Old Traditions

by NightsGlory


Chapter Nine

The morning air was cool and crisp, as the smell of fresh apple pies wafted through the air. Lazy fumes of smoke from the evening before rose from chimneys all around town, and here and there tumbleweed drifted by. It was early, yet. Hardly anypony had risen from their slumber, and the normally bustling town was dead quiet. Far off in the distance, a low rumble could be felt as a herd of buffalo moved through a valley, on their traditional stampede across the great plains of Equestria. The town clock chimed a shrill Six AM, and the blanket of night slowly began to lift up. Celestia’s sun was just creeping up on the horizon, beginning to warm each grain of sand in the dusty, old town.

A train was chugging along several miles away, its destination this sleepy little town famous for its expansive apple orchards. Twilight had been here, once before. She remembered the occasion quite fondly; what started as an apple tree transplant culminated in a giant pie war, but ended in a peaceful reconciliation of a huge misunderstanding. It made for a wonderful friendship report to Celestia, as well. She was rubbing sleep out of her eyes as a low whistle from the train signaled their pulling into the station. She leaned back into the warm embrace of her lover, and lightly kissed his chin.

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” she whispered. Normally Mac was the one waking her up, but she had a knack for sleeping lightly on trains. She travelled on them enough that she should be able to sleep like a rock, but something about their motion kept her in a haze between sleep and wakefulness. She always had such realistic dreams on train rides, to boot.

The hulking red form of her coltfriend stirred at the touch of her lips, and the sound of her voice. What he said sounded something along the lines of, “Mmm we thur yet?”

Twilight giggled softly as the train lurched to a soft halt. “Yes, silly. We just arrived. Come on, we’ve got to grab our bags.”

Several minutes later, the two ponies were standing on the platform, saddlebags over their backs, stretching their stiff muscles. After several minutes of orienting themselves to their surroundings, and taking a few deep breaths of the fresh Appleoosan air, they set of in the direction where Mac’s cousin, Braeburn, lived.

The two were quiet as they plodded through the dry dirt towards their destination. Twilight used the time to reflect on how the week leading up to this journey seemed to take what seemed like nine months. Ever since she had talked Mac into taking this trip, she had been anticipating their departure so much, every minute felt like a day. Now that they were actually on it, her thoughts were all jumbled.

I’m not sure how the rest of the family will take this, she thought. I know Braeburn will probably be overly excited, but that could just be his personality. The other three stops, though…

Prior to their departure, Big Macintosh had laid out a plan for their trip. It included three stops besides Appleoosa. The three places held a large, historical portion of the Apple family, all of which were the ones that never made it to family reunions. These families were apparently the largest providers in the Apple clan in the early days, and as such, still retained a fair amount of respect from the rest of the family. Mac had told her that the tradition was established long ago, when the first apples branched out from these farms to grow their crops in different parts of the country.

It was these thoughts that were in her mind when she almost ran into the front of a homely wooden door, set into the porch of a humble little house on the edge of town.

“Ya alright there, Twi?” Mac asked, a tinge of humor in his voice.

“Yeah, yeah…” she said, distantly. “I just zoned out a little, is all”

“Well, ya might wanna wake up. Ya know how cousin Braeburn is!”

“Oh, I know! Full of energy!” Twilight gave a small gesture towards the door, urging Mac to knock on it. He did so, and the sound of hoofbeats came from within.

“Jus’ a minute!” came a muffled voice.

And a minute is what it seemed to take, so early in the morning when it was as if every living creature were a slug. The door creaked open to a confused, yet pleasantly surprised, Braeburn.

“Mac? Twilight?” he said, looking between the two. “What brings y’all here?”

Big Macintosh chuckled as the moved forward to embrace his cousin. “Not much, Brae. Just goin’ ahead an’ gettin’ somethin’ outta tha way!”

Braeburn accepted the hug, but still looked slightly dazed. “Somethin’? Wha’ kinda somethin’, cous?”

Twilight chose this time to step into the conversation. “Hello, Braeburn! Mac and I are….well, that is, we’re dating now. And a few conversations with him and Applejack brought up y’all’s whole tradition of ‘meeting the family’ and, well, here we are!” She beamed at Braeburn as a look of utter surprise, matched with total confusion passed over his features in a matter of two seconds.

“Wait, y’all are…hold on, Mac, yer….and Twilight said ‘y’all…’” finally he looked at his large red cousin. “Come on in. It seems there’s some ‘splainin’ to do, an’ it ain’t gonna be done on mah front porch half past the butt-crack of dawn!”

Twilight giggled at his remark as the trio made their way inside the dimly lit home, and the first rays of Celestia’s radiance were beginning to peek through the curtains. A fire could be heard crackling in the living room, and the bits of wood that were trailed in from the front door suggested that it had very recently been built back up from its dying embers.

“Jus’ stoked up the fire a few minutes ago,” Braeburn said. “Sorry ‘bout the mess!”

“It ain’t even a problem,” Mac said, with a chuckle.

“You should see my library on a normal day,” Twilight replied.

“Well, normally Ah’m not even here,” Braeburn said, as he motioned for everybody to take a seat on some western styled couches. “Usually Ah’m out in tha orchards workin’. It doesn’t really get too cold out here, so there’s always somethin’ that needs doin’.”

Twilight looked around the small room as she took her seat. Although she had visited Appleoosa once before, she hadn’t ever been inside Braeburn’s house. There were several pictures framed in what looked to be fletched sticks all around the room, along with some cowboy tack such as lassos and outerwear. It was a nice little escape from reality, she decided. It was only then that she noticed Braeburn looking directly at her.

“What? I-I’m sorry, I was admiring the decorations,” she said, gesturing around the room.

“Why thank ya, ma’am! They’re all jus’ stuff Ah’ve retired over tha years. Thought they migh’ look good hung up an’ all. But what Ah asked was, what’s all this about y’all datin’ and whatnot?”

Twilight felt heat instantly creep up into her cheeks, and she could tell Macintosh noticed her embarrassment. She hadn’t had to actually explain their relationship to another Apple before; It was just a well-known fact in Ponyville.

“Well,” she begain, “it started about two months ago, an—“

“Woah!” Braeburn exclaimed, leaning forwards a bit. “Ya mean ta tell me, Cous, that ya started datin’ this fine little lady two months ago an’ didn’t tell ole’ Brae?”

“Uh,” Mac started, looking around the room helplessly. “Well, ya see…”

Braeburn held up a hoof. “Aw Ah’m just pullin’ yer leg, Mac! Ah understand! Ah’m sure she takes up a lotta yer time!”

Mac glanced at Twilight with a small grin. “Ya could say that, Ah suppose.”

“So please, continue!” Braeburn said, excitedly.

Twilight began once again to explain how they got started as a couple. Throughout the better part of an hour, she wove a detailed story beginning with her first sparks of interests in Big Macintosh, flowing through the ordeal at the family pond when she kissed and ran, following up with how the situation was reconciled. Mac pitched in a few words here and there, but for the most part, let Twilight take control of the account. When she finally concluded with how it was they ended up on the journey they were now on, Braeburn just sat quietly for a moment, thinking.

“So,” he said, hesitantly, “lemme get this straight. Y’all ain’t getting’ married…yet…” he paused here for emphasis, “but y’all are still doin’ this thing. Don’t that seem to bring up more trouble than it’s worth?”

“Well, yeah, but—“ Twilight was cut off by Big Macintosh.

“We both believe that it needs to get done sooner or later. We both see it headin’ that way.”

Braeburn was silent, hoof to his chin, nodding as he thought on this statement. A moment and a deep breath later, he said, “Then Ah don’t see nothin’ wrong with it. Ya might have more trouble with them older family members you was talkin’ about. As far as Ah’m concerned, though, it’s all good.”

Twilight smiled. “Thank you, Braeburn.”

“S’no problem, Twi,” he said. Then, turning to Mac, he asked, “So, how long y’all plannin’ on stayin?”

“Jus’ the day, if that’s alrigh’ by you,” the stallion said.

“Ain’t no problem at all!” Braeburn exclaimed. “Y’all are welcome for as long as y’all need a place ta stay! But Ah understand that ya got stuff ya gotta take care of! Come on, lemme show ya were y’all can set yer saddlebags. Then I reckon we can get out an’ about ‘afore the town gets ta rustlin’ about!”

Twilight rose from her seat to follow her coltfriend and his cousin to their room, all the while thinking that this trip was already off to a wonderful start.

But she had no idea what was coming.