Horseshoes

by Peter Yellowhammer

Apples and Oranges

“So lemme get this straight: Caramel doesn't have any place to stay whatsoever...”

“Nnope.”

“He's been livin' off our backup feed fer roughly a year...”

“Eeyup.”

“An' his job prospects are non-existent, due t'his...condition.”

“Eeeeeeyup.”

"I don't see why they had to duck around the corner! So skittish, those two, and no mistake!"

Big Macintosh winced at the city voices bouncing off the ornate walls. Living with the Oranges felt like living on a completely different farm; and in a way, it was a completely different farm. The ritzy house in which they now lived - built by him, mostly - stood deep in the acreage with a recently-hewn trail leading up to it. The charcoal grey line looked completely out of place next to the apple and orange saplings, but the new money in Ponyville seemed to like it. And that was how it was: if the Oranges' friends liked it, then it stayed.

That wasn't even touching on the new crop schedule that had been implemented far too late to be ideal. The seeding during Winter Wrap-Up had been botched horribly, so none of the Apples were fit to complain...but growing oranges on an apple farm was just weird. Macintosh understood it was for extra profit, even sympathizing wholeheartedly with wanting to cover unseen expenses from sudden disasters on their original farm land. But that didn't change the fact that oranges and apples just didn't compare.

Applejack sighed, then continued to whisper: “Well, this explains why he wuz hidin' 'round th' farm like he wuz bored stiff...an' why wuz scared t'touch his plate, certainly. It's a cryin' shame, it is...if'n it's all genuine. Not that Ah believe he'd make all that up jus' t'freeload off us, but Ah need t'see him tryin' t'overcome that problem o' his.”

“Eeyup.”

“He can stay here until then, and no longer; he'll hafta bunk with you, Mister Champeen. Although...”

Macintosh felt blood rush to his withers. He felt that 'although' didn't mean what it should have meant.

“Hmm?”, he responded as he looked askance to the stairway. Why did he need to make the banister so gnarled? Why did he need to make a banister? He would never understand that, no matter how many times they said it gave the place "class."

“Ah noticed you seem awful determined t'help him out. If'n Ah'm right, then maybe Ah should make both 'im and you sleep in that old barn. After all,” she teased huskily, “he's yer first.”

Now his entire body was flushed with pumping blood. Applejack started chuckling softly at what must have been a remarkable blush to be seen against his red hide.

“T-that look on yer face is somethin' Ah'll treasure until th' end o' mah days!”

Her brother shook his head. His jaw dropped and his eyes had flown open without him realizing it.

“And t'think you were so gung-ho at th' Cup. Ah guess some things never change, heh heh!”

He grunted humorlessly. At least he had the decency to stay the same, unlike so many.

“But in all seriousness,” she diverted, “you chose well with a sweetheart like him. Granny thinks so, Applebloom thinks so; frankly, we're just glad you didn't pick from any o' the new lot.”

Macintosh grimaced at the thought. As if any of those uptight fops could replace Caramel. That smile, those eyes, the way he looked in the sunset; the colt was naturally better than any sickopant...silko... sycophant, that was it. Too many new vocab words clogged his head.

Caramel...

"Young Caramellow seems nice enough. A little on the thin side, a little nervous, but still..."

"Oh, but he REEKED, Mosely! All that sweat and dirt, and that grotesque mane! He should have had the decency to wash up before making himself at home here!"

"Well, at least he was apologetic, my dear."

The echoing sound of haughty voices from the other side of the house reached Mac as they saw fit, making his neck want for a generous scratching. Just how good was their hearing, anyway?

“And don't you fret about...those three,” she spat. “Yer good for confidin' in yer sis. Frankly, Ah'm just glad you told me when you did, now that things are dyin' down around town. Well, at least Ah hope they are...”

Both of them looked out the nearest window. Ponyville's new lights were still shining brightly, blocking the stars from view. Nopony knew what was coming...so they had to keep as much the same as they could. And they had to do this while accommodating a new relationship and a search for hidden aptitude in an apparently temperamental Caramel. It wasn't going to be easy...but it would be worth it; he knew that more than anything else. He wanted to see that smile again, and he needed some work to clear his head anyway.

“AJ?”

AJ kept her gaze out to the town. She was completely still.

“Yes, big brother?”

“...Thank you. Fer everything. Ah couldn't handle this on mah own.”

She finally turned to look at him, smiling sadly.

“That's what family's for, sugarcube. Ah'll make those city slickers realize that if it's the last thing Ah do. You just worry about getting that klutz t'work, bless his heart.”

Big Mac sighed. He had no idea how to start doing that, now that he thought about it. His mind replayed the beige hoof piercing the hay bale beyond all reason. Shoot, if doctors couldn't make heads or tails of it, what chance did he have?! He made himself take a deep breath.

“...Mac?”

“N-nothin'. Just thinkin'.”

His sister squinted at him, but seemed to drop it. Then again, she was just as tired as any of them were. Just looking at the orange and blue and dark brown and...colors he couldn't even name around them made them tired.

“Anyway, Ah just wanted t'say...you two have mah blessin'.”

Just like that, his anxiety faltered and faded for the moment. Then he felt himself making a big, goofy grin for anypony to see. Applejack answered with her own.

“After all, it's not like he could hurt a big, strong stud like yerself!”

Mac's grin slipped into an embarrassed grimace.

“AJ!”

AJ waved it away. The voices were dying down and mixing with clinking silverware.

“Oh, just go up to yer somepony. It's late.”

Grumbling, he complied and headed for the stairs. He looked up to the room – his room – where an exhausted Caramel had retired for the night. It was a better conclusion to this roller coaster of a day than he could have asked for.

“But if he does manage to hurt you,” he heard his sister call up to him darkly, “...it won't be pretty. Mark mah words.”

The big, strong stud made one final exasperated glance to Applejack. She was too protective for the wrong reasons, and this wasn't the first time. If anything, he was worried about hurting Caramel...he had already done so by accident. But it wasn't like he didn't know what he was doing. His entire life was partly devoted to being gentle. Gentle...without any real power to flaunt...maybe that was why he...? Whatever, it didn't matter.

“It won't be like that.”

“You know what Ah mean.” Her face was deathly serious.

He raised his eyebrows at her. They stared at each other wordlessly, each trying to undermine their opponent.

Caramel...

He lost his nerve and snorted defiantly before going up the rest of the stairs. It was time to write this day off as convoluted and leave it at that.

“You two behave now, y'hear?”, she finished, her teasing tone revived.

“Good night, Applejack!”, Caramel shouted from Big Macintosh's room.

---

Finally letting herself breathe freely, the mare eavesdropping from behind the stairs grew pensive. This served as an interesting opportunity...but for what? Whatever it was, she was going to use it for what it was worth.