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// Chapter 22: Repercussions 
// Story: Quantum Leap Forward 
// by Halira 
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Everything checked out that Cheerilee was fine, aside from some magical exhaustion brought on by her surge. None of the students, teachers, or visitors had been hurt, though a few younger students had been terrified by the incident. She now sat in the nurse's office, with just Ma Apple keeping her company. It would be just a matter of time before Dinky showed up to discuss the trouble she was no doubt in. 

"Candy, you need to be honest with me, and tell me what happened," Ma pleaded as she rubbed Cheerilee's back. "Spoiled Rich was looking for anythin' she could in order to expel you, and you just upset the foals of every parent on the school board. We have to tell them somethin', or they'll go along with Spoiled Rich. I don't want to scare you more, but this is important."

She still didn't know what to do. What she did know was Candy was in deep trouble, and it was her fault. Something like what happened today might normally be overlooked, but the other personalities had already caused so much trouble this year for Candy, and she had missed so much school. There was a real danger of Candy being held back or expelled, at the very least having lasting negative consequences on her education. She couldn't let that happen to the filly, not on her watch; she just didn't know how to prevent it. 

"If I tell you then you'll think I'm crazy," she said at last. 

"I just want the truth, no matter how crazy it sounds," Ma said firmly. 

She took a deep breath, and fidgeted with her tail as she mustered her courage. "The muffins. I was seeing faces on them. I don't know why, but they just terrified me, more than anything ever has. When everypony started throwing them around it just got to be too much. I felt like I couldn't run away, that I was glued to where I was, and they wouldn't stop smiling. I panicked, and the surge just happened."

Ma sat silent for a moment. "And you're still thinkin' you're Cheerilee right now?" Cheerilee nodded back, and the mare groaned. "You've never had a problem with muffins when you were a different personality. I take precautions still, but it's been just in case the pretend ended suddenly."

"I don't know why I'm seeing them," Cheerilee said quietly. "Are you sure none of the others ever saw anything wrong with muffins, or anything else?"

Ma sighed. "You get upset about dragons, or changelings, or griffins, or that naga classmate of yours. You've got a little better after the first few personalities, at least with griffins. You're actually the first personality that didn't get upset about non-ponies at all. You've never had a personality upset about muffins though, just the real you, until now."

Something seemed odd about that, like some key piece of information had just been given, but she couldn't tell what. She was still so tired, and thinking straight was hard. 

"Is there anythin' else you aren't telling me?" Ma asked. "I want to help you, but I can't if you keep things from me."

She frowned, and thought of the one definite thing she was keeping secret. Maybe it was time to say something about it. At this point it couldn't hurt Candy any more than what had just happened. "There's a note, from Twilight Comet. He's the pony that was in Candy's body when she claimed she had amnesia. Pinkie Pie helped me find it."

Ma narrowed her eyes. "And how did Pinkie Pie know about it and not me?" 

Cheerilee shook her head. "She didn't. I haven't even told her about it yet. It's-it's complicated. You can read the note yourself. It's on Candy's desk, on the backside of Sombra's picture. He was some sort of secret agent or something; I'm not really clear on that. From what I can tell, Bon Bon used to be part of whatever he was involved in, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to talk about it-- that was what set her off the other day. He said he was Princess Twilight's great-grandstallion, and that he knew Princess Celestia. You can try verifying if he was a real pony. Maybe that will help prove I'm not a figment. Pinkie Pie believes me when I say I am Cheerilee."

Ma nervously brushed Cheerilee's mane. "I'm not sure any of that will help you out of this situation. I'll take a look at that note you mentioned, and bring it to Starlight. She can get in touch with Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia to tell us if there was a real Twilight Comet. I don't know what that means if he was a real pony, but the princesses and Starlight might figure somethin' out we can't. As for the muffins… we'll just have to talk to Marble about that. There's no way the muffins I personally baked are little smiling monsters."

"I know the faces on the muffins can't be real," Cheerilee said, more harshly than she intended. "It doesn't change the fact that Candy has been seeing them since this all began, and now I'm suddenly seeing them. It's hard to describe the feeling when I'm looking at them. It starts with dread and unease, and just steadily gets worse. With all the muffins flying through the air during that food fight I just panicked, even though I knew the emotions I was feeling made no sense at all. I just felt so helpless and scared, it overrode every rational thought."

"I wish you would tell me what happened out in the Everfree," Ma grumbled. "This all started there, but you won't tell anycreature what happened."

Cheerilee crossed her forelegs. "Well, right now the only pony that knows is Candy, and she isn't here. Twilight Comet went looking in the Everfree for answers, but didn't find anything."

"You went into the Everfree again, after what happened last time?!" Ma shouted with a mix of fury and fear. 

The sound hurt her ears, and she rubbed one of them as she answered. "It wasn't me, or even Candy, it was Twilight Comet. I told you that he was some sort of agent or something, so I guess he knew how to take care of himself. It's in his note."

Ma wept. "You aren't a secret agent, teacher, tyrant, accountant, prostitute, warrior, changelin', diamond dog, Wonderbolt, librarian, forest ranger, artist, or whatever that one that wouldn't stop cryin' was; you're just a little filly. Believin' you can do all the things all these personalities can do doesn't give you the ability to do them."

"That's missing one," Cheerilee replied, counting up the occupations in her head. 

"It's hard rememberin' all of them," Ma said with exasperation. She seemed to think for a minute. "Shaman, that was the other one. A half-pony, half-zebra shaman. Don't know how that one slipped my mind. That's the one Applebloom had to sedate, it was one of the earlier ones."

"Was that one violent?" 

Ma shook her head. "No, gentle really. You'd spend time lookin' at the simplest things like you never saw anything like them before. The problem was Applebloom had to translate what you were sayin', because you didn't say a word of Equestrian. Went completely nuts about that muffin drawin', but never saw any faces on muffins from what I could tell. We had to pull the drawin' down after a while because you wouldn't sleep-- just kept starin' at it and mutterin' to yourself otherwise, and you wouldn't go near it either. As soon as that personality passed you fished that drawin' out of the trash and put it right back up. I still don't know why, you hate that drawin'."

The extent that the Apples accepted some of these personalities as part of a game amazed her. Cheerilee narrowed her eyes. "You didn't think it odd that Candy somehow learned a whole other language overnight?"

"Applebloom said your pronunciation and grammar were all off, and she had a very hard time understandin' you. We figured you got ahold of a zebra language book and only half learned how to say things," Ma explained.

"And I'm pretty sure Twilight Comet could teleport, and Dazzling Star knew far more about sex than anything Candy might have read," Cheerilee said, naming off things she knew that unlikely the filly should know how to do. "I used a math technique today that she was not brought up with. I bet Rainbow confirmed whatever Wonderbolt that was happened to be a spot on impression. We know things she shouldn't know. Did Candy draw all her drawings after the artist?"

Ma bit her lip and thought about it, then nodded. "Yes, you did draw them after, and Rainbow was very impressed with your Wonderbolt impression. She was happy you listened closely when she was talkin' about Wonderbolts." Ma sighed. "You're right, it's a lot you shouldn't know. Maybe there's somethin' more to it than just personalities, I don't know, but that doesn't change who you really are."

She suppressed a growl. What would it take to convince ponies she is really Cheerilee? She had already chipped, and chipped, and chipped away at the fiction, but no matter what she did she couldn't get them to budge. She understood that the concept that some other pony was running around in Candy's body was an upsetting one, and that they looked at her and physically saw a foal that they have a history with and love for, but hanging onto the idea she was really Candy wasn't helping Candy. 

She didn't have the energy to argue her case at the moment, nor did she have anything she could supply to make the trouble she was in go away. Ma seemed to be able to read this, and just sat silently holding her. Being held like a foal wasn't really that embarrassing, she was in need of comfort, and would take it where she could get it-- plus, there was still a chance Candy was experiencing all this too, and was even in more need of comfort. She wondered again whether Candy was a spectator for all this, and what condemnations the filly must have for her at the moment. If Cheerilee was here to help Candy with school, then Candy must be very much regretting the day Cheerilee became an occupant of her body.

Dinky walked in after what seemed an eternity, shutting the door behind her. A quick glance at the mare's earrings showed no smiling faces at the moment. "The good news is that nocreature was hurt, and there was only very minor damage to some playground equipment that can easily be repaired. The bad news is that several members of the school board called for a hearing to determine what to do about Candy."

"It was an accident, surges happen," Ma said fearfully. 

Dinky nodded. "But this surge happened when Candy was already being given plenty of leeway from previous problems, and it happened while we had visitors on site. Normally Spoiled can be reigned in by the rest of the school board or by Diamond Tiara, but Diamond was one of those caught up in today's events, and a lot of the school board just had to rush to school because they had terrified foals of their own that were beside themselves after what happened. They're going to be more inclined to listen to Spoiled now. A few of the more overprotective ones are going to be more demanding of action than her. An angry parent is a hard creature to reason with."

"So what do we need to do?" Ma asked. Cheerilee could feel the mare trembling. 

The principal shook her head absently. "I'm not really sure what can be done at this point. About the only way you can stop whatever is coming is if you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt Candy won't be any further problem, and I don't think you can do that, not before the school board meets."

That meant that if she was going to fix whatever was happening to Candy she needed to do it before the school board met. That meant she now had a deadline. "How long do we have?" Cheerilee asked. 

Dinky looked her in the eyes. "Five days. If you can't permanently sort yourself out in five days, your days at this school may be numbered. On the positive side, I don't think they're going to demand an 'official' expulsion. That's good for you, because that would look very bad on your permanent record; but they're almost certainly going to demand you be removed from the school for the safety of the other students. I wouldn't be surprised if they demand you be sent to a psych ward."

Five days? It was better than she expected, but it didn't seem near enough time. It wasn't even five days in truth, she'd need it fixed in four days so on the fifth Candy could stand in front of the school board well and cured. Twilight Comet had tried for months to fix Candy's problems, how was she supposed to do better in less than a week? 

"I suppose it won't help her case if I mention that Candy was seeing faces on the muffins and that made her panic," Ma said mournfully. 

Dinky shook her head vigorously. "I'd keep that to yourself. If they are going to push for sending her to a psychiatric facility that is just throwing fuel on the fire. I won't mention that you told me that. But I need to let you know, I need to worry about all the students at this school. If she really is mentally imbalanced, I need to think about their welfare. What if she attacks a student because she sees something that isn't there? What if she takes on more personalities like Sombra? Those are the questions I have to ask myself, and that the school board will be asking as well. You need to put everything you can into resolving this."

It sounded like they couldn't fully count on Dinky to be an ally in this. She didn't blame the principal. If their positions were reversed right now she'd be having to face those same questions. It wasn't any maliciousness intended towards the student, but if a student really was a danger to themselves and everypony around them then removing them from the school would be something she'd be forced to consider, much as she didn't want to. She couldn't even say those concerns weren't valid in this case. 

Dinky floated a paper to Ma. "Here's Candy's report card. I didn't think it would be a good idea for her to return to class today. I'm not counting it as an absence."

Ma took the report card in her own magic and hovered it down where the two of them could read it together. It seemed to be a standard copy form, with one half for grades filled in by the teacher, and one half for the  teacher notes about the student.



Year-End Report Card for Candy Apple, Third Year, Ponyville Elementary, presented twelve days before the Festival of the Two Sisters in the 20th Sparkling Era Year. 

Reading comprehension: Greatly Exceeds Expectations. 4

Writing, Spelling, and Grammer: Greatly Exceeds Expectations. 4

Math and Number Skills: Greatly Exceeds Expectations. 4

History and Social Studies: Meets Expectations. 2

Science and Magic: Greatly Exceeds Expectations. 4

Physical Fitness: Meets Expectations. 2

Artistic Expression (through physical art and/or music and/or dance): Greatly Exceeds Expectations. 4

Elective Study: Third year student, not applicable. 

Friendship and Communication: Exceeds Expectations. 3

Attendance: Fails to Meet Expectations. 0

Teacher's Notes: Candy has demonstrated top of the line ability in a number of subjects, and if I had a grade higher than four I would be awarding her that grade in most of the subjects that she made fours in. I'm not exaggerating when I say she could outperform most of the graduating class in these subjects. You should definitely praise your daughter for her accomplishments in them. 

I was a little surprised that her history grade was not higher, and perhaps she was just having an off day when she took her final exams. I'd advise that she take time to further review that subject before the start of the new school year. I'm assigning each student a different species to do a five page report on for the history of as a summer project, and I'm assigning Candy griffins. Hopefully a good grade on this to start next school year will start her off on the right track with the subject. 

Candy is physically fit for a foal her age, with plenty of energy. You should not take her median grade badly. The area she needs the most improvement in is endurance. As she can get winded after a short time running. If she improves in this area she may get a three next year, instead of a two. Fours are typically reserved for creatures that show particular athletic prowess, and although it isn't out of the question that Candy could blossom into an athlete in the future, this doesn't seem to be her current trajectory or reflect her current interests. I would recommend doing some extended runs over the summer, and aiming for that three next year. 

I wish I could give a top grade to her for friendship, but there is room for improvement. She has a few very good friends, but tends not to engage with many students beyond that group. I chose to rate her higher because two of these students she has made friends with are students that are some who are most in need of friends. She also tends not to squabble with any other students. I hope she continues her current friendships, but I would like her to engage with a larger number of creatures.

Attendance must improve next year. It pains me to have to give her a zero grade in this, but there was no way I could give anything else under the circumstances. For a student of lesser academic ability the zero in attendance may have resulted in her being held back a year, but upon review of her other grades her attendance will be overlooked this year, as she has demonstrated she has fully learned the material. There cannot be a repeat of this attendance grade next year, as such an exception can only be made once. 

I hope Candy has an enjoyable summer, and I am reminding you to check to see she completes her summer project before returning in the fall. If you have any questions, I can be found at my home most evenings.

Miss Silver Spoon



Well, this report card was obviously filled out prior to today. She also noted that Silver Spoon never once addressed Candy's various personalities. 

"I'm very proud of you for all your fours, but how did you get a lower grade in history?" Ma asked in confusion. "All these other creatures from the past that you act perfectly as, and you get a lower grade in history? It doesn't make sense."

"Maybe the answer is Candy doesn't know that much about history and we're all who we say we are," Cheerilee replied smugly. 

Ma grimaced. "Even if that were so, you pick up things while you're these different creatures. You'd think you'd pick up enough to get at least a three in history."

Cheerilee shrugged. "I'm not Candy, so I couldn't tell you. My best guess is that if none of the others thought about their history and what would be current events for them, then Candy wouldn't learn it if she was just along for the ride. How much history was Dazzling Star or a diamond dog going to teach her?"

"Let's not talk about what Dazzling Star might have taught you," Ma said with exasperation, as she set the report card aside. Cheerilee actually found it a little amusing that Dazzling Star was more upsetting for the Apple matriarch than Sombra or the unicorn warrior that was calling most of the family evil. If her own experiences were anything to go by, Dazzling Star likely had been rather muted in her actions compared to what they could have been, since it was unlikely Candy's body would have supplied the libido for that kind of thing. She certainly hadn't felt any feelings of the sort.

Unfortunately, that wasn't a concern right now. Her ears sagged as she focused on the here and now. "So what are we going to do?" She asked. 

Ma sat quietly for a moment, deep in thought. "I'm goin' to take the next few days off from work. I know it's busy, but this is more important. Pumpkin will just have to deal with it, and if she decides to pitch a fit to me about it she might find herself down another employee."

"But what are we actually doing?"

"First, I'm gettin' that note you mentioned, and takin' it to Starlight. She's been my friend longer than I've lived in Ponyville, and I know she'll do whatever it takes to help us," Ma answered firmly. "Then I'm takin' you back to Luster Dawn and seein' if she can figure anythin' else out, maybe with Starlight helpin'. We know it's some sort of magic problem, in addition to being a mental one, so we'll try to figure it out from that end. You'll still see Marble tomorrow, but I think figurin' out this resonance problem is where we need to focus."

Cheerilee nodded. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of dealing with Luster more than she had to, but there was no denying that fixing the magic issue was key to resolving this. She'd let the crazy unicorn take a pint of blood if it would help fix this. 

She squeaked in surprise as she was lifted up onto the mare's back by magic. She grabbed on tight, knowing without having to be told that Ma intended to take off at a full run towards Sweet Apple Acres. Time was of the essence. They had essentially four days to figure out what was causing Candy's problems, and how to fix them. There wasn't any time to waste.