It was just before the beginning of class at the Ponyville Schoolhouse. Normally, everypony would've already made it to class and taken their assigned seats by now. But today was different. Today was a special day. A holiday that only came once a year.
Today was Hearts and Hooves Day. And it was because of that holiday that three fillies collectively known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders were hard at work in their clubhouse. Said clubhouse being on Sweet Apple Acres, a ways away from the school house.
Class was due to begin soon, and the Crusaders knew they'd probably be late for school if they didn't leave soon. But that wasn't what was on their minds right now. No, the three fillies were working on a special gift that they wanted to give to their teacher, Miss. Cheerilee: A huge, pink heart.
"Hmm..." Apple Bloom seemed to frown as she looked over the huge heart that had been made out of paper. It had been painted a lovely shade of pink. "I just don't feel like it's quite finished, girls." She said aloud.
Sweetie Belle nodded her head in agreement. "I know what you mean. I don't think it's quite finished yet, either."
"Same here." Scootaloo agreed.
Sweetie Belle then declared. "Well, it is for Miss. Cheerilee, after all. And Hearts and Hooves Day only comes once a year. That means it needs to be perfect. Any ideas?"
Scootaloo held up a roll of pink ribbons as she proposed. "I say we add a little more ribbon to make it shine!" She proceeded to leap over the heart ever so delicately, adding ribbons to any place she felt was lacking in them.
Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded. "Mm-hmm, yeah, yeah. And just a tiny bit more lace too." Since she wasn't that skilled at using her horn, she used her hooves to put some pink lace on the heart wherever possible.
Apple Bloom, meanwhile, dabbed her hooves into pink paint as she saw fit to add her own contribution. "A few more hoof-prints won't hurt." And she trotted over the heart with her paint covered hooves.
After Apple Bloom got off the heart and washed the paint off her hooves, Scootaloo then held up a bucket that sparkled and said to the others. "Glitter! It could definitely use just a little more glitter!" But she ended up dumping the entire bucket worth of glitter onto the heart before she was satisfied.
Only then did the three fillies step back to admire their hard work. The paper heart looked absolutely beautiful in their eyes, making it the perfect Hearts and Hooves Day gift for their favorite teacher.
"Now that'll show Miss Cheerilee how much we care about her," Apple Bloom proudly proclaimed. "Just have to get it to the Hearts and Hooves Day party at school."
However, it was now that the Crusaders became aware of a problem that had apparently not crossed their minds before. Namely, the size of their paper heart compared to the size of the envelope they would have to fit it in. Needless to say, the heart was far too big to fit into a regular envelope.
"I think we're gonna need a bigger envelope." Was all Scootaloo could say, and it was all that anypony needed to say.
The Crusaders had no way to know that before the day was over, delivering a massive present to their teacher would be the least of their problems.
Somehow, the three fillies found a way to get their rather large paper heart to the schoolhouse, although that made them late for class as a result. Fortunately, Cheerilee was more than understanding when she saw the heart for herself. It easily dwarfed all the other paper hearts her students had given her on this day. "It's so lovely," She'd said upon laying eyes on it. "And so... big!"
Apple Bloom proudly took the lead in explaining the intention behind the big heart, even though part of it kept folding over and threatened to make the whole thing fall onto the Crusaders. "We just wanted to let you know that we think you're the best teacher in the whole wide world! And that we think you're super! And that we love you so so much! And that we want you to have the best Hearts and Hooves Day–"
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle joined Apple Bloom in shouting all at the same time! "Ever!" But they'd no sooner said this than the heart finally fell on top of them as it folded over.
Cheerilee smiled. "Thank you so much, girls. I love it. I really do. You really shouldn't have."
Sweetie Belle just poked her head up from the heart as she innocently remarked. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing compared to the gifts you've gotten from your..." She paused and made sure to emphasize the next point. "Very special somepony, whoever they may be."
But the teacher simply responded. "Oh, I don't have a special somepony. Never have."
That statement came as quite the shock to the three fillies, even if they'd never given their teacher's love life much thought before. "What? Really?" Apple Bloom questioned.
Cheerilee nodded with an innocent smile. "Yes, really. Sure, I've had the odd date, but never anything serious. And I'm in no rush to put myself out there."
Sweetie Belle saw fit to question. "But how could somepony as amazing as you not have a special somepony, Miss. Cheerilee? I think anypony would consider themselves lucky to be with you."
At that, the earth pony with a pinkish-purple coat frowned. Whether it was because of the inquries she was getting into her past, or because there was something about her past dates that she didn't like to recall was hard to tell. "Girls, I appreciate the concern. But who I love or who I date is none of your business," She tried to innocently and sweetly steer them away from the subject. "I already have lots of good friends and wonderful students who care about me very much. So I know I'm gonna have an absolutely terrific Hearts and Hooves Day with or without a special somepony."
"But Miss. Cheerilee-" Scootaloo began, trying to add her own two bits to the conversation.
Cheerilee immediately moved to shut down any further discussion of the subject. "-But nothing, Scootaloo. There's a time and place for discussions such as this, and this is not one of them. Right now, I am your teacher. And as your teacher, I'm asking you nicely to please leave the subject alone. You see me around town all the time. You would know in a heartbeat if I was seeing somepony. If someday I do find a special somepony, you will know. Until then, however, you shouldn't worry yourselves about my personal life," Then she clapped her hooves as she turned her attention to the class as a whole. "Okay, everypony. Who's ready to play 'Pin the Heart on the Pony'?"
Countless students eagerly raised their hooves and shouted their intentions to volunteer. Twist ended up being the first to be allowed to, being blindfolded after being given a small paper heart to stick onto a poster of a pony hanging on one of the classroom walls.
However, in spite of Cheerilee's attempts to get the CMC to let go of their concern about her lack of a special somepony, the three fillies could think of little else. Apple Bloom even remarked aloud while looking to the teacher. "If anypony deserves a special somepony, it's her. I know for a fact there's lots of single stallions out there, and I bet any one of 'em would be honored to be Miss. Cheerilee's special somepony if she asked them."
It was then that Sweetie Belle got the most unusual expression on her face as she gasped. It looked like a smile that could rival anything you'd see on Pinkie Pie's face on any given day. And she continued to wear that smile for several seconds.
"Uh, you all right there, Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom questioned.
The unicorn filly sweetly replied. "Oh, I'm more than all right. I've just come up with the best idea ever. And it doesn't even involve cutie marks."
"Not involving cutie marks?" Scootaloo pondered. "What could it be?"
Sweetie happily explained. "It's simple. We're gonna find Miss. Cheerilee a special somepony. The very best there ever was."
Apple Bloom was quickly swayed to the idea. "That is the best idea ever. It'll be nice to do somethin' for somepony else, especially somepony we really appreciate."
And Scootaloo added. "And we won't even have to worry about getting our cutie marks in it."
"Told you so!" Sweetie Belle declared in a singsong tone of voice.
"So what are we waitin' for, then?" Apple Bloom questioned. "Hearts and Hooves Day won't last forever! Let's get out there and find somepony special for Miss. Cheerilee already."
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle agreed.
"Let's do it!" Scootaloo chimed in, and all three fillies brought their hooves together! As they spoke, they were unaware of Twist pinning the heart to Cheerilee rather than the poster on the wall.
When the Crusaders arrived in town, they found Ponyville right in the midst of Hearts and Hooves Day celebrations. The streets were teeming with ponies big and small alike from all three races.
Sweetie Belle opted to more or less take the lead in the search for that special somepony. "Now remember, girls, it can't be just anypony. Miss Cheerilee is one of the best mares in Ponyville, after all. So she deserves to have one of the best stallions as her very special somepony," Then, as if to drive the point home, she began to sing. "Cheerile is sweet and kind. She's the best teacher we could hope for," Briefly, she thought of the teacher in her mind, before singing further. "The perfect stallion you and I must find. One to really make her heart so-o-oar."
After pausing for a moment, the filly began leading her felllow fillies in considering various stallions that might be suitable as a special somepony. "But... This one's too young," She briefly stood next to a pegasus colt with a dark brown coat and a green and white hat with a propeller, said colt playing an arcade game. "This one's too old," She next stood on top of a wrinkly old earth pony stallion with a bow tie and black glasses. "He clearly has a terrible cold." As she sang that last line, the white coated stallion she had in mind let out a sneeze.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo started conducting searches of their own. Apple Bloom was just as picky as Sweetie Belle when considering possible stallions for Cheerilee: Eliminating a stallion dressed up as a clown and another that sported a top hat. "This guy's too silly. He's way too uptight." And the latter stallion seemed to prove her right when he made a rude remark.
"Well nothing's wrong with this one. He seems alright..." Sweetie Belle pointed out as her eyes fell upon a chestnut brown coated earth pony with a dark brown mane and tail.
Unfortunately, Scootaloo took notice of a troubling fact regarding said stallion. Namely, that he was nuzzling a pegasus mare with a bluish-green coat and a blonde mane and tail. "Yeah. His girlfriend sure thinks so."
"How 'bout this one?" Sweetie proposed as she spotted a finely dressed stallion.
Perhaps the stallion was too finely dressed since his clothes sparkled to a blinding degree, prompting Apple Bloom to complain. "He's much too flashy."
Scootaloo then pointed to a brown colored earth pony stallion with an hourglass cutie mark that was rushing past. "He might do-"
But the stallion was in such a rush that he didn't pay attention to where he was going, running straight through a mud puddle and accidentally showering Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle with mud. They then both grumbled. "If he weren't so splashy."
The Crusaders soon crossed off several other stallions, saying and singing things such as. "Too short. Too tall. Too clean. Too smelly!" And even. "Strangely obessed with tubs of jelly."
All three fillies unhappily sighed as Apple Bloom then looked around, taking notice of what seemed to her like a troubling fact. "Girls, I don't think that we're mistakin'. It seems all the good ones are taken."
Sweetie wasn't about to give up so easily, even though she was singing. "I really feel that at this rate, we'll never find the perfect date," And Apple Bloom and Scootaloo joined her in singing. "Don't wanna quit and give up hope."
Then, on a whim, Scootaloo spotted Big Macintosh by all himself and decided to ask him straight. "You doing anything special for Hearts and Hooves Day?"
Silently, Sweetie Belle pleaded. "Oh please, oh please, oh please say-"
"Eenope." Big Macintosh replied with a straight face.
That simple statement was enough to lift Sweetie's spirits and lead her fellow fillies in a bit of a dance as she excitedly proclaimed! "We did it, girls! We found the one, to set our teacher's heart aflutter!"
But then the singing came to an abrupt end as Apple Bloom realized what was being proposed. And she asked. "Wait, let me get this straight. Are you talkin' 'bout my brother?"
Sheepishly, Sweetie answered. "Um... eeyup?" And she gave a nervous laugh.
Apple Bloom then sighed as the farm filly replied. "I was afraid you'd say that," But she found herself unable to argue against her fellow filly's point. "But you're right, he is the perfect stallion for the job. Even if I wish he wasn't."
And so it was agreed, more or less: Big Macintosh was going to be Cheerilee's special somepony.
After having made their decision, the Cutie Mark Crusaders quietly and secretively watched as Big Macintosh carried out his chores at Sweet Apple Acres. What Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo saw was enough to convince them that he was indeed a good choice.
"Sweetie Belle's right, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo pointed out. "Big Macintosh is the perfect stallion to be Miss. Cheerilee's special somepony. Any mare would consider herself lucky to be with him. He's really nice, super hard-working, and of course he rarely speaks unless he has to. I hear ponies go crazy for that!"
Apple Bloom was, understandably, more hesitant. After all, it was her brother who was being proposed as a potential mate for Cheerilee. "Well, yeah... But," She cautiously pointed out. "He's also pretty shy. He's never gonna ask Miss. Cheerilee to be his very special somepony. Never in a million years."
Sweetie then proposed. "Well, maybe he doesn't have to."
"Huh?" The farm filly blinked in uncertainty.
The unicorn filly just smiled as she explained. "It's simple: If we can get Big Mac and Miss. Cheerilee in a really romantic setting together, I bet she'll ask him. It's not like it matters who asks who, as long as they end up together."
And the tomboyish pegasus filly added. "Sounds like a plan to me."
"Guess I'm outvoted on this one," Apple Bloom realized and then proclaimed. "What are we waitin' for? Let's get out there and create the perfect date!" And she joined her fellow Crusaders in high hoofing each other, before they set off to put their plan into action.
A short time later, the three fillies had managed to set up a rather romantic looking scene (at least in their young minds). They'd set out a picnic blanket in alternating squares of black and white, they had a record player set to play romantic music, and they had a basket full of delicious foods to enjoy along with paper plates. There was only one thing missing to complete the scene.
Sweetie Belle noticed that missing thing when her sap green eyes spotted an empty golden flower vase. "Flowers," She cried. "Don't forget the flowers. It's not romantic without flowers."
"Oops. I'll get right on it!" Apple Bloom promised and rushed away to retrieve some flowers from nearby. She quickly scooped them up and placed them in the flower vase. Everything was now ready.
Scootaloo then looked out into the distance, and her eyes saw a sight she and her fellow Crusaders had been hoping to see! "They're coming!" She called out as she noticed both Cheerilee and Big Macintosh approaching the spot from opposite directions, neither aware of the other's presence yet (or of the Crusaders' presence for that matter). "Everything's going according to plan. Miss. Cheerilee is gonna have the best Hearts and Hooves Day ever."
"With her new very special somepony of course," Sweetie pointed out as she and the other fillies giggled. "Now come on, let's hide before they see us! They can't know we're here or they'll see through the whole thing in an instant!" And she led her fellow fillies over to a nearby bush so they could maintain the role of silent observers.
Cheerilee was the first to approach the romantic picnic setting, calling out to the distance. "Hello? Girls? You said you needed my help with something?" She looked all around, yet could find no trace of either Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo anywhere.
Meanwhile, Big Macintosh made his way to the spot with a toolkit. But he took one look at his surroundings and saw that the building he'd been sent to repair had already been fixed up without him. That struck him as odd. Who could've fixed up the old gazebo when that was supposed to have been his job?
The two earth ponies looked all around for a bit. And when they did they eventually laid eyes upon each other as the romantic music slowly filled the air. For a moment, neither could speak. They stood there and gazed at each other, their expressions proving difficult to read. It seemed as if both wanted the other to say something or do something first.
From the safety of their bush, the Crusaders looked out on the scene with hope and anticipation. So far, everything was working as they had hoped it would.
"You really think this will work?" Scootaloo asked the others in a whisper.
Sweetie Belle whispered back. "Of course it will work. They're perfect for each other. We all agreed," Then she shushed Scootaloo. "I think they're finally going to speak."
And indeed, Cheerilee opted to break the unofficial spell as silence. But all she could bring herself to say to Big Macintosh was. "Beautiful day we're having."
And all Big Macintosh could say in reply was. "Eeyup."
In a somewhat nervous tone of voice, Cheerilee asked the red coated stallion. "Uh, any big plans for tonight? Or any plans at all?"
Big Macintosh just replied with. "Eenope."
Apple Bloom was fast growing impatient at watching the two full grown earth ponies just stare at each other and make small talk. "Come on, Miss. Cheerilee," She whispered. "What are you waitin' for? Ask him to be your special somepony already."
Sweetie then gasped as she excitedly exclaimed! "Ohmigosh, look. I think she's going for it!"
The currently off-duty teacher seemed to look deep into Big Mac's eyes as she appeared to ask in a sweet and innocent tone of voice. "Big Mac?"
The stallion appeared to blush ever so faintly, though it was hard to see through his natural red coat. "Uh, eeyup?" He replied, sounding a tad bit flustered all of a sudden.
But instead of asking what the Crusaders thought she was going to ask, Cheerilee instead told Big Mac. "You have something stuck in your teeth, there." And after she'd spoken this, the record stopped playing with an abrupt scratch.
Furious at seeing the moment go to waste, Sweetie Belle forgot all about her need to be silent! She angrily poked her up from the bush and shouted! "Oh come on!" It was only Scootaloo quickly forcing the filly back down into the bushes that kept her cover from being blown.
The earth pony mare with a lovely magenta coat then gave off a nervous laugh as she told the stallion. "Well, this has been... strange."
"Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied, still sounding nervous.
Cheerilee seemed to regain her composure as she smiled, telling Big Mac. "Well, I need to get going. But it's always nice running into a friend. Guess I'll see you around."
Big Mac said nothing, he just nodded his head in silent agreement. And just like that, the two earth ponies went their separate ways. They didn't even bother to help themselves to the food in the picnic basket.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders promptly wandered around town afterward, wondering where it was that they'd gone wrong in their attempts to get Big Macintosh and Cheerilee together.
"Told ya he wasn't gonna ask her," Apple Bloom pointed out. "Ya think it wasn't romantic enough for Miss. Cheerilee?"
Scootaloo shook her head. "Maybe it was too romantic. The record player was too much."
Sweetie Belle unhappily remarked. "Well, whatever it was, we failed," And she then wondered. "Where did we go so wrong?"
Apple Bloom shrugged her hooves. "I don't know. But there's gotta be somethin' else we can do. Somethin' we ain't thought of yet," She unhappily sighed. "If only there were some kind of expert we could consult. Somepony who knows a thing or two 'bout romance. Maybe they could help us figure it out."
Upon hearing the words "Expert" and "Romance", a lightbulb went off inside Sweetie's head as an idea came to her! "Wait a minute, Apple Bloom!" She proclaimed as she suddenly stopped right in her tracks. "I can't believe we didn't think of this sooner, it was so obvious!"
"What are you talkin' 'bout?" Apple Bloom pondered as she didn't seem to understand what her fellow filly was suggesting.
Swishing her tail, Sweetie explained. "If it's an expert we need, then there's nopony in town more qualified on the subject than my big sister, Rarity. We should've just come to her for advice in the first place. I'm sure she'll know how to help us get Big Mac and Miss. Cheerilee together."
Scootaloo was not so sure. "You think she'll want us to help? Or that she'll even be around? What if she's already busy getting ready for a date or something?"
The unicorn filly just chiperly replied. "We won't know unless we try. Come on! I know where we can find her!" And she rushed off as fast as her little hooves could carry her, prompting Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to chase after her.
Sweetie didn't stop until she came to Carousel Boutique, and when she did so she knocked on the door and waited for a reply.
Sure enough, the door swung open as the familiar form of Rarity appeared. "Oh, hello girls." She greeted the Crusaders.
"Hi, Rarity," Sweetie Belle sincerely smiled. "We've got a bit of a problem, and I was hoping you could help us out. It's right up your alley, whatever that means."
"Oh? Whatever would that be?" Rarity curiously pondered even as she invited the three fillies into her boutique.
Sweetie sweetly explained. "We're trying to get Big Macintosh and Miss. Cheerilee to be together. We all agreed that Miss. Cheerilee deserves a special somepony, and that Big Mac is the perfect stallion for the job."
"We even sang a song about it." Scootaloo pointed out.
And Apple Bloom added. "Much as I ain't exactly thrilled with the idea involvin' my brother, I can't deny that he would make for an excellent special somepony, especially for Miss. Cheerilee."
Then Sweetie concluded. "We tried to get them together on our own. We set up a nice, romantic picnic in the park near the old gazebo," She then frowned and hung her head in shame. "But it didn't work. Either it wasn't romantic enough, or it was too romantic. That's why we need your help. There's nopony in town who knows anywhere near as much about romance as you do."
The fashionista was all too happy to reply. "Oh, I'm flattered that you girls have come to me for advice. Hearts and Hooves Day is my favorite holiday of all time, after all! Usually, I spend the day trying to find a date. But after an experience with a certain prince who shall not be named," She seemed to briefly glare before reverting to her happy and cheerful expression. "I've decided to take a bit of a break. Besides, most of the ponies I had considered already have dates and I hate to intrude."
"So, can you help us or not?" Scootaloo questioned. "Hearts and Hooves Day is already half over. We don't have much time left."
Rarity just smiled, patting the tomboyish filly gently on the forehead. "Patience, Scootaloo. All in good time. After all, Canterlot wasn't built in a day," Then she lit up her horn, pulling forth an old, somewhat worn looking book as she explained. "It just so happens that I rented a book from the library just recently that details the origins of Hearts and Hooves Day in detail. Did you know that this holiday got its start because of a love potion?"
At that, Sweetie Belle blinked and inquired. "Did you just say... a love potion?" She was hoping she had heard right.
Rarity confirmed that her little sister had indeed heard correctly. "I most certainly did. And believe it or not, the book actually contains the recipe for that love potion. Apparently, it was made by some prince long ago to win the heart of a princess he loved more than anything."
It was then that the gears in Sweetie's mind began to turn. "I'll bet if we whipped up that potion and gave it to Miss. Cheerilee and Big Mac, they'd fall head over hooves for each other!"
Apple Bloom was a bit hesitant. "I don't know, girls. It was one thing when we were just tryin' to get them to be together on their own. Now we're gonna trick them into drinkin' a love potion?"
"What's the problem?" Sweetie Belle innocently replied. "We all agreed those two are perfect for one another."
And Scootaloo added. "Yeah, they just need a little nudge, that's all. I'm sure the potion will wear off. And they'll thank us for it when they realize they were meant to be together. If it worked for a prince, it can work for us."
Sweetie then saw fit to chime in. "Besides, what could make them happier than being together?"
The farm filly found herself reluctantly agreeing with her friends once again. "Well, when ya put it like that, it doesn't sound so bad. Count me in," Then she added. "I still have some of that potion makin' stuff from Zecora. We can use that to mix up that potion no problem."
"But how will we ever get Miss. Cheerilee and Big Mac to drink it, without telling them it's a love potion?" The unicorn filly pondered with concern.
Rarity flashed a knowing wink to the Crusaders. "Leave that detail to me. You girls just gather the ingredients and make the potion." She then gave them the book, having already turned the page to the exact one that listed the ingredients for the love potion and the instructions on how they were to be added.
The Crusaders thus went about gathering the necessary ingredients for the love potion: A tuft of cloud (taken from a lone cloud that had apparently gotten away unnoticed) and a bright rainbow's glow (which proved tricky to extract).
Then, a feather was plucked from one of Scootaloo's wings in accordance with the book's instructions to: "Stir with a pegasus feather. Fast, not slow."
And the last words that the Crusaders read specifically mentioned: "Serve to two ponies who aren't in the know."
After a little bit of stirring and mixing, an innocent looking pinkish-purple liquid appeared in one of the vials from Apple Bloom's potion kit. Said liquid was carefully brought back to Carousel Boutique where Rarity was waiting.
The fashionista unicorn carefully eyed the concotion that occasionally bubbled. Nothing seemed at all off about it. "Did you girls remember to follow the instructions to the letter?" She asked the Crusaders.
All three fillies nodded as Sweetie confidently proclaimed. "Of course we did, Rarity. Now we just need Miss. Cheerilee and Big Mac to drink it."
Rarity smiled. "I know just the thing. You girls simply follow my lead." And she whispered her plan to the Crusaders.
Sometime later, Cheerilee and Big Macintosh were quite surprised to be called back to the old gazebo in the park. All the earlier romantic stuff had been cleared, and Rarity was waiting for them along with the Cutie Mark Crusaders with just a pinkish-purple liquid in two small glasses.
The fashionista quickly took the liberty of explaining what the reason behind the summons was. "Sweetie Belle and her friends were hoping you two could taste test this punch for them. They were thinking of opening up a stand to make a little money, but they want to make sure that ponies will buy their punch. And they trust the both of you to be honest with them."
"Yeah, what Rarity said." Sweetie Belle innocently chimed in as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo seemed to be holding back grins for some reason.
Cheerilee and Big Macintosh exchanged curious and suspicious glances for a moment, before they both took up the glasses of what they believed to be punch.
Once she and her friends had retreated to the safety of the nearby bush, Sweetie whispered to Rarity. "Thanks a bunch, sis. We never could've pulled this off without you."
Rarity just winked as she whispered back. "Don't thank me yet. There's no guarantee the potion will work until after they've drunk it," And she brought up a hoof. "We mustn't let them suspect anything."
Meanwhile, with Cheerilee and Big Macintosh alone, the two earth ponies had very little to do besides look at each other. And as they did so, Cheerilee sincerely apologized to the stallion. "I'm really sorry about this, Big Mac. I know this can't be comfortable for you. It's really my fault. I told the girls that I don't have a special somepony, and it seems they took it upon themselves to 'correct' that problem."
All that Big Mac had to say was. "Eeyup."
The off-duty teacher then added. "Seems like they more or less volunteered you to be my special somepony. And I think they keep putting us in these awkward situations because they think it'll magically make us want to be together."
At that, Big Macintosh snickered and even chuckled a bit even as he still only said. "Eeyup."
But Cheerilee then proposed. "Still, I suppose there's no harm in humoring them, just for a minute. Whatever this 'punch' is, I suspect it's nothing harmful. And it would be a shame to let it go to waste. So let's drink, to good friends." And the two brought their glasses together, making them clink. Then they brought the drinks within to their lips.
From the bush, Scootaloo watched with excitement as she exclaimed! "They're drinking it! They're drinking it! Our plan's working!"
Within seconds, both fully grown earth ponies had downed the "punch". They let out content hiccups, and then they seemed to gaze at each other as if suddenly both found the other to be the most beautiful thing they had ever seen before.
"They're lookin' into each other's eyes," Apple Bloom whispered with a smile. Then she and the other CMC all said together. "They're about to be in for a big surprise!"
As if to confirm that statement, Cheerilee looked at Big Macintosh and asked him point blank. "Big Mac? Can I ask you something?"
Big Mac nodded and happily responded. "Eeyup."
Right then and there, Cheerilee made her declaration. "Will you be my special somepony?"
The stallion with a beautiful red coat was all too happy to agree. "Eeyup! And you can be my special somepony, Cheerilee!"
"Oh Big Mac," Cheerilee dreamily sighed, looking ready to faint right then and there. "I thought you'd never ask!"
The Cutie Mark Crusaders then burst out of the bush, satisfied that their plan had worked. "We did it! We did it!" They chanted while happily prancing around the new couple. "She's his special somepony! He's her special somepony!"
But suddenly and without any prompting, the new couple leaned in close and started to kiss one another. And they did so several times over, prompting Cheerilee to fondly exclaim! "Oh Big Mac, you're a dream come true! You're my kissy little snuggle bear!"
"And you're my sweetie honey pie!" Big Macintosh exclaimed in a goofy tone of voice, before he and Cheerilee started giggling more like giddy school children rather than full grown adults.
Apple Bloom immediately became concerned as she witnessed the troubling behavior, especially from her big brother who had never acted this goofy in front of anypony before. "Big Mac! Hey! Hello! What's goin' on?" She demanded of him. "Ya feelin' alright?" But she got no reply, it seemed that her brother couldn't hear a word she was saying.
And Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were beginning to notice similar signs of concerning behavior from Cheerilee. "Uh, Miss. Cheerilee?" Scootaloo nervously asked while waving a hoof in front of the mare.
Sweetie added. "Are you alright? Is anypony home?" But she and Scootaloo both went unacknowledged. It seemed like all either Big Mac or Cheerilee could think about was each other. That prompted Sweetie to gulp and look at her fellow Crusaders. "I think we may have given them too big of a nudge."
"Ya think?" Scootaloo retorted, before she, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle all recoiled in disgust from the vastlty overdone display of affection they were witnessing.
With the book safely in tow, the CMC retreated to their clubhouse in order to try to figure out what was going on with Big Macintosh and Cheerilee. As well as (hopefully) a way to reverse it. "What have we done?!" Apple Bloom exclaimed with worry. "My brother's actin' like a grade-A goofball!"
"Maybe we added too much rainbow?" Scootaloo pondered. "Or maybe not enough cloud? Or maybe we didn't stir it right or something?"
Sweetie Belle, meanwhile, was frantically scanning through the book for an answer. "Or maybe we didn't..." Then, after looking at the page that had the recipe for the love potion, something caught her attention and made her say. "Uh-oh."
Apple Bloom flinched and spun around upon hearing those words! "Whaddya mean 'Uh-oh'?! Is it 'Uh-oh' funny or 'Uh-oh' we're all doomed?!"
Sweetie gulped and swallowed hard. "I can't believe we didn't see this sooner. It was right underneath the ingredients. It was a warning!"
"A warning about what?!" Scootaloo nervously asked.
The unicorn filly with the same white coat as her big sister nervously explained. "That wasn't a love potion we brewed, it was a love poison! Although, in our defense, they really should've put that in bold print or something. It's easy to overlook. But it even said 'Do not try this at home'."
The farm filly groaned in annoyance! "Great! So we accidentally poisoned both our teacher and my big brother! Why did I ever let you girls talk me into this?! Even when it's not cutie marks, it seems like things always go wrong for us whe when we do stuff like this!"
The tomboyish pegasus filly, meanwhile, was nervously asking. "Does it say why that prince would create a love poison? Can't imagine why anypony would want to do such a thing."
Sweetie scanned the pages. "It looks like it wasn't intentional. The prince really did intend for it to be a love potion, not a love poison. Says he was a nice pony, he just wasn't good at making potions. If he was, he would've realized the ingredients and the way they were combined were turning it into a poison, not a potion."
"Does it say what happened to him and his princess, or how they broke the spell?" Apple Bloom hesitantly questioned. "Please tell me there's a cure! If there isn't, I don't know how I'll ever explain this to Applejack and Granny Smith!"
Gulping anew, Sweetie Belle read on. "Well, from what I'm reading, things didn't exactly end well for the prince or the princess."
Against her better judgement, Apple Bloom asked. "How bad did it get?"
Sweetie Belle answered in a somewhat ominous tone. "Well, there's something here about a dragon, the kingdom falling, chaos reigning... Okay, apparently it was all because the prince and princess were so lost in each other's eyes that they couldn't perform their royal duties. And nopony ever managed to brew up a cure."
At that, the farm filly trotted over and banged her head down on a small desk. "Great! So not only did we poison Big Mac and Miss. Cheerilee, but now we might have put all of Ponyville in jeopardy!"
"Why?" Scootaloo sincerely wondered. "They don't have royal duties."
"No, but they do have important jobs they have to do," Apple Bloom pointed out. "If we don't find a way to undo what we did: Big Mac won't be able to work in the fields, and Miss. Cheerilee won't be able to teach. Without my brother, Sweet Apple Acres won't be able to stay in business. And without Miss. Cheerilee, there'll be nopony left to teach at the schoolhouse. It'll be chaos! It'll be chaos!" She frantically waved her hooves in the air to emphasize her point.
Fortunately, it was at that point that Sweetie Belle spoke up. "Well, the good news is there is an antidote. But it's not a potion."
Apple Bloom breathed a small sigh of relief. "Why didn't you say so earlier? What do we gotta do?"
The unicorn filly explained. "Well, that's kind of the bad news. If we can keep Big Mac and Miss. Cheerilee from looking into each other's eyes for one hour, the spell will be broken."
Scootaloo waved a hoof as she replied. "Only an hour? Pft, that's easy! We could pull that off in a second! Come on, let's go find them and get them away from each other!"
Yet when the three fillies returned to the park, they found that Big Macintosh and Cheerilee were nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, there you girls are," Rarity spoke up in what sounded like sincere surprise. "Where did you fillies scamper off to?"
"No time to explain!" Apple Bloom frantically replied. "Did you see where my brother and Miss. Cheerilee went?!"
Rarity nodded. "I most certainly did. They headed off to Sugarcube Corner just after you fillies left. But..."
Rather than wait for Rarity to finish her sentence, the CMC took off as fast as their hooves would let them!
Just as Rarity had said, the love sick couple was indeed at Sugarcube Corner. They occupied a table all to themselves as a milkshake with a cherry on top rested between them. The shake had two straws, but it seemed like neither pony was interested in drinking it. "You take the first sip, snuggle-wuggles." Cheerilee encouraged as she nudged the shake closer to Big Macintosh.
Big Macintosh just nudged the shake back towards Cheerilee as he sweetly replied. "No, you take it, schnoodle-dumplin'."
Mrs. Cake had been watching the whole scene. And if the expression on her face was any indication, even she was a bit unsettled by what she was seeing. "I've seen a lot of couples in my time, some young and some old," She confessed to the Crusaders as they entered the bakery. "But this is ridiculous. They've been acting like this since they came in here, they won't stop," And she saw fit to ask. "What exactly happened to those two? I know they weren't like this the last time I saw them."
Sweetie Belle gave a nervous chuckle as she shrugged her hooves. "Who knows?"
Mrs. Cake appeared to be satisfied with the answer as she sighed. "Well, they're the only customers I have right now. And customers are customers, no matter who they might be," Then she added. "At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if those two lovebirds started planning a wedding soon. As I'm sure Carrot would say if he was here right now, we could always use the catering business. I just hope those two finish soon. I wanted to close up early so Carrot and I could enjoy a nice Hearts and Hooves Day dinner together." Then she trotted over to the counter.
Just as soon as Mrs. Cake had finished giving her two bits, Sweetie got an idea! "That's it! Mrs. Cake is a genius! Big Mac and Miss. Cheerilee should get married!"
Apple Bloom was, understandably, confused at such an idea. "How the hay is gettin' hitched supposed to keep those two apart for an hour?"
Sweetie Belle promptly explained. "They aren't really gonna get married. They're just gonna get ready to get married. Rarity always says weddings take a long time to plan. So we just need them to go through the preparations for an hour, and everything will be back to normal," Then she winked. "And as it happens, I already know the perfect place for Miss. Cheerilee to pick out her wedding dress. Someplace where I know she'll be occupied for a long time."
"And what about Big Mac?" Scootaloo questioned.
The unicorn filly just winked as she whispered. "Just follow my lead," Then she trotted up to the two grown-up earth ponies and placed herself between them as she told them. "Gosh, you two are so in love, the next thing you know, you'll be getting married."
Cheerilee and Big Macintosh both paused and blinked a bit in confusion. "Married?" They asked at the same time.
Sweetie nodded. "That's right. Married," Then she turned to Cheerilee and said in as sweet a tone as possible. "Miss. Cheerilee, you should go to Carousel Boutique and pick out a wedding dress. After all, you'll wanna look your best for your very special somepony."
Once the seed of an idea was planted, it was only a matter of seconds until it firmly took root in Cheerilee's mind. And the love struck off-duty teacher happily exclaimed! "Ooh! Dress!" She promptly raced out of Sugarcube Corner at a speed that could've rivaled Pinkie Pie when she was on one of her sugar rushes!
"Sweetie!" Big Macintosh gasped as he was momentarily separated from Cheerilee.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo rushed to block him as Scootaloo quickly got an idea. "Big Mac, don't you wanna go pick out a diamond for the engagement ring? Miss. Cheerilee deserves only the very best, doesn't she?"
"Ooh! Diamond!" Big Mac happily exclaimed as he bolted out the door as fast as he could!
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo followed the stallion as Apple Bloom quickly realized what her fellow filly and Crusader was trying to do. "I see what you're doin', Scootaloo. We just keep Big Mac busy diamond shoppin' until the hour's up. Sweetie Belle takes care of Miss. Cheerilee. And soon, this will be just a memory."
Scootaloo nodded. "Yup. Now come on, we gotta to the diamond store before Big Mac makes a purchase! Oh, if only I had my scooter!"
Rarity was most surprised to find a frantic Cheerilee at Carousel Boutique as the off-duty teacher raced into one of the dressing rooms with the first wedding dress she'd laid eyes upon. Said dressing room was quickly being blocked off by Sweetie Belle as the filly desperately placed as many heavy objects as she could in front of the door.
"Just try on that dress, Miss. Cheerilee," Sweetie Belle instructed. "When Big Mac comes here, he can free you and you two can get married."
"What's all this about getting married?" Rarity questioned. "And why are you keeping Miss. Cheerile prisoner in that dressing room, Sweetie Belle?"
Sweetie gulped, realizing she couldn't possibly hope to get away with not telling her big sister what was going on. "Don't be mad, Rarity. We didn't know this was going to happen."
Rarity was more confused than angry. "Sweetie Belle, whatever are you talking about? You're acting awfully strange."
"Not as strange as Big Mac and Miss. Cheerilee," The younger unicorn argued. "We accidentally gave them a love poison instead of a love potion. And we have to keep them from looking into each other's eyes for an hour in order to cure them. Having them get ready to get married was the only thing I could think of that would work. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are busy with Big Mac, so I have to keep Miss. Cheerilee here until everything goes back to normal. And I could really use your help."
The fashionista's response to her little sister's confession was most unexpected. She threw back her head and started to laugh. "Oh, Sweetie Belle, there's no need to resort to such dramatics. Big Mac and Cheerilee are perfectly fine."
"But... but... the love poison!" Sweetie stammered in disbelief.
Rarity reached out a hoof and explained to her younger sister. "I apologize for the dramatics, Sweetie Belle. But you and your friends didn't posion Cheerilee or Big Macintosh. I saw that warning about the love poison while you girls were gathering the ingredients. I then swapped out the poison for actual punch while you three weren't looking."
"Then, why are Miss. Cheerilee and Big Mac acting so funny? And talking so funny?" Sweetie Belle questioned with concern.
At that, Cheerilee spoke up from within the dressing room. "I'm sure Big Macintosh is already on his way here with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. When he does, let me out of here and we'll both explain what's really been going on."
Sure enough, a short time later, Big Macintosh arrived at the boutique with the other Crusaders by his side. Cheerilee was soon set free, and once outside and by Big Mac, it was time for the Crusaders to be told what had happened.
"Rarity informed us about the love poison and about her plan to swap it out," Cheerilee told the three fillies. "Big Mac and I then decided that you girls needed to learn a little lesson about meddling in other ponies' personal lives. So we merely pretended to be afflicted by the love poison," She then sheepishly confessed. "However, it seems we got a little too into the act. We're sorry if we made you girls worry, that wasn't our intention."
Big Macintosh then began to speak, or rather tried to. "Cheerilee and I think it's sweet that you think we ought to be together, but..."
"But we shouldn't have meddled in your relationship, even if our hearts and hooves were in the right place." Scootaloo realized.
Apple Bloom added. "Nopony can force two ponies to be together. That's not what love is about."
And Sweetie Belle concluded. "It's up to everypony to choose that special somepony for themselves, regardless of who it may be."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders then said all the same time. "We're sorry."
"Well, it's good that you girls have learned your lesson," Cheerilee told them in a sincere and sympathetic tone. "But even so, interfering in other ponies love lives is not something that can just be overlooked. You girls still did something wrong."
Big Macintosh then cleared his throat. "Apple Bloom," He looked at his little sister. "I promise I won't tell Applejack or Granny Smith, as long as you promise to take care of some of my chores for the rest of the week."
Apple Bloom reluctantly agreed. "Okay, Big Mac."
Sweetie Belle then spoke up. "Hey, it's not fair that Apple Bloom has to do the chores alone. She was the most hesitant about the whole thing."
Scootaloo added. "Yeah. So if you're gonna punish her, you should punish us as well. We'll help her do the chores."
Cheerilee smiled. "That's very thoughtful of you, girls. It's good to see you owning up to your mistakes and admitting when you've done wrong," She then looked to Big Macintosh and to Rarity. "What do you think? Does that sound like a fair punishment to you? In exchange for keeping this between all of us, the girls have to do Big Mac's chores for the rest of the week?"
Rarity nodded her head in encouragement. "I'll pass word along to Mother and Father, and to Scootaloo's parents as well. But I'm sure they'll all agree."
"Great," Cheerilee agreed, and then cleared her throat. "And seeing as Big Mac will have some free time because of that, I don't think there's any harm in asking if he'd like to spend some of it with me."
"What?!" The Crusaders all gasped at once!
Cheerilee quickly explained. "I must admit, this experience has certainly gotten me interested in Big Mac," Then she warned her students. "But just because we're going on one date doesn't mean we're a couple. That's a decision Big Mac and I will make for ourselves on our time."
Big Macintosh simply smiled as he then took Cheerilee's hoof, leading her away.