Not So Cheery Times

by Poia

Missing

"Where is she?" Applebloom asked Scootaloo, who's desk was right next door.

"I don't know." The little Pegasus replied. "Maybe she's sick?"

"Obviously she heard you three were coming today and she wanted none of that." Diamond Tiara interjected. She, her lackey Silver Spoon, and a few others giggled at the insult.

Sweetie Belle hopped out of her desk and ran to the teacher's desk at the front of the classroom, just beneath the chalkboard. She dug through stacks of paper for a note. "I can't find anything. Just a lesson plan, a few homework assignments, ooh, a love note!"

"Don't read that!" Applebloom shouted. "That's miss Cherrilee's private mail!"

"Fine, don't be fun. Hey, the answer sheet to yesterday's homework! Oh, ok, number three was not lettuce."

"You know." Silver Spoon started. "I read the handbook, and it said that if our teacher is fifteen minutes late, we get the day off."

"Really?" Scootaloo asked. She glanced at the clock. "Oh, still another ten or so to go." She put her head on her desk. "Wake me up when something important happens." Snoring came from her desk almost immediately.

"In the meantime, I'm just gonna read this." Sweetie Belle pulled out the love note and began reading it. Applebloom jumped up and ran to her.

"Don't read that!"

"Too late. Ooh, it's so cutesy wutesy!"

"Give me that!" She swiped it from her friend's hoof. She glanced at the signature at the bottom. "My brother wrote this? Oh man, ah gotta read it!"

Sweetie Belle poked her head over Appleblooms shoulder and resumed her reading. "Woah, it's that what grown up ponies do for fun? No wonder they need each other. That sounds hard to do alone."

There was a shuffling from the hall. A scrawny gray pony in a blue-green outfit walked up to the door. "What are you kids doing here? Didn't you hear, school was cancelled for a while."

"It was?" Sweetie Belle asked, unbelieving.

"Yeah. Miss Cheerilee went missing, she can't teach."

All the school foals bolted towards the door and outside, screaming their joy. "SCHOOL'S OUT!" One exclaimed. "THANK CELESTIA!" Said another.

"Thanks Mr. Janitor!" Scootaloo called back at the pony.

"See you around, and hey, tell your friends not to read love letters from adults."

"Ok, bye!" She shut the doors after the last pony passed through.

The janitor chuckled. "Kids." He picked up his mop and began wiping down the floors.

---

"Applebloom? What're you doing home so early?" Applejack asked her sister when she ran back to the farm. "It's not even nine o' clock yet!"

The little filly stopped at her sister and jumped with joy. "Miss Cheerilee didn't show up so we could leave early!"

Applejack looked straight into Applebloom's eyes to try and catch the lie. When she got nothing, she had to know more. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. She didn't show up, the janitor was already cleaning, he said she wasn't here so we could go!"

"Interestin. Well, you know Granny, she'll be mad if you miss another assignment. It's yer funeral if yer lyin."

"I'm not lyin! It's true!"

"Welp, make yourself useful and carry these bushels back to the farm." Applejack nodded her head at four large baskets of apples full, and one half full. There were several empty ones stacked up.

---

"Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked as she walked through the front door to the boutique.

"Sweetie Belle? Why are you home so early?" The larger version of the filly asked from a side room.

"The janitor said we could leave because Cheerilee was gone." Sweetie said excitedly. She hopped around the room.

Rarity looked at her sister with a confused face. "Why wasn't I told of this? The schoolboard should have sent a letter that she was going on vacation, or at least get a substitute." She sighed. "Oh well, just don't rip any of the dresses I'm working on. There's a new fabric shop opening in Canterlot tomorrow, everything is half off for the opening sale, I must make sure I wear the best dress for the occasion. Do you want to come with me?"

"Nah, tomorrow is Saturday, we have a Cutie Mark Crusader Club meeting!"

"All right, just don't destroy the town!"

"We won't!"

Rarity stole a glance at the clock then trotted back over to her sewing machine as her sister made herself a sandwich.

---

Scootaloo flew over to the abandoned house at the end of the road. She knocked on the door a few times. She heard some whispering from inside. She barely heard them, but it was clearly a conversation between a mare and stallion.

"Did you invite any pony else?" The mare asked.

"No, did you?" The stallion replied.

"Are you crazy? That'd be really difficult! Maybe it's the landlord."

"Can't be, he died and specifically willed this house to all homeless ponies.

"Maybe it's a homeless pony?"

"Probably." The whispering was replaced with a shout. "Who is it?"

Scootaloo replied. "It's me, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash told me to meet her here after school.

The whispering came back. The stallion started this time. "You invited a kid?"

"She wasn't supposed to be here for like another 6 hours."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously dude, it's Friday, she has school! Now make yourself look decent!" There was a sound of hooves on stone, then the door opened. "Hey Scoots." Rainbow Dash said, welcoming the filly in.

"School was off." Scootaloo said. She looked at a grey pony sitting on a bed in the corner of the room, preening his wings. He looked up and smiled.

"Hey scamp." He returned to his feather straightening.

"Why is he here?" Scootaloo asked the cyan mare.

Rainbow glanced at Soarin, scared. He offered a shrug. "He was helping me refurbish, for the homeless ponies who use this place." She lied.

"Yeah, all about the needy." Soarin joined in.

"Cool." Scootaloo said. She quickly imagined what a homeless helper cutie mark would look like.

"Why are you here so early?" Rainbow asked.

"Miss Cheerilee wasn't here, so the janitor let us out."

"Oh, cool."

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

---

"Princess Celestia!" A gray royal guard shouted, running down the hallway to the throne.

A white alicorn sat on an elaborate chair. Her colorful hair waving in nonexistant wind. "Yes?" She said in a calm voice.

"The weather team found something, they think you should come down and check it out!"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"They wouldn't tell me, just said to get you there."

"All right, you three." She pointed a hoof at three guards by the foot of her throne. "Assemble a picnic, when we get there, I'll need some food."

The guards nodded and bolted towards the kitchen. In ten minutes, they returned with two saddlebags filled to the brim with food. Both bags hung off the bulkiest of the three.

"Now you, lead me to the weather team." The princess told the informer.

"Follow me!" He turned and went towards the balcony then took off, the princess and three guards short behind.

Just after takeoff, Celestia whispered under her breath "I hate flying."