Braeburn’s one real eye snapped open and he quickly sat up in a cold sweat. He felt for the metal switch on the side of his head and flipped it on. Vision to the electronic eye embedded in his face was restored.
The stallion sighed, reflecting on the bad dream he’d just woken from. For the past month he’d been suffering from the same nightmare over and over again. What made it worse was that the events of said nightmare had really happened to him. The infamous Appleloosa Massacre.
He remembered the sound of the buffalo rushing at the crowd of ponies, the barricades being smashed though like they were nothing, and the last moments before getting trampled. The horror played in his head like it was happening again. Unfortunately it wasn’t, because if it was he would suggest using something better than apple pies to defend themselves with or just getting the buck out of there.
Braeburn got out of bed to work yet another day on his cousin’s farm. His three metal legs sounded differently on the floor than his one remaining hoof, on the leg that hadn’t been amputated after he was trampled.
The side of his face had also been caved in, resulting in replacement of one eye and one ear with electronics. While Braeburn had to admit that the cybernetics were better than being crippled, he mostly kept to the farm and out of public eye. He was riding the fine line between robot and pony, and most residents of the nearby town shrank from the sight of him.
Braeburn put on his hat and began his day.
A couple hours later, he was pulling a cart of apples from the orchard to the barn. His cousin Applejack nodded to him as he approached. Her face softened a little with concern. “Y’all alright Braeburn? You look very tired.”
“I guess I’ve been losing some sleep lately,” he responded.
“Is it about those dreams you’ve been telling me about?”
“Yeah, I don’t know why, but I’ve just been reliving it. I mean, last week I tried to use Granny Smith as a pony shield when Rainbow Dash said ‘stampede’.”
“Well, that was kinda funny.”
Braeburn chuckled, “Yeah, I guess so.”
They both entered the barn where they saw a familiar orange earth pony with a black mane.
“‘Sup, Apples,” he said.
“What is it Valiant?” Applejack asked.
“Well, Sir Win sent me to check up on the cider for the wedding.” The farm had been contracted to provide beverage service for an upcoming event.
Applejack nodded. “Oh yeah. Sorry, forgot that it was being picked up today. Follow me.”
The two of them walked away. Braeburn was glad to stay behind. The strange orange stallion was annoying, possibly an alien, and definitely a mad scientist. Valiant was also the pony who had “fixed” Braeburn. Where the parts had come from, he didn’t know, and didn’t want to.
Later that night at dinner, while his cousins and grandmother enjoyed their meal, Braeburn just sat there looking at his plate. Apple Bloom was telling them about another failed attempt at getting her cutie mark. He didn’t pay much attention. All he really heard was, “How do you even get covered in tree sap when you’re underwater?”
Applejack turned to him and asked, “What’s wrong Braeburn? Still tired?”
“W-What? No, I’m fine. I guess I’m not that hungry,” he responded.
“You sure that’s it? Cause you’re looking kinda glum.”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Braeburn I can tell...”
“I said I’m fine!” he finally shouted, only to remember himself and lowered his tone. “Sorry, Applejack. I guess I’m not fine.”
“Y’wanna talk about it?”
Braeburn let out a sigh and said, “It’s just that I’ve been thinking a lot recently because of my dreams and how they be affecting me. I talked to Miss Twilight about this and she calls it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”
“What does that mean?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Basically what it says. I’m getting all stressed out because of a traumatizing event in my past. In my case, the Appleloosa Massacre. But it’s not just the PTSD I’ve been thinking about. I realize that I don’t remember what it’s like to be happy and the way the town treated me doesn’t really help.”
“They’ve gotten used to you,” Applejack stated.
“Yeah, but look how long that took. Not just that, but they accepted that Sir Win guy much quicker than me and he’s a demon, for Celestia’s sake! They see a guy who is on fire, collects the souls of other ponies and whose previous home was Tartarus of all places, but they are fine with that! When they saw me, they ran away and treated me like the bucking freak I am!”
“Braeburn!” Applejack scolded. “Don’t use language like that in front of Apple Bloom.”
“Oh it’s fine.” Apple Bloom said. “I hear that word all the time from Valiant. Yet he does have that weird speech impediment where he says it with an ‘F’.”
Applejack facehoofed and said, “I’m going to have to have a talk with that pony.”
“I’m sorry.” Braeburn said before he left the table and went to his room.
About an hour later there was a knock at Braeburn’s bedroom door and a voice on the other side, “Braeburn? It’s Applejack. Y’all mind if I come in?”
“I guess not.” Braeburn said in a monotone voice.
The door creaked open, letting some light in the dark room. Applejack walked to the foot of the bed. “Now I know you’ve been stressed out. I’m here to tell you that we’re all here for you if you need us.”
“I know, but that doesn’t change how I acted earlier. I screamed at y’all about my problems like a little whiny filly.”
“It’s okay, you’ve been through a lot.” She paused for a second, “Can I suggest something?”
“Sure.”
“Do you know my cutie mark story?”
Braeburn had heard it. Applejack traveled to Manehattan before discovering that she really wanted to just live on the farm. “Yeah what about it?”
“Well I had to go somewhere else to find out where I’d be happy,” said Applejack. “Maybe you should do some soul searching yourself.”
“Oh yeah, leave Ponyville that took far too long to learn to live with me and go somewhere else to scare a bunch of other ponies. That sounds like a great idea.” Braeburn said sarcastically.
“Will y’all at least consider it?”
“Fine.”
With that Applejack left and Braeburn went to bed. He thought about Applejack’s idea, but was unsure if he could find something to live for somewhere else or if it be a huge mistake. He eventually fell asleep.
When Braeburn woke up, he found himself lying on his back in an unfamiliar place. He saw a certain orange stallion looking back at him.
“Wow, for God’s sake Braeburn, Princess Peach is harder to kidnap than you.” Valiant said. “Good thing, too. After AJ told me how down in the dumps you were, I figured your mood couldn’t get any worse if I grabbed you again.”
“Please don’t tell me you’ve done something to me.” Braeburn deadpaned. Usually, when he woke up to Valiant staring at him, something terrible had been done to his body.
“Indeed I did. Well, Sir Win helped, right?”
“Yes. I had fun fitting the metal on that broad chest of yours,” said Sir Win, a pale stallion with a mane of fire, wearing a huge grin.
“Metal on my chest?” Braeburn asked.
“Get up and see. Speaking of, seeing notice anything different with your vision?” Valiant asked.
“I’m seeing out of both eyes and I didn’t have to turn on my fake one.”
“Yup, that’s the first thing I changed. Now you don’t have the switch. You can just think and your vision will change between different magnifications, plus a new setting which is night vision because why the hell not?”
While he was saying this, Braeburn had gotten up and looked at himself in a nearby mirror. Instead of just one fake eye, both eyes were covered in a visor, His metal legs were a better fit for him and there was armor over his chest and one real leg.
“Huh, I’m surprised that you didn’t faint or anything.” Valiant said.
“Well I’m used to looking like a walking trash heap, but why the armor?” Braeburn asked.
“Just because I felt like it. I mean look at you. You look like freaking Robocop.”
“I’d buy that for a bit,” Sir Win added.
“I don’t wanna be one of your stupid alien references!” Braeburn shouted at Valiant.
“Well, too late now. Wanna know what else I gave you?” the mad scientist asked.
Braeburn sighed. “Fine.”
“Well, your left hoof has a number of features, including fingers and a can opener. I was able to add a grappling hook and a built in gun, but I don’t know if they work so you’d have test them yourself. Also don’t even think about using the gun on me. Remember, I never make anything I can’t turn off. Huh, with all this maybe you’re more like Inspector Gadget.” Valiant paused and sang the next part. “Duh Duh-a Duh Duh Inspector Braeburn.”
“I bucking hate you.”
“I know.”
When he was let go, Braeburn went back to Sweet Apple Acres where he ran into Applejack. The mare looked him up and down. “So Valiant kidnaped you again and gave you an upgrade?”
“Eeyup. That’s why I decided to take you up on the idea of the whole soul searching thing. Well, I guess it’s more to get as far away from Valiant as possible.”
She chuckled and said, “Wouldn’t we all like to do that.”
“I’m not sure where I’d go though.”
“Well, I have a friend in a town called Dodge Junction. I’m sure she’ll take you in and give you a job. She did for me.”
So a few days after receiving a letter from this friend of Applejack’s saying it was okay for him to visit, Braeburn packed the few things he had and put on his hat and the duster that Applejack and Big Macintosh told him he could keep. He boarded the train and left Ponyville.
The train ride to Dodge Junction was, not to Braeburn’s surprise, awkward. As he expected he was being stared at by almost everypony in the train car. At least he was able to turn his vision off so he didn’t have to see them all looking at him, just judging him on something that wasn’t at all his fault.
Th train came to a stop and Braeburn turned his eyesight back on. He grabbed his tan saddlebags and made his way off of the train. ‘Cue the screaming in three, two, one.’ He thought to himself. He stepped into the hot desert sun, which reflected off of his not as hidden metal body parts and armor. Braeburn looked around a bit surprised that the locals didn’t react the way he expected. Yeah, the where not getting too close to him and he saw some mares start whispering to each other once the saw him, but that’s sightly better then how Ponyville reacted the first time they saw him at the cider making contest, almost everypony ran away. Including the two sailsponies his family were up against. ‘What where their names again?’ Braeburn asked himself, ‘Brim and Blam, or something like that.’
Braeburn took a quick look at the new town from first glance it seemed to be just a simple town in the middle of the desert, not that much different from what Appleloosa was. He might take a better look around sometime later.
“Excuse me sir, would you happen to be Braeburn?” A female voice asked.
Braeburn turned around to get a look at the mare who was talking to him. She was a cream colored earth pony, with a red mane in a beehive style. Her cutie mark was of two bright red cherries, also she wore a pink handkerchief around her neck. When she saw him she looked a little surprised, but thankfully not scared by his appearance.
Braeburn nodded his head and said, “Yes Ma'am, Ah assume you’re Applejack’s friend.”
“Yup, Hello Braeburn, I’m Cherry Jubilee. Applejack told me a lot about you.”
“What did she say exactly?”
Cherry Jubilee got a kind nervous look on her face and she rubbed the back of her head, “Well, she told me about, ummm... well...”
Braeburn got that she was getting at his roboticness. Is that even a word? Roboticness? Anyways he nodded and said, “Okay, well at least she warned you before hoof.” He then made a half-fake chuckle.
Cherry Jubilee turned around and motioned for him to follow her inside a nearby building, which he did. Once inside she gave him a tour of the place. It was an average two storey house with a living room, dining room, kitchen, two bathrooms, a master bedroom for her and a guest room that he’d be staying in. The only room that stood out was one with a conveyor belt and a huge stone wheel big enough for a pony to walk inside to turn it, when he asked Miss Jubilee about it, turns out that’s what it was for.
“Now I’ve save the best for last.” Cherry said as they stepped back outside. That’s when Braeburn saw a large cherry orchard. The tall trees bloomed with pink petals, small red and yellow fruit grew off of the branches, there also was a cool breeze and a sweet scent in the air. Braeburn was amazed at how much drastically different form the warm desert on the other side of the fence. Her was lost for words.
Cherry Jubilee giggled a little bit and said, “Yup, this is Cherry Hill Ranch. Quite a beautiful sight if you ask me.”
“Yeah, Ah can see that you put a lot of work into it.” Braeburn told her.
“Well, technically my parents were the ones who started it, I just took over after they retired to Las Pegasus.”
“Still it must be very difficult for you to run this place by yourself.”
Miss Jubilee let out a sigh and said, “Yeah, It can be. Bucking all these trees by myself. That’s why I hire ponies to help when I can, like you cousin Applejack for example. Which, if you’re half the worker she was then I’m sure you’ll be fine. Plus, I really need the help this time of year.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s almost green cherry season. I have some trees in the back of the orchard that grow these cherries that are a green color around this time of year. They’re also really popular around Heart’s Warming Day.”
“Do they taste any different or are they the same thing, but different color?”
“They taste the same as the red ones.”
“So wait is there a difference with the yellow ones then? Sorry about all the question Ah know a lot more about apples then cherries.”
“It’s fine and yes there is. I’ll give you some so you can see for yourself.”
Braeburn followed his new boss to one of the nearby trees that had some baskets under it. She turn her back at it and began to repeatedly kick the tree with her back hooves. After a few good hits many cherries fell right into the baskets. She smiled as she picked up one of each color and hoofed them over to braeburn.
He ate the red one first. He have had cherries before so it was nothing new. Very juicy and it had a mix of both sweet and sour. Braeburn spat the pit out onto his hoof and asked, “Any where Ah can throw this away?”
“On the ground’s fine.” Cherry Jubilee responded.
After he did that he the tried the yellow one, as Miss Jubilee said it was much different. It was just as juicy, if not more, and it was extremely sweet. It was almost like it was a piece of candy. If Pinkie ever made a cupcake with these little fruits in them, well Braeburn felt like he’d diffidently be betraying his apple bucking cutie mark, because he’d be in heaven.
“I see you liked it.” Cherry Jubilee said, with a warm smile. She picked up the basket and placed it into a barn that was a couple of yards away. Braeburn offered to take care of it for her, but she told him to just get settled in and she’d tell him when dinner was ready.
Braeburn walked inside and into the guestroom to place his stuff somewhere. He also hung his duster in the closet, thinking that Miss Jubilee seemed comfortable with his appearance, so he didn’t have to wear it around her. He then looked at his own refection in a mirror in the room and though, ‘If everypony else here is as okay with it as her then this might not be so bad after all.’
About an hour later Miss Jubilee called him to dinner and he walked out of the bedroom to join her. Tomorrow he’d begin his work.
Braeburn tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. Not because of nightmares, yet even if he fell asleep they probably would wake him up anyways. The reason why he couldn’t fall asleep is because trying to sleep while wearing armor is not comfortable at all. Not to mention it was also hot, and the armor around his neck made Braeburn unable to crack his neck, and he really, really needed to. Braeburn was fine with his fake metal legs, he could live with the visor, he had no problem with the extra gadgets that at the moment have served him no use, but why did he need the armor! Did Valiant think it just made him look cool?
He lets out yet another sigh and sits up, looking around the room. It was a simple small bed room with not much furniture beyond a bed and night stand. There was a clock on the wall that showed that it was barely midnight.
Braeburn rolled out of bed and decided to get some fresh air. He made his way out of Cherry Jubilee’s house, making as little noise you can with metal hooves. Braeburn looked at the pictures hanging in the hallways. Most of them had Miss Jubilee as a little filly, and with two other earth ponies, one male and one female, that Braeburn assumed were her parents.
The stallion was built like Braeburn's cousin, Big Macintosh, and seemed to be a complete color swap of Miss Jubilee, because where she had a cream-colored coat with a red mane, he had a red coat with a cream-colored mane. His cutie mark was of one red cherry and another yellow one, with their stems twisted together.
The mare on the other hand was a light pink color with a long red mane. She had soft blue eyes that just by looking at them, you could tell that she loves her family. She also had a slice of cherry pie with some whip cream on top for a cutie mark.
Braeburn thought to himself that she was a very attractive mare. Come to think of it so was Miss Jubilee. He shook his head at this, ‘What are y’all thinking you idiot?! You been here for less than 12 hours and you’re thinking about making googly eyes at your new boss?! Yes, she’s attractive, and she hasn’t treated you any differently than she would with other ponies, but that’s it! You’re never going to be with another mare again! You’re a robotic monster and if you weren’t you’d be a cripple!’
When Braeburn finished yelling at himself in his own head, he noticed that he had gotten outside and he couldn’t see a inch in front of his nose. ‘Well a good as a time as any to try this night vision thing.’ Right as he thought that it switched on and he could now see the orchard, but in shades of green.
Braeburn trotted thought the many rows of trees, which for him was a bit nostalgic of the fields on Sweet Apple Acres or even the one that once stood in Appleloosa. Even thought it have been almost two years since the massacre it still was troubling him. Yet, that goes without saying since that was the whole reason why he came here in the first place. Braeburn then thought if this was how he would have to spend the rest of his life? With this dark cloud over his head.
Braeburn stopped right in his tracks when he heard a very loud growl. Braeburn slowly turned his head to see what it came from. What he saw was some sort of animal, or maybe it was a plant? It resembled a wolf or something in the canine family, but it’s body looked like it was made out of cacti, with needles coming out of it’s body and everything. Braeburn noticed that it had long, sharp claws, like you’d expect. The creature bared it’s fangs, saliva pouring out of it’s mouth and it growled again. Braeburn had only one thought in his mind at that point, ‘run’.
As Braeburn was rushing back to the safety of Miss Jubilee’s house thoughts race though his mind. It went something like this, ‘Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! What in Tartarus is that bucking thing?! It seems to be a wolf, but it’s a cactus. Is that their version of Timberwolves around here? Back in Ponyville the sound of Timberwolves means that it’s zap apple season, so does this thing serve any importance? The biggest question is why and how is it in the orchard?’
Braeburn turned his head to see if the creature was chasing after him, it was. This proved to be a mistake because since he looked back, he ended up tripping on a rock that was sticking out of the ground, and landing flat on his face. Before he had a chance to get up and rub the bump he probably had, he got pinned down by the beast. Braeburn fearfully started into the beast's glowing eyes. Braeburn tried to struggle, but the beast scratched him in the face. He let out a yelp in pain, but continued to try to get this beast off of him. He got his back legs under the creature's body and kicked forward to shove the creature off himself.
Getting back onto his hooves he quickly rushed at the thing, slid his body 180 degrees, and bucked it in the face, making it roll back serval yards. The creature got back up after a few seconds and tried to run at him again, but when it put pressure on the front left leg it let out a whimper on pain. It turned around and Braeburn watched as it limped its way to the fence, crawling under a spot that had been dug under it.
Then some lights turned on behind him. Braeburn turned off the night vision and turned around to see Miss Jubilee with her mane down, which was really long, about down to her knees. She was wearing a see-though pink bed robe and some fuzzy slippers of a similar color. “What’s with all the noise?”
So Braeburn walled inside and told her what happened while she helped clean and bandage the scratch mark the creature left on his face.
“Oh that was a Cactus Coyote.” Cherry Jubilee said.
“Cactus Coyote?” Braeburn asked.
“Yeah, they’ve become kinda a problem recently. The town has even been trying to find a way to take advantage of the situation, but I think only the local bar has benefitted.”
“In what way?”
“Well the owner of the bar, a pegasus named Root Beer, took some advice that some earth pony gave him and started serving stronger drinks.”
“What does that have to do with the coyotes?”
“I’m getting to that, apparently their blood is more like a type of water, and he puts it in his drinks.”
Braeburn’s face turned white at the idea of ingesting some animals vitally fluids seemed just sick.
“Yeah, I thought the same thing, but I’ve tried it, and it is very strong, and I mean strong. After a drink or two you’ll start seeing friendly mushrooms.”
Braeburn was silent, having no idea how to respond to that.
Cherry Jubilee chuckled and said, “Okay Braeburn, I’m going back to bed. I suggest you’d do the same. You’ve got a bit to do tomorrow. Starting with filling up that hole under the fence.”
“Okay. Goodnight Miss Jubilee.”
She turned around and said with a wink, “Oh please call me Cherry.”
Braeburn opened his eyes to see he was standing in- wait a second, eyes? Braeburn took a quick look at his front legs, seeing only his own yellow coat. He was so happy to be free from that dreaded robotic body that he almost felt like dancing, but something stopped him from doing so. In the distance he heard what sounded like a bell. Not just any bell, but the one from the Appleloosa clock tower. Braeburn gulped as it stopped suddenly, only to be replaced a few seconds later by the sound of hooves trampling the ground and ponies screaming. Braeburn turned around slowly to see something that made his eyes widen. A twenty foot tall, black as night buffalo coming right at him. Braeburn’s mind told him to run, like he did with that Cactus Coyote, but he just stood there as a giant cloven hoof was about come down upon him. Braeburn closed his eyes waiting for agonizing pain, but when it didn’t come he opened them again to see that the dessert he was standing in the middle of suddenly went from day to night. What was stranger he saw what looked like a pony standing in the distance, but he couldn’t tell who it was. ______________________________________________________________________________
That’s when Braeburn’s vision turned itself back on as he snapped awake.
‘Just another dream.’ Braeburn thought to himself as he rolled out of bed, he tried crack his neck only to remember he was unable to. Braeburn sighed and said, “Buck you, Valiant.”
He left the guestroom and walked down the hallway and past the kitchen.
“Hey ain’t you gonna eat?” he heard Cherry ask from the kitchen.
“Huh?” Braeburn responded, walking back to see Miss Jubilee by her stove, and making some pancakes, while wearing a light pink apron. ‘She really seems to like that color.’ Braeburn walked in and said, “Pancakes?”
“Yeah, since it’s your first day of work and also that whole incident with that Cactus Coyote last night, I figured that I’d make us some pancakes. You like pancakes right?”
“Who doesn’t?”
Cherry giggled a bit and said, “True. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll bring them out when they’re ready.”
“You don’t want any help?”
“No, it’s fine.”
So Braeburn sat down for a few minutes before Cherry Jubilee came out with breakfast. They just sat there and ate quietly, until Braeburn decided to say something, “Excuse me Cherry, but can I ask you something?”
“Of course. What is it?” She responded.
“Why is it that you’re being so nice to me? I’m not complaining or anything, it’s just that in Ponyville not many ponies outside mah family really treated me well. Yet, you are taking me in, giving me a job, making me breakfast. You don’t really seem to mind that I’m more machine than pony now. In Ponyville they all hightailed it out of there when they first saw me, and that was before ah got the armor.”
Cherry gave a warm smile and said, “Because nopony should be treated like that. Besides Applejack asked me to take you in so you’d be less stressed from those nightmares she told me about that been having. Also it’d be awful if you left there only to be treated the same here.”
“Oh I see, you’re only doing this because Applejack asked you to.”
“Oh no, you misunderstand what I mean by that.” She stops for a few seconds, thinking about what to say, “Braeburn, even though you look like a machine, you’re not.”
“Three of mah legs and a good chunk mah face are.”
“That’s not the point. What I’m saying that under this metal, is a pony who just wants a normal life. Or at least that’s what I’m guessing. Am I right about that?”
“Ah guess so.”
“Great, now let’s finish eating and then get to work.” ______________________________________________________________________________
In the cherry orchard, the baskets were set for cherries to drop into them.
“Okay Braeburn, you worked on Applejack’s farm, so I assume you know how to buck a tree, but as Applejack learned when she worked here that cherries are lighter than apples, so it may be harder to knock them off the trees. You think you can manage?” Cherry Jubilee asked.
Braeburn remembering a little trick he made to get apples down quicker, he smiled and said, “Yeah, ah think ah can.”
Braeburn then ran right forward, bucking the first tree, not that hard, but with his enhanced strength from his robotic legs, they still came down. He then ran at the next one and did the same. He repeated this with tree after tree. This was what he called the “buck and run” technique. He came up with it after seeing Applejack’s friend Rainbow Dash do something similar to with clouds on one of the few times she was actually doing her job as weather manager.
Anyways after a few seconds Braeburn stopped after he kicked the last tree in that section of the orchard. When he turned around he saw Cherry Jubilee walking up to him with her mouth agape.
“Y-You did about an hours worth of work in about 30 seconds. I don’t know what to say to that?” She stated.
“Is that a problem?” Braeburn asked.
“Problem? That’s the opposite of a problem! If you work like that then I can get every single cherry down before they go bad! I’d have enough to meet demand!”
“The ponies in this town like cherries that much?”
“I sell my cherries to all of Equestria, no just Dodge Junction. Also with the green cherries coming soon and Hearth’s Warming Eve coming up, that means ponies will want chocolate covered cherries before too long. Oh, I’m going to make so much money!” she exclaimed, and Braeburn swore that her eyes looked like two shiny bits, but he thought that he was most likely imaging that.
“Um... Okay. So uh, anything else that needs to be done? Like that hole that let that Cactus Coyote in, maybe?”
Cherry Jubilee facehoofed. “How the hay did I forget about that? How about you take care of it while I grab the cart?”
“Well, you’re the boss so ah can’t really say no without getting fired, now can ah.”
Cherry chuckles and says, “I guess not, but after what you just did, I have no plans to do that anytime soon.” She gave him a wink.
Braeburn felt his face get slightly warmer, ‘Must be the sun. Y-Yeah the sun’s just getting to me.’ He told himself in his head.
Filling the hole and getting the buckets of cherries was pretty much uneventful, but then Braeburn was brought into that room with the stone wheel that Braeburn saw yesterday.
“Okay, so one of us will have to walk in the wheel while the other sorts the cherries into these boxes.” She pointed to two boxes on the floor, “Red into red, and yellow into yellow, and when they come in, there will be a third box for green. Simple enough. So which one do you want to do? Unless you can pull something like you did outside and do both at once.”
Braeburn shrugged as to say ‘why not’ before he went up to the wheel, stood up on his back legs, and put his front ones against it. He then pulled down, making it spin around. He rushed to the conveyor belt as cherries of both red and yellow came out quickly. Braeburn did as Cherry told, by pushing the cherries into the right boxes as the stone wheel slowly came to a stop. Braeburn was about to go back to the wheel to spin it again when he heard a thud. He looked in the direction it came from to see Cherry Jubilee on the ground with a huge grin on her face.
Braeburn was shocked and rushed right over to her. “Miss Jubilee, are you okay? Is something wrong?” He quickly asked hoping of a response.
Her eyes slowly open and the first thing she said was, “Oh by Celestia’s mane, Braeburn, you are amazing!”
“Ummmmmmm....” Braeburn heard from the doorway. He looked to see that it was coming from a brown pegasus with a off white mane, orange eyes and a glass mug for a cutie mark. What stood out the most was that his left wing was normal, but he didn’t seem to have a right one. Instead it was replaced by a fake on made out of wood and paper. “Did I come over at a bad time, because that didn’t sound so right.”
Cherry got up, blushing a little bit, realizing how what she just said could be misunderstood. “No, it’s fine Root, nothing was going on. Just doing some work with my new employee, Braeburn.” She stated pointing at the cyborg stallion.
The pegasus walked up to Braeburn and brought out his hoof, “Uhh... Hi. I’m Root Beer. I run the local bar with my wife, Cream Soda, and our son Birch Beer.”
“My name, as Miss Jubilee said, is Braeburn, and ah heard of you. You’re that pony who puts blood in their drinks.” Braeburn said with a slight tone of disgust.
Root Beer picked up on this and said, “Well it’s more like cactus water than blood. Like how Timberwolves apparently have tree sap of blood. So it’s not that bad.”
“Ah guess you can see it that way, but to me it still came from another creature.”
“So does milk and eggs.”
Braeburn chuckled a little and said, “Okay, you have me there.”
Root then took a look at Braeburn’s metal parts and asked, “So what’s with the armor?”
“It’s not a fashion choice, ah was terribly hurt and had to get many parts of my body amputated.”
“I see. I know what that’s like.” Root Beer said, extending his fake wing.
“So Root, what did you stop by for?” Cherry asked.
“Oh, I came to pick up my order.”
“Oh of course. Follow me.”
They both started to leave, when Root Beer turned around and said, “Hey Braeburn, maybe you can come on down to my bar sometime and talk some more?”
Braeburn nodded and said, “Sure, why not.” He turned around to give the wheel another spin.
Braeburn pulled a cart full of baskets containing cherries of three different colors. The green ones started coming in now, adding to the usual red and yellow. Braeburn had been working at Cherry Hill Ranch for about two weeks now and was getting used to the life in Dodge Junction. He’d wake up, eat breakfast, and then work on the farm. So not much different from his life in Ponyville, just a different fruit, and more sand. Of course instead of his cousins and grandmother, there was Cherry Jubilee. Braeburn grew a goofy smile when he started to think of her, but quickly gave himself a mental slap back into reality, ‘What in the hay is wrong with you Braeburn?! Even if she’s attractive, there’s so many problems with what you’re thinking! One, she’s your boss! Two, she’s about ten years older than you! And three, you’re mostly machine! Stop being an idiot!’
“N-No, nothing’s wrong Cherry, just thinking about a couple of things.” Braeburn responded.
“Okay, if you say so.”
They got the cart to the barn, and Cherry Jubilee turned to Braeburn and said, “You know Braeburn, you’ve been working really hard these past few weeks, and not to forget to mention that I have more fruit in stock in just two weeks than I usually have in whole season because of you, so how about you take the rest of the day off.”
“You sure? Don’t you want any help making those chocolate covered cherries?”
“Don’t worry, you’ve earned it, but I appreciate the offer.” She said with a warm smile.
Braeburn nodded and began to walk off, ‘What the hay am I going to do with a day off?’ He asked himself, but he then remembered what that pegasus, Root Beer, offered him a few weeks ago, so Braeburn decided to go to the bar to meet up with Root.
After grabbing his duster he made his way through town, looking for the bar. As he walked by other ponies, they gave him quick looks, but didn’t run away, so not as bad as how he was treated in Ponyville.
Braeburn found the bar and walked inside, spotting Root Beer cleaning a glass and talking with a creature that Braeburn didn’t expect to see, a minotaur.
Though unlike most minotaurs, who are very buff beings, this one was kinda scrawny by those standards. He had a light orange coat, the same color as Applejack’s, a black mohawk, and his horns looked like they were almost completely filed down.
As Braeburn started walking up to them he heard the end of their conversation.
“Anyvay, that’s how I lost my medical license.” The minotaur said before they both started laughing.
Root Beer looked over to Braeburn and said, “Oh hi Braeburn, haven’t seen you in a while. Figured that you’d come by here sooner than this.”
“Well, ah’ve been busy working for Miss Jubilee, and she gave me the rest of the day off.”
“Oh, okay.” Root then pointed his hoof at the minotaur, “Braeburn this is Copper Wire, he’s the one who made my replacement wing.”
“Ah I’ve heard of you.” Copper Wire said, taking a closer look at Braeburn, “Wow, you’re really are covered in metal. You got to tell me who made this for you.”
“An earth pony from Ponyville named Valiant, but ah wouldn’t recommend meeting him. He’s not the most sane pony out there.” Braeburn said.
“Bah, being sane is overrated.” Copper said with a slightly creepy smile.
“Umm... ooooooookkaaaayy then.” Braeburn said, backing up a bit, before taking a seat.
“So anything I can get you Braeburn?” Root Beer asked.
“Anything that doesn’t have Cactus Coyote blood in it.”
“Why not?” Copper asked him, “Don’t think you can handle it? Lightweight.”
“It’s not that, ah just find it kinda gross. Is there a problem with that?”
“Whatever you say.”
Root Beer then placed a cup of cider in front Braeburn. Braeburn grabbed it and took a sip. ‘Not bad, but not as good as the cider from Sweet Apple Acres.’ He thought to himself.
So after drinking a bit Root Beer asked him, “So Braeburn, if you don’t mind me asking, how exactly did you, umm... get the way you are?”
Braeburn put his cup down and asked, “Have you ever heard of the Appleloosa Massacre?”
“Of course, it was national news.”
“Well, ah was living at Appleloosa at the time, and a buffalo trampled me. Then ah was in a coma for awhile, and I woke up with three legs, one ear, and an eye gone.”
“Oh, damn that’s way worse than what happened to me.”
“What’s your story then?”
“Well about five years ago I was working the bar when a unicorn stallion,with a crossbow by the name of Quick Draw came in and tried to rob me. I tried to stop him, but he shot an arrow right at my wing, shattering the bone. The doctors said it wouldn’t heal correctly, so it was amputated. Thankfully Copper made this replacement for me. Works pretty well so I can’t complain.”
“You better not, or I can easily take it back.” Copper said.
Root Beer just let out a chuckle as he picked up their cups to be washed.
When he came back Braeburn asked him, “So did this Quick Draw guy ever get caught?”
Root Beer then looked saddened, “To my knowledge, no, but as long as he says away from me and my family I’m fine with that.”
Braeburns jaw dropped, “How the hay can you be fine with that? He took your wing. If ah were you ah’d want him locked up.”
“In my opinion it’s best to let things go and move on with your life.”
A white unicorn colt came up from a back room and said, “Umm... excuse me dad, but I’m done with my chores, so can I go outside?”
“Of course Birch.” Root Beer said to the colt.
As the colt left Braeburn got a look at him, along with being a white unicorn, he had mint green mane and eyes. Braeburn also noticed that he looked like he was around Apple Bloom’s age, or that’s what he assumed since the colt was a blank flank as well.
“So I assume that was your son.” Braeburn said.
“Yeah, that was Birch Beer.”
“Ah noticed that he was a unicorn, is your wife one as well?”
“Of course, if she wasn’t I’d question if she played the field. I mean having a foal of a different type of pony from the parents just doesn’t happen.”
“Well I knew of a couple in Ponyville who were both earth ponies, but there kids are a pegasus and a unicorn.”
“Yah, she cheated on him then.” Copper Wire said.
‘Huh, I feel bad for Carrot Cake now.’ Braeburn thought.
Braeburn hung around for a little while longer before leaving to make his way back to Cherry Jubilee’s. ______________________________________________________________________________
That night as Braeburn was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, something that Root Beer said stuck in his mind.
‘It’s best to let things go and move on with your life.’
‘Is he right?’ Braeburn asked himself, ‘Should ah just forget it and go on?’
Braeburn opened his non-metallic eyes, which made him automatically realize that he was dreaming, to see that he was standing in the middle of the desert, surrounded by a herd of buffalo. They all looked the same, with thick black coats and soulless white eyes.
Braeburn tensed up, but said to himself, ‘Calm yourself down, you know you’re dreaming, so they can’t hurt you.’
“Indeed they can’t.” a regal sounding voice echoed.
All of the pitch black buffalo them seemed to explode into light, and when the light cleared they were replaced by a dark blue alicorn mare.
“P-Princess Luna?” Braeburn asked.
“Hello Braeburn.” The night princess greeted.
“What are you doing here?”
“As Princess of the Night it is my duty to come into the dreams of Equestria’s citizens, and help them out however I can. Which I’ve noticed that you have been suffering from nightmares of a certain event that’s happened to you.”
“Yeah, the Massacre. Mah life hasn’t been the same since, and I doubt that it ever will.” Braeburn said sounding saddened.
“It seems that you need to just move on.”
“Ah know, that’s what Root Beer told me yesterday, and... wait a second if you’ve noticed this, why have you waited until now to try to talk to me about it?”
“To your surprise I’m a busy mare. I have to help other ponies, do paperwork, give Cheerilee missions.”
“What was that last one?” asked Braeburn suspiciously.
“Nothing.”
“Okaaayy, still if you gave me this advice earlier then maybe ah could have started to try to let go earlier and still be in Ponyville.”
“Are you saying you prefer it back in Ponyville? That it was better than your current location?”
“Well, no, I mean ah did have some family back there, and Applejack’s friends seemed nice enough to me, even Valiant. Don’t get me wrong ah still hate him more than anypony else ah ever meet, but he still gave me the chance to walk again. Yet, here in Dodge Junction they don’t seem to mind. I even have somepony that can relate to me, which is Root Beer. Also there is Cherry Jubilee.” Braeburn was silent for a few seconds, smiling.
Princess Luna noticed this and said, “It seems that this,Cherry Jubilee is important to you, is she?”
“No! Ah mean, yes! No wait ah meant to say uhhh... S-She’s just a friend, not even that, she’s mah boss!” Braeburn said with a heavy blush.
“Well it doesn’t look like that.” The midnight blue mare said with a sly grin, “So what is it about her that makes her so important to you?”
Braeburn sighed, knowing that the princess was reading him like a book, “Fine ah admit it, ah’m kinda attracted to her. Ah mean she’s been nothing, but nice to me since ah met her. She didn’t mind me being a cyborg, she gave me a place to stay, and a job. She helped me clean a scratch ah got, cooks for me, and always tells me how thankful she is for mah help. She makes me feel I’m welcome, like I’m a normal pony instead of a machine. To top it all of, she’s also very beautiful. That creamy coat, her long scarlet mane, and those soft green eyes.”
Princess Luna smiled and said, “If you feel that way about her then you should talk to her about it. She may just feel the same way.” She then gave him a quick wink. “Now if you excuse me I have to enter the dreams of a young filly named Scootaloo.” The princess of the night flew off, vanishing into the blackness. Braeburn smiled to himself, drifting into a dreamless, restful sleep.
That morning after Braeburn woke up, Cherry Jubilee told him that she was going to get together with some of her friends that afternoon, and be back around dinner time. When she was about to leave she asked Braeburn something. “So would it be fine if you cook tonight? And if you do I shouldn’t come back and see that my house got burned down, right?” Cherry asked him.
“Of course not.” Braeburn responded.
“Which question are you answering? The one about you cooking or the one of burning down my house?”
“The second one, Ah have no problem with cooking for you for once.”
“Thanks,” she said, giving Braeburn a quick hug before leaving the cybernetic pony with a crimson face. ______________________________________________________________________________
Braeburn gathered some stuff from Miss Jubilee’s fridge and pantry. There was a box of pasta, a jar of tomato sauce and some frozen garlic bread.
Now, most of the Apple family are known to be very good at cooking and baking. Especially when the fruit that they’re named after is involved. Braeburn on the other hoof was one of the exceptions, who had no bucking clue how to, and if he tried it came out more burned than somepony who got attacked by a full grown dragon.
Despite this he thought, ‘Pasta should be easy enough. I mean I saw Ma make it a number of times before she passed away.’ As Braeburn thought about his deceased mother, Apple Crumble, he was suddenly hit with sadness like a ton of bricks. ‘I wonder what she’d think if she saw me the way I am now. Hell, I wonder what that deadbeat of a father of mine would think of me, if he’s still alive or not.’
Braeburn never really knew much about his father since he left his mother not long after she told him that she was pregnant. So all he could really say about him was that he was an irresponsible bastard. Though since his parents were never married that might make Braeburn the bastard technically.
As Braeburn opened the tomato sauce with the metal fingers that sprouted from his cybernetic foreleg, he thought to himself, ‘Well, if Ma did see me in the state I’m in now she’d probably not care, she was my mother after all.’ ______________________________________________________________________________
The garlic bread was close to finishing up in the toaster oven as Braeburn set up the rest. Two plates of sauce covered pasta were sitting on the table, with parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper, if either pony wanted some on theirs.
The toaster dinged as Cherry Jubilee opened the front door. She walked into the dining room as Braeburn placed a slice of garlic bread on each plate.
“Well you didn’t burn down the house so that’s good.” Cherry said, grabbing Braeburn’s attention. She looked at the meal and said, “Pasta huh? I was planning to make it this weekend, but I don’t mind having it now, and it does look good.”
“Thanks, Ah was worried Ah’d screw up or something.” Braeburn said, rubbing the back of his armored neck.
“Oh please from your work alone it doesn’t seem that you can screw up anything.”
“Tell that to the tree I bucked in half back at Sweet Apple Acres.”
They both laughed a little bit before sitting down to eat.
During their meal they talked, most Cherry Jubilee about her get together with her friends.
“And then Cream Soda walked right into the street sign.” The scarlet maned mare said between laughs.
“Well it sounds like y’all had a fun time.”
“Yeah, so how was your day? You weren’t too bored were you?”
“No, Ah was basically distracted with making all this, but it wasn’t too much trouble, besides I was glad to treat you for once.” Braeburn said with a small, barely noticeable blush.
“What do you mean by that?”
Braeburn tensed for a second, but then Princess Luna’s words from his dream last night echoed in his mind, ‘If you feel that way about her then you should talk to her about it. She may just feel the same way.’
“Well, everything that you’ve done for me has been beyond nice, and you don’t mind at all of my condition.”
“Of course, remember what I said about that under that metal you’re still a normal pony.”
“Exactly! You’re the only mare that’s been able to see that.”
Cherry noticed the emphasis on the words “only mare”, and the growing redness of Braeburn’s face. She then though for a second to put the pieces together and she got a small grin on her face. She stood up, and walked over to Braeburn, purposely swaying her hips as she walked.
“So, you’re thankful for all that I’ve done for you?” She asked in a slightly seductive tone of voice.
“Y-Yeah.”
“Do you want to make all of it up to me?”
“Ummm... sure.”
“After you clean these dishes, I have some cherry wine that I’ve made. We can have a glass or two.”
“Owww... Mah head.” Is the first thing Braeburn said when he woke up the next morning. ‘What happened after dinner last night?’ he asked himself, but the answer hit him harder than a train at full speed when he rolled over to see Cherry Jubilee laying next to him, and staring at him with bedroom eyes.
“Morning handsome.” Cherry greeted him as she leaned forward to give him a peck on the cheek.
“M-Miss Jubilee?” Is all Braeburn could say as his brain was trying to process the situation.
“I told you that you can call me Cherry, especially after last night.”
“Wait, did we?”
“Mm-hm.”
“A-Ah’m so sorry. Ah...”
Cherry put her hoof over his mouth. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, last night was great.”
“Really?”
“Mm-hm.” She said getting closer to him, and wrapping her forelegs around him, “It’s good to know that not every part of you is made of metal.” She then leaned forward again, giving him a nice, passionate kiss, which Braeburn returned.
That’s when Braeburn felt something deep inside of him that he hadn’t felt in a long time.
It had been about a week since Braeburn and Cherry Jubilee became a couple, and so far they had a good relationship. Yeah, that’s not very long, so there wasn’t much to go on, but hey, they were happy.
Braeburn was out, walking back to the orchard after making deliveries of chocolate-covered cherries. He passed by a scrawny orange minotaur who looked kinda paranoid.
“Howdy Copper, is something wrong?” Braeburn asked.
“Vell maybe. You zee I got a letter in ze mail from my cousin, Steel Chair, that some zort of outlaw passed by his town. Which isn’t far from here, so I’m kinda worried. To make it worse he said that it could be Quick Draw, but who knowz. Anyvay I’m going to go back to mein house and grab mein homemade bombs. If he comes by I’ll throw ze bucking things out ze window.” The minotaur explained before he went into his home, a small one-floored house with a flagpole outside, on which hung a light blue flag that had a white silhouette of a minotaur’s head and some white text that was in a language that Braeburn didn’t recognize. He made a mental note to ask Copper about it sometime later.
Braeburn continued on his way back to the ranch thinking about what Copper Wire said, ‘Ah wonder if Ah should be worried about that. Ah mean what if this Quick Draw guy is supposedly in this area, should Ah do something to make sure Cherry is safe? Yet, what are the odds that out of all the places in Dodge Junction to rob he’d go to Cherry Hill Ranch?’
Braeburn got back to the Ranch. As he walked through the gate, he spotted a reddish-brown unicorn stallion with a silver mane. For a cutie mark he had what appeared to be a bag of bits. What caught his attention instantly was the crossbow that was being held in a dark purple aura, and it also was pointing at Cherry.
The unicorn turned around to look at Braeburn, giving him a glare through a pair of yellow eyes. “What the tartarus is this? Your knight in shining armor?” He then let out a small chuckle. “So what your name, shiny?”
“Um... Braeburn.” The cyborg pony responded.
“Name’s Quick Draw. You may have heard of me. I’m kinda a big deal, but I don’t have time to talk about myself.” He then pulled a bag seemingly out of nowhere that made a clinking sound. “My business is done here, so I’ll be on my way.”
Quick Draw was about walk out, but was stopped by Braeburns foreleg.
“Now hold on on gosh darn second.” Braeburn said, “Do y’all really think y’all can rob mah marefriend and just walk away?”
“If you want me not to put an arrow through her skull, then yes.” The unicorn said, pointing the crossbow back at Cherry Jubilee.
Braeburn looked at Cherry, seeing the worry in her eyes before putting his foreleg down.
“That’s what I thought.” Quick Draw said, walking past Braeburn.
As Quick Draw was about 5 yards away, Braeburn quickly turned around, set his mechanical front left hoof to the built in grappling hook, and shoot it at Quick Draw. The rope of the grappling hook wrapped around one of the pony outlaw’s leg and Braeburn pulled back, making Quick Draw fall flat on his face.
The rope untangled and retracted back into Braeburn’s hoof as Quick Draw stood back up.
“Ow, now I have a sore horn.” He said turning to face Braeburn, “So that scrap metal isn’t just a stupid costume huh?”
“N’nope, mechanical replacements thanks to a certain insane stallion from Ponyville.”
Quick Draw burst into laughter, “So instead of a cosplayer, I’m being stared down by a souped up version of the Tin Mare . Wait, you said that chick back there was you marefriend, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, toots does he have a vibrate setting?” He called out to Cherry, who was watching from a distance, before he started laughing even louder.
Braeburn turned red in a mix of embarrassment and anger, and he started running at Quick Draw, but was stopped when he felt himself being lifted off the ground.
Quick Draw, holding Braeburn in his magical grasp, examined the mostly metal pony. “Hmmm... Well I can see that basically anything that’ll be a killshot is covered, so congratulations, you won’t get death by arrows. What to do with you?” Quick Draw looked away for a few seconds.
In those few seconds Braeburn pointed his left hoof at Quick Draw, and brought out another gadget that Valiant installed, that he hadn’t used used yet, the gun. The barrel extended out of his hoof, as Quick Draw turned his head back. Braeburn then tried to fire the weapon, but nothing happened.
“Were you trying to do something or wh...” The unicorn began to say before Braeburns hoof combusted into a small fire ball, shrapnel flying every which way. One chunk of metal flew right into Quick Draw’s right eye. Which made him cancel his magic, dropping Braeburn onto the sandy ground, and as one would expect scream in pain.
“AHHHHH! BY CELESTIA’S GIANT FLANK THAT HURTS LIKE A BITCH!” The now cycloped unicorn shouted.
Braeburn got up the best he could with only three hooves, not too hard, but he fell the second he tried to run at Quick Draw.
“Screw this I’m out of here!” The Outlaw shouted before running off.
“Braeburn are you okay?” Cherry Jubilee asked rushing over to the cyborg.
“Yeah, Ah’m fine dear. What about you? Did he harm you in any way?”
“No, he just took the money.” Cherry then walked over a few feet to pick up a bag that Quick Draw had dropped. “And it seems that he failed at that.” ______________________________________________________________________________
A few days later Braeburn was walking in from a day’s work on the cherry ranch, with his new hoof that Copper wire made for him. Granted it was just a hunk of metal that was welded onto where the old one was. It also didn’t have any fancy gadgets like the one Valiant made, but Braeburn really didn’t care that much. If he could walk on it with no problems it was good enough for him.
Braeburn walked up to Cherry Jubilee, who was going through the mail, and gave her a peck on the cheek before resting his head on her shoulder.
“So anything for me?” He asked.
“Actually yes.” Cherry responded hoofing over a tan colored letter.
Braeburn opened it with his teeth and read it.
“So what is it?” Cherry asked.
“It’s an invitation to mah family reunion. Can’t believe it’s coming up again.”
“So are you going to go?”
Braeburn smiled at his marefriend and said, “Only as long as you go with me.”
“Go with you? Are you sure?”
“Of course, other members of mah family have brought dates before, and besides...” Braeburn then gave her another quick kiss, “Ah love you.”
Cherry blushed, as did Braeburn, realizing that was the first time he said that.
Cherry jumped onto Braeburn, giving him a long passionate kiss, when their lips parted she sighed and said, “I love you too.”
