The sun sank low in the west, and all around, ponies were sitting down to eat dinner as the snow dusted the ground. Just outside of Ponyville in a place known as Sweet Apple Acres in a barn-like building, a family and their guest were doing the same.
“So, how’s the youngins doin’?” asked an elderly green mare, with a pie cutie mark.
Their purple guest smiled. “Very well, Granny. Apple Bloom is really improving in her studies.”
The little yellow filly with the red mane and pink bow smiled. “Eeyup! And it’s all because of mah big brother!”
The large red stallion blushed, his eyes locking with their guest.
“The pie’s done!” whooped an orange mare trotting in with a steaming pie balanced on her back. She slipped it onto the table. “Ah’ll go get the other....” She caught the look her brother and their guest were passing between one another. Blushing, she turned quickly and trotted back out of the room.
Apple Bloom quickly leaped from her chair, and trotted off after her elder sister. “Hold up sis! Ah want ta help!”
Applejack paused. “Uh.. shouldn’t-” One glance at Apple Bloom’s face told everything. “Alright Apple Bloom. Ah need ya ta...” She glanced about the kitchen. “Um... Collect forks?”
Apple Bloom happily rushed to comply with her sister’s request. “I don’t get it sis,” she said while opening the drawer.
“Get what?”
She motioned to her brother and the guest in the dining room. “That! It’s so...” She stuck out her tongue in disgust.
Her elder sister nodded. “Ah agree. Ah...” She gazed out the window. She shook her head snapping back to reality. “Ah just don’t get it.”
“Really?” Apple Bloom inquired.
Applejack looked uncomfortable. “Yes... ah guess and no. Love is...” She sighed. “Beautiful, but ah ain’t sure if ah’m ready for it.”
“Really Applejack?”
Applejack nodded. “Ah still have the farm to run and you to take care of. Ah don’t have time for a special somepony.”
A sly smirk crossed Apple Bloom’s face. “Really?”
“Now don’t ya go thinking like that AB! Ah don’t want...” She nodded to the other room. “That to happen again! Ya know how embarrassin’ that was for yer brother?”
Apple Bloom paused, studding her hooves. “Yeah.”
Applejack pulled her sister into an encouraging hug. “Alright, we better get back in there before Granny gets... worried.”
Apple Bloom nodded, in her mind she pictured the scene that was more than likely still taking place in the other room. Namely how her brother and teacher were acting. This, even after a year, creeped Apple Boom out. She kept thinking back to the day the three of them had given the two the love poison. She shivered from the thought before following Applejack out into the dining room.
Big Mac and Cheerilee were both still grinning at each other, not the enchanted way they had while under the spell, but one that creeped Apple Bloom out almost as much. Climbing up in her chair, she glanced over at Applejack.
The orange mare was trying hard not to notice her brother’s goofy expression. “So... um... well. Heh,” Applejack stammered. “Uh, Cheerilee, how’re things at the school?”
Cheerilee shook her head to clear it. Smiling she answered, “Fine, I have just finished the lesson plan for this semester.”
“Really!” Applejack said, more to keep her talking about something other than her brother than anything else. “So, how’s Apple Bloom’s grades?” she said as she finished serving the slices of pie.
Cheerilee looked puzzled. “Didn’t Apple Bloom show you her report card? I gave it to her last week.”
Apple Bloom squirmed. The adult ponies all turned their attention to her. Leaping from her chair, Apple Bloom raced out of the room and up the steps to her room. She had completely forgotten to give it to Applejack and, during a mission after school, had accidentally tripped and dropped it in the mud. She had not had the courage to just hand it to Applejack.
She returned to the dining room a minute later and dropped the dusty, wrinkled paper beside Applejack.
“Apple Bloom, what happened?” Granny asked.
The little yellow filly squirmed under her family’s gaze. “Um... Ah dropped it?”
Applejack put her face in her hooves. “Cheerilee, can ah ask that ya hand it ta me next time? This is the third time she’s brought it home in such a state.” She opened it to find the ink had run so badly that whatever had been written on the parchment was no longer readable. Applejack turned it around. “Crusading?” she asked Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom nodded. “We were trying to be Cutie Mark Crusader Hill Rollers... except I accidentally... rolled into the mud.”
Cheerilee chuckled. “I’ll get it written back up and bring it by tomorrow,” she said. “The things you girls won’t think up next.”
Apple Bloom blushed.
Cheerilee chuckled,“Talking about thinking... I’ve been considering bringing back something we used to do when we were fillies. Do you remember the Hearts and Hooves picnic we used to do, Applejack?”
Applejack scratched her head. “Ah ain’t sure ah remember... though ah was quite young when ah left for Manehattan. Then when ah returned, ah mainly worked on the farm... Ah don’t remember much of my school years.” Applejack gazed out the window. “Not that ah exactly remember, but...”
Cheerilee nodded. “Your talent is here. Rarity probably would remember.” She chuckled. “She was... interesting during them.”
Applejack nodded knowingly. “Mix Rarity, picnic, and Hearts and Hooves... Yeah, she’d remember it. As would ah if ah had been there.”
Cheerilee giggled. “Oh I remember it alright. She had every single one of the colts doing her bidding.”
“Ah sure am glad Sweetie isn’t that bad.” Applejack chuckled.
Cheerilee shook her head. “She’s too busy trying to keep up with your sister and Scootaloo.”
Apple Boom busied herself with eating the pie.
Applejack sighed. “Alright, so a picnic. Exactly what did ya have in mind? Have ya told Pinkie yet?”
“Just something sweet in the park, and no, I haven’t told Pinkie Pie yet. As I said, I’m thinking about bringing it back. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Why’d it ever stop?” asked Granny.
Miss Cheerilee looked uncomfortable. “One of the colts...” She trailed off. “Something happened. Despite our best efforts... something happened and they decided to... for protection, call it quits.”
Granny nodded. “I do remember hearing something about that what-”
“So, what ya plannin’ on doin’?” Applejack cut in.
“It will just be a sweet little picnic in the park,” Cheerilee answered. “I’ll let the colts ask the fillies out, then beyond that, it would be like any other picnic.”
“How ya plannin’ on making sure they keep their hooves to themselves?” Granny asked.
“First, I plan to open it up to the town to make sure there are enough adult ponies to keep an eye on the foals.”
Applejack looked uncertain. “Ah ain’t sure that’s a good idea. Ah mean, are ya sure they’ll be watching for trouble and not... one another?”
Cheerilee sighed. “I said it’s an idea. We still have two weeks, and knowing this town-”
Applejack sighed.
Apple Bloom glanced up, trying to hide the blush on her face. Really? THIS! Though it sounded fun, the little filly wasn’t sure what to make of the whole... date idea. Colts would be asking her out. She wasn’t old enough! Was she? She raised her hoof. “Uh, Miss Cheerilee? Why? Ah don’t understand. Isn’t Hearts and Hooves for... big ponies?”
Cheerilee nodded. “You are right, Hearts and Hooves is for the older ponies, but it is a good time to also teach the colts chivalry and all of you proper manners. I’d hate for last year to happen again.” She grinned foolishly at Big Mac. “Despite how it turned out.”