Lucky Horseshoesby OmegaMysteriumChaptersWelcome to PonyvilleLate Night VisitorFirst Day on the JobWelcome to PonyvilleBy the time he started for home it was already early evening; an early end to a rather unsuccessful day. He watched as Celestia moved her namesake sun further across the sky as the day drew to a close and night drew ever closer. He let out a small sigh as he stopped for a moment as the sun began to slip behind a cloud on the horizon and start to sink out of sight, the town square darkening somewhat. Soon it’ll be time to light the streetlamps, he thought somewhat bitterly. I could have done that. With all the shops, restaurants, and other various businesses dotted around Ponyville, Caramel was sure there would have been at least some jobs going around. With all the ponies he’d met at the sudden welcome party he’d been thrown the previous day by that hyperactive pink pony the very millisecond he’d crossed the town border telling him all the best places that were likely to be hiring he couldn’t help feeling more than a little disappointed. But then again, Ponyville was a comparatively small town compared to say Canterlot or Manehatten; and it was the kind of place where everypony knew everypony in a really tight-knit community where news travels almost as fast as Pinkie had done the night before. He gave a slight chuckle, remembering how he’d initially thought she’d been made of rubber with her bouncing all over the place like a filly on a constant sugar rush. Then again, thinking about it, that was a pretty apt description of her! He’d tried the bakery already, but as it turned out the couple who owned it needed no extra staff for they had the very same ball of pink energy as a live-in apprentice who spoke and moved so fast it was hard to get a single word in. Although, she had offered to ask around for him in case anypony needed any jobs doing. Caramel was grateful to her for that, but since he’d essentially exhausted all the businesses in town he wasn’t holding his breath. Caramel began to wonder whether this whole “move-far-from-home-to-broaden-your-horizons” thing was really going to work. Really what he should have done when he’d left home was actually make sure there was work going in the town he moving to. It’d been... a rushed decision to say the least; A very rushed decision. Being shy didn’t exactly help either. He had tried to talk at the party, but he’d found himself being talked to or even simply talked at rather than full on conversations. Maybe that’s why he was having such trouble finding a job, maybe he simply came across not being up for job...? He pushed the thought to one side; at least he had a place to live: a one-storey cottage to stay on the edge of town; it was small and sparsely furnished, but it was big enough for one stallion and the rent was cheap, so it served. Thankfully his land-mare had been generous enough to give him at least a couple of weeks to find a job to put the rent together before charging him, but he wasn’t even sure that would be long enough. Horseapples, he thought to himself. Never mind rent, how in the name of Celestia am I gonna manage food? He slumped down onto his haunches, sitting in the shadow of a dancing filly perpetually balancing on a ball in the middle of the fountain. He looked up at the statue for a moment, watching the sun sink a little further behind the cloud bank on the horizon, before staring at his hooves as they pawed at the dirt, his light amber fur hardly showing much of the dust coating his fur. He glanced back at his cutie mark for a moment, the three blue horseshoes standing out almost mockingly on his flank. “I thought these were supposed to bring me luck,” he grumbled to himself. By now the sun had almost completely slipped out of sight, getting ready for her long sleep while Celestia sent her sister out to take over for the night. Caramel watched as she slowly began to rise from her slumber, deciding he might as well turn in himself. There wasn’t much point staying out now; most ponies were turning in for the evening and most if not all the shops had closed up during his little daydream. He sighed, rose, and stretched as he shook the stiffness from his body. He still had a few cupcakes and pastries from the day before (which somehow had managed to avoid Pinkie’s seemingly insatiable appetite), so they would do for a quick supper. Although, truth be told he was really craving something other than junk food right now. Something healthy, yet with a lot of taste and bit of a kick to it... “I would kill for an apple right about now,” he said to himself as he began the journey home. He’d just stepped out from behind the fountain when- WHAM! Caramel was knocked right off his hooves and onto his back. His head spun with suns, moons and apples as he lay on the ground, feeling a more dizzy and winded. It felt like he’d just walked slap-bang into a brick wall. He shook his head vigorously trying to stop it spinning. When he finally opened his eyes, for a moment he was convinced that he had. He was facing what seemed to be a massive wall of red, still blurry around the edges as he regained his composure. Hang on, it wasn’t that orangey-red of the red-brick houses he’d seen back home... it was more of a deep crimson... kind of like the skin of an apple. Come to think of it... weren’t the cottages he’d passed before typically... white in colour? Also... it was pretty big but it was nowhere near large enough to be a particularly functional wall; it was a bit too... well... pony-shaped. “Y’all okay lil fella?” A deep, heavy southern accent snapped him back to his senses. As he finally shook the last of his dizziness out to his head, he looked up... only to knock his head once again, this time into a rather heavy brown horse collar. Rubbing his forehead with his hoof he looked up once again, staring into the face of another stallion. His coat was a soft crimson hue, in stark contrast to his rather short yet shaggy mane and tail, both the colour of golden straw. His hooves were strangely bare, his crimson coat hanging over them in shaggy clumps. The large horse collar that had bruised his forehead seemed to hang almost effortlessly from his thick, muscular neck despite appearing to weigh at least twice as much as caramel did himself. His half-lidded almost lazy-looking eyes were a pale green, not unlike tree sap, bordered at the base by three small freckles on each cheek. His most prominent feature though was his size. Sweet Celestia, he was big! At least two heads taller than him, he seemed tower over him like a crimson wall of brawn, thickset and muscular. Every single feature of his body seemed to scream masculinity; this made Caramel blush a little, for reasons he just couldn’t put his hoof on. The single stalk of hay he held in his mouth quivered as the stallionspoke again, so deep it was almost like a shallow rumble. “Ah said, you okay?” Caramel suddenly realised he’d been staring up into the other stallion’s face for at least a whole minute, blood suddenly rushing to his cheeks in a heavy blush as he quickly sprang to his hooves. “Y-y-yeah, I’m f-fine... sorry about that,” he stammered sheepishly. “I should have watched where I was going.” “Eeyup,” The very bluntness of the other’s reply only made Caramel feel even sillier still. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hoof, trying to keep the stallions gaze and fighting an overwhelming urge to shy away. “I-I didn’t hurt you or anything did I?” “Nnope,” Again with the short answers, Caramel thought to himself. “Yourself?” “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Caramel lied, feeling another short wave of dizziness from the bump on his head. It was only then that he noticed the cart the red stallion had in tow, latched to the horse collar hanging from his neck. It was piled high with apples, all deep red and gleaming slightly in the dull glow of the streetlamps as they flickered on, their sweet scent wafting from the cart making the beige earth pony’s mouth water a little. If there was one thing Caramel loved, it was the taste of a good, juicy apple fresh off the tree. He stopped gawking at the other’s cargo when he noticed a fair number of them had scattered onto the ground from their earlier collision. He blushed again with embarrassment as the red stallion reached round to unhitch the cart from his collar. Without thinking, Caramel quickly darted forward to the side of the cart and began scooping up the apples with his forelegs. “P-please let me,” “Ah can get ‘em,” “No, honestly I insist! Um... I mean if you unhitched yourself now wouldn’t you just spill more of them?” The red stallion turned away for a second, rubbing his chin with his hoof before answering. “Eeyup...” Caramel scurried bout around the cart, scooping up as many apples as he could and reloading them into the cart. Thankfully, none of them were badly bruised, most having landed on the grass. As he worked, he glanced up at the stallion again, his eyes falling on his cutie mark: a large green apple, sliced in half, which took up nearly his entire flank. Quite fitting, he thought to himself as he ducked under the cart to retrieve a few more runaways. Caramel couldn’t help but notice his ribs were covered in a very thick layer of bandages. He felt a pang of guilt; he knew he hadn’t caused the injury but he hated to think what might have happened if it hadn’t been the horse collar he’d walked into. “Ain’t seen you around these parts before,” The suddenness of the stallion’s deep voice made Caramel jump a little, this time catching his head on the base of the cart. Caramel blushed again as he scooped up fallen fruit, imagining what a klutz he must look like to the large, imposing earth pony. “W-well, I only just moved here you see...” he stammered as he emerged from under the cart and carefully placing the apples back into the cart to prevent any further damage. “P-Pinkie Pie threw me a welcome party yesterday.” “Ah...” the other’s deep voice replied from the front. “Ah wasn’t in town yesterday.” “T-that probably explains it,” Caramel gave a light, slightly uncomfortable chuckle as he quickly checked the fountain for any more runaway apples. “Eeyup,” There was a very long pause. “I-I think that’s all of them, I don’t think any of them are that bruised.” Caramel quickly tipped the last couple of apples into the cart, the embarrassed blush still heavy in his cheeks. “Again... um... s-sorry about that...” “S’all right lil fella. This lot’s for pies anyway, so don’t worry about it.” It was only when the stallion spoke in full sentences that Caramel noticed just how slowly he spoke. The large stallion looked down at him, his expression still blank. It was strange, but Caramel could feel his nerves start to subside a little as the crimson work horse regarded him. The gaze was emotionless, but the green eyes were calm and kind. It sounded silly to Caramel, but there was quiet wisdom in those eyes, the kind earned over many years of experience. He blinked, and the other stallion broke his gaze. “Guess Ah’ll be seein’ ya then.” “Do you... uh... need any help?” Caramel glanced down at the stallion’s injured side. “Nnope; Ah can manage.” With a grinding of wheels and creaking of axles, the stallion pulled the cart into motion, resuming his slow leisurely way towards the other side of town. Caramel watched for a moment before turning to make his own way home. How on earth I managed to walk into somepony so big and so slow-moving I’ll never know, he thought to himself. He sticks out like a sore hoof! He had hardly moved a yard when something caught the side of his hoof, rolling off into the grass with a quiet rustle. He looked down to see a single apple lying in the grass, the skin perfectly formed and unblemished, the same crimson hue as the pony who’d lost it. Quickly grasping the apple in his teeth he galloped after the cart, which was just about to disappear behind one of the cottages. “Woo fworgoch won! Woo fworgoch one!” “Ah beg ya Pardon?” the larger pony brought the cart to a halt, his usually half-lidded green eyes now a little wider in a confused frown. Caramel felt his cheeks going red again; he still had the apple in his mouth. “I-I mean you forgot one,” he panted, spitting out the apple, quickly rubbing it clean on his coat and holding it out to the red stallion. The larger pony blinked again before giving a gentle chuckle which Caramel was certain would shake more apples loose again. “You keep it lil fella, consider it a welcome gift.” “Oh! I mean... um... thank you,” The red stallion pulled the cart into motion again, leaving a rather rosy-cheeked Caramel standing on the street corner, staring after him with the apple still in his hoof. He had no idea what in Equestria possessed him at that moment, but he found himself calling out: “By the way, I didn’t catch your name!” Once again the earth pony brought the cart to a stop, looking back at the beige stallion with a lazy smile. “The name’s Macintosh, Big Macintosh. Yours?” “C-Caramel... um... just Caramel,” “Welcome ta Ponyville, Caramel.” Late Night Visitor“Knock! Knock!” Caramel groaned, turning over in his sleep. His dreams were restless, thoughts churning around inside his head as if they were being blended with an electric whisk. Memories of home, family and friends swirled together with the underlying stress of having to find work in a town full of ponies he really didn’t know, like some strange metaphorical ice cream. He licked his lips and rolled onto his belly; his dreams sure were strange when he was hungry... “Knock! Knock!” He tossed and turned under the sheets, his subconscious trying to push the stressful thoughts to one side, trying to find something else to focus on. In the end, for no apparent reason they fell on the image the strangest of images: that of a large crimson pony. Its features were blurred and distorted beyond recognition through a pale mist, which oddly enough smelt strongly of apple juice. But it was definitely male; the jaw line was very square in shape. It was strange, but the image somehow seemed to quieten Caramel’s restless dreams, while at the same time also leaving him slightly nervous and apprehensive for reasons he couldn’t really put his hoof on. He stepped closer through the dream-fog, taking in more of the stallion’s features. A pair of green eyes slowly opened, giving way to a blank expression that stared silently down at Caramel. As the fog cleared, a golden mane, a large horse collar and even a set of freckles came into view. It was the face of Big Macintosh. “What are you doing in my dream?” The image of the stallion smiled for a second, and then it was gone, leaving Caramel pondering over his own question. Why would that stallion be visiting him in his dream? It wasn’t as if he actually knew him or anything; he was just a pony he’d happened to (quite literally) bump into and share a few pleasantries with; an acquaintance, yes, but not exactly a friend or anything like that. He did give me an apple, the thought to himself as he covered his aching head with the blanket. That was nice of him. Maybe that’s why I’m thinking of him, because he gave me free food! “Knock! Knock!” He probably thinks I’m a complete klutz though, he mused as he turned over again. He’d banged his head at least three times, and spilt a good number of his apples. Maybe that was the reason; he was being plagued by his own self-consciousness. It wouldn’t be the first time. “Knock! Knock!” That bump on the head must have been worse than he thought, his head was pounding and blood was pumping in his ears like the beat of a mighty drum. His eyes clenched shut, trying to shut out the horrible knocking and ringing in his ears while the image of a red stallion seemed to move further and further away, opening its mouth to speak... “Knock! Knock! Wakey-wakey sleepy-pony! Rise and shine!” Caramel sat bolt up-right, his bruised forehead aching with a dull pain as a shrill voice jolted him awake. He glanced around the darkened bedroom with drowsy eyes, peering at the clock on his bedside table. 00.01 am. He groaned and rubbed his temples, still trying to make sense of his dream. But the dream seemed to elude him, and by the time he’d swung himself to the side to get up it began to fade as all dreams do when you enter the waking world. Another knock came from the door. Fumbling slightly he found the switch and the dim lights stuttered into life. Groggy as a new-born foal, he slowly made his way across the small living room to the front door. He was still half-asleep, and was strangely far too tired to even be grouchy with his late-night visitor. He just wanted to get it over with and go back to sleep. He staggered to the door, almost falling through it onto the porch as he opened the latch, the cool night air hitting him like another horse collar to the head. “Gooooooooood morning!” Caramel rubbed his eyes, looking up into the beaming face of a very excited looking Pinkie Pie. “P.... Pinkie...” Caramel half-groaned-half-yawned, leaning heavily on the door frame just to stay upright. “Do you know what time it is?” “One minute after midnight!” Pinkie Pie beamed as though this was a perfectly reasonable time to make a surprise visit. “You’d better sit down I have great news!” Before he’d even had time to yawn she’d invited herself inside and had pushed a very tired and confused Caramel backwards into an old arm chair which creaked under his weight. “I pinkie promised you that I’d tell you if I found who anypony needed any jobs doing and I never break a Pinkie Promise! I asked everypony in Ponyville but I couldn’t find anything so I was getting super worried you wouldn’t earn any money and have to leave! But I just heard that B-“ Caramel couldn’t contain the yawn any longer, drowning out the sound for several seconds. He was so tired he could only half-listen anyway. “-and Applejack needed a spare set of hooves at Sweet Apple Acres and I said that you’d be up for the job and he said I should tell first thing in the morning! I was super excited and just couldn’t wait to tell you I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to sleep in case I forgot to tell you and you didn’t get the job so here I am; first thing in the morning!” She said all of this very fast, barely pausing for breath. “That’s... that’s great Pinkie, but it isn’t-“Caramel glanced at the clock again: 00.01am. “Oh... never mind.” He rubbed his eyes, trying to soak in the news. “That was fast!” “Sure was, silly!” Pinkie was now bouncing up and down, making Caramel dizzy as he tried to follow her movements, the same big grin plastered on her face. “Western side of Ponyville, you can’t miss it! You’ll love The Apple Family they are just the nicest ponies you could ever meet and Applejack is one of my best friends! Me and Twilight and Rarity and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were helping her during Apple-Buck Season but the Cakes need me at Sugar Cube Corner and Twilight has her studies and Rainbow Dash has the weather to manage and Fluttershy has her animals and Rarity has dresses to make so they could really use another pair of hooves around the place! He wants you down there first thing tomorrow morning! Gooooood luck!” And with that, she bounced out of the door and with a flick of her cotton-candy tail she was gone. Caramel sat there, staring open-mouthed as the door clicked shut behind her. He rubbed his temple with his hooves, feeling another headache coming on. How in the world could one pony speak so much without breathing? It was fantastic news to say the least, but Caramel couldn’t help feeling he’d be a little more... enthusiastic if the news had come at a more convenient hour. But a night of disturbed sleep was well worth potentially securing a job and been getting references in one night, even if it was only temporary. He smiled softly and slouched in his chair, closing his eyes sleepily. “Pinkie Pie... you are so... random...” “Hey! That’s Rainbow’s line!” But Pinkie’s call fell on deaf ears, for Caramel was already snoring quietly once more. Caramel knocked his hoof three times on the farmhouse door, hearing a dull echo reverberating through the wood. He took a step back, looking up at the great crimson building towering over him. It was a lot different from the other buildings he’d passed in town; it was more like a stylised barn that had been added to over the years with extra rooms built into the sides and in the hay roof. It was actually quite pretty, with its spotless paintwork and white frames, not to mention the decorative apple patterns emblazoning the walls. Quite fitting for an apple farm, he thought to himself. He stretched, letting out a deep-throated yawn. Spending the night in an arm chair had left him feeling rather stiff, and not managing to get much sleep after Pinkie's surprise visit didn't help much either. The walk had helped to clear his head, but he couldn't help feeling more than a little nervous, “Can ah help y’all?” Caramel jumped at least three feet in the air, very nearly knocking his head for a fourth time. He hadn’t realised the door had already been answered while he’d been admiring the architecture. In the doorway stood a light orange mare round about his age, her blonde mane spilling from underneath a rather large western-style hat. There was something very familiar about her voice, the accent very strong, not unlike one he’d heard since he’d arrived in town, but couldn’t put his hoof on- his head was still rather sore. “Um, y-yes miss, my name’s Caramel... um... miss-” he was cut off by a rather suddenly as his right hoof was grabbed rather roughly and yanked to his hooves. “Aww, no need to be so formal, partner!” the mare said with a very friendly smile. “The name’s Applejack an’ welcome tah Sweet Apple Acres!” She smiled, shaking Caramel’s whole foreleg. “T-thankyou, M-miss Applejack,” Caramel stammered a little. He was still getting used to just how forward and open everypony was around here. “Just call me Applejack sugar cube,” Applejack smiled, stifling a yawn. It was only then that Caramel noticed the dark circles under the mare’s eyes. Despite her overall friendly, energetic demeanour he could sense an overwhelming sense of fatigue about her. Sure, he hadn’t exactly slept well after Pinkie’s surprise visit in the middle of the night but it looked like she had gone for at least a week without sleep. “Y’all must be the one Pinkie Pie told mah brother about...” Her eyes drooped, almost closing completely. Brother? “Y-yes; um... are you alright miss, uh... I-I mean, Applejack?” it looked like the poor mare was about to topple over at any moment. “Y-yeah, yeah ah’m fine...” Applejack stifled another yawn before turning to call inside the farmhouse. “Hey... there’s a pony here to see ya Big-“ Caramel had to lunge forward and get his head under her neck just to stop her falling to the floor. He quickly shuffled underneath her to he could support her. He had to, otherwise she’d have taken him down with her. “A-are you sure you’re okay, Apple-“ He was cut short by loud snoring and heavy breaths ruffling his mane. Caramel sighed, jostling the mare a little with a shake of his neck, but she didn’t wake and he quickly deemed the exercise useless. Applejack seemed to be growing heavier as she began to rest more and more of her weight on Caramel who was by now struggling to hold her up, his legs shaking beneath him. It wasn’t because she was overweight; the orange coat simply hid a lot of well-trained muscles from years of farm work beneath it. It wasn’t exactly helping his already shaky nerves either. Horseapples... Caramel groaned. His potential boss was fast asleep on his back and he didn’t know if he’d be able to hold her up for much longer. What on Earth was he supposed to do now? Just then came the sound of approaching footsteps from inside the farmhouse and a deep southern voice came to answer his question, and remove some of Applejack’s weight from his shoulders. “Need a hoof there, Caramel?” First Day on the Job“... Is your sister gonna be alright?” “Eeyup, she just needs some rest is all. Tried tah do the entire Applebuck season on her own and wore herself out. She’ll be fine after a few days rest.” “That’s good news I suppose,” “Eeyup,” Pinkie did mention something about Applebuck-something, Caramel thought to himself as he walked along beside the large stallion. He shot a quick glance up to the top floor of the farmhouse, thinking of the exhausted mare they’d just carried up stairs and gotten into bed between them (which had been rather difficult since they’d had to crabwalk up the narrow staircase with her draped over their shoulders). “I-I guess that must be like harvest time for you,” he ventured, trying to make friendly conversation. “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied, simply. Caramel kept on telling himself that the stallion seemed fairly friendly and easy-going, but he couldn’t help feeling all the short-answer replies he got were possibly hiding some annoyance considering the events of the night before. It was difficult to tell because the large earth pony’s face didn’t really show much in the way of emotion, like a constant poker face he’d seen from time to time on older ponies playing chess back home. For Celestia’s sake, stop second guessing yourself all the time! He scolded himself. As Toffee always said, he would just make himself ill. But even so, Caramel couldn’t help feeling a little awkward, another blush rising in his cheeks. He hadn’t really expected to see the stallion again so soon, if ever for that matter come to think of it. It was almost a little too coincidental, running into the farmer the previous night and finding himself employed by him the next morning! Could this be...? He glanced back at his cutie mark for a moment; the three horseshoes stood out on his flank as they always had, with no visible change at all. He shot them a suspicious look. No funny business, please! He growled inside his head. I need this job, so please- “Well... we do harvest an’ sell ‘em over the whole year, but Applebuck season is the only time of year they’re all ripe at the same time; so we gotta buck ‘em all down an’ sell ‘em before they go bad.” Caramel jumped a little as the stallion’s voice snapped him back to reality and his eyes off his cutie mark. He nearly had to double take; that was the first long sentence he’d heard the other stallion speak! He could see more of the farm properly now as they walked across the yard. Aside from the farm house, there was a chicken coop, a pig sty, a large out-building that was strangely decorated with carrots and radishes which looked like it was used for storage, and several smaller barns in front of a hay field that looked like they were used for storing the bales. All this was surrounded by fields of various vegetables, and, of course, field upon field of apple trees which stretched out over the hills towards the mountains. Caramel had never seen so many apples trees in one place before, not even in books and photographs he’d seen back home. All their branches had been stripped of their fruit, but Caramel could already see a number of trees which were already in blossom again. Hel could only imagine how hard it must have been for one pony to even attempt it alone. He glanced over at his companion as they passed one of the orchards, the leaves of the trees towering above them rustling in the early morning breeze, his eyes falling on the thick layer of bandages covering Big Mac’s sides. He felt another small pang of guilt. “Um... sorry again about yesterday.” The crimson earth pony stopped, blinking down at him, a questioning look in his still soft expression. Caramel could feel himself starting to go red again. “I-I mean... I should have been watching where I was going...” he mumbled a little, his ears flattening a little. Big Macintosh looked down at Caramel, the feeling of his blank stare making his smaller companion look down out of shyness. But behind the stallion’s blank expression, were a pair of very kind eyes. Kinda reminds me a lil’ of Fluttershy, he thought to himself. He took this moment to give the shy earth pony a quick once-over, sizing him up while his eyes were averted. Caramel was pretty typical build for a pony of his age; of course he had nowhere near as much muscle definition as say himself or his sister, but he somehow seemed... smaller, thinner... maybe even going as far as a little scrawny. It wasn’t a word Big Mac particularly liked to use but it was a pretty apt description of the small earth pony. City Pony, he thought to himself. Probably not worked a day in the fields in his life... He quickly pushed the thought to one side, almost a little ashamed of himself for being so judgemental. After all, his sister’s newest friend had come from Canterlot no less and more than proved her worth not just during Applebuck season but helping his sister out with the Golden Delicious that day when those dratted gala tickets arrived. At least the distraction they’d caused had lost her the bet and he’d been saved from having to wear Granny Smith’s girders into town on market day. He glanced over Caramel again, silently checking everything from his tan coat to his thick brown mane, two bangs of which wrapping themselves a little over his ears, and a surprisingly neat tail compared to most ponies he’d met previously. His eyes fell on the cutie mark emblazoned on his flank: three blue horseshoes each facing different directions. Was this pony’s special talent... metal working? He doesn’t seem to have the build for it, he thought to himself. I’ll ask him about it later if Applebloom doesn’t get to him first. Big Macintosh blinked again before smiling gently down on the smaller earth pony, strangely making Caramel blush even more. “As ah said before, don’t worry about it, lil’ no harm done. Could ‘a happened to anypony,” Caramel smiled sheepishly, hoping his fur would hide his blush. It didn’t, but he didn’t notice until Big Mac did. Caramel didn’t notice the older pony’s smile broaden a little in amusement, or his quiet chuckle. Big Mac smiled down at the smaller stallion as they continued on, while Caramel diverted his gaze again. Big Macintosh could tell he was more than a little shy, and he couldn’t blame him either; being away from home and surrounded by whole town of strange ponies you didn’t know would be daunting to anypony. Again he was reminded of his sister’s friend on the day she’d first arrived, only more shy than in a constant rush to return to the library to read up on what everypony had then thought was just an Old Pony’s Tale. Poor thing probably ain’t made any real friends yet, he thought. It was obvious that the young pony was shy, and jumpy, and not best-build for farm work. But the farmer could tell that he was keen and eager to work despite these flaws. As he’d seen the previous night the small stallion was also quite quick on his hooves, which was a plus. The least I can do is give him a chance, the workhorse thought. Caramel seemed to notice Big Mac’s eyes on him, so he quickly looked back to the path ahead, resuming his usual poker face-expression as they arrived at the barn door. “Anyways, shall we get started then, Partner?” “Just try an’ keep a steady pace; if ya slow down it’ll just make it harder to get started again; too fast and ya won’t get it to turn when ya want it to.” “L-l-like... this?” “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh decided it had been a good idea not to start Caramel off on the more strenuous chores around the farm. But maybe it hadn’t been such a good one to start him out on the intermediate ones either. It had taken a fair bit of straining, and push from the out-of-commission earth pony to get the cart moving, but at least now they were making steady progress as Caramel pulled the cart through the hay field, Big Macintosh walking alongside to lend a hoof should a problem arise. Hay-making season was now in full swing now that the apple harvest was over, and the summer sun was already turning the stalks a pale shade of golden yellow as they dried out ready for cutting. As Caramel pulled the cart through the long grass, blades on the axels would cut them down while the seeds were collected in a bag underneath them. Normally Big Macintosh would have covered finished about half an hour ago and would by now and enjoying a glass of lemonade in the shade of a tree, but as it stood they still had a fair amount of ground (and grass) to cover before the job was done. Big Macintosh looked down at Caramel as he trudged along beside him, watching his chest heave with every tired breath and sweat running down his face and neck leaving his once tidy mane matted and soggy. Big Mac had to admit he was impressed with how long the smaller stallion had managed to keep going, a lot better than he’d initially expected. Several times he’d had to stop, gasping for breath and looked like he was about to give up; but each time he’d got his breath back, given a great heave and brought the cart into motion again, determined not to let it beat him. Big Macintosh couldn’t help feeling a little guilty throwing Caramel in the deep end, but it was a pretty urgent job that needed doing. Hay was a staple food not just for the Apple Family but for the whole town, and they were going to need as many reserves as they could get ready for winter when they would need it the most. They couldn’t afford to lose the seeds either, otherwise there wouldn’t be a crop next year. “Almost there,” he said encouragingly, scooping up a fresh stalk and munching down the old one. Caramel barely heard him; he was too exhausted to walk another yard. But he walked on... and on... His eyes were clenched shut to stop the constant stream of sweat getting into his eyes and his heart was pounding in his chest but he forced himself to ignore it. He just kept trudging slowly onwards, occasionally turning to move onto the next row of stems. I can do this! I can do this! He yelled inside his head. I need this job! I need it! He was straining so hard he barely even registered the hoof tapping his shoulder. “That’ll do for now lil fella,” “B...But,” Caramel’s voice was by now being punctuated with deep gasps of breath as he finally brought the cart to a complete stop. “We... we’re not.... not finished yet.” It was true, there was still at least another quarter of the field left. “Nnope,” Big Macintosh nodded in agreement as Caramel tried to catch his breath. “But if we don’t get it done t’day we can finish it up tomorrow.” “Sweet Celestia, thank you!” Caramel slumped to the ground in a sweaty, dirty, gasping heap, thankful for the sweet short-lived luxury of a rest. He heard the sound of hooves on the earth but he barely registered them. All he was focussed on now was letting the aching in his muscles die away and getting his breath back. No wonder he’s so buff, he thought to himself, letting his eyes close for a moment. His thoughts fell on the stallion again as he lay there on the long grass, the heat of the midday sun warm on his back. He’d definitely heard Big Macintosh say: “We can finish this up tomorrow,” but what exactly did that mean? Did that mean he and his sister would do it or did it mean- “Thirsty?” Caramel blinked the sweat out of his eyes and looked up. Big Mac stood over him, his usually blank face creased with a small smile and a tea tray balanced on his back. Caramel could smell the cool refreshing lemonade in the pitcher that awaited him, accompanied by the mouth-watering scent of freshly baked apple pastries. He smiled up at the large earth pony; any blush there may have been being masked by the exhausted redness in his cheeks. “Hehe... Eeyup,”
Welcome to PonyvilleBy the time he started for home it was already early evening; an early end to a rather unsuccessful day. He watched as Celestia moved her namesake sun further across the sky as the day drew to a close and night drew ever closer. He let out a small sigh as he stopped for a moment as the sun began to slip behind a cloud on the horizon and start to sink out of sight, the town square darkening somewhat. Soon it’ll be time to light the streetlamps, he thought somewhat bitterly. I could have done that. With all the shops, restaurants, and other various businesses dotted around Ponyville, Caramel was sure there would have been at least some jobs going around. With all the ponies he’d met at the sudden welcome party he’d been thrown the previous day by that hyperactive pink pony the very millisecond he’d crossed the town border telling him all the best places that were likely to be hiring he couldn’t help feeling more than a little disappointed. But then again, Ponyville was a comparatively small town compared to say Canterlot or Manehatten; and it was the kind of place where everypony knew everypony in a really tight-knit community where news travels almost as fast as Pinkie had done the night before. He gave a slight chuckle, remembering how he’d initially thought she’d been made of rubber with her bouncing all over the place like a filly on a constant sugar rush. Then again, thinking about it, that was a pretty apt description of her! He’d tried the bakery already, but as it turned out the couple who owned it needed no extra staff for they had the very same ball of pink energy as a live-in apprentice who spoke and moved so fast it was hard to get a single word in. Although, she had offered to ask around for him in case anypony needed any jobs doing. Caramel was grateful to her for that, but since he’d essentially exhausted all the businesses in town he wasn’t holding his breath. Caramel began to wonder whether this whole “move-far-from-home-to-broaden-your-horizons” thing was really going to work. Really what he should have done when he’d left home was actually make sure there was work going in the town he moving to. It’d been... a rushed decision to say the least; A very rushed decision. Being shy didn’t exactly help either. He had tried to talk at the party, but he’d found himself being talked to or even simply talked at rather than full on conversations. Maybe that’s why he was having such trouble finding a job, maybe he simply came across not being up for job...? He pushed the thought to one side; at least he had a place to live: a one-storey cottage to stay on the edge of town; it was small and sparsely furnished, but it was big enough for one stallion and the rent was cheap, so it served. Thankfully his land-mare had been generous enough to give him at least a couple of weeks to find a job to put the rent together before charging him, but he wasn’t even sure that would be long enough. Horseapples, he thought to himself. Never mind rent, how in the name of Celestia am I gonna manage food? He slumped down onto his haunches, sitting in the shadow of a dancing filly perpetually balancing on a ball in the middle of the fountain. He looked up at the statue for a moment, watching the sun sink a little further behind the cloud bank on the horizon, before staring at his hooves as they pawed at the dirt, his light amber fur hardly showing much of the dust coating his fur. He glanced back at his cutie mark for a moment, the three blue horseshoes standing out almost mockingly on his flank. “I thought these were supposed to bring me luck,” he grumbled to himself. By now the sun had almost completely slipped out of sight, getting ready for her long sleep while Celestia sent her sister out to take over for the night. Caramel watched as she slowly began to rise from her slumber, deciding he might as well turn in himself. There wasn’t much point staying out now; most ponies were turning in for the evening and most if not all the shops had closed up during his little daydream. He sighed, rose, and stretched as he shook the stiffness from his body. He still had a few cupcakes and pastries from the day before (which somehow had managed to avoid Pinkie’s seemingly insatiable appetite), so they would do for a quick supper. Although, truth be told he was really craving something other than junk food right now. Something healthy, yet with a lot of taste and bit of a kick to it... “I would kill for an apple right about now,” he said to himself as he began the journey home. He’d just stepped out from behind the fountain when- WHAM! Caramel was knocked right off his hooves and onto his back. His head spun with suns, moons and apples as he lay on the ground, feeling a more dizzy and winded. It felt like he’d just walked slap-bang into a brick wall. He shook his head vigorously trying to stop it spinning. When he finally opened his eyes, for a moment he was convinced that he had. He was facing what seemed to be a massive wall of red, still blurry around the edges as he regained his composure. Hang on, it wasn’t that orangey-red of the red-brick houses he’d seen back home... it was more of a deep crimson... kind of like the skin of an apple. Come to think of it... weren’t the cottages he’d passed before typically... white in colour? Also... it was pretty big but it was nowhere near large enough to be a particularly functional wall; it was a bit too... well... pony-shaped. “Y’all okay lil fella?” A deep, heavy southern accent snapped him back to his senses. As he finally shook the last of his dizziness out to his head, he looked up... only to knock his head once again, this time into a rather heavy brown horse collar. Rubbing his forehead with his hoof he looked up once again, staring into the face of another stallion. His coat was a soft crimson hue, in stark contrast to his rather short yet shaggy mane and tail, both the colour of golden straw. His hooves were strangely bare, his crimson coat hanging over them in shaggy clumps. The large horse collar that had bruised his forehead seemed to hang almost effortlessly from his thick, muscular neck despite appearing to weigh at least twice as much as caramel did himself. His half-lidded almost lazy-looking eyes were a pale green, not unlike tree sap, bordered at the base by three small freckles on each cheek. His most prominent feature though was his size. Sweet Celestia, he was big! At least two heads taller than him, he seemed tower over him like a crimson wall of brawn, thickset and muscular. Every single feature of his body seemed to scream masculinity; this made Caramel blush a little, for reasons he just couldn’t put his hoof on. The single stalk of hay he held in his mouth quivered as the stallionspoke again, so deep it was almost like a shallow rumble. “Ah said, you okay?” Caramel suddenly realised he’d been staring up into the other stallion’s face for at least a whole minute, blood suddenly rushing to his cheeks in a heavy blush as he quickly sprang to his hooves. “Y-y-yeah, I’m f-fine... sorry about that,” he stammered sheepishly. “I should have watched where I was going.” “Eeyup,” The very bluntness of the other’s reply only made Caramel feel even sillier still. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hoof, trying to keep the stallions gaze and fighting an overwhelming urge to shy away. “I-I didn’t hurt you or anything did I?” “Nnope,” Again with the short answers, Caramel thought to himself. “Yourself?” “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Caramel lied, feeling another short wave of dizziness from the bump on his head. It was only then that he noticed the cart the red stallion had in tow, latched to the horse collar hanging from his neck. It was piled high with apples, all deep red and gleaming slightly in the dull glow of the streetlamps as they flickered on, their sweet scent wafting from the cart making the beige earth pony’s mouth water a little. If there was one thing Caramel loved, it was the taste of a good, juicy apple fresh off the tree. He stopped gawking at the other’s cargo when he noticed a fair number of them had scattered onto the ground from their earlier collision. He blushed again with embarrassment as the red stallion reached round to unhitch the cart from his collar. Without thinking, Caramel quickly darted forward to the side of the cart and began scooping up the apples with his forelegs. “P-please let me,” “Ah can get ‘em,” “No, honestly I insist! Um... I mean if you unhitched yourself now wouldn’t you just spill more of them?” The red stallion turned away for a second, rubbing his chin with his hoof before answering. “Eeyup...” Caramel scurried bout around the cart, scooping up as many apples as he could and reloading them into the cart. Thankfully, none of them were badly bruised, most having landed on the grass. As he worked, he glanced up at the stallion again, his eyes falling on his cutie mark: a large green apple, sliced in half, which took up nearly his entire flank. Quite fitting, he thought to himself as he ducked under the cart to retrieve a few more runaways. Caramel couldn’t help but notice his ribs were covered in a very thick layer of bandages. He felt a pang of guilt; he knew he hadn’t caused the injury but he hated to think what might have happened if it hadn’t been the horse collar he’d walked into. “Ain’t seen you around these parts before,” The suddenness of the stallion’s deep voice made Caramel jump a little, this time catching his head on the base of the cart. Caramel blushed again as he scooped up fallen fruit, imagining what a klutz he must look like to the large, imposing earth pony. “W-well, I only just moved here you see...” he stammered as he emerged from under the cart and carefully placing the apples back into the cart to prevent any further damage. “P-Pinkie Pie threw me a welcome party yesterday.” “Ah...” the other’s deep voice replied from the front. “Ah wasn’t in town yesterday.” “T-that probably explains it,” Caramel gave a light, slightly uncomfortable chuckle as he quickly checked the fountain for any more runaway apples. “Eeyup,” There was a very long pause. “I-I think that’s all of them, I don’t think any of them are that bruised.” Caramel quickly tipped the last couple of apples into the cart, the embarrassed blush still heavy in his cheeks. “Again... um... s-sorry about that...” “S’all right lil fella. This lot’s for pies anyway, so don’t worry about it.” It was only when the stallion spoke in full sentences that Caramel noticed just how slowly he spoke. The large stallion looked down at him, his expression still blank. It was strange, but Caramel could feel his nerves start to subside a little as the crimson work horse regarded him. The gaze was emotionless, but the green eyes were calm and kind. It sounded silly to Caramel, but there was quiet wisdom in those eyes, the kind earned over many years of experience. He blinked, and the other stallion broke his gaze. “Guess Ah’ll be seein’ ya then.” “Do you... uh... need any help?” Caramel glanced down at the stallion’s injured side. “Nnope; Ah can manage.” With a grinding of wheels and creaking of axles, the stallion pulled the cart into motion, resuming his slow leisurely way towards the other side of town. Caramel watched for a moment before turning to make his own way home. How on earth I managed to walk into somepony so big and so slow-moving I’ll never know, he thought to himself. He sticks out like a sore hoof! He had hardly moved a yard when something caught the side of his hoof, rolling off into the grass with a quiet rustle. He looked down to see a single apple lying in the grass, the skin perfectly formed and unblemished, the same crimson hue as the pony who’d lost it. Quickly grasping the apple in his teeth he galloped after the cart, which was just about to disappear behind one of the cottages. “Woo fworgoch won! Woo fworgoch one!” “Ah beg ya Pardon?” the larger pony brought the cart to a halt, his usually half-lidded green eyes now a little wider in a confused frown. Caramel felt his cheeks going red again; he still had the apple in his mouth. “I-I mean you forgot one,” he panted, spitting out the apple, quickly rubbing it clean on his coat and holding it out to the red stallion. The larger pony blinked again before giving a gentle chuckle which Caramel was certain would shake more apples loose again. “You keep it lil fella, consider it a welcome gift.” “Oh! I mean... um... thank you,” The red stallion pulled the cart into motion again, leaving a rather rosy-cheeked Caramel standing on the street corner, staring after him with the apple still in his hoof. He had no idea what in Equestria possessed him at that moment, but he found himself calling out: “By the way, I didn’t catch your name!” Once again the earth pony brought the cart to a stop, looking back at the beige stallion with a lazy smile. “The name’s Macintosh, Big Macintosh. Yours?” “C-Caramel... um... just Caramel,” “Welcome ta Ponyville, Caramel.”
Late Night Visitor“Knock! Knock!” Caramel groaned, turning over in his sleep. His dreams were restless, thoughts churning around inside his head as if they were being blended with an electric whisk. Memories of home, family and friends swirled together with the underlying stress of having to find work in a town full of ponies he really didn’t know, like some strange metaphorical ice cream. He licked his lips and rolled onto his belly; his dreams sure were strange when he was hungry... “Knock! Knock!” He tossed and turned under the sheets, his subconscious trying to push the stressful thoughts to one side, trying to find something else to focus on. In the end, for no apparent reason they fell on the image the strangest of images: that of a large crimson pony. Its features were blurred and distorted beyond recognition through a pale mist, which oddly enough smelt strongly of apple juice. But it was definitely male; the jaw line was very square in shape. It was strange, but the image somehow seemed to quieten Caramel’s restless dreams, while at the same time also leaving him slightly nervous and apprehensive for reasons he couldn’t really put his hoof on. He stepped closer through the dream-fog, taking in more of the stallion’s features. A pair of green eyes slowly opened, giving way to a blank expression that stared silently down at Caramel. As the fog cleared, a golden mane, a large horse collar and even a set of freckles came into view. It was the face of Big Macintosh. “What are you doing in my dream?” The image of the stallion smiled for a second, and then it was gone, leaving Caramel pondering over his own question. Why would that stallion be visiting him in his dream? It wasn’t as if he actually knew him or anything; he was just a pony he’d happened to (quite literally) bump into and share a few pleasantries with; an acquaintance, yes, but not exactly a friend or anything like that. He did give me an apple, the thought to himself as he covered his aching head with the blanket. That was nice of him. Maybe that’s why I’m thinking of him, because he gave me free food! “Knock! Knock!” He probably thinks I’m a complete klutz though, he mused as he turned over again. He’d banged his head at least three times, and spilt a good number of his apples. Maybe that was the reason; he was being plagued by his own self-consciousness. It wouldn’t be the first time. “Knock! Knock!” That bump on the head must have been worse than he thought, his head was pounding and blood was pumping in his ears like the beat of a mighty drum. His eyes clenched shut, trying to shut out the horrible knocking and ringing in his ears while the image of a red stallion seemed to move further and further away, opening its mouth to speak... “Knock! Knock! Wakey-wakey sleepy-pony! Rise and shine!” Caramel sat bolt up-right, his bruised forehead aching with a dull pain as a shrill voice jolted him awake. He glanced around the darkened bedroom with drowsy eyes, peering at the clock on his bedside table. 00.01 am. He groaned and rubbed his temples, still trying to make sense of his dream. But the dream seemed to elude him, and by the time he’d swung himself to the side to get up it began to fade as all dreams do when you enter the waking world. Another knock came from the door. Fumbling slightly he found the switch and the dim lights stuttered into life. Groggy as a new-born foal, he slowly made his way across the small living room to the front door. He was still half-asleep, and was strangely far too tired to even be grouchy with his late-night visitor. He just wanted to get it over with and go back to sleep. He staggered to the door, almost falling through it onto the porch as he opened the latch, the cool night air hitting him like another horse collar to the head. “Gooooooooood morning!” Caramel rubbed his eyes, looking up into the beaming face of a very excited looking Pinkie Pie. “P.... Pinkie...” Caramel half-groaned-half-yawned, leaning heavily on the door frame just to stay upright. “Do you know what time it is?” “One minute after midnight!” Pinkie Pie beamed as though this was a perfectly reasonable time to make a surprise visit. “You’d better sit down I have great news!” Before he’d even had time to yawn she’d invited herself inside and had pushed a very tired and confused Caramel backwards into an old arm chair which creaked under his weight. “I pinkie promised you that I’d tell you if I found who anypony needed any jobs doing and I never break a Pinkie Promise! I asked everypony in Ponyville but I couldn’t find anything so I was getting super worried you wouldn’t earn any money and have to leave! But I just heard that B-“ Caramel couldn’t contain the yawn any longer, drowning out the sound for several seconds. He was so tired he could only half-listen anyway. “-and Applejack needed a spare set of hooves at Sweet Apple Acres and I said that you’d be up for the job and he said I should tell first thing in the morning! I was super excited and just couldn’t wait to tell you I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to sleep in case I forgot to tell you and you didn’t get the job so here I am; first thing in the morning!” She said all of this very fast, barely pausing for breath. “That’s... that’s great Pinkie, but it isn’t-“Caramel glanced at the clock again: 00.01am. “Oh... never mind.” He rubbed his eyes, trying to soak in the news. “That was fast!” “Sure was, silly!” Pinkie was now bouncing up and down, making Caramel dizzy as he tried to follow her movements, the same big grin plastered on her face. “Western side of Ponyville, you can’t miss it! You’ll love The Apple Family they are just the nicest ponies you could ever meet and Applejack is one of my best friends! Me and Twilight and Rarity and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were helping her during Apple-Buck Season but the Cakes need me at Sugar Cube Corner and Twilight has her studies and Rainbow Dash has the weather to manage and Fluttershy has her animals and Rarity has dresses to make so they could really use another pair of hooves around the place! He wants you down there first thing tomorrow morning! Gooooood luck!” And with that, she bounced out of the door and with a flick of her cotton-candy tail she was gone. Caramel sat there, staring open-mouthed as the door clicked shut behind her. He rubbed his temple with his hooves, feeling another headache coming on. How in the world could one pony speak so much without breathing? It was fantastic news to say the least, but Caramel couldn’t help feeling he’d be a little more... enthusiastic if the news had come at a more convenient hour. But a night of disturbed sleep was well worth potentially securing a job and been getting references in one night, even if it was only temporary. He smiled softly and slouched in his chair, closing his eyes sleepily. “Pinkie Pie... you are so... random...” “Hey! That’s Rainbow’s line!” But Pinkie’s call fell on deaf ears, for Caramel was already snoring quietly once more. Caramel knocked his hoof three times on the farmhouse door, hearing a dull echo reverberating through the wood. He took a step back, looking up at the great crimson building towering over him. It was a lot different from the other buildings he’d passed in town; it was more like a stylised barn that had been added to over the years with extra rooms built into the sides and in the hay roof. It was actually quite pretty, with its spotless paintwork and white frames, not to mention the decorative apple patterns emblazoning the walls. Quite fitting for an apple farm, he thought to himself. He stretched, letting out a deep-throated yawn. Spending the night in an arm chair had left him feeling rather stiff, and not managing to get much sleep after Pinkie's surprise visit didn't help much either. The walk had helped to clear his head, but he couldn't help feeling more than a little nervous, “Can ah help y’all?” Caramel jumped at least three feet in the air, very nearly knocking his head for a fourth time. He hadn’t realised the door had already been answered while he’d been admiring the architecture. In the doorway stood a light orange mare round about his age, her blonde mane spilling from underneath a rather large western-style hat. There was something very familiar about her voice, the accent very strong, not unlike one he’d heard since he’d arrived in town, but couldn’t put his hoof on- his head was still rather sore. “Um, y-yes miss, my name’s Caramel... um... miss-” he was cut off by a rather suddenly as his right hoof was grabbed rather roughly and yanked to his hooves. “Aww, no need to be so formal, partner!” the mare said with a very friendly smile. “The name’s Applejack an’ welcome tah Sweet Apple Acres!” She smiled, shaking Caramel’s whole foreleg. “T-thankyou, M-miss Applejack,” Caramel stammered a little. He was still getting used to just how forward and open everypony was around here. “Just call me Applejack sugar cube,” Applejack smiled, stifling a yawn. It was only then that Caramel noticed the dark circles under the mare’s eyes. Despite her overall friendly, energetic demeanour he could sense an overwhelming sense of fatigue about her. Sure, he hadn’t exactly slept well after Pinkie’s surprise visit in the middle of the night but it looked like she had gone for at least a week without sleep. “Y’all must be the one Pinkie Pie told mah brother about...” Her eyes drooped, almost closing completely. Brother? “Y-yes; um... are you alright miss, uh... I-I mean, Applejack?” it looked like the poor mare was about to topple over at any moment. “Y-yeah, yeah ah’m fine...” Applejack stifled another yawn before turning to call inside the farmhouse. “Hey... there’s a pony here to see ya Big-“ Caramel had to lunge forward and get his head under her neck just to stop her falling to the floor. He quickly shuffled underneath her to he could support her. He had to, otherwise she’d have taken him down with her. “A-are you sure you’re okay, Apple-“ He was cut short by loud snoring and heavy breaths ruffling his mane. Caramel sighed, jostling the mare a little with a shake of his neck, but she didn’t wake and he quickly deemed the exercise useless. Applejack seemed to be growing heavier as she began to rest more and more of her weight on Caramel who was by now struggling to hold her up, his legs shaking beneath him. It wasn’t because she was overweight; the orange coat simply hid a lot of well-trained muscles from years of farm work beneath it. It wasn’t exactly helping his already shaky nerves either. Horseapples... Caramel groaned. His potential boss was fast asleep on his back and he didn’t know if he’d be able to hold her up for much longer. What on Earth was he supposed to do now? Just then came the sound of approaching footsteps from inside the farmhouse and a deep southern voice came to answer his question, and remove some of Applejack’s weight from his shoulders. “Need a hoof there, Caramel?”
First Day on the Job“... Is your sister gonna be alright?” “Eeyup, she just needs some rest is all. Tried tah do the entire Applebuck season on her own and wore herself out. She’ll be fine after a few days rest.” “That’s good news I suppose,” “Eeyup,” Pinkie did mention something about Applebuck-something, Caramel thought to himself as he walked along beside the large stallion. He shot a quick glance up to the top floor of the farmhouse, thinking of the exhausted mare they’d just carried up stairs and gotten into bed between them (which had been rather difficult since they’d had to crabwalk up the narrow staircase with her draped over their shoulders). “I-I guess that must be like harvest time for you,” he ventured, trying to make friendly conversation. “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied, simply. Caramel kept on telling himself that the stallion seemed fairly friendly and easy-going, but he couldn’t help feeling all the short-answer replies he got were possibly hiding some annoyance considering the events of the night before. It was difficult to tell because the large earth pony’s face didn’t really show much in the way of emotion, like a constant poker face he’d seen from time to time on older ponies playing chess back home. For Celestia’s sake, stop second guessing yourself all the time! He scolded himself. As Toffee always said, he would just make himself ill. But even so, Caramel couldn’t help feeling a little awkward, another blush rising in his cheeks. He hadn’t really expected to see the stallion again so soon, if ever for that matter come to think of it. It was almost a little too coincidental, running into the farmer the previous night and finding himself employed by him the next morning! Could this be...? He glanced back at his cutie mark for a moment; the three horseshoes stood out on his flank as they always had, with no visible change at all. He shot them a suspicious look. No funny business, please! He growled inside his head. I need this job, so please- “Well... we do harvest an’ sell ‘em over the whole year, but Applebuck season is the only time of year they’re all ripe at the same time; so we gotta buck ‘em all down an’ sell ‘em before they go bad.” Caramel jumped a little as the stallion’s voice snapped him back to reality and his eyes off his cutie mark. He nearly had to double take; that was the first long sentence he’d heard the other stallion speak! He could see more of the farm properly now as they walked across the yard. Aside from the farm house, there was a chicken coop, a pig sty, a large out-building that was strangely decorated with carrots and radishes which looked like it was used for storage, and several smaller barns in front of a hay field that looked like they were used for storing the bales. All this was surrounded by fields of various vegetables, and, of course, field upon field of apple trees which stretched out over the hills towards the mountains. Caramel had never seen so many apples trees in one place before, not even in books and photographs he’d seen back home. All their branches had been stripped of their fruit, but Caramel could already see a number of trees which were already in blossom again. Hel could only imagine how hard it must have been for one pony to even attempt it alone. He glanced over at his companion as they passed one of the orchards, the leaves of the trees towering above them rustling in the early morning breeze, his eyes falling on the thick layer of bandages covering Big Mac’s sides. He felt another small pang of guilt. “Um... sorry again about yesterday.” The crimson earth pony stopped, blinking down at him, a questioning look in his still soft expression. Caramel could feel himself starting to go red again. “I-I mean... I should have been watching where I was going...” he mumbled a little, his ears flattening a little. Big Macintosh looked down at Caramel, the feeling of his blank stare making his smaller companion look down out of shyness. But behind the stallion’s blank expression, were a pair of very kind eyes. Kinda reminds me a lil’ of Fluttershy, he thought to himself. He took this moment to give the shy earth pony a quick once-over, sizing him up while his eyes were averted. Caramel was pretty typical build for a pony of his age; of course he had nowhere near as much muscle definition as say himself or his sister, but he somehow seemed... smaller, thinner... maybe even going as far as a little scrawny. It wasn’t a word Big Mac particularly liked to use but it was a pretty apt description of the small earth pony. City Pony, he thought to himself. Probably not worked a day in the fields in his life... He quickly pushed the thought to one side, almost a little ashamed of himself for being so judgemental. After all, his sister’s newest friend had come from Canterlot no less and more than proved her worth not just during Applebuck season but helping his sister out with the Golden Delicious that day when those dratted gala tickets arrived. At least the distraction they’d caused had lost her the bet and he’d been saved from having to wear Granny Smith’s girders into town on market day. He glanced over Caramel again, silently checking everything from his tan coat to his thick brown mane, two bangs of which wrapping themselves a little over his ears, and a surprisingly neat tail compared to most ponies he’d met previously. His eyes fell on the cutie mark emblazoned on his flank: three blue horseshoes each facing different directions. Was this pony’s special talent... metal working? He doesn’t seem to have the build for it, he thought to himself. I’ll ask him about it later if Applebloom doesn’t get to him first. Big Macintosh blinked again before smiling gently down on the smaller earth pony, strangely making Caramel blush even more. “As ah said before, don’t worry about it, lil’ no harm done. Could ‘a happened to anypony,” Caramel smiled sheepishly, hoping his fur would hide his blush. It didn’t, but he didn’t notice until Big Mac did. Caramel didn’t notice the older pony’s smile broaden a little in amusement, or his quiet chuckle. Big Mac smiled down at the smaller stallion as they continued on, while Caramel diverted his gaze again. Big Macintosh could tell he was more than a little shy, and he couldn’t blame him either; being away from home and surrounded by whole town of strange ponies you didn’t know would be daunting to anypony. Again he was reminded of his sister’s friend on the day she’d first arrived, only more shy than in a constant rush to return to the library to read up on what everypony had then thought was just an Old Pony’s Tale. Poor thing probably ain’t made any real friends yet, he thought. It was obvious that the young pony was shy, and jumpy, and not best-build for farm work. But the farmer could tell that he was keen and eager to work despite these flaws. As he’d seen the previous night the small stallion was also quite quick on his hooves, which was a plus. The least I can do is give him a chance, the workhorse thought. Caramel seemed to notice Big Mac’s eyes on him, so he quickly looked back to the path ahead, resuming his usual poker face-expression as they arrived at the barn door. “Anyways, shall we get started then, Partner?” “Just try an’ keep a steady pace; if ya slow down it’ll just make it harder to get started again; too fast and ya won’t get it to turn when ya want it to.” “L-l-like... this?” “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh decided it had been a good idea not to start Caramel off on the more strenuous chores around the farm. But maybe it hadn’t been such a good one to start him out on the intermediate ones either. It had taken a fair bit of straining, and push from the out-of-commission earth pony to get the cart moving, but at least now they were making steady progress as Caramel pulled the cart through the hay field, Big Macintosh walking alongside to lend a hoof should a problem arise. Hay-making season was now in full swing now that the apple harvest was over, and the summer sun was already turning the stalks a pale shade of golden yellow as they dried out ready for cutting. As Caramel pulled the cart through the long grass, blades on the axels would cut them down while the seeds were collected in a bag underneath them. Normally Big Macintosh would have covered finished about half an hour ago and would by now and enjoying a glass of lemonade in the shade of a tree, but as it stood they still had a fair amount of ground (and grass) to cover before the job was done. Big Macintosh looked down at Caramel as he trudged along beside him, watching his chest heave with every tired breath and sweat running down his face and neck leaving his once tidy mane matted and soggy. Big Mac had to admit he was impressed with how long the smaller stallion had managed to keep going, a lot better than he’d initially expected. Several times he’d had to stop, gasping for breath and looked like he was about to give up; but each time he’d got his breath back, given a great heave and brought the cart into motion again, determined not to let it beat him. Big Macintosh couldn’t help feeling a little guilty throwing Caramel in the deep end, but it was a pretty urgent job that needed doing. Hay was a staple food not just for the Apple Family but for the whole town, and they were going to need as many reserves as they could get ready for winter when they would need it the most. They couldn’t afford to lose the seeds either, otherwise there wouldn’t be a crop next year. “Almost there,” he said encouragingly, scooping up a fresh stalk and munching down the old one. Caramel barely heard him; he was too exhausted to walk another yard. But he walked on... and on... His eyes were clenched shut to stop the constant stream of sweat getting into his eyes and his heart was pounding in his chest but he forced himself to ignore it. He just kept trudging slowly onwards, occasionally turning to move onto the next row of stems. I can do this! I can do this! He yelled inside his head. I need this job! I need it! He was straining so hard he barely even registered the hoof tapping his shoulder. “That’ll do for now lil fella,” “B...But,” Caramel’s voice was by now being punctuated with deep gasps of breath as he finally brought the cart to a complete stop. “We... we’re not.... not finished yet.” It was true, there was still at least another quarter of the field left. “Nnope,” Big Macintosh nodded in agreement as Caramel tried to catch his breath. “But if we don’t get it done t’day we can finish it up tomorrow.” “Sweet Celestia, thank you!” Caramel slumped to the ground in a sweaty, dirty, gasping heap, thankful for the sweet short-lived luxury of a rest. He heard the sound of hooves on the earth but he barely registered them. All he was focussed on now was letting the aching in his muscles die away and getting his breath back. No wonder he’s so buff, he thought to himself, letting his eyes close for a moment. His thoughts fell on the stallion again as he lay there on the long grass, the heat of the midday sun warm on his back. He’d definitely heard Big Macintosh say: “We can finish this up tomorrow,” but what exactly did that mean? Did that mean he and his sister would do it or did it mean- “Thirsty?” Caramel blinked the sweat out of his eyes and looked up. Big Mac stood over him, his usually blank face creased with a small smile and a tea tray balanced on his back. Caramel could smell the cool refreshing lemonade in the pitcher that awaited him, accompanied by the mouth-watering scent of freshly baked apple pastries. He smiled up at the large earth pony; any blush there may have been being masked by the exhausted redness in his cheeks. “Hehe... Eeyup,”
