Well Enough

Her eyes cracked open, and for several seconds the mare half-wondered if she had slept in. Her lungs drew in several long, slow breaths, the flowery scent of fresh bed sheets filling her senses in the lack of light. The soft ticking of her nightstand clock registered, then. Despite herself, she cringed. Any second, now-

RIIIIIIIING

-her day would begin.

Gray-green eyes fixed on the screeching alarm clock, its luster long-lost to years of service of the early bird mare. She gingerly extended a hoof out to the device, disabling the alarm for another twenty-four hours. For a moment, she considered sleeping in, just as she had considered doing yesterday and the day before. It was a thought that she rarely gave any actual consideration, but routine is routine so the possibility was given its due.

She rolled over in her sheets and did her best to ignore how comfortable she was with so much room to spare on the double mattress. As was ever the case, the warmth of her heavy quilt made it that much harder to ignore the small stack of papers waiting for her on the desk at the other end of the room. It would be so easy to simply drop her head back to her pillow, close her eyes and list back to sleep. Sadly, those papers weren’t going to grade themselves.

Cheerilee allowed her tired body a single, lingering yawn before she finally threw off her covers, banishing any semblance of warmth they had to offer against the slightly less comfortable chill of the morning air around her.

The first rays of light had yet to crest over the horizon. The new moon gave no ambient light to help Cheerilee navigate the blackness surrounding her. Luckily, Cheerilee knew the floors of her worn home better than the bottom of her own hoof. She made her way over to her desk with ease, fumbling only for a moment in the dark before she found her box of matches. Striking one, wincing from the sudden flash of light, the mare was able to find her oil lamp easily enough.

It took her eyes several moments to adjust to the light, time which she spent digging through the two drawers of her desk. Cheerilee only owned two quills, one of which was reserved for red ink and never left the top drawer, save for use, the other was at the school house but saw far less use. In the presence of so many graphite pencils, the quill really wasn’t all that useful. Or chalk, in Cheerilee’s case. She instinctively ran her tongue over her teeth at the thought.

There wasn't an earth pony teacher alive who liked chalk.

Cheerilee glanced over the small stack of papers on the corner of her desk, her mouth quirked at an odd angle. She could identify most of her students by their hoofwriting alone more often than not. Seeing Snips’ test paper on the top of the stack was something the teacher wasn't in the mood to deal with before her morning coffee. Cheerilee hoped to Celestia -oh, wait; it’s still dark out- Cheerilee hoped to Luna that she had enough red ink to make it through that young colt’s paper. Snail’s test would only be one or two behind it, no doubt.

Giving her head a good shake, the mare banished such negative thoughts from her head. Exhausting as it was to go over so many poor test scores and bad grades, she held on to one eternal hope that Discord himself would be hard pressed to break; her students could always do better if they were just given the right chance.

The first smile of the day cracked her stoic expression as she set the first test before her. Uncorking the small jar of red ink, taking her favored quill up in one hoof, Cheerilee got to work on the student papers. Her eyes glanced over the first page of the test with trained precision, instantly identifying which answers were correct  and which were not. She had, after all, written the test herself. Even if she hadn’t, this was fourth-year Equish Language Arts material, hardly a challenge. Some of her students may have disagreed with such an assertion, admittedly.

Cheerilee was halfway through the stack of papers before she noticed a slight blotching in her penmanship. Her brows furrowed as she held the quill up to the lamp, frowning at the small but noticeable crack in the brass tip. She was going to need to replace it sometime very soon, it seemed, and made a mental note to do so, after the last afternoon class had dismissed. She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. That quill hadn’t been a check one, and it had been with her for almost two whole years, now. A silly thing to be upset about, sure, but sentiment was not something that was easily lost on Cheerilee.

With a slight sigh, the mare pushed herself back from the desk. She reached above her head with both forehooves, standing on her back legs, stretching until she felt several satisfying -if not mildly concerning- pops in her back. A second sigh escaped her mouth, though this one was accompanied by a smile. Unable to grade her papers without making a mess meant that her morning was going to be a lot more open than it usually was. What, exactly, she was going to do with that free time was up for question, though a good place to start was always with a cup of coffee and some cleaning up.

The kitchen was, put kindly, quaint. A few pots and pans hung from a drying rack over a three-burner stove. A single cupboard housed a majority of her matching floral kitchenware. The lamp, which Cheerilee had brought with her from the bedroom, was more than enough to illuminate the walk-in pantry. Cheerilee was organized enough that she could easily have found the glass jar of dried oatmeal and a cooking pot even in perfect dark.

With her oatmeal slow-heating on the stove, Cheerilee was able to take a quick shower. She had gotten very good at avoiding looking into any mirrors before she had a chance to brush herself down in the mornings. The whole routine took less than ten minutes.

With a few minutes to spare, Cheerilee set out two sets of bowls and spoons on the small circular table that occupied the center of the kitchen space. The lamp took its position between the two bowls that sat adjacent to one another, and in short order was joined by a glass jar of brown sugar, milk and a steaming pot of oatmeal.

She chuckled to herself as she served the morning delicacy. Simple as it was, oatmeal with a little extra brown sugar was the teacher’s favorite treat. Cheerilee found herself lacking any concern with formality and ignored the spoon as she nibbled away at her breakfast. After all, napkins existed for a reason.

Through it all, Cheerilee managed not to give too much consideration to the unused bowl and the empty chair across the table.

A pot of coffee was set atop the stove shortly after breakfast, just as the first rays of dawn began to appear on the horizon through the kitchen window. She glanced at the clock on the counter and smiled.

“Right on time as always, your majesty.” Not that the words had been heard, but it was the small things that brought Cheerilee the biggest smiles.

Summer would be coming around soon, but the last chills of spring were pushing hard against the change of seasons. Cheerilee’s hooves rose and fell with a satisfying ‘clip clop’ as she ventured forth into town, saddle bags over her back. Already, merchants were out and about in their shops, preparing for the long day ahead. They cleaned shelves, dusted floors, and in a few cases they labored in front of their ovens. Quills and Sofas, regrettably, would not be open for another few hours and by then, morning class would be ready to begin. The tests would simply have to wait until tonight to be graded.

The schoolhouse was located just outside of town, though only by a stone’s throw. Mornings in the small, two room building were more or less always the same. As soon as Cheerilee stepped through the front door, she was greeted by a floor full of scattered papers and an unmarked derelict saddlebag. The teacher, made part-time janitor, moved easily about the classroom, scooping up the papers in one hoof.

She paused to peer into the saddlebags. Oddly, they were empty save for a broken pencil. Hardly useful in identifying the owner.

Cheerilee made her way over to the garbage bin with the stack of papers, flipping through them with with the eye of a teacher. Most of it was scrap; a couple of passed notes that had escaped her notice with little tidbits of gossip that she had little taste for, a returned homework assignment with an above average score, a drawing of what Cheerilee could only assume was a manticore. The usual.

The first foals would not be arriving for a while, so Cheerilee made herself comfortable at her desk and pulled a thermos of coffee out of her saddle bags. She gave a passing glance at the front door, checking to make sure none of her students would be arriving early before she reached deeper into her bags, pulling out a softcover novella fresh from the shelves of the book store. Her cheeks flushed at the thought of reading a romance novel at the school, but she had a lot of time to burn. Besides, it was a perfectly acceptable subject matter - simply a slightly embarrassing one.

The lid-cup of the thermos was filled nearly to the brim and Cheerilee’s eyes read through the pages with great ease. She didn't fancy herself as being all that imaginative of a pony, though the author of this particular work had done a marvelous job. The scenes played out with ease before the mare’s eyes, making her heart pound lightly against her ribs. The coffee warmed her stomach pleasantly, her sly smile and flushed cheeks felt warm against the morning chill as the lazy hours slowly ticked away, minute by minute.

Cheerilee’s mornings were hardly this relaxed. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had gotten to read before the morning class was let out. However, as relaxing as this particular morning had been, she almost prefered her busy routine. Normally, she’d be adding the final grades to the fronts of papers, and writing home about any tests that were below average or homework that had not been turned in. The second was far less common; Cheerilee did try to make her assignments somewhat interesting. There is only so much even the most inspirational teachers can do, though.

Cheerilee looked to the clock above her desk, smiling, then back to the book. She still had a few minutes, but she would would rather be outside waiting for the first students than behind her desk reading romances better suited for eleventh-year fillies.Even so, she felt a pang of regret as she closed the novel and placed it back into the darkest corner of her saddle bags. Those books always make romance look so easy...

She pushed herself away from the desk, giving a passing glance to her lesson plan for the day on the side of the chalkboard. Arithmetic. Not her favorite subject in the world, but at least one or two of her students couldn't get enough of it. Besides, like it or not, math was a critical skill to have. That went double for the students of her classroom, as most of them would never care to look beyond of a community based almost solely on agriculture and small business. Not that many of them wanted to, which only re-doubled the subject’s necessity.

With the last traces of sunrise fading as Celestia’s sun already above the horizon, Cheerilee could all but feel the morning chill melting away. A cool breeze still lingered, wrapping itself around her shoulders like a living blanket of invisible silk. Cheerilee loved the warm days of summer as much as the next pony, but there was something refreshing about the cold that made her almost wish for the winter months to come early.

‘There is no such thing as bad weather, only different types of good weather’ the old pegasus saying went. She wasn't sure who had said it, but she could hardly agree more.

The first of her morning students, consisting mostly of the fillies and colts of the farming families, began to trickle in. Which was usual, given that most of their families would already be up and active to make the most of the day to come. After the first five or so made it to the schoolhouse no less than a minute apart, the rest of the morning class arrived as a mob, separated into groups of friends and the occasional clique.

As though it were mandated of them, the foals would step inside, deposit their bags next to whatever desk caught their fancy and return outside. Most ventured over to the humble playground, though a select few opted to sit and wait for any friends who had not yet arrived.

It was usually the case that everyone was present long before the first bell rang. Today, however, Cheerilee’s morning class was short one filly. She gave a worried frown as her eyes fell on Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, who lingered by the road leading to the heart of Ponyville.  Their pegasus friend was hardly ever early, though it wasn't often that she was late either. Cheerilee gazed down the length of the road along with the two fillies, trying to conjure a reason as to why Scootaloo might be absent. The pegasus’ birthday wasn't for another few months, at least to the best of Cheerilee’s knowledge.

“Girls,” Cheerilee spoke as she approached, “you don't happen to know why Scootaloo isn't here yet, do you?”

“Nu-uh.” Apple Bloom replied with a shake of her head, her bow bobbing slightly with the movement. “Ah was just wonderin’ if we should be askin’ you the same thing, Ms. Cheerilee.”

That country twang was impossibly thick in this region, and the Apple family was notorious for their accent. It always made grammar classes a great deal more interesting.

Cheerilee glanced over her shoulder at the outside clock and winced. Class was already beginning late, and she had a full day ahead as it was. “Well,” she half-sighed, looking once more into the heart of ponyville, “if she’s able to join us, she will. If not, her and I will talk when she gets back.” Her words were supposed to be reassuring, though a valuable lesson in teaching was to never be too vague.

“Ms. Cheerilee, no!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “Don’t get Scootaloo in trouble, she didn’t do anything bad!”

Cheerilee blinked at the outcry. She had simply meant that she wanted an explanation for the absence; things happened all the time that kept foals from being able to attend, and the teacher just wanted to know if there was anything she could do to help.

“Ah’m sure she has a good reason not to be here!” Apple Bloom wailed as she threw herself at Cheeralee’s forehooves. “Please don’t punish her!”

“Girls, girls!” Cheerilee raised her voice slightly, ending the onslaught of begging before it could really begin. “I never said Scootaloo was in trouble with me. I just want to know why it is that she couldn’t make it to class. That’s all.”  She left out the part where skipping class purely for the sake of skipping class would land the filly in a world of trouble.

It was very uncommon for Cheerilee to have to deal with students ditching her classes. For one thing, Ponyville was far too small a town for any of her students to get away with it. For another, Cheerilee went out of her way to make class interesting. Yes, she realized, it was school. That fact alone would always be enough to make class boring for many colts and fillies, who felt as though the time could be better spent out in the sun or on the playground. Cheerilee remembered that school was hardly her favorite thing as a filly, either. It was all the more reason for her to do her best; put her best hoof forward to make things better for the young ones, as one might put it.

“And whether or not Scootaloo is able to join us today,” Cheerilee continued without pause, “it is time to get started with class.” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shared a loud sigh, earning a raised eyebrow from Cheerilee. The two fillies ducked their heads down and made for the front door while Cheerilee went about gathering those few students who had remained outside after the bell.

Aside from attendance, being one Scootaloo short, if there was such a thing as a regular school day for a teacher, that day was it. The students wordlessly watched -or were intelligent enough to pretend to be watching- Cheerilee as she worked a long list of simple math problems.

Morning class filtered out shortly after midday, and by the time they were all packed up and off along their separate ways, the afternoon class was already filtering in through the front doors. Before getting started on the second half of her school day, Cheerilee made a point to pull Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle aside. She asked them to let her know if they saw Scootaloo. After Cheerilee had redoubled her assurances that Scootaloo wasn't in trouble, she sent the two along. Ideally they’d be studying for the test that Cheerilee had planned for next Friday, though the teacher wasn’t going to get her hopes up.

They would study, just not as much as they ought to. Cheerilee allowed herself a chuckle before returning her thoughts to the class ahead. It was the same lesson as earlier, but with far more pegasi and unicorn students. This generally meant more squabbles, more note passing and more pinfeathers littering the ground. Cheerilee wouldn’t trade a single moment of it for the world.

As much as she loved her life as a teacher, there was still something to be said about unwinding at the Sugarcube Corner after a hard day’s work.

There was always plenty of daylight left after the afternoon class let out. Having no greater priorities, the teacher made her way casually toward Quills and Sofas for a replacement red ink quill. That meant she would be able to catch up on grading, right after she got home. Cheerilee usually prefered to take an hour or two to read and enjoy some quiet time before she got to her students’ assignments and tests.

Today’s trip to Sugarcube Corner just had to be twice as relaxing as usual, she decided with a quirked grin.

Cheerilee waited out the small line patiently and ordered herself a small cup of steaming tea, a banana nut muffin with a small cup of fresh honey. Usually, Cheerilee just ordered herself some tea, but today was double-relaxing day for the teacher, so she was willing to fork out the extra bit. She wasn't that tight on money, after all.

There were still a few hours of perfectly good sunlight out, so the mare opted for a seat outside where she could sit in comfortable, passive silence and just watch as ponies went about their day. Cheerilee found herself quickly immersed in the experience of mute contemplation, with a smile gracing her features. Students fresh from class melded with their friends from morning class. Adult ponies moved about the small market in main square. Pegasi zipped back in forth in the air, chasing stray clouds, or one another.

One pegasus in particular caught Cheerilee’s eye, however. It was a combination of things, really. The pegasus’s posture was drooped and her head and wings hung limply,  nose pointed to the dirt. She looked like she hadn’t slept very well for a night or two and her mane was in a messy nest. Well, her mane was the same as ever, at least. Either way, Scootaloo looked entirely unlike her regular, happy, energetic self.

Cheerilee’s first instinct was to charge over and demand to know why the filly had been absent from school. She thought better of it though, choosing to wait and watch instead.

If Cheerilee didn’t know better, she’d almost think that the orange filly was lost. Scootaloo simply sat herself down in the middle of the town square, her back leaning against the fountain. She kept looking all around, and after a minute or so of observing, Cheerilee noted that Scootaloo spent as much time watching the ground as she did watching the air above. The poor filly looked...dejected? Worried, perhaps?

It was entirely possible that Scootaloo was scared that Cheerilee would find her after having been absent from school that day. No, if that was the case, then Scootaloo wouldn’t simply be parked out in the open like that. Curious.

It was, at that timely moment, that Scootaloo made a sudden motion. Seemingly without reason, the filly jumped up to her feet, her pupils mere pinpricks in her eyes. She sprinted at full speed for Sugarcube Corner, sliding to a stop -kicking up dust and gravel as she did so. She ducked under one of the outside tables right next to Cheerilee herself. The filly’s eyes were glued to the sky, and Cheerilee chanced a glance up as well.

The pegasus Rainbow Dash flew by, escorted by her quiet friend who lived on the outskirts of town. Cheerilee couldnt quite pull the name from her memory at that moment, oddly. It wasn't until Rainbow Dash had vanished over the roofs of the market district houses that Cheerilee heard an audible sigh of relief come from Scootaloo.

Cheerilee leaned on one elbow on her table, simply looking at Scootaloo, whose posture had returned to its previous state. As close as they were, Cheerilee couldn’t miss the distinct frown on Scootaloo’s face.

The filly’s eyes remained on the spot where Rainbow Dash had vanished for another minute or so. Scootaloo sighed in a dejected manner, and turned to the door of Sugarcube Corner. Her eyes met with Cheerilee’s. “Oh, horseapples.”

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow at the language, but held her tongue. Sometimes, a guilty conscience revealed a lot about what was on a pony’s mind. “Am I in trouble?” Scootaloo half-moaned.

“That really depends on how much you tell me,” Cheerilee said over the brim of her teacup. “Or, how little.” She added with a pointed stare.  Cheerilee nodded toward the chair beside her own, keeping her eyes on Scootaloo in a neutral manner. It was well known that Scootaloo was an avid admirer of Rainbow Dash, so the fact that she was so plainly avoiding the weather mare stuck out to the teacher. This was not the standard ‘lecture a student for ditching class’ moment that she normally had to deal with, under these circumstances.

Or circumstances similar to these, I guess. No need to be specific.

“So, do you want to start, or do I have to ask the right questions?” Cheerilee asked in jest. Scootaloo flinched, missing the tone entirely.

“It’s....it’s nothing, Miss Cheerilee.” She said after a short pause. “I’m sorry I missed class today. It won't happen again.”

“Scootaloo, are you sure everything is alright?” Cheerilee asked. “It’s not very often that I see you like...well, like this.” The teacher waved a hoof at Scootaloo’s general appearance.

“Just,” Scootaloo sighed, her eyes falling some odd point on the ground or another, “got a lot of stuff on my mind.”

“Well would you like to share what’s on your mind with me?” Cheerilee offered. The answer was always no, but it never hurt to ask.

“You actually wanna hear it?” Scootaloo’s demeanor perked slightly. “You gotta promise not to tell anyone!”

Dear diary, there really is a first time for everything. “Scootaloo, I promise not to tell anyone. Anything you say to me is strictly between the two of us.” Cheerilee couldn’t help but smile. That small, fragile and simple moment was a rare gem.

“It’s kind of lame, actually.” Scootaloo’s cheeks took on a rosy color. A second banana nut muffin says this has something to do with a crush. “You also gotta promise not to laugh!” Scootaloo added after a moment.

Cheerilee made an ‘X’ motion with her hoof over her chest, smiling gently as possible at Scootaloo. “Promise.”

Scootaloo looked around, making sure that nopony was within earshot twice before finally speaking. “It’s about Rainbow Dash.” That was obvious enough, but Cheerilee held her tongue. Scootaloo rubbed her hooves together pensively for a moment before adding. “I really want her to like me, but I’m not sure if she’s going to.”

And that will be one banana nut muffin to go.

“Well, I don't know Rainbow Dash myself, but I don't think she dislikes anypony.” Cheerilee stated simply, taking a savory bite of her muffin. Fillyhood crushes were the most peculiar things.

“It’s not quite that, I guess.” Admitting to crush in three... “I’m worried That Rainbow Dash is going to meet my mom and not like her, and then she won’t like me...” Scootaloo continued, but her words were lost on Cheerilee. Way off on the crush, after all. She was zero for two on her guesses this afternoon. This also meant no muffin.

“Scootaloo, why are you so worried about Rainbow Dash meeting your mother?” Cheerilee couldn't help but let a small chuckle escaped her lips.

Scootaloo shot the teacher a glare from under her bangs. Cheerilee made a point to rap a hoof against her chest lightly, faking a light cough. She sipped her tea quickly, hoping the illusion of choking wasn't lost on the filly. Not likely.

“Mom’s...” Scootaloo searched the skies and the ground pensively for several moments. “Mom isn’t in town much. She travels a lot for work.” Scootaloo said after a long pause. “We send letters back and forth a lot, and she visits whenever she can.”

“What does your mother do that keeps her so busy?” Cheerilee couldn't help but ask.  She made a note to herself to look into Scootaloo’s living situation at a later time.

“I dunno’.” Scootaloo replied with a heavy shrug. “She does engineer work of some kind up in Manehatten.”

“She sounds like an honest, hard working pony to me.” Her statement lacked no honesty of its own. “That sounds to me like the kind of pony Rainbow Dash might have a lot of respect for.”

“Well, yeah, but mom isn't a-” Scootaloo’s hooves had been thrown up into the air in some form of expression, but her entire body froze, her jaw hanging open. The filly slowly collapsed onto the table, her eyes fixating on the painted designs on Cheerilee’s teacup.

The teacher held a soft expression as she leaned forward, “You mother isn’t a what, Scootaloo?” She asked soft and kindly as possible.

“S-she’s...” Scootaloo’s eyes once again danced about for signs of any listeners. “She’s not a pegasus.” Scootaloo said at last, her voice hardly more than a raspy whisper.

Cheerilee blinked. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting the filly to say, but it wasn't that. “She’s a unicorn, then?” Cheerilee asked. “Or is she an earth pony?”

“Earth pony.” Scootaloo groaned. Cheerilee managed not to raise an eyebrow to the filly’s tone.

“Is that such a bad thing, Scootaloo? Plenty of pegasi in Ponyville have unicorn and earth pony parents. Just look at the Cake family, for example.” Cheerilee nodded her head back toward Sugarcube Corner.

Scootaloo’s coat turned several shades of red darker as she made eye contact with her teacher. Her earth pony teacher. “N-no! I didn’t mean to say it was bad, honest!”

“It’s alright, Scootaloo,” Cheerilee said with a chuckle. “Why do you think that Rainbow Dash will see that as such a bad thing?”

Scootaloo’s brow furrowed as the gears of her brain began to grind. “Well, Rainbow Dash is pure pegasus.” She paused. “...I think?”

Oh, how the young always found ways to make mountains out of molehills. Not that adults were any better, but that made this no less amusing. “I’m just...I’m really scared that Rainbow Dash will think less of me because Mom isn’t a pegasus.” Scootaloo stated, perhaps for clarity. “And I feel really bad because Mom’s a really great...mom. I shouldn’t be so scared that someone will find out I’m related.”

Enter emotional conflict, which would explain the lack of sleep, perhaps. “Rainbow Dash lives in an earth pony town, Scootaloo. She’s very good friends with two unicorns and two earth ponies, too.”

Scootaloo groaned. Loudly. “I know, I know. But none of them are related to me! It’s different!”

“Is it?” The question was rhetorical, but that didn't stop Scootaloo from answering.

“Yes!”

Cheerilee pursed her lips in thought. She sipped lightly at the rest of her lukewarm tea before pushing aside the empty cup and continuing. “Do you want to know what I think, Scootaloo?”

The young pegasus tilted her head slightly, eyes locked on the teacher’s, unblinking. “Sure...I guess.”

Cheerilee leaned forward, grinning softly. “I think your mother, for one, would be delighted to meet the mare you look up to so fondly.” Scootaloo shrank slightly. “And, I think that Rainbow Dash would be very happy to meet the mother of her number one fan.”

Apparently Scootaloo had not thought about it from that perspective. “Yeah, maybe.” She muttered.

“Just give them both a chance. I’d bet they’d both be very happy to meet one another!” Cheerilee stated enthusiastically. Scootaloo smiled. In all of her years of teaching, there was never a more gratifying feeling that getting a genuine smile from a filly or colt like that one Scootaloo was giving her now.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” The pegasus’ wings buzzed lightly. She looked pensive for a moment before adding. “Thanks. For listening, I mean.”

Cheerilee stepped back from the table, a smile adorning her face. “I’m just happy I could help, Scootaloo.” Cheerilee nuzzled the filly lightly on the head before turning to walk off. She tossed her saddle bags on, and quirked an eyebrow at the filly. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

The statement wasn't lost on Scootaloo, whose face reddened. “Yeah. Seeya’ tomorrow. Um...yeah.”

The walk home, after that, seemed to breeze right by. The sunset was already painting the sky orange and pink when Cheerilee finally managed to step foot in her small abode. What an interesting day it had turned out to be.

It was good to be home.

Paper grading was about as exciting as ever, but it needed to be done. Cheerilee already knew how quickly her ‘to do’ work would build up if she slipped for even a day. These things, simple as they were, tended to snowball rather quickly.

With the final paper finally graded, Cheerilee allowed herself a deep, contented sigh. The moon was already well away on its journey into the chilly night sky. She considered taking the time to have a proper dinner, though the inviting folds of the blankets on her bed won out over the need to eat. Even with sleep pressing itself down on her body, making everything feel heavy and sluggish, Cheerilee took a moment to quickly run a soft brush over her mane and coat. It wasn't as though anyone would be judging her on her appearances, but a quick brushing sometimes made the morning routine a little easier.

Cheerilee blew out the lone lamp in her room, which had become her single source of reliable light somewhere around an hour ago, and made for the bed. The sheets were cold to the touch, though only initially. They seeped her body heat from her, but after only a few short moments of shivering, they began to warm and hold the heat back against Cheerilee. She couldn't resist smiling and curling down deeper under the covers. It felt good to be there after a long day.

As her mind began to slow and her muscles relaxed, Cheerilee found herself contemplating her conversation with Scootaloo. It was odd that mixed parentage was still something ponies often found to be embarrassing on any level. Two or three thousand years of living as equals in society, and there was still a notable divide in the three pony races. It really did explain a lot about Scootaloo, though. Why she was never seen around with her parents - or her mother, at least. Cheerilee still knew nothing about her father, assuming there was one.

It also explained Scootaloo’s under-developed wings. The filly might not realize it, but one day, that earth pony blood was going to make her a powerful flier, if not necessarily a strong one. It was often the case that Pegasi with earth pony blood were physically much stronger than regular pegasi and found themselves in the Royal Guard. Pegasi with unicorn blood tended to venture into the weather control departments, given their increased leyline connections, but that was off-topic, really. Cheerilee doubted Scootaloo was in any sort of mood to listen to any of this. It was fully possible that, given the filly’s mood, explaining would not have helped her much, anyway.

Cheerilee, in some very small way or another, had helped erase those dividing lines between the races today. That was something to be proud of, but her mind kept on returning to the smile that had cracked Scootaloo’s features. The teacher felt a slight pang of...regret, was it? She couldn’t quite label the feeling. Cheerilee shivered into the warmth of her bed’s covers.

Would she ever have a colt or a filly of her own, she wondered. Somepony of her own who would be there to listen to and absorb every scrap of worldly knowledge that Cheerilee had to offer. Somepony to call her mom, who worried as much about Cheerilee as Scootaloo worried about her own mother. Somepony who would be equally worried about what kind of impression Cheerilee would leave with their idols.

Cheerilee sniffed, and tried her very best to ignore the cold spot in the bed next to her as sleep finally took hold.