//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Abandoned and Defended // Story: Forgotten in Manehattan // by Locomotion //------------------------------// Caramel was up bright and early the following morning. Having finished his breakfast, he quickly explained to his mother about his and Applejack's plans for the day before galloping eagerly off to the nearest cinema. Hopefully, he told himself, there would be something good on that both he and Applejack might like. The moment he arrived outside the cinema, he wasted no time checking the film posters either side of the entrance. Eventually, he fixed upon one that sported an image of a determined-looking stallion in a cowpony outfit, with an angry herd of buffalo relentlessly chasing after him. At the top of the poster were the words “FROM THE MAKERS OF 'INSPECTOR HORSE' AND 'THE STALLION WHO WOULD BE KING' – 'PONY EXPRESS'.” “Perfect! That's just the sort of film Applejack might like,” Caramel thought aloud. “Now what time is it on?” He quickly browsed through the film programme underneath the poster; 08:40, 10:25, 12:15, 14:00...okay, so there were was definitely a screening at about the time he intended to arrive back here with Applejack, and if by some chance they happened to miss it, then there was always another chance at around midday. With that in mind, he cantered briskly back to the penthouse where the Oranges lived, humming a little tune to himself as he thought about all the fun that he and Applejack would be having that day. That lasted until just a few moments after he had knocked on their front door, only to be answered by a surprised Seville Orange. “Why, Caramel!” she remarked. “I must say, this is a pleasant surprise.” “Good morning, Mrs Orange,” said Caramel politely. “You know if Applejack's up yet?” But for some reason, Seville seemed rather reluctant to answer. “Well...about that,” she said gravely, “I'm terribly sorry, my dear, but...well, I'm afraid Applejack won't be able to make it – ever.” Caramel's eagerness regarding his day's activities swiftly vanished as he began to fear the worst for his friend. “W...what are you talking about?” he exclaimed. “She left before Moseley and I had awoken,” explained Seville. “We found her bedroom empty, and there was a note on her bed saying that she had decided to go back to Ponyville.” The sound of Caramel's heart shattering as he took in Seville's words was almost audible. For a whole month, Applejack had given him something that other ponies took very much for granted, something that, at one time, he could only ever wish for. Just by being part of his life, she had given him the gift of friendship, and he was truly grateful for it. And yet, after all they meant to each other, she had turned tail and abandoned what little life she had had here. She had abandoned the Oranges, abandoned Manehattan – abandoned him......but even worse than that, he had lost the only pony he could ever have been able to call a friend. It was as if he was once again being left to live a life of isolation for the rest of his days. Without even bothering to thank Seville or bid her farewell, he turned and ran back down the steps and onto the street, tears spilling out of his eyes like waterfalls and causing his vision to blur; but even then, he didn't stop until he had reached his own house across the park. Ignoring his startled mother as he barged through the half-open front door, he bolted up the stairs, charged into his bedroom and flung himself across his bed, burying his face in his forelegs as he cried his heart and soul out. As that final recollection drew to its climax, Caramel gazed tearfully up at the slowly darkening sky, silently wondering whether there was anything that he could have said or done before...no, that wouldn't have done any good. If she had been so eager to get home, then nothing would have dissuaded her, not even for a single day; no matter what he did, he would still have been doomed to spend the next few years of his life at least with no friends and only one family member. But considering how much he kept messing up at Sweet Apple Acres, he probably deserved it anyhow. Maybe, then, all those other ponies in Manehattan were quite right to avoid him – maybe even victimise him to the point of beating him up. Even so, he still could remember one particular colt who knew better than to hurt the feelings of an unfortunate, heartbroken young soul... The years rolled slowly by, but still Caramel couldn't get over Applejack's unexpected departure from Manehattan, and gradually descended into a deep, deep depression. He hardly ever left the house, and for the most part remained locked away in his room with the blinds drawn, leaving himself trapped in a gloomy and very dimly lit atmosphere. But he didn't care; now that the one other pony who cared for him aside from his mother had gone, all he wanted was for his life to end. His mother did everything she could to try and boost his morale, but nothing seemed to work, and eventually she had no alternative but to take him to see their local psychiatrist. The upshot of that little appointment was a rather distressing one; because the tan-furred colt was so far gone, he was forced to take medication for his depression until it had subsided. By this time, Caramel had passed his final elementary grade and was now attending high school, but predictably things were no better there than they had been earlier. At the very least, he wasn't being avoided anymore; but somehow it felt far more welcoming than the way he was being treated now. Most of the students would make all sorts of horrid remarks about him, and some even deliberately tripped him up when he was making his way along the corridor. It was made even worse by the fact that he hadn't yet gained his Cutie Mark, though for what reason he couldn't seem to understand. In any event, he quickly became the least popular colt in the whole school, despite being one of the richest. One particular day, he was gathering up his textbooks, notepads and other belongings from his locker, ready to return home – and as seemed to be the norm, other students were obnoxiously hovering over him, making all sorts of rude remarks. “Hey, blank-flank,” called a gruff blue colt with dark green dreadlocks for a mane, “how long are ya gonna be? I got stuff I wanna get from my locker, and I don't want it contaminated by some loser like you!” “Leave him be,” sneered a magenta filly with magnolia mane and tail and a face so heavily made up that it would have caused most other ponies to recoil in disgust. “He's just a kid – what he's doing in a place like this, I dunno, but you never know what he'd do to pay us back – if he can do anything, that is!” “Face it, redneck,” droned another colt, dark grey in colour with a faded red mane and tail, “you're just a waste of space! Go throw yourself under a cab or something – there's no room in a place like this for some wannabe hick like you!” Caramel gritted his teeth as the three teenagers laughed horridly at him. If only they would just get tired of it and leave him alone... “Oh yeah?” cut in another voice, much more nasal by comparison. “Well, by that logic, neither is there any room for brainless bullies such as you guys! Now lay off, will ya?!” This took Caramel quite aback. He looked over his shoulder to see a buff-coated colt of about twelve years old standing just next to him, leering harshly at the three other ponies that had been bullying him just now. “Well, isn't that just predictable!” huffed the filly sarcastically. “First you encourage that nopony of a mule that he has something going for him, and now you're sticking up for a blank-flank who sides with a hick? Honestly, Brooklyn, what is it with you?” “Me?!” the buff-coated colt spat indignantly. “What's with you?! You slap that hideous muck all over your face, make it look like a rotten pile of garbage, and you seriously think you're better than him?” The filly directed a threatening leer at him. “Say that again! I dare you!” she growled aggressively. “C'mon, Brooklyn,” snorted the blue colt, “he's just a blank-flank...” “Then why are you doing this to him?!” bellowed Brooklyn fiercely. “Why are you making this pony's life a living Tartarus?! What has he ever done to you guys?!?” The grey one laughed horridly at him. “Aw, is little Brooklyn Dodger goin' all soft in the head?” he asked mockingly. “And what difference does it make if I am?!” countered Brooklyn sharply. “At least I have the guts to stand up for others – you cowards don't even have the strength to slap anypony round the haunches!” “Cowards?!” the blue one burst out in fury. “Nopony calls me a coward and gets away with it!” and before Caramel could stop him, he threw a vicious punch in Brooklyn's direction. But the buff-coated youth was more than ready for him. Only a split second before the hoof was about to strike, he swiftly sidestepped it and watched with a triumphant smirk as the unfortunate thug ended up punching an ugly hole in one of the other lockers. “Now who's a loser?” he taunted. The blue colt didn't reply. He could only grimace in pain and shock as he tried to pull his hoof clear of the hole in the locker – but to add to his alarm, he found that it was stuck fast, and he couldn't move it without causing severe bleeding. That was more than enough for the buff-coated colt to claim victory. “And let that be a lesson to the rest of you!” he ordered firmly. “Anypony who wants to offend this guy has to get through me first – if you can actually make it without the same results as your idiot fashion disaster of a pal!” The other two ponies backed away nervously, but immediately stopped when they bumped into something soft. Slowly turning around, they were even more horrified to see a teacher standing just behind them, glaring disapprovingly at the damage they had done. The teacher looked daggers at the three bullies. “So this is how I find you treating the newbies, is it?!” she scolded. “I'm absolutely ashamed of you three – I would have expected you to know better!” “But miss,” protested the filly pathetically, “it was that Brooks! He was the one...” “Don't give me all those lame excuses!” interrupted the teacher severely. “I saw you with my own eyes! You're in detention for the next two weeks – and if I catch you doing this again, I will have no choice but to expel you! Do I make myself clear?!” Neither of the two ponies had the strength to reply. They just looked guiltily at their front hooves. At that moment, Brooklyn's smirk faded as he remembered why he was here in the first place, and he edged slowly up to the tan-coated youngster he had been defending just now. “You okay, kid?” he asked gently. Needless to say, Caramel was so stunned by the whole turn of events that he could only stare in awe at the colt who had come to his rescue. Nopony had ever stood up for him before. “I...but...what...how did you do that?!” he blurted out. The buff-coated colt chuckled. “They don't call me Brooklyn Dodger for nothin',” he explained simply. “Besides, I could hardly leave somepony like you to suffer at the hooves of those punks.” Only then did Caramel manage a small smile – and for the first time in years, it was for real rather than just an act for the sake of looking sociable. “Thanks,” he said softly. “Ah, don't sweat it, kid,” answered Brooklyn modestly. “Just glad I could help. Tell ya what, how about you 'n' me go get a cup o' Joe? There's a real swell doughnut shop I know of near here.” “Um...sure – that'd be great,” agreed Caramel. He had never been to a doughnut shop before, and neither did he have any idea what “Joe” was aside from it apparently being some sort of drink; but somehow, he felt there was something really special about this Brooklyn Dodger fellow. It was almost as if part of what he had lost in Applejack was slowly being reinstated in the form of another pony. And quite right he was too. Though to some he may have come across as being brash and sometimes rather abrasive, Brooklyn (whom Caramel later learned was often known simply as Brooks) turned out to be very streetwise and very sympathetic towards outcasts. Even though he enjoyed a good joke every so often, it never came at other ponies' expenses, and he refused to stand for any kind of discrimination, even against non-pony species. The two ponies became fast friends, and the other fillies and colts in Caramel's school quickly learned that bullying him was a big mistake now that he had Brooklyn as his defender. At first, Caramel's mother was rather uneasy about her son having a commoner such as Brooklyn for a friend, but when she learned how loyal and considerate he had been towards Caramel when they first met, she gradually warmed to him, even going so far as to let him visit their house every so often. Brooklyn's father, on the other hoof, had no reservations against him buddying with an upper-class colt, especially when Caramel came to visit their flat for the first time and impressed him with his polite, charming manners. “Any friend of yours is a friend of mine,” he had said to Brooklyn. But in spite of his change of fortune, Caramel still missed Applejack dreadfully, and would often talk longingly with Brooklyn about the short time he had spent with the orange-coated filly. Somehow, his buff-coated friend seemed to understand exactly what he was going through, and as was not unusual, he was quick to try and reassure him. “That's way too bad that this Applejack gal had to leave ya like this,” he sympathised as they were hanging out in his favourite doughnut shop one afternoon. “She must have meant an awful lot to ya.” Caramel nodded glumly in reply. “She was the only friend I had before you came along. I just wish she had at least told me what she was doing and where she was going before she left.” “Yeah, I know how that feels,” mused Brooklyn softly, resting a comforting hoof on Caramel's shoulder as he took another bite out of the ring doughnut he had just bought. “I had a real nice friend named Pearl Diver who used to live 'ere up until about a year before you started at high school, but she had to move to Neighagara City 'cause of a new job her Pop had taken up.” His hoof slowly slipped off his friend's shoulder, and his arm drooped downwards to hang limply by his side. “I really miss that gal,” he sighed. Caramel's eyes widened. In all the time he had known Brooklyn, he had never known that he had had to go through the exact same pain as he did all those years ago. “Brooks...I'm so sorry...” he began. “Hey, don't sweat it, Caramel – so maybe we don't get to see them, but it ain't the end o' the wild,” smiled Brooklyn, quickly perking up. He meant to say “world”, but his trademark accent often prevented him from pronouncing the “er” part properly, thus causing it to come out as an “eye” sound. “Besides, I'm sure you'll meet again someday.” With a deep sigh of his own, Caramel gazed longingly out of the window in the general direction of Ponyville. “Yeah...someday......”