Braeburn's Big Adventure

Ah figured ah couldn’t get much more outta Big Mac that night. He was probably even more exhausted than ah was since he’d been workin’ all day. That, and ah’d already told AJ ah was headin’ off to bed right after. So, ah headed on up to the guest room and laid back on the bed, so full of food and tuckered out that ah didn’t even wanna move after that. Well, ah had to. Ah noticed somethin’ uncomfortable nudgin’ at my sides and let out a little chuckle when ah realized ah still had on my saddle bags. Ah had been so caught up worryin’ about Mac that ah’d completely forgotten. Ah sat up to undo their strap and set them down beside the bed. Ah let out a long sigh, realizin’ that rest wasn’t gonna come soon enough for me. Yet again, Big Mac was on my mind. Ah turned to look out the window. Princess Celestia had finally finished up her day and Princess Luna was makin’ one beautiful night. The stars were twinklin’ all bright and the moon was shinin’. Even though they were dark, lookin’ out over the fields of Sweet Apple Acres reminded me of my visits to the place when ah was a youngin’.

The first time ah’d ever met Big Mac, was the first time ah saw good ol’ Sweet Apple Acres. It was my first Apple Family reunion ah ever attended too. Ah reckon ah was old enough to’ve finished my first few years of school… but shucks, ah can’t remember the exact age. Big Mac, well, he was bigger than most colts, but definitely not as big as he is now. Not only that, but he has a few years on me too. So ah was mighty terrified of him the first time ah saw him. Ah think all the other little’uns were too.

Ah was downright overwhelmed by the amount ah ponies ah saw fillin’ up the entire area around the barn and house and such. Ah’d never seen so many ponies in mah life. Everypony and their brother and their dog was out there. There was a constant jabberin’ of all mah family members talkin’ away, and ah felt like ah was runnin’ into or brushin’ up against somepony’s hooves every time ah took a step forward. A couple of the foals asked me to go on and play with’em, but ah was so taken aback by everythin’ that ah had to refuse. That’s about the time when ah first laid eyes on Big Mac.

Ah was tryin’ to find somewhere at least a bit quieter and more peaceful than where ah was. Lookin’ up ah thought ah’d found it. Up on one of the small hills beneath a big ol’ oak tree was the perfect place, not pony in sight. Somepony else was headin’ up there already though, and he was big, red, and woulda scared me right outta my boots if ah’d been wearin’ any. Ah stopped dead in my tracks. Ah certainly wasn’t gonna go try to share a hill with somepony as big as him. With just a slight touch of his hoof ah was sure ah’d be sent tumblin’ down the hill.

Then somethin’ caught my attention. Even as far away as ah was from him, ah could still see the expression on his face. He looked like he wasn’t havin’ any fun, and lonely too, real lonely. My heart ached for him, and he suddenly didn’t look so big and menacin’. Even though ah was still hesitantin’ a bit, ah figured ah’d go up there anyways and give him some company. It sure did look like he needed it. Ah started pushin’ my way through the crowd, dodgin’ around hooves and tryin’ my darndest not to bump into anypony. Ah’m sure ah said excuse me and pardon over a hundred times before ah finally reached the incline of the hill.

Ah caught the big colt’s eye as ah started makin’ my way up to him. Ah slowed down as he watched, in part not to surprise him or scare him and because ah was tryin’ to play it cool and not look as scared as ah really was. Ah definitely didn’t want somepony as big as him thinkin’ ah was some kind of yellow bellied coward. Anyways, once ah finally did make it to the top of the hill after meanderin’ my way up there a bit, ah stumbled slightly as ah reached for my hat. Ah tilted it down with my hoof and gave him a hearty “Howdy!” though ah’m sure it wasn’t near hearty as ah thought, considerin’ what a light voice ah had when ah was younger. “Mind if ah sit up here for a bit? That crowd down there is mighty big.”

“Nope,” he said with a nod. Even before Mac had hit puberty his voice was already deeper than most colts his age.

“Thanks!” ah said, givin’ him a grin.

“Eyup.” Ah knew from the get go that he wasn’t the talkative type, but ah didn’t know if it was because he didn’t like me or he was just shy.

“Uh… so what’s your name anyways? Ah’m Braeburn, but you can call me Brae if you’d like.

“Big Mac.”

I got a little chuckle outta hearin’ his name for the first time. My heart jumped when ah noticed him starin’. Ah figured ah might of got him angry. Ah gulped and could feel sweat beadin’ up around the brim of my hat. “Er… it’s just that ya really are big… ah mean… really, really big.”

“Eeyup!” he said again, this time more lively like, and with a smile on his face.

“Wait a minute,” ah muttered as somethin’ came to mind. “Big Mac… you don’t mean Big McIntosh, do ya?”

“Eyup.”

“Well, ah’ll be, you’re Applejack’s big brother aren’t ya?”

“Eyup, matter of fact ah am.”

“Well, ah’m your cousin! It’s a pleasure to meet ya, Mac… can ah call ya that?” ah said, givin’ him my hoof. He gave it a big strong shake before noddin’ his head. “Ya sound like a pretty great pony from what AJ’s been tellin’ me.

“Eyup, ah guess ah can be. Anyways, ah probably should be getting’ back to work. It was nice meetin’ ya,” he said, standin’ up on all fours and strechin’ out his back.

“Work?” ah asked, my mouth droppin’ open.

“Eyup, ah’m givin’ Granny Smith a hoof with everythin’.”

“Ah was wonderin’ how Granny was doing all this by herself. Ah guess she ain’t?”

“Nope.”

“Ah should probably be helpin’ out too, huh?”

“Nope, you got a few more years before ya have to do that. Besides, ah volunteered.”

“You volunteered? Now that’s mighty kind of ya.”

“Eyup. Anyways, ah got to be goin’,” he muttered, startin’ to trod off down the hill.

“Now hold up a minute!” ah yelled after him, tryin’ my hardest to catch up and not stumble. “Can ah tag along with ya? Ah can keep ya company… and… and ah can help to if ya’d like?”

He came to a halt, and looked back at me a moment with eyes that looked mighty similar to my own. Those eyes are somethin’ that run in the family. “Ah suppose so,” he said with a shrug.

“Yippee!” ah yelled, jumpin’ into the air and nearly takin’ a fall as my hooves touched down on the incline again.
That was how we ended up becomin’ good friends. Once we got used to bein’ around each other and bonded like sharin’ hard work always does to two ponies, we started talkin’ and talkin’. If ya don’t know him all that well, it’s pretty hard to think that somepony like him could talk so much, and it’s true, normally he doesn’t. Once ya get him goin’ though, well, there’s no stoppin’. Ah mean, you have to keep pushin’ him with startin’ up your own conversations and what not, but it gets real easy. So while ah was runnin’ around and helpin’ him with just about everything, haulin’ apple fritters and cider, puttin’ up tents and umbrellas, all that good stuff, ah startin’ getting’ to know him. By the end ah the day, he seemed like a completely different pony than the one ah’d seen up on that hill. It was amazin’ really, and so was he. Let me tell, ya, when ah had to leave the next day… well, ah was sadder than a pup on a rainy day. Mac helped to cheer me up though. He told me he’d be happy to see me next time around, and we could do the same thing over again.

***

It was on one of those other reunions that all my thoughts about Mac changed. It was when everythin’ changed. Ah was just gettin’ into my teens and Big Mac, well, he was nigh on becomin’ an adult. Ah was surprised how much he’d changed over such a sort course of time. That tall skinny colt that ah’d known, was fillin’ out, and not with no fat either. He was all muscle. Considerin’ how much work he did around the farm, ah shouldn’t’ve have been surprised, but ah was. For whatever reason, ah was stuck on believin’ he’d always be that skinny colt ah’d first met. Whether we were walkin’ or laborin’, ah couldn’t help but stare at those muscles in action. They weren’t all chiseled and perfect like those body builder pony’s, but ah could still admire’em. They were built outta real, honest work. The sweat drippin’ down his fur when it started getting’ hot followed and outlined their contours, makin’ his entire body seem to shimmer in the light. Then there was his face. It had certainly done its fair share of fillin’ out too. His cheeks had gone from thin to broad, complementin’ his already broad chin. The colt ah once knew was certainly turnin’ into one handsome stallion. His eyes had grown much calmer too. It was like ah could see the experience of a well-trained and very hard worker in’em, along with plenty of patience and control too. He let his orange mane grow out a bit too, but it still looked just as messy as it had when he was a youngin’. Another reminder of the colt ah once knew was the freckles on his face. Somethin’ about them kept a speck of his cute, colt-ish face alive.

At first, ah figured ah couldn’t stop starin’ at him because ah’d grown envious of his looks. Ah woulda been the talk of my school if ah looked like that. Ah was sure of it. Ah wasn’t even a lick mad though. So ah knew it wasn’t envy. Ah was actually admirin’ him. Ah was, well, attracted to him. Ah’d never felt any sort of feelin’s towards fillies like my friends had back at school, but from what they said, ah could certainly figure out what they were talkin’ about. Ah’d always thought that ah just hadn’t grown up enough to start havin’ those feelings, but when ah started really contemplatin’ it, what ah was feelin’ towards Mac… well, it was those feelin’s. Ah was mighty befuddled. Not only was he another colt, but he was my cousin. He was family… but ah was lookin’ at him way differently than that. That was the year that ah’d also noticed him startin’ to get quiet again, growin’ more distant from me. Not that ah could complain, ah was bein’ pretty dang quiet too considerin’ all the starin’ ah was doin’. Ah started to wonder whether it was just his age, or it was my starin’ that was makin’ him uncomfortable.

A while after returnin’ from the reunion that year, that’s when ah discovered that ah was well, that ah was, heh, a coltcuddler. Big Mac was the first colt that ah was ever really attracted to in that sort of way. Ah guess ah can thank him for helpin’ me get all that sexuality stuff figured out. Ah guess the real reason ah wanted to talk to him again, to have us close again, was because ah wanted to admit that to him. Ah wanted him to know he was the first colt ah’d ever been attracted to, for better or for worse. Now, ah’d be lyin’ if ah told ya the only reason ah wanted to was for closure. Ah did, but ah had some crazy hope that for whatever reason, he’d feel just the same way about me. Where would things go from there? Well, ah certainly had no way of knowin’. Would it be weird? Most assuredly, but ah was willin’ to deal with it. Ah just didn’t know if he was, or even how’d he’d respond for that matter. First thing was first though, ah had to get close to him again, and that would take us spendin’ some time together. It’d sorta be like back in the old days at the reunions. Ah’d be followin’ him around while we worked, and providin’ a strong helpin’ hoof whenever he needed one. That was all for the next day though. Ah needed to get some shut eye.