//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Storm Cheerilee // Story: The SweetieMash Chronicles // by Justice3442 //------------------------------// The SweetieMash Chronicles Chapter 11: Storm Cheerilee Love Tap trotted over to the door, and reached for the knob. She attempted to force a natural expression even as the gravity of what she had help do started to weigh down on her. She placed her hoof on the knob and heard a quiet jingle as her shaking hoof touched metal. She raised her free hoof and put it on her arm to calm her shaking somewhat. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Unsurprisingly, but no less jarring, Cheerilee stood on her porch and leveled a scowl that seemed like it might very well melt solid steel. What was surprising was that Rarity was standing behind Cheerilee. Her presence helped calm Love Tap a bit and added great credence to the idea that she wouldn’t be spending the evening in jail… probably. Love Tap forced an earnest smile despite the fiery glare that was being leveled at her. “Hello, Cheerilee, Rarity,” Love Tap said as she nodded politely at both mares. “What brings you here this fine evening?” she said as she attempted to sound as natural as possible. Cheerilee rolled her eyes. “Oh, you know. Rarity and I were just in the neighborhood and she’s told me so much about you, so I figured I’d just stop by and ask ‘WHAT THE BUCKIN’ HAY?!" Cheerilee roared angrily as Love Tap’s ears flopped down and her calm countenance cracked instantly under the scream. “Uh…” Love Tap frantically searched for a response. “Wha… why would you want to ask me something like that?” Love Tap replied as she smiled nervously. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you helped BLOW A HOLE IN MY SCHOOLHOUSE?!” Cheerilee answered as she pushed past Love Tap and stormed into the tan mare’s home. Love Tap shot a nervous, pleading glance at Rarity and motioned with her eyes for her friend to come inside. Rarity flashed an expression that all but screamed ‘you owe me big-time’ and wordlessly walked inside the house, standing to the side of Cheerilee and Love Tap. “Sa… someone blew a hole in the schoolhouse?!” Love Tap cried in the best surprised tone she could manage. “That’s terrib—” “DON’T YOU PLAY DUMB WITH ME, MISSY!” Cheerilee roared as she pushed her face up against Love Tap’s. “I know Sweetie Belle’s friends were involved. No one else would cry”—Cheerilee rolled her eyes—“ ‘CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS JAIL BREAKERS, YAY!’ before blowing a hole in the school.” Love Tap winced. I probably should have explained to the girls the value of being discreet before we set off. Love Tap sniffed the air and scrunched her muzzle up. “Have you… have you been drinking?” “Don’t change the subject!” Cheerilee said quickly. “Also yes… BUT THAT’S NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW!” “Well...” Love Tap began, “… I mean, you’re probably not thinking with a clear head, so…” “YOU HELPED BLOW A HOLE IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE WITH FIREWORKS!” Cheerilee screamed. “I wouldn’t be thinking with a ‘clear head’ if Celestia herself flew down from her ivory tower and bestowed me with perfect, magical clarity!” “Uh… What makes you think I had anything to do with this?” Cheerilee narrowed her eyes at Love Tap. “I saw someone wearing a familiar looking hat flee the scene. Also, Rarity suggested you might do something drastic since your son was involved in the fight that got Sweetie Belle in trouble anyway.” Love Tap knitted her brow slightly and shot a glance at Rarity who shot a slightly irate look back. Love Tap’s lips dropped ever so slightly into a frown. Alright, I guess I can’t be mad at Rarity for knowing me well enough to predict I might try something… I mean, there’s a good chance she’s the reason it’s just her and Cheerilee at my house and not Lady Justice… Cheerilee continued, “I can understand feeling protective for a child in one’s care. Though, I never dreamed one of my student’s parents would encourage and aid in such reckless behavior.” Love Tap’s nervous worried expression suddenly shifted as she felt a tinge of anger well up inside her at the reminder of what had caused her to react so rashly in the first place. “Well maybe there wouldn’t be a hole in the side of the school if you just let Sweetie Belle off! She was only trying to protect someone she cared about!” Rarity’s eyes went wide as she quickly stood on her back legs and waved her arms back and forth in front of her in a desperate bid to get Love Tap to back down. Cheerilee narrowed her eyes further. “Actually, Rarity convinced me to do just that before the fireworks went off.” As quickly as her anger came, Love Tap felt it flow out of her like someone letting all the air out of a balloon. Oops… “Uh… well she shouldn’t have been punished in the first place!” she quickly said as she attempted to keep some footing in the argument. “Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon torment those three relentlessly from what I’m told! And to think they’d even verbally abuse my poor Button Mash…” Rarity smacked a fore hoof against her face. Cheerilee eyed Love Tap suspiciously. “You know an awful lot about what happened for a somepony who was claiming ignorance just a little bit ago.” Love Tap’s eyes widened. Double oops… “Still,” Cheerilee begin, “I suppose I can’t prove you we’re involved, and I already have a hoofful of culprits, so…” she trailed off as she kept a close eye on Love Tap. Love Tap recaptured her previously released anger and directed it at Cheerilee. “Hey! Now that’s just playing dirty!” “How exactly is punishing someone for what they’ve done ‘playing dirty’?” Cheerilee asked. Love Tap cringed. Uhg… why does this whole thing have to feel like I’m back in school again being grilled for something my teachers are only ‘pretty sure’ I was involved in?! Of course they were usually right… I guess it’s likely the kids won’t receive any punishment that’s too severe, but I can’t in good conscious just let them take the brunt of something I had a hoof in. She sighed, and looked at Rarity. “Please tell me Lady Justice or some other law pony isn’t hiding outside to take me to jail…” Rarity smiled. “It’s just the three of us, dearie.” Love Tap scrunched her lips towards the side of her face. “Alright, I admit it. The kids didn’t act alone…” Cheerilee’s angry expression began to soften slightly. “There, was that so hard?” Love Tap narrowed her eyes at Cheerilee. “Yesss,” she hissed out. Cheerilee took a few calming breaths. “Now that that is out of the way… WHY THE BUCK DID YOU THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO BLOW A HOLE IN THE SIDE OF THE SCHOOLHOUSE?!” “I’m sorry, okay!” Love Tap exclaimed. “One of my children was bullied, and the pony who defended him got in trouble for it! I couldn’t just let it go!” “Well you could have, I don’t know, talked to me about how you felt instead of resorting to high explosives!” Cheerilee cried. “Oh, I don’t know…” Love Tap replied as she smirked. “I thought it communicated the message of how I felt quite well, actually…” Cheerilee flashed Love Tap a rageful glare as she suddenly pulled her forehoof back. Rarity’s eyes went wide as she quickly inserted herself in between the irate mares. “Uh… how about we keep things to a nice, if energetic, discussion instead of resorting to blows. I don’t think anypony here wants to resort to violence.” “Oh, I think I do…” Cheerilee said as she glared at Love Tap. Love Tap smirked. “Works for me.” “GIRLS!” Rarity said more forcefully as she glanced between the two mares and stomped a hoof on the floor. “Need I remind you both that there are foals in the house and indoor roughhousing is sure to draw their attention as well as set a bad example for them?” Love Tap and Cheerilee broke eye contact and sheepishly looked away from each other. Rarity smiled. “That’s better.” She turned towards Love Tap. “Now Love Tap, dearie, I’m sure we can all agree that breaking Sweetie Belle out of detention via the use of fireworks on the school house was a little bit extreme." “A little?!” Cheerilee exclaimed. Rarity shot Cheerilee a quick scowl that silenced the mare. Love Tap huffed out a sigh before she replied with a, “Sorry, Ms. Cheerilee…” Cheerilee’s eyes widened slightly. Well that was odd. I’ve never had a parent talk to me as if they were one of my students... Maybe she didn’t have the best experience when she was in school… It might explain why… “Uh look… I get the whole ‘wanting to defend your kids’ part of this… I mean… my students mean the world to me. Since you’re sorry, I’m sure we can work out something…” Love Tap sighed. “You’re going to make me fix it, aren’t you?” “You and the children,” Cheerilee clarified. Love Tap uttered a defeated and frustrated, “Uhg!” She stared back at Cheerilee with a grumpy expression. “Fine!” Rarity smiled. “See! Isn’t that better than going to jail?” “Marginally…” Love Tap said. “Only because Button would be heartbroken if I got hauled off somewhere.” Cheerilee smiled and produced a small white sheet with something scrawled upon it and handed it to Love Tap. “There, this describes the extent of the damages.” Love Tap narrowed her eyes at the sheet. “This is just a crude sketch of the school with a smoking hole in the side that reads ‘THEY BLEW A HOLE IN THE BUCKING SCHOOL!’ drawn on a cocktail napkin.” “Sorry, dearie.” Rarity offered, “I offered to provide a more suitable medium for Cheerilee to record her damages, but she insisted she was ‘in the zone’.” Love Tap cocked an eyebrow. “Like, a bottle of wine worth into it?” Cheerilee narrowed her eyes at Love Tap. “Three glasses…” she qualified somewhat indignantly. She began to trot towards the door. “Now if you’ll both excuse me, I have to be at school extra early to supervise repairs.” She turned back at Love Tap and smiled. “See you, and all four of the foals, there!” Love Tap rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah…” She quickly murmured. “I hate getting up early…” under her breath. Cheerilee merely smiled to herself as she trotted out the door— “WAH!” --and missed her footing on the porch steps and went tumbling to the ground. Love Tap snickered to herself as Rarity poked her head outside with a concerned look on her face. “Are you alright, darling? Do you need any help getting home?” “I’m FINE!” Cheerilee declared as she raised herself back to her hooves and continued woozily walking away from the house. Love Tap trotted over to the door and shut it. She turned to Rarity with a thankful look in her eyes. “Thanks Rarity, I kinda lost my head there for a moment…” Rarity cocked an eyebrow. “When you decided it was a good idea to blow a hole in the side of the school, or when you were willing to get in a fight with Cheerilee in your own home?” Love Tap’s cheeks flushed crimson. “Sorry…” she said sheepishly. “I lose my head a bit when it comes to my children and their friends…” Rarity smiled. “Quite alright, dearie.” Rarity gave Love Tap a very serious look. “Still, Cheerilee is definitely still a bit miffed at what you’ve done.” Love Tap chuckled. “You don’t say?” “Quite,” Rarity said with a smile. “Though, I have a feeling she might be a tad more forgiving to the children since you were involved…” Love Tap gave herself a small smile. “Well, I guess it’s not so bad, then.” She looked back at Rarity. “I suppose I owe you a few bottles of wine and a few lunches.” Rarity giggled. “I suppose I can accept a few gratuities for keeping Cheerilee from running to somepony who would drag you and the children away to answer a few questions.” Rarity’s smile dropped ever so slightly. “Speaking of which, where are the children? I haven’t heard a peep out of any of them since I got here.” “Oh, they're probably all hiding upstairs.” Love Tap frowned. “Gee… I hope Button still isn’t in the bathtub…” Rarity flashed Love Tap a concerned look as the two mares started trotting into the house. “You just left your son alone in the bathtub? That’s concerning.” Love Tap shook her head. “Sweetie Belle said she’d clean him.” Rarity stopped dead in her tracks. “That’s just more concerning.” Love Tap chuckled. “It’s alright, apparently she’s done it before.” “Really?” Rarity said in mild disbelief. “I guess there isn’t a lot of expertise required to clean somepony else, but Sweetie Belle can’t even make orange juice without burning it! I mean… I love her with all my heart, but do you really want to trust your son in the hands of a clumsy, scatterbrained filly?” Love Tap smiled. “Relax! They’re adorable together!” she insisted as she continued walking towards the stairs, Rarity following. “And it sounds like cleaning Button is pretty safe compared to some of the other activities she’s dragged him into.” Rarity tittered. “Hehe, I suppose I can’t disagree with you there.” The two mares trotted up to the bathroom and Love Tap tried to open the door. The knob held in place and Love Tap frowned. “Hmmm… locked.” She rapped on the door lightly with a forehoof. “Sweetie Belle, Button Mash? Are you two alright?” “Uhhh… Tha…that depends,” Sweetie Belle stammered out from behind the door. “Is Ms. Cheerilee gone?” “She’s gone!” Love Tap assured. “You can unlock the door, now!” Button’s voice chimed in. “Are you… are you being held at spearpoint and being forced to tell us this?” “OH! Good question!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. Rarity giggled to herself quietly. “No, sweetie,” Love Tap assured. “Gunpoint?” Button continued. “Certainly not.” “… Laser-rifle point?” “Laser-rifles don’t exist, sweetie,” Love Tap replied. “… Magic-powered laser-rifles?” Love Tap rolled her eyes. “Button, there are no armed ponies here that are trying to trick me into getting you to unlock the door.” “… What about griffons?” Love Tap sighed and smacked a forehoof against her forehead. “There are no armed or unarmed any things out here that are forcing me to ask to have the door unlocked.” “Oh, well that rules out donkeys trained in bare-hoofed combat…” Button said. “I guess you can unlock the door now, Sweetie Belle.” The door knob glowed a faint green as a quiet click was heard. Love Tap turned the knob and gently pushed open the door. “There, you two can come… OH MY CELESTIA!” Love Tap exclaimed as she glanced inside. “What is it?” Rarity said with concern as she poked her head into the bathroom. Sweetie Belle’s eyes went wide as she saw her sister. “Eeep!” she cried before she plunged herself under the water. ‘Splash!’ “Hi Ma… om. Hi Ra-Rarity,” Button mash stuttered from the bathtub. “Are you two hiding in the bathtub together?!” Love Tap cried in disbelief. “Uh… yeah, ma…mom.” Button replied. “Can we come out now? The water is getting cold…” “Just a second, sweetie,” Love Tap said. “Let me go get my camera…” she uttered before trotting out the door. Rarity and Button Mash stared at each other as a pregnant pause slowly began to give birth to an awkward silence punctuated by the odd bubble from the tub. Button decided to speak up first. “So uh… what’s the sitch?” Rarity cocked her head to the side. “‘Sitch’?” “‘Situation’.” “Ah, yes, very clever,” Rarity replied. “Erm… Cheerilee is making you all fix the hole in the school, including your mother.” “Oh… well… I guess that’s not so bad,” Button Mash said. Rarity nodded. “Button, darling? Would you be a dear and pull my sister out of the water before she drowns herself?” Button’s eyes went wide as he dove for the water. “Sweetie Belle! Don’t do it! You have so much to live for!” He quickly pulled Sweetie Belle out of the water. Sweetie Belle gasped for breath and began breathing heavily. “Huff… puff… Do I—” Sweetie Belle swallowed “–Did I get a cutie mark in holding my breath?” “Uuuh…” Button Mash leaned his head over. “I can’t tell…” Love Tap walked in and began wordlessly snapping photos of the two young foals with a camera about the size of one of her forehooves. ‘Click.’ Sweetie Belle raised her flank out of the bathtub. “What about now?” ‘Click.’ Button Mash examined Sweetie Belle’s flank carefully. “Uh, still nothing…” ‘Click.’ “Rats!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “Taking a few mementos, dearie?” Rarity asked Love Tap. Love Tap nodded. “Also blackmail for when Button is being really difficult as a teenager. You should see some of the pictures I have of his older brother.” “Eeep!” Sweetie Belle cried again as she glanced at her sister once more. She dove back into the bubbly shallows of the bath. ‘Splash!’ Rarity smiled and rolled her eyes. “Button, darling. Can you pull my sister’s ears out of the water, please?” Button nodded. “Sure, Rarity,” he said as he reached down and lifted the young filly's ears out of the shallow water. “Sweetie, dearie?” Rarity said. “I’m not mad at you.” Sweetie Belle poked her head up out of the water, allowing her big, emerald eyes to just peek up over the tub’s edge. “You’re not?” Rarity shook her head. “In fact, I’m proud of you for sticking up for one of your dear friends.” Sweetie Belle’s face lit up. “You are?!” Rarity nodded as her face turned ever so slightly more serious. “Just try to defuse these situations with words and not violence next time, okay? I’m fairly certain I’d have to tell mother and father if you pummeled a couple of other foals or shot them with raw, magical energy.” Sweetie Belle’s cheeks turned a slightly-pinkish color. “Uh… right…” she said with a pensive smile. “Here,” Love Tap said as she set down the camera. “Let me rinse you two off and get you dried before you catch a cold.” Love Tap trotted up to the bathtub. Rarity smiled at Love Tap. “Well, it seems like you have everything well in hoof here. I’ll be excusing myself, now.” Love Tap frowned. “Can’t you stay for dinner?” Rarity shook her head. “I’m afraid I have a large order I need to get back to. I’ll have to take a raincheck this time.” Love Tap smiled and nodded as she began draining the tub water. “I understand. I’ll meet up with you for lunch sometime soon, alright?” Rarity nodded. “Of course, dearie. Oh, and Sweetie Belle.” “Yes, Rarity?” “Don’t stay out too late, you have to be up early to help rebuild the hole in the school.” Sweetie Belle frowned. “But I didn’t even do that!” she said squeakily. Rarity smiled and shrugged. “Sorry, darling, but I think I’ve smoothed over as much of this as I can with Cheerilee already.” Sweetie Belle sighed, “I understand…” Button Mash smiled and put an arm around Sweetie Belle’s shoulders. “Cheer up, Sweetie Belle! At least we’ll be able to fix the school together!” Sweetie Belle blushed slightly as she looked away from Button. “Yeah, I guess so…” she said with a small smile. In a flash, Love Tap picked up her camera once more. ‘Click.’ Rarity chuckled. “Oh! And do give Apple Bloom and Scootaloo my regards.” Love Tap, Button Mash, and Sweetie Belle all paused and exchanged concerned glances as they remembered the other pair of fillies were also hiding somewhere out of sight. “Uh… Scootaloo and Apple Bloom…” Sweetie Belle uttered. “Riiight…” “Do ya think it’s safe?” Apple Bloom asked in the darkness of the closed toy chest. “Can we even risk it?” Scootaloo replied. “You heard how mad Cheerilee was.” “Uh… good point… Ah just hope someone lets us know when the coast is clear. I got some of Button’s blocks jammed against ma’ flank and need to go to the bathroom, really, really bad!” Scootaloo sighed. “There’s an entire train set jammed in my wings.” “…” “…” “Hey, Apple Bloom…” “Yeah, Scoots?” “How long do you think we’ll be stuck in here?” “Uh… Ah mean, we’re not really stuck… We can leave whenever we want.” “Well, about that… I tried the lid a few times and it seems we’re actually locked in, so…” “WHAT?!” Apple Bloom cried. “So anyway… I mean… on the off chance we’re stuck in here so long one of us dies… do you think it’d be a good idea to agree whoever is still alive can eat the other one? You know… that way at least one of us should live long enough to be rescued.” Apple Bloom paused. “… SOMEPONY HELP US!” she cried out. “Ouch! Not so loud!” Scootaloo cried. “I mean… I’m sure we won’t be in here long enough that one of us dies… just… you know… in case we are…” “HEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLP!”