As with every morning, Cheerilee entered the classroom in which she taught. Every time, the smell of the hardwood floor, the chalk and the morning air brought a smile to her face. The prospect of a new day spent sharing her knowledge was all she needed to feel her best. She merrily trotted to her desk and dropped her saddlebags beside it. She opened her bags and picked a few folders from it. One filled with the homework she had corrected back home, and one with the documents she would distribute for the day’s lesson. Nothing could break her mood, her pride as a teacher would not allow it. She looked up, noticing the calendar. Today's date was circled in red.
Oh right! We’re welcoming a new student today. I completely forgot. Well, don’t sweat it Lee, you’ll manage. You always do. Rock on girl!
Rummaging through her saddlebags, she withdrew a new folder and slid out a single file.
Alright, let’s take a look at this admission form. Well now, that’s a name I’m gonna have to be careful not to shorten: Dirty Business. Nine years old son of Mister Shady Business and Miss Scarlet Gem. Reason for transfer: His family has moved to Ponyville. No cutie mark yet, I guess the crusaders will be glad to know one more pony who didn’t find his special talent yet. Oh, looks like we got a model student here! “A’s” everywhere. Perfect attendance and never sent to detention. Perfect! That's a relief. He shouldn't have any trouble catching up.
She glanced at the clock. It was almost time for class. In just a few minutes, the students would come pouring in. She took a piece of chalk and wrote on the blackboard: Welcome Dirty Business. She barely had time to drop the chalk before she heard the telltale sound of hooves from the first child to come in. As usual, Twist was the first one to arrive. A moment later, Cheerilee noticed an unfamiliar unicorn stallion standing in the doorway, at his side, a unicorn colt stood.
Aha, I guess this is the Business family.
“Welcome, Mister Business, nice to meet you. I presume this young boy is Dirty Business?”
The stallion took a few steps forward. Cheerilee’s eyes took in all the details she could muster: He had a gray coat with a striped black and white mane. The stallion was currently wearing a white collar, a red tie, a black fedora, and gold rings encrusted with jewels of all colors on each of his forelegs. As he spoke, he revealed the presence of a single gold tooth.
“Good morning, Miss… Cheerilee if I recall properly. Pleased to make your acquaintance. And yes, this boy is my heir. I trust I am leaving my son in good hooves, right?” he said, staring coldly at her.
A shiver ran down her spine, for a reason she didn’t understand, She couldn't put her hoof on it, but something was off about this stallion. “Of course, Mister Business. I care for all my students more than I care about myself. Rest assured, I will do my best to help him fit in.”
His stare remained as frigid as before. “I do hope so. Understand that I only wish the best for my son. I shall now take my leave as it seems your class is about to begin. I will let him introduce himself on his own. Have a good day, and you too, Dirty.” As he left, a large cigar floated out of a small pocket hidden under his collar and reached his mouth.
Cheerilee looked around the classroom and noticed that almost all of the students were there, except for three.
Three… Two… One…
A trio of fillies rushed in right as the bell that announced the beginning of classes rang.
“Made it!” The Cutie Mark Crusaders shouted as they reached their seats.
As predictable as ever. Cheerilee thought with a grin.
“Hello, everypony. How are you doing today?”
“We’re doing good Miss Cheerilee.” The students chimed all at once.
“Marvelous. Before we start with today’s class, I’d like to introduce you to a new student: Dirty Business.”
At the mention of the colt’s name, Diamond Tiara let out a snort and whispered something about ‘a new blank flank’ to Silver Spoon.
Dirty took a step forward to introduce himself. The colt had a grey coat and a black mane, and, just like his father, he wore a white collar with a short red tie.
“Hello, everypony. My name is Dirty Business and I am pleased to tell you that you are now all my subordinates. Glad to be your new leader.” He said with his chin raised high.
Cheerilee eyes grew wide for a second as she looked at him, incredulous. Her smile came back right away though. “I see you are quite the kidder. Glad you already feel at ease enough to joke around. We added a new row of seats recently, please pick one of those empty seat and I will commence today’s lesson.” She then erased the blackboard, took a chalk stick and started writing on the board.
He didn’t pay any heed to Cheerilee’s voice. Trotting to Diamond Tiara’s desk he declared, “You. The snotty brat. I want this seat so go away right this instant with your little friend.”
The sound of chalk shattering resonated in the classroom. Cheerilee slowly turned around, her jaw slightly hanging open. “ Dirty, what are you doing?...” she muttered.
Diamond Tiara was completely stunned. Her eyes were wide open and a completely flabbergasted expression adorned her face. Nopony ever talked to her like that before. “Why you little insolent—”
“Shut it! I told you to buck off!” Dirty shouted, cutting her off mid sentence. He then pointed a hoof toward Applebloom. “You! The cute one with the bow, come and sit at my side.”
“Wha? Me? No way! Ah don’t even know you. And seein’ how you treat yer new classmates Ah don’t want to get anywhere close to you.” She said, her eyes darting between Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo, looking for somepony to back her up. Gladly for her, Cheerilee’s voice rose.
“Dirty Business! First of all, I don’t want to hear any of my students talk to an other like that. I know changing school may not be easy but it doesn’t give you the right to act this way. I will let it slide this time but you better head to one of the empty desk right this ins—”
“Shut up, hag. I’m telling my lackeys who’s boss now. So get back to your blackboard and stop interrupting me.”
The sudden silence was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Every student held their breath as Cheerilee’s eyes turned into slits. She stamped a hoof down before she started talking.
“Ok, no more Miss Nice Cheerilee. You are in trouble now young man.” She walked up to him and bit his ear as she started dragging him to a stool in a corner of the class, with no further ceremony, she lifted him off the ground and dropped him on it. She then reached for a dunce hat and put it on his head. “I don’t like resorting to this kind of disciplinary measures, but you deserved them, mister. I’m going to have one serious talk with your father when he comes back to pick you up.”
“You’re going to have a talk alright when he knows what you did.” he mumbled while rubbing his sore ear.
“I don’t want to hear anything more from you until the end of the day. You’re already in trouble, don’t make me become more severe.” Cheerilee replied, before turning back to the blackboard.
And here goes your hopes of having a new model student. I don’t get it, how could he get so many praise from his previous teacher? Not even ten minutes in and he managed to make me snap… Was I too hard on him? Of course not Lee! You knew you’d get some difficult students when you learned how to teach. I guess I was just lucky not to find any of them before today. Remember, proper discipline is never wasted, it will serve him on day. Maybe not now, but one day it will. I think? Gaah! I hate this feeling, why do I feel so bad about doing what I had to do?
“Miss Cheerilee?”
Cheerilee stopped writing, and sighed softly. She did her best to restore her composure by bringing back her smile and erasing her frown. “Yes, Sweetie Belle?”
“I think you are writing your thoughts on the blackboard…”
“Wha—?” She facehoofed.
-----
The remainder of the day went by without a hitch. Cheerilee had to allow Dirty to leave the school when it became apparent his father intended to let him come back home on his own. She would need to wait until the day after to see him. Back home, she was pacing back and forth, still unsure she acted properly.
Come on, get over it. You may never have had any problem student before but there is a beginning to everything. Consider yourself lucky to have to deal with grade school students and not high school. These would give you one heck of a headache. Now that I think about it, I wasn’t an angel either back then. There really are days when I wish I could have the Spectrum’s support again. She stopped dead in her track. Hey, now that I think of it, I can!
Her face lit up. Cheerilee hurried to a chest she had in her attic and searched for a very specific book that was stored in it.
There it is! My college book. Now this brings me way back. She flipped through the pages, sometimes stopping to take a look at the photos of her previous teachers or some other student she used to get along with. One photo in particular kept her attention longer than the others. Back then, she and a group of five other students created a ‘vigilante’ team to fight off bullies. While they each knew each others very well, they only called to each others by their ‘code names’. The Kickflank Spectrum… I wonder what they look like now. Emerald, Cyan, Yellow, Orange… And Red.
She flipped a few more pages until she reached the signature pages. Her eyes scanned the pages looking for the messages she treasured the most and read them out loud.
“Hello Magenta, these few years spent with you were the best I ever lived. I don’t know what life will throw at us, but I know we will always prevail. Your partner for ever, Emerald.”
“Ssup Mage, how are you doing? Dude, I wanted to thank you for all the time you spent helping me with my studies, I never was the brightest apple in the bushel but thanks to you, I managed to graduate! Good luck. Orange.”
“Hey there, I heard from Yellow that you planned to become a teacher? Rock on Cheer! I always knew that you would take this path in life, if someone asks, I called it first! Never forget, Cheer, no matter how hard your job become,you are not allowed to lose hope. Sometimes you may need to take some hard decisions, and sometimes, you will probably doubt yourself (heck I know you well enough to know that you sometimes felt bad for the bullies we straightened up) but no matter what you do, we will always be with you. Cyan.”
“Magenta, I have a hard time believing it may be the last time I see you. Your path leads you to teach in Ponyville, while mine brings me to fly with the Wonderbolts in Canterlot. All I can tell you before we part is to always move forward, to never let go, and to break any wall that blocks your path. I’ll try to visit from time to time. Your best pal, ‘Yellow’ Spitfire.”
Cheerilee reminisced all the good times she spent with these friends, tough she wished she could have said her goodbye to Red in better terms. A disagreement led Red to leave the group before graduation and Cheerilee always regretted some of the things said back then. A light breeze blew through a window she had left open and pushed the remaining pages of the book to the last one.
Wait a second… I didn’t remember anyone signing on the last page.
“Hello Magenta, I know we didn’t always agree and our relations were always a bit rocky. I would not consider you my rival if we had always agreed on everything. I wanted to tell you I am sorry for how things ended between me and the Spectrum. I said things I now wish I could take back, and I understand why you guys thought I was making a big mistake. Who would have thought a member of our little group would eventually fall for a gang leader. I just wanted you to know I didn’t give up the fight against bullies and intimidation though, he may be a bit scary, but I am sure I can change him over time. It may take months, or even years, but I know one day I’ll manage to. That is my way of fighting. I would make the bet with you if I had the courage to talk to you once more but I am not ready yet. I pray that this message will help you forgive me and I wish you good luck in your path of life. Red.”
A few minutes passed as Cheerilee took in the last message she’d get from her old friend. Herself, she wanted to take back some of the things that were said when they last seen each others.
At least I finally know that she never really hated me. I wish I could have told her the same back then. Well, the past is the past, and I can’t change it. The teacher took one final glance at the signatures. Thanks guys, this is exactly the kind of cheering up I needed. She then lift up the book and hugged it tightly before heading to bed.
-----
At morning, Cheerilee arrived at the schoolhouse to start planning her students' lessons. A new day, a new adventure. Daring Do’s motto would always be true for Cheerilee. She learned that lesson years ago when she started teaching, and that day would be no exception. As usual, she followed her daily routine: reach her desk, set up her paperwork, and write a greeting message on the blackboard. Once again, Twist came in with plenty of time to spare as she opened her books and started revising the previous day’s lessons. Cheerilee was almost done organizing the day’s lessons when a knocking sound drew her attention. A look toward the classroom door revealed the presence of Shady Business, who beckoned her to follow him out of the room. Curious, the teacher followed suit. As she crossed the doorway she noticed two stallions standing at each side of it; both of them wore Sunglasses and had carefully combed their mane back. Mister Business wasn’t facing her, he simply started talking to no one in particular.
“I heard from my son what happened yesterday. I must say, I am quite displeased.”
There we are, seems like a good time to discuss how we will handle the case of Dirty.
“I understand your disappointment, Sir. I personally didn’t know how to deal with the situation at first. I would have preferred a more peaceful way, but I couldn’t let this go on. His behaviour is probably related to the recent change of school, after all it—”
He stomped a hoof and rose his voice. It barely betrayed any emotions, but if she had a thermometer with her, she was convinced that the mercury would be close to zero. “You seem to misunderstand me, Miss Cheerilee. I am not disappointed in my son, I am disappointed in you. It seems like I didn’t make myself clear on our first meeting.” He slowly turned around to face her as a light glow lifted his fedora to reveal his seething eyes. “You need to understand your position right now, Miss Cheerilee, I do not approve when my son gets denied his rights. I will let it slide this time, but i expect you to let him do his things uninterrupted from now on. Capiche?”
“Mister Business. Are you threatening me?”
“I am simply, ‘warning’ you, It would be a shame if something happened to you, right?”
What the... Oh. I see what it is. Now everything makes sense! The perfect grades, attendances and behaviour. His previous teacher was intimidated into leaving these.
Cheerilee stomped a hoof herself. “Well I gotta say I am not pleased with such ‘warnings’ as you call them. As a teacher I will not stoop so low as to allow any parent to try and bias me toward a student or an other. I treat all students the same, if they do good I praise them. If they do bad, I punish them. End of story. Now, if you would please let me return to my classroom, today’s course is about to start.” As if on cue, the bell announcing the start of classes rang. Cheerilee turned around to enter the room that was already filled with her students when the two stallions that were previously standing beside the doorway, blocked her path. “And would you mind telling your ‘friends’ to allow me in? I have teaching to do.”
Shady business drew himself a little closer, this time, his voice was barely louder than a whisper. “Miss Cheerilee, I thought such a smart and intelligent pony as you would have understood her situation by now, but it seems like I was wrong. As you said, good ponies are rewarded, and bad ponies are punished. Then I guess you will not object to having my ‘friends’ punish you. Right?”
Her eyes slowly became thin slits as she grit her teeth. Intimidation at its greatest. What Shady Business didn’t know yet was how it really affected the teacher. Fear she had none, only anger grew within her. The altercation was suddenly interrupted by Applebloom’s voice.
“Miss Cheerilee? Is there anythin’ wrong? Ah thought classes should have begun by now. Right?”
“Applebloom,” she replied, ”go tell your classmates that today’s class is canceled. I have important matters to discuss with Mister Business here, and it may take longer than I anticipated. Enjoy the day off.” It took only a few minutes before the whole room was completely empty. Most children seemed quite pleased to go home to play, only Twist seemed a little dejected by the turn of event.
Shady business snorted. “Quite commendable of you to spare the young ones. But do you realize that it only gives us more options to deal with you?”
“That I do, and that is what I was hoping for.” She muttered, a sly grin appearing on her face.
-----
Outside the schoolhouse, the Cutie Mark Crusaders trotted on their way home. Applebloom suddenly broke the silence.
“Girls, don’t you think somethin’ fishy is goin’ on? That sudden day off doesn’t seem normal. And Ah can only think of one other time when she did that. Back when Discord was released.”
“I remember that!” Chimed Sweetie Belle. “She sent us all home as soon as all the weird things started happening.”
“Hey things weren’t that weird. She probably just wanted to reward us for being good students or something.” Retorted Scootaloo.
“Not that weird? NOT THAT WEIRD?! Ah saw a funeral procession of apples buryin’ an apple pie!” Said Applebloom.
“And my mane turned into bacon strips! Whatever bacon is supposed to be.” Added Sweetie Belle.
Not yet content, both fillies finished with: “And you could fly!”
Scootaloo seemed unfazed. “See, only you two had weird things happening to them.” The glare they shot her made her gulp loudly. “Ok, maybe my day was a bit strange too. Your point being?”
“It’s simple really. Somethin’ is happenin’ again and Cheerilee is tryin’ to protect us. Ah can’t believe we’re the only one who came to that conclusion. Think about it, the new colt doesn’t show up at school, and his father needs to talk in private to Cheerilee. Ah think he’s here about what happened yesterday and that’s why she is sending us home.”
“If that’s the case, maybe we should get help?” Mused Sweetie Belle out loud. ”I know! We’re close to the library, I bet Twilight will help us!”
-----
Shady Business locked the classroom’s door as soon as Cheerilee, his goons and him were in.
“I have to say, your defiance impress me, Miss Cheerilee. If I didn’t know any better I would think you are willingly asking us to take care of you. Without the kids around, we even have our little closed room to deal with you. No one will come to your rescue.” A sadistic grin appeared on his face. With his hoof, he signaled one of his goon to get to Cheerilee. It surprised him how calm she remained through the whole scene, for a second, he even doubted himself. Usually, his victims would cower in fear and grant him anything he asked for at this point. A cigar appeared from under a fold in his collar and lit up before reaching his mouth. “Black Powder, you may proceed. Just try not to make her scream too hard, we wouldn’t want to draw too much attention too fast.”
“On it, boss!” Black Powder circled around the teacher, she kept staring at him, her eyes locked into his. “You look like a feisty one. I like that. For once I’ll have a chance to actually do something. You see, most stallions I have to roughen up collapse after a single hit. As for mares, I do not have that many chances to deal with them.” He kept getting closer and closer to her, her eyes never leaving his. He now stood right beside her. He crept one of his hoof on her flank and whispered in her ear. “For a mare like you I have one special treatment though. I am going to make you wish you never stood against us once I start—” He never got the chance to finish his sentence. Cheerilee’s hind quarter suddenly lift up and a solid buck to Black Powder’s hind legs made him lose his balance.
“Let me introduce you to my friends, gravity and floor!” Shouted Cheerilee as she flicked her neck, bit the stallion’s mane and swung her head. The sudden movement, combined with his previous loss of balance, sent him flying straight into the blackboard. He then fell flat to the floor, unable to get back up. Shady’s cigar fell to the ground as he couldn’t believe what just happened.
“Cider Barrel, get her!” he ordered.
The second minion rushed to Cheerilee. In response she started moving toward him and his boss. Each of her steps shook the ground. Her stare shot through them, stunning them for a moment. “Mister Business, you made three terrible mistakes when you threatened me. First, you underestimated me because I’m a simple teacher. Second, you dared to use intimidation as a tactic to make me bend to your will. I will let you know I will never tolerate bullies anywhere close to me. And finally, you and your minions touched me first. Now that you did, I am free to deal with you the good old fashioned way.” A quick movement of her neck made a brief cracking sound.
Cider Barrel broke from his temporary stupor. “Want to play though? Let’s see if you can handle this!” With a long jump he shortened the distance between him and the teacher. Using the momentum of his leap he locked a foreleg on the floor and spun on a dime to deliver a buck to his opponent.
“Is that really your best?” Cheerilee asked.
She lifted her body on her hind legs and struck both of Cider Barrel’s hind legs with her forelegs, blocking the full impact with her hooves. Without any hesitation she lifted his hind legs up to force him to stand on his forelimbs. With a blinding fast spin she rotated her whole body and bucked the now revealed underbelly as hard as she could. The grunt thumbled across the floor and hit the wall hard. His consciousness vanished as his breath had been completely expelled from his lungs, thanks to the precision of the hit he received.
Shady business mouth hung even lower. He shook his head to regain his focus, his eyes were burning with anger as he magically removed his hat and tie. “Bunch of idiots, I am not paying you to get beaten up by a mare! Always need to get things done myself.”
“Two for me, zero for the bullies.” Cheerilee said with a vicious grin. “You know, you are free to surrender any time, Mister Business. I don’t enjoy beating up opponents as weak as your grunts were. If you give up, I may even consider being lenient on your punishment.”
“You little bi— Bleh! Koff. Ptew!” He quickly spit the piece of chalk that went straight down his throat. In front of him, the teacher was toying with a few chalk sticks.
“Now now, Mister Business. I would like to ask you to refrain from using such language. We are civilized adults, and we can discuss this whole mess like such. Unless you still want to go at it? So, tell me, what is your decision?”
“That’s enough! I’ll make you beg for my forgiveness!” His horn started to glow as a red aura appeared around Cheerilee. For a second, she seemed surprised, but she simply responded with a grin, her stare locked into Shady’s eyes. “H-h-how is this possible? Why aren’t you affected by my magic?” Large pearls of sweat ran down his face and neck, his body felt tenser by the second.
A giggle was his first answer. “Come on, Mister Business. Most teacher are taught how to deal with rebellious unicorns, after all, a lot of earth ponies and pegasi have to teach them. Your greatest weapon is fear, that is what intimidation is for. With fear comes uncertainty, panic and bad decisions. I do not fear you, Shady. And as long as I keep my cool, I can easily perceive how you are trying to affect me!” His horn flared brighter and one of her front leg glowed intensively. “Right now, you are trying to lift my foreleg outward. I just need to keep some resistance inward and your telekinesis is nothing. Twilight Sparkle is probably the only unicorn able to forcefully move other ponies without their consent, don’t think you can’t compare to someone whose very special talent is magic.”
“Shut up! No one challenges Shady Business and leaves unscathed! I will crush you stupid defiance if it’s the last thing I do!” The glow of magic faded from Cheerilee’s body as the desks and chair in the room went afloat. A moment later every items rushed toward the teacher. Not caring about the noise that may alarm ponies outside the school, Shady used all of his power to try and end it once and for all. That didn’t come to be. Inches away from her, Cheerilee spun on herself and bucked the closest desks, clearing a way out of the furnitures flying at her. The sound of wood breaking and falling resonated through the room as she galloped toward the unicorn. A second later, Shady Business felt the air leaving his lungs after being tackled by the teacher. She shifted her weight in such a way the stallion was now stuck between her and the wall.
Cheerilee’s face approached his. Her angry stare locked into his. These eyes, they pierced daggers through all of his being. He felt all of his smugness and confidence drained in an instant. With a whimper he let himself fall to the floor and curled as if to try and disappear from Cheerilee’s sight.
“Really? All this arrogance gone so easily? Good thing you never had to face Fluttershy’s stare, cause mine sure doesn’t compare.” A sadistic grin covered her face as she whispered to his ear ”Now, how will we punish you properly?”
-----
Twilight Sparkle was galloping as fast as she could with the Cutie Mark Crusaders in tow. Following them, Rainbow Dash lazily flapped her wings while reading the latest Daring Do novel.
“Rainbow Dash, take it seriously already! If the crusaders assumptions are right,m Cheerilee is in danger!”
The rainbow maned pegasus only shrugged her wings, forcing her to quickly stabilize herself with a few wing flap to not hit the ground. “Yeah, yeah. Cheerilee, danger. Whatever.”
A second later, she found herself being forced to the ground by a forceful tug of Twilight’s magic. The novel suddenly was then forced out of her grip by the same telekinesis spell.
“Ok that’s it. No more Daring Do until this issue is resolved!”
“Aw, come on Twilight. I keep telling you she is fine. There is no way anypony is gonna hurt her. If you actually listened to me before we left you’d know that-”
“Stop wasting time with excuses and fly there already! At least you may be able to stall them long enough until I arrive myse-”
BAM!
As she had her head facing Dash, the unicorn never accounted for them to already be this close to the school building. The contact with the wall didn’t mix well with her running speed she concluded. A quick shake of her head helped dispel hear dizzyness and chased the spinning stars away. Not wasting a moment she rushed through the school hall toward Cheerilee’s classroom. A burst of magic vaporized the door, allowing her to dash inside.
“Don’t worry Cheerilee! Reinforcement has... Arrived...”
The scene before here wasn’t something she expected. Cheerilee calmly paced back and forth in front of a row of three desks. At each desk, a stallion was tied to a chair and copying something on sheets of papers. The sudden arrival of the ‘savior’ caught the teacher’s attention.
“Oh hello Twilight. I didn’t expect you to drop by. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
A second later, three fillies bumbed into the purple mare who simply stood still with her jaw slightly open. Dash then flew over her and landed gracefully in front of her. With a hoof she casually closed Twilight’s mouth.
“Hey Cherry. What’s up? Sorry about this little intrusion, Twilight got all panicky and stuff when the crusaders showed up at the library, claiming that you were in trouble or something.” Her gaze scouted the room. “I see you haven’t lost you touch.”
“Well I still do my best to keep in shape.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders slowly managed to pass the door frame blocked by the still shocked Twilight. “Hello again girls. I am touched that you felt the need to help me in the face of danger. I am really proud of you.”
“What?” Started Sweetie Belle.
“How-” Chimed Scootaloo.
“Is this-” Continued Applebloom.
“Possible!?” Finished Twilight Sparkle.
“Mind if I tell them about you, ‘sensei’?” Rainbow Dash asked the teacher.
“Not at all, I do not really hide my identity. I just stuck to Cheerilee by force of habit, but I have no problem with other ponies knowing my real name.”
“Well everypony, let me introduce you to Miss Cherry Lee, daughter of the famed martial artist Spruce Lee. Back when I was still participating in karate competition I was in the same school as she was. As time went by she even assisted her father in teaching the other students to help pay her studies, allowing her to become the school teacher she is now. Heh, I hate to admit it, but I never won against her in a competition. That’s what I tried to tell you at the library Twi, but you wouldn’t listen. And of course, I was totally spot on about the outcome of the situation. Good old Cherry Lee giving the bad guys the spanking of their life!”
“Did I just hear the name Cherry Lee?” Asked a new voice.
Everypony present in the room tuned their head to face the mysterious newcomer. Everypony except Shady Business who gulped loudly and tried to hide as best he could behind his desk. In the doorframe, a mare with a velvet coat and a burgundy mane stood. At her side, Dirty Business shook as if scared to enter the room. Slowly, the red colored mare advanced toward Cherry Lee, each of her steps gracefully bringing her closer to her. Her gaze locked on Shady Business for a second, then shifted to meet Cherry’s. Time froze. Nopony dared to move as they watched the newcomer glaring at the teacher.
“Are you the one who gave such a beating to my husband?” She asked with annoyance in her voice. Cherry Lee simply grinned and nodded. In a second, the mare lunged at Cherry Lee. But before anypony could react to stop her, they witnessed something they never expected to happen. Both of them simply hugged each others.
“Magenta!”
“Red!”
“It’s been so long! We really need to catch up eventually but I think there is something more important to take care of first. I just got back from a year long business trip to Zebrica, no need to tell you I was quite surprised that my son was at home instead of school. I made him confess to everything that happened while I was gone. Dirty Business. Come here. Now!”
The young colt reluctantly made his way in the room. He flinched when his teacher’s eye looked at him.
“I believe there is something you have to say, my son.”
Dirty did his best to look at Cherry straight in the eyes without shaking, and finally let out a loud “I’m sorry!” Not content with such a short apology his mother nudged him. “I... I am sorry I was acting like a ruffian to you and the rest of the class. I am sorry for using dad’s influence to intimidate you and the previous teacher I had. I only realize now how wrong it was of me to do such things. I always thought different caste of ponies had to be treated differently, anyway, that’s what dad told me before I started school. Mom wasn’t there to tell me how wrong it was back then.”
Cherry Lee’s stare softened. She nuzzled him briefly. “Apology accepted, though you will have to apologize to the other students as well. Today I think you learned a valuable lesson. Every day teaches you something new, whether you choose to learn it or not is up to you.”
He nodded and turned to face his father. “Father, this thing you taught me is the first lesson I choose to not learn from you. No more intimidation. From now on, I want to be a colt respected for my actions, not for who I am and who my parents are.”
“Well said, my son. Now about your father.” At the word ‘father’, Shady yelped and winced in terror. “I thought he had changed his ways and earned his life honestly as a tax collector for Celestia. Now I see he took advantage of my absence to dive back into his old habits.” Her hard stare shot daggers at Shady. ”Once we’re back home I’ll make sure to make Cherry’s punition looks like a fun game. You won’t hear the end of it for a while, ‘Honey’” At that, she turned around and elegantly walked toward the exit. “Cherry, I’ll come back later and give you my new address, feel free to come and say ‘hi’ from time to time. I will gladly enjoy spending time with you again. Dirty, come, we are leaving.”
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After the events of that day, everypony present helped Cherry Lee clean the classroom. Broken desks were repaired and all damage sustained by the walls were fixed with some of Twilight’s magic. Cherry Lee now spends most of her spare time with Scarlet Gem. They quickly dropped the nickname they had for each other and even had a few meetup with the other ex members of the Kickflank Spectrum. Apparently all of them eventually found out that Scarlet left them an apology message in their school books, none of them resented her for her past actions and were glad to counter back within their ranks. As time passed Dirty business got his cutie mark by defending some fillies being intimidated by older bullies. He even claimed to aim to become a royal guard one day, that way he could protect anyone as a living. Once again, intimidation lost against those whose hearts were in the right place. Those who will never stand idle when somepony needs a hoof, those who believe that friendship is the strongest force in the world.
Author’s note: Never forget guys, you are free to become whatever you want, you are only evil or good if you wish to be. You may have been influenced by your parents when you were kids but in the end, what you are today is the sum of the decisions you took yourself, whether you rebelled against what felt wrong or not. And don’t forget, intimidation has to disappear, too many kids suffer from it and not enough actions are taken. When I started writing this (a few months back) there was a new case of a kid that commited suicide because she couldn’t take it anymore. Saying things like “they will stop if you don’t pay attention to them” won’t solve the problem. Only actions will, and I ask of any of you who are reading this right now: If you see someone intimidating someone, do not just stand there, do something. Your actions speaks louder than anything else. extend the hand of friendship to those in need, trust me, it’s worth it.