//------------------------------// // Chapter 45: First Date // Story: My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Stallion Edition // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// As the days left until the dragon migration passed through Ponyville, Shining Armor and Twilight could hardly contain their excitement. They were looking forward to seeing Spike once again, though they both knew there was a very good possibility he might not want to come back and live with them. Preparations for Shining Armor's wedding to Princess Cadence were being finalized, and the news spread like wildfire throughout Canterlot and Ponyville. The excitement was so high, that Shining Armor found it hard to sleep at night. But there was one last major event that had to take place in Ponyville, before the dragon migration came along. Hearts and Hooves Day. ----- Most ponies looked forward to Hearts and Hooves Day, especially those that were looking for a very special somepony to call their own. And even those who were already in love enjoyed Hearts and Hooves Day in their own special way. But for Big Macintosh, Hearts and Hooves Day was a holiday he could very much do without for one reason, the endless amount of mares that tried to go out with him since he was THE most sought after bachelor in all of Ponyville. It wasn't that Big Macintosh wasn't looking for love, but none of the mares who attempted to flirt with him felt right. They all seemed interested in dating him solely because he was so attractive, and didn't seem interested in getting to know him on a personal level. The sort of mare Big Macintosh was looking for, was one that would treat him well, and cared about knowing who he was on the inside, not the outside. And in his many years of being a bachelor Big Macintosh had not a single mare that matched his standards. And he didn't think they were very high standards to have. And so it was that as another Hearts and Hooves Day dawned, Big Macintosh felt himself filled with a familiar sense of dread. This Hearts and Hooves Day would be especially hard, since his cousin Braeburn was in Appleloosa, and Shining Armor was in Canterlot, making sure everything was just right for his wedding. This meant that Big Macintosh was going to have fewer friends to lean on, and would attract more attention than he had in years prior. ----- It was just after sunrise in Ponyville, and Big Macintosh was certain it was only a matter of time until the many single mares of Ponyville woke up, and sought out stallions to spend Hearts and Hooves Day with. Sometimes, he was lucky, and got mares like Rarity or Fluttershy, who he'd met on numerous occasions. But often times, he got mares he knew nothing about, and this made dates akward and uncomfortable. "I hope this day ends soon." Big Macintosh thought unhappily to himself, as he went about his morning work. Just because today was Hearts and Hooves Day didn't mean he had an excuse to slack off, as much as he wished it was an actual excuse. "Hey, Big Macintosh? How's it hanging?" Soarin asked, breaking Big Macintosh out of his chain of unhappy thoughts. Big Macintosh was surprised for a moment, before he regained his senses "Oh, it's just you, Soarin. I'm glad to see a friendly face on a day like today." "What's got you acting so glum? You're usually not this down in the dumps." Soarin commented. Big Macintosh sighed "You know me well enough to know what the problem is. Today's Hearts and Hooves Day, my personal tartarus!" "Oh yeah, kind of forgot about that." Soarin admitted nervously. Big Macintosh just sighed again "That doesn't surprise me, you don't know what I suffer. You don't attract quite the same amount of attention that I do." Soarin shook his head "Well, that's only half true. I don't get the same kind of mares gunning for me every Hearts and Hooves Day, but I have my own special problems. I've got two mares in my life that mean a lot to me, and I don't really know which of them I'm interested in pursuing a relationship with. To make matters worse, both of them are frequently in my life, and they've made efforts to try and win over my heart." "You're talking about Rainbow Dash and Spitfire, aren't you?" Big Macintosh deduced. Soarin nodded "I'm kind of leaning more towards Rainbow Dash, just a little, because she's really devoted and determined. And I like that in a mare. But Spitfire and I have been childhood friends, it's kind of hard for me to not feel something for her. I just don't know if the love I feel towards her is more of a sibling sort of thing, or an actual romantic attraction." "You're lucky, at least you've actually got mares that are interested in you for who you are on the inside," Big Macintosh said to Soarin "For me, I'll be lucky if, by the end of the day, I don't have every eligable mare in town trying to ask me out on a date. And knowin' my luck, I'm not gonna get any mares like Rarity, Fluttershy, or Pinkie Pie askin' me out." "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that. Something tells me that this time will be different." Soarin told Big Macintosh. "What you makes say that?" Big Macintosh asked. "I'm not really sure, it's just something I could sense when I woke up this morning. I got the feeling that this would be a Hearts and Hooves Day unlike any other." Soarin explained. "Thanks for tryin' to cheer me up, Soarin. But I'd rather not get my hopes up, as far as I'm concerned, Hearts and Hooves Day is a day that's goin' to keep hauntin' me until the day I either settle down, or die." Big Macintosh said glumly, a huge frown forming on his face. He then set off to complete the rest of the things he needed to do today. "Big Macintosh, wait!" Soarin called, but it was no use, Big Macintosh was already gone. Soarin just sighed "Shining Armor's always better at this sort of thing. It's too bad he's not here to talk to Big Macintosh. Oh well, at least I tried. Maybe, Fancy Pants will know what to do to cheer up our friend." And with that, Soarin set off. ----- At first, Hearts and Hooves Day passed the way it always had passed for Big Macintosh. Several mares tried to ask him out on dates, but he declined each one with an "Eenope." As far as he was convinced, there was no point in going on a date with somepony who was just asking him out to make her friends jealous. But everything changed when Scootaloo randomly (and innocently) asked him if he was doing anything special for Hearts and Hooves Day. Not suspecting that the answer he gave would change his life forever, Big Macintosh had replied with a simple "Eenope." And that was all that was needed for The Cutie Mark Crusaders to set into motion a series of events that would change his life forever. Upon arriving at the gazebo in Ponyville Park, Big Macintosh was surprised when he bumped into Cheerilee, the teacher at the schoolhouse. The two of them had not seen each other in years, despite having grown up in Ponyville and having attended the same school. With Apple Bloom and her friends having taken the liberty of fixing up the gazebo on their own, Big Macintosh was lured into a romantic setting with Cheerilee. And he found himself unable to say much of anything besides "Eeyup" or "Eenope". He wanted to ask Cheerilee something, but his nerves got the better of him, and he said nothing throughout the entire experience. "I can't believe I was so stupid!" he thought unhappily to himself, as he returned to Sweet Apple Acres to sulk "That was my big chance to tell her how I felt, and I completely blew it! She'll never go out on a date with me now!" Before he had much of a chance to really beat himself up for his inability to say what was on his mind, Big Macintosh was invited back to the gazebo at The Cutie Mark Crusaders request. They told him it was important, and although he could easily see what they were trying to do, he decided to play along. If it meant he would have a chance to tell Cheerilee what he wanted to tell her, he was willing to humor his sister and her friends for a little bit. Minutes passed by, and Big Macintosh found himself drinking a cup of punch that Apple Bloom and her friends had made. The next thing Big Macintosh knew, he was sitting on a featherbed mattress in a trench just outside of Carousel Boutique. Cheerilee was siting next to him, wearing a weiding veil that had no doubt come from Carousel Boutique. It turned out that The Cutie Mark Crusaders' punch was actually a love poison, and they had served to Big Macintosh and Cheerilee without knowing that it would turn them into love obessed zombies. Fortunately, all was forgiven, and Cheerilee and Big Macintosh quickly agreed that the best way to make sure the three fillies had learned their lesson, was to make them do all of Big Macintosh's chores for the next couple of days. As Hearts and Hooves Day drew to a close, Big Macintosh found himself getting comfortable enough to call Cheerilee "Pumpkin Pie" after she had called him "Sugar Bear" (a nickname that he became quite fond of). One thing lead to another, and before he knew it, he and Cheerilee were enjoying a nice picnic dinner at the fixed up gazebo, while Celestia's sun slowly set. "Well, today was certainly a day for surprises, wasn't it?" Cheerilee asked Big Macintosh, as the two earth ponies made their way home from the park. "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied. He was still not quite comfortable saying much else to Cheerilee. "Thank's for not trying to exploit the aftermath of the love poison incident, I think I'm going to have to start a petition to have the book containing that recipe removed from the Golden Oaks Library until said recipe is taken out." Cheerilee added. "No kiddin'." Big Macintosh said with a chuckle, before he quickly went back to being silent. "Say, Big Mac? Can I ask you something?" Cheerilee said to Big Macintosh. "Eeyup, ask away." Big Macintosh smiled. He was ready for anything, or so he thought. "Do you think, tomorrow, you could swing by the schoolhouse, and we could have a picnic lunch together?" Cheerilee asked "If not, I'll understand. This is kind of sudden, but, well, you're just such a gentlestallion. And I like that about you." "Well..... uh.... I'h.... guess I... could maybe do that," Big Macintosh said nervously, his face turning red to the point where you could notice it even with his red coat "When do you want to meet up?" "Whenever you find the time, I'll be waiting." Cheerilee said with a smile, and she kissed Big Macintosh on the cheek. ----- "And that's the whole story," Big Macintosh told Shining Armor "I've got a date with Cheerilee for later this afternoon. And I'm really nervous, I was hopin' you'd be able to help me out." Shining Armor was more than a little surprised to hear Big Macintosh asking him for advice on how to date Cheerilee, especially considering he'd always considered Big Macintosh to be more of the kind of stallion who knew what mares liked. But upon returning home from Canterlot, Shining Armor had been quite surprised to learn what had taken place in his absence. And now, here he was, inside the familiar confines of the Golden Oaks Library, with one of his friends asking for romantic advice. Shining Armor remained silent for a little bit, then he looked Big Macintosh firmly in the eyes and said "The only advice I can give you, is to be yourself. If you try to act like somepony you're not, it'll show. And chances are, who you are is what attracted Cheerilee to you in the first place. Besides, I'm hardly an expert on what mares like. No two mares are the same, and the only way you'll ever know what the mare interested in you likes, is if you get to know her personally. I know this might sound cheesy, but it's the truth." "Really? That's all you have to offer for advice?" Big Macintosh complained, he had expected more than what he'd got. "I'm afraid so, but it's the honest truth," Shining Armor said, as he put a hoof around his friend "Just be yourself, and try to relax. The more you spend time with her, the more comfortable you'll feel around her. Who knows, maybe, one day, the two of you will get married." "I'd rather not think about that for right now, I'm currently just interested in gettin' through this date without a hitch," Big Macintosh replied "I ain't lookin' to get hitched just yet. We've already got one weddin' to worry about, I don't think our friends need the added pressure of two weddin''s back to back." "I wasn't trying to rush you, the two of you should take the time to see how you feel, before you decide if you're willing to spend the rest of your lives together," Shining Armor encouraged "Marriage is a very important turning point in your life." Big Macintosh couldn't help but smile "You sure know an awful lot about love and marriage. Cadence has really rubbed off on you, hasn't she?" Shining Armor tried his hardest not to blush "What can I say? When you get to know the alicorn of love, you start to learn things you never really gave a second thought to before." "You aren't worried about marryin' her? Are you?" Big Macintosh asked bluntly. "Me? Worried? Nah," Shining Armor protested, but Big Macintosh could easily see that Shining Armor was lying. With a sigh, Shining Armor admitted "Oh, alright, I can't really hide anything from you. I am worried, but not because I think she'll back out at the last second or anything. I didn't want to tell Twily or anypony else about this, but all is not well in the land of Equestria right now." Big Macintosh could clearly sense that what Shining Armor was worrying about was far more serious than just wedding nerves. Reluctantly, he asked "What do you mean?" Shining Armor's mood quickly became more serious as he told Big Macintosh "A threat has been made against Canterlot, we're not really sure who or what issued the threat, but we're not taking any chances. I've been asked by Princess Celestia, to provide extra security in the days leading up to the wedding, to ensure nothing gets in or out of the city without permission! I wanted to call off the wedding, but Cadence insisted we hold it as originally planned, so as not to seem intimidated by whoever or whatever issued the threat. If I wasn't so in love with her, I wouldn't have agreed with her. I would've called it off until the threat passed." "Whoa! Sorry I asked," Big Macintosh apologized "But are you really sure it's a good idea to keep your sister, her friends, and our friends, in the dark about the threat? I'm pretty sure they'd want to know, so they can keep an eye out for anythin' suspicious." "If it weren't for the fact that the wedding is only days away, and the threat was made just last week, I would tell them," Shining Armor insisted "But at this point, there's not really much they could do other than reassure me everything will be okay. And I don't want to make them worry about something that not even Princess Celestia knows about. It's probably nothing, and the threat is just some elaborate prank devised by the members of the nobility, that are still against me marrying Princess Cadence." "Like that Prince Blueblood fella?" Big Macintosh asked. "Actually, Prince Blueblood is surprisingly in favor of our marriage," Shining Armor replied "He claims that it's only natural low class members of nobility like us would get married. Coming from him, that's probably the closest I can get to an actual compliment." "No kiddin'," Big Macintosh chuckled "I know I don't have to worry about becomin' him, I'm actually surprised he doesn't have more suitors. Then again, considerin' the way he treated Rarity, I guess most mares want nothin' to do with him. I know for a fact that if I were a mare, I wouldn't touch him with a fifty hoof pole." "Exactly," Shining Armor replied, and shifted the subject back to its original line of discussion "So don't worry about your date with Cheerilee. You'll do fine, as long as you remember to be yourself and no one else. In fact, I think you'll do even better than I did with Cadence on our first date." "Really? Or are you just sayin' that to make me feel better?" Big Macintosh asked. "I wouldn't lie to you about something like that, you'd see right through me in a heartbeat." Shining Armor assured Big Macintosh. "Well, thanks for that much needed vote of confidence in me," Big Macintosh said kindly, then he looked at the clock "Oh my! It's gettin' late, I'd better get goin'! Ma always said it's not polite to keep a lady waitin'! Wish me luck!" "Hey, you don't need luck!" Shining Armor said, as Big Macintosh hurried out the door "You'll do just fine!" ----- Cheerilee was waiting just outside the school house, for Big Macintosh to show up. She was certain she wouldn't back out, he'd seemed genuiely interested in giving their relationship a chance. But as she glanced at the clock tower, and saw what time it was, her heart began to sink. It was almost sun down, and Big Macintosh had yet to show up. "I guess he's not coming after all. And I was so sure that this time would be different from my previous pursuits for love," she thought unhappily to herself, and frowned "Well, at least I tried. Guess it's back to being single, again." However, before Cheerilee could head home, and drown her sorrows in a cup of apple cider, she could see a stallion with a familiar red coat appear in the distance. As said stallion drew closer and closer, he seemed to running full speed towards Cheerilee. "I-I, I'm sorry I'm late," Big Macintosh apologized "I was just talkin' with one of my friends and I guess I'h lost track of the time. I didn't mean to make you wait so long. We still on for that picnic lunch?" Cheerilee smiled "Of course, though now it's more of a picnic dinner, than a lunch." Was it Big Macintosh's imagination, or had her smile been a frown just seconds ago? "You're not mad I made you wait all this time?" Big Macintosh asked. "We can discuss that once we actually find a spot to set up the picnic blanket," Cheerilee said, as she grabbed Big Macintosh by the hoof "Now come on, time waits for nopony and we're only young once. We should make the most of the time we've got. Isn't that right, sugar bear?" "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied, as he grabbed the picnic basket and set off with Cheerilee. He was really looking forward to this date. All in all, the little love poison incident from Hearts and Hooves Day had worked to his advantage. Now, he had a promising relationship with Cheerilee. And he was certain he was going to enjoy being in love.