Chapter 6: Cutie Mark Cupids
“Crusaders, assemble!”
Sweetie Belle stood against the back wall of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse as Applebloom and Scootaloo directed their attention to her.
“Why are you callin’ assembly?” glared Applebloom. “Ah’m the leader of this outfit.”
“You? I thought I was the leader this whole time!” added Scootaloo.
The three fillies exchanged glances, wondering who exactly the leader was. Then Sweetie Belle cleared her throat and continued.
“Girls, I’ve just found out who Caramel’s mystery mare is. He’s dating Fleur de Lis!”
Applebloom and Scootaloo gasped and gawked at each other. After a slight pause, they returned their attention.
“Who’s Fleur de Lis?” asked Applebloom.
Sweetie Belle looked at her discerningly. “You know, the Fleur de Lis? She’s the biggest supermodel in Canterlot?”
The yellow farm filly only gave a blank stare.
“Well, she sounds like a real catch.” Scootaloo smiled. “The biggest model in Canterlot, you say? Caramel must be sitting pretty.”
“There’s just one problem.” Sweetie Belle said. “Fleur de Lis is engaged to Fancypants!”
The two listening fillies gasped again dramatically.
“Who’s Fancypants?” asked Scootaloo.
“Oh for the love of- that’s not the point!” Sweetie Belle facehoofed. “Look, what matters now is that our friend is having an affair with somepony’s wife-to-be.”
Applebloom frowned. “But, Caramel wouldn’t do something like that…would he?”
“Not our Caramel.” Sweetie Belle continued. “But I think that Fleur de Lis has got him hypnotized into running off with her. And that’s where he needs our help.”
“How exactly are we going to help him?” asked Scootaloo.
“We need to remind Caramel about his feelings for Sassaflash. It’s the only way to get him out of this mare’s trap. We don’t want our stallion committing adultery.”
“A-what-ery?” replied Applebloom.
“That’s just a word I picked up from Rarity; along with a few other weird words that she only says when she’s really mad…anyway, Caramel needs our help. And I know just how we’re going to do it.”
“Sweetie’s right,” said Applebloom. “We gotta remind him of the good ol’ days with Sassaflash. Ah know he still loves her deep inside.”
“We should probably follow him first.” Scootaloo suggested. “We’re gonna want to know just what he’s up to with that Fleur de Lis.”
“Yeah, we’re going to teach that succubus a lesson.” Sweetie Belle then stood with pride. “Fillies, until further notice, we are now the Cutie Mark Cupids!”
“YAY!”
The three troublemakers scampered out of the clubhouse toward town.
“Hey Sweetie Belle,” said Applebloom. “What’s a succubus?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “I just heard Rarity muttering that about Fleur de Lis. She also called her a few other things, but I wasn’t sure what they meant.”
That afternoon, Caramel and Fleur de Lis strolled through Ponyville with an air of romance hovering between them; Caramel kept his eyes peeled for Fancypants’s black limo. As the couple walked toward the train station, they struck up conversation.
“I can’t believe we’re really doing this.” Fleur de Lis smiled.
“Please, I’ve eloped with celebrities, dozens of times before.” Caramel joked bringing a giggle from his new lover; then he changed the subject. “So what are you going to do, now that Fancypants is out of the picture?”
“Well, I guess I should find another hotel first. I think I’ll catch a train back to Canterlot, until we meet again.”
“And what happens then?”
She looked at him with sparkling eyes. “We start a new life together. We’ll live somewhere where nopony will bother us about our relationship.”
“Wow, live together, huh?” he replied and paused to think. “That sounds pretty heavy. Don’t get me wrong, Fleur, I really do want to spend my life with you, but I don’t know how I can leave everything I have here in Ponyville.”
“I won’t drag you completely away from your friends, Caramel. We won’t even have to leave forever. We could just go from place to place until things are straightened out. Come on, Caramel, why don’t we visit Prance together? I can just envision it now.”
Caramel sighed as he soaked in her words. “I just don’t know. Fleur, I love you, but this is a pretty big life change.”
“Why don’t I give you some time to mull it over? Talk to your friends; I’m sure they’ll understand.” She gave him a peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow, my hero.”
He smiled again. “Take your time, babe.”
Fleur de Lis left him and headed toward the station to catch the express to Canterlot. After standing with a fluttering in his heart, Caramel took this new turn of events into consideration. Leaving Ponyville was something he had never pictured himself doing, especially in an affair. He gave another sigh and walked back into town. After wandering for several minutes, it suddenly occurred to him. None of his friends even knew about his affair with Fleur de Lis except for Rarity. If the fashionista unicorn couldn’t take the news in a positive light, then there seemed to be little hope that the rest of his pals would. Here he was, starting a new life with a mare that he had only known for a day and a half, and now he was obligated to break it to the ponies that he had known for years. Caramel knew he needed sound guidance, and there was one stallion who had just that. After a while, he finally approached a house by the marketplace and knocked on the door. Without wait, Time Turner answered and greeted him.
“Caramel, hey bro. I didn’t see you at all yesterday. I hope all that cider didn’t put you in a coma.”
“Turner, can I come in?” asked Caramel in a serious mood. “There’s something I need to get off my chest.”
A few minutes later, Time Turner poured some lemonade for himself and Caramel and the two friends sat down in the living room. Caramel looked down, as if his night of debauchery with his buds had no effect on him.
“Are you okay, Caramel?” asked Time Turner. “You’re not still depressed, are you?”
“Listen, something happened on the night we partied. I saw this mare being mugged by some creep. I knocked him out and she thanked me by asking me out. And that’s what I was doing yesterday.”
“Get out of here, really? That’s fantastic, bro; you’re getting back in the game! What did you do yesterday?”
“Well, we had a nice dinner and dessert. But then, she invited me into her hotel room, and she let me sleep overnight with her.”
“Oh ho! That’s what I’m talking about. You see? I knew you would snap out of this funk sooner or later.”
“Um, there’s still kind of a catch with what happened.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s…” he gulped trying to work up the nerve to answer him. “…engaged.”
Time Turner sat there staring for several seconds before speaking again. “So…you’re having an affair, then?”
Caramel nodded in defeat.
Then, Time Turner snorted with laughter. “So what are you so gloomy about?”
“Huh?”
“Dude, she’s engaged! That’s hardly an affair at all. I mean, it’s not like she’s full blown married. Besides, affairs aren’t illegal; they’re just…frowned upon. Does her fiancée know about this?”
“Well, now he does. He stopped by the Stable Inn where we were sleeping the next morning, and that’s when I found out she was betrothed. Then, she completely broke it off with her husband-to-be right then and there. Now, she wants to run away with me and elope. And that’s what brings me to you.”
“Do you want to run away with her?”
“I…I guess. I mean, if I don’t, she’ll be devastated. And I can’t let a mare like her down. She’s everything a stallion could want.”
“Then I say you should do it, Caramel. This is exactly the turnaround you needed after loosing Sassaflash. If that mare makes you happy and you do the same for her, then you shouldn’t let anything else stop you; not even her loser fiancée.”
“Wow, you seem pretty positive about this, Turner.”
“Hey, what are friends for? Just make sure that wherever you go, you stop by Ponyville pretty often. We’ll be here to drink another night.”
“You’re a real pal, Turner. I can’t thank you enough.”
“No problemo. Hey wait, you haven’t told me who this mare is anyway.”
“Oh yeah, sorry. I guess I should’ve mentioned that already. Believe it or not, I’m dating Fleur de Lis.”
“Fleur de Lis? Why does that name sound so familiar? Oh yeah, she’s that big model on all the fashion magazines. Cool, bro, you’re having an affair with Fleur de Lis.” Time Turner paused and considered the words that had just come out of his mouth. Then, his face was overcome with dumbfounded shock. He sprang up and shook Caramel violently. “You’re having an affair with FLEUR DE LIS?!?!?!”
Caramel responded with his voice in tremolo as his head was flung back and forth. “I thought you were cool about this!”
“Caramel! This is not cool! Do you realize what you’ve gotten yourself into?!”
“Stop shaking me!”
Time Turner let go of Caramel leaving him to wobble in dizziness.
“Turner, what’s the big deal?” he said shaking off. “Sure she’s a celebrity, but she’s really sweet and fun.”
“But she’s marrying Fancypants!”
“Am I seriously the only one who didn’t about this?”
“Dude, that stallion has more money than everypony in Ponyville combined. Do you realize what he’ll do now that he knows you’re running off with his fiancée? He’ll sue the tail right off of your behind!”
“Look, I know I’m in trouble, and there’s no escaping it. But Fleur de Lis means too much to me right now. I need to find away to sort this mess out and still make her happy. But I need you to be on my side. Please, don’t let anypony get on my case; especially not Rarity.”
“Caramel, I always knew you were a klutz, but this is a new extreme. If that mare is roping you into this, she must be crazy.”
“But I’m crazier for her. Tuner, you’ve never let me down before. I just need to go to Canterlot and…maybe I can convince her to talk to Fancypants and break it off slowly with him. That’s reasonable right? Maybe he won’t even be that mad. Right?”
Time Turner sighed. “You do whatever you need to, bro. If you think you can get yourself out of this jam, then I’ll let you. Besides, what are friends for?”
“Thanks a lot, Turner. I’m not going to slip up this time. I’ll see you later.”
Caramel brohoofed his friend before quickly exiting the house. Time Turner sat rubbing his temples as he tried to wrap his mind around the situation. He had never thought Caramel would be stuck in a bind such as an affair with a crazed celebrity mare; and he doubted he could keep quiet about it for long. With a sulk, Time Turner got up and walked into the kitchen to pour himself more lemonade. But as he downed another glass, he heard his front door slam open. He quickly turned around to see three fillies entering his house and staring sharply at him. As they approached him, the yellow one with the bow in her mane spoke first.
“Alright, mister,” said Applebloom menacingly. “What’s yer friend up to now?”
Time Turner stared back with confusion. “What are you talking about? Shouldn’t you girls be in school or something?”
“Cut the chitchat, Turner,” scolded Scootaloo. “We followed Caramel to your place and we know he talked to you about his affair with Fleur de Lis.”
“Wait, how did you three know about that?”
Then, Sweetie Belle stuck her little face in his with a glower. “So you do know. Now, where is he off to? What has Caramel got planned with that hypnotizing mare?”
It was then that he realized that these fillies were on to Caramel. He remembered his promise to Caramel and stood firm. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. He hasn’t told me anything. Now I suggest you fillies stop getting in adult business. Why don’t you go play somewhere?”
“Oh, we’re done playing.” Scootaloo hissed.
Before Time Turner could respond, Applebloom tackled him to the floor and stood on his chest. He struggled to get up, but the other two fillies pinned down all four of his legs. Then, Applebloom smiled a dastardly grin as Sweetie Belle gave her a paper bag. She took the bag and out of it pulled a sweet red fruit.
“Apple, sir?” asked Applebloom as she stared at him intently.
Time Turner gulped with a look of fear in his eyes.