Aftermath
Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It belongs to The Hub, Hasbro, Studio B, and Lauren Faust. I do not own any of these characters in any way or how, nor do I claim ownership to the pony franchise. These characters are simply my toys.
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"We can build it all from the ground up.”
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Melting Snow
Chapter 8: Aftermath
A long, steady yawn full of weight seemed to suddenly force itself out of Caramel's lungs as he lowered his head, closing his eyes for a brief moment as he tried to regain the energy he had felt what seemed like minutes ago. He licked his lips quickly, almost in an instant regretting doing so as the icy winds whipped his face. He grumbled audibly as he buried his muzzle into the warmth of his scarf, opening his eyes to continue down the dark street before him.
"Ya doin' alright there sugar cube?" Big Macintosh inquired, breaking a silence that had lasted for quite some time. His gravely voice began showing concern for his friend as he looked down, his emerald eyes appearing to shimmer in the darkness. "Ya ain't feelin' sick or anythin' are ya?"
Caramel felt the large red earth pony bounce off of his side rather gently, his fur covered brawn feeling like warm rock as it nuzzled against him. It quickly brought a smile to the smaller of the two, his chest briefly bursting into a candlelight sized flame.
"Just... tired is all." The tan stallion replied, having to briefly kick his back leg to make sure the stuffed lion stayed firmly on his back. Both his smile and flame quickly vanished however as he frowned, looking up to the sky at Luna's glowing moon. "Knowing my luck though I'll be sick by tomorrow... I think my chest is starting to hurt already"
"Well we're almost ta yer house." The larger replied, nodding down the snow blanketed street. He looked around briefly as he spoke, staring at the houses that were all painted shades of blue and pink, all would be unrecognizable if not for the distinct colors on every one.
The steed chose not to reply to those words, he just bumped against the other once more, this time staying for a few extra moments as they quietly walked side by side, their bodies pressing together.
It was easy to get caught up in those few moments, for they were, to put it in simple words, pleasant. The moment was neither overly enjoyable nor discomforting, just a nice change from the one a few moments prior. Caramel was tempted to stay like that for the rest of the walk, just let the crunching and falling of snow become a blur to him and let his friend guide him the rest of the way home.
Caramel opened his eyes, lips lowering into a frown as he slowly pushed his body away from the steed's own, the flattening of snow under his hooves ceasing as he slowed down before coming to a complete halt. His eyes gazed upward as he watched Big Macintosh come to a halt as well, not before walking a good five feet however.
"Sugar Cube? Yer house is still a couple down... right?"
The tan stallion felt his belly tighten as his friend called him those words; they caused him to suddenly sit up straight, as if he suddenly wanted to look presentable. He stayed silent as the other turned around, giving a confused look before beginning to open his mouth.
"Cara...?"
"I..." Caramel began, seeming briefly confused by his own words. "I know... I sound like a stupid filly right now... but it's been bugging me..." He paused for a long time after those words, long enough for Big Macintosh to approach him, the large steed walking as if he were trying to capture a scared animal.
"I-I wanna know... if I uh..." The stallion looked down, kicking the ground with his hoof, wondering if he always felt this... self conscious around Big Macintosh. "Y-You kissed me... A-And that made me feel... uh... g-good."
"Yeah..." Big Macintosh murmured, "That's... good... right?"
Caramel bit his lip, digging his hoof into the snow as his cheeks began to turn a rosy red shade. How was Big Macintosh able to hide his emotions so well? He looked up again, his belly loosening ever so slightly as he saw a small break in the other's mask of a face... it was a frown. It wasn't an angry or an upset frown, it seemed to be one of worry for his friend.
"I-Is it stupid to say I-I've been thinking of that happening for a while?" He asked, beginning to regain control of his voice as his frown slowly became a smile.
"Nope." Big Macintosh shook his head as he spoke. The way he shook his head seemed almost nervous as he reached out his hoof, gently patting Caramel's mane. "Ah can't say Ah've been thinkin' bout it much but... it just felt right ta do."
"I'm glad you did." Caramel admitted, his smile growing wider as his mane was rustled. "Y-You're the first pony to uh... do that."
"K-Kiss ya?" Big Macintosh asked. "T-The first..." He suddenly started to sound nervous, it was only briefly but the tone was till there. "I-It wasn't... bad was it?"
"C-Course not!" Caramel nearly snapped. "I-It was..." He trailed off, realizing he was about to say something along the same lines of 'amazing'. "It was... good..."
"Oh... okay..." Big Mac nodded his head up and down as if to confirm that he had done well.
"That..." Caramel began, managing to look the other in the eye as he spoke. "T-That wasn't a one time thing... r-right?" He asked nervously, breaking off eye contact the moment he could.
"Ah don't really know." The steed stated, his expression back to a blank one. "Ah haven't... really thought that much 'bout it."
"O-Oh... right... y-you wouldn't normally think about stuff like that right now." Caramel let out a long winded sigh as he got finished speaking, biting the inside of his cheek. "I-Its just... what feels like my entire life it's always been an inside world... I don't normally come outside without good reason... much less in the dead of winter. I don't go out for tea and coffee, never visit a good friend's house, and I hardly interact with ponies other than Sage." He began to chuckle, putting a hoof to his smoky lips. "R-Romance isn't really my thing..."
"That what this is?" Big Macintosh mumbled, cocking his head to the side. "Romance?"
"I-I don't know..." Caramel quickly spat out, unintentionally spitting on the ground he spoke so fast. He quickly took a moment to calm himself before continuing. "I-I mean... I don't really know what a romance would... be like..." He nodded, deciding that was the way he wanted to phrase it.
"Mare's are usually my thing,” Big Macintosh chuckled, finding the situation almost funny. "Ah've never thought of a stallion in this kind of way... I-I haven't imagined kissing or dating or any of those things with them."
Caramel shrugged as he took a step back, letting himself breathe as he looked up at the falling snow. "I've always known... I remember when we were little Sage brought home one of those dirty magazines for adults... I think he found it in the trash or something, I can't remember..." The stallion began to blush as he put a hoof behind his head, beginning to rub his neck. "W-We looked over it together... I could tell it made him feel a lot more different than it made me feel." He suddenly frowned, looking at his hooves again. "I couldn't stop thinking about that for weeks afterwards... I-I was too scared to talk to anypony about it for a long time though."
The tan stallion snapped his head up. "I-I'm sorry, you're p-probably still feeling... weird about all of this, y-you don't seem to have given it a lot of thought before this... I-I'll stop rambling now."
Big Macintosh looked at him with a blank expression as he shook his head. "No, it's fine... I like it when you talk about yourself."
"Thanks..." Caramel murmured, smiling gratefully before flipping it right back to a frown. "These weeks with you have just been different... that's all I'm trying to say." He looked at Big Macintosh, forcing a small grin. "I-I've been scared... stupid as that sounds... Every time you're with me I've been trying to decide if you liked stallions or not. When you're alone with me you're always really nice to me, nicer than other stallions are... but whenever I see you and your sister together... I second guess myself all the time..."
"Ah thought ah was just bein' a good friend..." The steed murmured to himself, the wheels in his head turning over and over. "Ah'm not one ta look out fer feelin' like that... Ah'm usually more concerned with workin'."
"I noticed." The tan earth pony flatly stated. "You're still my best friend no matter what though, I-I just... don't think I'll be sleeping well tonight thinking about it... I just wanted to talk a little about it." The stallion looked down, ears flattening against his head. "It's alright if you... ya know... wanna forget it."
The steed however only nodded. "L-Listen Caramel,” He took a step forward, looking down into Caramel's eyes. "Ah don't think ah just want to forget that ever happened... or that I just want ta accept it and move on..." He chuckled in his usual deep voice. "Ah talk way more ta ya and share more with ya than ah do anypony else..." He reached out a hoof, placing it against Caramel's cheek. "I care about ya, ah mean what Ah said when I told ya ah was glad when ya weren't mad. Ya gotta stop worryin' so much. Ya look a lot cuter when ya ain't got a frown on yer face."
Caramel was about to speak, however his words refused to be let out as the other leaned down, not kissing in the same area as before, but instead pressing his lips briefly to the younger pony's cheek. It was warm, however unlike before where the warmth spread throughout his body, this time it only warmed his face and ears.
As the larger stallion pulled away, Caramel could tell, even under moonlight, that he was blushing. It was the second time that night that Caramel was left with a fluttering belly because of the red steed.
"I-I'll see you tomorrow... right?" The earth pony asked, not even thinking as the hoof left his cheek.
"Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied with an excited grin, one that seemed more certain than the one a few minutes prior. "Bright and early, right after breakfast. We can spend the whole day together... but right now we gotta get ya home, yer freezin'."
Caramel nodded in acceptance, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to sleep that night until long after Sage returned home, what with so many emotions running through his head.
"Thank you... Big Mac."
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The smoky breath that escaped his lungs felt oddly heavier as the brown haired unicorn rubbed his neck, a groan on the edge of his voice as he stretched his legs, realizing just how much he had zoned out during his night shift, as usual.
As he let his muscles stretch he began to look upward, his hay roof covered in a sheet of white, shards of ice hanging from the rooftop's edges.
He sighed quietly, his horn giving off a gentle light as he snapped off one of the shards, knocking down a good amount in front of the door, deciding it was better to be safe than sorry.
"I hate night shifts..." Sage mumbled, thinking just how unnatural and cruel it was to go against a pony's entire sleep pattern just so a few ponies wouldn't catch a cold. However he managed to quickly shrug off the thought as he reached his hoof forward, grasping the cool metal knob in his hoof before turning it, remembering to kick his hooves on the ground before walking into the house.
"Home sweet ho-"
The unicorn closed his mouth quickly as he entered the house, getting a good look around. Something was off, something that would have been entirely normal had it not been the middle of the night. The overhead light for the kitchen to his left was on, and the fireplace was giving off warmth that burned as if it had only been started recently.
"Welcome home..."
The tan unicorn blinked his crystal blue eyes before turning his head as he heard the disinterested voice, his brother quietly sitting at the breakfast counter separating the kitchen from the entrance, his body hunched over, and his head resting on his hoof as he sat quietly. As the unicorn glanced down further, he saw a half empty glass filled with milk, which he assumed was warm considering the time.
"Caramel... what in the name of Celestia are you doing up?" Sage snapped, letting his voice rise out of annoyance. "It's gotta be one in the morning!"
Caramel shrugged at his brother's question, touching the glass with his hoof, yet not pulling it to his mouth. "Couldn't sleep I guess..."
The stallion saw a strange stuffed animal next to his brother, one with a fluffy mane and red fur that enveloped its body.
"What's that?"
"A lion."
"I know what it is, I mean..." Sage let out a shaky breath as he trailed off, pulling off his scarf as he closed the door with a kick of his hoof. He closed his eyes for five seconds, adjusting his glasses quietly before opening his eyes, staring at his brother once more with an unusual glare. He noticed Caramel glance at it, but he didn't seem to care that his brother was quickly becoming fed up with him. That was a new reaction.
"Did you just get home?" Sage grumbled, locking the door with his magic as he stared daggers at his brother as he slapped down his black bag on the table.
Caramel shook his head before taking a sip of his milk, placing it down as he used his leg to wipe his mouth. "No... It’s had to have been an hour or two by now..."
Sage loosened the muscles in his face ever so slightly at those words; feeling less annoyed now that he knew his brother had at least been home at a slightly more reasonable hour. He stood up on his back two legs, using the breakfast counter to support his from half as he reached out his hoof, placing it against Caramel's forehead.
He could feel Caramel start squirming out of annoyance, trying to convince the other he was fine without using words.
"Shut up." Sage said, gently slapping the forehead with the back of his hoof to get the other to sit still, which he did with little protest. The unicorn frowned as he felt around the face, realizing that his brother's cheeks and ears were a dull pink under his tan fur.
"You feel alright?" Sage asked. "You feel warm."
"I... I uh..." Caramel trailed off, seeming to look distant again as he glanced downward into his milk. "M-My belly feels r-real funny... a-and I feel light headed..."
Sage frowned, quickly hopping his front off the counter and trotting around the table to the stool his brother was sitting on. He placed a hoof on his brother's belly, rubbing gently as he watched his brother's reactions. "What kind of funny? Does it hurt at all?"
Caramel shook his head, seeming uncomfortable as his brother touched his pudgy belly. "I-I don't know... it just feels like it's flipping whenever I try to sleep." He looked away, seeming to avoid his brother's gaze on purpose. "L-Look, it's no big deal, I-I just wanna go to bed now..."
"I know you hate me getting all hands on with you, but I gotta at least give you a brief exam, otherwise I'll be the one staying up all night." Sage murmured. "Why don't you talk to me while I do it?" He asked, his horn glowing as he opened up his bag, pulling out a stethoscope and placing them into his ears.
"A-About what?" Caramel replied, his muscles seeming to tighten nervously at the sight of the instrument.
"I don't know..." Sage mumbled, placing the cool circle against Caramel's chest, feeling his brother jump at the cold metal. His heartbeat was soft yet steady as it pumped blood through his body. "How was your night? Did you manage to have a good time with Big Macintosh?"
"I... I g-guess we uh..."
Sage blinked, raising a brow as the beating in his ears suddenly increased. Caramel fidgeted uncomfortably rather suddenly as Sage's eyes widened. As he looked up he saw his brother's face blush much deeper than before, his ears flatten against his head as he swallowed hard, beginning to fiddle nervously with his hooves.
"I... I don't feel good..." He mumbled, quickly sliding off the stool as he raced towards the direction of the bathroom. Sage did indeed reach out his hoof, but it only tapped his brother's side before he had a chance to grab the other. He watched the light coming from down the hall flip on and heard the sound of water flowing out of the faucet, yet he didn't see the door close.
His own hooves began to move, and while he didn't run off with the same urgency of his brother he was still moving quicker than normal.
As he reached the bathroom he stared in the mirror, watching as Caramel splashed cool water on his own face. He leaned on the frame of the door, staying silent for a good ten seconds before being unable to contain his words any longer.
"Did something happen buddy... with Big Mac I mean?" Sage questioned, trying to pick his words carefully.
"I-I can't stop thinking a-about him..." Caramel whined, his voice sounding seriously worried. "I-I mean, I thought about him a lot b-before tonight... but never where I haven't slept before..."
"Cara... what are you saying?" Sage asked, feeling a tad stupid only moments later because the answer seemed so painfully obvious. However his brother kept talking before he had a chance to intervene.
"Whenever I think about him now... I get... scared, excited, worried, happy, a-and I keep thinking about... it..." He paused for a long time, a smile growing on his face as he put a hoof to his lips, looking through the mirror to see if Sage got the message, to which his brother nodded quickly. "I-I don't know how I like this... it swings around a lot... I feel like I acted like a stupid lovesick filly... b-but other times I get so happy thinking about it that my heart starts pounding."
"I-I suppose it does that...when you like somepony." Sage mumbled. "He... kissed you?"
Sage began feeling both uneasy and nervous as he spoke. He wanted to hit himself for feeling this way, for being unsure on what to tell his brother. He felt like he had to say something encouraging, something to lift his spirits. However only one question seemed to stick in his mind.
Why Big Macintosh?
"It's stupid..." Caramel suddenly spoke, snapping Sage out of his daze as he looked into the mirror in question. "Y-You already know I like stallions... b-but I still feel like I'm coming out all over again..."
"You don't normally try to hook up like other ponies do; it isn't that weird that you're nervous." Sage murmured, quietly, his mind only able to half pay attention as he struggled to find the correct words.
The tan earth pony suddenly giggled, Sage briefly wondering if what he said was at all funny.
"I just r-remembered." Caramel seemed to briefly squirm with a bout of joy that he couldn't contain. "H-He called me cute..." The earth pony leaned over the sink, unable to hide his smile any longer. "A-And he meant it... I-I could tell he wasn't lying..."
"Oh boy..." Sage sighed, watching as Caramel turned with a questioning glance, his eyes seeming suddenly worried. However his brother merely chuckled, reaching out his hoof to mess up his brother's mane. "You got it really bad... You aren't gonna like love, Cara."
"L-Love?" Caramel seemed to grow uneasy once more before looking back down into the sink, the running water seeming to pound in his ears. "T-This is love?"
Funnily enough the word love seemed to have never popped into his mind when thinking about Big Macintosh; it was usually filled with words to only describe the red steed on his own. The word love brought up images in his mind of the two of them together. Part of him didn't feel right picturing that, almost like he wanted the other to have better than him... but his mind was filled with such lust at the image.
"He said he would come and visit first thing tomorrow..." Caramel grinned, reaching out a shaky hoof to turn the water off. "I-I was trying to sleep... w-when I thought w-what we would do or talk about... I-I keep worrying that he'll change his mind... b-but other times I wonder if he'll... do it again..."
He was beyond uncomfortable using the word "kiss" in front of his brother.
The tan stallion suddenly flinched as a weight fell on his shoulders that would have knocked him over if he wasn't suddenly pulled back. He could feel his brother's breath on his shoulder has he was forced into a half hug. It wasn't strange for Sage to hug him, just strange to happen without any kind of warning.
"You aren't angry?" Caramel asked, almost out of shock.
Sage remained silent when asked that question. He felt the muscles in his chest tighten for a brief moment at the fact that his brother was afraid of telling him about a crush.
"We've been through this before... except you didn't have a crush last time you asked that, now did you?" Sage chuckled. He tightened his hug on Caramel briefly before the other squirmed out of his grasp.
"I know... it's just..." Caramel looked down at his hooves, not seeming to have an answer to his fears.
"I haven't seen you so happy or scared or worried in years compared to these last few months, Big Mac is probably the best thing to ever happen to you in my opinion... and him kissing you tells me that you're pretty good for him too." Sage ruffled Caramel's mane again, chuckling quietly. "I'm still gonna be your "little" brother and I'm still going to love you... you wanna talk about it?"
"You don't have to try so hard..." Caramel mumbled, flinching at the forced words. "I'm not about to tell you my private life to somebody who doesn't even like stallions."
Sage giggled, hugging his brother in a captive hug once more, much similar to earlier, however instead of tickling he began to mess up his mane to the point where it simply looked hideous, all signs of it once being brushed were gone. Caramel simply rolled his eyes, squirming with mild annoyance in his brother's grip, unable to squirm away this time.
"Now c'mon, we both need to get to bed. And you need rest for a date with your coltfriend tomorrow."
Caramel frowned, not bothering to correct Sage that Big Macintosh was nowhere near his 'coltfriend' at this point in time. However he also wasn't ready to admit that he really liked the sound of that.
Sage released him, trying to keep his smile plastered on his face, doing his best to assure everything would be alright.
Caramel couldn't help but smile as well... feeling as if a small weight had been removed from his heavy chest. Sage knowing his feelings was a good thing in his eyes, something he no longer had to hide now that there was hope for his feelings to work out.
"Thanks for everything Sage..."
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Big Macintosh could feel himself snap out of his mild daze as his eyesight was briefly blinded by the rising sun firing its deadly rays into his eyes. He grumbled audibly as he raised his right upper leg to block the light as he trotted forward, quickly snapping the shade down several inches with a flick of the hoof.
As the steed began to rub his wounded eye, questioning himself if he was relieved or worried that the sun was already as high as it was as a yawn managed to escape his throat.
Through the yawn he managed to catch a brief whiff of the pungent aroma slowly spreading itself through the air. He blinked quickly, glancing back at the coffee pot as his morning brew steadily dripped into the half filled pot of near black liquid.
The red earth pony glanced back out the window, the height of the sun telling him it was no later than eight thirty. How he had managed to sleep with so many thoughts running through his head was beyond him, but he had managed to do so without many obstacles. Perhaps it was his body simply being exhausted and refusing to listen to his near hammering thoughts.
Big Macintosh places a hoof to his lips, his blank expression breaking as his lips grew into a tiny smile that he couldn't manage to control. His chest began to tighten at the thought of Caramel's lips against his own, how amazing he felt when Caramel didn't reject his sign of affection, the warmth of the other in his arms when he hugged him tightly.
The steed closed his eyes, returning to a blank expression quickly as the bell sounded, signifying that his brew was done.
What was it Caramel said he felt like? A lovesick filly?
It was indeed a strange feeling for the large stallion to get worked up over something as simple as a kiss and a hug, indeed he did feel like a filly experiencing love for the first time. Whether or not that feeling was good was still up for debate at the moment.
The steed's head suddenly flicked its way over towards the direction of the stairway as the familiar sounds of light creaking began to grow closer as it moved down the stairway. The red steed kept his expression blank as he watched his orange furred sister walk around the corner, her mane still a mess from bed and her eyes looking droopy with exhaustion.
She wasn't much of a morning pony.
"Land sake brother, dontcha know when ta still in fer a change?" She whipped, not out of anger but out of spite that her brother could look so put together so early in the day.
Big Macintosh shrugged, watching his little sister whip up an apple from a small basket and bite it rather forcefully, looking down as she chewed. She looked like she might go to sleep right there and then.
"Couldn't sleep well if that makes ya feel better." He murmured, checking again to make sure his face remained blank.
"Oh, really?" Applejack asked, stretching her legs and back before snatching up her cowpony hat and setting it atop her head. "Do ya think ya caught somethin' last night?" She asked, a hint of worry in her voice. "Ya've never been able ta sleep when ya catch a cold."
"That ain't it..." Big Mac murmured. "Ah think ah was just too tired ta sleep... if that makes a lick of sense."
Applejack snorted at that comment, making it hard for her brother to keep from smiling gently. "Yer so weird Big Mac." She spoke, seeming to lose her grumpy attitude and regain her usual spunk. "So, tell me, how'd last night go? Were you so late last night because you got yourself a nice mare?"
The tone that his sister gave off made the steed aware that she was in fact teasing, not asking a serious question. Nonetheless, he still could feel his chest tighten at that question as he grabbed the coffee pot with his hoof, beginning to pour it into his mug.
"Er... not exactly." He spoke, not realizing his words were growing quieter as he mumbled them out. "Cara and I mostly just walked around a lot and talked... my legs are actually a little sore because of it."
"Winter does that to us all, ya usually get a little loose in the belly and a little weaker in the legs." Applejack sighed, shaking her head back and forth as she began to walk towards the direction of the living room, soon followed by her brother and his piping hot cup of black coffee.
"Ya know me an Apple Bloom had a mighty good time when we went earlier, ah even hit on a few of the stallions there." Applejack spoke up, taking another large bite out of her reddish green apple. She sat down on a chair to the side while Big Macintosh sat dead center on the couch itself.
"Ah don't need ta hear 'bout all the colts ya tried ta hit on." Big Macintosh stated, trying not to say much more.
"That ain't what Ah'm sayin'!" His sister snapped, looking briefly annoyed. "All Ah’m sayin' is at things like fairs especially during holidays ya try to have a little fun. Ah might go out with the girls but that doesn't mean we don't take turns flirting with ponies."
"Ta tell ya the truth AJ..." Big Macintosh paused briefly, looking into the remaining contents of his drink as he tried to place the words properly in his head. "Ah... ain't really interested in any mare at the moment. A-And I don't think ah wanna be..."
Keeping his words steady was proving to be more than a little difficult. He quickly set his coffee down on the small table in front of the couch before it was apparent his hooves were shaking. He briefly wondered if he was nervous or simply frustrated.
"Yer startin' ta get real nosy again." The steed grumbled.
"Ah ain't tryin' ta be!" Applejack quickly spoke up to defend herself. "Ah'm just worried about ya is all, ya never go on any real dates or see a mare. Ah don't want ya ta end up lonely and alone when we're all old." The mare paused briefly before her eyes lit up. "What about somepony ya know, not just a random mare... maybe Fluttershy would like ta go out with ya, she's nice and quiet like you."
"...Ah don't think so." Big Macintosh hesitated before answering.
"Why not? Fluttershy is the sweetest Sugar Cube Ah've ever met, ya'd love her. Ah could always ask her what she thinks about ya and get ya togeth-"
"No." Big Macintosh answered bluntly, considering how abnormal it would look for him to chug the rest of his coffee and leave the house as quickly as possible. "It's a little more complicated than that, ah can't just ask out a mare."
"How in Celestia is it complicated, ah know yer a little shy when ya meet somepony but ya at least have spoken with her a few times, haven't ya?" Applejack asked, seeming to get more and more irritated by the moment.
"It's..." The steed paused, breathing in deeply, his chest tightening. "I-I guess it's... complicated because of..." He stood silent for a long time after that, taking a good long while to look into his sister's eyes, flares of curiosity and irritation were sparking at random times in them. His belly felt as though it was about to flip as he opened his mouth once more.
"Because last night... Ah kissed Caramel..."
There was a horribly long and awkward silence between the two after Big Macintosh spoke. It wasn't the same as the two of them quietly doing their morning routine, for the steed was holding his breath as the wheels in his sisters head seemed to grind against each other.
There was a moment of confusion in her face, her green eyes not looking at her brother but directly in front of her. She seemed like she wanted to first laugh at her brothers "joke". However it flared for a single second in anger, and then cooled down into questioning before back to simple confusion.
"Oh." She managed to say, her face looking dumbfounded as she put her hooves to her mouth. "Ya... kissed that colt?"
Big Macintosh could feel his heart sink, the tone of voice his sister had meant she was still waiting for the punch line for a joke he had never started. She smiled worriedly, chuckling awkwardly as if the deep frown he was wearing was part of the joke to fool her, to get her worked up just to mess with her like when they were younger.
The steed stood his ground. Shaking his head as if in disappointment at his sister’s attitude. His belly was knotted as he felt his hooves tighten on the couch cushions underneath his hind.
"C-C'mon Mac, ya can't tell me ya kissed him and liked it!" Applejack snapped, her words filled with a hint of spite. "T-That just ain't right!"
The red earth pony nodded his head up and down. He suddenly paused, looking downward into his cup of coffee on the table as a small smile crept on his face.
"What in the name of Luna are ya grinnin' about?" The mare cried out, failing to be quiet despite the early time of day. Her voice was shrill as she spoke.
"It was... a really nice kiss... Ah felt real happy when it happened too." He placed a hoof to his neck as he gently rubbed, getting lost in the memory for a brief moment. He could only describe it as a moment of bliss. "H-He was a little scared, Ah could tell Ah took him off guard... b-but he didn't pull away, s-so I j-just kept on goin-"
"Stop talkin'!" The orange mare hissed, her face looking embarrassed to be in this conversation. She put her hooves to her ears almost like a small child would when they were told things they didn't want to hear. "Ah don't wanna think about my brother kissin' colts!"
"AJ... Ah didn't mean ta..."
"Just.... I mean... w-why did you..." The younger earth pony was having a great deal of time collecting the thoughts in her mind of what she wanted to say, for she kept starting and stopping her sentences. If she had stars in her eyes Big Macintosh might have thought she was suddenly bonked on the head by a large rock.
"Mac..." Her voice was suddenly less frantic, calmer. "Y-Ya can't live a happy life w-with a colt... t-the same way ah can't do it with a mare, it just isn't... right." The mare shook her head in disappointment with her brother. "Ya can't fall in love with a pony that's exactly like ya."
Big Macintosh remained silent, not looking at his sister but instead looking past her, pretending for a brief moment that she wasn't there and that he was gone from this horrible conversation. His heart sank as her words sunk in, his knot tightening as he held his breath.
"Ya've had marefriends before... ya like mares, not colts!" Applejack snapped. "Ah could have sworn ya liked mares when ya were goin' out with that Roseluck mare back when ya were still in school!"
The steed continued to remain silent, biting the inside of his cheek as his sister continued ranting.
"Heck, just last year ya went out with Apple Bloom's teacher for a few weeks after Hearts and Hooves Day!" Applejack rambled onward, hitting her hoof down into the chair's armrest. "Could have sworn you two kissed more than once, you liked mares plenty then!"
The steed flicked his tail rather forcefully against the couch, taking a deep breath to fill his lungs, not realizing he had been holding his breath.
"What did this... this coltcuddler do that made you change your mind about all of that?" His sister seemed to be trying to keep her voice down now.
Big Macintosh snapped his eyes open, glaring at his sister. "Ya leave Caramel outta this, he ain't done nothin' wrong." He stated, his voice near threatening towards his sister, nearly shocking himself as he finished speaking. "Ya know him; ya know he isn't a bad pony!"
Something about the way she insulted Caramel brought up a fire in his chest that he wasn't able to control, one that wouldn't have been nearly as strong had Caramel himself not been brought into this. He wasn't going to let her insult his friend without him even being there to defend himself, he was already on the verge of losing his usually in-check temper.
He had to leave.
He remained glaring at the mare before he suddenly slid off the couch, closing his eyes as he took one final sip of his coffee. Applejack stood up as well, standing in front of him as if to block the way.
"Then what? Ya can't just like colts fer no reason!"
"Ya don't know anything." Big Macintosh shook his head when he finished speaking, walking forward. His sister began quickly moving without him needing to urge her. However she was close next to him, looking worried and frightened at her brother.
The steed grabbed his scarf along with his pouch full of bits, wrapping the scarf around his neck. He could hear Applejack ask him questions; however he chose to stop responding.
"Where are ya going?" Applejack was yelling now, frustrated with her brother's lack of response. "Are you going to see him? Going to see your... your coltfriend?"
The way she spoke made it obvious she was trying to wound her brother, trying to make him rethink his actions with what she thought was an insult. She looked frantic, her mane seeming to be in an even bigger mess than before. She lifted her hoof to touch her brother before quickly pulling it back, almost afraid that if she touched him he would only grow angry with her.
"Eeyup." Big Macintosh said, opening the door with a single thrust of his hoof.
He was greeted with a burst of strangely warm air. He glanced briefly at the sky, the sun was shining brightly. He paused for a single second, the snow before him was more like slush, watery and melting.
"Wait, Big Ma-"
The steed slammed the door behind him, blocking out his sister's words before she could finish. He closed his eyes, feeling the lump in his throat slowly shrink as he took a deep breath, wondering briefly if his sister was going to follow him as well.
The door remained shut.
The steed blinked, staring forward into the land of melting snow before him.
Big Macintosh bit the inside of his lip as he took a single step forward, wanting ever so badly to see Caramel, to make sure that defending the feelings he had felt last night wasn't the wrong choice. He wanted to make sure Caramel was okay... to make sure his brother hadn't given him the same treatment as his own family had him... He wouldn't forgive himself if Sage got angry with Caramel because of him.
And with that, he picked up his pace, off to see his best friend.
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Aww Yiss
i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/549/612/e5a.jpg
Well, damn. I've never seen AJ be the bitch about gays.
I like it
Nooooooo. Cliffhangers, dammit. I hate cliffhangers. You ended it right when i was lost in the world, and wanted to know what was going to happen next.
Actually...I think the confrontation with Applejack was my favorite part this chapter. Everything felt natural, and nothing felt out of place. And I love how AJ doesn't quite know what to feel, but her feelings obviously stem from her love for her brother. She just wants what she thinks is best for him, and I think that comes across well in this scene.
Bravo for not flinching away from this kind of confrontation, bravo.
Can't wait to see what comes of everything.
Eeyup.
Damn it, Applejack! It's 2013! You're supposed to be progressive and accepting!
DEATH TO APPLEJACK!
Dun dun duuuuun!
the argument between big mac and Aj sounds like me and my mom lol..
stfu applejack
Meddling siblings... Sage and Applejack don't seem to care for their brothers' new love interests. This could be trouble.
2648775 God damn there would be nothing but sappy fluff from here on out if I chose not to have that confrontation.
oh my god. why why why would you do that!!! that is EVIL to end it there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was awesome though, I told my friends they had to read it.
ooo the tension kills me I want to know more NOW!!!
hands are for people hooves are for ponies
I can't put into words how much I love this story.
YUS
You stay gay, big guy
I get that this needed conflict, but making it that the other Apple family members hate gayness is kind of cliche.
I sort of keep equating Big Mac to Ennis and Caramel to Jack from Brokeback mountain in my head... Although the similarities end with the whole 'masculine/feminine' thing, really. Maybe it's just because Big Mac is sort of a cowpony? He doesn't seem to have the same internal struggle with his straight life vs his gay one that Ennis has, and he's much more open about it than him. Still sort shows that off though, in being much less 'sure' of his sexuality, for lack of a better term (although this chapter definetly sees him securing his identity, much to AJs chargin. Perhaps his own internal struggle will rise from the desire to please his family vs his desire to be with Caramel? Just spitballing here). Meanwhile, caramel is definetly very much like Jack, at least when brought up in terms of roles as more feminine and obviously accepting of his sexuality. Have you ever seen Brokeback? I highly, highly recommend.
I fucking love this series. Please, don't stop. I'm on my iPhone at work right now, so I may comment again later with a more in depth, actual 'review', as opposed to me just taking about Brokeback Mountain :p
Seriously, this story gets an A+ from me. Keep it up :)
The plot has thicken! And I knew you would throw in the Fluttermac shipping somewhere
my concution.
AJ dosent have a open mind. (And is a bit of a bich about it.)
2661810 I found the plot to be ponderously slow, and frankly, rather boring. Still, it's not like you find many gay-oriented movies here in the US that aren't porn, (
) so I'll take what I can get.
Sorry for late comment (I didn't had internet access for few days). It's too cute... and AJ
I WANT MORE!
2668245
Really? For me, the development from co-workers to friends to lovers was magnificently paced- although I must admit I am a sucker for those lengthy landscape shots. The way it draws out their lives, and the tragedy of it all is just perfect in my opinion. But hey, different strokes for different folks, right? And it is a shame that there aren't more gay films like that one. One of the only other gay films I've ever really dug into was Boys Don't Cry, and it was also really sad...
But now I'm just rambling :)
2671345 I just hate the bland character. I wish they were more fleshed out aside from general personalities.
Been a while. Time for some reading!
Well sheeit.
Dear jesus, I love this Fic!!! I can never wait for your updates, they make my day oh so much better! Keep up the great work
" "L-Love?" Caramel seemed to grow uneasy once more before looking back down into the sink, the running water seeming to pound in his ears. "T-This is love?" "
Not gonna lie, I had to do some investigating to see if maybe someone could tell me if it was truly love. Mr. Haddway was of no help, sadly...
Now I feel bad