THE TEACHER, THE SORCERESS, AND THE WONDERBOLT

Chapter 17: Date Night, Take Two

Twilight awoke to somepony humming. The song sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it, until the pony started to actually sing it.

There'll be no strings to bind your hooves,
not if my love can't bind your heart.
There's no need to take a stand,
for it was I who chose to start.
I see no reason to take me home,
I'm old enough to face the dawn.

Twilight's head had risen by this time and saw Cheerilee packing her saddlebags. The teacher paused when she noticed Twilight's attention on her. A smile took over each of their faces as they began singing together.

Just call me Angel of the Morning, Angel.
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby.
Just call me Angel of the Morning, Angel.
Then slowly turn away,
From me.

This of course woke the others, who sat and watched them.

Maybe the sun's light will be dim,
and it won't matter anyhow.
If morning's echo says we've sinned,
well, it was what I wanted now.
And if we're victims of the night,
I won't be blinded by the light.

Unable to keep from indulging Twilight, Trixie and Spitfire joined in for the chorus.

Just call me Angel of the Morning, Angel.
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby.
Just call me Angel of the Morning, Angel.
Then slowly turn away,
I won't beg you to stay,
with me.

Through the tears.
Of the day,
of the years,
bay~ay~ay~by!

At this point, Twilight and Cheerilee were standing on their rear legs, a foreleg over each other's shoulders, singing into a hairbrush as if it was a microphone, eyes squeezed shut like they were singing a power ballad.

Just call me Angel of the Morning, Angel.
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby.
Just call me Angel of the Morning, Angel.
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, darling.
Just call me Angel of the Morning, Angel.
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, darling.

Twilight drew all three in for a giant group hug, squeezing so tight, it left the others breathless. Trixie wriggled around a bit, saying, “Trixie is beginning to see a pattern in which songs get the biggest reaction from you, Twilight.” The soft smile on her face took any of the unintended sting out of her comment.

Sheepishly letting them go, Twilight scratched the back of her head with a hoof. “What can I say? Princess Celestia has had a profound impact on my life.” She looked over to Cheerilee and asked, “So what's up with the packing? Not thinking of going home so soon, are you?”

All three of them caught the tinge of worry in her voice, but Cheerilee shook her head. “No, just getting ready for our day out.”

Twilight's eyes shot open in surprise. “Already?”

Nodding, the maroon mare said, “You betcha! We're going to- well, I want to keep it a surprise. Just prepare yourself for a lot of walking, is all I'm going to say.”

“Where are we going?” Twilight asked with an arched eyebrow.

Giggling, Cheerilee replied, “Nowhere if you don't get up soon. Come on, the train leaves in less than an hour.”

“Train?” All three mares shouted in confusion.

Cheerilee waved her hooves in a placating manner. “It's just a day trip. We should be back just after dark, I think.”

Reluctantly, Twilight arose from the warm pallet on the floor. “I guess I better get ready, then. Back in a jiffy.”

As soon as she had left the room, Trixie and Spitfire turned to the earth pony. “What is the meaning of this?” The azure mare hissed. “Trying to make sure Trixie can't follow you or something?”

“Calm down,” Cheerilee whispered. “We're just taking a quick trip to Manehatten. It's nothing big, but what I want to do can only be done there.” She grinned like a shark at them. “It's the strangest thing, though. I wanted to use my teacher's discount on train rides for field trips, but couldn't do it for less than four ponies.” She pulled out two tickets and waved them under their muzzles. “So it seems I have two extra round-trip tickets. Do either of you happen to know of anypony that could use these today?”

Trixie's expression softened, and Spitfire grinned at her. The pegasus took the tickets and hid them in her wing. “So,” she said slyly, “you didn't object to what we did last night then? Looking for a little reciprocation, perhaps?”

Cheerilee smiled at her. “Like, totally.”

Grunting with disgust, Trixie facehoofed. “Ugh. Trixie thought the eighties ending decades ago. Why must you torment her with such anachronisms?”

“Like speaking in the third person?” Cheerilee retorted.

Trixie glared at her. “touché ,” she grumbled.

Cheerilee put her foreleg over Trixie's withers. “Look, you may not know about it, but we managed to keep your face and Twilight's out of the papers last night.”

“Why would Trixie want her face kept out of the papers? Haven't you heard that 'free publicity is good publicity'?” she asked.

“At the cost of Twilight's privacy?” the teacher shot back. That set the unicorn back. “Look around you, Trixie. Does anything here tell you that Twilight is seeking fame? You've corresponded with her for a while now. Has anything she's ever written told you that she wants to be in the limelight?” Trixie pondered this with a hoof to her chin.

“Trixie, as much as it pains me to say this, I can see how much you care for Twilight. Perhaps even as much as I care for her. Like me, Twilight is an introvert. We don't seek attention, and we value our privacy above recognition.” She paused as if something she was about to do pained her greatly. “I would consider it a personal favor if you were to follow us and keep the paparazzi at bay. I'm not sure why, but we caught one last night, here in Ponyville. Ponyville of all places! And where there's one, there's bound to be others.”

Spitfire came up to her other side and put her foreleg over Trixie's withers and Cheerilee's foreleg. “Cheerilee and I came to an understanding last night. We'd look out for each other the way we looked out for you last night. Now if not for her, or to repay a favor unasked for, then do it for Twilight.”

Trixie chewed on her bottom lip as she looked from one mare to the other, before hanging her head and sighing. “Very well. Trixie will help.”

Smiling, Cheerilee said, “Great! I really appreciate this, Trixie.” She smacked a hoof into the other in a gesture meaning she had just remembered something. “Oh! Just a warning, I had to get these tickets through my discount, so you'll have to go incognito. Being a unicorn, Trixie, disguises shouldn't be a problem, but there's something you should know about how you're going to need to appear.”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Twilight ran behind Cheerilee, panting like a dog, but wearing a smile. Their scarves, a token against the early morning chill, flapping in the breeze behind them. The maroon mare turned around and called back, “Hurry, Twilight! The train might be leaving early!”

They rounded the street corner, rear ends drifting sideways like race carts. Running up to the platform, they saw that the train was loading the last of the passengers. They approached the conductor who was helping an elderly mare aboard. Twilight flashed her ticket and was waved aboard. Cheerilee showed her ticket, then took the conductor to the side and whispered, “I have a couple of students coming along later for our field trip. Could you see that they make it aboard okay? I need to get my teacher's assistant settled and briefed.”

The mutton-chopped stallion tipped his hat to her. “Of course, ma'am.”

Cheerilee smiled and climbed up with a “Thanks!”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

“Trixie will get her for this,” the azure unicorn filly said as she adjusted her foal-sized saddlebags for the umpteenth time.

A golden pegasus filly rolled her eyes. She was getting a little too good at that lately. Not even Fleetfoot could get this many eyerolls in a single day. “Look, she already told us that she needed to use her discount to be able to afford getting us tickets as well.”

“Then why didn't she get us these tickets as teacher's assistants as well as Twilight?” Trixie retorted.

“Because she wanted to make sure that Twilight wouldn't recognize us either?” Spitfire answered. “And what if we have to get rough with some paparazzi again? I dunno about you, hon, but I'm a little too recognizable as an adult. Besides,” she added, “who wouldn't like a chance to be young again?” The pegasus gamboled around the unicorn a bit for emphasis.

Trixie's expression turned sour. “Trixie would rather forget about her foalhood, thank you very much,” she said almost mechanically.

Spitfire trotted beside her, giving her a concerned look. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Perhaps later on the train. It will give us something to do besides look at the scenery,” Trixie sighed.

Nodding, the pegasus led her up to the loading platform, where the conductor waited, and waved to the “fillies” from the train. He hurried them aboard, saying, “Your teachers are already aboard. Unfortunately, we don't have any seats open with them, so you'll have to ride several cars back. Will you be alright with that?”

Trixie nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yeth, thir! We wide the twainth awl the time in Manehattan!”

Spitfire's jaw dropped, and had to be dragged by Trixie to their seats. Definitely gonna be a long day.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

“Come awn, Cheer'lee. Can I take off dish b'indfoad yeh? I feel 'ike a dodal foah beeng 'ead 'round the ci'y 'ike 'is.” It wasn't easy to talk around the mouthful of Cheerilee's scarf that was guiding Twilight, but she managed by clamping her teeth down.

Cheerilee smiled back at her date. “Relax, Twilight. We're here.” She stopped in front of an old building and pulled off the blindfold.

Twilight spat out the tail end of the scarf and tried to brush her tongue free of stray fibers as she blinked owlishly. “And just where is 'here'?” The maroon mare grabbed Twilight's face in her hooves, and pointed her head to the building, and the name which adorned it near the roof. The unicorn's eyes went wide when she read the name. “The Manehatten Museum of Science and History!” She grabbed Cheerilee by the shoulders and faced her. “You brought me to the Manehatten Museum of Science and History!” She grabbed the mare up in a huge hug and joyously danced on two hooves. She then raced up the stairs, dragging her along, shouting out “MoSH! MoSH! MoSH!”

Cheerilee's final thoughts before she disappeared through the doors was Dear Celestia, what have I unleashed?

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Twilight pulled Cheerilee close until they were cheek-to-cheek, looking into a display case. “Look at the detail on this, Cheery! Somepony spent a lot of time on this diorama!” Indeed, the level of workponyship on the exhibit was exquisite, but the earth pony could not concentrate on the 1/48 scale reenactment of the founding of Canterlot. She was too busy taking note of the name Twilight had called her.

Cheery! She called me Cheery! I think I may just squee! I am, I really am! Clamping down her teeth, she was able to suppress all but a tiny sound of joy from escaping. “Ghee!”

Glancing at the ceiling, Twilight asked, “Did the air conditioning switch on or something?”

Thinking fast, Cheerilee pointed to the diorama. “Twilight, look at the models of the Princesses. Aren't they just adorable?”

Twilight sat and clapped her hooves. “I know, right? When we get to the gift shop, I'm going to see if they have any for sale.” She looked off to the side, thinking. “Let's see, I'm going to want a set for me, a set to send each of the Princesses,” She looked to Cheerilee again. “Do you think I should get one for Spike? I don't want to get him a grab bag of gems, the quality in gift shops tend to be junk food level.”

Cheerilee pointed to a foal being led by his mother. “What about a hat like that one? He really seemed to like the last one I gave him on his birthday.”

She looked to where she was being pointed, and said, “I dunno. I don't want him going through an unscheduled growth spurt like last time. Maybe a rock tumbler or something?”

“Well, we'll just have to wait and see when we get there,” Cheerilee replied. She cleared her throat before saying, “Twilight, um about what you just called me...”

Twilight tilted her head to the side. “I called you Cheerilee, didn't I?”

“Um, actually, you called me Cheery.”

Twilight's hooves went to her mouth. “Omigosh, I'm so sorry, Cheerilee. I didn't mean to disrespect you-”

“Actually, I uh, don't mind if you called me that...” Cheerilee's voice trailed off at the end to Fluttershy levels of volume as she looked to the floor.

Twilight ducked her head, trying to catch her eyes. “Y- you don't mind? Really?”

Cheerilee blushed deeply and nodded.

Smiling, the lavender mare sidled up to her and nuzzled under neck, causing the older mare to turn a deeper shade of red. “Thanks... Cheery.”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

A tiny azure hoof crushed a juice box, spilling it's dregs over the offending appendage. “Trixie will slay her for this!” The fire in her eyes would give most adults pause.

Spitfire threw her empty juice box in the trashcan with a casual toss over her shoulder, and laid her hoof on Trixie's shoulder. “Easy there, girl. You did some things yourself last night that didn't make either of us happy, but we let it slide for Twilight's sake.” They peeked out from behind a large potted palm tree, watching Twilight comfort her date.

A pink aura surrounded a napkin dispenser in the cafe', pulling some free and floating them over to the distraught “filly”. Trixie wiped her hoof clean and the spill on the floor, saying grimly, “Very well. Trixie will let this slide. But she will not let much more than that to occur under her vigil.” Employing her magic, she threw away the empty box and used napkins.

“Trixie...” Spitfire began.

She turned to the pegasus and cocked her head to the side. “Yes?”

Spitfire shook her head and let her hoof drop to the floor. “N- nevermind.”

Trixie grabbed her companion and pulled her further into the museum with a gasp. “Come on! They're headed into the planetarium, and you know what ponies do in dark rooms like that!”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

“At the Dawn of time, there was Equestria. The heavens and the sun still existed, but their cycles, such as they were, had no regularity to them. Days could last anywhere from minutes to weeks. The moon came out whenever it wished, sometimes even obscuring the sun in what was known as an 'eclipse'. And the stars were all clumped together in one corner of the sky, when they bothered to come out at all. Chaos reigned.” As the sepulchral voice described the past, events played out on the ceiling mirroring it.

Twilight reclined in her chair next to Cheerilee, their hooves almost, but not quite touching. Twilight had a huge grin plastered to her face as the show continued. In her mind, she tried to pick out the stars that she knew would one day form her favorite constellations. Cheerilee too, was smiling, but her view was considerably different. The only stars she saw, were the ones in Twilight's eyes which sparkled intently.

Above them, a caricature of Celestia appeared, and set the sun on a regular path. Shortly afterward, Luna made her way and set the night sky and moon into their cycles. Twilight turned to Cheerilee. “I've heard this story so often when I was just a filly, but seeing it played out like this really makes it come to life.” She was startled by the sultry look the teacher was giving her. In fact, it was very similar to the look that Trixie-

“Twilight.” Cheerilee's whisper was difficult to discern.

“Y- yes, Cheery?”

Cheerilee's heart swelled with love. Her hoof moved completely of it's own accord, coming to rest on top of Twilight's. The warmth now shared sent a wave of heat through both of them, darkening their cheeks. Their faces moved closer until they were just inches apart. Cheerilee caught a whiff of the perfume Twilight was wearing which smelled strongly similar to the garden the earth pony loved to tend at her own home. Heather and lavender with just a hint of the ink and musty papers that surrounded her on a near-constant basis. The teacher gently ran her hoof through Twilight's mane, then rested it on her cheek. She was pleased to note that her date leaned into her hoof just slightly. “Twilight,” she repeated.

“Yes, Cheery?” Twilight could barely be heard , she was so quiet.

Staring into each other's eyes, Cheerilee said, “Twilight, I... I love-”

The sudden brightening of the houselights startled them out of their private little world, and they snapped upright in their chairs, looking anywhere but at each other. “Um, I- I- I guess the show's over, huh?” Twilight stammered.

Coming to her hooves, Cheerilee said, “I guess so.” She looked around for a moment, then quickly added, “I need to use the restroom. Excuse me.” And with that, dashed of to the little fillies' room. In the restroom, she stood at the triple sink, her fore-hooves firmly planted on the countertop. She heaved mightily, trying to catch her breath. When it returned to a semblance of normality, she turned on the faucet with a squeak and splashed her face with cold water.

“I must say, that was some impressive show you two were putting on out there.”

Cheerilee whirled around, splashing water on a earth pony mare with a light gray, piebald-patterned coat. Her dark gray mane was mostly hidden under a tweed flat cap the color of granite. All in all, she looked like she was designed to blend into the background. Even her cutie mark, a charcoal gray domino mask, suggested somepony easy to overlook. “Who are you?” the teacher demanded.

“I'm not surprised you don't recognize me, Cheerilee,” replied the mysterious mare. “Suffice it to say that I'm here to help you out. Your two... bodyguards have excellent disguises, but being what they look like, there's only so much they can do.” She walked over to a stall and pulled a small black object from under her hat. She leaned against the door, holding it open so that she could clearly see the toilet. Holding up the small object, she asked, “Know what this is?”

Glaring at the mare, Cheerilee answered, “A roll of film. Just what are you planning to do with that?”

“Wrong. This is yours and Twilight's privacy. With this, a pony could make lots of bits, but at the cost of your happiness. Yours and hers.” she said, and unspooled the film, exposing it to the light and ruining it. She pulled it completely free of the container and flushed it down the toilet. She tossed the empty roll into the trash can and sauntered over to the maroon mare. “I had pulled that from a photographer who had been following you since the train station.”

“Why are you helping us? What do you want?”

The other mare washed her hooves at the sink, then began examining her reflection. “Us?” she asked. “No, no, no, my dear, the one I am helping is Twilight. Let's just say that a mutual friend has a vested interest in her safety and continued happiness.” She stuck her tongue out at her reflection and turned back to the teacher with a chuckle.

Cheerilee arched an eyebrow at her. “So who is this 'mutual friend'?”

Chuckling again, the mare said, “Why don't we just that she has a sunny disposition, and leave it at that, 'kay?” She patted Cheerilee's cheek on her way out. Pausing at the door, she added, “Just be aware that there are ponies out there looking out for that yummy mare of yours, doing what we can to make sure that she never changes unless she wants to.” With that, she left her alone in the restroom.

Cheerilee rushed out into the busy museum, but could not see any sign of her. She did catch sight of Twilight, and trotted over to her. “Did you see somepony come out of there before me?” she asked.

Twilight looked at her strangely. “No, why?”

Turning away, Cheerilee muttered, “Nothing. It's probably nothing.” She shook her head and smiled at her. “I just thought there was somepony in there I recognized. Guess I was mistaken.” Walking over to the gift store, she said, “Come on. We still have other places to visit today!” Twilight smiled as she followed.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

The gray mare sidled up to the mustachioed stallion dressed as a gaudy tourist better garbed for being in the Bahamares. “S'alright?” she asked.

He nodded as he flashed a picture of an exhibit of a sectioned cutaway of a dragon. “S'okay.”

She smiled at nopony in particular. “Your Princess thanks you for your continued diligence, sir. Now if you'd be so kind as to inform the team, they're moving on to their next stop.”

The stallion nodded as he brought a hoof to the brim of his straw hat. As the mare slipped away into the shadows, he spoke low as if he were talking to himself. “Mother hen, the chick is on the move.” He checked his watch, taking note of the time, then added, “Grain silo is most likely.”

As one, a dozen ponies around the museum made their way towards the exit as unobtrusively as possible.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Twilight levitated another small hoofful of hayfries out of the extra-large basket they had bought from a street side vendor, and dipped them in ketchup before chomping down on it with relish. “Y'know,” she started to say around the mouthful. Finding it impossible to forget her manners, she swallowed and tried again. “You know, I try not to indulge myself like this too often. I lead far too sedentary a life to eat like this all the time.”

“But with all the exercise we're getting today, I think we can handle it,” Cheerilee replied, popping in a hoofful of her own.

Taking a sip from her cup of lemonade, Twilight groaned appreciatively. “This is sooo good, Cheery! You gotta try this. They added a some strawberries to it!” She levitated the cup over to her companion, offering her the straw.

With a slight blush, the maroon mare took a long sip. “Mmmm... that is good!” All the sweeter since it came from your straw. She looked at her date and smiled. “Twilight, you've got a little...” Before the mare could react, Cheerilee reached over and wiped a bit of ketchup from the lavender mare's cheek, then licked it off her hoof. Oh dear Celestia, ketchup shouldn't taste this good.

The librarian blushed hotly as they walked. The act reminded her of what happened in the planetarium. Trying to hide her glow, she ducked her head into her scarf. She was startled out of her private thoughts by Cheerilee's voice.

“Oh! Here we are!” She waved to collection of buildings they now stood in front of, and Twilight's jaw dropped.

“The Manehatten University of Magic!” She turned to Cheerilee. “Are we?”

Cheerilee nodded. “You betcha! Two, count 'em, two seminars on magic, one of which for teaching magic to foals.”

Twilight jumped around her in a circle shouting “YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES!”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

It had been a long, exhausting day, especially when your legs were suddenly a quarter of the size to which you had become accustomed. Spitfire especially felt this, since her wings were far too small to be useful for flying very far. She slouched down in her seat and stretched her hooves out as far as they could go. Trixie sat next to her, but was too intent on looking out the window, head resting on her hoof to notice her traveling companion's discomfort. “Trixie...”

“Are you going to say it this time?” the azure filly asked.

Spitfire was taken aback by the question. “Say what?”

Trixie turned to face her. “Whatever it is that you've been trying to say to Trixie all day. It would be difficult not to notice that something has been on your mind lately, not just today, either.” She sighed and turned her body to face her fully. “So, out with it. Trixie promises not to laugh at you, and will hear you out. She feels she owes you that much, if not more.”

The golden pegasus smirked, sat up straighter and brought her hind legs up to wrap her forelegs around.. “Guess I haven't been very good at hiding it, have I?” Trixie shook her head. “Trixie, I... I would like for us to be friends.” Trixie gasped, but otherwise remained silent. Bolstered, Spitfire continued. “I.. I like you, Trixie. You speak your mind, and are unafraid of what others think of you. I admire that. Even if things work out that Twilight chooses one of us and the other has to go away, I would like to remain friends with you.”

Trixie sat there, mouth agape for many minutes as the train CLICK-CLACKED away the miles. She came out of it when Spitfire grinned and closed her mouth for her. “Trixie... I would be pleased if we could be friends. But what about...” She nodded towards the forward cars where Cheerilee sat with Twilight.

Spitfire shrugged. “I kinda like her, too. She's down-to-earth, no pun intended, and agreeable in her own way when Twilight isn't on the line.” She sighed and looked off into space. “You don't have to follow my example and try to befriend her, or even accept my olive branch, but I hope you will. Ponies like you and I, for one reason or another, don't get many opportunities to make real friends.”

She was surprised when she was enveloped in a hug. “Trixie would be honored to call you friend. As for the.. as for Cheerilee, I will consider your proposal.”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Twilight leaned against the elder mare's shoulder and just enjoyed the peace and quiet after a full day in the noisy city. “Cheerilee?”

“Yes, Twilight?” The teacher was so content right now that even if they were beset by train robbers, she wouldn't move from her spot.

“You... you were serious, what you said at the planetarium, weren't you?”

Cheerilee's breath caught as she recalled the moment in question, all peaceful reflection gone now. “Ye- yes.” There. It's out there, and confirmed loud and clear. No turning back now.

“I see.” Terror took hold of the teacher's heart at those words. “I... I'm not saying no, but you should know something,” Twilight said softly.

“W- what's that?” A lump was forming in her throat, but she fought it down.

A long pause, followed by “Trixie told me the same yesterday.” Another pregnant pause. “I was giving it serious consideration.”

A third pregnant pause, followed by an “I see,” from Cheerilee.

Twilight whipped her head up to look her in the eyes. “You too, of course! What you said means so much to me as well, but...” She licked her lips. “Cheery, you have to understand that nopony has ever shown an interest in me like this. Much less two mares.” She embraced her date fiercely. “Please understand that I care so much for both of you. I don't want to hurt anypony, but this is a lot to take in. I'm going to need some time to think this over. I hope you understand.”

Cheerilee put her hooves around her as best she could and rested her head on top of Twilight's. Breathing in her scent, she felt her peaceful contentment return. "I do understand, Twilight," she quietly said. I understand all too well.

From a dark corner in the rear of the car, a nondescript gray mare smiled as she pulled her beret down and closed her eyes.

Author's Notes:

Wow, big chapter. Biggest I've done in a while. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I have. And if you didn't d'aaawww at the image of a filly Trixie and Spitfire drinking from juiceboxes, then you must be made of stone. The usual disclaimers go here. Everything but the arrangement of the words and the mysterious mare belong to Hasbro and Lauren Faust. That mysterious mare is aaalll mine. No touchee! ^_^