The Bat and the Teacher

by Ximer

A Forest and a Festival

Cheerilee let out a loud yawn as she began the morning struggle of crawling out of bed. Her to do list was rather lengthy today before she had her summer school student arrive for his lessons,. With the rate of his progress she assumed it wouldn’t be long before he could become a productive member of Equestrian society. Even though it was just a teaching bit, she had grown to enjoy Benjamin’s company.

The mare enjoyed the feeling that she was useful, even after the school year had ended. Her talent didn’t feel wasted or unappreciated. Cheerilee would rather be active than sitting around all day with nothing to do to keep her occupied. Teaching a new species the ins and outs of Equestria kept her mind sharp, and had even given her a few ideas when she returned to her normal crowd of students.

“Perhaps it’s time for the more complex issues…” Cheerilee said walking towards her closet. “I think they were up here.”

The closet was sizeable, and she had a stool that she used to reach the top shelf where she tucked a few of her school books and supplies away. Finding a box that she assumed contained the advanced history book, Cheerilee gave it a sharp pull, which threw her off balance. Thankfully she landed in her dirty laundry basket, cushioning her fall.

The box’s contents scattered about the floor upon impact revealing the books, and something she wished she had never seen again. There on the floor was what appeared to be a valentine with the initials BM. Cheerilee knew what it was before she even picked it up with trembling hooves and opened it.

Just as she thought, it was a card given to her by Big Mac, when they were still together. Cheerilee let the card slide out of her hooves as she closed her eyes with a sigh. Big Mac had been a ray of light when it came to romance. She was certain that she could never trust another pony with her heart after her previous experience that ended with a hate in her heart for the thestrals.

Big Mac had taken that hope and smashed into tiny pieces, and to make matters worse he had done so at night, which brought back horrible memories she thought she had buried in her subconscious. Cheerilee tried not to dwell on the past, but she found herself unable to focus on anything but the unwelcome memories.

Quietly, she tried to resume her regular morning routine of showering, eating, and getting ready for Benjamin. Cheerilee was still unable to think clearly as she poured a cup of coffee. She sat down at the table and stared into the dark, reflective surface of the liquid. Looking back at her was a steadily aging mare who wore an expression of defeat.

The coffee started to cool as events played back through her mind like a horrible movie. She had been a foolish filly, gullible enough to trust a pony because he was exotic. Her parents had warned her about him, that he was no good. Cheerilee had assumed they were just discriminating against him, but he eventually proved them right. He had taken something from her that could never be replaced, and was an unwelcome wakeup call about the reality of Equestria.

Cheerilee closed her eyes as she tried to force the rest of the memories back to the depths of her mind. She wanted to bury them permanently, but the damage was still done, made worse by having her heart broken by the stallion she thought was perfect for her. She felt a few more tears fall from her eyes as she brought the mug closer to her.

A tear drop disturbed the smooth surface of the coffee, causing Cheerilee’s reflection to shift. When the liquid settled once more she saw a new mare staring back at her. She recognized the image of Vesper, the guard that had come to Ponyville withBenjamin and swatted the coffee mug away. It shattered into several pieces, cold coffee spilling out onto the floor.

“Cheerilee?” Benjamin called from the other side of her door.

Cheerilee was unable to reply, her focus occupied by the mess she had made. She didn’t even acknowledge the door being forced open or Benjamin entering the kitchen until he crushed a piece of the broken mug beneath his shoe.

“Cheerilee, are you okay?” he asked, slowly kneeling down to her level.

“I’m fine,” Cheerilee said wiping a stray tear from her eye. “I just got startled is all.”

“I think you kicked the coffee mug’s ass pretty hard,” Benjamin chuckled.

“I suppose a bit of stress got the better of me,” Cheerilee mused, standing up to begin cleaning the mess she had made.

Benjamin, had opened up a cabinet and pulled a roll of paper towels out, already a few steps ahead of her. Her student made quick work of the mess, his speed taking Cheerilee by surprise.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Benjamin asked.

“I’m…I’ve got a lot on my mind right now, I’m sorry,” Cheerilee sighed.

“I know the feeling,” Benjamin commented. “I actually stayed up pretty late last night dwelling on a few things.”

“A student should get as much rest at night as possible,” Cheerilee chided playfully.

“A student also needs time to reflect on things,” Benjamin countered. “Besides, it was kind of hard to go to sleep with Fang hanging over me.”

Cheerilee shuddered at the mention of-wait, Fang? “I thought Vesper was watching you?”

“Vesper…went to go visit her family, Fang agreed to take her place for a bit,” Benjamin replied, looking away from his teacher.

Cheerilee tilted her head slightly, trying to figure out what he was hiding. She had been around foals long enough to know when they were hiding something. While Benjamin was no foal, his body language told her there was something heavy on his mind. The mare’s mind wasn’t much better, and so she pushed it to the back of her thoughts.

“Was there some kind of festival today?” Benjamin asked, derailing her thoughts.

“Festival?” Cheerilee looked up at the calendar and sure enough, it was Ciderfest.

“Celestia knows a bit would do me good…” Cheerilee commented.

“Come again?” Benjamin asked, picking up the pieces of broken coffee mug.

“Oh, it’s Ciderfest today, I almost forgot about it,” Cheerilee replied.

“Want to go with me then?” Benjamin offered. “I don’t think either of us are in the right mind to try to learn or teach anything.”

Cheerilee thought for a moment, but nodded in agreement. She didn’t really feel confident in ability to teach much of anything to Benjamin at the moment. Besides, a festival is always better when you have company.

---------

As we explored the ins and outs of the festival Cheerilee’s mood seemed to brighten a bit. Whatever had been on her mind seemed to be forgotten, or she was really good at hiding things. Having to be around foals all day, she had probably developed a pretty good mask to keep her own concerns to herself, which wasn’t the healthiest of practices.

I wish I could have taken my mind off of the revelation of Vesper’s affections, or what Fang believed were more than friendly gestures. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how oblivious I had been to simple hints. The night I found Rarity in my room helping her with makeup made sense now, she was just trying to get my attention.

I felt, confused, sad, and just a little bit frustrated all at once. It was a strange cocktail of emotions that I had never experienced before. Cliché thoughts like ‘did I love her back?’ or ‘why didn’t she say something?’ and the standard ‘we’re totally different’. I could remember an old saying from Earth that opposites attract, but being totally different species was pushing the boundaries.

“You’re side walking again,” Cheerilee’s voice brought me back to the real world.

“Side walking?” I asked.

“Just something I’ve noticed you do when you think while walking,” Cheerilee replied. “I mean you’re only two hooves away when you were six hooves away before.”

“Oh…sorry,” I chuckled. “I guess I never noticed I do that.”

“Something on your mind?” Cheerilee asked.

“Just pony stuff, trying to wrap my head around it all,” I replied. “Friend issues and all that good jazz.”

“Mmhmm,” Cheerilee hummed. “Anything you want off your chest then?”

I was about to answer when I heard my name called. I looked up to see Applejack waving at us from her stand. I saw several kegs filled with what I could only assume was cider, since that was the name of the festival, and kegs always seemed to be associated to either booze or water. Such stereotyping of kegs was uncalled for in my opinion.

Ya’ll enjoyin’ the festivities?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” I nodded. “So it’s an entire celebration about cider?”

“That’s tha short of it, there’s lots of drinks out here,” Applejack replied.

“So…is all of Ponyville going to get drunk then?” I asked .

“Unless ponies lost their tolerance all ah sudd’n Ah reckon not,” Applejack gave me a funny look. “Now folk that ain’t ponies might not make it through the day.”

“Ponies don’t get hung over…that doesn’t make any sense,” I crossed my arms.

I watched as Cheerilee purchased a mug and downed it as quickly as Applejack had poured it. She wiped her muzzle off on her foreleg and looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. She didn’t even flinch as she drank it, like it was nothing for her to take it all in one go.

“It can’t be that strong then,” I mumbled as I put a few bits down for a drink.

Applejack nodded and poured me a glass. “Good luck sugar cube, hopefully ya won’t need it.”

I studied the gold liquid in front of me, noting the pleasant scent it gave off. I noticed Cheerilee’s amused expression, perhaps she assumed I would puss out of partaking in a drink from a pony, one that could knock out things that were much stronger than me. Aside from the unicorn’s flub up at Canterlot, nothing they had done so far had been “harmful” per say; but a small nagging part of my mind was telling me not to do it.

Pissing away my gut feeling, I tried to down the glass like Cheerilee had done, but stopped after three gulps and slowly pulled the cup away. The taste was incredible, and it felt like my mouth was having a chain reaction of orgasms. It took me a few seconds to register Applejack waving her hoof in front of my face to get my attention.

“Ya okay in there?” Applejack asked.

“Perfect…” I mumbled as a tear slid free from my eye.

“Does it really taste that good to you?” Cheerilee asked, receiving a raised eyebrow from the farm mare. “I mean, it is too me, I just don’t think I’ve ever seen some pony react to it in such a way.”

I returned the mug to my lips and continued to steadily drink the intoxicating liquid. If the mares continued their conversation, I couldn’t hear them, my mind enraptured by the taste of the cider. Earth’s cider tasted nothing like this, its taste completely changed my perspective on alcohol.

When the mug was empty I whimpered slightly. Cheerilee reared up on her hind legs and managed to tap the bottom of the mug hard enough to release it from my grip. The now empty mug landed on her back, and in one smooth motion, she rolled it off onto Applejack’s stand.

“It tasted so good,” I said.

“I know, but there’s more to the festival than booze…even though that’s primarily what it’s about,” Cheerilee giggled. “C’mon, I bet we can find other things to do.”

“I’ll be back for the goods later,” I whispered to Applejack who gave me a wink.

----

Vesper stood at the edge of the long abandoned forest. Faded danger signs dotted a few of the trees, a few being no more than a single board held on by a nail or two due to exposure to the elements. All she had to go on was a weathered map that she had borrowed from the library.

“No sister of mine is foolish enough to venture into the Gnarled Forest alone,” a deep voice startled her. “Oh has all that time spent in the guard dulled her sense of danger?”

Vesper turned around to see her brother hanging from a branch. Wraith was very handsome and strong, and he had many mares vying for his attention. She was certain he would have found a welcome place among the Night Guard, but like their father he saw the ponies of the day as lesser beings.

“Of what business is it of yours if I do go alone?” Vesper chuckled.

“Brotherly concern for one’s little sister,” Wraith replied dropping down from his perch to stand between her and the forest. “Surely nothing in there is worth risking your life over.”

“I can handle myself, I’m sure the drill instructors can vouch for me,” Vesper said walking past him. “Perhaps you should send for their answer, of course by then I’ll have already returned with what I came here for. Alas, such is the contrast between our professions.”

“What is it you seek in the forest…other than the Dawn Fruit?” Wraith asked, his smile growing wider as a mortified expression crept over Vesper’s muzzle.

“Your expression speaks louder than any lie you intend to tell me,” Wraith continued. “Tell me, is it for love perhaps. Only love would drive a pony to such drastic measures, but you never struck me as the type to fall for a stallion that father would disapprove of.”

“He’s not a stallion at all though,” Vesper replied smugly. “Well, in the traditional sense at least.”

“Whatever your game is, just know what it may cost you,” Wraith snorted.

Vesper didn’t reply as she flew into the forest, the sounds of the night to night activities growing softer and softer on her ears. The sounds of her home were the farthest thing from her mind as she continued to mentally chew on what her brother had said. She wanted to be with Benjamin, but did he want to be with her?

Here she was, dodging sinisterly twisted branches as she flew through the Gnarled Forest, all for a human. She was willing to give up her very way of life to be with him. Worst case scenario was that she would be the first thestral to walk around in broad daylight without being exhausted after Luna’s return, as the fruit had been forgotten by the masses.

Her thoughts came to a grinding halt as the path that she had been following ended abruptly. Time had corrupted the path with tall grass and weeds. Vesper looked around for any sign that indicated where the path was leading but could find none. She considered flying above the forest, but it had already been attempted before, and there were terrible creatures that dwelt in the upper canopy, waiting for a pony like her to try and fly through them.

As if to confirm the rumors from the book she had found, her acute vision picked up a round shape sifting through the branches. No pony had been in this forest for hundreds of years, which meant that whatever was stalking her was more curious than hungry…for now anyways.

Not wanting to tempt fate Vesper hovered over the tall grass, only to find the path resumed a few feet ahead of her. It was then she noticed that the grass was moving behind her. The massive mound slowly crawled away from the path; the small gust created by her wings beats disturbing it.

“It’s okay Vesper,” the mare told herself. “It’s just a moving..patch of grass…”

Cautiously, the mare continued to follow the rediscovered path, determined to not leave until she gotten what she came here for.

---

Night had fallen, and the festivities were becoming more enjoyable as more ponies got off work and attended. There was no booth left un occupied, and the illumination from the lights against the darkness of night only added to the already enjoyable atmosphere.

Watching the drinking contest between Applejack and Rainbow Dash had started off rather predictable, until both rolled out of their seats, kissed, and then proceeded to pass out. Big Mac managed to drape both mares over his back before presumably returning to the Apple Family farm.

Cheerilee really seemed to be enjoying herself, forgetting whatever was troubling her when I found her earlier in her house. Perhaps it was the drink finally taking hold, or perhaps it was just being with her friends. Whatever the case, it made me happy to see her spirits lifted. I had almost completely forgotten about the looming ordeal I would have to trudge through with Vesper.

I liked her, and I’d be lying if I said we weren’t close. Staying up when she would normally sleep suddenly made sense, she was willing to give up her very nature to try and spend time with me. While I had forgotten plenty of things about Earth and my own life, something told me no one had ever thought about me so much, aside from my parents.

Still, she was a pony, a nocturnal pony no less, and staying up all the time couldn’t be healthy for her. The species gap was the biggest problem though, one that was hard to just sweep under the rug. The argument against this though made me pause. There was no other human alive, no one around to DO anything about it. Perhaps it was the drink stringing my thoughts along, but why not give her a chance?

Cheerilee tripped as we tried to cross a small stone bridge, giggling as she tried to pick herself up. I looped my arm under the mare and helped back onto unsteady legs, finding her laughter infectious. We found a spot on a hill that gave us a great view of the stars that seemed to stretch on forever, and seemed to be swaying back and forth.

“Ttthe sky looks awesome,” Cheerilee said.

“I know-right?” I nodded one too many times. “It’s…it’s…like all big and stuff.”

“Mmhmm,” Cheerilee said, falling backwards in a fit of laughter. “Bigger than Big Mac.”

“Wh-who-what’s with big horse?” I stumbled over my words.

“Big whorse is a whorse,” Cheerilee huffed with flushed cheeks. “He’s sssstupid, and I don’t like his…his…buck, I can’t think.”

“Cheerilee…Ch-Cheerilee, y-yu’re dronk,” I slurred.

“I-I-I am..amm…you’re drunk,” Cheerilee said. “All on your butt and….” Cheerilee poked my chest with her hoof. “I have my key, in…on…in my carpet..”

“Pfft, in your vag?” I chuckled.

“It’s nott a vag if it’s a vagiiine….buck me,” Cheerilee laughed.

“S-so do you like…need to go shit or home?” I asked the mare.

“I d-don’t need to shit, I maybe need to home,” Cheerilee said. “…kay I think I might be a bit drank.”

I nodded, and somehow managed to stumble to my feet, picking the mare up. I felt warm fuzzy things wrap around my neck which made me smile. There were several ponies that had already passed out, some falling in the street, snoring. Oddly enough Berry Punch was the only one that still seemed remotely sober.

My vision started to grow dim as we got closer to Cheerilee’s house. It was clear that the drinks were having an effect on my motor skills. Everything seemed so far away, and seemed to move at constantly changing speeds. Finally I grabbed the door know and stopped it from moving before my vision went dark.

---

A sharp pain broke the tranquil of my sleep, the normally pleasant chirping of birds sounded as if it were being blared through a loud speaker. I wanted to throw something at them, but I didn’t want to break the crystal windows. Twilight would probably kick me out or something, and I wouldn’t have my pink cov-wait, pink? Another troubling thought, why was I naked?

I rubbed my eyes only to find the same unfamiliar bed coverings. My brain tried to register what was going on, but..wait, why was my head hurting…and why did I smell like alcohol? Yesterday had been…something…a party? …No, a festival, that’s it. It was something about cider, and some mix that a berry pony made.

My thoughts we drawn from the conundrum my mind was currently working on by movement beside me. Reluctantly, I pulled the covers off my head to see…Cheerilee’s room? This day was starting to get weirder, how shit faced was I? My question was soon answered as a lump moved beneath the covers.

I felt my heart skip a beat as a familiar head poked out from under the sheets. Cheerilee and I were in the same bed…waking up together…and I was nude. Given the circumstances we both found ourselves in, I wasn’t sure whether to rejoice about possibly living out my fantasy of banging a teacher, or be scared shitless.

Author's Note:

Sorry this one is so short I've been moving into our apartment and dealing with other things irl.

Comments

[Phoenix999]

Ah, the inevitable scene we've all been waiting for. The only question being, how will it play out after the mandatory "I'm so confused" phase?

[Advent Link]

It never ceases to amaze that this type of situation happens so often, get drunk, sleep with someone, immensely regret it in the morning. Why do people not learn?

[The Blessed One]

Well... At least Vesper isn't around, that's a good point, right? Help me out guys, that is really the only good thing I found about poor old Benny boy's current predicament.

[Advent Link]

7679816 if anything happened that night, then unless our human tells vesper, the event will be a time bomb waiting to go off and the longer he keeps it a secret the worse it will be. We can only hope Benny boy went to bed in his skivvies for innocent reasons and nothing potentially heart breaking for our fluffy eared bat pony.

[The Blessed One]

7679834 So, the one good thing I found in the situation, is a time bomb?

Well, let's all have a moment of silence for old Ben. He lived his life well, until chapter seven...

[WorldWalker128]

7679834
It probably was innocent. I don't know about anyone else, but whenever I get so drunk that I can barely walk I feel really hot all over. If I was going to bed that would drive me nuts because I can't get to sleep if I feel too hot. Stripping at that point would not be out of the question, and he was also snuggling up to miss warm-and-fuzzy, which wouldn't have added any cooling effect.

[ClosetBrony]

Hi Ximer, I'm loving the story so far. I hope you'll be able to finish it (as your time allows of course). Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials! I wish you and yours all the best in your future endeavors wherever they may lead you.

[Macross84]

Faved, Definitely want to see where this ends up.