Right in front of you

Caramel ran into his home and rushed into his room.

"Shes with another stallion." Sobbed Caramel.

Caramel walked up to his nightstand and opened a drawer on it, sobbing as he did so. He took a single object from the drawer. A metal box.

Caramel set the box on the nightstand and opened it. It held three items. The first was a wilted corsage, the second was an apple seed in a small plastic bag with a label on it.

"First seed."

The last item was an old photograph. Caramel took the picture out of the box.

It was a picture taken years ago at the party where he first met and fell in love with Applejack. It was a picture of Applejack smiling while Caramel laughed next to her.

"AJ......." Muttered Caramel.

The tears continued to fall from his eyes. Caramel clutched the picture close to his chest.

"It should have been me!" Sobbed Caramel.

Caramel fell onto his bed and cried himself to sleep, still clutching the picture to his chest.

Caramel was awoken the next morning by a knock on the door.

"Caramel you alright?" Asked a voice that Caramel recognized as Pokey's.

Caramel looked at the picture in his hooves, then got out of the bed and put it back in the box.

"Lets get this over with."

Caramel closed the box and put it back in the drawer. Then with a sigh he trotted downstairs.

"Coming!" Yelled Caramel.

Caramel reached his front door and opened it. On the other side was Pokey and thunderlane.

"You alright mel?" Asked Pokey.

"You kida bolted last night." Said Thunderlane.

Caramel tried to keep his posture.

"Whatever do you mean?" Asked Caramel.

"Dude, we saw Aj with Vineyard." Said Thunderlane.

"I know its hard for you to deal with this but you just have to accept it." Added Pokey.

"Well excuse me for having my heart broken!" Said Caramel.

"Look Caramel." Said Thunderlane "ponies our age go through relationships fast."

"Yeah." Said Pokey. "It wont last long."

"Coming from two ponies who both are in long term relationships, that doesnt help." Said Caramel in a grumpy tone.

Pokey and Pinkie have been dating for almost two years, and Thunderlane was currently in a relationship with a pegasus named Blossomforth whom Thunderlane knew since foalhood.

"Believe me, in a couple of weeks, Vineyard will be just another colt she dated." Said Thunderlane.

"What if I end up being just another colt......" Said Caramel.

Pokey looked at thunderlane.

"I think we are making things worse." Said Pokey.

"Yeah." Replied Thunderlane. "Lets see if we can score some free cupcakes from your marefriend."

The two stallions trotted away.

"Maybe she doesn't like me......" Thought Caramel.

Caramel's ears dropped down sadly.

Caramel decided to talk to somepony he could relate to. That happened to be Lucky. Caramel walked down to Lucky's house.

"Maybe Lucky knows what to do." Thought Caramel.

Caramel approached the front door and knocked.

"One sec!"

Lucky opened the door.

"Hey Caramel." Said Lucky.

Caramel was looking rather glum and down.

"Whats wrong?" Asked Lucky.

Lucky invited Caramel inside and the brown stallion told Lucky about the events that had occurred.

"Sorry mel...." Said Lucky.

"I should have asked her out earlier...." Said Caramel.

"Don't go beating yourself up Caramel." Said Lucky. "Your better than this Vineyard pony."

"If im better, then why did she choose him?" Said Caramel.

"Let me ask you something." Said Lucky. "Did Vineyard fix a barn in an hour?"

"Not that I know of..." Replied Caramel.

"Did Vineyard sacrifice his day off to help Aj build her apple cellar?"

"No-"

"Did Vineyard carry me all the way back to the hotel room that night in Las Pegasus when I was intoxicated and confused!?"

"No."

"Did Vineyard win the annual field hand Horseshoe toss three years in a row!?"

"NO HE DIDNT!" Yelled Caramel.

"Vineyard has nothing on you!" Said Lucky.

Caramel put on a determined look.

"Your right!" Said Caramel.

Caramel looked around the room.

"So what now?" Asked Caramel. "I didnt have anything planned for today."

Lucky raised an eyebrow.

"The bowling alley is open." Said Lucky.

Caramel shrugged.

"I could play a game or two." Said Caramel.

The two stallions trotted out of the house.

After two games of bowling, Caramel left the alley and began his walk home.

"Maybe work tomorrow will clear things up." Thought Caramel.

"No!" Yelled a voice.

Caramel turned to the direction of the sound. It was coming from the nearby hardware store.

"Hm?"

Out of curiosity caramel stepped into the hardware store. Inside he saw Applebloom and her friends with a sack of bits at the counter. The cashier looked angry.

"This isnt enough to pay for your parts." Said the Cashier,

"The sign said-"

Applebloom was cut off by the cashier.

"The sale ended yesterday."

"There a problem here?" Asked Caramel.

The cashier turned to look at him.

"Caramel." Began the cashier.

Caramel was a frequent customer at the store.

"These fillies dont have enough to pay for their items."

Caramel sighed.

"How much do they have?" Asked Caramel.

"20 bits." Replied the Cashier. "They need 15 more."

"Just put whatever the 15 bits on my tab." Said Caramel.

"If you say so." Said the Cashier.

The cashier took the CMC's bits and handed them a large bag. The three walked up to Caramel.

"Thanks mel!" Said Applebloom. "Ah'll pay ya back as soon as ah get the bits!"

"Don't worry about it." Said Caramel. "So whats this stuff for anyways?"

"Its for the kart." Replied Sweetie belle.

"We made the design, we just need to put it together." Said Applebloom.

The other two crusaders loaded the bag into a red wagon outside.

"See ya tomorrow Caramel." Said Applebloom.

Applebloom went to join up with her friends.

"While your here Caramel, is there anything you need to get?" Asked the Cashier.

"Im all set. Thanks though" replied Caramel.

Caramel resumed his walk home.

Caramel was getting ready to leave for the pub. There was a knock on the door.

"Huh?"

Caramel walked up to the door and opened it. Standing outside was Big macintosh.

"Howdy there Caramel." Said Big mac.

"Mac?" Said Caramel. "What brings you here?"

"Well Applebloom told me what ya did earlier. And I came buy to give ya this."

Big mac reached into the saddlebag he was wearing and took out a sack of bits, setting it in Caramel's hoof.

"That should cover the 15 bits." Said Big mac.

"You didn't have to-"

"Its nothing Mel." Said Big mac. "Ah need to get goin, ah promised Aj that Ah would bring some apples to miss Fluttershy."

"Well have a nice night." Said Caramel.

Caramel put the bits into his own saddlebag.

"Eyup. You too." Said Big mac.

Big mac walked away.

"That might be the longest conversation I have ever had with him." Thought Caramel.

It was a quieter night than usual at the pub. Most of his friends were not present this time. Noteworthy apparently had a big song to write, Pokey was helping pinkie babysit the Cake twins, and nopony knew where Comet tail was. Instead it was just him, soarin, Thunderlane, and Thungerlane's marefriend.

It wasnt this first time Thunderlane had brought Blossomforth with him to the pub.

"So then I do a triple loop and BLAM! I vanish into the cloud." Said Soarin, finishing up a story.

"Wow your right Thunderlane." Said Blossomforth. "He does tell great stories."

Thunderlane nodded and took a sip of cola.

"Whats new with you Caramel?" Asked Blossomforth.

"Nothing." Said Caramel.

Caramel noticed Comet tail step into the pub. He took his seat at the table.

"Your here kinda later than usual." Said Thunderlane.

"I had to do something." Said Comet tail.

Blossomforth took a sip of her drink.

"So isnt harvest coming up?" Asked
Thunderlane.

Every year near the end of fall, the Apple family and their fieldhands would harvest all the trees and store the apples away for the winter. After the end of harvest, there was usually a party to celebrate. Each field hand gets to bring one friend with them.

"Yes it is." Replied Caramel.

"How possible is it to get us into that party?" Asked Thunderlane.

"I kind of already told Comet that he would be my pick." Said Caramel.

"Im going." Said Soarin. "Rainbow is invited and as her coltfriend I get to go with her."

Thunderlane sighed. Caramel looked at the clock.

"I need to get home and sleep." Said Caramel. "I have work tomorrow."

"Night then." Said Comet tail.

Caramel got up and headed home.

Work tomorrow.

Yeah if you didnt know, there is a sister story to this centered around Comet tail and Twilight.