Being fairly early, there was nobody else about in the teacher's lounge right now, but to be perfectly honest, that was exactly how Mr Cranky liked it. Nobody else meant no talking, no sound, no disturbances while he worked. A brief moment of calm and quiet to his day before the hectic school times began in earnest. Sitting at one of several tables within the room, the older man sighed deeply as he took a sip of his coffee, looking down to the papers before him. Plans for the day, and a curriculum for the lessons he was going to be giving today. His expression was as clear as day, and even a novice of reading people would have been able to tell that he looked about as tired and unenthusiastic as one could get under the circumstances. But, his solitude here did not last forever, as the sound of the door creaking open prompted him to finally look up from his work. There, entering the lounge herself, was a fellow teacher, Miss Cheerilee, and as soon as the latter saw her colleague, she smiled.

"Good morning, Cranky! I hope the day's treating you well."

He didn't return the smile, merely raising his cup to her slightly.

"Miss Cheerilee."

His words were brief and to the point, and while Cheerilee would have clearly wanted to speak to him further, she could tell that he was busy right now. So, she instead turned to the lounge's coffee maker. Cranky, for his part, simply looked down to his papers, trying to focus on his lesson plan for the day, all while hearing the sound of the coffee maker producing its namesake drink for Cheerilee. After taking the piping hot beverage, and having a good swig of it, the younger woman let out a sigh of contentment.

"Ah! Perfect way to start the day!"

Cranky grumbled to that, taking a sip of his own drink, and paying no mind to his younger colleague as she decided to take a seat opposite him.

"So...what will your students be learning from you today?"

Letting out a sigh of his own, Cranky glanced up to her briefly.

"History. We're learning about pre-1800's farming techniques."

Cheerilee blinked to that.

"Well...I'm sure there'll be plenty of interest in a topic like that."

To that, Cranky let out a dry chuckle.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Miss Cheerilee, but we both know that's not going to happen. These students aren't that eager for things like this."

But Cheerilee shook her head.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. There's been a great deal of passion in these students over the last few years. Grades are up, and the whole atmosphere of the school has improved from what it used to be."

Considering that, Cranky nodded.

"Yes...I can't argue with that. But..."

A frown crossed his face.

"...it's still a little disappointing when you have a lesson and your students just...don't seem that interested."

Cheerilee tilted her head slightly.

"Oh?"

Cranky paused, and then, after a few moments, he placed his papers down, before turning and reaching down to the briefcase he'd brought with him. After rummaging around inside of it for a bit, he pulled out what appeared to be a hand-held electronic game device, which he carefully placed upon the table, prompting Cheerilee to enquire about it.

"Never took you for the gaming type, Cranky."

Another empty laugh escaped the man, but afterwards he shook his head before explaining things.

"Had to confiscate this from Snips last week during one of my classes. He was playing it right in the middle of it. Thought I wouldn't notice either."

His frown deepened.

"And the others weren't all that eager to hear what I was lecturing them on either."

Then, his expression softened, and he leaned back into his chair.

"Though, in fairness to them...I don't think I care as much about these lessons as I used to either."

Cheerilee, leaning forward slightly, looked to her colleague with no small measure of concern.

"You don't really mean that, do you, Cranky?"

A pause from the man, and then, he looked her right in the eye.

"Cheerilee...you haven't been in this job as long as I have. Aside from Granny Smith, I'm probably the oldest faculty member of Canterlot High. I've taught here for decades, served under at least six Principals, and seen student after student pass through these hallways before going out into the big wide world."

He turned, looking out of the window.

"At the start, I had probably the same enthusiasm for this work as you do right now. But as time went on, little things would just start to add up. Moments of disinterest or apathy from the students, the repetition of what I was teaching them, the routine and regularity of my time here."

A quick shrug of his shoulders followed.

"After a while...it's just the kind of work...you become numb to, you know?"

Hearing all of that, it was now Cheerilee's turn to frown.

"Cranky...what we do here is important. I appreciate that you might not have the same drive you used to, but you can't deny that our work here is worth doing. Helping these kids, getting them ready for the future, giving them a place where they can learn and grow."

The old man let out a deep exhale after that.

"I know...I've tired telling myself that same thing whenever I feel like this. And after all these years, it's a line of thinking that's, quite frankly, lost its edge."

A silence passed between the two teachers, and for a time, Cheerilee looked as though she was completely at a loss on how to make her colleague feel better. Then, after thinking on the matter for a bit, a smile came to her. She too reached down to her briefcase, and after looking in it for a few moments, she pulled out what appeared to be a small letter, causing some curiosity in Cranky.

"What's that?"

Cheerilee's smile widened.

"It's something one of the younger students gave me the others day. She and the others really enjoyed the lesson I gave them, so she decided to thank me by writing this letter."

Silently, she handed it to Cranky, and after a moment of hesitation, the latter took it from her. Picking up his glasses, he used them to better read the words on the paper. And as he did this, his eyes began to widen slightly, for that letter contained perhaps some of the most genuinely affectionate statements he could remember any student ever saying to their teacher. Words of thanks and praise, talking about how much fun they had during the lesson. It talked of how the student and her friends all talked about what they'd learned for days afterwards, and how they were looking forward to learning more the next time they had Cheerilee giving them a class. And speaking of whom, Cheerilee herself, after seeing that Cranky had read quite a bit of the letter so far, finally broke the silence between them.

"I know there are times when this job can get dull. It can get repetitive, and we may even wonder if what we do even does our students any good at all."

Raising her hand, she gestured to the letter.

"But someday...I get a student saying things like this to me...and I'm reminded why I wanted to take this job in the first place. Because if I can make even one student feel that way about the things we've taught them...then I know that it will have all been worth it."

Cranky, for a time, didn't know what to say. He simply looked to Cheerilee, to the earnestness in her expression, and knew that she'd meant every word of it. A minute or two passed before he did anything else, and when he did, he sighed deeply before, at last, cracking a smile. Admittedly, it was a small smile, but genuine all the same, and when he spoke, it was with a tone softer than he was usually known for.

"Thank you, Cheerilee. I...I'm glad you said all this to me."

Reaching forward, Cheerilee gave him a quick pat on his hand, returning the smile.

"Think nothing of it, friend. And you know..."

She looked down to the papers Cranky had been looking through prior to her arrival.

"...you yourself may get such praise even when teaching lessons like that to your students."

Moments afterwards, Cranky gained a look of incredulity to him.

"I'm a teacher, Cheerilee, not a miracle-worker."