The Apple of My Eye, Pt. 1
The Apple of My Eye
Part 1
By Liquid Rainbows
The breeze flowed gently through the air, snaking it's way through the blades of grass that blanketed the vast fields of Sweet Apple Acres in a forest of green. It curled around the trees, rustling it's through the leaves and out into the open air again. A quiet red stallion, standing alone at the crest of a small hill looking out over the orchard, could feel that sneaky breeze caressing along his sweaty body. Every touch was like an ice cold snap of relief from the heat of the glowing afternoon sun.
Big Macintosh wiped the perspiration from his brow, allowing the light wind to give whatever aid it could. The imposing stallion wiped his hair to the side, as blond as the piece of straw dangling from his mouth. He smiled to himself, taking in all the sights and colors that met his eyes. No matter how many times he looked over those fields, they never lost their stunning beauty. That was the magic of this place.
Yoke in place, Big Mac began trotting slowly back in the direction of the Apple Family Barn, dragging a heavy cart of apples behind him. His powerful muscles pulled the apples with the ease that years of practice brought. He took his time, slow and steady. There was no rush. He silently listened to the chorus of birds chirping, the soft crinkling of leaves, and the other songs nature had to offer. Step after step. The calm and quiet of the orchards was something of a rarity Ponyville, and Big Mac relished in the serenity. It allowed him to drift along on his hooves, thoughts unbroken. The blue sky stretched out into infinity in every direction, dotted with puffy white clouds, traveling through the sky as peacefully as the red stallion did now. Mac soon caught sight of the huge barn, lazily shifting his course. There were no troubles. Just peace......peace...
Shattered.
"Well if it ain't my best big cousin!" Came the overenthusiastic voice of a stallion Mac new all too well. "Howdy there Big Macintosh!" Mac glanced in the direction of the insufferable noise, and was met by a sight that made his eyes widen for a moment. Before him stood the sleek and well toned physique of Braeburn, the one cousin that Big Mac hadn't visited with in quite a few years. The muscular, golden-yellow buck wore an open, brown leather vest, and a similarly colored hat rested atop his unkempt orange mane. Brae's eyes flashed green like two emeralds, along with his pearly white smile. For a moment, the sun shone on Braeburn in just the right way that Big Mac could have sworn he sparkled. The red stallion blinked quickly, shook his head, and looked cautiously at his cousin again. Calm yourself down, Mac thought to himself, you're as straight as an arrow, remember?
"Heh, like what y'all see?" Braeburn chuckled, swishing his hair and giving a grin. "I must be a mite better lookin' than the last time ya saw me." Straight as an arrow.
"It's certainly been a long time, Brae." Mac muttered.
"That it has, Cuz, that it has. You've certainly grown." Straight as an... "Guess there's a reason to call you Big Macintosh now, huh?" Straight as... "And with muscles like those, looks like you've been hard at work." Straight... "I bet yer pretty popular with the mares, huh? Or do ya prefer the company of apples?" ...as an... "If you weren't already red, I could swear you're blushin' right now." ...arrow.
"That's enough, Brae." Big Mac replied with a chuckle. "S'good to see yew, too. If y'all don't mind me askin', what brings to these parts anyway?"
"Aw, I jus' figured I might as well take a little vacation. Haven't really checked with Applejack since Appleoosa, and haven't visited yew and the rest of the family in a few years, so what better time than the present?"
"Well, we're always happy to have ya, Brae. Make yerself at home."
"Can do, Cuz. Although speakin' of which, I'd better go check in with the rest of the family. Catch ya later, huh?" Big Mac nodded in response as Braeburn went trotting off in the direction of the farmhouse. It took a few moments before the red stallion tore his eyes away, shaking his head in a mess of feelings, confusion being the least of which. In a matter of minutes, he had gone from a normal Friday harvest to having his crazy cousin vacationing on the farm to possibly questioning his sexuality. Mac had to admit, that last part not so much. He had never been as 'straight as an arrow,' nor had he ever really been into stallions. They just weren't things he thought about. Not until a few moments ago, that is.
Big Mac, for the third time in the past few minutes, shook his head vigorously. It was like he was trying to shake the thoughts from his mind, which didn't work. Instead, Mac shoved them into the back of his mind for later. At the moment, he had work to finish. Deal with Braeburn later. Big Mac continued trotting towards the barn, trying his best to ignore the itch in his brain that was obviously there...
The moon glowed through the window like a white flame in the sea of darkness beyond. Big Macintosh leaned against the glass, gazing into the sky above. The little kitchen in the farmhouse he sat in now was far from peaceful, however. Applejack and Braeburn were engaged in a boisterous conversation about... basically anything. Most of it involved the incident with the buffalo in Appleoosa, which left Mac rather lost, having not been there himself. Braeburn had also described his train ride to Ponyville, mentioning that he'd be staying until Monday.
Any conundrums Mac had been facing earlier had all but been forgotten. After a brief pondering, he had recalled the fact that Braeburn was his cousin, and closed the case right then and there. Now, Mac merely sat a quiet vigil, as was his way, trying his best to follow what the other ponies in the room were blathering about. After some time, they finally finished on the topic of Appleoosa. Mac was glad, that place was far to barren for his tastes. The silence that followed was brief, Applejack eyeing her cousin.
"Well, in any case, it's good ta to have ya here, Brae." Applejack said with a smile. "I think it'll do ya good to get some fresh air. Yew look better already!"
"Oh really?" Brae replied, lifting his brow and giving a slick grin. "Well, y'all know how Appleoosa is, what with the dust and all. Ya Ponyville folk look healthier, to say the least."
"And what 's that supposed to mean?" The orange mare asked quizzically.
"T'aint nothing." Braeburn replied, before smiling suggestively. "Jus' think that somepony is easy on the eyes."
"I oughta buck you, Brae." Applejack chuckled. As Mac watched, the two of them locked eyes for a few moments too long, before Applejack glanced away and Braeburn just sat with that ever present smile. The silence stretched on to the point of awkwardness, before Applejack let out a little cough.
"Well then, if you boys'll excuse me." Applejack stood, giving a nod to Braeburn and Big Macintosh, before trotting towards the stairs. Braeburn quite obviously eyed her as she walked out, Mac pretending not to notice.
"On that note," Brae burn began, rising to his hooves as well. "I think I'm gonna take a stroll around the farm. Looks pretty nice at night like this, if I do say so myself."
"Well alright, Brae. I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then?" Mac asked slowly.
"That you will, Cuz." Braeburn said with a wink. "That you will." The orange maned stallion then trotted from the room, making his way out into the gentle night. Big Mac stood and let out a sigh once he had gone, trying to discern what exactly just happened. All he knew for certain was that the little itch in his brain from before had come back, and it stayed fresh in his mind even as he trotted up the stairs, flopped onto his bed, and drifted off to sleep...
Big Macintosh's weekend consisted mostly of working, sleeping, and more working. He woke up at the crack of dawn Saturday morning, as always, but found that Braeburn wasn't in the guest bedroom. After working for a few hours, however, Mac witnessed his cousin trotting nonchalantly into Ponyville from the farmhouse, but simply ignored it and got back to hauling apples. The seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes turned into hours. Eventually, nightly descended on Equestria, Luna's night spreading across the land in all directions.
Mac spent another night sitting by silently and listening to Braeburn tell him and Applejack countless stories, somehow injecting life and spirit into each and every one. Mac couldn't help but be captivated by his grinning cousin. He was so full of energy and emotion and seemed to ooze charisma. He's your cousin, Mac! The red stallion thought to himself. Am I really thinking about this?
The answer to his question was sitting in front of him. In any case, Big Mac said his goodnight's and trotted off to bed, just as he did before. The next morning was uncannily similar to the last, with Mac finding Braeburn's room empty. This time however, the large stallion found his cousin sleeping outside, leaned up against a nearby apple tree. Choosing not to disturb him, Mac continued on and began his work for the day. Not even on Sunday did he take a rest from bucking and hauling apples; it was simply what made him happy.
The sun rose higher and higher, reaching it's apex before falling again. As that glowing orb of fire set on the horizon, Big Mac found the farm much quieter than usual. Applejack had gone off with her friends somewhere for the evening, Applebloom was off crusading, and Granny Smith never made much racket to begin with. As long as it wasn't Zap Apple season, of course. As he trotted along, Mac spotted Braeburn standing off near the barn. The yellow buck gave him a grin.
"Hey, Cuz!" Braeburn exclaimed. "Come on, you want a drink?" Mac heaved a sigh and slowly made his way to the barn. Braeburn slid the doors open and the two trotted inside. The interior was illuminated by multiple powerful lanterns set up around, and hay and crates were strew about everywhere. Braeburn casually took a seat on of the crates, popping open a bottle of whiskey and taking a swig. He raised his brow, gesturing to Mac with the bottle, who took only a sip before passing it back. The yellow stallion's cheeks grew rosy as he gulped down a few more mouthfuls of the drink. Mac, feeling a little less nervous, took a seat in the hay, facing his cousin.
"So what've you been up to this weekend, Brae?" He asked, carefully watching the other stallion.
"Aw, y'know, this and that." Braeburn replied. "Got a little better acquainted with some of AJ's friends. They're a fine bunch of mares."
"That they are." Mac muttered, looking around idly and chewing on his piece of straw.
"Mighty fine lookin', too, if I say so myself." Braeburn chuckled. Mac just looked at him flatly, spitting the current piece of straw in his mouth off to the side. "Although, AJ herself is definitely still the best."
"Come on, Brae." Mac groaned. "She's yer cousin."
"Of all ponies, I wouldn't have thought that'd matter to you!" Braeburn exclaimed, his words slurring slightly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mac asked slowly.
"Really?" Braeburn grinned. "Don't think I haven't seen the way y'all have been lookin' at me." Mac felt himself completely flush.
"I-I, uh, just...now hold on just a minute!" He stammered.
"Maybe this'll do ya some good!" Brae was laughing hysterically, but managed to toss the whiskey bottle to Mac, who narrowly caught it in his mouth. The indignant stallion promptly chugged down the rest of the bottle, throwing the empty glass to the side.
"Well now, somepony can certainly hold their alcohol." Came a glorious sounding voice. Mac blinked for a moment, waiting for the rush in his head to subside. When it finally did, he saw the stallion before him with new eyes. If he thought Braeburn was attractive before, that was nothing compared to the alcohol induced sexiness his cousin now possessed. His beautiful golden mane, his shapely and muscular body, the twinkle in his seductive green eyes. There really were sparkles! Big Macintosh blinked a few more times, slapped himself, and blinked again. No changes.
"Ya see, ain't that better?" Brae chuckled. It was like wonderful music.
"I...I guess so." Big Mac was feeling slightly dazed.
"So, what did you want to do now?" Braeburn asked.
"You...er, I mean...uh." Mac shook his head vigorously, regaining a small bit of sensibility.
"Well I don't see why not." Brae shrugged, giving a sly grin. Mac's eyes widened.
"Now wait a second, we can't do that!"
"Ya keep saying that." Braeburn shook his head. "I really don't see why not."
"We're cousins." Big Mac insisted.
"Hey, don't make no difference to me. It'd probably be fun, too." Mac was having trouble seeing any of the possible disadvantages, his mind only able to focus on the mouthwatering pony before him.
"Are...are you serious?" He asked.
"One hundred percent." Braeburn replied, smiling wide.
"Are you sure you're serious?"
"You know what?" Brae exclaimed. "How about I just prove it to ya?" The yellow stallion stood up and swaggered over to where Mac now lay. Before Macintosh could even react, Brae leaned forward and locked their lips together, the red stallion's eyes going wide.
What happened next proved unbelievable...