The Last Week of School

by VashTheStampede

Wednesday: Family Appreciation Day

Cheerilee awoke. She was surprised – she honestly hadn’t expected to. Today, then… Today I shall reconcile with my sister. We never quite saw eye to eye but… she’s my sister and I love her. I haven’t spoken with her since… since Sunday, either. She’s been gone when I got back each day… and I’ve left before she’s woken up… How… how did I not tell my own sister?

Cheerilee rose from her bed and slowly trotted to the door, focusing on as many of the little things as she could. The soft, plush feel of the cheap carpeting in her room, the slightly musky smell of unwashed fur, the birds chirping some melody outside. She noticed the slightly salty feeling on her cheeks – she had been crying in her sleep. She entered her bathroom, stepped to the tub, and turned on the shower. Steam filled the room as she washed herself down – a good, hot shower was almost as effective as a cup or two of coffee in the mornings. She focused on the shower, the water running over her body, the suds filling her mane, the feel of her hooves rubbing her scalp clean, knowing it may well be her last. Remaining in the shower far longer than necessary, Cheerilee eventually found she could no longer justify remaining in the impromptu sauna of her bathroom, and turned off the almost burning-hot water. Toweling off, she removed herself from the tub and began to brush her mane, enjoying and focusing on the feeling of the bristles against her scalp and neck. Finally exiting the warmth and humidity of her bathroom, the earth mare gradually made her way downstairs, idly brewing coffee and pouring herself a bowl of oats.

Not exactly my idea of an “unforgettable last breakfast,” but it will do.

Then again, Cheerilee considered herself a mare of simple pleasures – while not the grand, gigantic meal another pony might have prepared for herself, she was content with the easy food. Slowly chewing her way through the oats, she hoped her sister would wake before she finished. Unfortunately, Berry slumbered on, even after Cheerilee had washed her dishes. She settled back at the table, sipping idly at her lukewarm coffee. A small thud followed by a light knock at the door brought her to her senses. Opening the door, Cheerilee found it was Ponyville’s resident mailmare, a very pleasant Pegasus by the name of Miss Hooves.

“Hi there, Miss Cheerilee. Care for a muffin?” the gray Pegasus asked cheerfully.

“No thank you, Derpy. I’ve already eaten. You usually don’t knock… is something the matter?” Cheerilee replied, smiling softly. Derpy’s eyes had this strangely endearing yet unsettling quality about them – the fact that they were perpetually focused on two different points made it very difficult to tell where or what she was looking at, even standing right in front of her.

“As a matter of fact, Miss Cheerilee, there is. I’m so sorry,” Derpy said, quickly throwing her forehooves around the teacher, hugging her tightly. “You’re an amazing mare, a wonderful teacher, and I’m certain you would have been an excellent mother someday. If there’s anything I can do…”

“H-how did you know? I didn’t… didn’t tell anyone…”

Derpy pulled away. “I’m more perceptive than some might think. It’s the eyes,” she said with a wink. Upon Cheerilee’s confused expression, she laughed lightly. “I’m kidding. Dinky came home rather… distraught on Monday, and asked me to make muffins that night. Monday isn’t muffin night. She said she had to bring them to school for a project, but I thought that seemed silly, making muffins for a school project. It took some persuading, but I got her to tell me why she actually needed the muffins. I’m sorry, Cheerilee, I… I really can’t put it into words."

“It’s ok, Derpy. I know. You’re a wonderful, caring mare, you don’t have to tell me. Thank you. The muffins were delicious,” Cheerilee smiled as she finished her sentence. Derpy’s muffins were a rare treat, the mare usually ate them herself or with her family, but they were genuinely delicious.

“You’re welcome, Cheerilee. Do you want me to tell anypony for you…? Being a mailmare, being the bearer of bad news isn’t something I’m unfamiliar with…” Derpy hung her head, hoofing the ground dejectedly.

“That’s ok, I’m sure the foals will take care of it,” Cheerilee said, lifting the mare’s head with her own hoof. “Really, Derpy, the muffins were more than enough. Now go on, you still have a job to do, even if… even if I won’t, soon.”

The gray pony smiled, her eyes soft around the edges as she tried to hold in her tears, before turning and trotting down the road to the next house. Cheerilee waited a while to close the door, enjoying the breeze blowing over her face. When she turned to head back inside, she was startled to find her sister had somehow managed to get downstairs and pour herself a glass of wine without her noticing.

Ok, Cheerilee, you need to tell her, now’s the time.

“Berry, I-”

“Do you know why I drink, Cheers?” the wine-colored mare asked abruptly, not looking at her sister. She instead chose to take a sip of the wine she had poured, examining the contents of the glass intently, before setting it back on the table.

“Because you want to forget something?” Cheerilee asked, genuinely uncertain. She’d never asked her sister, and Berry Punch had never said. The teacher simply guessed, based on what she’d read in novels or heard about from friends.

“No, Cheers. I don’t drink to forget,” Berry said, with a roll of her eyes, still not looking at her sister. “I drink to remember, to celebrate.”

“You drink yourself half to death every single day. What could you possible be celebrating, or drinking in remembrance of?”

“I drink to celebrate anything, really. I drank when I met Pinchy’s father. I drank when I found out I was pregnant. Much less than I normally do, but I did. I drank when she was born. I drank when her father left me. I drank when she started going to school. I drink to celebrate another day gone by without dying. Another day with my daughter. Another day to enjoy being in the presence of those I love and those who love me. That includes you, Cheers. Every night, when I get home, I always say hello, and every night, you’re asleep. I love you, Cheers, I love you dearly, and so does little Pinchy. You being gone… will be…” Berry Punch’s smile faded, her voice became unsteady. She shuddered, a sob caught in her throat, the massive lump she’d been holding back finally lodged itself in her windpipe. “You being gone will be… the worst thing that’s ever happened to me… but you know… you know what? I’ll drink to you, Cheers, when it happens… I’ll drink to the finest pony to ever enter this home, and the finest teacher this country has ever known. You… I…” Berry Punch was still looking away from her sister, her blank stare having shifted to a glare of hatred, her jaw set, her grip threatening to crush the glass in her hooves.

Cheerilee still stood in the doorway to the kitchen, in stunned silence. She knew that once, her sister had cared that much for her, but… I thought that side of her was long gone, drowned in thousands of glasses of wine.

“Berry –” again, Cheerilee was interrupted, this time by the wine glass her sister held shattering.

“Damn it, Cheers, it isn’t fair!” Berry screamed, a mixture of blood, tears, and wine pooling on the kitchen table beneath her face. “You can’t leave me, you can’t leave Pinchy! It isn’t fair! Oh, Celestia… Celestia, if you’re hearing this, do something, anything, save my sister. I won’t drink another microliter of alcohol so long as I live if you just save her life! Take mine if you must, just… just let her live…” Berry’s explosive rant subsided as quickly as it had arisen, the mare being taken by sobs and wails, unable to form a proper sentence. She stood and rushed to her sister, stumbling on her two back hooves, her front limbs in too much pain from breaking a glass.

“Berry, Berry dear… it’s ok. It’ll be ok,” Cheerilee grunted as her sister slammed into her, knocking her onto her back, the hysterical mare on top of her pinning her to the ground. She felt something warm and sticky pooling under her. “If you were gone, who would take care of Pinchy? Don’t say anything like that. Just hearing you tell me how much you care… it’s more than enough. I love you too, Berry. I always will. Whatever happens, I’ll… I’ll…” Cheerilee struggled mightily to hold back her own tears. “Come now, sis, let’s get your hooves cleaned up. You’re bleeding on me. Come on,” Cheerilee slowly pushed her sister up, supporting as much of her weight as she could. Limping to the bathroom, Cheerilee delicately cleaned her sister’s forehooves, picking bits of glass out as she ran cool water over the wounds.

“Auntie Cheerilee?” A small voice behind her asked. “What happened, is mommy ok?”

Cheerilee looked over at the small unicorn filly, who was clearly as close to tears as she could be without actually crying. “It’s ok, Pinchy, your mommy just had a little accident. She’ll be fine.”

“But… but you won’t be.”

Something about her tone struck Cheerilee – it wasn’t sad, it was just… a statement.

“It’s ok, Pinchy. Why don’t you go get something to eat while I clean up your mother, ok?” The little filly nodded, shuffling out of the bathroom.

“We should do something today,” Berry muttered. “All three of us, as a family. Has Pinchy mentioned anything recently? I know I’m her mother but you see her more than I do… I suppose that’s going to change…”

“As a matter of fact, she has. There’s a carnival in town she said some of her friends went to that sounded like a blast. Think we could do that?”

“Yeah, that would be fun. They’ll have hard cider, right?”

Comments

[SuperPinkBrony12]

Aw that so sad in a heartwarming way to know that even Berry Punch is having a hard time accepting the death of Cheerilee. Whne the time comes she's going to need all the help she can get.