New Bonds
Written by TheCrimsonDM
There he was. Strong, stoic, and handsome as could be. Off in the distance his red fur and yellow mane shined like a star in this little town of coldness. Of course he wasn’t alone, he was as usual with his lover. How had Cheerilee missed out on her chance to be with Big Mac, her chance to win his heart. Of course they had dated once before, a long, long time ago, but comparing everypony in this town none of them had ever felt the way he had. She had just needed more time… too much time as it turned out.
So that’s why Cheerilee sat at the diner with a bowl of soup growing cold in front of her and watching the stallion she’d missed spending time with his lover. A mare she didn’t want to hold any resentment toward but couldn’t help but to envy. After all she’d taken away her dream from her. Too bad nopony else understood how she felt.
Letting out a tired sigh she returned to her soup, stirring at it and hoping that maybe out of some burst of luck she might not be lonely for an eternity. Of course she knew her hopes were not to be, but it was nice to imagine somehow Big Mac being single and finding her, or maybe some other pony looking her way with affection rather than ignoring her and passing her up. They’d done that all her life, passed her up, looked beyond her, or ignored her completely. The only stallion to ever notice her was Big Mac who had also been living in the background.
Just as she finished her soup and left the bits for payment on the table she noticed something odd. There was a gray colored mare with a long mane hiding half of her face across the street. She was halfway hidden behind a house and watching Big Mac and Sugar Belle as they were sitting on a bench. Neither of those two had noticed the set of prying eyes on them, but with Cheerilee noticing she knew she had to do something. It wouldn’t be right to let them be spied upon… at least by anypony other than herself.
Cheerilee walked across the street and approached the pony without the mare so much as noticing her. There was a troubled look on the mare’s face. For a moment she watched her. Glancing over at Big Mac he watched as he gave his lover a tender kiss on the cheek. The mare’s expression went from troubled to pain. The mare quickly withdrew her head into the alley closing her eyes and trembling.
Ah, Cheerilee recognized this one very well. She’d gotten most of the physical reactions to leave her system but she felt this mare’s pain very well. Still it wouldn’t benefit this mare much at all to be spying like this when her chances were even lower than Cheerilee’s of finding happiness in the stallion.
Cheerilee cleared her throat and watched the mare jump back in surprise her eye wide open and glistening. It was almost like watching an earth pony version of Fluttershy. It was kind of cute in a way. Cheerilee offered a smile. “You too?”
The mare offered only a puzzled expression.
Cheerilee took a seat nearby and out of the way of the bonding couple down the road. “You’re hurt by Big Mac’s choice as well?”
The mare closed her eye for a moment but nodded.
Cheerilee nodded. “I am too. Even if I’ve come to accept it, it hurts. I know he’s happy there but I wish he had chosen me. I bet you feel the same.”
The mare looked up at her with a glossy wet eye, a tear rolling down the side of her face. “Mm-hmm.”
That was confirmation if she ever heard it. “I just wish somepony would look at me the same way he did. His tender, gentle eyes never missed me. Even in a crowd he always knew I was there.”
The mare looked over to the wall in the direction of where Big Mac was. She stared there for a long moment in silence.
Cheerilee added. “It’s especially hard when there is nopony that even really understands. Nopony to talk too, you know.”
The mare nodded.
“Wait, I just had an idea.” Cheerilee offered.
The mare looked back at her as if to ask what.
“We both feel bad over this right?”
The mare nodded.
“So we both understand a little about how each other feels.”
The mare nodded once more.
“So why don’t we comfort each other? If nopony else could understand at least we can.”
The mare seemed to be chewing on the idea for a moment but a small smile on her lips was telling Cheerilee she had hit the jackpot for ideas. Cheerilee extended a hoof. “My name’s Cheerilee.”
The mare looked at it as if it was a bug coming to land on her for a moment but slowly reached out and shook Cheerilee’s hoof while barely whispering, “I’m… Marble.”
This one was certainly a shy pony but Marble seemed nice enough just entirely too timid. Timid wasn’t exactly a bad thing though. In fact it was one of the big reasons she liked Big Mac so much. The shy stallion was so quiet and had shied away from everypony it meant he understood her better. That he could see her more. Maybe this Marble was in a similar position. Either way Cheerilee at least had a friend now. A pony who understood how this felt.
Cheerilee stood up. “Why don’t we leave this place, sitting around staring at an unobtainable goal is only going to make us feel worse about ourselves. I know a place we can get something to eat that might make us feel better. My treat.”
Marble stared up at her, glanced back at the wall and then back at Cheerilee. She nodded and stood up. As Cheerilee led her out of the alleyway she knew just the place to heal a wounded heart. Sugarcube Corner. Boy wouldn’t Pinkie be surprised if she saw Cheerilee come in with an actual friend for once.