Dueling Hearts
Brunch came and went. That unpronounceable thing that Rarity ordered for both of them turned out to involve eggs, potatoes, and some sort of sweet pastry. It wasn’t pancakes or gems, but it was still delicious. Better still, their small talk came more and more easily as the minutes wore on.
Rarity touched a napkin to her lips and folded it over her empty plate. “That was a scrumptious meal. Wouldn’t you agree, Spikey-wikey?”
He nodded. The elegance of this place was starting to grow on him. “Delightful, but not as delightful as the company.”
When she didn’t respond he started to worry, at least until he followed her gaze out the window. “Is that Cheerilee and Big Mac? Are they yelling?”
“We’ve paid for our meal already, right Spikey?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s go!”
The scene outside the restaurant was drawing a crowd. What had likely started as a quiet disagreement was now a verbal wrestling match.
Big Mac’s deep, country drawl boomed through the streets. “… and I’ll tell you why we missed our table, and why the harvest was late too: you give Apple Bloom so much homework she doesn’t have time for chores.”
Cheerilee’s voice, usually the epitome of gentleness, adopted a screeching tone that chilled foals and adults alike. “Don’t you dare drag Apple Bloom into this!”
“Don’t see how I can’t, you’re the one grilling her on all those useless facts.”
“Useless? Are you telling me that dragging a wagonload of produce around is more important that math? How about learning to write? Does anything beyond apples even matter to you?”
“Now I didn’t mean–”
“Maybe that’s the real problem here: you don’t care about me at all, do you? Is that why you didn’t even bring me flowers today, or make sure you were on time for our reservation?”
“Rose was out of flowers by the time I got to her stand, not unless you wanted some apple blossoms from the farm.”
“Oh yes, the farm; your real love. Is that why all we ever do is sit in that gazebo and talk about fruit?”
“What else are we gonna talk about? All those fancy things you know that I don’t? If you would’ve listened once in a while maybe you’d know how important the harvest is. No harvest means no apples. No apples means no bits. How’d you think I was paying for this fancy meal you kept nagging me about?”
Cheerilee’s bowed her head. “It’s not about the meal, or the flowers… I just wanted us to do something nice for once, something special… forget it.”
“Now Cheer–”
“I said forget it! Just go back to the farm!”
“Fine!”
They stomped off in opposite directions and the crowd gave them each a wide berth.
Spike gently touched Rarity’s shoulder. “Did that just happen?”
Rarity met his gaze. “I’m afraid so, yes. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
He nodded. “I’ll take Big Mac, you go after Cheerilee.”
---
Spike tore through the streets. Finding Big Mac should’ve been easy. He stood out, and above, in any crowd. What needed to be said was another question altogether. He couldn’t help but consider the similarities between his own Hearts and Hooves Day plans and those of the big red stallion. Had he inadvertently taken flowers and brunch away from him and Cheerliee? It probably wasn’t a good idea to mention either of those things, considering Big Mac was nearly double his height.
What gave Big Mac away wasn’t his height, or deep voice. It was the strange and terrible sound of his sobbing that led Spike to an alley behind a shop. He was sitting on the ground with his forehead pressed against a wall.
“H… hey Big Mac.”
Big Mac sniffled a bit and wiped a foreleg across his nose. “Spike? Don’t suppose you saw that terrible display, over by the restaurant?”
“It was… uh… kind of hard to miss.”
“I know, I know. I really ruined it, Spike. Six months I’ve been seeing Cheer without a single cross word between us, then I have to go and lose my temper right in the middle of our special date. I’d been saving all my spare bits for months for today, just to get into that fancy eatery. I didn’t think she minded all those dates in the gazebo, which was good since we could eat for free… Now she’s never speak gonna speak to me again. That’s exactly what I deserve.”
“Aww, come on. It was a fight, but–”
“I mean it. The minute things went off kilter today I just blew up. Harvest or no harvest, that’s no way to treat your lady. Cheer’s so smart and pretty… she deserves better than an uneducated country pony like me.”
“Don’t say that! She–”
“I should’ve just stuck to the ‘eeyup’ and ‘nope’, leave all the fancy talking to her.”
Spike grabbed Big Mac’s ever-present work collar and shook him, or at least tried to. He would’ve had an easier time shaking a house.
“Snap out of it, Big Mac! I get that you’re upset but you’re not making any sense.”
Big Mac’s eyes went wide, likely due to the little dragon trying, and failing, to physically move him. “Don’t see how you figure that.”
Spike paced back and forth. “She went out with you in the first place, you big dummy!”
“Well yeah but–”
“So who cares that you’re a farm pony and she’s a schoolteacher. She saw something in you back then, and apparently she still did this morning when you picked her up.”
He opened and closed his mouth a few times. “Guess you’ve got me there.”
Spike struck his palm with a fist. “Darn right I do. She cares about you, and if you care about her you need to go back in there and save Hearts and Hooves Day!”
He stood. “You know what? You’re right. I shouldn’t be cowering in some dark corner like a colt, it’s high time I find her and make this right. Hearts and Hooves Day isn’t over yet!”
“Hey, Big Mac?”
He looked down at Spike. “Yeah?”
“Could you… give me a ride? It’s kind of a long walk when you’re as short as me.”
A smile crept onto the stallion’s face. “Sure thing. I owe you one, Spike. You ever need anything you just ask… all except for love advice.”
---
Rarity found Cheerilee in a similar state at the foot of a bridge. Her tears were sending ripples across the flowing water.
“Miss Cheerilee, whatever has driven a lady such as yourself to tears?”
Cheerilee looked at her briefly. “I just want to be alone right now, Rarity.”
“Nonsense. You’re clearly upset, and I refuse to sit idly by and do nothing help.”
She started to cry harder. “There nothing you can do. It’s all my fault, I ruined everything.”
Rarity guided her to the nearest bench and sat down next to her. “That can’t possibly be so. Please tell me what’s bothering you.”
“The best relationship I’ve ever had… I ruined everything.”
“Big Mac?”
Cheerilee nodded and then buried her eyes in her hooves. “We’ve been together for so long and it’s been perfect from the start. Then as soon as I’m stuck in the classroom for a few late nights grading midterms I just let my nerves take over. Today Big Mac made a few honest mistakes and I just got mad, said awful things, and… it’s over now. I guess I should’ve known love was too good to be true for a pony like me.”
“And what, pray tell, is wrong with a pony like you?”
Cheerilee glanced at her again. “I’m not like you, Rarity. I’m not pretty, or sophisticated, or successful… but for a while it felt like none of that mattered. Before Big Mac I hadn’t had a date since… I don’t even remember anymore.”
“Cheerilee, you need to stop talking like that this instant!”
She seemed to shrink when Rarity adopted an authoritative tone. Suddenly she was on the other side of the teacher’s desk.
“What… what do you mean?”
“Just because you don’t have an affectation or a business doesn’t mean you’re any less entitled to a successful relationship.”
“I don’t even style my mane, or wear makeup, or…”
“Did that matter to Big Mac? If that was really important would he have bothered to take you on single date in the first place?”
“Well…”
“It seems you’ve been drilling this into the foals for so long you’ve forgotten it applies to you too.” She pressed a hoof to Cheerilee’s chest. “It’s what’s inside that matters, not what you’ve done to pretty up the outside. Big Mac saw it before your fight, and I’m sure he still does.”
A quivering smile crossed Cheerilee’s face. “Do you really think so?”
“I’m sure of it, but it’s all for naught if you can’t change your attitude.”
“My attitude?”
“Yes, dear. This bout of self loathing is completely unladylike and needs to be stopped. Repeat after me: I am a beautiful mare, I deserve to be happy, and I won’t let my happiness slip away.”
“But…”
“Say it!”
“I… I am a beautiful mare.”
Rarity smiled. “Louder!”
This time Cheerilee shouted it. “I am a beautiful mare!”
“I deserve to be happy.”
“And I deserve to be happy!”
“I won’t let my happiness slip away.”
Cheerilee stood on the bench. “And I won’t let him slip away!”
Passers by stared at them. Cheerilee sat back down and blushed while Rarity smiled. “Don’t you feel better now, darling?”
“Do… do you really think he’ll forgive me?”
“If he doesn’t, then he doesn’t deserve you. You deserve happiness, Cheerilee, and it’s up to you to–”
Cheerilee jumped off the bench and waved. “There he is! Over here! Please come this way!”
Big Mac was galloping toward them with Spike holding onto his work collar like a kite in the breeze. He skidded to a stop in front of the bench and Spike was nearly thrown off completely.
He spoke between deep breaths. “Cheer… Cheer… I…”
Cheerilee and Big Mac started at each other for a moment before speaking in unison. “Want to start today over?”
Blushes crossed both of their faces and Cheerilee managed to get in the next word. “I’m sorry I yelled. I know you were trying so hard to make today special. We don’t need fancy things to be happy.”
“You haven’t got anything to be sorry for, unlike me. I went and ruined all our plans, and I won’t rest until I make it up to you. Hearts and Hooves Day doesn’t get to end until we do something special.”
“What can we do? It’s already afternoon and we don’t have anywhere to go.”
By this point Spike was seated on the bench next to Rarity. He tapped her on the shoulder and whispered in her ear.
She nodded in response. “That’s a marvelous idea.”
He sighed and hopped off the bench. “Cheerilee? Big Mac?”
The two ponies looked at him and spoke together once more. “Hmm?”
He held up two slips of paper. “Since you don’t have anything special to do today, how about you take these theater tickets? They’re putting on The Pony of the Opera at one.”
Cheerilee hugged him. “Oh Spike, that’s so generous of you. I can’t thank you and Rarity enough.”
He blushed. “Aww, it’s nothing. Rarity and I can find something else to do for the rest of our date.”
She stared at him for a moment with a confused look. “You’re on a date? With Rarity?”
“Yep, it’s our first one.”
She looked from him to Rarity and back again. “Isn’t that a little… What I mean is… aren’t you a little young to be going on a date?”
Rarity stepped forward. “Now see here, Cheerilee. Dragon or not, Spike is very mature, and gentlemanly, and…”
As her voice trailed off, Spike’s heart sank. He recognized the look in her and Cheerilee’s eyes. It was the same one that the host and waiter had given him. Everything made sense and, now that it did, his heart broke.
“You think I’m a… I am not a child!”
Cheerilee took a step back. “But… aren’t you a baby dra–”
“That’s right, dragon. Not pony, dragon! Do you know why most dragons live for thousands of years, why I’m a baby compared to them?”
“Not really, I just…”
“They spend all their time asleep! Big dragons are just big because they hoard treasure and sleep on it for a hundred years at a time. I’m not much younger than all of you.”
He could feel tears running down his face, and he didn’t care. “I’m short… but I’m not a child.”
As he walked away, he could hear his friends calling after him. He could hear Cheerilee apologizing and Rarity begging him to come back. He didn’t care. They all saw him as a little kid, a foal. Now he knew why Rarity kept looking away and making a weird face. She didn’t have to be embarrassed or uncomfortable any more. She could stick with the adult ponies and be happy. She didn’t need him around and, maybe after a while, he wouldn’t need her either.
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Now I want to see the next chapter!!!
With my ranted voice, I blame Twilight Sparkle!!!!
fucking awesome, love it
that ending tho 
4920892
It's not an ending, it's just a 24 hour intermission before the next act
4920953
Um, Spike. Ya might want to listen to your own advice...
--Spade
Oh Spike... You poor thing. I've always said Spike is older than he looks, he could even be an adult by pony standards of age.
I sense the feels already,Have a fave
His age you got it right
CHEERILEE!!!!!!!!!
While I do buy him being older than he looks, his trouble spelling "precipice" or even "brink" in the first episode, despite having grown up with Twilight of all ponies, indicates to me that he's not an adult either. At least at the beginning of the show, for all I know he could have aged over that line in this story.
8656017
age does not dictate intelligence, bro