//------------------------------// // Dragging Around // Story: Weekend at Cheerilee's // by Super Spike //------------------------------// The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at the stallion, who was smiling at Cheerilee. “I have a date with you tonight, Cheerilee,” he said. “Who are you?” Apple Bloom asked. “I’m Open Skies,” he told her. “I work in the Weather Factory. Cheerilee and I are supposed to meet for dinner at her house tonight and the two of us are going out to the Ponyville Café.” Apple Bloom moved Cheerilee’s body around, while Sweetie Belle used her horn to move her eyelids and mouth and, at the same time, speak through her mouth. “I remembered that, Open Skies,” Sweetie Belle spoke through the body. “Then what are those fillies doing with you?” Open Skies asked. “Oh, I just to needed to get…Scootaloo home. She’s…a bit under the weather.” Scootaloo looked at the other two fillies confused upon hearing Sweetie Belle say that. “I just wanted to remind you that will take about fifteen minutes. Then I’ll be ready.” “I understand. Take your time. We can meet at the Ponyville Café.” “Thanks.” “You’re welcome.” With the conversation complete, the Cutie Mark Crusaders dragged the body to Scootaloo’s house. “I can’t believe I have to stay out of this,” Scootaloo said angrily. “Ah’m sorry, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah didn’t know what to say. Ah was just trying to stall Open Skies. It was all just unexpected.” “We can’t argue now,” Sweetie Belle said. “We have to keep our word and take you home, Scootaloo. If he sees you, he’ll know that we were lying.” Scootaloo looked at the ground in disappointment. “Oh, okay,” she muttered. Once Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle dropped Scootaloo of at her house, the two of them walked to the Ponyville Café while dragging Cheerilee’s body throughout the trip. Once they arrived, Sweetie Belle got concerned. “How will we be able to convince Open Skies that Miss Cheerilee is still alive?” Sweetie Belle asked Apple Bloom. “We just need to what we did at school,” Apple Bloom answered. “Only this time, we can’t be seen. We’ll have to find a place to hide in the restaurant and control Miss Cheerilee from there.” “Where are we going to do that?” Sweetie Belle asked. Apple Bloom looked around and saw some plants in pots inside the Ponyville Café. “We can hide behind the plant pots,” she answered. “Are you sure nopony will see us?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Ah think so,” Apple Bloom answered. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked to a table and placed Cheerilee’s body on a chair. Apple Bloom then took off Cheerilee’s glasses and made sure that her head was set upright on the chair to make it look like she was still alive. Sweetie Belle then placed the microphone in Cheerilee’s mouth and used her magic from her horn to open and close her eyelids to make it look like she was blinking. Within about a minute, Open Skies showed up. “Hi Cheerilee,” he said. “Hi Open Skies,” the body said. “It’s been a while and I’m glad to see you again. How’s everything going?” Sweetie Belle began to sweat. “Nothing, really,” she said through the microphone. “I’m just helping out with the class. What about you?” “Just working on the clouds,” Open Skies responded. “It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s kind of fun.” “It is? What do you like about it?” “Just being able to fly all over the place. I like moving the clouds around.” “You do? Boy, I wish I could do that. It would be fun.” “Hey, maybe I can show you the weather factory one day.” “Okay.” The waiter then walked to the table. “Are you ready to order?” he asked. “We sure are,” Open Skies answered. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle began to sweat more. Nevertheless, Sweetie Belle spoke into the tiny microphone. “I’ll have a hay salad, please,” she made the body say. “I’ll have a hay burger, please,” Open Skies said. “Very well, then,” the waiter said. “On the way.” The waiter left and the two fillies sighed in relief. “So, what do you think about this restaurant?” Open Skies asked Cheerilee. “It’s beautiful,” the body said. “I’m glad you like it. To me, this place is a good resting place after a long day’s work. What do you think?” “I like it.” Before long, the food arrived and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were sweating harder. “Oh no,” Apple Bloom whispered. “She can’t eat. She’s dead.” “Maybe I can do something about it,” Sweetie Belle whispered. “With a little magic. Observe.” Sweetie Belle powered her horn more and used it to move Cheerilee’s hoof to the fork, grab it, and take a bite out of her salad. I should have just said to get a hay burger, Sweetie Belle thought. It would’ve been much easier. It took a lot of work, but Sweetie Belle managed to have Cheerilee’s body both talk and eat without causing a problem. Once the food was finished, the waiter took the plates and gave both ponies a dessert menu. After dessert was finished, Open Skies got up from his seat. “It was nice seeing you,” Open Skies said. “Hey, maybe we go to the movies tonight?” Oh, come on, Sweetie Belle thought. Fine. “Of course, Open Skies,” she made the body say. “What movie do you have in mind?” “How about Sea Ponies in the Sky?” Open Skies answered. “Sure,” the body said. “Let’s go.” Sweetie Belle used her magic to manipulate Cheerilee’s body to make her walk along with Open Skies, as all four ponies walked out of the restaurant, with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle remaining out of sight of Open Skies. “Oh no,” Apple Bloom said. “What’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked. “We have to make sure that she gets inside without having us be seen by Open Skies. How are we going to do that?” “I got it. You get the tickets and I’ll keep sight of them. Once they get the tickets, you get them and go as fast as you can. I can’t hold Cheerilee up too far away from my sight. I need to see her the whole way.” “Ah understand.” The two fillies hid in the bushes, as Open Skies and Cheerilee’s manipulated body walked to the ticket booth. “Two tickets to Sea Ponies in the Sky, please,” Open Skies told the stallion in the booth. “That’ll be six bits, please,” the ticket stallion said, as he printed out two tickets. “Thanks,” Open Skies said, as he opened his saddlebag and placed six bits on the counter using his wing. The ticket stallion took the bits and then gave the tickets to Open Skies and Cheerilee’s body. “Enjoy the movie,” he told them. As they walked through the glass doors, Sweetie Belle looked through it to be certain that they don’t go out of sight so that she can continue to use her magic to move Cheerilee around. “Two tickets to Sea Ponies in the Sky, please,” Apple Bloom told the ticket stallion. “That’ll be six bits, please” the ticket stallion said, as he printed out two tickets. “Here ya go, thanks,” Apple Bloom said, as she opened her saddlebags, pulled out six bits as fast she could, and then placed them on the counter. “Enjoy the movie,” the ticket stallion said, as he took the bits and handed over the tickets to Apple Bloom. “Thanks,” Apple Bloom said, then turned her head toward Sweetie Belle. “Got it,” she said. The two of them walked inside right before Cheerilee and Open Skies could go out of sight. They took a seat three rows away from them. * * * * Once the movie ended, Sweetie Belle powered up her horn and made Cheerilee stand up. Within a few minutes, the couple was outside, with Open Skies walking Cheerilee back home. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were following them. “So, did you like the movie?” Open Skies asked Cheerilee. “I sure did,” Cheerilee’s body responded. “The sea ponies are adorable.” “Agreed,” Open Skies replied. After a few minutes passed, the couple made it to Cheerilee’s house. “It was nice to go out with you,” Open Skies said. “Thanks,” Cheerilee’s body said. “We should do this again sometime soon.” “Sure, maybe the next week or two?” Open Skies asked “Of course,” Cheerilee’s body answered, as her house door opened, thanks to Sweetie Belle’s magic coming from her horn. “See you next time.” “Bye,” Open Skies said. The house door then closed and Cheerilee’s body went limp. Once Open Skies was out of sight, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle went inside Cheerilee’s house. “Phew, that was close,” Sweetie Belle said. “I’m so exhausted from having to use my magic to pull that whole date off.” “Ah must say, you really did pull that off,” Apple Bloom told Sweetie Belle. “It took every ounce of my strength to do all of that,” Sweetie Belle said. But there’s still one thing we need to do: we can’t leave our teacher on the floor.” “What are we gonna do?” Apple Bloom asked. “We could just put her to bed,” Sweetie Belle answered. “That way, if anyone gets into her house, they’ll just assume that she’s asleep.” “Great idea,” Apple Bloom said. The two fillies dragged Cheerilee’s body upstairs and placed her in her bed. Apple Bloom then found a night mask on Cheerilee’s nightstand and placed it on Cheerilee’s eyes. “There, that should do it,” Apple Bloom said. As Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked out of Cheerilee’s house, Sweetie Belle began crying. “I feel so sad,” Sweetie Belle sobbed. “Our teacher died. I feel guilty that we didn’t just call the police. I’m sure it could’ve been all worked it out.” “Well, all we can do is hope that all will be worked out,” Apple Bloom said. “Trust me: losing our teacher hurts me just as much as it hurts you.” “But school starts on Monday,” Sweetie Belle said. “We can’t hold this charade forever, we should just tell.” “No, not yet,” Apple Bloom said. “I think I might have an idea: we have to get our teacher to school for the next week. Next week is the last week of school.” “Your point?” “We teach the class for Miss Cheerilee next week and then tell once the school year is over.” “How will we do that?” “That Ah’ll have to figure out. How about we go home and get some rest. That’ll give me enough time to come up with a plan.” “Okay, I hope you know what you’re doing.” “I hope that about myself, too.” Both fillies then went their separate ways and walked back home, worrying about what will happen if their plan fails.