The Daily Grind
Soarin' had a much easier time waking up today. He sat up in his bed, stretching his forelegs as he yawned. He glanced at the clock, which read six in the morning. He nearly asked himself if his host was awake when the distinct scent of cinnamon and nutmeg struck his nose. Easing himself out of bed and down the stairs, Soarin' saw Braeburn stirring what he could only imagine was their breakfast sitting in a metallic pot on the stovetop. He stepped past the table, seeing only one bowl, spoon, and cup on it. "Something smells good," he commented.
Braeburn jolted and turned around quickly, letting out a sigh when he saw who spoke. "Oh! S-Soarin'. Ya startled me."
"I did? Sorry about that." Soarin' peered around Braeburn and looked at the pot. "What's cookin'?"
"This? Oh, ah was just makin' m'self some hot oats n' cranberries. There ain’t much, but yer welcome ta have some if ya want."
"Hot oats?" Soarin' asked as he tilted his head.
Braeburn chuckled momentarily until he noticed his guest wasn't laughing. "Oh, uh, Oatmeal."
"Ah, right. Sure, I don't mind." Soarin' sat himself at the table as Braeburn began to look for a second bowl, spoon and cup.
"T' be honest, ah wasn't expectin' ya up so early, considerin' ya slept through the mornin' yesterday," Braeburn admitted as he placed the additional dishware on the table.
"Yeah, I uh... my sleep cycle was thrown out of whack when I got into town. The press showing up didn't help me too much either," Soarin' recollected with a small grimace.
"Ah dunno if they'll be in town much longer, but hopefully they skedaddle soon." Braeburn hoisted the pot onto the table, using a ladle to carefully scoop out a portion of the meal for the both of them. He also filled up both cups with a pitcher of apple juice before sitting down himself. "Dig in! Ah hope ya like it."
Without hesitation, Soarin' took a small bite before quickly dropping the mouthful back in the bowl. "Hot! Hot! Too hot!" He quickly doused his singed mouth with the glass of juice.
"Didn't think ya'd jus' throw it in yer mouth like that. Ah'd 've warned ya first." Braeburn was struggling to keep a straight face. "Do ya always try ta wolf down yer breakfast?"
Soarin' slammed down the glass with a hard 'thud' as he let out a sigh of relief. "Not... usually. I just thought they wouldn't be... well... that hot."
"Ah did call 'em hot oats fer a reason." Braeburn blew the bit of hot food before cautiously placing it in his mouth. "Just gotta let it cool off fer a bit is all."
Taking his host's example, Soarin' copied Braeburn's routine before taking a bite himself. Without the blazing hot temperature, his taste buds danced as the spice of cinnamon clashed with the tang of cranberries. The consistency of the oatmeal was also noteworthy; not too runny, but not too chunky either. "This is pretty good! Do you cook a lot?"
With a prideful smile, Braeburn replied, "Been cookin' fer a while now. Started learnin' so ah could help take some of the burden off my pa."
Soarin' stopped and looked at Braeburn, ears drooping slightly. "Oh... that’s right." He quieted down and continued to eat the oatmeal, which Braeburn noticed right away.
"It's okay, Soarin', honest," Braeburn quickly added. "Helpin' my pa cook fer the two of us was the one time we got to bond outta his busy days. Helped me fer the better!"
"Well, uh... okay," Soarin’ replied. An awkward silence momentarily filled the air before the Wonderbolt asked, "So, uh, what're you gonna do today?"
Braeburn finished off his mouthful of breakfast before he answered, "Ah'm headin' off to the Apple Orchard fer work today. Got a lotta apple trees to help buck."
"That sounds... fun?" Soarin' responded.
"Helps pay the bills. Now, the orchard's a ways out from town. Ah don't think ya'd have to worry 'bout any o' them newsponies showin' up, so yer welcome to tag along, if ya want." Soarin' looked up from his food. "Wouldn't want ya cooped up in the house, now."
Well, it sure beats being doing nothing. "I guess I'll give it a shot," Soarin' responded with a shrug.
"Then it’s settled!" Braeburn responded happily.
Both ponies decided they’d leave once their meal was finished. They spent the rest of breakfast talking about nonsensical topics until their bowls were empty. Soarin' found his disguise and covered himself up before following Braeburn to the apple orchard. Along the way, Soarin’ would shoot quick glances towards the townsfolk, who’d do nothing more than smile and wave at him when passing by. Much to his relief, nothing seemed amiss.
When the site was almost in sight, a voice behind them called out, "Braeburn!" Both stallions turned around to see Black Stone approaching. "Ah was wonderin' when ya'd show up. Ah gotta to ask ya somethin' important!"
"G'mornin' to ya, too, Stone," Braeburn replied with a curt look. "What's up?"
"Ya remember that pegasus ya ran after? The one from the bar?"
Soarin' tensed up as Braeburn replied, "Yeah, what 'bout him?"
Black Stone smiled. "All them newsponies runnin’ ‘round town? They're lookin' fer him. Say they wanna ask him some questions, and they'll pay out some big bits to anypony who knows where to find him!"
"Really now?" Braeburn replied. "Well ain't that somethin'."
"Please tell me ya know he went!" Stone pleaded as he put his hooves together.
Braeburn put a hoof to his chin as he hummed. In the meantime, Soarin’ began to tremble, ready to rip off his clothes and fly away from the scene as fast as possible. His acquaintence put this anticipation to rest when he answered, "Ah'm sorry, Stone. Ah just talked to him fer a bit and then he went off to the Haystack Inn. Didja check there?"
Stone slumped to the floor and stared at the dirt. "That's where them newsponies are, but he ain't there. Must'a caught wind an' snuck out or somethin'." He sluggishly looked up at Braeburn when he finally noticed the stallion standing behind his friend. Stone pointed his hoof at Soarin' and asked, "Friend o' yours?"
Braeburn and Soarin' made eye contact. Fear present in the Wonderbolt's eyes met a calming expression in the applebucker's own. "Yep! He’s from Dodge Junction. Met him a few years back, n' now he's come out fer a visit every now n then. Ah wanted to take him with me to the apple orchard."
Black Stone got to his hooves. "Well, where are mah manners? Mighty sorry to go on n' on 'bout that matter. And please excuse my rude friend for not introducin’ you, Mr...?" he asked as he walked up to the incognito pony and held out his hoof.
Soarin' stepped forward to return the gesture and replied, "Mulberry Twister. Nice ta meet ya, pahdnah."
"Right back at'cha. So, yer from Dodge, huh? Never been there m’self, but ah hope Appleloosa’s just as nice a place."
Stepping outside is like stepping into a fire. My coat feels stickier every minute the sun is up. I can't open my mouth without feeling my tongue dry out. The outhouse is this town's greatest scientific achievement. The ponies in this town don't know what personal space means. Oh, and I'm currently the target of a witch hunt. "This here town's pleasant as punch!" Mulberry replied with a wide grin.
Stone looked at Mulberry's attire. "Ain't ya a lil' overdressed for the weather?"
"Weyll," Mulberry replied as he gulped. "Ah figgurd this here'd be usefil fir any varmints that come 'round these parts. Scare 'em off n' all."
Stone silently looked at Mulberry. "You haven't been to an apple orchard before, have ya?"
Braeburn gave Mulberry a look as he subtly shook his head. "N... no, ah haven't. Ain't this what the ol' pioneers used ta wear?"
All three ponies were silent before Stone eventually chuckled. "Yer an odd one, Mulberry, but a good kinda odd, ya know that?"
Braeburn cleared his throat. "Well, we should get goin' to the orchard! Don't want boss to give us more work for dilly-dallyin’."
"Oh, shoot!" Stone replied. "Too true. Let's get movin'!" He took off, not noticing Braeburn and Mulberry staying behind.
"I, uh... I overdid it, didn't I?" Soarin' quietly asked.
Braeburn shrugged. "You'll get the hang of things sooner or later. Now let's hurry out to the orchard. Ah wasn’t kiddin’ ‘bout boss throwin’ a fit over late workers. We'll talk more there."
After moving at a brisk pace for a few minutes, the orchard finally came into view. Soarin's eyes grew big as he noticed row after row of bountiful apple trees. He licked his lips, then immediately regretted it as he passed through a small dust cloud.
Upon arrival, the front of the orchard had a tan lattice awning present to greet them. Braeburn and Soarin' stood in a small line of other mares and stallions as they walked up to a check-in trailer and took a card with them. After a seemingly long and somewhat silent wait, Braeburn received his card. He smiled. "Well ah’ll be!" He showed Soarin' the card, which had a letter ‘H’ on it. The Wonderbolt raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. "Oh, right,” Braeburn added. “Each pony here is given a section of the orchard to buck. You get paid more for a better harvest, so naturally everypony wants the best area. And that area happens to be Row H!"
"Wow, nice.” Both ponies walked away, towards the trees. “You sure I'm allowed in?" Soarin' whispered. "I think I stand out pretty badly over here."
Braeburn shook his head. "Don't worry, as long as them varmints get scared off by what yer wearin’, ah'm sure you'll blend in!" Soarin' stared deadpan as Braeburn tried not to burst into laughter. "C-c'mon, let's go," he said with a snicker.
Both ponies walked along a dirt road that divided the orchard perfectly into two halves, alphabetically organized rows on each side. “Fun fact,” Braeburn began, looking behind him, “this road wasn’t always here. The town put it in a couple months back after a dispute with the local buffalo.”
Soarin’ raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
Braeburn nodded. “When the foundin’ ponies discovered this land, they set up houses an’ livin’ space mighty quick. As it turns out, however... they... kinda built the town on sacred buffalo ground.”
Soarin’ gave his guide an incredulous look. “How did they find that out?”
“When the buffalo stopped all apple trees from comin’ into town, and threatened to demolish the place,” he replied with a sigh.
“That’s... a bit crazy.”
“What’s crazier is how—” Braeburn stopped and looked at the row to his right. “Ah’ll tell ya later, we’re here.”
Soarin's mouth hung open and his pupils grew big, seeing luscious red apples hanging from the countless branches that enshrouded his vision. He quickly wiped the streak of drool from his mouth and quietly asked. "So, uh, what kind of apples are these?"
"Red gala."
"Whaddya need?" a feminine voice asked nearby.
Braeburn rolled his eyes. "Fer the hundredth time, not you Red Gala, ah'm talkin' 'bout these apples." Laughter was heard. "She does this all the time, ah tell ya."
“Are you able to take any of these home?” Soarin’ asked as he gulped.
“Only if there’s a surplus, and even then, that’s rare.”
The Wonderbolt’s ears drooped as he moved to sit in the shade as Braeburn worked. He started to stare at the sky as his wings began to ache. If these stupid paparazzi weren’t in town, I could scratch this itch. How do earth ponies live like this?
He was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts when a loud thud sounded off next to him. He looked to his left in time to see a multitude of apples fall neatly into a basket waiting below. Soarin’ stared as his acquaintance walked to another tree and repeated the process. He stood up and moved over to Braeburn as he asked,“How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Buck the tree like that, I mean.”
Braeburn looked at the tree with a perplexed expression. “Ah... buck it? Uh... ah don’t git what’cha mean.”
“I was just wondering why the apples fall but not the leaves.”
The applebucker’s eyes lit up. “Oh! That’s just earth pony magic.”
Soarin’ stared at Braeburn’s unwavering expression. “... Come again?”
“Not like magic magic, but just earth pony magic. Ya do know ‘bout that, right?”
“I... never bothered to look into magic much,” Soarin’ replied while suppressing a sneer.
Braeburn walked to the next tree, his friend following close behind. “Ah don’t wanna offend, but ah’m a little surprised a Wonderbolt like yerself don’t know ‘bout this.”
Soarin’ huffed. “Like I said, wasn’t interested.”
With that comment, Braeburn decided against commenting further on what Soarin’ did or didn’t know. “Okay, it’s like this. Unicorns can shoot magic outta their horns, right? Well, we earth ponies and you pegasi do somethin’ jus’ like that, but with a tiny difference. Fer instance,” he stopped to face the next tree full of apples. “Try buckin’ that tree.” Soarin’ looked perplexedly at Braeburn, but reluctantly moved towards the plant. He reared himself up and delivered a swift kick into the tree’s trunk, leaving a noticeable groove. However, instead of hearing the surrounding baskets fill with apples, nothing aside from old twigs, some leaves, and a rotten apple or two made their destination. Soarin’ stared dumbfoundedly at his failure.
“Now watch what happens when ah do it,” Braeburn said as he stood before the tree. He readied himself before giving the tree a kick. This time, all apples on the tree fell off, effortlessly and neatly, into the baskets.
Soarin’s mouth hung open, enticing Braeburn to chuckle slightly. “That’s what ah mean by earth pony magic. Earth ponies... well, work the earth, so our magic is more in tune with the environment. Likewise, pegasi have magic that lets ‘em change the weather and walk on clouds. That’s perty much everythin’ ah learned.”
Soarin’ stared at the tree, noting how the indent he gave the trunk seemed untouched by Braeburn’s impact. “So any earth pony could just knock all the apple trees out?”
Braeburn shook his head. “Well, ya still gotta git good at buckin’ trees, o’course. Knowin’ the sweet spot, when it’s the right time to buck, tellin’ good apples from the bad. It’s all in the job.” He smiled as he noted how Soarin’ seemed to understand what he was talking about. Just as quick as it came, however, his smile dropped to an unpleasant look.
“Well lookit who’s here,” remarked a voice from behind. Soarin’ turned around to see two ponies walking towards Braeburn and himself. The pony on the left was gray with a black mane and brown ten gallon hat, and the pony on the right was a light shade of tan with a blue mane and a brown cowboy hat. “Of all the ponies to get H, it just had to be the colt-cuddler,” the tan pony added. Soarin’s eyes shrank and his lip twitched as he backed out of the way.
“Shamrock, Cherry Strudel, always a pleasure,” Braeburn replied. “To what do ah owe this auspicious occasion?”
“Shut yer trap, ya filth!” Shamrock, the gray pony, replied, seeming to shoot daggers from his blue eyes. “We were lookin’ to trade with one of our oh-so generous co-workers, but it seems this row’s tainted today. Might as well throw out all them apples now, don’t wanna infect the town with yer disease-ridden hooves.”
Braeburn began to tut as he shook his head. “Didn’t ya hear? Ah bathe every day in a vat of ‘Gay-Be-Gone’ before work, ah’m straight until the evenin’! But that’d make ya even more worried, wouldn’t it?”
Cherry Strudel walked forward, almost close enough for Braeburn to see his reflection in the other pony’s dark green eyes. “You think yer so smart, dont’cha?”
Braeburn smiled. “Ah ain’t smart, just got a lotta common sense. It don’t take much brains to buck apple trees, couple’a fine gentlecolts such as yerselves oughta know that.”
Cherry’s face scrunched into anger, but before he could do anything, Shamrock held him back, insisting, “He ain’t worth the trouble, Cherry. His time’ll come.” It was then that the gray stallion took note of Soarin’. “And who’re you supposed to be?”
Before he could say anything, Braeburn dictated, “He ain’t no one y’all need to care ‘bout.”
Shamrock smiled. “Ah ain’t seen yer face ‘round town. You this colt-cuddler’s boyfriend?” Any attempt made by Soarin’ not to appear scared failed as he started to back into the tree. “Come on, ah asked ya a question, now spit it out!”
Braeburn suddenly dashed to the spot between Soarin’ and Shamrock. “Ah told ya he ain’t important, now shove off!”
Shamrock and Cherry were now mere inches away from Braeburn. “Then do somethin’. We’re right here.” Soarin’ watched all three ponies stare each other down when an apple whistled over his head and towards shamrock’s hat, knocking it off.
“My stars, ah’m so terribly sorry!” came a young sultry voice from behind the trees. “Seems ah just got a touch careless n’ let an apple fly from my basket. How clumsy of me.” A light-green mare stepped out of the foliage, her yellow mane glistening in the few spots of sunlight peeking through the foliage. “Oh goodness, ah didn’t know we had a social goin’ on here. There ain’t a problem, right fellas?”
Both of the antagonizers seemed to stiffen up. “N-no, no problem here,” Cherry managed to reply.
“We were just on our way,” Shamrock quickly added.
Both ponies turned and left, casting ugly looks to Braeburn and Soarin’ as they walked away.
Braeburn sighed. “Thanks for helpin’ us out, Apple Munchies. Ah didn’t know what they were plannin’, but it couldn’t a been good.”
“Now what in tarnation was that all about, Brae? Ya can’t just go throwin’ words ‘round them two. Especially at work, for Pete’s sake!”
“But they were goin’ after my friend, and ah ain’t ‘bout to sit by n’ watch thugs like those two pick on anyone ah care ‘bout!”
Munchies turned to face Soarin’. “Well, that unpleasant encounter aside, pleasure to meet ya! Ah hope you’ll excuse those two lugs, they can be a bit of a problem at times.” She held out her hoof.
Soarin’ stared blankly for a moment before getting to his hooves. “It’s no-” he quickly cleared his throat, “Naw, tain’t a problem t’all, mayum. Mah name’s Mulberry Twister.” He quickly bumped hooves, throwing on an innocent smile.
“Well, Mulberry, ah’ll have ya know that not all ponies of sweet ol’ Appleloosa are like Shamrock n’ Cherry.” Her smile then disappeared as she patted the top of her head a few times. “Oh fiddlesticks, not again!” She looked behind her to see a blue bonnet with white dots hanging from a branch. She retrieved the headwear and re-tied it onto her head. “So what brings ya ‘round these parts, Mr. Twister?”
“Ah’m jus’ visitin’ from mah home out in Dodge Junkshun,” Mulberry added.
“Dodge, huh? Ah heard the cherry grove’s looking amazin’ this year, know anythin’ ‘bout that?”
“Well, uh...” Mulberry’s gaze instinctively shifted to Braeburn, who was quickly nodding his head. “Eyyup! It’s lookin perty good this year!”
Munchies sighed. “That’s great! After how the cherries were hit with Brown Rot, things looked mighty grim. Ah reckon the remedy ah suggested to Cherry perked it right back up!”
Mulberry nodded. “That’s right! Ah reckon he’s darn happy ‘bout how his trees look this year!”
Apple Munchies raised an eyebrow, unaware of Braeburn shaking his head. “Cherry Jubilee is... a mare.”
Mulberry’s eye twitched as he gulped. “O-oh,” he stammered in between nervous laughter, “Mah fault, ah must’a confoosed him wid ‘er husband.”
Braeburn started to shake his head even faster.
“But... Cherry never married...” Munchies gave him a side glance. “Do you even know who Cherry Jubilee is?”
Before Mulberry could think of anything to say, Braeburn leapt towards him, pushing his friend’s cheeks until his lips stuck out. “Well ah’ll be, Twister! Yer lips are drier than a dust cloud! Ah oughta get you some water right now!” He started dragging Mulberry before the other pony began walking on his own. “You oughta get back to work yerself, Munchies! We’ll talk more later!”
“B-but—”
“Later. Munchies. Trust me on this. Thanks again for the help!” Both ponies hurriedly left a very confused mare behind.
“S-sorry about that,” Soarin’ murmured after being a distance away.
“It ain’t a problem,” Braeburn quietly replied. “Just gotta be careful ‘bout what we say ‘round her. She’s a smart cookie, and ah’m sure she’ll put the pieces together in no time if we let her.”
When Soarin’ and Braeburn walked past the rows of apple trees and to a trough filled with water. Both ponies dunked their heads right in and drank before pulling their heads back out as they sighed in relief.
“So, that mare,” the Wonderbolt began, “you and her are good friends?”
Braeburn nodded as he licked the water from his lips. “Yep! We go a ways back.”
Soarin’ sat on the floor. “You said she could put the pieces together ‘in no time’. Is it okay to just leave her alone?”
“She ain’t the type of pony to be spreadin’ secrets or rumors, ah can vouch for that.” Braeburn paused to roll the aches out of his neck. “Which is why ah feel we ought’a tell her the truth.”
Soarin’s eyes shot wide as he jolted himself on all fours. “What?! But you—”
“Ah know, ah know!” Braeburn whispered back, reminding Soarin’ of the public setting they were in. “But listen. We can trust her. It’ll be better if ah explain the situation to her, rather than her findin’ out and tellin’ one o’ her friends or one o’ them newsponies.”
“So she is the type—”
“Not if she knows somepony’s well bein’ is at stake!” Braeburn shot back.
Soarin’ gulped as he began pacing around. He shook his head. I can’t believe I’m considering this. “She can be trusted?”
Braeburn nodded. “Since the day ah met her. Stood up for me once against a coupl’a bullies in grade school.”
“That so?” Soarin’ replied, trying not to tremble.
“Three of ‘em, matter of fact. It wasn’t long after my momma left. Guess they thought I was fair game, given the circumstances. They began pushin’ me around, so ah pushed back. Their leader didn’t like that... so the next day he got me real riled up by talkin’ nonsense ‘bout how my Pa was a terrible parent. Soon as ah called ‘im out, he threw sand in my eye.”
“That so,” Soarin’ bluntly remarked. “What happened next?”
The cowpony cracked a smile. “He bucked me in the chest. Hurt somethin’ fierce. Ah laid on the floor, gaspin’ for breath. Soon as ah could start to see again, they were standin’ over me. I was expectin’ a real whippin’, but then Apple Munchies rushed in and tackled ‘em!”
Soarin’s eyes grew wide. “Just like that?!”
Braeburn nodded. “It was one of the most shockin’ and amazin’ thing my lil’ eyes ever did see. ‘Course ah soon realized it was three on one and she was takin’ as much of a whoopin’ as she was dealin’, so ah leapt in. We all received a suspension fer that. Pa was called to school and...”
“Wasn’t happy?” the Wonderbolt weakly completed as his hooves began to shake.
Braeburn shook his head. “Teacher told ‘im ah was causin’ a ruckus and that ah ought’a be disciplined more often. Pa started sayin’ in front’a everyone that ah can’t just get into fights all the time. How ah gotta be the bigger colt and how he was disappointed in me. Ah was startin’ to cry as we left the school, but when we were out of sight, he suddenly pulled me in for a hug as he was apologizin’, explainin’ that it was just a show for the teachers n such, and told me we were goin’ out for some ice cream.”
Soarin’ stared, slack jawed, as Braeburn smiled.
“Told me it wasn’t a reward for fightin’, it was for standin’ up for myself. Later, of course, he made sure ah knew the difference between pickin’ a fight and standin’ up for myself, and that him treatin’ me for gettin’ in a scuffle weren’t gonna be a regular thing.” Braeburn looked to the sky. “My pa really was somepony amazin’, even after ma left.”
“Your dad... really does sound like a great pony,” Soarin’ weakly replied as his gaze drifted to the floor.
Braeburn turned to his friend and saw the matching bittersweet smile and longing pair of eyes on his face. Before he had a chance to say anything, Munchies appeared from around the corner and asked, “Y’all plan on drinkin’ the town dry?” straightening the two stallions out. “Been gone an awful long time.”
“Don’t mind us! Just havin’ a lil’ chat is all,” Braeburn quickly covered.
“If ya got enough time fer chattin’, ya got time for workin’. Now let’s get back to it, boys.”
Braeburn and Soarin’ watched as Apple Munchies walked away. They looked at each other briefly.
“Guess we should head on back,” Soarin’ commented. Braeburn nodded and followed Soarin' back to row H.
**********
With a swift kick, Braeburn once again knocked off the fruit hanging from their branches. He breathed a sigh of relief as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "That was the last one for the day!"
"Thank Celestia, it’s an oven out here!" Soarin' huffed.
“Says the pony who sat on his kiester durin’ my shift,” the cowpony replied with a chuckle.
Soarin’ couldn’t help but let a quick laugh escape his lips. He looked at the row of baskets filled to the brim with apples. "You probably have enough of these to feed the town three times over."
"Oh, ah wouldn't say that," Braeburn replied with a chuckle. “C’mon, we’re free to go.” He began walking back to the entrance, motioning for his friend to follow behind him.
"So do you guys just leave these baskets here, or does somepony come get them?" Soarin' asked.
"There's a separate team o’ ponies that come in n' collect the baskets. They then gotta tally each pony's harvest n' keep track of the state of the trees. We don't want some sorta disease to infect the whole orchard, after all," Braeburn explained.
Before Soarin' could comment, his stomach growled loudly, causing the Wonderbolt to giggle uneasily.
"Well that answers my next question." Braeburn briefly examined his surroundings. "If yer that hungry, you can grab an apple before we hit the road."
Soarin's ears perked up. "Won't you get in trouble for that?"
"It's perty unlikely," Braeburn answered with a shrug. "One missin' apple ain't gonna affect too much."
Despite his acquaintance having done so, Soarin' also took a moment to check for any wandering eyes. In the blink of an eye, he zipped over to an apple basket and rushed back to where he previously stood, a swiped apple effortlessly hidden under his hat.
"That was fast!"
"Years of practice," Soarin' casually replied.
"It shows," Braeburn mentioned. "Them Wonderbolts really made ya into a speedster, huh?"
Soarin' froze momentarily. "Y-yeah, that's right."
One walk and several odd topics of conversation later, both stallions were clear away from the apple orchard. "Gotta say," Soarin' started, "these clothes sure are a lot better to walk in than what I wore last time."
"Glad to hear it!" Braeburn added. "Ah wish ah had some better clothes for ya, but it's a good thing Morton had that getup for ya."
Both ponies continued walking for a time before Soarin' began talking again. "Still can't believe those jerks actually gave you a hard time back there."
Braeburn sighed through his nostrils. "They've had it out for me since ah came here. They ain't never done anythin' too crazy, but ah keep my wits about me whenever they're around." He paused to turn to his friend. "But ah'm sorry that you got involved. Wasn't even yer fight."
Soarin' scoffed. "They just got lucky because I gotta keep my low profile. If I didn't have this disguise, I'd have..." He began to trail off as he gradually came to a stop. "I'd..."
Braeburn stopped and looked at his friend. "Somethin' wrong?"
Soarin' gently shook his head. "I'd... have stood there... and done nothing." He looked up at Braeburn. "I just froze back there."
"It could'a happened to anypony," Braeburn justified. "Ya felt threatened. It's natural."
"No, you don't get it!" Soarin' shot back. "I could've said something to them, could've gotten in his face, or I could've even shoved him out of the way... but I didn't. That wasn't Mulberry who was scared back there... that was me."
Braeburn walked close to Soarin'. "It's okay to get scared. Ya don't need to beat yerself up about it."
"But this just means that nothing's changed..."
"Whaddya mean 'nothing's changed'?"
Soarin' opened his mouth to answer, but quickly jerked his head back as he stepped away. "It's nothing," he flatly stated as he nearly shoved his way past Braeburn. "Let's just get back to your house."
Braeburn trotted a bit faster than before to catch up. "Soarin', are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, just don't worry about it."
"'Cause, ya know, you can tell me anythin', and ah-"
Soarin' suddenly whipped around, giving Braeburn a stern glare. "Actually, I don't know. Because in case you forgot, I've only known you for three whole days. Sure, that might seem like enough time for you to give me your life story, but not for me. So no, I don't think I can tell you just anything. Let me refresh your memory. We're not pals, we're not buddies, we're just two stallions who are in the same house for a week, then you're probably never going to see me again. The sooner you understand that, the sooner you'll be able to get over it when I'm gone, got it?"
Braeburn stood in shock as his ears slowly began to droop. "Yer... yer right. Ah'm sorry. Ah... ah shouldn't have assumed it would be okay."
Soarin' turned around and started walking, Braeburn silently following close behind. Neither of the ponies spoke to each other as they continued walking under the midday sun towards Braeburn's house. Upon reaching the front door, Braeburn unlocked the door and let Soarin’ inside. "Oh, ah, uh, just remembered," the cowpony mentioned from outside the doorway, "ah gotta go to the store and get a few things. Ah'll be back later."
Soarin’ looked back and shrugged. “Sure, whatever.” The door quietly shut. He found himself walking up the stairs before he plopped himself into his bed. Soarin’ rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, replaying the day’s events. He heaved a heavy sigh. “He couldn’t have honestly expected me to just lay out my entire past for him, did he?”
The Wonderbolt sat up. “I mean, you don’t just expect somepony to talk about something he clearly doesn’t want to talk about.” As he continued to lay down, he started to remember his surroundings. The bed he was in, the room he was given, the food he’d eaten, none of which belonged to him. He laid back down. I... guess I shouldn’t have lashed out at him. Here he is, trying to understand me and keep me under the radar... and I respond by chewing him out.
Soarin’ got up and out of the bed, eyeing the couch on the level below. After a moment of staring at the piece of furniture, he decided to hover to the lower level, moving to the couch. He prodded a cushion with his hoof, gradually applying more weight into his foreleg. He pulled the hoof away, noticing no imprint in the surface. This thing’s as hard as a rock. How can he sleep on it? A thought crossed his mind, causing him to look off to the side. How would... I have slept on it? Once again, he sighed. “Damn it, he didn’t deserve any of that...” He started walking back upstairs. “I’ll apologize when he gets home, I owe him that much.”
It was at that time when a knock came from the door. Soarin’ turned around, an eyebrow raised. Does he think he needs permission to enter his own home? He walked to the door and opened it before freezing on the spot. A familiar reporter stood before him, looking a fraction as shocked as Soarin’.
“O-oh, what an unexpected surprise,” Strawberry Dreams admitted. “Word around town was that a pony by the name of Braeburn lived here, and yet I’ve run into you again, Mr. Twister.”
Mulberry forced a smile. “L-likewise, ma’am!”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but could you tell me where I can find this Braeburn fellow? I’d really like to ask him a few questions.”
“Well, ah’m afraid ya jist missed ‘im.”
“And you know Mr. Braeburn... how?”
“That’s cuz’ uh,” Mulberry paused as his eyes darted upward momentarily, “he’s a good friend of mine!”
“And you’re here because...”
“Ah’m stayin’ heer fer a few days.”
“Is that so...” Strawberry put a hoof to her chin. “That strikes me as somewhat odd, Mr. Twister.”
Mulberry’s lower lip twitched. “Ah, ah don’ unnerstand...”
“Anypony I spoke to that mentioned Braeburn said he lived alone, none of them said anything about somepony else living with him.”
“Oh, th-that ain’t a surprise,” Mulberry replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah jus’ recently had to room up with ‘im. Mah home ain’t in livin’ condishun right now. Bein’ fumigated fer now.”
Strawberry and Mulberry stared at each other for a moment. Eventually, the reporter cleared her throat. “Well, if Mr. Braeburn isn’t here, I do have other ponies I need to speak to. So I’ll take my leave. Farewell for now, Mr. Twister.”
Mulberry delightfully closed the d—
“One last thing,” Strawberry added, stopping the door with a hoof. “You might want to consider keeping your hat on. That manestyle of yours... it really stands out.” She gave an innocent smile. “‘Til we meet again.”
Mulberry slowly closed the door, immediately resting against it as he slid to the floor. He started to shake as his breathing grew heavier.
She knows. She’s gotta know. Soarin’ concluded. I gotta get out of here! He sprung to his hooves and flew up the stairs, looking frantically for his bag. As soon as he found it, he began looking for his belongings, but suddenly stopped. Woah, calm down! Let’s think about this for a second. He started pacing back and forth. Reporters thrive on exclusive scoops. She wouldn’t tell the entire press about what’s going on. If only she knows, it’s not going to be the end of the world. He stopped his train of thought to take a deep breath. This just means I’ve got to keep a really low profile. He loudly exhaled before walking to his bed and plopping his face onto the mattress as he let out a muffled groan. This week can’t end fast enough.
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My oh my, this sure is a good story. I'll keep this in favourites, seeing as this has no errors that I've seen in any way, and that I really like it. Here, you've earned a like, favourite, and a Big Mac. Let me just get this damned large Mac out of this box, drive to McDonalds, and get you this large red Earth Pony.
2562169 U mad, bro?
2562300
Just shocked and disgusted. That is all.
2562078
Anyhow, I'm glad I was able to get this chapter out.
If I had to hazard a guess, perhaps it was a little less than five months, three weeks, and six days?
2562229
Well, I thank you person! And I also thank you for this Big Mac toy.
2562540
Hmm, that's a very well thought out comment you left there. Considering you had enough time to leave a meager picture for a comment explaining your distaste, rather than simply ignoring the story, or going so far as to leave an anonymous thumbs down, maybe you could elaborate on why my story 'shocks and disgusts you', since this story's content is rather tame compared to the darker side of the fandom.
2564554
What, no thanks for the unreleased Mac portable PC-phone and the meal? That portable PC-phone cost like, at least 2.5mil, and I had to go to extreme lengths just to get it. Unspeakable and unpleasant lengths... BUT! WHATEVER. NOT LIKE I WANTED ANY THANKS. ..Not like I wanted any thanks... ;-;
Welcome back! Glad to see this story moving again, but I'm angry at Soarin for being a dick to Braeburn
2564554 Well, I don't mind to tell you I find gay romances disgusting. Believe me, I do not have anything wrong with homosexuals, but I just don't see the beauty of it in a story. I just feel like its unnatural. Please, just respect my opinion on this and move on. Thank you, sir.
Was it worth the 5 month wait? Totally.
2565417
You say you find gay romances disgusting, and yet you took the time to comment on such a story as mine, to which I might add it should've been blatantly obvious what kind of story you'd be getting yourself into. You must understand that it just doesn't seem to make any sense. You could've ignored it, as I've done to many stories with content I find unsavory, but you felt the need to inform me of your distaste.
You claim to enjoy formality and manners, but there's one big rule you seem to have forgotten. "If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say anything at all." However, you ignored this rule. This incredibly simple rule that doesn't take much to follow at all. No one needed to know that my story shocks and disgusts you, and quite frankly, it's rather rude to say such a thing to a person who writes for fun.
Now, you could've left a simple little few thoughts on the story itself, such as you don't like seeing the characters together, you're not a fan of m/m shipping, or anything involving the characters themselves. It would've been reasonable, since I've seen my fair share of rabid shippers who enjoy putting together two men or male characters in their stories just because they can, regardless of relationship or personalities. However, what you stated, I actually do take personal offense to.
"I don't mind to tell you I find gay romances disgusting. Believe me, I do not have anything wrong with homosexuals, but I just don't see the beauty of it in a story. I just feel like its unnatural."
I think it's time for a reality check. This quote from above is the most contradictory statement I've ever seen. I'm going to spell it out for you. You say you don't have anything against homosexuals, and yet you say you find gay romances disgusting and feel they're unnatural. I don't care what kind of excuses you have, if you have a problem with two gay people finding love, then I don't believe you, and you do have a problem with them.
Yes, this is your opinion, and you're entitled to it, but don't think for even a second that it makes you exempt from being called out on it. Especially when your opinion essentially describes other people as lesser beings. When you say that relationships like the one I'm in are disgusting and unnatural, I do take offense to that.
I won't ask you for an apology, since I don't need one, and I'm sure I've already embarrassed you enough. But perhaps if you understood and accepted your blatant homophobia, then maybe you can become a better person. You're still young and you have time to understand the err of your ways, so take these few years you have left of your adolescence and improve your character.
P.S. I'm sure Rarity would be disgusted with such uncouth behavior.
2564835
And this, my friend, is what we call natural relationship development! I think it works much more nicely than simply throwing them in the bed together.
2565793
It makes me happy to know that people still stick with my being a lazy butt.
2567092 2567092 Your comment suggests you're confused with my position. I did not thumbs down your story, I merely posted an image. An image that clearly offended you. It wasn't my intention to provoke you when I posted it, but I seem to have anyway. For that, I apologize. And, about me and homosexuals, I was taught to love and tolerate. You may say I'm rude and hypocritical, but others would beg to differ on my behalf. Besides, your comment doesn't suggest credibility. If you feel that I carried out my opinion incorrectly, allow me to formally rearrange it. "Although I do not understand why the story would be chosen to be carried out in a homosexual way, since I don't find such a thing beautiful In a story, I can still appreciate the time and effort put into writing it." I hope you will find that much better, and I do see your point when you say I carried out my previous comment poorly. I shall look into it. Cheers, and have a good day, sir! (And In all honesty, yes, you did embarrass me.
)
Oh yesh, an update. <3
Finally a new chapter can't wait for the next chapter
but I can wait 
*royal canterlot voice* ITS ALIVE!
This is quite nice so far. It's only been recent since I started reading M/M or Soarburn but I have to admit, they prove to be enjoyable reads like any other ship fics I've read so far.
Continue on with your great story.
Oh... my... ******
You've relased new chapter finally! And i didn't notice since 11th? LOL
Are you working on more now? I don't want to see such a huge break again :c
2587109
Already got the next chapter planned out, as a matter of fact. Should start working on it soon.
Hi! I like this story a lot so far. I'm eagerly awaiting the next chapter. I don't usually read romance, but somehow the way you've written this just appeals to me.
My only critique so far: perhaps in an edit in the future, you could hint a bit more strongly about Soarin's backstory? So far it's so subtle that his lashing out at Braeburn came out of left field a little bit. He's so close-lipped that he's coming off as a little too mysterious to the reader, IMO, and it's hard to get behind the motivation for his actions, like the aforementioned lashing out or even his incredible desire to hide from the paparazzi. It's not clear to me why he's so afraid of them.
2723712
I'm quite glad to hear that my style of writing appeals to you! Makes me glad to receive comments like this.
As for your critique, it's a valid point. The thing is though, I'm trying not to outright give his backstory right away. It's good, imo, that readers such as yourselves feel like these situations are coming out of left field, because then it lets the reader start to ask questions. Indeed, you should be asking these sort of questions because then it leads to theories and possibilities. I try to leave subtle details in the narrative that you can begin to piece together what possibly went down, but they're the sort of details that can somewhat make sense now, but will really make sense in the future. I'm not disregarding your critique, since I feel I'm walking a thin line between being too obscure and too blatant about the backstory, but I felt I should explain how this all processes in my mind.
Don't fret though! As the chapters progress, events will slowly start to fall into place that will paint a picture for how things used to be for our pegasus friend. Any critique is definitely something to consider, and I shall remember this while writing future installments. Thank you again!
Their leader didn’t like that... so the next day he got me real riled up by talkin’ nonsense ‘bout how my Pa was a terrible parent. Soon as ah called ‘im out, he threw sand in my eye.”
POCKET SAND!!!
more...?
this is so awesome