There were not many things that could match Cheerilee for power. At least, not that she had met. The few things she’d seen that could had been overcome through her use of skill and wits. Facing off with Big Macintosh, however, was a contest of pure strength.
They each sat and reached across the corner of the table, once more locking hooves. The touch was light, each daring the other to begin. Cheerilee increased the pressure slightly and Mac matched her.
As if on some unseen signal, both ponies threw their full effort into the game. Neither of them moved a single inch, their grips staying locked in the center of the table, but the tension in the room skyrocketed as they both pushed their muscles to the limit. Cheerilee and Mac both hid the strain well, keeping their faces neutral and their breathing even. If somepony were to have looked in from outside, the two of them would have appeared to simply be holding hooves. The dents forming in the wooden table beneath their silent struggle would have been a dead giveaway, though.
Cheerilee could feel the force behind Mac’s grip and her eyes gleamed, challenging him for more. He handily supplied it, the table groaning from the strain. Cheerilee ignored it, giving her all. They seemed to be evenly matched, until Mac suddenly smirked. Cheerilee’s eyes widened slightly, breaking her stoic facade, as Mac heaved in a deep breath, leaned forward slightly, and with one gargantuan push—
A crack cut through the air as the wood of the table splintered and snapped. Mac fell forward with the sudden release of pressure, although Cheerilee caught him easily. She smiled at the reversed positions, their faces inches apart.
Cheerilee chuckled lightly. Mac smiled back. And kissed her.
The fact that her finely trained instincts did not lead Cheerilee immediately push Mac away told her something. That didn’t mean she wasn’t surprised. The two of them had been friends since foalhood. Regardless of the love poison incident, they did genuinely like each other. But what about something more than that?
Mac suddenly drew back. “Uh, I’m sorry. I hope that stuff in the town water didn’t get to me.”
Cheerilee paused. She had equipment to test Mac for the poison, but when she looked into his eyes, she knew instantly she didn't need to. What she saw there wasn't the dazed stupor the rest of the town gazed at each other with. His gaze, though similar to the stricken look of the lovesick ponies, had one detail that was different, the most important detail: it was real.
She smiled. “I think you’re fine.”
He seemed to gain some confidence and moved forward again. Cheerilee met him halfway. Thoughts about the dangers of their respective biologies fought their way to the surface of her mind, but Cheerilee tried to suppress them. Her saliva was a toxin and Mac’s own might be just as bad. She could simply keep her mouth closed, however. Her self control was good enough for that.
As they continued to kiss, however, Cheerilee began to wonder. Her mind was beginning to slip towards emotion, and she couldn’t bring herself to care about anything but the stallion in front of her.
Mac’s hooves reached up to touch her. Cheerilee responded in kind, letting her instincts guide her. She had nothing else to go on, no experience with love. That didn’t mean she was completely clueless. If her heart still beat of its own volition, it would have been hammering.
The two of them separated for a moment. Cheerilee used the pause to check her thoughts and make sure she really wanted to do this. She did.
Mac glanced towards a darkened hallway. Cheerilee started to rise and the two of them left the kitchen. They could barely keep their hooves off each other long enough to stumble down the hall, both of them giggling like a couple of teenagers. The nearby bedroom was clean and the bed large enough for two. Despite the fact that they were both hundreds of years old, Cheerilee got the impression that Mac was as inexperienced as she was.
Upon reaching the bed, they paused in their awkward groping and kissing in a moment of realization. Their gazes met, and Mac tilted his head.
“So… do you, uh…?”
Cheerilee was once again thankful that she was incapable of involuntary blushing. “I… I think I just… yes.”
She clambered up onto the mattress and tried to get comfortable. Mac tried to climb up after her, but couldn’t find the room for his large frame. “Could you move over?”
Cheerilee nodded sheepishly. “Uh huh. Just…” she shuffled to the side. “Gimme a sec.” She reached out one leg for balance, unfortunately missing the end table she had aimed for and rolling into a heap on the floor.
She was not usually so clumsy. Something was clearly affecting her judgement. Cheerilee jumped up with an awkward, too-wide grin on her face. “I’m sorry, you probably think I’m a klutz.”
“Can’t blame you,” Mac said. “I’m not feeling so smooth myself.” He gestured to the spot beside him on the bed.
Cheerilee joined him. Lying side by side, it was difficult to figure out whose hooves would go under where. They eventually settled for each tucking their legs tight against each other and that solved most of the problem, uncomfortable as it was.
Still their close proximity helped to revive the mostly-dead mood. The kissing resumed, and Cheerilee even began to forget the awkward start.
For a few minutes they simply kissed, pressing close as all thoughts of love poisons and investigations were temporarily forgotten. Neither of them quite knew what they were doing, but there were no complaints. Cheerilee couldn’t remember ever feeling this way before, but she knew things were only just getting started.
Mac leaned into her a little harder and Cheerilee took the hint, rolling onto her back. He slowly moved on top of her, imposing yet gentle. Things began to heat up, and would have continued to do so, until—
They both reacted as a high-pitched sound carried through the house. Cheerilee jerked her head up at the sudden noise, accidentally headbutting Mac in the mouth, knocking him clear off the bed and to the floor. He lay there on his back, blinking stars from his vision, while Cheerilee climbed off the bed in a panic.
“Sorry!” she blurted. “It’s the Princess calling…” She helped him up and then ducked out of the bedroom and down the hall.
Luna seemed too agitated to notice anything Cheerilee might have been up to prior to answering. The fact that she wasn’t ribbing Cheerilee about her disheveled state was an omen that much more important things were afoot. “Cheerilee, we have discovered an operations center where we believe the love poison originated.”
“Who’s behind it?” Cheerilee asked.
“There is no solid evidence yet, but we were able to track the poison back to its source. I believe in your ability to get to the bottom of things,” Luna replied. She gave Cheerilee the address in town where the love poison had been brewed.
Cheerilee put down the mirror as Mac came into the room. “I have to go.”
“Now?” he asked, rubbing his sore head and looking somewhat disappointed.
Cheerilee hesitated. “I’m so sorry.”
Mac nodded. “I understand.”
“No, really. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I really want to be with you, Mac, and I…” Cheerilee struggled for words. She couldn’t find a way to express everything she was feeling. Also, there was a pressing job to do.
Cheerilee gave Mac a sorrowful look and then turned, running from the house.
Throwing open the door of her car, Cheerilee twisted the key and got the car moving as soon as the engine had started. Reversing away from the house, she spun the nose around and took off, passing back underneath the wooden archway and merging onto the road.
Her hoof was flat on the accelerator, and this time Cheerilee wasn’t holding any speed in reserve. The car shot into town, going through a few red lights. It was lucky that there was little traffic, with everypony spending the day with their lovers.
Cheerilee swung the wheel over and the car skidded around a corner, the tires smoking. She tapped the brakes and brought the vehicle to a halt beside the curb near the building where Luna had told her the love poison lab was located.
Not bothering to shut off the engine, Cheerilee piled out of the car and made for the nearest door. The building itself was unassuming, looking like any other generic commercial location, but the door told another story. It was metal, with high strength locks and protected hardware. The hinges were on the inside, and the frame was set solidly. It was enough to keep out a police force for at least a few hours, or a military squad for a few minutes. That was still more time than Cheerilee could afford.
Cheerilee slammed one hoof into the door and it ripped from its place in the wall, bringing small chunks of concrete and brick down with it. Anypony within earshot would have thought an explosion had gone off. She stalked into the building, taking in the half-dozen surprised ponies within with a quick, calculating glance. None of them looked like fighters, but Cheerilee recognized the stallion she’d spotted at the water plant among them.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
None of them spoke, still staring with shock.
Cheerilee gritted her teeth. “I had to give up a date with the most wonderful stallion in the world to come here. I’m in a terrible mood right now, and if you don’t start talking I’m going to be very angry.”
A couple of the building’s occupants looked at the wrecked door incredulously, clearly wondering what Cheerilee might do if she was angry at them. However, instead of giving up, every single one of them flashed with green fire, their bodies changing to revealing their true identities.
Cheerilee was surprised, but only slightly. It figured that Changelings would infect an entire town with love sickness. More love for them. However, it troubled her that there were so few in this building. Changelings came in large groups. The rest of them had to be somewhere else.
However, before she could ask where, the Changelings in front of her charged. It was a terrible mistake on their part. The closest one leapt at her, fangs bared. It was fast, faster than a pony, but clearly nothing more that a simple Changeling drone. Cheerilee hopped to one side, easily avoiding its straight lunge.
The problem with Changelings, however, was that they never fought alone. The hive mind instincts allowed them to work as a unit and cooperate against a single foe. Before Cheerilee was finished evading the first one, the other five were already surrounding her. They weren’t going to give an inch, and at least one of them would always be in position to attack or defend.
One of the overgrown bugs nipped at her back hooves and Cheerilee spun. That opened her up to an attack from another direction. Working together, the Changelings began a strategy to wear her down.
Cheerilee snarled, knowing that this wasn’t going to be a simple brawl of a fight. She couldn’t afford to drag it out, either. Fortunately, she had contingencies for dealing with seemingly insurmountable odds.
The next Changeling to come flying at her was in for a rude surprise. Cheerilee reared up on her hind legs and caught it around the neck, its teeth scratching her foreleg. Pirouetting, she put as much force as she could muster into a body slam against the floor. The concrete cracked, almost as loudly as the Changeling’s exoskeleton.
Green blood and ichor splashed the room. The other Changelings never paused, not even flinching at their comrade's quick demise, instead trying to find any advantage they could while Cheerilee was momentarily distracted. However, first blood had been drawn, and Cheerilee wasn’t going to stop there.
Changeling blood did not taste completely right, like a mammal’s blood would. However, Cheerilee did not pause to wipe her mouth. She bared her fangs and caught the next attacking Changeling by the throat. It took a moment to find purchase on the tough chiten, but her jaws crushed through it and nearly severed the Changeling’s head.
The body thudded to the floor as Cheerilee turned to face her other four attackers. They were more careful now, and circled for a moment to find her weak points, if she had any. Cheerilee kept them under careful watch, casually kicking one of the limp bodies aside and leaving a trail of blood across the floor.
The next Changeling to charge forward Cheerilee met with a slap to the face so hard that it went skidding away across the room, lubricated by the bloody floor. Cheerilee allowed herself a smirk as the Changeling impacted the far wall with a wet, fatal crunch. Just as she’d planned. There was probably nopony on the planet who knew the properties of blood better than her. It was the experience that came with being a centuries-old vampire.
Half of her opponents were down. Cheerilee grinned. It was time to go on the offensive. The remaining three Changelings were still spread out in an attempt to encircle her, waiting for their chance to strike, but she never gave it to them.
The first lost its head with a powerful buck from Cheerilee’s hind legs. Before the decapitated corpse had even hit the floor, the second rushed forward and met her thrusting forehoof square in the face with a sickening crunch. Cheerilee shook the smashed cranium off her hoof and leaped for the last Changeling. They tumbled briefly, and she came out on top, quickly pinning all four of the creature’s legs to the floor with her own.
“You’ll never defeat us,” the Changeling wheezed in its insectoid voice, feebly struggling to free itself. “You are but one pony.”
“Who just killed six Changelings,” Cheerilee pointed out.
The drone may not have been very smart, but Cheerilee saw its eyes darting around to found the bodies of its fellows One, two, three, four, five…
It exhaled a long breath, before staring Cheerilee in the eyes defiantly. “For each of our lives, the queen will make you beg for your own a thousand times over before she ends you.”
“Let me know where I can find her, and she can take her best shot.”
“You won’t need to, bloodsucker.” The Changeling spat the last word like it was an insult. “Soon enough, she will find you.”
Cheerilee smirked, her bloodied fangs glinting dangerously in the dim light of the room. “It’s a date.”
The first Changeling had mildly bitten Cheerilee. She glanced at the injury and forced a little blood out of it. It slipped past the Changeling’s lips. Her captive tried to spit it out, but she held its jaw closed.
Cheerilee bent forward to stare into its eyes. Her captive knew something was happening, apparently feeling something strange about the liquid that had just been forced down its throat. And then Cheerilee forced her blood out through its eyes and the rest of the face.
Head shattered outward from the inside, the lifeless body fell limp. Cheerilee’s blood obediently retreated back inside her body and sealed up the wounds behind it.
She got up and headed for the door, wiping green blood off of her lavender coat as she hurried out. Mac would be so worried about her.