Before I met her, I hadn’t thought much of love or marriage or the like. I was just a simple townspony livin’ in the greatest city I know, spendin’ most of my time workin’ on the local ranch. To say I had pride in my job was an understatement. I felt like there was nothin’ in life that could satisfy me more than providin’ for my community in the best way I knew how, but lookin’ back, I can see how much of a fool I was. I wish I could go back and shake myself and say, “Y’all don’t know the half of it!” Well, that’s why I needed a lady to tell it to me straight herself, and boy did she know how to tell things to ya straight.
How we met is a funny story. We actually met at a family reunion rodeo. Now, before ya start callin’ names with yer stereotypes, we’re not actually related… I think. We’re a little fuzzy on the details, but if we are related, it sure ain’t closely.
The family reunion was held at Appaloosa that year, and I reckon you can guess how excited I was to hear it. Havin’ the job of feedin’ the whole town and neighboring buffalo community keeps me pretty busy in the happiest town in Equestria, so gettin’ to see my family each year at the reunion is always the highlight of my year.
It seemed like the minute we finished up putting the final barrel in its place, the entire apple family came rushin’ into town all at once. The Oranges and the Seeds from Manehatten, the Stems from Fillydelphia, and a couple of new ponies I ain’t never seen before. Well, I at least recognized Pinkie Pie, but I didn't know the rest of her family or what in tarnation they were doin’ there.
Pinkie tried goin’ into how they and the Apples went on some long trek together, but I wasn’t really followin’ till one of her sisters jumped in and said, “Pinkie Pie thinks we’re related to you guys and made us come with her.”
“Well, I hope y’all enjoy yer stay, then!” I told her with the tip of my hat. “Just lemme know if there’s any way I can accommodate yer family while y’all enjoy the wonders of Appaloosa!”
She… definitely needed some warmin’ up to, but I was more than happy to add on to our family tree. Pinkie Pie explained that her name was Limestone and that she had kind of a hard time warmin’ up to ponies, what with livin’ her whole life isolated on a rock farm and all. Actually, her other sisters weren’t much more adapted to bein’ in crowds neither, but I could tell that they were at least havin’ a little more fun than Limestone. Lucky for me, I let the other organizers know ahead of time that tonight, my main focus would be hospitality, and if there was one pony who needed it most, I think I mighta had a clue who that'd be.
After talkin’ with Pinkie, I found Limestone sittin’ by herself watchin’ a rodeo, hooves folded and angry-eyed. She told me it was the one thing she could do where she wouldn’t have to do anything. So I offered her a chance to come show her all the things she might enjoy at the fair we had set up. She “politely” declined until I told her that if she didn't have fun, I’d leave her alone for the rest of the night. Needless to say, she jumped on that one.
The very first thing we did was head to a pie eating contest, which she didn’t seem too sure about, but I knew that it would at least be a fun way to get free pie… until she started chokin’ on one of the apple slices in the middle. She told me that I had already hit my first strike, and if I got two more then she was outta there. Lucky for her, my momma taught me to never give up on a pony in need, and this little pony needed to have fun for a change!
Next we headed over to an aisle of stands with all kinds of games and prizes from horseshoe tosses to bobbin’ for apples. We decided on tryin’ out our luck knockin’ over a big stack of pins with a miniature hoofball. I knocked over my stack, but I guess I forgot that Limestone hadn’t thrown anything in her life before that, hitting the gentleman behind the counter who was at the opposite end of the stand. Needless to say, that was strike 2.
I could tell she was gettin’ upset and a little embarrassed, so I had to make sure that this next activity would be the best one yet. Just to add a little Appaloosa flaire to this year’s family reunion, we decided to set up somethin’ that ain’t no other reunion had ever seen before: horse drawn carriage races. (I may have slipped our carriage driver a couple of bits to make sure he went extra fast, but I needed to make sure that this little lady saw how fun it could be here!)
As soon as the starting shot was fired, our carriage took off like lightning down the race track. Wind was shootin’ past our manes so fast that we had to yell just to hear each other, not that we could really talk with how loud we were hollerin’ anyway. The whole scenery around us was shapin’ into one big blur of color, holdin’ onto the carriage just so we wouldn’t go flyin’ off into the roarin’ crowd. After all that, though, our carriage crossed the finish line second, next to Big Mac and his little sister Applebloom.
“We could have died!” Limestone shouted as soon as we stepped out of the carriage.
“I’m sorry you didn’t like it,” I apologized. “I really did try findin’ stuff you’d enjoy.”
“Well… I never said I didn't like it.”
If you can believe it, somehow I had actually put a smile on that mare’s face, and to make matters even better, she agreed to let me take her around to do some more things around the fair! No strike system neither! I was so excited that I grabbed her by the hoof and took her to the next game as fast as her legs would take her.
It seemed like all that tension between us was boiling down till it was nothin’ but the raw surface. She had finally dropped her “tough mare who runs everything” act, and I didn't have to jump through hoops to get her to laugh (although there was a game where we jumped through hoops, and we were definitely both laughin’). The further the moon traveled through the stars in the night sky, the easier and easier it got just to talk to each other, be ourselves and learn more about the other.
Sure, she was a little aggressive at times, but I didn’t mind it. Heck, to be honest, I’d much rather she told me how she was feelin’ rather than keepin’ it all inside like when I first saw her, even if she was the complete opposite of Pinkie Pie. I just wanted to know more about her: her likes, her dislikes, her dreams and the like. Turns out we had pretty similar goals. She wanted to keep her rock farm goin’ along with her kids, just like her father and his father before him in the same way I looked at the Appaloosa orchard. I’d never met anypony who really understood me like she did. Never.
By the time just about everypony was finishin’ up with the family reunion, I wanted one last thing for her to remember me by: one last look at the night sky from the top of the Ferris wheel. Before we got on, I decided to make a bet with her that earth ponies could make magic, but Limestone just laughed me to scorn, tellin’ me that she’d already tried. Sure enough, though, once our carriage had made it from the bottom all the way to the top, the lights from the starry sky gleamed in just the right way to take her breath away.
I put a hoof around her and held her as close to me as I could while she leaned her head onto my shoulder. “OK,” she said, looking up at me with the widest smile she’d ever had. “I guess I lose the bet.”
Suddenly, she lifted her head, laid her hooves on my shoulders and put her lips to mine. As perfect as I thought the fair would be, as much as I knew I’d love the reunion, that moment with the moon above us and her lips against mine, made my dream come true. No. Limestone was my dream come true.
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…………………………………………………….or at least that’s what I thought.
After the reunion, Limestone and I kept touch by writin’ letters to each other. She'd write her letter before the crack of dawn when it was time for her to get to her farmin’, and I’d write mine as soon as I saw hers. Gettin’ to see what she wrote was always the highlight of my day. There was one time when the mailpony didn’t end up gettin’ to me ‘till it was almost dusk, and I didn't know if I’d be able to work the next day. Silly, I know, but she was my motivation to always do better than the day before, just like how she made me feel like a better stallion, a better pony.
Visits weren’t too common, but we’d make sure to see each other as much as we could. We’d take turns so that I didn’t end up starvin’ Appaloosa and so that her rocks… got put away? I think? (I’m still not too sure what her farm was for.) I’d visit her about once every two weekends, and she’d visit me the weekends in between. I felt like every time I saw her, I got stronger, like I could take care of the whole orchard myself, but from what Limestone told me, she was already takin’ care of the whole farm herself anyway.
There was one time during a visit to her farm where she took me for a walk to see everything her farm had to offer. Me bein’ the curious guy I was decided to see what a giant boulder was doin’ in the middle of a field. She… didn't like that one bit. I had seen her angry before--heck, I saw her angry all the time--but she ain’t never screamed at me before. She ain’t never… threatened me before. I guess I just crossed a personal line. I had no idea what that boulder meant to her or her family or her farm, but… when she told me she’d break my ribs if I ever touched the boulder again, I got the feelin’ that it wasn't an empty threat.
Well, what relationship doesn’t have its problems, right? Every letter I got still made me happier than the last, and every goodbye kiss was more painful than the one before. We started growin’ so close that I started to wonder what was gonna come of this all. I mean, I loved this mare more than I could even put into words, but how could we spend the rest of our lives together if we both had responsibilities towns apart from each other? I decided not to bring up the idea of marriage, just so we could avoid another argument that I’d just end up losin’ anyway.
One day when I was down for a visit, I saw Limestone tryin’ to work with a horrible fever. She said she was fine and that the work wasn’t gonna take care of itself, but I wasn't havin’ any of it. After listenin’ to her yell until her coughin’ and wheezin’ got the better of her, I finally convinced her to head to bed with some warm tea and an even warmer blanket, and despite the risk of gettin’ a fever myself, I gave her plenty of kisses until she dozed off to sleep.
As soon as she was fast asleep, I made my way downstairs to talk with her sister Maud. I didn’t know much about rocks, let alone what a rock farm was supposed to be, so conversation was a little flat until we got on the subject of Limestone.
“She’s a handful, isn’t she?” Maud asked me. “This is the first time she’s ever had a boyfriend. I don’t know if she can take it.”
“What do you mean?” I asked her.
“Love can be a rollercoaster of emotions. There are a lot of high moments and a lot of low moments. Limestone has never been one to handle low moments well.”
“But ain’t that the point of a relationship, to share the low moments together?”
“Everything to Limestone is a low moment. When she’s with you, her low moments are bearable, but a low moment for you would be a nightmare for her. Just be careful. There’s a reason Marble and I don’t talk much around her.”
A little while later, Limestone musta woken up, saw I wasn't there and made her way down the stairs, and there it was again. That same terrifyin’ anger I saw from before. She started screaming again, demanding to know why I was alone with her sister and everything we had talked about. I was shakin’ in my seat, but I could tell Maud was used to these kinds of outbursts from her sister. She didn’t blink, she didn't move, she didn't speak. She just sat there, waitin’ out the storm until Limestone would finally finish screaming. This must be what life was like on the farm everyday. This must be what it'd be like if I started spendin’ every day with her…
Eventually, Limestone calmed down enough for me to take her back upstairs and get her to bed again. She was still demanding to know what we were talkin’ ‘bout, but I swore to her that we were just tryin’ to help me be a better stallion for her. She didn't seem to believe me at first, but after a few more kisses, she finally promised to close her eyes if I stayed with her for the night. I agreed and told her that I loved her, but to be honest, I’m not really sure I had a choice.
By the time that it was my turn again to pay her a visit, I wrote her a letter and told her I couldn’t come. I told her that if I didn’t have every tree in the orchard taken care of by Sunday that the apples wouldn't survive in the heat long enough for the harvest. Mainly, though, I was too afraid of coming back and gettin’ in the way of family matters again. Ever since my last visit, she had talked so horribly about her sisters, tellin’ me that if I was unfaithful with them, it’d be the worst mistake I ever made, and to be honest, I think she might have had a double meaning behind that.
The next day, while I was out puttin’ up shade over the apple trees, I got a surprise visit from a very angry mare, and right there, in front of all the settler ponies, she began screamin’ again. She told me about all the times she’d made sacrifices to come see me, just like how she made sacrifices to see me right now. She went on about times when her farm coulda gone down under without her bein’ there but how she was willin’ to take that chance because she wanted to keep her end of the deal. Finally, after it was all out of her system and the whole town was lookin’ at us, she agreed that we could talk about it later if she was allowed to stay the night with me.
I wish I woulda said no. I wish I coulda seen what she was doin’ to me. Later that night, she went off on me again. She brought up the topic of gettin’ married, but I just didn't know what to think of it. I tried explaining to her how we both had responsibilities to take care of miles away from each other, but she was havin’ none of it.
“Don’t you love me?” she asked. “Stop lying to me and tell me the truth.”
I tried pleadin’ my case. I was on the verge of tears, tellin’ her much I loved her and how much she meant to me.
“YOU’RE LYING!”
Then, before I knew what was happening, she struck me across the face.
It was the first time in my life that I had ever been hit before, and when I looked into her eyes, she showed no regret, no remorse, and no signs that she wouldn't do it again. Without knowing what else to do, I gave her a hug, told her I was sorry for not visiting her, and told her as genuinely as I could that I still loved her. I didn’t have a clue what would come of this relationship further, but I knew that if I didn't stay in line, there would be consequences at the end.
After she left back home the next mornin’, I did the only thing I could and wrote to Applejack, tellin’ her about the altercation I had with Limestone and beggin’ her not to tell nopony. Instead of writin’ back, she took the first train to Appaloosa. She got here not even 5 hours after I sent the letter.
“Well ya can’t just pretend it never happened!” Applejack told me, shakin’ me back and forth. “Ya gotta do somethin’ ‘bout it!”
“Listen, AJ,” I told her. “Maybe I exaggerated things a bit. It only happened one time, and she’s been havin’ a tough time with us livin’ so far apart ‘n all. I can’t just give up on her ‘cause she messed up one time.”
Applejack paused for a good minute or two. “You really do love her, don’tcha?”
I eventually calmed down Applejack just like I’d calm down Limestone, promisin’ her that as long as she wouldn’t do nothin’, she could get Pinkie to talk to her for me. I was nervous about that too, but I knew fer darn sure that Pinkie would be able to talk to her better than AJ would ever be able to.
I didn't receive a letter from Limestone for three days. Instead, two days after my run-in with Applejack, I got a letter from Pinkie Pie tellin’ me about their own altercation.
“Hey, Braeburn. Sorry if I’m a little late filling you in. I talked to Limestone as soon as Applejack told me about what happened! It was a nice change of pace, actually, getting a chance to leave Ponyville and come see Mom and Dad and the sisters. You should have seen how surprised Maud was to see me! Then I thought, ‘Oh! I know! I could make it a surprise party!’ So glad I keep my party canon in my tail all the time in case I ever think of something super fun to celebrate, like coming home to see my sisters! Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot what we were talking about, or at least what I was talking about since I’m the one writing and you’re the one reading.
“SO! Applejack told me all about how mean Limestone was the last time she came to see you. Then after the surprise party, I sat her down in the living room to talk. It… could have gone better. She started yelling like she normally does, but that’s no big deal. I just wanted to let her know that maybe the relationship wasn’t going so well and that she should try being a little nicer. I guess she didn't like hearing that, ‘cause as soon as I mentioned that the relationship might have been having problems she kinda hit… me too… It’s kinda embarrassing walking around Ponyville with a black eye, but at least it gives ponies a reason to laugh. Sorry about not being able to help solve your problem, though. I still feel really bad about that.”
This had gotten out of hoof! I could understand losin’ her cool with me, but if her own family was gettin’ beat on my behalf, that’s when I draw the line. I yanked out a quill and ink and started writing a long-winded letter, tellin’ her that if she ever wanted to see me again, she’d have to apologize to her sisters and swear on her sainted ma that she’d never do a thing like that again, especially because of me! I was so riled up that my quill was movin’ faster than my mind could think of the words I wanted to put down in the first place.
As soon as I signed my name and gave it a final look over, though, I realized how much emotion I put into this one letter. Lettin’ my better judgement take hold of me, I set the letter on my dresser. If I still felt like that letter was the right way to say everythin’ I had on my mind, I’d send it in the mornin’.
The next day, though, real early in the mornin’ before the roosters even woke up, I got a letter waitin’ for me on the front porch from Limestone.
“Hey, Braeburn. So… the other day Pinkie Pie came to see me. She came to talk about our relationship. I don’t… I don’t understand what’s going on. You’ll always be here for me, won’t you, Braeburn? The way she was talking made me wonder. Am I still important to you? I miss you so much, and I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad. I love you.”
I musta read over that letter fifteen times before walkin’ back into the house. Limestone always had a way to use her words to wiggle herself out of anything. Doin’ the only thing I saw as right, I went back for the letter, lit a match and threw ‘em both in the fireplace. I’d need a little bit more time to think before bein’ able to write her back.
After the day was half-passed and the sun was at its highest, though, a mailpony came interruptin’ my work, tellin' me that I had two very important letters. One was from Limestone, and I already had a pretty darn good idea what she said. The other one, though, was from her sister Marble, who I’d barely said two words to. Takin’ the mailpony’s word on how important it was, I told the other settlers in the orchard that I was takin’ lunch to read what they’d said, startin’ with Limestone.
“Hey, honey. Listen, I know you probably have a lot to do today, but I need to be with you right now. I really can’t imagine another day without you. I don’t know what that’ll mean for the rock farm, but we can figure that out later. I’m taking the next train to Appaloosa. Can’t wait to see you.”
She was leavin’ her farm to be with me? She couldn't imagine another day without me? While I tried wrappin’ my head around everythin’ she’d put in that small paragraph, I moved onto Marble’s letter, suddenly wide-eyed at the huge letters on the paper.
“BRAEBURN, THIS IS MARBLE! YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME! YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF APPALOOSA RIGHT NOW! IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE, BUT YOU NEED TO LEAVE NOW! THE MAILPONY IS ABOUT TO LEAVE, SO I HAVE TO BE QUICK! YOU NEED TO RUN WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE! GET OUT NOW!!!”
I stashed both letters in my jacket and went racin’ down the road to the train station. I didn’t have the simplest idea of what was goin’ on, but I had a hard feelin’ in my gut that Marble knew what was comin’ better than I did. “One ticket to Ponyville!” I shouted, slammin’ my bits on the table and gaspin’ fer air. Maybe Applejack would be able to help me lay low for a little while till I found out what had Marble so worked up, but it'd be a long train ride for sure.
Applejack was frantic when she first saw me, thinkin’ that maybe Limestone had done a number on me again, and she didn't calm down much when I explained why I came down in the first place. She wanted to leave right at that minute to go get Pinkie to talk to her, but given what had happened the last time, I advised her against it. Instead, she gave me the Apple family welcome and asked if there was anything she could do to help. I just told her a roof over my head was fine and left it at that. I’d write to Marble in the mornin’ to get a better idea of what was goin’ on, signin’ with a different name, o’ course.
Even with all the hospitality that AJ and her family was showin’ me, I had a hard time crackin’ a smile while I was over there. I didn’t want to think badly of my sweetheart, but given all that had happened lately, I didn’t quite know what to think. I knew goin’ in that Limestone had her own fair share of anger problems that she dealt with, but gettin’ a letter tellin’ me to drop everythin’ and leave town was not what I signed up for!
My mind was racin’ so quick that night that I wouldn'ta been able to sleep a wink if I had tried. All I could think about was how I’d have to see Limestone at some point and what she’d say or do the next time she saw me. I was guessin’ she’d be mad, but would waitin’ any longer help her calm down? Would it just make her angrier? Would… she try hurtin’ me again?
I wrote my letter to Marble before the sun rose the next day. I needed to make sure that I didn’t skip a beat gettin’ to the mailpony so I could clear things up and go home. Once I finished signin’ the letter, I went outside and sat in the freezin’ cold until the mailpony came just after sunrise. I gave him my mail as well as another letter sittin’ in the mailbox that the Apple family had waitin’ to be sent out.
“Thank you, sir,” he said, takin’ the letters. As soon as he took a look at the other letter, though, he squinted his eyes and gave it back to me. “Uhhh, this one is addressed to you.”
I looked back at the letter’s return address and saw that it was supposed to be leavin’ the farm, but then I looked at where it was headed in big letters. “Send To: Braeburn at Sweet Apple Acres.” I didn't skip a beat openin’ the letter up, not even waitin’ for the mailpony to leave the porch. Then, I dropped the letter and started shakin’. The letter had only one sentence, but I knew exactly who had sent it.
“I’m in the house.”
I ran inside and showed Applejack the letter, my shakin’ hooves tellin’ her all the words I couldn't get outta my chest. She put her hooves around me and told me that she’d make sure nothin’ happened to me. She tried convincin’ me that it was a bluff, but who else woulda put that letter on the doorstep? I hated to be a burden, but I was so scared that Big Mac had to quit plowin’ the fields long enough to do a house search.
“Did you find anything?” Applejack asked.
“Nope.”
“Well, there ya have it! See? Nothin’ to be scared of!”
I could tell she was tryin’ to take the pressure off of me, but to be honest, it just made things worse. I was really hopin’ he’d find somethin’, but this just meant that Limestone musta found a really good hidin’ spot in a place where nopony would think of. I didn't wanna take my chances, though. I pleaded with AJ to let me stay with her until Marble got back to me, which she agreed to as long as I helped her with the field before the weather ponies brought in the rain showers.
We finished in a record time but still only managed to get everything done just before the weather ponies arrived, but that left me with even more mixed emotions. On the one hoof, I’d be able to stay inside while AJ kept watch over me. On the other, it just meant that I was back in the house where she wanted me, and seein’ as how it was almost nightfall with still no letter back, I was startin’ to grow anxious again.
I held onto that night like it was the last I’d ever remember. I’d forgotten how good Granny Smith’s cookin’ was or how funny Applebloom’s jokes were. We played games and told stories until even Big Mac fell down laughin’. For the first time that whole day, I finally forgot why I was even there, but like I knew, the sun was waitin’ to come back around the corner, and AJ’s family would need to be rested up before that happened.
Big Mac did another quick search around my room before I could even think of goin’ back in there, and like we all figured, nopony was there. Maybe my guard was down, but I finally felt like I was safe again. Sure, not gettin’ a letter back from Marble was still makin’ me nervous, but the whole day had gone by without a single sign of Limestone bein’ there. Maybe it was a bluff. Maybe she’d already left and gone home.
Tryin’ not to worry myself anymore, I waved the others off to bed, hung up my hat and got into bed. The bed was as soft as ever, and the blankets were warm enough to put heaters outta business, but my pillow wasn’t as comfortable as the night before. I picked it up and tried fluffin’ it as much as I could before layin’ back down, but that’s when a crumpled up piece of paper fell outta the pillow case and onto my bed.
My hooves were shakin’ again. For the next couple minutes, I just stared at it, givin’ myself any excuse I had to keep myself from opening it up and seein’ what was inside. Finally, I decided that I’d rather open it up and find out now whether there was anything I needed to be scared of. Just one sentence again.
“I thought they’d never leave us alone.”
I jumped off the bed, grabbed my hat and bolted out the door as fast as I could. I couldn’t stay in that house any longer. I needed to find somewhere safe, and if she wanted to catch me, she’d have to outrun me. I flung open the door to the house and ran out into the rain so fast that it felt like I was pullin’ the ground beneath me. She’d never catch up with me at this rate. She’d never--
“Braeburn!”
I stopped dead in my tracks. I knew who that voice belonged to, but for some reason, I couldn’t run anymore. Her voice brought back too many emotions for me to avoid her anymore, only this time, she didn't sound mad. She sounded crushed. When I turned around, my heart shattered into pieces. I didn’t see the same angry face I was used to. Instead, I saw a sad, sobbing pony bein’ pummelled by the rain, trying to catch up to her sweetheart.
“Braeburn! Please! I just want you to listen to me!” Her cries were stronger and louder than the pouring rain. “I know why you’re running, and I know it’s because of me. Seeing us fall apart has been so hard for me, and I don’t know what I’m doing! I feel ugly and different and unwanted, but please don’t run away!” She took in another deep sob, lifting her hooves like she was waiting for a hug. “PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!”
Without takin’ another second, I rushed my way over and wrapped my hooves around her waist, buryin’ her bawlin’ face into my chest until she could hear my heartbeat louder than her own sobs. “I haven’t left you yet, babe,” I told her, runnin’ my hoof through her short mane. “I’m just…” I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I held her tighter and put my face into her shoulder, lettin’ the tears pull down my face like the raindrops on our coats. “I wanna be with you, Limestone, but I’m just so scared!”
“I know you are,” she said, rubbing my back and squeezing me as tight as she could. As I pulled my face off of her shoulder, though, I could see her reaching for a rigid, gray object on the ground. My eyes went wide as I realized that she was then beginning to lift a big, jagged rock over my head. I started pulling away, but the more I tried squirming my way out, the tighter her grip grew. I opened my mouth to plead with her, scream, do anything that I could to convince her to let me go, but my heart was beating so fast that I couldn't bring in the air I needed just to let out a whimper. Instead, I did the only thing I knew and held on tight, burying my face into her shoulder... just like she wanted me to.
“I know you are.”
