Cheerilee had lost count of how many times she paced up and down the Ponyville train station's oak steps. She had every right to be nervous. Or that's what she said to herself, anyway. She could still hardly believe that the princess had visited and asked a personal favor from a simple teacher. Princess Celestia had paid a call on Cheerilee only a few days ago, but the memory of the visit was still fresh in her mind. It made Cheerilee cringe remembering how much of an idiot she was when she opened her front door and gaped at the sight of the stately and elegant alicorn.
Now she couldn't remember the exact words she used, but it was something along the lines of "T-the princess?! Crap, I haven't brushed my mane yet!" Cheerilee also hadn't had her morning cup of coffee, which meant her social filter was not in operation at the time. It only took a few moments for it to sink in what she had just uttered to the ruler of Equestria. What was possibly more embarrassing was the fact that Celestia had exploded into laughter after that.
Then again, it had eased the tension a bit. Celestia's laughter was contagious.
Cheerilee tried to distract herself by peering down the train tracks once more. She was awaiting her "traveling" companion that Celestia had said would be coming on the train. This diplomat was supposed to be there an hour ago. Punctuality didn't seem to be this pony's strong suit, whoever they were.
The teacher's mind drifted back to her conversation with Celestia. As nice as she was, the princess was infuriatingly cryptic.
"A diplomatic mission...? Why would you need me? No offense, but I'm just a teacher! What could I possibly do?"
Celestia sipped on the coffee that the earth pony had painstakingly brewed to perfection. Coffee, as Cheerilee discovered, was really the only thing she could cook. Which was why that was the only thing offered to her guest, as everything else in her cupboards was cheap junk food from the store. She had planned on going to the market that morning, but...
"A teacher is exactly what I need, Miss Cheerilee." The tall alicorn's lips curled up into a gentle, amused smile. Cheerilee suddenly felt like a child who was just kindly corrected on some stupid mistake they made. She tried to come up with an intelligent response to preserve her dignity...
"Huh?"
Didn't work out. Dang, you're on fire today, Cheerilee!
To her relief, Celestia didn't react to her stupor. "You see, I've arranged for a ... swap, shall we say, with Saddle Arabia. A teacher-exchange program, I suppose you could call it. We'd thought it would be interesting if Equestria sent one of their teachers over to Saddle Arabia, and vice versa. The Saddle Arabian Queen and I thought it would be an... educational experience for both of our countries to see how the other treats their education."
Cheerilee wasn't stupid. "So... you're here to ask me to represent Equestria's educational system?"
Her guest gave a small laugh, and nodded. "Precisely."
How could she say no?
And that's how Cheerilee found herself at the train station on a Tuesday afternoon. More or less. The conversation in Cheerilee's cramped cottage went on for a while, but it was just discussing the trip. Celestia had told her that a diplomat would travel with her to Saddle Arabia, but hadn't said who. Cheerilee felt it would be rude to ask who it was, and hadn't pressed for information. Looking back on it now, that might have been an unwise decision. Now she had no idea what her companion would look like. How would she pick them out of the crowd? Did they know what she looked like? Wait, no that was stupid. She didn't know any diplomats, how would they know what she looked like? Celestia could of told them what she looked like, but-
She had been so busy thinking she never noticed the train had already pulled into station. Cheerilee jumped at the sound of the whistle, and gave an irritated stomp. About time.
The train doors swung open and a few ponies trickled out. Using her eyes that had been sharpened over her few years of teaching, she glanced over them, but abruptly stopped.
Oh no.
No no no no no no no no no NO NO NO NO NO.
Cheerilee had forgotten.
She did know one diplomat.
His sky-blue eyes met hers.
Maybe I can turn back. Maybe he doesn't remember me and doesn't know I'm the teacher being sent to Saddle Arabia. Maybe...-
He gave her a smirk.
Dammit.
"Miss Cheerilee...!" He called out loud enough that everyone at the station now knew the name of the mare who was mentally throwing daggers at Equestria's prince.
The blonde unicorn waltzed up to Cheerilee and gave her a showy bow. A couple mares off in the distance giggled, and Cheerilee decided to mentally throw daggers at them as well.
"So you're to be my companion for this momentous trip?"
Cheerilee took a breath. It was too late to back out now. Much too late.
"Yes," Cheerilee paused, and then muttered, "unfortunately..."
Blueblood gave a sophisticated laugh that he'd probably practiced a million times in front of a mirror. "Oh my dear...! There is nothing unfortunate about it."
With this, he took Cheerilee's hoof and landed a kiss on it that was entirely too long for the cerise mare's liking. The mares who were giggling earlier were now swooning and tittering about how 'charming' he was.
Daggers were entirely too good for them, Cheerilee decided. Bloodied battle axes were much more suitable.
She ripped her hoof away from the pure-coated stallion, quite possibly bruising his hoof and ego in the process, a fact which pleased her, though she was careful not to show it. "Anyway, back to the matter at hand...! The train for Saddle Arabia will be here in an hour or so. We can..."
Now here was the dilemma. They had at least an hour before the train comes. What in the world was she suppose to do with him?
Luckily, he had the answer himself. He gave her a wave of his hoof. "Perfect! There was a spa here that Aunt Celestia simply raved about! She honestly could not stop talking about it, the poor dear! She so rarely gets time for herself, you know?" Cheerilee could believe it. She opened her mouth to say something but Blueblood proceeded to trot confidently towards her.
"Anyway, that's where I'll be. I want to see for myself what this... country town can offer." A hint of a sneer entered his voice which sent a shiver of anger down Cheerilee's spine, but she bit her tongue. She spent years biting down snarky remarks when she was dealing with snotty kids and even snottier parents, surely she could deal with this snob of a prince.
Blueblood stopped as soon as he got close to Cheerilee, and he whipped his head around, now face to face with Ponyville's school teacher.
He shot her a dazzling smile. "We'll see each other soon, Miss Cheerilee. You won't miss me, will you?" Cheerilee would have snorted at this, but there wasn't any room to move her head without accidentally touching his muzzle that he shoved up in her personal space. Instead she just gave him a hard stare.
He backed away, but still stood next to her. His face softened and his eyes had a strange shine to them.
"I look forward to our journey together."
And with that, he turned and trotted gracefully off the station steps.
Straight into a mud puddle.
After ten minutes of him wailing about his perfect coat being ruined, Cheerilee knew she was going to regret this. In fact, she already did regret it.
Author's Note
-screams into the abyss-
Helpful critiques are welcome.
By the time the sun had just almost began to set, Cheerilee had studied the train car thoroughly. She had mentally traced the detailed pattern in the seats, counted every flower on the wall, and came to appreciate the design of the lamps. When she got bored with staring inside the train, she tried to stare outside the train. That lost its charm after a hour. But it definitely beat having to stare at him the whole time. Cheerilee knew he would think she was admiring him if she even glanced his way, and she was not going to give him the satisfaction of that.
Blueblood, however, had no qualms about studying his travel partner. It was honestly starting to irk Cheerilee because he hadn't taken his eyes off her since they sat down. What bothered her even more was that he was quiet now. When they first boarded, he wouldn't shut up about his horrible experience at the Ponyville Spa and how he was tormented and mistreated by the 'she-demon' twins who ran the beauty parlor. Something about 'frigid Crystal Mountain water' and a 'overly aggressive' masseuse was included in his rant.
Thinking back on that, it made Cheerilee chuckle. Aloe and Lotus were amazing mares. She'd have to thank them upon her return. If she didn't die of frustration before then, that is. Cheerilee had a strong will, she was fairly certain she'd survive. There was only the slightest chance of her mentally dying before the end. Only the slightest, though.
"Is there any reason you're not looking at me? Or speaking, for that matter?"
Cheerilee paused, but didn't turn her eyes towards him, and instead leaned closer towards the window. "Just enjoying the view. That's not a crime, is it?" She remarked innocently, taking care to not show the snark in her voice.
"No, it's not a crime, legally speaking. It's just a crime to not be delighting your eyeballs with the sight of me."
Breath. You can do this, Cheerilee.
She whipped her body around, startling the prince. Giving him a straight face, she tilted her head. "Well then, your highness. What do you want to talk about?"
Blueblood fumbled for words. "Oh!... Well, uh..." Cheerilee looked expectantly at him, waiting. Could he really not think of anything to say?
"Fine then, if you can't think of anything to say, I will. How have you been, Blueblood?"
"... What?" A look of genuine surprise graced Blueblood's face.
"How have you been...?" The confusion was contagious. "Don't tell me no one's asked you that before. It's the most basic of questions!"
Blueblood gave a very ungentlemanly snort. "What do you take me for, some sort of hermit? Of course I've been asked that before!" He looked away... Was he averting her gaze? "Just... not recently."
Cheerilee uttered a silent 'oh' but didn't have the chance to say anything as the train door behind her swung open. A light pink mare in a crisp uniform walked smartly up to them. "Is everything going alright here? Do either of you need anything?"
The teacher waited for Blueblood to answer, but he seemed uninterested. Rolling her eyes at him, she turned and smiled at the worker. "No, we're fine, thank you!"
"Okay," The other mare returned the smile, "I'll be back later if you need anything. I'll leave you two alone for now." She winked at Cheerilee as she backed away towards the door. The wink puzzled her, but Cheerilee just shrugged it off. Perhaps she caught something in her eye. Instead Cheerilee turned her focus back to her companion. The fact that he ignored the stewardess irritated her. Blueblood in general irritated her. She hadn't known him very long, but a few minutes was all it took to find how infuriating he was. Yet...
"You never answered my question."
Blueblood arched his eyebrows. "Hmm?"
Cheerilee leaned back against her seat, "How have you been...?" Her bright eyes stared intently at him. She expected him to fumble again. To be surprised. To be at a loss for words.
"My my, is that concern for me? How touching!"
She miscalculated.
"Well, I wouldn't want to worry that pretty little head of yours," Blueblood's grin grew wider at Cheerilee's scowling. "So I'll answer your question. I've been doing just fine."
The mare blinked. Twice.
"That's it? Just fine? Nothing else?"
Blueblood shrugged. "Just because you asked doesn't mean I have to give you a full answer." He was enjoying this, Cheerilee could tell. He seemed to like seeing the look of exasperation on other's faces. Well, she would put an end to his merriment.
She gave him a cheerful smile. A false smile, but he didn't know that. "Well, that's good! It's nice to hear you've been doing okay."
The look of slight surprise on his face was exactly what Cheerilee had wanted. She then turned her attention back to the window which had so enraptured her earlier.
"Back to the window again?" Blueblood grumbled, the whine seeping out in his voice. Cheerilee felt her lips curl into a smug smile. Her mane bobbed as she tipped her head back to look at him.
"Well, you didn't seem interested in continuing in a conversation. And, to be frank, I find the passing landscape much more interesting than staring in silence."
With this, Cheerilee turned her back to him, ignoring his huff of displeasure. Let him simmer.
She tried to concentrate on the scenery outside. They had passed the meadows and mountains of the Canterlot-Ponyville region, and empty fields gave way to lush springtime forests. The evening sky was a dusky yellow, which shone softly on the green trees. The only thing Cheerilee could think of, however, was that the sun finally setting meant she could get away and escape to her cabin soon.
Actually, why wait?
"If you'll excuse me, I think I'll be going to bed. It's been a long day."
Blueblood snapped out of his sulking mood. "What about dinner? Aren't you hungry?"
She shook her head, though her stomach yelled at her for it. Cheerilee hadn't had anything to eat since lunch, and even that was a simple sandwich and some water. She wasn't used to traveling much, and she was still adjusting to the motion of the train. Food didn't seem like the wisest of decisions.
"Very well," Blueblood said, and immediately his horn glowed a soft blue. "The stewardess will have to show you to your cabin."
Cheerilee looked around to see what he could be levitating, but didn't see a blue aura anywhere else. She did hear a curious ringing sound, as if someone had rung a small bell.
She shook her head. Confounded unicorns. Standing up, she wobbled but quickly regained her balance. Cheerilee was not going to fall in front of Blueblood and give him a reason to laugh at her. She proceeded to rummage underneath her seat for her small luggage bag. She flushed with anger remembering Blueblood smiling at the sight of her bag when she first boarded the train. The bag had been a gift from one of her students. It was hot pink and covered in yellow smiling flowers, and was possibly the most girly thing Cheerilee owned. She, however, cherished it. She never got to use it much, but she cherished it. The teacher loved anything her precious students gave her, so to have Blueblood grinning stupidly at it had made her blood boil. She thanked Celestia that he hadn't said anything, because if he did...
Let's just say Cheerilee can get violently protective of her students. A little too violent.
Thankfully, Blueblood didn't seem to notice the bag. He was preoccupied with staring intently at the door as the pink pony from earlier had just come in. She had an odd look on her face, as if she were... amused?
"How may I help you two?"
Blueblood nodded his head towards the teacher. "Miss Cheerilee would like to retire for the evening. Go show her to her cabin."
The stewardess dipped her head in a semi-curtsy. "Of course," She hesitated for a moment, a question on her lips. "Will you be joining her soon?"
The room fell into a frozen silence.
"What." Cheerilee and Blueblood said in unison. It wasn't even a question. It was a statement.
The stewardess gave them a perplexed look. "I just thought, since you two got the honeymoon cabin and all..."
"WHAT."
Seconds, then minutes ticked by.
The light pink pony glanced between both of them. "... I'm going to lose my job for this, aren't I."
It wasn't even a question. It was a statement.
