Inside Outside

by RaenBoow

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Sex, Twilight Sparkle, Cheerilee, Slice of Life, Applejack
Length: 6686

Is drowning your sorrows every afternoon with the bartender really the right solution to loneliness?

Cheerilee is sweet and kind, but even though she loves being the best teacher anypony could hope for, who is waiting for her after work? Who does she have that is sweet and kind enough to greet her at home?

Everytime she opens her frontdoor and goes inside, she is greeted by silence and silence alone. This has lead to her going straight outside to the bar instead, where she has at least one pony sweet and kind enough to greet her - and hand her a free drink everytime she enters.

But this day she has decided to change, and spend her afternoon differently... (Appletini-free!)

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A sweet little story about a NOT so ordinary day in a certain teacher's life. Cheerilee is in for surprise. ;)
(May make your mind conjure up dirty things (even though I tried hard being subtle :> ).)

Published 2012-11-04 00:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-11-04 15:49:32 UTC

A Teacher's Diary

*sigh*

She was tired.... Not physically, but having to mentally struggle with keeping that up-and-go attitude every day makes your body feel heavy at the end of the day... Every day with those annoying, dimwitted little...

No.... no that's unfair. She loved being a teacher for all those little fillies and colts. She loved seeing them smile everytime they had accomplished something that she knew she had helped them accomplish. Their future is ahead of them, and she will do whatever she can to help prepare them for making any dream they hold to become true.

...To make them cheerish life and cheer for it...

Right now she didn't feel as cheerfull though. Cheerilee stood outside the bardoor as usual. Inside were the voices of many. Outside were the voices of few. Inside always felt more tempting because of this... And even though she slightly recented herself for stepping inside and behind that door, she knew there was at least one pony that she could talk with (even though that pony did nothing else but to stay inside behind this door)...

No... No she did not want to become a drunken good-for-nothing. Since BourBon finally discovered her talent for being a skilled and fun-to-watch Bartender - that bottle-marked drunkard actually started drinking alot less. But that didn't stop her from spending every hour of her freetime next to those bottles... And even though Cheerilee's cutiemark had nothing to do with alcohol - she had been getting accustomed to spending nearly all of her freetime next to a nice juicy beverage aswell...

This day she hesitated. Cheerilee refused to enter that building.

There have to be other ways of spending your afternoon and to get relaxed and having a good time WITHOUT having to be under the "intoxicated" effect... By the choice of her wording it up in her head, Cheerilee well proved her proffession by spending time around children all day long (the fact that recent videogames had been accepting drinking as something a character normally does scared her a little).

Cherry-coloured hooves stomped the ground anxiously, as if they belonged to somepony who desperatly needed to visit the little fillies room. Cheerilee had certianly been catching a slight addiction to the treasures inside, and she was about to give up and just do what she normally does - when her eyes were encountered with a security-breach. Her eyes confirmed that the intruder to her vision was a flier that had been taking a stroll in the increasing wind.

"Dr Twilights' Therapy sessions"... Cheerilee read those words outloud but her mouth wasn't sure why it had been ordered to read such absurd words. If anypony needed therapy it would be that very same librarian. Cheerilee could still remember that day when she was forced to chase an ugly doll just because Twilight had gonne loony (being the best at magic but not having the best psyche to controll it feels a bit dangerous)...

But maybe... Maybe Twilight had learned from that experience and understood how to help other ponies that's gotten themselves cracking up over something... Maybe not just 'something' as in being tardy, but as in something heavy aswell...
_____________________________________________________

Or; She just discovered a new way to dump her "shed" on somepony else... Cheerilee thought behind a frowning forehead while Twilight sogged her own couch with a river of tears.
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Cheerilee had decided to ditch the bar and instead visit this "Dr Twilight" to maybe get a chance to get some non-drunken inputs on her problems... And possibly have some different kind of fun in the process. One couldn't say she had high expectations of this whole thing but she was curious and excited nonetheless.

The door infront of her was now a different door, and when she knocked on it, a different face greeted her.

"Oh, hi Cheerilee! How nice to see you here!"

"Hello Twilight. You seem to be in a good mood today?"

"Hehe yeah, I usually don't get any customers to visit me on friday afternoons, or fridays overall... I was surprised you of all ponies decided to come by me today. So what brings you here? I don't suppose you're here for the latest Daring Do, right?" Twilight finished her sentence in a tone which certianly implied otherwise.

"No, not at all." Cheerilee chuckled a little over that. "I just came by since I saw this flier: "Dr Twilights' Therapy sessions"?"

"REALLY!?" Twilight nearly shouted. "*ahem* I mean, you want my, or should I say -" Twilight took a pause in her sentence to teleport a pair of old-fashioned reading-glasses to her face. " - Dr Twilight's help?"

"Yeah... I guess I do?" At the moment Cheerilee finished that sentence her body was enveloped in a lavender aura and thrown inside, while the door closed behind her with a slam.

Twilight looked very excited and her horn quickly decided to position her catch in a newly conjured sofa. She teleported herself in a Lyranian stance (yeah they call it that now since 'sitting' requires a redefenition to accurately describe how Twilight is placing her limbs on said furniture) upon the nearby couch. She then immediatly broke her proffessional demeanor.

Oh my gosh, my first customer! This is going to be so much fun! "*ahem* So! What is your problem--Eh, I mean - How are you?" Dr Twilight re-estated her Lyranian stance.

"Well first I'm just curious on how you came to be 'Dr Twilight' instead of just regular Twilight." Cheerilee had certianly noticed the excitement of the little librarian.

"Oh, you see I found this book yesterday about the pony mind and how to become a succesfull psychiatrist and it was quite interesting! Here!" Twilights' fronthooves disappeared out of camera-view and came back with a mediumsized piece of litterature, with a cover showing of the words -

"'Get Yo Shed Togheter'...?" Cheerilee read the title with a rather questionable tone.

"Yeah the title could probably be worked on... It's apparently written by that Iron Will's cousin - Smith Will... Anyhow, it was actually really good and I decided I wanted to give it a try!"

"So you just read that thing yesterday and now I'm your very first test-subject?" Cheerilee was getting a bit sceptic.

"Eyup! Now let's start. As I asked before - How are you doing Miss Cheerilee?" Miss Sparkle had now changed back to Dr Twilight.

"Well... Well I suppose..." Cheerilee was a bit uncertain of what she should say.

"Well, nopony that thinks they require therapy is feeling "well", don't you think?" Dr Twilight said while smiling inside her head for coming up with that nice comeback. "Something must be bothering you."

"Well... I don't have any problem at work. I mean, don't get me wrong - taking care of a bunch of children all day makes you tired - but I love being a teacher."

"And I have no doubt that you're the best one for the job!" Twilight assured her.

"He, thanks Twilight... But I thinks it's rather what I do after my work as a teacher is done and I'm back to being Cheerilee with a free afternoon..." At this point, Dr Twilight had started writing down her words (or something) on a notebook.

"So... in what way is this "free afternoon"-thingy a problem?" Both Twilight and Dr Twilight asked with a sudden strike of curiosity.

"Well... I did go the funfair with Lyra, Derpy and BonBon a few days ago... But that ended up being a total disaster. Lyra just had to stand up on her backlegs in the "Tornado" which ended her up flying into all of us. And Derpy...... ok just forget her. The point is I ended up with bruises and an exact replica of Pinkie Pie's manestyle, all covered with candyfloss, popcorn and ColtCola... All my little students still thinks my hair smells like candy... which isn't necessarely a bad thing but still..."

"Yeah I did not enjoy the "Tornado" either... I got sick and puked all over some random stallion's face..." Twilight admited. Dr Twilight wasn't entirely satisfied with Cheerilee's answer though... "So your only problem is that your hair smells like candy...?"

"*sigh* ...No..." Maybe that could upset somepony like Rarity but Cheerilee wasn't bothered that much about such a trivial matter. "No, but I usually stays at the school and prepares for tomorrow... But after I'm done with that I..." Cheerilee took short pause. "I don't feel like going home... I often head for the bar instead. Me and Bourbon has gotten quite friendly and I enjoy talking with her. I don't always leave the bar completely wasted but... recently I've been staying there more and more... and longer and longer..."

"I see..." Dr Twilight was now at maxlevel of taking notes.

"I guess... I don't like being at home cause... cause..." Cheerilee didn't really want to finish that sentence.

"Cause?" Dr Twilight pushed on.

"Cause it just feels so lonely..." Cheerilee dropped her voice and Twilight became stiff. "I don't have anypony that is waiting for me at home. When I open the door to the bar I'm always welcomed, at least by BourBon. She smiles at me and gives me a free Appletini on the house everytime I visit... But when I open my own frontdoor - I just get to stare at dimlitted empty room with nopony there to welcome me home, either by just giving me a smile and something to drink... or a hug...... or a kiss......" Cheerilee stopped and dreamed away a little but her eyes was all but cheerfull...

"Can you see my problem Dr?" Cheerilee looked up and asked.
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And now, after Cheerilee's honest admition of her problem, Dr Twilight had been rapidly vanishing while Miss Twilight Sparkle had slowly come forth and started telling her about the very same problem... to the point that she started speaking uncoherently and begining to cry due to the fact that she knew too well of the pain Cheerilee spoke of. Twilight had in the end become a very depressed patient instead of the "Dr" that was promised in the flier. Cheerilee decided to leave poor Twilight after just 2 minutes of neverending tearfilled blabbering inside the couchpillow. She walked outside the library and shut the door gently, hoping that Twilight wouldn't be too sad when she realized she had scared away her very first patient.

Well... That went well... Cheerilee wasn't very satisfied with this attempt to spark up her afternoon (but she was a bit satisfied with the wordpun I just planted in this sentence). She decided to take a walk through Ponyville to maybe get a better idea of what to do.

When strolling near Sugar Cube Corner, her nose noticed a particular smell in the air. Her nose was well familiar with this scent, for it was the scent of a pastry. A tasty pastry. A mouth-watering... delicious...

"Amazing-incredible-tremendous-super-duper-wonderfull-terrifically-HUMONGOUS CUPCAKE!!" Pinkie shouted out while slowly raising her head into cameraview under Cheerilee's muzzle and in the end making Cheerilee trip and fall back from the sugar-rushed giraff-like party-pony's suddenly large occupation of cameraspace. Apparently Cheerilee's nose had guided her through the store-door and inside the colorfull baking-facility. Pinkie was happy (I know, even I was surprised over this cheer stunning fact). She had just finished another XXL Cupcake, a kind of cupcake rumoured to be quite the treat (and to be quite the mouthfull... just like its creator).

Cheerilee got up and asked Pinkie what the thing infront of her was.

"Oh this is NOT just ANYTHING. This is an amazing-incredible-tremendous-" Cheerilee stopped the excited bouncing pink ball of candyfloss and continued her sentence for her "super-duper-wonderfull-terrifically-humongous...?".

"XXL Cupcake!" Pinkie finished with a burst of joy, lightning up the pastry from... somewhere...

An XXL Cupcake... Cheerilee thought that maybe stuffing herself with such a tasty treat could be a simple thing to cheer herself up. Pinkie seemed to be able to read her mind quite well and by the time she had stopped pondering on whether to buy it or not, Cheerilee looked up to see a neat big head-sized giftbox infront of her.

"It usually costs 4 bits but I can see that you were in need of a bit cheering up so you can have this one for just 1 bit if you promise to eat it all up!" Pinkie told Cheerilee with a beaming smile radiating from her face.

"Heh, thank you Pinkie Pie. I promise to enjoy every bit of it."

"Pinkie Pie swear?"

"Pinkie Pie swear." If anypony could put a smile one somepony else's face, then it would Pinkie Pie... Cheerilee felt happier already from her encounter with this beaming goofball. She would surely enjoy this "XXL Cupcake".

Cheerilee bought the cupcake, waved goodbye and walked outside. The sun was still shining and it was quite a lovely day. This made her decide that she would sit and enjoy her treat outside aswell. She remembered a spot by an apple-tree on a little hill not far away that had a nice view and would be a perfect place to just sit and relax.
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After sitting down and munching down the whole XXL Cupcake, Cheerilee just rested against the tree while looking out over the green sunny field...

This is nice... I just wish I had somepony to share this with... and with that thought she became sad again. Being alone outside on the sunny green field still mean't being alone... even though she enjoyed just sitting and feel the gentle sunshine... and the cold raindrops to her face--What?
Cheerilee opened her eyes and saw a big pile of rainclouds suddenly grouping and choking the sun's pleasant light. "Oh come on!" Can't anypony turn sad without a conjuring up some rainclouds!? Cheerilee felt the coincidence being downright ridiculous, and highly unsensitive.

"Sorry Cheerilee. Applejack wanted me to give her appletrees some watering today and, well... you're sitting under one of them so..." Rainbow felt that she didn't need to explain further. Cheerilee was a teacher and a smart pony after all, right?

"Right... I understand." Though Cheerilee had admited her defeat towards having a perfectly good after-noon without any Appletini's, she didn't get motivated enough to move from her current position under the tree... even though this meant being utterly drenched.

Rainbow noticed her unmotivated stare at the wet grass infront of her. "Say, you don't look so cheerfull today... In fact - you seem to be a bit under the weather!" That's right. Rainbow Dash. Certified Princess of Puns.

The pun didn't help.

"Hey Rainbow! You've done al' mah apples yet?" A familiar farmerpony asked. She had been following behind Rainbow to make sure she didn't go too fast and or frivol too much (every tree needs their fair share of water). Rainbow noticed Applejack and quickly flew to her location.

"Well... I can still see a couple of "apples" that are dry..." Rainbow stared smugly at Applejack's flank.

"Hey what r you--" Before the poor gullible earth-pony could react, Rainbow's master plan was already set in motion. The pun-loving pegasus quickly flew and gathered a small raincloud. She then placed it over her friend and bucked it.

"There. Now all your apples are watered." Rainbow pronounced while hovering infront of an already drenched yellow mane...

Maybe a bit too close...

"Oh they aren't done yet!" Applejack flashed and grabbed the cyan pegasus by the throat. Before the chuckling prankster could react, Applejack pushed her down in the wet mud with her, placing her body ontop to claim victory over this suddenly engaged wrestling competition.

"Oh it is on!" Rainbow answered Applejack's satisfied expression with her own aggressive one. She pushed her adversary of of her and began her revenge.

They both laughed and rolled around in the mud, getting weter and weter under the little raincloud's benevolence. Meanwhile, Cheerilee had watched on from her spot by the tree. She had actually enjoyed the show, and the cheer fact that two adult ponies could act so childish. The devious child within her however pushed her forward to join in aswell...

"If you don't stop right now I will have to punish you."

Rainbow and Applejack stopped from trying to push one and other in the mud and looked up to see a very serious looking cherry-coated wet earth-pony.

"What, you're gonne give us a detention?" Rainbow answered with her tongue stretched out. Applejack snickered at that.

"Oh I'm gonne do something far worse than that..." Cheerilee was no more. The playfull pony that now rapidly grabbed both Applejack's right ear and Rainbow's left in each of her fronthooves (how the hay that works I have no idea) was none other than: Principal Cheerilee. Both of her students was now making "AwOw" sounds while begging for mercy.

"Now if you don't lay of this nonsense - I will have to call your parents." Principal Cheerilee warned them both. Though it was obvious that all three of the participants were enjoying themselves.

"Ok ok! We promise not wrestle in the mud again!" Rainbow pleaded while giggling and blushing faintly. She enjoyed playing this game, and to be pinched in her left ear like that. "Honest! Please don't call muh parents!" Applejack filled in. She was laughing quite hard aswell.

Principal Cheerilee decided to be mercyfull. "Ok but next time I will force you both to write me an essay about why one shouldn't wrestle in wet mud." And with that, Cheerilee dropped her hold of them both. "Now I want you both to go under that raincloud and clean yourselves up." Her students couldn't see why not so they both agreed to obey.

Hihi, oh this was fun! Cheerilee realized she really enjoyed disciplinating other ponies... and play with them. It had been a while since she'd let out her playfull side. She didn't want the game to end just yet...

"Right, and when you're both clean I want you to race your teacher through the applefield to get dry." Principal Cheerilee was now turning into the slightly more mischievous Competitive Cheerilee.

"What?" Both Applejack and Rainbow were understandably surprised by this. Cheerilee's confidense faltered for a split second when she noticed that the tone in their voice indicated true shock (and not in a positive way), but she bounced back on track almost immediatly.

"You heard me." Principal Cheerilee stood her ground.

"No offense Cheerilee but, you have no chance." Rainbow was quite certain of that.

"It's true." Applejack chimmed in. "Ah mean have you seeen mah backlegs? I've been buckin' appletrees all mah life while you, sugarcube, have been taking care of mah sister."

"Yeah I've got to say she knows what she's talking about..." Rainbow took a quick look on the two brought up objects and could do nothing but concur. "Besides, there's no way you're gonne come in first either, I mean -" Rainbow tilted her body slightly and showed of her own two prized limbs. "- these babies have done nothing but boomin up clouds all day long..."

She's suggesting Ah would come in second to her!?
"Ah already told you you're not allowed to use your wings!" Applejack shouted in response.

"I was talking about my backlegs too AJ!"

"Hah!" Applejack snickered at that.

"And what's that supposed to mean!?" Rainbow couldn't help but feel that she'd just been heavily insulted.

"Nuthin'... Ah bet kickin' some huffy puffy clouds is real hard work compared to shoving your entire body against hard buckin' appletrees all day long."

"Oh yeah? Well in a race you're supposed to be fast. Ever tried taking out a whole sky in 10 seconds flat?"

"...Sometimes it's better to be persistent than wear out early..." At this point, Applejack had turned around and was facing Rainbow.

"Hey! I can go on no matter how long it takes... Question is -" Rainbow unfurled her wings in this moment "- can you?" And now they were both staring madly into eachothers' eyes.

Somehow, Cheerilee got the impression that they weren't just talking about racing... Still, this was perfect. They were technically at eachothers throats again. Getting them to accept a challenge now was almost too easy.

"So, you think you have what it takes to beat a weak little teacher? ...I'll have you both know that I'm not so weak as you think I am." Cheerilee was actually pretty convinced that she couldn't win against any of these two, but it would be fun just to give it all and take a long run for a change. "Principal Cheerilee is ready to let her backlegs burn..." Cheerilee turned around in a suggestive manor (it could have easily been mistaken as suggestive as in... "suggestive"... but lets not go that way, just yet).

"...Heh, you got a big mouth missy. Let's see if you can stand by those words..." Applejack answered Cheerilee while trotting towards the invisible startline that was suddenly apparent to everypony nearby. The well-built earth-pony didn't break eye-contact with her slightly slimmer adversary, but Cheerilee was still pretty certain Applejacks' words where directed to her (at least partially).

"Standing still in my dust is all you ever gunna do..." Rainbow growled back while positioning herself on the other side of the startline, Cheerilee now in the middle between two hungry predators. The tension between them seemed to give her a mighty big dose of adrenaline aswell.

"Bring it!" Applejack growled back.

"Ok children, I will start counting down from 3. Are you ready?" Principal Cheerilee asked.

"READY!" They both screamed simultaneously. The 110% certainty of that fact almost rippled the soundbarrier infront of them. Cheerilee started to count.

"3... 2... 1... - " Rainbow took off like a lightningbolt. Applejack followed a split second after. "Go..." Cheerilee was stunned for half a second (it was like the whole world turned into slow-motion) but bolted into a run aswell.

Even though the words of "Darnit, Rainbow you buckin' cheater!" echoed through the forest, and both of her competitors was increasing their distance to her with every step, when she herself was running at her top speed... - she felt at peace. Cheerilee felt her whole body relaxing but in the same being full of energy. The wind was blowing past her but not against her. The sun with it's joyfull smile just seemed to cheer her on while aiming to begin its setting in the horizon in a few moments. It was invigorating to say the least... and the somewhat calm serenity of the forest only nurished her nerves further...
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Cheerilee nearly shat herself.

...Ok maybe it wasn't that close but after running for nearly 10 minutes she was utterly through and needed to slow down and take a break... And the running had effectively started the processing of that XXL Cupcake plus, of course, previous meals.

After the preceding foreshock to a surely humongous dump - Cheerilee decided to continue with her made up race. Now she was tired though, and still panting quite visibly, so she decided to walk instead.

She didn't have to walk far though, to discover that she weren't the only pony nearby that was breathing quite heavily...

...I couldn't be that close to Rainbow Dash and Applejack...? She were quite deep into the woods so there couldn't be anypony else nearby but them. Although, the possibility that she had catched up to both of those athletic sprinters already seemed quite... IMpossible.

"Ow~"

Ow~...? Cheerilee wasn't sure what that was. Was that a cry of pain or...? Had something happened to them? Should she be worried?

"Aaaw did it hurt? Ah'm mighty sorry Rainbow, Ah guess Ah didn't know how strong Ah was..."

"...Hah, you may have some fat thighs Miss's Applebucker, but all that matters here is agility!"

Cheerilee's gaze focused on a nice (but not too expensive) shrubbery near the forest-trail. Some rainbow coloured hair, alongside a surprised "mouth-sound" (not really a "scream") from Applejack, could be observed and heard briefly.

...They aren't... wrestling again, are they? Cheerilee was a bit confused, but Principal Cheerilee came back soon enough and she was pissed! I'm 100% positive that I've already warned them about this before... Principal Cheerilee would not stand for such disobediance. These two rascals needed to feel the end of her stick... or at least be punished in some other fitting way (due to an unfortunate shortage of school-utility at the moment).

Principal Cheerilee used her non-existing ninja-skills and proceeded to sneak up on the two trouble-makers, to catch them in the act. When she was just right behind the bush and could hear the two of them (still going strong) - she quickly opened up a gateway in the middle of the bush and attacked:

"Didn't I tell you two fillies not to play--"

For a quarter of a second, Cheerilee made the following conclusions:
1. They were not wrestling.
2. She needed to disappear out of sight.
3. NOW CHEERILEE! NOW!

"What?"

"What~?"

"Didn't you hear something?"

"Yeah, your surrender~"

"Oh yeah? Bite me."

"Don't think Ah won't!"

"Oh just shut up!"

"You started it!"

"Yeah, and now I'm gonne finish it~"

Cheerilee was crouching like she was pretending to be a turtle that had lost its shell while shooving her fronthooves in her mouth to prevent her from screaming, or at least gasping very loudly.

Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my GOSH! ... For the record, her first observation wasn't entirely accurate. From a straightforward point of view, one could still argue that they were indeed, in a way, "wrestling". And since we are discussing this from a straightforward point of view, it would be important to note the following:

Being buried into eachothers crotches, and expanding that into the thing that they were now doing (straightforward - to the max!)... Well that wouldn't really be allowed to be called "just wrestling".

Even though her heart was about to jump out of her chest from fear and anticipation (mostly anticipation of being discovered), Cheerilee still felt a strong curious urge to peak one more time... Just to be sure...

The noises that were now coming from the other side of the bush--It's a really nice bush. Full of leaves. Very bushy. Green.ARGH! Focus Cheerilee!--should have convinced her, but instead she took this as an advantage and, as quietly as possible, opened up a tiny passage to peak through.

... Ok! They are NOT "just wrestling" ... With her suspicion confirmed she... she... ... ...she was stumped. One part of her wanted to stay and watch the rest of "the game"... She couldn't ignore the fact that they still seemed to be competing about something (in a way - the race wasn't over)... But another, actually bigger, part of her wanted to get the hay out of there before she got caught peeping. Furthermore: If she died from emberrassment today - who would be in school tomorrow to take care of her little students?

Eyup. Case closed. Lets go! The little extra cherry colored out-of-place teacher quickly got to her hooves and began getting "the hay out of there"... Slow and carefull now...

Cheerilee steeped on small twig that snapped.

Cheerilee ran.
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Phew.... Made it... Cheerilee was fairly sure they hadn't noticed her, and she was now too far away for them to notice her anymore. She could still hear Rainbow and Applejack from a distant, but from the increased volume - she was guessing that they were either both winning... or they were both loosing...

"Savage beasts..." ...But who could blame them? For some reason, every stallion in this town is either already hitched or engaged with somepony else. There really seemed to be an overflow of mares but and underflow of stallions in Ponyville... Cheerilee admitted to herself that she indeed noticed the aggression before, being a bit too amplified to just be about them wanting to outrun the other one in a simple afternoon-sprint... ...Wait, am I the reason for this!? Had Cheerilee started the flare that had engaged them both in doing unspeakable things in the mud? She feared that it was indeed the case...

...BUT I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A FREKKIN' RUN! Cheerilee couldn't believe this. No matter what she had engaged in doing this day it had ended in her getting distressed or nearly shocked to death.

"I need a drink..." But drinking was the only activity she had promised herself not to engage herself in this day...

The memories of what she had just witnessed suddenly came flashing back without her cerebreal permission. Cheerilee's mind questioned a very annoying but oh so pressing fact: WHY AM I STILL HOT!? She didn't want to admit it but a small part of her wanted to get back and join in the "wrestling".

Oh haaaay no. A direct order to her legs were executed. She started running towards Ponyville, away from the Crazy part of her that seemed to be running behind her, and trying to catch her like a hungry monster in an attempt to drag her back to its den.

Crazy Cheerilee really just felt lonely, that's all. She was a bit jealous of both the cyan pegasus and the orange earth-pony. They had eachother. Who did Crazy Cheerilee have?

Whom... Cheerilee asked herself that question, and only one name flew rapidly by her mental window:

Big Mac...

Cheerilee stopped running. She had reached the begining of the appletree orchard and was now outside the woods. The Gazebo where she had once been forced to meet Big Mac was visible nearby, aswell as the lonesome appletree that she'd been prompted to confirm being just that, an appletree (by three very excited fillies she knew about quite well). When she thought of it - that appletree where also the one she had previously choosen to rest by when she ate her cupcake. Cheerilee hadn't thought much of it before but... was it really just the nice view that had made her pick that place?

Big Mac weren't possibly the most talkative pony... but he surely had a kind heart. They actually did go on picnic after that whole event and she'd enjoyed it. He was a good listener if nothing else, and held some kind of cute charm to him.

They hadn't talked much after that though...

Oh what they hay, it's worth a shot. Cheerilee just wanted some company after all, and if one can be another pony's close friend - it can be developed into something more in time right?

Right. Cheerilee decided to continue her walk towards Sweet Apple Acres. She was confident that this day wouldn't end as bad as it wanted to...
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After a quick-paced walk, Cheerilee arrived at her destination. When she arrived she was greeted by silence (hello silence!).

"Hello? ...Big Mac? ...Granny Smith? ...Applebloom?" No answer. No doubt Applebloom were somewhere off with her friends... and with a little use of her newfound peeping abilites - she located the sleeping granny to be snoring loudly in her rocking chair (and to be mumbling something about "the bees"). Her knocking on the frontdoor wasn't answered by anypony, so she could only assume that either Big Mac was already asleep as hard as his granny, or he wasn't inside.

The sun was about to set and with that her mood aswell. No one seemed to be outside, but she couldn't see why Big Mac would already be tucked in... He was a big pony afterall. Maybe I should just give up and go home... Cheerilee thought.

Suddenly she heard a loud noise coming from the barn (the doors were closed so she hadn't thought about peeking inside). Something big seemed to be moving around in there...

"Big Mac?" Cheerilee trotted quickly towards the doors. Her mood got back up when she realized that somepony was in fact inside, and it was pretty clear who that could be.

With a smile on her face she swinged one of the doors open.

"Oh Big Mac~ It's just so... BIG!"
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"So I slammed the door as hard as I could and ran back here..." Cheerilee's "cheer-for-life"-motivation-thingy was gone. Her face was only being upheld by the bartable infront of her, with one of her hoofs lazily grasping an nearly empty Appletini. "I swear I was this close to just throw a haybalm at them. ...I hope he choked that little scank in the end..."

"Well, don't tell me you didn't wish for that little scank to be you instead, right?" I admit I couldn't resist teasing her a little. But to be fair, she neither agreed nor corrected me about it.

Cheerilee said nothing and let her tired eyes roll around the bar for a bit. "...I just wish I weren't so alone..."

"Well... you're not alone right now. I'm here, right?"

Cheerilee smiled a little at that. I smiled back and continued wiping my glasses. Still, it was hard seeing her like this...

"You're a good friend... If I didn't have you to talk to by the end of the day, I... I don't know what I would do..." Cheerilee said.

I didn't know how to respond to that. Hearing that made me extremely happy, but in the same time I couldn't help but feel downhearted...

"...There gotta be SOMEPONY out there that I could be there for and... and that could be there for me... No matter what, by the end of the day, so that when I opened my frontdoor I wouldn't be greeted by darkness and emptiness inside, but of newly fixed lightbulbs - and the warmth of someponys embrace against my own... An embrace that would always be waiting there for me..." Cheerilee was practically begging me to say it. My heart was breaking and I didn't know what to do...

"...I will always be there for you..." I slipped.

"...Huh?" Thank Celestia Cheerilee was a bit away in her own sad thoughts when I slipped. Luckily enough I was facing the shelves opposed to her face so she couldn't see how much I was blushing. I desperately tried finding something else to clean and wipe. Any glass would do!

"I-I mean - I will always be here right? With a talent for drinks and bar-stunts I won't be out of this place for long right?" Cheerilee is a smart pony, but hopefully her first drink had made her a little less vigilant... She didn't usually need so much to drink either... (and I think that's cute). "...Here, have another Appletini. On the house."

"...Heh, thanks." Cheerilee seemed to feel a little better after me reassuring her that I would always be here to at least greet her when she enters the bar.

"No problem..." It would never be a problem covering for her drinks. Never ever... "...You know Cheerilee..."

"Hm?"

"...The first time you entered this bar I didn't think much of you."
I fell for her the first moment I laid my eyes on her.
"You seemed to be just another poor soul that needed a drink."
She did not look like just another poor soul that needed a drink.
"...But after hearing all your sweet stories of what you do - how you tend and really care for all our young, giving 110% of your spirit into cheering everyone on so they can fulfill any dream they want... aiming to never let anyone near you give up... I..."
I have loved her ever since.
"I admire that so much. I mean - look at me! I'm just a bartender, seeing to that ponies can drown their sorrows and lift their spirits with alcohol!" Buckin' whoopee! "...Sometimes I wish that I had some important job like you do..." I don't know if I meant that last thing or not, but I was certain of the next. "But even if I falter sometimes, I will never give up - and neither will you!" I looked her straight into her eyes now, and I was assured that she was clinging to my every word. I put my front-hooves on the counter and leaned a bit forward (best decision ever!). "Your name is Cheerilee right?" I smiled broadly at her. "You can't spell that without "cheer"! ...And if you someday change your name to Grumpy McGrumpypants, I bet there is still some cheer inside you waiting to be shared... and I will be there to drag it out of you if I have to! ...So cheer up!" I finished with a big grin.

I would never forget how her eyes were looking into mine... I was a little afraid of that since the thing she did next made me almost forget everything else around me...

Cheerilee threw herself forward and squeezed her herself around my neck with her forehooves. I was totally unprepared for that. I barely noticed that she still held that Appletini in her right hoof, and spilled out the content on the shelves behind me in the process.

"Thank you." Cheerilee whispered in my ear. "You are not just another bartender. To me, you are the most important pony I know... and the greatest friend a pony could ever have." She hugged me for a few more seconds before releasing her hold. I (nearly instinctively) answered her embrace with my own in those few everlasting seconds...

It was after that moment that I made my decision.

"Oh sorry! I spilled my drink all over you and the shelves and the--" Cheerilee got a bit worked up when she noticed it but I couldn't care less. "--It's ok!" More than ok. "I will clean this up, no worry. I will give you a new one too. It's ok, I promise." Her nearly tearfilled eyes and her thankfull smile showed seemingly an endless amount of gratitude. I wasn't even sure we had stopped hugging. I was still in that moment.

"Cheerilee, always remember: There will always be somepony out there for you... You just have to look at the right direction." She smiled at that, and I smiled back...

I rapidly began preparing a new Appletini while I gathered my thoughts. I gave it to her and saw her looking out over the bar in a different way than before. Smiling. She was full of hope ...and looked cheerful again.

When I handed the drink to her she took it and asked me: "So... have you noticed anypony interesting tonight?" I almost slipped and answered "you" on that question. But I knew what she meant and I tried to not think of it too much.

"Well..." I scanned the area quickly and was in "luck". There was a stallion taking a drink by the far end of the bar that was sitting alone and didn't look too much like a loser. Maybe he just wanted to be away from his wife a while... or maybe, just maybe, he just needed somepony to talk to him first... "I can see somepony back there who seems to be needing a bit of "cheering up"." I winked and pointed to his location and Cheerilee confirmed. She quickly drowned her Appletini.

"Don't sit up late and wait for me!" Cheerilee said, as confident as ever. She then gave me a wink and proceeded towards the target. I laughed and cheered her on.

I may not ever be able to be her special somepony in the way I want. But I promise that I will forever stay by her side and be there for her in every way she needs. And even though my heart may bleed and cry sometimes - I will never give up. I will make it my life's mission to make this pony cheerish her life and cheer for it...

...every single moment that I can.

PS. Dear Diary: Remind me to never consult Dr Twilight if I get any problems. ...Just remind me to hand her a free drink aswell if she ever enters my bar. DS.

//Love and hugs

Your BourBon.