Chapter 2: Colts’ Night Out
As Celestia’s sun began to descend from the center of the sky, Caramel strode into town heading toward Carousel Boutique. After the amount of manual labor he was dragged through, he planned on having a quiet, relaxing day without any distractions. But first he had to complete Applebloom’s task and talk to Sweetie Belle; and hopefully even strike up a chat with Rarity. Caramel had helped the eccentric unicorn before when not asked to assist on Sweet Apple Acres. He would sometimes help in stocking supplies and delivering orders straight to customers for Rarity whenever she asked him to; and of course, he could never say no. In fact, Caramel would do any job anypony asked of him, regardless of pay. He was simply that loyal, clumsy though he may have been. When he knocked on the door of the boutique, it was answered by the little white filly who was Rarity’s sister.
“Hi, Caramel,” smiled Sweetie Belle. “What brings you here?”
“Just wanted to stop by to give you something.” He answered as he held out the album. “Applebloom said it was for your Cutie Mark Crusader thing.”
“Oh thanks. Do you want to come in?”
“Sure. Is your sister around?”
“Oh yeah. She’s just in the kitchen talking to a friend of hers from Canterlot. Bor-ing!”
“Really? Maybe I should meet this friend of hers.”
“Eh, she’s just one of those prim and proper rich celebrity ponies. But I guess if you can stand to listen to my sister talk, then by all means.”
“Heh heh, thanks.”
Sweetie Belle scampered off as Caramel walked toward the kitchen in the back. He poked his head in the doorway and saw Rarity pouring a cup of tea on the counter. She turned around and noticed him.
“Caramel, darling, good to see you.” She greeted.
“Hey, Rarity, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Caramel said.
“Not at all; I was just catching up with a friend of mine from Canterlot.” Rarity walked over to the kitchen table where another pony was sitting. “Caramel, I’d like you to meet Fleur de Lis.”
Caramel’s eyes widened as he gazed at the pony sitting opposite Rarity. There before him was a tall, slim, unicorn mare with a rose white coat. Her mane and tail were a tinted shade of bubblegum pink, and her glimmering eyes were a pale violet. The cutie mark on her flank was a trio of the flower symbols that shared her name, two purple and one gold. The mare was attractively slender in figure and sat with an air of etiquette and sophistication. She lowered her eyelids, shaded with makeup, and smiled politely at Caramel. The light brown earth stallion began to shake in his knees as the mare named Fleur de Lis spoke.
“Hello there, Caramel,” she said in a proper manner. “It’s a pleasure to meet one of Rarity’s friends.” She extended her hoof daintily in greeting.
Caramel stammered nervously as he stared at the angelic unicorn. “It’s a meet to pleasure you too.” He then reached out his hoof, without taking his eyes off her, and missed repeatedly as he tried to reach for hers.
Fleur de Lis noticed his shaky hoof and grabbed it gently, shaking it.
“Caramel, Fleur de Lis here is a very popular face around Canterlot.” Rarity said, standing beside them. “She’s a supermodel for Unicorn Vogue. In fact, she’s one of the richest ponies in the modeling industry.”
“You don’t say.” Caramel responded still staring at Rarity’s guest.
“Yes, I’m here in Ponyville on a little vacation.” Fleur de Lis said. “I just adore the quaint countryside. Tell me, Mr., uh, Caramel, what do you do?”
“Oh, you know, this and that.” He replied as he rubbed the back of his head. I sometimes help out Rarity here at the shop.”
“Oh? I suppose you are skilled in sewing as well?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” Caramel lied, drawing a questioning eye from Rarity.
Fleur de Lis then looked up at a clock on the wall. “Oh dear, where does the time go? I’m late for a luncheon with Mayor Mare. I’d hate to leave in such a hurry, Rarity dear.”
“Oh it’s no trouble at all, Fleur,” said Rarity. “I won’t keep you.”
“Thank you for the tea.” Fleur de Lis said to her as she strode out of the kitchen. “It was nice meeting you, Caramel.”
Caramel responded with an unintelligible mumble of gibberish. He was without words as he watched the Canterlot supermodel strut toward the front door. There was something about her that made his every fiber turn numb, whether it was her bright pink mane that flowed elegantly around her head or the prominent horn that rose from beneath it. But Caramel’s head especially swelled when he saw her from behind.
“Sweet mama,” he uttered discretely under his breath. “Fleur de Lis must be Prench for Rockin’ Flank!”
“Did you say something, Caramel?” asked Rarity.
Caramel shook off his gaze and turned to her. “Oh, uh, nothing. I said nothing.”
“Are you feeling alright? You seem like you have a fever.”
“No, no, I’m fine, really.” He turned his head back in the direction of the front door.
“You know, Caramel,” she smiled warmly. “You’ve really perked up ever since Sassaflash left you.”
“Who? Oh yeah, I guess so.” Caramel said still mentally distracted.
“I just want you to know that even if you still feel down, I’ll be here for you; Sweetie Belle, too.”
He returned his attention. “Uh, thanks, Rarity. That means a lot. Um, I’d like to stay and chat but, uh, I think I hear Applejack calling me.”
“She does tend to be quite boisterous. Well, have a good day, Caramel. Glad you could stop by.”
“See ya, Rarity!”
Caramel seemed to exit in a hurry. He began to feel beads of sweat on his forehead, thinking back to his vision of Fleur de Lis. Never before had he become so overwhelmed by a mare’s beauty. He started on his trek toward home, feeling as though he was floating like a pegasus. But his floating was cut short when he ran into a passerby.
“Ouch! Jeez, Caramel, you can’t even walk without being clumsy?”
It was his best male friend, Time Turner. He and Caramel had been old pals since they were school colts. Time Turner seemed to make up for his friend’s awkwardness as he was smoother and better-spoken; he often busted Caramel’s chops when given the chance. Nonetheless, the two managed to keep their friendship alive with frequent outings in Ponyville with other stallions. Of course, Caramel would wind up being the flank of the joke.
“Sorry, Time Turner,” said Caramel. “I, uh, I’ve just been working long hours over in Sweet Apple Acres and I’m a bit drained.”
“Well I hope you’re not too tired to hang out.” Time Turner replied. “Lucky and Noteworthy want to meet us for drinks later tonight. You in?”
Caramel hesitated. He didn’t feel much like drinking cider with his buds as much as he enjoyed it. He was planning on just having a relaxing evening alone. But being a complete yes pony, he couldn’t refuse his friend.
“Sure, sounds great.” His head was already feeling light.
“Cool, same time same place.” Time Turner said. “Are you okay, dude? You look like you just came out of a sauna.”
“Uh, I’m fine.” Caramel glanced quickly to his left and then did a double take. From afar, he saw her; Fleur de Lis walked down an adjacent sidewalk, still in her poised stride. A quirky smile stretched across Caramel’s face as he watched her. Then Time Turner caught where he was staring.
“Hey, is that Fleur de Lis?” he asked. “Wow, that mare’s got it made! She’s like the richest model in Equestria. And just look at that body.”
“Yeah…body.”
“Can you imagine what it would be like to date her? You’d have to be the luckiest stallion alive! …Well, see ya tonight, Caramel.”
“Huh? Oh yeah. See ya later, Turner.” Caramel matched his friend’s brohoof before they went off in separate directions. He tried to focus on not bumping into anypony else, but his mind was still overloaded with dreamy images of Fleur de Lis. He knew he was in for a long night.
The afternoon ended slowly. Caramel had been sitting at home, not even bothering to check his mailbox, alone with his thoughts. He played a record from his favorite band, Led Zebra, as he lay on his couch reflecting on his encounter with Fleur de Lis. The evening dragged on this way minute by minute, until the setting sun told him it was time to hit the town. As Luna’s moon began to manifest in the sky, Caramel headed toward the Ponyville Cider Bar which was run by Mr. Cake. When he arrived at the bar next to Sugarcube Corner, he saw his three friends sitting at a nearby table, Time Turner, Lucky, and Noteworthy who waved him over. The four carried on coltish banter as the night wore on.
“For the last time, that’s not how it happened!” Lucky said, agitated.
“Don’t be ashamed, Lucky,” teased Time Turner. “We all get our cutie marks, one way or another.”
“Even if it does involve your mother.” Noteworthy chuckled.
Lucky grumbled and swilled back his cider.
“Hey Caramel, you okay, bud?” asked Noteworthy. “You hardly said anything since you got here.”
“Uh, I’m just a little out of it, I guess.” Caramel looked down at his glass.
“Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about Sassaflash.” Time Turner said.
“Well…actually-”
“Listen, Caramel,” interrupted Lucky. “It’s time you found yourself somepony new. The thing about mares is that they come and go, and Sassaflash already came and went. For now, let’s just get you a sweet face for tonight.” He then turned to flag down a passing mare and spoke with his speech a bit slurred by the cider. “Hey babe, you feeling…‘lucky’ tonight?”
Twilight Sparkle slapped Lucky clear across the face. “Go soak your head, Lucky.”
“Aw come on, don’t be like that, Twilight.”
Then, Twilight levitated Lucky’s drink with her magic and dumped the cider over his head. “Never mind, I did it for you.” She grinned smugly and walked away.
“Smooth one.” Noteworthy scoffed.
“Come on, Caramel,” continued Time Turner. “You’ve been moping for weeks. Have another cider and cut loose.”
“I don’t really drink as much you guys.” Caramel replied. “I get a little…wobbly after too many ciders. Maybe I should just go home.”
“Nonsense, this is colts’ night out,” said Noteworthy, raising his glass. “Let’s just forget about mares and go wild.”
“Yeah, who needs ‘em?” added Lucky, wiping his face with a napkin.
“Another round on us, Mr. Cake!” called Time Turner who then turned back to Caramel. “Hey, how about a game of darts, huh?”
Caramel thought worriedly about the consequences of throwing darts while under the influence of cider. Then, he suddenly felt an urge to abandon his fatigue and be spontaneous.
“Well, I guess I can stay for a bit longer.”
“Now you’re talking!” bellowed Noteworthy.
The four pals clinked their glasses and swilled back. The next couple hours would be filled with games of pool and darts and clumsy dancing to rock music, all while the cider kept flowing. At one point, Lucky temporarily fell asleep on a table and Time Turner wrote “Marry me, Twilight” across his forehead. Caramel had never drunk as much cider as he had that night, and he became rather tipsy. It wasn’t long before the entourage left the bar in search of other entertainment. They started to stumble over each other with Caramel being the only one with any better judgment left.
“Hey, let’s go see what Big Macintosh is up to.” Time Turner said with a hiccup.
“Yeah, that stallion’s always got something to say.” Noteworthy replied.
“You guys go on ahead,” said Caramel. “I’m gonna get some cash from home first.”
“Whoo! Sweet Apple Acres! Whoohoo!” cheered Lucky still oblivious to the message on his head.
Caramel started down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of his friends. He tried to keep control over his motor skills as he tripped and scuffed his hooves toward his house. Eventually, he was the only pony out and about in the moonlit Ponyville streets. A strange sense of calm loneliness settled in the empty dark town. Then, Caramel heard a scream. He stopped in his wobbly steps as he perked his ears up; the mysterious shriek came from the left around the next corner. Cantering, he continued and peered around the corner to see what the trouble was; he gasped when he saw it.
“Come on, lady, fork it over!”
“You won’t get a bit out of me, you scoundrel!”
To Caramel’s shock, a mare was being mugged by a sleazy earth stallion wearing a ski mask and striped shirt. What was the most stunning was that the mare was Fleur de Lis clutching a saddlebag in her hoof.
“Just give me the purse and you’ll never see me again.” The mugger snarled.
“I will do no such thing!” retorted Fleur de Lis. “I don’t comply with thieves.”
Caramel watched in horror as the mare who had infected his mind was being backed into a wall by the thief. His heartbeat quickened as he sorted through his head what to do.
“Say, you’re not that bad lookin’, sweet cheeks.” The thief smiled dastardly. “Maybe we can work out something else.”
“Get away from me!” yelped Fleur de Lis as she was trapped against the wall. “Help! Somepony help! Thief!”
She cowered in fear as the greasy mugger grabbed her foreleg and swiped the saddlebag from it. But he didn’t yet leave as he stared sinisterly at the poor unicorn. Then, a voice was heard from nearby.
“Hey! The lady said no, punk!”
Both the thief and Fleur de Lis looked in surprise to see a light brown earth stallion standing in the road. Caramel stood staring angrily at the masked criminal. But the standoff did nothing to distract the thief from running off, leaving a distracted Fleur de Lis without her saddlebag.
“You’re not going anywhere!” shouted Caramel as he took off after the robber.
The chase ensued down the road as the two galloped away. But the thief proved to be faster as Caramel became sluggish from the effect of the cider. He could see the saddlebag hanging off the thief’s back and he felt it was just in reach. Switching to running on three legs, Caramel stretched out his front right aiming for the dangling bag. It was merely inches away and he strained with all his might to reach just a little further. But suddenly, he lost control of his hooves and stepped into a pothole.
“Oh no.”
The blunder tripped him up and sent him tumbling forward. He ended up rolling into the still galloping thief and knocked clear into him. The impact sent both ponies crashing to the pavement, tumbling into a disgruntled mess. The two stopped rolling and Caramel slowly raised his head. He felt a ringing pain in his cranium as he looked around to see the damage. To his realization, he saw the thief lying in a daze beside him, with the saddlebag discarded next to him. Then, Caramel heard hoofsteps walking toward him slowly. He turned to see Fleur de Lis approaching him with a stunned expression. Without further hesitation, Caramel struggled to his hooves and stumbled over to the passed out thief, picking up the shaken saddlebag; he held it out to Fleur de Lis with a sheepish smile.
“Uh, here you go, ma’am.” He said with a stutter. “Are you alright? That robber didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Fleur de Lis only stared at him blankly. Then, after a long pause, she quickly wrapped Caramel in a tight hug. The heat swelled to his head as he felt her warm embrace conform around him. Fleur de Lis pulled away and smiled.
“Thank you so much!” she beamed. “I thought I would never be saved. And I have so much money in this bag. If it weren’t for you, I would have lost it all and be harmed by that scoundrel.”
“Well, it was nothing really.” Caramel shrugged with a blush and looked at her with innocent eyes.
She looked back with a similar look. “I absolutely must repay you for your heroism.”
“Oh, uh, that’s alright, I don’t need any money.”
“Well then, might I repay you some other way?” she fluttered her curled eyelashes.
“Uh, what do you mean?” he asked nervously.
“Why don’t we meet for dinner tomorrow? I hear there’s a fair restaurant in town. I think it’s called T.C.I. Fridays. Would that be enough for repayment?”
“You mean…a date?”
“Of course; anything for my hero.” Fleur de Lis looked at Caramel affectionately and wiped a spot of dirt from his cheek.
Caramel didn’t know what to make of it. He was being asked out on a date by a Canterlot supermodel; and on top of that, she called him her hero. He knew what the right response was, but he could not find the right words to say it. Shaking, he rifled through his mind for those right words.
“Yes, definitely, I’d love to.” He stammered.
“Splendid!” smiled Fleur de Lis. “Why don’t we meet tomorrow at seven?”
“Sounds great.”
“You know, I knew there was something about you when I met you at Rarity’s, Mr., uh, oh soot! I’m sorry; I’ve seen to have forgotten your name.”
At that moment, so did he. “I’m, uh, I’m, eh, I’m, duh, I’m…Caramel! Just Caramel.”
“Well then, Just Caramel, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Yeah, uh, see ya.”
Fleur de Lis turned and walked off; but then she stopped and turned her head one last time. She lowered her eyelids and blew Caramel a kiss before continuing on. Just as the feeling was returning to his head, it soon left again, as he watched her stride off. Caramel then turned to return home with a spring in his step. Just like that, he had a dinner date with the most beautiful unicorn he had ever met. That night, he would lie in bed staring up at the ceiling and listen to his Led Zebra album, wondering what the next day would hold.