Procrastination

Procrastination

Chapter 1—Rumor Has It

The ponies outside shoved into one another. On Saturday mornings, the marketplace was crowded, and seeing as it was spring, the flower shop was especially busy. Customers flocked to the store, and every new pony brought promises of profit. The little bell on the door tinkled frequently, and the line looped around in front of the cashier twice.

Frazzled, Rose rushed back and forth between the back room and the front desk. Her handling so many flowers gave her an unmistakable patina of pollen in her cream-colored fur, and Caramel was sure that her repeated paths between the two rooms would cause the tiles to have a permanent track. Ponies edged to the front of the line and bought arrangements off the shelf, or gave special orders. Some asked for arrangements of roses only. Others ordered bunches of all yellow. One pony wanted a bouquet that consisted of red and orange flowers in a striped pattern.

Caramel worked silently in the back, and was unaffected by the chaos outside. Rose’s hard work in the front obviated any need for Caramel to take his eyes off of his creations. His hooves worked delicately—at least he imagined it to be—around each petal, and his inserting flower stems into the green foam was gentle, yet deliberate. Green and purple contrast nicely…I really like the orange here. But roses don’t go well with cosmos. I haven’t used tulips in awhile. How about some more orange here, between the greens? Yeah, I like that. That’s good.

The tan stallion pushed his most recent creation to the edge of the metal island counter, and returned to his own end. Soon enough, Rose burst in through the blue cloth curtains, grabbed the basket of flowers in her mouth, and promptly left to sell it.

Saturday mornings always looked like this. Until around noon, there was no rest. Rose frantically sold, and Caramel quietly created. Once the flow of customers died down, however, the shop was nearly empty, and boredom ensued.

Without the clattering of the customers, the sound of cicadas chirping outside was faintly heard through the open door. The soft breeze blew inside, swirling the pollen and fallen petals on the floor.

Rose sighed and shook herself all over, freeing some of the pollen, but unsuccessful in ridding herself of all of it. Caramel licked his hooves, nursing the newest pricks he had received from the thorny roses. Celestia as my witness, someday I will work here and not cut myself at all. Caramel sighed. Why do I have to be so clumsy…?

“Oh Luna…” Rose sighed, as she came into the back room. “That was a busy morning…”

“Saturday,” Caramel shrugged, “what do you expect?”

“True…Hey, did you like the present I gave you yesterday?”

“Yeah! I really liked it, thanks! I needed a suit…” I’m sure Mac liked it, too…

Rose chuckled. “Good! Oh yeah! Remember when I told you that it was just part one? And I would give you part two today?”

“Oh um, yes. What’s part two?”

“Well, I didn’t want to say it in front of the others…I got you a year’s subscription to Stallion Style!”

“Um…that’s a magazine, right?” I can tell because of the word “subscription.”

“Yes. It’s a…no foals magazine…Thunderlane recommended it.”

“So…I’m guessing that…” He would do something like that…

“Yeah…apparently, last month’s theme was ‘Colts in Jocks.’ Sounds interesting…”

Caramel blushed. “Um…thanks…”

“Here’s the first issue…Oh, and the subscription comes with a pair of free hoofcuffs. So uh…yeah. Look out for those in the mail.” She displayed her jazz-hooves to emphasize the excitement she expected him to have.

Caramel took the magazine in his hooves. The front cover displayed a tightly muscled stallion, whose everything would have shown, had there not have been the subscriber’s address conveniently blocking it.

“Thanks, Rose…” Caramel said, stuffing the magazine into his saddlebag. “Well, I’m going to go now, if that’s alright. I have to go work on my anniversary present.”

“Well technically, I still got you for two hours, but since it was your birthday yesterday, I’ll let you go early. Part three, if you will.” She tilted her head to the left and smiled. She straightened her neck. “Oh, you’re making one yourself?”

“Eeyup!” he giggled. I sound like Mac!

Rose laughed. “Well, good luck. I’m sure he’ll love whatever you make!” She shouted the last part, for the stallion was already partly out the door.

Rose is such nice pony. But I think she understands me too well…Stallion Style, huh? Sounds exciting…Is this what my love life has come to, though? Caramel sidestepped a mare and her foal coming down the road. He set his course for the sculptures shop. Why do I need those magazines when I have a coltfriend? Is it because we don’t…do…that…? I mean…is our relationship…broken? Caramel shook his head violently, trying to break out of the harmful thoughts. Nah, that’s silly. Lyra said there’s nothing wrong with that. He nodded affirmatively. He noticed a few schoolfillies looking at him funny. He smiled awkwardly and continued walking.

Caramel arrived at the blue sculpture shop. The owner’s name was Vidro Indigo. They went to college together, and kept in touch. Vidro Indigo, true to his name, was a deep shade of blue. His mane and tail were a light purple, and he was known to be quite the gentlecolt. Some attributed his sophistication to his foreign background, but Caramel knew it was because he was raised by a successful business-pony whose name was never disclosed. His cutie mark was so faint, that some ponies didn’t see it at all. It was, in fact, a pane of glass. Vidro’s works of art were all made of glass, and Ponyville citizens paid high prices for extremely intricate moldings and sculptures.

Inside, there were wooden shelves arranged in aisles. They held various glass figurines. Some were ponies. Some were animals. Caramel spotted a shelf dedicated to pony mythology. He continued into the back room, where Vidro was working on shaping marbles.

Caramel had been coming to Vidro’s shop—creatively named “Solid Water”—for the past month. In his spare time, Vidro had been teaching him how to create his own sculpture. He had finally finished the sculpture itself the day before. It was a crude depiction of two stallions snuggling on top of a giant apple.

After spending weeks making a clay version, the brown prototype was encased in a polymer-based liquid that hardened into a mold. Just less than twenty-four hours ago, under the watchful eye of Vidro, Caramel poured molten glass into the mold. Today, he would be polishing the sculpture, completing the month-long process from sand to sculpture.

“So just hold it up against the drum. Let the cotton do the rest,” the blue stallion said with a slight accent.

“Like…this…?” Caramel asked tentatively, using his hooves to push his creation into the white rotating belt. It was almost as big as his head, which made it difficult to maneuver.

“Yes. Perfect!”

Caramel angled his creation different ways, so the rotating cotton drum could reach every crevice and wrinkle in the glass. He took the statue in his hooves and admired it. The light from the open window to his left caught on the curves and the facets of his creation. The rays of sunshine reflected throughout the glass piece, and scatterings of rainbows shone in streaks of curves and angles across the tiled floor. Even the glass version of Big Mac is good-looking. I look so average next to him.

“I’ll go get a box,” said Vidro, leaving.

Caramel tilted it in the light, creating more rainbows.

Suddenly, something captured his attention. What was that? I heard something…I know I did…what was it…?

“Of course, that Big Macintosh! Which one were you thinking of?” came a very loud feminine voice from the store. Big Macintosh…The name piqued his curiosity immediately.

“Keep your mane on, Crystal,” said another voice. This one was a bit lower, but still filly-like, perhaps even older.

That’s my coltfriend! What are you talking about…? Suspicious, Caramel silently stepped to the side of the silver curtains separating the back room and the store.

The voices continued. “So what about him?”

“Well, I saw him…”

“Congrats, Crystal. Is that it?”

“Let me finish! I saw him…going into the Colt Club last week…”

“…The Colt Club?”

“Yeah. You know…that coltcuddlers bar over by Daisy Street?”

“Uh…I don’t go to coltcuddler bars, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Oh, you should come!”

“What?! But it’s a coltcuddler bar! I’m not a coltcuddler! I’m not even a colt!”

“Inky!, lots of mares go there! It’s better than a bar where half the stallions are hitting on you.”

“Oh…”

Caramel had heard enough. Big Macitosh? Going to a…coltcuddlers bar? Without me? Why would he do that?
Okay, Caramel…don’t overreact again. It’s just a silly rumor. I’m sure he’s never been to any…Colt Club…He wouldn’t be unfaithful to you like that. He’s Big Macintosh! He’s not some kind of cheater! He’s my coltfriend, and I trust him.

“Is this good?”

“Hrm? Wha…?” Caramel turned around. Vidro gave him a red box with pink ribbons.

“I said, ‘Is this good?’” He raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“Oh yes. Thanks so much!”

“You’re welcome. Good luck!” he called out as Caramel left with the boxed up statue in his mouth.

Caramel saw the two mares still in the store. They were both lavender Earth ponies, but their hair styles were different. As he left, he cast them a glare dirty enough to make Rarity cringe.

“Hi Mac!” Caramel said cheerily. He waved at the stallion coming out of the barn.

“Howdy, Caramel.”

“I was wondering…” he said, looking down and drawing little circles in the dirt with his hoof.

“Yes…?” came the slow, low reply.

“Maybe you’d like…to come see a movie with me tonight? Er…right now?” Caramel looked up hopefully after noticing the time, and his circles veered off-center to form spirals and springs.

Macintosh drew a deep breath through his teeth. “Ah can’t…Ah’m sorry. Ah have plans tonight. Maybe tomorrow night?”

“Oh um…okay…what are you doing tonight?” You’re not going to that coltcuddler bar, are you? Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, bad thoughts, bad thoughts, nope.
“Uh…just errands. Stuff Ah gotta do.”

“Like…?” He took a step toward him.

“Like…” Macintosh took a step back. “Like goin’ to Miss Rarity’s to get a hat fixed…”

“Your hat looks fine…” Another step forward.

A step back. “It’s uh…frayed on the inside. Ah’ll see ya later, Caramel. Love ya.” Twenty steps back. Macintosh walked off toward the setting sun.

The Carousel Boutique is to the east of Sweet Apple Acres…But…Daisy Street is to the west…Caramel’s chest tightened, and his heart slid half a meter down his body and into his abdomen. Where are you going…? Please don’t be that place…please don’t be that place…