Appleloosan

“So...” Gem said, hovering beside me. “Braeburn, huh?”

“Yes. Ah became Braeburn. Can we jus’ git over it?”

“Sorry, I was just...”

“Nah, it’s fine, but... jus’ don’t, ‘kay? Sure, ya can still call me Braeburn, but don’t think Ah am Braeburn. We jus’ share the same name, voice, body...”

It had already been a few hours since we left Perth, and we were almost at the airport. It kinda sucked having to walk all the way to Edinburgh, but it wasn’t so bad when I had somepony to talk to. And, turns out, Gem had a few hundred pounds with him, enough to pay for the flight. How convenient.

“So...” I said, returning some sound to the otherwise dark and quiet roadside. “It’s gettin’ kinda awkward referrin’ ta ya by a name Ah’ve come ta associate with mahself. Who were ya ‘fore all this?”

“My name was Je... Jeremy. Yes, that’s it, Jeremy.”

“Alrighty, then. Onwards, Jeremy!” I giggled, speeding up a little. I could see the lights of Edinburgh off in the distance. It was still quite a way away, but not too far. About fifty miles, we walked. Well, ran sometimes. Damn PAPA.

“And you?” Jeremy asked.

“Ya don’t need ta know,” I said. “Ah mean, it’s not like Braeburn is basically yer name, right? ‘Cause that’s what Gem Song is ta me. Ah was just tryin’ to maintain what little sanity Ah still had.”

Jeremy nodded, then looked off to the distant lights. “Well, it’s just over there. D’you think you can handle another flat-out run?”

“Maybe. Not sure,” I said. “It’s already ten ‘clock at night. Ah think Ah’d be able ta, but Ah’m not sure.”

“Hmm... d’you wanna find out?”

I turned to him, grinning. “Race ya!”

And I took off at full speed.

“Dude! Slow down! I can barely keep up!” Jeremy shouted, flying next to me.

“That’s the idea!” I shouted, accelerating even more.

Making a quick estimate based on how fast the cars were going relative to me, I guessed I was running at about 20 miles per hour.

I saw Jeremy just stop, speeding backwards relative to me. I looked back for a second to see him climbing higher and higher in the air. What is he doing?

I turned my head back around just in time to dodge a road sign. I should probably look where I’m going...

And it was at that moment that I heard a loud whooshing noise and a turquoise blur sped over me. Heheh. You may be a pegasus, Jer, but I’m an earth pony. You’re good in short bursts. You can dive, sure, but what happens when you land?

“Oh god!” Jer screamed.

That happens.

I slowed down, coming to a stop just next to him. “You okay?”

“Does it look like I’m okay?” came the slightly muffled response.

“Well, yeah,” I said, assessing the damage. “All that happened was ya got yer head stuck in the ground. No biggie.”

He struggled for a moment before pulling his head out.

“C’mon, let’s go,” I said, trotting off.

“No more races,” he said, flying next to me.

“Aww, why?” I smirked. “Is it ‘cause ya keep losin’?”

“No, it’s because I don’t want to die.”

“Alrighty then,” I said, quickening my pace.

“Hey!” I heard Jeremy shout. “Not fair! You said no racing!”

“This ain’t a race!” I shouted back. “Ah’m just runnin’! Ye’re the one makin’ it a race!”

“How am I making it a race?”

“‘Cause yer tryin’ ta keep up!” I laughed.

“Of course I’m trying to keep up!” he shouted. “We’re supposed to be travelling together!”

“Doesn’t mean Ah can’t run, does it? C’mon, Ah’m jus’ followin’ the roads. Ya can find me if ya lose sight’a me.”

He sighed, watching me speed off along the road.

>> FFW >>

“Hey Brae? Where-”

“Ah’m... right... here...” I said, panting, laying at the side of the road. “Ah... think tha’s... enough runnin’”

“You don’t say,” he laughed, hovering next to me.

“Could ya... lift me up?”

“...what.”

“Just lift me back onto all fours,” I said. “What did you think I meant?”

“I thought... never mind,” he said, grabbing me and lifting me up, setting me back down on my fe- hooves.

“Thanks,” I said, and I started walking again. It was past midnight at this point, and I was extremely tired, but I had to keep going. It was much further than we’d thought. “So, what’re we gonna do when we get ta the airport? Is it possible to jus’ buy tickets there?”

“I hope so,” Ge-Jeremy said, following behind me. “I don’t know how else we’ll get there.”

“Ya know we don’t really have ta go, right?” I asked. “Ah mean, only the Elements have been called in. We have no reason ta go.”

“But you want to go, right? Because you want to do all you can to help, no matter how small that part may be.”

“Yeah, Ah guess ye’re right,” I said, my cheering up slightly. “Thanks, Gem. Ya always know how ta cheer somepony up.”

“Wait, what did you call me?”

“Ah called you Ge-” I shook my head. “Ah mean Jeremy. Yeah, that’s it.”

“You really need sleep,” Ge-Jeremy laughed.

“And you don’t?”

“Yes, I do, but you need it more,” he explained.

“We both need sleep,” I yawned. “C’mon, let’s find somewhere to stay for the night.”

“Well, we’re in the middle of nowhere, and there’s no hotels around for miles.”

“Ah never said we needed ta stay in a hotel, did Ah?” I grinned. “C’mon, we’re ponies. We can sleep outdoors.”

“B-but what if they find us?”

“Who?” I asked.

“The PAPA!” Geremy answered. “The People Against Ponies Association.”

“Oh, right. Them.”

“And they’ll find us, and... and...” Geremy panicked. “And kill us!”

“That’s highly unlikely,” I said. “They’d prob’ly just keep us alive, just ta torture us. The extremists, that is. And Ah don’t think there’s many’a them ‘round here. At least, Ah hope not.”

“Torture us!?”

“Calm down, Gemeremy.”

“...okay, now it’s just getting ridiculous.”

I sighed, looking around. “This looks like a nice place, Ah think we can stay here and rest fer a bit.”

“Uh, no.”

“Fine,” I said, laying down a ways off from the road. “Ya can go on ahead. Just remember ta say on the roads, so Ah can find ya.”

“But...”

“Do whatever ya want,” I said, curling up with a yawn. “Ah’m stayin’ here.”

Gemeremy stood in silence for a minute before sighing and laying down beside me.

“That’s more like it,” I smiled, pulling him into a hug.

He looked at me, and I could practically hear his brain screaming, ‘WHAT THE HELL.’

He ignored it.

|| PAUSE ||

Hello? Is this gettin’ through?

Wha- who’s there?

Can y’all hear me?

Show yourself!

‘s no use, can’t get through at all. Ah’ll try next time he’s ‘sleep.

What the-

> PLAY >

“Good mornin’,” I said, smiling, my forelegs still wrapped around Gemeremy in a hug.

“Good- WAIT WHAT.”

I laughed, getting up and looking around. The sun had already started rising. I estimated it to be about 4AM.

“So, are we gonna keep heading off?” Gemeremy asked.

“Sure,” I said. “We’ve got ‘bout, Ah dunno, when’s the next flight?”

“...I never checked.”

“D’ya have any internet out here?”

“No, why?”

“Well,” I sighed, “Ah don’t either. And unless we can find some kind’a wi-fi place, we got no internet, and no way of seeing what’s going on.”

“...huh.”

“On an unrelated note,” I said, pulling out my phone and checking the calendar, “happy Wagnesday.”

“What?”

“Today’s Wagnesday,” I explained. “After the week b‘came a year long, y’know?”

“Oh, right. That.”

I laughed, and trotted off, Gemeremy following along behind me.

“Well, we still have another few miles to go,” Gemeremy sighed.

“And?” I said. “‘s not that far. We walked ‘bout forty miles ‘lready.”

“Yeah, but... never mind. We’ll make it.”

“‘course we will! And we’ll buy the tickets, and we’ll be in New York ‘fore ya know it!”

And then what? a little voice at the back of my head nagged.

I ignored it.

>> FFW >>

“So...”

“Before ya ask, Ah was tired, and Ah didn’t know what Ah was doing. Can we please not talk ‘bout this?”

“No, no,” he stammered. “That wasn’t what I was gonna ask.”

“Hmm? What were ya gonna ask, then?”

“Well, since... y’know... you... Braeburn...” he struggled to find the words. After a few moments, the question finally came out. “Are you gay now?”

I stopped, dead in my tracks. What the hell kind of question is that? I... what... I... can’t... “...what.”

“I dunno, man, I was just asking.”

“‘Just askin’’? Well, are you gay now?”

“Wha- why? How? Is Gem gay or something?”

“Is Braeburn gay?”

“Yes, but-”

“No.”

“Yes, he is.”

“Has it ever been confirmed?”

“Has it ever been denied?”

“Just stop, okay?” I resumed walking. “If ya really wanna know, Ah’ll ask him next time Ah get the chance.”

“You can do that?”

“Ah have no idea,” I said, looking toward the lights, which weren’t so distant any more. My estimate? Another couple of hours. Sadly, I was never good at estimating. It was really more of a guess.

And so we kept walking.

>> FFW >>

“Um, Brae?”

“Yes?” I turned to face the pegasus.

“Sorry.”

“‘bout what?”

“About the whole ‘gay’ thing.”

“S’okay.”

“I mean-”

“‘s fine, Gem,” I sighed.

“Brae, you’re-”

“Sorry, Jeremy. There, ya happy?”

“No, Braebu-”

“Okay, what do ya want, the-”

“Braeburn, get off the road!”

A car whipped past the second I turned around, missing me by a few centimeters. I rushed back, stepping back onto the grass. “I really should look where I’m going.”

“Yes,” Gemeremy sighed. “Yes you should.”

>> FFW >>

“I’m filled with wanderlust...” I heard someone singing behind me, barely audible.

I turned around. “Mah dreams are runnin’ circles?”

“I want to wake up-”

“-smilin’~!” I finished the line with him. “Huh. Didn’t know ya were a fan’a Renard.”

“Actually, it’s by The Qui-”

“’s all by the same guy, just under diff’rent names.”

“...huh,” he said. “I’m filled with wanderlust.”

“Mah dreams are runnin’ circles!”

“I want to wake up smiling~!” Gemeremy and I sang together.

“Wait, hold on,” I said, rummaging around in my bag. I pulled out my phone, opened the media player and started my TQBF playlist. The music blared out of the phone’s speaker, with me and Gemeremy singing along. Well, to the ones that had lyrics, anyway.

“Turn off all the lights! My heartbeat fills the night! Pacemaker, keep me steady! Keeping me at the ready! Pacemaker~! Pacemaker~...”

>> FFW >>

“Well, here we are.”

“Huh, wha...” I lifted my head up, blinking the tiredness out of my eyes. I was hovering a few feet above the ground, and I could hear wings flapping above me. And in front of me? Edinburgh Airport.

“I said we’re here,” Gemeremy said, setting me back down onto the ground. I wavered slightly, but quickly steadied myself.

“What happened?”

“You were way too tired, you could barely walk. I decided to carry you here instead of waiting.”

“But... but if Ah was tired, and we both had the same amount‘a sleep... don’t pegasi have less stamina than earth ponies?”

“Yep,” he said, and hovered down onto my back. “Now, if you’ll excuse me...”

His voice faded away as he slumped down, completely motionless and quiet, save for the soft rumble of his snoring.

I walked toward the doors of the airport, carrying the sleeping pegasus on my back. Oh boy, this will certainly be fun to explain.

The doors slid open. I walked in. Gemeremy let out a loud snore.

I sighed, walking to a bench nearby and laying him down on it. I slipped his wallet out from his little rucksack, and pulled out all the money he had. I combined it with my money, and put the wallet back.

Walking up to the counter with the money held in my mouth, feeling all those eyes on me, was certainly one of the stranger moments of my life. But it definitely wasn’t the strangest. And it would only get stranger from this point on...