A small stage had been tossed together for the charity concert in the park. Sunset and Rainbow were setting the equipment while Applejack and Rarity sorted out the snack table. Fluttershy and Pinkie had a couple of small pens set up to house a few animals the shelter had ready for adoption and were making sure all of them had food, water and toys to last the afternoon.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had begged their siblings to let them help out, so Rarity had decided let the two start setting up chairs while they waited for their friend Scootaloo to arrive.
The roar of an engine cut through the noise of preparation as Miss Prose rode in on her motorcycle, with Scootaloo in the side car. The teacher had swapped out her usual attire for a white T-shirt, a blue hoodie and jeans.
"Now Scoots," Prose instructed as the young girl all but leapt out of the side car and tossed her purple helmet onto the seat. "Your mother wants you to take your meds before you eat anything. Think you can do that?"
"Yeah I know, if I don't I'll get sick, can go play now?" Scootaloo replied and fished out a pill bottle from her backpack and swallowed a tablet.
"Yeah, have fun."
Miss Prose pocketed her bike's key and wheeled it over to behind the stage.
"Hey girls, can I park this here?" She asked.
"I don't see why not," Applejack replied. "Once your done there, mind helping my 'Bloom with the chairs?"
"No prob," Miss Prose replied. "Make sure my bike doesn't get nicked ok? It's the new model from Timberwolf Motors and I don't want to lose it after working so hard to finally afford it."
"Hey um, Miss Prose?" Apple Bloom asked not long after the small group finished placing the chairs. "Why does Scootaloo have to take medicine before she eats something?"
"Did you ask her yourself?" Prose questioned.
"Course I did, but she won't tell me or Sweetie." Apple Bloom replied. "I just want to know if she's ok, that's all..."
"Scoots is allergic to certain chemicals found in food, mainly theobromine," Prose explained. "It's mostly found in coco and chocolate, her body can't process it properly, so she'll get sick if she has too much. Her medication helps her body handle it so she doesn't get sick."
"Scootaloo is allergic to chocolate?" Apple Bloom said. "That's terrible!"
"As long as she takes her pills, she'll be fine," Miss Prose said reassuringly. "Just try not to let it get between you all as friends ok?"
"I won't," The youngest Apple sibling said. "I was just worried she was sick or something."
"Well now that you know, she'll be annoyed that you found out once you talk to her about it. Just tell her I thought you ought to know since the three of you are good friends. Now, I better make sure stuff is ready for the opening act."
The audience talked quietly amongst themselves as they waited for the show to start. Without warning Rarity began to play a slow melody as Miss Prose sat on a stool on stage and lazily leaned forward towards the microphone.
"Don't you know that you could tell me anything," she sang softly. "And I would tell not another soul...In the end when the laughter's gone, I think we both feel quite alone."
Applejack plucked a steady tune in harmony with the existing music.
"You can tell by the way I act around you that there is so much that I might know," Prose continued with a lazy grin. "Even so, it doesn't fill the emptiness that chills me to the bone."
"Now and then, I'll try to seek your company, looking forward to plans in store. Making promises I don't want to keep 'cause I've made them once before..."
"Some days I feel like a mess sometimes, I hope you think that's it ok. Searching endlessly for a distraction, just...to make it through the day." Miss Prose sang and pulled the mike of its stand and straightened her posture with a more lighthearted grin at the audience.
"So what if I don't have everything sorted out right now? I'll get there in time..."
The main melody repeated as Prose got of the stool, held the microphone in her left hand and stuffed her right into her hoodie's pocket. "Don't you know that you could tell me anything and I would tell not another soul."
"Go ahead, you can hurl your insults at me. But one day, I'll be gone."
"Quietly, you can make you confessions, through the string of truth as you speak in just. I can hold it within my heart 'till I am finally turned to dust..."
Miss Prose bowed as the song ended and sauntered over to the snack table as soon as she walked offstage.
"That was awesome!" Scootaloo said as she ran over. "I didn't know you could sing."
"It wasn't a very happy song though," Apple Bloom commented. "What was it about?"
"Some people have days where not everything seems to go right," Prose explained. "That song was about one of mine... Some things aren't all sunshine and rainbows."
"But you're alright now aren't you?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I got good food, good friends and good music, everything is awesome." Miss Prose replied with a smile.
The afternoon flew by, songs were sung, food was eaten and many an animal found a new home. The group was cleaning up when a noise from a trash can caught their attention.
"I got it." Sunset said and headed towards the disturbance. She yelled out in surprise as a black cat leapt from the trash and made a swipe at her. Sunset sidestepped the creature, the beast twisted around for a second strike, only to be caught in a net by Applejack.
"You alright Sunset?" the farm girl asked as she twisted the top of the net to keep the cat contained.
"Yeah, I'm okay."
"This looks like the same critter that attacked me." Applejack mused.
"And the same cat that bit Fluttershy!" Rainbow added. "So what do we do with it?"
"Is Miss Prose still here?" Fluttershy asked. "We could ask her to take it to the veterinarian to, um, to be put down..."
The girls fell silent at the notion.
"That sounds pretty harsh..." Rainbow began.
"But it has attacked people," Sunset stated. "What if it went after Scootaloo, or Sweetie Belle?"
"I don't like the idea either," Fluttershy added. "But you all know I want to be a vet and sometimes that means making the hard choices."
The decision was made. Rainbow kept an eye on Scootaloo while Miss Prose dropped off the crazed feline. When she returned, she was reluctantly roped into the effort to cheer up Fluttershy.
"You're the adult here," Rainbow bluntly said. "Maybe you have some advice you can offer."
"She's your friend," Prose replied. "I'm just the hired help."
"So you're telling me that you showed up, helped out and dealt with an emergency and you don't see yourself as our friend?" Applejack countered.
"It's not exactly professional..." Miss Prose replied.
"During school hours of course," Rarity interjected. "But you're on break and let's not forget the fact that you are only a few years older than some of us-"
"I'm twenty-three," the teacher deadpanned.
"Still you have taken time out of your day to help us- for free I might add, yet you refuse to help a pupil in need?"
The teacher muttered something that sounded like, "I'm a bloody side character not a damn sage...", before she sighed and ran a hand through her ponytail. "Ya really think I'm needed here?" she asked and received encouragement from the group. "Welp, I'll do what I can."
Miss Prose found Fluttershy crying quietly in a small area near the yet to be removed stage. The teacher's reluctant demeanor steadily gave way to an almost maternal look as she sat down next to Fluttershy and gave the girl a one armed hug.
"You made a tough choice Fluttershy, you'll never know if it was the right one, but sometimes you have you to think of the needs of many over the needs of a few, it's a choice humanity will always have to make and it's never easy." Prose said kindly.
"R-really?" Fluttershy sniffed after she had calmed down. "Have you ever made a choice like that?"
"Well it's hard to explain but yeah..." Prose replied. "My best friend was, is, not in a right state of mind, he did a bunch of illegal stuff. So I had to pick between the safety of everyone I knew over our friendship."
"What happened?"
"I don't feel like telling you the details but I tried to convince him, damn near begged him, to stop doing what he was doing, he wouldn't listen..." Miss Prose explained and took a deep breath. "So I turned him into the cops, saved a few lives and lost my best friend in the span of one day."
"That sounds awful." Fluttershy replied.
"Well eh, stuff happens, just remember what makes you happy and enjoy life the way you want to and stuff like that shouldn't get to you." Prose replied.
"What makes you happy?" Fluttershy asked.
"Uh, me? Well aside from my hobbies and some good food, helping people I suppose, guess I'm too nice for my own good huh?" Miss Prose replied with a smile.
Fluttershy smiled back. "Thank you for talking with me, it really helped to have someone who understands how I feel."
"I'm sure your friends would've done a better job." Prose stated.
"Who says you're not my friend?"
"The others said the exact same thing," Miss Prose sighed. "Maybe I should stop being so nice off hours."
"Why? Pinkie wanted to invite you to a party next week, I know Scootaloo and her friends love having you as a babysitter when everyone's busy and I really appreciate all the work you do at the animal shelter." Fluttershy stated.
"I'm invited to a party?" Prose asked, bewildered. "Huh, that's new."
"Of course you are, it's only fair after you've helped out today."
"But, I'm like, five years older than you and your teacher..."
"Well you could be there as adult supervision." Fluttershy suggested helpfully.
"Why are you all being so nice to me?" the dumbstruck teacher asked.
"You would do the same for us wouldn't you?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah, but I'm the adult, I have to act my age, set a good example..." Prose trailed off. " I'm not doing a very good job right now am I?"
"It's ok, no one's perfect." Fluttershy said.
"I came here to help you, not the other way around." Miss Prose said flatly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't offend you did I?" Fluttershy apologised.
"No, it's cool, how about we head back? I gotta get Scootaloo home anyway... Tell Pinkie I'll meet her at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow around midday to talk about that party." Miss Prose said.
The group finished cleaning up, Miss Prose was pulled into group hug courtesy of Pinkie Pie and left to take Scootaloo home shortly. Fluttershy's return made the mood all the more cheerful and with plans set for the last week of the break, the girls went home with smiles all round.