• Published 3rd Oct 2012
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The Album - Peregrine Caged



A collection of 'snapshots', short stories that represent Moments in the lives of various ponies

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Braeburn -- Visitors

Written by: Faceless
Rated EveryoneA train chugged, slowly, over the dry desert. The sun baked the roof of the locomotive as the ponies pulling the mass of machine ploughed on, taking the unforgiving sun’s challenge into stride. The ground beneath them burned, but they had a duty to reach their destination of Appaloosa.

Appaloosa was a quiet town surrounded by other farming communities, but other than that, there was only the shimmering sea of sand. The train drivers called the track Deserted Drive. It was not the most imaginative name, but the drivers thought of it as ‘witty’.

The tranquil town slowly emerged into view. The drivers press on, trying to catch the minutes lost.

They all knew what it meant if they didn’t.

Sweat poured out of every pore in their body as they tried to reach their destination. They all knew what was waiting for the three passengers on board. The drivers gave a silent prayer to them, as they galloped the last mile into town.

~~~~

Billy sat with his two parents, Windy Kites and Budding Clay, waiting to stretch his legs at their destination.

Billy was a clever colt, especially at economics. He was extremely popular at school, being an exceptionally witty and sociable foal, despite being ‘out of shape’. However, his mouth got him into all sorts of trouble, ranging from back-commenting teachers to once being thrown out of museum. That, however, is another story. On top of this, he wasn’t too driven to work, giving him bad grades at school.

He was an earth pony, like his father, with a murky blue coat and mousy brown hair. A few freckles dotted his face. He was a little chubby around the sides. He did not have a cutie mark.

Windy Kites, Billy’s mother, was a pegasus with a short, purple mane and light blue coat. She was well built as she was in charge of Trottingham’s storms. Kites was always impatient, but was an extremely good mother to Billy, being a strong-minded, friendly mare. However, when she was in a mood, she could crack mountains. Her cutie mark was a wing with a lightning bolt searing through it.

Budding Clay was a dreamboat. Unfortunately, he didn’t know it. His muscles, although not too potent, were perfectly visible. He had a strong frame which held a luscious dark blond mane that reached to his shoulders. He was tanned and had a sapling as a cutie mark.

Clay was known as a miracle worker. He could craft any soil to fit the purposes of any plant. Every seed that he planted would grow. He wasn’t as good as keeping them alive after, but farmers thanked him, kindly. Clay could have been extremely successful, but he was a stallion with no common sense. Although Clay was extremely clever, he was easily led into absurd deals and was as orientated as a beached whale. His disorganised manner sent Windy Kites into a frenzy every time she had to fly to work, giving him a lost trowel or tie.

The Trottingham family were going on a short holiday to Appaloosa, after Clay had made a deal with a stallion by the name of Filthy Rich. They were alone in their overnight cart, so the atmosphere was silent.

“So what is there to do here, Mum?” Billy asked. Kites trotted over to Billy, giving him a fond ruffle of the mane.

“I bet there is loads to do here!” She turned to Clay, looking down at his little pocket guide. “Clay?” Clay lifted his head and nodded enthusiastically.

“Appaloosa is an amazing place! I’ve been here before and I loved it! I mean, horses drawing horse drawn carriages: who’d of thought it?” He smiled widely and turned back to the guide, mumbling approvingly and highlighting points of interest. Billy rolled his eyes and rested his muzzle against the side. Kites trotted over to Clay and lead him out of earshot of their alert son.

“I don’t see what you see in this place,” Kites sighed. “Billy doesn’t seem to be too excited by the trip.”

“He just hasn’t seen it yet!” Clay reassured Kites.

“But what is there to do for foal his age?”

“Darling, I chose this as a family trip. Honestly, do you really doubt my judgement?” Kites was about to tell Clay exactly what she thought of his decisions when he exclaimed, “The train’s stopping! Come along, everyone. Seize the day and all that!” He hopped merrily to the end of the carriage.

Kites rolled her eyes and gave Billy a playful nudge. “Try to keep enthusiastic for your dad. We’re moving on to Dodge Junction after this. We can take you to that museum. Have they forgiven you for the skull?”

Billy was bemused by now and had walked past the awkwardly smiling Kites. He followed his father through the hallway to the exit. The door swung open to reveal a deserted platform. Billy looked at the tumble weeds rolling carelessly and sighed.

“The party is all here, isn’t it.”

Two things happened at once. Firstly, the train lurched to life, leaving dust spiralling up into the open air. Secondly, Billy bumped into his father who was rooted to the spot, looking at the stallion in front of him.

~~~~

The drivers saw him lurking in the shadows. He stood there, as still as a statue, waiting for the familiar creaking of the door. His head snapped towards the drivers and they cowered in fear, knowing that they were late. Fortunately for them, a door burst open to reveal an oblivious stallion walking to his demise.

The silhouette fixated its eyes onto the individual. He shot towards the stallion like a predator to prey.

The drivers took this advantage to speed off before the predator turned on them. As the town faded into the sand, they could just hear the yell of victory as the platform terror had trapped the visitors in his snare of friendliness.

~~~~

“Hey there!” the stallion before them said. Kites and Billy looked at the stallions with mixed reactions. Clay looked at him with a chummy smile. It was obvious the two were like a duck to water. Kites was looking between the two, now seeing that Clay’s magnificence had a challenger. Billy looked at the yellow stallion oddly. Who was he? Why was he talking to a bunch of strangers like us?

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Braeburn and I would like to welcome you to--” Braeburn jumped onto his hind legs, his mane flowing in the wind, his Stetson staying firmly on his head. Clay gasped in awe as he reached his full height. Braeburn took a swift breath in before shouting:

AAAAAAAAPAAAALOOOO- WOOOW!

The perfect image suddenly shattered as the screaming stallion toppled over onto his back. His Stetson rolled gently over the platform. Kites and Billy looked down, from either side of Clay, to stare at the fallen colt. He smiled and chuckled.

“Sorry, folks. Bad knee after too many bucks.” Braeburn retrieved his Stetson before continuing. “So you must be the only passengers. Shame really; the more the merrier, as it goes. On the other hoof, they seem to wander a bit more, and in the strangest places too. I mean, how did they get themselves on a train away? These city ponies are strange ones.

“Anyway, I see that your train was one minute late. Shame on you! That’s one less minute not to enjoy the delightful pleasures of--” Braeburn paused and carefully moved onto his hind legs. He paused when he reached full height, frozen in an awkward stance.

AAAAAAPAAALOOSA!” he cried, suddenly, bringing time back into motion. He kicked his forelegs out as the sun seemed to brighten behind him. He brought himself back to the floor, smiled, and exclaimed.

“Wait, that’s two minutes now! There’s no time to lose!”

“Great,” started Kites, “could we first go see--”

Before Kites could finish, she felt a head at her side and the feeling of air hitting her face.

“Now this is AAAAAAPPPPPAALOOSA!”

Kites looked around at the humble town. Then she noticed the train station, at the end of the street. Clay looked around in awe, studying the ponies with interest as they gave him peculiar stares.

“How did he push us this far,” queried Billy, as he looked at the distance to the station, perplexed. However, the station had turned into a saloon before his eyes.

“Now this is our salt saloon. This is usually where all beverages are served.”

“He did it again,” Billy said. “How the hay…?”

“Billy! Language!” Kites said, sternly. “Now let’s go have a nice cooling-”

“And this is the bank!” Braeburn smiled again at the three ponies. “This is where-”

“Listen, Braeburn, wasn’t it?” Kites started through gritted teeth.

“That it is!” Braeburn exclaimed, putting his face closely to Kites. Kites looked into those emerald eyes and lost herself.

“Hey, Braeburn! Tell me more about the Bank.” Billy tugged on Braeburn’s vest to get his attention.

“Why sure, young ‘un! What do you want to know?”

“Well, what’s the currency here?”

“Bits, but not your old kind o’ bits! You see, we have been making the same bits since the founding of this here town.” He reached into his pocket and, in one swift movement, tossed a bit into the air. It spun and glinted in the sun before landing on top of Braeburn’s hat. He bent down so Billy could see.

“We have an apple tree on ours. Our primary income is apples! We have been thinking of changing our old traditional bit here. Let me show you!”

Another Braeburn Express later and the family were confronted by a lavish apple tree orchard. Clay started to impersonate a cat-fish as he gawked at the site before him. Looking closely, he could see dust rising from the orchard.

“Say, Braeburn,” he began, “why is that sand rising?”

“I’m glad you asked.” Braeburn reached his arms around and put the family’s heads together, turning them like a periscope. “As you can see, there’s smoke rising from over yonder. That’s the buffalo’s camp. They like to be all traditional as well. The track running through is their running path. We learned to share our orchard with them.”

Braeburn let go of the heads and put his hoof in another pocket. He pulled out another bit which he took more care of.

“Sherriff will kill me if I broke another one of these. This is a prototype of our new bit.” The bit was the same size and had the same gleaming apple tree. The difference was that the tree had a buffalo print over it.

“And I think that ends this here tour,” Braeburn concluded, tossing the coin back into his pocket.

Suddenly, a whining sound became audible. Clay and Billy looked at each-other, knowing the sound.

Kites stood rigidly, eyes closed, making the whining louder. It was like a kettle, ready to explode.

Billy had to do something, anything, to stop his mother. He knew that his mother would kill Braeburn when she reached breaking point.

“Mister Braeburn?” Billy suddenly said.

“Yes, young ‘un?”

“Thank you for taking us on the tour.”

Silence was an understatement; it had to be. It was like a bubble had formed around the group, blocking all noise. Braeburn had his Stetson down, covering his face, Kites had stopped whining, opening her eyes to look at the scene before her and Clay was looking absentmindedly at the orchard again.

Braeburn finally lifted up his Stetson, revealing a grin and a tear.

“No one has ever thanked me for a tour.” He paused and took a breath. “Thanks, young ‘un. That’s made my day. No, year! Go enjoy yourself.” Braeburn gave a kind nod to all three and walked back into the tranquil town.

“Oh, and it’s just Braeburn. No Mister!”

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