Sweet Apple Summer: A Braeburn and Pinkie Pie story

"Pinkie Pie, wait!" Sweetie Belle clamored as she dove in the path of the manic mare to keep her from ruining her and Scootaloo's plans, but instead of stopping her, she unintentionally tripped her.

Pinkie Pie let out a high pitched yelp as she stumbled over Sweetie Belle, the momentum she created from the speed at which she was running sending her flailing and tumbling as her rocket launcher and pet alligator were sent flying in different directions. Pinkie rolled out of control until she slammed directly into Braeburn, subsequently taking him to the ground and slamming the back of his head against the cobblestone well with a loud and thunderously resounding thwack.

They both opened their eyes at the same time and shared a very awkward stare with their lips firmly pressed together. Braeburn tried to pull away, but the back of his head was against the wall of the well. Their cheeks burned a glowing red for a moment before pinkie attempted to speak.

"mmffmlkfamlr," Pinkie Pie mumbled, not thinking to unwrap her mouth from Braeburn's.

Sweetie Belle urgently grabbed Pinkie from behind and pulled her off of him. "Are you okay?!" She asked concernedly. "That was my fault! Please, don't tell me you're hurt!"

"Yeah, you hit that wall pretty hard," Carrot Top added as she reached out with her hoof, but quickly withdrew it, not knowing if it would be okay to touch him. "Are you alright?"

Braeburn didn't answer, his gaze was fixated on the pink mare who had just inadvertently tackled him. "What were you saying, ma'am?"

"I said, You look familiar," Pinkie Pie propped herself up with her forelegs as she tilted her head to the side with an inquisitive expression on her face.

"Hello?!" Sweetie Belle waved her hoof in front of Braeburn in an attempt to bring him out of his trance. "You alright?" She asked.

"Ah'm fine, miss," Braeburn said as stoically as he could as he rubbed the newly-formed knot on the back of his head before getting to his hooves.

"I am so sorry!" Sweetie Belle's eyes widened with concern when she noticed the large crack in the stone well that Braeburn's head must have made. "Don't be angry with me." Sweetie Belle continued to apologize profusely as her eyes began to shimmer under a veil of tears.

Braeburn gently set his hoof under the chin of the apologetic filly, then lifted her head so their eyes could meet. "Now, how could Ah be mad at such a cute little face, hmm?"

"You're not mad, then?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Of course not." Braeburn responded with his perfect smile.

Sweetie Belle attempted to offer one more apology, but Braeburn set his hoof over her mouth.

"Ah'm fine. Quit apologizing." Braeburn playfully ruffled Sweetie Belle's mane with his hoof.

"Jump'n in the way of Pinkie Pie when she's in full motion?" Apple Bloom joked. "That's probably the quickest way to kill yourself!"

Sweetie Belle cracked a smile on one corner of her mouth and rolled her eyes before she trotted off to join her friends.

"What did Braeburn just tell you?" Scootaloo asked.

Sweetie Belle fidgeted awkwardly for a moment before she looked back at Braeburn for a moment. "Uh... He said I was cute..." The snow white filly announced as her face, which was previously pale with worry and concern, was now a scarlet red.

Scootaloo's mouth slowly crept wide with a sly smile.

"What?" Sweetie Belle asked defensively.

♪Sweetie Belle and Braeburn sitting in a tree♪ She sang quietly and mischievously before Apple Bloom clapped a hoof over her mouth.

"Mah cousin ain't a creeper like that!" She lectured. "You trying to get him arrested, or somethin'?"

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle added with a squeak as she stamped her hoof.

"It was a joke," Scootaloo countered as she rolled her eyes. "Geez, we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, not the Cutie Mark White Knights - learn to take a joke!"

"Hey," Carrot top addressed Braeburn anxiously. "Are you okay? Do you need a doctor? You just hit your head pretty hard; I can't believe you're getting up so soon after that." She asked as she traced the cracks in the cobblestone with her hoof in disbelief. "I can't believe your head just did this."

"Ah'm fine, miss, but have you seen mah—"

"Hat?!" Pinkie Pie sported Braeburns stetson as she suddenly jumped between them.

Braeburn, taken aback by the pink mare's impulsive interruption, walked back a few steps as he observed the adorably comical image of her wearing his hat, which was several sizes to large for her. He had to suppress a chuckle as his stetson hung down in front of her face, obscuring her features from the top of her head, all the way down to her muzzle; it was cute in way, almost like when a child lumbered around in their father's boots.

Carrot Top, obviously annoyed by Pinkie's intrusion, cleared her throat loudly in an attempt to telegraph to Pinkie that it was time for her to hit the road, but Pinkie only responded by looking back and asking her if she needed a lozenge, to which carrot top responded with an agitated glare.

"Excuse me, miss...Pinkie, was it?"

Pinkie Pie turned her head around to look at Braeburn, causing the hat to spin around on her head like a top, which amused the stallion thoroughly as he lightly stamped the ground with hoof and let out a hearty laugh, which, in term, made Pinkie giggle.

"Hey," Pinkie abruptly interrupted her own laughter. "Why are you soaking wet?"

Braeburn wiped his wet mane back with a hoof, letting it cling to the back of his neck, a gesture that placated Carrot Top from her irritation and nearly made her melt where she stood.

"Ah dumped that bucket over mah head," he answered while pointing to the container on the edge of the stone well.

"Silly!" Pinkie Pie remarked with a giggle. "Why would you do that?"

Braeburn shrugged nonchalantly. "Cuz, it was funny."

"Was it really?!" Pinkie Pie asked before she pushed the container back down the well. "Show me, show me!" She spoke in a tone that, somehow, sounded as if she was pleading and demanding at the same time.

Braeburn looked back at Carrot Top, they shared a brief shrug, then Braeburn hoisted the bucket back up by it's rope, lifted it over his head, and poured it's contents over himself for the second time.

Pinkie Pie's lips slowly stretched into an almost ear-to-ear smile as she snorted.

"Ma'am?"

Pinkie's eyes started to tear up.

"Miss, are you okay?"

Unable to contain her mirth any longer, Pinkie Pie fell back and laughed hysterically as she kicked with her hind legs and held her sides with her forefronts.

Carrot Top cocked an unamused eyebrow as she watched the crazed mare toss about in her fit of mania, but Braeburn couldn't help but be charmed by the pink mare's whimsical antics.

Pinkie Pie's chorus of chortles slowly simmered to gasping and panting, but one look back up at Braeburn, who was still saturated from mane to tail, sent her reeling into another side-splitting outburst of giggles and cackles.

Braeburn retrieved his hat from the ground where it had rolled off of Pinkie's head. He then looked up in the sky where the explosion had gone off. "Did you set off that explosion?"

Pinkie took a few deep breaths and calmed herself as she wiped a tear from her eyes. "Yeah, it was a special custom-made rocket from my party-panzerschreck."

"Panzyshark?" Braeburn cocked his head to the side as he attempted to pronounce the foreign word.

Pinkie Pie cupped a hoof over her mouth and giggled. "Pansy shark!" She snickered.

The curious stallion looked over his shoulder at the metal pipe-like device that she had dropped when she was sent tumbling into him. "Are you referring to that odd-looking device, miss?"

"Yep," Pinkie Pie answered cheerfully. "There was a time when I used a cannon, but I discarded for something a bit more portable." The bubbly pink mare rolled over to her hooves and ran to retrieve her destructive device.

"Um, Mr. Braeburn?" Carrot Top addressed the stallion shyly.

"Miss Top?" Braeburn's roguish grin returned to him as he turned his head to acknowledge her.

"I'm on my way to go pick up a friend's daughter from school, then I have to get these carrots to my stand in town, so I need to be going, but...." The orange maned mare blushed and looked down at the ground so that her mane would conceal her eyes. She scraped the ground nervously with her hoof a few times before she spoke again.  "I'd really like to get to know you a little better. I-if that's okay with you, of course."

"That'd be nice," Braeburn responded with a toothy grin before Pinkie Pie jumped in between them again.

"I have an even better idea!" Pinkie aimed upward with her launcher and shot a rocket into the sky.

Braeburn looked up in the direction of the metal projectile as it propelled it's self into the sky. He looked over to notice that Pinkie Pie was standing strait up with her forelegs in the air, her chest slowly expanding as she took in a deep breath.

"Miss, what are yo—"

"BOOM!" She yelled over Braeburn and fell back as the projectile in the sky exploded into a brilliantly dancing display of sparks and fire, which inked a message in the cloudy canvas above them.

Braeburn shielded his eyes with his foreleg for a moment before he was able to look directly at it and read out the message it had made.

Pinkie Pie's welcome to Ponyville party. Everypony is invited!

Pinkie Pie turned her head back to Braeburn, her eyes gleaming intensely like flickering stars in the night sky. "Now everypony in Ponyville will have a chance to get to know you!" Her rocket launcher clinked in a metallic cadence as she bounced and skipped around him joyously. ♪And you will be the guest of honor~♪ She sang gleefully.

"And they say Ah'm enthusiastic when I greet newcomers." Braeburn stated to no on in particular as he admired Pinkie Pie's energy, her erratic movement, her unpredictable behavior, the vibes of sheer joy that practically emanated from every poor in her body; her energy and enthusiasm practically dwarfed his in every way. He looked up to the sky and examined the spectacular show of dancing fire one more time. "It could be fun - ah guess," he finally answered.

"I was thinking something more along the lines of a date," Carrot Top interjected. "Just you and me..."

Her attempts to grab Braeburn's attention were completely and utterly fruitless as Pinkie Pie's antics had completely captivated him. The irritation within Carrot Top seethed to a dull boil before she finally turned around and trotted off without saying a word, but not before staring daggers at Pinkie Pie one last time as if she had hoped her gaze would set the bubbly mare on fire.

"Yeah, it's all coming back to me now." Braeburn stated as Pinkie's wild merrymaking continued. "Pinkie Pie, you were the one who sang that silly little song back in mah hometown. The one that started the war."

Pinkie Pie's hopping and skipping came to an abrupt stop. "That wasn't my intention, you know!"

"Ah know, Ah know." Braeburn said with a smile. "Now, how did that go?" The stallion tapped his hoof on his chin for a moment as he thought. "Oh yeah, now I remember". He cleared his throat as he placed a hoof over his chest.

♪You gotta share. You gotta care.♪

Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Pinkie Pie were completely taken aback by Braeburn's hypnotically honeyed singing voice that any bard or ministerial would kill to posses.

"Apple Bloom," Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both addressed their friend in unison. "You never told us he could sing like that."

"Y'all never asked," Apple Bloom countered.

♪It's the right thing to do~♪ He went on.

Then Pinkie Pie joined in as her bouncing continued around the stallion who's head swayed slowly to the rhythm of their melodic voices.

♪You gotta share~ You gotta care~♪

Braeburn and Pinkie Pie's interaction when on for hours as they traded songs and jokes with each other. Pinkie listened with intense interest as Braeburn informed her of the expansion of Sweet Apple acres territory, that he was there to help them with the additional land, his plans that he had with his own farmland once he got back home, and all the additions that had been built around Appleloosa since she had been there. Pinkie regaled Braeburn in kind with her riveting story of how she had cloned herself using a mystical pool, she introduced the stallion to her pet alligator, Gummy, whom he instantly became infatuated with as it's first response in greeting him was to clamp it's toothless jaws around his muzzle. Pinkie Pie even spoke of the time when the demented unicorn illusionist, Trixie, had temporarily enslaved her to be her own personal dancing jester; a usually sower subject for her, but she felt so at ease with the southern stallion, she could actually look back at it and discuss it as if it was a comical story.

All three of the crusaders watched them speaking back and forth to each other in awe; their energy and passions about the subjects of which they spoke were evident in their cheerful and enthusiastic demeanor. Neither one of them would let the other leave out a single detail in their stories.

"Just look at em go," Scootaloo commented.

"Pinkie Pie is talking really fast. Do you think your cousin can even understand what she's saying to him, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Hey, wait a second," Scootaloo said impishly as she turned her head to Sweetie Belle. "Look how compatible these two are."

"No," Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said flatly.

"You didn't even hear me out!" Scootaloo protested.

"Okay," Apple Bloom said. "We'll hear you out, then we'll say no."

"Y'all some busters!" Scootaloo spat.

"Ah was never on board with your stupid plan from the beginning," Apple Bloom spat back..

"What about you, Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo leered at her with a look that feared betrayal.

"As much as I believe that there is somepony out there for everypony..." Sweetie Belle paused to look at the stetson wearing stallion and the pink mare who seemed enraptured by each others company. "I wouldn't wish a relationship with Pinkie Pie on my worst enemy."

"Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom said in surprise. "That's a horrible thing to say!"

"Hey, I like Pinkie Pie as much as the next filly, but she's crazy!" Sweetie Belle said defensively.

"When you think about it that way..." Scootaloo admitted. "It's not every day that somepony begins an introduction using a rocket launcher... Or keeps a pet alligator... Or deflates their mane when they're upset... Which doesn't really make sense when you think about it."

Apple Bloom thought for a moment, desiring to rush to Pinkie Pie's defense. "She ain't crazy... She's just... Pathologically high-spirited?"

"Which means crazy," Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said in unison.

"Ah guess..." Apple Bloom sighed in defeat. "If ya want to be all politically incorrect about it!"

"You've been using a lot of big words lately," Scootaloo pointed out before she turned her attention to the other two who were conversing happily by the well.

"One cannot obtain her cutie mark by simply meandering about fatuously!" Apple Bloom stated, showing off her eloquent vocabulary.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo called to her fellow crusader.

"Hmm?" Sweetie Belle acknowledged with a high pitched hum.

"Do you think Braeburn and you sister would be a good match?"

Sweetie Belle had to suppress a giggle before speaking. "No way in Tartarus!" She said in a tone that was absolute.

"But Rarity seems like she'd go weak in the knees for a stallion of Braeburn's profile."

"You'd think," Sweetie Belle said. "But she's really not into the ruff-n-tumble type."

"What's so 'ruff-n-tumble' about Braeburn?" Scootaloo asked.

Apple Bloom took in a deep breath before she went down a quick and methodical list: "He wrestles with buffalo, he thinks that the vigorous application of dirt is a sure-fire way to heal any wound, he likes to set things on fire, he never plays any kind of game that doesn't involve knives in some way, he chews, he spits, he deep fries just about everything he eats, he goes camping for weeks at a time and brings nothing with him but a knife, and one time, a snake bit him, and he actually bit it back!"

Sweetie Belle's and Scootaloo's eyes widened in astonishment as they listened to Apple Bloom's list.

"That just makes him sound cool!" Scootaloo said.

"Except for the chewing and spitting thing; that's kinda gross." Sweetie Belle added. "As pretty as his face is, I really doubt he's my sister's type. She's really into the high society type."

"Hoity-toity sissy boys?" Apple Bloom asked, quoting her sister's translation of the type of male company Rarity likes to keep.

"Exactly," Sweetie Belle answered with a curt nod.

Scootaloo let out an exasperated sigh as she slumped to the ground on her belly. "Well, I guess this was a bust. It's going to be night time soon, and we're no closer to getting our cutie marks than when were at the beginning of the day."

Upon hearing that, Apple Bloom looked to the sky and noticed the sun's position as it began it's descent behind the mountainous terrain in the distance. "Hey, Braeburn, Ah think it's time to head to Sweet Apple Acres. It's going to be night in a few hours, and sis is waiting for us."

"What's that, cuz?" Braeburn asked, turning his head to his younger cousin.

"We should probably get going, Braeburn." Apple Bloom reiterated as she pointed a hoof toward the waning son on the horizon.

"Oh, shoot!" Braeburn said in surprise, as if he had just snapped out of a trance. "Ah didn't even realize how late it was gettin' to be."

"Aaaawwww!" Pinkie Pie stamped her hooves as she whined. "You have to leave?!"

"Afraid so, miss," Braeburn answered regretfully. "But hey, I'll be at the party tomorrow night. Where didja say it was gonna go down at?"

"Sugar Cube Corner," Pinkie Pie answered. "Make sure you bring your appetite!"

"Ah will, miss Pink—"

Pinkie Pie cut him off as she lunged at the unsuspecting stallion and embraced him.

Braeburn responded with an awkward chuckle as he patted her on the back with his hoof.

Pinkie suddenly broke her grip from him and backed away, looking even more surprised than he was when she grabbed him.

"That wasn't too soon, was it?" She asked nervously.

"Was what too soon?" Braeburn asked.

"I accidentally hugged you," Pinkie Pie responded.

"How do you accidentally hug somepony?"

Pinkie Pie shrugged. "I don't know, my body just moved on its own when I was suddenly overwhelmed with an urge." Her face went gaunt as dark shadows formed under her eyes; her face seemed to have taken a rather dark and serious expression. "An urge that could only be satisfied with a hug." She said darkly and slowly behind her clenched teeth.

Braeburn's eyes slowly widened before taking a few steps back from her.

Pinkie suddenly snapped back to her bubbly and cheerful demeanor as she thudded her hindquarters on the ground and pensively stroked her chin with a hoof. "I guess you could call it a hurge, or maybe an ug."

Perplexed by Pinkie's odd explanation, Braeburn cocked his head to the side in bewilderment. "What if ya just combined the two words into a portmanteau?"

Pinkie Pie hummed thoughtfully for a moment before her eyes widened with satisfaction. "Urge-hug!" She yelled out before abruptly leaping the distance Braeburn had put between them and locking him in an even tighter embrace, the impact forcing him to slide back several feet; if Braeburn hadn't been so strong, stout, and sure hooved, he would have been knocked to the ground by the sudden attack.

Not knowing how to react, the surprise-stricken stallion once again patted her back with his hoof before Pinkie impulsively lunged away from him. "I need to go start planning for the bash tomorrow night, and I need to finish giving Gummy his bathy-wathy!" She giggled as she lifted Gummy off her back and snuggled her face against his, to which he responded by kicking his scaly little legs and hissing frantically.

Gummy's translation: "Dear Celestia, no!"

And without another word, Pinkie set off in a pink blur.

Dumbstruck, Braeburn stared at her as she made her way down the dirt path until she finally turned a corner and disappeared from his vision.

"We should probably get going, cuz, we wasted too much time." Apple Bloom called out.

"Yeah, Ah guess." Braeburn responded, seemingly unable to break his transfixed gaze from the direction he was looking.

"Did she traumatize you?" Scootaloo asked with a sarcastic smile.

"A bit," Braeburn answered.

"Just forget her - she's insane." Scootalloo remarked as she casually waved her hoof.

Pink blush lines formed on Braeburn's face as he smiled and turned to the little filly. "She ain't crazy... She's just..."

"Pathologically high-spirited?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah, what you just said." Braeburn responded as he approached his little cousin. "It's adorable how smart you are. How can this tiny little head fit such a big brain?" Apple Bloom giggled as Braeburn ruffled her mane.

Braeburn looked once more in the direction where Pinkie Pie made her sudden exit. "Pathologically high-spirited." He said to himself with that laid-back smile of his.