Hearts and Hooves Day Hurts

by totallynotabrony

Chapter 3

On the way to the water facility, Cheerilee stopped by her car and changed her outfit. Some businesslike glasses and a nametag that read “Watering Can” made up her new disguise. The two of them continued in the direction that Mac led, towards the water facility.

Mac looked over her disguise and asked, “So are you supposed to be some sort of water inspector?”

Cheerilee adjusted her glasses and spoke in a rather relaxed accent reminiscent of Mac’s own. “Just makin’ sure the flowers have what they need to grow like they should.”

Mac shook his head, noting how even the way Cheerilee carried herself had changed in an instant. A thousand tiny details in her manner had combined to give off the impression of an entirely different mare. Needless to say, it was quite an impressive trick of acting.

“Eyes front, Mac, we’re coming up to the gate.” Cheerilee held back a laugh of her own as Big Mac nearly sputtered.

“I, uh, I wasn’t starin’ or nothin’...” Unlike Cheerilee, he was unable to control his own blood flow, and therefore unable to help the slight blush that spread across his cheeks. It was barely noticeable against his bright red coat, but Cheerilee’s keen eyes saw the bloom in heat. Her lips turned upward in amusement.

A few moments later, managing to school both of their faces to nonchalance, the pair of ponies approached a tall chain link fence. The top of the fence was lined in barbed wire, and the gate directly in front of them was secured with a large padlock. A squat security booth stood nearby, but was apparently abandoned. A small scrap of paper with hearts doodled on it fluttered against the fence.

“I guess the security guard got a date…” Cheerilee muttered under her breath.

“How do we get in?” Mac asked. “You’re the expert on secret agent stuff.”

“Oh please, I told you I’m not a secret agent.”

Mac simply stared at her in silence for several seconds. Cheerilee glared right back until he raised an eyebrow. She sighed.

“All right, follow me.” She stomped up to the padlock barring their entrance to the facility, Mac coming behind with a satisfied smile.

“Right after you, Double-Oh Cheerilee.”

“If you call me that again, I’m going to fry you with my laser watch,” she chuckled, kneeling down and sliding a small lockpick kit out of the gear she had brought.

Mac watched with interest as Cheerilee displayed supernatural dexterity that hooves were not usually capable of, working the small tools into the tumblers of the lock.

“Hold this for a second,” she ordered, indicating one small wire inserted into the padlock. “I need a bit of help.”

Obediently coming over to assist, Mac watched Cheerilee rummage in her kit for another pick. He shrugged and brought his large hoof down on the mechanism, the seemingly casual maneuver breaking the steel lock right off its chain.

Cheerilee looked up from her toolkit at the noise, then down to the broken lock lying on the ground, and finally up to a sheepishly smiling Big Macintosh.

She blinked. “That… works, I guess.” Cheerilee shook her head quickly and stowing her lockpicking kit away one more. “Let’s just get inside and get to work before somepony notices.”

They closed the gate behind them after entering, and quickly crossed an expanse of well-watered grass on the other side. Cheerilee kept an eye out for any workers as they approached a small service entrance set into a dull brick wall, but the coast was clear. Unsurprising, given the state of the ponies in town.

Cheerilee opened the door confidently, putting on the businesslike look of a water inspector and strutting inside like she belonged there, before finding the hallway on the other side entirely empty.

She dropped to a more relaxed stance immediately, poking her head back out the door and nodding for Mac to follow her. As the two of them ducked inside, Cheerilee spotted one of the workers suddenly appear around the corner of the building behind them. She quickly shut the door and turned the lock just as the worker caught her eye.

Cheerilee leaned back against the door, shushing Mac and listening for the worker’s approaching hoofsteps. No sound came. Before Cheerilee could breathe a sigh of relief, a thought occurred to her that caused her to stand bolt upright. That pony had been alone.

Ignoring Mac’s confused look, Cheerilee yanked the door back open, breaking the little deadbolt inside it, and darted outside. The pony that she’d seen was gone without a trace.

There were several explanations for a disappearing, not-love-affected pony, and none of them were good. Cheerilee turned back around, spotting the question in Mac’s expression. She said, “We really need to get those water samples and figure out what’s going on here. Whatever is happening, I think we’re definitely in the right place.”

Mac nodded and followed her deeper into the building. They walked through wide halls with polished tile floors and clean but plain walls. A few scattered safety posters broke up the monotony, reminding everypony of the numerous rules and regulations that came with the job. The soft click-clack of their own hooves was the only sound, though Cheerilee didn’t let her guard down. Several blank-faced doors passed by on either side, some with a sign declaring the purpose of the room they concealed, but most had only a few numbers and letters. A massive array of pipes, thick and thin, ran along the ceiling, some of them rattling slightly with the immense pressure that they contained.

All the pipes had to go somewhere, and eventually Mac and Cheerilee discovered where. A large room contained a massive holding tank that was filled with water. All the town’s supply had to pass through here.

Cheerilee got out her chemical testing kit and opened a valve. Careful not to get any of the possibly contaminated water on her, she filled a few test tubes. Corking them, she carefully stowed the samples and turned to Mac. “All right, let’s go. I need to find a place to process these.”

They headed for the entrance. Mac commented, “You can stay at the farm. Nice and quiet.”

Cheerilee didn’t seem to acknowledge him, frowning steadily as they moved along.

Mac blinked. “Uh, I can recommend a good hotel, if you’d rather.”

Cheerilee took note of him then, shaking her head as if to clear it. “Hm? Oh, no, it’s not that. The farm sounds perfect, actually. I was just… noticing something.”

Mac waited expectantly for her to go on. They had reached the exit now, and he held the door open as they trotted out into the afternoon sun.

Cheerilee took one last glance back at the building as they crossed to the gate. “Shouldn’t there have been at least some ponies working here? I mean, I know most ponies are too lovesick to care much about their jobs right now, but wouldn’t the plant’s machinery and systems have problems if everypony walked off the job?”

Mac thought about it for a second before nodding slowly. “Eeyup.”

Cheerilee shook her head, tearing her gaze from the seemingly empty plant. “Let’s just get to the farm. We can figure out things from there.”

Back in town they stopped to get Cheerilee’s car and Mac led her down the road and back to his place. Sweet Apple Acres looked remarkably similar to how it had so many years ago. Rows upon rows of bright green apple trees extended in vast orchards as far as the eye could see, dotted with a multitude of bright red pinpoints. The apples looked much the same as they always had, despite being years after genetic engineering had become commonplace. The Apple Family had never needed any of that to produce the best fruit.

They pulled into the driveway, passing beneath the wooden gateway with the name of the orchard on it. The farmhouse looked much the same, although updated with a modern roof and siding. Mac stopped his truck outside.

Cheerilee stepped out of her car and looked around slowly. Memories of visits, cider, and time spent with old, old friends came back to her in a wave. Mac stood quietly and gave her time to sort through them all.

For several minutes she slowly turned to take in her surroundings, processing the vast nostalgia the Acres brought her before Mac’s voice finally shook her out of her reverie.

“Cheerilee?”

The sudden conversation startled her, though the only evidence was her eyes suddenly flicking to Big Mac. She had almost forgotten his presence.

“Hm? Oh, yes, let’s go inside.” Cheerilee schooled herself to professionalism once more and turned to unload her water testing equipment from trunk of her car. Mac moved forward to collect the things for her, but she had already picked it up with her forehooves and started towards the house on two legs.

Mac blinked slowly as he observed her strange walk. “Uh…“

Cheerilee got to the house and turned. She gave him a smile. “Aren’t you going to open the door for me?”

Mac quickly rushed forward to correct his faux pas “Sorry. Bein’ out here alone for so long I musta forgot my manners.”

Setting the water samples and testing supplies down on the kitchen table, Cheerilee looked around the interior of the house. She had rarely ventured inside before, but it looked relatively unchanged. Everything was clean and simple.

She noticed Mac still looking at her oddly. Quickly realizing what was making him stare, Cheerilee sheepishly dropped back to four hooves. “Sorry. I realize that must look unnatural.”

“Looks like it might hurt. How do you even balance like that?” He tilted his head to one side inquisitively.

“I’ve gotten used to it.” Cheerilee shrugged.

“Doin’ what?”

“It’s better for combat effectiveness,” she answered before thinking.

Mac’s eyebrows went up. Cheerilee looked away, forcing blood to her face as an obvious sign of embarrassment and hoped Mac wouldn’t inquire any further.

Thankfully, he didn’t, instead nodding simply with his usual stoic expression. “So how ‘bout we get started figuring out what’s causin’ all this.”

Cheerilee let out a relieved breath. “Yes, let’s.”

She began setting up the tests. The next several minutes passed in silence while Mac pretended to follow what she was doing. It was apparent that this was much more advanced than the basic chemistry she used to teach.

Finally, Cheerilee stood up from her work and smiled. “That’s it.”

“It is?” Mac blurted, quickly amending, “Uh... I mean, yep. Seems about right to me.”

She smiled but didn’t call him on the obvious bluff. Mac was not very good at lying. “We’ll have to let these tubes sit for a while. When the tests are finished they should tell us what’s in the water.”

“How long will that take?”

“Ten or fifteen minutes, maybe.” She set a small timer to remind her to check the progress.

Mac pulled a chair out from the table and offered it to Cheerilee. She sat graciously and Mac settled down next to her.

“So…” Mac trailed off, tapping his forehooves against the table in a made-up rhythm. He seemed to be looking everywhere but at Cheerilee before he finally continued, “A vampire? That’s gotta be… interesting.”

Awkward silence settled over the par for a few more moments. Mac’s hooves ceased in their motion, and he finally looked Cheerilee in the eye.

She sighed. “That’s certainly one word to describe it, yes.”

“Care to, uh… elaborate?”

Cheerilee gave the test tubes on the table a sidelong glance. They weren’t going anywhere, and she wasn’t about to allow them out of her sight for even a moment. It had been so long since she had met somepony who she could talk frankly with about her nature, a side effect of her extremely secretive line of work. She had come to embrace the secrecy, but couldn’t deny a certain novel freedom surrounding open discussion of the subject. Besides, it would definitely beat sitting in total silence.

“What would you like to know?”

Mac frowned. “I don’t really know where to start. Maybe… you said you were sent here to solve the problem? Is bein’ a vampire all about secret agent stuff?”

Cheerilee laughed politely and shook her head. “It’s nothing like the movies, if that’s what you’re asking. Nothing is ever simple or clean.”

Her tone had turned down at the last sentence and Mac noticed. He leaned closer while Cheerilee continued speaking.

“My occupation - not a secret agent, by the way - didn’t come with the vampirism. It came later. I guess it was just… the most fitting career option at that point. I had to do something. Teaching school all day and then going home and just sitting there doing nothing seemed like a terrible waste.”

“So you’re actually more like a superhero,” Mac suggested, his tone light.

“I don’t think that’s a fair comparison,” Cheerilee replied, her voice not matching his level of levity. Though she had to agree the moniker beat ‘monster hunting assassin’ by a long shot. “I don’t do what I do in public, not even with a mask. Nopony can know about me. I still teach school for a cover, so I can at least look like a regular member of society.”

She sighed. “I know what I do behind the scenes is what’s best for Equestria, but that doesn’t mean I always like it. Sometimes it gets very… dark.” Her voice became quiet, making Mac strain to hear. “There’s a side of this world that ponies don’t know about… and there’s a very good reason it’s kept that way.”

Mac shifted slightly. “I understand if you can’t talk about it.”

Cheerilee didn’t want to talk about it, and quickly accepted that excuse, nodding.

Mac went on. “So what do you do for fun?”

“Oh, I don’t really have many hobbies.” Cheerilee struggled to find something that made her sound less dull. “I enjoy nature.”

Ears perking, Mac smiled. “A fan of the great outdoors? I can relate.” He sighed almost wistfully. “Nothing better than spendin’ a day or two away from all the hustle and bustle, am I right?”

“Mhmm,” Cheerilee agreed. “Is the Everfree Forest still there? They haven’t cut it down to make room for the city, have they?”

“Eeyup, it’s still standing. I go there about once a month.” Mac’s expression changed slightly. Cheerilee caught the subtle undertone.

“Is it difficult to find a place to... change?” she asked, adopting a careful tone.

Mac sighed. “I’ve never hurt anypony and I don’t intend to start. Only way to keep things that way is to get as far from town as possible on the full moon.”

“I… I can understand what you mean,” Cheerilee muttered, gulping audibly. Mac shot her a questioning look. “About not wanting to hurt ponies, I mean. I was like that at first. For a long time, actually, I struggled to keep certain… urges in check.”

“I’m just lucky that I never remember the things I did on the full moon,” Mac murmured quietly. “I still never get used to waking up covered in blood and fur.”

Cheerilee nodded. “It’s just that I know exactly what you mean. It's certainly not something that you want to get comfortable with…” Her voice dropped to just over a whisper. “Trust me.”

Mac looked eager to change the subject, and Cheerilee couldn’t blame him. He paused for a moment and hesitantly asked, “So can you, uh, can you turn into a bat or anythin’?”

The reaction was quick, and exactly what he’d expected. Cheerilee stared at him for several seconds before bursting into riotous laughter. Mac joined in, and the gloomy mood was soon entirely dispelled.

It was perhaps the best laugh Mac had experienced in years. His eyes were screwed shut with mirth. When he opened them, however, the first thing he saw were the fangs in Cheerilee’s mouth, fully displayed on her laughing face.

“Whoa nelly! Where’d those come from?” he blurted out.

Cheerilee looked confused for a moment, until her tongue ran across her now-exposed fangs and she realized what Mac was talking about. “I don’t know what you were expecting,” said Cheerilee, carefully sliding her lips closed. “This isn’t a costume.”

“I suppose,” Mac said, calming down. “I have some m’self when I’m a wolf.”

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t remember when you were changed.”

“That’s just at the full moon. I can turn anytime.” He shrugged. “Comes in handy once in a great while. Tracking the animals when they get out of their pens, stuff like that.”

“So you have to change in order to use your extra abilities, then?” Cheerilee asked.

“Well, I’m still stronger than any normal pony.” Mac fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable with what he considered bragging, but at a gesture from Cheerilee he continued, “I don’t get old, which you obviously already knew. A little faster, a little better senses, though like I said those both get way better when I change.” He held up a hoof. “And claws.”

“It must be very strange adapting to a whole new body type,” Cheerilee observed.

“Paws are different,” Mac admitted. “Most of it just comes naturally, though. It’s hard to explain. I can’t rightly describe how it feels to be a wolf when I ain’t one, but when I change it’s just… right. It all clicks, and movin’ around’s no harder that if I’d been born that way.” He grinned. “Maybe if you could turn into a bat, you’d understand.”

“The only way I can fly is if I jump really high,” Cheerilee retorted. She gave him a challenging smile. “I’ve been practicing over the years, and getting to the third floor from a standing start is no sweat.” She gave her impressive leg muscles a slight flex to emphasize her point.

Mac blinked slowly, before shaking his head. “Okay, fine, no more bat jokes.” He grinned and set both heavy forehooves on the table, leaning forward with a smirk. “But I’ve been buckin’ apples for two hundred years. I can break a tree with one hoof. I reckon I might have you beat on strength.”

Cheerilee thought for a moment. “I once broke a tree with my body. A minotaur on steroids hit me so hard that I flew through it.”

“I, uh… I can be gentle, too. I broke a lock one time with my hooves and didn’t even hurt the gate it was attached to.”

Cheerilee laughed. “I was there, Mac. That was earlier today. It was a very nice piece of work, though, I’ll admit.”

“Okay, so I don’t have as many impressive stories as you, but I know one way of settling this.”

“What’s that?” Cheerilee asked. “Also, what are we settling?”

“Hoof wrassle? S’the only way to know who’s really strongest.”

Cheerilee grinned with amusement, not bothering to conceal her fangs. “This reminds me of when we both were attending Ponyville Elementary, before I started working there and before your sisters were born. That’s one thing I’ve always appreciated about you, Mac. You’ve never changed.”

She knew him well enough to know that Mac was a usually quiet stallion, but among his good friends he loosened up a little. Mac placed his foreleg on the table. Cheerilee kept smiling and matched the gesture. They touched fetlocks, getting into position.

Just then, the timer Cheerilee had set went off. She disengaged from Mac. “Sorry, but I should check the tests. Anyway, if you’re really as strong as you think you are, we’d probably break the table.”

Mac huffed, crossing his forelegs theatrically. “You knew you’d lose.”

Cheerilee responded by sticking her tongue out at him before focusing on the test results. “Do you remember when your sister and her friends tried to hook us up on a date all those years ago? From what I can see, the contaminant in the water seems to be similar to the love poison they gave us. This seems to be a watered-down version, luckily, but the effect is basically the same without, y’know...”

“Complete insanity?” Mac suggested.

“Yeah, that.” Cheerilee frowned. “There are some other substances in this that I don’t have the capability to test for, but at least we know what the majority consists of.”

“All right, so we know what it is.” Mac nodded resolutely, but a confused look quickly replaced his determination. “Uh, what do we do now?”

“I send these results to Luna. Hopefully she’ll be able to figure out a little more about who, or what, is doing this, and why.” Cheerilee took out a small mirror and spoke to it. “Princess?”

A few seconds passed and the image of Cheerilee’s face vanished from the silvery surface, replaced by the Princess of the Night. “Hello Cheerilee. What news do you have?”

“Princess, I’ve discovered the problem. The town’s water supply has been contaminated by love poison.”

Luna frowned. “I will take it into consideration and get back to you when I have more information.”

“Understood.” Cheerilee nodded, and a few seconds later the princess disappeared from the mirror.

Mac waited until Cheerilee had sat back down at the table before speaking. “That’s a magic mirror,” he stated simply.

“Huh?” Cheerilee tilted her head to one side. “Oh, yeah, the Princess gave it to me.”

There was silence for a moment. Mac continued, “And you work for Princess Luna.”

“That’s right.”

Mac could have asked more questions, but really, where would he go from there? The two of them sat twiddling their hooves for several moments, unsure of just how long the Princess would take to reply. Eventually, Cheerilee broke the silence.

“So…” She grinned confidently. “Hoof wrassle?”

Comments

[AppleTank]

I pray for the table.

[Butterwings]

3226503 Well I pray Big Mac has fast healing, too...

[Edguy0009]

6299969

3226503

Why not both?