An Understanding Heart

by Alaborn

Cheerilee's Tale

An Understanding Heart
By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 2: Cheerilee’s Tale

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Scootaloo turned her gaze to Diamond Tiara. The earth pony filly was smiling, smiling directly at her. She had something planned for recess. Scootaloo was sure of that. That made Scootaloo even happier that she and her friends had decided to talk with their teacher during recess.

“What do you suppose he meant?” Sweetie Belle asked as the three fillies left the counselor’s makeshift office.

“Was Miss Cheerilee a blank flank like us?” wondered Apple Bloom.

“She couldn’t have been one,” said Scootaloo. “She told us all about how she got her cutie mark, when….”

The three fillies paused, each raising a hoof to her chin pensively.

“I guess she never told us,” concluded Scootaloo.

As the bell rang, ponies hurried out of the classroom, determined not to miss one second of recess. But the Cutie Mark Crusaders stayed behind, approaching the teacher’s desk.

“Well, good morning, girls,” said Cheerilee, smiling. “Did you have a good talk with Open Book yesterday?”

“Ah guess,” replied Apple Bloom.

“He gave us a lot to think about,” said Scootaloo. “And one of those things, was....”

“How did you get your cutie mark, Miss Cheerilee?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“But I already told you, girls. I tell that story every year,” Cheerilee explained.

“Nuh-uh,” said Scootaloo. “You just said you got it when you decided to be a teacher. Well, I decided I wanted to be just like Rainbow Dash, and my flank is still blank.”

“Besides, it doesn’t make any sense. What do flowers with smiling faces have to do with teachin’? How come you’re not a gardener or florist or somethin’?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Yeah!” agreed Sweetie Belle. “Shouldn’t your cutie mark be a blackboard or a ruler or something?”

“Each pony’s cutie mark represents a personal discovery, and so the image can have a very personal meaning,” explained Cheerilee. “Maybe it would be helpful for you girls to hear the whole story.”

The little train car was abuzz with excitement. The foals from Ponyville were on their way to Canterlot, with a chance to see the castle and royal gardens. Many roamed the aisles, talking to friends. Others played games or took in the view as the train winded its way up the mountain. Two adults, their teacher and a volunteer chaperone, kept their eyes on the foals, making sure none caused any problems.

Once the train reached the station, the earth pony teacher, Sunheart, brought the group to order. “Everypony, form a single file line at the door at the front of the car. Don’t forget your saddlebags and your sack lunch!” The foals mostly did as the teacher said, with a minimum of grumbling. As the chaperone, a pegasus named Skyscriber, helped the stragglers, Sunheart inspected the line of foals. Her heart lifted to see the smiling face of a red-violet earth pony filly with a two-tone rose mane at the front of the line. Cheerilee always loved school, always loved her teachers, and was eager to learn on this field trip.

Sunheart counted the foals as they left the train, making sure all sixteen were present. Only four of the foals had found their special talent and earned their cutie marks, but she expected many more would do so before the school year ended. Cheerilee wasn’t thinking about how to earn her cutie mark; she knew that she would be a teacher someday, just like Sunheart.

The foals marveled at the magnificent architecture of the castle. They laughed at the stalwart pegasus and unicorn guards, standing still no matter what the foals tried to do. They gasped when they saw benevolent Princess Celestia step onto a balcony, gazing at her beautiful sun warming Equestria. Then, they entered the gardens.

“Be careful, students. Don’t feed the animals. Be careful not to damage any plants. Look, don’t touch. And if there’s a fence around a plant, it’s there for a reason.” All of the students listened to Sunheart’s guidance before exploring the gardens.

Such a variety of plants! Strange fruits hung from unfamiliar trees. Leaves of every shape drifted to the ground. And the flowers! So many beautiful and exotic flowers! Walking through the garden by herself, Cheerilee enjoyed the sights. Yet it wasn’t one of the garden’s carefully cultivated flower beds that captured her attention. She spied a common flower, one that grew all around Ponyville. Sprouting from the grass were three simple daisies. Did they grow wild? Did somepony plant them, to provide a contrast to the exotic flora around them?

Cheerilee didn’t know how long she looked at these simple flowers. She felt somepony nudge her shoulder. “Cheerilee, Cheerilee, look!” said her friend, Cloud Chaser. Cloud Chaser was pointing to her flank. Cheerilee turned, looked at the three smiling flowers that had appeared there… and broke down crying.

“Wait, what?” said Scootaloo.

“You got yer cutie mark, and you were sad?” wondered Apple Bloom.

“Not sad, children. Frightened. Terrified, really,” Cheerilee answered.

“But that doesn’t make any sense!” said Sweetie Belle.

“Do you remember, a few years ago, when everypony in class grew a pea plant from a seed?” asked Cheerilee.

The three fillies nodded. It was one of those season-long projects that was used to teach lessons in biology, math, and many other subjects, not to mention the self-control necessary to not eat the plant.

“We did that same project when I was a filly,” explained Cheerilee. “I remembered that project well, because my plant died. While some unicorns talk about having a green hoof, a skill with growing things that normally only comes easily to earth ponies, I had the opposite.”

“A brown hoof?” asked Apple Bloom.

“I don’t think anypony uses that term, but you have the right idea. I have a hard time making any plant grow,” said Cheerilee.

“Ohhhh,” said Sweetie Belle, realization dawning. “You thought that your cutie mark was related to plants, but you already knew that wasn’t your talent.”

“I thought my life was over. I could only see failure if I pursued the path suggested by my cutie mark. And I couldn’t follow my true passion. What pony would hire a gardener as a teacher?”

“So what happened?” asked Scootaloo.

“I met with somepony who could help me. A specialist,” Cheerilee replied.

“You mean Open Book?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Cheerilee nodded. “When I first met him, I begged him to find some potion, some spell that could take away my cutie mark. He explained it didn’t work that way. Instead, we talked. We talked about my love of school, my desire to be a teacher. How I was always the happy student in class. He talked to my parents. In the end, he helped me understand what my cutie mark meant.”

The three fillies looked at each other. “We don’t understand,” Apple Bloom finally said.

“Let me show you, girls,” Cheerilee replied. She walked over to her desk, and opened the bottom drawer. The Cutie Mark Crusaders crowded around her legs, looking to get a better view. At the very bottom of the drawer, underneath boxes of school supplies and sheaves of paper, rested an old manila envelope, creased and weathered. Cheerilee carefully opened the envelope and placed its contents on the desk.

The three fillies gazed upon what had to be an old elementary school art project. It was a young foal’s work, crudely made out of colorful construction paper and pipe cleaners. It showed three simple daisy-like flowers, each with a smiling face. In the corner, written in the large uneven letters of foal who has just learned to write by mouth, it said:

CHEERILEE
AGE 6

“I made this in my first year of school. But by that day in the gardens, I had forgotten about it,” said Cheerilee. “My mother, however, remembered how proud I was of this simple picture, and saved it for years, in the way mothers just know. She recounted how I told her the flowers were me and my two best friends, and how happy we were to be growing, just like the flowers.

“So, while I didn’t remember at the time about making this picture, it was seeing those daisies that triggered something in my subconscious mind, which became reflected in the form of my cutie mark. My cutie mark was about teaching, about what teaching meant to me. Thanks to Open Book, I regained my cheer, and later, I had an interesting story to tell to other teachers in training.”

“That’s so sweet,” said Sweetie Belle.

“I can’t thank Open Book enough for how he helped me back then,” said Cheerilee. “And when I learned he was still working, I asked him to come and help you. So, please listen to what he has to say. And be honest with him, so that you can be honest with yourself.”

The school bell rang, warning that recess was ending soon. Cheerilee carefully repackaged her precious foalhood artwork

“So what happens next?” asked Scootaloo. “With him, and with us?”

“He’ll be meeting with the ponies who know you best,” explained Cheerilee. “Your family and friends.”

Comments

[CoastalSarv]

Awwww... how sweet!

[blue_star]

very nice, I'm enjoying this story so far. I'm looking forward to see where you take the plot, keep up the good work.

[arcane drain]

Interesting premise, and an enjoyable story so far! You've grabbed my interest.