Alternate Beginnings: Year Three

by Doug Graves

6 Cheerilee

March 10th, 995

Another beautiful day in Ponyville; sun shining brightly, sky free of clouds, temperature just right, cool breeze blowing through town. Ponies walk about, getting last minute business done before the shops close up for the day, or just greeting each other, catching up after the day's work. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and their three foals walk along the road leading to the schoolhouse, waving at and greeting everypony as they walk by. They walk up to the front door, the awning above just low enough that Doug would have to stoop down if he came by. The columns on each side give the area a bit of grandiosity, just like the red brick and white stylized trim.

Applejack opens the door, the six filing into the one room building. Nine foal desks are arranged in the center of the room, giving the six ponies enough space to walk in and arrange themselves on the floor. They nod in greeting at the teacher standing behind the desk, a dark pink earth pony with rose hair. She greets them, "Hello! You must be the mares of Herd Apple; I thought I recognized you three. From the party last year!"

Applejack nods, "Eeyup, though Ah don't remember introducing myself then. Ah'm Applejack, and this here is Apple Bloom." Apple Bloom stares at the teacher, who looks back at her with a smile.

Rarity continues, "Yes, I do believe we met, though you haven't had the opportunity to meet my little one. This is Sweetie Belle." Sweetie Belle raises a hoof, waving at the teacher.

Miss Cheerilee smiles at Sweetie Belle as Rainbow Dash smirks, trying to contain her laughter, and says, "Yeah, we met as well. Scootaloo, say hello to Miss Cheerilee!"

Scootaloo sighs, annoyed at the forced pleasantries, and moves forward, "Hello, Miss Cheerilee."

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom echo her, sounding much happier to be there, "Hello Miss Cheerilee!" Sweetie Belle continues, "How are you today?"

Miss Cheerilee smiles down, "I am doing well, Sweetie Belle. Are you ready for class to begin next week?" The three foals nod as Miss Cheerilee looks to the three mares, "Rainbow, what's so funny?"

Rainbow looks up at the ceiling as Rarity glares at the pegasus, "Oh, well, you know, um, you changed your hair!"

Miss Cheerilee nods, running a hoof through her styled mane. "Oh, you like it? I heard it is all the rage, it's so fun and frizzy!"

Rainbow laughs out loud this time, pointing at the jagged curls, "Yeah, like ten years ago!"

Rarity sternly says, "Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow Dash says, "What? I wore my hair like that too, I just outgrew it! And it wasn't nearly that wavy!"

Rarity sighs, "Don't listen to her, Cheerilee, it looks really good on you. I just love how you styled your tail too, not many mares can pull off three distinct curls!"

Miss Cheerilee looks back, "Well, two of them do tend to run together, but I do what I can. Now, is there anything I can help you with before the start of the new year?" She steps away from her desk, walking over to the three foals.

Rarity gasps, "Oh, Cheerilee, your cutie mark! You got it! How did it happen?"

Miss Cheerilee smiles, looking back at her flank. She proudly displays the three smiling flowers, "Oh, this? I got it just last year, when I started working with some of the new foals. One of the families, the Rich herd, hired me to do a bit of tutoring for their newest two members. It was my first real job, they were really taking a chance on me, and now here I am!"

Rarity nods, "I can imagine that it was a very trying time before that happened. Were there not a lot of opportunities in Canterlot? I've heard they can be real sticklers for that sort of thing."

Rainbow Dash and the trio of foals are getting bored, Rainbow propping her head on her hoof and the foals starting to move restlessly back and forth. Applejack and Rarity listen intently as Cheerilee continues, "Oh, well, not for a young mare without her cutie mark. You wouldn't believe the competition for any sort of position, even entry level jobs! I was still going to class, and wasn't really able to find a lot of work there. I came to Ponyville on a whim, and was able to connect with a few of the families. After I went back to Canterlot, well, the other students there were nice, I suppose, but they really didn't care. They could be a little cliquish sometimes, you know? I went back for a little after I got my cutie mark, to attend one of the parties, and you would not believe who was there!"

Gasping, Rarity asks, "Who? Who was there?" as Rainbow Dash pulls out a set of cards and moves to one of the nearby desks. The foals gather around her, Rainbow laying the cards face down on the floor.

Cheerilee suppresses a squeal, "Princess! Cadance!" Applejack and Rarity glance at each other, "I mean, most of the other students were treating her as if she was just an ordinary student, but I couldn't help but watch her for a little, you know? She seemed so distraught, like she was really worried about something, but there was this flicker of hope, you know?"

Applejack stammers, "Wow, seeing the Princess, that must have been, something, right?"

Rarity adds, also stammering, "Yes, it must have been the highlight of your... school year? party?"

Cheerilee grins as the foals start flipping pairs of cards, looking intently at them before flipping them back over. She says, a lovestruck look in her eye, "Well, there was this stallion there as well, Buck Withers, and he glanced at me, but he seemed interested in the Princess, too! But, why would he want me in his herd, when he can have half the cheerponies?" Cheerilee sighs, "There don't seem to be too many eligible stallions here, either. But, now that I have my cutie mark, the market should be wide open, right?"

Rarity giggles, looking over at Applejack; the earth pony sighs, "Yeah, Ah had the same problem for a long time, too. Like you said, not a lot of stallions around here, especially not many that are interested in farming as much as Ah am. But who knows? Ah'm sure the right stallion is out there for ya, just have to start looking."

Cheerilee nods, smiling at the two, "Well, I suppose we should get back to the topic at hoof. How are your foals doing?"

The three mares look back; Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom have small piles of cards next to them, Scootaloo has four cards, and a sour faced Rainbow Dash has zero. Applejack laughs, "Good job there Dash, letting the foals win. That's so kind of you." Rainbow Dash sticks her tongue out at Applejack as the foals laugh, declaring the game a tie and picking the cards up. They move over, the foals sitting in a line in front of their dams, as Applejack explains, "Well, you met Doug before, and know these foals are his. Because of his unique nature, each foal has some... difficulties with magic."

Miss Cheerilee nods, "Well, since most of the students here are earth ponies, and some pegasi and unicorns, we won't be focusing a lot on magic use during the classroom time. I will, of course, be helping unicorn foals with magic as best I can, but the school policy is to hire a unicorn tutor if further instruction, beyond what I can provide, is needed. Same for pegasus students, if additional instruction is needed, either as supplemental to the textbook or if they want to further enhance their studies while here."

Applejack nods, "That makes sense. You know what the next class will be made up of?"

Cheerilee nods, "Three unicorns, three pegasi, and seven earth ponies. We may end up breaking the class into two groups, depending on attendance and if anypony joins or moves out, but we'll see."

Rarity says, "Well, it has been very nice meeting you, Miss Cheerilee, but I need to return to the Boutique. Do come by if you need help with your mane, or you want to accessorize! I love your anklet!"

Miss Cheerilee smiles, closing her eyes, "Thanks Rarity! It's just so colorful and fun!" She holds our her leg, jingling around the rainbow anklet. She looks between Applejack and Rainbow, "Well, if you two don't mind, I would like to spend a little time with your three, get to know them a little better."

Applejack nods, "Sure thing. Ah'll send Doug by in a bit, he'll come pick them up. Have fun you three!"

Apple Bloom waves, "Bye Sis!" before the other two foals glare at her. Apple Bloom hunches down, smiling, as the three mares walk out the school. Miss Cheerilee settles down on the floor, looking at the three foals staring up at her, "So, what was that game you were playing with Rainbow Dash?"

Apple Bloom bounces to her hooves, moving over to the deck of cards. "It's a remembering game Daddy taught us. You put all the cards with the numbers down, and then you flip a card. If you flip another card with the same number you get to keep them, and then it's the next ponies turn. If you don't get the same number then you flip the cards back over and the next pony gets to go."

Sweetie Belle adds, "Sometimes Daddy likes to make it harder, where we have to match both the number AND the color, but we don't like that one as much, it's too hard."

Scootaloo finishes laying the cards down on the floor. She flips the first card, a five, and the second card, a prince, and flips them over. Sweetie Belle flips a princess, then a second prince, and sighs, flipping them both over. Apple Bloom quickly flips both princes, taking the two cards and looking at Miss Cheerilee. The mare smiles, flipping over a one and a noble. Apple Bloom points at the one as Miss Cheerilee flips her cards over, "Daddy calls that one an ace sometimes. He mixes the names up. Miss Cheerilee, what's a queen and king?"

Miss Cheerilee says, "Well, you know how the Princesses are the rulers in Equestria?" The three foals nod, watching her, "In other areas, like the griffons, they are ruled by a king. A queen is the female version of a king."

Sweetie Belle flips over her princes, "Daddy likes to call the prince a queen, and nobles jacks. I guess it makes sense, if that's the kind of place he grew up in, with a king instead of the princesses. But why wouldn't the queen be the highest card, instead of the king?"

Miss Cheerilee puts a hoof to her chin, "Maybe he came from a place that was ruled by stallions? The griffons can be like that as well, and sometimes the yaks."

The three foals nod before Scootaloo flips over a five. She stares at the cards for a little before flipping over a two, sighing disappointingly. Sweetie Belle flips over the two fives, taking the cards and saying, "Come on, Scoots, you knew that one."

Scootaloo whines, "Yeah, well, I got distracted talking about the cards." She mouths words as she points her hooves at various cards, Apple Bloom flipping two tens in a row. "Lucky."

Apple Bloom shrugs, looking at Miss Cheerilee, the four continuing their game.

About an hour later, a knock comes on the door, opening to reveal Doug. He ducks through the doorway, able to stand once he is inside the room. He looks at the four ponies, sitting on the floor, each holding a hoof of cards. He says, sitting down next to Miss Cheerilee, "So, what game are we playing now?"

Scootaloo says, "Go Fish. Apple Bloom, do you have any ones?"

Apple Bloom shakes her head, "Go fish."

Scootaloo sighs as Miss Cheerilee says, "So, Doug, what other card games do you know?"

Doug shrugs, "A few. One of my favorites growing up was Bridge, but that one might be a little too complicated for these three. Another one, ERS, would be right up their alley."

The three foals eyes light up, them chorusing, "A new game! Yey!" Each throws their cards into a pile, pushing them towards Doug and looking up at him expectantly.

Doug sighs, shuffling the cards together. Miss Cheerilee watches, enraptured by the way his hands hoofed - or would you say handled - the cards, mixing their order much faster than her method of swirling them around in a pile for a while. It is also fascinating to watch, as he deals each pony and himself ten cards, leaving the last two in the middle. What it would feel like to have those hands on her coat...

When the foals go to pick their cards up he says, "No, leave them there for now. So, the way this game works, it is a little like Conflict, but with a few twists. Each of us has a stack of cards in front of us, or our 'deck', that stays face down. You take the top card from your deck and play it face up to the center. We go around in a circle until a noble, prince, princess, or ace, I mean, a one is played. When that happens, the next pony has a number of chances to draw a face card of their own. A noble gives one chance, a prince two, a princess three, and an ace four chances. As soon as that pony plays a face card, then it is the next ponies turn to play. This continues until somepony runs out of chances. When that happens, the pony who last played a face card takes all the cards, putting them on the bottom of their deck, and then they get to start the next round. There are more rules, but we'll get to those after a few rounds."

The ponies play a few rounds, though Miss Cheerilee notices something odd; occasionally, when two of the same card is played in a row, his hand moves forward, but stops before it gets all the way to the pile. Other times, like when he plays a princess, he doesn't wait for the next pony to play before moving his hand out to the pile, waiting for them to flip over their three non-face cards, and takes the pile. He is also quick about placing the cards under his deck, but doesn't seem to be cheating, as he loses all three games they play.

Doug shuffles the cards for a fourth round, saying, "Alright, now we are going to add a new rule, to make it more interesting. This is called 'doubles' and the goal is to be the first pony to slap the pile of cards as soon as a duplicate card is played. In other words, if I play a five, and then Scootaloo plays a five, then the first person to slap the pile of cards gets to take the cards, regardless of whether or not they would have won the pile or not. If you slap when you shouldn't have, you have to put two cards on the bottom of the pile."

Each pony scoots closer to the area where they have been playing cards. The foals start practicing slapping their hooves against the center, the loud 'thwack' of hoof hitting hoof ringing through the schoolhouse. Miss Cheerilee whispers, "Are you sure that is such a good idea?" as the foals devolve into flailing at each other, saying 'Ah was first!' 'No, I was first!' and starting to wrestle each other, the cards forgotten.

Doug looks over at Miss Cheerilee before glancing down at his hand, a wry smile on his face, "Well, maybe not the best. Any ideas?"

Miss Cheerilee says, "Now, settle down, you three." The foals stop wrestling, moving back to their earlier positions. "Instead of slapping your hoof against the pile of cards, you tap your hoof against the floor in front of you. If we don't think there is a clear winner, of who tapped their hoof first, then we keep playing like there wasn't a double. Okay?"

The three foals settle down as asked, chorusing, "Okay," as they sit in front of their cards. Miss Cheerilee notes that Doug is extremely quick on tapping his fist on the floor, with Scootaloo a close second, though he slows down and intentionally lets the next few doubles go uncontested. The foals are even doing a remarkable job of playing fair, with very few arguments over who tapped their hoof first. Though ties are still contentious, the foals are generally gracious enough to let them slide. Until Doug slaps his hand almost exactly when a second noble hits the floor, on a very high pile of cards.

A second after his hand hits the floor Scootaloo slaps her hoof, looking in disbelief that Doug beat her. As he goes to take the pile of cards Scootaloo asks, "How did you know that noble was coming?"

Miss Cheerilee winks at Doug, "Now, you aren't cheating, now are you?"

The three foals come to their sire's defense, "No, Daddy wouldn't cheat!" as Scootaloo appends, "But, I still want to know how you slapped that fast. It's like you knew it was coming!"

Doug nods, "Well, if you must know, I count cards." At the foals' puzzled look he continues, "I remember what cards you all have picked up, and so I know which cards are coming after other cards. It's harder with five players, so I just try to remember where important cards like nobles and previous doubles are."

Miss Cheerilee readies herself for the inevitable, 'that's cheating!' but instead the foals ring out, "That's so cool!" Apple Bloom adding, "So, is that why ya want us playing these silly games with remembering things?"

Doug nods, "Well, yes, partially because I find them fun, and also because they teach mental skills like memory, quick thinking, that sort of thing."

The foals breath out a quiet 'hmm' before Scootaloo says, "Daddy, I don't think I'll ever get as good as you."

Doug ruffles the foal's mane, standing up and saying, "Well, it took me years of practice to get this good. I hardly expect the same from you three, give it time and patience." He looks over at Miss Cheerilee, smiling, Well, I think this is as good a time as any to stop. It's been good to see you again, Cheerilee. Looking forward to spending more time with you."

Miss Cheerilee nods, winking at him, "Maybe next time we get together you can teach me this 'Bridge' game."

Doug nods, ushering the three foals to the door, "Sure; find another pony you think would like to play, or I'll see if Pinkie Pie or maybe Fluttershy wants to play with me and Rarity. Have a nice day!"

Comments

[Heidao]

Miss Cheerilee watches, enraptured by the way his hands hoofed - or would you say handled - the cards, mixing their order much faster than her method of swirling them around in a pile for a while. It is also fascinating to watch, as he deals each pony and himself ten cards, leaving the last two in the middle. What it would feel like to have those hands on her coat...

Oh you lady killer, you're walking sin, you know that?

[FanficReader920]

What it would feel like to have those hands on her coat...

Goddamn it, Doug. The Mane Six I can take, but if you start screwing with dude characters, it’s crossing into Gary Stu territory.

[Doug Graves]

9395716
Yeah. I toe that line on occasion.

[DarkPhoenixx]

Miss Cheerilee smiles down, "I am doing well, Sweetie Belle. Are you ready for class to begin next week?" The three foals nod as Miss Cheerilee looks to the three mares, "Rainbow, what's so funny?"

Ok wtf....the foals are only just over 1 yr....i think just about 14 or 15 months. How is it that theyre old enough for even preschool?

[DarkPhoenixx]

Sure; find another pony you think would like to play, or I'll see if Pinkie Pie or maybe Fluttershy wants to play with me and Rarity. Have a nice day!"

I bet Cheerlie was thinking she might try to get a date w Doug at first......till he said that lol.

Another one, ERS, would be right up their alley."

I used to play this game when i was in my early teens......though we wouldve abbreviated it ERF.....lets just say the first time i heard it called ERS i thought based on what the F stood for that the S stood for sex lol

[Doug Graves]

10117093
Essentially, they're a cross between human and animal in how fast they age/develop, taking about a third of the time to go from born -> teenager. Getting their cutie mark is a sign of the end of child(foal)hood and the start of adolescence, which happens (normally) around age 5. You can also see it in how they are talking earlier, they are trusted with doing things alone far earlier than we would, etc. Magic plays a part in this, as it does in all aspects of their life.

I thought the S stood for 'screw', which is pretty close to F.

[DracoLazarus]

Ohei, he's teaching them the Corsican Battle :p