//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Fallout Equestria: All for you, Ms. Cheerilee // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// School was the last thing on Chance’s mind when he arrived at the stable. He’d never attended any formal lessons before, so the concept was completely alien to him. His parents used to give little lectures, but word of mouth was just not the same. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to learn, just that he didn’t know where to begin. Fortunately, Cheerilee was the teacher. Chance thought that learning might be difficult, but was surprised and pleased with how he was taught. He could see how things like more advanced math and eloquent writing would be useful, even in the wastes. Also, Cheerilee had a way of making even boring material interesting. She was almost like an artist, masterfully managing the class while shaping the lessons and discussion. Even though school supplies were meager in the stable, all the young fillies and colts had what they needed in order to learn. As the next few days passed, Chance could tell that his life was turning around. He felt better, was certainly eating better, and nopony was trying to kill him. He was even beginning to make a few friends, a luxury that an isolated wastelander often didn’t have. Perhaps all of that good fortune made him a little curious. It was not good manners to question where it all came from, but surely all of this couldn’t just be for free. With the state the wasteland was in, this stable must have some hidden reason for being able to sustain itself past the meager agriculture that grew in the hydroponic fields on the lower levels. The question continued to bug him. Chance asked a few of the other young ponies, but none of them seemed to know. There were rumors, though. Nothing of consequence, but whispers that perhaps some of the adults were aware of something that the rest of them weren’t. He decided to ask Cheerilee. She would tell him, right? It seemed like there was nothing she wouldn’t do for children. Getting a moment of her time outside of class proved extraordinarily difficult, however. It seemed that when Cheerilee wasn’t in the classroom she was going out to run errands for the stable or find other ponies in need of help. Chance did manage to talk to her eventually, however. On that day, she was near the medical clinic when he met her. Cheerilee wore her polished armor, although not the helmet as she was indoors. She was surprised to see Chance, but gave him a smile and a greeting. “Hello, Ms. Cheerilee.” Chance thought for a moment about how to slide into the conversation but decided that he would have to be rather blunt. “I was hoping you could tell me a little more about this place. I’m really grateful that you all took me in, but I can’t figure out how it works.” “What do you mean?” Cheerilee kept her friendly demeanor. “I’m sure I could arrange a more in-depth tour of the facilities if you wanted.” “That’s not what I meant.” Chance shook his head. “It’s just... how does a place like this exist? If there are raiders and monsters and who knows what out there, how does this stable stay like it is?” Cheerilee had lost her smile, but she still looked him over carefully. “You’re right; the world as it is can be very violent. However, we’ve set up this little shelter of peace and we intend to keep it.” Chance lowered his voice. “Do you fight?” “There have sometimes been attacks,” Cheerilee acknowledged. “Usually monsters but occasionally bad, selfish ponies stumble upon us. We do our best to keep them far enough away that most ponies in the stable never even notice.” Chance bit his lip and looked away. Even here, there was fighting. It didn’t matter if he realized it or not. He appreciated that Cheerilee wanted to protect him from the wasteland, but didn’t think he needed protection from the truth. After all, things couldn’t get much worse for his life. But how did Cheerilee know so much about this, the fighting and keeping the stable safe? Wasn’t she just a teacher? Reemphasizing his earlier question, Chance asked, “Do you fight?” This time, it was Cheerilee’s turn to look away. After a moment, she quietly replied, “Sometimes, we all have to stand up for what we believe in.” Despite seeing her in armor, it was still a blow that the teacher Chance admired had to go into battle. She didn’t teach that particular subject, and nothing in her demeanor suggested that she was actually capable in a fight. Cheerilee certainly didn’t relish it. However, clearly she could handle herself. Chance looked again at her armor. That unblemished steel spoke of her ability. There was simply no way a pony could travel through the wastes alone and not have to fight for their life at least a few times. “If you would feel safer, I can talk with Halberd about getting you some self defense lessons,” Cheerilee offered. “Thank you.” Chance smiled. “I’ll do that, then. Have a nice day.” Cheerilee returned his smile before walking away. The steel plating on her hooves clanked slightly against the floor, the noise fading as she disappeared around a corner. Chance stood there for a moment in thought. Did he really want to hurt other ponies? It would certainly be better than being on the receiving end, but maybe he should talk about this a little more. He went after Cheerilee, unsure where to find her. A few minutes passed, leading him deep into the maze of the stable. Still being a fairly new arrival to The Orphanage, Chance wasn’t exactly lost but didn’t know the place like the back of his hoof, either. After passing the weapons locker door for the second time, he decided to go in and talk to Halberd. Perhaps he would even find Cheerilee there. Opening the door, Chance stopped short in the doorway. Halberd was there, a burly earth pony with a coarse brown coat. Cheerilee was also in the room. She embraced the stallion carefully, nuzzling his neck. Her mouth was open, revealing sharp teeth that had sliced a shallow cut in Halberd’s flesh. The trickle of blood that flowed out was quickly lapped up by her tongue. Halberd’s eyes focused on Chance, a look of alarm on his face. Cheerilee felt his muscles tense and pulled back from her task, blood on her lips. Chance started to back out of the room but never made it, falling to the floor in a blackout. Panic didn’t immediately take Chance when he awoke. The concerned face of Cardio greeted him as a cool compress was lifted from his forehead. “I hope you’re feeling better, but don’t try to get up just yet,” Cardio directed. “Ms. Cheerilee told me what happened, and I imagine that would give anypony a shock.” Chance sat up carefully, his head continuing to swim slightly. He ignored the feeling, sitting forward. “You know what she was doing?” Cardio nodded and looked away. “It was, ah... rather unprofessional of her and Halberd, being together like that.” A shade of doubt crept into Chance’s mind. The wasteland was not exactly a modest place, and he had a suspicion of what grown ups usually did when alone together. This was not a usual occurrence, however. “Do you know exactly what was going on?” “Er, yes. She tried it with me once but I politely refused.” Cardio’s face went slightly pink. The door opened to reveal the mare in question. Chance recoiled but Cardio showed little reaction other than further bashfulness. “I should probably go, Ms. Cheerilee.” She held up a hoof and in a quiet voice asked, “No, please stay. I don’t think Chance will want to be alone with me.” The young colt’s fear and surprise was suddenly tempered by bewilderment. He knew what he had seen, but why was Cheerilee now acting apologetic? Very cautiously, Chance settled onto the bed, not taking his eyes off her. Cardio sat on a stool on the corner and looked disinterested. Cheerilee closed the door but did not come any closer to Chance. She studied her hooves. “I’m sorry that you had to see that. It’s not very pleasant, I know.” “You were eating him!” Chance burst out, surprising himself. Cheerilee quickly glanced up. There was a touch of resentment in her expression, but it disappeared quickly. “No, that’s not correct. I was only taking a few mouthfuls of blood. Furthermore, I’ll have you know that he volunteered for it.” Chance’s mouth dropped open, the revelation knocking any response right out of him. Meanwhile, Cardio continued to mind his own business, staring at a corner near the ceiling and doing his best to act uninvolved. Cheerilee looked away again. “I’m not a normal pony, Chance. I need blood to live. It’s part of what I am, and I can’t change it. Back before the wasteland, I was involved in a project, one of many, to create superior soldiers. I was young and not very understanding of the ways of the world. There were a group of us that underwent spells and potions testing to determine which worked best with the fewest side effects.” Cheerilee’s took a breath and let it out. “I was not one of the more desirable results.” “But... before the wasteland,” Chance stuttered. “That means you’re really old!” Cheerilee’s face showed mild surprise. Chance flushed. Even he knew it was impolite to talk about somepony’s age. “I’m sorry, I-” “Wasn’t thinking?” provided Cheerilee. Chance nodded. “How did you-” “Know what you were going to say?” Cheerilee’s lips turned up at the corners. Chance stared blankly. “Are you a-” “Mind reader?” The mare broke into a polite chuckle, not displaying the fearsome teeth that Chance now knew she possessed. “No, I can’t hear your thoughts; it’s just intuition. With age comes experience, you know.” Cheerilee’s mood cooled slightly. “And this isn’t the first conversation like this I’ve had.” Looking over at Cardio who was still sitting in the corner, Chance asked, “When did you find out?” The stallion looked up, momentarily surprised at being spoken to. “Well, ah...” “It’s a story for another time,” Cheerilee interceded smoothly. “Chance, if you’re feeling better, maybe you’d like to go back to your room. Please don’t tell anypony what you’ve learned here. It helps keep all the little ponies safe.” Seeing that he wasn’t about to be devoured like he originally feared, Chance was more than happy to leave. However, on his way out the door he paused. Ms. Cheerilee was, well... a whole lot more frightening to him than she had been earlier. At the same time, she was being remarkably straightforward about this. Was she really so bad? “I’ll keep it a secret,” he said. Cheerilee nodded, giving him a thankful smile. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” As strange as it may have been initially, things in the stable seemed to fall into a routine over the next few weeks. Chance kept up with his schooling and tried to keep his mind off what Ms. Cheerilee might be doing outside the classroom. That didn’t last, however. One day, Cheerilee returned to the stable escorting an injured mare and her severely ill filly. Chance was standing in the atrium when Cheerilee came in carrying both the new arrivals. Her movements were urgent, and she took both of the ailing ponies straight to the clinic. Chance stood there, surprise still holding him. He knew these ponies. They’d lived near his family. There had been a husband, wife, and two foals. Chance frowned. What had happened to the others? The same thing that happened to his own family? He shuddered and hurried towards the clinic. By the time he got there, Cheerilee had come out and was leaning against the wall. She took off her helmet. Her face was grim. A couple of other stable dwellers had appeared. Any new arrival in their midst was a break in the monotony. Chance spotted Ghillie and walked over to talk with her. She was another pony who knew Cheerilee’s secret, although there was no way Chance would disappoint Cheerilee by discussing that subject in public. “Cheerilee had said she might have located some ponies in need of help,” Ghillie told him. “She went to get them today. I didn’t know the foal was in such bad condition. It looked like some kind of sickness.” Chance was solemn. “I know both of them.” “Really?” “They lived near me. The mom’s name is Wheatseed. The daughter is Poppy, and I played with her a few times.” Chance decided not to mention the rest of their family. It seemed that there was nothing that could be done for the missing ponies now. Concentrating on the most important things; that sounded like something Cheerilee would do. “We’ll see what can be done,” Ghillie told him. “I’m not a doctor, so I don’t really know how bad the two of them are. I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait for answers.” Chance nodded reluctantly. He turned to go. Cheerilee gave him a worried but encouraging smile as he passed, somehow finding the time for him despite the grim situation. With a sigh, Chance headed off to try and sleep away his worry. It didn’t work. The next day, Chance was in class listening to a lecture about plants and fruits. Many of the more exotic ones hadn’t been seen since before the wasteland was formed. “And I have a special treat for you,” Cheerilee announced. She took a vibrantly-colored spherical object from a box and displayed it. “This is called an orange. It’s a citrus fruit. Down in the science labs, they’ve only just managed to clone them from leftover seeds.” All the students scrambled for a closer look. Cheerilee peeled some kind of thick rind off the outside of the orange, exposing a juicy core. She distributed wedges of it to the class. Chance eagerly chewed on his. It was perhaps the best thing he had ever tasted. He noticed that Cheerilee didn’t partake, however. After class, he stayed around. “Is there something you wanted to talk about?” Cheerilee asked, smiling. “Have you tried oranges before?” Chance asked. “It was amazing!” Cheerilee nodded, a flicker of memory crossing her face. “Yes I have, long ago. I managed to get one of the few oranges the science lab has grown to share with the class. It was worth it to see you all so happy.” “Maybe I should do something nice for you,” Chance said. “I still owe you for rescuing me.” “Oh, don’t worry about that.” Cheerilee waved a hoof. Chance stepped forward, leaning in close to Cheerilee. “You’re so busy and don’t leave any time for yourself. I know you must have a hard time getting what you need to survive. I... I want to help.” A look of sadness settled on Cheerilee’s face. “No, Chance. You don’t know what you’re saying.” “Please, Ms. Cheerilee.” Chance swallowed hard and forged ahead. “I would let you drink my blood.” Cheerilee’s jaw clenched and she looked away. “I’ve never liked the taste, but it’s the only thing I can consume. Don’t feel slighted - I don’t want to drink from anypony, Chance. Despite my hunger, you need it more than I do. You’re still a growing pony.” She looked at him again, seeming almost apologetic. However, to Chance the teacher appeared almost saintly. Cheerilee might not like who she was, but to Chance she was the best role model he’d ever known. It was the best example of making the best of a bad situation that he had ever witnessed. Seeming eager to change the subject, Cheerilee said, “Ghillie told me you know the ponies I brought in the other day.” “That’s right.” Chance nodded. “Why don’t we go to the infirmary and see them?” Happy to spend more time with Cheerilee, Chance agreed to go along. He also wanted to see his friend Poppy and check how she was doing. Cardio met them at the clinic with a weary, tired face. Cheerilee’s body language was instantly on edge. She asked, “Did something happen?” “The young filly had one of those vicious wasteland diseases,” Cardio related. “There’s no solid information on how to treat some of them. I don’t know of any cure, and we didn’t have it here in the stable anyway.” “How is her mother?” Cheerilee asked. Cardio looked guilty. “I’ve kept her in an induced sleep. I was trying to figure out how to break the news.” Chance slowly edged out of the room. Cheerilee glanced at him with concern and took her leave from Cardio. Out in the corridor, Chance slumped against the wall. Cheerilee carefully sat down beside him. “She’s just gone?” he whispered. “Life is so precious.” Cheerilee sighed. “And so fragile.” “But... you’re pretty much immortal, right?” Chance turned in earnest to his teacher. “Could you do that to some other pony? Give them that?” Cheerilee opened and closed her mouth, struggling for an answer. She glanced away for a moment before returning to Chance. She still didn’t meet his eyes, however. “There is... a way. It is no blessing, no gift, however. I told you what I go through on a daily basis.” “Isn’t that better than being dead?” Chance insisted. “I told you that I was part of an experiment,” Cheerilee recalled quietly. “My results didn’t turn out so well, but at least here I am now. Others weren’t so lucky.” “What happened to them?” Chance asked, his voice barely audible. “I’ll give you one example. Have you ever heard of a red striped zebra wandering the wastes, one who is unkillable?” Cheerilee asked. Chance gulped. He had never heard of a red striped zebra before but everypony knew that it was the nation of zebras attacking that had something to do with causing the wasteland. He shuddered to think about what an evil zebra with super powers would do. “But you aren’t a zebra monster. You’re nice, and you help ponies.” Cheerilee looked away again and didn’t reply. Chance touched her leg. “Right?” Turning back, Cheerilee placed a comforting hoof on Chance’s shoulders. “I’ve had a long life, Chance. Everypony makes mistakes.” Cheerilee sighed. “In the case of the zebra I mentioned, she was actually fighting for Equestria.” Chance mumbled, trying to word his surprise. “I know it’s unusual,” said Cheerilee. “Things like that happened from time to time. Wars do inspire strange acts. But back to the story. I never got to know the zebra, I didn't even know her name, but I suspect that at some point early on our paths must have crossed. Perhaps the ponies that helped make her what she was learned from what I became. I was working for Princess Luna long before her sister ever stepped down, years before the war. So I’m fairly certain that the project that created the red zebra learned from what I am. “I’ve heard that she possesses some of the same traits, though to a much greater extreme. I can actually be destroyed, though I was altered to minimize that risk. But the zebra... she can’t be destroyed, and because of that she is reckless and destructive. She has probably died thousands of times by now.” “Wait, wait,” interrupted Chance. “She’s died thousands of times?” “Probably. It’s hard to explain and I don’t actually know how it all works. I’m not a unicorn and even with unlimited learning I don’t think I’d understand the magics necessary. But the point is that it’s damaged her as a pony, or zebra in her case. She doesn’t have control of herself half the time and has hurt a lot of innocent ponies. I saw her fight once, a few decades back. It was disturbing. She is a monster as much as she is a hero, though with time I expect she has probably fallen farther down a dark path.” Chance took a step back. “But you could beat her. Right?” “I don’t know, and I’m not inclined to find out.” Cheerilee glanced down at Chance’s fearful expression. “But I know I could keep everypony safe, and she was far away the last I heard.” “But, you’re still a nice pony, right Ms. Cheerilee?” asked Chance. Cheerilee paused for a moment and then winked. “As long as you do your homework.” Chance’s snort turned into a smile. Cheerilee looked appraisingly at Chance “I hope you understand why I can’t do this to another pony, Chance. I was lucky. I lasted through the end of the world and didn’t lose myself. All the others like me, and the ones that I had tried to change, slipped down the wrong path before the bombs and spells even dropped.” “I understand,” said Chance morosely. “I’m sorry that happened to you. But it sounds like you’ve done a lot of good.” Chance wasn’t sure, but he thought Cheerilee seemed surprised. She replied, “I have, Chance. It took me a long time to find solace in that. It means a lot that you can look past what I am and see what I try to be.” Chance smiled. “You’re welcome.” Cheerilee stood up, changing the subject. “Well, I bet you could go for something to eat.” Cheerilee always seemed to know what he was thinking, so he just nodded. Cheerilee turned to walk towards the cafeteria. Chance quickly followed. before stopping. “Um, Ms. Cheerilee?” Cheerilee stopped and turned around. “Yes?” “What does solace mean?”