//------------------------------//
// The Consequences Of Love 
// Story: Star-Crossed School Days 
// by mechafone 
//------------------------------//

Cheerilee approached the two as quietly as she could. Spark's angel (as Cheerilee would forever remember her as) was carefully stroking Spark's mane. Upon close examination, they saw that the troubled Pegasus had fallen asleep in the other Pegasi's embrace.

Cheerilee sat down beside her. She couldn't help but bear a pained expression on her face. That little rat she chased off had managed to do what few ponies ever even wanted to do: broken a child's dreams. But perhaps it wasn't too late. If it hadn't been for the beautiful Pegasus filly, who knows what might've happened with Spark Storm.

"Thank you..." Cheerilee finally said. She managed a smile and looked down upon her brother. "What's your name?" The little filly looked up at the older Earth pony after a moment. 

"My name is Sapphire Snow. Do you know him?" She indicated the sleeping Pegasus. 

"Yes. He's my brother." The white filly arches a brow at this, but she shrugged it off. She'd heard stranger things. 

"You know, you can rest easy." It was Cheerilee's turn to look confused. "I just moved here yesterday. I couldn't get to class because my folks were still signing the paperwork. I'll be in class with your brother."

Cheerilee's gaze nearly blurred with tears before she learned forward and, without disturbing Spark, embraced the little filly. "Thank Celestia for you, Sapphire. Please keep him safe like you did today. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here..." The three of them stayed huddled up like that until Spark Storm awoke five minutes later. Seeing himself in the arms of two girls, he immediately sat up and attempted some semblence of dignity.

"Um...Can we go home now? Please?" Spark Storm frowned sadly as all the memories of the past fifteen minutes came flooding back to him. Sapphire's words had greatly comforted him, but it didn't change the fact that no one told him he would never fly. It should've been a given, right? He ambled past the girls, sniffling loudly as he made the long walk around to the other side of the building.

Sapphire looked up at Cheerilee. The unspoken question in her eyes was immediately answered. "Sapphire, would you be willing to give Spark his space tonight? I think he's going to want to be alone, and our mom is gonna have a difficult talk with him. But, any other night, you're absoutely welcome to our home." At this, Sapphire nodded approvingly. She gave Cheerilee a quick hug before making her own way back home.

By the time Cheerilee made it through the front door, she just missed Spark Storm as he pulled the door to his room shut. She winced. Tonight was going to be a hard night for their mother. She decided it'd be best if her mother's chores were taken care of by the time she was finished with her teaching lessons.

There was a quiet knock at Spark Storm's door. Though he'd been laying in bed for two hours, he hadn't fallen asleep. He had purposely laid awake for this moment. With just one question in his mind: "Why did you lie to me!" It was more an accusation than anything else. The door opened quietly and Cherry Joy slipped in. Spark Storm hadn't even gotten under the covers. He had precariously rolled into bed, his feathers mussed and were weighed awkwardly under the Pegasus.

Cherry didn't know where to begin. The sight of her son so upset was equally upsetting to her. She hated seeing children sad and upset. She went to the first order of business, making him comfortable. She ran a hoof under his shoulder and ran it down his back, folding his feathers properly. When she didn't answer him, he sat up abruptly and shoved her hooves away. This caused Cherry's heart to cry a little.

"...Spark, sweety..." Spark folded his forelegs across his chest. He wasn't about to let the sweet talk take away his rightful anger. "Don't! You didn't answer my question!" His mother winced on the in and the outside. There was only one thing for it: She got up on his bed and took him into her forelegs. He immediately began squirming and shouting. She wasn't getting out of it that easily. He let out a sound like a 'rawr', and it was more cute than aggressive.

But it was more serious than a child with a temper. He had been egregiously wronged, and she would answer for it! Cuddles weren't allowed one second before that. His struggles only hurt Cherry more, if only wounding her heart. She let out a little sob as she buried her face in Spark's wings. Her shuddering didn't go unnoticed. Spark tried not to care that his mother was crying, but eventually he stopped fighting her. He turned around in her forelegs and wrapped his around her neck and held tight.

They stayed there like that for what seemed like hours when she finally spoke. "Spark Storm. I'm sorry for lying to you. I should have told you a long time ago that your wings weren't made for flying." Spark was quiet. His mother almost assumed he had fallen asleep when he gave his response. 

"But why, mommy?" Cherry's heart leapt for joy at this. 

"Honestly...?" She pulled away from him and looked him straight in the eye. She brought up a hoof and touched his nose. "Because you're too special to do the same old things that every Pegasus can do." Spark almost made a face at this, but then he remembered Sapphire's words. 'If someone told you you're special...'

"Spark Storm,: she began again. Her face was tender and serious as she smiled at him. "Someday you're going to do something that no other Pegasus can do. My little baby, you're going to amaze the world with your incredible talents. You'll spread your fame across all of Equestria!" Her smile brightened, as did his eyes. "You can do anything you want to do in life, Sparky, and I promise you that for every snooty little brat tells you that you can't, there will be a hundred of your friends telling you that you can. And I'll be the first to say it. Yes you can, Sparky. Yes you can."

Spark Storm's heart could not feel any bigger. He let out an indecipherable cry of joy and hopped into his mother's forelegs. She made a similar sound and fell back into his bed, hugging her son for all she was worth.

Cheerilee watched from the slightly cracked open door with tears in her eyes. She made her way down the hall, sniffling quietly.

Soon enough, all three occupants of the small townhouse-like apartment were asleep. Mother and son laid together until morning, wrapped up in each other's hearts.