Looking up at the red and gold tinged sky, Big Macintosh could feel the slight breeze wafting through the farm, smell the scent of apples accompanying the cool wind. He could feel the sore aching in his body from the day's craziness. Squinting his eyes against the falling golden orb, the red farm pony, for the first time since being broken from his love potion induced insanity, enunciated words that weren't the trade mark of love struck idiots. "Sunset's beautiful."
"Yes, it is," Cheerilee smiled as she looked to the farm pony next to her. "Not everyday you wake up in a hole in ground wearing a wedding veil." She chuckled.
"Eeyup."
As the two ponies continued to walk into the dimming sky, neither speaking, only drinking in the day's events, and the sunset before them. After walking for what seemed an eternity, but was actually barely a single minute, Cheerilee broke the silence, "Are we out of their hearing range yet?" she asked as she turned her head to look back at the three young fillies crying hysterically and holding each other
"Eeyup." Big Mac answered with his signature catchphrase. "Listen, miss Cheerilee, Ah'm sorry mah sister an her friends tried to set us up. Ah'm even more sorry they used a love potion on us. They really did have their hearts in the right place though."
Looking over at the red mountain next to her, Cheerilee remembered the first time she'd ever seen him, all the way back when he wasn't so big. The day still played through her head clear as crystal, and she hoped she'd never forget that day as long as she lived. "Please, don't call me 'Miss', I'm Cheerilee to you. I know they did. I just, well, I don't know. I wish they'd been more, more, honest, I guess."
Looking to the mare beside him, to his oldest friend, "They're still young. B'sides, they're a lot like you were when you were their age." Big Mac chuckled, "Ah remember when you tried to set Mayor Mare up with the post-stallion, and Ah especially remember the aftermath of that."
Looking to the maroon mare next to him, Big Mac could almost detect a hint of sadness dance across her snout, but it evaporated almost before he could register it had even been there. Almost. "What's wrong?"
As they stepped onto the path leading into Ponyville, she looked up at him, "Nothing. I'm just a little exasperated from today. I suppose waking up in a hole in the ground would do that to a pony." Cheerilee said, bearing a smile, but Big Mac knew it was plastic. Something was bothering her, what it was, he had no idea.
"Cheerilee, Ah've known you nearly thirteen years, and whatever's botherin you, it's a lot more than jus bein tired." the red draft horse said as he stepped in front of the normally bubbly mare. "Now what's wrong, cause Ah ain't movin till you tell me."
"It's nothing!" she yelled as she stamped her hoof on the ground in front of her, "Now please get out of my way. I need to get home."
Taken aback by her outburst, Big Mac stepped to the side as she stormed past him. Resuming his place by her side, he continued his calm pace as she determinedly stomped her way down the road to Ponyville. Something was definitely bothering her, and Big Mac was no Sherlock Pones, but he was beginning to think he was a part of it. As he began to pore through every memory he had of their time together, he couldn't think of any instances where he could've made Cheerilee like this. As he began to give up the chase, Big Mac remembered Cheerilee had started acting this way after he'd mentioned the big mail-mix-up of ten years ago. Did she feel guilty about that? It had just been a giant setback to the Ponyville post office, but they'd managed to get things back in order in less than a week. No harm done. So why did she feel bad about it, after all these years? Turning to the sullen mare beside him, Big Mac said, "Cheerilee, Ah know what's botherin you." instantly her face lit up like a Hearth's Warming Eve tree, "It's ok. Ah completely understand the way you feel, but it's ok. The Big mail-mix-up was jus a stumblin block for the post office. You shouldn't feel guilty about it."
Big Mac could see the light leave her eyes, the smile fade from her lips. "Oh. You're right, I shouldn't. Thanks Mac." Cheerilee said as her head dropped to a literal all time new low. Something was still up with her, and she probably wasn't gonna tell him. Pulling out the metaphorical pipe, Mac began to think of anything and everything that could've upset Cheerilee. As they continued to walk along, Big Mac became aware that they were reaching the fringes of Ponyville, and the soft alabaster glow of Luna's moon above. "Cheerilee's house is on the other side, so Ah got till then to figure out what's wrong." Big Mac thought to himself. He thought to everything he'd done, from being in the market place, to the time he'd woken up dangling upside down from a tree. Nothing clicked. Finally deciding to watch Cheerilee to try and pick up any clues from her, Big Mac continued his quest to find out what's wrong with the maroon colored schoolteacher next to him.
As he observed Cheerilee, he noticed that she had raised her head, and was now actually looking forward, instead of staring at her hooves. Continuing their walk in the moonlight, Big Mac was happy that none of the streetlights were on. Broken from his reverie by a low growl that emanated from Cheerilee's throat, the red pony looked about and spied the lone form of a mare heading on the same path as them, straight towards them, but who the mare was could not be told. As they closed the distance with the mystery mare, she came into their field of vision, "Hey Big Mac." she addressed him.
"Hi Berry. Say, were they able to move your house back?" Mac asked like an embarrassed foal.
"Don't worry Big Mac, it's ok. Thanks for asking!" She smiled. "Oh, hey Cheerilee, I didn't see you there!"
Hearing what sounded like a muttered curse, the red farm pony kept puffing away on his pipe, waiting to be out of Berry's hearing range. After they'd passed her and gone a ways up the road, Big Mac turned to Cheerilee, "Why are you mad at Berry?"
Cheerilee just kept on walking, paying no heed to anypony. Galloping up in front of her, Big Mac stood up to his full height, the mare walking into him, continuing to look at the ground. "Cheers. Mah eyes are up here." The red pony punctuated this by lifting her chin up and pointing to his head. As she looked at him, Mac could almost detect a hint of sadness, as though something had been weighing on her soul. He knew there had been. He just didn't know what.
"You know I hate that nickname." Cheerilee stated, the sadness now tinged with annoyance.
"Ah know. That's why Ah used it. Now why are you angry at Berry?"
"It's not Berry." she replied with downcast eyes. "I'm angry with you."
As Big Mac stood there trying to figure out what she meant, it only took him a slightly shorter time to realize Cheerilee had taken off. Breaking into a gallop, Macintosh followed her through the street, dodging the market carts as she weaved in and around the town center, Big Mac was surprised Cheerilee could even run this fast. After almost losing her in an alleyway, she finally stopped in front of her house, opened the door and attempted to shut it, but not before her red pursuer could get his hoof in the door. "Ow."
"Macintosh Apple, get your hoof out of my door right now."
"Nope." Mac defiantly replied. "Not until you explain yourself back there."
For the longest time, there was silence. Silence, punctuated by the occasional whisper of gentle crying. Big Mac was beginning to think she might not say anything, he heard an audible sigh emanate from behind the door, "You remember ten years ago on Hearts and Hooves day, the whole mail-mix-up incident?"
"Ah think we established that Ah do a while ago."
"Just humor me Mac. Anyway, I'd sent a letter the day before, and, well, in the end that letter got lost in the chaos." she said as Big Mac felt the pressure on his hoof ease up.
"Well," Big Mac started, "Why are you angry at me then? Jus rewrite the letter."
"I can't rewrite the letter, it's too late." The door replied annoyedly, "I'm mad because I shouldn't have needed the letter!"
"Cheerilee, talk straight to me, now." Mac grunted.
"You dated Berry when I had literally made it perfectly clear that I loved you! I shouldn't have needed the letter to tell you!" She yelled. "That I loved you! That's why I'm angry..." She half-whispered, "I love you."
Big Mac felt his heart drop inside his chest, he could feel his mind go blank, his breathing become shallow, and it felt as though gravity was dropping an anvil the size of Canterlot on him. Standing there stock still, showing no signs of higher cognitive function beyond breathing, Big Mac barely registered the door opening in front of him, or the maroon mare behind it, her eyes bearing the evidence of crying.
"I love you Big Mac. Ever since the first day I met you. I was just too afraid, so I wrote the letter to tell you, and sent it so that you'd receive it on Hearts and Hooves day, but then the mix up happened, and that letter was one of only a hoof full lost. I didn't know it had been lost until later, and by then, I'd lost my courage to tell you myself. And then I chickened out yesterday when the girls tried to set us up with that picnic...being so close to you, looking into your eyes, wanting to just dive into your hooves and never come out. And I was just too afraid." Cheerilee sighed, "Ever since that day you defended me from those bullies, the knowledge that you were there to protect me, I loved you. It started as a small schoolmare crush, but by the time we'd grown up into teens, I knew it was more, but I didn't know if you felt the same way, so I wrote the letter telling you everything, but I think we both know how that ended."
Staring down at the mare looking up at him, at her green eyes, the love he could practically see dripping from them, in the form of the tears that danced down her cheeks and watered the ground below her.
"Ah'm sorry Ah never noticed your affections, but Ah've never been the smartest pony in the crowd, so Ah just figured you wouldn't wanna be with an under educated stallion like me, so Ah shoved mah feelins under a rug, and settled with bein friends."
"Mac..." Cheerilee smiled up at the red mountain of fur in front of her, "It was never about how smart you were. I feel in love with the red colt who wasn't afraid to stand up to those bullies, all for the sake of a nerdy little filly. It was always about your heart, not your head."
As the green-eyed mare leaned in, "Cheerilee, Ah ain't never been good with words, and this is as best Ah kin do." Mac sighed, "Ah love yo-" Big Mac was interrupted by the maroon blur that tackled him to the ground, furiously hugging him. Wrapping his hooves around the warm body on top of his, he laid there for Celestia knows how long, listening to the breathing of the mare burying her head in his chest, feeling the warmth emanating from her, the smell of her mane. He didn't care about the rock digging into his back. He didn't care about anypony seeing them. Alls that mattered was here and now. As he pulled the mare up so that he could look in her eyes, he realized she was crying again. Once he was at eye level with her, Big Mac wiped away her tears, "Ah love you."
"I love you too." the maroon mare smiled. "Would you be my special somepony?"
"Eeyup." he whispered as he got to his feet and pulled Cheerilee up. "Would you be mahn?" he said as he picked a rose from a bush in the small garden next to her door.
"Yes." She said as she took the rose in her hoof. "Big Mac, c-can I, can I," she hesitated, "Can I kiss you?"
"Do yah need to ask?"