//------------------------------// // Mild West Dance // Story: Change is Constant, Growth is Optional // by Nova Force //------------------------------// Somewhere between Ponyville and Appleloosa traveled a train. Since it was night time, the passengers aboard had fallen asleep, that is, except for two love-struck ponies. “Oh my goodness, I’ve never done anything like this before!” Fluttershy squeaked. She could not remove her eyes from the Equestrian scenery whirling by as the locomotive speeded along on its tracks. “I’m glad you did, darlin’. It’s good to be a little impulsive every once in a while.” Braeburn said rubbing her back. While she gazed out the window, he silently admired her simple splendor. He knew, though, that for both of their sakes they needed to get some sleep. Appleloosa was not a destination to be experienced half-awake. The colt hopped out of his seat. “Let’s try and get some shut-eye. We’ll reach our destination in the morning, and we got a big day tomorrow.” Fluttershy tore away from the window and looked at Braeburn. She hated to see him leave, but a part of her rejoiced knowing that she would see him in the morning. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” “If you need anything, I’ll be in berth 14 in the sleep car behind yours. Goodnight, sweetheart.” Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat. Maybe I should start getting used to being called that. “See you in the morning…” Fluttershy said as Braeburn exited the car. When the door closed tight, she continued, “sweetheart.” From there, Fluttershy went to her own berth and turned in for the night. Over time, the small-town emerald backdrop of Ponyville slowly morphed away into the bucolic amber shine of Appleloosa. Once the train reached the station, its doors flung open letting in the natural sunlight. As he strode out onto the platform, Braeburn’s heart swelled with pride as he inhaled the fresh air of his hometown. “Fluttershy, welcome to AAAAppleloosa!” The Pegasus giggled to herself. He’s so cute when he gets like this. “I’ve been here before, silly.” Her words did not seem to faze him. “Hard to imagine that us settler ponies built this place in the past two years. Let me show you all of our finest comforts!” Braeburn pulled her closer to him. “Look there over there! We’ve got horse drawn-carriages.” He pointed toward a stagecoach with two colts arguing over whose turn it was to pull. In a low voice, Fluttershy said, “You already showed m-” Before she could finish, he twisted her head in the opposite direction. “And over there we have horse-drawn, horse-drawn carriages!” Across the way were several ponies sketching the passing stagecoach with pencils in their mouths. “Braeburn, I-” In a most unexpected move, Braeburn bulldozed her to the front of the Appleloosa watering hole, which had a stronger resemblance to a saloon. “This is the Salt Block!” He and Fluttershy stood there long enough to witness a brief scuffle between an older-timer pony who appeared down on his luck and the saloon’s bartender. Fluttershy tried to open her mouth, but Braeburn bulldozed her once more. This time, however, she found herself face-to-face with a large tree. “And this, my dear, is where we put Bloomberg.” Sure enough, instituted high into the sky was a luscious apple tree. Sitting in front of it was a tiny plaque with a written description of the tree’s history with an accompanying picture. Fluttershy tilted her head as far back as it would go. “Oh my, Bloomberg really has taken root. He looks great!” Braeburn’s ears perked up. “You think so? Then could you do an enormous favor for me and tell that to Applejack? If she hears from you that Bloomberg is doing well, then maybe she’ll get off my back. I mean, don’t get me wrong. For Applejack to give us this tree as a gift was thoughtful and all. It’s just…” Fluttershy finished his sentence. “Sometimes she can get carried away?” With a single, deep nod, Braeburn said, “Exactly.” All of a sudden, a large shadow eclipsed the sunlight around them. From behind came a big booming voice. “This tree has become a symbol of unity between the buffalo and settler ponies.” The two ponies swung around to the stature of a most imposing presence. The sun shone brightly behind this figure creating a blackened silhouette, but Braeburn recognized the shape in an instant. “Howdy Chief Thunderhooves!” The buffalo chief stepped forward revealing himself. “Braeburn, welcome back! I trust all went well in your travels to Ponyville?” “Why yes indeed, good sir. In fact, I brought somepony back with me.” Braeburn pushed Fluttershy in front of the overgrown buffalo. “You remember Fluttershy, don’t you?” The buffalo chief towered over her. His eyes scanned up and down her body as he searched his memory banks. “Hmm, ‘Fluttershy’ is it? Were you a companion that honorable dragon, Spike?” Fluttershy took a moment to find her voice. “Yes, Spike is one of my close friends.” Like a gavel, Thunderhooves pounded a hoof into the ground. “Well then of course I remember you! Yes, that was right before we buffalo made peace with the settler ponies.” “It’s great to see you again,” she said. Braeburn trotted between the two. “Say chief, have you ever heard of a ‘manticore’ before?” Braeburn said. Thunderhooves’s eyes flared and then narrowed in anger. “A manticore? Yes, I once battled with one many years ago.” “Are you serious? Where did you see one?” Steam shot out like a geyser from Thunderhooves’s nostrils. “Right here in Appleloosa. He was a foul creature for certain. At first we didn’t know what he wanted because he wandered unannounced into our stampeding grounds. When we approached him, he threw a tantrum and ordered us to vacate the area and never return.” Fluttershy winced. “That doesn’t sound like Manny at all. It couldn’t have been him. What did you end up doing?” “We tried to communicate with him, but he lashed out and attacked us. I knew then that I had to stand up and protect my kin, for he was a beast that refused to see the light of reason. It wasn’t easy, but I was able to chase him out of our lands. We’ve not seen the likes of the manticore since.” Fluttershy hung her head. “I’m so sorry that that happened. How unnecessary to have such conflict.” Braeburn, on the other hoof, was itching to say something. “Well chief, you’ll never believe this. When I was in Ponyville, I got a chance to see a manticore up close!” Thunderhooves did a double-take. “What? A manticore in Ponyville? How did you deal with him?” “Actually, that’s the thing… I didn’t!” Braeburn redirected the chief’s attention toward Fluttershy. “This girl here is the one who dealt with him. In fact, she rescued me.” Thunderhooves leaned in closer to Fluttershy. His eye almost popped out of its socket as he zoomed in on her. “Is this true? How did a small pony such as yourself dispose of such a nefarious monster?” Fluttershy backed up to give herself some space. “He’s not a monster. He’s a manticore. And I didn’t dispose of him. I showed him kindness.” The buffalo chief arched an eyebrow. “Kindness? That is what you used to slay the manticore?” “I didn’t slay him. He’s my friend. His name is Manny, Manny Roar.” “Manny Roar? The beast has a name?” Thunderhooves was beside himself at such a radical concept. Before the chief could finish the conversation, behind him appeared the young female buffalo, Little Strongheart. “Hey there Braeburn, glad you’re back. Fluttershy! Long time no see!” Fluttershy flapped her wings and fluttered over to hug Little Strongheart. “It’s good to see you too! How have you been?” “We’re living the dream out here in Appleloosa! Since the buffalo and settler ponies made peace, everything’s been great. What about you, what brings you from Ponyville?” Fluttershy’s cheeks reddened. “I, um, am here visiting Braeburn.” Little Strongheart had no difficulty reading between the lines. “Ohhh, I see what you mean.” Her face turned sneaky “How cute! Well, where are you staying while you’re here?” It finally dawned on Fluttershy that she had no place to stay in Appleloosa. “I actually don’t know. I didn’t really think about that on my way here. I guess I’m staying with…” Fluttershy trailed off thinking about the implications of staying with Braeburn, who lived in a single bedroom shack. Braeburn sensed the growing discomfort of the situation and stepped forward. “Little Strongheart, do you think it would be possible for Fluttershy to stay with you while she’s here?” The little buffalo laughed. “I thought you’d never ask. Of course she can stay with me!” Fluttershy felt a wave of relief. So far everything was going well, but something about staying with Braeburn at his shack was going too fast for her. “Are you sure? I really don’t mean to impose.” “It’s no trouble at all. It’ll be like a sleepover. We can have,” she fired a sly look at Braeburn, “girl talk.” The two ponies shared an awkward moment of silence before Braeburn switched topics. “Say, Little Strongheart, where are you heading now?” A grand smile appeared across her face. “I’m on my way to the other side of town for the Wild West Dance! I’m actually meeting up with a new calf I met the other day stampeding. Do you two want to come?” Fluttershy could not have imagined a worse idea. Oh Celestia, please say no. Braeburn lit up. “Absolutely! What are we waiting for?” Chief Thunderhooves’s voice bellowed from above them. “I believe I shall leave the dancing to you all. I shall go to the Salt Box to meet with Sherriff Silverstar.” He turned toward Fluttershy. “Enjoy your stay in Appleloosa, Manticore Slayer.” The Pegasus didn’t have time to sit on how much she disliked being referred to as a “slayer”. Little Strongheart and Braeburn were already heading to the other side of Appleloosa where a vigorous gathering of ponies and buffalo danced. She quickly followed from behind. When they arrived, Little Strongheart spotted her male companion waiting for her. “There’s my dance partner! Catch you two lovebirds later!” The little buffalo galloped off to meet him. Braeburn surveyed the dance arena. It had been so long since he attended one of these dances. His excitement built as he absorbed the energy of the crowd. Everypony was having a splendid time. When he turned to Fluttershy, however, she looked massively uncomfortable. “What’s wrong darlin’? Do you like to dance?” She stared at the dirt. “No, I’m sorry. I have four left hooves.” Braeburn’s expression softened. “That’s alright, I’m not exactly going to be contestant on Dancing with the Mares either. I want you to have fun here at Appleloosa, and Wild West Dances are tons of fun!” Her cheeked flushed red. “It does look fun, really. But, um, it looks too fast for me.” “Really? In that case…” The Appleloosan colt thought for a moment as he evaluated the situation. “Don’t worry, Appleloosa has more than just Wild West Dances. Here, come with me.” Braeburn took her by the hoof galloped away from the vivacious crowd. Eventually they came to another collection of ponies dancing in an arena. The major difference between these ponies and the ones that they just left, however, was that they were dancing at a much more sedated tempo. Braeburn looked to her. “Perhaps this is more your speed?” “Wait, this is-" she began. “This is where we have our Mild West Dances. They’re tailored to ponies looking less for flank-thrusting and more for,” he paused to look her in the eyes, “intimacy.” His choice of words blared like a siren in Fluttershy’s mind, for its beauty and terror rested in its broadness. “Oh, that sounds nice.” She watched as a handful of happy couples gently grooved to their own beats. Braeburn smiled at her. “Shall we?” Fluttershy’s insides were about ready to explode. Her mind and speech pattern went frantic. “Oh, Braeburn, I’m so sorry, but I can’t. This looks like a lot of fun too, really, it does, but I can’t because-” The colt laid his hoof against her lips. She blinked, startled at his confidence, yet intrigued by his gentleness. He slowly trailed the tip of his hoof along the curve of her lips and across her cheek before easing it back onto the ground. “Of course you can. I insist.” Without speaking another word, the two ponies made their way onto the dance arena. When they reached the center, Braeburn took the lead. He drew Fluttershy close to him and leaned his head around hers. Their initial closeness took a few moments to get used to, but ever so slowly they swayed back-and-forth until they found a natural rhythm that suited them. Unbeknownst to the other, each pony relished in breathing in the scent of their partner’s mane. Even though the dance was slow, for Fluttershy it was anything but “mild”. Just when she thought her heart couldn’t beat any faster, Braeburn reared up and lifted her onto her hind legs in the process. Together they stood wrapped in each other arms. Braeburn held her tightly. “I’m happy you’re here,” his southern drawl laced into her ears. He pulled his head back and gazed into her eyes. Fluttershy began having an out-of-body experience. Is this really happening? It was. The two ponies closed their eyes, drew their heads together, and locked lips. Braeburn’s mouth was strong and purposeful, using just the precise amount of pressure for maximum effect. That is to say, turning Fluttershy’s bones to liquid and her insides to mush. Her blood surged through her veins as she savored the sensation of being held and cherished by her special somepony. An Appleloosan stallion. Braeburn. When they pulled away from each other and opened their eyes, Fluttershy was a little disoriented. My first kiss! Estimating how long the kiss lasted was impossible, for the passage of time warped in that moment. Braeburn wore a wholly satisfied look upon his face. He spoke first, “Welcome to Appleloosa, Fluttershy.” The Pegasus smiled and rested her forehead against his. She grinned as she whispered, “I like it here.”