Entangled Pathways

Chapters

Feather Sliced Apples
The Flower We Saw That Day
Apple Pie Blown Through The Sky
To Fix A Shattered Puzzle
Healing
Clickity Clack
The Next Chapter
Star Struck
The Long Road
Simple Things
Spotlight
Welcoming Party

Feather Sliced Apples

ATTENTION ALL NEWCOMERS!
This story, the one you are about to read, is a sequel to my previous SoarBurn fic, Winding Roads, Which is found at the previous link. To understand what is happening in this story, I encourage you to read the previous one. It is pretty much necessary.

And to all old fans, you get this super early since I wasn't lazy as buck for once, ENJOY!

This is also going to be edited for errors later, since I am kind of late for something at the moment and want this up badly.

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It belongs to The Hub, Hasbro, Studio B, and Lauren Faust. I do not own any of these characters in any way or how, nor do I claim ownership to the pony franchise. These characters are simply my toys.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Where were you... when I needed you most?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Entangled Pathways
Chapter 1: Feather Sliced Apples

"Is there any mail?"

Spitfire was lounging on one of the clouds she had personally molded into a couch as the voice hit her sensitive ears. She turned her head covered in a fiery bush she called a mane as she caught in the corner of her fiery eyes. She found herself blinking several times as she saw Soarin, his usually bright and goofy personality not shining through. His eyes looked more frantic than anything. His head bore the worn cowpony hat he had received so long ago to this day; in fact he almost never took it off. His mane at least looked the same, royal blue with a permanent wind-blown look it in, the same as off of the members on their squad. His emerald eyes darted from squad member to squad member, his mouth was open as he panted softly; sweat dripping down his forehead in beads. He quickly growled and sliced his wing across his face to rid himself of the annoyance it caused. "Well?" He spat out.

Rapidfire was the first to speak up. "Dude, I don't think so, not other than the usual fan mail anyways." He mumbled, turning over from his peaceful looking nap, his grey coat stood out in the group of Wonderbolt's lounging in the cloud-room, for it wasn't nearly as vibrant or colorful as his teammates. His large, frizzy white mane was also an eye catcher, and made him appear many years past his rather young age.

"Nothing from my personal one?" Soarin spit out. He had a sense of frantic worry in his voice. The pegasus was usually calm and collective, and joking about it if any of the Wonderbolts freaked out like he was doing at the moment "A-Are you sure?"

"Nothing, man." Spitfire mumbled, putting her hooves behind her head as she answered her vice-captain. She yawned loudly "Who cares 'bout some mail, I need my sleep after that killer show." She mumbled.

Soarin found himself trotting his hooves in place in both anger and worry. He gnawed on his lip and closed his mind off from the world for several moments, trying to become cool and collective once more.

"Dude, something up?" Rapidfire asked "You ain't looking too hot over there." He was laying on the cloud-couch, eyes a little more serious than before, now getting a good look at his friend.

Soarin snapped open his eyes, they held deep worry. He could see Fleetfoot get up, her cyan, spiky mane bouncing slightly as she lifted her goggles and took a good look at him. She blinked several times before a hint of understanding sparked in her vision. "Oh..." she mumbled quietly.

"W-What?" Rapidfire asked, turning from Fleetfoot to Soarin, the pale blue began not exactly looking his best at the moment, and the mare looking at him with sympathetic eyes. "Did I miss something, where's the fire for pony's sake?"

"It's about Braeburn." The cyan mare mumbled "Isn't it, Soarin?"

Soarin winced. He had a sense of hurt in his eyes. He didn't seem to be mentally doing alright. His four legs were a little shaky, and he seemed a little shaken up. He swallowed hard, his dry mouth finding a way to get the saliva slide down his throat. He looked down, staring at his hooves intently. "Yeah... it is."

"That coltfriend of yours, aw, man, don't get all sob-story on us!" Spitfire whined. She herself felt concern for her friend’s well-being, however she herself knew the real sensitive side of Soarin, and just how much of a baby he could be at the little things. Braeburn had recently just become an excuse for him to whine about not going on tour in the places he enjoyed, although she knew it was more than that by the way he would talk about the colt for hours if given the chance.

"Spitty, this is serious!" Soarin growled, suddenly landing practically in her lap as she jumped up in a surprise at her friends panic. He had managed to fly over in less than five seconds without her knowing. He was getting better at stealth on a side note. "It isn't just about me missing him, I do, I really really do, but..." He paused. He sat down on the couch, his rump shifting slightly in discomfort, despite the cloud's soft shell.

"But... what?" Rapidfire asked, cocking up a brow on his gray forehead as he rubbed one of his weary eyes. "Did he promise he'd send a letter soon or something?"

"No... it isn't that." Soarin mumbled, reaching up one of his hooves and sliding the cowpony hat down his head, breathing in deeply as it slowly drug over his nose, a hint of the stallion's scent was still there. He looked at the hat for several moments "I was at the bar down in Trotting ham a few miles from here, y'know how I always like to get a few drinks after a show... well this mare there, real looker, she was hitting on me, I think she was a little drunk and starting to get all clingy." He paused a moment, laughing awkwardly. "When she tried to um...."

"Feel your feather?" Spitfire teased, earning an angry blush from the pale blue pegasus.

"Y-Yeah... I guess you could call it that..." He mumbled, coughing a few times to clear his throat as his pale blue cheeks changed to rosy red. "B-But anyway, I flat out told her I wasn't really interested, and told her I already had an amazing coltfriend, and I didn't need a marefriend..." He paused for a bit after that. "After she backed off, I started thinking for a while... and realized something."

"What?" Fleetfoot asked.

"Braeburn... he... he hasn't sent a letter in three weeks..." Soarin mumbled, eyes focusing on the clouds underneath him.

"That's it?" Rapidfire whined "I wanted something... more dramatic..."

"But that's the thing." Soarin said, casting a glare to his squad member "Braeburn writes every week... he hasn't missed a single one for eleven months... I pay that mail pony, Derpy, fifty bits a week, she is filthy rich by now since I see her EVERY week."

"Look, Soarin." Spitfire said, groaning as she sat up and rubbed her forehead "I know you're still upset with me for extending the tour, and I get that." She said, sympathy somewhere in her voice "But you can't flip out every time something like this happens, so what if he didn't write you, maybe he's busy!" She grumbled, flopping back on her back in slight frustration.

"But Spitty..." Soarin began. He paused a long time, thinking back to those words. He didn't want to sound egotistical, but sometimes he felt like Braeburn's only connection to the world that didn't hate him. "Braeburn... he needs me..." He mumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, we know." Rapidfire said, rolling his eyes "But seriously, I get why you hooked up with him, but why have you stayed with him for over a year like this?" The gray stallion asked "Do you seriously think that two weeks together can cause this? Plus most of those two weeks you weren't with him!"

"Shut it." Soarin grumbled out "You don't know how much he sunk his damn way in me..." He grumbled.

"Does that mean you bottom now?" Spitfire asked, giving a slight smirk.

Soarin growled in annoyance "You know I don't mean that..." His cheeks still held a hint of light red, unable to hold back his embarrassment at that statement. The only ponies able to really get to him were his best friends.

"Man, Soar, we're all exhausted." Fleetfoot groaned "The show just ended, and we have three more this week before we get any kind of vacation..." She mumbled, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them and staring into Soarin's own. "Get off it for once..."

"Just eat an apple and shut up." Rapidfire groaned, flicking something in the pegasi's direction, only to watch it be caught in a single swift moment that was simply natural to the pegasus. He looked into his hoof and stared at the apple and blinked several times.

Braeburn apple...

"You have a bucked up sense of humor." Soarin grumbled, throwing the apple back half-heartily. He didn't have it in him. He just didn't have the will to continue trying at this point. He grumbled something as he heard a slight groan of pain from the other.

"I thought it was funny..."

Soarin groaned as he heaved up the heavy saddle bag up onto his lap. Falling onto his back on the bed of clouds he called his own. His own room was nice, not much for anything but sleeping, but it was still nice. He found his own shoulders feeling weighed upon by an unknown force. His eyes shifted as his hoof moved to the small metal latch fastening the bag shut. He opened it and was greeted by mass hoards of paper.

The pale blue pegasus reached his hoof in the saddle bag, plunging it into the caverns of letters, only to surface with a random one clenched between his hooves. He smiled softly as the old parchment hit his other hoof and he slowly opened the letter.

Dear Soarin.

Not much is going on. People around town still act pretty badly to me, I miss you more than ever sometimes...

Love, Braeburn.

Soarin chuckled gently. Braeburn really did suck at writing letters, worse than the pegasus himself come to think of it. Something in his chest stung lightly as the words registered in his mind, a pang of homesickness, or longing. His ears twitched lightly, reassuring himself that not even his light squad members could sneak up on him. He gently rubbed his hoof over his wind-blown mane and chuckled softly at the messy mouthwriting the other had. The letters were short and sweet most of the time, hardly more than one sentence, but Soarin always read them enough times for them to be a story.

Even though the writing was in perfect english, he always imagined them in the yellow pony's accent. He loved the accent he once hated now, he used to hate it because it was typically associated with Earth Ponies. They hated coltcuddlers for no reason, why couldn't he hate them in general? But now...

It wasn't easy, convincing the pegasus who brought him the first letter to become his own personal mailpony for fifty bits a letter was stupid, but she was speedy. Clumsy, but speedy. And letters always got through to the two of them.

He reached in the bag once more, pulling out another letter.

"I wish you didn't leave..." He mumbled aloud. "I'm sorry I didn't try hard enough to convince myself to let you take me..." Braeburn's mouthwriting was always overly-sloppy during these letters, and the ink was usually smudged with once fresh tears. It broke Soarin's heart when he got those letters, because he knew what was going on in Appleloosa to the one pony he loved most of all. He knew, and yet he couldn't do a damn thing about those bucking assholes. He could tell just how much Braeburn missed him, and it stung him deeper in his chest when he read the words again. He could never read those letters more than once without fear of crying. He hated it when he broke down, it wasn't right since he knew Braeburn depended on him to be the strong one half the time, even when they were so far apart. He was sure Braeburn was drunk in those letters as well.

He pulled out another, and read it as well. It was happier, and he re-read it several times to make him feel better.

Dear Soarin,

I can't believe six months has already gone by, I can't wait until you come here. It's a little embarrassing, but I've been counting down the days... I'll make you your apple pie when you come, I promise. I've missed you so much... I really don't think that I would have made it this long without your letters.

Braeburn.

The pegasus was silent for a long time as he thought about how the unexpected tour had come up out of nowhere, and his trip had been pushed back yet another six months. He had betrayed his lover... no matter how much Braeburn tried to hide his feelings from him in the letters, the smudged words were always a sign. Always.

"I... I miss you too." Soarin mumbled, sniffling lightly as he used his wings to wipe under his eyes, despite the tears not yet spilling. He hated himself the more time passed. He squeezed his eyes shut and swore lightly. He wasn't going to break, not tonight, not when he needed to stay strong.

Soarin reached a hoof down and scooped up a large chunk of cloud straight out of his bed. He held it to his side, and pretended it was Braeburn. He missed the warm breath on his chest when he got overly protective of the earth pony. He missed the gentle nuzzling at his chest.

The pale blue pegasus took in a deep breath, and pulled out yet another letter. He wasn't sure if it would be happy or sad, but then again that was part of the fun in this game.

Soarin's hoof pretty much ripped open the mail box when he got home after that show. He didn't stop to think of the snack his belly begged him to give, nor did he think of getting a drink. He just wanted a damn letter...

Nothing.

Soarin reached his hoof into the mail box.

Nothing.

Soarin found himself waiting out by the mail box an entire day, waiting for that mailpony to bring him Braeburn's letter. He needed to be reassured that the earth pony was safe, he just had to.

Nothing.

Bucking... Nothing.

Soarin found himself gnawing on his lip lately. Six days had passed without a letter, on top of the already three weeks behind that. It had been almost a month... almost a month since Braeburn had written him a letter. He had considered many things, such as the yellow pony being angry with him, or the yellow pony finding another colt. Both of these two things didn't make much sense. Sure, Braeburn was upset he had been gone for so long, but he wouldn't totally stop writing. And the possibility of him finding another colt who would love him was slim in that part of the world.

Nothing made sense. Would the pony have moved? Why would he move without telling him?

"Apple bucking... it's the only darn thing I know how to do... I'm just a stupid pony who can't do anything but help a town who hates him, Pa made me work on the farm my entire life, he wouldn't let me look into anythin' else!"

Soarin winced as he thought of these words. No, Braeburn wouldn't have moved. The more time he laid on his cloud bed, the longer and longer he thought about random things that might cause the yellow pony to quit writing. Such as he was too busy with work, or sick, all of these reasons refused to add up in the pale blue pony's head.

Or he was dead...

The pegasi's thoughts ceased as this possibility entered his mind. That entire town hated him. In the one week he was gone they had tried to kill him right in the middle of the street, and nopony but him cared to stop them. Soarin tried to talk himself out of it, tell himself that that was impossible.

But it all made sense...

He was silent for a long time as he pressed his hooves over his eyes. He wanted to fly, wanted to rid himself of these thoughts and emotions that he attempted to convince himself weren't true. When he flew he became somepony else, somepony who didn't care about anything but flying, didn't care about the roaring crowd. He tightly adjusted the worn hat on his head. It wasn't quite like his goggles, he had to be careful if he wore it while flying.

The pegasus blew air out of his lips in slight frustration. The thought of Braeburn dying was screwing with his mind. It had to be impossible... if only he could convince this to himself.

He blinked several times as he watched the ceiling intently. If only there was someway he could see the earth pony...

"Wait..." Soarin mumbled, sitting up as he fluttered his wings gently. His eyes shot to his back, to the wings on them. How far was Appleloosa again? Three days by train... he could fly faster than a train... a lot faster...

This was a stupid idea though. Spitfire was going to kill him when he got back, they had shows to go to still, if not tomorrow than soon, she never was very detailed about it. And when he got there... how soon could he bring himself to abandon Braeburn again? Braeburn would... likely cry out joy... if he was fine. No, dammit, he WAS fine. Braeburn was fine, and he would feel like an asshole for having to leave so soon.

The thought of Braeburn being dead, buried underneath the earth kept creeping into his mind. Soarin found himself clamping hooves over his ears in an attempt to stop them. What if he was dead? What if he was dead and it was all his fault for abandoning him?

"Buck." Soarin whispered to himself as he got off the bed and spread his own wings. His gut told him to trust his thoughts, at least to the extend of going to see if he was fine. He silently began to glide out of the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The voice startled the pegasus. Or at least it startled him to the point of jumping and falling flat on a cloud. He sat up in a flash and saw Spitfire, chuckling gently at his blushing cheeks. "Going somewhere?" She asked.

"Just... just for a little flight..." Soarin mumbled. He was a horrible liar, his eyes darted and he gave the most awkward smile anypony had ever seen in a lifetime. He needed to go... but he knew Spitfire could catch him. She was the only one who could catch him.

Spifire smirked before tossing something in the direction of the pegaus. Soarin snapped his hoof up as an instinct, and looked in his hoof to see the messenger bag. "W-What's thi-"

"Apples, water." She mumbled "You'll be gone for a while... and flying for a long time. You have a week." She mumbled.

"Spitty..." Soarin began, only to receive a slight glare of frustration.

"Hurry up before I decide I saw you." Spitfire mumbled, turning away.

Soarin smirked. She was being herself at least. "Thanks, Spitty." He said as he spread his wings and jumped straight out of the window near him. He had a gut feeling as he flew, he knew that everypony thought he was overreacting, but he couldn't help it. He didn't know why, but the reason the letters weren't coming had to be deeper than a simple solution.

He had to make sure Braeburn was alright.

The Flower We Saw That Day

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Are you going to abandon me?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Entangled Pathways
Chapter 2: The Flower We Saw That Day

Soarin huffed and puffed out air in exhaustion as he forced his wings to flap and flutter as fast as they possibly could, creating a sort of buzzing noise as he zoomed through the sky. He wasn't worried about getting lost; all pegasi seemed to have a built-in extreme sense of direction in their heads. What he was worried about however, was that he seemed to be slowing down. Even one of the top athletes in all of Equestria could get tired, and when he did, he could sleep for three days without waking up.

He glanced his head down, staring at the train tracks he was flying over. He had passed the train long ago, and was making good time. He had been flying for around twenty hours; he didn't really think he had pushed himself this hard in a long time, not even at derby's or days where they had three shows.

The wind whipping past the pegasi's mane at least did some job to cool off his burning hot body. He quickly reached his hoof in the messenger bag and yanked out the canteen of water Spitfire had given him, and took a long gulp before stuffing it back in. He could feel his own sweat mix in with the tears in his eyes from both the wind whipping them and the more he thought about Braeburn and why he had stopped writing.

It was about an hour ago that the landscapes had gone from forests and meadows to desert terrain. Part of him was excited about seeing Braeburn again, even if only for a short while. However, the deep fear in the pit of his belly that something had happened to him still hung, and only grew the more he thought. He wished Rapidfire or Spitfire had come with him, at least they could provide a distraction for his thoughts for a short while. He began to flap his wings faster, thinking he might have beat his wing speed record if he gave this much effort during shows.

The cool night air bit at his coat, if he weren't flying, he would simply use his wings to cover his body. But at the moment, he was covered in sweat in freezing air. Braeburn would likely scold him... if he was alright that was. He was a tad grateful that the upcoming winter was much warmer in this part of Equestria.

The pale blue pegasus was close. He had to be, the only scent entering his nose was something that he would have been drooling over if not for his mind being on other things.

Apples.

He squinted his eyes; the dawn of the morning was just beginning to skin its orange glow over the horizon. Braeburn might still be asleep... if he was alright... He should still be asleep. Soarin spotted what he was looking for almost the instant he started, hundreds upon hundreds of apple trees, all in one giant bunch if you decided to ignore the giant gaping pathway dead center. Most of the trees seemed bare; Soarin decided that the town was stocking up for the upcoming winter, where they wouldn't be able to grow anyway.

The pegasus angled his wings downward, and began to glide down as the sunlight from the horizon began to fill the entire land peacefully without a sound. It was dim, but it was better than the past eight or so hours of silence.

Soarin found himself landing on the edge of a cliff, landing gracefully despite being dead tired. He blinked several times; able to see the entire town from the point he was standing at. He licked his dry lips a few times, not daring to take a moment's break. Memories began to fill his mind. His gaze drifted down to the local watering hole, The Salt Block, where he met Braeburn, to the apple orchards behind him where they laid and talked about nothing he even remembered for hours on end. The pale blue pegasus could feel his own heart thump deep within his chest. He missed those days; they seemed like a distant memory right now.

"If that featherbrain is alright... I swear I'll kill him." The pegasus mumbled. The more he thought about all of the happy times they shared, the more he felt his belly sink into the pit of despair it began to cave into. Warm sunlight poured on his body, it was morning sunlight, the kind that everypony woke up too. The pegasus took a few minutes to catch his breath. Did he even stop a single time before this?

"Let's go." He mumbled as he spread his wings and flew straight down into the town, landing around the same spot he remembered Braeburn's apartment to be located at. He ignored the looks he got from the few ponies awake and heading to work. He had gotten good at ignoring other ponies, especially now that he was worried about Braeburn. He began to walk, his legs feeling like jelly for not walking in such a long time. He felt a tad relieved to finally rest his tired wings.

He trotted as fast as he could, unable to gallop after staying awake for so long. If he could, he would have ten naps a day on a regular basis. The closer he drew to the apartment, the more his belly knotted up tightly. What was he afraid of anyway? That he would find Braeburn's dead body on the floor? He still found himself swallowing hard. He glanced up, seeing the small building in view.

When he finally trotted up to the door, he found himself freezing in place. "Buck... what am I scared of?" He mumbled, blinking a few times as he took a sudden gasp for air. If Braeburn was behind there... how would he react to seeing him anyway? Would he be happy, scared, and angry that the pegasus had gotten worked up over nothing important?

"Dammit!" Soarin growled at himself as he slapped his hoof onto the door knob, twisting it in a flash and throwing the door open. "Brae!" He called. He stopped his speech. His eyes shifted to the bed, to the floor, to the small closet. Braeburn was nowhere in sight.

"Brae?" Soarin called, a tad bit of frantic worry in his voice. He quickly trotted into the room. Looking around the room closer. He quieted himself down. Maybe the earth pony had just gone to work a little earlier than usual. He glanced over to one of the small tables near the bed, and reached out a hoof as he opened it. He was greeted with piles of letters. The pegasus found himself chuckling despite his worry. The yellow pony did the same thing he did...

He reached his own hoof in the drawer, pulling out a random letter. The paper felt like it had been handled every day for the past year, being re-read over and over, until each and every word had been memorized. Soarin sniffed the air, catching Braeburn's scent.

The pegasi's eyes snapped open. Braeburn's scent... it was faint. It wasn't as if he had been there just this morning, or even the previous night. The scent itself was faint, extremely faint. Soarin glanced around the room once more. He took a few steps forward before feeling a sharp pain in his front hoof.

"D-Dammit!" He growled as he felt blood run out of his hoof. He glanced down and saw that glass was on the floor, coming from under the bed. Soarin blinked several times before reaching his hoof under. He pulled out a pair of goggles, with lightning stripes going down each side. The frames were broken on one, and badly cracked on the other.

Another possibility entered his mind, Braeburn had broken the pegasi's goggles that he knew were his treasure and felt guilty enough to run away. This was canceled out in a moment, Braeburn was honest, and would tell him in a letter that would arrive covered in tears that it happened... besides, he knew that the earth pony intended to keep special care of them, the same way Soarin had taken care of the worn cowpony hat atop his own head. There had to be a reason they were broken.

Soarin closed his mind, his own heart pounding. Where was Braeburn, why were his goggles smashed, why was the earth pony's scent so faint?

Something else hit his nose. Soarin snapped his eyes open. That smell... it couldn't be. He held onto the scent for several moments, trying to decipher what it was... but he knew what it was, it was just that every single thought in his mind was screaming at him for it to be false that his mind refused to let it register. He quickly stood up and shot his head to the direction of the bed. He pressed his nose against it for a moment before throwing back the unmade covers.

The sheets were bright red.

Soarin found his own eyes shutting down, not letting him process what he was seeing. Blood. He smelled blood. It was dry, and not fresh, but it was most certainty blood. He took in a quick gasp of air, realizing he had fallen on his own rump. Why was there so much... why was there so much of it?

The pegasus suddenly slammed both hooves over his mouth, resisting the urge to vomit on top of everything. Braeburn was alright, he had to be alright. His own eyes began to sting as a hundred and eight possibilities of what happened to his lover ran through his mind all at once. Suicide, murder, every stupid and logical reason under the sun ran through his mind.

Tears flooded past his eyes, he became glad for the hooves covering his mouth, for he might very well begin sobbing. Braeburn had to be... he couldn't...

"Sonny, ya can't be in here." A raspy voice suddenly came, startling him.

Soarin whipped his head around, eyes red and puffy as he squinted through his tears to see a middle-aged looking stallion looking at him. His coat was chocolate brown, his mane and tail chestnut. His pool blue eyes stared at his own green ones, he couldn't decipher what emotion the other was feeling. He wore a blue vest with a red ascot around his neck, a large silver star was pinned to his vest, the same star was also his cutie mark.

"W-What?" Soarin asked, not registering what the other was saying. He was still in shock, deep, deep shock.

"Ah said, ya can't be in 'ere." The stallion said. He was silent for a few moments before reaching out a hoof, to which Soarin numbly took. "Names Sheriff Silverstar." He mumbled "And we're still investigatin' this scene, ya can't come in 'ere without permission."

"What..." Soarin began "What... happened?" His mouth felt dry as he was pulled out of the doorway back into the hallway.

The Sheriff looked in his direction with a cocked up brow "Friend of the kid?" He asked.

"You... you could say that." Soarin mumbled.

Sheriff Silverstar looked down "Good kid, picked on a lot, don't say I agree with his choices, but I was still kind to him when I could be." He mumbled, glancing to the other, who visibly winced. "Landpony found him, covered in blood and beaten to a bloody pulp, we think it had something to do with somepony havin' a grudge with him." The stallion mumbled.

Soarin felt like something had ripped out his own heart. "Brae..." He mumbled to himself. He blinked, several times, trying to rid his eyes of the tears that kept coming. He glanced to the other "When... when did it happen?"

"'Bout a month ago..." The stallion mumbled. "Give or take... we still haven't caught who did it either."

"I should have been there, I should have saved him, I should have taken him with me, I shouldn't have been such a horrible coltfriend." The thoughts ran through his mind rapidly as he sniffled loudly. He blamed himself, because nopony else was around to blame. He couldn't blame Braeburn for being who he was, nor could he blame the colts who did it for being raised the way they were. Everything was his own fault. "What... what happened... t-to his body?" Soarin mumbled.

"Body?" the Sheriff mumbled. He was silent a moment before chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Soarin snapped out, tears going down his cheeks as an unknown anger flared from the pit of his belly. This stallion was two seconds from dying.

"N-Nothing." The Sheriff mumbled "Son, the kid ain't dead!"

"Ain't... dead?" Soarin asked, dumbfounded. "B-But... all... all of that blood..."

"Landlady found him an inch from death, and we sent him on the bullet train with my deputy to the hospital in the next town over, Hoofington." Sheriff Silverstar said.

"He..." Soarin mumbled "He isn't dead." His mind wouldn't let him believe the words his mouth were speaking. Hoofington, he could pull off one final flight, he had to, for Braeburn.

"Thanks, sir!" Soarin called before jumping straight over the stallion and spreading his wings, soaring up into the sky, ignoring his achy wings. And hour, he could get there in an hour.

"Dammit, be okay." He growled, taking off as fast as his wings could carry him.

That feeling when you're about to pass out, and your skin is so slick from sweat that you find yourself wondering why you’re so hot if covered in water was right about where Soarin was when he half-landed half crashed at the entrance to the hospital, huffing and gasping for a tiny amount of air to fill his lungs. Only one thing was running through his mind at the moment.

Braeburn...

he took several gulps of air as he let his soar wings hang limply at his sides. He didn't even care anymore, he was so close...

He opened the door with his hooves and trotted straight up to the front desk. The pink pony with a white mane stared at him with wide eyes, she opened her mouth to ask something before beaten to the punch. "Braeburn Apple." Soarin gasped out "Is he... is he here?"

The mare blinked several times. She glanced down and seemingly flipped through a book, mumbling something under her breath as she searched. Her hoof landed on something. "He... He is in room thirty seven... but I'm afraid visitors are not allowed in that section..."

"Why not?" Soarin snapped, causing the other to jump in fear. He didn't care, he honestly didn't.

"Well... that is the critical condition section..." She mumbled.

Critical condition. That word hit his head several times before breaking through. He felt his own eyes water. He might break any moment, he was about to shatter. "Please..." He whimpered out, looking down as his own chest heaved "I have to see him... please... just let me see him..."

The mare gave him a sympathetic glance. "Well... I..." She paused a long time. She looked into his eyes for a long time "Is he... important to you?" She asked.

Soarin sniffled "He's... he's my best friend... I love him more than anything." He spit out, afraid he would stutter if he said anything more. His heart cracked.

Soarin found himself sniffling loudly. It couldn't be past eight in the morning by the way he flew. "Wait here." The nurse mumbled. She trotted off to somewhere in the back behind a door where the pegasus couldn't see. He erected his own ears to try and hear something, anything. The only thing he caught was some mumbling to another pony who was back there. His eyes were shimmering, he didn't care if anypony made fun of him.

His head shot up as a male unicorn in a dark blue coat appeared. He glanced into Soarin's eyes "Follow me." He mumbled, walking out from behind the desk and beginning his trek down the long hallway to the left. Soarin jumped and trotted to catch up to him.

"How bad is he Doc, is he gonna be alright?" Soarin asked frantically.

The unicorn glanced to him with a brow cocked up "This... is something somepony has to see for themselves." He mumbled. Soarin felt something stab him straight through his heart as those words left the mouth of the stallion.

Each step echoed the unwelcoming hallway. He should be happy... ish... shouldn't he? Braeburn wasn't dead, only hurt... in critical condition, but it wasn't as bad as he thought an hour ago. The trotting of hooves filled his mind.

Why was there so much blood?

"We're almost there." The unicorn mumbled. Soarin suddenly became frightened once more. He was afraid to look at his lover, afraid he would break down into nothing. He was about to say something, ask something, but he forgot the moment he tried.

"We're here... you might want to look through this window." The unicorn mumbled, pointing with his horn to the large window outside of the room where Braeburn was. Soarin's heart sank into the depths of hell itself as he took his first step forward alone. He glanced in the window cautiously.

"I mean... I know it sounds stupid an' all, but I 'aven't felt like I've been loved... I mean really loved... for a really long time."

"If you love me... I know you'll be safe..."

"I love you, Soarin. I... I'm glad you decided to talk to me."

"Love you too... Brae..."

"Brae..." Soarin mumbled, pressing a hoof against the glass. The gentle beeping of the heart monitor hooked up to his frail looking body was the only thing he could hear. Most of his head was covered in bandaged, and the tip of his left ear looked to have been torn up. One of his upper legs was in a sling, it had already seeped through with blood. One of his eyes was so badly beaten, that he had no idea what to think of it. Most of his chest also had the bandages, along with several larger pads along his ribs. They were likely broken. Both of his lower legs were in casts, slightly elevated in the air with slings attached to the ceiling. As if they had been broken so he couldn't run away.

Beep.... Beep... Beep...

"Brae..." Soarin whispered again, his eyes glowing in sadness, anger, and hatred. He didn't know who to direct any of these feelings toward, other than himself. He began to pant heavily as he snapped his hoof toward the doorway, only to feel it be yanked away by an invisible magic force that caused his hoof to glow yellow.

"Sir, I know this looks bad..."

"Let go, dammit!" Soarin shouted, slapping the other's glowing horn with his wing, hearing the other gasp in pain as the magic ceased and he burst in the door. He felt like an idiot, why had he done that? The pegasus ran up to Braeburn's body, reaching out his hooves only to stop them. Up close it was even worse, there were so many bruises and cuts only visible from this close up. He felt like that if he touched the other, for even a second, the earth pony would shatter into a million pieces.

"Braeburn..." He mumbled. He reached out a hoof, stroking the other's mane gently, holding back his own sobs as he bit his lip. "Say something..." He mumbled to the unresponsive body. He was warm, as if warm with a fever. His heart began to bleed inside of him. "Please... wake up..." He mumbled "C-C'mon, you can get up from this, I-I-I finally came back..." He whimpered out.

The trotting of hooves came next to him, and a pacifistic looking unicorn glanced at him, reaching out a hoof and patting his back. "He needs his rest... he might wake up later, he comes and goes a lot." He mumbled.

Soarin found himself sniffling loudly as all four of his legs trembled as he clung to the bed with all his force.

"I'm sorry..." He whimpered out, putting a hoof to his face as tears streamed freely down his cheeks "I-I... I couldn't k-keep you... safe..."

Apple Pie Blown Through The Sky

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It belongs to Hasbro, Studio B, and Lauren Faust. I do not own any of these characters in any way or how, nor do I claim ownership to the pony franchise. These characters are simply my toys.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I feel really stupid right about now.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Entangled Pathways
Chapter 3: Apple Pie Blown Through The Sky

Soarin found himself gulping loudly, attempting to rid himself of the lump that had lodged itself deep into the caverns of his throat. His entire body both stiffened and trembled at once as he forced himself to keep his body from shutting down. He didn’t know what was wrong with him, he had seen plenty of the past coltfriends of his become hurt, mostly the earth pony ones, but he had never been this shaken up before in his entire life. Was it because Braeburn was one of the only ones to make him come back at the slightest worry?

The pegasus blinked his eyes a few times as he tried to rid himself of the tears that attempted to pool up. He had never been beaten down to this point of misery in his entire life either, he didn’t feel like talking, or sleeping, or staying awake either. Braeburn’s picture kept popping into his mind, his beaten down body was all that stuck out in his mind, he couldn’t think up the shy earth pony he had thought was sexy as buck, only the recent one from the past hour.

He was supposed to be the stronger one in this entire relationship, Braeburn needed him to be strong so he would have something to cling onto when he woke up again, if you took away this incident, all of the comments and bullying he received since the pegasus left could have shattered him alone. The earth pony needed him to be strong, it wasn’t a matter of how Soarin felt, it was a matter of how he needed to act. The pegasus sniffled once, and swore under his breath.

“Mister, Soarin was it?” The sound of the doctor’s voice hit his ears, snapping the light blue pegasus back into whatever he liked to call reality at this moment. His head shot up before nodding silently, running a hoof down one of his aching wings.

His eyes glanced around the office of the doctor. It was simple, nothing more than a desk and a few papers on the wall about the unicorn’s line of work. His eyes shifted down to the nameplate. Doctor Sabot it simply read, nothing else. Soarin glanced back up into the eyes of the other.

"Would you like to discuss the damage to your friend?" The unicorn asked, cocking up a brow in question. The pale blue pegasus was silent for several moments before giving another half-nod, wrapping an arm over his chest in an attempt to bring some form of comfort to him. He wanted Braeburn to sit in his lap, he wanted to feel the other's warm body snuggle up near him and warm his own chest with joy.

Doctor Sabot nodded back to show he was indeed listening, and that he did indeed understand the pain the other was going through at the moment. "Damn, a wonderbolt shows up in the hospital I work at, and his entire world comes crashing down..." The unicorn mumbled gently, obviously talking to himself and not the pegasus in front of him.

Soarin glanced up "How bad is he?" He mumbled gently, his eyes still puffy from crying. He kept telling himself to keep it together, that everything would be ruined if he so much as cracked.

"Well, mister Apple checked in several weeks ago, around a month if my old head isn't messing with me." Sabot mumbled, fiddling around with several papers he had scattered around on his desk. "He had both of his back legs snapped, he recently went through surgery for both of them, and should be able to walk within the next year... although sadly he will always have a limp at best." The unicorn paused, seeing the dreadful look Soarin was attempting so hard to hold back. "Should I continue?"

Soarin nodded glumly.

"There are bruises on his upper legs as well, as if he were held down and refused to stop struggling, hence why one of the upper ones got sprained." Sabot stated "Under the bandages on his chest and back are several deep stab wounds, seemingly from a sharp knife or even a piece of broken glass. The scars may never leave his body."

"You mean..." Soarin began "That even if he gets up... and is able to live happily... every time he sees those damn scars, all he'll think about is... when he got hurt?" The pegasus said, a hint of a whimper in his voice. He should have never abandoned Braeburn.

The unicorn nodded "I am sorry, but we had to preform urgent surgery on him, we couldn't worry about the little things if we intended to save his life... although there is the problem of money... when we tried to contact his family, they refused to reply, we aren't sure just how much money he has to pay for all of this."

"I'll pay." Soarin mumbled "I'll pay for everything, just keep going."

"Well... there really isn't anything else too serious, just a few cuts and bruises everywhere which are almost healed at this point. He sometimes does open his wounds however in his sleep, some are in very fragile positions." The unicorn mumbled, glancing up at the other "Although... there is the issue of his mental state."

Soarin sat up straight at the mention of that. "M-Mental... state?" He asked, worry clear in his voice "Is he alright with that, what's wrong with him?"

"It isn't as bad as it sounds." The unicorn assured "The few times he has woken up he is still able to identify himself and everything about himself that we needed to know, such as how he felt." Doctor Sabot paused a moment "Although... he seems very frightened to go back to sleep when he does awaken... we believe the attack happened when he was asleep, and he also has been rather jumpy, even when a nurse tries to inject him with painkillers, he cringes and becomes very nervous of his surroundings. His mind right now seems very fragile, when he does awaken again, I suggest you be careful."

Soarin gulped, loudly. he could feel a drop of sweat run down his spine and become soaked in his feathers. This was going to be longer than a week's stay... a lot longer. He found himself not caring who hurt Braeburn at the moment, all he wanted to know was when the earth pony would wake up and see Soarin so he would finally feel safe once more. Soarin gnawed on his lip for quite a long time as he pondered this. Not even Braeburn's parents were willing to see their half-dead only child, if he did have any relatives who cared about him, they must not have heard the news. Soarin was all he had.

"Soarin... he may wake up soon, he has developed an abnormal sleep schedule." The unicorn said "He tries to stay awake and deprives himself for so long that he can sleep for days, we've had to force him to sleep quite a few times. Who knows when he'll finally wake up."

Soarin nodded. "Is it... is it alright... I mean... if I stay here... I can sleep in the lobby in a chair or something, I don't care, but I want to be there for him when he wakes up." The pale blue pegasus shifted in his seat a few times as he breathed in and out slowly, trying to control his breathing without making any sort of scene. It was harder than it sounded, he wanted Braeburn to cuddle up in his arms once more.

The doctor smiled. It seemed both warm and understanding of his situation. "Of Course."

Maybe it was a stroke of luck just how easily Soarin fell asleep. With everything that had happened this morning, you would think this certain pegasus wouldn't be able to sleep at all. But no, he passed out almost instantly. The day straight of flying along with everything else had taken a toll on his worked body, and all of the stress only added to that. He passed out in an instant as his body fell in the chair, despite each and every worry he had about Braeburn.

He had no way to tell just how long he was asleep. Nor did he honestly care as a hoof stabbed his rib cage, making the pegasus jump straight out of his sleep as he fell out of the uncomfortable chair. He groaned loudly as his eyes darted around the large lobby. The light that was coming in through the windows was not the bright warm light that welcomed a new day, it was a cold and unloving darkness that only the night time received. His head felt as if it were spinning as he lifted a hoof to rub his skull, feeling great pain.

Soarin felt more sore than he had in a long time, each and every movement of his wings felt as if he were slowly dying, the pain was almost unbearable as he gasped for a sudden need of air.

"My sincerest apologies." Doctor Sabot quickly said, his horn glowing as Soarin felt himself be lifted off the ground. His weary eyes felt blurry as he gave the doctor a thankful smile.

"D-Did something happen?" Soarin asked, his voice raspy as if it hadn't been used in quite a long time. He felt like he had slept for a full three seconds by the way he was acting, which at the moment was like an old drunken fool. Anypony would call him one if he were anywhere else. He gave his wings a painful flap of frustration "What happened to Brae?"

The unicorn smiled, and for some strange reason Soarin's heart began to leap, for he knew what it meant.

"He woke up."

Soarin was silent and unmoving for a full three seconds before he began galloping down the hall, ignoring the burning sensations in his legs. He could hear the doctor call something after him, but he ignored it.

"Thirty... Thirty one..." He counted up each number as he charged up the hallway, each and every second was a second where Braeburn would be awake. He finally reached the room he was looking for and all but slammed his head to the glass, gasping for any air before he went charging in.

He saw Braeburn... the earth pony's eyes were staring at the ceiling. He didn't have an emotion on his face, only staring straight up... but his eyes were open, that was at least a good thing.

"Brae..." Soarin mumbled to himself before his hoof slammed onto the doorknob and he threw the door open. He ceased being so forceful when he heard a small squeak of terror from the other and saw him wince, covering his head with his good leg. Soarin growled to himself, remembering just how fragile Braeburn's mind was right now.

Soarin walked up to the other slowly, afraid to reach out a hoof. It was as if Braeburn was a wild animal, and would run and never come back at the very first signs of any potential danger. "Hey... buddy?" Soarin asked. Buddy seemed like the right name to call Braeburn at this very moment, for at the very least, he deserved a "buddy" more than anything right now.

The pale blue pegasi's heart skipped a beat as the eyes he fell in love with slowly began to show themselves through the trembling upper legs as they lowered. "S-Soarin?" He mumbled, his accent breaking through as Soarin let the first word Braeburn has spoken to him in over a year seep in. "Are ya... are ya really here dis time... Ah ain't... Ah ain't dreamin' am I?"

Soarin's vision began to go blurry. He found himself sniffling up his runny nose along with all of his mushy-gushy feelings that wanted to break out as he simply nodded "I'm here, Brae, everything's gonna be alright now, you're safe." He reached out a hoof, and felt his heart crack in half as the yellow earth pony shrunk away and whimpered gently.

Anger flooded his body, not for Braeburn, but for whoever made him act like this, whoever made it so that the earth pony was afraid of his own bucking shadow. He knew Braeburn, and Braeburn wasn't weak, just sensitive and liked to be cuddled and told he was loved often. He wasn't weak. What Soarin was seeing right now was the most pathetic and frail earth pony in all of existence, hiding under the covers because he thought it might give him protection. He bit down on his tongue to avoid screaming in pure anger at nopony. He felt like he was going snap.

"Ah'm sorry..." The voice hit his ears as his eyes snapped open to the earth pony, who was slowly inching his way back, it looked rather painful. Braeburn still seemed scared. "Ah mean... Ah just... Ah can't..."

His anger cooled. Braeburn was the only pony in the world who could easily put out his kindled anger without even realizing it. Soarin found his anger being replaced with tears as he reached out two hooves, ignoring the wincing from the other as he grabbed his head and planted his lips on the forehead of the other, his tears soaking Braeburn's mane. He was silent, not making a single noise as he gently nuzzled the other's head. "I know buddy... I know." He mumbled.

When he backed away, he could see the light blush on the other's cheeks. It brought back delightfully fond memories of the first days when he knew Braeburn, he had an evilly fun time teasing and flirting with him back then. He missed those days, more than anything he wanted them back.

"Does that mean... ya still love me?" Braeburn asked hopefully, his eyes avoiding the other and watering with slight pain as his hoof went over his chest and he gritted his teeth. "Damn... contractions..." He growled out.

Soarin nodded slowly "Dummy. Of course I do" He grumbled, ruffling the other's mane as he pecked the others lips. He wouldn't let himself have anything else, the passion building up in his chest might burst if anything more than that peck happened. He was afraid he might hurt Braeburn. He wouldn't forgive himself if he hurt the other, no matter how much it hurt him to pull away so quickly. He quickly wrapped his upper leg around the other's back to hold him up from slipping. He was close enough for Soarin's comfort, he could feel his breathing and felt happy about it, for he knew that Braeburn was... as safe as could be expected. He cursed himself for wanting so badly to be with Braeburn in private, but could you blame a pegasus who stayed loyal for a full year?

Braeburn looked up at him with watering eyes. He looked as if he were cursing himself the same was the pegasus was about how weak he was being. Soarin closed his eyes a moment, only to open them as he felt a slight tugging around his neck. He blinked as he looked down and saw Braeburn was fiddling with the pair of broken goggles.

"They broke... didn't they... when..." Braeburn suddenly squeezed his eyes shut, as if forcing out a horrible memory with all of his might, whimpering gently as his body began to tremble.

Soarin stroked the other's upper leg before pulling it away "I don't give a buck." He mumbled "If it was for something stupid... yeah I would care..."

Braeburn glanced up, his eyes weary as he fought to stay awake. Soarin could tell just how exhausted he was, for he still felt the pain of staying awake. "Ah'm sorry... Ah lied so much... in the letters." Braeburn mumbled "Ah... Ah thought ah could hold out... until ya came... but when ya said it would be longer... Ah couldn't handle it no more, and if ah told ya how bad it was gettin'... ya might 'ave thought ah was just upset you weren't comin' back."

Soarin let out a breath of pure exhaustion as he kissed the other's forehead yet again. "Stupid sexy Braeburn... what am I gonna do with you." He growled, letting a hint of playful enjoyment in his voice. Braeburn's voice gave him new energy, his accent, his body, everything about him was filling the exhausted pegasus with new hope. The dead body from before only filled him with dread and despair. He felt happy right now. It was strange to say, Braeburn was beyond a wreck... but everything was going to be alright now, Soarin could make everything right again. The pieces may not fit perfectly, but everything would go back to normal for the two... wouldn't it?

"Soarin..." Braeburn mumbled, catching the pegasi's attention. "Ah'm sorry... but ah'm... puckered out... can ah go back to sleep?"

"Sure buddy." Soarin answered quickly as he gently set the other down, wincing as the other whimpered in pain. He was about to pull away until his arm became trapped in a gentle pair of hooves.

"Can you... stay with me until I fall asleep?" Braeburn asked "P-Please?"

Soarin suddenly remembered just how scared the earth pony was of sleeping alone. He sniffled gently to calm down his sappy emotions and nodded gently, reaching out his hoof as he circled it around the earth pony's bandaged chest. His other hoof gently pet the other's mane. He watched Braeburn for a long time, feeling the hoof around his leg tighten in slight fear at times, and at others it would cling with ease. This went on for about ten minutes until sleep finally gave in to the yellow pony.

The sound of a door opening hit his ears. Soarin didn't move at all, just gently kept stroking his lover's mane.

"I guess you were more than just buddies." Sabot mumbled.

"How'd you guess?" Soarin grumbled, the sarcastic tone clear in his voice. He was silent for several moments, watching his lovers sleeping face. "I'm... I'm going to take him out of this damn part of the world." He grumbled, receiving no response. "I'm taking him from here the moment he can leave, I don't care if I have to drag him myself, but I'm never leaving him alone again..."

Soarin gently wrapped his hoof around the others. "I'm giving you and your bucking nurses two weeks to get him well enough to get away by train, I'll take care of him myself after that, and I don't give a shit what you say... he's my coltfriend, and I should be the one to make sure he's safe from now on..."

The doctor chuckled "Whatever you say, mister wonderbolt."

I feel... bad for giving you people three short chapters in a row... but since this fic will likely be twice as long as Winding Roads if not longer, you can't bitch :P

To Fix A Shattered Puzzle

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I can fit back the pieces, they just might not be the same.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Entangled Pathways
Chapter 4: To Fix A Shattered Puzzle

"Are you insane?!"

Soarin found himself visibly wincing as Spitfire's voice screamed at him. He could imagine her irritated voice loud and clear as he read the words aloud off of the sheet of paper in his hooves. The scribbled writing wasn't one to marvel at, in fact it looked like it could kill Soarin if it tried. Spitfire's sharp tongue sliced at him, even over a thousand miles apart.

"Ah guess she's mad..." Braeburn mumbled. His tired eyes glanced at the pegasus who was sitting next to his bed in an uncomfortable looking chair. Soarin glanced in his direction, feeling a pang of guilt as the other's green orbs held a twinge of pain. "Ah'm sorry Soar... if ya get in trouble 'cause er me..." He looked down, his only free hoof currently being held tightly by a pale blue one.

Soarin moved his hoof from Braeburn's and stroked the other's mane gently "Don't worry 'bout it buddy." He mumbled before linking his hoof directly with the earth pony's once more. It wasn't much, but it was a small connection between them that warmed Soarin's heart, and by the way his lover was gripping it, most likely reassurance that somepony loved him and was willing to show it with ease. "Spitty ain't mad at you, just dumb old me." He grumbled out, rolling his eyes as he shifted his own green orbs directly back to the violent mouthwriting.

"I can't believe that you're being such a featherbrained airhead..." Soarin mumbled the direct insults at himself "I have half a mind to break your bones and drag you back myself..." He started chuckling, moving the hoof holding the letter over his mouth "She's treating me like a foal!" he giggled out. The pegasus was obviously enjoying himself way more than should be expected, beginning to squirm in childish delight.

"Soarin..." Braeburn mumbled, his voice sounding sore as if he hadn't been using it very often. "You know you have shows... and responsibilities. I'm just a little old earth pony who nopony cares about, you should just go back."

Soarin growled gently as he glared at the earth pony, who shrunk in fear. "Don't say nopony cares about you..." He grumbled out, his emerald eyes not hating the earth pony, but whatever part of him had been wired in him to think nopony loved him. He quickly calmed down his emotions as he saw the frightened look on Braeburn's face, but he still felt a tad angry. "Sorry Brae... just tired..." He made up the excuse, gently stroking his hoof against the other's gently to tell him he wasn't angry.

Braeburn mumbled something that Soarin couldn't hear. He glanced down at the reply to his previous letter that he had written the previous week. It seemed Spitfire had the normal reaction to him staying a few extra weeks. He could even end up staying longer if Braeburn was still too unstable to travel by his planned time.

Soarin blinked several times as he looked at Braeburn's injured body. He wanted more than anything right now to throw himself at the other, to kiss him with the passion he truly felt and not the half-assed kissing he had been giving these past few days. Braeburn was the type of pony who needed to be shown, not told, he was truly loved. Soarin could only hope that the little things such as linking hooves or stroking the other's mane until he fell asleep were showing Braeburn he didn't need to keep his guard up at all times anymore.

"I'm not angry." Soarin assured, giving a small smile "I'm not staying because I want to, I'm staying because you need me more than anything."

"So..." Braeburn mumbled "It is my fault..." He let out a sigh and grumbled something, wincing in pain as he shifted.

Shit. That was the wrong choice of words again, wasn't it? Soarin quickly sighed and reached up his hoof to stroke Braeburn's cheek, which soon turned pink at the warm touch. Soarin smirked at the easy way the other would become embarrassed, or too caught up in the moment and get lost in the pegasi's eyes. He got to his hooves and leaned forward, kissing the earth pony's blushing cheek, ignoring the wince he received from Braeburn's instincts telling him to be afraid at any kind of touch. It hurt Soarin to watch Braeburn act like this, but he refused to act like anything was wrong.

Braeburn wouldn't want Soarin to act like he needed special attention or care because of it.

The pegasus gently slung his upper leg around Braeburn's neck and brought the other's body closer to his. "Everything's gonna be all right now buddy, leave everything to me and focus on getting better, alright? These pieces'll fit together if it's the last thing I do." He stated. Braeburn blushed deeper and slowly nodded. Soarin kissed his cheek once more, for even if Braeburn didn't need special attention, he still deserved something for being way cuter than he had any bucking right being.

Soarin yawned loudly as he carefully set Braeburn back down after one quick nuzzle "I'll be back in a while buddy, gotta talk to the doc. Don't force yourself to stay up, it might be a while." He groaned out as he stretched his wings.

"Can you ask the doctor to bright pain killers?" Braeburn asked, wincing slightly as he was set down. "I'm starting to feel the pain in my legs again..." He mumbled, gritting his teeth every few moments to hide just how much pain he truly was in. "No rush or anything."

That meant get the drugs instantly...

"Alright buddy, I'll mention it." Soarin mumbled. He could tell that Braeburn was trying his best to be stronger in front of Soarin, just to show he had indeed grown up quite a bit in their time apart. Soarin could however only still see the pony who he needed to protect with his life. He had no issues with this what so ever, and he had a feeling Braeburn felt the same.

"Be back soon." Soarin said, smirking at the other as his hoof hit the doorknob and he trotted out of the room, in the back of his mind counting the seconds until he could see Braeburn once more.

Things were going to work out... no matter what.

"You have to understand," Doctor Sabot said as his horn glowed, lifting a clipboard in front of his own face "You are asking me and my staff to fit both rehabilitation and any necessary tweaks of surgery into the span of two weeks. We may be trained and I myself one of the highest doctors in the south, but you can't ask us for miracles, healing takes time."

Soarin found himself growling. He felt like a foal, one who was being talked down to because he was stupid and didn't understand anything. He currently gripped the cowpony hat Braeburn had given him tight in his hooves, part of Braeburn was still with him... that was the important part right now. "I don't care." He mumbled "I'll pay anything you want, just get him well enough for me to take him away from this damn place..." He grumbled out, eyes glaring at the doctor staring back at him with a blank expression plastered onto his face.

Doctor Sabot gave the pale blue pegasus a nasty look "You do have to understand something," He said in the calmest voice Soarin had ever heard in his life. "Even if my some miracle he does get better on time, the rehabilitation happening so quickly might mentally scar him even worse than before, not to mention put unnecessary stress on his mind and body, which in the long run could hurt him more than help him."

Soarin began to gnaw on him lip. He tugged on the cowpony hat in either direction with his hooves. Braeburn was the most important thing to him, and he wouldn't want anything to hurt him... but was staying in his hospital so close to a town he was terrified of really the best option? "I just want Brae to feel safe..." He mumbled out.

The doctor began to grumble something under his breath as he let out a sigh "Mister Soarin, I honestly think you don't know the first thing about just how badly this will effect him either way. Him being with you these past few days has helped him beyond belief, he would hardly say a word before other than asking for food or water." Sabot said "I don't honestly think he cares just how long it takes to fix him up as long as you're there supporting him."

The pale blue pegasus ran a hoof through his wind-blown mane in slight frustration. "I can take care of him myself if I have to, but I'm taking him from here in two weeks if I have to steal him."

"I'm sorry to say this, but it isn't that difficult for the police to locate a celebrity." Sabot grumbled out, rolling his eyes as if he knew Soarin's threats were emptier than a balloon. "Honestly, think of the effect this will have on Mr. Apple."

Soarin bit his lip harder. He knew damn well how this would effect Braeburn, especially in the current state he was in. He closed his eyes to hold back his tears of frustration. The earth pony didn't deserve this, he deserved to be happy and with Soarin far away from this place, someplace where he would be allowed to have fun once more, and wouldn't be ridiculed each and every turn. "What do you suggest I do?" He spat out, his hooves shaking.

"It may be hard to buy Soarin, but some things don't always need to be rushed through." The doctor said "Let Braeburn work at his own pace... he can start rehabilitation at any time now that he's started to sleep and eat normally." The unicorn's horn stopped glowing as he set down the clipboard "But there are some things everypony needs to do at their own pace and their pace alone."

Soarin's lower leg was shaking with impatience, and the pegasus cursed himself as he realized this. Braeburn wasn't like him, Braeburn was the type of pony who liked to take things slowly, which is why he hated the first time Soarin kissed him, it happened right out of the blue and too suddenly and his heart hadn't been stolen fully and he became afraid. Braeburn wouldn't push himself unless Soarin asked him too. Soarin might end up hurting him if he forced him too far... that would kill him, it would truly kill him if he ended up hurting the earth pony. There was no way in Equestria Braeburn would feel safe if he was only being hurt.

The pegasus lifted a hoof up to his eye and began to rub it. He was so damn tired. He was always tired. Ever since everything came crashing down he felt like he hadn't slept a single wink.

"I'm not telling you what to do." Sabot mumbled, a cocky grin on his face, for he knew he was right. "I'm just telling you what you should do... if you really care for this Apple pony, I mean."

Soarin glanced up at him, not even having enough energy to give a proper glare.

So tired.

"Doctor Sabot... I think you know damn well how I feel about him, don't play the damn feelings card on me." He growled out. He only wanted Braeburn to feel safe, to feel like he was surrounded by ponies like his squad, ones who would be his friends for no reason other than he was a good pony with a big and kind heart. If he came with Soarin, even if they hardly saw each other, he would be safe... but of the other hand, he knew just how important it was to take things at certain speeds.

"Thanks, Doc." Soarin mumbled, truly meaning it.

There had to be a middle ground. Between recovery and patience... there had to be somewhere to settle at.

Soarin was mid-sigh when he found his own hoof turning the door knob to the room where Braeburn was kept. The things on his mind wouldn't settle nor calm, muc h like waves at an ocean, or a thunderstorm cloud that rippled lightning through the sky. He kept wondering on just how far he could push Braeburn each day so he wouldn't go past his breaking point. When he heard a tiny squeak of fear, he decided that it wasn't very far.

"W-What's that?" Braeburn asked, his voice frantic.

"That's just your friend honey." The pink coated nurse answered as Soarin caught Braeburn's eye. He was still overly jumpy to the touch, his legs shaking as the mare injected a needle into one of the IV's connected to his upper leg. Soarin hoped it was a painkiller, at least then he wouldn't have to see his friend in pain.

"Oh... right..." Braeburn asked, his cheeks blushing likely from feeling pretty darn stupid Soarin couldn't hold back the sly grin breaking through on his face as he walked in. The nurse glanced at Soarin. "Well, I better go, there's a patient in forty six who needs me as well." She said as she trotted out the door right past the pale blue pegasus, who turned around to stare at her a moment as she closed the door behind her.

"Ah look ugly... don't ah?" Braeburn suddenly said, taking the pegasus off his guard. Soarin whipped his head back to the earth pony quickly, cocking up a brow in question, about to open his mouth to protest. His mouth went dry when he took a closer look at the yellow pony, who was currently stroking a hoof over his bare chest. The bandages were gone... and at least a dozen large, deep scars were clearly visible in Soarin's eyes.

Soarin watched as Braeburn wrapped an arm over his chest, his other arm free from the sling., A pitiful attempt at hiding all of the horrible scars on his body was what he was trying to do. "Nurse... said I don't need those bandages anymore... or the sling" He gently mumbled, only half talking to Soarin. "What do ya think?" He avoided eye contact with the pegasus, eyes watering slightly.

Those scars were never going to leave him... he would always be reminded of that night until he died...

Soarin quickly opened his mouth, making sure it wasn't dry before letting the words spill out of his mouth. "Well, to be honest they aren't exactly flattering." He trotted over to the bed, staring into Braeburn's eyes which refused to meet him. He could see the pang of hurt in his lovers eyes before he lifted a hoof and stroked over one of the deepest scars, forcing the other to jump, his eyes glanced down to the others hoof. "But... really, they make you look a little less like a colt and more like a stallion." He mumbled.

"Wh-What?" Braeburn asked, his cheeks flushing a shade of pink.

"They really make you look like a ruffian." Soarin gently teased "I think I like it... besides, nothing could make me any less attracted to that body of yours." He licked his lips, enjoying the red growing on the earth pony's face. "'Sides, even if I ignored all that, your accents enough of a killer to make me stay, got a real thing for country stallions if you know what I mean." He said.

"A-Ah ain't got no ack-scent!" Braeburn's cheeks suddenly blushed as he realized just how different he sounded from Soarin. "A-Ah mean... ah ain't..."

Soarin smirked as his hoof over the scars could feel the thumping of Braeburn's heart increase. "Ain't you just a little cutie when you blush? He teased, patting the earth pony's now red cheek before backing off his torturous teasing. It was a good thing to see Braeburn blush, that meant he was slowly coming back to his old self.

Braeburn was silent for several moments "Thank ya kindly Soar." He mumbled, shifting comfortably as Soarin's hoof continued to pet his chest in rhythmic strokes. He was silent for several moments, Soarin looking deeply into his lovers for once calm and comfortable eyes.

"Say Brae... the doc told me something when I went to see him." Soarin mumbled.

"Hmm?" Braeburn asked, his eyes closed with a small smile on his face. Perhaps he secretly enjoyed the teasing given to him, or perhaps he simply enjoying being close to Soarin. The pegasus liked to think it was a little bit of both.

"He said we should try and get you to walk soon," Soarin mumbled, watching Braeburn's eyebrows give a cocked up expression as his eyelids slowly. "Like... in the next few days or something."

"This soon?" Braeburn asked. "Ah don't know Soar... isn't it a little... too soon?" He asked. The worry in his voice was clear, and it made the pegasus simply want to cuddle his coltfirend closely. Braeburn had a way of acting like that without realizing it. "Ah mean, I ain't sayin' the doc is wrong or anythin', but I don't know if I'm... ready for it..."

Soarin let out a sigh. "I know you're nervous buddy... but trust me, I've wiped out and had to go through it plenty of times... you'll be fine. Try flying after breaking each wing in five places!"

Braeburn was silent for a few moments. The pegasus could feel the thumping of Braeburn's heart increase once more. Soarin had to convince himself it was for Braeburn's own good, and that he would leave the place he hated sooner. "So?" He asked, placing his hoof over the other's chest roughly. "You ready?"

Braeburn trembled. Once. Just once, but it was enough for Soarin to feel a pang of guilt. "Might... might as well get it over with now, right?" He asked, smiling nervously.

Soarin stroked his lover's face a few times. "R-Right." He mumbled.

It was as Braeburn began gasping for air with his eyes squeezed shut clinging to Soarin like his entire life depended on it did Soarin really feel the guilt begin to sink in. Braeburn clung to Soarin as he bit down hard on his lip, keeping back the horrible choking sounds no doubt building deep in his throat. The upper legs wrapping tightly around him for balance weren't helping in the slightest.

"Mister Apple, can you please lean on this?" The nurse asked, bringing around a walker as they stood in the large room, with a padded floor. Soarin found himself gently setting the other down on the walker. He proceeded to grip it with his life as well, holding his tongue with the pain he was building up in his hind legs.

Soarin glanced down to his lovers hind legs that were standing in front of the wheelchair. According to Doctor Sabot, the casts around his leg wouldn't be coming off until right before he left. He could still practice walking with them beforehand as long as he was careful. The walker acted as a crutch at the very least. Soarin felt a little better for that, at last it would help him.

"Now Braeburn, I'm asking you to please take a few steps forward." The nurse asked. Braeburn glanced over at Soarin, who gave a small nod of encouragement.

Soarin watched as Braeburn took in a deep gasp of air. He saw the earth pony drag his right back leg slowly. He bit his lip harder and winced in pain. "Soar... Ah... ah don't know if ah can..." He whimpered out, his eyes watering as he glanced at the pegasus, putting most of his weight on the walker. He looked like he was about to break already. Soarin felt a pang of guilt once more.

"Brae," Soarin said, getting down to meet eye contact with the other "Talk to me, just move at your own pace and talk to me." He said, reaching out a hoof and stroking his cheek. He glanced up, seeing the nurse had no complaints to this.

"Talk.... 'bout what?" Braeburn whimpered out, his back legs trembling like jelly.

"I don't know... tell me about how life's been since I left, let it off your chest, I know it hasn't been pleasant." Soarin begged, continuing to stroke his lovers cheek. He watched Braeburn tremble once more before forcing his head up, his back legs moving slowly as he let out a tiny, almost silent whimper.

"W-W-Well... Afta ya left... ah tired ta be strong." Braeburn whispered out so only Soarin would hear. "Ah tried, ah ignored all of dem insults and the s-same." He whimpered out, moving about an inch a second. Even if he was slow, Soarin still moved at the same pace with him. "But after a while.. it starts to get ta ya, ya know?" He asked.

"Yeah buddy, go on." Soarin mumbled, dragging his hooves as he kept pace with the other.

"Ah mean... I ain't complainin' or nothin', but it starts ta get old after a while. And the more ah tried ta ignore them, the angrier some of them got 'bout it. T-Throwin' things and such... a few times ah was afraid ta walk home because they waited for me a lot. Sometimes Ah got away in time, but other times it turned out like... back then." Braeburn mumbled. His legs continued shaking as he pressed on, hardly making a dent in the distance. The nurse was at his side, slowly guiding him to make sure he didn't tire out too soon. "Soar, t-t-this is really hurtin'." He whimpered out, eyes watering more, ready to spill out.

"Keep going," Soarin mumbled "And just keep talking to me."

"Ah... Ah... Ah mean... sometimes ah got angry with ya, for goin' away.... then ah got mad at myself because it was my fault fer not goin' with ya out to see the world... Ah still don't know who ah... ah should be angry with." Braeburn suddenly stopped "I don't know if I can do this..." He whimpered out.

"Braeburn, you have too." Soarin mumbled "C'mon, man, you can do this."

"B-But Soarin... ah... it... hurts. It hurts so much Soar." He whimpered out, legs shaking and lower jaw wobbling. "Please... make it stop..."

"Mister Soarin, I think your friend has had enoug-" The nurse was cut off as Braeburn suddenly fell against the padded floor. She attempted to made a move until Soarin lifted his hoof. He gave a pleading expression to her. She seemed to understand his meaning, for he only needed a minute. She backed away as Soarin got on the ground next to Braeburn, laying down next to the earth pony who was currently suppressing sobs with his hooves as tears streaked from his eyes.

"Brae... hey, can you hear me?" Soarin asked. The earth pony glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, nodding slowly as his chest heaved, only causing him more pain and more sobs. The pegasus uncurled one of his wings and draped it over the other, offering some comfort. "You don't have to talk, just listen to me."

"W-Why do ah even have ta do this?" He cried out "Ah can't apple buck no more, my life is ruined from here on out, I'm a complete lost cause, why do ah need ta walk?"

"Because you have a life to live." Soarin spat out at him "I told you before, life's too short to act like you're dying!"

When Braeburn didn't respond with anything other than one of his ears twitching, Soarin decided to continue. "I know I haven't been there... but you can't blame me, I tried to make you come." He mumbled "But... it was also bad on my end for making you empty promises of when I'd be back. But none of that matters now, do you want to know why?"

"W-W-Why?" Braeburn asked, his voice clearly still sobbing.

"Because I'm not going to go anywhere else without you anymore... you're going to come with me out of this damn place, and you'll meet all of my squad, and they'll love you because you are the most kind, sexiest, and loving earth pony I've ever met." Soarin mumbled "But if you want to stay right here on this floor, I'll stay with you as long as you want. I'll wait as long as you need, because whatever happens to us, we're going to get through this together. You don't have to put up with it anymore, you can lean on me when you need too." Soarin said, leaning over and kissing the earth pony's ear, wrapping his upper leg around Braeburn's. "We can stay here, or keep going and get on a new life."

Braeburn didn't respond, only let his tears roll down his cheeks as he bit his lip to hold back sobs, tightening his hold on the other's hoof. He was in so much pain right now, and Soarin couldn't even tell if his talk was helping in the slightest. "B-But... ah'm scared... of what'll happen... even if ah can walk 'gain."

"I know you are." Soarin said. "But we can get up and go the rest of the way if you want." Soarin mumbled "We can take until tomorrow if you need too. You can fall a million times but I won't abandon you any of them, I'll always help you back up. I want you to still be strong for me, but just know that I'll be right here at your side the entire time from now on, alright?"

Braeburn sniffled gently. "Soar... it... it still hurts." He whimpered, his legs still trembling, however his sobs were slowly calming down.

"I know it does, it hurts like hell, but I won't get up until you do." Soarin said, reaching out his other hoof and rubbing the earth pony's back in circles, ignoring the scars. The earth pony looked at him with red, puffy, and teary eyes. He reached out a shaky hoof and stroked one of Soarin's cheeks.

"Together?" He asked. "Like caramel on a candy apple?"

"Yeah buddy." Soarin said "If you fall, I fall, if you walk, I walk." He mumbled "Together."

Braeburn's watery eyes shimmered. He closed them and sniffled loudly, likely cursing under his breath. "Can... can we try one more time?" He whimpered out.

Soarin gave a smirk of satisfaction before leaning in and kissing the yellow pony's forehead, nuzzling for several moments before wrapping his arms around the other as he sat up with Braeburn in his arms, to which the earth pony bit his lip and whimpered in pain once more. Soarin quickly rubbed the other's belly for comfort as the nurse helped him up. He didn't once let go of Braeburn's hoof.

When the earth pony got back onto his walker, he breathed in and out heavily. He glanced to Soarin, his mane sleek with sweat and sticking to his neck. "T...T-T-Tog..." He couldn't get the rest out.

"Yeah, buddy," Soarin mumbled "Together."

Braeburn gulped loudly, and began to take his first step.

He didn't let go of Soarin's hoof. Not for a single second.

Healing

I apparently was featured for my last chapter update... I just want to take this very short time to say thank you. If it wasn't for you all, I honestly would not be writing this story. Comments are really what makes me continue writing, feedback is one of the things I look forward to the most.

You may not know it, but the first fanfiction, Winding Roads, was about my third attempt to write out a SoarBurn fic. Each idea before it I hated after the first chapter, got down-voted into oblivion, or something of that nature. I thought I would never be able to write a fic about the two of them... and then it just came to me out of nowhere to write Braeburn going into a bar, and somehow everypony LOVED it. The words became easier, and my fanbase continued to grow... I still can't believe you people still follow me, and are loyal enough to stick to me and my average story telling skills...

Thank you.

Now... ONWARD TO THE SOARBURN!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Never leave me again."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Entangled Pathways
Chapter 5: Healing

"How's it feel?" Soarin asked, standing next to the wheelchair of the earth pony over the grassy grounds of the courtyard. "To finally be outside, I mean." A gentle, cool breeze blew through his mane, his wings gently flexing, one of the first times in over a week he had been able to feel wind on them. It shocked Soarin on just how nice it was right outside a place where Braeburn had suffered for almost a month all alone, despite the slowly cooling weather. A few ponies were scattered around here and there, mostly nurses and doctors on breaks or taking a shortcut from one part of the building to the next.

Braeburn looked like he needed fresh air instead of the smell of sickness or death for once.

"Kinda bright..." Braeburn said. He shrugged as he said this, as if he didn't know what to make of it. "It's... colder here than in Appleloosa," He added "Lot more grass, an' even farmland by the look er it. Appleloosa is in the middle of nowhere, the next town over is pretty much a whole new country."

"Just wait till you see Trottingham, it's cold as hell down there." Soarin said. "And the blizzards there are so bad even I can't fly in them sometimes... you're lucky you got a friend with feathers to snuggle with when you get there" He teased, shaking the other lightly with the upper leg slung around his neck, causing his friend to smile softly, and then try to suppress it and fail.

Braeburn was silent for a while after that, his lower legs encased in their casts were in front of him as he stared at them. "When ah learn ta walk again... ya gonna take me from here... aren't ya?" He asked quietly, on of his hooves twirling around a long tuft of fur on his own yellow coat as his head stared into the sky.. His breath was silent, almost nonexistent..

Soarin blinked several times. "Yeah, Brae," He said, reaching out a hoof and stroking his lover's cheek. "There's no way I'm letting you go back to that closed minded town of featherbrains."

"I used to be a closed minded featherbrain." Braeburn muttered.

"Yeah, but you're hot, I can forgive that." Soarin said, his tongue sticking out, delighted to see a blush appear on his lovers cheeks. He knew that would make him shut up about that for a while. "Besides, the lot of them are brainwashed like you were... but at least you didn't try to commit murder."

"I'm guessing you won't take no for an answer this time." Braeburn grumbled out through his muzzle. He made a tiny noise that was between a whimper and simple irritation. He hid his face by hiding it under the shadow on his hat, which Soarin had happily given back once asked too.

Soarin glanced over at the other. "Well, you don't want to go back to the way it was, do you?" He asked gently, not angry or pushing, simply curious.

Braeburn shrugged "Ah... no." He hissed in frustration. "But ah'm allowed ta be nervous, okay?" He snapped, glaring over at the other. His eyes faded from a glare and went to worried "W-What if all of yer squad hates me, or ah'd hold ya'll down because I'm slower than ya, N' on top of all that, ah ain't sure if I'm ready to travel all over the world!" He looked to be trembling gently.

Soarin rolled his eyes and buried his face into Braeburn's mane with a sudden half hug, trembling gently with pleasure as the apply scent filled his nose. He missed that smell so much, or maybe he just missed being this close to Braeburn. "Why are earth ponies so stubborn?" He grumbled, beginning to gnaw on the other's ear gently, feeling it warm slightly as the pony blushed.

"Because we don't have buckin' wings." The earth pony mumbled, pushing off his lover and glancing around, as if looking for anypony who was judging him. "Because we aren't expected or even pushed ta leave home." He glanced down "Ah've never even left this part of the world before. Strange as it sounds, it's just my home." He said "If you don't include the ponies in it... ah love Appleloosa to death..." He shifted uncomfortably as his hoof raised itself to the spot where Soarin had been nibbling on. "It's a nice place... as long as ya'll ain't coltcuddlers or fillyfoolers..." He had a hint of a whimper at the term coltcuddlers.

Soarin could tell he was still uncomfortable with calling himself a coltcuddler in general, especially after the incident. Hell, he might even be upset right now because ponies were watching him being treated like less of a stallion, at least in their eyes. Soarin should have known better than to be so lovey-dovey in public... "It isn't like you can ever buck another apple tree." He put in the fact, letting it sink in before continuing "You can't tell me it's because you only know how to buck apples this time. And as for my squad, if they don't like you I can personally mess them up pretty badly."

Braeburn shrugged again. He ran one of his own hooves over his cast. "Wherever ya go from now on... ah go, right?" He asked, seeming a tad sad, yet also a twinge happy that Soarin wouldn't leave him once more.

"Well, it could work the other way around." Soarin mumbled, glancing at the other "You could choose to go back to Appleloosa... and I'd live with you." He let this sink in for a long time. He also had this time to wonder if he would seriously give up his Wonderbolts career for an earth pony who could be more stubborn than he was when getting a slice of pie. He never did come up with an answer for that.

"No..." Braeburn sated "Ah don't want ya ta give up yer talent fer me. Yer just tryin' to guilt me now." He grumbled, punching the other's rib cage lightly. "I'm allowed to feel scared, okay?" He snapped.

Soarin just nodded "Yeah..." He mumbled, understanding the earth pony's feelings. He began reaching down his hoof and gently rubbing the cast. The wind gently blew, and his mane shifted in the wind. Part of him wanted to fly, for he hadn't so much as floated in over a week, a new personal record.

Braeburn looked down "Ah'm scared, because ah ain't never seen a big place other than that there stadium, and that wasn't even that large by your standards... Ah mean, heavens to Betsy, my town ain't even on the map!"

"I know buddy, it's alright to be afraid." Soarin mumbled, gently rubbing a hoof up and down Braeburn's side, hearing a tiny sniffle from the other.

Soarin felt deep guilt the more his lover became worried. What was worse, he had no idea how to convince him things would be fine.

The pale blue pegasus chuckled gently as his hoof ran through the messy piles of letters, pulling them out in large clumps and shoving them into the large bag at his side. They were just as worn out and read as his own letters. How two different ponies over a thousand miles apart managed to have the same featherbrained idea to try and keep every single letter exchanged was beyond him. He would have teased the other endlessly about it if not for the pounds of letters he had drug about Equestria that increased week after week.

The pegasi's eyes swept around the room. The bloody sheets on the bed were gone, but the horrid scent still lingered. Looking at the bed brought back memories. Braeburn admitted that he liked stallions and loved Soarin that night. And Soarin admitted that for once his feelings were real, and not just helping another average pony find his true feelings. That night was a happy night... even with Braeburn being beaten senseless for no reason, the aftermath of everything was worth it... at least in Soarin's eyes.

Soarin closed the drawer slowly with his hoof. It was only a few more days until Braeburn's casts came off... and then Braeburn could leave everything behind and start fresh with Soarin. No more parents who didn't love him, no more being alone, no more name calling or random beatings... he was going to be safe with Soarin, with pegasi who wouldn't judge him for who he was.

The pale blue pegasus opened the next drawer, shoving random items that may or may not have held value into the large bag. He could sort them out later, together with Braeburn. It turns out that the landpony was not a happy mare, for it took large amounts of pleading plus fifty of his bits to simply convince her Braeburn had moved out and wasn't coming back, and to simply rent out the room to somepony else. Soarin was going to make sure Braeburn never set hoof into this damn town again.

Soarin's mind flashed to the Salt Block, the first place he met Braeburn.

No matter how many happy memories laid in this town.

Soarin fluttered his wings and began to float in the air, taking one final sweep around the room. He didn't want to miss anything, for he planned to never return. He had gotten Braeburn's vest, apparently he bought a new one, and any piece of junk Soarin thought that wasn't trash. And even some things he personally thought were trash. The drawers and closets were empty, Braeburn living here was now a mere memory that would fade over time as the shy coltcuddler with a golden heart would finally be somewhere he was loved.

Soarin got down to the bag and lifted its heavy contents around his shoulder. Braeburn didn't own many things, and of what he did own thankfully wasn't very heavy.

The pegasus let out a sigh as he walked out of the apartment and into the hallway, letting himself walk, for he knew it was going to be a long flight and he needed his energy.

"Haven't seen that coltcuddler in a long time... Brae... somethin' er other." The voice right outside of the building caught Soarin's attention. His ears perked up as did his head as he saw the two earth ponies walk by. He quickly trotted outside the door, the mention of Braeburn peaking his interest for some strange reason.

"That kid who almost died?" This time the words came out of a tan stallion's mouth. He then chuckled. "Ah heard he just cried like a little filly when the landpony found 'im. He was covered in blood n' an inch from death, ah would have loved ta see that there."

Soarin felt a slight boiling in his blood began, he began to silently follow these two with his head down.

"See it?" Asked the first pony, who had a dark blue coat. "If Ah could have caused it, Ah would gladly go to jail. Stupid colts like him need to be taught a lesson every once in a while." He spit on the ground. "Ah bet he cried like hell when it happened, ya could smell blood from a mile away. The stallions who did it taught him a lesson the hard way."

"Ah hope that coltcuddler learned his lesson right and never comes back." The tan stallions chuckled out.

Soarin felt his mind simply go into auto-pilot at that very moment as he let the bag slide off of his shoulder. He wasn't sure of what he was doing until he trotted up to the tan stallion and lightly tapped his shoulder. As his head turned with a look of irritation, Soarin snapped back into reality. He then proceeded to lift his hoof and slam it across the other's face as hard as he possibly could, heaving the thud on the ground and he gritted his teeth and blew out puffs of angry air through his muzzle.

"What in the hay was that for?" The blue pony began to ask in a frantic tone before Soarin turned and slammed his hoof across his face as well, feeling blood splat onto his hoof from the nose he likely just broke. He didn't care that everypony else in the street was suddenly watching him, he jumped onto the blue pony and slammed his hoof again, right in the same spot.

"You bucker." Soarin growled. There were certain times in his life that Soarin felt pure rage, and they were not very often. At most, he felt irritated easily, but still kept to his goofy and bright personality. But the times he felt rage, true and pure rage, it was always because the ones he loved were hurting. A year ago he had this feeling twice, once when Braeburn was attacked in the middle of the night, and the other when Braeburn was about to be struck by his father. Each time he had to control his anger, so not to scare Braeburn too badly. "Do you realize just how much he does for you?" Soarin shouted, slamming his hoof once more. "He picks your apples, feeds your entire town, and still puts up with all of your bucking crap, no matter how much he wants to fight back, he can't! He can't fight back at all because he knows he would lose, because nopony else is on his side!"

Soarin felt a body slam into his. It only then registered to him that there was indeed another pony who had gotten back up. He felt something slam into his face, but he chose to ignore the sudden burning pain and the lash of insults directed at him as he used all of his strength to squirm his way out from under this pony and tackle him to the ground with his amazing speeds, huffing and puffing in anger. "I don't give a buck what you say about me, but the second you have any problems with Braeburn from now on, take it up with me, because I don't need anypony else on my side!" Soarin shouted, slamming his hoof down at the other's throat and squeezing the air out of his neck. "I don't care if you're the one who hurt my coltfriend or not, the fact that you looked down on him because he was different is all I bucking care about right now." He growled out.

The pegasus felt a hoof slam into his head from the blue pony who was now back up, but he ignored it and continued to choke the tan pony. He knew that he was never going to be able to take proper revenge on the ponies who hurt his coltfriend, the ones who broke him down so badly that he sobbed hopelessly, ready to die. He would never be able to do enough, they would never hurt enough for Soarin's satisfaction. The hoof continued to slam onto his head, and blood poured over his eyes. He only squeezed his hooves tighter.

Soarin heard a small thud, and the banging on his skull ceased. Moments later, a hoof landed on his upper leg. "Sonny, I think he's had enough."

The pegasus glanced up. Sheriff Silverstar stared at him, not angry, only trying to help. Soarin glanced over and saw a blue pony on the ground five feet away, recently just attacked by the earth pony. The pegasus glanced down to the tan pony and removed his hooves. "He isn't good enough to die so easily." He growled out, getting up off the body and trotting away slowly, pushing through the crowds and retrieving the bag of Braeburn's things.

The sheriff walked up to Soarin quickly "Sonny, wait!" He called. "Not everypony in this town hated him, don't blame the town, blame the rotten ponies." He said.

Soarin was silent for a long time. "Where were those ponies... the ones who didn't hate him... Where were they every time he was hurt, or needed somepony to hold him until he stopped crying?"

The pegasus didn't wait for an answer. He spread his wings and flew off at a wing speed of twenty. He ignored the blood in his vision.

He was the only one left who would be able to protect Braeburn.

"What happened to your head?" Was the first question to come out of Braeburn's mouth.

Soarin's hoof ran up to the bandages around his forehead the nurse insisted he get. "Nothing." He mumbled. He glanced up, and then trotted over to his lover, suddenly wrapping him in his arms without warning, beginning to kiss his cheeks again and again. Braeburn was precious to him, and the now pink cheeks shifted slightly.

"W-What are ya doin'?" Braeburn mumbled.

Soarin shrugged "Just wanted to let you know I love you..." He mumbled, squeezing his lover tighter, giving him one final kiss on his forehead.

Each day passed quickly. It was simple, pleasant even. Braeburn began to hurt less and less each and every day, and when he fell, he instantly got back up, determined to be strong for Soarin. He always knew he was able to lean on somepony else, and that made him happy, it made him forget the horrible year without love or friendship. He made him feel like a fool for ever doubting Soarin's love for him.

The moment Braeburn stepped out of his room on his own, all four legs planted on the ground, shaky yet strong, he trotted up to Soarin and threw his arms around him, and Soarin threw his back, holding his lover tightly. Not a single word was spoken, nor was a single word needed.

Everything was going to be better now.

Their new life had only just started after all.

Hope you all like it. I had a writers block on this chapter for a long time, hence why it is not out super early like usual. But future chapters will be expected!

Clickity Clack

I have been given full permission to use the artwork in this chapter, the piece was made by Ende26 on Deviantart!

This chapter is meant to be the set up for the next part of the story, hence why it is as short as it is. But you get fluff and something special at the end... no not clop... so enjoy :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You're so warm..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Winding Roads
Chapter 6: Clickity Clack

Soarin could easily feel the increased weight on his body as a certain yellow earth pony leaned against him when they finally ceased their continuing walking. He could feel each and every spasm surging through Braeburn's body as his legs trembled with pain, fresh out of their casts. A gentle panting and wheezing breath tickling the fur on his ears caused his hoof to reach up and gently pet down his lover's mane, assuring they could rest in just a few minutes. His lips brushed against Braeburn's cheek quickly, so to the many passerby's it might have just looked like he was whispering into the earth pony's ear.

Braeburn, fresh out of the hospital looked at Soarin, his eyes were watery with pain, but his lips held a small smile. Soarin smirked at him warmly, giving his mane one last ruffle as he set down the large bag of Braeburn's belongings. He began stepping up to the pony behind the glass, leaving Braeburn a few feet behind him leaning on his large bag. He looked at the stallion, noticing right off the bat he was an earth pony.

Soarin resisted a grumble. He began to hope this whole thing would go over smoothly. He took several steps up to the window "Two tickets in a private cart, for me and my friend here." He said warmly, pointing with his head to the earth pony behind him. He waited several moments for a response.

"Ya.... ya know the Private Carts only 'ave one bed?" The earth pony questioned, cocking up a brow.

Soarin narrowed his eyes at the earth pony behind the window, suddenly wishing he could punch a hole in it. Ever since he snapped back in Appleloosa, he felt ready to attack anypony hurtful toward Braeburn in an instant. "I'm well aware." He hissed.

The earth pony gave a disgusted look for a brief moment. Soarin became glad Braeburn was likely hunched over on his bag. Soarin lifted a large bag of bits from seemingly nowhere and all but smashed down a hoofful of bits. When he was handed the two tickets, he snatched them in one quick swipe, glaring at the earth pony. "Keep the change." He grumbled out before turning around, turning back to his goofy self as he snagged Braeburn by the neck and ruffled his mane once more.

Braeburn was life some kind of drug to him... he was never angry when close to him. At least not if it was for stupid and simple things like this. The earth pony looked to be in pain as Soarin took up the large bag, letting the earth pony lean on him as they slowly walked through the crowds of ponies flocking in and out of trains. "I got us a private cart." Soarin whispered into Braeburn's ear.

"Finally alone, huh?" Braeburn asked, smiling happily, a feeling of joy spread out Soarin's body as the smile directed itself at him. If he were alone and in the cart with Braeburn right now, he would cuddle the crap out of him.

Soarin glanced at the ticket in his hooves and then to the numbers above each cart, he counted off each number as they walked along the wooden planks underneath their hooves. When they reached their destined cart, Soarin spread his wings and flew up to the door, throwing it open and tossing in the bag of Braeburn's belongings before landing in the cart. He reached out his hoof and snagged Braeburn's own, bringing him up inside the cart before closing the door once more.

The earth pony groaned gently in pain as his back legs hit the carpeted floor. His hoof began to rub one of his legs as his rump planted itself on the ground. Soarin tore his eyes away, not wanting to feel the pain in his chest from looking at his lover any longer. He quickly glanced at the pink carpet, along with the maroon couch next to one of the large windows. His eyes drifted to the bed, it held the same maroon color on it's blanket and pillows.

Soarin put a smile on his face as he spread his wings and flew over the few feet to Braeburn, gliding around him in circles "In three days, we'll be in Trottingham!" He said "Oh it'll be great, trust me, you really need a vacation, and you can't imagine just how sick we party!"

Braeburn glanced up at the floating pegasus, his eyes betrayed no emotion for once as his hooves gently ran down his hind legs. "You got everything from the hospital, right?" He asked "Paid for everything?" He ignored the pegasi's statement about his squad entirely, as if he didn't want to think about it. Soarin didn't dare push.

Soarin shook his head with a slight chuckle before landing on Braeburn's side, snagging him around the neck and ruffling his mane with his free hoof. "You worry too much for somepony who cost me that many bits!" He growled playfully.

"Too many bits?" Braeburn inquired.

"Go get hurt and cost me a thousand more, then we'll talk." Soarin mumbled, a smirk on his face before he suddenly scooped up Braeburn in his arms and glided into the air. The earth pony suddenly jumped in mid air, yet didn't budge from Soarin's upper legs.

"S-Soar, ah can walk myself!" Braeburn spat out, his cheeks lighting up a bright red as his tail whipped around, snapping on Soarin's hind legs.

Soarin chuckled "I know." He whispered, his wings beginning to flap as he glided over to the bed, letting himself fall as he slammed down Braeburn's body, gently, onto the mattress, hearing a gasp from the earth pony. Soarin took a full five seconds to assure he hadn't hurt the earth pony before he mashed his lips against the other, unable to stand it any longer. Braeburn struggled at first, mostly from surprise, but he slowly calmed down and let Soarin's lips move against his before letting the pegasi's tongue slide into his mouth and play with his. Soarin backed his head away, sitting on Braeburn's chest as a string of saliva connected the two, Braeburn having a look of joy plastered on his face. The pegasus smirked "Celestia's sun, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that these past few weeks." He said.

Braeburn blinked several times. "Why the buck did ya pull away?" He whined, his back legs shifting in discomfort and impatience.

Soarin let out a laugh as his wings shot out and he brought them down to glide across Braeburn's cutie mark on either side. He leaned his head down, a hoof gently stroking Braeburn's chest, feeling his body both tense and loosen. He slowly reached into the vest, pulling it off of Braeburn's body in likely the most tempting way for the earth pony. "You're just asking for it now, buddy." He teased before sinking his teeth into Braeburn's neck, pure passion filling him as he heard the musical moans escape his lover's throat.

He didn't realize until that moment just how much he truly missed Braeburn.

As the train slowed to a halt, Soarin felt his head slam into the wooden wall of the train cart. He jumped in pain, forcing his and Braeburn's lips to part. He blinked several times, reaching a hoof behind his head to feel the lump. "Ow." He mumbled begrudgingly. He slowly removed his other hoof from Braeburn's plot, looking dead straight at Braeburn's blushing cheeks. The earth pony was silent for several moments as he shifted on Soarin's body before turning his head to the window.

That was one way to kill the moment...

Soarin was silent for several moments. His eyes shot open as a scent entered his nose. That damn scent that he would hate at the moment if his lover didn't smell like them so bucking much.

Apples.

Braeburn got off of Soarin's body and glanced his head out the window and stared into the town of Appleloosa. He didn't say a word, or betray emotion. Soarin quickly got up next to him, the open window blowing in scents from the town that were all too familiar to the earth pony next to him.

"Ah'm really never comin' back." Braeburn mumbled suddenly, the silence being broken lifted an enormous weight off of the pegasi's shoulders. He simply nodded before lifting a hoof and rubbing Braeburn's back. The earth pony let out a sigh as he glanced up. He pointed out a hoof "Ah think ah see The Salt Block," He mumbled "That's where I first met you!" He said.

"I was there." Soarin joked, however Braeburn didn't respond and drew a hoof to the large apple orchard.

"And... And there... Ah worked my hind off every day just ta make a few bits, and ya could do my entire day's work in five minutes!" He cried out. Soarin realized Braeburn's eyes were watering...

"Brae..." Soarin began.

"A-And there..." Braeburn mumbled, pointing to the street "Ah used ta walk home... e-every day, and just wish everypony would stop looking at me funny... and ya saved me... me from all those colts... and I finally convinced myself I loved you more than anything, and I never wanted you to leave again..." His chest trembled lightly.

Braeburn slowly lowered his body and wiped his eyes. "Ah love this town." He whimpered "No matter how much ah hate the ponies... it's still my home... she was always kind to me, she let me have so many happy memories with ya." He sniffled loudly. "D-Damn... tears..." He hissed out, wiping his eyes yet again.

Soarin let out a sigh. He got down next to Soarin and took one of Braeburn's hooves into his own. "Brae... do you really think it's the town that you have all of those memories?" He asked.

Braeburn sniffled lightly. Soarin thrust his lovers hoof against his own chest, and watched Braeburn stare at it for quite a long time. "All of those memories... their just that. Memories. It isn't the town that you love." Soarin mumbled. "Hay, if you really want to think like that, think about all the names those ponies who called you names, or hurt you for no reason. Think about how helpless you felt when they hurt you, how much you wanted to fight back but couldn't... the town was the one who did that, the people in it are the town. Appleloosa is nothing but a bunch of hateful, homophobic, ignorant buckers."

Soarin tugged on the hoof over his chest once more. "All those happy memories aren't from the town, their from here." He whispered. "All the happy time you had with me are right here, you can't just lie to me and say you think you were the only one falling in love back then. I fell in love with you right in this town." He spit out "But I still hate this town to the core!"

Braeburn was silent for several moments, sniffling lightly. He felt the gentle thumping of Soarin's heart against his hoof. "This town hates your guts." Soarin mumbled. "But I love you, all the happy memories were with me, not Appleloosa."

The earth pony blinked several time, his tears slowly evaporating. "Soar..." He whispered. His emerald eyes blinked several times. "Yer... yer right." He confessed. "Ah... ah'm worried for nothin'... ain't ah?" He asked.

"I wouldn't say nothing." Soarin mumbled, leaning in and kissing one of Braeburn's watery cheeks. "It is scary to leave your comfort zone for the first time... but I'll be with you the entire way..." He suddenly smiled, getting up on all fours and pulling Braeburn forward with one of his hooves.

"Don't even look at the town, it's behind you now." Soarin mumbled, dragging his lips across Braeburn's cheek and down to his muzzle. "Now let me take all those bad thoughts away..."

And with that, he brought his lips to the earth pony's.

"Please give me a valid reason why ya have all of this..." Braeburn answered, his voice but a whimper. He could hear the gentle chuckling of Soarin as a hoof slid down his chest. "D-Do you just take this stuff wherever you go, that's really creepy Soar!" He cried out, cheeks blushing wildly.

"Oh shut it, you know you look adorable." Soarin mumbled, stroking a hoof across the objects encasing the earth pony's upper legs.

"Ah look stupid!" Braeburn cried out. His cheeks blushed deeper. Soarin merely chuckled.

"I think that you like it." Soarin mumbled. Luna's moon pouring into the window gave him a clear look at his lover's face as the clicking sounds of the train rolled throughout the land. Braeburn looked both nervous and embarrassed that Soarin had made him put on something so... so...

"Ah hate you so much right now." Braeburn hissed, trying to back away before an upper leg snagged around his back, forcing him against Soarin's chest, a tongue slowly drew itself up Braeburn's ear, sending trembling shivers through out his entire body.

Braeburn looked away, cheeks still wildly blushing. "C'mon, live a little." Soarin teased.

Neither of them noticed the crack in the doorway at the back of the cart.

"Uh... AJ?" Big Macintosh asked as he stood in the doorway of his home, his cheeks pink. He became grateful for his red coat all of a sudden the longer he stared.

The red stallion was attempting to ignore the small body of Applebloom weaving between his legs, Celestia's sun just spreading over Sweet Apple Acres, lighting up each and every apple tree. He stared at the issue of Equestria Daily in his hooves. Big Macintosh was one of the few stallions who subscribed to this paper, it usually held news about the food supply in certain parts of Equestria, so therefore he and Applejack could determine which towns to ship hoards of apples to.

However... the certain image on the front was that caught his eye in the first place.

"What is it, let me see!" Applebloom cried out, jumping in an attempt to see the image Big Macintosh was so intrigued by.

"Just a minute Big Mac, Granny needs to get her breakfast!" Applejack called from the kitchen. He could hear several grumbles and such from his grandmother, none of which made sense to him.

"Ya really need to see this!" Big Macintosh called. He stared at the picture for quite a long time, as if trying to determine just how real it was.

"Ah said jus' a gosh darn minut', ya'll act like the orchards burnin' down!" Applejack called, her silver tongue snapping at her brother. Normally Big Macintosh would wait and just reply with an "Eeyup." However today, the picture staring him straight in the face was making him uneasy in all the wrong ways. His eyes couldn't be cruel enough to deceive him, could they?

The red stallion quickly turned tail and trotted into the kitchen, his cheeks pink under his red coat. He made sure that Granny Smith couldn't see the paper, he had no idea how she would react, growing up in a different time. Hay, he wasn't even sure how he himself felt about the image he was seeing at the moment. All he knew was that it was going to spread all over Equestria like fresh and steamy apple pie.

"Heaven's to Betsy," Applejack snapped at her older brother. "Can't ya wait just a few minutes, what could be so important?" She half-yelled at her brother. Applejack wasn't the best morning mare, that was for sure...

"Ya need to see this."

"C'mon Big Mac, ah ain't a baby, ah can handle it!" Applebloom called, whining silently.

Applejack stared into her brothers eyes, her annoyed expression stayed on her face as she grabbed an apple and took a bite, grabbing the paper from his hooves. "Alright, let me see what's got ya so gosh darn ruffled up, but ah can't see what's so import..." She paused.

Applejack blew chunks of apples out of her mouth all over the floor as her brain finally registered what she was looking at. She began to cough and wheeze the bits of apple stuck in her throat.

"B-B-Braeburn?" She cried out. "What in the name of Celestia..." She looked at the picture closely. "And... what is he wearin'?"

Right there, on the very front page of the paper, under the title.Wonderbolt Soarin's new lover revealed? Did she see her cousin...

"Oh Luna." She mumbled.

(For those of you who want to see the Picture...)

The Next Chapter

OMIGOSH I’M ALIVE.

It has been some damn time hasn’t it? I have had the worst possible writers block, and today I decided to squeeze out 3000 words out of nowhere to top off the 1000 I wrote yesterday. Can I call myself lazy now without people yelling at me for it? No? Ok… sad face…

ONWARD TO THE SOARBURN… FINALLY!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I'm not alone anymore... right?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Entangled Pathways
Chapter 7: The Next Chapter

As the train's rumbling dragged on and on, day in and day out, Soarin began to stop noticing it all together, the only reminder that he was in fact racing through the land was the few times a day the entire train stopped to pick up and drop off new passengers. The past few days had been the only easy ones in quite a long time, his chest didn't hurt from his lover's pain, and he indeed felt happy for a change. Their time apart to Soarin seemed to strengthen their bond, learning about each other through the countless letters sent back and forth week after week, and right now Soarin was content with staying like this until he died. This bed they had stayed in for the majority of three days was starting to even become comfortable.

Braeburn had indeed slept most of these three days. Considering the fact that the stallion wasn’t able to get a good night’s rest because of the pain or the simple fear of the ponies who hurt him coming back without Soarin near him, the pegasus couldn’t bring himself to do anything other than lay with his lover most of the time, no matter how much he wanted to spread his own wings. The time now when they were finally alone was something that hadn’t come in quite a long time, and Soarin planned to cherish every moment of it.

The shifting body clinging to the pegasi's side forced him to smile as he buried his face into the golden mane on top of Braeburn's head, his cheeks blushing pink as he squeezed the other's body tighter, the worn vest rubbing against his upper legs. Peaceful would be the correct word to describe the past three days for the pegasus. "Almost there buddy..." He let the words slip through his mouth as he began slowly stroking Braeburn's

"What are they like?" Braeburn suddenly asked as he glanced up at Soarin from the chest he was lying on. "Yer... yer squad ah mean... h-how nice are they... will t-they even like... somepony like me?"

Soarin rolled his eyes. "Man, how many times have I told you this?" He asked, rubbing his head with a free hoof as he squirmed to sit up, Braeburn still clinging to his side, therefore being brought up with him. "They will love you." Soarin said as clearly as possible, taking Braeburn's face in his hooves and saying it into his face.

"But... what are they like?" Braeburn asked, squirming his head away from Soarin's hooves. "Ah mean... there's a whole bunch isn’t there? Like, ten or twenty?"

"Sure..." Soarin said, reaching his hoof behind his head and rubbing the back of his spiky mane. "But... you see... it's a little complicated. There really are only three you should know about..."

"Why's in the name of Betsy do I only need ta know three?" Braeburn asked "It's a little rude if ah don't know them all by name at least!"

"To tell you the truth... I'm not even sure I know them by name..." Soarin mumbled, chuckling awkwardly. He saw Braeburn cock up an eyebrow, so he decided to explain. "You see, since me and Spitty are the highest rank, her Captain, and me vice-captain, I'm supposed to lead the stallions while she leads the mares. But we each have our own vice captains for our teams as well, mine is a pony named Rapidfire, and Spitty has Fleetfoot. You can say that they are the real vice captains, since me and Spitty are really equal rank, she just does all the talking and such. But all of us do the main planning and organizing for the rest of the team, and I don't really get close to the lower ranks since... since sometimes they get kinda cocky that they're on the team in the first place..." Soarin shook his head "Some of them are real loudmouths too, but most of them are tolerable..."

Braeburn nodded with a small look of determination on his face as he looked down. "Rapidfire... Fleetfoot... Spitty..." He mumbled, trying to memorize the names before encountering the three.

"Ehh, I wouldn't call Spitfire, Spitty." Soarin said, chuckling gently as he ruffled his lover's mane "She'll hit anyone who calls her that except for me."

"Why you?" Braeburn asked, curiosity seeping through his tone.

"Because I know her better than anyone. And sometimes she still gets mad when I call her that now that we're in the big time and..." Soarin paused for a moment before lifting up both hooves and making quotation marks in the air with them "We should be acting professional." He said in a sarcastic tone.

"Shouldn't you be acting professional?" Braeburn asked.

"Shouldn't you not be a coltcuddler?" Soarin asked in a teasing manor, watching Braeburn's ears droop as he looked down before a sigh escaped the pegasi's throat. "Look buddy, it just is too boring to follow the rules, that's all I mean." He began rubbing Braeburn's belly, hearing him chuckle and feel him squirm.

"What if their mad at me... for making you stay away so long?" Braeburn asked.

Soarin thought a moment. "Rapidfire won't care, Fleetfoot'll be disappointed in me, and Spitty'll throw a fit and hit me a few times, but won't touch you since it isn't your gosh darn fault!" Soarin said, poking Braeburn in the belly rather roughly on the last part, he growled out those last few words with his teeth gritted shut, as if he was getting upset Braeburn was positive that he would be hurt or yelled at for something.

"But... But what if..." Braeburn began.

"Shut up." Soarin said, plopping his hoof over Braeburn's mouth as he wrapped his upper leg around the earth pony's front side, his eyes closed as he calmed himself down. Braeburn was just making excuses to be afraid now. "Does it really matter if they don't like you that much, which they won't," He added the last part quickly as he slowly let his hoof out of the earth pony's mouth. "Because I'm going to be there almost all the time and I can kick their plots if they say anything bad about you." Soarin mumbled. "I know you're a nervous wreck half the time, but now you're just being silly."

"Ah ain't... ah ain't a nervous wreck..." Braeburn mumbled, looking down at the ugly designed blanket. "Ah just..." He paused. Soarin let himself remember all the times Braeburn became scared in the short time he spent with him, all the times he looked so scared until Soarin wrapped his wings around him.

Soarin paused before wrapping both legs around Braeburn's body along with his wings, slowly rocking back and forth. "I love you, so shut the buck up." He mumbled, his teeth grazing one of Braeburn's ears. He felt the stallion's body both tense and relax. He felt one of his hooves be grazed upon by one of Braeburn's own, and he kept it there for quite some time as one of his ears was nibbled and kissed.

"Thanks Soar." Braeburn mumbled, his body falling back against Soarin's, the warmth bringing a smile to his face, his worries fading into the back of his mind for the moment.

“It’s so… big…” Braeburn found himself murmur as he craned his neck up at the tall buildings that stretched from three stories to ten. “How do ponies live here, it’s so… crowded…” He asked, turning his head toward the pegasus who currently was stretching his wings next to the earth pony, letting out a few groans from finally being able to move around.

“That’s right,” Soarin said through a yawn as he gave his wings a few flaps “You’ve never been into a real city, huh?” He asked, giving the other a cocky smile.

“Ah… it ain’t my fault!” Braeburn protested. “B-But how did ponies manage to build things so… so big!” He asked, limping forward through the sidewalk right outside of the train station.

Soarin chuckled as he followed the yellow earth pony, bag in hoof. “Well, I suppose mostly pegasus ponies would have worked on these things, but unicorns would be useful too.” He said, pointing his hoof to several different ponies. “But trust me, this town is small compared to Canterlot.”

Braeburn blinked his emerald eyes as he saw a mixing of earth, unicorn, and pegasus ponies all around, walking through the street together. It was so much different from Appleloosa, where the only residents were earth ponies and earth ponies alone. This town had to be smack in the middle of the three major parts of Equestria, Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and the south where Appleloosa lay. His cousin, Applejack, lived in a similar, smaller town if he remembered her words correctly. “I feel a little…” He glanced down to the old vest he was wearing, and his eyes rolled up to see the cowpony hat atop his head. “Out of place…”

Soarin could sense the nervous feeling in Braeburn’s voice. He smirked and slapped his upper leg over Braeburn’s neck, leaning on him and giving him a smirk before using his other hoof to lift the yellow pony’s chin. “Welcome to the big times, country colt.” He teased before nibbling on the other’s lips, feeling Braeburn squirm as he moved his head away.

“S-Soar, we’re out in pu…” Braeburn paused, looking around and realizing that nopony was giving him a death glare, nopony was looking to intervene them, and nopony was judging him… not even a stray glance that seemed uncomfortable. “Public…” He finished, a little speechless that he wasn’t being tormented for Soarin’s behavior.

“Like I said.” Soarin hissed playfully “Welcome to the big, better times.” The pegasus gave his lover a quick peck on the cheek before backing off, knowing how uncomfortable he was. He snagged the cowpony hat from Braeburn’s head and let it land on his own. “Now let’s get er selves some place to stay, eh partner?” He asked in a teasing manor with a horrible accent to top it all off. A warm feeling grew in his chest as he watched Braeburn attempt not to laugh, and then fail miserably.

Braeburn trotted the best he could, limping the way, to catch up to the pegasus who began walking with the large bag now in his mouth. Soarin truly felt happy, for the first time in what seemed like forever. All the times Spitfire or Rapidfire made fun of him for choosing to stay with a pony he knew for two weeks almost made him question where on earth his sanity was, why he wasn’t acting like his normal self to Braeburn, or why he simply didn’t leave him after the two weeks was up.

For some strange reason, the thought of abandoning Braeburn in that town after confessing he liked stallions, and clung to Soarin because the pegasus gave him the love he needed to live, brought about deep guilt deep in the pegasi’s chest.

Soarin glanced over to Braeburn, at his legs that limped in the back. Those legs looked hideous, as if they didn’t belong on such a perfect, cute, sexy body like Braeburn’s. Along with the scars on both his body and mind.

“Let’s find someplace to stay, I can bring around the squad later to meet you. I still want you to rest some just to be on the safe side, I know you’re still sore from all those surgeries.” Soarin sounded muffled through the bag in his mouth. Braeburn just nodded and continued to look around the new world.

“Stupid sexy Braeburn.” Soarin spat out at the earth pony’s wide eyed expression at everything.

It was as Soarin found himself lying on the ground with comedic tears in his eyes and blood dribbling down from his temple that he realized he had been gone for almost a month. The world began to go dark as he began to gasp for his last few breaths, knowing his time was near, and that he would soon go onto the next life and join friends and family on the other side.

“Dammit Soar, get your ass up!” Spitfire growled as she snatched Soarin by one of his wings and yanked him up off the ground, the expression on her face could be described as none other than purely pissed off.

“Owowowow.” Soarin whined “I’m up, I’m up!” He cried out before Spitfire finally released her hoof, to which Soarin began gently stroking his ruffled feathers, wincing as he felt the spot she grabbed. “I knew you would be upset when you saw me, but did you have to hit me?” He asked.

Just as the words left his mouth, another hoof slammed into his face, however this time he was ready and didn’t fall to the ground. “Stop that!” He cried out in half annoyance, half fear. Spitfire was a beast when angry, to put it bluntly.

“Spitfire, I think you should…” Fleetfoot began, however the yellow pegasus whipped her head around with a glare, forcing the cyan mare to shut her mouth. She looked at Rapidfire, who was simply chuckling at Soarin’s misery. Soarin began to wonder why he was friends with the gray pegasus before Spitfire began to yell.

“Where the hell have you been?” She cried out, her eyes burning with anger, a spark that could set all of Equestria of fire. Soarin had forgotten the last time he had seen his captain this angry. “I had to come up with this lame excuse that you had some disease that forced you to stay in quarantine, Rapidfire had to take control and almost brought us all down, he isn’t used to being in the lead! And we almost crash landed at the end, all because you wanted to spend some time with your coltfriend!”

Soarin blinked several times before letting out a sigh. “Spitty… it isn’t like that…” He tried to reason with the golden coated mare, tried to hide the anger in his voice. He wished he had only extended the visit, and that he just spent the extra time convincing Braeburn to come see the world with him. But no, Spitfire didn’t understand. She growled softly and the pegasus bit his tongue before shaking his head. “Spitfire…” He began.

“What?” She asked “Want to tell us how much fun you had with your little whirlwind romance lover, did you plow him every night perhaps? Did you and him watch the stars every night and make out every chance you got?” Spitfire’s eyes were still glowing in that same kindle of fire from before “I bet that you’re happy you stayed so long, even with how angry I am.” She growled.

“Will you shut the buck up?” Soarin spat out. He watched the shock appear on Spitfire’s face. He had never raised his voice like that to her, he sounded angry, and her attitude wasn’t helping him in the slightest. “If you decide to shut the buck up for five bucking seconds you might know why I stayed so long!” He yelled, his mane somehow looking frizzier than usual, his eyes had dark bags under them. His joy from being with Braeburn earlier had been replaced in the blink of an eye.

“Soar… did something happen?” Spitfire asked.

“No, nothing at all.” Soarin said in a sarcastic tone. “I just haven’t slept in the past three weeks more than five damn minutes because my lover kept whimpering out in pain and screamed like he was dying sometimes.” That was the truth, he had hardly slept the past three days simply because of how much he was scared Braeburn would wake up with a nightmare of those damn stallions again and be too shy to wake him up. “I haven’t been able to hold him or make him feel better until these past few days because he couldn’t even leave that damn bed, and now he can hardly walk much less run even after all that torture he went through in that bucking physical therapy!”

Soarin’s breath became heavy as he let out all the feelings that he hadn’t been able to express for Braeburn’s sake. “I haven’t been able to make him feel loved like before because it hurts whenever somebody touches him, and to top it all the buck off, I can’t do anything to help him other than be next to him!” Soarin trailed off. “I mean… he just… Brae has been so…

“Soarin, what the hell happened in Appleloosa?” Rapidfire asked “C’mon dude, tell us.”

Soarin bit his lip and lifted his leg to wipe his eyes in anger. He sniffled a few times. “D-Dammit…” He whimpered out “I’m… I’m supposed to be strong right now…” He whispered “It’s over now, isn’t it… he’s getting better…” His anger was replaced by sorrow, as if a blanket was ripped from over him to show his true emotions.

It wasn’t over however… not really… Braeburn would limp forever, the scars on his body would remain, whenever he so much and looked at himself that horrible night would return to his mind. The worst night in his entire life would haunt him forever, always in the back of his mind, making him wish he was dead instead.

“Even if… even if he heals physically, what about him mind, he was already hurt from his parents, now you need me to top it off with this?” Soarin cried out. “Why the buck wasn’t I there to help him when he needed me?” The pegasus cried out. He felt the tears roll down his eyes as his vision became blurry. He landed on his rump and swore quietly. He had felt happy earlier, but now he was being forced to relieve all of these thoughts.

Soarin wanted Braeburn at his side, he would act stronger then, because he knew the earth pony would feel it was his fault if Soarin began to sob.

“If I… I-If I was there more… if I made an effort to try and see him every couple of months… would this have happened?” He asked, ignoring his friends around him “C-Could I have tried to make him come with me, would any of this have happened to him?” He let the tears run freely. He wasn’t sure who to blame any more other than himself, even the ponies that did it seemed to be let off the hook. He was supposed to love Braeburn… wasn’t he?

Things in his head began to hurt as the tears flowed down his cheeks and dripped down. He felt his wing be tugged at. He winced and looked up, seeing Spitfire glare at him, however it was approximately one hundred times less intense than the one before. “Idiot, why didn’t you tell us in the letter…” She sighed, shaking her head before grabbing something grabbed his hoof. He glanced to his side to see Rapidfire, with Fleetfoot behind him.

“Tell us what happened dummy, we’ll get you through this.” Rapidfire said. Soarin became shocked he didn’t add a joke in there.

Soarin sniffled loudly before getting to his feet. “F-Fine…” He managed to say “If you keep beggin’… I guess I have to.”

The hotel Soarin had chosen for Braeburn to rest in was a simple one, not too high class, yet not poor as dirt. It was a nice for the both of them at the very least. Braeburn knew he had been told to rest quietly and get some sleep. The fact that he was on the second floor was reason enough to believe nopony would break in and hurt him again. The door was locked, the windows out of reach from those strange ponies that chose to put him in the hospital.

Braeburn wasn’t able to close his eyes for even a moment. He began to feel selfish, because he knew that he kept worrying Soarin by asking to be cuddled so much from the nightmares. He knew his tears only brought more pain to Soarin than himself, and he felt like a stupid foal for his constant fear.

The yellow pony lay with eyes that wouldn’t close as he stared at the wall in front of him, in the large bed. Every little crap or noise made him jump. He was an idiot… he needed to think about something else, anything else would be better than all of this crap that kept coming to mind that made him want to cry.

It was at this exact moment that it came across his mind that he still hadn’t made that apple pie for Soarin. He felt like he owed the pegasus at least that much. When or where he was going to be able to find apples to his liking was still questionable. Winter was approaching quickly, they might go bad and out of stock soon enough.

The sound of a latch unlocking was like heavenly music to the stallion’s ears. He let out a sigh as a giant lump stuck in the back of his throat seemed to vanish. “Thank Celestia…” He mumbled. As he sat up and turned to the door, the light that poured in confused him a moment as he saw four shadows. “Soarin?” He asked, his eyes attempting to adjust.

Just as the name exited the hole called his mouth, something as hard as a rock slammed into his body. It seemed to be a pony who proceeded to hold him down by wrapping his upper legs around him. The scent wasn’t Soarin, this pony wasn’t Soarin. His first instinct was to tighten his body up as his eyes watered, memories filling his mind of that night.

“S-S-S-Soarin…” He whimpered out.

“Rapidfire, I told you to be gentle with him!” The voice of Soarin entered his ears as the body on top of him loosened its grip. He lifted his head to see an annoyed looking pale blue pegasus stand on the other side of the bed. Braeburn turned his body around to see a gray pony on top of his, the mane was in the same, wind-blown style as Soarin’s.

“C’mon Soar, just look at him, he’s a little cutie!” Rapidfire whined. He blinked several times as Braeburn felt his body be lifted up like a ragdoll, and be held against the strange chest in a half hug. The feeling of a stranger hugging him was bittersweet, and the fact that another pony besides Soarin was referring to him as a cutie made him blush.

“Yeah, and he’s my cutie.” Soarin growled. “You don’t even like colts, get off him!” He spat.

“I’m allowed to cuddle him, manly stallions can cuddle other stallions!” Rapidfire protested. His hoof ran across Braeburn’s chest, and Braeburn felt the sensitive scars as a hoof ran over them. He was squeezed the tiniest bit tighter, as if in comfort, the moment he felt it.

“What the buck is goin’ on?” Braeburn asked in a whiny voice, his head spinning.

“A bucker is cuddling my coltfriend, welcome to the squad.” Soarin said in a half annoyed voice as he chuckled.

“Boy’s, please calm down.” Braeburn recognized the voice to be Spitfire, he had met her once before, only for a moment. Her tone was in a teasing manor as she entered the room “Give the country colt some room, we all get to talk to him later tonight.” She said.

“T-Tonight?” Braeburn asked, feeling the legs around him loosen as he squirmed freely from Rapidfire’s grip. “W-Wait, what’s happening tonight?”

Soarin smirked and flapped his wings, floating in the air near Braeburn. “Your welcoming party, dummy!” He said, ruffling the other’s mane.

Braeburn blinked several time, looking into Soarin’s eyes. “Soar… your eyes are… red…” He mumbled. For a brief moment, a state of shock and fear entered the pegasi’s face. However the moment didn’t last long as he was pulled away by Rapidfire.

“C’mon buddy, let’s get everything set up! Fleetfoot, come and introduce yourself!” Rapidfire called.

“W-Wait, here?” Braeburn asked. “W-Wait, you don’t need to…” A strange feeling of acceptance was in his chest, Braeburn wasn’t sure he had ever felt it on this level. Sure, to some degree Soarin was the same… but with so many ponies. Another pony was calling him buddy, one who he didn’t cuddle or kiss. He wasn’t sure how he felt right now.

“What the buck just happened?” Braeburn whined out, his head spinning.

Star Struck

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Don’t look at me!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Entangled Pathways
Chapter 9: Star Struck

A whistle, the smell of smoke, and the slight jostling under Soarin’s hooves told him that the train had in fact started to move. Even though he was standing still as a statue, he was in fact moving. The thought seemed strange to him at the moment, alien even, in fact his thoughts wouldn’t add up to anything other than a few words at a time. It was unsettling him to say the least, the silence of Braeburn and his unchanging expression didn’t seem to fit with everything else moving, including the Wonderbolts who were settling in on their own beds around them. He became rather glad that all of them were giving private space to the two, knowing that Braeburn could very well be a time bomb at the moment.

Why wasn’t he upset, or angry, or even the slightest bit unnerved that the entire world was looking at him, looking at what he had tried his best to hide back in Appleloosa before he met the pegasus. It was frightening just how un-frightened Braeburn was.

All the yellow pony was doing was staring at that image. Perhaps his face did have at least one emotion on it… he was thinking. It was quite possible that Braeburn was wondering just how much his life would change now. The fact that he was indeed dating a celebrity had been covered up for the most part, and the media had died down in wondering why the vice-captain who swung both ways hadn’t been caught on camera with dozens of mares and stallions.

This was different, in every way imaginable. The image made Braeburn look like a slut, plain and simple, like so many other camera’s that had captured his private moments in the past. But Braeburn wouldn’t want his fifteen minutes of fame, he wouldn’t enjoy the attention he got, and he sure as hell was going to have a hell of a time with Soarin’s crazy fans.

Braeburn closed his eyes, Soarin began to feel the tiniest bit silly as he found himself jump as his lover’s face changed, even in this small detail. His eyes looked baggy, however they weren’t red nor angry. He just looked tired if anything, tired and used, the same way Soarin had let himself look in front of the Wonderbolts when he broke down, and in front of Spitfire the previous night.

The earth pony’s green eyes revealed themselves once more as he finally folded the newspaper, shaking his head ever so slightly. Soarin didn’t dare open his mouth, in fear that whatever emotion Braeburn was hiding would show itself.

Soarin found himself shifting uncomfortably on the small bed he shared with Braeburn, the earth pony sitting up with the back of his head against the window. Normally this wouldn’t faze him, he had been in the paper over something this humiliating several times…. But Braeburn…

“Hey Soar?” Braeburn finally mumbled. His voice was raspy, he hadn’t said a single word since they had left the hotel, which was well over a few hours ago.

“Y-Yeah?” Soarin asked, cocking up his brow. “What’s up, buddy?”

Braeburn blinked a few times. “Ah think Ah’ve seen this newspaper before… my folks read it all the time.” He paused for a long while. “All er Appleloosa is likely lookin’ at me right now…”

“And… Soarin began to approach this topic gently, his voice soothing as he reached out a hoof, gently sliding off Braeburn’s cowpony hat and stroking his mane. “How do you feel about that?”

The yellow shoulders attached to the head of his lover went up and down in a shrug. “Ah don’t know if ah’m embarrassed er not.” He admitted, a chuckle in his voice that seemed rather forced. “But… part of me feels like… like ah’m laughin’ at them because of it… like ah went through everything, and can let ya love me now without guilt…” His voice was quiet so only Soarin could hear.

Soarin let a goofy smile slide onto his face at the second half of those words. “Well I’ll be dammed, my coltfriend still has a few balls to spare!” He said this likely happier and more upbeat than needed, for Braeburn reached up his hooves as if to pull down his hat before remembering that it had indeed been pulled off.

The earth pony’s face blushed a deep red, much likes roses, as he hid his eyes behind his hooves, letting out a pitiful mumble of the words “Not so loud…”

“What’s that?” Soarin teased, louder than needed, reaching out his hooves to gently shake Braeburn’s body. “Don’t want me to talk about your sexy balls of steel?”

“Will you two get a room?” Spitfire snapped from her bed, suddenly making Soarin stop dead as a shiver went down his spine. He looked at Braeburn, who was still hiding his face, and reached out his hoof to lower Braeburn’s legs.

“I’ll lay off now.” Soarin said, sticking out his tongue playfully, watching as Braeburn refused to meet his eyes.

Braeburn blinked a few times before slowly opening up the paper once more. “Ah…” He began, although stopping for a brief moment as if gathering his thoughts. “Ah think that this might be our first picture together…” He murmured.

Soarin blinked several times as he stared at the same picture Braeburn was looking at. He mostly looked at Braeburn, his embarrassed expression, his outfit, his darting eyes. Soarin could almost feel the squirming in his arms once more, causing his own cheeks to tint as well.

“At least…” Soarin blinked, coughing quietly to hide his sudden embarrassment. “At least you look cute in it. I look like I’m taking advantage of you.” He mumbled, leaning on Braeburn’s body now, whispering these words into his ear.

Braeburn blinked a few times. “T’aint very special if the entire world see’s it though…”

Soarin shrugged, throwing a shoulder around Braeburn’s neck and pulling him closer. “The hell needs a picture anyway?” He mumbled. “You’re famous now, aren’t you? Was gonna happen sooner or later if you intended to keep kissin’ me.”

Braeburn let out what sounded like a half whimper before Soarin slammed a hoof over his mouth, nuzzling the side of his head. “Shut up.” He whispered. “You know my ass was worth it.”

Soarin stared at a certain droplet of water running down the side of the glass. At times it would start up so fast that his focus had to race to catch up to it. Other times the simple drop of water would slow down, and take a little break. Soarin could imagine the droplet panting and huffing before continuing his race with the other droplets down the side of the glass.

The pale blue pegasus opened his mouth for a mere second to let out a rather loud yawn in the almost empty cart where the small bar was held. The moment his eyes darted back to the spot where the droplet had been, it had already become lost in the dozens surrounding it, either that or it hit the beermat it was sitting on.

Soarin’s lips lowered in a mixture of a pout and disappointment. He reached out his leg, grasping the ice cold glass in his hoof before lifting it to his lips, feeling the liquid run down his throat before setting it back to its original spot. He began to rest his head on his hooves as he laid his head on the table, keeping his eyes wide open as he stared at the body next to him.

“Alright, why did you even follow me out here?” The words hissed out of his lips with ease. He wasn’t exactly angry, just a tad bit annoyed the other had stayed silent for so long.

The gray shoulders of Rapidfire shrugged. “Can’t I want a drink now and again?” He asked, looking down at Soarin as his hooves went to the glass once more, mimicking Soarin’s previous movements. A smirk was on his face, although there seemed to be something else he wasn’t letting out.

“Aren’t you hung over or something?” Soarin grumbled, his eyes narrowed as he half sat his body up, his back still hunched over and his weight resting on his upper legs. He gently rubbed his hoof against the other, blinking several times as he waited for a reply.

“Point?” Rapidfire replied, a chuckle that Soarin simply rolled his eyes at. The silence continued for several moments, Soarin poking his half empty glass several times as the ice jiggled inside.

“It’s just really weird.” Rapidfire suddenly spoke up, his voice devoid of any emotion. This for some reason grabbed Soarin’s attention as he straightened up, if a little slowly. “I mean… Brae here and everything, sure, but not only that, you’re acting different too.”

“Different… how?” Soarin asked, not hesitating for a moment.

“Dunno… happier I guess… and not the fake happy you used to try and fool us with.” Rapidfire said, smirking somewhat sadly at Soarin. “I mean… you don’t look all that sad anymore, when I see you with Braeburn, it’s almost like… you act like you did back when you and Spitfire first came to the Wonderbolts.”

Soarin suddenly laughed half-heartily. “Like that?” He asked “Back when I was a stupid brat and everypony was at least five years older than me? And I still thought I was a big shot?”

“Why are you using past tense, stupid brat?” Rapidfire teased, sticking out his tongue and earning a playful punch to the shoulder from his best friend. “But really, you are kind of freaking me out!”

“Excuse me for being happy.” Soarin grumbled, albeit playfully. He was silent for several moments as he took another sip of his drink. He shook his head a few times slowly to clear his now clouding thoughts. “It’s just that… I really feel like I’m doing the right thing this time.” He said, a small smile on his face. “Whenever… whenever Brae gets near me and hugs me, even during his nightmares, my heart starts beating so fast I turn red… that hasn’t happened in a long time.” He looked over at Rapidfire. “It’s gotten to the point where… where whenever I’m not near him, my heart hurts… that sounds lame, I know… but…”

Soarin blinked his eyes a few times. “I’m a little scared that I might lose him… I really… I really think I didn’t care about him as much as I did until the letters just… just stopped.” The words rolled off of his tongue through his half-drunken state with ease, each word clear and audible. “It just hit me how scared I was that I might not see him, that he got a new coltfriend, or got hurt or even died… I don’t know what I would have done even if it was just a simple as a new lover…” Soarin blinked once, twice, three times before continuing. He might very well have been riding his eyes of upcoming tears.

“I don’t even know if I really loved him back then… or if I came back and offered him to come with us out of guilt… but when I sent that letter to him, something just changed… I think I might have been writing to cut him off or something, I don’t know… but I couldn’t go through with it, so I just sent a stupid, meaningless letter.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, those dumb love letters you got all gaga over up until recently.” Rapidfire mumbled. It might have been an attempt to lighten the suddenly serious mood, Soarin honestly couldn’t tell.

Soarin chuckled forcibly. “Yeah, gaga…” He paused. “I thought I was going to break when I saw all that blood of the crime scene…” He mumbled. “I… I just thought the worst, and I wanted to cry so hard over everything I wish I had done, over how many times I wish I had held him when he cried… I want to do that now…”

Rapidfire tilted his head at Soarin, cocking up a brow. “Really now?”

Soarin shrugged, he wasn’t exactly sure why. “I guess… I guess that I want to give him as much happiness and love that he got for hatred… I want him to live with me long enough so that I can prove to him how much I love him, and I can finally stop hurting so many damn stallions and mares trying to fill this god damn hole in my heart!” He snapped out the last part with force, the bartender beginning to eye him oddly.

“I just… I just feel like I’m so close sometimes… I’m so close to finally being happy, and falling in love for real for once that I think I can reach out and touch it, hold it to me and keep it safe forever… I feel like I can finally stop looking, and stop being so angry and unhappy all the time…” Soarin blinked a few times, trembling ever so slightly, and only once. “I’m so scared Rapidfire…” He admitted begrudgingly “I’m so scared that he might leave me, that I may hurt him, or say something wrong, or… or he’ll forget how to love me…”

Soarin suddenly felt a throbbing in his hooves. As his mind came back to reality, he realized just how tightly he had been clutching his glass. He unclenched it slowly, carefully. His mind began to hurt, throb even. “I just want this to be real. I don’t just want to be loved… I want to love them in return, have them depend on my life I do for them… why was that so hard?” He asked. He closed his eyes to hold back the tears he knew would shed.

Were they… from joy or sorrow this time?

Rapidfire shrugged before turning his head to the bartender, who was looking at them oddly for Soarin’s little rant. He sighed before resting a hoof on his friend’s back. “C’mon you stupid brat, Braeburn’ll be missin’ you.”

Soarin let out a tiny sniffle before grumbling and shaking off the hoof.

Only his friends really knew how to get to him.

“Where in Equestria are we…” Braeburn mumbled. “Looks mighty like the last town… we visited.”

“I don’t remember the name…” Soarin mumbled as his legs trotted at Braeburn’s limping speed, several feet behind the others. Braeburn still continued to wince when he walked, and it looked like he would collapse any moment, and was talking just to ignore the pain. “But I think it’s… Pony… something… or other.” Soarin began. “We have a whole bunch of shows around here within flying distance, and a few here itself. So we just decided to crash in this town for a week or so. I guess you could just stay in the hotel and sleep, since most of them are late at night and all. But I can always get you a free VIP pass for the ones you can walk to.”

Braeburn nodded. Soarin suddenly realized he may not have heard a single word, for he looked to be deep in thought. It was almost as if he was still hung up on the subject of the town or something.

“Yo, Soar!” Spitfire called from up ahead. “Get your flank in gear before somebody wants an autograph or something!”

Soarin rolled his eyes. He used a wing to gently tap Braeburn’s flank, smirking in delight as the other blushed and picked up speed like a racehorse would. Fleetfoot’s voice reached his own ears as she began to speak to Spitfire.

“So, this is our first time staying in Ponyville, isn’t it? Is the rest of the team already at the hotel, or are we just waiting for them again?”

Braeburn stopped dead in place. He gasped just loud and alarmingly enough to freeze the rest of the Wonderbolts to freeze. “Ponyville?” He asked. He suddenly started trotting forward to Fleetfoot. “Did you say Ponyville?”

Fleetfoot nodded almost without thinking. Braeburn’s sudden fear seemed to alarm them all as he began to breathe heavily. His mouth began to move, but no words came out. He breathed heavily before moving rather fast. “W-Where’s the hotel, we have to get there now!” He suddenly wailed out.

Soarin reacted on pure instinct as he flew over the others and landed in front of Braeburn, resting a hoof on his shoulder. “Woah, buddy, don’t run, you’ll only get hurt. What’s wrong, why are you in such a rush?” He leaned in to nuzzle Braeburn’s forehead, but felt his face be pushed away. Hell, it was almost hit away considering it was Braeburn’s force.

“Please Soar, we have to go now! I’ll explain later, you can get angry at me if you want but please just go!” He wailed out.

“Braeburn?”

The next ten seconds seemed to last hours… no, days to Soarin. The shock, fear, and pure terror that hit his face the moment his name was called by an unfamiliar voice to the pegasus unsettled him. His eyes grew wide as his body began to tremble, looking as if he might break into tears he bit his lower lip, looking at Soarin with pleading eyes, begging him to take him away from this place, to swoop him up and fly him anywhere safe to the hotel, back to Appleloosa, even to the deepest pits of hell itself, anywhere but right here right now. He wasn’t looking over at the voice, he knew who it was.

Soarin blinked several times, looking over to see an orange mare with a cowpony hat atop her head, her mane blond and held together by a red band. She looked surprised, not happy to see Braeburn, she looked as if she had a million questions as her eyes widened and she began to trot forward.

“Who is…?” Soarin began. But he wasn’t able to ask his question.

Braeburn took off running, away from the orange mare.

The Long Road

________________________________________________________________________
"It never is that easy, is it?"
________________________________________________________________________

Entangled Pathways
Chapter 10: The Long Road

Why was it never as simple as it seemed when thinking about it? Wasn’t the plan just to let Braeburn live a somewhat normal and happy life with the pegasus? For a few moments Soarin honestly believed that the biggest thing he had to worry about was to make sure Braeburn and him were both happy and life was never boring. It was supposed to move along smoothly, letting life flow by easily without ever worrying about his family and who he could trust ever again. Life on the road, a stallion to show him he was loved, everything was meant to be put behind the two of them.

But no, that was far too easy to exist in this universe. There was no fairytale ending where the two never had another problem for the rest of their lives, not even close. Perhaps some alien planet where the sun rose on its own or clouds were made by themselves, but not in Equestria. Not in the world that harbored so many shades of ugly nature with hardly a decent pony in sight. Everypony was hideous in this world in their own shape or form, some more than others.

The pegasus considered for a brief moment he was overthinking things, that he was just a rotten pony only able to see the worst of everypony and rarely the best. Maybe he just didn’t understand the situation well enough. Maybe he really hadn’t changed at all and he was still the same as a year ago.

Soarin quickly shook his head as the maddening pounding from inside his skull continued. Questions raced at maddening speeds that could easily drive him insane if he had time to think longer about it. Some ponies say that time slows down when things are thrust into the heat of the moment. But that couldn’t be true, at least not all of it. It somewhat slows down in retrospect, but at the same time it also speeds up beyond control.

The moment the everlasting seconds of confusion lasted, time sped up three times normal speed. It was beyond his control that he couldn’t stop the earth pony who took off charging into Celestia knows where. Why he had ran didn’t seem to make any sense, and why he seemed to terrified and scared of that strange orange mare calling for him was a mystery as well.

“What the hay just happened?” Spitfire murmured, glancing at the dumbfounded pegasus starring in the direction his coltfriend took of charging toward. She reached out a hoof to nudge him as he stayed in his trance, a worried expression on her face as her yellow hoof began to slowly move forward in a trot. “H-Hey, should he really be running with...”

Spitfire’s question was cut off as Soarin snapped out his hoof in front of her, watching as the orange mare who caused the yellow pony to bail charged across the pathway in front of them. He whipped his head to watch the mare charge off into the middle of the town where at least fifty ponies were wandering and flying around. She called out Braeburn’s name in a brief moment of confusion mixed with simple anger at him running off without a word. She quickly vanished in the crowd chasing him, the last sight of her blonde tail snapping in the air.

Soarin felt his body tighten and his eyes widen, reality hitting him hard as he realized that there truly was no break in life for more than a second. He grinded his teeth a brief moment before glaring at Spitfire. “Take them to the hotel.” He spat out. He wasn’t sure if he was overcome with rage or simple frustration at every single thing confusing him. Was it just a natural response at this point to any sight of danger to Braeburn?

He saw the confused look in his captain’s eyes. She looked like she herself had a few questions that needed answers. However she put a hoof to her forehead and nodded her head briefly. “Just... just go get him.” She grumbled. “Sort it out and... just get him.”

The sky blue pegasus gave a quick nod, briefly glancing over the faces of the rest of his squad. Fleetfoot’s general confusion mixed with a certain gray stallion who seemed to be enjoying the drama unfold.

“Dude, I gotta tell you this is entertaining as hay.” Rapidfire chuckled out. “Can I tag along?”

Soarin rolled his eyes quickly before spreading his wings, wiggling his backside a moment as he stared upward, and letting himself shoot off the ground at a breathtaking speed with wind ruffling through his mane as he chose to bite down on his lip as an alternative of groaning in anger.

“Just what I bucking needed.” The stallion snapped as wind rippled across his feathers.
________________________________________________________________________

Applejack found herself panting as her hooves finally began to slow down. She began to feel her throat sting from the shouting she had done chasing the ghost of her cousin. Her brow was damp with several beads of sweat that continued to blur her vision. A grumble escaped her throat as she angrily lifted her front leg to her forehead and dragged it across her face.

“G-Gosh darn it Braeburn, where are ya?” She called out to the dense forest around her as she stomped her hoof flat against the earth below her. The longer the orange pony looked around the more it began to dawn on her that she did indeed run further than she thought. She could only hear half a dozen or so ponies on the pathway behind her leading toward Ponyville’s park. The sound of birds was louder than anypony’s natural sounds apart from her own breathing and pounding heartbeat. Squirrels and rabbits trampled across the ground around her the more she began to listen to her surroundings. The candy coated Suger Cube Corner nor the local Library were in sight.

Applejack found herself biting her lip as she kicked an unusually large clump of grass within reach with her hoof. “Is he really this darn desperate not ta talk ta me?” She mumbled to herself.

As the mare closed her eyes she began to wonder about a great deal of things. Why exactly Braeburn was in that picture spread across Equestria, why she chose to chase after him instead of the ponies he was with. Or perhaps the biggest question was why he was even in Ponyville. Sure they didn’t keep in touch nearly as much as they used to, not after his folks stopped bringing him to reunions when he was nothing but a colt, but they still were somewhat close.

“Why the hay did ya run?” Applejack called out bitterly to the forest surrounding her, briefly considering that her chasing after him had been just a tad too harsh. She waited for several moments as the all the buzzing and chirping replaced her echoing tone before shaking her head.

“Course he ain’t gonna hear me.” She chuckled out as she lifted her hoof once more to adjust her hat, feeling her mane ruffle beneath it. “Still, coulda sworn ah saw him bolt this way...”

Applejack closed her eyes a brief moment. What was she doing before this anyway? Was it something on the lines of going to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Cake over seeing if they would buy up most of the remaining apples for their pies before Autumn hit the town? She began to shake her head, feeling glad they informed her to stop by any day of the week.

The orange earth pony had just turned to jog back to the spot she found her cousin, hoping with a little luck that she could at least catch up to them and ask why he was with them.

At least the mare would have gone ahead with this simple plan if she hadn’t heard a brief rustling of leaves above her. She felt her body freeze for a brief moment, not daring to glance upward at the tree above her. She took a deep breath before turning her body in a flash, using the front half of her body to kick off the ground as she landed her hooves on the tree beside her.

The sound of a sharp cry hit her ears as the end of a royal blue tail came into sight from above her. Applejack pounced backward as she witnessed the events unfold of a sky blue pegasus fall from the tree leaves. The panic shown on his face happened in less than a second as he shot out his wings. The orange mare noticed he did indeed manage to half-catch himself, however his hooves landed awkwardly on the ground and his side ended up connecting to the earth as he tripped.

“W-Who in the hay are ya?” Applejack cried out, showing her gritted teeth as she narrowed her eyes at the pegasus before her. “Why were ya in the tree? Are ya some kind of...”

Applejack felt her eyes widen as her memory finally snapped into place. She stood paralyzed as she watched the pegasus slowly recover, rolling over to face her with an annoyed look on his face as he began to sit up.

“That’s some kick you got there cowgirl, I’ll give you th-”

“Ya!” Applejack cried out, pointing out her hoof as she watched the other jump and give off a surprised yap at the voice the other managed to give off. He had one of his legs shielding his jaw as his brow remained in question at her. “Y-Yer the one in that there picture!” She spat out, clearly trying her best to remain calm in the situation at hoof. “T-That Wonderbolt captain in the gossip section. S-Solar or something!” She shook her head violently as Soarin slowly got to his hooves, still giving her a confused look. “W-Why did Braeburn run from me back there?”

“Hay if I know! And the name’s Soarin!” The wonderbolt spat out at her, beginning to glare at the mare. “I could ask you the same question, why did he freak out back there? I thought he was going to have a panic attack or something.”

“Well why don’t ya go and ask him, ya got two wings, go and find him!” Applejack huffed out.

“Maybe it was easier to just talk to the pony who was chasing him instead of him right now. He’s likely all worked up right now and just needs time to calm down before I find him.” Soarin growled as if it were common sense.

Applejack felt herself huffing out air from her lungs. It began to dawn on her that she indeed wasn’t going to accomplish anything at the rate things were going. She slowly curtained her eyes shut before taking in one deep breath of air as she lowered her hoof. “L-Look... let’s just calm down for a moment.” She reasoned.

Soarin growled out his response, but he did indeed seem to reason with her for a brief moment. He glanced at her as he stretched out his wings from his awkward fall, wondering just how he got himself into this mess.

“Ah’m Applejack.” The mare spoke up. She just nodded her head as she reasoned with herself this was a decent place to start over. “A-And that pony ah was chasing, Braeburn...”

“I know his name.” Soarin glared at Applejack in frustration.

Applejack simply glared back before letting herself continue. “Ah’m his cousin.” She said “And ah just wanted ta talk ta him and get some questions ah had out of the way.”

“What kind of questions?” Soarin asked, this time in a tone that was relived of annoyance. He finally decided to glance at Applejack with questionable eyes.

“Like why he was in a picture in the papers with green striped socks and a thong with a famous stallion cuddlin’ and lickin’ him!” Applejack said, trying her best not to snap once more at the pegasus who seemed less inclined to have a civilized conversation. “And why he ain’t in Appleloosa like he was supposed to be, helpin’ Aunt and Uncle Apple with all the work.”

Soarin paused briefly as he stared at the orange mare. He cracked a small smirk that seemed extremely forced before glancing to the side. “Great, you don’t know buck all.” He mumbled to himself before shaking his head.

“What don’t ah know?” Applejack asked, taking a few hoovesteps forward as Soarin took a few of his own backward. As she began to glare at him she opened her mouth to speak once more. “Look, all ah know is that a month ago ah sent a letter to Aunty and Uncle Apple askin’ how things were and how Braeburn was, and a week later ah got a letter saying they were all fine and dandy and gettin’ work done.” The mare slowly shook her head in confusion. “And then... ah get this newspaper a few days back with him dressed up like one of Rarity’s ponnequins with a Wonderbolt hanging all over him. Ah’m just confused, that’s all. And ah’m worried for him like any family would be.”

“Worried about him?” Soarin retorted. “He isn’t a baby, he’s a full grown stallion like me and I’m pretty sure he’s allowed to do what he wants without his cousin’s permission.”

Applejack stomped a hoof on the ground in a moment of frustration. “Look, ah get that he can do what he wants and all. Ah had to get a few things out of my system when ah was a filly, see new things and try them out. And ah don’t really care that he chose to run away with a stallion, he’s always been...” Applejack paused a moment before raising her hoof and wiggling it in the air. “Fru fru and feminine.”

“Femiwhat?” Soarin asked, cocking his head to the side.

“L-Look, ah don’t care about that.” The orange mare quickly got out. “Ah can’t say ah fully agree, but ah ain’t gonna freak out or go against him. What I care about is him doin’ it with a stallion he ain’t know a gosh darn thing about.”

Soarin was silent for moments with a blank expression on his face. He then began to crack a smile on his face before chuckling, raising a hoof to cover his mouth as his poker face faded. “N-Nothing about me?” He cracked out. “What exactly do you think you know about him?”

“Ah know that ah got a letter sayin’ he was in Appleloosa and workin’ his butt off like the rest of the town” Applejack said. “Now why are ya laughin’ for the sake of Celestia?”

“His folks told you that, right hun?” Soarin said, his laugher fading. “Figures. Look sweetie, they were lying to you plain and simple.”

Applejack opened her mouth a moment before closing it. Soarin smirked once more as he turned, somehow knowing what she was about to ask. “Their ashamed of him, the bastards. So ashamed of him they don’t want to admit their coltcuddler son was so unreasonable they had to throw him out over a year ago.” Soarin flapped his wings a few times in frustration as he clapped his hoof against the ground. “They don’t want to admit that they failed as parents for having a foal who grew up to be a coltcuddler.”

“T-They... they did wha...” Applejack was cut off the moment Soarin continued, turning around to face her once more as he took two hoovesteps forward, his eyes piercing into hers.

“I know that he was driven into a corner” Soarin spat out the words, one after another. “I know that he let himself fall in love with me since I was nice to him despite him constantly trying to pry me off.” Soarin took another step, and then another until he was looking down on the earth pony in front of him. “I know he kept every letter I sent him because it assured him he wasn’t forgotten. I know damn well he wasn’t where you think he was last month, because I was busy pushing him past his limits just so he could leave that hospital as soon as possible.”

“W-What do ya mean hospital?” Applejack burst out, sending waves of worry off of herself. “W-What the hay happened to him?”

Soarin chuckled dryly. “I don’t know, why don’t you try asking him why he wakes up every night just to make sure he isn’t alone?” The pegasus turned away one more “Now what do you know about him?”

Applejack was dead silent. She stayed like this for several moments as she tried to form a complete sentence with her slowly moving mouth. “S-Soarin...”

The mare was cut off as the vice-captain slammed his hoof into a nearby tree. He could hear her jump from surprise as he hissed out in pain from his throbbing hoof. He curtained his eyes shut as he growled and grumbled slowly. “S-Sorry...” He managed to get out. “I... I had to hit something.”

Applejack stared at Soarin for quite some time, biting on her lip as she tried to sort out her thoughts. “S-Soarin,” She murmured. “Look, ah ain’t gonna apologize for freakin’ out at ya yet. Ya look like ya have some problems with controllin’ yer anger and all... and ah’m not sure what to think of everythin’ ya told me just yet... but if what yer sayin’ is true... ah want ta talk ta Braeburn, not ta yell at him, but to make sure he’s happy where he is. Can ya work with me on this?”

Soarin slowly lowered his hoof from the trunk of the tree and stared at it for a few moments. “Fine.” He grumbled out. He put the hoof back on the ground and began to walk past the mare, who in turn turned around to look at him. He paused for a brief moment to turn his head back to her. “Just so you know... if you press him hard enough, he’ll say whatever you want him to.”

“Ah ain’t gonna press him.” Applejack snapped. “Now what the hay are ya doin’ on the ground? Go and find him!”

“Whatever you say, princess.” Soarin snorted out with a smirk as he spread his wings once more.

________________________________________________________________________

“Ironic.” Braeburn found himself mumbling as the scent of apples continued to fill his nose. His eyes scanned above him as the green leaves fluttered in the breeze. The large red plumps of fruit hanging above him seemed to look even more juicy by the moment. How he managed to find himself on the property of the family he was trying to hide from was a mystery to him.

As Braeburn began to slowly shift his body he felt a sharp pain from his lower body that caused him to let out a sudden squeal in pain. He clamped his mouth shut as well as his eyes as he began to feel the tiniest bit thankful that Soarin wasn’t close by, for the pegasus would tease him at the same time he comforted him.

The yellow stallion sniffled as his lower legs throbbed in pain. Another mystery to him was the miracle that he hadn’t managed to pass out yet. The moment his body hit the ground was simply a test to see if he would start sobbing the way he did when he learned how to walk for the second time in his life. In a way this was worse simply because nopony was around to help him back on his hooves.

“D-Dammit.” Braeburn choked out. He was silent for several moments, trying to keep his eyes off of the delicious fruit hanging above him. Why he hadn’t eaten breakfast was still unknown.

An unusually loud rustling of leaves hit his ears as he finally cracked his eyes open and glanced at the direction above him. He was silent for a while before sighing.

“Did you come here for me or the fruit?” He called out. As he said this he heard the plop of a fruit land next to him, which he bitterly snatched and lifted to his lips.

“Can’t I come for both?” The raspy voice of Soarin came from the tree as a pegasus fell from the sky. Braeburn winced as hooves slammed on the ground no more than three feet from his head. Soarin’s body quickly came crashing down with them as Braeburn saw a pile of apples land next to him along with the pegasi’s body.

“Dude, the apples at this place are sick.” Soarin said through a mouthful. He chuckled as he waited for Braeburn’s response, however he was only greeted with silence as the other quietly chewed on a fresh apple.

Soarin’s grin faded as he swallowed the food in his mouth. “I’m guessing you aren’t in the mood for me being like that?” He asked.

Braeburn slowly shook his head. “Others mad at me?” He asked.

“Naw” Soarin said “Just confused... I guess I am too.” Soarin looked at him for a while before reaching out his hoof and stroking down the other’s mane. “How are your legs feeling?”

“Hurt...” Braeburn mumbled out through his chewing. “They’ve been hurting like hay for a while now.”

“Well... shit.” Soarin said. He gave off a chuckle as he lowered his hoof to Braeburn’s own, beginning to grasp it and squeeze. “That could be an issue. I guess this eventually happens when I let you dress up like my bitc-”

“Ah just ran.” Braeburn murmured. Soarin stopped talking as he let his eyes focus on Braeburn. He felt his own grip tighten on Braeburn’s hoof. “Ah... ah just ran from her, from AJ. Ah didn’t even think ‘bout it... ah just got scared and ran.”

Soarin was silent for a few moments. He wasn’t sure he wanted to speak just yet, he mostly just wanted the stallion to continue.

“And... when ah was runnin’... ah kept thinkin’ ‘bout everythin’ in Appleloosa. Ah keep thinkin’ that if ah wasn’t so afraid and scared of bein’ rejected... than maybe none of this would have happened. If ah didn’t shut myself out ah could have gotten a few friends ta help me out.” He twirled the apple in his hoof for several moments as he spoke his thoughts out loud.

Soarin slowly shrugged. “I guess you did freak out without any reason...” He mumbled. “But... but it really wasn’t your fault, she did start chasin’ you.”

“Ya don’t get it!” Braeburn grumbled out, tossing his apple core aside angrily. “Ah’ve always been like this! Even when ah lived with my folks all ah did was depend on them, ah ran and hid and blocked out everythin’ but them!” Braeburn hissed out the words as he tightened his hold on Soarin. “Ah can’t even remember those three months after they kicked me out before ah met ya. Ah can’t remember cryin’ past the initial shock, or even reactin’ to the insults. Ah don’t know how ah ate or even lived. And when ah met ya ah kept tryin’ ta do the same to ya as ah did the others, just push ya away like nothin’!”

“Yeah, but it obviously didn’t work that well.” Soarin retorted.

Braeburn sighed. “Ah don’t... ah don’t like how ah act.” He admitted. “Ah don’t like how shy ah am, ah don’t like how anypony else but you ah can’t just talk to without worryin’ about what ah say or how ah say it, and ah really don’t like that ah’m so clingy to ya...”

Braeburn fell silent. “Ah just ran fer no reason, and before that ah freaked out because ah didn’t want ta talk ta AJ. Even if she was nice ta me and didn’t say anything bad... ah didn’t want ta talk ta her.” He suppressed a whimper by biting his lower lip.

Soarin stayed at Braeburn, who was staring intently at the tree leaves above him. He let out a quick sigh and shook his head before opening his mouth. “Everypony is like that...” He mumbled.

The yellow stallion finally looked at him, his blank expression turning to confusion. Soarin chuckled with half a heart before continuing. “Everypony hates themselves. They find faults in themselves that only they can really see. They worry about things that will never happen. It sure as hay doesn’t help when they’re treated like those faults are all that matter.”

“But... but ah...” Braeburn attempted to argue.

“I like it.” Soarin said with a grin on his face. “I like you being shy, you blush a lot more than normal ponies do.” He mumbled, reaching out his other hoof as he turned on his side to stroke the top of the hoof he was holding. “And for being clingy and unable to talk to many other ponies... I can live with that. If I can’t help you get any better, I’m pretty sure I can live with a few faults of yours. As long as you don’t talk to me like a stranger all the time I’m happy.” He chuckled.

Braeburn’s cheeks lightly tinted as Soarin’s smile grew. “See, that’s cute.” He giggled.

“S-Shut up.” Braeburn said. He was silent for a long time before turning to Soarin. “W-What do ya hate about yerself?”

Soarin’s grin vanished. He glanced downward at the hoof he was holding. He began to slowly raise it and hold it in front of Braeburn’s face. “Being forgotten.” The pegasus whispered.

“W-What do you...?” Braeburn began.

“C-C’mon... I promised that mare that I’d let her talk to you about travelin’ with me ‘round Equestria.” Soarin quickly stuttered out. He sat up. “F-Feelin’ any better down there?” He asked.

“Y-Yeah.” Braeburn mumbled. “Wait, you met Applejack? S-She want’s to talk to m-me?”

“Didn’t you hear me, let’s move it!” Soarin called out, yanking Braeburn by his hoof only to witness a wince that he could almost feel.

“We ain’t got all day!”

Simple Things

The sound that began to slip out of the yellow stallion’s throat seemed to be something that he didn’t mean to come out so easily, for he squeezed shut his eyes even harder than they had previously been before slamming his hooves against his mouth. His body continued to tremble as he forced himself to choke back the pitiful whimpering his body tugged out. He pushed his backside against the the wooden walls behind him with force, the uncomfortable and rough sheets under him seemed only to add to his discomfort. He began to force himself to focus on anything but his legs. He glanced to the wooden floor, the ugly pink covers on the bed, and even the somewhat questionable shade of green on the walls.

“Do you have to be such a baby about it?” The raspy voice of Soarin finally spoke up. “You do realize that this is your own fault, right?” Even as the pegasus spoke these words, a sympathetic tone was hidden under a layer of bitter roughness. He slowly reached his hoof to the brim of Braeburn’s hat before pulling it down past the stallion’s eyes. He shook his head before resuming the massage on the stallion’s legs.

“S-Sorry...” Braeburn mumbled out, removing his hooves from mouth to uncover his eyes from his hat. “Ah jus-”

“You shouldn’t even be out of the hospital so much as running like a maniac.” Soarin grumbled, his grouchy tone breaking through as he began to feel a sickening guilt grow from the pit of his belly. The pegasus swallowed hard before gently stroking his hoof across Braeburn’s cutie mark, brushing the red fur back and forth several times. “Sorry... shouldn’t snap like that.” He quietly apologized.

“It’s okay...” Braeburn replied, casting his gaze at his legs. “Ah should have known better than to run off like that.”

Soarin sighed as he began to heave himself against the wall, matching himself to Braeburn’s height. He began to blow air out of his lips as he reached out his hoof around the earth pony’s neck, pulling him to lean on his side. He could feel the muscles in his lover’s body relax as the stallion rested his head on Soarin’s chest.

The pegasus slowly rubbed his hoof up and down Braeburn’s back, his face resting in the stallion’s long and golden mane. “Think she’ll force us to spend the night?” He jokingly asked.

“Don’t know where she would force us once Apple Bloom get’s back from school...” Braeburn mumbled, glancing around his younger cousin’s bedroom. “Unless AJ want’s us ta sleep in the barn or somethin’”

“Never done it in a barn yet... now that would be interesti-” Soarin kept smiling as Braeburn cut him off with a light punch to the ribs. He began chuckling as the yellow pony’s face flushed and he began grumbling into his blue tufts of fur.

“L-Let’s not discuss your perverted thoughts in my cousin’s room, alright?” Braeburn rapidly spat out, burying his face deeper into Soarin’s chest. He could swear his nose was touching Soarin’s beating heart underneath his skin.

“Ah agree.” A familiar voice came from the hallway. The simple sound of this voice caused Braeburn to try and force his body off in such a rapid and unfamiliar motion that he only ended up jerking his lower half.

“Ever heard of knocking?” Soarin snapped, taking his hoof from Braeburn’s neck as he helped the stallion sit back up against the wall. “And I thought I said we needed a little while.”

“The door was open. And it’s been a whole hour. Ah’m startin’ ta get worried on what yer doin in my sister’s room.” Applejack said as she rolled her eyes, taking several hoofsteps into the room. “And ya don’t have ta stop cuddlin’ because of me. Ponyville ain’t exactly low tolerance like some places.” She paused as she took a good five seconds to glare at Soarin before her gaze changed to sympathetic, turning to Braeburn. “Ya okay Brae, ya didn’t hurt yourself, did ya?”

“F-Fine...” Braeburn forced out. It didn’t seem clear if he stuttered because of pain or the simple fear of having his cousin walk in. He continued to only gaze downward, neither at Soarin nor Applejack.

“C’mon, don’t be so gosh darn nervous.” The orange mare said. Her voice wasn’t forceful, nor mean-spirited as it had been when Soarin talked to her. “It ain’t like we’re strangers or nothin’!”

“A-Ah guess.” Braeburn mumbled, finally forcing his gaze to turn toward the direction of the orange mare. He began fiddling with his hooves as his upper legs slowly trembled. It wasn’t until Soarin forced his own hoof to grasp Braeburn’s that the stallion finally glanced back to the pegasus.

“Look, Brae,” Soarin began, gazing into Braeburn’s eyes. “Applejack isn’t here to yell at you, or to tell you you've done something wrong. She just want’s to ask you why everything that’s happened... happened. She isn’t going to act like them.” He turned his gaze to Applejack’s on those last few words. “Are you?”

“N-No, course not!” The orange mare quickly said. “Braeburn, ah just wanna talk.”

Soarin turned back to Braeburn, pressing his lips to the earth pony’s forehead until he could feel his hooves stop trembling, only then did he pull back. As he slid his hoof off of Braeburn’s, he hesitated for only a single moment. He slowly crept off the bed, trying to avoid Braeburn’s eye’s, whatever emotions they might be portraying.

He placed a few bits on the bed as he walked by. “I think I’m gonna raid your trees for apples, I’ll give you two about an hour.” The pegasus said.

“Should be enough.” Applejack replied, scooping up the bits in her hoof. “Now leave yer little Brae Brae with be for a while, alright?”

Soarin was silent as he shook his head, putting one hoof in front of the other as he went to exit the room.

He chose not to turn around, knowing it would only hurt him to do so.

________________________________________________________________________

“So... you just left him alone with her?” The words fell from Spitfire’s mouth down on the pegasus who was quietly spinning a bright red apple in his hooves. “Don’t you think... I don’t know, that’s a bad idea?

Soarin slowly shrugged as the wind gently ruffled his fur as he gazed out from the balcony. He finally drew the apple to his mouth and took a bite, noting that it tasted bitter than it should for this time of year. “What do you expect to happen? For him to get brainwashed again and I’ll have to fight for his love?” He questioned, cocking up his brow as he glanced at his captain. “Isn’t that a little too... I don’t know, far-fetched?”

“Soarin, don’t talk to me like I’m Rapidfire.” Spitfire fired off, trotting forward to lean on the same railing as Soarin. “How long have I known the damn colt? A few day’s? And even I can tell he’s a total trainwreck in front of ponies who are nice to him.”

“C’mon Spitty...” Soarin began to whine as he went to take another bite of his apple. Before his teeth even scraped the skin, he felt it be jerked from his hooves. His gaze shot a glare at Spitfire, who was glaring back at him. “Geez, now I’m starting to see why that mare irritates me...” He mumbled.

“Soar, don’t get defense now, please...” Spitfire begged. “Now isn’t the right time for you to start ignoring all of us again.”

Soarin let his eyes droop downward, avoiding the golden mare’s gaze. “Look, I get it, but shouldn’t I be the one worrying about him like you are?”

“That’s why I’m worrying. Because you aren’t.” Spitfire said as she tossed the apple in the air, watching Soarin catch it without even looking. She smirked at his reflexes before letting it fade once more.

Soarin glanced back to Spitfire. He looked deep into her eyes before letting a small grin latch onto his face. “Still worried for me, aren’t you?” He didn’t bother to wait for a response, simply kept speaking.

“Truth is... I’m trying to tell myself this is good for him.” Soarin mumbled. “Ever since I found him again, he hasn’t been facing his fears. Only clinging to me whenever he so much as gets nervous.” He took another bite of his apple, only to pause a moment before throwing it off the balcony. “Bitter...” He mumbled.

“Okay... but don’t you think he deserves for you to let him cling after being alone for a year?” Spitfire asked, a disappointed look on her face.

Soarin sighed as he slid his body down, clinging to the balcony bars as he rested his forehead on the cool metal. “Spitty... I really want too.” The pegasus tightened his wings around his body. “If I could, I would play his knight in shining armor.” He mumbled, closing his eyes. “But I don’t know if I can fight every battle for him... if I’m there with him, he’ll just hold onto me and I’ll feel so bad I would say everything for him. He won’t learn to stand up for himself."

“Soarin...” Spitfire began.

“I think I’m mostly being selfish though...” Soarin interrupted. “Truth is, I love to have him cling to me. Part of me thinks that it was great for him to get beaten down so badly so that he would chose to hold on tightly to a low-life like me.” He lowered his head even further. “Isn’t it sad that the only way I can get someone to love me as much as he does that I have to find someone who is even more pathetic than me?” He bit his lip as he finished speaking. “I sound awful...”

“At least you admit that.” Spitfire stated. “A year or so again you wouldn’t even bat an eye, much less as feel guilty for it.” She reached a hoof down to his back and began to gently pat. “Braeburn’s been good for you, selfish or not.”

Soarin let out a mixture of a grumble and a whimper. “Funny thing is... I didn’t start feeling so awful about it until I met him. I can’t really believe now I just wanted to plow him and get out without saying a word...”

“Most ponies couldn’t do what you’ve been doing for him.” Spitfire replied. “You’re real strong for that, you know? ”

Soarin gazed toward Spitfire. “Being strong makes feel powerless...” He mumbled. He chuckled softly “Maybe that just means that I really...”
________________________________________________________________________

“...Love him.” Braeburn mumbled.

Applejack was silent for several moments. She looked at Braeburn, at his scar-covered belly. Her mouth began to feel dry as she attempted to speak, however the words wouldn’t seem to form.

“S-So yeah, ah think ah can say ah love him as much as ah do without worryin’ ah’m lyin’.” Braeburn said. “And he ain’t never acted to me the way you said he does, the biggest fight we’ve had is when ah was learnin’ ta walk again.”

“Braeburn...” Applejack began. “Ah wasn’t doubtin’ ya, I was just sayin’ that yer movin’ awfully fast for yer first... love.”

Braeburn glanced at Applejack out of the corner of his eye, still keeping his gaze lowered. “T-That’s the thing cuz, he is my first love.” He managed to say without blushing. “A-And A-Ah have been... s-scared ta love anypony else before this...” He began fiddling with his hooves once more, the blush finally showing.

“Ah get that Brae, but...” Applejack trailed off, falling silent as she let out a sigh. “Isn’t this all just a little extreme, running away from home with a celebrity, becomin’ famous through... through THAT photo.” She gestured her hoof off in a random direction.

Braeburn began to curl up very slowly. “T-That photo wasn’t supposed to be a photo.” He admitted “Soarin say’s that ponies like to gossip about him all the time since he’s so famous.” Braeburn began to play with his mane as he became noticeably more and more nervous.

Applejack shook her head. “Rainbow’s been goin’ on and on about that,” She mumbled, half to herself, half to Braeburn. “Sayin’ over and over again how ah ain’t a friend for tellin’ her. Sure she ain’t serious though...”

Braeburn held his breath for a few seconds without even realizing it. He felt as though his own throat was attempting to close up. “A-Ah... when Ah’m around him though...” He began as a defence to himself. “Ah feel like ah don’t have to look over my shoulder every second, and the only eyes lookin’ at me are his.” Braeburn smiled softly. “I must be selfish though... always forcin’ him to be near me, wantin’ nothin’ but to talk ta him all day long.”

“That isn’t selfish Braeburn.” Applejack stated. “That’s only being head over hooves in love...” She let out a small sigh as she spoke, as if it tired her out. She straightened herself up. “Braeburn, let me ask ya somethin’.” She said, not meaning for it to be a question. “What did ya think ah saw ya with yer little coltfriend? That Ah was gonna yell at ya? Ah was gonna act like ya were a monster?”

Braeburn avoided eye contact from the mare for a long period of time. He slowly nodded, as if he were a young foal caught doing something naughty. “A-A little.” He admitted.

“Heaven’s to Betsy Brae, ah might have come off harshly, but I’m still yer family, why would ah act like... like...” Applejack trailed off, twisting her face as she realized just how wrong those words seemed when talking to this specific stallion. “Look, ah’ll love ya whether yer as girly as Rarity or have sonic rainboom’s comin’ from behind.

“Sonic... what?” Braeburn asked, this statement strange enough to get him to look at Applejack once more.

“Point is, ah’m a little offended ya didn’t tell yer favorite cousin about anything, ah haven’t even heard from ya since the buffalo incident!” She remarked, lifting her hooves to physically show her emotions.

“Ah’m... sorry?” Braeburn asked, tilting his head.

“No, don’t apologize!” Applejack spat out with such force that Braeburn winced. “Ah’m the one who feels bad here. Yer makin’ me feel like a bad family member for not knowing thing’s ah couldn’t have! Yer folks never told anybody ya left, and ya didn’t ask fer help.”

Braeburn frowned. “Yer upset because you didn’t know what ya couldn’t?”

Applejack glared at Braeburn. “But... ah should have known.” She grumbled. “When was the last time ya came ta the reunions?” She asked. “And when I visited ya, we didn’t even talk, even when things finally settled down ah didn’t think anythin’ was strange...”

“But... how could ya?” Braeburn pipped in, causing Applejack to glance up at him. “All Ah ever did in that town before they kicked me out was let other’s push me around and try not to let it bother me too much.” He lowered his head again.

“Now yer makin’ excuses fer me...” Applejack said with a chuckle. She began to shake her head. “No... Ah’m not gonna keep makin’ excuses fer myself.” The orange mare began to look Braeburn in the eye. “Brae... you need to promise me... if Soarin ever does anything to you, no matter how small... you’ll write, you’ll come to us as soon as you can.”

“But... it won-”

“Promise m-” Applejack was cut off by a knocking sound in the doorway that caused both of the ponies to jump. She shot her head in the direction of the doorway to spot the pale blue pegasus smirking. “What, you’re a ninja now?”

“What, I’m not allowed to re-claim my coltfriend?” He asked, trotting in the doorway, eyes on Braeburn. As he got to his lover’s end of the bed, his gaze shifted. “And trust me, it won’t go bad.” He said. “I won’t let that happen.”

Applejack began to chew on her inner cheek. “Fine.” She settled, getting up and off the bed in a quick and swift motion.

“Oh, by the way, here!” Soarin said, sliding several strips of plastic to the mare across the bed. He hopped on a moment later, grabbing Braeburn’s hoof while still remaining eye-contact with the mare. “A peace offering. I don’t like glarin’ at ya whenever ah see ya.”

“Peace offerin’... what?” Applejack mumbled before taking up one of the pieces in her hoof.

“Soar... what are...” Braeburn began.

“V-I-P passes to tonight’s show.” Soarin admitted.

Braeburn quietly yanked Soarin’s hoof just enough to take him off balance for a moment. Soarin smiled at him “Jealous, baby?” He teased, reaching out his hoof to ruffle Braeburn’s mane.

Applejack took several moments to examine the set of tickets in her hooves. She closed her eyes for a few moments. “Fine.” She said, looking Soarin in the eye with a smile. “Ah’ll humor ya just this once."

“Great.” Soarin smirked. “Make sure to bring some cutie’s with you.”

Spotlight

Author's Note

So... you might be wondering what the hell is this? Are you back in 2013? No, my friend! It's an emotional barrier.

For explanations on why I chose to both write and publish this chapter now, read here.

http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/604618/about-entangled-pathways

Spotlight

“Yer plannin’ on livin’ together?” Applejack asked.

Soarin didn’t like the sound of tone in her voice. It had been a long day, a very long day indeed. It felt as though years had passed since he had woken up, and his mind was scattering to still pick up the pieces. If he were in a better mood or even mindset he might have tried to at least fake a smile, but right now his facade which he had been trying to keep around Braeburn was cracking at those simple words. It was a tone that sat uncomfortably within him, and judging by the way Braeburn’s body tensed he wasn’t the only one.

The carriage moved along slowly, and it had been filled with long, uncomfortable silences. Braeburn was the only one largely trying to break them, and even through his effort his nerves were beginning to get the better of him. With both Soarin and Applejack constantly replying with one to two word answers he seemed to look more and more defeated by the second. He was trying to keep the spirits up of both his lover and his cousin the best he could, but that question shot them out of the water.

Braeburn’s mouth was open, and Soarin didn’t even remember him bringing that up. He had been focused on something else that zapped away in a cloud of dust fast the moment the orange mare spoke.

There was something condescending in her tone that Soarin didn’t enjoy. Something that made him bite his tongue and tighten the muscles in his upper leg. He saw out of the corner of his eye Braeburn touch the center of his chest where the scars of his recent past lay, and a frown crossed his face.

“Ah don’t…” The yellow earth pony tried to say something, but when he opened his mouth it went dry. Soarin recognized that behavior, he had seen it before just a year prior. The kind of Braeburn that hadn’t been reflected when they were alone, but the kind of Braeburn that was trying to keep on a mask. “Ah mean A-”

“Is that a problem?” Soarin asked in a loud, disgruntled sort of sigh. He felt Braeburn hesitantly touch his hoof, and then pull it away once Applejack’s eyes flickered to the spot. He was chuckling, and quietly at that.

“Soar…” Braeburn mumbled, seemingly just a bit irritated by the fact that Soarin had butted in in such a confrontational manner. He had this sudden glare that might not have looked like a pout if he could pull off just a slightly more menacing look.

The carriage bumped, and Applejack looked down to her hooves. She reached up her hoof and scratched the side of her face against her freckles and seemed to chew the inside of her lip as if trying to decide what to say next. Soarin lessened his glare, but kept his eyes locked on hers.

“Ah was just thinkin’ bout when me and Brae were kids is all,” Applejack shrugged and took off her hat to turn it slowly in her hooves. The wind ran against her slightly greasy mane that she had neglected to brush and a hint of a smile touched her lips. “Brae HATED comin’ up if the reunion wasn’t at his place, didn’t ya?”

“I don’t really remember,” Braeburn shrugged, a sense of uncomfortableness edging into his tone. He grabbed his leg with his free hoof and squeezed. “Ah guess Ah ain’t ever really been the movey big life kinda pony… Ah… trust Soarin, though.”

“I don’t think movey is a word.” Soarin mumbled.

Braeburn jabbed a hoof gently into his side and that was the first thing in a while to actually make him chuckle, especially when Braeburn hissed a sudden “hush!” to him.

There was a moment where Braeburn chuckled back and grabbed at Soarin’s arm. He might have leaned on Soarin or kissed his cheek had Applejack not been right there, but Soarin grabbed his hoof and held it in place until Braeburn at the very least was able to hold his leg and not sheepishly pull away.

“Ah’m probably bein’ over protective or some junk,” Applejack sighed and rubbed at one of her temples just as she readjusted her hat. “Heck bein’ round a lil’ tornado like Applebloom’ll do that to ya. Ah just can’t really see any Apple bein’ the big city kinda folk.”

“No, you’re right,” Braeburn mumbled.

Something about the way Braeburn said that, his words trailing off and getting quieter with every syllable made something in Soarin’s chest turn. He was just about to open his mouth and ask what Braeburn meant, despite the fact that he could probably see it for himself if he thought hard enough, just as the carriage stopped.

Soarin turned his head, and saw a small stadium in the distance. He could recall that this was one of their smaller shows, and as such it had to go to the outskirts of Canterlot. He could already see dozens of hoity-toity esque ponies on the seemingly spotless pathway gathering around and piling into the stadium entrance. They had gotten out of the carriage in the distance, so luckily nopony had actually spotted them quite yet. It was a reason why Soarin chose not to wear his uniform quite yet, as he knew just bringing Braeburn here might cause a ruckus. He had to bite his tongue and remind himself that Braeburn was probably just as recognizable as he was right now thanks to that newspaper article.

“That’ll be ten bits!” The driver, a large brown stallion, barked. He had a piece of wheat between his teeth and a crooked kind of smile. Soarin paid him quickly by flying straight upward out of the carriage and landing beside him, counting out the bits as he watched from the corner of his eye Applejack hop from the carriage and land gracefully onto the pavement.

Soarin fluttered back to the carriage and opened the door for Braeburn, reaching out his hoof for the earth pony to take.

“Your leg holding up alright, Brae?” Soarin asked.

“Geez, don’t be such a worrywart, Soar,” Braeburn rolled his eyes, but Soarin saw he was rubbing his leg right before he took Soarin’s hoof.

“Soon as you stop being such a dork,” Soarin said with a smirk on his lips. When he brought Braeburn down gently onto the pavement he snuck a kiss on the pony’s yellow cheek and felt him both squirm and yelp in a surprised giggle. It was genuine, and happy, right before he realized Applejack was watching the two of them and he removed his hoof from Soarin’s own. When their eyes met his smile didn’t reach them.

“That’s a lot of ponies,” Braeburn mumbled nervously and took a step forward past Soarin to stare at the crowd. His tail swished a bit forcefully as if trying to flick off his nerves, and Soarin saw him lean onto his better leg. He touched his chest once again right on the scars. “Ah’m feelin’ a bit underdressed… or raggedy, dunno which word.”

It was true, most of the ponies around here were from Canterlot, therefore they were dressed nicely with properly groomed hair. Braeburn’s mane was long and soft, but certainly not tidy. And his vest and hat gave the slightest hint that he was a bit below the social class around here. He frowned, and grumbled something quietly under his breath.

“You look fine.”

“Ain’t you goin’ in late gonna cause a ruckus?” Applejack asked, interrupting Soarin’s train of thought. Braeburn stopped staring at his outfit and looked to the mare as well.

“Weeeeeeeeeeeellll,” Soarin drug out the ‘e’ when he spoke so it sounded like a long “eeeeeh” noise and snatched Braeburn’s hat from on top of his head and plopped it down on his own.

“Hey!” Braeburn complained, but Soarin pressed the hat firmly to his head.

“Random sighting from a civilian aside, these places always have back doors for the VIP guests. And luckily for you a very sexy pegasus got you two tickets, remember?” Soarin held up two slips of paper and kissed the back of one of them before handing one to either pony. Applejack rolled her eyes and Braeburn smiled a little.

“Yeah yeah, let’s get a move on,” Applejack hollered a bit impatiently just when Soarin pointed the direction to go and was already walking. “I wanna get good seats!”

“Don’t think she knows what VIP seating means.,” Soarin whispered into Braeburn’s ear right before snatching his hoof and dragging him along. He was rewarded with a giggle, and together they walked with Applejack in the lead in a bit of a roundabout way to the backside of the stadium where not many ponies lingered except those who were smoking and those who were trying to sell tickets. Soarin kept his head down and extended his wings to hide his cutie-mark as he had done a hundred times before when it drew close to a show. Only now he had a particularly good reason to want to keep hidden.

He wanted Braeburn to like this life. The life of big shows and lights and the crowd cheering and constant noise. The rush of excitement and adoration for the sport was something that Braeburn being an earth pony could never truly know, but he wanted Braeburn to enjoy it. It was… his new life, after all.

Soarin chose not to say that out loud. The words made him feel possessive in a way that sat uncomfortably on his tongue when he considered it. He had to remind himself that this wasn’t exactly a choice for Braeburn. The scars on Braeburn proved that, and he told himself this fact again and again. He didn’t just want Braeburn to like the life he was forced into, he needed it.

Soarin found himself squeezing Braeburn’s hoof when they approached a few large ponies in sunglasses by a small back entrance. A few ponies were loitering around, but none seemed to have a ticket.

Soarin shook the thought and stepped forward in front of Applejack.

“Well hello, cutie,” Soarin raised one of his eyebrows and reached out his hoof to touch the guard’s chest. “Could you let a lil’ old pegasus and his friends in, I’ll do you a huge fav-”

“Go on in, Soarin,” The guard collected both Applejack and Braeburn’s tickets as the two passed him and Soarin sighed loudly.

“He never lets me finish that…”

“Mind not flirtin’ in front of yer… er… boyfriend?” Braeburn chuckled and nodded for Soarin to follow. It was hesitant and a bit nervous, but he actually did use the ‘B’ word in a somewhat public setting. Soarin complied, though didn’t do so without rolling his eyes. He trotted forward and bumped playfully into Braeburn’s side.

Braeburn bumped back, or at least he would have if the moment they entered the stadium a loud echo wasn’t apparently obvious. It was the roar of at least a few thousand ponies. Braeburn’s muscles tensed, and it was clear he was chewing on the inside of his lip by the way he suddenly stared down to his hooves.

“Yikes, pretty loud place,” Braeburn mumbled. He might have been trying to shoot for something that sounded joking, but the way his breath caught in his throat was what caught Soarin’s attention. He smiled, but once more it refused to meet up with his eyes.

“Think ya can make it up all these stairs?”

“Huh?” Braeburn looked up to Applejack, who was already halfway up the first flight of stairs. Soarin saw Braeburn lean onto his good leg once more, and for a moment the noise and thought of a large crowd was replaced with worry for his actual ability to face said crowd. He nodded his head, albeit hesitantly. “Y-Yeah… If Ah go slow, Ah guess.”

“I can carry you if you want. I’m a lot stronger than I look,” Soarin half teased, half offered. He felt his stomach twist a bit when Braeburn rolled his eyes and took it as a complete joke. He didn’t want Braeburn’s first show to start with crippling pain. It was more than likely not going to be a good introduction to convince him to like his new life.

“Ya don’t gotta baby me,” Braeburn tried to say confidently, but it came out as more of a mumble.

Braeburn took it slow, Applejack always a few steps ahead and Soarin right by Braeburn’s side. It was a different experience from the physical therapy that had helped him walk once more in the first place, as his eyes did not sting from tears and at worst he had to stop every once in awhile to catch his breath. He had a problem with holding it, and let out large gasps when his lungs begged enough. Only a few ponies were passing by this point, mostly going down the stairs as it was so close to showtime. Soarin pushed away the thought of Spitfire chewing him out for being so late and probably issuing him some sort of punishment despite the circumstances and tried to focus on Braeburn.

The crowd roared again. Soarin was guessing that some sort of pre-game event was going on. Usually it was a sign for him to bluntly get his ass into gear and start running, but again he stared at Braeburn.

“Hey, Brae?” Soarin asked when he saw they were about halfway up the staircase. Braeburn’s cheeks were pink now, not from blush but from effort. Applejack was keeping her mouth shut, but she occasionally looked back to the two. “The crowd ain’t so bad, if that’s what you’re thinking. Especially in the VIP area. Most of the ponies are usually rich and snooty and don’t talk to each other. Plus it’s way less crowded.”

“Ya don’t gotta sell me,” Braeburn said in a slightly sarcastic tone between a grunt and three more steps. “Ah’m here, aren’t Ah?”

Soarin wanted to ask one thing, and that was, “Is it because you want to be or because you have to be?”

The seed of doubt that Applejack had planted in his mind was growing roots. He was trying his best to rip them free when he kissed Braeburn’s cheek lightly and put on his most convincing smile.

“I was serious about carrying you, y’know,” Soarin tried not to chuckle too much as if fearful that it would come off as insincere. “I mean, you’re gonna rob me of the chance on showing off to both you and your cousin how strong I am?”

“Ah ain’t gonna rely on ya for everythin’, Soar,” Braeburn looked to Soarin with a suddenly serious expression. “If Ah can’t do this on my own Ah wanna at least do it with ya helpin’ me, not doin’ the work fer me.”

“R-Right,” Soarin touched Braeburn’s hoof and helped him up a few more steps. He tried not to focus on the fact that his tone trembled. Mostly because he was fearful of asking why it trembled. He pushed his worries aside and again, tried to fake it with a smile. “I’ll be right here, alright?”

Soarin removed the hat he had previously taken from Braeburn and placed it on top of his lover’s head. Braeburn’s eyes peaked out from underneath and this time his smile reached them. They were nearing the top by this point, and Soarin felt his grip involuntarily loosen on Braeburn’s hoof for a reason he couldn’t quite yet pinpoint. It was growing louder the closer they got, and Applejack was already waiting at the top of the stairs holding half of the wide double doors open to a wide open area where Soarin could see the stadium and all the ponies meld together in the distance into a colorful blur.

“Geez,” Braeburn mumbled at the sight of them all. “Ain’t that a real picking?”

“You made it,” Soarin chuckled, and then briefly pecked Braeburn on the lips. Braeburn kissed back just a bit before gingerly pulling away right before walking into the VIP section. It was an open area with a concrete floor and the smell of food and alcohol in the air. Soarin felt his throat go particularly parched when out of the corner of his eye when he saw a mug of cider in the hooves of a unicorn who passed.

“Ya gonna kiss me every time I go up a few stairs?” Braeburn asked a bit teasingly. “Ah might start torturin’ myself more often.”

“Ah think Soarin’s personality is rubbin’ off on ya, Brae,” Applejack chuckled as she looked around the wide open area. “Yeash, Rainbow never got me seats like this. Ah think Ah might buy ‘bout fifty of whatever smells so gosh darn good!”

“Knock yourself out,” Soarin said and looked to the stadium. His gut sank when he realized the opening performance was drawing to a close, and in less than twenty minutes he would need to go out on stage. The crowd’s cheers were so loud he could barely hear himself think just as Applejack and Braeburn were taking in the surroundings. If a Wonderbolt or Celestia forbid Spitfire saw him without his uniform on this close to showtime he would more than likely be appearing in the paper as a newly murdered celebrity rather than a hot gossip topic.

“Aw horse apples,” Soarin grumbled and looked around. He opened his mouth and then closed it and drug his hoof impatiently against the concrete trying to come up with some sort of plan on what exactly to do with Braeburn.

“Something up?” Braeburn asked.

“Nothing, just… I gotta leave soon and you still have to find a place to sit,” Soarin grabbed Braeburn’s hoof and tugged on it, but the earth pony didn’t budge. “C’mon, I can make it if we hurry. Just don’t put too much pressure on your leg.”

“Ya should just go,” Braeburn said and took his hoof from Soarin’s. He was laughing in a kind of way that made Soarin think he was being mocked. “Don’t get yer matters all mixed up, Ah got AJ, Ah don’t need ya for everythin’”

“Yeah, you should go get changed or something,” Applejack nodded and stared out into the stadium. “I’ll make sure Braeburn gets plenty good seats to watch ya do yer fancy schmancy flyin’ tricks.”

“But…” For some reason Soarin felt a sink in his gut. He felt impatient, and had the need to not only start moving, but start running. Something about the way Braeburn squeezed his hoof reassuringly felt wrong and out of place. He couldn’t help but think it was normally his place to do that, to be the one to reassure Braeburn.

“I’ll be fine, Soar,” Braeburn leaned forward and pecked Soarin’s cheek, albeit quickly and hesitantly. “Ah really don’t need ya fer this, Ah just wanna see ya fly, alright?”

“Y-Yeah,” Soarin nodded his head. There it was again, the stutter he didn’t want to think about. Just as he took a step back and met Braeburn’s eyes he felt his gut clench. He nodded again dumbly and then kissed Braeburn’s lips, but felt his own feel rougher and more tense than usual.

“Love you,” Soarin said quickly before getting another nod telling him it was fine to leave. Braeburn’s smile, that reassuring one that made him feel funny.

Soarin bumped into a pony when he began to walk, but didn’t apologize. He felt his gut turn again when he rushed, looking behind his shoulder only once to see Braeburn had already turned away from him and was now talking to Applejack. He couldn’t hear them over the crowd’s noise.

It wasn’t just what Braeburn said that had made him feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was because it was in front of Applejack, but Braeburn had been trying to act stronger. As Soarin rushed his way trying to find the locker room where his uniform lay he couldn’t help but retrace the memories in his head. Braeburn wasn’t leaning on him as willingly.

He paused, just outside the locker room, and laid a hoof on his belly. The feeling in his chest bubbled like an unsettled pot, and he found himself swallowing because his throat felt dry.

Soarin didn’t just want Braeburn to need him, he wanted Braeburn to depend on him.

Welcoming Party

This is not spell checked because I am a lazy little cunt.... tee hee...

Entangled Pathways
Chapter 8: Welcoming Party

The laughter coming from Rapidfire’s body was loud, Soarin watched as he fought to keep some amount of air in his lungs while also half laying on Braeburn, who was also giggling and trying to keep his cool. The pale blue pegasus watched as Fleetfoot rolled her eyes, a smirk on her face indicated she truly was having great fun at the moment. It was a strange sight just to see Braeburn get a break for once, and just enjoy the time he had left on this planet. Soarin didn’t even know what was so funny, it might have just been a silly face at this point from the amount of alcohol Rapidfire had managed to consume, forcing Braeburn to do the same.

Soarin somehow found himself chuckling at just how silly the three looked at the moment. Even from so far away, he felt warmth in his chest simply staring at Braeburn look happy. The tears from before felt long gone, where they had come up from in the first place seemed to stop pushing his chest, it was almost as if crying to his friends had somehow relived him.

The pale blue pegasus let a small smile shine on his face, that for once wasn’t forced. He let his wings spread out and cover his body in warmth, the feathers giving him some amount of protection from the harsh winds blowing on the balcony of the hotel room. He found himself looking at Braeburn often, even though at this point it was clear he wasn’t needed anymore.

“I’m a little surprised you stopped yourself from going over with them and just cuddling him.” Spitfire murmured, as if she were speaking to herself and not Soarin, a hint of a giggle was in her voice. Soarin blinked his eyes as he glanced in front of him to the other end of the balcony, staring at Spitfire for a while before letting his smile fade. “I mean… from the way you told us about what happened to him… I just figured you would be over protective of him…”

Soarin shook his head. “I have been being overprotective.” He stated. “I never told him about how I snapped when those ponies in Appleloosa talked so horribly about him, and I did everything in my power to keep every insult directed at him away from his ears. I guess you could say I’m just letting my guard down.” The pegasus didn’t seem like his usual, fun-loving self. If anything he looked tired, worn out, used.

Spitfire blinked a few times. “Then what’s so different now?” She cocked her head to the side as she said this. Soarin suddenly realized she was mimicking him in using her wings as blankets. The cool air of the city seemed… much cooler than it should have after spending a month near Appleloosa.

“I obviously can’t be there every second, and I also can’t baby him forever!” Soarin said, a smirk hitting his face that just had the tiniest hinting of being forced. “Plus, I don’t think he’s had any friend but me in a long time. I don’t want him hiding himself by turning to me because he gets nervous of the others.” Soarin looked back to Braeburn. Part of him did indeed want to hold the yellow pony to his chest, hissing and scratching at anypony who made him feel uneasy.

Soarin knew that this part of him was only selfish, and dismissed it whenever it popped into his mind.

“Gosh, I didn’t know you worried about him so much, Mommy.” Spitfire teased. “But seriously, you sound just like a parent of a foal, it’s freaking me out a bit!”

“I don’t think normal parents plow their foals.” Soarin stated, watching as Spitfire burst out laughing. He himself began to chuckle, holding a hoof over his mouth as the warm air hit his freezing hooves. Silence hit the two captains for a good thirty seconds after this, the wind picking up speed as the final glimpses of a twilight sky exited the sky.

“But seriously…” Spitifire began. Soarin suddenly stopped all movements, he knew this tone of voice, he knew what she was about to ask. He began to feel irritated, and just a little bit angry… and yet he couldn’t blame Spitfire in the slightest, she had good reason. “You… aren’t using him like the others… right?”

Soarin didn’t answer. He simply looked down with the smallest hinting’s of shame. “Do we really have to go into this now, Spitty?” He mumbled.

Spitfire let out what seemed to be a groan. “C’mon Soar, you and I both know how you acted before you met him, how you treated other stallions and mares just because you were upset. I’m not saying I blame you, I know you were hurting and I don’t think I can blame you even if I wanted to,” Spitfire paused. “But… I don’t want to see Braeburn get hurt like the others were, I’ve only met him twice and I can already tell he’s the kind of stallion who wouldn’t be able to take it if you did something to hurt him. I’m trying to believe you’ve changed, I really am… but just everything you did to the others… I really don’t like the idea of you just up and inviting him to come with us around the world if I’m going to forget his face in a year.” Her eyes looked a little scared, either for himself or Braeburn, Soarin couldn’t tell.

Spitfire’s eyes looked pleading suddenly. “I saw how upset you were when you had to tell us what happened to him back in Appleloosa, and I know Rapidfire just wants to make him forget such he’s such a softie, he was trying his best not to cry earlier… Fleetfoot is worried for him too, but she doesn’t show it as much.” As the golden pegasus said this, she began to run a hoof through her fiery mane, looking directly into Soarin’s gaze with a piercing glare. “You aren’t the only one involved anymore is all I’m saying, I know that those two in there will hold a grudge against you if you hurt him after tonight… I’ve forgiven you before, but I don’t know if I can do it anymore…”

“I can’t believe you’re bringing this up.” Soarin grumbled out. His voice was monotone, he wouldn’t let himself betray emotion. As he glanced over into Spitfire’s fiery eyes, he began to feel a pang of guilt. “L-Look…” He stuttered. “I know… I know that in the past I hurt a lot of ponies, and I really don’t feel all that proud of it.” Soarin began to look at Braeburn again. “I think that maybe… maybe when I left him, I was like that. I was willing to hurt him without guilt when I first left him in Appleloosa… I even told him that stupid story about how I tried to help random stallions who were in the closet… Yeah, I used him back then because I was selfish and greedy and he was weak and helpless… but in this past year… I think I might have really…”

The glass door of the balcony suddenly flew open. Soarin looked up with his wide, green eyes to see Braeburn, he stopped mid-sentence, not wanting Braeburn to become curious. His cheeks were red from the amount of drinking he had this night. His eyes seemed less worried, more carefree than usual. “Heavens to Betsy Soar, ah’m freezing my tail off just standin’ here!” He said with a drunken chuckle. Soarin let a smile hit his face at the sight of his drunken lover. “Get in here gosh darn it! I’m gettin’ cold just watchin’ ya!”

Soarin chuckled, realizing that if anypony on earth could make a “Cute drunk”, it would have to be Braeburn. “Coming Brae, give me a few minutes would you?”

As the pegasus watched his lover go back to both his newly acquired friends, he let a small smile shine of his face once more. His chest began to warm as he started to get up. “I guess that… I think I might really love somepony this time…” He said.

Soarin felt a hoof land on his shoulder. He found himself looking back at Spitfire, whose fiery gaze had in fact softened. “If you keep smiling like that… I just might be able to believe you.” She mumbled, pushing him aside as she began to walk forward, opening the door on her own and walking inside.

Soarin blinked several times as he walked into the warm hotel room. He just wanted this to be the right choice, he only wanted, and hoped, that he hadn’t made another mistake.

Soarin glanced around the blackened room, blinking his eyes quickly in an attempt to adjust them to the darkness. As he opened his mouth to yawn, he realized he must have dozed off, that would explain why the yelling had stopped. Everypony went to sleep.

The pegasus began to listen intently as he glanced over. He saw Rapidfire on his back with Fleetfoot next to him, half rolled up in his wing. Both were snoring quite loudly. He glanced further down to a spot where a blanket was rolled up, and saw a fire orange mane sticking out of the top. Spitfire must have been asleep under there, not snoring as usual.

Soarin began to stretch his wings as he sat up with a tiny groan. His back was going to hurt like hell tomorrow. He began to glance around the room, looking for the final and most important pony of the night. When he finally spotted Braeburn… he looked to laying down up against the wall, curled up tightly in a ball. His head was down, but his hooves kept moving in circled on the carpet. He was most defiantly awake, that was for sure.

Soarin yawned once more as he began to drag himself over to Braeburn’s body. He rubbed an eye with one of his hooves before whispering out. “Hey, Brae?” This caused Braeburn to jump, and look up with a frightful expression. Soarin paused, cocking his head to the side when he saw this on the face of his lover.

“Oh… Soarin, it’s only you…” Braeburn mumbled. His eyes looked tired, they kept closing briefly only to snap open in an instant. He sat up, looking as if it took all his strength to do so.

Soarin opened his mouth, only it became dry in an instant. He shook his head briefly, trying to wake up. “Have you… slept at all?” Soarin asked.

Braeburn avoided his eyes from Soarin’s own as he gave a shrug. “Ah really don’t want ta go ta sleep.” He murmured out. He shifted uncomfortably in place, closing his eyes briefly only for them to snap back open.

“Why… why not?” Soarin found himself speaking aloud even though he was positive he only thought those words. But still, he wanted to know.

Braeburn glanced up, his eyes had dark circles under them. He wasn’t looking at Soarin’s eyes, only his mane. “Ah had fun tonight… ah really did…” He mumbled. “Ah think ah made friends with Rapidfire and Fleetfoot, just like ya said ah would.” Braeburn gave off a chuckle as his eyes briefly crossed Soarin’s. They looked upset. “Ah… ah just don’t wanna go ta sleep… because when ah do… ah might have that dream again.”

Soarin realized he was holding his breath after Braeburn said that, as he struggled to breathe normally, Braeburn continued. “Ah mean… ah didn’t wanna wake ya up… or disturb the others, so ah’m just scared to go ta sleep… because… ah don’t want to find myself wakin’ up cryin’, or even screamin’ just because of it, with that overpowering fear in my chest that ah can’t handle on my own… ah know that ah might have woken the others up if that happened… ya know ah can... ya know ah can’t calm myself down without ya anymore, ah can’t tell what’s real and what’s not right when ah wake up…”

Soarin began to grumble, hearing the whimpering escape from Braeburn’s throat hurt him deep in his chest. “Dummy…” He mumbled, reaching out a hoof and lightly bonking Braeburn on top of his head. “I swear one of these day’s I’m going to have to hit you because you’re so stupid.” He paused, reaching out a hoof and stroking down Braeburn’s mane, the other winced and felt like he was trembling. “Just wake me up next time, for the sake of Celestia this’ll be a lot easier if you do that from now on.”

Braeburn sniffled before letting himself fall on Soarin’s chest, trembling without saying a word as he hid his face somewhere in the safety of those blue tufts of fur that tickled his face. He began to feel encaged as wings surrounded his body. While being flimsy, and weak on their own, with Soarin owning the feathers Braeburn felt much safer.

“You’re so stupid.” Soarin mumbled, stroking down Braeburn’s mane with a hoof. Braeburn really was fragile, like glass. His mind was so easily changed from happy to sad in just a few hurtful words. He needed Soarin to survive, or else his heart would shatter once more. Soarin began to remember those horrible letters that scared him, scared him that Braeburn might indeed take his own life he was so depressed. He wasn’t himself when he wrote those letters, and he wasn’t himself now.

Soarin began to wonder just how long Braeburn had transformed all of his anger at the townsfolk of Appleloosa into depression just to protect their worthless lives, just to make sure he wouldn’t snap. It was a little strange to say, but in a way Soarin was proud of Braeburn for managing not to become a rotten lowlife like the rest of them.

Braeburn sniffled once more, and muffled out something that sounded like an apology. Soarin began to shake his head before gently kissing one of the yellow ears on his muzzle.

“Shut up.”

“Ah, Celestia my head!” Rapidfire whined.

Soarin ignored Rapidfire’s usual whiny nature after getting a hangover. He had tried to feel sorry at one point at time, before realizing Rapidfire must have been born with that crap he drank in his bloodstream. “Shut up, you’re the one who drank so much.”

“Why the hell are you being so mean?” Rapidfire whined, trotting up to Soarin with his wings flapping just enough so he wouldn’t hover. “You’re being nice to Brae Brae…”

“That’s because he was influenced by a stupid older stallion with no sense of when to stop. And why are you calling him Brae Brae?” Soarin began to feel irritated as he rubbed the back of his green looking lover, whose coat looked mangled and grimy, his mane not in much better shape. He whimpered slightly as he rubbed his scalp with a free hoof, keeping his eyes shut to avoid sunlight hurting his mind. He held the trashcan close at hoof in case his belly decided to disagree with him once more.

“Brae Brae’s a cute name, don’t you think?” Rapidfire asked. “Besides, why are we moving so much this early in the morning?”

“Shouldn’t Braeburn be asking that…” Soarin grumbled out. After all, Rapidfire had in fact been traveling with them for years on end, why should he be so shocked they were moving all of a sudden. They had shows to do and ponies to see. They were famous after all.

“Braeburn is sick, I’m talking for him since he can’t.” Rapidfire said in a high and mighty voice.

“Will you colts shut up?” Spitfire snapped. “The train leaves in an hour, let’s just get going. Did Braeburn get all the crap he needs?”

“I think so.” Soarin said, patting Braeburn’s back to show he would be back in a moment. “I think that everypony here is ready, whiny or not.” He flapped his wings as he took off into the air, flying toward the door as he rolled his eyes. “Look, let’s just get going.”

“I just said that…” Spitfire growled out.

Soarin flew to grab Braeburn’s bag, double checking inside of it that nothing was forgotten. He began to busy his mind with thoughts about pie as he realized just how horrible it would be for a hungover pony to be on a train that was by no means smooth.

Soarin glanced over to the spot he left Braeburn, and cocked up a brow in confusion. “Where did…”

“He stepped out for air.” Fleetfoot called, knowing the end of the vice-captain’s sentence.

Soarin shook his head as he flew over to the door and opened it up with a single swing, spotting Braeburn hunched over the newspaper. He wasn’t saying a single word. Under any normal day, Soarin would have wondered just why a newspaper was being delivered in a hotel room, but something about the way Braeburn was staring threw him off. It was almost… upset…

“Something wrong Bra-” Soarin cut himself off as he looked at the image right smack on the front page of the newspaper. The image right smack on the front, plain for everypony in Equestria to see, and likely they had. How this picture had managed to be snapped without his knowing… he would never really know for certain.

The sound of the door opening happened again, and Rapidfire glanced over Braeburn’s other shoulder, staring at the same image.

“Is that Braeburn in socks and a thong?”