I would believe that Big Mac was simply hanging out with Cheerilee and Marble as friends, but weren’t really committed to a relationship. Big Mac has been poking around for a perfect somepony for awhile now. It looks like he’s finally found one.
Now, there is a question on how they would make their rather long distance relationship work. It seems both ponies are quite based in their respective hometowns. Big Mac being the one who is in charge of work in his family farm. While Sugar Belle seems to be attached to her baking business and folks at Equal Town.
Who is going to move in to who’s place?
@Esteban
Personally, I’m going to be disappointingly literal and say that the entire focus of the episode was to contrast yet another wrong way of approaching romance (following storytelling tropes) with a better way of doing so (learning about the other person and acting on that knowledge). Setting up Big McIntosh in a canon romance was an inevitable side effect of that main focus.
I’ll admit one of the main reasons I’m OK with this ship is that it’s just plausible enough and has a good-enough start so that I’m all right with them being together, but if they end up breaking up and showing how life still goes on after the end of a romance, I’ll be fine with that too.
@Kerion
Im pretty sure the entire focus of the episode was to introduce this couple as canon. Entire point of Heart and Hoof day was that Cheerilee and Big Mac are not attracted to eachother while MarbleMac was just a side gag by animators to point out that they are both shy.
I doubt this pairing is going to last in the show after this episode. This is going to be another one time thing like with ‘Heart and Hooves Day’ and ‘Hearthbreakers’.
@maverick159
Yeah, beside, shy pony like Marble should really find someone who is more social to really create the dynamic. Braeburn would be fine and he would also join Pie and Apple families closer.
OK it took me 2 days but I’m finally OK with SugarMac.
After much thoughts, i realised that Sugar Belle was as much developed as Cherileee so there was no lose here. And both of them were more developed than Marble so i won’t cry over her either.
It would be more painfull if they decided to have Fluttershy fell for some random pony rather than Discord or Pinkie for Party Favor instead Cheese Sandwich. But with BM ships it was really all mostly headcanons.