“What do we have, an hour left?” Cheerilee craned her neck to look at the clock. “Right then, instead of the science lecture, I have a surprise for you!” Cheerilee couldn’t help but be amused at the way the faces of eighteen foals all simultaneously lit up.
“I knew it! We all got A’s!” said Sweetie Belle. The low din of anticipation grew in time with her comment.
Cheerilee went behind her desk and uncovered the box from Sugarcube Corner. To be truthful, she had been looking forward to the cupcake party just as much as the children, but she was happy to see their excitement at getting the treats, knowing that they had worked so hard for them. She lifted the box to her desk with her front hooves.
“Now I know the agreement was that if the class averaged out to eighty-five percent, I would buy cupcakes for you on the first day back. You actually averaged eighty-four percent.” A few disappointed sighs came from the class. “But I figured, ‘why not?’ You all worked so hard, so I put a two-point curve on the grade that pulled that average up to an eighty-five. So, as promised, here are your cupcakes! Everypony line up single fil—”
The sudden rush of students bursting from their desks was enough to end her speech early. Despite the fact that they all rushed from their seats, they still formed a semi-orderly line. One by one, they took their cupcakes back to their desks, and the line shrank with them. Finally, the last foal went through the line, leaving behind two extra cupcakes.
Cheerilee watched the children begin to socialize amongst themselves, the different friend groups forming up in different corners of the room. Twist, Featherweight, Pipsqueak, and Truffle Shuffle were near the front of the class, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Diamond Tiara were along the far wall. The fact that Diamond was no longer antagonizing the trio was going to take some getting used to. Still, it was what it was, and it seemed that Diamond was getting along with Apple Bloom the best out of the three.
I wonder what Apple Bloom knows about Marble Pie.
Cheerilee blinked in surprise and scrunched her muzzle at her own thoughts. Why in Equestria would seeing Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara being friends trigger that whole chain of thinking?
But what if she did know something more about it?
Cheerilee shook her head, blinking hard in an effort to get the thought out of her head. She and Big Macintosh were just friends, and the fact that he had found somepony for himself was a good thing. There was no use being jealous over this. Nothing good ever came from a love triangle.
No matter how hard she mentally scolded herself, the pang in her chest wouldn’t go away.
“Miss Cheerilee?”
The voice of Piña Colada snapped Cheerilee out of her rapidly snowballing train of thought.
“Yes, Piña?”
“Is there anything to drink?”
“Oh, yes. Of course.” Cheerilee stood up to address the class at large. “Would anypony like some milk?”
The party ended with the final bell, and the students all said their thanks as they frantically put on their winter gear and left for the day in their usual stampede. The room was empty, save for Cheerilee, and she too was preparing to leave.
Truth was, she needed to leave. The classroom was beginning to feel like a prison cell that she couldn't wait to spring free from, and a nice, long walk around town sounded like the best medicine. Ever since the thoughts of Big Macintosh suddenly invaded her mind, she’d been moving with nervous speed, and the mere thought of talking to anypony seemed like a monumental proposal. She thanked the Sun above that the students hadn’t taken notice of her state, lest she have a panic attack in the middle of class.
She didn’t even bother grabbing her bags, instead just throwing on her scarf and locking the door behind herself; she could come by later to pick up her stuff. For now, she just needed to get away and get Big Macintosh off of her mind. After she locked the classroom up behind herself, she took off down the dirt path in front of the school, her hooves crunching in the little bit of residual ice left in the wake of the previous week’s snowstorm. A left turn would take her back towards town, and a right would take her to Sweet Appl—
No, not even thinking like that. She turned left, starting down the hill that separated the town proper from the schoolhouse. Ponyville was covered in a sheet of snowfall, though it was starting to become more sparse than it had been the day before. The weather team had another snowfall scheduled for that evening, and another cold front would probably be required to keep things chilled for the ongoing winter season.
Only two more months until Winter Wrap Up. You can make it, Cheerilee. She crossed the small bridge over one of the town’s creeks, taking care not to slip on the ice on the bridge. Cheerilee picked up a steady lope after she crossed the bridge and took a moment to admire the town’s scenery. Ponies were out and about today, enjoying the very minor relief of the slightly less chilly day to go out and run errands. A few buildings were still decorated from the holiday season, and coupled with the snow on the roofs made them look reminiscent of gingerbread houses at Hearth’s Warming.
Big Macintosh and Marble Pie probably enjoyed themselves at Hearth’s Warming.
Cheerilee made a mental note of how easily her thoughts were provoked today; it was taking nearly anything even marginally related to the… news to kick loose her brooding.
But what was it that was making her so jealous in the first place? She’d never really felt this way about Big Macintosh before now, so what was different? Was she seriously getting possessive over him just because he’d found another mare?
That made it sound as if they’d been an item before. Aside from nearly getting married while under the influence of love poison, there was never any relationship between them. They’d just stayed friends since that nearly fateful day, plain and simple. So why here? Why now?
Now that she thought of it, what exactly happened on Hearts and Hooves Day? Could it be a subconscious jealousy implanted because of something she and Big Macintosh had done under the influence of the love poison? Did Sweetie Belle casually omit something in her explanation when she and Big Mac were cured of the potion’s effects?
A small shiver ran down Cheerilee’s spine as she ran a few possible scenarios through her head. It didn’t last long, though, because she probably would have found out about anything like that long ago. She sighed in relief at having ruled that possibility out; She definitely didn’t need something like that hanging over her head.
Funny thing about that love potion. It really doesn’t have anything to do with love at all, Cheerilee thought. It basically forced two ponies to be madly in love with each other regardless of how they might have felt before they drank it. It was powerful enough to turn mortal enemies into lovers. It was actually a little frightening to know that three school-age fillies could create something with that kind of power.
Cheerilee’s hoof caught a crack, tripping her up just enough to jar her from her musing. She looked around and realized that she was out in front of the former site of the Golden Oaks Library, which was now just a patch of bare earth after Twilight’s friends dug up the remaining stump to use as a decoration for the new castle.
I wouldn’t hang a massive tree root from my ceiling even if I had the space to do it. She hadn’t really thought about it before, but tree roots hanging from the roof seemed that they would have an almost creepy look. She could understand the sentimental value that the tree would have held, but that still wouldn’t have swayed her personal tastes in decor. To each their own, she supposed.
Cheerilee walked on, not really picking a direction so much as just continuing in the same direction she was already pointed.
Could I even see myself with Big Macintosh? Would we even work as a couple? Cheerilee formed a mental image of Big Macintosh, making sure to give him a warm smile like he always had around her. He was a very handsome stallion, to say the least. Broad shoulders, thick and rippling muscles from working the fields, green eyes so deep and thoughtful that she could just lose herself in them...
Where did that come from? Cheerilee blinked, letting herself forget Big Mac’s physical appearance. Instead, she tried to focus on his personality. He was always kind, helpful, an excellent listener, and…
He’s probably here.
Cheerilee's train of thought derailed yet again as she rounded a corner, this time ending up in the Ponyville marketplace. It was a much less active place than it was during the growing season, but there were still a number of goods for sale. Some of the growers still had some stock left to sell, and craftsponies were unhindered by the onset of the winter.
The Apple family was one of those vendors still with some stock. A number of preserves, were set on top of the family’s counter, including one rare leftover jar of Zap Apple Jam that hadn’t sold in the usual rush to buy them right after harvest.
And behind that counter was none other than the object of her thoughts; the Apple of her mind’s eye himself, Big Macintosh.
Cheerilee froze, her eyes fixed on him. He was currently busy with a customer, so he didn’t notice her staring at him like he was Death himself coming to reap her soul.
What do I do? Should I go talk to him? What will he say? Her legs suddenly felt weak, as if her knees could go out at any second. A swarm of butterflies formed in her stomach, though they felt intense enough that it could have been called a swarm of parasprites. She was starting to become aware that she was staring at him, and it was only a matter of seconds before he noticed her and her ship was sunk.
Buck up, Cheerilee! You can do this! Just go talk to him, see what the situation is, maybe catch up a little....
...and run. Running is a much better option. With that, Cheerilee turned tail and left the marketplace as fast as her wobbly legs would carry her. Despite her mind running at fever pitch, one single thought stood out to her:
I need advice.