Smiling Flowers

by TheBrianJ

Chapter 4

"Hello again, Cheerilee. Fancy running into you here."

Cheerilee stared at Headmaster in shock. She hadn't expected to see him again for quite some time, let alone only a few days later. Headmaster tended to move very quickly between schools when checking on them, so it was surprising to see him still in Ponyville. Cheerilee found herself at a loss for words, as all the anxiety that had slowly been leaving her over the past few days began to return all at once. Headmaster's words, which only minutes before had felt so distant, were suddenly ringing in her ears again. She focused on the encouragement she had received over the past few days, swallowing the knot that had formed in her throat, and quickly tried to recompose herself as she felt the bored gaze of Headmaster burn a hole through her.

"I'm surprised to see you still here, Headmaster,” she said at last.

Headmaster rolled his eyes. "Believe me, I'm just as surprised. I was expecting to be over in Fillydelphia by now, but there was some sort of problem at the Ponyville train station, and my train got delayed several days. My new train leaves in about an hour." He glanced at his pocket watch. "You know, I've lived in Fillydelphia for twenty-five years, and never once have I had a train delayed by more than twenty minutes. But as soon as I visit a place like Ponyville, everything breaks down."

"I'm sorry to hear that. At least you were stuck in a nice town like Ponyville, though,” she said with a smile, but as soon as she saw Headmaster's expression, the smile disappeared.

"'Nice' is a very abstract term, Cheerilee," he said, taking a glance around town. "I'm sure you and the other ponies who live here enjoy this town, but I must admit it doesn’t entice me. I simply don't understand the appeal of living in a small town like this. There doesn’t ever seem to be anything going on here." He turned to Cheerilee, now with a slightly bewildered look in his face. "Is it true that one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony actually lives here?"

"Actually, sir, all six of them do,” she corrected.

Headmaster's eyes widened. "Goodness, really? They'd be welcomed with open hearts in any city they went to, and they choose to live here?" He shook his head. "Rather mind-boggling if you ask me. So, have you been planning out your next lesson plan? Something regarding how to stuff and mount a manticore, perhaps?"

Cheerilee's ears flattened as Headmaster chuckled to himself. "Sir, I did say I was sorry for going off that lesson plan…"

"Oh, it was just a joke, Cheerilee. I really don't want to hear from parents complaining that their children have been talking about killing creatures, so I do have your word that you aren't going to attempt something like that again, right?

"I promise, sir."

"Good." Headmaster again looked at his pocket watch. "Well, I really am quite eager to get back to Fillydelphia, perhaps they've gotten everything sorted out at the station a bit early. Goodbye, Cheerilee."

Without so much as a glance in her direction, he started to turn around and leave. Cheerilee breathed a sigh of relief, but as she turned to leave as well, she stopped. With Headmaster no longer talking, voices were starting to creep back into her mind… but this time they weren't Headmaster's. She heard the warm words of Twilight Sparkle telling her how wonderful of a teacher she was. She heard Zecora’s assuring words that what mattered to her was what was most important, not what her Cutie Mark represented. She heard Rarity happily discussing how she wasn't letting her Cutie Mark get in the way of her dream, and she heard Apple Bloom thanking her lovingly and saying "ya'll are the best."

She took a deep breath and turned around. "Mr. Headmaster?"

Headmaster stopped a few meters away and turned to face her again. Just seeing his face hit Cheerilee with another slight chill, but she shook it off.

"What is it now, Cheerilee?"

She took another deep breath, preparing to do something she never thought she'd do.

"Mr. Headmaster, I feel you were rather harsh to me the other day."

Headmaster looked baffled for a moment before walking back towards her. "I beg your pardon?"

"You outright told me that I didn't know much about teaching, Headmaster. To be frank, it was harsh and in fact, it was quite hurtful. I've been teaching here in Ponyville for five years, and have received nothing but positive marks in that time, something that you should well know." Cheerilee felt confidence building in her body, which was reflected as her voice became louder. "I will admit that I may have gone too far teaching my students the details of Hydras, but to claim that I don't know much about teaching... Well, sir, I understand that you've never been one to hold in your opinions, but to say something like that is unfair to me, and I think that you know it was quite rude."

Headmaster stepped forward to get close to Cheerilee, staring at her. “‘Quite rude?’”

There was a long pause as Headmaster continued to stare at her. Cheerilee briefly felt her confidence start to falter and the anxiety hit her nerves, but after a few tense seconds, Headmaster sighed.

"I suppose it was a little rude, wasn't it."

Cheerilee nodded. "Yes, it was."

Headmaster opened his mouth, and for a brief moment, Cheerilee thought she had gotten something from Headmaster she had never heard before–an apology. But just as the words were starting to leave his mouth, he shook his head.

"Well, you just caught me off guard, Cheerilee. I wasn't expecting to have to tell a pony about what to teach and what not to teach, and especially not to you! As you said, you get great marks, and yet you taught them something like that? It was irresponsible!" He shook his head. "Sometimes I don't get you at all, Cheerilee."

She bit her lip. "You don't… ‘get’ me?"

"You get consistently positive feedback, and then turn around and do something like that? It’s completely unprofessional. But that wasn’t the only happenstance either! Every other teacher was assigning a family tree and you went and devoted weeks to a 'Family Appreciation' project. Then, when it was time to learn about history, you arranged for all of your students to be taken to the Canterlot Archives."

Cheerilee nodded. "Well, yes, but that's just because I'm dedicated to my students, sir. I care about each and every one of them, and I want to make sure that they get the best education possible."

"I certainly understand dedication, but to that level? It's quite baffling. I've always thought you'd be better suited for a position teaching in a bigger city. You'd be able to teach multitudes more students, and the pressure would be off you to arrange 'projects' like that because of the size of the class." Headmaster briefly pondered something. "In fact, there happens to be an opening at Fillydelphia Elementary for a class of nearly fifty students; perhaps that would help focus your priorities. If you want to apply, I'm certain that your excellent record would speak volumes to the hiring committee."

Cheerilee smiled at Headmaster. "I appreciate that, sir, but I can assure you that I'm quite happy here in Ponyville."

Headmaster looked downright baffled at her response, dropping the smile from her face quickly. "You do understand that a position teaching at one of the most prestigious elementary schools in all of Equestria would come with a substantial pay raise, yes?"

She nodded. "Yes, but that's not my concern. As I said, I'm quite happy in Ponyville. I have friends here, ponies who care about me, and I've grown attached to the fillies in this town. I wouldn't want to just abandon them halfway through my time with them, now would I?"

Headmaster's confused expression and prolonged stare at her finally began to take its toll, and she felt the confidence again start to sway. Headmaster stepped forward, causing her to involuntarilly step back.

"Turning down a high paying position at one of the best schools in all of Equestria…” he mumbled to himself. “As I said before, Cheerilee, I simply don't get you, and I don't believe I ever will." Headmaster paused, searching for the right words. "You are like some sort of... anomaly."

Just hearing the word "anomaly" was enough to make the confidence that Cheerilee had been building crumble, and she was suddenly left the same way she had felt the last time they had spoken–empty and anxious. Her ears fell and she slunk backwards. "An… an anomaly?"

Headmaster nodded. "Yes, that's the right word for it. I can't explain you, Cheerilee. All the grades in your class indicate your abilities as a teacher, and yet you turn around and teach your students about Hydras. You get consistently good marks from your peers, but are willing to turn down any improvement in your career by moving to Fillydelphia? All these decisions you make go against everything I would expect from somepony in your profession.

As he gazed to the side, Cheerilee felt herself being crushed by his words. She opened her mouth to say something, desperate to preserve what little of her confidence remained, but Headmaster looked her in the eyes, silencing her before she could speak.

"I don't know. I guess in the end, you are simply different from every teacher I've ever known."

Cheerilee went numb. She tried to focus on all the reassurance that she had been getting for the past few days, but it suddenly became a garbled mess, a million miles away from her being able to hear it. All she could hear now was Headmaster's words, telling her that she was "different". As Headmaster checked his pocket watch again, Cheerilee looked around for something to bring her back, in doing so, she noticed her Cutie Mark. The word "different" stopped her dead in her tracks as the thought creeped into her mind that she knew exactly why she was different from other teachers.

"Now then, if there's nothing else, I think I will be off to catch my train."

She took a long breath and realized she no longer wanted to defend herself to her boss, she just wanted him to be gone. "N-no, sir, there's noth…"

"Miss Cheerilee!"

Cheerilee went wide eyed as she heard a high-pitched voice yell her name. She slowly craned her head to the source of the yell, and saw Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all running towards her. WIthout much time to react, she swallowed her nervousness and put on a false smile, not wanting her students to see her in a moment of weakness. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle slowed down, but Apple Bloom ran right in front of her.

"Miss Cheerilee, real quick, do ya'll got any ideas on where we might find cave explorin' equipment? Scootaloo thinks that we could go explorin' the Crystalline Caves, we might be natural…" she trailed off, then turned back to Scootaloo. "What was that word ya used?"

"Spelunkers,” Scootaloo reminded her.

"Yeah, we might be natural spell linkers!" Apple Bloom turned back to Cheerilee. "So where can…" Apple Bloom trailed off as she looked at her teacher, and Cheerilee realized that the filly must have noticed that something was wrong. She continued to smile worryingly, but then Apple Bloom took a step forward. "Are… are ya'll okay, Miss Cheerilee?"

"I'm fine, Apple Bloom. Really."

"But ya look different then ya did just a moment ago. Everything alright?"

As Cheerilee began to open her mouth, Apple Bloom looked over at Headmaster, who had put his pocket watch back into his suit and was now staring at Apple Bloom with the same bored expression that usually was on his face. There was a long pause before Apple Bloom turned to him, standing in front of Cheerilee and leaning forward.

"Hey! Were ya'll bullyin' Miss Cheerilee?"

Cheerilee swallowed nervously as Headmaster stared at Apple Bloom "I beg your pardon?" he said, raising his brow.

"Yeah! She was fine jus' a few minutes ago, then you show up and now she’s all distraught an’ stuff!" As Apple Bloom spoke, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle ran over and stood next to her, all three of the Crusaders standing between Cheerilee and Headmaster.

"Girls, please... I-It’s fine. You don't have to talk to him like that," Cheerilee said, trying to diffuse the situation. Sweetie Belle turned up to look at her.

"But Miss Cheerilee, Apple Bloom told us that you said we should stand up to bullies! And if this guy is bullying you, we're gonna stop it!"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo added, before turning back to Headmaster. "Now cut it out!"

Headmaster sighed, looking up at Cheerilee. "Students of yours, I'm guessing?"

Cheerilee nodded. "Yes… Uhm, girls, this is a very different situation than bullying. I appreciate what you're saying, I really do, but you don't have to stand up for me."

As the three students all looked up at her and began to calm down, Headmaster stepped forward. "Cheerilee, let me handle this." The Crusaders all turned back to Headmaster as he cleared his throat. "You listen to me. This is an adult conversation that does not need you three to suddenly jump in. I was not bullying Cheerilee, I was merely stating my opinion; there is quite a big difference, and your interrupting our conversation is quite disrespectful."

Cheerilee's jaw dropped as Headmaster talked to her students. She was in shock that he would be so blunt with them. Before she could say anything, Scootaloo spoke up again.

"Disrespectful? You're being mean to our teacher, and that's just as rude!"

Headmaster let out an aggravated sigh. "Look, I am not about to have a discussion with three little fillies about the meaning of disrespect. You simply aren't old enough to understand the difference between…"

Headmaster trailed off as he stared at the three fillies, then slowly took a step to the side and looked them over. After a few moments, he turned back to Cheerilee.

"You said these are students of yours, yes? So they are in your class?"

"Yes…"

"Are they advanced a year or two? Because they certainly don't seem like it to me…"

Cheerilee swallowed. "No, they're the same age as everypony else. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I'm just quite surprised to see fillies their age without their Cutie Marks yet."

Cheerilee gasped at the comment. She looked down at her three students, and saw that their faces had fallen. Scootaloo was the first to speak again after a few moments.

"Hey, just cause we don't have our Cutie Marks doesn't mean we're never gonna get them."

Headmaster nodded. "Yes, I'm sure that's what you anticipate."

The girls’ spirits sunk as Cheerilee stared in shock at Headmaster. Sweetie Belle looked up at him, hopelessness in her eyes.

"B-But mister,” she stuttered. “We're gonna get our Cutie Marks one day, right? We've been crusading for so long together, we're bound to find them soon!"

Headmaster blinked in confusion. "Together? Wait, you three have been looking for your Cutie Marks as a group? That's rather silly, isn't it?"

Cheerilee continued to stare at Headmaster in shock, her jaw slack. She looked down at her students, who were now huddled together, completely voided of their morale. She turned to Headmaster, the pony who was directly responsible for making her students sad. Suddenly, she realized that her hooves and face were trembling… and it occurred to her that it had nothing to do with the anxiety still in her mind. As she stared at him, Headmaster spoke up again.

"I mean, I'm sure you'll get your Cutie Marks one day, but to see you without them at your age is quite strange. Wouldn't you agree, Cheerilee?"

Cheerilee said nothing, staring at Headmaster and still trembling. The three crusaders were shivering as well, and Headmaster noticed it, but only responded with an irritated sigh.

"Look, I'm not trying to be rude here, I'm trying to be truthful. And pardon the expression, but to see a group of blank flanks at your age…"

Something snapped in the back of Cheerilee's mind. Suddenly the anxiety was shoved aside, and a new emotion took over. She stomped her hoof into the street.

"Mr. Headmaster!!!"

The Crusaders all jumped at the sudden yell from behind them, but their reaction was nothing compared to Headmaster, who completely stumbled forward in shock, his glasses almost pitching off his face. As he turned up, he saw Cheerilee with an expression he had never seen on the pony before, one that even took herself by surprise: anger.

"Mr. Headmaster, that is quite enough!” she shouted in a sudden outburst, pointing a hoof at the stallion. “I am not going to stand here and allow you to talk to these children like that! Sir, you of all ponies should understand that you cannot speak to young fillies like that, especially when you are an educator. To be so outright rude to them is completely unforgivable!"

Headmaster had gotten over his initial shock, but continued to stare in disbelief at Cheerilee. His eyes slowly narrowed, and he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Cheerilee. You do understand who I am, correct? I am not some random pony on the street, nor am I an unruly parent. I am your boss, and you work directly for me."

She shook her head. "That hardly precludes you from the very notion of common decency!"

Cheerilee instinctively started to step forward, past and protectively in front of the Crusaders. Although she didn’t show it, she was a little surprised when Headmaster started to step back. She knew full well that she could be facing dire consequences for speaking to her boss like that, but something in her mind was preventing her from stopping. She simply couldn't allow anypony to talk to her students in such a way.

"No pony should speak to young girls like that, or anypony for that matter, and especially not one who is so closely associated with education. You may question my methods of teaching. You may call me an anomaly, you may claim I am different. You may even outright declare that I do not know anything about teaching, but I will never allow you to insult three of my students. Do you understand me?"

Still in a state of shock, Headmaster continued his slow walk backwards with every step Cheerilee took forward. He shook his head to try to clear his mind.

"But—"

"No, sir, there is no excuse for comments like that! Now I believe an apology is in order."

Cheerilee had gotten right up to him and was staring into his eyes, waiting on his response. To her shock, he looked completely lost for words, which was something that she had never seen out of Headmaster before. He finally opened his mouth, and briefly put on a strong face.

"Cheerilee, I-I... what? An apology? Are you really demanding an apology out of me? Are these girls really that important to you?"

She gave a firm nod. "Yes, they are!"

Headmaster looked positively dumbfounded. "Why?"

"Why? Why?! Because I am their teacher!"

As soon as the words escaped her lips, Headmaster was gone. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were gone. All of Ponyville was gone, and Cheerilee was simply left alone with just her thoughts. Her entire life, any discussion of her as a teacher had come with the knowledge of the secret she had held close to her heart. It had been difficult for her to imagine herself as a teacher. Any time she did, the knowledge that her "special talent" was gardening had always been there to quickly hinder the thought. Even over the past few days, as ponies offered her wonderful encouragement and insight that had never crossed her mind before, the idea remained that she had been living a lie; defying who she was truly meant to be.

But as she stood there, admonishing Headmaster, she felt the anxiety dissolve. As she thought about how important her students were to her, everything he had said–accusing her of not knowing much about teaching, calling her an anomaly, claiming she was “different” than other teachers–slowly evaporated from her mind. Instead, they became replaced with the words from the past few days, finally returning to her, clearer than ever.

"Cheerilee… you are more of a teacher than any pony I've ever known."

"When times are tough, lift up your chin. What matters to your heart will always win."

"I guess I was never really that concerned with my Cutie Mark, now that I think about it."

"Thanks, Miss Cheerilee. Ya'll are the best."

And now they were joined by one more quote, this time her own voice.

"I am their teacher!"

As she returned, she found herself still staring down Headmaster, who had the same perplexed look on his face. She took a few long breaths to calm herself down, then spoke to Headmaster in a quiet tone.

"I am their teacher, Mr. Headmaster. They are my students, and they mean the absolute world to me. I am with them five days a week, I have watched their growth, tended to them every step of the way, and I have come to love every single one of my students. I will simply not allow a pony to speak to them badly, whether it be a stranger on the streets, or even you."

Headmaster continued to stare at Cheerilee. She was completely unable to read his face; she had no idea if he was about to fire her. After a long pause, Headmaster looked down to the side at the Crusaders, all three of whom were wide-eyed and slack-jawed, before looking at Cheerilee and letting out a long sigh.

"I can respect that,” he said with a defeated nod.

Cheerilee blinked. Those were the absolute last words she had expected to hear from him. "What?"

"I can respect that. If they really mean that much to you and, well, you are their teacher, in the end it does come with the job for many."

Headmaster took a few seconds to think, struggling to find the exact words.

"I do believe I owe you an apology, Cheerilee."

Cheerilee momentarily considered accepting it. She had never once heard Headmaster apologize to anypony, but she shook her head.

"No, sir,” Cheerilee said, finally easing up on her glare. Headmaster responded with a quizzical look. “I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

Headmaster nodded, then turned back to the Crusaders, stepping up to them. "Girls, I give you my apologies. Your teacher is entirely right: I was out of line, and to put you down in such a matter is equally unjustifiable. Regarding your Cutie Marks, well, you should listen to Cheerilee. She is your teacher, and as she said, she is with you far more than I am."

The Crusaders nodded, and Headmaster turned and walked away, motioning for Cheerilee to follow him. She did, and they walked out of earshot of the Crusaders, the three of them pretending they weren’t paying attention, and he leaned closer to her.

"Cheerilee,” he said in a quiet tone. “I do not want you speaking to me in that tone of voice again."

Cheerilee nodded. "I understand, but sir, I don't want you ever insulting my students again. For that matter, I do not want you insulting me either."

"Fair enough."

There was a long pause, and Headmaster looked over at the Crusaders.

"They really mean that much to you, don't they?"

A faint smile appeared on Cheerile’s face. "As I said, they are my students. They mean the world to me. Ensuring their happiness is the most important thing in my life."

Headmaster, still glancing towards the Crusaders, shook his head. "I've had parents talk back to me, teachers tell me to stop being so blunt and rude, but I have never had a teacher speak to me the way you just did; all to defend a few students. That kind of dedication…" He trailed off, then turned back to Cheerilee.

"I will say it again, Cheerilee. You are different from every teacher I have ever known."

Cheerilee pondered his words. Just a few minutes before, those same words had sent a chill down her body. But now, as she looked over at her students, they made her smile.

"Sir, that is not something to be ashamed of. In fact, I believe that it is something to be proud of."

She looked back at Headmaster, who was staring back at her. To her surprise, a very small smile grew on Headmaster's face.

"Yes. I suppose it is"

The smile disappeared from Headmaster's face as quickly as it had appeared, and he checked his pocket watch for a final time. "Well, I believe that I will be heading over to the train now. I really would like to get back to civilization at some point." He turned and nodded. "I will see you next time, Cheerilee."

Once Headmaster had walked off, Cheerilee felt the smile return to her face. She had just stood up to her boss and somehow was still standing. But what was more important to her was what she had said and the fact that she knew that every word was true. There was no lack of confidence, there was no anxiety, there wasn't even a shred of doubt left in her mind; all that was left was the encouragement of her friends, and the knowledge of her true calling in life. She finally turned around, and was nearly tackled down to the ground by three excited fillies.

"Wow, Miss Cheerilee. That was awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed, happily hugging her teacher's leg. "You totally showed that jerk!"

"Yeah! Maybe he'll think twice 'fore he talks back to the Cutie Mark Crusaders," Apple Bloom added.

"You're the best teacher ever!" Sweetie Belle happily yelled.

"Aw, thank you, girls," Cheerilee said as the three fillies backed off. "Now you heard what he said: he wants you to listen to me. Well, I want to tell you all something. I can promise you that there is nothing odd about not having your Cutie Marks yet, and I can promise that you will find your Cutie Marks, all three of you.

Sweetie Belle jumped up and down. "Of course we will, and I already know what we're gonna do!"

Apple Bloom turned to her. "We do?"

"Yeah! Why didn't we see it before? We're gonna be cookie bakers!"

Scootaloo put her hoof to her face. "Sweetie Belle, maybe we should just give up on baking. After what happened at Sugarcube Corner when we tried to make those biscuits…"

"But we're getting so much better!"

Cheerilee laughed. "Well, you'll never know until you try. Now you girls run along, I have to go speak to an old friend of mine."

The Crusaders all happily nodded and ran off, leaving Cheerilee smiling. With all distractions out of her mind, she finally turned and completed what she now realized was a long trek to the Ponyville Library.

Twilight Sparkle had spent the weekend starting to read A Brief History Of Pegasi, Volume 6. Although she found it interesting, the knowledge that one of her close friends was going through a hard time had been eating away at her. She had contemplated going back to talk to Cheerilee, but every time she talked herself out of it, deciding that her friend still needed to be alone to consider things. But when she heard the knock at her door, she threw the book to the side and rushed to open the door, eyes widening a bit when she saw who was on the other side.

"Cheerilee?"

"Hi, Twilight. Do you have a little bit of time to talk? I promise I won't be long."

"Of course, of course! Come in, please."

Cheerilee trotted into the library and sat down at the table in the center of the room, with Twilight immediately sitting down next to her.

"So have you had time to think? How are you feeling?"

"Twilight, do you really think I'm a teacher?"

She enthusiastically nodded ."Of course! I meant every word I said, Cheerilee. You're an amazing teacher, and there is nothing that will ever convince me, or anypony otherwise."

Twilight leaned forward, causing Cheerilee to instinctively close her eyes. She knew how worried that Twilight was about her, but she couldn't help savoring the moment. A part of her had never thought that she could say what she was about to say and mean it. She thought back to everything that had been told to her over the past few days, a sudden whirlwind of support that she had never expected to receive, and she opened her eyes and looked at Twilight.

"I think I am too. I know I am."

Twilight's face lit up. "Really!? Cheerilee, I'm so happy to hear that!"

"I've had some time to think this weekend, and more importantly, I've gotten some encouragement. Not just from you, and I think that you're right, Twilight: I am a teacher. I've always been a teacher. I just wish I could have realized that myself earlier."

Twilight smiled and rested her hoof on top of Cheerilee's. Cheerilee returned the smile, but after a few moments, it faltered and she turned down to look at the table briefly.

"I… I'm sorry that I've been lying to you for so long. You said you couldn't condone lying, and I don't blame you for that."

Twilight patted Cheerilee's hoof. "Cheerilee, I said that I couldn't condone lying, but I can certainly forgive it.

Cheerilee smiled. "I'm not exactly looking forward to telling other ponies the truth, however. They won't like that I've been lying."

Twilight shook her head. "You're underestimating yourself. Most of the ponies here really do respect and admire you. I think they'll be quick to forgive you."

There was a long pause. Cheerilee began to snicker a bit.

"It's funny, Twilight. All day I've had this meeting with you on my mind. I expected us to have this long, in-depth talk. I expected to be in tears. I expected that I wouldn't leave knowing everything." The snicker turned into a laugh. "But… I don't have anything else to say. I know I'm a gardener, but I’m also a teacher, and what’s important is that I know now I can be both. I guess I only stopped by to let you know that I completely agree with you."

Twilight chuckled as she stood up. "That's fine, Cheerilee. A long talk isn't really important. If you ever do feel like talking more, you know I'm always here."

Cheerilee stood up to, and started to turn to leave. As Twilight picked the book up off the ground, Cheerilee paused.

"Twilight?"

Twilight turned around, and before she could say anything, she found herself pulled into a tight hug.

"…Thank you. Thank you so much for being there for me, Twilight. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there."

Twilight smiled, and patted Cheerilee on the back.

"Hey, that's what friends are for."

As Cheerilee trotted back to her cottage, the smile on her face was threatening to cut it in half. Everypony around her seemed to be affected by it, and she was met with big smiles back as she walked through Ponyville. For all the questions she had had days before, and even for the questions that she still had, so much more seemed clear to her, and she couldn't help but share her happiness with everypony around her. She knew that there were still things to do–namely, going about telling ponies the truth–but she just couldn't focus on anything negative; she was simply too happy. As she got back to her cottage, she paused to take in the beautiful sight of the Everfree Forest, then turned back and look at the schoolhouse in the far distance. Both sights only made her smile grow as she finally pushed the door open and entered.

She quickly walked over to the desk in her living room, where her saddlebags had been sitting since she first came home a few days ago. Excitedly she reached in and pulled out the stack of worksheets she had been putting off all weekend. As she put them down on the table, she started laughing to herself again. She had never thought that the idea of grading grammar homework would have gotten her so excited. She sat down at the desk and began to quickly go through the worksheets, and after just a few, she found that her thoughts were racing; to her, there was so much to catch up on. She knew that the students were bored with grammar, but she also knew there could be ways to get them interested: perhaps some more interaction, maybe even let the students try their hoofs at writing a story themselves. As she continued grading the sheets, her mind wandered away, this time to the classroom. She wanted to do something to the room now that spring had arrived, and she began considering her options. Maybe some new posters and paintings around the room, or just a few bright decorations…

"The budget is zero. If you want to redecorate your classroom, you can pay for it out of your own pocket."

Cheerilee's ears flattened slightly. Even after their discussion earlier, no pony could ruin a mood quite like Headmaster. She still couldn't believe that there was no budget for decorations; Headmaster just didn't understand how much a few decorations could change an entire classroom's mood. As she flipped to the next worksheet, she wondered how he expected her to keep her classroom fun without doing something to make it stand out. She didn't want to have to spend a lot of money, but certainly there had to be something she could do.

Cheerilee froze for a second. She stared down at the worksheet, then turned and looked to the back of her cottage. Her ears immediately perked back up and another smile returned to her face. She set the worksheet aside before walking to her kitchen and digging through the closet. After a minute, she pulled out a small pair of hedge clippers, then happily trotted out the back door of her cottage, towards the Everfree Forest.

"We just have to try baking cookies, I just know it's our special talent!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

As the Crusaders walked to the school house the next morning, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle continued going back and forth. Apple Bloom stared at them as they argued, before getting fed up and jumping between them.

"I thought we all agreed that arguin' wasn't our special talent!" Apple Bloom sighed, then turned to Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie, I don' think we should do any more bakin'. Not after what happened last time."

Sweetie Belle was stunned. "What? But we're getting better! Mr. Cake even said he was going to save one of the biscuits!"

"Yeah, as a paperweight!"

Apple Bloom shook her head as she pushed the door to the school house open. "Girls, maybe we should just forget about bakin' for a while. Besides, I've been makin' pies with Granny for months now, and I ain't got no…"

She stopped herself as soon as she entered the classroom, and went wide-eyed. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo joined her, sharing the same reaction.

"Whoaaaaah…" they said in unison.

The room was decorated with an amazing variety of colorful, vibrant flowers. Each window in the classroom had a long trough beneath it, displaying a wide variety of flowers that soaked in the sunlight that shone through the glass. The walls had strings near the ceiling, draped with lilacs and carnations. At the front of the room, a single pot sat at the edge of the teachers desk with two Canterlot Golden Daisies inside of it, giving off their golden glow and illuminating the entire desk. Cheerilee was standing on her hind legs atop a chair behind the desk, using the wall to brace herself as she carefully hung up a string of purple lupins above the chalkboard. She finally got them just right, and turned around, smiling at the three fillies.

"Good morning, girls!"

"Miss Cheerilee, the classroom looks amazing!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. As Scootaloo and Apple Bloom joined the rest of the class and took their seats, Sweetie Belle got closer to the Canterlot Golden Daisies, staring at them in wonderment.

"Why thank you, Sweetie Belle," Cheerilee said with a chuckle. "I thought that the room could use a little more color with it being spring and all."

As she stepped down from the chair, Twist entered the room, immediately gazing around the room as well. Silver Spoon looked over at Twist and smiled.

“So, Twist, was that ‘thuper thpecial thale’ that your mom was hosting as—” she was saying, but quickly slammed her mouth shut and looked over at Cheerilee’s silent glare. Silver Spoon swallowed, then smiled and turned back to Twist. “I mean, uh, how did your mom’s furniture sale go?”

"Great," Twist nearly yelled. "A ton of ponies showed up, it was like a big party!" She turned to Silver Spoon and stuck her tongue out.

Cheerilee shook her head."Now Twist, that's no way to treat a fellow student."

"Oh, thorry." Twist said, blushing a bit before turning back to Silver Spoon. "But thee? Just because my mom's Cutie Mark is a chair doesn't mean thee's boring!"

As Silver Spoon sighed, the bell rang and the entire class turned to face the front. Cheerilee picked up a piece of chalk in her hoof and turned to the chalkboard, but stopped. She thought about Twist's last sentence, then put the chalk down slowly on her desk.

"You know, Twist, you make a very good point."

Twist raised an eyebrow from her seat. "I do?"

"Yes, you did. Cutie Marks don't define personality. In fact…" Cheerilee turned to her class and smiled. "Class, at your age, a lot of emphasis is put on Cutie Marks. They are all beautiful, and the day they appear can be the greatest day of your young lives. A lot of you already have your Cutie Marks, and that's wonderful, and some of you are still on your journey to find them, and that's wonderful too."

At the back of the room, the CMC bumped their hooves together, and paused to gather her thoughts.

"But there's something important you all should remember: Cutie Marks are not absolute."

There was a pause, and Twist raised her hoof.

"What does 'abtholute' mean?"

"Well, Twist, it means that your Cutie Mark does not determine your future. You see class, no matter what your Cutie Mark is, no matter what your special talent ends up being, know that you can do whatever you want with your life. Many times, a pony's Cutie Mark will be exactly what they want to do, and that's a great thing. But if a pony's special talent doesn't happen to match what they want to do… well, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that." She smiled, surveying the class. "Always follow your passion, class, and never think that your Cutie Mark has to get in the way of it. I know it may be surprising to hear this–especially after everything that has been said to you about Cutie Marks–but it is important that you all learn this now. See, class, some ponies learn this before they ever get their Cutie Marks, because they've decided what they want to do with their lives. Some ponies learn it after they get their Cutie Marks, because they realize that they want to follow a different path. And some ponies…"

There was a long pause, and she closed her eyes, smiling.

"Well, class… there are some ponies, like me, that don't realize it until they're much older. "

Cheerilee took in the moment, before opening her eyes to meet the now bewildered and confused stares of her students. Scootaloo raised a hoof.

“Wait, what did you learn?

She chuckled to herself. "I just learned that the most important thing is to follow your dreams, regardless of what your Cutie Mark is. Anyway, sorry for getting so sentimental and so far off topic, but it's something I want all of you to remember.”

She picked up the chalk again in her hoof, turning back to the blackboard. "Now then, today we will be returning to our lesson on grammar." From behind her, she heard a loud groan from the class, and she couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "I know, it's not the most exciting topic in Equestria, but I promise, I'll try to make it interesting. So, can anypony tell me the definition of 'dangling participle'?"

Never had a day gone by so quickly. She felt reenergized and excited, it was suddenly like her first day of teaching all over again. It was the first time in a long time that she could come to school as a teacher, and not have a lie hanging over her head. She completely lost track of time, guiding the students through a lesson on grammar that she knew should have bored them, but her enthusiasm was clearly rubbing off on them,and they paid close attention the entire day, asking questions and furiously taking notes. It made her happy, there was no bigger thrill she could think of than a happy class. The day went by so quickly that when the three o'clock bell finally rang, it caught her off guard so much that she jumped a foot into the air in surprise. The class obviously laughed at her reaction, but her surprised breaths quickly turned to laughter as well.

"Oh my, the day is already over? Goodness, where does the time go? Well class, I will see you all tomorrow. Don't forget to start thinking of ideas for your stories!"

As the students packed up and left, Cheerilee turned and began to clean off the chalk board. She looked up at the string of lupins hanging above the board, and smiled again as her thoughts turned to her garden. The idea that her garden was something she could be proud of was something that hadn't even crossed her mind, but now she couldn't help but be excited about it. She began thinking of the ways she wanted to work on it: replant some of the flowers she had cut to decorate the classroom, maybe even talk to Lily and Roseluck about what flowers would go well. In fact, she thought, they would be the perfect ponies to go to. After years of having to leave Ponyville just to get new flowers for her garden, it would be nice to talk to a few ponies right in town about suggestions for improvement, not to mention she was sure they would get a kick out of seeing what she had planted. But first and foremost, she had one goal in mind before anything else.

"Um… M-Miss Cheerilee?"

Cheerilee put her thoughts to the side as she recognized the voice instantly, turning around. "Yes, Diamond Tiara, how can I he-" She immediately stopped as soon as she looked down at the filly.

Diamond Tiara was normally one of the most self-contented fillies in her class. Although she could be bossy and outright mean, she also always exuded confidence no matter what she was doing. But as Cheerilee looked down at her now, she saw none of it. Diamond Tiara's eyes were turned down and her body was slumped over, not making eye contact with her teacher. Cheerilee quickly crouched down to get to eye level with her.

"What's wrong, Diamond Tiara?"

Diamond Tiara remained silent for a few moments before finally talking, still not looking at Cheerilee. "T-That stuff that you said earlier. The stuff about doing whatever you want with your life, even if it's not your Cutie Mark… Is it true? Did you really mean it?"

Cheerilee nodded. "Of course I meant it, Diamond Tiara. Why?"

She quickly backed up a few steps. "I… I was just wondering, that's all."

Diamond Tiara started to turn around, but Cheerilee put her hoof on the filly's shoulder and turned her back to face her. "Diamond Tiara, listen. If something is wrong, you know you can tell me. I'm your teacher; I'm here to help you. If you really don't want to tell me, that's fine, but I can promise you that keeping issues to yourself does nothing but hurt you."

There was another pause as Diamond Tiara nervously stared at her teacher, her body still slumped over. Finally, she shakily reached up and took her tiara off her head, staring at it. Cheerilee was rather stunned; she had never seen Diamond Tiara remove her tiara before.

"Miss Cheerilee… I got my Cutie Mark when I made this.” She gestured at the headpiece in her hoof that she’d been wearing for as long as Cheerilee could remember. “My mom was a jeweler, she has a tiara Cutie Mark too, and so does my grandma. They were both so happy when I got my Cutie Mark. They were talking about how I would keep up the 'heritage' of the family. They kept telling me that I was such a natural. But…"

She briefly trailed off, her eyes dropping further and her lip starting to quiver.

"But I don't know if I want to be a jeweler, Miss Cheerilee. There's just so much I wanted to try. I wanted to keep searching and find something I really wanted to do with my life. But then my Cutie Mark appeared when I had made this…" she looked at her tiara in her hoof, then turned away. "Does that mean that I can't search anymore? That I found my special talent, and that I have to be a jeweler?"

"Diamond Tiara…"

"I'm scared, Miss Cheerilee. What if I tell my parents, and they hate me? I'll be disappointing my mother and my grandma if I don't become a jeweler, but I don't want to be one! And Silver Spoon talks about how much she loves silversmithing, and how cool it is that our jobs are going to be so similar, and that we should go into business together when we're older… But I don't want to! I wanted to keep looking and find something I wanted to do the rest of my life , but what if I'm stuck doing something I don't want to do? I just…"

As the filly's eyes welled up, Cheerilee reached over and rested a hoof on her back. That was all it took for Diamond Tiara to break down completely and burst into tears, rushing forward and burying her head into Cheerilee's shoulder, sobbing. Cheerilee held the crying Diamond Tiara in a tight hug, letting the filly cry into her fur while she gently stroked the back of her mane.

"It's okay, my little pony. You don't have to cry. Everything's okay, I promise…"

After a minute, Diamond Tiara's sobs slowly went away and she was left hugging her teacher in silence. Cheerilee gently repositioned Tiara so she was facing her, and smiled.

"It's important that you listen to what I'm about to tell you. Are you listening, Diamond Tiara?"

Diamond Tiara slowly nodded. "Uh-huh..."

"You have a wonderful talent for jewelry making, and your tiara is lovely, but I promise you that you are still free to choose what you want to do with your life. You can be absolutely anything you want to be, and no pony will ever judge you because you went against your Cutie Mark."

"But what if my parents are angry with me? What if Silver Spoon..."

Cheerilee shook her head, quieting the filly. "Your parents love you, Diamond Tiara, and they will be proud of you no matter what you choose to do with your life, I can promise you that. Silver Spoon is your best friend, and she will remain your best friend no matter what you want to do. Your friends and family aren't ponies who you should keep things from. Rather, you should tell them everything. They'll be the ones who will support you no matter what you do, because they all care about you so very much, Diamond Tiara. They’ll all want nothing more than to see you happy, even if it means going against your Cutie Mark."

Diamond Tiara sniffed. "I… I haven't found what I want to do with my life yet though…"

"You're just a little filly, Diamond Tiara. You have your whole life ahead of you, and you have plenty of time. One day, one day soon, you will find what you want to do. And once you realize what you want to do, it will be the happiest day of your life and your friends and family will support you no matter what it is."

Diamond Tiara looked up at Cheerilee. "Really?"

Cheerilee smiled, and gently placed the tiara back on her student’s head. "Really. I’ve learned that exact lesson myself recently."

Diamond Tiara reached forward and hugged her teacher again. "T-Thanks, Miss Cheerilee."

"You're welcome. If you ever have any other issues, know that I'm always here for you."

Diamond Tiara backed up a bit. "Could you not tell Silver Spoon that I was crying? She'd never let me live it down."

Cheerilee smiled again. "I said that you should tell your friends and family all your concerns, not keep them secret. But I think that I can manage not telling Silver Spoon about the crying."

Diamond Tiara smiled and gathered her things to leave. Meanwhile, Cheerilee resumed cleaning up the classroom. As she heard the door to the classroom open, she was suddenly struck with another image: herself as a filly. She remembered how afraid she had felt when her Cutie Mark had appeared, how she suddenly felt as if she was completely alone and could turn to no pony in the world to help her. She thought back to the years of anxiety that had plagued her, and the lie that had stuck with her for far, far longer than she could have ever predicted. But then she thought back to the encouragement she had received over the past several days, her friends coming together and finally lifting a great weight from her back. She knew just how long she had been carrying that weight, and now she realized she didn't want that to ever happen to another pony.

"Diamond Tiara?"

Diamond Tiara stopped at the door to the classroom and turned around.

"How would you like to start this weekend?"

She cocked her head to one side. "Start what?"

Cheerilee turned to face her. "Well, you said that you still wanted to find what you wanted to do with your life, right? It just so happens that I had a project I was going to be working on all weekend. I was going to do it on my own, but I could always use an extra pair of hooves to help me. If you'd like, you are more than welcome to assist me. Who knows, you might just discover what you want to do!"

Diamond Tiara's eyes absolutely lit up, something Cheerilee hadn’t seen from the filly. "Really? I… I'd love to! I mean, if it's okay with my parents."

"I'm sure it will be. Just let me know sometime in the next few days.”

"I will, I will! So, what would we be doing?"

Cheerilee paused. She briefly looked around the room, the schoolhouse that in many ways was her home away from home, now more than ever with the flowers from her garden decorating it. As she looked, her eyes fell back on her Cutie Mark. She stared at it for a few moments… and smiled.

Her smiling flowers had never looked so beautiful to her.

"Oh, I was just thinking it's high time I move my garden to the front of my house."