“Does anypony have any questions?”
Cheerilee turned away from her chalkboard scribblings to face her students, though with a slight smile, she realized that they were more than eager to get on out of her classroom for the day. It was Hearts and Hooves Day after all, and she was sure as sunshine that her foals had a number of sweets and cards to indulge in from their classroom celebration. A few were already jittery from the start of a sugar rush.
She chuckled warmly and put down her worn piece of chalk on the board’s holder, just in time for the end-of-school bell to ring.
“Okay my little ponies, I’ll see you tomorrow! Have a very happy Hearts and Hooves Day!”
Now with their teacher’s permission, the gaggle of colts and fillies sprang out of their desks, collecting their treats and erupting into a cloud of noise. Some hightailed it out the second their hooves hit the floor, while others stayed behind, talking and laughing with their friends.
Cheerilee left them to it, turning her focus to the chalkboard’s eraser and carefully wiping away the day’s very short lesson. She had to be careful not to nudge the board’s special wreath of pink and red paper ribbons out of place, but otherwise, it was simple work. It would be taking them and the rest of the lovely school-provided decorations down that would be hardest, but she could manage. If she could handle an army of foals, she could handle anything.
These thoughts, however, were broken at the sound of a small filly’s voice.
“Miss Cheerilee?”
Her ears perked up at the sound of her name, and when she turned her head, she gave the three students behind her a smile.
“Apple Bloom! Did you have a question?”
Apple Bloom nodded, though it was a very excited Scootaloo behind her that actually asked it.
“Did you like our gift??”
Cheerilee recalled the rather extravagant Valentine she’d received- a heart so large and covered in glitter that it probably rivaled Celestia’s sun. It had been even larger than the heart she’d received from the three the year prior, which she didn’t even think was possible.
“Of course! I loved it, girls. Thank you.”
The three shared an excited cheer, jumping around excitedly in a joyous little circle. From the celebration, Sweetie Belle poked her head up, practically smiling from ear to ear.
“Did we do better than your special somepony??”
Cheerilee smiled once again. She knew where this was headed, but her answer from the year prior hadn’t changed.
“I still don’t have one, but if I did, I bet you would have.”
As expected, the celebration froze, and the three fillies spun to face her with eyes as wide as saucers.
“But- why not?”
“There has to be someone out there! You’re the best teacher ever!”
“Thank you, Sweetie, Belle, but-“
Her objections were unfortunately of no use, as the three had already begun to brainstorm amongst themselves.
“Maybe we can find someone!“
“But everyone in Ponyville already has a special somepony!”
“How far away do you girls reckon Canterlot might be?”
“Oo, maybe Rarity can give us a ride, there has to be-!”
“Girls…”
The teacher stressed a bit of a warning in her tone, and the three broke out of the idea, going quiet.
“I hope you three aren’t thinking of messing with love magic again.“
“We’re not, ah swear!”
“Yeah, we promise!”
Though Sweetie Belle didn’t convey her objection with words, her pleading eyes and quivering bottom lip conveyed enough remorse to calm Cheerilee down.
“It’s okay. I know you were only trying to help, but I’m happy just being able to spend time with my students. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”
This seemed to satisfy the fillies, albeit begrudgingly, and the three began to walk out the schoolhouse’s doors. Cheerilee pulled out her desk chair and hopped up to grade some of the class’ earlier papers, only to catch Scootaloo running right back inside, purple eyes ablaze with a new idea.
“Do you like mares??”
The question caught Cheerilee off guard, so much so that before she could speak up, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had caught up to her, running with her suggestion like wildfire.
“Ohhh! Maybe we shouldn’t have been looking for stallions!”
“Y’all think there’s single mares ‘round Ponyville?”
“I could ask my Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty!”
“Oo, oo, I wonder if-“
“Girls!”
Cheerilee finally got a word of interjection in, although this time, it was between laughs. Her students quieted down and stared nervously as she composed herself, trying to settle back down to a serious demeanor.
“You’re so sweet, my little ponies. I’m flattered that you want to find me a special somepony so badly, but I have something important to say.”
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo politely sat down on the wooden flooring, looking up with curious eyes. Cheerilee leaned forward in her chair, humming in thought.
“The truth is, I don’t like stallions or mares, or any pony in between. I love them, just like I love my work and my students, but I don’t like kissing, or holding hooves, or nuzzling noses with anypony.”
Of the confused fillies tilting their heads, it was Apple Bloom who first spoke.
“Then how do ‘ya love ‘em?”
“I love them like you love your friends and your families. I don’t need a special somepony to show my love, because I show it fully every day.”
Cheerilee reached her hoof over her desk, gently ruffling Apple Bloom’s mane.
“You girls shouldn’t worry. I can’t even tell you how happy I am to be your teacher. It’s a better feeling than being with any special somepony could ever give me.”
Feeling her chair start to creak with how far she was leaning over, she sat back down, folding one hoof overtop of the other.
“Now run along, girls. Your candies aren’t going to eat themselves~!”
The reminder of sweets jolted the fillies back to attention, and the three scrambled to their hooves. Although perhaps still a little confused, the three smiled at their teacher as they left, each throwing their own variation of a goodbye her way.
“Bye, Miss Cheerilee!”
“See you later, Miss Cheerilee!
“Have a happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Miss Cheerilee!”
Their teacher waved to the now vacant doorway, before pulling out a stack of papers and a pack of heart-shaped stickers for the occasion. Even if the holiday wasn’t for her, it made her happy knowing it meant so much to her students.
