Twilight and Cheerilee re-write an old textbook, and Cheerilee struggles with something she thought would never be a problem
On a normal weekend, Cheerilee assigns everypony an assignment from a unit she has been using for years. She considers it to be the most important one of the year; to teach the fillies and colts about the differences between ponies, and how they can all work together to do more than they could on their own. Unfortunately, a confused trip to the library by three fillies raises questions the teacher can't answer.
In an effort to make sure she teaches everything she can to the best of her ability, Cheerilee enlists the aid of Twilight Sparkle to help rewrite the textbook she has been using for years. As the days tick by, however, she is forced to deal with something she thought she had a handle on a long time ago.
Cheerilee yawned, once again catching herself before she dozed off and banged her head against the hard wood of her desk. It was late, a little after six or so, but Cheerilee felt she had been grading papers for years. They were starting one of her favorite units next week, the unit she felt that most students really learned of their true potential. It was also the one with the least amount of homework to grade, at least, until the very end.
She looked back down at the writing scrawled across the sheet before her. Heaving a massive sigh, Cheerilee finally gave up, resolving to bring what was left home and continue it there, though that option appealed to her even less. She pulled back from her desk, rubbing her hooves across her face before reaching into a drawer, pulling out a book.
It wasn’t uncommon for her to read during work, while the foals were eating lunch, or outside playing. It also helped her relax when she had to stay after until the long hours of the night grading papers she had put off for a week. She flipped open to the bookmark, but before she could get more than a couple words in, she heard a small knock on the door.
Who would be coming here at this hour? Cheerilee wondered to herself. None of the foals left any of their things here, I checked after they left like I always do. I don’t have any meetings scheduled with any of the parents... Cheerilee continued to ponder as she slipped the bookmark back in the book, making sure to stow it back in the drawer before rising and walking over to the door.
“Hello?” she asked, opening the door to reveal the small white filly beyond. “Sweetie Belle? What are you doing here this late? Shouldn’t you be at home?”
Sweetie Belle smiled up at her teacher. “Hi Miss Cheerilee! I was at home, but I sat down to do that reading you wanted us to do because Rarity says it’s not a good idea to put everything off until the last minute, and I didn’t have my book. So Rarity told me to come here and get my book so I can do my homework and not have to worry about it for the rest of the weekend.”
Cheerilee blinked her eyes. She was already tired from dealing with the overexcited foals that she spent all day working with, and staring at papers for hours only made it worse. “Well, do you know where it is?”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Mmhm, it’s over in my desk.”
“Well go get it then,” Cheerilee replied, stepping aside to allow the filly access.
The little white ball of fur whizzed into the room, quickly grabbing her book and rushing back again. She paused for a moment next to her teacher to say, “Thanks Miss Cheerilee, see you on Monday!” Having said a proper goodbye, Sweetie Belle took off into the half-lit streets towards home.
Cheerilee gazed longingly out the door, off in the direction of her home. Heaving a massive sigh, she walked back towards the desk. Dragging her saddlebags out from under the desk, she pulled her book back from its hiding place. and put it into the left bag. With only a little hesitation, the leftover papers were deposited in the right.
Making sure everything was locked up and all the lights were off, Cheerilee walked out of the schoolhouse, closing and locking the door behind her. With a cheerful tune humming through her throat, Cheerilee set off back towards her small house, just a few blocks away.
Not even ten minutes later the fuschia mare opened the old, creaky door to her home and stepped inside. She closed the door, using her already extended hoof to whack the lights at the same time, bathing the room in a soft golden glow. She tossed her saddlebag into a worn red chair after extracting her book, and settled down onto her favorite spot on the couch to read.
Shadow looked down at the stallion, adoration in her eyes. She slowly moved in, making to kiss the stallion laid out below her. He started to lean up and meet her, but she put a hoof on his chest, holding him back. He could easily have overpowered her, but she knew he wouldn’t. She moved down until their lips were almost touching.
“Is this what you want?” she asked in the sultriest voice she could make, her breath dancing across his lips.
He nodded, not aware enough to form words.
She leaned forward the extra hair’s breadth. Their lips connected, and their worlds exploded in bliss.
As Shadow drifted off in the loving embrace of her stallion, head still lost in the haze of passion, she could swear she saw Buttercreme’s sad face as she walked out the door.
The End
Cheerilee blinked. Now wait a minute, I’m pretty sure this book has more pages than this! Angry at being cheated out of her reading material, Cheerilee quickly turned the page. Not two pages later, the words started again, revealing nothing but a preview for the next book. Preview, humph. More like the author cheating me out of another day of reading.
She sighed, casually tossing the cheap paperback down onto a table nearby. This meant that she would have to find time to go to the store tomorrow, and try and pick up the next book, though she really couldn’t afford it. Being a teacher may have been her dream, and the only job she ever wanted, but that didn’t mean it paid for everything she wanted.
Could always go to the library, but that would mean talking to... Cheerilee felt her cheeks warm up involuntarily. Yeah, that’ll go well. I never have problems when I go to the library... Various memories of her stumbling over words, and books, pushed to the front of her mind.
Still though, I can’t afford to keep going out and buying books all the time... unless I want to stop eating, and I would take a nice daisy sandwich over a cheap paperback any day. Cheerilee bit her lip. Well, it’s not too late... I have nothing else to do... Bolstered by her purpose, and ignoring the shaking in her knees, Cheerilee walked from her home, pointed towards the center of town and the Golden Oaks Library.
--_--_--_--
Twilight Sparkle stood with her back to the door. The room was bathed in the dying light of the sun, but more so with a soft purple light coming off the numerous books whizzing through the room like angry bees. Her eyes were closed, lost in the sensations of the books, and the concentration needed to keep them from running into one another, and into Spike.
“Twilight! Look out!” the small purple dragon cried as he ducked under one massive tome as it flew by a little too close for comfort. Assured that his life was, for the moment, no longer in danger, he turned back to the massive checklist held in his small claws.
“Ok, that’s the Filly’s Beginning Guide to Floral Nourishment, that is the Atlas of Equestria and the Lands Beyond. Right there is the... no, left Twilight. Better,” Spike remarked, crossing The Complete Guide to Metaphysical Magicks off the list.
Minutes passed in the same, unbroken manner, until Twilight eventually ran out of books. Thankfully, at the same time Spike ran out of titles to cross off his mountain of parchment that now littered the floor. “Ok Twilight, I think that does it,” he said, rolling up the loose streams of paper until it resembled something not unlike a small cart wheel.
“Another successful reshelving day,” Twilight said, walking on unsteady hooves to give her number one assistant a nuzzle before all-but collapsing on a nearby couch.
“Yeah, I guess, but didn’t we just do that like, a week ago?” asked a very tired dragon with a sore writing claw.
“Yes, we did, but I misplaced my copy of Intermediary Astronomy and its Practical Applications, remember?” The unicorn looked over the newly reshelved books, occasionally swapping the locations of a couple so they matched with the intricate scheme only she had any real understanding of.
“Uh-huh,” Spike muttered, plopping himself down on a chair and pulling a comic book from somewhere nearby.
“Spike!” Twilight exclaimed, gently pulling the colorful paper from Spike’s grasp. “We just reshelved, why are you messing with it?”
“But Twilight,” Spike whined, “it’s not even in the lists yet, it just came out! I was just going to read it real quick then give it back...”
“Spike, why would you do that?! I just made a catalogue of the library books, and now you ruined it!” Twilight quickly began pulling books from the relevant shelves. “Come on, we have to get it all fixed.”
Spike opened his mouth, but was cut off by a knock at the door. He took a quick glance at the already stressed lavender unicorn, whose eye had started twitching.
“Public... library...” she growled, not quite loud enough to be heard through the thick door to the outside world. A little louder she said, “come on in!”
Cheerilee slowly nosed the door open, and stuck her head in. “Sorry to bother you so late, is the library still open?”
“Hi Cheerilee. It’s no bother at all. Besides, we don’t close for another half hour,” Twilight said, glancing at a clock. “Can I help you find--” Before she could finish her thought, a resounding crash echoed down from her loft-room in the leaves of the tree. “Uh, on second thought, look around for a moment, I have to go check that out.” Without a single backwards glance, she galloped up the stairs.
Cheerilee was unable to hold back a sigh, causing Spike to look over at her worriedly. “Um, Miss Cheerilee, are you ok?”
The fuschia pony shook her head. “Yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine. Just going to, uh, take a look around. Yeah...” Glad her natural color hid her slight blush, Cheerilee turned and began scrutinizing the books around her without even really looking at them.
Smooth, Cheerilee thought to herself as her eyes slid over the spines of the numerous books before her. I bet he didn’t notice a single thing. Now all I have to do is track down the book, check it out, and pray that I don’t come completely undone. Just imagine if it got back to Princess Celestia... Cheerilee suppressed a shudder.
A short while later, Twilight walked back down the stairs, mane disheveled and peppered randomly with feathers. Cheerilee laughed as Twilight shook her head, causing a couple of her mane’s occupants to flutter slowly to the ground.
“What’s so funny,” the librarian asked, moving so she was standing next to Cheerilee.
“You... you’ve got something in your mane, Twilight,” Cheerilee said with a smile before turning back to the bookshelf.
“Huh?” Twilight pulled at the end of her mane with a strand of magic. Spying a feather, she laughed. “Oh, Owlowiscious got caught in the middle of one of my experiments the other day and has been molting like crazy ever since. I think I may take him to see Fluttershy if he doesn’t get better soon...”
Cheerilee racked her mind, trying to remember the one called Fluttershy. “Um, she’s the yellow pegasus right? The one with the animals, and who trained the birds for the Summer Sun Celebration last year?”
Twilight nodded, beaming at the other pony--causing a flock of butterflies to try their best to batter a way out of her stomach. “So, can I help you find something?” Twilight asked
“Oh, I, uh... I started reading this series a little while ago, and--”
Twilight’s ears perked up. “Which series? I’ve been meaning to go through some of the ones we have here in the library.”
Cheerilee mumbled something, inexplicably embarrassed about a reading habit she was positive was probably common among lonely mares.
“What was that?” Twilight asked. “I couldn’t hear you.”
“Um, it was--is, I mean is... Her Secret Desire...” Cheerilee said, blushing hard enough that it almost showed.
Twilight cringed and stuck out her tongue, causing Cheerilee to whimper. “Oh, sorry,” the librarian quickly said, hearing the noise, “I didn’t mean to offend you, I’ve heard it’s really really good. I just don’t like sappy romance stories like that.”
Whew, close one, Cheerilee thought to herself. Probably a good thing she hasn’t read them. That could have been a lot worse. “So, um, do you have the second book in the library...?” Cheerilee asked, hating the hopeful sound in her voice.
“Yeah, I think so. Let me check real fast,” Twilight replied, already turning around to walk right over to the shelf that held the romance novels. “Hmmm. We just reshelved today, and I’m pretty sure we checked it off the list,” Spike grunted an affirmative from his seat nearby, “so it should be right...” Twilight pulled a book off the shelf, “here.”
The librarian walked back over to her friend, levitating the book into her saddlebag. “There you go,” Twilight said, “enjoy.”
“Thanks Twilight,” Cheerilee replied with a smile. “When do you want it back?”
“Well, the standard return date is two weeks, but if you need longer, just come tell me. To be honest, not many ponies actually come in here,” Twilight said with a bit of a frown.
“Hmmm, well, I’ll just have to stop by more often then,” Cheerilee replied, to a smile from the purple unicorn which set the butterflies in her stomach into a tizzy. “But, right now I should probably be getting back home, after all,” she motioned to her saddlebags, the one with the book, “I have a book to read.”
Twilight laughed. “Alright, come back any time.”
Cheerilee walked over to the door, opening it and walking outside before turning back around. “Have a good weekend, Twilight,” Oh, and by the way, we should totally go out sometime. Oh, and please tell Princess Celestia not to incinerate me for hitting on you. That’d be nice.
“You too, Cheerilee.” The last thing the schoolteacher saw before closing the door was Twilight smiling at her. The door eventually closed, shocking the earth pony from her thoughts. Cheerilee sighed, tossing a glance to her saddlebags to make sure they were closed before turning and heading off into the darkening streets towards home.
Rarity rubbed her eyes, momentarily displacing her glasses for a moment before she readjusted them with her magic. She looked down at the sewing machine before her with bleary eyes. Gentle moonlight shone in through the windows, straight in the eyes of the sleep-deprived fashionista, as if berating her for defying nature and not sleeping.
But how could she sleep? She had a special order for Aloe and Lotus due tomorrow, and she hadn’t been struck with inspiration until earlier that day. Thus the unicorn had worked hard, far into the night.
Rarity looked over at the clock and bit her lip. Surely the girls at the spa wouldn’t be too upset if she delivered the dresses just a little late? After all, one simply could not work in bad conditions and expect a perfect product.
The white unicorn gently disengaged the machine from the material, stowing everything away in it’s proper place and draping the half finished dresses over forms before heading upstairs. She passed the dark portal to Sweetie Belle’s room, knowing it was empty having sent her dear sister to Sweet Apple Acres for one of her Cutie Mark Crusader sleepovers earlier that day. Rarity shut the door, as she had instructed her sister to do before leaving, and, shaking her head, walked across the hall into her own room.
Rarity collapsed onto the pile of pillows and blankets spread across her massive bed, for once not caring about messing up the covers in her half-asleep daze. She kicked at her imported Canterlot duvet with her hind legs, managing to get them over her body before sinking her head into the mountain of pillows, and finally falling asleep.
--_--_--_--
“RARITY!” A door banged open somewhere downstairs, causing the white unicorn to groan and try her best to meld her head with the pillows below it. “RARITY, I’M HOME! WHERE ARE YOU?!” Rarity grudgingly opened one eye, noting the door to be closed and locked before shutting it again.
“Rari-oof!” The next cry was stopped by a shuddering bang. Rarity finally opened her eyes, looking over to see the door knocked open, and a little filly standing in the doorway. Sweetie Belle looked up, beaming. “There you are, Rarity, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“Quiet down, Sweetie Belle, your sister is trying to sleep,” the tired unicorn said, rolling to face away from the door. “Go play with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo or something... I need to rest so I can finish my work.”
“But Rarity,” Sweetie Belle said, coming around to the other side of the bed. “It’s past noon. Shouldn’t you be done by now?”
Rarity’s eyes shot open, wide awake and alert. “Past noon! Oh, I was supposed to deliver the dresses at three! There’s no way I’m going to get them done before then!” The white unicorn jumped up, beginning to pace back and forth in front of her bed. “What am I going to do?!”
“Well, you know, I could help you out sis,” Sweetie Belle said, beaming up at her sister.
“Aye-uh... I thank you for the offer, little sister, but I don’t really think this is a project you can help me with...” Rarity replied, scratching the back of her head with a hoof. And I know I don’t have the time to fix any mistakes.
“Oh...” Rarity could almost hear the heartbreak in her sister’s voice.
“Did you ever get that book from Miss Cheerilee, darling?” Rarity asked, trying to distract her sister while running several brushes through her mane in the mirror.
“Yeah, but I don’t understand it at all... I even tried talking to the other Crusaders, but they understand about as much as I do. I’ll probably have to go in early Monday to ask Miss Cheerilee...”
Rarity looked down at Sweetie Belle sympathetically. “Well, you could always go ask Twilight for help. I’m sure she knows whatever it is you’re trying to do.” Rarity reached out with a brush, moving it towards her sister’s mane, making the little filly to duck her head and move back.
“You’re right! I’ll go get the girls and we’ll go to the library!” Sweetie Belle’s grin lessened a little. “Oh, the library...”
“Sweetie Belle, what’s wrong with the library?” Rarity asked with a chiding tone.
“Not really what I wanted to do on a Saturday...” the filly groused.
“Well, if you don’t get your homework done, you can’t really have a good weekend now can you? What have I always told you?”
“To do my work as soon as possible, so I can free up the day to do whatever I want...” Sweetie Belle recited with a hidden roll of her eyes.
“...to do whatever you want, that’s right. Now, go on, get it done.” Rarity put down her brushes and nudged her sister towards the door.
“Okay... see you later, Rarity!” the little filly said, bounding out the door. Rarity waited a moment until she heard the front door close before going downstairs and getting all of her machinery in order.
“Now, to get these dresses finished...”
--_--_--_--
Twilight Sparkle was just settling down on her favorite couch for a bit of light reading (Starswirl the Bearded’s Unabridged Works in the Metaphysical and Metamagical Realms, Volume Two) when a rapid flurry of knocks on the front door shattered the silence of the library. “I’ll get it!” Spike called from his place behind the checkout desk before Twilight could so much as raise a hoof. He scurried over to the door and threw it open, revealing the three fillies beyond.
“Hello, girls,” Twilight called as the three rambunctious fillies walked in the library. “Can I help you find a book?”
“Hi, Twilight,” Sweetie Belle said. She was obviously the leader of this little expedition, the other two skulking back by the door. “We, uh, we need your help.”
Twilight’s ears perked up. “My help? What for?”
“Well, we’re starting a new lesson in school, and Miss Cheerilee asked us to look over a part of our book so we would know a little bit for class Monday, but...” the grayish filly looked back at her friends. “We don’t get it.”
“Speak for yourself,” Scootaloo said, “I understand it fine.”
“Oh yeah?” Apple Bloom poked a hoof in the pegasus’ face. “What’s it ‘bout then?”
“I, uh, I can’t tell you,” Scootaloo replied, flashing her friend a cocky smirk.
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, cuz you don’ know!”
“Do too!”
“Do not.”
“Do too!”
“Do not.”
“Girls, enough!” Twilight said, stopping the argument before it really got started. “Let me see the book, please.” Sweetie Belle reached her head around, pulling the aged volume out of her saddlebag and giving it to the purple librarian. “Oh, I remember this book!” Twilight exclaimed upon seeing the cover. “Princess Celestia had me read it when I was a little filly and was--” she stopped, looking down at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “...right. How can I help?”
“We just don’t get it. None of it makes any sense,” Sweetie Belle said.
Twilight got up and walked over to a table, shadowed by the three little fillies. “Come on, let’s look at it, and I’m sure I can explain... whatever’s... wrong...?” Her voice trailed off as she looked down at the first few pages of the book. “This is exactly the same book I used when I was little. There’s no way they would go all this time and not change anything...”
“What’s that mean?” Apple Bloom asked from Twilight’s right.
“Spike!” Twilight called, ignoring the younger pony. “Can you bring down my copy of Ponies Big and Small?”
Spike grumbled, something about always doing the fetching, but went and got the book from Twilight’s personal collection upstairs anyway. Impatiently, Twilight grabbed the book from Spike with her magic as soon as he came down the stairs, nuzzling him as he walked by. She set her book down next to Sweetie Belle’s, and flipped them both to the same page.
“It’s exactly the same. Years, and its exactly the same...” Twilight muttered to herself.
“Is that bad...?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Let’s find out. Come on, girls, let’s go visit Miss Cheerilee, shall we?”
--_--_--_--
“I-I’m sorry!” Shadow shouted at her friend before she walked out the door.
“You’re sorry? You’re sorry!?” Buttercreme shouted, turning from the door and advancing on the dark pegasus. “You don’t know sorry. You don’t know...” her voice trailed off, eyes filling with tears. “Go, go be with your stallion. Just leave me alone...” With that, the golden unicorn ran from the room, door closing the sound of her sobs behind her.
Thunk.
Huh, it’s like I can hear the door closing, Cheerilee thought as she turned the page.
Knock, knock, knock. Ding-dong, ding-dong. “Scootaloo, don’t break down the door.”
Wait a minute. Cheerilee’s eyes jumped up from her book to look straight at the door. That sounded like Twilight. What’s she doing here? And with Scootaloo? The teacher got off the couch, making sure to stash the book under a pillow, and walked over to the door. Sure enough, looking through the small peephole in her door revealed the lavender unicorn, along with three little fillies anypony in the town could identify on sight--or sound.
Cheerilee opened the door. “Hello?” she asked, poking her head out.
“Hey Cheerilee,” Twilight said as the three fillies moved back behind her. “We have a question.”
“You have a question for me?” The teacher cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t think theres anything you could ask that I could answer.” Except for “will you go out with me?” That would be an easy one.
“No, I think you could answer my questions, especially if we sat down and figured it out together,” Twilight replied, missing Cheerilee’s smile. “But this question is about the girls’ homework.”
“Alright, well come inside and we’ll get it all sorted out, okay?” Cheerilee stepped back, allowing the ponies to walk inside. The Crusaders’ heads all shot off in different directions, trying to take in everything they could of their teacher’s house. Twilight chuckled, shepherding the three over to the living area, and seating them on the couch.
Wow, she is really good with foals... but I already knew that, huh? Cheerilee grinned.
“Everything alright?” Twilight asked.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine.” Cheerilee took a seat across the table. Twilight took the one next to that. “So, what did you want to ask?”
Twilight’s voice took on a hard edge. “What is the meaning of this?”
“M-Meaning of what?” Cheerilee stammered, face going pale as countless possibilities flew through her mind.
“This!” Twilight pulled the textbook from her bag, slamming it down on the table causing Cheerilee sighed in relief. “What is this? Why are you using a book this old to teach the foals! I used this book in Canterlot years ago! Doesn’t the Education Board keep you better supplied?”
“Well, yeah. They send the latest edition of every book we need and all our supplies and stuff, but they have never sent a new copy of that one, except to replace damaged ones. I just figured they never found one better, and none of the students have complained, so I didn’t see a problem,” Cheerilee said, gingerly taking the textbook and running a hoof over the cover.
“But we don’t get it!” Sweetie Belle shouted from her place on the couch, making the other four ponies jump. “I spent half the day Friday trying to read it, and I don’t get it!”
“Sweetie Belle, calm down,” Cheerilee replied, cowing her student. “What don’t you understand?”
The white filly hopped off the couch, going over to stand next to her teacher as she opened the book and started pointing out passages. The other two fillies got off the couch as well, looking over from the other side of the table. As the discussion continued, Twilight’s brow furrowed in thought.
“I understand, that is somewhat confusing. Unicorn magic is called ‘true magic’ because the raw energy can be formed and shaped by unicorns. The other types of ponies can draw on it, like the pegasi ability to fly, manipulating air currents, and their command of weather...” Cheerilee was saying. The fillies gathered around her nodded in understanding, and Twilight smiled, remembering a paper she had written directly contradicting the information in the book.
“Is something funny, Miss Sparkle?” Cheerilee asked in her best stern teacher voice.
Twilight instantly looked down at the ground. “No...” The giggling of fillies quickly filled the room, joined shortly after by Cheerilee. Twilight looked up, blushing. “Ha ha, very funny.”
Cheerilee reached over, putting a shaking hoof over Twilight’s withers. “Oh, calm down, I’m just messing with you.” Twilight quickly pulled back, sticking her tongue out at the teacher and her students.
“Very funny. I’ll leave you to your lessons then, Cheerilee. I’m going to go write to the Royal Canterlot Archives and see if I can’t get you a better book. See you around.” Cheerilee briefly debated calling the unicorn back in, but she quickly decided against it. As it was, she barely had time to say goodbye before Twilight walked through the door, and the teacher became one again bombarded with questions.
The text you requested, Ponies Big and Small, is not in our library of books, nor is there mention of it in the records of publication for the last two decades. The only time it appears is the year 974, approximately 38 years ago. We hope this clears up any confusion.
Silver Scroll, Royal Canterlot Archives, Director of Literature
To The Equestrian Education Board,
It has recently come to my attention that one of the core textbooks used in schools all over Equestria is horrendously out of date (attached is the letter from the Royal Canterlot Archives regarding the book in question.) As a scholar myself, I recommend having the book updated, or finding a new one altogether.
Twilight Sparkle, Student of Princess Celestia
Miss Twilight Sparkle,
Your recommendation and actions regarding Ponies Big and Small has been noted. It is a shame that nopony else before noticed that such a core piece of our educational system was so old and out of date. It has been put on the agenda for debate when the Board next meets in full, three months hence.
Lord Brighthoof, Chairpony of the Equestrian Education Board
Lord Brighthoof,
Three months is much too long of a period, especially when the issue is present now! This is exactly the time of year that teachers everywhere are using this book to attempt to teach foals one of the fundamentals of our society, and life in Equestria as a whole. Is there some sort of emergency meeting or such you could call to remedy the error immediately?
Twilight Sparkle, Student of Princess Celestia
Miss Twilight Sparkle,
I understand the issue and the urgency of the matter, but we are unable to do anything at this time. We need the time for the board members to travel, and to find a suitable replacement. If you can recommend something yourself before the period, I will try to have an emergency meeting called.
Lord Brighthoof, Chairpony of the Equestrian Education Board
--_--_--_--
Twilight Sparkle tossed the last letter, the last useless letter, haphazardly on the top of a pile on the desk in her room above the library. Nothing, she mused, another rejection. Why is it so difficult to find a book like this? Buried under the stack of negative letters poked the corner of Ponies Big and Small, as though mocking her efforts to replace it.
She glanced over at the ever-dwindling supply of blank paper and ink on the other side of the desk. I guess there’s one pony I could still ask...
Dear Princess Celestia,
Sorry, this isn’t my friendship report, nor is it the paper you asked me to write on the governmental system of smaller pony tribes south of Equestria. I am writing to ask for help. Not that anything is wrong, I love living here in Ponyville, though I still miss Canterlot and my family there.
I recently was visited by three of the fillies here in Ponyville. They were looking for help with an assignment from school, and of course I offered to help. But during the course of my aid, I noticed that the textbook they were using, Ponies Big and Small, was the exact same edition I used under your tutelage.
I inquired to the Royal Canterlot Archives on newer editions, so I could request they be sent to the school here to be used in education, but they informed me that the book hasn’t even been updated in over thirty years! So, I wrote to the Equestrian Education Board and requested that they change the book. They agreed, but the hard part is finding one.
Apparently the book they have been using has worked great, and I did enjoy reading it and learned a lot from it, but I feel that there has to be some new information on the subject. I just can’t find a suitable replacement.
I was hoping that you might have an idea or something to help us find some way replace this old book. Thank you, Princess.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight waited a moment, admiring her hoofwork as she waited for the ink to dry. After a couple minutes, she rolled it up into a scroll, sealing it as she had been taught. A quick spell and a touch of a horn sent the letter off on it’s way. Now all that was left to do was wait.
From experience, Twilight knew that Celestia was probably in the middle of the Day Court right now, which meant her letter would be routed into the princess’ private chambers to be read later. That meant it would be at least a couple of hours before a reply would come.
Bored, the lavender pony got up and plodded down to the main floor of the library. Spike was standing on a small stepladder, reshelving those books that had been turned in recently. He was humming a merry tune and swishing his tail to keep the beat. Twilight suppressed a laugh.
She trotted over to the librarian’s desk and began rummaging for the check out sheet. Running a hoof down the list of names, Twilight looked to where each book was supposed to be, checking it off it the book was in the correct place, leaving it blank if it was still out. Unfortunately, due to Spike’s diligence, and the overall lack of ponies who did a lot of reading in Ponyville, by the time she was finished, Celestia’s reply still had not arrived.
With a groan, Twilight whacked her head on the desk, causing a resounding thump. Startled, Spike fell off the ladder, dropping the books he had been holding, along with several from the shelf he was organizing at the time.
Twilight quickly rushed around the desk and over to her assistant’s side. “Oh my gosh, Spike, are you okay?”
“Yeah... ‘M fine,” Spike replied, dizzily waving one claw in the air. “This nice floor broke my fall.”
A burst of lavender energy quickly lifted the books on the fallen dragon, stowing them safely on their shelves before returning to lift their victim to his feet. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you like that.”
Spike dusted himself off. “Don’t worry about it. Did you get any answers for your book search or whatever it was you were doing?” he asked, grabbing another stack of books from the check-in cart and beginning to replace them on the shelves.
“Yeah... all of them were no.” Twilight looked over at the shelf dedicated to textbooks. “I sent a letter to every single company or pony who ever printed a decent textbook, but none of them had what we would need.”
“What are you going to do? You promised Cheerilee you would find her something."
Twilight sighed. “I don’t know. I sent a letter to the Princess, but maybe I should just go tell Cheerilee it doesn’t look like she’ll get the books she needs... I’ll be back later.” After receiving a nod from Spike, and strapping on a one-sided saddlebag with a few bits, just in case, the lavender pony moved over towards the door.
Just before she opened it, however, it pulled itself open, aided by an aura of light blue magic. “Oh, hello darling!” the pony on the other side of the door said. “What a coincidence. Were you going somewhere?”
“Hello, Rarity,” Twilight replied, stepping back to let her friend enter the library. “I was just going over to Cheerilee’s house to tell her something.”
“Really,” Rarity said, cocking an eyebrow. “I did not realize you two were close.”
“We aren’t really, but I offered to help her find a book for her classes.” Twilight looked down at the floor. “But I haven’t found anything... I was on my way to tell her.”
“Oh, don’t be so down about it. Knowing you, you’ll have something figured out before tomorrow morning.”
Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, I know. I have a couple letters I still haven’t gotten a reply from, but I don’t think any of them will turn up anything. At the most, maybe the letter I sent to the Princess will give me an idea. Either way, it’s been a couple days. She’s probably wondering how the search is going.”
Rarity paused for a moment, lost in thought. “Well, I know you’ll get it done how it needs to be. I was just stopping by to return that book you lent me on dress patterns awhile back.” The book levitated itself out of Rarity’s saddlebags and onto the check-in cart. “You were right. It was interesting, and I learned a couple more things.”
“That’s great!” Twilight smiled and returned to the desk briefly to cross it off the list. “Anything else I can help you with?”
“Not right now, darling, but if you want to leave now, my house is on the way to Cheerilee’s. We can walk together.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll be home later, Spike. Don’t forget to finish reshelving!” Twilight called as she walked out the door after Rarity.
“Sure,” Spike grumbled. “You go with Rarity, and I’ll stay here and do all the work... As usual.” With a mighty sigh, he pulled a massive gem from a stash behind a group of books nopony ever checked out and took a big bite. Stymied, he returned to his task.
--_--_--_--
“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what were you using that pattern book on?” Twilight asked as the two set off down Mane Street in the general direction of the Carousel Boutique.
“Do you remember the dresses that Aloe asked me to make?” Rarity asked, turning her head to see Twilight shake her head.. “You didn’t? No? Well she asked me to make a dress for her and her sister, for a convention something-or-other. They asked for a specific pattern, that I knew, of course, I just couldn’t remember exactly how to do it.”
“Oh, sure,” Twilight replied with a bob of her head. “Happens to me all the time. I read something in a book and need it a few months later and I can’t exactly recall it and I start to go a little crazy and... uh, continue. Sorry.”
“It’s quite alright, darling,” Rarity said after a brief fit of giggles. “I just needed the book to look up the pattern, and make sure I had it right. After all, Aloe threw in a few free premium spa passes along with the payment, and I couldn’t just take those with a dress that didn’t earn them.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Premium passes? I didn’t even know they something like that.”
“Oh it is divine!” Rarity squealed. After assuring the other ponies in the street that she was perfectly fine, she continued, in a smaller voice, “The only problem is that I only get four, and there are six of us...”
Twilight nuzzled the side of Rarity’s head. “I’m sure it will all work out in the end, Rarity.”
“Of course. I’ll figure something out, even if I have to buy more for the others,” Rarity replied with a flourish as the duo stopped on the doorstep of the Boutique.
“Just remember,” Twilight said as her friend opened to door to her home. “They are your vouchers to give. Don’t let the others bother you about it, because I know how much that can get on a pony’s nerves.”
“He-he... You aren’t still upset about the whole deal with the Gala tickets, are you?” Rarity rubbed one hoof against the other nervously.
“Of course not.” Twilight smiled reassuringly. “So, I’ll see you at Pinkie’s party this weekend?”
“Of course,” Rarity said as she walked into her home. “See you then.”
“Bye, Rarity.” The door shut, leaving Twilight alone in the dying light of the afternoon. Shivering against the chilling bite of the wind, she set off towards Cheerilee’s house.
Cheerilee’s house was built in the classic style of Ponyville; Stout, strong houses built with wood harvested from the edge of the Everfree, and Whitetail Wood--replanted afterwards, of course. Her house was brightly colored, like most of the town, a creamy white with pink shutters topped by a yellow hay roof. Twilight quickly took all of it in as she raised her hoof to knock for the second time that week.
Some scratching, scrambling, a thump, and a “one moment, please,” later, Twilight was looking into the face of a pleasantly surprised Cheerilee.
“Twilight, what are you doing here? Not that you aren’t welcome, but... Come in, please.” Cheerilee stepped back, allowing the other pony to enter the small house.
“I just came by to tell you that I, uh...” Twilight stared into space, voice trailing off. Cheerilee held her breath. “I wasn’t able to find a book for your teaching. I’m sorry.”
Cheerilee stepped back into the doorway. “Is that all?” The magenta pony let out her held breath in a nervous laugh. “You act like it’s some big problem. You don’t need to find one, I can work with what I have.”
“But I said I would help! I sent letters to every single textbook printer I could find out about, and every single one had nothing! Absolutely nothing! You’d think there’d be more out there about the different kinds of ponies! I just don’t understand why--”
In the middle of Twilight’s rant, Cheerilee cut her off. “Twilight. What’s that?” she asked, pointing to a spot of gold light over her friend’s horn.
“Huh? Oh, just a letter. Probably another rejection. Hold on.” A short burst of lavender magic, and the spot of light expanded into a circle before resolving itself into a scroll. Seeing the seal holding the letter shut, Twilight said, “I think I might accept that invitation to come in, if you don’t mind.”
Cheerilee stepped to the side once again, allowing Twilight to enter and sit down on the couch. She unrolled the scroll and skimmed through it, eyes becoming wider by the second.
“Twilight, is everything alright?” Cheerilee asked.
“This... this letter is from Princess Celestia.” The teacher sat down across from Twilight. “As a sort of last resort, I sent her a letter asking for help, but... you might want to read this for yourself.” The unicorn levitated the letter over onto the table between them. Cheerilee leaned over and began to read.
My faithful student,
I followed up on your letter, and sent my own to the Royal Canterlot Archives, and was informed that the company that initially published the book in question had gone out of business before a second edition of their textbook could be finished.
So, in lieu of your report on the governmental systems of ponies in the Badlands, you may, if you wish, finish the second edition of Ponies Big and Small, to be submitted to the Equestrian Education Board. With their approval, we shall send your book to print, and use it for the curriculum for the next school year.
It is entirely up to you, but I recommend speaking with the teacher. Between her knowledge of the basic educational method throughout Equestria, and your mind, the two of you could make a textbook that would not need revision for some time.
Take your time, and reply back to me with your answer.
Princess Celestia
Cheerilee looked up into the anxious face of Twilight. “Well,” the magenta pony said, “what do you want to do?”
“Well, would you like to write it with me?”
Hmm, Cheerilee thought, The new book would be great, and being able to work with Twilight even better... “Sure.”
“Okay, my little ponies!” Cheerilee called, causing the foals still milling around the door to rush inside and retake their seats inside the modest schoolhouse. The teacher walked back and shut the door to the playground, signaling the official end of recess. “I have good news.”--All the foals started paying attention, backs straight, eyes focused on their teacher, ears perked forward--“and some bad news.” As one, the foals slumped down, eyes studiously looking everywhere but Cheerilee.
“The bad news,” Cheerilee continued, ignoring the groans and complaints, “is that the unit on the different ponies is going to be moved to the end of the year, so I need you all to turn in Ponies Big and Small to me.” Several fillies and colts began rooting around in their desks, pulling the small tomes to the top. “The good news, however, is that the unit is being moved because the book is being rewritten by myself and Miss Twilight Sparkle, with the approval of Princess Celestia.”
Cheerilee’s students “oohed” and “aahed,” and three certain fillies shot grins at one another over the heads of their classmates. “But it won’t be done until the end of the year,” the fuschia pony continued, causing the class to quiet down. “So until then, we will start working on other things, so get out your assignments from last night, and we can get started.”
More groans followed, but Cheerilee wasn’t paying attention. She was clearing the chalkboard to the tune of her happy thoughts, for she had special plans. All she had to do was get through the day...
*****
Four hours has the most amazing way of dragging by when you’re waiting for something, Cheerilee mused while she waited for the last few fillies and colts to grab their books and walk out the door. Every few seconds, she found herself glancing at the clock, watching the seconds tick by with the weight of centuries. At long last, Featherweight slung on his saddlebags and, with a cheery goodbye, left. Now, all that was left was for Cheerilee to settle in and wait.
Tick
Grading work, words blurring together, scores becoming an endless parade of numbers written on the paper itself, then in the large gradebook.
Tock
Wiping down the student’s desks, the chalkboard, and other surfaces used every day.
Tick
Sweeping up the debris around the coat area, and the little bits of paper and eraser shavings around the desks.
Tock
Searching the room, returning waylaid books to their proper place.
Tick
Making sure that all of the balls and other toys used for recess made it into the bins used for storage.
Tock
Exhausted from rushing around the schoolhouse swamped with busywork, Cheerilee finally sat down at her desk. She laid her head down on the large calendar holding the plans for every single day from the beginning of the school year until the end of the school year. Opening one eye and turning her head slightly, Cheerilee stole a glance at the clock, staring at it’s overly-simplistic face before letting out a groan.
Even after all of her bustling and work--trying to busy herself to make the time pass faster--it hadn’t been more than half an hour. Stupid broken clock, Cheerilee grumbled to herself, though she knew it wasn’t. After all, she had just rewound it when the Ponyville Clocktower struck three, as she did every day.
At this rate, her plans wouldn’t even matter. Cheerilee would be dead from boredom long before the clock chimed again.
*****
“Shadow, is something bothering you?” Shadow didn’t answer, instead preferring to stare at herself in the mirror. “Come on, Shade, you can’t stay in there forever.”
“Yes I can!” Shadow responded, shouting through the door.
Cheerilee glanced up at the clock again. Only five minutes to go. Suppressing another groan, she looked back down at her book.
“You’ve been in there for almost an hour! If you don’t come on, we’re going to miss our reservations.”
“Go yourself, Steel,” Shadow replied, still staring into the mirror.
“What’s up with you, Shade? You’ve been acting strange ever since--
Cheerilee’s reading was interrupted by a flurry of knocks. Trying, and failing, to force down a smile, she quickly stuck her book in her saddlebags and trotted over to the door. She reached out a hoof and quickly drew back the door, revealing the lavender pony standing beyond.
“Hey Cheerilee!” Twilight said. “Did I give you enough time to get everything done, or do you want me to come back later so you can--”
“Nope! Nope, you’re perfect... ly on time.” Cheerilee chuckled nervously, mentally berating herself. “So, uh, what’s the plan?”
“Well, the Princess is supposed to send what they had of the second edition of Ponies Big and Small over to the library sometime tonight, so I was thinking we could just stay there and wait until we get it, then look the manuscript over and start planning from there...?” Twilight looked at the teacher, an eager smile on her face. When Cheerilee didn’t respond, her expression wilted. “Or, if you’ve got something you’d rather do...”
“Stay there and wait until we get it....” Looking over at Twilight’s slowly drooping ears, Cheerilee snapped back to reality. “Oh, no, of course not. That sounds amazing,” she replied with a big grin.
“Shall we?” Twilight stepped back from the door, moving towards the side. Cheerilee walked out, locking the door before heading off towards the library, lavender unicorn by her side.
“So, when is the Princess sending over the manuscript?” Cheerilee asked as the duo approached the library.
“She didn’t say when, exactly, but I don’t think it will be too late,” Twilight replied. “Why? Do you have plans tonight?”
“No, but I do have to teach tomorrow.”
“Well, if we end up working too late, you can always stay at the library with me.” Cheerilee tried not to notice the lightest dusting of pink on Twilight’s cheeks.
“I can think of worse places to stay.” Cheerilee mentally jumped for joy when her friend’s blush darkened. Before the teacher had any more chances to see if she could turn Twilight’s face red, they arrived at the oaken door of the library.
Twilight threw it open with a hoof. “Would you like to come in?”
“I suppose.” The teacher stepped over the threshold, moving in far enough for Twilight to enter right behind her and shut the door. As always, the warm interior of the library calmed the teacher. Both the atmosphere, and the sheer amount of things to be learned and taught brought a smile to her face.
“Spike! I’m home, and I brought Cheerilee!” Twilight called into the depths of the library. Somewhere above, something crashed to the ground, followed by a flurry of movement just before Spike came sprinting down the stairs.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wasn’t sleeping, honest! I was just, uh,” the dragon quickly looked around the room, finally settling on a feather duster, sweeping it up with one claw. “Dusting your room!”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say anything about you sleeping.”
“Well, good, because I wasn’t. I’ll just get back to it then.” Refusing to look back at his caretaker, Spike bolted up the stairs, to resume ‘dusting’. Silence reigned once again in the library, until the two mares looked at each other. The suppressed smiles on both of their faces caused them to burst out laughing, until the wooden walls echoed with their giggles.
Twilight was the first to return to her senses. Still stifling her last few chuckles, she moved towards the small kitchen. “Feel free to take a seat. You want something to eat? Drink?”
“Some water would be great.” Cheerilee leisurely strolled around the room, running one hoof lightly over the spines of the books housed in the main room. Every so often, one would grab her attention. The Practical Guide to Gardening,Foal Psychology: A Beginner’s Manual, How to Woo Your Love in Ten Easy Steps, Her Final Wish.
“What are you looking at?” Twilight asked, walking back into the large chamber, levitating two glasses of water before her.
“Just the last book in the series I’m reading,” the teacher replied, slipping the paperback into it’s place. “I didn’t know it was out already.”
“It came in last week.” Both glasses were set down on a small table between two chairs. “I’ve been trying to read Her Only Stallion, but I just can’t get into it.”
“Hmm, your interest couldn't be because I read it, could it?” Cheerilee asked with a wry grin.
“Of course not. Don’t be silly.” Seeing her friend’s hurt expression, Twilight quickly shot her an apologetic smile. “Sorry! Sorry, I was just teasing. To be honest, it sort of was, that trilogy has been getting a lot of attention. I figured I would find out what all the fuss is about.”
“Well, I enjoyed it, but I’m kind of a sucker for a good love story.”
“Really? Why didn’t you come here before? We have a whole section on romance stories.” To emphasize her point, she waved a hoof at the shelves behind Cheerilee.
“I just, well, I... You see...” Cheerilee stuttered and mumbled, looking down at her nervously shuffling hooves.
“Ahhh, I get it.” The teacher looked up, pupils small pinpricks. “You didn’t realize it, huh?” Cheerilee breathed a silent sigh of relief. “I understand. The romance section was actually stored away in the basement until I dragged it up when I put my lab down there. I just finished cataloguing all of the books a few weeks ago. You would not believe how messy this library was when I moved in...”
“Well, before you moved in, the library didn’t really have a librarian, it--”
“What!” Twilight shouted. Cheerilee grimaced, folding her ears flat against her head. “Sorry...”
“Before you came, nobody really wanted to be the librarian. Not many ponies here actually went, so it was a sort of community thing, on the honors system. If you took a book, you brought it back. Once a week or so, someone from the town hall would come and do some cleaning. It worked surprisingly well.”
“That would explain why there were some books in the master registry missing when I did the first inventory check,” Twilight muttered, glancing over at her desk.
“Well, did they come back?” Cheerilee asked, drawing Twilight’s attention back to the fuchsia pony.
“Yeah...”
“There you go then. No... problem...?” Cheerilee pointed a hoof to a speck of light near Twilight’s head. “I think you’ve got mail.”
“Huh?” The lavender pony prodded the point of light, causing its contents to fly out. Hundreds of pages poured into the room, all landing in a neat stack upon the table, next to the drinks. Last floated down a letter, affixed with the Royal Seal. “This must be the manuscript,” Twilight said, moving the stack of paper over to her desk. She sat down behind it, motioning Cheerilee to the other side, and began to read.
My faithful student,
My apologies, it took longer than I anticipated getting the permissions of the book signed over to you and Cheerilee, but it is done. Hopefully, either before or soon after you receive this letter, you will receive the manuscript as well. I know it looks like a lot, but in truth, only the bare bones are there, with some blank pages as padding. Most of the structure is already in place, units, chapters, and lessons, but everything else is missing.
Of course, the most important part is the body of the textbook. Along with the manuscript, I have sent my own personal thoughts and insights gleaned from my experience with the Equestrian Educational Board. I hope it helps. A suitable introduction is also needed, but I have every confidence that you two will produce something we can use for a long time to come.
Good luck, and feel free to send me a letter if a problem arises.
Princess Celestia
Twilight set down the letter, and Cheerilee looked up from her quick perusal of the sheaf of papers. “There really isn’t much here,” the teacher said. “It’s like the Princess told us, mostly just the structure, and even some of that I’m not sure of. I think it would be a good idea to rearrange some things before we actually start writing. How long do we have again?”
“A little under three months,” Twilight replied, not looking up from the page she was reading--presumably Celestia’s notes. “Yeah, it says right here that the Board would probably accept it as-is, but we would have a better chance if it was arranged better, and I agree. Just the way they have the contents arranged makes me wonder if they were actually going to write the book like this... Is that the first order of business then?”
“Yup. Do you have paper and a pencil?” Twilight slid both items over, clearing some space for Cheerilee to work. “Alright. Let’s get started then.”
Consciousness slowly seeped back into the prone form of Cheerilee. Unwilling to give up the last vestiges of sleep still clutching at the corner of her mind, she kept her eyes shut, revelling instead in the faint scent of... lilac? Cheerilee’s grayish-green eyes shot open.
A quick glance around the room revealed what she already suspected. Instead of the airy, open bottom floor of the library, she was up in a room she had never been in of the treehouse. A few shelves lined with books covered one wall, ending by a writing desk littered with stray scrolls. Across from Cheerilee sat a bed, sheets undisturbed. The small notebook inscribed with a six pointed star with five other stars nearby confirmed it. She was in Twilight’s room, lying in what was likely Twilight’s bed.
Cheerilee rolled from the bed, tripping over a basket at its foot in the process, and stumbled over to, and through, the door. From there, it was easy to step past what appeared to be a bathroom on her way to a stairwell, and back down to the main floor of the library.
“Oh, you’re up,” Twilight’s voice called from the library’s kitchen. “I was beginning to worry that I would have to wake you up so you could be ready in time to go to school.” She giggled. “I never thought I’d be saying that, especially to a mare as old as I am!”
“Yeah, I imagine that’s different,” Cheerilee replied with a smile. She glanced over at the clock. “Hey, why are you up so early? I didn’t think anypony else got up at the crack of dawn, aside from maybe the Apple family.”
“Normally, I’m not up this early, to be honest, but the couch isn’t really that comfortable to sleep on...” Twilight replied, leaving the kitchen to shoot a venomous glare over at the fabric couch in the corner, heaped with blankets. “That, and I thought you might enjoy some breakfast before you have to go to the schoolhouse.”
With that, the unicorn pointed one lavender hoof over towards the doorway to the kitchen. Leaning sideways ever so slightly, Cheerilee could just make out the edge of a plate, full of what looked like eggs on toast and a glass full of orange juice. Her stomach growled its approval.
“Ah heh heh.” Cheerilee’s ears shot straight down. “Now that you mention it...” With Twilight’s approving smile, Cheerilee trotted her way into the kitchen. Her flank had barely touched the wooden chair before the open egg sandwich was in her hooves, and mouth.
Twilight watched from the doorway with a bemused smile as her egg creation--such a shame, Spike would have been so proud--was devoured. Her grin grew even wider when Cheerilee looked up, suddenly very self-conscious. “Um, thanks,” she said, blush growing every second. “It was delicious.”
“It seems like it. Though, I’m surprised you even tasted it.” Twilight suppressed a chuckle as Cheerilee’s blush darkened. “Alright, I’m done teasing, promise. I also thought you might want a shower, so I left a towel in the bathroom. It’s up the stairs, first door on your left.”
“Thanks, Twilight. I’ll be out quick, have to be gone in an hour,” Cheerilee replied, leaving the room and clopping up the stairs. Just a short while later, Twilight heard the door click shut, followed by running water. A quick burst of concentration and shimmering lavender light later, the kitchen was once again spotless. Now with nothing to do and nopony to talk to, Twilight wandered from the kitchen back into the library’s main room, over to the table laden with the book materials.
She took her seat from the night previous and levitated over sheets of paper covered in her own tight scrawl, and the mouthwriting of Cheerilee--large, looped letters that were clear and easy to read. Twilight pondered for a moment before levitating over a blank scroll, and a quill dipped in ink.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Cheerilee and I spent most of the night looking over the documents you sent us. After much thought and consideration, and Cheerilee’s past experiences teaching with the original copy of Ponies Big and Small, and my own personal experience reading it, we came to a conclusion on the styling and order of the book.
We decided to throw out most of what they already had, as far as the organization is concerned. We decided that the best course of action was to divide the book into four parts.
Our introduction will cover the basics of everything, the fundamentals of magic, the basics of aerodynamics and wing anatomy--things that we believe everypony could benefit from a general knowledge of.
From there, we divide the instruction itself into three parts, one part each for the three different pony races. Depending on the foal, the teacher will instruct the pupils which section of the book they should read. Within those chapters is where we intend on doing the majority of writing, delving into the specifics of everything we generalized, or omitted, in the introduction.
Those specialized sections will delve in deeper on the strengths of the races, and how they can use those abilities to complement those of the others. We feel that this will aid instruction, as well as increase the overall educational value of the text itself. We hope to minimize the necessity of basic questions, which will help the teacher, who may not be able to answer the question fully.
We believe this is the best course of action to take in writing the book, but I want your opinion. I am... worried about doing this wrong, and I hope that your experience and insights can help us avoid grievous error. Most work on the book itself will wait for your reply.
Thank you, Princess.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle
As Twilight rolled the scroll and touched it to her horn, sending it straight to Celestia’s private quarters--unlike Spike’s dragon breath, which would send the letter to Celestia personally. The book was important, but not interrupting the Day Court important--the sound of running water stopped.
A few minutes later, a damp Cheerilee made her way down the staircase. The sound of creaking wood drew Twilight’s gaze over and upward. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, their eyes locked. One single drop of water plopped down from her mane onto her muzzle, causing her to blink and shrink back in surprise. The laugh started small, no more than a small giggle from the lavender mare, but it ended with both girls barely on their hooves, lost in hysterics.
So loud was their laughter, that they failed to hear the clacking of clawed feet coming down the stairs. Spike took one look at the two mares, practically collapsed on the floor, laughing, and shook his head. “First, somepony trips over my bed, then they wake me up giggling... Mares...”
He stood around for a few seconds, waiting for the giggles to die down, but when they didn’t, he decided to take matters into his own hands. “Hey, do you two want breakfast, or not?” When the two didn’t stop, Spike repeated himself, louder.
Twilight was the first to come to her senses. “I wouldn’t mind some, but I already made something for Cheerilee.” The teacher barely managed to contain herself before noticing Spike’s expression of complete shock mixed with the slightest hint of terror. He tore off into the kitchen, practically gouging out part of the hardwood floors in his haste, and causing another round of giggles from the two mares.
A comfortable silence settled around the room, draping the ponies within in its soft, relaxing embrace. Cheerilee allowed herself to luxuriate for a couple of minutes before sighing and taking a fleeting look at the clock. “Twilight, I really have to get going,” she said, looking over at the mare beside her. “After all, school doesn’t teach itself!”
Twilight smiled back. “No, I guess it doesn’t. Do you need anything else before you go?”
Cheerilee looked off into space for a moment. “I don’t think so,” she replied with a shake of her still-damp mane. “Everything I need, I have at the schoolhouse.”
“Alright...” A glance over to the papered desk in the corner brought another question to the fore of Twilight’s mind. “When do you want to get together and work on the book again?”
A mental picture of the calendar sitting on her desk popped into the teacher’s head. “I’ll probably be busy grading papers and the like until this weekend. I usually have them do something special for Nightmare Night, so next week should be clear.”
“Great!” Twilight beamed. “I have a report for the princess due Friday, so I’ll be pretty busy up until then. After something like that, I’ll have to clean the library too, so maybe next Saturday?”
Cheerilee nodded. “I’ll be here around noon?”
“It’s a date,” Twilight confirmed.
Cheerilee, already halfway to the door, did a double take and spun around to face the librarian. “A date?”
“Yup! A predetermined agreement between two or more ponies to meet at a specific place at a certain time to accomplish a common goal,” the lavender unicorn recited. “We’re meeting here, at noon Saturday, to work on the book. It matches the definition perfectly.”
A nervous chuckle slipped from Cheerilee’s mouth. “Y-Yeah, alright. See you Saturday!” Before Twilight had a chance to respond, the teacher slipped through the door, and hurried on her way to the town’s schoolhouse.
--_--_--_--
“And then she just took off!” Twilight tossed her hooves out wide in her excitement.
“Oh, my,” replied the room’s other inhabitant, one yellow pegasus with pink hair and a quiet disposition. “Was she upset with you? Not that you’d do something on purpose, but accidents happen.”
The events of the previous day and morning flew through Twilight’s mind. “No, I don’t think so. She didn’t seem angry, or even upset, but she was acting... strange. She was tripping over words, and giggling a lot, too.”
“She always seemed like a happy pony to me,” Fluttershy replied. “But I don’t really talk to her, so I’m not sure. Sorry.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Fluttershy, you have nothing to apologize for,” she said in a stern voice.
“Right, s--” the pegasus cut herself off with a giggle. “So, did she do anything else?”
“The only thing that really stands out from normal was about a book she borrowed from the library a few days ago.” Twilight bit her lip in thought. “A book called... Her Secret Desire. I’d heard the series was good, so I started reading Her Only Stallion, which is the first one. When I told her, she said something, and I made a joke, and she looked... really hurt for a moment. Whatever it was, it didn’t last for too long, though, and she was back to normal.”
Fluttershy’s eyes flicked over to the set of three books resting on her shelf, too quick for Twilight to notice. “Oh, I-I don’t know anything about that... When are you two meeting again to work on the book?”
“Saturday,” came the quick reply.
“Well, why not just ask her then?” Twilight opened her mouth to reply. A few moments later, it clacked closed again, followed by a shrug and a nod.
“Makes sense.” The mare took a moment to reposition herself on the couch. “So, how’s Owlowiscious doing?”
At the question, Fluttershy brightened up noticeably. “Oh, he is doing much better. Um, I gave him some medicine to help regrow his lost feathers, I hope it’s okay. He should be back to normal in a couple more days.”
Twilight’s face grew into a smile. “That’s good to hear. I was worried about him for awhile, and to be honest, I wasn’t one hundred percent certain he was going to be alright. It was an experimental spell, after all.”
“Well, don’t worry. I’ll make sure he gets better, promise.”
The lavender pony got to her hooves, padding over to the door before turning around and flashing her friend a smile. “I know, I left him with a very capable pony.” Fluttershy’s yellow cheeks burst into a slight blush. “Anyway, I need to get back to the library. That report on Everfree fungi isn’t going to write itself!”
The very tips of Fluttershy’s ears drooped. “Oh, okay... I have to get ready to meet Rarity anyway. I agreed to meet her to help with Nightmare Night costumes, she always gets so busy this time of year. But don’t worry, I already told her I agreed to help you tomorrow with the,” she gulped softly, “t-the forest.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Twilight replied with a smile. “It’ll cut a lot of research time off if I can observe and test some of the Everfree fungus myself, even more if I can visit Zecora sometime. I’m sure she’ll have some interesting insights.”
“Oh, I’m sure. Bye, Twilight.” The librarian waved and walked through the door. As soon as Fluttershy was sure her friend was gone, she trotted over to her closet, and dug up her favorite saddlebags--the one Rarity had made her for her birthday. Inside one of the pockets, she placed Her Only Stallion before making for the door. She was going to help Rarity, but she had a couple questions, too, as long as Rarity didn’t mind, anyway.
Rarity was in the workroom behind the show floor of the Carousel Boutique when she heard the peal of the bell hung above the front door. She glanced over at a mirror strategically place to allow view of the front of the shop from her preferred workplace, confirming her suspicion that her visitor was nothing more than Sweetie Belle coming home from school. “I’m in the back room!” Rarity shouted over her shoulder, after turning off her sewing machine and letting the needle come to a stop.
She was in the process of removing the fabric and placing it on a form when her sister finally entered the room, dropping her bag by the door. “Hey, sis,” Sweetie Belle squeaked, craning her neck up to see the top of the table and the sewing machine. “What are ya workin’ on?”
“It is an order for a friend in Canterlot.” Rarity pointed with a hoof to five identical dresses adorning dress forms, next to the half-finished one. “It’s a bit droll, actually. She wants a very specific pattern, which was interesting the first time, but by the third repetition is just becomes so... routine. Anyway, how was your day? Any more difficult questions?”
“Nope. The subject was canceled.” Rarity made an understanding noise and turned back to grab a stencil tossed haphazardly on the edge of the table. The filly, however, counted the seconds with a suppressed smile. It took far longer than she initially thought for her sister to spin back around with questions written all over her face, but it was worth the wait.
“The textbook is being rewritten,” Sweetie Belle clarified.
“Ah, so whatever it was Twilight was doing worked then?”
Sweetie Belle cocked an eyebrow. “She was doing something?”
“Yes, I spoke with her about it a few days ago. She told me she was trying to find a replacement from other publishing companies. I was under the impression that she wasn’t having much success, but I suppose it worked out in the end.” Finally certain that she reached the end of the matter, Rarity turned back to her machine.
“I guess. Cheerilee told us yesterday that she was writing it with Twilight.” Still talking, Sweetie Belle didn’t notice the sound of the stencil hitting the table top. “So, I guess it worked out...?”
Hundreds of questions whirled through Rarity’s head “They are doing what?” Out of all of the things to say...
“Yeah, and I guess they were working on it last night, because Miss Cheerilee walked into class later than normal, and her mane was still kinda wet.” Oblivious to her sister’s mental loop-the-loops, Sweetie Belle trotted back to her bag. “I’m going to go do my homework, and then go meet the girls at the treehouse, okay?”
“Just make sure to be home before dark.” Rarity didn’t watch her sister bound from the room, nor did she pay attention when the filly trounced up the stairs. In the fashionista’s mind, several things--whether they were real or imagined--clicked together, triggering a small smile that grew to encompass her entire face. It was short lived, however, as the door chimed once again a few moments later.
“Just one minute!” Rarity sing-songed, quickly fighting down her smile and sticking a needle in a half-finished piece of cloth.
“Hello, Rarity,” called a quiet voice from the front room of the shop. “I’m here to help, if you still need it.”
“Fluttershy! Thank goodness you’re here. This order is getting on my nerves. It’ll be nice to take a break, even if it is to work on those dreadful Nightmare Night costumes with you.” Rarity rose from her chair, ignoring the popping in her joints from remaining seated so long, to give Fluttershy a hug as the pegasus entered the workroom.
“Your costumes aren’t dreadful, they are lovely.” The butter pegasus pulled back from the hug to shoot her friend a half-serious glare.
“Maybe not, but I never actually see them on Nightmare Night.” The unicorn sighed. “Ah well, maybe this year...”
Fluttershy used the lapse in conversation to glance around the back room, usually reserved for working on dresses for clients. “Oh, these are nice,” she said, moving to look at the dark blue dresses on the forms. “Who ordered these...?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Rarity deflected, waving a hoof towards the door to the main room. “Shall we go?”
“O-Okay...” Fluttershy slowly trotted past her friend’s hoof and, as soon as Rarity emerged, followed her up the stairs to a large room on the second floor, the unicorn’s personal studio. Already, with the holiday almost upon them, various costume materials still littered the area. Large rolls of multicolored cloth and spools of invisible thread were piled in a corner, next to bags of various bits to make accessories out of. Instead of the usual dress form for modeling, a makeshift stage had been set up, for the dummies had been replaced in this instance by a live pony.
“I will never understand why some ponies leave this stuff until the last minute...” Rarity said, drawing Fluttershy’s attention back to her and the list resting on a table in the corner. “Now then, we’re still waiting on the peghoof for Pipsqueak’s costume, and Surprise wants me to use her own sequins that she hasn’t brought in, so all we can actually work on today is Lyra’s costume.”
“Okay.” Gently resting her saddlebags by one of the legs of a table, Fluttershy walked over to the bolts of fabric. “What should we use?”
“Black fabric, I think.” Hearing the smile in Rarity’s voice, the pegasus looked back “She ordered a Batmare costume in what I think is her measurements.”
Fluttershy giggled. “Alright, black fabric it is.” So saying, she gently bit down on the leading edge and pulled it back towards where Rarity sat. “If you want to start on the actual outfit, I’ll work on the cape...?” Jobs decided, sewing machine and needles dispensed, and various snacks brought up from the kitchen, the two mares sat down to work.
Though she focused on the needle and thread delicately guided with a hoof, Fluttershy’s gaze occasionally slipped down towards her saddlebag. She worked for the better part of half an hour, cutting and resewing the jagged edge of the cape before working up the courage to look over at the unicorn seated next to her. “Um, Rarity?”
“Yes, darling?” Rarity’s reply was barely audible over the hum of her sewing machine.
“Twilight came to visit me today...”
“Did she now?” The unicorn turned to look at Fluttershy. Idle chatter while working was not uncommon between the two, but it rarely ever had to do with one of their friends. “What for?”
“Well, she came to check on Owlowiscious, because he has been staying with me while I nurse him back to health, but while we were talking, Twilight told me some, um, some things about... about Cheerilee.” As Fluttershy finished her sentence, Rarity turned off her machine and turned to look at her.
“Do tell. I’ve heard some rather interesting things about those two recently as well.”
“I don’t... I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell or not...” Suddenly regretting her decision, Fluttershy turned her attention back to the needle, letting her hair fall between her and the unicorn.
“You can tell me anything, Fluttershy. I promise I won’t tell anypony else.”
“You... You promise?”
Rarity gave her friend a reassuring smile. “Of course. I would never betray your trust.” Fears allayed, Fluttershy wasted no time recounting the story Twilight had told her earlier to her eagerly listening friend.
“I just don’t understand at all.” Pausing at the end of her narrative, the pegasus reached down and pulled Her Only Stallion from her saddlebag. “I didn’t want to pry, and it seemed like Twilight didn’t know, but why would this book make Cheerilee act so weird, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Curious, Rarity levitated the book over to read the title. “Interesting... This doesn’t seem like the sort of thing our Twilight would read, now does it?” Fluttershy shook her head. “And you say that Twilight tried to read it because Cheerilee was reading the series?” Rarity nodded slowly, smoothly adding the new information into her mental web of intrigue. “And why would Twilight care how Cheerilee was acting unless... Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!” She sat up and wiggled her forehooves in excitement. “I think Twilight has a crush on Cheerilee!”
--_--_--_--
Twilight paced back and forth across the path leading from Ponyville into the Everfree Forest. Nearby, always in eyesight, sat a pair of lavender saddlebags, loaded to the brim with paper, quills, and various measuring equipment. A few more passes later, with no signs Fluttershy, Twilight sighed and plopped herself down next to her saddlebags to wait.
Her stationary reprieve only lasted a few short minutes before she was back on her hooves and pacing, in circles this time. It was like this that Fluttershy found the unicorn, approaching while her back was turned. “Twilight, are you alright?” the pegasus asked as soon as she was within earshot.
“Aah!” Twilight jumped into the air, whirling around to face her quiet ambusher. “Oh, it’s just you, Fluttershy. Why’d you sneak up on me like that?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Fluttershy lowered her head, looking more at Twilight’s hooves than her face.
“It’s fine, I’m just a little jumpy today.” With a mental stretch, Twilight lifted her saddlebag onto her back. “Ready to get going?” The pegasus nodded, waiting for the unicorn to take the first step before falling in behind along the overgrown path into the Everfree Forest.
As the canopy stretched overhead and the light beyond shrank, Fluttershy drew closer to Twilight and softly cleared her throat. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you so anxious?”
Twilight looked over and met her friend’s eyes for a moment before darting away. “It’s... It’s nothing...”
“Oh...” The two walked on in silence, passing the slightly more overgrown split that lead to Zecora’s cottage, instead working their way further into the forest, to a small lake they were told plenty of fungus grew. Wasting no time, Twilight shucked her saddlebags and began setting up various pieces of equipment. As soon as the lights on the machines were blinking, she levitated samples of fungus collected from the lake and surrounding area and placed it into the instruments, carefully noting the results in multiple notebooks floating around her head.
The research progressed swiftly with both mares working together. Twilight sat surrounded by various flashing and whirring instruments on the ground, while a circle of notebooks constantly rotated around her head. Fluttershy wandered slowly around the area--provided she was within eyesight of Twilight--looking for fungus for her unicorn friend to place under her instruments.
It was during one of her stops to return samples that the pegasus took a seat. “Um, Twilight?” The unicorn grunted her response, not looking up from her work. “Can I ask you something?”
“One second...” Twilight jotted down a few more notes before removing the current samples and sealing them in bags. Slowing the notebooks to a halt around her head, she finally turned to look at Fluttershy. “What’s on your mind?”
“I was just wondering... a-about you and Cheerilee,” Fluttershy said, taking a seat just outside of the ring of machines.
The librarian cocked her head slightly. “Like I told you, we’re working on the textbook for the Equestrian Education Board. She was just acting... strange is all. I figured a teacher would be more focused.”
“Maybe she was just tired.”
“Maybe...” Twilight glanced back at her machines to levitate a few new samples in. “I’ll know more Saturday when I see her.”
“Are you two going to Pinkie’s party?” Fluttershy asked, getting to her hooves to try and search for fungus Twilight hadn’t used yet.
“Oh my gosh, I almost forgot!” For a moment, her concentration wavered, causing the floating notebooks to fall for a brief moment before Twilight reasserted control and pulled them back up. “I’m sure Cheerilee won’t mind if we go. Besides, if we didn’t, I don’t want to think what Pinkie Pie would do.”
“I don’t know, it might be kinda funny...” Fluttershy joined her friend in a quick laugh. “Hopefully, you’ll know what was going on before then,” she said almost a minute later, voice muffled by the bush she was currently looking through.
Twilight’s eyebrows knitted together briefly. “Yeah, me too.”
I really need to stop doing this to myself, Cheerilee thought, staring down at the monstrous stack of papers resting on her coffee table. She spat her favorite grading pen from her mouth, smacking her lips to try and banish the lingering taste. That was the second time she, not paying attention, had picked it up backwards. The ink still didn't taste any better.
Cheerilee glanced up at the clock, noting it to be just after three, in the morning. She sighed and leaned back, kicking her hooves out, swinging them over the couch. I need to sleep, so I can help Twilight with the book, but I can’t sleep, because I’m too excited about getting to see Twilight, and helping her with the book. A single chuckle found its’ way past her lips. Sheesh, I’m crushing like a schoolfilly.
A lazy eye was cast over to the documents fouling the early morning air. They could wait, Twilight could not, and under no circumstances was she to be disappointed, especially with Cheerilee. She squeezed her eyes shut, blinking rapidly after. Twilight could not be made to wait, but neither could sleep, and the latter was closer than the former. Just a little sleep wouldn’t hurt. She could be up in plenty of time to help, and it would probably end better because of it.
--_--_--_--
Twilight sat, eyes glued to the vast expanse of the stars above. Already, the edges of the sky were lit by a pink hue, a sure sign that dawn was fast approaching, and with it, the death of the stars until the next night. “I just don’t know,” she sighed. “I know it’s silly, but I just can’t stop thinking. About Her Only Stallion, about the textbook, about the party and if Cheerilee will want to go with me, and about Nightmare Night. We’ve been planning it for awhile, but I’m starting to get nervous. What if she doesn’t like it, or worse, Fluttershy actually comes out this year, and we scar her for life?”
“What are you fretting about, Twilight?” A gray mare, button eyes barely poking over the bedspread, asked. “Care to share?”
“It... It’s nothing,” Twilight replied, looking back over her shoulder. “You should be asleep, you know. It’s too early to get up.”
“Says the mare who runs on caffeine. I know you, I know when something’s bothering you, now spill.”
“It’s silly, just a bunch of stuff I’ve already told you.” Twilight scratched the back of her head with a hoof. “Little things, really. The costumes Rarity made for Nightmare Night look amazing, and I’m kind of afraid we are going to scare the feathers off Fluttershy if she leaves her cottage. And I’m worried we won’t make the textbook right, or something will be wrong, and it’ll be get published, and get back to us, and ruin both of our careers, or--”
“Yeah, I got that much. Relax, Twi. As many books as you’ve read, writing one will probably come as natural as breathing. And to be honest, you should have worried about Fluttershy before you gathered the girls together and planned it. Actually, didn’t you invite her?”
“Er, well, yeah, but sometimes she is scared by her own shadow, so I kind of expect the worst, especially with how well the costumes came out.” Twilight turned back and looked out at the stars, slowly disappearing behind an encroaching line of pink. “And then there’s Cheerilee...”
“Oh-ho, still stressing about her are we? Do I sense a bit of a teacher fantasy in our little Twilight?”
“Huh?” Twilight blinked rapidly, trying to find the implications she knew were there. Evidently, she found them, because her face burst into a fiery blush. “I don’t have a teacher fantasy!”
“Mmhm, sure.”
Twilight’s blush crept slowly up towards her ears. “H-Hush!”
“Twilight... who‘re ya talkin’ to...?” a sleepy voice called. The librarian peeked over her shoulder, spotting Spike looking at her with half closed, questioning eyes.
“Nopony, Spike,” Twilight answered, hoping the early morning shadows hid her blush. “It’s still pretty early, you should get back to bed.”
“Mmkay...” The baby dragon turned around and trundled back to bed, tail dragging the entire way. Cleared of the possibility of further embarrassment, Twilight shot a glare towards Smarty Pants, head poked above the covers, before stuffing it under a pillow with a burst of magic. ‘Teacher fantasy...’ Where does my brain come up with this stuff?
Shaking her head, Twilight tiphooved her way past the basket holding the sleeping dragon and made her way downstairs. First stop: the kitchen, for two reasons. A nice, warm cup of coffee, and she was mostly sure she left her book in the kitchen while eating the night before. A quick sniff of the coffee pot revealed it hadn’t been turned on the night before, and was cold; so tea was in order. Not quite her favorite, but it would be warm, with just enough caffeine to get her awake, and maybe enough to prevent crashing until Pinkie’s party.
Once the tea was ready, it joined the book in a lavender aura on a trip to the front room. There was a... fair bit of cleaning needed before Cheerilee came over, but it wasn’t anything unmanageable, especially with Spike’s help. Twilight took her seat at the table reserved for the textbook, cuddled the warm tea in her forehooves close to her chest, and began to read.
As the words slipped by, so did time. The turning pages turned the hands of the clock, and before Twilight even realized, Spike was poking her side with one claw, holding a plate of finely cut potatoes, topped with a thin layer of cheese. Finally, a glass of juice, balanced precariously on his head. “Thought you might want something to eat,” Spike said, placing the food down before Twilight.
“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight replaced her bookmark and set down the novel, licking her lips at the prospect of food. “As soon as I finished eating, we need to get to work,” she said, quickly swallowing her first delicious bite. “I do, anyway, but it’ll be a lot better if you help.”
Spike looked to his caretaker skeptically. “What kind of work...?”
“Well, I want to do a little bit of cleaning before Cheerilee comes over to work on the textbook, but the checkout log is getting really messy. I was hoping you could kind of go through it and find the overdue books for me?” Twilight asked with a big grin.
“Awww, Twilight...” Spike kicked the ground with a claw. “But you said I wouldn’t have to work today...” Twilight let her smile slip, just a twitch every few seconds while she held Spike’s attention. “I... But... But comic book...” Her ears bent. “Alright, fine...”
Twilight’s smile returned full force, and she sat up to clop her forehooves together. “Great! I’m sure it’ll all get done in time now. Thanks, Spike!” Spike just grumbled to himself, plodding over towards the large book on the librarian desk, his closest companion for the next few torturous hours.
--_--_--_--
“Twilight, Cheerilee is here!” Spike called, hoping his caretaker could hear through the heavy door to her room. Turning back to Cheerilee, Spike stepped aside and pulled the door open wider. “Come on in,” he welcomed. “Twilight is upstairs getting ready for something, but I’m sure she’ll be down in a minute or two.”
“Thanks, Spike,” Cheerilee replied. She carefully made her way into the room, making sure not to get her overstuffed saddlebags caught on the frame. Clearing the doorway, she made her way over to the table already loaded down with materials sent for the textbook, and unstrapped her bags, placing them down on the table with an audible sigh, and a rather large bang.
“Woah.” Spike whistled, eyes wide. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen saddlebags that full before! What’s in them?”
“Books and things to help out,” Cheerilee replied, head in one of her saddlebags. When it came back out, she had a mouthful of books, which she gently deposited on the table. Spike rushed over to help. Between the two of them, it wasn’t too long before the already overburdened table sagged even further, loaded with even more books.
“What was that noise?” a voice called from behind the pair. Cheerilee turned around, and smiled at the lavender unicorn poking her head over the edge of the stairs and peering down into the library proper. As their eyes met, Cheerilee could have sworn the tip of Twilight’s muzzle glowed with a faint blush, but she couldn’t really tell.
“Oh, h-hey, Cheerilee. I’ll, uh, I’ll be down in a minute.” Without waiting for a response, Twilight backpedalled madly, vanishing from sight.
The very tips of Cheerilee’s ears fell. “Are you okay?” Spike asked, causing the teacher to turn around.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just... ready to get to work, I guess...” Cheerilee sat down by the labored book table, busying herself sifting through the material there. Left alone, Spike wandered off into the kitchen, searching for food. Some time later, the clop of hooves on wood announced Twilight’s return. Cheerilee turned around and smiled. “Hey, Twilight.”
Much to the teacher’s confusion, Twilight didn’t respond in kind. Instead, she pawed at the ground with a hoof and refused to meet her gaze. “I’m sorry, Cheerilee,” she mumbled. “I forgot Pinkie Pie was throwing a party tonight, and if I don’t go, well, we know how Pinkie is about her parties. I can still work with you, but not all night.”
“That’s okay, we aren’t that pressed for time,” Cheerilee replied, trying her best to hide her disappointment. “Though I might need to check out another book. I expected to be working most of the night, and I don’t want to run out of things to read.”
“Well, um, you could always, um… come to the party... with me?” For the first time, Twilight looked up, and Cheerilee got a good look at her. She was different, but only subtly so. The teacher stared for several minutes, not noticing Twilight’s growing blush.
“Your mane,” Cheerilee finally said, much to the librarian’s relief. “You did something different with your mane.” It was true, and very subtle. The tips of her bangs were curled inwards, and though on its own it was rather unremarkable, but the curl drew Cheerilee’s gaze down into Twilight’s eyes--wide and sparkling, bordered by the faintest blush.
“It... It’s nothing special, really. I just wanted to do something different, I guess...” Twilight spluttered. “So do you want to go with me? I’m sure Pinkie won’t mind another guest...”
“Well, I... I’d love to, but I didn’t know I was going anywhere, I’m not dressed up or anything.”
“You don’t need to dress up. Beside, you look great anyway.” As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Twilight ducked her head, hiding her glowing cheeks. Both mares coughed and worked hard to avoid letting their gaze settle on the other. From the kitchen came noises of exaggerated gagging and retching.
“You... You too, Twilight,” Cheerilee replied. The silence grew, awkward and heavy, resting itself across the room like a blanket. Cheerilee cleared her throat. “So, we should probably get to work on the textbook.”
“Yup!” Twilight agreed, seizing the opportunity to ignore the awkward lurking in the room. “We should. The party starts in a couple of hours, so we should try to get as much done as possible.”
Cheerilee took a seat, sliding a couple of the books she brought over and opened them. “I dug up copies of books I thought might help us.”
“More information never hurts,” Twilight replied, taking her own seat and moving over the plans. Cheerilee wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but it seemed to her that Twilight had moved her chair closer. It’s going to be a long night...
What am I doing...? Twilight thought to herself as she walked down the street. She kept looking to her right, where Cheerilee walked next to her. Every time she was caught staring, Cheerilee would smile, and Twilight would look away, and wait for her chance to look again. Just this morning, I didn’t know what to think, and now we’re going to a party as a date? Is it a date? I don’t even know anymore... Seeing the outline of Sugarcube Corner in the distance, Twilight shoved her questions to the back of her mind, with a memo to write to her mother about it, maybe even the Princess.
“Are you sure Pinkie Pie won’t mind me showing up uninvited?” Cheerilee asked.
“I don’t think she’ll mind. Pinkie isn’t really one to get upset when plans aren’t followed perfectly, and there won’t be a shortage of snacks.” Twilight chuckled. “Sometimes, I think she breathes sugar, not air.”
Cheerilee laughed, but it was obvious she was still worried. Two things kept her from just going home, that Twilight had asked her here, and was right next to her, and that the door to Sugarcube Corner was in front of them. Unaware of the anxiety growing in Cheerilee’s chest, Twilight raised a hoof and knocked.
The door flew open, releasing the music it had held inside, along with a couple stray streamers and a balloon. In the doorway stood a pink mare, practically vibrating with excitement. “Hiya, Twilight!” she said, beaming. “Come on in!”
“Hi, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight replied. She stepped forward, exposing Cheerilee, who was using the lavender unicorn and the door frame to hide herself from Pinkie’s gaze.
“Hi, Miss Cheerilee!” Pinkie called, spotting the teacher once her librarian wall moved away. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, she is here with me,” Twilight said from the doorway. “I kind of forgot when the party was, and made plans to work with Cheerilee on something, but I couldn’t just skip the party, and if I sent Cheerilee home when she expected to work with me I would have felt bad, so I invited her along.” Twilight scratched the back of her head with a hoof. “I hope you don’t mind.”
Inside the bakery, the music held it’s breath. At the barest hint of gossip, a white head popped out behind Pinkie, joined soon after by a yellow one looking to satisfy her curiosity. “Of course I don’t mind!” Pinkie said, allowing the music to return. “The more the funner!”
“I think you mean, ‘the more the merrier.’” Twilight corrected.
“That too. Come on in!” Pinkie stepped aside, letting Twilight and Cheerilee enter the party. Pinkie shut the door behind them. “We’ve got punch, and cider, and cupcakes, and cake, and cake in the shape of cupcakes, and cookies, and apple turnovers and...”
With practised ease, Twilight turned out Pinkie’s list of goodies, instead preferring to greet the others in the room. “Hey, girls.”
Rainbow Dash and Applejack, neither one looking away from the other, both responded in kind. Off in a corner, Rarity and Fluttershy were talking in hushed tones. Hearing Twilight’s greeting, Rarity motioned her over.
“Hello, darling,” Rarity singsonged as Twilight joined them in their corner. “You know, for somepony you’re just working with on a book, she seems to be rather attached to you...” she teased.
Twilight looked back over her shoulder at Cheerilee, who was standing by Pinkie, listening to her rattle off foods and looking very confused and overwhelmed. “Well, we’ve been working together a lot, and like I said, I didn’t want her to clear her plans, just for me to have to leave and come here.”
“...And you her,” Rarity finished, face growing a small, expectant grin. Behind Rarity, Fluttershy ducked her head, disappearing almost completely from view save the curl of her tail.
“I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Twilight stuttered. How could she know? I don’t even know!
Behind Rarity, a small pink tuft of hair squeaked. “Um, Rarity, I thought we, um, that we weren’t going to talk to her about that tonight...” it said with a voice not unlike Fluttershy.
“Oh, I know, but I can’t just help it. It’s so exciting!” Rarity squealed, quickly shaking her forehooves.
Twilight looked between the visibly excited white unicorn and the tuft of pink hiding behind it. “What are you two talking about?” she asked.
The pink hair was joined by a splotch of yellow, then one large teal eye. “You promise you won’t be mad at me...?” The eye blinked.
“Mad about what? What are you two hiding from me?”
“Well I, um, I kind of might have accidently told Rarity what you told me while we worked on Nightmare Night costumes together.” Apparently worried by Twilight’s silence, Fluttershy peeked further out from behind Rarity’s legs. “I’m so, so sorry, Twilight, but I’ve known Rarity for a long time, and we were sitting in the sauna, and she could tell something was on my mind and she just kept asking and asking and asking and eventually I couldn’t help myself, I had to tell her what you told me, I’m so sorry!”
Twilight still stood silent. “You aren’t mad at us, are you, Twilight?” Rarity asked, drawing a set of purple eyes to her.
“Of course not,” Twilight replied, “I’m just confused what you drew from what I told Fluttershy. All I said was that I was worried Cheerilee was upset because she bolted out the door.”
“Well, it was obvious to me, especially after I found out from Sweetie Belle about her night at your hoo--hello, Cheerilee! And how are you?” Rarity’s excited smile shifted to one of greeting as Cheerilee trotted over, finally freed from the list of sweets, and took a place next to Twilight.
“Hello, Miss Rarity--”
“Rarity, is fine, darling.”
“--Rarity. I’m fine, ready for Nightmare Night.”
“It is always a shame that I am so busy around now that when Nightmare Night actually comes, I can’t actually see my creations in action. I’m hoping this year is different,” Rarity said, sharing a secret smile with Twilight.
Stepping aside so Fluttershy could join in the conversation fully, Rarity cleared her throat. “So Cheerilee, I understand you are working with our Twilight to make a textbook.”
Cheerilee nodded. Twilight’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“Are you two making good progress; having a good time? Maybe it is just me, but I feel I would have a dreadful time writing any book, let alone one for a school.” Rarity blinked, eagerly awaiting a response from either mare.
Both Twilight and Cheerilee shuffled their hooves before the teacher spoke up. “Well, I can’t speak for Twilight, but I’m having a good time, and the boring parts are more than made up for by the company.” She looked over to her right, and flashed Twilight a smile.
A glint flashed in Rarity’s eye. Twilight coughed nervously, distracting her for the briefest of moments. “Uh, Cheerilee, have you, uh, punch, have you had the punch yet?”
“Um... no...?” Cheerilee replied, confused.
“You should try it.” When the other mare didn’t move, Twilight tried again. “Before Pinkie drinks it all. Again.”
“S-Sure. Anypony else want some?” Cheerilee asked, looking at the others.
“If you don’t mind, darling.”
“Yes, please. If... if it’s not too much trouble...”
“Thanks.” Twilight watched Cheerilee walk away, look of bewilderment still on her face.
Once the teacher was gone, Twilight turned back to the other two. “Look, Rarity, I know what you’re trying to do... I think. But... I don’t... I don’t know what I want, and I don’t know what she wants I need time; so I would appreciate it if you two didn’t mention anything. At all. Especially to Cheerilee.”
Fluttershy nodded, hair gently bouncing with the movement.
Rarity dipped her head for a moment. “As you wish, Twilight. I won’t say anything.”
Before conversation could return to the small group, Pinkie, back loaded with cups of punch, trotted over with Cheerilee in tow. “I’ve got drinks,” the teacher proudly declared, handing one cup to Fluttershy before taking her own and sitting down, holding it in her forehooves. Two others lifted up, floating to their respective unicorns. Pinkie turned her head back to get her own drink, but it was just out of reach. Before somepony could help, she bounced, sending the cup and contents flying into the air. Pinkie caught it easily, without spilling a single drop.
She then downed the drink in one gulp, and replaced the empty cup on her back.
Pinkie sniffed the air. “It smells serious here. You’re not supposed to be serious at a party, you’re supposed to have fun!”
“In that case, Fluttershy, darling, would you join me on the dance floor?” Rarity asked, nopony noticing the mischievous glint in her eye.
Fluttershy’s face immediately ignited in a fiery blush. “R-Rarity, I can’t... um, I mean, I-I don’t think that...” She pawed at the ground, looking more sheepish by the second. “Okay,” she finally breathed. The two walked off towards a space clear of all but balloons, streamers, and other assorted party paraphernalia. They rose up onto their hind legs, clinging to each other for support, and began to move.
Cheerilee watched the two dance around the room, ignoring the music in favor of their own tune. After a little bit of thought, a good thirty seconds easy, she turned to Twilight. “That looks like fun. You wanna dance?”
Twilight’s face paled. “I-I, uh, I don’t think that’s really such a good id--”
“Sure! I love dancing!” Before either mare could say anything, Pinkie swooped over and grabbed Cheerilee’s hooves, whisking her over to the dance floor. Barely containing laughter, Twilight watched Pinkie slinging Cheerilee around the floor, crudely mimicking the grace of Rarity and Fluttershy with her spastic steps and twirls. More than once, Twilight found herself worrying for the safety of the room, and its occupants.
“This isn’t really what I meant,” Cheerilee said, once her thoughts got adjusted to the wanton spinning of her impromptu dance partner. If Pinkie heard, she didn’t say anything, leaving the teacher to do her best and smile apologetically at Twilight whenever she found herself dragged past her.
Now left alone, Twilight took a seat, making sure that all of their cups of punch were resting somewhere they were not likely to be spilled. The two pairs became blurs of color as she stopped focusing, deciding instead to turn her focus inward. She was still firmly in a scholarly mindset from working on the book, so much so that she almost wished they had decided to not go to the party, or hadn’t worked on it beforehoof. Then again, if they hadn’t worked on the book, what would she and Cheerilee have done in the hours before the party?
With a fearsome blush on her face, Twilight forced her thoughts in a different direction.
Showing a level of single-mindedness that was usually reserved for lengthy research and/or reading sessions, the thoughts refused.
Twilight closed her eyes, guiltily giving into her visions while simultaneously trying to shove them aside, preferably permanently. “Okay, w-w-we went over the skeleton of the framework of the first chapter; the basis of all magical theory needed for foals to understand their true potential,” Twilight mumbled to herself, hoping the sound of her own voice would deter her normally ironclad attention before her blush set her chair aflame.
“We have to be careful--I, have to be careful--not to overcomplicate it. This is a book for foals, they don’t need advanced metamagical theory. I don’t even think they need for any theory at all, that can wait. If we can contain it to simply basic practicals, it should be more than enough so as to keep the rest of the book from confusing the foals...”
The seat next to Twilight creaked as it took the weight of another pony. “Hey there, Twi’. Havin’ a good time talkin’ t’ yerself?” Twilight looked over, and smiled at the mare sitting next to her.
“Hi, Applejack. Done with... whatever it was you and Rainbow Dash were doing?”
“Yeah. She came in here braggin’ she could keep her eyes open longer’n me because she flies into th’ wind. Jus’ a bit o’ harmless fun.”
“Did you win?”
Applejack looked away from Twilight. “Ah... ahem, so ya brought Miss Cheerilee with ya. Didn’ know you two were a thing. Good fer you, Twi. Ah remember she was in Macintosh’s class in school; she’s a good mare.”
“We, we aren’t a thing,” Twilight hurriedly said. On the dance floor, Cheerilee whipped past with a smile. “We are working on a new textbook, and she was over at the library when I was getting ready to leave. Working.”
“Working,” Applejack agreed, looking back to Twilight with a sly grin.
“Just working. Honest,” Twilight said, staring at the floor, hoping reading minds was still impossible. Note to self, letter to Mom needs to happen. Soon.
--_--_--_--
Finally, after several songs, Cheerilee managed to break away. Rarity and Fluttershy remained on the floor, ignoring the fast paced beat of the song playing in favor of their own mental tune. Pinkie remained, instead taking Rainbow Dash as a somewhat more willing partner. Looking to rest her aching hooves, Cheerilee locked onto Twilight and hobbled over.
“Hey, Twilight,” Cheerilee said, only now noticing the orange mare sitting next to Twilight. “And... Applejack, right?”
“Yup,” Applejack replied, tipping her hat. “Nice t’ see ya, Miss Cheerilee.”
“Just Cheerilee is fine,” she said. “Mind if I sit here? Pinkie Pie has some... interesting dance moves.”
Twilight moved a chair over and set it next to her. Gratefully, Cheerilee sat down. “Sorry she did that. Pinkie can be a bit of a hoofful sometimes.”
“Prob’ly fer the best, though. Twilight ain’t exactly known for her dancing skill,” Applejack taunted. Twilight’s face heated in blush.
“Th-That’s not true!” she said. “I can dance perfectly fine, thank you.”
Applejack snorted. “Sugarcube, we were there in Canterlot wit’ ya. Ya got four left hooves.”
Cheerilee looked over to where Twilight sat, spluttering. “You’re right,” she finally admitted. “I can’t dance...”
Thought her hooves rebelled at the thought, Cheerilee stood up. “Not for long,” she said.
Twilight blinked and looked up. “What?”
“You can’t dance, for now.” Cheerilee held out a hoof. “Come on, I’ll teach you. Right here.” She smiled reassuringly, waiting patiently.
Cheerilee saw Twilight’s eyes flit around her, to where Rarity and Fluttershy still dominated the room with their soundless grace. Rainbow and Pinkie had retired, and were talking in hushed tones over a platter of cupcakes. Every so often, a giggle or laugh would be heard, followed by the munch of another sweet meeting its demise.
Twilight took a deep breath and stood up, putting her hoof in Cheerilee’s. “O-Okay...”
Bemused, Applejack sat back and repositioned her hat so it wouldn’t block her view. “This aughta be good.”
“Pinkie Pie,” Cheerilee shouted over the music. “Can we get something a little slower? I’m going to try and teach Twilight to dance!”
The entire room that wasn’t already watching stopped and looked over. Cheerilee suddenly wondered if this maybe wasn’t such a good idea, at least, publicly. The worried look on Twilight’s face confirmed it. But it was too late now. Pinkie Pie had already switched the record to something resembling a waltz in a more upbeat tune, and was now sitting with Rainbow Dash, sharing a bag of popcorn.
Twilight started regretting her decision the second she and Cheerilee stepped out onto the empty dance floor. On hearing Cheerilee’s declaration, Rarity and Fluttershy had ended their dance, and joined Applejack on the sidelines. Every eye in the room was on her and Cheerilee; however it wasn’t like a school report, and the attention wasn’t exactly welcome.
Her nerves grew worse as soon as they stopped in the middle of the floor. Twilight expected Cheerilee to, maybe, do something and have her copy it. Unfortunately, that was not the case, a fact Twilight learned the second Cheerilee rose to her hind legs.
The teacher must have noticed her hesitation. “Come on, Twilight. I can’t stand like this forever.”
Too late now... Twilight rose up. Cheerilee latched onto her, one hoof around her shoulders, the other around her waist. Twilight did the same, limbs trembling in time with her racing heart.
“Just follow my steps, alright?” Twilight refrained from answering, too busy staring down at Cheerilee’s hooves. The teacher moved one hoof back, quickly mimicked by Twilight. Because of her rush, and lack of coordination, their hooves bumped together.
Cheerilee giggled. “I said to follow my steps, not kick me,” she chided in a playful tone. Once again, Twilight didn’t answer, noting to not just mimic the movement, but to copy it perfectly.
Once again, Cheerilee moved the same hoof back. A lavender hoof followed, coming down almost in sync with its guide. Twilight looked up to the smiling face of her instructor. “Like that?”
Cheerilee nodded. “Yeah. Now, let’s get a little more complicated. Ready?”
Now it was Twilight’s turn to nod. “Okay, let’s give it a shot.” They went from one step to two. Back and forth, slowly moving their way across the floor in a slow, stilted manner. They went from two steps to three. Then three to four. Every time Twilight began to get confident, complacent, Cheerilee would add something new; before too long, twirls and spins were just as common as simple steps, and both served to send them ever forward.
The lesson was proceeding well enough that Rarity and Fluttershy rejoined them on the floor. The pair of pairs weave an elegant and complex path, neither one bumping into the other, but every once in awhile coming close enough that their manes would whip another’s.
Twilight felt exhilarated. She had always known she was terrible at dancing by herself, and because of that, nopony had really asked to dance with her. Sure, when she was little she would dance with her dad, or Shiny, but it wasn’t exactly the same. As with many things, Twilight had picked up the flow of motion easily, and now was focused more on the feel of Cheerilee’s coat against hers, her warm smile and sparkling eyes.
Eventually, the record spun to the end, needle sending nothing but static as it bounced against the smooth interior. Behind Twilight, Rarity whispered something to Fluttershy, causing the mare to giggle quietly before the pair left the floor. Sensing time was up, Cheerilee let go. Twilight hung on for a brief moment longer, somewhat unwilling to release the contact she had initially dreaded. Realizing now was neither the time nor place to even think of such things, she eventually let go. Together, Twilight and Cheerilee walked back to their drinks, on hooves somewhat unused to holding their own weight.
Applejack tapped her hooves against the ground as the duo grew close. “Mighty fine job ya did of that, Cheerilee. You too, Twi’.”
Both mares nodded their thanks, somewhat out of breath from their earlier exertions. Twilight sat next to Applejack, and Cheerilee on the other side. They both found their cups, and downed what was left of their lukewarm punch.
“That was super awesome!” Pinkie shouted, trotting over to the winded mares. “Especially if you’ve seen Twilight dance by herself. You should have been a dance teacher, Cheerilee, not a school teacher!”
“Well, it helps to have a good partner,” Cheerilee countered, smiling over at Twilight. The librarian blushed, ducking her head.
“You don’t mean that,” Twilight said to the floor. “You did all the work, I just had to not run into you.”
“But you made it work, darling,” Rarity said, joining the group and the conversation. Fluttershy followed soon after. “If I hadn’t known any better, I would say you studied dancing, not magic.” At her side, Fluttershy nodded her agreement.
“You two looked very, um, very nice together,” Fluttershy observed. She shot a look at Twilight, worried that what she said may have broken the deal they made earlier. An almost unnoticeable shake of Twilight’s head set any concern to rest. “It was fun to dance with you.”
“Yes,” Rarity added. “Quite.” She yawned daintily, covering it with a forehoof. “That was not quite what I intended. Pinkie Pie, I am dreadfully sorry to say that I must adjourn early. I still have several costumes to finish before Nightmare Night.”
Pinkie looked down for a moment, before suddenly perking back up. “Okie doki! You’ll be at the town party right?” she asked with an exaggerated wink.
“Yes, everything should be ready by then, and I made sure to pace myself this year. I fully intend to see my creations in their natural habitat, so to speak.” Twilight suppressed a grin, an effort not mirrored by Pinkie Pie.
Cheerilee scratched her head in confusing. “What’s going on Nightmare Night?”
“Nothing!” chorused Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity.
Finally noticing one of their number was missing, Rarity spoke up. “Where did Rainbow Dash go? She was here when Fluttershy and I began dancing with Twilight and Cheerilee.”
“She said the music was really boring, and started eating lots and lots of sweets and crashed over there,” Pinkie replied, waving a hoof over in the general direction of the diminished snack table.
“Give her my regards will you?” Rarity asked with another yawn. “I must be off. See you all on Nightmare Night. Ta ta!”
With the farewells of every waking pony in the room, Rarity left. Cold air from the open door briefly enveloped the bakery, reminding all present that winter was fast approaching. As soon as it shut, the party continued on, much later into the night.
Cheerilee stood in front of the door to the Ponyville library. She shifted awkwardly, reaching back and biting one of the wire-framed transparent cloth that served as wings on her costume. It was somewhat hard to judge their form on top of the black and yellow stripes of her costume, but eventually she gave up and assumed it was okay. She hadn’t really planned on meeting Twilight here, or at all really, but the tree was on the way to town square, where most of the festivities took place, and she found herself stopping anyway.
Just as she finished fixing her wing, she heard a voice, muffled by the heavy library door.
“Come on, Twilight! We have to hurry!” Even through the door, the voice obviously belonged to Spike.
A small laugh followed his outburst. “Okay, Spike. You go ahead, I’m right behind you.” That voice was unmistakably Twilight’s. Before the implication of the exchange hit Cheerilee, something else did--something small, purple, and possibly shot out of a canon.
Spike barrelled into Cheerilee, the impact taking both of them down onto the dusty road. Cheerilee hit the ground with grunt, cringing as she heard her wireframed wings squeak as they bent. Again.
Bouncing up and dusting himself off, Spike gave Cheerilee a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Miss Cheerilee. I didn’t think anypony was there.”
Drawn out by the crash and grunting, Twilight stuck her head out of the door. “Is everything okay out here?”
“Yeah, I just fell over is all,” Cheerilee replied, reaching back to straighten her wing once again. She never imagined it was going to be so troublesome. Satisfied, she looked up. Spike was dressed up like some sort of goblin. His purple scales were covered in a pale green paste that only partially covered his normal color. Two long stretches of something were stuck to his head. From where they were and their shape, Cheerilee assumed they were supposed to look like goblin ears, even though one was slightly lower than the other.
His costume was a stark contrast to the mare standing in the doorway. Twilight crossed the threshold and, noticing Cheerilee’s gaze, smiled. “Something wrong?”
“You’re not wearing a costume?” It was true. Though Twilight’s mane and tail were darkened, so much so that they almost blended in with the shadows as the library door swung shut, she wasn’t wearing anything that could be considered a costume.
“No, I am. My costume is still at the Carousel Boutique, so I have to go there to get dressed up,” Twilight explained. “Actually, I’m meeting some of the other girls there, but the square is the other way...” She trailed off, casting a worried glance to Spike.
“Twilight, I go to town by myself all the time!” Spike whined. “Can’t I just go?”
“It’s not you being alone I’m worried about. I don’t want you eating all of your candy at once and getting sick.”
“Twilight...”
“I can take him,” Cheerilee said, cutting off Spike. “I’m heading that way anyway. I was going to help set anything up that still needs doing before the Mayor’s annual speech.”
“A-Are you sure? I don’t want to bother you...” Twilight began, but Cheerilee cut her off.
“It’s fine. I doubt Spike will be any more trouble than the foals. Besides, it’s only until Zecora takes the children into the forest, right? Don’t worry.” Cheerilee put a hoof around Spike and gently shepherded him towards the town square.
“Thanks, Cheerilee,” Twilight called after them. “I’ll see you later tonight!”
Cheerilee stopped and turned back to the library. “How will I know it’s you? What are you wearing?”
Twilight giggled almost maniacally. “Trust me, you’ll know.” Leaving the teacher pondering the last statement, Twilight trotted off towards the Boutique.
--_--_--_--
Almost an hour later, and the setup was finally finished. Most of Ponyville waited in the town square in front of a hastily constructed stage. In just a few minutes, Mayor Mare would take the stand, and officially begin the festivities. Already, small crowds gathered around the games, practically vibrating with excitement and eyeing one another to be the first one to play.
“Attention citizens of Ponyville!” a voice called from the stage. Everypony turned towards the raised stage. Their original looks of expectation mutated to looks of confusion, then to curiosity. “I have returned!” A bolt of lightning cracked at the end of the sentence, briefly blinding the gathered ponies and obscuring the speaker.
The entire town as one blinked and smiled. “Hi Princess Luna!” they chorused. “Happy Nightmare Night!”
The Lunar Princess stood tall at the front of the stage. She smiled, the white of her teeth contrasting with her dark coat. With a single hoof she waved. “Let me see,” she muttered to herself, not realizing her voice was still being projected. “I know the mayor gave me some sort of speech...”
There was a collective laugh from the crowd. Luna blushed and cleared her throat in an attempt to downplay her little error. From behind a podium, a small stack of notecards fell to the floor and were quickly kicked from sight. “I want to give thanks to all of you for allowing me to return this year, after last year’s... incident. This town is important to me, for just outside of it, in the old castle, I was freed from the Nightmare.”
Luna sniffled and blinked rapidly, rearranging her thoughts. “So naturally, when I received a letter from your mayor asking me to return this year and oversee your celebrations, I leapt at the chance. Thus, it is with great honor that I declare this Nightmare Night celebration open!” A roar of pounding hooves drowned out the rest of the princess’ speech. She patiently waited for her expectant stare to quell the crowd before continuing. “Now, I have come to understand that one of your traditions involved recounting the story of Nightmare Moon?”
As the crowd earlier cheered, they now all found great interest in their hooves and the dirt ground. Luna laughed, dismissing their discomfort. “All things become corrupted, given enough time. I would give the actual story, but it... stings in memory, and for the moment I would rather forget. However, I see no problems with collecting candy.” Luna’s declaration was met with cheers from the foals, though none were louder than Pinkie Pie. “I may not gobble you up,” the princess said, once again cutting through the cheer, “but candy donations will be accepted. Happily. Just beware, I may no longer be Nightmare Moon, but her spirit may still yet remain,” she finished in a low pitched wavering voice. A few in the crowd looked around worriedly, but most laughed it off.
Princess Luna stepped off of the stage, muttering to herself about how she detested giving speeches, only to be mobbed by foals as she reached the ground. All their questions and requests bled together. Luna tried her best to keep up, but there was simply too much. Eyes wide, she tried her best to answer questions that she caught. The entire area swarmed with snippets of multiple excited conversations until a loud stomp cut through the voices.
“Don’t you want to get candy?” a kind voice asked. As one, the mob of foals turned to the new voice and beamed. Luna shot an appreciative look over the foals head to Cheerilee.
“Candy?” Pinkie shouted, popping up nearby. “Come on, there’s candy to collect!” Pinkie Pie charged off, leading a crowd of every foal in Ponyville.
As the thundering crowd of hooves faded in the distance, Luna looked towards her savior. “I thank you. I am... not good with foals.”
“You did fine last year. At the end of the night, anyway,” Cheerilee replied.
“Yes, last year...” Luna trailed off, eyes scanning the tops of the buildings. Suddenly, she pulled an envelope from under her wing. “I must be off, there is something I must do. Could you give this to your mayor for me?”
“Uh, sure...” Cheerilee took the note in her mouth, effectively ending the conversation. Luna nodded her thanks, then took to the skies, leaving the teacher to find Mayor Mare.
--_--_--_--
Outside of Ponyville, four figures waited impatiently. It wasn’t their original base camp, but due to a rather dauntingly large amount of spells needed for their plan to work, they had to go somewhere more remote. After all, nothing looks quite as suspicious as a glowing building on a dark night. Even though, their plan was flexible enough that their impromptu location change shouldn’t debunk things. All they needed was the signal, and everything would begin.
They didn’t even risk conversation. The entire plan hinged on nopony knowing where they were or what was happening until the last minute. Their costumes were designed perfectly, enchantments weaved tightly, roles perfectly rehearsed.
“Bird call! Bird call!” The words echoed over the dark town. Four hooves met four faces in perfect sync.
“This was not in the plan, was it?” one of the figures asked. She shifted her wings, gently brushing against her armor. “Was that supposed to be the signal? I am ready to begin. This armor is uncomfortable.”
“My apologies,” another figure said to the first. “It was difficult to get proper measurements, considering you could not leave Canterlot, and I was too busy working here to see you.”
“She had one job,” a third figure said with a scratchy voice. “Well, she has a couple... But this was totally the most important.”
“Did I do it right?” Pinkie Pie asked, trotting up onto the hill. “Hey, why is it so dark? I could barely find you.” One of the cloaked figures handed the newcomer a costume. Pinkie wasted no time slipping it on.
“That wasn’t the signal,” the last cloaked figure replied, horn lighting up as she began to weave spells around Pinkie. “You were supposed to do a bird call, not say ‘bird call.’”
“Sorry, Twilight,” Pinkie mumbled still trying to fix the glittery armor to her barrel.
Twilight sighed. “It doesn’t matter...” Costume donned and enchantments in place, Pinkie took her place with the rest of the group. “Okay, girls--and princess--it’s time to go. PInkie Pie has successfully distracted the foals, the note to the mayor is taken care of, and we are all set. Stick to the plan, and I’m sure this will go great.” She put a black hoof out towards the group. “Ready?”
Pinkie stuck her hoof in. “Ready Freddy!”
Rainbow added hers. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Rarity gently set her hoof on top of the pile. “Of course, darling.”
Luna added a wing, draping the stack in downy blue feathers. “I have been looking forward to this,” she said in a barely controlled voice. “Let us begin.”
The pile broke apart, and all of the ponies split up, taking separate routes towards the middle of town.
--_--_--_--
Cheerilee slowly trotted through the town, occasionally dodging groups of foals dashing around trying to get more candy. The message had been rather easy to deliver, Mayor Mare was standing where she usually did on Nightmare Night; she was always near the games, as though trying to work up the courage to play them herself. Far more worrying, at least to Cheerilee, was the absence of Twilight. It had been almost an hour, and she still hadn’t showed.
So, Cheerilee went to the boutique. The building was dark, and nopony answered the door. Likewise, the library was visibly devoid of all life. Resigned to just wait for Twilight, Cheerilee was heading back towards the town square heard it.
A scream.
And then another.
Worried, Cheerilee took off towards the sounds. They led her away from the town square, more towards the last group of foals she passed a few minutes ago. Before she could track them down, however, all that was left of the screams were the echoes bouncing off buildings.
“You aren’t a foal,” a voice called from behind Cheerilee. The cold, spiteful voice made her hackles rise. “What are you doing out in the town? Looking to get gobbled up?” Slowly, as though trying to disguise her movement, Cheerilee turned around. All it took was the glint of blue armor on top of pitch black fur to make her spin around quickly, to find herself eye to eye with Nightmare Moon.
Cheerilee promptly screamed, and bolted.
Behind the numerous illusions and costume used to disguise her as Nightmare Moon, Twilight giggled. There actually were five of them running around disguised as the Mare in the Moon, fulfilling the wish of the foals last year for Luna to come back and scare them. That was the plan, but Twilight simply couldn’t resist messing with Cheerilee when she saw her walking alone down the street. Committed to her side plan, Twilight stalked down the alley Cheerilee ran down.
“Where are you, little pony,” Twilight breathed. One of the spells she had cast on all of them disguised their voices. The fact that Luna had helped arrange this, and was actively participating spoke volumes of her growth over the couple of years. “You’re a little big for my tastes, I prefer foals, but you have the smell of a foal, and I suppose I can make an exception...” A small bush began shaking as Twilight drew nearer.
“For you!” Twilight shouted, blasting the bush into the air with her magic. Cheerilee screamed and ran further down into the alley, though there was no way out. She cowered down in a corner, shaking from fright. Seeing what may or may not be the object of her fantasy cowering because of her, Twilight paused. She walked forward slowly, meaning to apologize, but Cheerilee began speaking quickly.
“Y-You can’t gobble me up, you’re a spirit, not even a spirit, you’re a legend.” The words sounded forced, as though the only thing keeping Nightmare Moon away were the words. “Even if you could, the legend says you can only gobble foals, and I’m not a foal, but if I was, I would have given you candy and you would have eaten that and not me, and--”
Cheerilee began to ramble faster. Figuring her joke had gone on long enough, if it was even a good idea in the first place, Twilight stepped forward, voice taking on a softer tone. “Cheerilee...”
The teacher’s eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks. “T-That’s my name! How do you know my name!?” Oh right, her voice was different to fit the costume.
“Cheerilee,” Twilight said again after dispelling most of her enchantments. She returned to her normal size, coat shimmered back to lavender, voice took back her normal tone and pitch. So that she didn’t feel weird, she also took of the black mask that made her visual enchantment easier to cast and maintain. “I’m sorry.”
Cheerilee blinked. “W... What? I don’t understand what’s going on.”
Twilight sighed and took a seat. “You remember last year, when the foals asked Luna to come back and scare them?”
Cheerilee nodded.
“Well, about two months ago, Princess Luna sent me a letter, asking for advice on what she should do. She wanted to come and scare the foals, but wasn’t quite sure what to do. All the girls and I got together, and we decided that we would dress up as Nightmare Moon with the princess, and chase the foals. Kind of like last year, but intentional. Applejack didn’t want to, because she likes helping work the games, and Fluttershy... is Fluttershy.
“I was on my way to intercept another group of foals when I saw you, and I couldn’t help myself. I just wanted to play a little joke on you, but it didn’t work quite like I intended.” Twilight hung her head. “I’m really sorry...”
Silence settled over the two like a wet blanket. As the seconds dragged on, Twilight grew more and more uncomfortable, until she peeked up through her bangs discretely. Cheerilee was still sitting in her corner, shoulders shaking.
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked, sliding slowly forward. Cheerilee’s shaking got worse, moving from just her shoulders to her entire upper body. Twilight went a little closer, and rested a hoof on the teacher’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you like this...”
“It’s not that...” Cheerilee slowly said, enunciating each syllable. She looked up with a face-splitting smile. “I was so worked up over nothing. I really shouldn’t be laughing, but...” A small giggle slipped past her lips. “You got me good, Twilight.”
Hesitantly, Twilight smiled. “So... you aren’t mad then?”
“No.” Cheerilee shook her head. “My family has always been real big on jokes and such, especially on Nightmare Night. I’ll... I’ll be fine. You go, do your thing. I’d be willing to be that the rest of your group is wondering where you are.” Cheerilee waved a hoof towards the alley’s entrance.
“Still sorry,” Twilight said, getting to her hooves. Slowly, she began applying the spells Cheerilee shivered as the mild lavender unicorn morphed before her eyes into the subject of many terrible stories and legends.
“Before I forget,” Nightmare Moon said, snapping Cheerilee from her thoughts. “Since we didn’t really get anything accomplished yesterday, I thought we might make next Saturday just for the book.”
“Aye-uh, yeah. S-Sure, just... just don’t say anything while you’re in that disguise, alright? It’s... weird. I like your voice so much better than Nightmare Moon’s...”
A single cricket chirped in the silence.
“S-Saturday,” Twilight mumbled before calmly strolling out of eyesight before scrambling to find the others.
A loud knock echoed throughout the halls of the treehouse. With bleary eyes, Twilight slid from her chair, flinching when her book-pillow slid with her and landed with a thump on the floor. She was halfway across the main room floor before the ghost of a thought of who may be knocking passed through her mind. She was at the door when the thought registered, and the door was open before a second thought could be given.
“Good morning, Twilight.” From the other side of the door, Cheerilee beamed. “Ready to work on the book?”
At the sound of the teacher’s voice, Twilight immediately perked up and ducked behind the door quickly to fuddle with her mane. “Uh, I thought you weren’t coming over until noon,” she said as she pulled her head back, hair somewhat more tame.
“It is noon,” Cheerilee responded, wide smile morphing to a concerned frown. “Is everything okay?”
“I overslept!” Twilight bolted back inside the library, leaving the door wide open. After watching the librarian run to and fro a few times, various items slinging about in her magical grasp, Cheerilee slowly walked inside and headed towards the textbook table. She flipped open a couple of books along with her notebook and began to write, letting Twilight bustle about and wear herself out.
The library is a mess, Cheerilee is going to think I’m a slob, and I didn’t make any food or prepare research material or sharpen any pencils and I haven’t picked up the book I was reading or wiped the drool... drool!? I probably look filthy and need to take a shower but I can’t leave my guest alone and-- Twilight’s mind spun around in full panic mode, matching her physical form.
By the time Spike came downstairs, having just woke up himself, she still hadn’t wore herself down. He took one look at the still open door, his panicking caretaker, and Cheerilee calmly scribbling in her notebook before shutting the door and heading to the schoolteacher. At his approach she looked up and smiled.
“Twilight oversleep?” Spike asked.
“Yup.”
“She freak out?”
“Mmhm.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Maybe ten minutes.”
With a sigh, Spike turned to Twilight. “Wonder what has her so high-strung this time,” he grumbled to himself before trundling deeper into the library. He returned a short time later, arms laden with several items, and placed himself in Twilight’s path.
“Spike, get out of the way,” she demanded after stopping her frantic pacing, “Cheerilee is already here and I’m not ready and I need to--mmfm”
“Eat,” Spike said, offering the other half of the granola currently stuck in Twilight’s mouth. Begrudgingly, she took his offering and hovered it next to her head. “Drink”--she took the offered cup of what Cheerilee assumed was coffee--“and take a shower.” He draped the last thing he held, a large, fluffy towel, over her back.
Twilight quickly finished her forced bite of granola. “But...” she started to protest, but a stern look from Spike and a gentle smile from Cheerilee stopped her. “Alright. I’ll be right back.” Cheerilee watched as Twilight, ears slightly wilted, quickly made her way up the stairs and out of sight.
“So, does she do that a lot?” Cheerilee asked, looking away from the stairs to Spike.
The baby dragon disappeared for a moment, returning with a small jewel. Treat in claw, he took a seat next to Cheerilee. “Only when she is stressed out and she thinks something has gone wrong.”
“Stressed?” Cheerilee cast a sullen glance to stacks of books weighing down the table in front of her. “Is she overworking herself with this textbook?”
“I don’t think so,” Spike replied around a bite of his gem. “She’s been reading a couple of books a lot lately. I swear she’s read all three of them at least a million times by now.”
“Reference books for a report or something?” Spike shrugged, and the two sat in silence until a faint sound of running water filtered down the stairs. The baby dragon, finished with his late breakfast--early lunch--trundled off, leaving Cheerilee to work on the book. She dove into the task, hoping that keeping herself busy would bring Twilight back faster.
Unknown to the teacher, a pair of purple eyes peered down from the second floor landing. Showering was simple with magic--more powerful unicorns have argued that the shower itself was optional--but none could deny the freedom given by the sound of running water. Indulging in a mischievous streak emboldened by Nightmare Night, Twilight slowly crept down the stairs, wet mane still clinging to her head.
Silently the purple pony snuck across the room, eyes darting around searching for anything that would ruin her plans. She deftly manouvered around piles of books, furniture, the odd feather left by Owlowiscious, and other things until she was just behind her target. Then, with grace and control more fitting to Rarity, Twilight slowly moved her head over Cheerilee’s shoulder, stopping when her muzzle was right by the teacher’s ear.
“Hi, Cheerilee. Working hard?” Twilight whispered.
The teacher froze for a split second before shouting and leaping backwards, pushing her legs against the table for leverage. Quickly seeing the problem, Twilight reached out just as the chair tipped and started to fall, managing to catch Cheerilee right before she followed suit.
“My hero,” Cheerilee cooed, fluttering her eyelids up at Twilight. “Even if it was your fault.”
Twilight grinned sheepishly. “Good thing I have Rarity working on my costume then. Maybe not though, doubt I’d look good in latex.” Heaving a sigh, she poked at her belly with a hoof.
Cheerilee coughed nervously. “Well I... I don’t know about that. I-I mean... R-Rarity could make anything look good on y-anypony.”
With a grunt, Twilight pushed Cheerilee back to her hooves. “Probably, she’s a really good designer. I hope this book turns out half as well as some of her creations.”
“It won’t if we never finish it,” Cheerilee mock-scolded. She hooked a hoof around the unicorns’ withers and dragged her to the table, setting an open book down and tapping on it. “Now get to work.”
Twilight saluted with a giggle. “Yes, ma’am!”
*****
The two worked for hours, referencing countless books and each other in their writing. What took shape was not a full book by any stretch of the imagination, but a decent start to one at least.
“Geez, are you two still working?” Spike asked as his chores took him through the room for the third time in a half hour.
Twilight waited a moment to respond, taking the time to stretch back, sighing as her cramped bones creaked and popped. Across the table from her, Cheerilee did the same. “We have been, but I could actually use a break.” The librarian slowly rose from her chair, trotting around the table to where the other mare sat. She stuck her head over the teacher’s shoulder, nose twitching as pink hair tickled it, and gazed down at the other notebook. “Hmmmm...”
Cheerilee sensed her friend’s head slide next to hers, felt the gentle hum on her shoulder. Unbidden, heat started to rise in the teacher’s cheeks. “Um, Twilight, what are you doing...?”
“Looking at what you’ve got so far,” Twilight replied, mindful to keep her voice down as to not deafen the other mare. “I mean, I don’t expect massive progress, not after just a couple hours, but I actually have a decent start on a skeleton for the chapter on unicorns.”
“I wasn’t... quite as productive--”because I was busy watching your mane dry and frizz out. By the way, did you know you chew on your lip when you’re focusing hard? It’s very cute. “--but I think it’s not too bad...”
Twilight magicked over her notebook and set it down to compare the two. “At least we’re making some progress. We’re lucky Celestia sent us the first draft of this, otherwise I don’t think the two of us could finish this before the next meeting of the Equestria Education Board. There’s still a lot of work to--” A low rumbling sound cut the librarian off.
The two mares exchanged a look. “A-heh-heh. Maybe a late lunch, first,” said a sheepish Twilight. She scampered off towards the kitchen, ignoring both her stomach and Cheerilee’s protests that she had already eaten. Spike eyed the doorway warily, as though fearing for his cookware.
“I’ll just whip something up real fast,” a voice said from beyond kitchen door. “Spike, could you help move our stuff to the comfy couch?”
The baby dragon gave a nervous glance to Cheerilee. “Um, could you..?” He gestured to a small table in front of an equally small couch. “I want to go make sure what Twi brings out is actually edible.”
Cheerilee nodded and started ferrying the more important textbook materials to the new, smaller, table. Notebooks, pencils, original book and gifted draft were all moved promptly, all with no word from the kitchen. The teacher tossed a look around the library, eyes hovering over the stairs, up Twilight’s desk, and the dark doorway to the depths of the treehouse.
Before she could work up the courage to look around more, however, the door to the kitchen burst open and out walked Twilight, backwards, levitating a tray behind her. Huh, her tail frizzed out too, almost worse than her mane, especially up by... Cheerilee coughed. “Uh, you need some help there, Twilight?”
“Hmm?” The lavender unicorn glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Cheerilee. “Nope, I’ve got it handled.” She spun around and made her way to the couch, a light spring in her step. She sat the tray laden with small sandwiches, cheese and crackers down on the table. Snagging herself a sandwich, Twilight sat down on one side of the couch and pulled over a notebook.
“You going to eat?” Twilight asked around a bite of sandwich. She swallowed quickly before continuing. “I mean, you didn’t say anything to me when we started working about being hungry, so I assumed you ate before you arrived, but it’s been almost four hours since then.”
“No, I’m not really hungry...” Cheerilee replied, traitorous eyes sizing up a cracker or five.
“Then, could you at least sit down?” Twilight patted the seat on the couch next to her. “You’re starting to creep me out a little, just standing there.”
“Sorry!” The teacher quickly moved to the couch and sat down. When she thought Twilight wasn’t looking, she grabbed a couple of crackers and some cheese, making the lavender mare giggle.
“I brought all this food out with me to share, you know. I don’t eat this much.”
Spike walked past, scoffing. “Yeah, not when anypony is watching...” In retaliation, the dragon’s caretaker grabbed a cracker in her magic and launched it at her charge. “Hey!”
Twilight sniffled. “It’s not nice to spread rumors, Spike.”
“It isn’t nice to throw food, either, Twilight,” Spike retorted. The two glared each other down until Cheerilee burst into a fit of giggles.
“What’s so funny?” both of them demanded at once, turning their fury to the giggling teacher. “Ha, I bet she’s laughing at you. No, at you! Cheerilee, who are you laughing at?”
Each sentence from the synchronized duo only served to increase the fuschia mare’s laughter, turning her into nothing more than a lump of fur, quivering with unrestrained giggles. It took some time for the teacher to regain some semblance of control of herself, much to the annoyance of the others in the room. She finally rose to a, somewhat slumped, sitting position and wiped tears from her eyes.
“Oh. you two,” Cheerilee said after taking a shaky breath. “I was laughing at you.”
“Well, yeah we got that,” Twilight said.
“But who?” Spike finished.
It took a fair bit of effort from Cheerilee to keep from bursting out in giggles again. She didn’t, but the effort required meant she didn’t respond; something that Twilight was not prepared to accept.
“She was laughing at you,” the lavender mare declared.
Spike’s jaw dropped open. “How do ya figure that?” he demanded, eyes narrowing.
“Well, it’s pretty simple...”
Cheerilee sat back, after grabbing a small sandwich and another cracker, and let the two go at it, spark of mirth never leaving her eyes. Twilight rose to her hooves, slowly advancing on the baby dragon as their argument--if one could call the friendly, harmless display such--continued until the two were nose to nose, sparkling eye to sparkling eye, and wide smile to wide smile.
“Well fine!” Spike said, pulling Cheerilee from her amused reflections. “If you two are so close, I’ll leave you to it.” the dragon forcibly deadened his grin and marched haughtily deeper into the treehouse.
“Good.” Twilight raised her nose and slowly walked back to the couch, shooting a wink at Cheerilee before plopping down right next to her, squeezing the teacher between herself and the side of the couch.
Trying to ignore the heat spreading over her from the side pressed against Twilight, Cheerilee took another bite. “So,” she said after finishing, trying to keep her voice even, “do you and Spike do that a lot, or...?”
“Yeah.” Twilight grinned and slid over her notebook. “In a way he is almost like my younger brother, and sometimes it’s hard not to push each other’s buttons when a good opportunity presents itself.”
“So I’m just a good opportunity, huh?” Her voice betrayed nothing, but internally the teacher cringed. That sounded clingier than I really wanted...
Twilight smiled sweetly and nodded. “I’m just using you for your books.”
Cheerilee knew the librarian was joking, somewhere, but neither her ears nor the little sting of rejection got the message; the former of which even Twilight picked up on.
She clapped a hoof over her mouth. “Cheerilee, I was just joking, I promise. You’re a really good friend, and I’m really happy you’re helping me with this. I don’t think I’d be able to do it without you, not at a level foals could understand, and definitely not in time.”
“Thanks, Twilight. You’re a-uh... good friend too,” the teacher replied, poking at her ears with a hoof until they cooperated.
“So, I was thinking,” Twilight said after a moment, levitating her notebook so it could be easily read by both of them. “We could maybe move from--” Before she could finish, the main door of the library burst open, moving fast enough to bounce off of the wall behind it. Startled by the noise, both mares turned to look towards the sound.
Instead of the wooden slab, however, all they saw was a brief flash of white as their heads collided followed by a blur of colors as they tumbled to the floor, limbs entwining with each other’s and the table.
“Hey, Twilight!” a raspy voice--Rainbow Dash, Twilight’s dazed mind identified--said. ”Rarity sent me over. I guess she got some tickets or vouchers or something to that spa she goes to all the time, and wanted me to bring you... a... couple...” The cyan pegasus rounded the couch and gazed down at the purple pile of ponies. “Look, I’ll, uh, I’ll tell Rares you were out, and I’ll leave the stuff right on this table here and leave you to it.” True to her word, Rainbow deposited the slips of paper on the table and quickly departed.
Twilight, from her place atop Cheerilee, turned her gaze from the paper vouchers to the mare under her. Their eyes met for a long moment before the librarian scrambled off of her friend. She planted herself on the floor nearby, eyes wide above a burning blush. “Cheerilee, a-are you okay?”
The equally flustered teacher rose as well and rubbed her head with a hoof. “I think that’s the first time that Rainbow Dash appearing caused me to get hurt.”
Twilight giggled nervously. “Y-Yeah, normally it’s the other way around.” The two sat awkwardly, trying their best to avoid any sort of eye contact. “So, um, those spa passes were supposed to be a surprise for when we were done working, but, um, would you like to go with me?”
The two of us having a free deluxe treatment in a spa for a couple hours? How could I refuse? “S-Sure. Should we go now?”
Twilight slowly rose to all four hooves and grabbed the spa passes and the remains of lunch in her magic. “Might as well. Let me take care of this and let Spike know, and then we’ll leave.” Without waiting for a response the lavender mare trotted off towards the kitchen.
So close, and yet... Cheerilee cast a glance to the now-skewed table, coat still warm from her contact with Twilight. Still so far...
“Well, here we are.” Twilight stopped outside of a sprawling building sitting atop a hill on the outer edges if Ponyville.
“Are you sure about this, Twilight? I mean, Rarity gave you those spa passes, and my house isn’t too far from here. I could run home to get some bits and pay my own way.” Cheerilee looked at her friend, then to the building next to them.
“Yup, I’m sure. Come on.” The lavender mare stepped forward and opened the door. Cheerilee smiled and walked inside, followed soon after by Twilight.
“Hello, and welcome to the Ponyville Day Spa! My name is Lotus, how may I help you ladies this afternoon?” a blue mare greeted from behind the counter. She smiled softly, waiting patiently for one of her two customers to speak up.
Twilight stepped forward with a smile of her own, holding the passes ahead of her. “Um, hello. My friend Rarity gave me a pair of treatment vouchers, and I was hoping to redeem them.”
At the mention of Rarity, the spa pony’s smile burst wide open. “Ah, you are the friend Rarity spoke of? She told us you may be coming. Please, right this way, right this way.” The two vouchers disappeared, whisked from the air by a blue hoof before Lotus shepherded the two mares through a set of double doors to the right of the counter and deeper into the spa.
“We were very happy with the dresses Miss Rarity provided us,” Lotus said as she led the pair down a brightly decorated hallway that was steadily growing warmer, “and were just as happy to give her the passes.” They approached a door marked with three wavy lines above a dot of red--the same markings as the other doors nearby--that the spa pony pushed and held open. A waft of steam escaped, washing over the three mares in the hallway.
“Here we are, one sauna for two! You relax here, and I will find Aloe and prepare the rest of your treatment, okay? Great!” She gently nudged Cheerilee into the moist room. With one mare in the room, Lotus turned her attention towards the other until she walked inside. Once both clients were over the sauna’s threshold, the spa pony closed the door and headed deeper into the building.
After making sure her tail hadn’t been caught in the door by the eager Lotus, Twilight took a seat on one of the benches lining the walls; Cheerilee took the bench opposite. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the steam on their coats.
Twilight sighed, rousing Cheerilee from her thoughts. “Rarity always talks about how relaxing the spa is, and I’ve always sort of just agreed with her when I came along, but I have to say this actually is really...” the librarian trailed off, a look of confusion crossing her features.
“Relaxing?” Cheerilee offered, cracking a grin.
“Yeah, relaxing.” Twilight giggled before repositioning herself on the bench until she was almost lying down. She peeked her eyes around the stone structure resting in the center of the room, the source of the steam, and fixed the teacher with a curious gaze. “Why do you teach, Cheerilee?”
“I-I’m sorry?” Cheerilee looked over the top of the structure to her prone friend. “Why do I teach?”
Twilight nodded. “I’ve been a student for all my life, and sometimes I think I could teach really well, because of everything I know, but it... never quite works out...”
Fed up with their awkward positioning, the teacher slid across the benches until she could lie down facing Twilight. “It’s not easy, I agree. My first day of student teaching I almost had a nervous breakdown and fled the room.” She laughed. “I made so many mistakes my first month or so.
“Um... I teach because, well, I guess because I like helping ponies, especially foals. My own foalhood was... interesting, and I like the thought that I can help ponies in the same position I was.” Cheerilee painted an awkward smile on her face and aimed it at the lavender librarian. “I know it’s lame, but it works for me.”
Twilight shook her head awkwardly, making sure to avoid facechecking the wall. “No, it makes sense. The princess has always been more to me than just a teacher, she made sure to explain that to me. More often than not, she’s just a normal pony, a mentor, a friend, a caretaker, and I don’t think I could be who I am today if she wasn’t.”
“Then why leave Canterlot and stay here?” The teacher fixed her friend with the same gaze Twilight used earlier. “You were only here for a day and a half. What about your friends in Canterlot, not to mention the princess herself?”
The lavender eyes shifted from her friend. “I... didn’t have too many friends in Canterlot... None, actually, aside from a couple of ponies I sometimes tutored from the School for Gifted Unicorns, the princess herself, and a couple of the castle staff. Everypony here was so nice I... I didn’t really want to leave.”
Cheerilee swallowed a rather large lump in her throat and inched forward to rest a hoof comfortingly on Twilight’s, causing the younger mare to grin. “I mean, I miss the princess and my parents, but we send letters back and forth all the time and visit when we can. It’s a little harder with Shiny because he lives so far away, but we still manage. It was an impulse decision, one that was kind of silly looking back, but I don’t regret it.”
“I’m glad you did too,” the teacher started, trying in vain to make her tongue cooperate. “I, um, I remember seeing you when you came back into town from the Everfree forest. You... I...” Cheerilee trailed off, throat finally wising up to her plan and seizing shut.
“Oh, do go on,” a pony said from the now open door to the sauna. “It was such a nice story, almost like Her Secre--”
“Aloe,” another pony further back called accusingly, “are you using the customers for gossip again?”
The pink earth pony in the door looked at the ground. “No...”
“Aloe...”
“Your massage room is ready,” the pink pony named Aloe said from the door. “Lotus and I are ready to lead you there, if you wish. Of course, you could stay in here longer if you prefer...” Her voice carried an unmistakable hint of hopefulness.
“No, we’ll go ahead,” Twilight said, rising slowly to unsteady hooves. “Ready, Cheerilee?”
The teacher bit down on her tongue in order to prevent a pained whine from escaping. “Y-Yeah, of course! After you.”
Aloe and Lotus lead the two other mares deeper into the spa complex into a much more airy room containing a quartet of massage tables and a large bath bubbling happily in the corner. “Pick a table,” the pink twin said, motioning to the set across from the bath, “any table.”
Twilight smiled before clambering up onto one of the tables and lying down. Cheerilee moved to the table opposite, and the spa twins split up to pick a client. The teacher watched with apprehension as the pink mare, Aloe, moved towards her. “Just sit back and relax,” she said with a smile.
As Cheerilee settled onto her table and her masseuse settled in to begin, a loud groan, followed by a contented sigh echoed around the room. Three pairs of eyes focused instantly on Twilight, who was trying her best to look embarrassed. “She’s, uh, she’s really good,” the librarian said. “Sorry.”
“I take it as a compliment, dear.” With that, Lotus returned to work, slowly kneading her hooves into the lavender mare. The room fell silent, save for the occasional coo or grunt as a particularly tough knot was worked out by the experienced hooves of the spa twins.
Cheerilee sighed and rested her head on the cushioned table while Aloe worked her over. It felt good, great even, and the teacher had to take a moment to remember that her salary didn’t allow for liberal spa visits, followed by a semi-serious debate on what she would be willing to give up for liberal spa visits, especially if Twilight was involved. The teacher slowly opened one eye and glanced over at her lavender friend, a look that was returned with a somewhat sleepy smile.
“What were you going to tell me, back in the sauna?” the unicorn asked. The steady rhythm on Cheerilee’s back slipped, just for a moment.
Cheerilee broke eye contact with her friend, “It... it was nothing, don’t worry about it.”
“Oh... okay.” Twilight turned away and closed her eyes, giving herself fully to Lotus’ hooves.
The weight on Cheerilee’s back shifted, prompting the teacher to glance over her shoulder to Aloe. “You should just tell her,” the pink mare whispered into the fuschia ear.
The teacher sighed softly. “I know... I’m... I’m just...”
“Afraid?” The spa pony smiled reassuringly down at Cheerilee.
“Terrified.”
Aloe nodded sagely. “I do not blame you. She is a gorgeous mare, with many friends who would rip you to pieces should things go horribly wrong, assuming they even got off the ground.”
Cheerilee looked over to her crush at the words, whimpering involuntarily. An image of the princess, normally calm visage twisted into one of cold fury flashed in her mind’s eye.
“Aloe.” A sharp voice pulled the teacher, and her masseuse, from their thoughts. Lotus stood before them, eyebrows knitted together. Back on her table, Twilight opened one eye, using it to peer towards the teacher’s table. “May I speak with you in the hallway?”
“But, Lotus, I...” The pink mare’s face fell. “Of course, sister.” She moved away from Cheerilee’s table, mouthing the word ‘sorry’ to the teacher before silently leaving the room.
Lotus leaned towards Cheerilee’s ear. “Please, forgive my sister. I think Miss Rarity and Miss Fluttershy’s visits may have... skewed her image of what is appropriate to discuss with a customer. They have been coming for years, you see, and they are more akin to good friends than customers. Er, no offense.” The last thought came quickly, tacked on in an attempt to avoid the fuschia mare’s ire.
“No, it’s okay. She only said something I already knew. Please, I don’t want to cause any problems...” Cheerilee nervously looked between the door out of the room and the still-irate face of Lotus.
The blue spa pony pulled back and smiled. “I do apologize for the interruption, ladies. If you like, you can step into the mineral bath while my sister and I retire to other clients.” That said, she stepped out of the room, making sure to shut it soundly behind her.
Twilight slowly slid from her massage table and, after taking a long moment to regain her balance, made her way over to Cheerilee. “What was that all about?” she asked, casting a quick glance to the door.
Cheerilee slid from the bench as well to join her friend on the floor. Foreseeing a problem, Twilight stepped forward to help brace the other mare until she found her hooves. “T-Thanks.” The teacher stepped back and rubbed at her burning face with a hoof, somewhat overwhelmed by the sudden contact.
Twilight climbed the small flight of stairs up to the elevated bath. “Just didn’t want you to fall and get my bath all dirty.” She flashed Cheerilee a quick smile, ensuring her friend knew she was joking before sliding into the bath, the hot water eliciting another soft sigh from the librarian. “I might start coming with Rarity on her spa days. This is great...”
The water shifted slightly as Cheerilee climbed into the bath as well and sunk down onto one of the recessed benches.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Twilight said a few moments later. “Why did they leave like that?”
“Oh, I... I don’t know...” Cheerilee averted her eyes, avoiding the librarian’s questioning gaze.
To her combined delight and dismay, Twilight slid around the bath until she was right next to the teacher. “Is everything okay, Cheerilee? You’ve been acting weird since we got here.” A sense of dread sparked to life in the teacher’s chest, growing steadily as Twilight tried to gather her thoughts. “I didn’t... offend you in the sauna, did I? I-I know I made the conversation get a little... personal, but it was just so relaxing in there and I--”
A relieved laugh slowly bubbled inside Cheerilee, forcing its way past her lips and into the mostly silent room, cutting Twilight off. Oh, of all the things she could have said there... “S-Sorry, Twilight. I just...” The teacher covered her mouth with a hoof as she attempted to stifle her giggles. “I guess I’ve just been really stressed lately. Thanks for this, I needed it.”
Twilight simply hummed and relaxed into the bath, leaning ever-so-slightly on Cheerilee. The teacher stiffened at the initial contact, but she soon relaxed in time as the softly bubbling pool calmed both mares. For her part, Cheerilee barely dared to breathe, worried that any sudden movement would cause the librarian to come to her senses and move, something she was not willing to let happen. I’ve worked so hard, containing myself. Please, just five more minutes, just like this.
Much to Cheerilee’s pleasure, she got five minutes and more, and she counted every second.
*****
“Thank you for coming out here today, ladies,” Lotus said from her place behind the counter as Twilight and Cheerilee exited into the lobby. “Please come again!”
“Bye!” Aloe added from her sister’s side. The twins beamed at the librarian and teacher, waving as the duo began their trek home. “They look cute together,” the pink mare commented after the spa’s doors clicked shut.
Lotus nodded in agreement. “Mmhm.”
Twilight yawned as the cool evening air danced across her coat. Their path had inevitably taken them almost right in front of Cheerilee’s house, where the duo now stood.
“Thanks for coming with me, Cheerilee. I had fun, and we even got something accomplished,” Twilight said, finally ushering in the conversation both of them knew was coming, the goodbyes.
The teacher smiled. “Yeah, feels weird doesn’t it?” The statement brought a chuckle out of Twilight.
“So, um, when are you free again?” Maybe she imagined it, but Cheerilee thought she could see the faintest blush on lavender cheeks.
“Well, schools are closed on Friday for conferences. We might be able to make a night of it.”
Twilight smiled. “Sounds good.”
“Alright then.” Cheerilee walked up the steps to her porch and opened the door. “It’s a date.” The pair said their goodbyes and separated, Cheerilee deeper into her home and Twilight on the longer trek back to her library.
Arriving at the wooden door in the wooden structure Twilight pushed it open without a second thought, depositing her saddlebag in a small cupboard by the door. “Spike! I’m home!” she shouted, turning her head briefly to watch the door click shut.
“Hello, Twilight,” a familiar voice called, Canterlot accent litling through the air. The librarian spun around quickly, expression of panic giving way to a light smile.
“Oh, hello, Rarity. What are you doing here?” Twilight asked, catching sight of her friend relaxing in a large, overstuffed chair.
The white unicorn leaned forward sticking Twilight with a firm stare. “Darling, we need to talk.”
“Darling, we need to talk, but here is hardly the place to do it.” Rarity clopped her hooves together before rising from her chair. “Come. Fluttershy and I have planned a little get-together, and we would like you to join us.”
Twilight’s mind spun in circles, kicking up pointless little excuses just so she could go upstairs and curl up in bed. “But, it’s your get-together with Fluttershy, I wouldn’t want to interrupt that.”
“I’m sure Fluttershy won’t mind, the more the merrier,” Rarity shot back, almost as quick. Her smile was inviting, but her eyes dared Twilight to object a second time.
“What about Spike? I can’t just leave him here alone all night.” Attempt two.
“My sister and her friends are having a sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres, he was invited as well. You already gave him permission to go, remember?” Strike two.
“B-But I’m tired,” Twilight whined, unable to come up with a reasonable excuse.
“Oh, come now.” Rarity stepped forward and hooked a hoof around the librarian’s withers. “Fluttershy and I can fix that easily.”
The lavender mare sighed in defeat. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“Nope!” Rarity dragged her unwilling party guest through the threshold of the library making sure to shut the door, and down Mane Street towards her boutique. Along the way they ran into Fluttershy, struggling to remain airborne with the weight of her bulging saddlebags. “Yoo-hoo!” Rarity called up at the pegasus. “Fluttershy!”
The pegasus glanced around at the sound of her name. Spying her friends on the ground, she gave them a soft smile before landing heavily nearby. Rarity steered her captive over towards Fluttershy. She removed the saddlebags from the pegasus’ back with her magic, moving the laden fabric to her own.
“Oh, thank you.” Fluttershy gave the white unicorn a warm smile. “I may have taken too much...” She sheepishly glanced at the saddlebags before her gaze shifted to the other mare. “Oh, hello, Twilight. It’s nice to see you.”
“Hi, Fluttershy.”
Rarity cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the others to her. “Twilight will be joining us tonight, darling. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Fluttershy shook her head for emphasis, shooting a wink at Rarity when she thought Twilight wasn’t looking.
Unfortunately for the shy pegasus, she did. “Uh, what was that?”
Fluttershy fluffed her wings, avoiding Twilight’s gaze. “W-What was what?”
“That wink.” The librarian pointed an accusing hoof at the nervous pegasus. “You winked at Rarity. What’s going on here?”
“I told you, we need to talk,” Rarity interjected, using her hoof to redirect Twilight back towards the boutique. Fluttershy fell in step on the unicorn’s other side and the trio set off once again.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Rarity looked over at the sad visage of her friend. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”
“Maybe because you keep saying we need to talk and then refusing to talk about it?” Twilight shot a withering glare at Rarity. “What am I supposed to think?”
Rarity was about to reply when Fluttershy gently cleared her throat. “We’re here,” she said, pointing to the boutique’s door as the other two turned to look at the pegasus.
“And so we are.” Without missing a beat, the fashionista stepped forward and unlocked the door. Pushing it open with a hoof, she steered Twilight inside and further into the building to the kitchen. The front door clicked shut moments before Fluttershy entered the kitchen as well. Once they were all together, Rarity wasted no time removing two large bottles from Fluttershy’s saddlebags, then returning them to their owner.
Twilight eyed the bottles nervously, lavender eyes flitting between the two glass housings and the other unicorn. “Um, Rarity, why did Fluttershy give you four... rather large bottles of wine?”
“Conversational lubricant, dear.” Rarity pulled out a chair and motioned to it. “Sit.” To Twilight’s right, Fluttershy planted herself in a chair. She looked between the two other mares and the bottles of wine, waiting anxiously for something to happen.
“Y-You two planned this?” Despite her accusation, Twilight took the offered seat and turned her gaze to Fluttershy, the least resistant of the two conspirators. “Somepony better tell me what’s going on. Now.”
“Well...” Rarity and Fluttershy exchanged a look. “It’s about Cheerilee.”
“Cheerilee?” Twilight leaned forward in her chair, ears perking towards the other unicorn. “What about her?”
“You tell us, dear. You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with her, you brought her to Pinkie’s last party, and you vanished in the middle of Nightmare Night when we were playing with the foals. You even took her to the spa, willingly, when Fluttershy and I have to beg you to come with us.” Rarity flashed Twilight a look of hurt. “We just want to know what is going on in our friend’s life is all.”
On the librarian’s other side, Fluttershy nodded along. “If you want to tell us, that is. We...” The pegasus tossed a glance at Rarity before continuing. “I won’t force you if you don’t want to say.”
“We’re just writing a textbook, that’s all. We’re spending a lot of time together because writing a book is hard work, and takes a lot of time. I brought her to Pinkie’s party because I promised her we would work before I remembered about the party, and didn’t want to leave her behind. Yes, I disappeared Nightmare Night because I had a chance to play a prank on Cheerilee, and we went to the spa because Rainbow gave me the passes while she was there. We worked most of the day, and I wanted to treat her as a thank-you.” Twilight turned away from the two mares, trying desperately to ignore the pounding in her ears.
The room fell silent for a moment. “You know, I think we should uncork this wine, hmm?” Rarity rose from her chair and fiddled with a cabinet for a moment before withdrawing three crystal glasses. She placed all three on the table before deftly uncorking the first bottle of wine and pouring the golden liquid into the glasses, passing one out to each mare as soon as it was full.
Twilight warily eyed the drink placed in front of her. “Uh, Rarity, I don’t think...” She glanced to her left in time to see the unicorn take a dainty sip of her own drink. “N-Nevermind. Fluttershy, maybe...” A glance to her right revealed the pegasus doing the same. Feeling trapped, Twilight slowly sunk into her chair until her muzzle was level with the table’s edge.
“Now then.” Rarity sat down her glass and turned her attention to the top of Twilight’s head. An eyebrow slowly worked its way up her forehead. “What are you doing, Twilight?”
“Nothing,” the librarian replied from under the table. “Just, um, just sitting. You?”
The other eyebrow joined it’s twin on Rarity’s forehead. “Why are you sitting so strangely?”
“I-I’m not. What are you talking about?” Rarity just stared Twilight down, letting her eyes answer the question. With a sigh, the purple unicorn sat up in the chair. “I’ve never had wine before,” she mumbled.
Rarity and Fluttershy both cocked the heads and leaned forward. “What was that, darling?”
“I’ve never had wine.”
“Is that all?” The fashionista lifted Twilight’s glass in her magic and moved it closer to the mare. “Well, what better time to change that than now?”
“I... I don’t know...” Twilight sniffed, turning her gaze to Fluttershy. “Last time I drank something, I ended up in...” The pegasus shook her head frantically, tossing a worried look to Rarity. “...in bed all day with a bad hangover.”
“Well, we’ll make sure you drink plenty of water, and if that fails, send you home with some aspirin.” Rarity pushed the glass a little closer. “Go on.”
“It is really good,” Fluttershy added from Twilight’s other side. She punctuated her remark by gracefully lowering her head to the glass and taking a small sip.
After glancing between her two friends, Twilight sighed. “Okay,” she said, lifting the glass to her lips. “I guess I’ll have a glass...”
--_--_--_--
“And then, and then she reached under her throne, and pulled out a slice of cake!” Twilight slammed her hoof down on the table, leading the three ladies in a loud fit of laughter. “Two... two slices,” she continued once her laughter subsided. “She even offered one to me. It was actually pretty good.”
Fluttershy giggled maniacally from her spot on the floor, leaning against the kitchen cabinets. Rarity chuckled as well, refilling Twilight’s glass from the second bottle of wine. “Really? I didn’t know the princess had such a sweet tooth.” She sloshed the contents of the bottle around before frowning and filling half of her glass. That done, Rarity magicked the bottle over to join the first in the trash.
Twilight nodded. “She’s like Pinkie Pie, with the emergency cake and stuff. It’s funny to watch.”
“So.” Rarity slid her chair over to Twilight and leaned close conspiratorially. “What about you and Cheerilee, hmmm? What’s going on with you two?”
Twilight ducked her head behind a hoof. “N-Nothing, nothing at all. We’re just friends who like to hang out and talk and eat together and she’s really warm and soft...” She trailed off, smiling softly towards the window.
“Oh? Is she warm, or does she make you warm?” Rarity pressed even closer to the tipsy librarian. “It is a very important disten... destin... thing.”
“Mmmmmmm... both,” Twilight replied, gaze never leaving the stars outside.
“Oooohhh, Twilight’s got a crush!” Fluttershy giggled. “You were right, Rarity.”
Twilight’s head whipped around, sticking the pegasus with a harsh glare. “No I don’t!”
“Yes you do-oo,” the pegasus sing-songed, ignoring Twilight’s glare. “She makes you feel all warm and fuzzy and when you think about her late at night your wings stick out and...” Fluttershy stared, puzzled, at the unicorn’s back. “You don’t have wings...” Confused, she looked from her own back to Twilight’s, forgetting everything else in her quest for answers.
“N-No she doesn’t.” Twilight crossed her hooves against her chest. Rarity cast a worried look towards Fluttershy before returning to her intended prey.
“Twilight, please, you don’t have to lie to us.” Rarity pulled the other unicorn’s attention back to her by putting a hoof around her withers. “We know about the book.”
“Right! We’re writing a book together, that’s all.” Twilight nodded and reached for her glass again, taking a long sip of the amber liquid.
“Not that book...” Rarity slowly got to her unsteady hooves. She ambled out of the room, pausing a moment to steady herself against the door frame before moving on. Moments later she returned, a well-loved paperback held in a shimmering magic aura. “This one.”
Twilight snatched the book from Rarity, willing her uncooperative eyes to focus on the words decorating the cover. “Oh, Her Only Stallion. Yeah, I read it, and the sequels. What does that have to do with Cheerilee being warm?”
“You read the others, you know what happens. Shadow crushes on her best friend, and whenever they’re together, it makes Shadow warm and fuzzy. Cheerilee makes you warm and fuzzy, so you have a crush on Cheerilee.” Rarity nodded her head with finality.
Twilight sighed in defeat. “Okay so... so maybe I have a little teeny-tiny crush on Cheerilee, so what?”
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
A gentle shake worked it’s way through Twilight’s frame. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Fluttershy repeated, abandoning the Case of the Missing Wings for the moment.
Twilight nodded firmly. “Nothing.” Trying to ignore the stinging sensation in her eyes, Twilight turned her attention back to her wine glass, frowning when she noticed how little was left.
Rarity hummed softly to herself for a moment. After watching Twilight sip slowly at her wine, she rose to her hooves and headed over towards Fluttershy. Seeing the movement from the corner of her eye, the librarian swiveled and ear towards the conspirators, trying her best to overhear their conversation, to no avail.
“No.” Rarity declared a short while later. Both she and Fluttershy rose to their hooves and stalked over to the moping unicorn.
“No?” Twilight turned her attention to the two mares. “No what?”.
“No, you are not going to do nothing.” Rarity and Fluttershy both took a lavender hoof in two of their own and heaved until Twilight was standing. While the librarian attempted to gain some semblance of balance, Rarity swooped in and snatched the three wine glasses from the table. After dumping their contents down the sink, she set them down to clean later.
“Hey, I wasn’t done with that!” Twilight fixed the fashionista with an angry pout. “What was that for?”
“Darling, Fluttershy and I simply cannot allow you to make yourself miserable over this crush.”
“But I’m not...”
“Ah-ah-ah!” Rarity gently placed a hoof over Twilight’s mouth, cutting off her protesting. “You are and you know it. I see you flinch every time we say her name, don’t deny it. You’re smitten and too stubborn to admit it.”
“Think about her,” Fluttershy ordered. “Just think about everything about her.” The pegasus waited until she could see the immense gears turning behind the lavender eyes. “Good.”
Rarity spun Twilight around and gave her a good push towards the door. The unicorn stumbled forward, blindly reaching out with a hoof to keep from colliding with the wall. “What was that for?” she demanded, turning her head round with a fiery gaze.
“We’re trying to help. You must go tell her, you must!” Rarity and Fluttershy both moved forward. They each took one of Twilight’s sides and started gently nudging her towards the front of the building. “You must tell her... so you can continue.... your study of the magic of friendship.”
Twilight dug her hooves in, valiantly attempting to prevent her forced confession. “What does a crush have to do with the magic of friendship?”
“Everything,” Fluttershy replied. She wrapped a wing over Twilight’s back to Rarity, attempting to squeeze the three together and prevent most of the lavender unicorn’s ability to cause trouble. “The best relationships come from good friendships.”
“It also prevents all of that awkward ‘getting to know you’ phase,” Rarity added, lending her own weight to Fluttershy’s plan. The group of three slowly waddled towards the front door, now opened by a burst of blue magic. “She would be great for you, Twilight, you just have to give it a shot.”
“I remember what happened at the gala, you weren’t such a good judge of character there,” Twilight retorted. She slammed the door shut with her own magic.
Rarity scoffed. “Blueblood, that boor? If he was my friend first, it would not have happened. Besides,” she changed the subject quickly, both to ignore painful memories and in an attempt to catch Twilight off guard, “what if she has a crush on you, and is suffering the same? Wouldn’t you want to prevent that if you could?”
“Y-Yes, but if she has a crush on me, why didn’t she say anything, hmmm?” Twilight arched an eyebrow, confident in her logic.
“Maybe she is afraid, too.” Twilight opened her mouth to argue Fluttershy’s point, but nothing she came up with really made sense.
“I... I guess...” The unicorn hesitated, ceasing her efforts to escape the iron grip of the yellow wing.
Sensing a moment of weakness, Rarity pressed the attack. “You wouldn’t want her to be sad, would you?”
“N-No...”
Rarity shrugged off Fluttershy’s wing and stepped forward to open the door. “Then go to her. Tell her what you told us, and make sure she isn’t sad anymore.”
A fire ignited in Twilight’s eyes. She confidently strode forward, stopping only when she passed the threshold into the dark night. “I’ll do it.” She turned around, fixing her friends with a grateful smile. Before she could speak, however, Rarity lifted a hoof.
“Just go. You do not need to thank us.” Twilight nodded and charged off up the street as fast as her wobbly hooves allowed. After the unicorn was out of sight, Rarity closed the door.
“Are you sure this is a good idea, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked with a worried glance back to the kitchen. “She did drink almost a whole bottle herself...”
“I’m sure it will be fine. Come.” Rarity motioned the pegasus back towards the kitchen. “I stashed a third bottle away after Rainbow Dash told me what she saw in the library. Let’s celebrate our victory, hmm?”
Fluttershy giggled and followed her friend back towards the kitchen, silently wishing Twilight good luck under her breath.
A loud knock echoed through the home of Cheerilee, waking the slumbering teacher. She opened one ire-filled eye and aimed it at the clock, groaning when she realized it was too dark to actually read it. Another round of knocks echoed through the dark house. Silently cursing whoever would bother her at this late hour, Cheerilee flailed her hind legs until the bedsheet fell off, allowing her the freedom to roll from her warm bed and trundle to the front door.
Grumbling death threats under her breath, Cheerilee threw the door open. “What do you--Twilight!?” All previous claims of feeding a certain pony their tail vanished as the teacher watched her friend shiver in the cold night air. “Twilight, is everything okay?”
“Cheerilee I... I have to talk to you,” Twilight said. Both the cold air and the stress of attempting to walk a straight line had sapped most of the conviction her decision initially instilled. The only thing that drummed up enough courage for her to even knock was the last thought Rarity planted in her head: that Cheerilee might be sad because of her.
“Alright, but come inside,” Cheerilee demanded, mistaking Twilight’s wobbling as cold shivers. “Come on, come on.” The teacher ushered her purple friend over the threshold, shutting the door soundly behind her, and steered her towards the couch. A few moments later saw a small but warm fire burning in the fireplace, and just enough candles lit that visibility was possible.
It was only then that Cheerilee begin to suspect something might be amiss, a suspicion that a sniff was quick to confirm. “Twilight... have you been drinking?”
“Well, maybe a little bit...” the unicorn replied, looking down at her hooves.
Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. “A little bit?”
Twilight nodded. “I was with Rarity and Fluttershy with two bottles of white wine and--”
“You had two bottles?!” Cheerilee scooted forward quickly. Taking Twilight’s head in her hooves, she turned it this way and that, trying to make sure the unicorn was okay. “Dear Celestia, you’re insane! We need to get you to the hospital now!”
“No no no no...” Twilight fumbled around with her hooves until they came to rest on Cheerilee’s. “Rarity had two bottles at her house. I only drank one.”
Cheerilee gently rose from the couch, somewhat put off by Twilight nuzzling into her hooves. “Y-You’re going to have a terrible headache tomorrow. Let me just get you some water...” Excusing herself, the teacher quickly made her way to the next room, careful not to let the librarian see the dusting of blush on her face.
While letting the water run for a moment to get nice and cold Cheerilee allowed herself a moment of thought. All that stuff in the library, the close sitting, falling on top of me, sleeping on me in the mineral bath at the spa. Now she shows up drunk at my door in the middle of the night. The teacher shut of the tap and headed back to the main room with the water. Can this day get any stranger?
Returning to the main living area, Cheerilee made a beeline for Twilight, offering her the water. “Here, it’ll help with the headache tomorrow.”
“But I need to tell you something tonight,” Twilight replied, moving the water glass to a table piled high with school papers, lesson plans, and other assorted things.
“Uh, okay. What is it?” The teacher watched with mild curiosity as Twilight seemed to freeze for a moment before closing the distance between them on the couch
“You’re, um, you’re really pretty, Cheerilee.” The sweet words were offset by the rancid smell of alcohol on Twilight’s breath. Even still, the compliment brought a familiar warmth to Cheerilee’s cheeks.
“T-Thanks, Twilight, but I just got out of bed. I must look terrible.” The teacher laughed dismissively, torn between hoping more compliments were to follow and hoping they would stop altogether.
Much to her surprise, a third option happened. Twilight reached out and placed one of her hooves over a fuschia hoof of the teacher. “I’m being serious. You’re really pretty, all the time. ‘M kind of jealous, you must get all kinds of attention from all of the ponies...” She trailed off, lavender eyes staring at something just over Cheerilee’s shoulder.
“No. No, not really,” Cheerilee replied with a bit of a snort. Still so, so far... “Every year I tell my students that they are my special someponies, but really there’s just this... one mare I’ve had a thing for. It’s been a couple years, though, I’m not really expecting much.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Who is she? Whats her name?”
I tried it once today... one more can’t hurt, and if it doesn’t work out, she’s drunk. She won’t remember tomorrow. Cheerilee laughed softly. “If I told you it wouldn’t be as much fun, would it? How about I tell you about her, and then you guess, okay?” Twilight nodded eagerly, already entertained by the simple game. “We’ll call her... Dawnbreak.”
Cheerilee tapped a hoof against her muzzle in thought. She grinned, trying to offset the maniac fluttering of her heart. “Well... she’s a little smaller than I am, probably around your size, actually. She’s purple, a light lavender color really, with a darker mane striped with a light pink down the middle. She’s... kind, funny, sweet, beautiful, and very, very smart. She’s actually a full-time student under a very prestigious teacher from outside Ponyville.”
With each trait revealed, Twilight’s eyes grew wider. “Woah, really? Me too! Are you sure I haven’t met her?”
Trying her hardest to refrain from laughing, Cheerilee pressed on. “I’m almost certain of it. In fact, I would bet that you saw her, today even.”
The teacher watched thoughts fly through unfocused lavender eyes. “I haven’t seen anypony like that today...” Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Are you sure I know her?”
“Positive. Think back a little further. Yesterday, maybe?”
Once again the gears began to churn. “Ummm... I guess it could be Amethyst Star...”
If it wasn’t for the absurdly cute face drunk-Twilight resorted to while thinking, Cheerilee probably would have just dropped her charade.“Um... no. I’ll give you another hint. Her name starts with a ‘T’.”
“Hmmmm... Is it Twinkleshine?” Cheerilee had to resist the urge to drive her hoof into her face with great force.
She did drink an entire bottle of wine, according to her. “Twinkleshine isn’t purple, doesn’t have a two-tone mane, isn’t a student, and is not your size.” Maybe I should just give up... or give in...?
Twilight’s expression fell quickly. “Can’t you just tell me?” she whined. “I’m never going to guess right...”
The pleading look aimed her way broke the little part of Cheerilee still willing to continue the charade. She mustered the last scraps of her courage and tossed a silent prayer to Celestia that she wouldn’t be smote, and that Twilight would finally understand. “Well, I tried, back in the sauna today, you remember that?”
Twilight nodded, transfixed by the mystery. “Well,” the teacher continued, not totally sure that Twilight could even hear over her rapidly beating heart, “I was.. I was trying to say that my crush is... is you.”
The tipsy unicorn raised one hoof to her chest slowly. “M-Me? But... But I’m...” Cheerilee waited impatiently while Twilight worked her way through every trait of the so-called ‘Dawnbreak.’ “Oooohh...” Before Cheerilee could even stop laughing, Twilight lunged forward. She struck the off balance teacher hard, her momentum sending both of them over the arm of the couch to the floor.
For the second time that day, Cheerilee found herself underneath Twilight. She watched with fascination as the purple unicorn crawled slightly forward, bringing their muzzles in line before swooping down and mashing their mouths together. It only lasted a second before the stress of the day and excesses of wine took their toll on Twilight. She pulled back slightly, eyes heavy and happy, content to fall asleep on her friend’s chest.
Cheerilee waited a moment to catch her breath. “T-Twilight?” Gently, she poked the unconscious unicorn with a hoof. “Just like prom night...” Cheerilee sighed, before gently rolling Twilight off of her. She placed the sleeping pony on her back and headed towards the stairs.
--_--_--_--
Dim light, the remnants of the bright light of dawn’s battle with thick drapes fell across Twilight’s face. She let out a high-pitched whine, wincing with shut eyes as the sound stabbed her head with needles of pain, as did her pained whimper. After several minutes of painful experimentation, the conclusion was finally drawn that it was simply better to lie quietly in her warm bed forever.
Or until the headache went away. Whichever came first.
Time passed, but the boredom didn’t. There simply wasn’t anything to do with eyes shut as tight as possible without pain; even thinking in extended bursts was too much to ask for. It eventually became too much and so, ignoring the quiet protests from the part of herself that despised pain, Twilight slowly cracked her eyes open.
Confusion instantly washed over her. This room was nothing like any bedroom she stayed in on a normal basis. To make matters worse, no matter how hard she tried, Twilight couldn’t remember anything after Rarity forced her to leave the library. The entire night was a fuzzy block of swirled colors. Even trying to decipher her fractured memories brought a stab of pain to the poor unicorn’s mind. Just as a subdued panic attack was about to set in, Twilight spotted a note out of the corner of her eye, propped up against a full glass of water.
Twilight,
Have some water when you get up. I put a bit of my sister’s hangover cure in it, so it should help your headache. When you feel up to it, come downstairs. I imagine you’ll like to know what happened last night
--Cheerilee
Fueled by the promise of filling the gaps of her memory, Twilight slowly sat up. Tentative pooling of magical power showed that anything even in the realm of basic telekinesis simply wasn’t going to happen. Refusing to let something that simple stop her, Twilight carefully plucked the glass from the table with her hooves and took a cautious sip. The first taste was bitter and lukewarm, but carrying a promise to destroy the accursed headache, it was a small price to pay. She drank the whole thing as fast as she dared, waited for the pain in her head to dull, then slowly made her way out of the room.
Much like the bedroom, most of the downstairs windows were covered by heavy curtains, shrouding the house in a sort of twilight-esque light. In the dim room, Twilight could just make out Cheerilee curled up on the couch, trying to read a book by candlelight. “Hey,” Twilight rasped, wincing at the sound of her own voice.
Cheerilee turned her head towards the voice, smiling when she saw the source. “Hey yourself. How’s your head?”
“A lot better after that glass of water you left for me.” Slowly, Twilight made her way to the couch and took a seat. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”
“Yup, Berry Punch. She was a bit of a party mare in highschool... and college... and after college... and when she met Carrot Top... and after... but I think she’s calmed down now. Maybe.” The teacher hummed to herself, trying to remember. “Anyway, I kind of learned how to deal with a hangover pretty quickly, even though I don’t do much drinking myself.”
“I don’t blame you.” Twilight winced as a group of foals ran past the house, talking and laughing loudly. “So, um, what did I do last night? All I remember is that Rarity was at the library when I got back, and I’m... pretty sure Fluttershy was involved, and cake. How did I end up here?”
Cheerilee chuckled nervously, trying her best to tame the butterfly hordes of her stomach. “How, uh, how much do you want to know...?”
An image of Fluttershy’s cabin in the wee hours of the morning, the two of them curled together flashed through Twilight’s mind. “All of it. I need to know everything.”
The soft fabric of the couch rustled as Cheerilee adjusted her position. Well, she asked... “W-Well, you came here around maybe...midnight? I’m not sure, it was too dark to see the clock. I was worried about you, so I invited you in. You... you told me you were drinking with Rarity and Fluttershy, and had... um... had an entire bottle of wine.”
“A whole bottle?” That explains the terrible headache and dry mouth... Twilight nodded. “Go on.”
“Yeah, that’s what I said, too.” The teacher shuffled her hooves, events of the night previous replaying perfectly in her mind’s eye. As they should, considering she hadn’t stopped thinking about what happened. “So I got you a glass of water,” she motioned to the untouched glass on the table, “but you ignored it and... um... and started talking about how pretty you thought I was.”
A small blush began to work it’s way up Twilight’s cheeks, but she remained silent, prompting Cheerilee to continue. Small parts of conversation and memories were beginning to work their way back, but there were still many holes to be filled. “You, um, you then asked if I had any crushes...” The librarian leaned forward slightly, trying her best to hide her curiosity. “...so I described her to you. You, uh, you didn’t get it, though.”
Twilight visibly deflated at the mention of Cheerilee having a crush, but the prospect of a challenge propped her back up, at least a little. “Could you describe her now? I think I might have a better chance sober.”
“S-Sure, if you want...” Cheerilee began to rub her forehooves together, attempting to burn away her newly-acquired nervous energy. “W-Well, she’s a... she’s a unicorn, purple, she... she... she’s beautiful, a-and very smart. Her mane is... is purple, with a darker shade of pink running--”
“It’s me? I mean, is it me, possibly?” Twilight interrupted. They made eye contact for a moment before both glancing away quickly.
“Y-Yeah, but you didn’t figure it out last night. I had to, um, to tell you,” Cheerilee responded. “Then you confessed a crush on me, tackled me over the arm of the couch, kissed me, and fell asleep,” she quickly finished.
Twilight’s eyes shot wide open, blush quickly tinting her face pink. “I did what?!” she spluttered. “Cheerilee, I’m so, so sorry.”
The teacher just laughed and waved a hoof dismissively. “You were drunk, we all do things we probably wouldn’t normally when we’re drunk. Besides, I really didn’t mind that much...” Twilight squeaked and buried her face in her hooves, though her blush still peeked through.
“So, um, so what now?” Twilight asked, slowly lowering her hooves.
Cheerilee glanced to the papers littering her table and sighed. “Now, I get to grade all those papers I’ve been putting off...”
Twilight slowly shifted closer to the teacher. “Do you... maybe... want some help?”
“Yeah, I think I’d like that.” The two huddled together, occasionally tossing smiles back and forth, and begun working through the mountain of ungraded assignments doing their best to break Cheerilee’s table.
Spike sat, watching Twilight bustle around the kitchen with thinly-veiled amusement. “So, you’re making an actual lunch, again, why?”
“Cheerilee is coming over.” Twilight quickly shifted her attention from Spike back to the stove in time to prevent her pan of vegetables from burning.
“So? She’s been over a lot since you started working on that book together, and you’ve been cooking all week.” Spike quickly stood up and rushed to turn off the burner. “So what gives?”
With a sigh, Twilight set down her food and steered Spike back to his chair. “Do you remember last week, when you stayed with Applejack and the Crusaders?” Spike nodded. “Well, I actually spent the night over with Cheerilee and--”
“Did you tell her about your crush? Are you two a couple?” Each word seemed to heighten the small dragon’s excitement until he bounded out of his chair, beaming.
“How did you know about that?” Twilight fixed Spike with an accusing gaze. “Were you reading my personal journal again?”
Spike shook his head quickly. “No, no, no, you talk in your sleep.”
“Oh.” Twilight chuckled nervously. “Well, um, I don’t actually know if--” Before she could finish, a knock echoed through the library. “That must be Cheerilee. Spike, could you go open the door?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned back to the food. Moments later, a floorboard behind her creaked. “Was it Cheerilee?”
“You tell me,” a soft voice whispered in her ear. Another pony pressed into Twilight’s side and nuzzled her neck, a nuzzle Twilight returned.
“I knew it!” Spike shouted at the doorway. “Ugh, now you’re going to be all mushy and stuff.”
“You’re one to talk,” Twilight shot back. “You swoon whenever anypony even mentions Rarity.”
Spike blushed, as much as a dragon could, at Cheerilee laughing behind a hoof. “That reminds me,” he said, “I need to go help Rarity with a dress order so I’m going to... go, before the kissing and stuff starts. Bye!” Both mares glanced at the other, each sporting a light blush, before watching the dragon scamper from the treehouse.
“So...” Cheerilee took Spike’s vacated seat at the small kitchen table, “you told him? Thanks,” she added as Twilight placed a plate of food before her.
The librarian took her normal seat, across from Spike’s, with her own plate of food. “I made it myself, hope it’s okay. And, I didn’t really tell him, he guessed. Apparently I talk about you in my sleep.”
“Creepy.”
“Sorry.” Cheerilee smiled, reassuring Twilight she was just teasing. The two sat in silence, making quick work of lunch.
“So, have you, uh, have you told anypony else about, you know, last weekend?” Cheerilee asked.
Twilight shook her head. “Well, I berated Rarity for getting me drunk and setting me loose on you, Fluttershy was there too, but I didn’t tell them anything, I didn’t know what to say. We never really... talked about anything.”
“I didn’t know that we needed to talk. You tackled me off of my couch.”
“I was drunk!” Twilight countered, blushing.
“All right, all right.” Cheerilee waved her hooves, hoping they would disguise her grin. “What do you need to talk about? It was pretty clear to me.”
“I think we need to talk about us, about where we stand. Last sunday was an important day in our relationship. We need to talk about what happens with us because of it.” Twilight spread her hooves out wide, growing more animated with each sentence.
Cheerilee, however, narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Did you just quote Her Secret Desire at me?”
“W-Well, all of this is really new to me, and that’s really the only book I’ve ever read that covers our... situation. I needed a reference.” She grinned sheepishly.
“I don’t think a cheesy romance novel is a good reference for real life.”
Twilight knitted her eyebrows together. “Well, what do you suggest then?”
“How about a date?”
“Is that a suggestion or an offer?” Twilight grinned. “I’ll go get my saddlebag.”
--_--_--_--
The two mares walked through the streets of Ponyville, side-by-side, talking about anything that crossed their minds. Their path took them through most of the town, until Twilight stopped them near the path branching out towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Um, Cheerilee, where are we going exactly?”
Cheerilee opened her mouth, ready to reply with confidence, until a stray thought entered her mind. “Er, well, I was taking you to a small cafe I know of, but... we already ate...” She stared off in the distance, eyes tracing the path back around into town. “I don’t really know, but I’m open to suggestions.”
“Hmmmm...” Twilight’s glance followed Cheerilee’s before curving off. “Well, Fluttershy showed me a little glade near her home. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if we just... I don’t know... hang around?”
“Don’t you think it’s a little cold to be sitting outside?” As if to prove her point, a brisk wind blew across the path, causing the two mares to huddle together.
“M-Maybe you’re right.” Twilight sighed, still huddled to Cheerilee’s side though the wind had passed. “Maybe we should have planned this better.”
“Maybe,” Cheerilee said, steering the pair back into Ponyville, “but we planned to work on the textbook today, not go on a date.”
“I suppose we could have a textbook... date?” With a laugh, Twilight shook her head. “Nevermind. That sounds really boring.”
The two walked in silence for a few minutes. “What a great start to our relationship,” Twilight muttered under her breath.
“Our what?” Cheerilee’s ears perked up, turning towards the purple librarian. “What did you say?”
Twilight’s ears bent in half. “O-Our relationship? That’s what this is, right? Two ponies who share a crush, going out on dates...”
“...tackling each other over couch arms for kisses?” Cheerilee grinned at Twilight’s increased embarrassment.
“I was drunk,” Twilight pouted.
Cheerilee quickly trotted forward, spinning around to stop Twilight in her tracks, fixing the librarian with a half-lidded gaze. “You haven’t thought about it? You know, alcohol only removes inhibition. You wanted to, you were just too shy.” She stepped forward until she was almost right on top of Twilight. “Come on, what are you afraid of? I won’t bite, unless you want me to.”
Twilight simply squeaked in response, face lit up in a fiery blush. Sensing an opportunity, Cheerilee darted forward, leaving a light peck on her muzzle. Then, giggling like a madmare, she darted off.
“H-Hey, wait!” Twilight darted after Cheerilee, woken from her frozen state by the kiss. “Where are you going?”
“Don’t know! Haven’t decided!” The words drifted back on the wind, spoken by the teacher just a little ways ahead.
“Then why are we running?” Twilight panted, trying her best to keep up. A mental note was made to start exercising more regularly, of the physical sort too.
“So we aren’t cold!”
Twilight opened her mouth to argue, but nothing needed saying. After all, she wasn’t cold anymore. With a light laugh, she put on an extra burst of speed, attempting to close the ground between them. Hooves pounding on compacted dirt, breathing ragged, she finally drew near Cheerilee, only to have another-- rougher --peck planted on her cheek before the teacher took off again, leaving the winded unicorn behind, but only for a moment.
Twilight pooled the reserves of her strength until her horn begun to glow. With one last little burst of energy, she laid her trap. Threads of lavender light weaved an ethereal net in front of Cheerilee. The teacher tried to stop, but momentum carried forward. The spell activated, slowing her down while at the same time sealing around her. Before long, Cheerilee was trapped in a net of purple light. Slowly, Twilight walked closer, surveying her hoofwork.
“Having trouble?” Twilight asked Cheerilee. “You look a little stuck.”
Cheerilee struggled against her warm magical bonds. “This isn’t fair,” she pouted. “You should let me go. I promise I’ll be good.” The teacher’s eyes fluttered over an innocent smile. “Unless you--”
Twilight kissed the tip of Cheerilee’s muzzle, effectively silencing her “Unless I don’t want you to, right?” she said, mimicking the teacher’s voice. “Well maybe what I want is to just bring you along with me, like a pet.” She prodded at Cheerilee’s cage with her magic, sending her floating a couple of feet.
The sudden movement elicited a squeak from the teacher. “But aren’t you the teacher’s pet?”
Twilight hummed. “Sometimes,” she sauntered over to the enraptured teacher, placing her head next to the teacher’s to whisper, “but I learn best by doing.”
“Y-Y-You really should stop taking ideas from... from that book,” Cheerilee gasped, trying her best to ignore the unicorn nibbling on her ear.
“Too much?” Twilight asked, pulling back with a worried look on her face. “I’ll be honest, I’m not totally--hey!” She refocused, doubling the strength of the weave around the struggling Cheerilee. “That’s not fair.”
“But I want to be freeee!” the teacher replied, flailing her hooves around in an attempt to escape her purple prison. Deciding that no amount of hoofwork was going to work, Cheerilee turned her attention instead to her captor. “Please let me go, Miss Twilight. I’m sorry I kissed your nose.” She put on her best pout, praying it would work this time.
“Don’t be.” Twilight closed the distance between them, planting a soft kiss on Cheerilee’s lips. She hummed happily into the kiss before pulling away, releasing her magical bonds as she did. The second Cheerilee’s hooves touched the ground she rejoined the embrace, followed by an extended nuzzle.
“I’ve wanted to do that for so long, ever since you helped with the talent show last year. Thank you, Twilight,” Cheerilee whispered into the lavender ear.
“For what?”
The teacher nuzzled into the soft fur by her head. “For getting drunk and confessing. I... I don’t think I ever would have said anything.”
“You almost did, though.” For the second time, Twilight broke the embrace. She started a slow walk back towards town.
After quickly moving to match pace with Twilight, Cheerilee laughed. “Yeah, but I probably would have chickened out.”
“Why?” Twilight cocked her head. “If it’s because we’re both mares, the most recent census shows that the mare to stallion ratio in Equestria is 67.3 to 32.7 percent, and it isn’t like same-sex relationships and even marriages are uncommon. A court decision by Celestia in...” She slipped into lecture mode, deftly rattling off statistics and facts as they slowly walked towards town.
“...Or was it something else?” Their hooves left the dirt road, replacing the crunch of road with the thump of wood as they entered the library. “Were you afraid?”
Twilight’s tone was joking, but Cheerilee’s answer was not. “Yes,” she whispered. “I was terrified: of you, of rejection, of losing a friend, of... of...”
“Of the Princess?” The lavender librarian moved to stand against the slightly trembling Cheerilee.
“A little, yeah.”
“Well, get over it.” Upon seeing her friend’s shocked reaction, Twilight giggled and planted a small kiss on Cheerilee’s cheek. “I’m kidding... sort of. You don’t need to be afraid of Celestia, or anypony else. As long as we are happy, what does it matter? Are you happy?”
“Mmhm,” Cheerilee purred, “very, even with just our one date.”
Twilight walked over towards the textbook table, drug two chairs out next to each other, and sat in one. She tapped the other with a hoof, an invitation Cheerilee was happy to accept. As soon as she sat down, the smaller mare leaned on her and levitated over a notebook. “It was a weird date.”
“I had fun though, except for when you trapped me in midair.”
“That was my favorite part, though.” Twilight wiggled further into Cheerilee’s soft coat. “So, um, are we a...” She trailed off, nervously rubbing her forehooves together.
“I thought so, I mean--”
Twilight held up a hoof. “Don’t say anything about your couch.”
“Fine, just ruin all my fun.” Adopting a much more serious tone, Cheerilee continued. “I mean, what else would we be at this point? We can’t just go back to being just friends after all this, and I don’t think I’d want to. I-I’ve had a crush on you almost since you came to Ponyville, but I hid it, and I hated myself. I couldn’t even come to the library, I’d get so nervous.”
“You don’t have to hide it anymore, not from anypony. What you do have to do is stop moving so much, you’re making it hard to not fall over, and work on this textbook with me so we have a chance of getting it done in time. Then, we’re going back to your cafe to get dinner, stop at Rarity’s to ask if she can keep Spike, come back here to work more, and then you’re going to read me the rest of Her Secret Desire.”
Cheerilee looked down to the lavender eyes peeking around her shoulder. “I’m going to what now?”
A book floated over from a writing desk to rest in front of Cheerilee. The tip of a purple six-pointed star poked up from between the pages. A small, pleading smile appeared under the lavender eyes. “Please?”
Without answering, Cheerilee nudged the book open to the marked page and begun reading to herself. About halfway down, she stopped. “This is the part where Shadow confesses her crush on Buttercreme and they ki-- oh.” A gentle shaking at her side betrayed Twilight’s soft laughter. “Very funny. You planned that, didn’t you?”
“Maybe. I really don’t care if you read it or not, I’m just not willing to send you home until I have to.”
“And what if I decide I don’t want to?” Cheerilee asked, fixing Twilight with a mischievous look. “What if I just eat and run?”
A few thin tendrils of light snaked their way across Cheerilee’s coat, making the mare shiver. “You seem to think I’ll let you go,” Twilight whispered. A single thread played across the teacher’s muzzle, making her cross her eyes to keep it in sight. As quickly as they appeared, the threads vanished, leaving a giggling Twilight against a flustered Cheerilee. The librarian’s laughter proved contagious, and soon both were laughing openly, trying not to knock each other off their chairs.
“You seem to think I want to leave.” Cheerilee wrapped a hoof around Twilight’s shoulders, pulling the smaller mare even tighter against her and planting a kiss on her head. “You had me at ‘textbook.’”
The two sat, slowly working their way through their notes, adding structure and content to the burgeoning text. “I’m still not reading that book to you,” Cheerilee said nearly an hour later, distracting Twilight from her refinement of the second chapter.
Firstly, I would like to apologize for my lack of communication recently, either friendship report or textbook update. Things have changed somewhat drastically in my personal life, and I had to take time to sort through them. Now everything has settled and I am pleased to report that, for the moment, all is well, if not better.
You may recall my partner in the textbook rewriting: the local schoolteacher, Cheerilee. At the onset of our project she was just a friend, one of many that I have made since my relocation to Ponyville. During our work, however, she began acting odd during our time together, but even still I began to dread our time apart. After a rather strange, circumstantial, and honestly unrelated line of questioning with both Fluttershy and Rarity, I stumbled across a series of books Cheerilee had been reading; a series of romance novels centering around a young mare with love interests in both a stallion and her closest friend, another mare. Of course, I did not realize this until I began reading it myself.
Naturally, this reading led to a series of revelations for me, foremost being that I had a crush. Not something that has never happened before, but the first on a mare, which brings me to the first lesson in friendship this has taught me: sometimes the line between friend, crush, and even enemy can blur. When that happens, it is not always easy to step back and analyze the relationship objectively, but it can be the best thing to do. Of course, that’s not what I did. I read those books, specifically the second, many times over the course of a few days, hammering my brain for answers.
It was difficult, then, to spend any reasonable amount of time with Cheerilee. I began to suspect, based on my own actions in her presence, that she may also have a crush on me, but the possible ramifications of voicing a false suspicion were too great to risk. So, instead of just talking to her like a mature pony, I hid it to the best of my abilities, which were apparently not good enough, because Rarity began to get suspicious.
After cornering me in the library after Cheerilee and I went to the spa--another long, somewhat more awkward story--Rarity had me accompany her back to the Boutique, where we ran into Fluttershy carrying two rather large bottles of wine. They then proceeded to, uh, get me drunk in an attempt to wheedle information out of me. I confessed, after a time, after which Rarity took it upon herself to convince me to tell Cheerilee. Inebriated and confident, I left the Boutique on a quest to finally tell her my feelings.
Things did not go exactly as planned, but the next day we sat down and talked like rational adults, and came to the realization that my crush was mutual. I write this letter a week and a hooffull of days spent together later with another lesson: when it comes to matters of relationships beyond just friendship, though fear will be present, the rewards will always outweigh the risks of not confessing. A true friend will not scorn you, and if your affection is reciprocated then all is well, and if it is not at least you have closure, and can return to your life certain in the fact there is nothing you could have done.
And don’t worry, Princess, the textbook has not been forgotten. We are currently working our way through chapter three and everything is on schedule, despite the setbacks. It should be done in plenty of time for the Equestrian Education Board’s review.
As always, I look forward to seeing you next month during my visit to Canterlot. And, assuming you don’t mind, of course, I may have somepony other than just Spike accompanying my this time. And give my best to Princess Luna as well
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle
Don’t forget to tell her not to smite me.
She isn’t going to smite you, Cheerilee, I already told you that.
But you aren’t the princess, are you, Twilight?
Of course not but-- Spike, you didn’t write that down, did you?
Erm, no...?
Good.
P.S. Hi, Princess, it’s Spike. Twilight seems really happy, but I’m kind of worried about everypony else. She really likes Cheerilee, but what about the others, her parents, or even you? She acts strong, and she is, but I know she can be really fragile sometimes. You know she doesn’t take disappointment or fighting well, and I’m worried something will happen and upset her. I’m pretty sure Fluttershy and Rarity already know, and they don’t care aside that Twilight’s happy, but... I guess I just don’t want to see her hurt. Could you maybe write me back with some ideas or something? I just don’t know how to handle this if something goes wrong. Thanks, Princess ~ Spike
“We’ll never know for sure unless we get one of them to talk,” Rarity said, pulling more fabric from Fluttershy’s waiting hooves.
“Do you really think something is going on with Twilight and Cheerilee?” Fluttershy reached into the basket beside her, pulling free a fresh swathe of cloth.
“Of course. Now, I don’t think either of us are close enough to Cheerilee to ask her outright, but I also don’t think Twilight will spill either. We need leverage.”
One of Fluttershy’s ears twitched. “Leverage? Can’t we just ask her?”
“Absolutely not. If it was going to be that simple, I would have done it already.” Rarity clucked her tongue and emptied Fluttershy’s hooves again. “We need an edge to get the truth.”
“Um, well, I don’t know if it’ll help that much, but I don’t think she handles alcohol well. There was one time last Spring...”
Twilight walked down the deserted garden path, headed to a small cottage nestled in the shade of the Everfree Forest. Rumor had it Applejack had just dropped off a sampler of this year’s cider, and it was always better to show up before Rainbow Dash did.
She strolled up to the door and quickly made sure she was alone. Twilight raised a single hoof and knocked softly. “Fluttershy,” she whispered. “It’s me.”
The door cracked open just wide enough to let a single yellow wing slip through. It waved twice, then retreated into the small cottage. Twilight followed after one more glance over her shoulder.
“Thanks for coming over,” Fluttershy said, double checking the latch on the door.
“I wasn’t going to miss a new batch of Sweet Apple Acres cider for anything,” the unicorn answered, peering around the room. “Where is it?”
Fluttershy gestured into the adjoining kitchen. “In there, but...”
Twilight plunged on ahead without listening. As promised, there sat a small collection of wooden barrels stacked in the middle of the table. Two empty glasses stood nearby, still dripping from an earlier cleaning. Without waiting, she dug in, filling a waiting glass with the rich amber liquid.
The unicorn took a drink, then paused. She took another, slower sip, and eyed the tapped barrel suspiciously. “Is there something wrong with this?” she asked.
“Sorry, I was trying to tell you that Applejack said it would be a little different from normal.” Fluttershy padded into the room and spun one of the barrels around. Burned into the wood was the word ‘Hard’ with a large X underneath. “Applejack brewed this for herself and Big Mac, but Applebloom found some of it, so she hid the rest here.”
“Hard cider, huh?” Twilight smacked her lips. “I’ve never had any before, but it’s not exactly bad. If you’re just hiding it though, why did you invite me?”
“I wanted to try it, but didn’t want to do it alone,” Fluttershy admitted. She carefully poured herself a glass, but didn’t take a drink. “Applejack said I could have some, but she was busy today. Pinkie doesn’t like to drink, Rainbow is supposed to be working all day, and Rarity won’t drink anything other than wine or champagne.”
Twilight nodded and took another sip. “Are you going to try it?”
“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy said. She lowered herself down until her muzzle was level with the countertop. “I like watching the bubbles and fizz.”
Mirroring her friend, Twilight also brought her head down. “Yeah, it does seem more fizzy than normal. I remember reading it has something to do with the ingredients that make it alcoholic...”
After a minute, Fluttershy picked up a straw from the countertop and placed it into the glass. She fought against the straw’s bobbing for a moment before finally pinning it down and taking a tentative sip.
“This is pretty good,” she said.
So she took another drink.
And another.
“Oh,” Twilight sighed, drawing down the last couple of drops. “I’m out.”
“Me too,” Fluttershy said. Her straw dropped into the glass with a soft clink.
They both looked as one to the open cask with it’s spout gleaming invitingly. “We probably shouldn’t have too much more. Applejack only offered you a taste, right?”
Fluttershy nodded. “One more glass shouldn’t hurt, right?”
So they poured another. Then a third, and a fourth.
“It’s empty...” Fluttershy said, her wing wobbling below the open spout of the now-empty cask.
“Then this is coming with me,” Twilight announced. She lifted the unopened cask and carried it towards the living room.
Fluttershy joined her a few moments later, following the sound of two crashes. Her first concern, the drink, sat askew and undamaged on the coffee table. Twilight herself seemed fine as well, though she was lying sideways, idly running a hoof across the rug.
“This rug feels really weird,” Twilight remarked.
Fluttershy shook her head and poured another glass.
“The strangest thing about... about it is how easily ponies get everything confused and mixed up,” Twilight slurred, some time later. “It’s such a simple thing, elementary even. Just put the book back where the numbers make sense! Don’t put it on the ground, or a cart, or a desk or something, just put it on the shelf!”
“If you think about it, the floor is just a really big shelf...” Fluttershy responded.
The drink flowed for a couple of hours as both mares drank away Applejack’s cider. After all, Applebloom couldn’t drink some if Twilight and Fluttershy did first.
“I think we’re out,” Fluttershy said, draining her last glass. She stretched forward to place her empty glass on the coffee table, and...
When had they moved to the living room? Everything was fuzzy, and it was hard to focus. Nopony responded either way, forcing Fluttershy to swing her heavy head around in an attempt to locate Twilight.
There was a second empty glass, sitting on it’s side on the table. One of Applejack’s small barrels sat between the glasses. The tap was fully open, but nothing came out. Twilight was nowhere to be seen that direction, but the light was off in the kitchen. Judging from the lack of light filtering through the curtains, it was late enough that she was unlikely to be in a dark room.
In the other direction was just the stairs to her loft bedroom. Twilight might have made her way up there, but the only thing up there was Fluttershy’s bed.
Bed sounded nice, actually. Fluttershy pulled her heavy body off the couch, wincing at the loud sound of her hooves hitting the uncovered floorboard. Where had the rug gone? It was a problem for later. She took one last look around the room and, seeing nopony, shut off the light and fumbled her way upstairs in the dark.
The bedroom was dark as well, but that wasn’t a problem. Fluttershy crawled underneath blankets heavier and warmer than normal, curled against her favorite plush pillow, and fell fast asleep.
--_--_--_--
Twilight was unwillingly dragged to consciousness by her body lodging multiple complaints. One: multiple small, angry parasprites were trying to bash their way into her skull. Two: the western frontier was invading her mouth, sand and all. Three: she was uncomfortably warm and sweaty, likely due to the multiple thick blankets over her. Four: something soft was wrapped tightly around her barrel, restricting her breathing even further.
Last, but most certainly not least, she was in a bedroom she didn’t recognize. Twilight remembered going to visit with Fluttershy, but just about everything after was a warm, fuzzy, painful blur. She groaned and attempted to stretch, but stopped when whatever was wrapped around her squeaked, a very familiar sound, and pulled tighter.
With a growing sense of dread, Twilight opened her eyes, ignoring the knives of sunlight sneaking around the curtains. One pair of yellow hooves were just barely visible wrapped around her chest. They, and most of the rest of her body, were hidden under a sheet, comforter, and what looked to be a traditional pegasus woven rug,
“Fluttershy,” Twilight croaked through the desert in her mouth, “Fluttershy, wake up.”
The pegasus didn’t reply, only tightened her hold even further. That brought to the front of Twilight’s mind the sixth reason she had woken, the one she’d been trying to ignore just in case she couldn’t escape her current predicament.
She really had to use the bathroom. And with Fluttershy applying pressure, it was only getting worse.
“Fluttershy,” she tried again. “Get up, please.”
Again, there was no response. Twilight tried to pry herself free with magic, but her headache was making it impossible to concentrate enough to bring any magical power to bear. “Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy didn’t say a word, simply raised her hoof. Thankful, Twilight scrambled out of the bed and quickly rushed to the bathroom. Business concluded, she exited only to find her friend sitting upright in bed, blinking blearily at the covers on top of her. She seemed transfixed by the rug sitting atop the normal blankets.
It took a couple of attempts before Fluttershy could speak. “Why is my living room rug on my bed?”
“Good question, I don’t quite remember,” Twilight answered honestly.
Fluttershy started, her gaze snapping up to her friend. “T-Twilight? Goodness, you startled me. Why are you in my bedroom so early?”
“I woke up here. You were holding me down until just a few minutes ago. I just had to use your bathroom, that’s why I wasn’t out here.”
“You woke up here, in my bed, and I was h-holding you?” Fluttershy repeated, blinking rapidly. “Did... Did we have a slumber party? I remember inviting you over to try Applejack’s cider, but everything after that...”
“I remember a little more than that. We drank it all and were sitting on the couch and talking, but everything else is hazy.”
Both mares stood for a moment, blinking at each other across the mussed-up bed. They slowly came to the same realization at nearly the same time. Fluttershy reached it first, evidenced by a blush that quickly engulfed most of her face and a quiet squeak.
Twilight wasn’t too far behind, though her reaction wasn’t quite as noticeable. It was mostly internal, her mind struggling to piece together the fuzzy-at-best memories of the night prior. Lacking some critical information as she was, only a few possibilities came to mind.
Most likely, they’d drank until drunk and then passed out. That would explain the rug, if one of them had mistaken it for a blanket while downstairs. The other possibility was more adult in nature, but highly unlikely as Twilight was certain she harbored nothing but platonic feelings for Fluttershy - or any of her friends - that the drink could bring out.
“D-D-D-Did we...” Fluttershy stammered, somehow growing steadily redder. “Did you and I and... bed... and....”
Without sufficient evidence, Twilight honestly couldn’t say one way or the other, despite what she may have wanted to. “I don’t think so, but there’s... really no way to be certain.”
Silence fell across the room. For lack of something to do, Twilight busied herself by detangling the rug from the blankets and sending it down the staircase. “So, uh...”
“There’s no way to tell, right?” Fluttershy asked. “And if there’s no way to tell, and if it happened, it might as well not have happened, right?”
“Oh-kay...” Twilight glanced at her friend. “Fluttershy, are you--”
“Breakfast,” the pegasus cut her off. “I’m going to go make breakfast. I’m going to make breakfast, and we never speak of this again.”
She left before Twilight could respond, leaving the confused unicorn alone with her uncertainty, worry for her friend’s well-being, and a pounding headache.
“I’ve read that greasy food can help with hangovers!” Twilight shouted down the stairs.
