The gauntlet has been thrown! My older brother and I (Munkman13 for anyone who wants to check out his stuff) have decided to enter a contest! This story is a challenge to his and is held under the same guidelines. Big Mac and Cheerilee. One shot. Game on.
-Valentine's Day-
Valentine's Day. A day for those with a special someone to spend time with them. A day for those without a special someone to try their best for that special someone. On this day, everyone is thinking of someone. Either someone they have, someone they want, or someone they lost. Except, perhaps, for three little girls. Not to say they weren't thinking of someone, it was just that, well, they weren't thinking for themselves.
"Miss Cheerilee?" Scootaloo asked at the end of one History lesson before the weekend of the 14th, "Do you have a date for Valentine's Day?"
Miss Cheerilee glanced over her shoulder, taking a moment to assess the question before answering. "Why no, Scootaloo, I don't. Why? Would you like to be my date?" She asked with a giggle. It was playful, not snide or rude like some of the Crusaders' classmates could be.
"No way!" Scootaloo exclaimed, sticking out her tongue.
Sweetie Belle piped up, "It's meant as no disrespect Miss Cheerilee, it's just that my sister says that someone should always have someone on Valentine's Day!"
"Yeah!" Apple Bloom added on, "And you're such a nice, pretty person, how could you not have a date?"
Miss Cheerilee chuckled again and went back to cleaning the board as the bell rang to signal the weekend, "My job keeps me rather busy, girls. I was going to be heading some homework over the weekend."
The girls rolled their eyes collectively as they filed out of the classroom. As usual, the Crusaders decided to meet up at their tree house, talking to one another about their plans for the future and anything else that might come up. It wasn't long before the topic turned to Valentine's Day.
"I still can't believe Miss Cheerilee doesn't have a date for Valentine's Day!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed with shock.
"Even my sister has a date!" Apple Bloom said, scratching the top of her head just behind her bow.
Sweetie Belle shuddered at the thought and gagged a little bit, "Don't remind me. I walked in on them kissing the other day." Scootaloo shared a shake with Sweetie Belle while Apple Bloom just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"Y'all need to get over the fact that people are dating now. It's high school, of course people are gunna be kissing each other all the time! If we want Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara to leave us alone, we've got to grow up and get over it!"
"Well if you're supposed to start dating in high school, why doesn't Miss Cheerilee have a date?" Scootaloo mentioned, quirking an eyebrow.
"She's not much older than a high schooler right? She only got out of college a little while ago." Apple Bloom said, rubbing her chin as she thought.
"Yeah? So?" Sweetie asked.
"So, Big Mac isn't that much older than AJ. I bet they're around the same age…"
"Are you seriously talking about setting up our history teacher and your brother?" Scootaloo asked.
"Wait a second." Sweetie Belle insisted, her eyes twinkling a little bit with a glimmer of an idea, "I think she might be on to something! If you think about it, I'm sure they'd get along! And, like Apple Bloom said, they can't be very far apart in age, so it wouldn't be weird or anything!"
"Only as weird as two grown ups getting set up by a bunch of kids can be, I guess," Scootaloo retorted with a roll of her eyes.
"Shush you," Sweetie Belle continued, waving off her friend as she stared off into the distance while thinking, "Yes! Rarity said that everybody needed somebody on Valentine's Day! Why shouldn't we help them out? We could be Cupids!"
"Big Mac doesn't have a date for Valentine's Day either, so he's free!"
"Yeah, but how could we manage to pull it off?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well," Sweetie Belle said, Putin her hand in the center of the room, "Just ask yourself," she continued as Apple Bloom put her hand atop Sweetie's, "What would Rainbow Dash do?" The girls smiled at Scootaloo who stood there for a second before smirking and stacking her hand on the pile too. It was settled then. The Crusaders became the Matchmakers.
Big Mac wondered why Granny Smith sent him to Sugar Cube Corner for some more plywood. Last he had checked there appeared to be plenty of plywood. Also, why on earth would Sugar Cube Corner have plywood? But Big Mac didn't ask questions. He got results. When you tell him to jump, he doesn't waste your time with "how high?" he jumps.
So Big Mac didn't question it. Nor did he question why there only appeared to be a giggling Pinkie Pie behind the counter of the otherwise empty shop. This was a popular destination for couples, and considering that it was Valentine's Day, he had expected a long line for plywood. But Big Mac didn't ask questions. So he just shrugged it off and walked inside, holding the note that Apple Bloom had given him from Granny Smith.
Pinkie Pie took the note, scanned it quickly and then bounced off before he could hear her explode into laughter in the back, trying to be quieted down by Twilight Sparkle. Big Mac had known they were a thing, Apple Jack told him around the time she told him about Rarity and herself. He was glad that AJ came to him, he didn't think Granny Smith should find out about it quiet so suddenly as he did. Big Mac was caught up thinking about the past when in walked an expert on the subject.
Miss Cheerilee was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face in Sugar Cube Corner. She had expected to be greeted by reminders of her solidarity, but was instead met by none other than "Big" Macintosh Apple. He didn't turn around when she came in, he only kept staring into the doorway that Pinkie Pie had disappeared through.
"Um, excuse me, are you in line?" She asked sweetly from behind the tall man. She had heard the stories from Apple Bloom and Apple Jack that he was notorious for not speaking much.
"Eyup." He muttered in response.
"Oh," Cheerilee said, a little taken aback at his abruptness. Cheerilee figured it must run in the Apple family to be like that. The only one she had ever hear tell a lie was Apple Bloom, and that was usually a crafty one for the greater good. She was like a storyteller that one. "I have your little sisters in my History classes." She stated, hoping to get a conversation going.
"Eyup." Again, a short, blunted response. It shook Cheerilee a little bit, but she was determined not to be deterred. The Apple family was a friendly lot and Cheerilee certainly loved hearing their stories and such.
Of course, this one might be a bit harder to crack. "Yes, Apple Bloom is in my home room as well. She has quite the imagination, that one. I bet you she talks your ear off at home."
Big Mac shrugged, "Nope." He muttered.
"Oh come on, she never tried to give you some elaborate lie to make you do something that she wants, putting you into a slightly awkward situation?" Cheerilee said, knowing full well that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had "tricked" her into coming here.
"Nope," Big Mac said, shaking his head. Where was Pinkie with that plywood? He didn't want to keep Cheerilee waiting on his account. That would be rude. And every moment he listened to the nice woman talk, he felt more and more awkward with his one word answers.
Cheerilee sighed slightly and frowned, trying to come up with something that couldn't be answered with a yes or a no. "What kind of stuff do you do? I know you aren't in high school anymore, college, perhaps?"
"Nope." Big Mac replied. A brief pause, Cheerilee almost thought that was it, but then he pressed on, "I work at the orchard."
Cheerilee grinned happily, now she was getting somewhere! "Oh? Doing what?"
"Pick apples with AJ. Move 'em around. Fix stuff. Farm stuff, y'know?"
Cheerilee nodded and stepped to the side, leaning against the counter of the shop and smiling at the friendly face. He certainly was handsome, having a hard jaw and sweet eyes hidden behind swept blond hair.
Big Mac could barely think straight, let alone stop staring. Cheerilee had a very beautiful face, cherubic with a bright glow that people get from laughing in their life. Her face even had hints of freckles along the cheekbones like he and AJ had from working outside so much, but hers were more faded, she definitely came from a rural background, but hadn't been there in a while.
"So, what brings you here, Big Mac?" Cheerilee asked sweetly.
"Uh…" Big Mac had to take a second to reboot his brain. Within the time it took for him to clear his mind, and focus on the question asked, Cheerilee had smiled again and something was definitely making the room warmer. "Plywood…" he finished.
Miss Cheerilee giggled lightheartedly and rolled her eyes, "Big Mac, why are you going to a bakery to get plywood?"
Big Mac merely shrugged. He didn't ask questions. He got results. Cheerilee smiled and took his arm in her hand and tugged him along slightly, "Come on, silly. Let's go ask your Granny if she actually needs the wood."
Big Mac let Cheerilee lead him away and as soon as they were out of the shop, Twilight, Pinkie, and the Crusaders rose from their hiding spots and burst out laughing. The plan was a success and now Cheerilee and Big Mac each had a date for Valentine's Day.
Everybody thinks of somebody on Valentine's Day, whether they know who it is yet, well, they might need some help for that.
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review and stuff! Go read my brother's work and let me know who did better! (Even though it's obviously me)