter of Deepwood's population works there, as it takes a lot of Ponies to produce electricity." She then began to explain a bit more about how the power plant worked, and I was still so fascinated by it all.

Soon though, we reached the outskirts of Deepwood, and after turning right, we turned off the main road, and onto a gravel road that led into the woods.

"Our cabin is maybe 5 minutes down this road, Arctic." Starry told me. "I can't WAIT for you to see it!"

"Yeah, I can't wait either."

After the 5 minutes was up, we reached the end of the gravel road, and after Scarlet pulled the Jeep underneath a vehicle shelter that also contained an old pickup truck, she stopped the engine, and began to get out of the Jeep.

"We're here! Welcome to your new home, Arctic!"

I quickly scrambled out of the Jeep, and once I did, I walked past it, out from under the shelter, and for the first time, I saw my new home.

I was amazed. The cabin was large, wooden, and looked like a nice place to live. It had a stone foundation, and was 2 stories tall, though I could also see where there was an extra level, possibly where the cabin's attic was. There were concrete steps leading up to where a large front porch was, the cabin's windows all had blue trim, and a large metal chimney was also present, and was currently putting out a little bit of white smoke. Maybe 100 feet away from the cabin was a medium-sized river that Starry told me was the Deepwood River, and was where the town got its name. It was a great place to swim and fish in the Summer, and some of the town's water supply came from it too.....once it had been properly filtered and rendered safe for drinking of course!

When I first saw the cabin, all I could say was "Whoa! You guys live here?! This place looks awesome!"

Starry giggled. "Yep! We all live here, and now you get to live here with us!"

"Speaking of which, where is the rest of my Brood? I thought that they were just DYING to meet their new little brother." Scarlet then looked up at the cabin, before letting out a loud, shrill whistle. "Hey! Girls! Starry and I are back, and we brought your new little brother!"

For a moment or so longer, there was only silence, but then there came a few screeches, as well as the sounds of Ponies moving about inside the cabin, and then the front door flew open, and 3 other Bat-Ponies came flying out (quite literally, as they were using their wings) towards us, followed closely by an older Bat-Pony, but she was running down the front stairs instead of flying. I was frozen where I was in surprise as the first 3 came barreling towards me, and they reached me in no time at all.

"EEEE!!!!" They screed, "He's SO CUTE!!!!! And he's a Human! EEEE!!!!!" I was then picked up and hugged by all 3 of them at once, though thankfully for my poor lungs, the hug wasn't quite so tight as to render me unable to breathe. Once they let me down again, I got a better look at all 3 of them, and they introduced themselves.

I immediately spotted the twins, Dawn and Stella. Both of them had a thick black mane, green cat-like eyes, dark blue fur, dark blue furry Bat-Pony ears, a black tail, and dull gray bat-like wings. They were dressed in matching jean shorts, red tank tops, and like Starry had told me earlier, the only way I could tell them apart was thanks to Stella having a longer black mane that hung down her back, and Dawn only having her's be shoulder-length.

"Whoa. Starry was right, you guys really are identical twins!"

Both of them giggled. "Yep, you're right! And do you know which one of us is which?"

"Yeah. You, Stella have the longer mane, and you, Dawn have the shorter one. Starry told me on the way here."

The twins frowned a bit, but their sadness soon passed. "Well, she's right anyway. But yep. I'm Stella..."

"And I'm Dawn!"

"...And we're your 13 year old big sisters, the Shadow Twins!"

"So prepare for trouble....."

"And make it...."

"DOUBLE!!!" They finished together.

I laughed, and then I hugged them again. "I think that I'm gonna have a lot of fun with you guys, right?"

"Oh you know it, Little Brother!"

"Yeah!" Dawn agreed.

I then looked at the last sister, who was the oldest of the bunch. She had a reddish-ginger mane, blue cat-like eyes, gray furry Bat-Pony ears, light gray fur, some freckles, a reddish-ginger tail, and black bat-like wings. She was dressed in overalls that were cut off at the knees, and a blue sleeveless shirt.

"So I'm guessing that you must be my bigger sister Cherry, right?"

She nodded. "Yep, I'm your 14 year old bigger Cherry alright! And yes, like Stella, Dawn, and Starry, I'm a lot of fun too. I think that I'm gonna really enjoy our time together a lot." She then hugged me tightly.

"Wow. So now I have 4 big sisters!"

"Yep, you sure do!" While I was still hugging Cherry, Dawn, Stella and Starry all came in close, and for the first time, the 5 of us group-hugged. It felt amazing to be surrounded by loved ones, something that I hadn't experienced since I was 3 years old. But now I had 4 sisters, a Mom, and an Aunt that I was soon to meet.

"And what is your name, Little Brother?" Stella asked me.

"Arctic." I said as loudly as I could from the center of the group-hug. "Arctic White."

"Aww, that's a nice name. It fits so so well because of your mane.....eh,....hair, I guess."

"Well, thanks. I guess."

Shortly after this, the girls finally let me go, and I was able to breathe normally again. Normally at least, until I was approached by another mare. She seemed to be about Scarlet's age, though she had a thick blonde mane, blue cat-like eyes, light gray fur, gray furry Bat-Pony ears, a thick blonde tail, and light black bat-like wings. She was dressed in jeans, and a checkered shirt, and had her mane in a ponytail. She smiled as soon as she saw me.

"Aww, so you must be my new nephew. I'm your Aunt Sandy." She then hugged me, and I hugged her back. Her hug was tight, though not quite as tight as the hugs from my Sisters had been.

"Are you cool like my Sisters?" I asked her once the hug was over.

She smirked a bit. "Yeah, I'm about as cool as they come. I try to be cool like your Sisters, but I can tell you that I'm WAY cooler than your Mom!"

"Hey!" I heard Scarlet yell as she came over. "You are NOT cooler than me! If you recall correctly, Missy, when we were fillies, I was the one who was always running around in the woods, swimming, fishing, hunting, chopping wood, and then teaching my girls how to do the same thing, while YOUR furry butt was inside, whining about how hot it was, and how there were too many mosquitoes!"

"Maybe when we were fillies, but ever since I came to live with you and the Girls, I've changed a lot. I've learned all about that stuff too, and I've done them with the Girls. Hopefully I can show Arctic how to do it too."

Scarlet shook her head. "In your dreams, Sis. I'LL be the one teaching him, and then you can do the things I teach him with him and the Girls!"

The 2 of them continued to argue back and forth about this for a good while longer.

"Sheesh. Do they always fight like this?" I asked Cherry quietly.

She laughed a bit. "Yeah, all the time. Mom and Aunt Sandy have been rivals since they were fillies, and are ALWAYS trying to one-up the other. They don't hate each other, and they've never really hit each other, but it seems like they're often trying to prove who's cooler, better at something, or more fun. They argue like this a lot, though it eventually peters out into them agreeing to disagree. We've all learned to live with it, and I'm pretty sure that you will too."

I then looked back at Scarlet and Sandy, who finally seemed to be done fighting for the time being. I cocked my head a bit, though I didn't say anything.

Scarlet eventually turned to look at me. "You do want to see inside the house before it gets dark, right Arctic?" She called to me.

"Yes please!"

"Come on then. I'll give you the full tour of the house, including your new room!"

I then came running over, followed closely by my 4 Sisters, and Sandy came along too. We all then walked back to the cabin together.

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting the inside of the cabin to look like, but it ended up being a lot bigger than what I was expecting. Just past the front door, there was a large entryway with wooden floors, a large red rug in the center, a chandelier overhead, a small closet for coats off to the left, and on the right was a storage bench for holding boots, as well as an umbrella stand, and a coat rack. Just past the entryway and to the right was the living room. It had carpeted floors, a large couch, several chairs, a coffee table, another table by one of the chairs with a lamp on it, a large brick fireplace with a small fire burning in it, and on the wall opposite the fireplace was an older-looking TV sitting on top of a wooden TV stand next to an old-looking wooden desk. On the ceiling was a ceiling fan that provided light, as well as a breeze, and pictures of the family hung on the walls, as well as several stuffed deer heads, and other hunting wall decorations that would have been right at home at a Bass Pro Shop.

"Back when my husband and I first bought this place, we both agreed that we wanted it to stay as original, and rustic-looking as possible, and he loved to hunt, fish, as well as just enjoying the great outdoors in general, hence the reason why everything here looks the way that it does. My husband shot the deer close to the fireplace, I shot the one on the wall above the couch, and Sandy shot the one close to the door to the entryway. It's rustic, but yet really cozy and homely at the same time." Scarlet informed me.

"This is so cool. It's like one of those hunting stores I read about in books about Earth at the orphanage; Bass Pro Shops. Maybe I'll shoot a deer one day too once you teach me how to, Mom."

Scarlet gave me a pat on the shoulder. "Maybe you will someday, Arctic."

The tour then exited the living room through a second doorway, and led into a dining room that had a large wooden table, 8 chairs around the table, a cabinet for dishes against the back wall, 2 large windows to let in light, a metal chandelier over the table, and on the walls were a few pictures. Next to the dining room was the kitchen, and it contained a gas stove with an oven underneath, a refrigerator, a sink, a dishwasher, plenty of cabinets, and counter space, a fully-stocked pantry, a coffee maker, and other such kitchen amenities, while several windows and light fixtures provided light. everything in the kitchen was a bit older, and rustic-looking, but I was assured by my new family that they all worked just fine.

"Everything works, it's just a little on the old side." Starry told me.

"I don't mind it being old as long as it works. There were plenty of things at the orphanage that didn't work, and that was always a pain."

"Well, rest assured, we don't usually have those problems out here, and even if we do, we usually get them fixed pretty quick. Right, Mom?"

"Yep, that's right Starry."

"And do you wanna see something REALLY cool, Arctic?" Starry asked me.

"Yeah." I told her.

"Well then follow me. I'll show you the back deck area, and I think that you're really gonna love it!"

She then led the way out of the kitchen, past another table, this one being round, with 5 chairs around it, as well as several large bay windows, and to a wooden door with several glass panes on it. She then unlocked and open the door, and led the way outside. "Come check this out, Little Brother!"

I followed her through the door, and when I saw what was out there, my jaw hit the floor in shock. What I was looking at was a large back deck, but it was covered by a roof, and the "walls" were protected by mosquito netting, as well as actual glass windows, though they were fully raised at the time to allow in air. All around the deck I could hear the sounds of the forest in the late afternoon, and I could see a lot of trees too. The floor of the deck was wooden, though also covered in rugs. More couches, chairs, and even a large wooden swinging chair were out there, as well as several potted and hanging plants, a few tables, what seemed to be some kind of gas heater, 2 ceiling fans were on the ceiling, and on the far side of the covered deck was a closed gate with stairs leading down to the ground below, a charcoal grill, a huge hot tub, and even a sauna!

"Whoa! You guys have a hot tub here?!"

Starry giggled. "Yep! Dad got it for Mom as a wedding present, and we've really enjoyed it over the years since. It's perfect for nights when it's a little bit cold, or a lot cold. My Sisters and I use it all the time, and so do Mom and Aunt Sandy, and now you can use it with us! Heck, maybe even tonight after we've helped you get settled in you can be in the hot tub with us."

I agreed. "Yeah, hopefully I can."

After we went back inside to join the others, I saw the rest of the ground floor, which consisted of a laundry room, a small bathroom, the door to the basement (which contained an oil-fired furnace, a water heater, the cabin's main water pump, a workbench with tools and a pegboard, and lots of room for storage), and a room that used to be an office for Scarlet's husband Thunderbolt, but now was used mostly for storage. Once the tour of the downstairs was complete, it was time to move upstairs.

The upstairs was smaller than the ground floor, the floors were mostly carpet, and it was mostly composed of bedrooms, though there were also 2 bathrooms, and a closet. The first room that we came to was the bedroom that was shared by the Twins. To my surprise, there was a bunk bed, a large dresser, a table against a far wall, a desk with a computer on it, a closet, and a few odds and ends scattered across the floor. On the walls were movie posters, as well as posters from comic books, and on the ceiling was another ceiling fan for light, and cool air. The window above the table was open, and letting in a breeze.

"Whoa. So this is your room Dawn and Stella?"

They nodded. "Yep! We're twins, we've been together since before birth, so why not share a room too?"

"Yeah, that makes sense to me. It's still a cool room though."

They giggled. "Thanks!"

I then looked over at Cherry and Starry. “And do you guys have rooms that are cool too?"

Cherry shrugged. "I hope so, but I'm not really trying to compete for the coolest room."

"I think that mine might be though!" Starry added. "It's just across the hall from here."

When I saw her room, I agreed that yes, it was really cool. Her bed was somewhat small, but she had a desk with her own computer, a table for drawing/working on various projects, on the walls were a number of gaming posters, she had a whole shelf of comic books, a closet, a dresser, a bedside table with a lamp, and various other odds and ends scattered around. There were also pictures of her and her sisters on the walls, and yet another ceiling fan on the ceiling, though her bedroom window was closed.

I was really impressed. "Whoa. I'm not sure if this room is cooler than the Twins's room, but it's certainly right alongside it Starry. This is amazing!"

Starry smiled. "Thanks, Arctic. I'm glad that you like it. I think that you and I will be spending a lot of time in here, just as you might be spending a lot of time in the Twins's room too."

"I hope so. I'd love to hang out in you guys's rooms."

Next up was a bathroom that was somehow shared between all of the girls. There was a sink with a large countertop, a mirror, a toilet, a bathtub with a shower head, a cabinet for towels, and a fluffy rug on the vinyl floor. Scattered all around the sink counter were mare hygiene products, 3 blowdryers, 4 toothbrushes, 2 tubes of toothpaste, and the bathtub shower was full of bottles of shampoo and conditioner.

"Gosh. How do you guys all share a bathroom?"

"It's not easy." Dawn admitted. "We can make it work, but it's hard, ESPECIALLY when we're all trying to get ready at once!"

"Don't worry though Arctic. You don't have to share this bathroom with your sisters; you'll be using the bathroom close to the end of the hall that I use." Sandy told me. “It looks just like this one, but it's not quite as cluttered!"

The 4 Girls shot their Aunt a look, but I couldn't help but smile. After the bathroom, it was on to Cherry's room, which was between the Twins's room, and a closed door that Scarlet said that she'd show me at the end of the house tour. Inside, her room was a bit plainer than the others. On the walls were pictures of her, her Mom and her sisters, as well as pictures that she'd taken of the woods close by the cabin, and a few posters all about baking, while the rest of the room was composed of a nice bed, a closet, a desk with a computer on it, a table, a dresser, a bedside table with a lamp, an open window, and the usual ceiling fan on the ceiling, alongside a red rug on the floor. It was all pretty nice, and I noticed that it was also a bit cleaner than the other rooms were, though I also noticed something that I couldn't identify. In one of the corners was a wooden bar with 2 wooden sides supporting it.

"This room seems to be cleaner than your Sisters's rooms, Cherry. And what's up with all of the baking posters? And what's that wooden thing in the corner?"

She giggled a bit. "In order, thanks for the compliment, baking has been my hobby for a number of years now, and I love to do it a lot. Just wait until you try my cherry pie, it'll blow you away! And that wooden thing is so that I can sleep hanging upside down if I want to."

I gave her a confused look. "Oh, well I'll be sure to try the cherry pie, but why would you sleep hanging upside down?"

Cherry and Scarlet then explained to me a bit more about Bat-Pony anatomy, and how they were able to use their tails, and tiny claws on their back hooves to hang fully upside down for long periods of time, just like regular bats. Some Bat-Ponies found it more comfortable to sleep hanging upside down, and the Twins told me that they would sometimes hang from the edge of their bunk-bed, while Starry said that she would hang from her ceiling fan, which was reinforced for just such a purpose. Even Scarlet and Sandy said that they sometimes slept hanging upside down, or just hung upside down just to help themselves relax.

"Huh. And can I do that too, or not because I'm not a full Bat-Pony?"

Scarlet nodded, but then shook her head. "You will be able to eventually Arctic, but not until your older. Yes, you're now part Bat-Pony, but it'll still take a number of years more until you're body has become more like that of a Bat-Pony, and can safely be able to hang upside down, among other things. I think that by the time you're 13-15 your body should be ready. Yes, I know that that's another 5-7 years, but that's how long it takes for your body to become just as much Bat-Pony as it is Human."

I frowned. "Bummer. That's really gonna suck waiting all those years for everything to adjust."

My sisters all then hugged me again. "Don't worry, Little Brother, it's not that long. Besides, that's just to hang upside down. Pretty soon you'll learn how to fly, and you can already see in the dark, your hearing is greatly enhanced, as are your other senses."

I then looked back at my wings, flapped them a bit, and looked at my Sisters again. "And...when will I learn how to fly?"

"We can start teaching you tomorrow if you want." Starry told me.

"It might take a while to learn, and you'll probably crash a lot at first, but it should only take a few days to learn. At least, that's about as long as it took Dawn and I to learn how to fly." Stella added.

"You have 4 of the best fillies teaching you, not to mention Mom and Aunt Sandy, so it shouldn't take you too long at all. Cherry continued.

"Yeah, it's not as hard as you might think once you practice enough." Dawn finished.

I hugged them all. "You Guys are great, you know that?"

They all giggled. "Yeah, we know, Little Brother. "You don't have to remind us about how great of big sisters we are, but we're totally not gonna complain if you do!"

We all laughed at this a bit, and the tour continued.

Close to the end of the hall, we reached the bathroom that I would be sharing with Sandy. Like I was told previously, it looked almost identical to the other bathroom that the Girls shared, though this one had a LOT more organization when it came to feminine hygiene products! I wasn't too concerned about this, as I was more focused on a cool painting of a lighthouse that was hanging on the wall.

"Wow, cool lighthouse painting. Where did it come from?"

"I found it at a thrift store in Deepwood. I liked it, and was looking for more paintings, so I bought it, and here it still hangs today."

"Cool."

At the end of the hallway were the doors that led to Sandy and Scarlet's rooms, and I saw a hatch on the ceiling with a pull-string attached to it, which I was told led to the attic.

"Not too much to see up there besides old stuff, odds and ends, furniture, holiday decorations, and the like. I'm sure you'll see it eventually, but there's nothing fun up there right now." Scarlet told me.

I frowned a bit, though I did ask if I could see Scarlet and Sandy's rooms, and they let me. Sandy's room was larger than any of the Girls's rooms, and it had a queen-sized bed, a dresser, a bedside table with a lamp, a closet, an armoire, a desk, the window was open, a gray rug was on the floor in front of the bed, and yes, there was a mandatory ceiling fan on the ceiling.

"Oh. This room is larger than the others I've seen." I said quietly.

Sandy nodded. "Yeah. It was a guest room back in the day before I moved in, and it still could be.......if we ever had any guests stay over anyway. We never really do."

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "We usually don't get too many visitors out this way. Sure, the Girls do have friends, and they have sleepovers sometimes, but when that happens, they always sleep in sleeping bags on the floor in the Girls's rooms. We've never really had any adult guests, at least, not in a long time."

"And where do you sleep when you have guests?" I asked.

"In Scarlet's room with her."

"Oh." My 8 year old brain was still trying to process all of this.

And last but not least, I also got to see Scarlet's room. Her room, since it was the house's master bedroom, was the largest. It had a king-sized canopy bed, a night table with a lamp, a larger dresser, an armoire, a chest of drawers, a grizzly bear fur rug (which I was informed came courtesy of a local taxidermist from a bear that Thunderbolt killed), a desk, 2 large windows, lots of pictures on the walls, the mandatory ceiling fan on the ceiling, a large closet, a door that led to a wooden balcony, and even a fireplace! It was connected to the fireplace in the living room, as both of them used the same chimney, and a large connected bathroom that contained a large bathtub, a separate shower, a toilet, a large mirror, and a long counter that contained 2 sinks. One had various feminine hygiene products around it, and the other was almost spotlessly clean. I then realized that that sink must have been used by Thunderbolt while he was still alive.

"Whoa. And I thought that Aunt Sandy's room was big, but this one's even bigger, and it has its own bathroom!"

Scarlet laughed a bit. "yeah, it is pretty big, isn't it? It's the largest bedroom in the house, and it's....it's...." She paused. "Well, it was mine and my husband Thunderbolt's, but...you know. This room reminds me of him a lot, and we spent almost all of our nights together in here. The memories are so strong in this room." Scarlet seemed like she was about to cry.

Wordlessly, I walked over to her, and hugged her as best I could. "It's ok, Mom." I said quietly. "It's ok. I know how this feels."

She hugged me back. "T-thank you, Sweetie." She said softly.

While I was comforting Mom, Sandy looked at the Girls, and motioned for one of them to speak up about the last room on the tour. Cherry finally spoke up.

"Erm.....not to interrupt too much, but....s-shouldn't we let Arctic see the last room? The important one that we skipped over earlier?"

Scarlet pricked up her ears a bit. "Yeah....yeah, you're right Cherry." She then looked at me. "Remember that door in between Cherry's room and the Girls's bathroom that was closed, and I said that it was for the end of the house tour?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Are we gonna see what's in that room now?"

"Oh yes, and I think that you're going to like it a lot Arctic."

Scarlet then began to lead the way back there, with me following closely behind her, and Sandy and the Girls followed along behind us.

Once we were outside of the door, I began to reach for the knob, but before I could, I suddenly felt a pair of hands cover my eyes, preventing me from seeing.

"What, hey!"

"Sorry, Little Bro!" I heard Starry giggle. "I can't let you see it just yet. It's gonna be a surprise!"

I groaned a bit. "Well, luckily for you, I like surprises!"

I then heard the door to the room open, and heard Starry tell me to walk forwards a bit, which I did, with her still holding her hands over my eyes.

"Ugh, can I look now, Sis?"

"3.....2......1.....Surprise!" She then lifted her hands off my eyes, and when I saw what was in the room, my jaw hit the floor.

"Oh.......my....." I stammered, trembling a bit. It was at this moment that I realized that this room was my new bedroom! Aside from the mandatory ceiling fan on the ceiling, there was a nice window against a far wall with a desk under it, a twin-sized bed with blankets with black bears on them on it, not to mention a stuffed black bear plush on top of the bed, a dresser, a closet, a green rug on the carpeted floor, and a toy box by the bed. I also spotted a few of the things that Scarlet had bought earlier that day in Ponyville after adopting me, meaning that most likely while Starry was wowing me with what was on the back deck, Scarlet and Sandy quickly ran out to the Jeep, grabbed what Scarlet had bought, and rushed them upstairs to my new room.

For the longest time, all I could do was stare. My 8-year old brain had no words for what I was seeing, and I was clearly in a state of shock. Finally though, I was able to break away from my stupor, and after doing a full 180 degree turn, I locked Starry into a tight hug, as she was the one closest to me.

"T-thank you, Sis." I said quietly.

She giggled a bit. "I think he likes the new room Guys! Which means that we did such a great job with it!"

The others cheered, and I also thanked and hugged Mom, Sandy, Dawn, Stella, and Cherry. This room was so incredible, and I knew that a LOT of happy memories were going to be made in this room. I didn't know it at the time, but yes indeed, a LOT of happy memories were going to be made in this room, I just didn't fully realize at the time just what kind of memories those were going to be.

Author's Note

And, that was Chapter 1. Yes, there was no sex, or really anything inappropriate, which was by design. After all, this story has to start out wholesome when Arctic and his sisters were kids, and then escalate into incestuous debauchery when they're older, and all of legal age. No foalcon in my stories, no Sir! ALL characters are of legal age! (Yes, 17 is considered of legal age, at least here in the Midwest where I live).

And to address anyone who asks about the modern technology that I mentioned in this story such as cars, TV's, and computers, I'll now explain that. Thanks to the Humans who arrived in Equestria, Equestrian technology was able to take a number of great leaps forwards, and in just a few short decades, they went from the 1940's in terms of technology, all the way up until the early 2000's! They have modern(ish) cars, landline and cordless telephones, desktop computers, some laptops, and some types of cellphones, though they're only flip-phones at best, so they're not all that high-tech at all! More on technology will be explained as the story goes along, but I just wanted to explain this now so that there won't be too many questions about this.

So now Arctic has a new home, 4 sisters, a Mom, and an Aunt who love him very much, and a great life ahead of him. What's going to happen next? How will he adjust to going to school, eventually getting a job, and growing up with the rest? What about when he starts going through puberty, and begins to notice his sisters also going through puberty, which hit them like a freight train? When will he start developing romantic feelings for them? When will all the promised sex and incest start? Well, you all know the drill, stay tuned and I'll tell you!

In the meantime, as always, comments, questions, feedback, as well as spreading the word about this story are always appreciated, and I'll see you all again in Chapter 2!

ScarFox out for now!

And for those who really want to know, Chapter 2 will begin to introduce the relationships once Arctic has hit puberty, and there's signs that things will soon take a turn, as well as some questionable moments, but no actual incestuous sex until Chapter 3, as well as the Epilogue.