The china shop sat dark and deserted. A bronze-colored earth pony carefully stepped up to the back door, unlocking it with a key.
Tea stepped inside, shifting his eyes around. There was no reason to suspect anypony would be there, but he was nervous. After seeing what he had, the stallion had every right to be.
It was crazy, really, the idea that a vampire might be on the loose. On the other hoof, it would explain all the dead ponies. It would explain hoofprints surrounding grisly scenes. Now that Tea thought about it, he hadn’t remembered any tracks besides those around Mr. Crock’s body.
The stallion examined the pottery tools in the back room. There were several sharp metal blades that were used for cutting and working the clay. He collected a few of them, packing the tools into his saddlebags.
Tea turned, searching for a loose floorboard he knew to be there. The pony moved a pottery wheel and put his hooves on the floor, finding what he was looking for. Beneath the board was a little over ten thousands bits in cash.
Mr. Crock had trusted him with the money. The estate of the late shop owner hadn’t yet been settled among his many children and grandchildren. Tea had no claim to the pile of bits.
The stallion put the board back, concealing the money once more. His conscience didn’t bother him too much for only taking a few sharp tools for self-defense.
Tea locked the door and cautiously made his way home. He didn’t sleep well.
▼▼
Golden lay on the floor the next day, quietly passing time. She’d discovered an ability to fall into a sleep-like state at will. The problem with that, however, was that mare was not without dreams. In fact, the worst of them were not her memories, anymore, but things she might do.
Not being able to control herself was terrifying. Golden didn’t think she would have hurt anypony in the market if Cheerilee hadn’t pulled her away, but what if she had? She envied the older mare’s restraint. Did it take years of practice to learn how to say no to blood?
The Golden’s ears pricked up as the front door opened. She got up, but realized the vital sounds coming from the other room weren’t Cheerilee’s.
A glasses-wearing earth pony with a yellow coat and red mane poked her head into the room. “Hello, I was looking for Cheerilee. My name’s Cheese, by the way.”
“Um, I’m Golden Ring. Cheerilee probably won’t be back for a while.” Golden remembered how the teacher’s schedule with school usually worked.
“I can wait.” Cheese walked in. Her cutie mark was a wheel of Gouda. She looked around, noting the lack of furniture. The mare settled to the floor and opened a book she’d carried with her.
Golden wondered how she could have gotten through the door. Didn’t Cheerilee say it should keep ponies out as well as keeping her in? Whoever this intruder was, she seemed confident, not like she’d walked into a house with a vampire.
The pegasus stealthily crept closer. Absorbed in her book, Cheese didn’t seem to notice. Golden paused, licking her lips. The visitor smelled wonderful.
▼▼
Cheerilee sat at her desk. She had no book today, and couldn’t have read it anyway. There was too much on her mind.
Was she really losing her sense of good and bad? That’s what the Princess seemed to imply. Cheerilee wanted to fix herself, but it was not so easy to just make a vow to change. Where had she gone wrong?
The schoolteacher sighed. Almost as dreadful, she was losing her focus by letting other things creep in. She’d stopped to talk to Teacup that morning. He’d asked her on a date…and she’d said yes.
Cheerilee hadn’t had a special somepony in more than twenty years. There was a reason for that. Letting a stallion into her life could easily jeopardize her secrets. Why had she agreed to Tea’s proposal?
It seemed easy to say nopony’s perfect and go on, but that would also be wrong. Cheerilee couldn’t really afford to make mistakes in her line of work. So why was it so bucking difficult to say no?
At the end of the school day, the mare walked home. She hoped Tea wouldn’t see her. Their date was scheduled for Friday night. Cheerilee knew she would have to tell him that it wasn’t going to work.
The schoolteacher opened her front door, stopping in her tracks. Golden was pinned flat to the ceiling by a blue aura of magic. In the center of the floor, Princess Luna closed a book she had been reading. She stood up, removing her glasses.
“Princess, this is unexpected.” Cheerilee glanced at the restrained pegasus. “What happened?”
Luna wore an irritated look. “She tried to eat me.”
Now that Cheerilee was present, the Princess let the young mare down. Golden took a few steps backwards. “I’m so sorry!”
“First the market, and now this?” demanded Cheerilee.
The white mare seemed to shrink into herself. The schoolteacher opened her mouth, but Luna cut her off. “I’m disappointed with you, too.”
Cheerilee’s eyes went wide. The princess leaned forward. “You know the difference between right and wrong. If Golden doesn’t, you have to help her.”
The lavender mare nodded fervently. She'd never seen Princess Luna angry before, and while the royal pony wasn't now, doing something she disapproved of felt terrible. Cheerilee respected her too much not to be shamed.
Luna turned to the other pony, her look softening. “Golden, I know this must be very hard on you. You’ve got a whole new existence to create. What do you want to do?”
“I…don’t know,” murmured the pegasus.
Luna gave Cheerilee a glance that said, help her out. To Golden, she said, “I want you to think about it.”
The Princess changed back into her disguise. “Do you have anything to say before I go?”
Cheerilee thought, Well, I have a date with the cute stallion next door. No, actually not anymore. Next time I see him, I’m canceling. She said, “No, Princess.”
Luna paused for a moment, and then went out the door. Cheerilee momentarily thought that the Princess might know about Tea, but that was unthinkable—he had only asked her that morning.
After the door closed, Cheerilee looked at her student. She was reluctant to speak, but knew it had to be done. “I’m sorry I haven’t been working hard enough for you.”
Golden looked at the floor. “I think it should be me saying that.”
Cheerilee couldn’t believe it had taken a direct visit from the Princess to get them both to recognize there might be a problem. She said, “Everypony has their weak moments.”
The white mare seemed to decide something for herself. She looked Cheerilee in the eye. “I don’t want to be who I am right now. I want to do everything I can to get past this.”
I know what you mean, kid. Cheerilee nodded. “I have something to show you.”