//------------------------------//
// Prologue: The Unknown Date 
// Story: Roots 
// by Storm butt 
//------------------------------//

	Caramel stared out the window at the last traces of melting snow dripping from his rooftop. It was Spring, and Winter Wrap Up had just finished late in the week before. Normally all the snow would be gone by now, but the icicles that hung from his rooftop faced outward to a thicket of trees in such a way that it would be hard to see without simply landing and inspecting each house though rally. It was his own little personal reminder of winter that perhaps only his home possessed, quickly melting to catch up with the rest of Spring. If he were obsessed with perfection like Princess Twilight Sparkle was about the Wrap Up, he might have gone outside and knocked them down himself. But he liked the little reminder of the season change, and to see it naturally melt and fade away as the air gradually grew warmer. It was a distracter, and Celestia only knew how many of those he needed this morning.

Caramel’s cheek pressed down against the cold tile of the half counter half tabletop in the center of his and Sage’s kitchen. The smell of coffee was fierce in the air, strong in such a way that only Sage could handle. The smell of cooking food on the stovetop was alluring, but Caramel’s belly was too twisted up to even think about eating. He didn’t realize it until he heard Sage clear his throat, but he had been annoyingly and impatiently been tapping his hoof down against the floor for the past minute and a half.

“I don’t think I remember the last time you didn’t eat when I made food,” Sage said. Caramel tore his eyes away from the window and up to his brother to be greeted with a face that mirrored his own. The big blue eyes, the parted brown mane, and even the color of their fur matched. The only distinct difference between the two was the horn placed in the middle of Sage’s forehead. His brother had a cocky sort of teasing smile while Caramel groaned in response. “You sure you don’t want one of my hay bacon strips?”

“Mmm,” Caramel replied. It was vague and not really an answer, but it was the best he could do right now. He sat up with a bit of struggle and stared down at the tiled counter before tracing his hoof in small circles to keep himself busy.

“Am I dumb to be so worried?” Caramel asked suddenly. It had been a question weighing on his mind for a while. He wasn’t even sure if he was asking it seriously, or if he intended to at all. It sort of just slipped out.

“Yes,” Sage replied.

“Gee, don’t hesitate, tell me what you really think,” Caramel muttered.

“I’m just wondering,” Sage said through a mouth filled with a large bite from one of his hay bacon strips. His words were slightly muffled as he looked up from the newspaper laid out in front of him and spoke between sips of his coffee. “You’re going to ask me that how many more times before Mac gets here?”

That was a good question, one Caramel didn’t like to think about too much because it made his chest all tight. Maybe he was reading into it… okay, he knew he was reading into it. The last time he had seen Big Macintosh had been when he was helping him during Winter Wrap Up three days prior. It wasn’t uncommon for him to help around the farm the best he could, so helping that day felt like routine more than a chore. However when they parted and made plans for their next visit, something had stuck out.

“Let’s go somewhere Tuesday, alright?  Bright an’ early. I wanna show you somethin’ special, Sugar Cube. It’s a surprise.”

Caramel had let those words pass without thought in the moment. At the time he had been thinking about the sweat making his mane look ragged and greasy and just how sore his legs would feel the following day. Maybe if he was thinking straight he might have been able to ask further questions. Maybe he wouldn’t be sitting here anxious for what felt like no apparent reason. It wasn’t like Mac to be so vague, because as far as he knew Mac wasn’t one for surprises. Mac was strict with plans, as he had to be given the fact he was always so busy on the farm. It was never vague, never winging it. Never… something special. He knew Mac near better than he knew himself, and this stuck out to him.

Maybe Sage was right and he was just being stupid. Caramel gnawed on his lip and let his teeth sink into a familiar position they had seemingly been glued to for the past three days. He didn’t know what to feel, which of course resulted in his default state of mind which was worry. Mac only beat around the bush when it was something bad, or something Caramel wouldn’t like. Why should he expect this to be any different?

“Maybe it’s a proposal,” Sage said. He said it so casually too, as though he were commenting on the weather.

“Huh?” Caramel almost yelped like a dog. “C-C’mon don’t joke about that!  Mac wouldn’t… I mean… N-No way!”

This was usually the time where Sage chuckled and said he was just joking. Caramel had meant to tell his brother time and time again that somebody trained medically like a doctor really shouldn’t tell jokes, mostly because it was likely to scare the patients, but he had a feeling Sage wouldn’t listen. However, no humor was in his brother’s eyes when he looked up and stared at Caramel. In fact, all Sage did was shrug.

“I’m just saying,” Sage said in a matter of fact sort of tone which only made Caramel’s belly twist. “You two have been at it a while. Just let me know if I’ll be your best man, alright?”

There was a glint of humor finally, but not in the part of the sentence Caramel wanted to hear it. In fact all he did was bite his lip harder and stare down at the tiles on the counter. Was he ready for something like that? Did Mac think about that stuff? They had never talked about it seriously before because they were so comfortable in the routine they had developed.

Wait, why was he giving this serious thought?  Caramel groaned and planted a hoof over his left eye.

“C’mon Sage, you don’t really think that…”

Caramel was interrupted by a knock at the door, one that made the fur on his tail stick up like a cat as he jumped. Sage chuckled at his reaction as Caramel scrambled out of his seat, nearly tripping but regaining balance at the last second. Last thing he needed was a giant bruise or bump to go along with his stress.

“Here comes the bride,” Sage began to sing in a teasing manner that urged Caramel very strongly to go over and smack him with the newspaper he was holding. He glared at Sage and that was enough to get him to shut up, but not stop smirking.

Caramel took a long, shaking sort of breath when he glanced out the window curtain and caught a glimpse at Big Macintosh. What normally made him feel warm and fuzzy now made his chest tighten with the lingering sensation of anxiety. He saw something very odd that caught him off guard, and it was the fact that Big Macintosh was carrying flowers. It wasn’t just something he looked to have picked up on the way here from the ground, but a professional looking arrangement of white tulips and red lily’s all mixed together. Mac wasn’t one for big and cliché gestures of romance. Caramel didn’t realize just how long he had been staring until Mac cocked his head slightly and caught sight of him. He smiled, and Caramel felt his heart give a single solid thump in his chest before he dove back behind the safety of the curtain.

“He has flowers,” Caramel mumbled aloud.

“That horrible stallion,” Sage said sarcastically. The unicorn’s attention was clearly focused on the newspaper in front of him and not his brother. “Break up with him instantly.”

Any other time Caramel might have found the nerve or motivation to glare in Sage’s general direction, but right now he was struggling just to remember to breathe. With great force he managed to take in a long, deep breath and move towards the direction of the door which he flung open a little too quickly to be natural.

“Hey Mac!” Caramel said. He tried to force a smile to mask his nerves, but if it looked fake Big Macintosh didn’t seem to notice by the way he kept smiling.

“Howdy, Sugarcube,” Big Macintosh said as he moved forward. Without hesitation he planted his lips on Caramel’s own and instantly Caramel was overwhelmed with an overpowering scent of cinnamon and apples. Strands of Mac’s mane ran down to his forehead and tickled, and Caramel realized that unlike usual the workhorse wasn’t greasy with signs of a long day of work. He had cleaned up, and clearly very thoroughly by the way Caramel couldn’t get a hint of his boyfriend’s usual sweat lingering under the normal apple smell.

“Hehe,” Big Macintosh actually giggled much like a filly when they parted lips. “I missed you, Sugar.”

“Uh, y-yeah,” Caramel nodded. He realized very fast this was a stupid response and felt his face grow warm. He lifted a hoof and placed it on Mac’s chest yet couldn’t look his boyfriend in the eye. “You too.”

The stupid response got stupider.

“I work third shift tonight!” Sage called. “So I’m not gonna be feeding you, Cara!”

“Guess I’m takin’ you home tonight,” Mac chuckled when he whispered into Caramel’s ear.

“I guess,” Caramel nodded, still desperately trying to say something more interesting. He felt silly for being so nervous. Mac had picked him up a hundred times before and he had long since stopped being so nervous and fidgety about everything. He felt as though he were physically reverting to two years ago, when the two had first started to go out together.

Caramel said his goodbyes to Sage and went out the door walking side by side with Mac. The spring air filled his lungs and the soft soil still wet with the last remnants of melting snow soaked into his hooves. He didn’t mind, though, for he preferred the sensation of mud to the sensation of frostbite. In fact, Caramel enjoyed a lot about Spring. Every year on the first day after Winter Wrap Up no matter where he had lived he always went out alone. Far from ponies, as far as he could reasonably go, just to take in the weather he had been waiting for since the first signs of snowfall.

This was the first year Caramel had waited. He didn’t want to do it alone anymore. He wanted Mac to be a part of the experience with him. He supposed this was close enough, though it was more than likely Mac had already taken in the beginning of Spring on his own.

Caramel was ripped from his thoughts by the sudden thud against his side of Mac’s entire body. It was light, playful, and strangely gentle given the sheer muscle mass of the workhorse.

“You okay, Sugarcube?” Big Macintosh asked.

Was it that obvious?

“Yeah,” Caramel nodded. He wasn’t sure if he was lying. The two had been walking for less than a minute. If he looked behind his shoulder he could still see his house. He wished that he hadn’t let Sage’s taunting about a proposal get so wrapped up in his nerves. He knew his brother was joking, but a little joke usually went a far way until proven false in Caramel’s mind.

Caramel was starting to get wrapped up again in his thoughts when he felt lips press down to his ear and pull. The hot breath of the workhorse tickled at his fur and made him giggle loudly as he lifted his hoof to push Mac away, but the red earth pony clung and wiggled his head around so the sensation only grew.

“C-C’mohohon you weirdo!” Caramel giggled.

“There’s my Sugar,” Mac said when he released his lips. His tone was soft and playful, but loving nonetheless. For just a moment Caramel thought himself silly to worry at all, and things were almost back to usual. He bumped into Caramel again, and this time Caramel bumped back. “You sure you’re fine?”

“Yeah,” Caramel nodded his head. The word came out a bit more confidently this time. “I just… I’m a little nervous, I guess. You don’t… usually do surprises.”

“Nope,” Big Macintosh shook his head. “Don’t worry so much, Sugar. I just want you to meet someponies, that’s all.”

“Huh?” Caramel asked. He eyed the flowers Big Macintosh was carrying again. He hadn’t realized it until now, but he had assumed they were for him. If they were though, Mac would have given them to him in the house so he could set them in water. If they weren’t meant for him, then the only question left was… who exactly were they for?

“I didn’t know we were meeting somepony,” Caramel mumbled. Mac must have been watching him closely as Caramel lifted a hoof to stroke at his own mane while wishing he had brushed it better, because he said something. 

“You look fine, Sugarcube,” Mac chuckled. “Besides, they won’t care what you look like.”

“Who… Who are they?” Caramel asked with a moment’s hesitation.

Caramel didn’t realize it until now but they were on an odd path. Normally when Mac took him for walks they headed to the park or even through town to go around the pathways on Sweet Apple Acres, but instead they were heading for a thicket of trees down a path that didn’t look nearly as used as the others. Caramel struggled to remember what was down this way when he bit at the inside of his cheek. He had just been following Mac blindly, and when he looked over his shoulder he realized the closest home was at least fifty yards away.

“I want you to meet my folks,” Big Macintosh said with a small grin that Caramel now realized looked just the tiniest bit nervous by the way the workhorse wouldn’t meet his eye.

Then it hit Caramel. He remembered where this path was leading. It was a direct line to Ponyville’s cemetery.