Author's Note

Next chapter won't come for awhile, planning on focusing on some other projects. Do not fret, I will be back to this soon.

3. Teacher's Talking Tentavily

Greenhouses were Shrub's favorite structure. While studying for his degree, Shrub worked in greenhouses at least once a week. To him, they were the most relaxing building you can be in. Even now, the green stallion's mind was tranquil as he dug out the dirt inside to plant his seeds. There was still a feeling of dread, however. The seeds he was planting were the most illegal item to possess right now. Shrub could only hope the plants reproduced to make more seeds, or else he would be stumped.

"How goes the planting?" Clear Fortune asked as he entered the greenhouse. He was wearing the same clothes from yesterday, which were exuding a very rank smell. Shrub smelled worse back in Baltimare, though, so he wasn't really bothered by it. The two had started talking to each other when Shrub Pot arrived early in the morning. All of Shrub's initial worries were quelled by the old stallion. He explained it that all he really wanted was change to come to Ponyville and ultimately Equestria as well.

Shrub Pot had always suppressed his emotions when he started dealing drugs. However, he couldn't help but feel remorse for Clear Fortune and his plight. He was a grandfather who made a living telling ponies their fortune. It was a surprisingly good gig, especially since the recent events with the Elements. Unfortunately, it was widely known around the town that Clear Fortune smoked a drug to "clear his mind". When the EAD laws took effect, he was one if not the first pony banned from Ponyville.

"Just finishing the last seed, you find any mulch?" Shrub asked as he covered the seed with the dirt he had dug up beforehand.

"Neither I nor the others could find any." Clear Fortune admitted, his head bent down in shame.

"Don't worry about it too much," Shrub consoled, "Equis Eanibis can grow in some of the most harsh conditions. All we really have to do is water them every couple of days and they'll be fully grown in... Three weeks time." Shrub went over to one of the tables in the greenhouse that had his messenger bag. He lifted up the flap and pulled out a glass box filled with Purple Dream. "Here's your cut, should last you a good while." Shrub said as he handed the box to Fortune.

"Thank you very much," Clear Fortune said while inspecting the box, "Now, am I overstepping my boundaries when I ask how you make this stuff?"

"Trade secret," Shrub smirked at the old pony, "Only I know how to do it."

"Ah, understood." Clear Fortune tucked the glass box in his pocket. Shrub Pot had broken a barrier to allow himself to trust the "Outer Ponyvillians". Despite this, Shrub Pot would never let anypony, not even those closest to him, know how to make Purple Dream. The green stallion groaned and rubbed his eyes, realizing how early in the morning it was. He had woken up to get an early start, something he really hated to do. Despite its benefits, waking up early was like Tartarus to Shrub Pot, or anypony for that matter. Even more of a pain, he had to explain to Roseluck what he was doing. Thankfully, she took the "I'm gonna jog" story for what it was worth.

Shrub looked at his watch and decided it was time to write his letter. He turned to Clear Fortune as he took out a piece of paper he smuggled from the flower shop. "Do you have any birds trained in delivering letters?"

"Yes," Fortune confirmed, "But she's pretty old."

"That's fine." Shrub said as he took a pen and began to write to his trusted confidant.

Sawbones,

It's Shrub, first off, everything is ok so far. I'm in luck, I've got a "team" to help me, so don't be too alarmed. Now pay attention, because I can't be writing a bunch of letters. I need you to send me my equipment to make Purple Dream.
I've got a place to plant and care for the Thorns, if you send me my stuff, I can make my shit. Don't worry about the ponies helping me, they seem reliable, for the most part.

Shrub Pot.

He folded the paper and slipped in an envelope, also "borrowed" from the shop. Shrub walked out of the greenhouse and went to Clear Fortune's shack, which was the biggest out of all of them. Clear Fortune came out with a brown owl, who was the ugliest looking creature he'd ever seen. It had patches of skin revealed from a lack of feathers and only had one eye.

"Oh," Shrub revolted and stepped back, "What a... Lovely owl."

Clear Fortune laughed and held his hand out. "No need for deceit, friend, she is as ugly as a manticore's anus." He laughed as he received the letter from Shrub. The owl grabbed it with its talon and flew off. Shrub almost had a heart attack until Clear Fortune brought the bird down with his magic. "Stubborn girl, here, whisper the address in her ear." The old stallion suggested as he held her out to Shrub Pot. He pinched his nose, in case the owl smelled, and whispered Sawbones’ location. The owl screeched and flew off for a second time, the letter in her talon.

"You sure she'll make it?" Shrub wondered as he watched the owl wobble in the air. Fortune gave a hearty laugh and turned to Shrub.

"No."

Shrub sighed as he sat on a chair in the school's waiting room. Clear Fortune's "encouraging" words left him on edge, but now he had to put on his facade. He got to the school building early, having nothing to do besides wait at the flower shop. Plus, even though he was dedicated to selling drugs, his real passion was teaching. He loved MagiHerbology and wanted others to learn about its wonders. Unfortunately, things can change and instead of pursuing an honest teaching career, he was using his old passion to cover himself.

For whatever reason, being in Ponyville made Shrub question his morality more and more. He always knew that he was the bad guy, the pony that's contributing to the big problem. The Equestrian Drug Administration, despite seemingly ignoring the bad things they were creating, were ultimately doing good for the country. He believed that if some changes were made, the EAD laws could be the perfect fix for the drug problems. As for his dealing, Shrub Pot didn't know if he would stop or not. There use to be this small part of him that loved the thrill of being a dealer. Now, that small part of him became a core aspect of his desires.

Shrub was snapped out of his thoughts when the door to the room creaked open. A mare with a cerise coat entered the room, wearing a simple work shirt and skirt. "Hello, you must be Shrub Pot, correct?" she asked, approaching the stallion. Shrub Pot stood up and straightened his posture.

"Yes, it's going to be a pleasure to work with you." Shrub said. The mare smiled and looked at a clipboard she was holding.

"Okay, my name is Cheerilee, I've been working here for a considerable amount of time. Principal informed me you would be joining us next week to teach a MagiHerbology class. Is this true?" She asked.

"That is correct," Shrub Pot confirmed, "I believe that the study of magical flora is very important. A lot of ponies don't appreciate the benefits that they provide for us. Ponyville, to me, is the perfect place to start and show that MagiHerbology is an important subject."

"That's very admirable, Mr. Pot." Cheerilee beamed at the green stallion. "Part of the reason why I love education so much is meeting these ponies that have such passions. A lot of ponies who work here have the same feeling you do Shrub. Well, while all of this is certainly pleasing, let me escort you to the teachers' lounge." Cheerilee opened the waiting room door and gestured for Shrub Pot to follow. He complied and walked behind Cheerilee to the lounge.

When they entered, Shrub marveled at how... Plain it was. The interior was white, white paint, white desks, and even some white furniture. "Wow, it's very, um, white." Shrub commented as he stared at a white couch. Cheerilee chuckled softly and went over to an empty desk. It was almost identical to the others, the only difference being that the other desks had items on them.

"This is your desk," Cheerilee said as she hovered over an empty desk, "This is where we all grade our papers and formulate our lesson plans. You're allowed to personalize it however you'd like, as long as it's appropriate, of course."

Shrub gave a small smirk and set his gaze on his desk. The closer he was, the more detail he started to pick up on. The desks were actually made of wood, with shelves and rubber stoppers on the bottom. "Who made the desks?" Shrub questioned while following the patterns in the wood.

"That would be Lumber Plank, he's a Craftspony who does many charitable works for the town. A lot of our desks came from him and his shop." The mare explained. She went over to her own desk and pulled out a clipboard with a pile of papers attached. Flipping through a few, she pulled out one from the stack and placed it on top. "We have the list of your class, if you would like to hear it." Cheerilee stated, knowing he would want to know.

"Class?" Shrub said, confused.

"Yes, class, you only have one class throughout the school year. We only had a select few of fillies and colts that wanted to take the class." Shrub sat down at his desk, their desks, located next to each other.

"How many?" He asked with interest.

"One." Cheerilee said as a matter of fact. Shrub's coat nearly turned white from the info. "Now don't freak out, Principal recognized that we needed a class like yours. It was originally intended to have only children who signed up for the course participate. As you can tell, not that many signed up."

"Wait," Shrub interrupted, "Not to be rude, miss, but wasn't, ah, Principal only informed recently about application to teach a MAG course?"

"Actually he was informed a couple months ago, before the school year started. Principal was actually informed about you by his connection before, during casual conversation apparently. He had started working on this, as if he knew that you would come to work here. He's a bit freaky that way." Cheerilee stated with a smile. Shrub, meanwhile, was slightly disturbed.

Not because of Lily talking about him, he painted a perfectly plain caricature of himself. What got him was the principal, this pony who seemed to know more than he let on. If he knew that Shrub would come here, would he know something else. He put it past him and went to a more healthier question to think about. "Who was the student who signed up?" Cheerilee's face brightened from the question.

"Her name is Apple Bloom, a fine student, if I say. She has zeal for potion making, and since MagiFlora are heavily involved in that, she felt it was only logical to sign up. I went to her house to talk about the class and she was absolutely thrilled. Of course, it took me awhile to explain to her guardians that she would be able to achieve in a MAG course."

"Did they understand what the course was?" Shrub wondered, tapping his finger on his desk.

"They did once I explained it to them, it was just confusing since they had the popular belief that MAG courses are usually taken in magic-oriented schools." Cheerilee clarified. "I know a lot of the kids you'll be teaching in your class, I taught them once myself."

"Really?"

"Oh yes, would you like me to go through your class for you, give you some info?" She looked towards Shrub Pot, who nodded his head. "Alright, so to start you off, I'll start with the kids that shouldn't be a problem. You have Sweetie Belle, she's a nice filly, generally gets good grades in her classes. Pip is a colt from Trottingham, excellent student, though a bit shy, so make it a point to engage him. Oh, you also have Twist, she's a character, one of my favorites to be honest."

Once she finished her sentence, the two ponies stared at each other, Shrub wondering if she would go on. "Umm... Is that it, as far as well-meaning students go?" His odds didn't look good.

"I'll be blunt, yes. Scootaloo is well behaved, but that's if she doesn't have any problems with her peers, which she usually has. Rumble, another colt, is more of a sports pony than an academic, the amount of times I've had to wake him... Nevermind that though. Button Mash is also well mannered, yet easily distracted with games. Same with Featherweight, though his distraction is his camera. Snips and Snails, oh those two, they seem hopeless, but give them a chance, they'll pull through.

"Ah, and now I get to your most hazardous obstacle." Cheerilee grimaced, leaving Shrub slightly worried, but what could be so bad about a kid? "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," The mare began, now relaxing in her seat as if she was a godfather ordering her soldiers, "There the two biggest troublemakers in this school. Mind you, they use to be MUCH worse, but thankfully some events happened and they've sort of mellowed. However, even then, those two manage to get on the nerves of both their teachers and their peers."

"How bad we talking about?" Shrub asked, turning his body to listen fully.

"Well, Diamond is the main pony to worry about. She's very 'catty' and has this insulting tone to her voice. Silver Spoon just tags along with Diamond, but she has a cruel streak also." Cheerilee said, pinching the bridge of her muzzle.

"Has there never been any form of recourse for their actions?" Shrub Pot asked.

"We've tried, but the two are very protected. Diamond's mother, sometimes her father, believe that her actions are either justified or turn the other cheek. Silver's are the same, but again, the only thing she gets in trouble for is being involved with Diamond's antics." Cheerilee stretched her arms out and yawned, Shrub turned away as to not stare at her "benefits". "I'll apologize on behalf of all of us for any future annoyance those two cause in your class. Please be patient with them, though."

"Of course, kids like them just need to be reminded that they aren't above the rest of the world." Shrub spoke calmly. Cheerilee looked down at the ground and sighed.

"If it only it were that simple."

It was late in the afternoon, but Shrub Pot was still out and about. After his tour of the school and being informed of his class roster, he went and explored the town. The stallion saw many important places, such as the local market. A building that could only be described as "pure diabetes" caught Shrub's attention the most. A lot of ponies came in and out with happy faces, their expressions never changing. He decided to call it a night and return home to the flower shop.

He had gotten some detail on the kids in his class, but he felt it wouldn't do any good. It wasn't like any of the kids would be extremely knowledgeable about where Shrub could go to sell his drug. Besides, growing up in this environment, none of them would even know about illegal drugs to begin with. Although, maybe one of them does know about drugs and would want a fix? 'Unlikely, 'sides, I don't sell to kids.' Shrub thought to himself, his face grimacing at the idea of selling drugs to children. Despite having to give up a considerable amount of ethics when he started dealing drugs, selling to fillies and colts was one thing Shrub would not do.

Shrub Pot approached the front door of the shop and pulled out his keys. He had gotten them yesterday when he was heading out to his interview. Inserting the key and turning it clockwise, Shrub pushed the door open and wiped his brow. "Hello?" he called out as he turned to close the door. His ears picked up quick yet loud taps coming towards him. Once he turned around and blinked, a pink Earth Pony mare stood awfully close. She stared up at him with her large blue eyes, never once blinking. Shrub wanted to say something to her, but with her body pressing all over him, he felt like she was gonna cut him for any little thing he did. Thankfully, Roseluck came from the side, her usual smirk on her muzzle and a bottle in her hand.

"Hey, Pinkie, mind getting off of our new friend here, Lily's losing it in there." She snickered while taking a swig from her bottle, a droplet of amber liquid pouring down her chin.

"NO!" A voice that sounded a lot like Lily's (but clearly wasn't I swear) shouted from the kitchen.

"Okie Dokie!" Pinkie giggled and jumped away, making her dark pink mane bounce, amongst other parts. Shrub got a good look at the mare who had near assaulted him when he entered his new home. As noted before, she was an Earth Pony with a pink coat and a darker pink mane. The mane was very curly and reached down to the mare's upper part of her back. She wore a blue shirt with a balloon design on the front and back. She also wore some beige shorts and had black socks that just came up to her shins. The mare was very appealing to the eye, having quite the curve in her body yet maintaining some plumpness.

Shrub Pot cleared his throat and adjusted his collar, not trying to be bewildered. "Um, hello, my name is-"

"Shrub Pot?" Pinkie questioned. Shrub had his mouth open and just blinked a couple of times.

"H-How did you-"

"I talked to the flower trio, had some time off from Sugarcube Corner. I know your name, height, weight, age, date of birth, home territory, occupation, favorite flower-" The mare went on and on about things she suddenly knew about the green stallion. Shrub tried paying attention to every detail, but could hardly follow as the mare went on faster and faster. Roseluck the whole time was snorting with laughter at Shrub's predicament, his muddled face being the highlight of her night.

"OH!" Pinkie stopped, her mane standing up on edge. "How could I forget!" She cried as she pulled out a card from... Her mane. Shrub Pot caught the card as Pinkie tossed it at him. With hesitation, he opened the card and shut his eyes as a small bundle of confetti launched as his face. After wiping his eyes clear from the confetti, Shrub looked at the card as it read:

You are hereby invited to your own Welcome Party!

"So you'll come, right‽" Pinkie squealed as she eyeballed the stallion. Shrub looked to the small mare and nodded slowly out of fear. The pink mare jumped for joy and hugged Shrub Pot quickly. "Okay, now I have to go, bye bye!" Pinkie exclaimed loudly and slipped out the door. Shrub stood still, pondering his very existence. Alongside that, he was also slightly worried about that mare's knowledge. She had rattled off facts about him like she had knew him for years. Could she have possibly known about his drug life as well?

The other two members of the flower trio showed up and Lily put a hand on Shrub's shoulder. "W-Who was that pony?" Shrub asked, his body as stiff as a board.

"That was Pinkie Pie," Roseluck spoke, "our town's party planning pony. She's also an element of harmony and a hero of Equestria. That mare always has parties for new residents of the town."

"She's the best!" Daisy cheered while flopping herself on the couch. "She threw us the greatest party, I had a tummy ache for three days!"

"That's not a good thing." Lily told Daisy, her hand still on Shrub's shoulder.

"Hey," Roseluck approached Shrub Pot, "You need to take the stress off?" She waved her bottle in front of his face.

"Is that... Is that liquor?" Shrub asked as he directed his attention to the bottle.

"Yeah, what, you some kind of a prude, Romeo?"

"... No, I need a shot!"