Heart-Shaped Horseshoes

To all the ponies in Canterlot, Fancypants and Fleur de Lis were the perfect match for each other. The sophisticated philanthropist and the stunning supermodel. The perfect picture of both elegance and chivalry. Not a single pony will doubt these two were meant to be together.

Fancypants ignored all the gossip and camera flashes around them while his partner posed over his back. Same routine as always. One saturday however, an unusual impulse made Fancypants sat down in a common cafe and ask for a cup of tea. The waiter was predictable shocked that such an important pony will stop on his common run-of-the-mill store but quickly fetched him his order. Fleur said nothing and sat down in front of him, still posing for the camera.

As he tended to his cup of tea, Fancypants sight was fixed on a particular pony. The type of pony that all Canterlot citizens will ignore and pass by without a second look. A simple window cleaner with bucked teeth and a messy uniform. Fancypants looked at the young colt struggling to get his stuff back after being pushed by some unicorns and decided to got up and talk to him.

“Hope I'm not making a fool of myself but, haven't we met before?” Fancypants asked him.

“I doubt it, sir,” the window cleaner said, fixing his mane that got wet after being hit by his own bucket.

“Ah, that hairstyle. I knew I recognized it. Hayseed Turnip, was it? I seem to recall you had quite a successful cleaning business.”

Hayseed looked at Fancypants, expecting to see an arrogant smug on his face. Instead, Fancypants looked sincerely worried about the earth pony situation.

“Yeah but that was a long time ago. I made some dumb decision and I lost everything,” he explained.

“Oh my, that´s terrible.”

Hayseed simple shrugged and went back to work.

“Don´t mean to intrude but, may I ask why are you still in the city?” Fancypants asked.

“You can tell the Ponyville accent, uh? Well, I could go back to the farm and tell cuz Applejack and the rest that I failed miserably. That's always an option.”

Fancypants bites his own lip, realizing he made a terrible question. He looked back at his table where Fleur was looking at him with an unamused expression. She simply nodded, already knowing what he was going to ask.

“Mr. Hayseed...” Hayseed turned over, curious s to why this fancy pony was still talking to somepony like him. “I might have a business proposition, if you are willing to listen.”

****

Eight months passed by and Canterlot didn´t change done bit. The snob ponies still looked down at the servants and they still believed Fancypants and Fleur were a match made in Celestia´s heaven.

Fancypants looked from his office´s window at the gardens where Hayseed was giving orders to the gardening team for the Princess´visit. In these eight months, the young colt had moved from a simple janitor assistant to being in charge of the entire building from the gardens to the bathrooms. He was a natural born leader and all his co-workers respected him.

Fancypants was proud of him and happy to call him his friend. Every week they shared a business dinner on his office to discuss the progress of the company and in those dinners they also shared personal matters, their stories of love and pain, of raising from the bottom and falling down to failure. They shared a bond, the strongest Fancypants ever had with another pony.

“I still believe lilies will look a lot better than sunflowers. Sunflowers are...uncouth,” Fleur de Lis said from behind Fancypants.

“Hayseed believes the Princess will be pleased by them. they´re her flower, after all,” Fancypants explained.

“Of course you will defend him, dear,” she teased him.

“Well, he is in charge of decorations.”

“Please, you don't need to keep the charade. It´s just the two of us in here,” Fleur said, gently caressing his cheek.

Fancypants sighed, still not able to utter the words. He knew what she meant, he know about the lies he built around him but he wasn't ready to tear them down.

“You know, I tried to make a move on Hayseed a few night ago,” she said.

“Really?” Somehow Fancypants managed to look whiter.

“Yes, but he rejected me. He said that he could never do such a thing for the pony that took him off the garbage can..”

Fancypants sighed, relieved.

“Fun thing is, I'm not sure if he was more worried about me hurting you or about he hurting your trust.”

And with that, Fleur retired, leaving Fancypants looking at the pony that had grown to be his closest confidant and best friend.

****

“Lovely reception, Fancypants. These sunflowers are gorgeous. How did you know they were my favourite flowers?” Princess Celestia asked him.

“To be honest, that was all the work of Hayseed here. He thought of every little detail,” Fancypants explained, inviting his friend to come closer.

Hayseed bowed for the Princess and Celestia smiled.

“Trusting the best pony for the right job. That's one of life's most important lessons in life. I´m glad to see you learned it, Fancypants,” Celestia said.

“It took a while, your Majesty, but I learned that the most important thing in life is keeping the ponies you care the most close to you,” Fancypants said and took Hayseed´s hoof.

He was quite obviously surprised but didn't took his hoof off.

Princess Celestia smiled at them and said “You know, I say you two make a perfect match.”