//------------------------------// // Cheerilee -- Her Very Special Someponies // Story: The Album // by Peregrine Caged //------------------------------// Written by: Sunchaser Rated Everyone The sun hung low in the western sky and the schoolhouse had long since lapsed into comfortable silence with the hours-past dismissal of the Friday class. Well, almost silence; the particularly sharp ear could pick up the scratching of a pen across paper, alongside the barely audible mumblings of a certain raspberry mare who was even now seated before her desk. The sunlight had crept up the schoolhouse walls unnoticed since Cheerilee had sat down to her end-of-week grading, in no small part due to her vision being initially obscured by the not insignificant mass of paper she had by now thankfully put a large dent in. She set her pen down again and hoofed the now-graded paper to the ‘complete’ pile-- She paused, her eye caught by the name at the top of the page. Apple Bloom was proudly scrawled there, a little too excitedly to have stayed entirely in the lines, and memories of the energetic filly bounded unbidden to mind. Her prideful retelling of being the brave pony who had finally befriended Zecora, the local zebra who had been so unfairly maligned in the past, her beaming smile as she finally got a cutie mark, and then the chaos that had quickly resulted when it hadn’t stopped at just one. Cheerilee allowed herself a quiet laugh and smiled, setting the page down and moving to the next assignment awaiting summary judgement.   The name on this one was a flowing, elegant script that spoke of private lessons in calligraphy during after school hours, which the name Diamond Tiara explained. A quick glance confirmed that yes, as expected, the similarly flowing name Silver Spoon was on the very next page. Rather inseparable, those two, but then they didn't have all that much of a choice, isolated as they'd become.   It was perhaps the one part of her class she wasn't happy with--the two young fillies of money, and their well-to-do parents passing on their lessons on 'the importance of social class'.  Which had led to the two girls feeling alone among an entire group of other students that ought to have been their friends, the imperious high society masks they were forced to wear by parental expectations continuing a seemingly insurmountable barrier.   Cheerilee, however, could see past them easily enough to know that the pair weren't arrogant and mean-spirited by choice, but because they didn't think they could be anything else, and it truly saddened her that a few more years of it would begin to change those habits into natures. She could try to steer them away from it, inspire them by example...well, only time would tell, in the end. Celestia willing, they wouldn't be defined by their wealthy upbringing. She added the two marked papers to the complete pile and allowed herself a moment of rest. Bouts of nostalgia notwithstanding, she was making good time. With a quick glance at the wall clock...why, if she was unreasonably lucky, she could make it home before dusk! But then her eyes returned to the remaining pile of unmarked student work... Well, it was still nice to dream.   With a quiet sigh, a resolved hoof brought over the next page and she took up her pen and retook her seat as the Ponyville arbiter of academic fate. It wasn't such a terrible burden, really, in no small part because her students had a lovely habit of doing well in their studies. There were times when one or another needed some personal attention, but that was to be expected; students would naturally grasp some subjects more easily than others.  Not unrelated to how everypony had their own unique talents, she imagined.   The principal example of that immediately popped to mind as Cheerilee added another sheet to the complete pile; no doubt helped by her recent wave of nostalgia regarding Apple Bloom, her two co-conspirators in the much debated 'Cutie Mark Crusaders', Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, also took stage in her thoughts. The three were such a well suited group that she had to wonder, every now and then, whether some clever magic hadn't nudged them together. They'd been immediate friends, they balanced and enhanced each others strengths.  Even academically they were ideally suited. Apple Bloom, with her visual learning style and talent in mathematics; Sweetie Belle, with her auditory style and love for literature; and Scootaloo's kinesthetic style and boundless energy for physical activities.   The three of them made up a little package that could easily be called every schoolteacher's dream, save for the occasional problems they caused...but then they wouldn't be happily growing fillies if they didn't cause a little trouble now and then, right?   Granted it was easier to forgive them their...overzealous good intentions when one was not tearing apart Ponyville under the effects of an unexpected love poison.   That particular day's memories elicited a full, hearty laugh from Cheerilee. It really was funny enough in hindsight, and everything had turned out alright in the end--the girls had, in a surprisingly grown-up moment, taken responsibility and immediate action to correct their mistake and been impressively clever about it, too.   And it had led to sunday lunches with Big Mac and those were always a lovely afternoon provided that she didn't have to deal too much with his adorable schoolcolt's crush on the butter-colored pegasus across the way.  Fluttershy, as she recalled. In all likelihood, neither of them would ever breathe a word to each other on their own...   Making a note to herself about thinking up ways to meddle, Cheerilee added another page to the complete pile and moved to the next.   Ah, Hearts and Hooves day...that one holiday with which she had such a tumultuous relationship. The irony was not lost on her.   Though she would never breathe a word of it, she was to this day so very flattered that the three fillies had been willing to go to such lengths to try to make her happy. After all, it wasn't as though she was disinterested in a special somepony.  But due to the demands of her chosen career, in particular that of the primary school teacher, well, she just didn't really have all that much time to get out, not without sacrificing some of the extra time that she put in for the sake of her students.   And that wasn't something she was willing to do. Because while technically none of them were her children, in less straightforward ways they were all her children.  She cared for each and every one of them and wanted them to do their very best. If that meant she had to curtail a bustling social life down to a few weekend outings, well, so be it.   Setting the very last marked paper onto the now towering complete pile, Cheerilee finally stood and stretched out her aching legs, absently rubbing a hoof over her neck and shoulders. The last slivers of sunlight were creeping across the ceiling now and it was like to be dark by the time she got home.  So, the schoolteacher's usual party-hearty friday night.   But you know? It didn't matter, really, that she wasn't out with fillyfriends having drinks and meeting prospects.   She didn't need to, Cheerilee decided, because she already had an entire classroom full of her own very special someponies.