From her spot by the fireplace, Rarity could hear the front door swing shut and the squeal that followed a moment later, "I'm back from Twilight's!" She had expected her sister to be out until evening; Sweetie had an uncanny ability to occupy herself given the free range to do so.
Rarity excused the thought as she set down her tools, stood from the hearth and replaced the paper shutter that normally hid the inlet. She stepped towards the hallway called out into the main room, "Just a moment, dear." Her fetlock impacted a small, silvery form that almost sent her stumbling into a loom of lily and lavender locks. Rarity let out and exhasterbated yelp as a point found her jaw, causing her to hop back and exclaim "Sweetie!"
Her sister merely skipped past as she chirped out an almost rehearsed "Sorry!" Rarity rubbed her chin as she moved to follow Sweetie. The filly cantered forth with surprising speed as she balanced a hefty tome across her withers. She approached the screen blocking the fireplace and pushed it aside before sliding the book off onto an awaiting hoof. She stared at it intensely as she said "I got your mayolichen thingy!"
"Metallurgy, my little pony," Rarity chided as a faint lime aura swept over the cover. It stuttered as Sweetie Belle started to giggle and then vanished as the mare added, "You do know that I saw you spell it on your hoof earlier, correct?" The young unicorn's horn flared as the tome left her magic and wobbled in her grasp. Her shocked gasps as the tomb tumbled toward the tiling turned to delighted laughter as the book quickly rose above her and hovered in the open air. Sweetie's glee dissipated a moment later as the filly recognized a sapphire glow instead of her own.
She pouted as she took a seat, then showed a slight smile even as she grumbled, "I had it in-hoof..."
"You did not," Rarity responded as she moved the book over and laid it down between the clippers and pliers, "remember, the weight is illusory to a levitation spell. Your magic is lifting the object, not your hooves." The mare walked over and flipped open the front cover, her eyes scanning the table of contents for any variation of the words 'pattern', or 'construction', perhaps 'assembly'...
Sweetie Belle was looking at her.
Rarity side-eyed the filly to try and gauge what she was after. Food? She had already made them an ample breakfast and set out a lunch platter. Amusement? There were far more interesting activities around town, and Sweetie hadn't wanted to play their old board games in years. "How was the library?" Rarity asked, phishing for whatever was on her sister's mind.
"Good!"
"That's all," she remarked, "just good?"
"Yeah!" The filly's hoof reached over and started to idly roll one of the tools in place.
Rarity's eyebrow rose as she tried to parse what few clues Sweetie was presenting. "Did you happen to run into your little friend, Spike, again?"
"No." She continued to mindlessly roll the handle back and forth while she stared at the book in front of Rarity.
"He wasn't home?"
Her sister shrugged. "I didn't ask."
The mare took note of the page she was on before closing the cover of the book and angling her body toward Sweetie Belle. She paused for a moment, trying to parse a proper way to phrase her curiosity around the filly's statement. "Do you... not want to see him again?" Her sister had seemed rather cheery after her first encounter with the drake, and equally as enthused to invite him along to the sweets shoppe. Had that changed there?
Rarity gently kicked her hoof against the frame of the schoolhouse door, knocking loose the dust and grime from the road she took to get there. Cheerilee perked up her head at the sound. The seamstress addressed her as she looked over, "Darling, it is so goo-"
"What do you need." The teacher brushed aside a pile of papers and rested a cheek against her hoof, sharing an empty glare with her visitor.
Rarity cleared her throat as she walked into the classroom. Resting her flank against one of the desktops, she said "Right then, dispensing with the pleasantries. I was hoping that we could speak about Sweetie Belle's schooling."
Cheerilee sighed, "Are they coming back already?"
"Hm? No, I haven't heard from my parents since the cruise departed."
"Another fashion show caught your eye?" Cheerilee tapped her quill against the wall of the inkwell before spinning it around the rim. "Look, I've had a long day, I can give you the material for whatever unit she'll be missing this time."
A drawer clicked as her hoof tapped against it, sliding it open as the pony bent over to reach inside. Rarity leaned forward and tried to interject, "What? No, I think you're misunderstanding-"
"I could just save us both the time," Cheerilee cut her off as she skimmed through the files, "and just give you the homework for the year." She slapped a bundle on top of the desk and pointed towards the door. "She can come in for the tests whenever she's around town," the teacher grumbled, "I'm tired of trying to keep track of who has her for what and watching her run around without any stability."
"Miss Cheerilee!" Rarity yelled as she rose to stand on her hind legs. She paused to allow a breath to leave her nostrils. This was not how she had hoped the conversation would go, despite how her talks with Cheerilee normally seemed to progress. Perhaps this would require a different approach... "Listen; I know."
The teacher lowered her hoof, placed it on her lap, and, though she remained tense, awaited Rarity's next words.
"My parents have done so much to care for Sweetie Belle and I, but their presence has been fleeting on occasion since I was able to start watching my sister. They have earned the breaks, it's not like they can't afford the vacations or to care for us, but I will admit," Rarity sat back down against the desk, and crossed her arms over her chest, "that the frequency of which they partake them has been... a bit much."
"A bit?" Cheerilee's eyebrow shot up, a look of frustration crossing her face.
"And more, yes," Rarity acquiesced, "Now, the reason I came."
Miss Cheerilee relaxed her glare.
"I have already sent a letter to the next port they were scheduled to dock at; Sweetie Belle will stay here, in Ponyville. Be that whether my parents refrain from taking more trips this year, or if she will continue to stay with me. I have also sent notice that I am cancelling my reservation at this year's "
The teacher leaned back in her seat and, once again, her eyebrow reclaimed its elevated position on her forehead. "Why now, Rarity? Sweetie hasn't finished a whole year in my classroom yet."
The mare looked out through the windows of the schoolhouse and saw the leaves of the town's great oak visible in the distance. "Miss Cheerilee, if you don't mind me asking... do you have the class rosters prepared yet?"