The night was terrible for Cherry Berry, having cried herself to sleep. There was no repeat of her wonderful dream the night before, and the morning fared no better. She awoke from her bed and made her way to the bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and felt like a fool. With the help of her friends, she goes out of her way to make herself look pretty for Christopher, only for him to not show up. The ruined makeup and crushed lily flower still in her mane made her feel like a reject.

”Did he not like what he saw? Am I ugly? Are my goods not attractive to him?”

Cherry Berry felt she wasn’t worthy of having a stallion and was not even good enough for a human stallion. More tears fell from her eyes as the flower fell out of her mane. Her heart ached in emotional pain at her reflection as she felt like a worthless and wilted flower. She ran into the shower and cleaned herself up while crying. Her breakfast consisted of a simple bowl of oatmeal and fruit with coffee and water. It wasn’t the greatest meal, but it was enough for the morning.

The mare knew she had to leave Ponyville for a while. A decision was made despite only having a small number of expendable Bits. She was going to go to her happy place, Rainbow Falls. The sights of the sun shining on the rainbows always filled her with joy and happiness. A quick visit to the place would be perfect for raising her spirits. Afterward, she would pick another city to find a special somepony to bring home. She felt pathetic having to search for a husband the old traditional way, as was done 100 years ago near Ponyville’s founding. However, she had no other options and refused to wait until her 30s.

If Cherry Berry waited until her 30s, she would not only have to compete with other younger mares but also have a more challenging time having foals. Even if she found a stallion with one foal, the window to have more foals would be shorter. And the pregnancy would be a higher risk on top of everything. She still had her youth and refused to let it be wasted. Even if things had worked out with Christopher, having foals with non-ponies was only possible via cross-breeding potions, but they were scarce and expensive. That, too, required her to be young to have a higher chance of a successful pregnancy.

As the thoughts of foals began to overwhelm her, Cherry Berry grabbed her saddlebags, a small bag of Bits, and her aviator cap. She took a deep breath and walked out of her house with a look of determination on her face. The sun’s bright rays and clean air met the mare as she closed the door.

”Nothing will keep me down, not even Christopher’s rejection. I will be happy or bust.”

It wasn’t too long of a walk before she ran into all three flower sisters, Lily, Daisy, and Roseluck. The trio siblings were setting up their stand and wares before noticing their friend approaching. All three stopped what they were doing to check on her, with Lily breaking the silence.

“Cherry! Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

Cherry Berry sighed before answering, “Not great; I had a terrible night of sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about him.”

She lowered her head in shame before continuing, “And I didn’t even get a date with him. I don’t know why, but I felt he was special. I’m acting like a dramatic teenage filly, aren’t I?”

All three sisters had sad expressions before giving Cherry Berry a group hug. After the hug, the mare said, “Thanks, girls, I needed that.”

Roseluck was the first to say, “Cherry, you’re not a dramatic teenage filly. We thought he was a good fit for you, and either of us would have reacted the same way.”

She raised her head and asked, “Really?”

Lily nodded, “Of course! If some stallion stood me up, I’d probably have a meltdown too! We don’t blame you, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Daisy added, “And we’re mares; we’re allowed to have our girly feelings and stuff. So don’t let that jerk get you down. There’s plenty of guys out there who’d love to have you as their marefriend.”

Cherry Berry’s face changed from a frown to a reassuring smile. Before she could continue, Minuette trotted up and asked, “Hey girls, I’m on my way to work and wanted to stop by.” Minuette turned her attention to Cherry Berry, “And to see how you’re doing...Why are you dressed like that? Are you doing more balloon rides today?”

The mare sighed before saying, “No, I’m going on a mini vacation for a week. I’m stopping at Rainbow Falls to get rid of this sad mood. I like seeing rainbows, and it’s my little happy place away from Ponyville. After spending the night, I’m heading off to Fillydelphia tomorrow morning.”

All four of the mares looked at each other before Daisy asked, “Why are you going there?”

The mare bit her lip and almost felt embarrassed before remembering her friends would do the same. She looked at her friend and answered, “I’m going to a matchmaking agency there and hopefully bring a stallion back with me. If I can’t bring one back, I’ll try to long-distance date one and make trips back and forth. It pays to have your own balloon, I guess.”

All of the mares were shocked but understood why. Her marely dignity was affronted, and she needed to recover and move on from the man. Cherry Berry was calling it quits for stallion searching in Ponyville, just like them. Lily looked at her friend and said, “I hope you feel better and find your love. We’ll check on your house while you’re gone.”

Roseluck added, “Please be safe. And best of luck, we’re rooting for you!”

Cherry Berry smiled before Daisy asked, “What if Christopher comes looking for you? What do you want us to say to him?”

The blonde and cherry-coated mare’s ears perked up at the mention of the man’s name.

”If he comes looking for me? If he didn’t want to even bother talking to me, why would he bother looking for me?”

While it was possible to work held him up, it wasn’t likely. The sky was perfect yesterday, and his propcraft was fast. The distance to the closest towns was at least two hours. The man should have had plenty of time to arrive and meet up with her. The memory of her accidental flagging came back, making her sad again.

”He saw me down there and just...starred. And he didn’t even come to talk to me. He must not have liked what I had to offer.”

Despite the embarrassing memory dragging her down, Christopher’s smile still made her heart throb. She sighed, looked at her friends, and said, “Do whatever you think is best.”

Her friends looked at each other before nodding and giving her a hug. Once the group hug was over, Cherry Berry said, “Well, I’ll be back in a week, hopefully with a stallion. Thanks, girls; see you later.”

Her friends said their goodbyes and waved her off. The mare made her way to the balloon launch pad and ignored the everypony else greeting their friends good morning. Ten minutes later, she arrived at the launch pad and readied the balloon. After another fifteen minutes, the balloon was ready, and she made her way into the basket. She untied the rope anchoring her down and slowly rose into the sky. The weather was perfect for her flight to Rainbow Falls, and Cherry Berry sighed as she looked towards Ponyville one more time.

”So long sadness, happiness here I come.”

About 30 minutes later, Ponyville was no longer in Cherry Berry’s sight. She looked towards the horizon, hoping to see the view of rainbows very soon.

Christopher’s eyes shot open as the sun’s rays passed through the window. He squinted at the sunbeam’s harsh rays and shielded his eyes with his hand. Groaning at a slight hangover, the man made his way to his kitchen and quickly made some coffee. Drinking the brew and some water, he ate a bowl of cereal and cleaned up in the shower when he was done.

After putting on his clothes, the man made some more coffee. The memories of his dream from last night were still fresh in his head. The dream was very detailed, like a movie playing in his head. He dreamt he taught Cherry Berry how to fly his plane as they enjoyed the sky together. After the flying, they shared a cherry pie in some place where a bunch of rainbows was.

”I could have sworn there was a town named Rainbow something...Oh well, seeing Cherry Berry smile in my dream was nice...wait, what time is it?”

Christopher turned his attention to the clock on the wall and felt a pit in his stomach. The clock was already showing 10:30, almost lunchtime. He had slept most of the morning away. He had lost valuable time to find Cherry Berry and apologized for being a no-show. The man spewed a quick barrage of swear words before grabbing his keys, wallet, and backpack with his flying gear. He couldn’t explain why but the man had a gut feeling he would need it. Making sure he had everything, Christopher grabbed an equestrian-made thermos.

He filled it up with premium imported Saddle Arabian coffee and ran out the door. After locking his house, he ran to the market square as fast as possible. A few ponies saw the man running and waved hello, which he returned by waving his hand. He expertly dodged and ran around a few ponies that got in his way as he finally reached the market square. He stopped briefly in an attempt to find the Flower Sister’s stand. After half a minute, he spotted Lily and Roseluck with another mare he suspected was their sister talking to each other near their flower stand.

”Finally! Hopefully, they can tell me where Cherry Berry is.”

Christopher ran over to the sisters, who turned their attention to the out-of-breath man. As he caught his breath, Christopher said, “Hey, girls. Sorry to bother you, but I’m looking for Cherry Berry. Do you know where-”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence as a barrage of flower petals was thrown in his face. Several of the petals flew into his mouth, making him spit them back out. Lily was the first one to speak, “You jerk! You stood her up!”

”Shit, I guess she told them. Not good, not good at all.”

The pink mare with a light lime green mane and tail with a daisy cutie mark spoke, “Hello, I’m Daisy. I’m their sister.”

Christopher smiled and held out a hand, “Hello Daisy, I’m-”

“An insensitive jerk is what you are!” shouted Daisy.

As expected, a small basket of daisy flowers was thrown at him. They, too, landed in his mouth, his face, and his clothes.

”Oh boy, I got my work cut out for me.”

After spitting out flowers, Christopher turned to Roseluck, who was fuming just like her sisters. He sighed as he asked, “Are you going to let me explain, or will I just get flowers again?”

Roseluck’s face went red before she went off on him, “The nerve of you coming to us and asking where Cherry Berry is! Where were you last night!? Do you have any idea how important that date was for her?”

”Damn, my friends were right. It was a date, and I stood her up.”

Christopher sighed and replied, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was a big deal or date. I figured it was just a simple meet-up.”

Lily rolled her eyes and said, “Oh geez, a really dense colt. You must be new here.”

Christopher rubbed the back of his head and tried to think of a rebuttal. He decided honesty was the best course of action.

“Well, yes...Yes, I am new. I’ve only been in your world for about two weeks. My life has been a literal runaway train, and I’m trying my best to adapt and keep control over what I can. To top it off, I’ve only been on a few dates before coming here. Not only that, I’ve never had a woman flash at me.” said Christopher.

“Flash?” asked Daisy.

Roseluck turned to Daisy and said, “He means when Cherry Berry flagged him.”

Daisy nodded before turning to him and saying, “Speaking about that, it was a mistake! She didn’t mean to do that.”

“Yeah!” said Lily, “She wasn’t trying to be a whorse! It was just an accident; besides, you should be flattered; she likes you. The least you could have done was show up and not waste her time.”

Before Christopher could defend himself, Roseluck pressed the point further, “She was really excited about that date, Christopher. We did her makeup, added flowers to her mane, and even got her a tail ribbon. We just don’t understand why you didn’t show up to see her. She cried her heart out last night, and we had to help her get home.”

If the man didn’t feel guilty before, he did now. This moment was one of the rarest times he felt like a dick. He facepalmed before saying, “Look, I know I should have shown up. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal then, but my friends told me exactly what it meant to her. They explained things to me, and I mean A LOT of things. They explained what flagging is and that it likely was a mistake. And yes, they gave me a lot of grief and told me to go find her after I told them about the coffee meet-up-.”

All three flower sisters interrupted Christopher and said, “DATE!”

“-date, that’s what I meant.” The man brushed off more flowers before continuing, “You see, ladies, I didn’t know what to think when her “accident” happened. Where I come from, humans are the only talking species. There are equine animals where I come from, but they look nothing like you, ponies. Believe me, you’d probably puke if you saw them. The idea of being with another species was foreign to me.”

Roseluck scoffed and said, “So the thought of being with a mare is strange to you because you haven’t been here long enough? Okay, but you’ve been here long enough to meet up with her for coffee? You stood her up willingly, which wasn’t even due to your work. So please, stop making lame excuses!”

”Have patience, Christopher; they’re just angry their friend was hurt.”

After he brushed all the flowers off, he continued, “Look, my friends pretty much laid it all out for me. They explained Hearts and Hooves Day and how mares ask for dates around here. They also told me that since I’m stuck here, I better accept it and find a mare. So trust me, ladies, I understand that I screwed up big time, and yes, I hurt Cherry Berry. And I’m really sorry about that, but now I need your help. All I want is to make it up to her and tell her that it was my fault and that there’s nothing wrong with her. She seems like a great gal, and I want to know more about her.”

The man looked at the mares and gave pleading eyes while trying to not beg like a loser.

“I tried to find her last night, but I missed her. The Café closed when I got there, and I couldn’t look for her since I didn’t know where she lived. Please tell me where she is so I can fix my screw-up. I will leave her alone if she doesn’t want anything to do with me. I give you my word as a proud American man.”

The man held a hand over his heart and stood tall as if he were giving the pledge of allegiance. The flower sisters looked at each other before nodding in silent agreement. Roseluck was the first to speak, saying, “If you promise to give her the best date ever, then we will tell you where she is. But be warned, you’ll be pushing daisies if we don’t hear she had the best date of her life.”

Daisy added, “And you can bet on that, Christopher.”

”I just got threatened by pastel-colored ponies....okay then. Looks like I better make Cherry Berry happy.”

Lily and Roseluck both went “Mhm” before Christopher sighed in relief. He asked, “Thanks, girls; I promise I will make it up to her. Now, where does she live?”

Lily revealed Cherry Berry’s location as she said, “She left Ponyville three hours ago. She took her balloon and went off to Rainbow Falls.”

Daisy added, “And if you don’t catch up with her, she’ll be heading to Fillydelphia next. And trust us, you don’t want that to happen.”

Christopher felt bad when Daisy told him that last bit of information. Curiosity got the better of him as he asked, “Why? What will happen if I don’t catch up with her in time?”

Roseluck answered, “She’s going there to see a matchmaking agency. There’s a good chance she’ll come back with another stallion. You don’t want that now, do you?”

Christopher’s eyes widened at the information Roseluck relayed to him. The notion of some loser stallion strolling around with her lit a fire in his heart. There was no way he would allow that to happen, not without him taking a shot with her.

“Like hell, that’s gonna happen! Thank you, ladies, but I got a mare to win over. See y’all later!”

As Christopher Christopher turned and ran off to this airplane, Roseluck cheered, “Go get her flycolt!”

Daisy and Lily cheered, and hoof stomped in encouragement to the man as he ran off. As he ran off in the distance, the sisters began talking with each other.

“Well,” said Daisy, “it seems there’s some hope after all. I hope he does make it up to Cherry.”

Roseluck began picking up the mess of flowers on the ground while Lily replied, “Me too. He seems like a decent stallion, after all. If he returns with her and she’s happy, then he’s alright in my books. Christopher should consider himself lucky he has good friends to straighten him out.”

Just as Roseluck finished picking the spilled flowers, Lyra Heartstrings ran up to the flower sisters. The three sisters were shocked at Lyra’s overly excited expression, which was borderline creepy. The excited unicorn began asking quickly, “I just got back from visiting my family in Canterlot, and I heard that a human stallion had moved here! I have to meet him! I need to make him my husbando! EEE! Somepony said he was just here. Do any of you girls know where he went?”

The mare bounced on the ground like an excited little filly awaiting a present as the sisters looked at each other. Lily, Daisy, and Roseluck smirked before Roseluck told Lyra, “Oh, the human? Yeah, he went that way.”

Roseluck pointed a hoof in the opposite direction of where Christopher ran. Lyra squealed in excitement before galloping off into the distance. The mares laughed before Daisy said, “Well, that should buy Christopher time. I do hope Cherry Berry forgives him. If not, we’ll see a Lyra-Christopher wedding soon enough.”

Lily shook her head and replied, “Well, I hope not. I really want Cherry to wind up with him. They clearly are a better match.”

Roseluck sighed as she restocked their flower stand and said, “We will see, girls, we will see. I hope we get our special someponies too when we go to Fillydelphia. In the meantime, back to work.”

The sisters returned to selling their flowers and hoped the man would earn Cherry Berry’s forgiveness. Twenty minutes went by before the sound of Christopher’s propcraft was heard. Everypony in town looked up and saw the aircraft flying high into the sky over Ponyville. Lyra Heartstrings ran by the flower sisters’ stand and chased the plane in vain while shouting, “NOOO!!!! Come back! I need you, my husbando!”

The flower sisters shook their heads as everypony else in the market square looked at Lyra’s antics with either laughter or disapproval. Bon Bon ran after her friend and shouted, “Lyra! Stop acting like a fool! You’re making a scene!”.

Roseluck said to her sisters, “I really hope he catches up with her. That mare is crazy.”

Lily and Daisy went “Mhm” before going back to selling flowers once again. They could only hope his flight would be successful. If not, they would have a sad friend and a totally not creepy mare gunning for an unsuspecting man.

Christopher’s veins felt like acid as his throat burned from sprinting. After running for fifteen minutes, he finally made it to his airplane and began the checklist to start the engine. Once he completed the flight preparations, Christopher secured his backpack and thermos in a small cargo compartment. He quickly reviewed the map of Equestria and calculated how long it would take to catch up or reach Rainbow Falls. The map made it seem like there were rainbows in the town where Cherry Berry was.

Christopher would have questioned it but remembered he was in a different world. If he did his math right, accounting for the wind, he’d catch her just before she landed. If she made it to the town before him, he’d have a harder time finding her. Christopher jumped into his plane and strapped himself in. After that, he put on his aviator cap and goggles while starting the engine. The propellor slowly spun until the engine roared to life and was fully rotating.

The man released the brakes and turned the plane towards the open field. He set the throttle to full and quickly took off into the sky. The airplane climbed rapidly as he accelerated the plane over Ponyville. He could make out ponies walking through the town and even spotted the flower sisters looking at him. He was unaware of a minty green unicorn mare running after him through the town as he sped off into the horizon. Thoughts of Cherry Berry flooded into his mind as he made a hard right towards Rainbow Falls.

Her eyes and smile popped into his mind, making him eager to see the mare again. His dream of flying with the mare in his plane made him smile before another thought took hold. The chant of his friends shouting “P&P” overtook Cherry Berry’s smile and was replaced with the memory of her flagging. This, combined with the plane’s vibration, made the man’s cock hard. He blushed as the image of Cherry Berry’s perfectly pink pony flesh holes aroused him and made his pants tight.

”Dammit! I can’t get it out of my head! I need to focus, so I don’t wander off. But still...P&P, freaking P&P.”

Christopher eventually stopped caring and accepted the corruption of the P&P. The man imagined himself taking her from behind while spanking her thick pony butt cheeks. He pushed the plane’s speed harder than ever before and wouldn’t stop unless he busted it.

The flight to Rainbow Falls was quicker than expected due to the favorable wind. As Cherry Berry’s balloon entered a small set of clouds, her anticipation of seeing the rainbows grew. The memories of Christopher standing her up were fading away. As the clouds parted, the sight of the rainbows came into her view and made her smile. The sun’s warmth hit Cherry Berry as she flew closer to the pleasant little town. The view of the rainbows washed away all remaining sadness and filled her with hope.

”Finally, something that makes me happy! I think I’ll just stay up here for a little while.”

Cherry Berry could see many ponies moving about in the town below. And to her surprise and luck, Rainbow Falls appeared to be hosting a fair. She hoof-clapped in happiness and said, “I really needed this vacation. I love flying, and I love this day! I swear, it can’t get any better than this.”

No sooner did the words escape her lips, a loud humming noise could be heard in the sky. It started low but grew louder, making the earth pony mare search the sky for the source. As the noise grew significantly louder, Cherry Berry’s eyes shrunk as she realized what the noise was.

”That’s a propcraft!! And it’s coming right at me!”

“Move away! You’re coming right at me! MOVE!!”

The mare cried and shouted in vain before venting the balloon’s air in a desperate attempt to descend. The mare kept saying, “BUCK BUCK BUCK!” as the balloon quickly lowered toward the ground. Her piloting skills proved helpful as the propcraft flew out of the clouds where her balloon was a few seconds ago. The pilot of the propcraft shot upwards in a steep vertical ascent, who no doubt was shocked to see her balloon. After clearing the balloon safely, the propcraft aimed the nose down, descended, and turned towards her balloon. The propcraft passed by at Cherry Berry’s flight level, allowing the mare to see who it was.

“You plothead! Watch where you’re flying! You...You...CHRISTOPHER?!”

As the plane flew by, Cherry Berry recognized the propcraft’s decals, Christopher’s signature white star in a blue circle. The sun’s ray reflected off the propcraft’s fuselage and gave its polished silver coat a glorious shine. She could see the man waving toward her for a brief second but could not make out what he was trying to communicate. Cherry Berry’s emotions went wild, ranging from confusion to anger at the man’s sudden appearance.

”Why is he here?! Is it not enough that he stood me up and has to ruin my day by almost crashing into me! The nerve of that human stallion!”

“Go away, bucker! Leave me alone!”

She shook her hoof in anger as his propcraft made several passes in his attempt to wave at her. This made her even angrier as he ruined her view of the rainbows. After throwing more “Buck you!” and “You’re a plothead!” insults at the man, Christopher did something unexpected. This plane began to vent white smoke, not unlike the smoke the Thunderbolts used in their airshows. He timed the smoke’s release, and Cherry Berry saw he was trying to write letters.

“A message? What are you trying to say?”

Her anger tampered down as curiosity got the better of her. One letter after another formed as he made expertly timed passes before the wind dissipated the smoke. Fortunately, Cherry Berry could read and memorize the letters and speak them out loud as Christopher made them.

“L. A. N. D. Land...he wants me to land? Fine, he’s gonna get a hoof to the face! He better have a darn good reason to bother me!”

Cherry Berry began a careful descent by venting the hot air carefully. Her balloon landed, and the mare hopped out of her basket and anchored it to the ground. As the balloon deflated, she looked up at the sky and saw Christopher’s propcraft turn for an approach to land. As she finished folding the balloon up and stored it in the basket, the man’s plane finally landed and came to a complete stop. Cherry Berry ran up the plane, still wearing her aviator cap and saddle bags, as the engine died.

Christopher waved to Cherry Berry as he exited the two-seater plane and said, “Cherry! I’m happy I caught up with you. I-”.

He didn’t get to finish his sentence as she galloped toward him and socked him in the face with a hoof. The hoof made a solid hit on his cheek, which made his head turn in pain. As the man rubbed his face with a hand, Cherry Berry said, “That’s for almost crashing into me!”

Before Christopher could respond, he received another hit to the face with her left forehoof. A loud smack was heard as he went, “Oof!” and Cherry Berry said, “And that’s for standing me up last night! I waited for you to show, and you never did! You made me feel like a fool! Why are you here? Are you here to just shame me because I flagged you?”

Christopher put his hand on her shoulder as Cherry Berry yelled questions and tried to hold her tears back. He took off his aviator cap and looked into her eyes. The mare could see genuine remorse as she said, “I’m sorry, Cherry, I didn’t mean to hurt you, and it’s not your fault I didn’t show up. It’s my fault, and if you give me a chance, I’d like to explain myself and, if possible, make it up to you.”

”What? He...he wants to make it up to me? I’m not so sure...”

“I even brought some Saddle Arabian coffee; it should still be warm. We can sit here, enjoy the day, and just talk to each other like we planned on doing yesterday. All I’m asking for is a chance; if not, I’ll leave you alone.”

For ten seconds, Cherry Berry stared at Christopher, unsure whether to believe him. The wind blew his hair to the side as he smiled at her, making the mare’s heart throb.

”Dang it! Why does he have to look handsome with that smile?” I might as well hear him out; he did fly all the way here to see me.”

“I hope that coffee is warm as you say it is.”

Christopher grinned before saying, “I promise it is. I’ll be right back.”

The man turned, quickly ran back to the plane, and opened the cargo compartment. He pulled out a thermos and two pewter mugs before returning to her. As he poured her a mug of coffee, Christopher said, “I have your friends to thank because if they hadn’t told me where you flew off to, I’d have never found you in time.”

As he handed her the mug, Cherry Berry took it with a free hoof and smelled the brew. It was still hot and smelled delicious. Usually, the mare took her coffee with cream and a single sugar cube, but the coffee smelled so good without it. Taking a sip, the mare was not surprised at the exceptional taste knowing it was from Saddle Arabia. A small smile formed on her face as she said, “Thanks Christopher, I needed this. And you said my friends told you where I was going?”

As he poured himself a mug of coffee, he nodded, “Yup, they sure did. I had to use a map to get here and full-throttle the engine to catch up. I’m very grateful they helped me, but they only did so after giving me quite an earful. They also threw a bunch of flowers at me and called me a jerk, which I was, for the record.”

The mare giggled, hearing what the man said, “Hehehe! Yeah, that is something they would say and do. I’ve known those sisters since elementary school; they can be feisty.”

”If they thought Christopher deserved to see me, then I trust their judgment.”

Christopher took another sip of coffee before saying, “Yeah, they definitely were...so...”

Cherry Berry knew the topic was going to shift towards the date and asked, “So why didn’t you show Christopher? I really need to know, and please be honest with me.”

He turned his head away in shame before looking into her eyes and answered, “I didn’t think it was a big deal and that it was a simple coffee meet-up. And-”

Cherry Berry huffed in anger before interrupting Christopher, saying, “Are you bucking kidding me?! Of course, it was a date! I dressed nicely for you, and what do I get in return? Getting stood up and looking like a fool while everypony else had a date.”

As Cherry Berry wiped a tear away, Christopher sighed before saying, “Please let me finish. I know I hurt you, and I now know it was a date.”

She took a sip of coffee before nodding in agreement. He sat on the ground and crossed his legs while she sat on her haunches and held the coffee in her hoof. Christopher continued, “You see, after your flagging accident, I had no clue what to think. The idea of dating someone who isn’t a human was very strange to me. Back on earth, there were equine animals that were nothing more than dumb stinky animals. And before you say anything, I know ponies aren’t animals. And yes, I know you didn’t mean to flag me.”

Her eyes widened at the information he told, and she tried to process it as best as possible. It perfectly explained why he reacted the way he did. Despite this, the mare nodded and said, “You got that right, mister man. We aren’t stinky animals! Hmpf!”

Christopher rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and said, “Yeah, I know, Cherry. My friends explained how Hearts and Hooves Day works, how couples get dates, and all that jazz. They told me you meant for it to be a date, and I needed to earn your forgiveness; same with your friends. Cherry, I need you to know I don’t think you’re a whorse.”

Her ears perked up as she turned to Christopher and asked, “Really? Y-you, don’t think I’m a dirty whorse?”

Christopher nodded and said, “I’m serious; you are not a whorse or a dirty animal. An accidental flagging doesn’t change my opinion at all.”

A smile formed on Cherry Berry’s face as the metaphorical dark cloud that hovered over her mind lifted. Christopher continued, “And honestly, the equine animals in my world are gross-looking. You ponies look WAAAY better than they do by miles. And because of that, it was a mental block for me, but my friends told me I “bucked up” and to go fix it. The past two weeks have been a crazy time for me. I freaked out when Princess Celestia teleported me, and here, I was in shock for a few days. Being told I can’t go back and having a mare ask me on a date is one hell of a radical leap.”

Cherry Berry nodded, took a sip from her coffee, and said, “Darn, you’ve been through a lot, Christopher. I’m sorry you can’t go home. I’m unsure how I would have reacted if I were in your place. I’m also happy you’re not actually repulsed by me.”

He chuckled and said, “No, not at all. I think you’re a cool mare, and I’d like to know more about you.”

”No way, is he serious! Does he actually want to date me? Oh, Christopher, please ask me.”

He smiled before continuing, “I want to know what you like and don’t like. I want to know the things that make you happy, both big and small, and I want to be the guy that makes your day better. I want to know how you got into flying and if you’d like, possibly something a little bit more down the road.”

A small, hopeful smile formed on her face while her ears perked up as she asked, “So...what you’re saying is...”

Christopher looked into her eyes and asked, “Cherry Berry, I would like to take you on a date starting now.”

She threw her coffee on the ground, jumping in the air like a little filly getting a birthday present. She cheered, “Yes! Yes, Woohoo!”

As Cherry Berry cheered, Christopher sighed in relief and watched her jump up and down.

”Oh no! I’m acting like a silly filly! Calm down, Cherry, be a proper mare.”

The mare stopped jumping up and down while sporting a blushed smile before saying, “Heh, sorry about that. I’d love to go on a date with you, Christopher.”

The man stood up and put his free hand over his heart while pledging, “As a proud American man, it would be my pleasure, Miss Berry. Let me put these away, and we’ll go into town. Looks like they got a fair going too!”

She turned her attention to the fair and smiled, “I know! It looks like a lot of fun! They even have rides too!”

As Christopher put his stuff away, Cherry Berry asked him to store her saddle bags and aviator cap in his plane’s cargo compartment. He did so and carried a small bag of Bits with him, intending to pay for everything like a proper gentleman would. The fair was a lot of fun for the man and the mare as they rode the Ferris wheel and had plenty of fair food to boot. They danced together while a band played music for the fair, with several other ponies dancing the outside dance floor.

After dancing and enjoying the music for two hours, Christopher bought themselves two mugs of non-alcoholic apple cider. As they walked in the park, they drank their ciders and talked about anything and everything. The conversation between them was natural and enjoyable; with both learning they many of the same interests in hobbies, music, and many other topics. Many couples and families were enjoying the view of the rainbows as the afternoon sky was clear with a gentle cool breeze flowing. The rainbows were as bright as ever and added positive vibes to the already happy day for everpony in Rainbow Falls.

Cherry Berry loved every minute of the date and was happy Christopher flew to Rainbow Falls for her. As they walked through the park, Christopher asked, “So, are you staying the night here or heading back?”

The mare put a hoof to her chin and pondered for a moment. She answered before saying, “I’ll probably get a room for the night and head back to Ponyville in the morning. How about you?”

Christopher smiled and replied, “Same. I have tomorrow off, so I don’t need to head back today. I figured we could fly back together in the morning and have your balloon shipped on the train back to Ponyville.”

Cherry Berry’s ears perked up, and she asked, “Really? You’ll let me fly in your propcraft?”

Christopher nodded before grinning, “Yup! I sure will; in fact, I got a really cool idea. Wanna hear it?”

The mare nodded, and the man leaned over and whispered into her ear. Her eyes widened as he gave her his idea, which made her smile. She enthusiastically nodded and said, “Yes! What are we waiting for! Let’s go!”

The mare galloped off as Christopher grinned and said to himself, “I like where this is going.”

He gulped down the rest of the cider and ran after her.

“WOOHOO!!! YEA!” shouted Cherry Berry.

“You’re doing great, Cherry! Grab it hard and tug it the other way! I swear you’re a natural!”

The mare did as told and steered the propcraft under the next rainbow. Christopher had the great idea of teaching her how to fly his airplane, and he didn’t regret it. With Christopher’s experience and Cherry Berry’s aptitude for aviation, she proved to be a quick learner in piloting the plane. They started with basic instrument orientation, flight controls, and flight leveling before moving onto turns. Her piloting was rough at first but sharpened with each attempt to fly the plane. Christopher was thrilled to share his love of flying with someone who equally loved it and wished the day wouldn’t end.

“Okay, Cherry, now I want you to go left and right through the next two rainbows. After that, I’ll take control and show you some cool maneuvers!”

“No problem, Christopher! Here I go!”

Cherry Berry executed Christopher’s instructions flawlessly and performed two pass-throughs under the targeted rainbows. She shouted, “Woohoo!” after completing the maneuvers with the man saying, “Good job, Cherry! Now hold onto your potatoes! We’re gonna give the ponies below one hell of a show!”

”A show? Uh-oh.”

“Christopher, what are you-AAAAHHH!”

She didn’t get a chance to ask him before the plane accelerated upwards at a 90-degree angle. Just as the plane struggled, the man flipped the plane backward and zoomed downward at high speed. Cherry Berry’s cheeks had a rush of air fly into her mouth as she tried to keep it closed with her teeth exposed. Christopher laughed as the plane spun in a downward twist before rapidly moving left and right between the rainbows. Many ponies below saw the aerobatic maneuvers and cheered on the duo flying in the sky.

The mare screamed while the man laughed like a maniac as he performed three consecutive backflips. After leveling out, he accelerated the plane and barrel-rolled through two rainbows. Cherry Berry’s heart beat rapidly from the excitement of the flight, and she smiled as she felt the rush. Never before had she experienced flying on a scale this grand, and Christopher was making it happen for her. Her attraction to the man rose to a level she had never felt towards a stallion before him. She decided she would date him moving forward.

The plane slowed to average speed and made an approach to land. Cherry Berry caught her breath as Christopher said, “We’re going to land now, as I think that’s enough for today. Did you have fun?”

Cherry Berry turned towards Christopher as he sat in the master seat behind her. She smiled and said, “Yes! Thank you so much! This is the best date ever!”

He grinned and replied, “It doesn’t have to be the last one, Cherry. I’d like to take you out again sometime if you’d like to go out with me.”

She shouted, “Yes! Buck yes! I can’t wait for our next date!”

Christopher grinned before steering the plane toward the ground and making an expert landing. The engine died, and a herd of ponies cheered the duo as they exited the airplane. The two waved to everypony before Cherry Berry helped Christopher secure the airplane. After the herd dispersed, the mere thought of the devious idea and said, “You know Christopher, there is one thing you forgot to do on our date?”

“Oh?” said the man, asking, “And what did I forget?”

Still wearing her aviator cap, the mare smiled and said, “You owe me dinner, flycolt.”

After putting the caulks on the wheels, the man said, “You’re right, I do owe you dinner, and I did give you my word this would be the best date ever. May I escort you to the closest dining facility, ma’am?”

Cherry Berry laughed with a slight dorky snort and said, “To the dining facility!”

As they took off their aviator caps, the mare and the man looked into each other’s eyes. Both of them blushed before smiling and walking towards the only diner in town. After having a wonderful dinner together, Christopher paid for their separate rooms at the hotel. He escorted Cherry Berry to her own room. He knelt down, took her hoof, and kissed it like a gentleman would a lady’s hand. She blushed as he said, “Goodnight.”

She replied, “You too, Christopher.”

The man walked off to his room, leaving a blushing Cherry Berry. As she turned the corner and was out of sight, the mare whispered to herself, “I hope he marries me someday.”

She closed the door to her room and went to bed, exhausted from the best date of her life. She could only hope there would be many more in the future. Cherry Berry and Christopher dreamt of spending time together in her hot-air balloon. They stared into their loving eyes before they embraced and kissed each other. The man and the mare smiled in their separate beds, happy to experience their shared dream. Unknown to Cherry Berry and Christopher, a pair of glowing pink eyes stared at the loving couple, who were still kissing each other in the dream.

A voice spoke and said, “Good...All is going as I have foreseen.”

Author's Note

So Christopher FINALLY fixed his screw up! And Cherry Berry got her date! Hooray! A close call for sure but whose eyes are those?! And will Christopher finally get that P&P?! I'ts not over yet folks! Debating on making a clop chapter but I might just finish the story.

Poor Lyra though, am I right? She'd probably whorse it all up and give him dat P&P. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter. I got distracted and meant to release it a few days ago.