Caramel saw Rainbow upon approach. Gulping, he managed a slight smile and an even slighter wave. "Uh... h-hi there, Rainbow Dash. How's the weather?"
"Oh, y'know." Her nostrils flared as she looked over her shoulder at the stage. "Partly cloudy with a chance of jerkwad."
"Heh... these big city types certainly like to shout in stereo whenever they stroll through Ponyville, huh?"
"He's certainly pouring out two ends, alright," Rainbow muttered. She turned to face the demure stallion with a calm smile. "How are you holding up, girl?"
He cleared his throat, glancing at the stage as Svengallop continued rambling in the background. "I'm... holding." One ear twitched after the other. "Got my chores done for the day. No more carrots or turnips to deliver. Just..." His tail flicked as he sighed. "...biding my time."
Rainbow stared at him. "Don't you ever... I dunno... do anything when you're not working?"
"I... uh... eheh..." Caramel brushed a silken bang of brown mane hair over his eyes. "...I like to window shop. And... do gardening. Well... I guess I mostly think of doing gardening. I like flowers. But... can't really afford to buy many seeds at the moment. Still saving up... y'know..."
"Still, you gotta have something to pass the time doing," Rainbow remarked. "It can't all be a bunch of milling about and counting the hours as they go by... can it?"
"Mmmmm... well..."
"How about Lyra and Bon Bon?" Rainbow smiled. "Or Vinyl? I bet they're not doing anything."
"They've... got a lot on their plate."
"Pffft. Please. You light up our lives, girl." Rainbow smirked. "I bet they'd be happy to spend some time with you."
"Uhm... to tell the truth, Rainbow... I-I never really hang out with the other girls when they're not at the pub." He shrugged. "Ponies just... don't bother saying 'hey' to me much. Except for you, I suppose."
Rainbow blinked.
"And, of course, that's only been a recent thing." He smiled gently. "You've almost always been off doing stuff and having adventures with your other friends."
"Yeah..." Rainbow fidgeted, gazing aside. "Well..."
"Say..." Caramel's lips pursed as he squinted anew at Rainbow. "Why aren't you chillaxing with Fluttershy and the others right now? It's usually that time of day."
Rainbow gulped. "Well... Twilight and Spike are off doing stuff with the Princess in Canterlot. Rarity's... busy with... uhm... dresses..."
Caramel's eyes fell on the bulging saddlebags at her side. His brow furrowed, and he glanced at her yet again. "Rainbow... is everything okay?"
"Heheh! Sure! I was just... y'know..." She gestured a hoof at the stage. "Checking out the big scene. Same as you."
"Egads." Caramel stifled a giggle. "Are we both that bored that we gotta find interest in whatever this dude's pitching?"
Rainbow chuckled. "It's not the businessstallion. It's the Marathon." She sighed out her nostrils. "How I do love me a good competition."
"It seems tailor-made for you."
Rainbow stood dead-still. She wrenched her eyes from the stage, pawing at the grass. "Yeah, well—"
"Heh... wouldn't it be funny if I entered the competition?"
Rainbow glanced up at him. "Why don't you?"
Caramel blinked. "Well... I-I mean... I'm so out of shape."
"Pffft..." Rainbow rolled her eyes before smiling. "Speak for yourself, girl."
"No! I-I mean it." He cleared his throat. "It's... been a long time since I worked on my cardio. And when it comes to endurance stuff like this?" He exhaled slowly. "A marathon runner's life is sexy and admirable... but I'm really not aiming for that kind of physical look. Y'know... cuz of the resulting muscle mass and such..."
"It's not like lifting weights or anything, Caramel," Rainbow said. "Face it. You've got a good set of legs."
Caramel giggled.
"I mean it! You haul vegetables all the time! That's gotta build up quite the muscle fiber! I'd say you should sign up for the run!"
"Heheh... no, Rainbow Dash..."
"Some competition would be good for you!" Rainbow winked. "Get your mind off your troubles and do something healthy for yourself! Plus, it's not like you'd be the only one doing it!"
"I haven't got a chance of winning any of those money prizes," Caramel muttered. "I'd be lucky if I came in one hundredth. Assuming I don't faint from exhaustion halfway through the run."
Rainbow stared at him. "... ... ...you don't know how lucky you are... to even get as far as fainting."
Caramel merely blinked at that.
With a sigh, Rainbow Dash trotted over and whispered close. "You're an awesome, healthy, pretty pony, Caramel. Just because life hasn't awarded you with much as of late doesn't mean you can't reward yourself. Don't... let them get to you."
Caramel blinked. "Let who, Rainbow Dash?"
"Everyone," Rainbow said. She blinked hard. "But mostly yourself. You're worth more than you can ever imagine. So... why don't you consider seizing it?"
Before Caramel could reply, I giggled and cheered from the sidelines: "Super inspiring as always, Rainbow."
For some reason, Rainbow's ears drooped. Nevertheless—with a clenched jaw—she slowly pivoted from Caramel and turned to face me. Her smile was a fragile thing. "Well well well... if it isn't a stealthy little squirt...?"