Blade

As winter drug on, Pinkamena kept finding herself at the apple stand.

She didn’t buy, but she watched the red stallion that ran it. She didn’t know why. It was something she did whenever she went to the market. She would arrive, purchase whatever she needed, then sit down about a hundred feet from the cart and watch him for around a half an hour at a time.

She didn’t think she had fallen for him or anything. She hadn’t known him for more than a couple of minutes. She thought it was because she knew how he felt.

Sometimes, during the day, the two stallion brothers would come back down and tease him. She would see the stress in his face as he held back his anger. There was nothing he could do about it, she could piece together.

Winter’s end was near, but not too near. It would be another month or so before spring would kick in, and the winter wrap up teams would do their jobs.

It was on a Tuesday that Pinkamena had heard something while watching the apple stand stallion. As usual, he had stood there for several hours and Pinkamena had started to observe from behind a corner at the edge of the market. It lead to an alley, so nobody noticed her, and likely wouldn’t pay much mind if they did. About fifteen minutes in (which seem much shorter to Pinkamena), She saw the two stallion twins stroll in. A visible frown overtook the apple stallion’s face when he spotted them himself.

Pinkamena was a bit of a ways from the cart, but she could still see by the way he breathed out; the frown was playing into his internal emotions much less than one could guess. She could tell he was holding something back. She wasn’t sure if it was anger or misery. She had trouble separating that herself. Emotions would become a large brew for her when things got bad.

“Well, Howdy, Howdy, Howdy!” said the mustached twin.

The other started walking in circles around Big Mac.

“How are sales, buddy boy?” happily asked Flim.

Big Mac was hesitant. He looked like he was conflicted staying quiet; turning his head to the side quickly a few times, making himself look like he had a twitch.

Pinkamena was too far away to hear his deep quiet voice, but she could read his lips just enough.

“As usual, sir.” He said without looking at them.

“As usual!?” exclaimed Flam.

His brother immediately jumped in, as if it was rehearsed.

“But that means you aren’t giving one hundred and twenty percent!” Flim said shocked, putting both his hooves to his forehead. “You have to give one hundred and twenty percent, Big Mac! Or else we just might take that away!”

Big Mac was visibly annoyed now. He still hadn’t lifted his head.

“Alright then, sir. I’ll try harder to sell.” He answered quickly.

The brothers weren’t satisfied.

“But you need a smile if you want to sell!” Flam explained, lowering his head down much too close to his employee’s face.

“Alright, then.” Big Mac responded mechanically.

“He meant right now, Big Mac.” Flim countered.

Big Mac looked at Flam without moving his head and clenched his jaw. After a few more moments, he faked the worst smile ever.

Pinkamena didn’t smile much herself, but she knew when one was false. She’d been around enough cynicism and sarcasm throughout her life to know these things. The twins seemed to also know.

“I said smile, big boy! That’s a train wreck!” Flam spoke.

Pinkamena noticed something about Flim. He had been holding in his hoof a cane. As Flam was talking to the apple stand stallion, she saw he hardened his grip on it. His smile had vanished.

“This is all I’m givin’, sir. I’m not in a good place right now, ya know.” Big Mac smirked.

Flam’s smile also vanished. He looked up at his brother. Flim returned the glance. He then got up on his hind legs and swung the cane up to support his weight.

“Oh, come now. This isn’t about your old Granny Smith is it?” Flam asked now sounding a bit annoyed.

Big Mac lifted his head up and lost the smirk, now back to his frown. He looked at Flam in the eyes this time.

“Well, what else could it be about, Mr. Flam?” He glared.

“The old lady is in comatose. Big ding-dong deal, old buddy old pal.” Flim replied looking down.

“She had a stroke, Mr. Flim. Don’t you think it’s natural that I’m upset?”

Big Mac’s tone was getting louder and Pinkamena felt his anger was starting to engulf the fear in him.

“Upset or not, my friend, you fake it ‘till you make it.” Flam answered.

“She could die, you bastards!” Big Mac exploded.

Flam was taken slightly aback by this. Flim didn’t flinch.

Several ponies in the market turned their heads to see what the fuss was about. Big Mac was now breathing heavily. His face had twisted into a glare.

Flim returned a few glances to the ponies staring at them. His smile resumed. He looked down at his brother and winked. Flam looked up for a moment, confused. Quickly, he smiled back and joined his brother on his hind legs.

Big Mac was now gritting his teeth and looking back and forth at them fiercely. Pinkamena knew that look. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. Hope faintly gleamed in her. Maybe she would finally see the stallion stand up for himself so she could stop worrying about him.

The brothers exchanged glances once more.

“You seem upset, Mac.” said Flim.

“There’s nothing to be upset about.” Said Flam.

You would have to have had a keen eye to have seen Flim clench his teeth and leer for the second he did. Pinkamena saw it. This very moment, as quick as it was, spoke volumes. It was like seeing through a crack in wooden planks that let in a ray of light to whatever was on the other side. This moment was that crack. And the other side was Flim’s insides. Pinkamena saw a rage beyond rage. A rage that had been exercised and catered to, and Flim was about to do exactly that right then.

Directly following this moment was Flim swiftly whipping his cane up in the air then bringing it down on his employee.

There was a loud THWAP as it struck him.

Pinkamena saw his eyes widen then instantly clasp shut as he smacked onto the ground with an ‘oof!’

Pinkamena was stunned. Her mouth dropped and her eyes opened wide.

The other ponies watching did the same. Some even gasped and held their hooves to their mouths. There was nobody in the market not watching then. Everything was silent in the market for a while.

The brothers saw the other ponies, but didn’t stop smiling. Flim never stopped looking at Big Mac sprawled on the ground, trying for breath, as Flim had knocked the wind out of him.

After another few moments silence, he smacked Big Mac again, this time on the head, but not any slower than the last time. The crowd collectively gasped.

Big Mac’s jaw whacked the cobblestone hard. He cried out in pain.

After Big Mac became silent, Flim slowly crouched down to where his face was lying. His grin was unchanged.

“Well…” He whispered. “Now there is…”

At this, he got back on his fours and turned around. Flam followed him as he walked up the path back to the farm. Flim started to twirl his cane as he strolled. He could also be heard whistling a peaceful tune to himself that slowly faded the further he got up the path.

Big Mac was still on the ground and the crowd was still silent. Pinkamena heard somebody say something. It wasn’t in front of her, or behind her. It sounded like whoever it was, was on top of her.

Help him.

This sentence snapped her out of the trance. Suddenly, she was overcome with worry. She came out from the alley and galloped toward the apple stand stallion. She stopped above him and wrapped her hooves around his torso, trying to hoist him up.

The crowd continued to watch while she grunted, trying to help the injured boy.

“Stop gawking, everypony!” shouted someone. “Help him! Come on!”

Out from the crowd came galloping an aqua unicorn. She stood up on her hind legs and grabbed the other end of Big Mac without looking at Pinkamena. Pinkamena didn’t even notice.

He was heavy. It was so hard to lift him. But she wanted to help. She it wanted more than anything.

The aqua unicorn was grunting, strained herself by his weight. She turned over her shoulder and shouted at the crowd.

“Goddammit! I said help him! Help him!”

Out from the crowd came another pony galloping, this one wearing a holiday sweater.

“It’s good, Lyra! I got ‘em!” said Melvin, grabbing Big Mac also.

The three of them, now all straining, almost had him off the ground. Big Mac was moaning quietly.

Another pony came out of the crowd; a white mare with short, scruffy violet hair. She grabbed the open side of Big Mac and joined in hoisting.

“I’ve got him.” She confirmed.

The crowd viewed, still in shock. Nobody could fathom exactly why someone would do something so awful in public and then just walk away, completely unfeeling.

They finally succeeded to get him onto his feet. Big Mac grabbed the side of the stand to support him. He was struggling to stay up.

“Thank you.” He managed to Pinkamena.

She soaked it in. That might have been the first thanks she’d gotten ever. It felt good, but something felt like she hadn’t actually done anything to help.

She hardly noticed it herself, but she was slowly backing away while staring at him, face to face. Maybe it was because she had become familiar to being a distance from him. She noticed that everyone was looking at her. She felt pressure. She needed to figure out how else to help the apple stand stallion, but she couldn’t think at all with so many ponies staring at her.

Pinkamena spun around and started running away.

“Hey! Wait!” Melvin shouted after her. “Who-…Gah.” He saw that she couldn’t hear him anymore.

Lyra looked at Melvin strangely.

“What is it, Mel?” She asked.

“Who was that pony?” He asked.

Rarity looked over Mel’s shoulder to get a look at the mare running away.

“I have no idea, Darling…” she started. “But she looks familiar.”