Chapter 20
It was still quite early in the morning but late enough that Joe was confident that he’d not wake Fluttershy. He was determined to do something for her but as he did not know what help she’d accept he’d burdened himself with most of his tools. With fortune today would be less confusing than yesterday with its kissing and invitation and confrontation and massive amounts of talking. The walk back to his hut had been an uncomfortable one as he belated realised just how much he had said and how much he was at the mercy of Twilight Sparkle taking more care with her letter than he had with his words.
Joe crossed the bridge over the stream and knocked on the front door of Fluttershy’s cottage. As on his last visit there was a brief pause before a small voice called out.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Joe, I thought I’d visit you.”
“Oh, Joe, hello,” said Fluttershy, accidentally rhyming as she opened the door and peered around it at him. “What do you want?”
“To see if I can offer any help,” Joe replied.
“Oh, erm, come in.”
Joe accepted the invitation and automatically ducking his head he entered the cottage. True to her name Fluttershy fluttered around shyly as she decided how to deal with her unexpected visitor but then a good first step occurred to her.
“Tea?” Fluttershy offered.
“If it is not too much trouble.”
Fluttershy nodded. “Please, sit down.”
Feeling more like an intruder by the moment, and that perhaps he should have written a letter with an offer of help rather than making it in person, Joe sat. He felt guilty that he was upsetting her but also some annoyance as it didn’t feel he’d been unpleasant. Then a raspberry sounded from near his boot and looking down he saw Angel Bunny had decided to greet him that way. More comfortable with this response to his presence Joe blew a raspberry back and while Fluttershy made the tea human and rabbit duelled with ever more flatulent sounding noises
“Erm, tea?” Fluttershy said as Angel Bunny turned slightly purple with how long and loud he was trying to sustain his latest effort.
“Thank you Fluttershy,” smiled Joe, rising to greet her and take his teacup and saucer from her.
“So… what sort of help?”
Joe sat again and sipped his tea and then shook his head slightly. “Fluttershy, I promise I am not here as a crooked handyman.”
“Handy…man?” Fluttershy asked, baffled by the word as Ponies neither had hands and nor were they men.
“I’m not going to wander around your cottage pointing at things and saying…” Joe began speaking with a rougher accent. “Well, yer in luk love, I jus’ ‘appen ta havva loada the right stuff ter solve that problem. But I can’t hang onto it fer long, so you’ll ‘ave ter give me an answer now or could cost more…”
To Joe’s relief Fluttershy giggled rather than looking horrified that humans would act like that to each other. It was another of those things where although he could say the crooks were considered despicable that it was also something that needed laws and morals against. She had a nice giggle and Angel Bunny stopped glaring as he saw his Pony was happier.
“You apologised for ignoring me, last time I was here,” Joe continued, speaking normally again, for him, “and I owe you the same sort of apology. As you reassured me I didn’t need to visit I didn’t that day or the next and the day after that was when you went to the Crystal Empire…”
“And when you had to help with Angel Bunny.”
“He had the good sense to enjoy being pampered by the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Joe said as Angel Bunny looked smug at his Filly appeal, “my help was at Sweet Apple Acres and with Winona. Still, that was that day and yesterday I meant to visit once I had finished reading, done my laundry, and gone into Ponyville to take the book back and do a little shopping. But it got a little late.”
“Why do you want to help me?” asked Fluttershy. She’d not seen Joe much for the months she’d ignored him and he’d ignored her so she was a little baffled by the change.
“The last week or so I seem to be seeing more of people and to have become more friendly with your friends,” Joe replied, not mentioning how friendly Rainbow Dash had been. “So it seems fair to offer you the same sort of help and friendship, especially with how you helped me and because you are worth having as a friend and worth helping for your own sake. Even if there was no obligation and I knew none of your friends.”
“Oh, erm, thank you.”
“I might have to see Pinkie Pie as well,” Joe mused before asking Fluttershy. “Did you hear about the visit she and I and Spike paid the Diamond Dogs?”
“Yes.”
“That was the last time I saw her and was the day before I saw you at Sweet Apple Acres… sorry for falling asleep on you, by the way… though technically you fell asleep on me…”
“What?” Fluttershy asked, then she remembered what she’d pretended. “Oh, yes, was comfy.”
“Maybe I’ll go to Sugarcube Corner this afternoon…”
“She won’t be there, or might not be, we are going to the Spa then.”
“Ah, thanks Fluttershy,” smiled Joe.
“We normally chat at the Pony Pet Play date,” Fluttershy explained, a little unnecessarily, “but as most of them had seen each other this week while Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were looking after them…” Angel Bunny snorted, he’d left to not associate with Spike and the other rabble. “We decided instead to have a nice pamper at the Spa.”
“I hope you enjoy it.”
“Thank you.”
“So, assuming you have a use for me this morning, it seems talking to Pinkie Pie might have to wait until tomorrow or the day after.”
“Do you have to speak to her?” asked Fluttershy.
“Probably not,” Joe admitted. “She came to my hut with the buns before so I can be fairly confident she’d visit if she wanted to chat with me, but it does seem it shouldn’t be all on her.”
“Oh, erm,” blushed Fluttershy, wondering if Joe was hinting about the fact this was his second visit here and that she’d not come to visit him.
Joe gave her a baffled look as he tried to figure out what it was that he’d said now. “So, did you have a nice time in the Crystal Empire?” he asked. “I heard about things from Applejack when she invited me to share the Apple family dinner that night and saw Dash and Rarity and Twilight yesterday, but I don’t think I actually asked if they had enjoyed the trip.”
“It was… nice.”
“And you gave a fine welcome and greeting, even if it was to the wrong Pony.”
“She was nice as well,” Fluttershy said, before allowing herself the vast tantrum of adding, “nicer than the real games inspector.”
“I hear she thought Shining Armour was very nice,” smiled Joe.
“Oh, ah… yes.” Fluttershy said, her blush returning.
“So,” nodded Joe, getting down to business, “what can I do to help?”
“I don’t know, what can you do to help?”
“There are probably a few odd jobs around here, or outside if your vegetable patch needs weeding or a fence straightening. I could help feed the animals here or help clear up the result, I did some voluntary work at animal shelters so I know there is a lot of feeding and cleaning as well as enjoying the cuteness.”
“I’m, erm,” Fluttershy stuttered. She was not sure if she wanted Joe’s help but she didn’t want to be unkind and rude and reject it. “Well, I have the next meal for my little friends ready so I suppose you can help me give it out.”
“I’d be glad to,” said Joe, intuitive enough to realise this offer was being made for his benefit. Like a child helping mummy in the kitchen by stirring when their mother, or father, was more than capable of doing it all themselves. And like what it felt like they did go to the kitchen.
“Mew,” said a small Cat, noticing the presence of servants to provide food.
“Hello,” Joe replied. The Cat looked at him for a moment and then sprang to land on his leg, just above his boots, and begin to climb his trousers. “I’m not a set of curtains,” Joe commented mildly before smiling to Fluttershy, “though this is an advantage of wearing clothes, even if there are still a few pin pricks.”
The Cat had got high enough to be within easy reach, and that if it flailed a tiny paw around to get a grip on the front of him that would endanger the parts of Joe that had been unresponsive to Rainbow Dash. Rather than risk damage to that portion of anatomy Joe plucked the Cat from his trouser legs, wincing as one claw snagged and he imagined the tut Rarity would give at the minor damage to the cloth, and looked it in the face for a moment.
“Mew,” repeated the small Cat.
“Indeed,” Joe nodded, bringing the Cat in closer to his body to hold it with one arm against his chest while his other hand provided a chin and ear rub. There was some contented purring until it noticed Fluttershy was putting down a bowl, then it began to wriggle for release. Joe let it hop down and it showed no further interest in him now there was food to be dealt with.
“Eat up little kitty,” smiled Fluttershy, enjoying the Cat’s enjoyment for a moment before looking to Joe. “Er, that bucket there with the grain first, please.”
“As you wish,” Joe nodded. He picked it up and followed Fluttershy outside and to an open grassy area that he wasn’t sure whether to call a large lawn or a small field. The size suggested the former and the number of animals the latter.
“If you can scatter the grain,” prompted Fluttershy, “then the ducks and other birds will be happy.”
“The ones that eat seeds at least,” Joe commented, taking a handful and trying to spray it out evenly with a flick of his wrist, then his eyes narrowed, “and maybe the ones that eat the ones that eat seeds, what a pretty Falcon.”
“Oh, er, yes, he nearly got to be Rainbow Dash’s pet.”
“He did?” Joe looked again at the Falcon. “Handsome then, and fast and agile does seem more like her than a Tortoise…”
“Tortoise,” said Fluttershy automatically, then she squeaked in embarrassment. “Oh! Sorry, I am so used to correcting people when they say Turtle…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Joe chuckled, trying again and managing a better distribution rather than throwing one clump of grain. “So why did she get Tank?”
“He helped her when she was stuck, rather than just flying ahead to the end of the race.”
The Falcon keekeed slightly, the rules had been to win the race and he’d have gone back. Maybe. Eventually. But now it was time to look regal and give his breast plumage a bit of a preen.
Cautioned by Fluttershy to leave a third of the bucket Joe continued to follow her and scatter grain until they reached her chickens. She greeted them all by name even though they seemed more interested in the grain Joe was scattering or pouring into their trough. This done she led Joe into a dark nearby building where a Bat swooped down from the roof and rather than make him continue flying or have to land and walk on legs and wings Fluttershy extended one of her own wings so he could hang from it.
“I’m surprised he is awake,” Joe said, craning his head for a slightly better look.
“Why?”
“Well, this fine fellow has fine large ears so he looks like he’d hunt insects at night with echolocation rather than being a fruit bat.”
Fluttershy blinked, her expressive large eyes showing her surprise. That was the sort of comment she’d expect from Twilight Sparkle and not from someone like Joe who was willing to hurt animals and, although he had reformed, had been willing to eat them. Maybe he did have more interest in Nature aside from if something was a threat or if it would taste nice. She gave a slight shake of her wing and the Bat unfurled his own to return to the rafters.
Back in the kitchen there was a covered bucket and Fluttershy saw there was an advantage of having Joe here as although she knew it had to be done she never liked having to do it. She told him to take that bucket and when he did she led the way to where there was a honking noise of welcome. Joe stopped and stared for a few moments before he could speak.
“A Seal?” Joe said more than asked. Then he looked more closely. “No, a Sea Lion.”
“You know the difference?”
“Sea Lion has little external ears and can bring its rear flippers to point sideways, Seal has no external ears and just drags its rear and flips along,I think…” Joe frowned. “I didn’t know the Sea or a large lake or major river was so close.”
The Sea Lion honked at this irrelevance, wherever he came from he was here now and he recognised the bucket. Recognising the honk Fluttershy gave Joe a faint smile. “Would you like to feed him?”
“Of course,” Joe nodded, taking the cover off the bucket and shoving up his sleeve before he got hold of one of the contents. He chuckled. “Heh, fish.”
“That is what they eat,” said Fluttershy, puzzled that Joe thought he knew the differences but seemed surprised by something so basic.
“I know, deadly carnivores in the water,” Joe replied, getting a grip and lobbing the fish to disappear with a snap and some chewing. “Even if the big eyes for seeing in dim underwater light and the flopping around on land makes them look cutesy there.” The Sea Lion honked and Joe lobbed a second fish. “I was just amused that he gets real Fish and I get Kibble.”
“Humans eat fish?” blushed Fluttershy, not sure if she was embarrassed that she’d not known this or that Joe knew what they’d given him.
Joe lobbed a third fish to vanish with a snap and a chew and a honk for another. “With some that’s the only meat they do eat.” He smiled to Fluttershy. “I know, that’s a shade of grey you don’t see.”
“What do you mean?”
“Fish seem more primitive or more alien,” Joe explained, lobbing a fourth one to the Sea Lion, “so they feel less moral objection to eating them.”
“I thought humans ate… er…”
“We don’t eat everything,” Joe said, “I did mention Vegetarians and Vegans, and even if a human is not on one of those paths there are animals that are considered as being too much like us to be acceptable to eat.” He sighed and threw a fifth fish to the Sea Lion. “Or at least these days and in my culture. I will admit that some things used to be acceptable…” The sixth fish was lobbed and vanished down the Sea Lion's gullet. “And still are in other parts of my world rather than it being as universal as I’d be tempted to claim.”
“Thank you, er, for being honest,” smiled Fluttershy as the Sea Lion honked in disappointment that the lid was going back on the bucket.
Joe followed as Fluttershy began leading the way back to the kitchen again but he was distracted by his thoughts. A pigeon being eaten alive by something like that Falcon seemed more brutal and cruel than almost any way humans ate, it certainly appeared more brutal as it struggled and was torn apart into bloody chunks. But the difference was that a human could have the compassion to imagine that feeling or what it would feel like to be swallowed whole. To start to be digested as you drowned or suffocated from trying to breathe the stomach acid surrounding you. So Joe had rather appreciated an instalment of a crime drama where someone had died from eating an octopus whole and alive.
The next bucket contained nuts and some larger grains and these were welcomed by various sizes of rodent. Joe watched and regained some good humour and then suddenly chuckled as a Squirrel glided down to join the others who lacked that ability and the mice and rats.
“What?” Fluttershy asked.
“The Cutie Mark Crusaders were talking about Skydiving…”
“Skydiving? Oh my.”
“And I talked about human methods, but one thing I didn’t mention were wingsuits,” Joe continued, “which are rather like a Flying Squirrel or similar creatures with fabric joining arms to legs and leg to leg. You can’t glide very far, and need to be going quite fast for enough lift, but gives two or three times as much horizontal distance as you have fallen.”
“I suppose that is better than straight down, though not as good as this little one,” said Fluttershy, getting a chirrup of agreement from the Flying Squirrel, “and I don’t think Pony limbs would be comfortable in that position.”
“One reason to not mention it, true,” Joe nodded, “and in your case you have wings anyway.”
The rodents fed they went back yet again and Fluttershy directed Joe to another covered bucket. She confirmed this was more fish and to his surprise led him out of her cottage front door and down to paddle in the stream. He’d not noticed the hole under the bridge in the shelter of its arch and as the narrow pointy nosed creatures came out of their hole to greet Fluttershy he squinted slightly at them.
“Are those Mink?” Joe asked.
“How do you know about Mink?”
“We have Otters where I come from, so Mink being here instead is another parallel between another country and Equestria, but some Mink did escape…” Joe paused and considered his next words. It was obvious to not mention this escape had been from fur farms but he realised that mentioning Otters had returned when rivers were cleaned up would imply they had been dirty, so that needed care as well. “Escape into the wild,” he concluded, throwing a fish to the Mustelid that Fluttershy had not actually identified. “There was concern they were displacing the Otters, but seems Mink are just not as fussy about rivers so when the Otters decided to move back in they did.”
“Otters are, erm, bigger,” Fluttershy said, giving the apparent Mink an apologetic look at suggesting their relatives would be chased off. They chittered a little until Joe threw them another fish as his apology for mentioning the defeat.
“Do you have Kingfishers here? Lovely iridescent blue birds…”
==
“He isn’t a freak,” growled Scootaloo.
“At least not where he come from,” Apple Bloom added, a little unhelpfully and wondering how many humans there actually were. From what Joe had said they were all over their world so there must be millions of them, maybe even tens of millions.
“Well, he is here!” sniffed Diamond Tiara.
“Indeed,” Silver Spoon agreed sycophantically.
“Girls!” snapped Cheerilee, almost trotting across the playing field outside the schoolhouse, the five pairs of Filly eyes turning from each other, and the other Colts and Fillies pretending to have not been watching. Cheerilee took a deep breath, it would be nice to get through one school day without this at morning break or lunchtime, but she had hoped for it to at least be lunchtime. Careful to not add ‘this time’ she asked the inevitable question. “What’s this about?”
“She’s calling Joe a freak!” Scootaloo complained.
“Joe?”
“That… ‘human’… who was so rude to me and that they keep telling tales of,” sneered Diamond Tiara.
“And y’all were so rude to him that even the pony running the stall nearby noticed,” Apple Bloom pointed out, “calling us liars and all.”
“Because you are! And he should show better manners.”
“Why?” Scootaloo asked with mock puzzlement. “You didn’t.”
Silver Spoon did not feel keen about making this argument, especially not in front of Miss Cheerilee, but she felt she should support her friend. “Diamond Tiara has a certain position in society so…”
“So the rules still apply to her,” Cheerilee interrupted.
“Yes miss,” agreed Silver Spoon, not echoed by Diamond Tiara.
“And Joe’s the one going to a social event in Canterlot,” Sweetie Belle said, breaking her silence, and not mentioning that Rarity had only said Joe’s suit ‘might’ be getting some use if he decided to go, “one hosted by Fancy Pants.”
“What? That freak?” Diamond Tiara almost screeched.
“Joe isn’t a freak,” retorted Scootaloo instantly, adding after a noticeable pause for thought, “and neither is Fancy Pants.”
“And how would that… that…” Diamond Tiara stuttered.
“Person,” supplied Apple Bloom.
“How would he get an invitation to something hosted by the most influential Pony in Canterlot society?” Diamond Tiara glared at Sweetie Belle in sudden suspicion. “Your sister did it!”
“Maybe,” admitted Sweetie Belle, “which shows her position in society.”
“An’ that shows Sweetie Belle’s,” Apple Bloom added, “though she don’t go round throwin’ tantrums and suchlike.”
“Girls!” snapped Cheerilee again. “If you can’t keep this discussion civil then it is over.”
There was a chorus of ‘Yes Miss’ before Diamond Tiara sniffed and turned her nose up at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Come Silver Spoon, over here is nicer.”
“Indeed,” agreed Silver Spoon.
The pair of them flounced off as Scootaloo frowned at them. She turned back to her friends and her teacher. “They’re just going to get away with that?”
“It seemed to me you were being just as rude to them,” Cheerilee chided her.
“You didn’t hear what they said about Joe,” protested Scootaloo.
“I know you like him and telling your wild stories about him…”
“With respect Miss Cheerilee they ain’t so wild,” Apple Bloom said, annoyed enough to slightly interrupt, “you can ask him or mah sister”
“Or mine,” added Sweetie Belle.
“Or Rainbow Dash, or Fluttershy,” Apple Bloom continued, “and they’ll attest ta th’ Everfree business.”
“Maybe so,” said Cheerilee, sounding unconvinced, “but I think you have said quite enough about it.”
“Yes Miss,” Apple Bloom said, echoed a moment later by the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Cheerilee nodded and left, keeping an eye on the pair and the trio to make sure they didn’t move back together to resume their arguing in the few minutes left of the morning break. After giving Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon another glare Scootaloo sighed.
“Why does nobody believe us?”
“Because Joe’s at least that lucky?” suggested Sweetie Belle.
“Come again?” Apple Bloom frowned.
“You know,” replied Sweetie Belle, adding as she looked at Scootaloo, “you both know, that he’s trying to avoid too much bother. And us telling stories is causing him some.”
The trio looked at each other and nodded. “Cutie Mark Crusader Mouth Shutters?” Scootaloo asked.
“Yes,” said Sweetie Belle.
“That seems fair with as nice as he’s been being with his time,” Apple Bloom agreed.
==
The conversation with Fluttershy about animals and where they could be found had been pleasant, more pleasant at least than the feeling of worms and grubs on his hand as he scattered those from a bucket for the insectivorous birds and some other creatures. Fluttershy had been surprised enough that Joe knew about Wallabies, and other marsupials, even before he mentioned that his country had some from the opposite side of his world, living in parks or having escaped those to breed in the wild. Joe meanwhile had been surprised by the contents of that final bucket and had needed to be careful to not comment it resembled fishing bait.
While they had been feeding her chickens Joe had noticed a couple of the posts holding the chicken wire were askew and that something seemed to have been trying to dig its way underneath it. He’d pointed that out to Fluttershy, she’d been willing to accept his offer to correct this, and fortunately Joe had brought his hammer and his shovel. The posts he’d straightened and hammered a little deeper and he’d dug and stamped the earth back into place where it had been removed. He was still looking at it and considering when Fluttershy returned.
“I’m not sure how long that will last,” Joe admitted, “it looks like Foxes or something trying to dig in.”
“They are a bother,” agreed Fluttershy, “I keep explaining they shouldn’t eat my friends but they keep pretending they have forgotten.”
“I hope the Manticore has a better memory,” Joe smiled, “but Foxes, and Manticores, have to eat something and a lot of what we’ve fed is the sort of things Foxes eat. Not like badgers who are bigger and burlier and eat earthworms.”
Fluttershy smiled back at the comment on Badgers. “You seemed thoughtful?”
“Wondering about stakes into the ground, like tent pegs,” nodded Joe, “or buckets of earth, or even cement, around the outside. Something to make it harder to dig or to bury the lower part of the wire deeper.”
“I am sure the Foxes will listen next time,” Fluttershy reassured him, looking through her mane as she got a sudden flush of embarrassment that Joe was either criticising her chicken run or offering to make it better or both. She still felt guilty about her chicken escaping, the Cutie Mark Crusaders searching into the nearby Everfree for it, and them nearly being turned to stone by that Cockatrice.
“I am sure they will,” said Joe, not actually feeling that sure.
“It has been… nice… talking to you,” Fluttershy said, managing to regain more confidence.
“And to you,” nodded Joe, trying to smile reassuringly, “even with the problem that so much more can talk around here that sometimes I am not sure what is wildlife and what are fellow residents.”
“I could make some more tea and I have some buns if you want to keep talking,” Fluttershy offered, summoning up some bravery and then blushing and looking through her mane again, “but only if you want to, I don’t want to make you think you have to if…”
“Thank you Fluttershy,” said Joe, not managing to avoid a tinge of impatience in his voice, “that sounds lovely, the sort of invitation I or anyone would accept or only very politely decline with regrets.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“No, I am sorry,” sighed Joe. He considered and crouched down almost onto one knee to bring his eye level down to hers. “You remind me of a very nervous little kitten and I should show the same patience with you as I did with her. But please, tea and buns is a lovely offer and, even if it wasn’t, you are beautiful in spirit and deserve to be treated with the kindness you show others.”
“Oh,” Fluttershy squeaked, blushing even more.
Joe rose and they started back towards Fluttershy’s cottage. On the way there Joe tried to think of something to say that would avoid more blushing and hiding behind manes. “Erm, you have Sea Lions here,” he tried, “and Twilight Sparkle didn’t seem puzzled when I mentioned Dolphins.”
“You know about Dolphins?” Fluttershy said, managing to show an interest.
“My country is an island with some in the seas around it, and I grew up close to the sea.”
“You did?” Fluttershy blinked, actually looking at Joe for whole moments. “I know about my little friends here on the ground, and the ones I meet in the sky when I fly, but I don’t know as much about the things in the Sea.”
“Most of what I know is second-hand,” admitted Joe, “you don’t see much of what is in the Sea when you are just looking at the surface from the shore or a ship or boat.”
“Oh,” Fluttershy said, again, sounding disappointed.
“But I do see seabirds and there are some important colonies of those on the small islands around my country…”
“Why only on the small islands?”
“Not only on the small islands, there are some on the cliffs of the main island,” Joe replied, wondering if Fluttershy was blaming humans. “But the same reason as why your chickens need protection, on the main island there are foxes and other predators so smaller islands make better nesting sites.”
Fluttershy nodded. “So there are important colonies?” she prompted.
“And as there are important colonies they write books and make films about them,” Joe continued. “It can be quite interesting how they balance the demands of swimming and walking and flying, or rather of flying in the air and flying underwater and of walking… do Pegasi use their wings to swim or do you use your legs or do you use both?”
Fluttershy stuttered her way through her answer to that sudden unexpected question and then became happier as she managed to steer Joe back onto regurgitating his knowledge like a Gull regurgitated fish for its chicks. As they finished the short walk and as he helped her make the tea and get some buns out he continued to chat away. He mentioned the Penguins of the other hemisphere who could only fly underwater but could waddle vast distances and mentioned there were other birds who were right on the edge and had to flap very hard to stay in the air. There were Manx Shearwaters who could fly great distances but barely walk with how far back on their bodies their legs were set, and who hadn’t been able to adopt the Penguin’s upright posture. And then there were the Gannets who were balanced, powerful fliers rather than gliders, excellent divers to catch their fish and able to swim strongly with wings and webbed feet, and who could strut around well on land.
==
“Girls!” Cheerilee snapped, for the third time that day, and leaving it unsaid that she did expect it at one time or the other, “I do not expect to have to warn you at lunchtime as well as at morning break.”
“We were just minding our own business,” protested Apple Bloom.
“And drawing ridiculous things you expect us to think will fly,” Diamond Tiara scoffed.
“We don’t expect anything from you,” sneered Scootaloo at her, “you were the one who came over here and stuck your muzzle in.”
Cheerilee looked at the table and the paper and pads on it did make it look as if the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been just sitting here. The things drawn on them were strange enough she could see why Diamond Tiara was able to make scornful comments, and with how poorly the pair and the trio got on she could understand why she’d unable to resist that temptation, but that did not make it right. She looked to the jewellery decorated Filly.
“Diamond Tiara, if they are sitting quietly then you do not seek out an argument with them.”
“They are not the only ones who want to use these tables,” Diamond Tiara whined in reply.
“Indeed not,” agreed Silver Spoon loyally.
“Where are your packed lunches then?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Or your pens and paper if you were going to use it for that?” added Scootaloo.
“We…we…” Diamond Tiara spluttered. “Silver Spoon was going to go and get them once we had secured the table!”
“I was?” asked Silver Spoon, before catching on. “I mean, I was.”
The pair covered their verbal lapses with a simultaneous ‘hmph’ and nose lift at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. This did not amuse them and amused Cheerilee even less. “The other tables are free now,” she pointed out.
“I prefer these ones,” Diamond Tiara replied.
“I said, the other tables are free now,” frowned Cheerilee. “Do I have to repeat myself again?”
“No miss,” Silver Spoon said a little hurriedly, “come on Diamond Tiara, let’s leave them to their scribbling.”
“I am surprised they don’t have even more ink on their hooves,” sneered Diamond Tiara before the pair gave a disdainful sniff and flounced off.
Apple Bloom frowned and looked to the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Ah’m getting right tired of them today.”
“Only today?” Scootaloo asked in disbelief.
“Girls,” said Cheerilee, trying to calm things, “I know how poorly you get on with them and I accept that you were just sitting here, but try to ignore them or tell me if they are bothering you rather than arguing.
“Joe did say some people were not worth arguing with,” Sweetie Belle nodded.
“I am sure he did,” agreed Cheerilee, after all the more you debated the more the contradictions and exaggerations of your tale would be exposed. “And I am sure he has said a lot of things.”
“In the library yesterday he said a lot to us about aero… aero…” Apple Bloom started.
“Aeronautics?” asked Scootaloo.
“Aerodynamics?” Sweetie Bell asked instead.
“Both,” nodded Apple Bloom.
Cheerilee looked again at the sketches and smiled. “What you have to remember girls is that he is a long way from home and telling you these stories probably helps him to not be so lonely. So it is kind of you to listen to them but that doesn’t mean you should believe them.”
“What…” exclaimed Apple Bloom, before quickly adding, “miss?”
“These are nice pictures,” Cheerilee reassured them, not completely truthfully, “but you don’t honestly think such things would fly?”
“Maybe not exactly these,” said Scootaloo, trying to not frown at her teacher, “but we worked out the mathematics with him…”
“And ah got a headache,” Apple Bloom added.
“Of course,” nodded Cheerilee. “Well gather up your things now girls, almost time for afternoon lessons to start.”
Cheerilee left and the Cutie Mark Crusaders sat for a few moments in stunned silence. They trusted and adored their teacher, or they’d have not been so concerned to get her a special somepony for Hearts and Hooves day and Apple Bloom would not have thought her good enough for her big brother. And although things had gone wrong then there seemed hints that Big Macintosh shared their good opinion of her.
“Ah don’t think she believes us,” Apple Bloom finally commented.
“Do we believe Joe?” asked Sweetie Belle, a faint hint of doubt creeping into her voice.
“I do,” Scootaloo said, “and I would even if Twilight Sparkle hadn’t checked his work.”
Sweetie Belle nodded, that argument seem unassailable. “So what do we do then?”
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I have now developed a deep hatred for Cherilee as she doubts the capability of flight that man possesses. Biscuit, we can fly!
3280409 She just doesn’t want the Cutie Mark Crusaders to be disappointed and doesn’t know Twilight Sparkle did check the maths. Microlight with fixed wings and a propeller does look bizarre compared with Pegasi or airships.
Thanks for reading.
3281153
Biscuit? Is that some slang from the common wealth I should know about?
3534160
I missed the reference myself.
Fluttershy still irks me, but she's getting better, I suppose. At least Joe's willing to point out her double standards to her. Again Joe show's he could be a decent teacher. Or a tour guide.
Oh boy if cheerilee saw an actual plane from our world she would be speechless
9771425
Personally I am disappointed in her that even though they had plenty of people to back them up to their truthfulness she refuses to even consider they could be telling the truth.