Canterlot Tales

Chapter 2: Cheerilee’s Tale

“Now that sounds like a story,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Really? Well I suppose his antics are entertaining enough now, years later. But believe me girls, it was no fun at the time,” Cheerilee explained. “I had Thunder Clap in my class just two years after I got certified to teach. I was teaching foals in Junior High, right here in Ponyville.

It’s, certainly not the easiest point in a young pony’s life, but I think it’s harder for stallions than mares. By that point, most mares have caught up to stallions in size, but it’s usually at that point that stallions start falling behind mares in test scores and attendance. I knew right away he was going to be trouble. The first day of class he came in ten minutes late and refused to answer to anything but Commander Hurricane,” Cheerilee said.

“Oh man, what pegasus didn’t want to be Commander Hurricane at that age?” Rainbow Dash said.

“There were plenty of little pegasus ponies who played at being Commander Hurricane, that’s true. But out on the playground he would scream and argue with any other foal who wanted to be Commander. But aside from getting into arguments, he didn’t cause too much trouble for me at first. I wonder if he was sizing me up,” Cheerilee considered.

“That sounds rather diabolical for a little pony,” Twilight said.

“Oh no, nothing diabolical about that, just the truth. I’ve seen a class of ponies pounce on a new teacher who doesn’t have control of the class. But I was confident in what I had learned at college, so I don’t think I looked an easy target. Then, a month into the class, we started to focus on pony history. I made up this huge board game, with little pieces for all the ponies in the class. We’d play it for an hour at the end of the day when the students are tired and need something to really keep them focused. It was all meant to represent the Western Expansion of Equestria, and I wanted to make it into a little bit of a game to really keep the ponies interested. So the challenge was to see who could get their wagon train to their settlement first. Along the way they’d learn about all the various hardships settler ponies faced,” Cheerilee explained.

“However, as soon as I said it was a game and someone would win, Thunder Clap went into overdrive. He had to be the leader of his group’s caravan. There was no talking him out of it. One day we were playing and the wagon trains had arrived in a canyon, and I was quizzing them on geology terms to see who would make it out of the canyon first. I asked someone on Thunder Clap’s caravan a question and she got it wrong, so a different wagon made it out first. Thunder Clap started screaming. He demanded that his caravan should win because he knew the answer and he was the leader. It caused a bit of a scene but rules were rules, so we wrapped up the game and the students left for the day. I was still inside cleaning up supplies when I heard a commotion outside the school house. I went outside and saw the ponies standing in a circle around Thunder Clap and his team mate. Thunder Clap had picked a fight with the mare and looked ready to bloody her. I think I went white as a sheet at the idea of having a fight break out among my students. I rushed over and broke it up. It was the first time I had to physically pull a pony off another, though not the last.”

“A stallion picking on a mare like that,” Rarity said. “He obviously had been taught no manners or dignity.”

“Well, you can think about it in those terms now, but at that age they’re still just ponies to each other,” Cheerilee said. “School policy is pretty clear cut. I had to suspend him from school for starting the fight. I sent a letter to his parents asking that they come by after school so we could talk.

These days I teach younger ponies, and as a result I usually meet the student and the parent at the same time. But by Junior High a foal would be embarrassed to no end if their parents walked them to class. So at that level you really don’t know what to expect. You can guess, sure, but you just don’t know. I remember clearly, I was sure that Thunder Clap’s parents would show up. They’d be hard working weather ponies who just didn’t spend as much time with their son, but once we talked they’d realize they needed to spend time with him and pay attention to his school work.

I, I actually thought it would be that easy. And so I wasn’t prepared for what actually happened. Thunder Clap’s father said he wasn’t coming to the meeting. I rescheduled the meeting, then rescheduled again. Eventually I told him I couldn’t let Thunder Clap come back to school until we had met. So finally, after Thunder Clap had been out of school for two weeks, he showed up with his father.

I asked if the boy’s mother would be joining us, but it was quickly made apparent that there was no mother in the picture. Realizing that, I thought I was beginning to see the problem. But I was wrong again. Thunder Clap’s father was as rude as he could be without simply walking away from the conversation. He didn’t really listen to anything I said. Thunder Clap said nothing at first, but when I began talking about the board game Thunder Clap mumbled something under his breath. The boy’s father turned on him, demanding to know what he’d said. When Thunder Clap didn’t answer, he cuffed him on the side of the head.”

“My word,” Rarity said.

“I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t believe what had just happened, and in front of me of all people,” Cheerilee said. “When the silence dragged on the boy’s father asked if I had any children of my own. I said I didn’t and he smirked. He said ‘Well I’ll teach you a little something today. He starts mouthing off, heck, any of them do, just put your hoof down.’ And with that he moved his foreleg and Thunder Clap flinched. ‘They learn quick that way.’”

“That poor child,” Fluttershy said.

Cheerilee nodded and took a moment before she continued. “That day I learned that when you’re teaching a student who’s excelling, exceeding all of your expectations, and happy to be there every day, you’re benefitting from someone else’s work. Someone else, a parent, grandparent, family friend even, has done the hardest part: love and support that child. And when you’re struggling with a difficult and problematic child, you’re not fighting with them, you’re fighting the people who have failed or hurt that child.”

The train compartment was quiet after that.

“Oh I’m sorry girls, I’m bringing the mood down. Here, let me tell you the best part of the story,” Cheerilee said. “Now, I don’t want you to think things got better over night, but when Thunder Clap came back to school I was beginning to understand what I was dealing with. Once he realized that failure didn’t carry the risk of corporal punishment he finally relaxed. He didn’t have to win everything. By the end of the year he was on track with the rest of the class. Then the most amazing thing happened. He was a very distinctive young pegasus, he had a bright red coat and a white mane. I had honestly never seen a pony like him before. One day I’m out in the Ponyville market and I spot a pegasus mare with the same white mane and red coat. I asked her if she was Thunder Clap’s mother. She nearly broke down right there. She had been flying all over Equestria for years looking for Thunder Clap. It seems she had gone through a messy divorce and her ex-husband disappeared with her son one day. We called in the authorities and I got to see him go home to a mother who loved him.”

There was a round of d’awws in the compartment and Fluttershy had turned to face away from the group for a moment.

The door to the compartment opened and an old mare pushed a beverage cart in. “Anything from the cart, dears?”

“Muffins?” Derpy asked.

“Oh, yes I do have some muffins actually,” replied the old mare.

“Then muffins!” Derpy bought a muffin for everypony, and for a moment the only sound was the crinkle of wrapping paper and the noise of the rails beneath them.

“Thank you very much, Derpy.” Rarity said. “I spent all this morning pressing clothes and packing, I haven’t had a bite to eat.”

“I can’t say no to a good muffin, Pinkie Pie knows,” Derpy said.

“Do I ever? I think Derpy’s the only pony who’s tried every flavor at Sugarcube Corner,” Pinkie Pie said.

“Well to pay you back, how about I tell the next story,” Rarity suggested.

“What’s it about?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“A hat,” Rarity replied.

“What could possibly be interesting about a hat?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Oh this was no ordinary hat, Dash, it was magical. Made by a unicorn skilled in both magic and millinery,” Rarity explained.

“Skilled in what?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Hat making, Dash, he made hats,” Applejack explained.

“Then it’s decided,” Rarity cleared her throat and began talking over Rainbow Dash’s groans. “The story begins in the lower court of Canterlot, oh easily six hundred years ago if I'm remembering the tale correctly.”