Apples and Sweets

“Do ya like flowers at all?”

Big Macintosh knew the question was strange when he saw the look on Applejack’s face turned to confusion. Her large green eyes blinked at him when she wiped her brow with her foreleg. The silence that the two had worked in had finally been broken, though it didn’t seem like it had when his sister took several moments of opening and closing her mouth to even respond.

“Pardon?” Applejack tilted her head.

Big Macintosh twisted his lips and returned his gaze to the thick apple tree before him. He lifted his hoof and pressed it up against the cracked bark. They really were making good progress, these were some of the newest trees they had and the ones closest to Ponyville’s town limits. The sound of apples tumbling into baskets and hooves slamming up onto trunks was usually enough to put Big Macintosh's mind into a state of deep thought while he worked.

The red workhorse ran his hoof down the trunk before he wiped at his own pool of sweat gathering on his face. Applejack was still giving him that gaze that suddenly made the steed hope his red face could be passed off for hard work and not a blush. He bit into his cheek and shrugged his shoulders before shaking his head.

“N-Nothin. We can get some more trees bucked before lunch if we hurry,” Big Macintosh looked away from his sister and scratched his ear. He bit harder into his cheek when her gaze stayed locked onto him. The workhorse quickly walked to the other side of the tree and lifted his legs to kick up against it.

“Just wait a sec-”

“It ain’t nothin, AJ.” Big Macintosh cut his sister off. The apples fell and when they did as did the silence of words. A breeze filled Big Macintosh’s ears instead, but was soon picked up again by his sister’s mouth.

“I like flowers good enough,” Applejack said in a confident tone. The workhorse whinnied quietly when he realized she wasn’t going to drop the question. “Sure they’re mostly just weeds and all, but a flower ain’t ever bit me. Least not yet.”

“Ah uh…” Big Macintosh could heard Applejack’s hoofsteps grow closer to him. He tried to keep his face stone and straight, but he recalled that was growing more and more difficult these days. “That’s… good… Look we should finish up.”

“Now just wait a darn tootin second” Applejack trotted right in front of her brother and lifted her brow as well as the brim of her hat. She held up her hoof and pressed it down to Big Macintosh’s chest. “Ya don’t normally ask silly small talk questions. What’s up.”

Big Macintosh opened his mouth and then closed it again. He attempted a hard stare into Applejack’s eyes, but her fiery determination suddenly caused his chest to feel tight. He looked away, and realized he showed a sign of weakness when she took a step forward.

“Do ya… do ya like it when a stallion gives ya flowers?” Big Macintosh asked in a tone that was close to a mumble.

“This ain’t some dumb plan to set me up on a blind date, is it?” Applejack questioned. She didn’t seem as accusing as she might have been, but more curious. “Nothin’ like that, right?”

“Nope.” Big Macintosh shook his head. He looked down to the grass under his hooves and kicked at the base of the tree trunk lightly. He let out a sigh. “It’s just… Would ya ever give a stallion flowers? Ah mean… that wouldn’t be weird?”

“Ah wouldn’t really think of that, no.” Applejack shook her head and adjusted her hat. “Is this about Caramel?”

Big Macintosh knew that if he wasn’t blushing before he was now. He simply nodded his head and continued staring down at his hooves. He suddenly began to feel big and clunky the more thoughts tumbled around in his head.

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Applejack tried to laugh, though when Big Macintosh met her eyes he realized she was trying to comfort him. “I mean, you’re the one who’d know him best. Why are you asking me about it? I’m not all soft and mushy like you two are.”

“Ah ain’t…” Big Macintosh considered arguing, but he simply shook his head. “Ah just… Ah don’t normally give him stuff like that. Ah don’t know if stallions like that.”

Applejack leaned up against the trunk of the tree. “I don’t think about gift giving that much when I date ponies.” She shrugged her shoulders at her brother. “Why do ya ask, anyway?”

“Caramel’s just…” Big Macintosh lifted his hoof and began to rub his neck in small circles. “Caramel ain’t been feelin’ well… Ah want him ta feel better. Ah don’t really know what’d do that right now.”

“Is he sick again?” Applejack questioned.

“No, he ain’t feelin’ bad like that,” Big Macintosh pulled on the end of his mane. He began to feel an irritating tick in his chest the more he was forced to talk. “Ah just saw him a few times last week an… an every time he just felt sad.”

“Sad?” Applejack’s lips twisted a bit in thought. “Was he upset about somethin’? He looked happy last time he was here.”

Big Macintosh shrugged his shoulders. He sat himself down on the grass and sighed once more when he thought about it. Applejack soon did the same. For a while the breeze rustling the leaves above their heads was all that was heard.

“Caramel just feels down sometimes… It ain’t anypony’s fault.” The workhorse frowned and looked into Applejack’s eyes. “He talks a lot about why he’s feelin’ like that. It’s a lot of little things, but he still feels off ‘bout them… He didn’t want ta leave the house at all last week.”

“So he’s feelin’ a little under the weather,” Applejack said with a frown still lingering on her lips. “And ya think flowers are gonna make him feel better?”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh started to nod his head, but it sooned turned to a shake. “Nope… Ah mean… Ah don’t know. He’s lost some energy and keeps gettin’ scared that Ah’m upset at him. He thinks Ah’ll get mad that he cries sometimes or that he’s gained some weight or silly stuff.” The workhorse wrapped his forelegs around his body. “Ah don’t know what ta say when he babbles like that. Ah tell him Ah love him an hold him long as he don’t feel too nervous ‘bout it.”

“Well what else have ya tried?” Applejack tilted her head. The shade from the tree had finally begun to cool the two of them off from their work, and their sweat had dried off their bodies. “Ah mean… Ah feel down sometimes. When we were little ya used ta let me help you work on the farm. Or just listen to my problems.”

“Ah don’t think that’d work for Caramel,” Big Macintosh shook his head and let out a grumble of frustration when he pulled up several blades of grass. “Ah’m just tryin’ ta make him feel like it ain’t all bad. We talked a little ‘bout the trees here an made dinner together a few nights. First few nights he really didn’t wanna sleep together, so w-”

“Ew ew ew!” Applejack cried out and slapped both her hooves down on either side of her head. “Sweet Celestia! Ah don’t wanna think about my brother and his boyfriend in bed!”

“S-Sorry,” Big Macintosh chuckled. Applejack took a few moments to remove her hooves from her ears but she smiled as well. “B-But he liked kissin’ still… last time Ah visited he even started it. He’s gettin’ a little better but… A-Ah convinced him that t’night we could go on a date outside.”

“So that flower thing is just…” Applejack swatted her hoof through the air a bit.

The workhorse shrugged his shoulders yet again. “Ah don’t really know. Ah just wanna let him know Ah ain’t upset with him… If he’s still too upset ta go inta town we can just go an’ look at stars. An if he’s feelin’ up for it Ah’ve been savin’ up enough bits fer a nice night.”

“Hmm…” Applejack put her hoof up to her lips.

“What’s wrong?” Big Macintosh lifted his brow.

“It’s just… Caramel could always not want ta go out.” Applejack frowned again, and Big Macintosh found himself soon to follow. “Ah know sometimes Ah bounce back and forth between feelin’ a little better and back to bad.”

“Ah just want him ta know Ah love him,” Big Macintosh mumbled with a blush covering his freckles. Applejack gave him a small smile that only made the stallion look away from her gaze. “If Ah have ta push him a bit it’s because Ah want him ta be happy." The workhorse began molding his hooves together. “Ah’ve been thinkin’ all mornin’ what he’d like. Just make him feel special. Ah don’t know if stallions like flowers, but mares like it when Ah gave them flowers.”

“Mac, I see the way Caramel looks at you,” Applejack smirked and seemed to hold back a laugh. “You could give him a pile of leaves and he’d melt if ya buttered him up a bit first.”

The workhorse smiled at that.

Applejack suddenly clapped her hooves together and hopped up to stand. Big Macintosh started at her and blinked his emerald eyes. She gave her back legs a stretch before staring up at the sky to adjust the brim of her hat.

“Well, I’d say that you’ll have fair better luck makin’ that silly stallion feel better if ya don’t smell like dirt and sweat. Why don’t you go clean up a bit and think ‘bout if you wanna throw in a few more bits into tonight’s bucket.” Applejack smiled down at her brother and turned towards the direction of apple trees which needed to be picked.

“Don’t ya need help?” Big Macintosh slowly got to his own hooves. “Ah don’t have ta be there fer two hours.”

“He’ll like it if you go see him early,” Applejack nodded her head confidently when she looked back to the workhorse. “Ah’m sure he doesn’t just wanna worry bout if he looks good enough ta see his boyfriend. Ya act like I’ve never handled a day’s work for two on my own before.”

“But… are ya sure yer fine?” The stallion tilted his head. He could feel his own hooves become ancy at the idea of leaving to see Caramel early. He must look like a silly colt.

The mare waved her hoof to shoo her brother away. “Go do the thing I don’t wanna hear about later.”

Big Macintosh smiled at his sister and soon received one in return. His chest felt a bit less constricted and his mind more clear. Now all he had to figure out was what kind of flowers Caramel might like. With that thought on his mind he took his first step/

“Thanks fer listenin, AJ.”