Hearts, Hooves, and Hard Liquor

It may have been a ten minute walk if one went in a straight line, but it was almost half past midnight by the time the two of them stumbled into Cheerilee’s house, leaning on each other and laughing like drunken idiots—which, Cheerilee supposed, they were. The bottle of bourbon had been steadily draining on the trip, and at this rate it wouldn’t survive the night. Laughing was much easier than walking, at this point; Cheerilee felt bubbly and warm all over.

Big Mac made his way past the foyer with the bottle as Cheerilee shut the door, fumbling unsuccessfully with the lock. She hung her saddlebags on the coat rack, or tried to; they fell from the hook and landed messily on the floor, spilling papers. Cheerilee waved a hoof and decided she’d deal with it later. She staggered into the pink-carpeted living room and fell onto the unoccupied end seat of her blue, L-shaped couch. At the other end, Big Mac and the bottle were getting further acquainted.

She was really beginning to notice just how stunningly attractive he was. Maybe it was the whiskey talking, but Sisters, those muscles were something else. She just wanted to touch them, see if they were as steely-hard as they looked.

All right, it was definitely the whiskey talking. She'd never say something like that while sober. Out loud, anyway.

Big Mac set the bottle down on the endtable beside his seat and looked around the room, his head bobbing. “Nice place y’got here.”

Cheerilee gave a proud nod. “Thanks! You can sleep on the couch, I guess. After we finish off that bottle.” She grinned. “How much left?”

He held it up between his hooves and shook it. “’Bout a quarter of th’bottle.” He put a hoof to his head to steady himself. “Thanks again fer lettin’ me stay. You were right, I shouldn’t be walkin’ home like this.”

“No problem,” she said, blinking. The room had begun to slowly spin around the couch, and she didn’t want to tempt emesis, so she lay down on her back with her head toward Big Mac. She could feel the warmth in her cheeks and forehead, and the fuzzy heaviness that meant she was drunker than she’d been in quite a while.

Big Mac, sitting up on his haunches on the couch seat, fiddled with the bourbon. “So, Cheerilee… ‘sides Lily, there any other ponies I should be avoidin’ for the next couple weeks?”

Cheerilee snorted and burst out laughing, far too loudly, which only made her laugh harder. “Avoiding? I’ve always heard you’re quite the Casanova, Mac.”

“I didn’t earn that reputation,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Buncha crazy mares in heat season make up lots of junk like that. T’hear them tell it, half the town’s slept with th'other half.”

Cheerilee rolled over onto her stomach. Thankfully the room had stopped spinning for now. “Sooooo...” her smile turned wicked. “Have you ever…?”

“Ever what?” Mac raised an eyebrow and took a swig from the bottle.

“You know,” she said, walking over the couch cushions toward him, “Done the deed? Bucked the apple tree? Fffffffucked?” She giggled.

Between the alcohol and his red coat, it was hard to tell he was blushing, but so he was. He offered her the bottle as she sat beside him. “Eyup.”

She took the bourbon and downed a gulp. The cherries tasted better and better as the night went on, while the burn was barely even noticeable anymore. “How many?”

Big Mac shifted awkwardly. “Times? I dunno…”

“No, you goof, how many mares?” In the back of her mind, some still-sober part of her realized she was being far flirtier than was entirely appropriate, but it was easy enough to ignore through the warm haze in her head.

“Jus’ two,” he said, taking the bottle back. “Told you I weren’t no Casanova.”

Cheerilee leaned over onto his shoulder, laying her head down on the thick wooden collar. “Do you wear this thing when you sleep?”

“Nope.” Big Mac tugged at the collar. “I’d prob’ly roll over on it an’ break one of the pins.”

She put a hoof underneath the wood and tried to lift it. “Oof! It’s so heavy. Or I’m really drunk. Maybe both.”

“Definitely one of th’two,” he said, grinning.

Cheerilee gave him a light punch in the side. “Gimme that bottle.” She took another drink when he proffered it, giving it back and wiping her mouth. Savoring the cherry flavor, she sighed happily. “I’m glad we did this. It’s nice being able to talk to you again.”

“Me too.” Big Mac held the bottle between his hooves and took one long drink. Well,” he said, putting the bottle back down with a clink, “that’s th’last of that.” He turned his face toward her apologetically.

“Aw.” Cheerilee rested her chin on his shoulder. “I’m gonna have to get more of that stuff.” She looked him in the eyes and smiled. “Maybe next week?”

“Maybe,” he said, returning the smile.

“You’re cute when you’re drunk,” she said, giggling again. “Or maybe when I am.” She lifted her head a bit. “And your eyes are pretty. Like leaves in summer.”

Gently, Big Mac pulled his shoulder out from under her head, supporting her with his left hoof. “Cheerilee, I think it might be time t’go to sleep.”

Cheerilee’s face fell. “Sorry, Mac. I just… I like you. But I can back off. I don’t want to send you running for the hills, or anything.”

“It’s not that…” He bit his lip. “I like you too, Cheerilee. But y’don’t need to stoop fer me jus’ because you’re feeling lonely.”

“I’m not stooping,” she said indignantly, feeling a new rush of heat. This one wasn’t coming from her head or her stomach, it was centered further south. “And—and sure, I’m tired of spending all my time by myself in this house, but that’s not why I…” she trailed off, trying to find the right words.

Big Mac rested his hooves lightly on her shoulders. “Y’deserve somepony better than a dull ol’ apple farmer. Somepony smart, like you.”

“You are smart, Mac,” she protested. “You might not be educated, but that’s an important difference. And you didn’t give it up because you couldn’t handle it.” She touched a hoof to his cheek. “You left school—gave up your future—so your sister could have hers. And that’s the bravest thing I’ve ever seen anypony do. That’s why I like you, Mac.”

They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment. Then Cheerilee grabbed the back of his head and pulled him forward into a kiss.

Big Mac froze for a moment in surprise, but almost immediately Cheerilee felt him relax. She felt one of his hooves on the back of her head, holding her closer. On his lips, she could taste the bourbon, and the heady scent of cherries and alcohol filled her nose. Encouraged, she poked her tongue into his mouth, brushing across his own.

They broke for air, pulling their mouths apart and leaning their foreheads together. Cheerilee inhaled. “Change your mind, yet?”

“I might need more convincing’,” he breathed.

She went back in, feeling the heat of his mouth joining hers. Feeling loose and happier than the alcohol alone could account for, she pressed her left hoof to his chest, feeling his firm muscles. He’s so solid, but so gentle… With her right foreleg still lying over his shoulder, she slowly pulled him with her as she lay down on her back.

They paused again, and she opened her eyes to see a small, uncertain smile on his face. Cheerilee giggled again, more from nerves now than bourbon. Kissing him again, her left hoof traced a line down his chest to his belly. When she felt him tense, she stopped.

“Well, Mac? It’s your call.” She looked openly into his eyes, smiling. “Do you want to do this?”

He nodded, not breaking eye contact. “Yes,” he said in a small voice, “Yes I do. I’m jus’ not sure I can… y’know, perform with this much liquor in me.”

Cheerilee lidded her eyes and grinned. “Maybe I should give you a performance of my own, first. To get you in the mood.”

“Pretty sure I’m in th’mood already…” he muttered, but he let her slip out from under him to scoot back on the couch toward the crook in the L-shape.

Leaning back against the couch, Cheerilee gave him a smile that was downright naughty, and reached both of her front hooves down between her hind legs. With deliberate slowness, she pulled them apart to lie on either side of the L. Her tail rolled over the edge of the couch, the curls bouncing slightly with each movement. Just above the cushion, the tips of her front hooves met at the bottom of her nether regions.

Big Mac sat up a little straighter, and Cheerilee got her first view of his own privates. His shaft was still hidden in its sheath, but she could see the bump. Well, we’ll just have to fix that, won’t we? A new rush of heat filled her from her center, and her heart beat a little faster.

“Pay attention, now,” she purred. “I might test you on this, later.” With her hooves, she slowly stroked half-circles upward on either side of her slit. Sparing a glance down at herself, she could already see little wet speckles on her lower lips. And things haven’t even gotten really exciting, yet. She pushed her hooves down and pulled her lips apart to reveal their pink interior. Her entrance quivered with anticipation.

Laying her hoof flat across the top of her slit, she slowly slid it down, leaning forward with her shoulder and giving Big Mac a sultry blink. He inhaled sharply, and her smile widened. Closing her eyes, she pulled the hoof back up, dragging the smooth bottom of it across her damp slit.

Spreading her legs a little more and leaning back into the soft couch backing, she began stroking herself. Her labia were growing puffy with arousal, and the heat inside her was starting to make her sweat. She breathed out, increasing the pace of her hoof.

Her brow glistening with sweat, she rubbed harder. She wasn’t using a hairbrush or anything, but the fact that Big Mac was right there watching her made this infinitely more arousing than playing with herself normally was. A periodic ah reached her ears, and she realized she was panting for breath.

Those high school fantasies she’d let slip earlier were coming back to her. Brief visions of Mac rutting her behind the bleachers or in the locker room spurred her hoof to greater speeds. She bit her lip as her hoof slid between her labia, making slippery, wet noises. Oh, yes, right here in the classroom… none of the teachers are around this late after school, take me right on the desk, Mac… She squeezed her thighs around her hoof.

Of course, she actually did have access to an empty classroom, now. This brought a flurry of new images: bending over her teacher’s desk and spreading her legs for Mac, biting down on her #1 Teacher! apple as he mounted her from behind; him sitting on the desk while she stroked his shaft, a look of bliss on his face; him hiding under the desk and thrusting his tongue inside her, making her squirm as she tried to teach a class of unsuspecting students, oh that was dirty… they grew more ridiculous and impossible by the second, but they were hot, and that was all that mattered right now.

Cheerilee cracked one of her eyes open to see Mac watching her with rapt attention. One of his hooves was almost absently stroking his member, which had finally emerged victorious in its fight with the whiskey. The top was mottled brown, and though it was still only halfway-erect, it looked plenty big enough to match the rest of his frame. She felt a quiver of excitement, like a bolt of lightning shooting up her spine. Oh, Sisters, I need to be fucked so badly right now.

She straightened up and turned around, facing away from Mac. Sticking her haunches in the air, she pressed her face into the cushion and stuck her hoof under her belly toward her now-aching vagina. She flicked the tip of her hoof across it rapidly, breathing in and out with a little oh each time. Her tail swayed back and forth, lifted enough to reveal her hoof and its slippery task every time it swung past.

“Unh, Cheerilee… I think I’m ready,” said Mac. Cheerilee twisted her head on the cushion to see him sitting there, rock hard, his hoof resting on the shaft. Beads of sweat shone on his skin. Cheerilee couldn’t wait to feel his damp chest sliding over her back. Maybe it would relieve some of the burning in her loins.

Still rubbing herself in tight circles, she lifted her tail higher and smiled eagerly. “Come on over.”

He rose from the couch, stumbling a little, and made his way over to her. As he approached, she slid her hindquarters off the couch and planted her rear hooves wide apart on the carpet. She pulled her right hoof up from its pleasant ministrations and brought it to her mouth. Twisting her back to make sure Mac could see her, she slowly licked it.

His jaw hung loose for a moment, and his tongue lolled out. “Y’do much more of that and this ain’t gonna last very long.”

With a coy smile, she gave the tip of her hoof a little suckle. “Better hurry, then.”

Mac made a noise halfway between a pained whine and a whimper. Scrambling forward, he leaned over Cheerilee’s back and placed his hooves on the couch on either side of her head. Cheerilee lifted her tail in invitation, closing her eyes and biting her lip eagerly.

She felt the gentle pressure of him on her back, his weight shifting as he lifted a hoof. There was a firm poke on her rear, a bit too high, and her eyebrows arched. “Whoa-ho, there, Mac. Wrong target.”

“Sorry,” he muttered thickly. “I’m havin’ a little difficulty aimin’…”

Cheerilee’s head buzzed as her pulse quickened. The prodding on her bottom moved down, until she felt it sweep across her lower lips. I almost can’t believe this is happening, she thought with mounting excitement. I hope the whiskey doesn’t dull things too badly…

As he parted her folds and slid inside, the rush of pleasure that vibrated through her was her answer.

“Slow at first,” she breathed, “so I can get used to it.”

Mac granted her request. Centimeter by centimeter, his shaft pushed deeper inside her, tingling nerves that even her hairbrush couldn’t reach. Cheerilee’s chest rose and fell shakily as she adjusted to his generous size. He was easily the biggest stallion she’d ever had inside her, and it had been so many years since her last roll in the hay that she had nearly forgotten the feeling of a good thick dick between her legs.

The slow, grinding friction of it against her inner walls made the whiskey-soaked heat in her head even hazier. Cheerilee hugged the pillow, resisting the urge to go wild and start slamming her butt against his pelvis. “Mmmmac…” she mumbled.

He pulled back just as slowly, with what seemed to Cheerilee like a heroic effort. Her muscles seemed relieved as they loosened in his absence, but she desperately needed him back in there. “A little f-fffaster.”

Mac grunted an affirmative, and pushed himself deep inside her in one swift move. It forced the air out of Cheerilee’s lungs with a haaah, and her knees buckled. She straightened them immediately and hugged her pillow tighter.

Now, Mac began moving in earnest. His thick, firm rod plunged inside her with each stroke, withdrawing and returning in the same slick, wet cadence. Against her back, she could feel the tension rippling in his muscles, echoed by her own as she squeezed him inside. His heavy breath, still smelling of sweet cherries, brushed against her neck and played with her mane.

She heard him inhale, and felt the gentle touch of his head beside hers. “Y’smell so nice, Cheerilee,” he murmured, still pumping his hips against hers. “Like… fresh daisies an’ sunshine, if that makes any sense…”

“Th-thanks,” she managed to squeak out between his thrusts. “Oh, Mac, I… I think I overdid it, with that solo act.” She clenched her hip muscles. “I’m already so close; I can feel it.”

Mac gave her ear a soft nip. “Don’t fret about it.”

“Oo…okay…” she whispered, unable to concentrate on anything beside the ample member shoving inside her. If he kept stuffing her, she wasn’t going to last the next two minutes. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.

“Faster?” he asked, seemingly reading her mind.

All she could manage was a muffled, “Mmhm.”

Mac obliged, almost ramming himself inside her. Cheerilee’s hips bucked backward involuntarily, trying to get as much of him inside her as comfortably possible. She bit the pillow to contain the very loud moans trying to escape her throat.

Cheerilee reached a hoof down toward her stomach, where she could feel a periodic nudge as he rutted her. She held it there, feeling him inside and out, panting at the thought of how hot this was, her brain drowning in a sea of pleasure and need.

Her hoof crept lower, to the sensitive nub just below where Mac’s shaft was gliding in and out of her. Gingerly, she brushed against it, and immediately gasped as a bolt of delight shot through her. Without thinking, she began rubbing it, bumping her hoof against Mac’s length in his feverish thrusting. For a brief moment, the fantasy returned, and she imagined they were in her classroom, making love on her desk.

Cheerilee’s back arched, and her muscles clenched tightly around Mac’s dick. She gave a wordless scream into the pillow, shuddering from her head to her hooves. A trickle of extra fluid ran down the inside of her thigh, setting her skin aflame wherever it touched. The incredible pleasure seized her again and again in bursts of tightening muscles and jerky hoof movements.

At last, she settled back to reality, quivering all over. Mac had paused, still large and firm within her. “Did you jus’, uh… cum?”

Cheerilee nodded mutely, blushing in a sudden attack of self-consciousness. Mac leaned his head down and kissed her on the cheek. She tilted her head back, pulling him further with her left hoof, and kissed him back on the lips. When they finally pulled apart, she sighed happily. Inside, she felt him twitch. “Oh, haven’t you—” She blushed deeper, smiling. “Well, don’t stop on my account, Mac.”

“Thank y’kindly,” he said, resuming his rapid hip motion. Cheerilee, still basking in the glow from her climax, laid the left side of her head down on the pillow and smiled, giving him an occasional squeeze with her legs. Though the heat in her loins had subsided, it was not entirely gone, still pulsing warmly with every thrust.

Mac’s pace increased again, and she could hear him grunting with tension. He bucked frantically, plunging into her faster and faster. Cheerilee touched his right hoof with hers, softly stroking it, waiting for him to reach his own peak.

“Nnnh, Cheerilee…” he groaned. “Almos’…”

Cheerilee rocked back and forth in rhythm with him, savoring the wet slapping sounds as their sweaty skin connected. Suddenly, Mac uttered a low, deep “Unh,” and a hot flower blossomed inside Cheerilee’s abdomen. Mac convulsed, shoving into her in sporadic bursts, and the wet, sticky heat expanded to fill her depths.

He rode her for a little longer, pressing down on her back to support himself, releasing spurt after spurt of cum inside her. Cheerilee felt a fiery heat rush through her head again, as if his seed was the spark that set her mind aflame. At last, his thrusts slowed to a stop, holding still within her. She felt a little of his cum leaking from her entrance.

She gave a satisfied mumble. “Mmm. Just as much as I was expecting from somepony your size...”

“Buh… beg y’pardon,” he wheezed. “I usually try t’warn m’partner before I…”

“Don’t worry about it,” she soothed, echoing his earlier words of comfort.

The pressure on her back finally lifted as he pushed himself up. “Uh… don’t think I can get out without makin’ a mess.”

Cheerilee shrugged. “I’ve been meaning to steam-clean my carpet for months, anyway. Try not to get any on the couch, though.” She knew it was going to be a pain to clean up later, but she was drunk enough not to care right now.

Mac slid out of her, his passage eased by the impressive amount of lubricant he’d gushed into her. Cheerilee stepped shakily away from the couch, turning to face him with a smile. Thick white cum had already begun slowly dripping from between her lower lips, so she stemmed it with her front right hoof. Mac had lain down on the carpet, face-up, breathing deeply. His softening member, covered in the messy mixture of their fluids, lay flopped over his stomach.

Cheerilee felt a twinge of disappointment—finishing early compared to him meant that their subsequent rutting had left her aroused all over again. She lay down sideways next to him, still pressing her hoof between her legs. “Have fun?”

“Eyup,” he said, blowing out a breath. “You’re amazin’, Cheerilee.”

“Do you think you’ve, um…” Cheerilee kissed his cheek. “Think you’ve got a round two in you?”

“I don’t know,” he said, a smile sneaking onto his face, “but I’m willin’ t’try.”

Cheerilee gave an electric grin and rolled her higher leg over his. She straddled him, placing both of her front hooves over his shoulders to balance herself. A little stream of cum drooled out from her entrance, back onto Mac’s shaft. “Mind if I ride, cowboy?”

“Nope. But y’might need to help me out first,” he said. His limp, sticky member twitched up toward her briefly before flopping back down.

Cheerilee’s grin turned sly again. She let her hind legs slide further out to the sides, bringing her down into contact with him again. As she rubbed herself against his dick, their mixed cum spilled out over it like runny syrup. She paused. Oh, now there’s an idea.

She thought about it for a few seconds. Well, why not? I’ve already tasted myself tonight, I may as well try Mac. She shut her eyes, leaned down, and kissed him again. “Better enjoy this,” she said as they broke for air, “I don’t think you’ll want your tongue in my mouth after this.”

Mac, his eyes closed, raised an eyebrow, but gladly took her up on the advice. His tongue teased hers, pressing sensitive spots with its tip. Air from his nostrils whuffed across her face, and she felt a quiver in her hindquarters.

Pulling away so slowly that a strand of saliva dripped to her chin, Cheerilee inched backwards off of him until his half-erect member was right in front of her face. She tilted her head to the side and bent it down, taking his base sideways in her mouth. Sucking it in with her mouth, she moved up his length, smearing cum across her lips and nose. When she reached the tip, she lay her head on his chest and suckled the flat head of his member.

The combination of alcohol and an orgasm meant that he wasn’t immediately going stiff, which in turn meant she could easily fit most of him into her mouth. Cheerilee pushed down, licking him as his dick disappeared between her lips. She went all the way to his balls, where she tightened her lips. In a single smooth motion, she pulled her head back off, sucking off all the leftover cum.

Her mouth full, she turned her head to look at Mac, whose eyes were half-closed in blissful pleasure. She made a show of swilling his seed around in her mouth before visibly swallowing. It tasted… slightly salty, but not overly strong. It wasn’t a taste she enjoyed that much, but the look of passionate desire Mac gave her was absolutely delicious. She licked her lips and the tip of her nose to get the last of it, and swallowed that, too.

Now he was growing hard again. Cheerilee gave him a few more licks for good measure, finishing her oral pleasuring with a long suck on his tip. His erection poked up at her, and his hips twitched.

Cheerilee crawled back up over him, pressing her loins down against his, feeling the heat diffuse between them. “You liked that?”

Mac nodded enthusiastically. “Y’ever done that before?”

Blushing, she returned the nod. “Yes… but I’ve never swallowed before.”

He grinned, and pulled her head down to kiss her nose. “Then I’m even luckier’n I thought.”

Inflamed with passion, Cheerilee pinned his hooves to the carpet on either side. “Keep talking like that and I’ll fuck you so hard you won’t remember your name in the morning.”

“Language, Miss Cheerilee,” he teased, gently bucking his hips. His member rubbed between them.

Cheerilee took that as her signal, and began softly grinding against it. The fur around their aching loins was soon wet and matted with sweat and her latest rush of arousal. She pressed down so that his member squeezed lengthways between her lower lips. Stroking up and down it with her hips, she watched with pleasure as Mac’s head leaned back and his tongue lolled out.

She pushed more firmly, rubbing her slit over him, trembling whenever her hot button bumped over his medial ring. Her belly, slick with sweat, pressed into his as she rolled her hips back and forth. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his rapid heartbeat, smiling and biting her lip.

“Mmm… Cheerilee…” Mac’s voice was hoarse. “If y’wanted to ride, y’might want t’do it soon…”

Cheerilee grinned wickedly. Not before I tease you a bit more. She moved faster, sliding over his slick member with a schlicking sound that brought out even more of her natural lubricant in some sort of erotic feedback loop. She touched her tongue to the nape of Mac’s neck, licking upward.

He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes tight. “Can’t—”

A huge, thick shot of white fluid flew out from between them, splashing across Cheerilee’s chest. With her nether lips wrapped so tightly around the sides of his shaft, she could feel every spasm as Mac came, each enormous bolt of semen as it traveled up his length and fired out to smear across her underside.

As the tremors subsided, he lifted his head and gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry. That was a little too much for me.”

Cheerilee gave him a pouty frown. “No, no, it’s my fault; I pushed you too long.” She sighed and shrugged. “Well, it’s fine. I’m getting sleepy anyw—”

One of Mac’s hooves reached between them, cutting her short with a surprised squeak. He smiled at her. “Wouldn’ be very hospitable of me t’leave my host unsatisfied.”

Cheerilee exhaled as his hoof began working at her folds. “I s-suppose not.”

Mac didn’t seem to care that he was getting the mess all over his coat. He made a pulling motion with his hoof, dragging from the bottom of her slit to the live wire at its top. Cheerilee panted as he probed her, grinding her hips against his hoof.

He lifted his head, his mouth slightly open, but Cheerilee leaned back. “Mac, I need to wash my mouth out—”

“Y’swallowed, right? I don’t care that much, anyway. I want t’kiss y’again, Cheerilee.”

She smiled hesitantly, and leaned down. Their lips met once more, and their tongues explored each other. Cheerilee put her forelegs over his shoulders, riding on his hoof, her eyes closed and lips locked to his.

When at last she came, it was almost a shame for signaling the end of that intimate moment. Her body trembled all over, and the wave of pleasure washed over her. She squeezed tightly on Mac’s hoof, trying to shove the tip of it as deep inside her as it could go. Her embrace on his shoulders tightened, and her kiss pushed Mac’s head back to the floor. Little flecks of mare cum leaked out over his hoof, and a series of low moans rose from Cheerilee’s throat.

She came to rest at last, lying on top of him. His damp hoof patted her on the back, and she smiled. “Thanks, Mac. Your heart’s as big as the rest of you.”

He grinned. “Not th’first time I’ve heard that joke.”

Cheerilee giggled. “That’s not what I meant.” She nuzzled her head under his chin. “Oh, Mac… I think… I think I fell for you, way back on that Hearts and Hooves Day. For real, after that love potion nonsense. It just took me a while to realize it.”

Mac rubbed her shoulders. “I know, Cheerilee. I wanted t’ask you out t’dinner or somethin’, but it still felt awkward, so I jus’… never did. An’ then we ended up avoidin’ each other for such a long time…”

“You’re a fine young stallion who’d give anything to help the ones you care about, Mac. That’s why I’m… that’s why I love you,” she said, shyly. She tilted her head up in curiosity. “But what on earth do you see in me?”

“Th’exact same thing,” he said, smiling. “Y’wanted t’be a big professor at some college, but instead y’came back here t’help your hometown. Since you started teachin’, this whole town’s gotten brighter. The kids can imagine real futures now, thanks t’you, an’ they’re mad for ‘em. They’re goin’ t’do great things.

“You came back ‘cause they needed you. Jus’ like Applebloom needs me and Applejack to work the farm. An’ that’s why I love you, Cheerilee.”

Cheerilee snuggled closer to him, as happy as she’d ever been. “We’ll have to be… discreet. Wouldn’t want the town to go spreading rumors. And, well, the later Applebloom figures out we’re seeing each other, the better.”

“Then we’ll do it proper-like,” said Mac. “How ‘bout dinner on Monday night?”

“It’s a date,” she said, tapping him on the nose and giving him a kiss. “I guess we should go wash up in the shower. Unless you want to sleep right here?” She was awfully comfortable in his big hooves.

“Washin’ up sounds good,” he said, smiling. “’Sides, I’d like t’see your bed.”

Cheerilee stood up, grinning. “Don’t worry. I think it’s big enough for two.” They left the room toward the bathroom together, still nuzzling.

Tomorrow, Cheerilee would find herself dealing with a filthy carpet, a pile of homework, and a hangover the size of Canterlot; but right now things were absolutely perfect.

And as long as she had Big Macintosh by her side, they would stay that way.