//------------------------------// // Moonlight and Peppermint // Story: ...But It Often Rhymes // by Posh //------------------------------// The sun's already been lowered, and the temperature is plummeting, but Sunset and Cheerilee keep the cold at bay with scarves and hats as they trot through the snowy streets of Canterlot. They stop in a circular yard, with a central fountain, ringed by shops bedecked in holly and mistletoe. It's empty of other ponies, and the shops are shuttered for the night. Cheerilee leads Sunset over to the fountain, and they lean against it as most of Canterlot settles in for a cold winter's night. The voices of carolers spreading Hearth's Warming cheer drift to them upon a gentle breeze. By and by, Sunset retrieves two candy canes from her saddlebag. They float in the grip of her magic, their crooks nudging together to form a heart. Cheerilee's beside herself, and throws her forelegs around Sunset, in a motion so sudden and jarring that Sunset loses her grip on the candy. Cheerilee nabs one in her mouth, by the crook, but the other falls into the dirt before Sunset can grab it in an aura. Sunset snorts at her misfortune. But Cheerilee's eyes are half-lidded and smoky. She glances down at the cane between her teeth, then at Sunset's lips. Sunset catches on. Smirking, she leans forward, and bites down on the other end of Cheerilee's candy cane, coming nose to nose with her. Cheerilee edges up the length of the cane, closer to Sunset. Sunset snaps the cane in half. She suckles happily, but pauses at the look on Cheerilee's face. Her eyes are bright, but she's frowning. Sunset floats the candy out of her mouth, and quirks her head in confusion. Cheerilee rolls her eyes, and her frown curves upward into a smile that makes Sunset's face burn. With a slurp, a crunch, and a gulp, Cheerilee finishes her half of the candy cane. Then she lunges, and kisses Sunset, and Sunset drops her candy a second time. She's appalled at her own clumsiness for just an instant before she stops caring, because Cheerilee tastes like peppermint anyway. Sunset tries to kiss back; it's wet, and sloppy, full of slobber and teeth knocking together... And if Cheerilee cares, she doesn't let it show. Their path leads to the football field. Sunset can't stop stealing glances at Cheerilee as they go – it's hard to tell from her perspective, walking side by side and arm in arm with her, but she swears there's an extra wide swing of her generously endowed hips that she can't recall ever seeing in class. She's probably imagining things, she tells herself. She chalks that up to the punch, too. All the same, Sunset's tempted to walk behind Cheerilee for a while, just to be certain. They're silent for most of the trip, simply enjoying each other's warmth and company. It's not until they arrive at the field that Cheerilee breaks that silence. "It's so different out here after dark. A change in light, and school's practically a different place altogether. You ever notice that?" "I've never put much thought into it." Sunset glances around the field. "Usually, when I'm here at night, I've got some kind of magical crisis that needs resolving. Doesn't leave much time to consider the minutiae of lighting." "Shame. I could have used a second opinion." Cheerilee shrugs, causing the shawl to slip down her shoulder. Sunset slides it back up for her, tucking it against her neck. "...Thank you." Cheerilee pulls the folds of the shawl tighter around herself, holding them in place, as Sunset's hand retreats. Sunset looks away. "Hey, I gotta keep you looking sharp somehow." "Not for that. Although that was a thoughtful gesture." Cheerilee comes to a stop, slipping her arm from Sunset's. "I meant to thank you for insisting on staying with me. You were right; I needed the company. I've had something on my mind for a while, and the punch..." Sunset's curious, but she recalls saying that she wouldn't press for details. "You don't have to talk about it." "I know. But I want to." Cheerilee sighs and walks past Sunset, taking a few steps downfield. Sunset watches... and can't help letting her gaze drift low. She blushes – she hadn't imagined the hip sway. "I told you today that this year's been my best since I started teaching." Cheerilee looks over her shoulder, giving her hair a quick toss. "Do you know why?" Sunset swallows. "Because of... me?" "Well, now you're getting ahead of me." Cheerilee smiles patiently as she turns her body toward Sunset. "It's because I've never had a year like it before." "...Oh." Sunset can't help a pang of disappointment. "Well, yeah... I guess you didn't get a lot of chaos demons and pony princess singalongs in class up until recently." Cheerilee laughs, stepping closer to Sunset again. "I don't just mean the magic, Sunset. The year felt different. I have never, never seen the student body come together like it did this year. You all accomplished so much together, did so many wonderful things, brought harmony to our school for the first time ever – or, at least, in my recollection. And all along..." She stops when she's in arm's length of Sunset – she reaches out, and Sunset instinctively grasps her hand, only asking herself why after the fact. "...All along, there you were, at the heart of things. A changed woman, leading by example and inspiring everyone around her. Even her crybaby English teacher." Cheerilee's mirthful expression wanes, growing more wistful. "Now you're leaving. And once you're gone..." "I think I'm starting to understand," Sunset says. "You think the school will go back to the way it was. All cliquey and stratified." "Not quite." Cheerilee keeps smiling through her nascent tears. "That harmony will be your legacy – I believe that, deep down. I'm not worried about the school going back to the way it was. I'm worried that I..." Her mouth hangs on that word. Sunset's free hand travels up Cheerilee's arm, sliding beneath the shawl to grip her shoulder, and Cheerilee's eyes shut. Droplets bead on her eyelashes and trickle down her cheeks. "...I've gotten very used to you, I'm afraid," she whispers hoarsely. "The sight of you, the thought of you, the sound of your voice. Whenever I was worn out this year, whenever I felt like staying in bed because the thought of standing in front of that chalkboard for another long day was too much to bear, I'd think of you. I'd think of the woman you've become. And that's been my strength for all these long months. When you're gone from my life..." She trails off a second time, shaking, and all Sunset can do is draw her close. Cheerilee clings to Sunset desperately; Sunset's heart thunders in her chest as her cheek brushes against Cheerilee's hair. "I didn't know," Sunset says lamely. She doesn't know what else to say – what else she can say. It's all she can do to just hold Cheerilee, brushing her hand through her thick curtain of hair. They don't feel the same. She's smooth, and silky, not frizzy and wiry. She breathes deeply to calm herself, inhaling the fresh, clean scent of Cheerilee's shampoo and lotion. They don't even smell the same. Not a trace of hairspray, or sweat... Because they're not the same, a part of Sunset whispers back. And that's becoming harder and harder to ignore. Four years, she's carried a torch for this woman. Four years of stolen glances and fantasies of what might have been and what could be. Four years of warring with herself every time she looked her teacher in the eye, trying to have her cake and eat it too – enjoying her silly little infatuation, all while pretending that this witty, curvy, clean-smelling woman, with the gorgeous eyes and the downy hair, was not the spitting image of somepony she'd left behind long ago. And it was easy, so easy, to pretend. With their ages so far apart, and that title, that Miss, keeping her at arm's length, she could enjoy her feelings and her fantasies from a distance. But she's not at arm's length anymore, Sunset thinks. In any sense of the word. The fantasy is rapidly becoming reality. ...Is that really so bad? Her thoughts are interrupted by a frustrated growl from Cheerilee. "I can't believe I'm falling apart like this again. That stupid punch..." Sunset gets a mischievous smirk. "If you'd like, I could walk you up to the teacher's lounge, and you could trade out crying with karaoke for a while. Or mix the two – crying karaoke. Crazier things have happened." Cheerilee laughs through her tears. "God, no. You've never heard Ms. Harshwhinny sing. If you had, you'd know just how apt that name of hers is." A snide comment springs to mind, and Sunset opens her mouth to give it voice. From the gym comes a sudden shriek of shattering glass, and a thundering reverb, silencing her before she can speak. Sunset whirls, staggering a bit and cursing herself for underestimating the punch's potency. Her arm extends, pressing protectively across her former teacher's torso, and Cheerilee grips it tightly as they await whatever force has conspired to attack CHS. Nothing happens, and nothing emerges from the gym, save an extra wubby bass line, strong enough for Sunset to feel it shaking in her bones. "...I'll be damned. She actually did it." Gradually, Sunset's arm lowers. Her thumb climbs up to her teeth, and she bites down on it gently. Cheerilee peeks out from behind Sunset. "Who did what?" "Vinyl. She actually..." Sunset starts to giggle. "She actually blew out all the windows in the gym." And then she's roaring with laughter, and Cheerilee joins in, as they stare out across the field at the not-so-distant gym. Cheerilee's arms encircle Sunset's elbow, and she draws closer, leaning her head on Sunset's shoulder. As their laughter fades, Cheerilee pulls off the shawl, and drapes it across both their bodies; they huddle close beneath it, sharing warmth. "How do you feel?" Sunset asks. "A laugh like that must do wonders, right?" "...It helped. But the company has helped more." Cheerilee's cheek nuzzles Sunset's neck. Sunset's heart beats faster, and she trembles beneath the shawl, but she inhales, and steels herself, and keeps her calm. This is fine, Sunset thinks, even as the caress of Cheerilee's breath on her skin brings old memories and sensations to mind. Red and gold, sap and sweat, snowy streets, and the taste of peppermint... She exhales slowly, and pushes those memories aside. This is real enough for me. The frantic dance music slowly fades, and another track comes on – slower-paced, with a softer beat, and a calm, soothing melody. A perfect slow-dance song. Sunset wonders if someone wrested the DJ seat away from Vinyl. Then Cheerilee's tugging on her arm, pulling away, and pulling Sunset with her. Cheerilee slips out of the shawl, leaving it on Sunset alone, as her hands link together around the back of Sunset's neck. Sunset stiffens. "What are you—" "Prom, remember?" Cheerilee begins to rock, slowly, side to side. "You deserve at least one dance, Sunset." Sunset gulps. Anxiety needles its way up her spine. "I can't—" "Neither can I." Cheerilee smiles shyly. "As I see it, we're the perfect pair." Her hair has a silvery sheen from the moonlight overhead; her cheeks, dimpled from her smile, are dusted with the faintest kiss of a blush, and those eyes... even red and puffy from crying, they shine with the same green luster. Sunset surprises herself by taking hold of Cheerilee's waist with her left hand. She grips hesitantly; Cheerilee bites her lip. "...You can go a little lower." Her voice quavers. "And you can hold a little tighter." Sunset nods. Her left hand slides down to Cheerilee's hip, her right reaching up her back. She can feel Cheerilee shaking beneath her touch... or perhaps that's her own hands. It's hard for her to say. They move, not quite in time with the music. Yet Sunset loses herself to the motion. Her hands explore her partner, roaming across her back, up her hip to her waist, and down again. Cheerilee's hands leave Sunset's neck; one travels down to her upper arm, the other to the top of her chest. Her hands are soft, softer than the shawl, yet cool and smooth like stone. Sunset almost shudders at how her fingertips feel against her skin. Cheerilee leans in closer. "Doing alright?" "Yeah... think I'm getting the hang of it." Sunset meets Cheerilee's eyes for an instant before she glances away. "Funny. Back at the gym, I really didn't think that this was how our walk would turn out." "Hmm." Cheerilee's nose bumps Sunset's, and Sunset's not sure if it was deliberate. "But you kinda hoped it would, right?" Sunset blinks. "What do you—" "Please. You think I never noticed how you looked at me?" Cheerilee nuzzles along Sunset's jawline, and Sunset stiffens again. "I never wanted to embarrass you, and nothing could've come of it, so I never said anything. But things are different now, aren't they?" The prickling feeling on her spine is back, worse than before, as Cheerilee's hand cups the back of Sunset's head. Fingers lace through Sunset's hair, and Sunset's heart jackhammers. Cheerilee is a vision of beauty, bathed in moonlight and leaning her face closer to Sunset's. Sunset wants to meet her halfway. And at the same time, Sunset wants to tear herself free from this embrace and run, put another world between herself and this Cheerilee. "What do you mean 'different?'" she whispers in a tiny voice. It's all she can do; she's paralyzed with indecision as Cheerilee angles their lips together. "You're not my student anymore, Sunset." Cheerilee is close enough that Sunset can taste the punch on her breath. "So I think it's okay to let you know that... lately... I've started looking back." Their lips brush for an instant. Sunset pushes her away. Cheerilee staggers, her eyes shooting open, shock and pain playing across her face. She stares at Sunset, pleading. Sunset breaks her with a look. Cold fingers close around her heart as Cheerilee backs away; she turns, and flees, stumbling in her heels back toward the CHS gym. Alone with her thoughts, Sunset presses her palm to her forehead and sighs.