Chapter 4- Cheerilee does not 'Shooby Doo'
"Settle down, class!" Cheerilee told her students. "We're about to get started!"
Every filly and colt in the classroom fell silent, as their teacher trotted up to her desk. Cheerilee handed back their graded homework, and most of the students groaned when they received much lower scores than they had expected.
"Now, I know many of you did not receive the grades you wanted on these,.. and I can appreciate having vivid imaginations." Cheerilee told them, smiling. "But I don't believe imaginary things like sea ponies, belong in your science papers!"
"But Miss Cheerilee!" Tic Tac Toe protested. "Sea Ponies actually do exist!"
"Now, we will have no more of that, little filly!" She turned to the whole class. "Now, if you will please turn to page seventy-two in your math books..."
The first few days after the Twinkle eye fiasco, had gone fairly well for the new teacher. She had caught the bear trap on her seat before she had sat down, and dodged the walnut that Baby North Star had shot at her from a slingshot. But she still couldn't seem to win these students over! They still saw her as the enemy, and she spent most of her time in the classroom scolding them, and dodging their tricks. Cheerilee couldn't help them bloom as students, and find their special talents, if they were always out to get her!
After the lesson was over, the class closed their books. "All right students, you may break for recess!" The class went galloping out the door heading downstairs for the drawbridge. The earth pony teacher collapsed into her chair, and sighed.
"These little ponies are going to be quite the challenge." She thought to herself sadly. "Perhaps I should talk to this 'Sundance' about the whole thing..."
Looking across the desk, she stared at the book on post-equestria pony history she had taken off the shelf. The teacher had avoided reading it- she didn't need many more shocks to her system- but she knew discovering what had happened after her 'disappearance' couldn't be shunned forever. It was then the pink earth pony's stomach grumbled.
"Ugh, I shouldn't have skipped breakfast." With a resigned sigh, she reached for the delicious-looking apple Quackers had brought in. Her mouth was watering just looking at it.... so red and delicious...
But when she bit into her apple... she tasted worm.
"PTOOIE! YUCK! EW!" Spitting out the chunks of the slimy creature. "That's disgusting!" As she looked at the apple, she noticed a small hole had been cut into the apple... clearly not by a worm drilling it's way in, but by a pony with a knife cutting it open.
"That does it..." Cheerilee snorted, steam coming out of her nose. "I need to have a stern talk with those foals."
Standing up, she galloped down the stairs, and out across the moat.
The students were out on the castle grounds, playing pony polo- a game that essentially consisted of whacking a ball back and forth with your nose, with no aid of unicorn magic. Cheerilee started over towards the group, when she noticed Baby Tic Tac Toe, playing down by the river.
"Tic Tac Toe, get away from there this instant!" Cheerilee yelled, galloping down to the river bank. "You're mother told me you can't swim, you might drown!"
"Aw, Miss Cherilee!" The filly protested. "I was just talking to the sea ponies!"
"Young filly, for the last time!" She yelled, exasperated. "There are no such thing as-"
"SHOOBY DOO! SHOOP SHOOBY DOO!"
Three aquatic equines popped up in front of Cheerilee, their fins sticking out just above the surface.
"Hey there, Sister! You the new Teacher?" The blue one said, swimming up towards where the wide-eyed earth pony stood. "Name's Seawinkle, I'm the Duchess of the sea ponies, ya dig?"
"I-I-uh-uh..." The dumbstruck Cheerilee muttered, unable to form a coherent thought.
"Listen, Sister! What's this I hear your spwein' about us not existing?" Seawinkle declared angrily. "Ya don't hear us goin around telling the Sea Pony foals, that land ponies don't exist!"
THUD!
"Oh great, she fainted again..."
...
"Cheerilee, wake up!" She heard a voice, as conscious returned.The earth pony teacher opened her eyes, to see Nurse Sweetheart and Glory standing over her. "Are you all right?"
"SEA PONIES!! FLANKING SEA PONIES!" She yelled, sitting up in shock. "How in Celestia did Hippocampi become real?"
"It's a long story." Glory replied, shaking her mane. "And I'm sorry... it's another thing we forgot to inform you about. Oh, and AJ dismissed your class for you."
"Thanks, Glory." Cherilee replied. "You and her have been an enormus help."
"You seem to faint a lot." Nurse Sweetheart told her. "My sister told me you were in here just a few days ago. How is your nutritional intake, Miss Cheerliee?"
"Your Sister?" The teacher asked, confused. "Wasn't that you here?"
"Oh, no!" The nurse replied. "That was my sister, nurse Sweetheart! Nursing runs in my family, you see!"
"This place get more and more confusing as I go." Cherilee pulled herself back to her hooves, and stood up.
"Sounds like you've had a rough day." Glory commented. "To the Satin Slipper?"
"You need to ask?" Cheerilee replied. The two of them trotted out of the room.
...
Things were quiet at the Satin Slipper, as few ponies were there after the lunch rush. Cheerilee noticed about four or five scattered around the dining room... including a mare with purple and bluish stripes, sitting at one of the tables.
"My word...is that a zebra?" Cheerilee asked curiously.
"Yep, that she is!" Glory replied, relived that Cheerilee didn't faint again. "You had Zebras in Equestria, I take it?"
"We had a potion dealer, named Zecora, who lived outside of Ponyville." The teacher replied. "So I don't find it that strange.But those odd colors..."
"Wow, what a coincidence! She just happens to be Dream Castle's Potion maker." Glory looked up at the zebra. "Hey Zigzag! Mind if we join you?"
"Ah, Miss Glory! So wonderful to see you!" Zigzag replied, motioning her to come over. "Sit, please, and tell me what is new?"
"Zigzag, this is Cheerilee... our new teacher." Glory told her, as they sat down. "She's taking over from Sundance."
"From Sundance to her... that is quite a switch to pull." Zigzag told her, sipping her coca. "Good luck, my dear, for you have your hands full!"
"Thank You." Cheerilee replied. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I must say though, you have a... 'unique' coloration for a zebra."
"It was an accident, when she was experimenting with some poison joke." Glory replied. "Baby North Star snuck into her lab, and mixed some chemicals together as a prank."
"That little monster's actions, they do make me wince!" The zebra snapped. "There was an explosion, and I've been purple ever since!"
"And no amount of bubble baths, have managed to change her back!" Glory added sadly.
"Wow, Baby North Star really has been a lot of trouble!" Cheerilee replied. "But there's got to be a good filly in there somewhere, she can't be totally rotten!"
"If anypony would know a bad apple besides AJ, it'd be you!" Glory replied with a chuckle. The teacher just glared at her, realizing she must have heard about what had happened in class with the worm.
"Aw don't me so mad, Cheerilee!" Glory said with a chuckle. She looked up at the bar. "Scoops! Three salads over here, and three tankards of Cider!"
"Coming right up, ladies!" Scoops yelled back.
"Cider?" Cheerilee asked, her ears perking up. "It's cider season around here? I hope there's enough for everypony!"
"Cider 'Season'? What the hay are you talking about?" Glory asked. "We have a plentiful supply of cider! AJ's got a staff of more than fifty ponies who makes the stuff during all the warm months of the year!"
Again Cheerilee was stunned. No long lines, no cider running out... The teacher decided right then and that there were some very good things about this future, after all.
A white earth pony, brought the salads and tankards of cider over to the table. "Hey, miss Cheerilee. Name's Scoops, and I'm the proprietor of the Satin Slipper." She set the order down in front of them. "I was off duty the last time you were in here , so I just wanted to say welcome to the Dream Valley herd!"
"Thanks!" Cheerilee replied, drinking the whole tankard of cider in one gulp. "You can be sure I'll be a regular customer!"
Scoops picked up the empty stein, and went back to refill it. Cheerilee took a bite of her salad. "Ladies, I was wondering.. Applejack never did tell me how she survived the last millennium like I did. Do either of you know why-"
"It is a story I know well." Zigzag interrupted. "AJ was preserved by a magic spell."
"And it's also a story for another time." Glory continued. "I'd rather let AJ tell it herself."
"Okay, I can understand that." Cheerilee took another bite of her salad.
It was then, that an orange earth stallion with a white mane trotted in, and went over to a table on the opposite side of the room. His cutie mark was several blue and red camping tents, with a blue crescent moon hanging over them. And he wore a golden headdress, filled with colorful eagle feathers. Pulling out a chair, he sat down and ordered a cider.
The teacher pony stared at the buff stallion... so strong and powerfully built. His iron gaze passed over her, and she looked away, embarrassed that she had been staring.
"Whoa" Cheerilee asked, surprised. "Who in Equestria is that?"
"Oh, him? That's Wigwam. He's Queen Majesty's emissary to the Buffalo tribes to the west of Ponyland." Glory answered, looking over at the stallion. "He's splits his time between here and there... doesn't talk to the rest of us much, and usually keeps to himself."
Noticing the three mares sitting there, Wigwam trotted over to there table. "Greetings, Miss Glory... greetings, Miss Zigzag, it is a pleasure to see you two again." The large earth stallion replied in a deep, but gentle voice. "I trust you both are well?"
"Oh hi, Wigwam." Glory replied, smiling. "How are things are the frontier?"
"As well as can be... Chief Steelhoof is keeping the peace as best he can." Wigwam looked over at Cheerilee. "And who is this beautiful mare... I have not seen her around the castle before."
"This is the herd's new teacher, Miss Cheerilee." Zigzag told him. "From an ancient book, she has been set free."
"A pleasure to meet you, my fair maiden." Wigwam bowed to her. "I am certain that your bright and warm smile... shall alight these halls, as brightly as the enchanting glow of the full moon."
Trotting back to his table, Wigwam sat down, and returned to drinking his cider.
"Wigwam... has a habit of waxing poetic." Glory replied sheepishly. "Too much time amongst the Buffaloes, I guess."
"Yeah..." Cheerilee, replied, blushing furiously. No matter what happened, Cheerilee was determined to talk to this stallion as soon as possible...