I am no one special. I’m just an ordinary pony. But in my 30 years of existence, I have felt what it was like to love. I felt what it was like to be hurt. Though most ponies my age and in my situation could have easily walked away, I chose to stay. Because I made a promise and it’s not something I’m going to break.
When the Last Teardrop Falls
February 17, 2002
Dear Mom,
How’s dad? Have you received the money I sent you? I’m sorry if it’s not much but it’s all I have. I hope you’re all okay in there. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.
- Caramel
I read the letter once more and sealed it inside an envelope. Dad is sick again and we are running out of money. I’ve waited tables all day and night but still, my salary wasn’t enough- not even enough to afford a brand new stove.
“Caramel, break time’s over. Go back to work,” And I guess that would be my cue. I stuffed the letter inside my uniform’s pocket. The bell rang signaling that a new customer has arrived. I then went out of the staff’s area to do my job only to see a bunch of mares standing by the door looking for a table.
I walk towards them and flashed my brightest smile. “Good afternoon. Table for?”
“Six,” said the one in the middle who had a rainbow mane.
“This way please,” I escorted them to the nearest table. As they walk past through me, it was then that I noticed her. And when I saw her, I knew she was different. She had long a violet mane which hung in eloquent curls. She has sapphire blue eyes and long lashes, making it her best asset. She’s beautiful; breathtakingly beautiful.
“Excuse me?” said the rainbow maned mare, distracting me from my thoughts.
“Oh, I’m sorry. May I take your order?”
“Six salads please and six strawberry shakes.”
“Okay. Coming right up.”
It took them 20 minutes to finish their food. They asked for the bill, left a few bits as a tip and left. Even at a distance, I kept looking at her. Rainbow mane mare whispered something to her that made her laugh. She looks so carefree, so young. I’ve never seen her before in the restaurant and I don’t think I’ll ever see her again.
The day passed by so quickly. I glanced at the clock. It was already 5 in the afternoon. Okay then, time to go home. I removed my apron and waved goodbye to the other employees. I went when suddenly…
“Watch out!” a mare’s voice came from behind. I didn’t get a chance to look back as I felt a force pushing me from behind my back. I went out of balance and fell face-first on the muddy ground.
“Meow!”
Great. A big fluffy cat just jumped on me and my white t-shirt is now stained with mud. Damn it! I stood up and tried to remove the stain from my shirt which turned out to be a bad idea since it scattered making it much, much worse. Crap. What a perfect way to end a day!
“Can’t you actually keep your cat under control? Seriously. Ponies are trying to work in here,” I was so furious that my voice came louder than I expected.
“I’m sorry. I’m really really sorry. I was just buying some apples and then Opal-”
I cut her up. “Sorry?! Well I’m sorry Miss but there’s nothing your sorry can-” I gazed up and I can’t believe who I saw. It was her. The mare from the restaurant. And all I did was stare. She was much more beautiful up close.
“I’m sorry. I’ll replace your clothes. I’ll even give you two just to repay with what I did.” She looked terrified. Her cat was sitting right beside her.
“Sir?” I was so preoccupied at staring at her that I wasn’t able to hear what she said.
“It’s... it’s okay. I’m sorry I shouted at you. Um no, you don’t need to replace it. It’s fine.”
“Uhh... are you sure?”
“Yes.” And I saw relief flash on her face.
“I’m really sorry," She said.
“It’s fine. So, is this your cat?”
“Yes. Cute one, isn’t she?” she stroked the cat’s fur.
“So what’s her name again?”
“Opal," she smiled as if it was the greatest name for a cat.
“Oh. Hi Opal,” I reached up to the cat and patted its fur. Hmm. She’s not so bad after all.
“Do you... do you work here? I saw you when we ate here just a few hours ago."
So she recognized me. “Yes,” And I added “So I think it’ll be an insult if I asked for your cat’s name and not yours," I told her and she laughed. Her laugh made me smile. I offered my hoof “I’m Caramel.” And as she shook my hoof, she said with a smile “And I’m Rarity.”
* * *
And that’s how it all started. My muddy uniform was worth it, though it took me a while to remove the stain. And after that day, Rarity frequently went and ate at the restaurant. But we never had a chance to talk. So eventually, I made a plan. And after saving a month’s worth of salary, I could finally ask her to go out.
The door opened. Another customer has arrived. Boy, was I surprised to see who it was. Walking inside the restaurant, wearing a pink floral dress was her. I smiled and she smiled back. I approached her and I said, “Hi.”
“Hi."
“You hungry?” I asked.
“That’s the reason why I’m here, right?”
“Of course.” I hoofed her the menu. She flicks through it as she licks her lips. I could stare at her all day and it still won’t be enough.
“So um, I haven’t tried the dandelion sandwich so maybe I’ll just have that and an orange juice please.”
“Okay.”
She noticed that I didn’t leave, which is what I usually do after she tells me the food she ordered.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Rares.”
“Yes?”
Okay. So this is it. The moment I’ve been waiting for. Crap. Why am I so nervous? Chillax Caramel. It’s just a mare.
“So are you... um.. Saturday night... uhh... available?” I stammered.
“What? I’m sorry I can’t understand.”
“Are you available… on Saturday night?” This time, I got the words right. Oh yes baby!
“Why?” she frowned
“I figured out that I just... I want to talk to you. I want to know you.”
She looks puzzled and I know she was about to say no.
“Um it’s just a friendly dinner you know... just in the park at 6 o’clock and stargazing and talking and stuff. They said that the park is beautiful at night and I just want to go there... with you.” I hastily added thinking it might change her mind.
“I’ll think about it.” She said after a minute or two.
‘I’ll think about it’- doesn’t that mean No? So I just walked away before I made myself look really stupid.
“I’ll just get your food for you then.”
She must’ve been upset. She paid on the cashier and not asking me for the bill, which is what she usually does, and she left without even saying goodbye to me.
I went to her table to clean it up and that’s when I saw a note.
Yes. I’ll go out with you on Saturday night. I’ll see you at the park at 6’o clock.
- Rarity
* * *
I remember going home that day with a big smile on my face as if I’ve won the lottery. I saved the note she gave me and it’s been with me after all these years. That Saturday night, I could say was the best night of my life. The money I saved was used to buy new clothes from a shop that sells secondhoof clothes. I packed some sandwiches and a mat for our dinner under the stars. I was so nervous that I always looked at my face in the mirror to see if I looked alright. I checked if I got something between my teeth and I even I poured perfume on my clothes.
I arrived at the park around 5:30 p.m. I set up the mat and placed the sandwiches on it. She arrived 25 minutes later.
“Hi," she said.
As I looked at her, my jaw literally dropped. She was wearing a little black dress with her hair freed. She was so beautiful. There were no words enough to describe how she looked.
“Hi.” was all I could ever say.
“So... this is your idea of a friendly date?” she glanced at the mat and the food.
“I... uhh... come here. Let’s watch the sunset.”
And so she sat beside me. Her eyes were fixed on the view. “It’s so amazing, isn’t it?” she said. I looked at her and whispered, “Yes, so beautiful.”
She is so beautiful. I’ve repeated the words in my head for like a million times but it never get old. She’s getting more beautiful every single day. On that night, we talked a lot of stuff. She’s 17 years old and I am 18. She told me about her family, her dreams, she told me how she got Opal. It was so easy talking to her and I’m happy that she trusted me. She laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. And I wished that moment could last forever.
“I have to go home,” she said.
“Okay. I’ll take you home," I offered.
“No. I’ve got my driver waiting for me.”
“Okay," After everything that’s happened, I know that we will just be friends. We will never be more than that. She was rich and I’m penniless. She’s got a driver while I just walk. There’s nothing I could ever give her. I could never afford the life she grew up with.
“I really had a great time today. Thank you.”
“Me too," I smiled.
“Goodbye Caramel. Have a good night.” I wanted to kiss her goodbye but I know it’s not the right time. It would turn out as if I’m abusing things. She smiled and waved at me. I smiled back. I cleaned up the mat and walked my way home.
There are moments in our lives that stay with us. These are the moment that made us who we are today. These are the moments that we would forever treasure. With Rarity, everything was special. The first date eventually had a second one and third one and a fourth one and so on... I knew what we had was real. After 3 months of knowing each other, we finally became official. She introduced me to her parents. Her parents were kind and good old folks. It was alright for them that their princess is dating a pauper.
We’ve been together for 5 years. We’re just like any other couple. We fought. We argue over little things, but we still find ourselves at each other’s mercies at the end of the day. We talked about our future. I knew that we would be together. I knew she was my future and there was no other way that I’d spend my future without her. But what I ‘knew’ was wrong.
“Hey, is there something wrong?” I asked. Rarity has been quiet all the way since we’ve arrived at the park.
“Caramel.”
We stopped walking. She faced me and bowed her head as she finally said the words I’ll never forget. “I don’t think I could do this anymore.”
“What? Why?” I felt as if my heart just fell out of my chest.
“Caramel, we can never be together. No matter how much we wanted to.” She added, still not looking at me.
“Don’t you think I deserve more for an explanation? Why Rares? Why? Are you in love with somebody else?”
There was no answer.
I was so angry, so hurt, that tears suddenly fell down my cheek.
“Rares, 5 years. 5 years, Rares. And you’re just going to throw it away? Just like that?”
“Rares, please. Let’s just talk about this please.” I held her hoof but instead, she just let go of it.
“We can never be together, do you understand that? There’s no future for us Caramel. There’s no future for me. We can’t continue this relationship and live on the streets!”
The words hit me like bullets from a gun. So that was it then. She’s breaking up with me because of I have no money, because I’m just a mere waiter. Now that she said it, there was nothing I can do more. She’s right, after all. I can never make her happy. I only have my love and life to give her and not money.
“So this it then, after all those years. If this is what you want, then okay. There’s nothing I can do even if I want to be with you. I’ve done my best. I gave everything I had but I guess, it will never be enough. I will never be enough because I am not like your suitors who have thick pockets. I don’t have any car nor a big house. I haven’t gone to college because I have to support my family. Right. How wonderful it is to know that money is a measurement of love. I hope you’ll be happy.”
I walked away with tears in my eyes. I was angry. I was so angry that I would want to punch a wall. I promise that one day I’ll be successful. One day I’ll be rich. One day she would come back but I’ll never be there anymore.
That was the last time I saw her. Fury had reigned in my heart and not love anymore. Since then, I strived hard. I resigned as a waiter and went home to my family. I applied for a scholarship and with that, I got to college. I fixed my life. I never saw her nor looked for her nor even cared if she’s still alive. For me, all she was is just a memory. She was just a part of my past that I will never want to remember.
June 22, 2012
“So Mr. Caramel, I heard that Forbes would actually want you to be the cover of their latest edition?” asked the reporter.
“Well Ms. Gonzales, I would really feel honored to be featured. How much more if my face will be on the cover?” I flashed a dazzling smile to her and she blushed. Of course, there was no single mare who never fell for it.
“I’ve heard about your life. You were once a waiter and now look at you! You’re WOW!”
“Well, I strived hard. I realized that in life, you don’t just stay in one place. You have to aim high or you won’t achieve anything. I know because I learned it from the way.”
“And what hard way is that?”
“Well Ms. Gonzales, I’d rather just keep it on myself.” I winked.
“Well alright. And sources had said that you’ve been dating the supermodel Kristina Croft?”
“My my! Just last month you asked me if I was dating Hannah Meers. Last, last month was Abbie I forgot the last name. Seriously, how many mares are you gonna link to me?” I mean it as a joke of course.
“Well, maybe until you get married?”
Marriage or love or anything concerned is always the topic that I hate to answer during interviews.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get married. I mean, I love my job.”
“That would be such a shame. Mares all over Equestria are craving for you! It must’ve been hard being good looking.”
“Well, we will never know, right?”
“Yes, we never will. And that’s it folks. Again, this is Ashley Gonzales and right beside me is the ever handsome, ever successful, ever young and ever delicious” and the audience giggled “Mr. Caramel.” I cast a wave at the audience and at the camera and I shook the hoof of the reporter whose face turned cherry red.
I had fulfilled my promise to myself. I was able to afford all the things in the world. My family never went hungry and my siblings were able to go to school. And now that everything in my life is settled, I wanted to meet her again. I want to see her. I want her to know who I am. I want to prove to her how wrong she was.
A week later, I’ve arranged my schedule to see her again. Folks had said that she still lives in the same address. Didn’t she marry a filthy rich stallion who can give her the most expensive diamond?
Even after all these years, nothing has changed. The road towards their house gives a feeling of familiarity. “Sir, we’re here.” the driver announced. It was still the same. Their house was the biggest in the entire subdivision. It is a two-story house painted white with a big front lawn with lots of flowers in it. And there she was, picking up daisies. I fixed myself and stepped out of the car.
“Rarity.”
She turned around and looked at me. She still hasn’t changed. She still looks young and beautiful.
“Excuse me, but how can I help you?”
I was confused. I wanted to laugh at her. I wanted to tell her that ‘Hey, it’s me. The poor stallion you used to love.’ but no, I can’t. Something is wrong.
“Rarity, honey, come here now.” came a voice inside the house. It’s her mother, no doubt about that.
“Rarity?” but this time, her mother came out; she was surprised to see me.
“Mother, there’s a stallion over here and I think he’s looking for you.” Rarity told her. Mrs. Clarkson wasn’t able to say a word.
“What’s going on? What’s wrong with her?” I asked.
“Rarity, why don’t you go inside? I’ll just talk to him, okay?”
Rarity went inside holding the daisies that she just picked out and when she was secured inside the house, her mother spoke again.
“Caramel, it’s been a long time. You look well. Would you like to come inside?”
She escorted me towards their backyard. She went inside and returned with a white envelope.
“We waited for you to come back but you never did. Rarity asked us 5 years ago to give you this if you returned,” she hoofed me the envelope. It was just an ordinary one but I know that this contains something… something that I should have known.
“I’ll leave you for a while.” she said.
I tore open the envelope and recognized the ever-familiar hoofwriting of Rarity.
Caramel,
I don’t know when you can read this letter. I don’t even know if you could ever have the chance to read this. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to start. I guess I should start on the day that we last met. Though when I wrote this letter, it still hasn’t happened but eventually it will be. I’m sorry Caramel. I’m so, so sorry. I knew there was no way you’d ever let me go and so I chose the worst words I could ever say to you. I don’t want to hurt you Caramel. I didn’t break up with you because of money. No Caramel. No. I don’t care if you’re penniless. I don’t care if we live on the streets. I don’t care if we go hungry. But as long as I have you Caramel, then I’ll always be okay. I love you Caramel. The reason why I broke up with you is that, if we continue our relationship, you’ll just be hurt. I am incapable of giving you a future Caramel. I am sick. I am suffering from memory loss. I wake up and I don’t remember things and the doctor said that a few months or years, all memories will be wiped out of my mind. I don’t want to hurt you Caramel. I don’t want to wake up and not be able to recognize the stallion that I love. And so I chose to end everything. I chose to end everything before you’ll suffer a lot. You are a good pony Caramel. You can do a lot of things in your life. You can be successful. You can achieve your dreams. You could go and marry someone who will never forget you. You don’t deserve to stay with someone who’ll say “Who are you?” I can’t give you a future. I’m so sorry.
But Caramel, though I may not be able to remember you, you will always be here in my heart. My heart will always be searching for you. It’ll always recognize you. And most of all, it will always love you.
- Rarity
I wiped my eyes after I read the letter. I felt angry at myself for believing what she said 5 years ago. I felt angry at myself for leaving her. I felt angry at myself for being such a fool. Here is the mare I love, suffering from such sickness and there was I, miles away, planting anger towards her. I don’t know what do. I don’t what to say. I just want to go away.
I am no one special. I’m just an ordinary pony. But in my 30 years of existence, I have felt what it was like to love. I felt what it was like to be hurt. Though most ponies my age and in my situation could have easily walked away, I chose to stay. Because I made a promise and it’s not something I’m going to break.
I loved her. It has been 2 years since the uncovering of the truth. It hurt a lot. She never recognized me since that day, but I never give up. I love her and always will. I made a promise that I’ll never leave her no matter how hard things will be. And I will fulfill that promise.
As I’m standing here in the park, all these memories came back to me. I checked my watch; it’s 7 in the morning. I clutched the bouquet of flowers that I’m about to give her. It’s the same morning. It’s the same day. But I’ll never give up. I’ll treat her everyday just like how I wanted to treat her on the day when we first met and it’s because I love her. I will always love her.
Author's Note
This is just a one-shot that I thought of while working on a request. Threw this together in 20 minutes, so I expect it to be awful.
