A Taste of Caramel pt. 1

A Taste of Caramel
Chapter 1 : A bite of Big Red.

Big Macintosh lifted his hind quarters, muscles tight; flexing beyond the boundaries of a pony's body.  The tree which received the tremendous boot of his hooves shook and shivered violently enough to deliver upon the big red Stallion its bounty of delicious apples. They rained all around the pony causing him to smile as they poured richly down into the barrels circling the tree. As if fearing the retribution of another buck from the mighty Earth Pony the tree made sure it delivered all of its treasure without missing a drop. Allowing Big Mac to move to the next tree; which would receive the same powerful treatment.

Applebuck Season would be starting next week here on Sweet Apple Acres and the red stallion had decided to get a good quarter of the trees done today before a weekend of rest and recuperation.

Big Macintosh would have loved to get his work done uninterrupted; taking solace in the rhythmic bucking of his hooves and the raw physical strain on his large body. The fates however had decided a different matter. Caramel gave a yelp from behind and stumbled over, spilling yet another bushel of apples to the ground bruising many of them beyond conventional use. Breaking his rhythm with a deep seated sigh, Macintosh turned about face and went to help his younger cousin collect the apples.

"I'm soooo sorry Cousin Macintosh…" Caramel whimpered; hustling to get as many apples in the bin to not slow down Macintosh. Wordlessly the big stallion picked up the apples and placed them back in his slow methodical way. Reaching up one of his heavy hooves to ruffle his cousin's mane the strong Big Macintosh gave him one of his famous few word replies.

"Don't. Worry." Macintosh moved back to the next tree, not noticing the embarrassed flush on Caramel's face. Who was busy shuffling on the spot.

The two apple family stallions could not have been an odder pair for an outside to behold. Caramel with his lightly tanned coat, and nervous twitching; cheeks flushed redder then what the colour spectrum would deem proper standing beside the tall and powerful Macintosh with his apple red coat and long blonde mane.

Caramel's grandfather and sister had intended on doing Applebuck season alternatively so that they would always have a stand in Ponyville proper. Which meant that this week they would be bucking non-stop to sell while Applejack and Macintosh would buck all the next week. Usually Big Mac would think this a mighty proper idea and agree that it would serve both families powerfully; if not make sure the ponies in Ponyville would not go without apples. Usually he would have nodded along quietly and bucked trees to his hearts content occasionally stopping to eat and sleep. However, the family had different plans for the large stallion.

Those plans were Caramel. His grandfather and sister pleaded to Granny Smith to take Caramel off their hands while they buck their trees so as to keep things moving at a steady pace. Of course this meant that Big Mac would be bucking with his cousin. Now its not safe to assume that this annoyed or even upset Big Macintosh, he was an apple family pony through and through. He loved his cousin and was truly proud watching him work as hard as he could out of the corner of his eye… even if he messed up almost everything he did and stumbled over his own hooves. A habit that seemed to double whenever Big Macintosh was around. It made Big Macintosh genuinely happy to see Caramel working hard though the others would pick on him, and even though he wanted to quit. Caramel was one of the few ponies who ever heard Big Macintosh speak more then one word, the two having spent a lot of time together alone out in the woods had formed a tight brotherhood.

Macintosh felt deep down that he understood Caramel, having always been picked on for being slow, and during rough times poor. The red stallion bucking another tree with his perfectly toned muscles, causing the red rain to fall.

It would help ever so much, Macintosh thought, if Caramel could go one day without ruining some apples, or breaking something of someone else's. If he could just do that it'd give him that confidence boost he needed…though Macintosh assumed that would never happen around him at least. His presence seemed to disturb Caramel to some degree; making him shake and blush and twitch nervously.

Another hour had passed while the stallion bucked and thought in total silence, echoing trees shatter the utter peace with their snapping surrender. The sun had past its zenith long ago and Macintosh could feel his throat begin to parch from the long work.

"Mel. Drinks?" he called to his cousin who was busy loading up another cart of apples.

The beige stallion yelped and jumped, almost over turning the wagon he was busy loading. "Uh- yeah sure Cousin Mac." he yelled back in his high, squeaky voice before running off.

Macintosh smiled at his cousin and walked over slowly to the trees around him, bending his neck low to remove the plough hook he kept around his neck. A yawn escaped the big stallion's lips and he felt the weariness of the long day weighing down on his body. Usually Macintosh would give his rump and head a shake and start bucking more trees for all his worth but today he felt so exhausted and spent that he needed to sit down. Taking a not so casual look around for Applejack ( she would never let her brother live it down if she caught him sleeping when he was "on the job) before laying down against the thickest tree in the vicinity. He felt his body shake in relief and with a deep throated sigh allowed himself to enter into a state of sleep.

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Caramel, carrying a platter of glasses thick with lemonade and ice; accompanied by two steaming hot apple rolls made his way back to the spot where he and Mac had been working. Though the beige pony hated to admit it he had gotten lost twice before finding the same path he had used just moments before and had almost dropped their plate on several occasions. He blushed furiously with himself repeating in his head a constant mantra "Don't screw up. Don't screw up." not that it ever really helped him. Today of all days he wanted to be on his best, to help his kind Cousin out…

Mel had always liked Macintosh. Much more then the rest of his extended family. Big Macintosh, though a pony of few words had always spoken to Caramel kindly, like a wise and caring older brother which made the beige screw up blush at the thought. Over the years he had done his best and screwed up his hardest but Macintosh was the only one to never sigh defeated at him, he'd always just grin and tell Caramel not to worry and to work on. Sighing, Caramel thought of those memories fondly for a moment of stillness in the quiet orchard. He could feel a warmth spread from his heart at the memories of the crimson red stallion standing over him protectively, guarding him from the rest of his family. Mel could feel his heart throb and his stomach knot tightly as it always did when he focused too much on Macintosh.

He had no true idea of what this had meant, he had talked to his sister once and she had at first looked very surprised…then very menacing. She would tease Caramel viciously about that conversation anytime he would be alone with Big Macintosh. At first Mel had thought it was because of his strong desire to do his best around his "brother" and to make him proud…but over the years he had a sense of the feeling changing. He had heard Applejack and other ponies discuss crushes and what it felt like to "fall in love" with another pony and that had turned Caramel's stomach all the more. If he was a coltcuddler, a term he had picked up from his Aunt and Uncle Orange who had visited a few years ago from Manehatten, then how would his family react. Not beyond the fact that if he had fallen in love with Big Macintosh, his cousin. The very thought made him swoon deeply, in mid panic; almost dropping the plate with their snack.

Could he really be in love with Macintosh? It was a constant thought in Caramel's head whenever the brilliant stallion was around. An idea that scared Caramel deeply… if he did love Macintosh how would the family take it, or worse how would Macintosh take it. Caramel paused and shook his head, almost overturning the glasses he forgot he was carrying. "How would he take it himself?" He wondered, making his way through the orchard.

Just as he was getting worried that he may be lost again he came across a scene that renewed and redoubled all of his fears. It was an single moment of divine gifted clarity.

Laying beneath the thickest and most beautiful tree Caramel had ever seen, body glistening in the orange glow of twilight was  Macintosh. His brilliant red coat reflected the sun's rays casting the stallion in a divine halo, his orange hair was thick with sweat from a long day's work; glistened in the sunlight. Mouth open slightly as he slept unaware of the silent watcher who's cheeks had turned a shade of red three levels deeper then his own coat.

Jaw slackening in awe; Caramel uttered a involuntary groan which originated from deep within his soul. In the time it took for the glass platter between his teeth to fall down and shatter on a rock Caramel's heart was opened completely and violently by the image before him.

The thunderous crash drained the color from Caramel's heavily flushed face and startled Macintosh to the world of the living. "Oh no! No no no no no no no no!" Caramel panicked trying to get the food and glasses off the ground before they were ruined/ spilt their contents, pushing away the shattered peaces of glass. A strong, gentle hoof placed itself on his hair bringing tears to his eyes.

"It's okay." Big Macintosh said, ruffling Caramel's mane playfully. Leaning down the slow talking stallion grabbed up his snack and ate it quickly, unable to see the tears in his cousin's eyes.

"Big Mac…I…I…I-I…" Caramel stuttered, heart wanting to shout the words, body crying for him to say what he wanted to say but there was that deep seated fear preventing him. Again that hoof placed itself upon the younger stallion; its warmth spreading all throughout his body immediately, as if it were a common and trivial task for the limb to achieve. Caramel shivered and shuddered under that pressure and warmth. Almost unable to bear it.

"Come on Mel, let's finish up." The thick voice shook Caramel deep to the core, causing him to whimper and wipe away his tears. Nodding strongly Caramel got up and went to the apple wagon taking the bit in his mouth he turned the beastly contraption towards the farmhouse.

"I-I'll take this b-back now…" he stuttered unable to meet eyes with Macintosh.

"Eeyup." his cousin replied, the resonating beat of his feet colliding with the tree echoing out over the orchard.

XXXXXXX

"Stupid stupid stupid!" Caramel scolded himself, his words muffled by the bit in his mouth. His mind and heart were  with the realization that was shaking the very foundation of his character.

He loved Big Macintosh.

Another stallion.

His Cousin.

And still he loved him.

He loved him…He was in love with him.

Dropping the bit from his mouth Caramel fell to his haunches his cheeks alight in the dim twilight. The words running in his mind had a soothing effect on him like he had never known. It was like a soothing massage placed directly over his heart…his thoughts cleared up too.

His first crush…

His first love.

Caramel sighed and pawed the ground with his hoof curious if his Cousin would be receptive…the thought scared him, but the love he felt was helping to stem the panic. He wanted Big Macintosh to love him too… but he was unsure that the powerful stallion would…especially since as far as Caramel was concerned his love interest was not a coltcuddler like he had discovered himself to being.

But he loves him.

That reassuring thought gave Caramel the strength to buck up and grab the bit in his mouth. He wanted to get back to Macintosh as quickly as possible…he wanted to be with the pony he loved. So he gave a mighty tug on the wagon full of barrels of apples and with all his might got it in the barn as quickly as possible.

XXXXXXXX

Big Macintosh bucked the apple tree for all his worth and was rewarded richly. The light of the sun had faded to a dangerously low level and he knew that there would only be time for one or two more trees before calling it a day. Large read ear flopped attentively; Caramel would be joining him soon. It was a comforting thought, he was glad that Caramel had been able to get at least one wagon in the barn today without any major problems. It took only a moment and another tree bucked before Caramel arrived at the scene.

"Mel, one more tree. Then bed." He said in that deep strong voice nodding towards the thick apple tree he had been sleeping under just an hour or so before. The beige stallion mumbled something incoherent and nodded, a shadow over his face that cause a look of concern on Big Mac's kind face. "Okay? Mel?"

A shaky, small voice replied beneath his breath. "Y-yes…"

Macintosh found it odd but nodded and went to get into position facing away from the tree. This tree had been planted generations ago and was the oldest, sturdiest tree in the whole orchard. It would take all of Big Mac's strength and energy to force the tree to gift its glorious fruit for the family to use.

"H-hey… Macintosh…can I tell you something p-pretty serious…" Mel whispered to the Stallion who was tensing up his muscles, hind legs raising as he stored all of his energy for one tree shaking buck.

"Eeyup."

"Macintosh… I think… I think I'm in love with you."

Release. Big Macintosh released all that power in his body, mid turn and gasp towards his cousin. All of his body's built up kinetic energy meeting no resistance and turning slightly in a way that allowed the stallion to feel the muscles on his side twist and tear. He gasped roughly in pain and collapsed to the ground bellow, a yelp escaping the stallion who had just confessed.

"Macintosh!? Oh Princesses, Macintosh are you ok!?" Caramel panicked hooves moving over Mac's body making him yelp in pain. "Oh shit I'm sorry!" Caramel yelled, so much pain was Macintosh in was that he barely noticed this was the first time he had ever heard his cousin curse. "Macintosh be okay!" Caramel cried, fully cried; the tears burning down the dirt on his cheeks.

The beige pony had no idea what was going on he paced back and forth quickly, breaking down. His confession had hurt Macintosh, he had hurt Macintosh. His stomach was in the tightest knot he could ever imagine. Breath caught in his throat he stammered incoherently through the tears as Macintosh tried to get up, the pained and injured expression on the red stallion's face breaking Caramel's heart.

The break was complete and thorough, every once of the loving pony's soul was being shattered by the pain he had caused the object of his love. Unable to make out the situation any more he found himself reverting to a flight response, taking off sobbing in the distance.

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"Wait, MEL!" Macintosh yelled at the dust cloud of crying pony. "Darnit!" the angry stallion groaned, angry with himself. Reaching a fore hoof forward he tried to force his muscles to his will but ended up only collapsing beneath the agony in his side. Tears dampening his cheeks at the pain in his side.

He could barely recall the confession, the surprise had taken him far to quickly and far too suddenly.

Groaning Macintosh attempted to force himself up one more time to chase after his crying, wounded cousin. Worried only for him right now. But his side gave way and he collapsed under his own weight.

Giving a hearty. "Eenope." at his situation.

XXXXXXXX

It was a little under an hour of the red stallion laying down immobile in the first before Applejack came dashing through the orchard, right past her brother. The orange coated filly slid to a grinding halt and ran back to him quickly.

"Big Mac! What happened?" she gasped, panting. Putting her nuzzle under him to help him up; she jumped back quickly at the gasp of pain he made.

"Don't wanna talk about it." Macintosh said in his deep voice, fighting back as much of the pain as he could in front of his sister. She sighed and hoofed his noggin.

"Ah don' know what ya'll two dolts were doin' her' but Caramel ran by me in full on tears yellin' about ya'll being hurt or something'" Applejack said accusingly, angry that all she got in reply was a grumble. "Grrrr ya'll lay right there, I'ma go ge' Twilight and have her magic you to bed." the filly said gruffly, turning and galloping off at full speed.

Macintosh laid there, unable to move his eyes heavy. The pain in his side had resided to a small and annoying throbbing as long as he did nothing and stayed perfectly still. The usual reserved and slow thinking pony rested there his mind a flurry of activity about the crying stallion who had fled him…and the full weight that Caramel's consciousness would have on his mind.