It was already late afternoon in Ponyville. Ponies congregated in the vicinity of the marketplace during the shopping hour, and depending on their race, they either carried their shopping bags in their auras or carried the handles in their teeth as they exited the area.
One of the ponies who participated in the shopping trip was Cheerilee. She carried a bag and chose three apples, a couple of oranges, and a stack of bananas. She brought her items to the merchant who was selling those three fruits.
"That'll be twelve bits." The merchant said with a smile.
After giving the merchant her money, Cheerilee walked out of the market while clenching the bag's handles between her teeth. She also bought supplies for the following weekday's classes, new outfits, hats, and of course, food. She was pleased with her new purchases, despite the fact that the bag was quite heavy. She didn't appear to mind, though.
It's a good thing I'm not too far from home. Cheerlie thought as she strained to keep the bag from dragging on the ground. Maybe I went overboard with my purchases today...
As she walked home, she noticed her teeth hurting and her head dropping lower and lower due to exhaustion. She tried a different strategy after realizing that this might not be successful. She succeeded in lifting the bag high enough to allow it to rest on her back. However, as soon as she began moving while carrying the bag on her back, she felt a heavy weight being pressed against her, and after just a few steps, she was already exhausted.
Cheerilee sighed in exasperation. There has to be a way for me to bring this home without becoming exhausted.
She chose to carry the hefty bag from the handles once more despite the fact that doing so hurt her teeth. It was effective before. Simply ignoring the discomfort in her mouth was all that was required.
The teeth in her mouth continued to erupt in pain as she made her way home, but this time she made an effort to ignore them. But as she greeted the other ponies and surveyed the bustling town, she stepped on a sharp rock and immediately felt pain in her hoof.
"Ow!" Cheerilee screamed in agony as she dropped the bag and wiggled her hoof in pain. It appeared as though she was so preoccupied with her surroundings that she overlooked the sharp rock in the path.
Great, now I'm in pain in both my hoof and my mouth! Cheerilee pondered in excruciating frustration. Clearly, this was not how she had envisioned her day to go.
She was trying to numb the agony by placing her hoof in her mouth when she heard hoofsteps behind her. A lilac mare with an aquamarine stripe in her purple mane caught Cheerilee's attention as she turned. As she approached her, her lavender-colored eyes were filled with concern.
"Are you ok? What's wrong?" The lilac pony quickly inquired. Like a mother evaluating her child, she quickly glanced all over Cheerilee's body, much to the latter's confusion by this sudden behavior.
"Oh no, my hoof just stepped on a jagged rock." Cheerilee gave her a brief response, pointing to a sharp rock on the path. "I didn't anticipate you to be concerned about me." She added after she observed the lilac pony still giving her a troubled expression.
The mare jerkily shook her head and lowered her head in apology, as if she had been jolted out of a daze. "I apologize if I'm making you uncomfortable... I just heard you scream and had to come in to see if you were ok." She apologized as she rubbed one of her hooves nervously.
Cheerilee's expression softened. "I didn't mean it that way," she remarked quickly. "It was nice for you to check in on me," she said. Then she felt a sharp pain in her mouth. She lifted her hoof to rub her cheek. "Thank you."
However, the lilac mare remained concerned as she saw Cheerilee rubbing her mouth.
"Is your mouth okay—" she started, but abruptly stopped herself. Cheerilee briefly caught sight of her face, where it appeared she was displaying anger—apparently at herself.
In disappointment, the mysterious mare shook her head side to side. She turned to walk away.
"I'm certain you don't require a random stranger to evaluate you each time you experience discomfort. I don't appear to be much of a help, either. I'll go, and perhaps we can forget that this ever occurred." Starlight told Cheerilee as she began to walk away.
Cheerilee felt sympathy for her right away. She didn't want their conversation to leave the mare feeling unhappy and dejected.
"Hey, wait!" Cheerilee called out to the lilac pony, who didn't go very far.
The mare gazed back at Cheerilee as her ears pricked up in a cautious manner.
Cheerilee slowly walked up to the mare, thankful that she had their attention. "Listen, you seem like a nice pony, and, if I must confess, I'd like to know you better." She said after she caught up with her.
The mare's head tipped slightly in perplexity. "Really? Even after my intrusion?"
Cheerilee only shrugged. "You were just concerned for me. How can a pony be condemned for that?" she said.
The mare's eyes moved to the side, suggesting that she was unsure of her statements. "I suppose."
Cheerilee curled her hoof around the lilac mare's neck, making the latter tense. She pointed to a café not far from where they were.
"I'm beginning to crave some tea." Cheerilee stated. She turned to look at the mare, who appeared uneasy with her hoof on her neck. Cheerilee promptly hid her hoof after realizing her error. "Oh! Sorry... um, would you like some tea?" She requested awkwardly.
Eventually, the mare nodded after giving it some thought. "I suppose I am a little thirsty, yeah."
Cheerilee grinned. "Great! "I'll go find a table."
Since their initial encounter ten minutes earlier, Cheerilee had been considering a question as she and the mare made their way to the café.
"I've been thinking that since we'll be acquaintances, it's about time we introduce ourselves." Cheerilee spoke to the lilac pony in an elegant way. "I'm Cheerilee."
The lilac mare grinned for the first time since they had first met, albeit barely. "I'm Starlight. Starlight Glimmer."
As they sat down at the table, Cheerilee and Starlight placed their tea order. While Starlight simply ordered sweet tea, Cheerilee had ordered the Earl Grey tea. So far, the two had not communicated. While Starlight was looking off into the distance, probably lost in thought, Cheerilee was trying to come up with a topic of conversation.
As she always does when she meets new ponies, she chose to have the customary conversation. "So, Starlight. I haven't seen you around town in... decades. In fact, I believe this is my first encounter with you in Ponyville. Did you grow up here?
Starlight shook her head. "No, Sires Hollow is where I was raised. Then I left, and I went to..." She stopped herself with a look of regret on her face.
"Went where, exactly? Cheerilee inquired softly.
"I'd prefer not to discuss it." She did not look at Cheerilee as she spoke to her in a voice of painful regret.
Cheerilee resolved to accept her wishes despite her curiosity. "So, after that, you chose to relocate to Ponyville?"
"I live in Twilight's castle, technically. After a minor incident, she decided to take me under her wing and teach me about friendship." Starlight responded.
At that moment, Cheerilee's eyes widened, which seemed to take Starlight by surprise. "Wow! So you're Princess Twilight's very first student?" she asked in awe.
Starlight nodded.
"Your beverages are here." The two were told by a waiter who held their drinks with his enchanted aura. Cheerilee saw the waiter glaring at Starlight as he set the drinks down on the table, and she returned the stare. After that little interval, he turned and left.
The past of this enigmatic mare now piqued Cheerilee's interest even more. "What happened over there?" She questioned Starlight, who drank from the cup.
"Oh." Starlight rolled her eyes to the side, as if she was unsure how to respond to the question. "We don't exactly get along, me and him."
"Why not? What occurred?" In a confused and anxious manner, Cheerilee tilted her head.
Starlight hesitated to respond to this query once again. After a little awkward pause, Starlight finally sighed.
As she explained, she looked away from Cheerilee's stare. "Before I became Twilight's student, I made some very unforgiving decisions. Ones that I haven't even forgiven myself." She concluded with a humiliating headshake.
Her sorrow for the mare grew even more. She reached out to Starlight's trembling hoof and touched it in an encouraging gesture. The unexpected hoof-touching made Starlight lightly flinch. She gave Cheerilee a perplexed glance.
"I apologize if my curiosity has caused you to bring up an unpleasant period in your life. I won't ask any more if you don't want to talk about it." Cheerilee informed her, which appeared to relax Starlight. Starlight's hoof was stroked until the shaking stopped.
Cheerilee received a warm smile from Starlight. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Cheerilee responded happily.
It was now Starlight's time to ask questions after they had both sipped their tea. "Are you from Ponyville then?" She inquired.
Cheerilee gave a nod. "I was raised here from birth. However, as of right now, I appear to be Ponyville's sole educator." she answered with a chuckle.
From the look of her lavender eyes, Starlight seemed a little concerned. "But what if you're ill and unable to teach today? Surely you have subs available?"
"It's uncommon, but we do have subs." Cheerilee responded by grinning. "In addition, I instruct the children in a wide range of disciplines, including arithmetic, English, and history."
"Sounds like a busy life."
Cheerilee shook her head. "I was trained for it. I anticipate no less."
As the sun was gradually setting, the two continued their conversation in the café and shared some smiles and tears.
Starlight and Cheerilee left the café's area after paying the bill. Cheerilee decided it was past time to deal with the arduous shopping bag and return home.
Cheerilee moved her gaze to Starlight, who was gazing up at the stars that were beginning to appear in the sky.
"Well, Starlight, it was wonderful meeting you, but I need to get home and put my stuff away. I wish you the best of success with your friendship issues and dealing with your unforgiving history." She smiled as she concluded.
Starlight smiled back. "And I wish you the best when the weekdays roll by."
After exchanging hoofshakes, Starlight and Cheerilee turned to part ways.
As Cheerilee thought back on what had transpired over the previous few hours, she grinned. I got to know a kind but troubled mare. Huh. Today's friendship was not what I anticipated, but a welcoming surprise for sure.
Cheerilee returned to her bag, gripped the handles with her teeth, and went in the direction of her house. Her teeth were beginning to hurt, as usual, and she felt her bag start to sag as the weight caused her head to droop even lower.
"Oh, come on!" Cheerilee stared at the bag in frustration.
Her eyes widened and her ears perked as she immediately noticed a turquoise aura surrounding her bag. Turning, Cheerilee saw Starlight lifting the bag for her. She received a warm smile from her new friend. "Thought you needed assistance with this."
Cheerilee exhaled a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you, that's much appreciated."
After their little talk, Cheerilee and Starlight, along with the bag, made their way to the neighborhood as the last rays of sunlight faded and bright stars shone in the sky.