//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21: Lunch and Recess 
// Story: Quantum Leap Forward 
// by Halira 
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Activity outside seemed to be divided into three areas. There were a large number of foals and other creatures already sitting off to the side and around the playground area that were munching on small sandwiches and baked goods, there was also a small line of foals still waiting to be served food from a large table that Ma Apple was watching over. The line was moving exceptionally fast, and it seemed that all if Candy's classmates were already through it, aside from Autumn, Mint, and Sisstet. A few other stragglers from other classes composed the rest of those waiting to be served.

The last area was distanced as far from the serving area as possible, near the administrative building, and had a host of adults talking to the young teens who were the graduating class. She was surprised when she was able to identify many of the adults as former students of hers, or students that were currently hers in her own time; among those that were recent graduates or still in her classes were Featherweight, Diamond Tiara, Rumble, and Pina Colada. Featherweight was still as small and puny as he was as a foal, even though he must be well into his mid-thirties. Diamond was wearing a business suit and that same tiara, and was smiling down to a pair of colts. Rumble and Pound Cake seemed to be competing for the interest of a trio of students. Pina had the full attention of Daiquiri, and a quick glance at Pina's cutie mark showed a wine glass with a slice of pineapple on its rim, something she definitely didn't have yet twenty years ago. There were others, like Yona, who as an adult yak, towered over a unicorn filly and a young griffin hen she was speaking to, but many of them Cheerilee couldn't recognize.

Silver Spoon was sitting just outside the classroom, munching on her own lunch from Sugarcube Corner. First thing was to alert the teacher of Mint's threats. "Silver Spoon-"

"Miss Silver Spoon," Silver corrected. "I understand you believe you're Cheerilee, but she would agree that a student should give their teacher proper respect."

"Miss Silver Spoon," Cheerilee amended. "I wanted to alert you that Mint Cherry was making threats about causing me trouble. He is angry about the fact I'm Cheerilee."

Silver arched an eyebrow at her. "Mint? He's normally very well behaved, more likely to alert me of a problem than cause one, but in this circumstance I can believe something like this. He did get very upset when Principal Cheerilee suddenly left, and very cross with other students that asked him about it. I can see where he might be angry about your current persona. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'll have a discussion with him about it."

"He also implied to Sisstet that Candy doesn't like him."

Silver Spoon's face contorted with rage for a moment, and Cheerilee took a step back in fear she'd done something wrong. The teacher took a moment to compose herself, but her ears remained laid back. "That is far more concerning. After all the effort I put into making sure that poor naga feels welcome and has a warm and friendly environment around him while at school, where he can learn to feel trust, it makes me want to…" Silver took a deep breath. "Mint definitely will be getting a lecture about this, and I will be speaking to his parents as well. Words are going to be said."

Cheerilee was taken aback by all of this. She'd gotten that Sisstet was a student who needed to feel acceptance, but she hadn't realized it was this serious. The teacher wasn't done yet though, as Silver Spoon looked pleadingly at her. "Candy, if you really see yourself as Cheerilee right now, then I need a favor from you. I need to explain to Sisstet about your condition, so I can try to undo any damage those few words might have done. His trust is so fragile, you don't understand how fragile, and I can't let anything damage it. I won't discuss your condition without your permission, but I'm asking for it-- no, begging for it."

She wasn't sure she'd be happy having anypony tell another student that Candy wasn't in her right mind, but technically Candy wasn't-- if only in a different way than what everypony thought. "You have my permission." The truth about what Candy was going through would come out eventually, but right now there was another student that was in need, and she wouldn't be who she really was if she didn't do what she could to help with that. She wished she understood the full story behind what was going on with him, because she'd never seen Silver Spoon get this passionate about anything as a foal. 

The teacher looked around and then called out, "Sisstet! Can you come over here for a minute, please? You aren't in trouble for anything, but I need to speak with you."

Sisstet looked nervous as he did his combination walk and slither towards them. When he reached them he coiled himself up tightly, but looked up at Silver Spoon with worried eyes.

Silver smiled down at him. "I had it brought to my attention that Mint implied Candy didn't like you. I need to explain some things to you about Candy. These things are private, so I need you to promise us that you won't go telling anycreature about them. She's trusting you to keep this to yourself, can you do that?"

The naga blinked, and uncoiled himself. "Trust me?" He asked in what Cheerilee took for astonishment-- it was a little hard to read his emotions at times. "Yess. I'll keep the secret."

"Good," the teacher replied, then gestured at Cheerilee. "Candy isn't just pretending to be other creatures. She really does think she is who she says she is, which right now is Cheerilee from twenty years ago. Each one of these personalities is meeting you for the first time ever when they first meet you, that's why so many of them have been afraid. They don't remember that you and Candy are friends, and trust me, Candy thinks of you as a friend."

The snakelike pony gave a nervous dip of his head. "I don't understand. Candy is not Candy?"

"Right now I'm Cheerilee, Candy will come back, I promise," Cheerilee said quietly. "And I'm really sorry for being apprehensive about you. I'm from twenty years ago."

"Twenty years ago wass a bad time for naga," Sisstet said sadly. "We are better now."

"I'd need to double check the dates, but twenty years ago I don't think anycreature in Equestria even knew about naga," Silver continued. "She was just seeing something completely unfamiliar to her. Do you remember know how ponies reacted to you and your… parents when you first came to Ponyville?"

Sisstet shook his head. "I wass too small. Don't remember."

"There was a lot of running and screaming, believe me," Silver said with a sigh. "But then creatures came to understand you aren't scary monsters, and don't do that anymore."

"They sstill run and hide when guardians get mad," Sisstet hissed as he cowered low again. That made Cheerilee feel a bit nervous about ever encountering Sisstet's parents. How big did they get? Did the fangs get even bigger?

Silver scrunched up her muzzle. "Well, they need much more work socializing than you do. I don't blame them for that, and know they are trying. The point is, nocreature thinks you are a scary monster now that they've gotten to know you." She paused and gave him a pointed look. "Which reminds me. I'll be walking you home after school today. When your parents get your report card I don't want any misunderstandings, like last year."

Sisstet curled up tight in fear, and actually trembled. "You didn't tell them to encourage me to improve again, did you?" Cheerilee blinked. What was wrong with that? That seemed a perfectly ordinary way of saying a student needed a little improvement in an area. Did they demand absolute perfection from him?

Silver grit her teeth. "Oh, I learned my lesson that they have very different interpretations on what is meant by some things. That's why I'm going with you personally to make sure no mistakes are made. You'd tell me if they did something like that again, right?"

"They haven't," Sisstet said quickly. "They were very ssorry they understood instructions wrong. They said that in the Clutch that meant… do what they did." Something about all this sent a chill down Cheerilee's spine. She didn't know what happened, but the implication she was getting between Silver's rage and Sisstet's timid answer made her terrified for the colt.

Silver grunted, and still looked unhappy. "Very well. Anyway, trust that Candy really does like you. I don't know how this particular Cheerilee personality will take you, but I know that the Cheerilee I know would be nice to you as well. Principal Cheerilee always treated you nicely, right?"

The colt nodded vigorously. "Principal Cheerilee was always nice to me. I miss her. Why'd she leave?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Silver replied with a shake of her head. "But I've kept you long enough. Are you willing to trust Candy?"

Sisstet gave Cheerilee an apprehensive look. "Ssome of Candy's personalities are bad," he hissed. "But if she is Principal Cheerilee right now I think she must be good. I just don't like the bad ones."

"None of us do," Silver replied. "But we'll deal with them as they come. Hopefully they'll get this all fixed soon. Get back to lunch. I've kept you too long."

"Yess, Miss Silver Spoon," the colt said, and then slithered off the way he came.

As soon as he was out of hearing distance Cheerilee turned to the teacher, outraged at what was implied. "Is he being abused!?"

"Keep your voice down!" Silver scolded with a quick glance around her. "I shouldn't even be discussing this with you, but you brought that word up, and I need to address it. It's a complicated situation; abuse isn't the word, nor is neglect. They just aren't really qualified to be raising a foal."

Cheerilee gaped. "Why? Why would they entrust a foal to creatures that can't properly care for him?"

Silver seemed on the point of spitting, and forgetting completely she was talking to a foal. The teacher was venting now. "Sisstet lacks for nothing material, and they aren't cruel to him, but they can't give him love. They were brought up in...  a very bad culture, one that made the changelings before they reformed look cuddly. They're supposed to be learning how to love by caring for him, and they honestly do try-- I'll give them that. They do whatever they're ordered to do without question. They can be ordered to be gentle and cooperative, and they obey that with no complaint, but you can't order them how to feel. They aren't even his real parents, just two random naga that were assigned as guardians when he was still an egg."

"Maybe they just aren't good at expressing love," Cheerilee suggested. 

Silver shook her head. "No, you can't just fix a creature that’s never known love, not when that much damage has been done. At least the young that never endured the same things, like Sisstet, demonstrate that there's hope for their future. I just think he deserves a better home." The teacher's eyes widened as she finally seemed to remember that she was speaking to a foal, and how inappropriate it was to be discussing this subject at all in her position. "Please, keep this discussion to yourself. I just want the best for all of you, and sometimes that means I get a little emotional about things."

Cheerilee silently nodded, although she wanted to point out that Silver Spoon seemed particularly passionate about Sisstet's well being. How much time and care had Silver poured into making sure the young naga felt safe, welcome, and loved? If what she said about naga in general was true, then the natural response to seeing a naga might be fear. Yet, no students seemed to fear Sisstet, as she could see him happily talking with a group of foals that very moment. SIlver had truly helped him, it seemed. Her relationship with him had become more than teacher and student, perhaps even trying to fill the parental role when Sisstet's parents weren't capable themselves. 

"Go get your lunch," the teacher instructed, bringing Cheerilee out of her thoughts. "If you don't hurry you'll have hardly any time after you eat for recess."

Having time for recess wasn't that big a priority to her, but lunch was. Candy was a growing filly, and her stomach was growling enough to let Cheerilee know she needed plenty of food. "I will," she replied. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to me." She then hurried over to the catering table as her stomach let off a particularly deep growl.

Ma Apple smiled at her as she came up to the table. "I was startin' to get worried you were goin' to skip lunch, and almost called out to you to come eat. I saw you talkin' to your teacher. Is everythin' alright?"

"I was just heading off a problem before it started, and learned a few things about naga," Cheerilee replied as she reached her mouth towards one of the bagged lunches.

The bag was pulled back by Ma's magic and a different one put in front of her. "I have yours specially prepared. With a sandwich, two apples, and a juice box, instead of a sandwich, apple, juice box, and muffin." The mare explained.

Cheerilee took the proffered bag in her mouth with no complaint. She didn't know why she was seeing smiles on muffins when none of Candy’s other personalities had, but she wasn't eager to try to bite into her lunch only to find a face smiling at her. That was a mystery she had gained absolutely no clues on. If Candy had some strange psychosis with muffins, then why was it bleeding over to her but not the others? Why was it just on muffin shaped things and not other random objects? The fact it had started around the same time as everything else indicated it meant something, but she was at a complete loss as to what.

Pound Cake walked over to the table, shaking his wings irritability. Ma flicked an ear as she looked at him. "Any luck with the graduates?"

"Sugar Mix," Pound replied, as he grabbed up a stray juice box in his wing. "She seems interested, as she's more interested in cakes and pastries than general cooking. Rumble is likely going to get the other two." He then took a sip from the juice.

Ma let off a sigh. "At least we got one, this time around. We're in desperate need of more help."

"I told her a starting date in mid-summer," Pound said, and waved a wing at Ma when she narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't look at me like that. You know that Pumpkin will scare her off if we bring her in right now. I figured starting her after things have settled down would be better. She can get used to Pumpkin being sweet for almost a full year before she meets Miss Sour. We then have plenty of time to prep her and hopefully retain this one."

"I guess that is a good idea," Ma relented, as her ears sagged. "I just wish we could get a little less burden right now. You know your sister is going to have words to say about you starting Mix late."

Pound shrugged. "Pumpkin can curse at me all she wants. She'll see I'm right when she gets back to acting as her normal self."

She walked off from the adults discussion, lunch bag in mouth. A quick glance around the playground area let her spot Cheese eating his lunch with Caramel Apple and Autumn Fire. There wasn't anywhere to go that was really private, so sitting next to those three was probably for the best, since they all knew who she was, or at least knew who she said she was. 

Autumn looked up and grimaced at her as she approached, but didn't object to her coming over. Caramel noticed it, and gave the kirin a questioning look. "What's wron' with ya an' ma sister? You normally can't wait to spend time with her."

"She's not Candy," Autumn grumbled, and levitate his sandwich up to his mouth and bit into it savagely. She briefly reconsidered sitting near them, but decided to just try to convince Autumn she wanted Candy back as much as he did.

Caramel tilted his head. "I know she's a'pretendin' again, but--"

"It's not pretend," Autumn snarled. "I'm not sure if any of those personalities were pretend." It occurred to her then that Caramel had been away from the farm when the family had been discussing that Candy had a disorder, so he was out of the loop for the moment.

She opened her mouth to let Caramel know about what had been discussed in his night away from the farm, but Cheese gave off a loud, feminine giggle. "You still think she's pretty," Cheese said with a grin. 

The kirin blushed again, then gave Cheese a deep frown. "She might be, but she isn't Candy. I'd still rather have Candy here, even if she were ugly." Autumn ducked his head down low next to Cheese. "And watch it with your laugh, you sounded like a filly that time. Somecreature might have heard you, and I don't want them picking on you again."

Cheese's enthusiasm plummeted, as did his posture. "I can't help it, and it's only going to get worse the bigger I get. They're going to pick on me no matter what."

She almost broke taboo to ask more about Cheese's exact intersex condition, but stopped herself. That was something else she found herself regressing to fillyhood about- getting distracted by any little thing she became curious about. She hadn't done that in years, but found herself doing it constantly as of late. It was a great thing for a young foal to do, as it led to them learning all about the world around them, and could be great in adults as well, but it also meant everything ended up distracting her, and that was bad when trying to focus.

"You weren't at home yesterday," she informed Candy's older brother. "The news was that Candy isn't pretending to be anypony. Your family thinks it is some sort of personality disorder, but I know that I really am Cheerilee."

"And Pinkie Pie thinks so too," Autumn added in.

"You weren't supposed to tell anycreature that!" Cheese scolded.

Autumn pointed at Caramel. "He isn't anycreature, he's Candy's brother. Shouldn't her brother know some other pony has taken over his sister's body?"

"I didn't choose for it to happen," she snapped. "Something happened to Candy months ago that made this all start happening. I just have to figure out what, so it can be fixed. All those experts are thinking I'm some split personality, but I'm not." 

Caramel seemed to be trying to process this. "Where's Candy then? We should tell Ma."

"I've already told Ma and she doesn't believe me," Cheerilee said in frustration as she ripped open her lunch bag. "Nopony but Pinkie does. I'm not even sure Autumn and Cheese do."

"I believe you," Autumn said immediately. "Creatures think Pinkie Pie is crazy, but my mom is a lot like her. She said a lot of kirin used to think she was crazy, even when she was right. Pinkie Pie has saved the world lots of times, so she can't be that crazy."

"I believe my mom," Cheese said quietly. "If she says you're really Cheerilee, then you must be."

Caramel still seemed confused. "So you're like an old pony?"

"I'm from twenty years ago. I'm thirty-three, that's not old!" She snapped. 

"Seems pretty old to me," Autumn replied. "That's as old as Miss Silver Spoon. That's like grandmare old."

She knew she was acting like a foal, but couldn't help herself from being pulled into a playground dispute. "Silver Spoon isn't old, and most mares wouldn't be a grandmare by the time they're that age! All your parents are older than that, and none of them are grandparents yet."

"Not yet," Caramel said thoughtfully. "But if Bright keeps doin' that birds and bees stuff- "

She cut him off. "I'm not old, and that's final!"

"Still pretending to be my aunt, I see."

She turned, Mint had walked over to them. The volume of their conversation must have attracted him. She quickly glanced back at where Silver Spoon was at and saw that the teacher was preoccupied dealing with a filly that was crying. Mint had freedom for the moment to make a nuisance of himself. She turned back to the colt to tell him to please leave, but her breath caught as she saw the muffin he was holding in his magic-- it had a smiling face on it.

"Leave us alone, Mint," Autumn said laying his ears flat. 

Mint looked at her and took in her expression with a smile. "Ah, are you worried I'm going to get you in trouble?" He asked, misinterpreting of what was causing her fear.

"Leave ma sister alone!" Caramel growled.

Mint made some sort of snotty reply back, but she wasn't listening. Her entire attention was focused on the smiling muffin, and the growing dread and unease she was feeling. She tried to calm herself down, because the fear didn't make sense. She knew about the muffin thing, even if this was her first time seeing a face on an actual muffin, and not just Dinky's earrings. She knew it wasn't real. She knew it wasn't dangerous. She still felt rising panic at seeing the thing, and at the same time couldn't pull her eyes away. Was this what Candy felt every time she saw those faces?

The bickering between the colts went back and forth, and Mint must have said something particularly witty, as he gave a satisfied smirk. After giving that smirk he lifted the floating muffin up to his mouth to reward himself. She watched him raise it to his mouth, the fear growing so intense that she was now trembling. As he opened his mouth to take a bite she rushed forward, and swatted the muffin away, launching it through the air, and hitting a griffin on the side of the head. The griffin turned and looked at what hit him, then looked towards them. He then picked up his own muffin, chucking it at Mint. The unicorn deftly dodged it, and it struck Cheese instead.

The androgynous colt immediately proved to be his mother's son, as he picked up his own muffin, and yelled out a battlecry that teachers through the ages dreaded hearing. "FOOD FIGHT!"

The playground descended into chaos, as muffins were thrown back and forth, with more and more students joining in the confectionary carnage. The teachers tried moving in to break up the food fight, but food fights were the antithesis of order by their nature, something seemingly designed by Discord himself. The colts quickly forgot their own disagreements as they found themselves comrades-in-arms by their shared location, against the opposing creatures determined to pelt them with baked goods.

Cheerilee did not take part. Her panic had escalated a hundred-fold. Each of those muffins flying through the air had faces, and it seemed as if time had slowed down around her just to give each of the muffins ample opportunity to grin at her. Her eyes darted left and right, looking for somewhere to run, but the muffins were everywhere. Her breathing became difficult due to the strain, and she felt like she was drowning in a sea of sinister smiles. Her vision blurred, but the faces kept their perfect clarity. She wanted to close her eyes, or to cover them, but it was as if some force locked out her ability to do so.

A primal instinct made the magic within her surge into the horn in her head, and she found the voice to shout one thing. "GO AWAY!"

The magic acted to save her from what was terrorizing her, and a shockwave of magic erupted out of the horn, knocking everything and everypony away from her, along with the dreaded muffins flying through the air. It was quick, and ended abruptly, but she felt the fear vanish as fast as it had come. She now sat panting where she had been, feeling like she'd just run the Running of the Leaves ten times in a row without a break. 

"Candy!" She heard Ma Apple cry out in alarm. The next thing she knew she was being pulled into the mare's embrace. 

"Is anycreature hurt?! Anycreature? Teachers, check your students." She heard Dinky calling out. 

She made herself look around. Students and teachers alike had been knocked to the ground, and we're now picking themselves back up. Most seemed simply dazed by the event, and not hurt. The broken remains of muffins were scattered everywhere, without a face to be seen among them. The catering table was knocked over on its side, and many of the visitors were picking themselves off the ground as well. 

"Candy, what happened? Why did you do that?" Ma asked, and could be heard crying with worry over her daughter. 

She didn't know what to do. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't tell them she'd panicked because she saw faces on muffins. Even if she had been seeing things it would still be hard to explain why she'd gotten as afraid as she had. It made no sense at all. If she told them it would just cement the idea that she was crazy, but she couldn't think of any excuse to give as an alternative. She just sat silently, with her body still trembling from the exertion it had just gone through.

"Is she alright?" She heard Caramel ask in a worried tone. 

"I don't know," Ma answered him, and gripped Cheerilee tighter. 

She saw Dinky approaching. The principal had a grim expression on her face. "Take her to the nurse's office. I'll be by shortly. I hope she's calmed down enough by then to give me a good explanation, because when Spoiled hears about this… it doesn't matter. Just get her to the nurse to make sure she isn't hurt."

Cheerilee closed her eyes. She'd been crying the whole time, but now it was hitting home how much trouble she had just gotten Candy in. The poor filly had been on thin ice at school as it was, and that ice might have now broken. This was the one place she'd been confident she could keep out of trouble, but she couldn't have failed in a more spectacular fashion.