Cheerilee sat with the other adult ponies in the school house. It was late afternoon and the sun had already disappeared in the horizon.

"Well the Ponyville counsel was quite impressed with your proposal you made last quarter Miss Cheerilee and have approved the new funds for the school." The Mayor said looking up at the group and Cheerilee. "I must say it must have taken a lot of bravery to not only to ask the council for more money, but to openly admit your limitations as a teacher with the students. They have unanimously agreed that you are right that Ponyville's school system has been falling behind the rest of Equestria. The first problem, being the most apparent, having strictly only one teacher. So without further ado we have found the first of what we hope to be many of new teachers in the future to join what will become our faculty of Ponyville Elementary."

Cheerilee smiled as the Mayor slid a manila folder to her.

Being an alumnus from Ponyville herself she always felt a special place for the school in her heart. She also felt somewhat embarrassed when she did her student teaching studies in Fillydelphia in their larger public schools. The majority of her academic life she experienced only one teacher and one room for all her studies, then to find out other students her age were getting more insight and skills from a whole team of teachers in their own schools across Equestria.

"The new employee is skilled in his area but is relatively new to the teaching profession." The mayor continued. "In fact one of the reasons he decided to apply here was he was born here in Ponyville. Along with being the school's part-time music teacher he has agreed to fill the role of being a teacher aide thus collectively making him a full-time employee."

Cheerilee opened the folder, looked the photo and resume. Her smile grew with intensity.
'Really?' Her mind pondered.

The Mayor and other ponies around her seemed to take Cheerilee's enthusiasm as a good sign.
"His name is-"

"Ditty Hooves!" Cheerilee said with a half laugh. "I knew him when we were foals. We were in the same class together, that was before either of us had our cutie marks. Last I saw him was over five years ago at a Hearth's Warming Eve party in Fillydelphia. He was a lounge singer at the time. Looks like music has turned him to a career in education." Cheerilee said still chuckling.

The mayor smiled back.

"Well it sounds like you know more about this teacher than us." She replied. "It looks like you'll have no problem working together."

Cheerilee looked up with a hoof to her mouth to keep herself from laughing, and nodded her approval.

Cheerilee stood at the train station keeping her eyes peeled for a purple unicorn stepping off the train. He wasn't hard to spot, there were only three other ponies getting off the train.

Ditty was wearing a small saddle bag on his back and floated a steamer trunk behind him using his unicorn magic with his horn.

"Ditty!" Cheerilee shouted over to him and she crossed across the platform.

"Huh?" He looked up.

"Over here!" She approached him. "Welcome to Ponyville, or should I say welcome back."

Ditty looked up at her and had an immediate look of surprised and then straightened his expression.

"Why thank you, miss?" He said reaching a hoof out to shake.

"Oh don't tell me you forgot me." Cheerilee looked out at him brushing her mane aside so he could get a better look at her face, and turning slightly so he could see her cutie mark. "Cheerilee. Or your gonna tell me that line you told me seven years ago about the filly across the street was just an excuse to sit down next to me and hit on all my friends."

Ditty's cheeks went red. He coughed and cleared his throat.

"No, no, I do remember you. I first thought it was you, I just second guessed myself. The Mayor told me the school teacher was going to meet me." Ditty seemed to stumble through his words.

Cheerilee laughed.

"I am the teacher." She said. "Did the Mayor not tell you who was going to pick you up in her letter."

"No she didn't. Now that I think of it." He said scratching the back of his head. "The only thing she said in her letter was to expect a pleasant reception. I never knew you were a teacher."

"Oh." Cheerilee responded surprised. "I guess last we saw each other I was still student teaching and haven't gotten my job here yet."

Ditty's color started turning back to normal, he had an honest reason to be surprised at appearance Cheerilee.

"So you gonna give me the tour? I haven't been back in Ponyville since I was a colt. We were only a half way through our first year of school when I left."

"Oh sure." Cheerilee said leading him in to town. "Do you remember many ponies from our class?"

"Well let's see my memory is hazy at best. Ooof!" Ditty said lifting his trunk with his magic on to his back and using more of the purple glow from his horn he wrapped the straps covering the outside of his trunk to tighten around his back so he did not have to carry it with his magic.

"I remember Little Macintosh."

"He's Big Macintosh now." Cheerilee said correcting him.

"Uh Berry something. That pink one you were friends with, I kept confusing the two of you."

"Punch." Cheerilee said continuing their walk. "Berry Punch. I don’t spend much time with her now, she's become a bit of a drinker I’m sorry to say."

"Oh," Ditty said raising his eyebrows. "She getting help?"

Cheerilee sighed sadly, her friendship with Berry Punch had been fading due to their different choice of lifestyles. Cheerilee was no longer the young carefree mare she was. Partying and drinking had become a rare pastime for her given how seriously she took her current profession.

"No she hasn't." She said frowning. "And that's not to say there isn't help here in Ponyville."

"So there’s an Alcoholics Anonymous group here in Ponyville?" He asked oddly without a hint of judgment on his face.

"Why yes." Cheerilee said perplexed. "Do you mind me asking why you're interested in that?"

Ditty this time sighed.

"Well this isn't the best ice breaker topic but I suppose since we are going to be coworkers and friends I should be on the level with you. I am an alcoholic. I have been without a drink for over six years now. I'm interested in knowing there is a group here because its a proven fact that new surroundings and new jobs carry a possibility of relapse."

Cheerilee stopped and looked him with genuine concern Ditty continued with a serious look on his face.

"I know you have a good reason to be worried. I would feel the same way in your position: me being a new teacher, a stranger, working with the students. But I'm not going to hide what I am or let it control me, I can only move on. This is part of the reason I switched from music performance to education. It keeps me away from the bars and the night lifestyle and puts me in a healthy environment where I'm helping others."

Ditty glanced at her with a docile look. Cheerilee saw the honesty in his expression and smiled back at him.

She was touched by his humility and the fact that not more than one hour off the train he was already making connections and finding resources to keep him on the right path. It showed he was genuine.

"Its alright." She said putting a hoof on his shoulder. "In fact it's kind of inspiring. You've changed a lot over the years since I've seen you. I see now you're no longer the lounge singer with the quirky one liners and flattering words, but a good stallion who has decided to make his life better."

"Thanks Cheerilee." Ditty said with a slight blush that started to grow when Cheerilee touched him.

"Actually I'm glad you told me this.” Cheerilee said putting her arm down avoiding making the moment awkward, “There is a certain pony in town who has a reputation of throwing surprise parties for our new residences. I'll pass the word to her to keep the punch and drinks nonalcoholic, just try to look surprised when it happens." She said with a whisper and a wink.

"Oh really was she in our class." Ditty asked as they continued walking.

"No." Cheerilee replied. "She's a quite few years younger but one of her closest friends was in our class, you remember Rarity right?"

"Rarity, hmmm. White unicorn, purple mane."

"Yes that's her."

"She was in our class? I don't remember her from school. I do remember her with you that night in Filly." Ditty said with what sounded like a touch of contempt in his voice.

"Yeah that's right!" Cheerilee said trying to think back to that night wondering why Ditty sounded the way he did. "You remember anypony else from that night?"

"To be honest, no. That year for me was me was the worst of my addiction. I had many mornings I woke up not remembering much of what I did the previous night. I'm not proud of who I was back then. The stallion who you saw back there in Filly died in that lounge when I left that job."

Cheerilee nodded and went back to asking Ditty on school mates from when they were young.

"You remember Colgate?"

"Was she a pegasus?"

"Unicorn, she has a hourglass as a cutie mark."

"I don't remember any of us having a cutie mark back then."

"Oh right, of coarse. How about Twilight Sparkle?" Cheerilee said with a big smile.

"One of the bearers of the elements of harmony? Who hasn't heard of her? She was in our class?"

"Oh no, she went to school in Canterlot. But she's a good friend of mine. She's town librarian in a matter of speaking."

"Really I thought she was Celestia's protege?"

"Yes she's mostly that too, she corresponds with her regularly using dragon's breath letters. All of the bearers of the elements live here in Ponyville. Applejack, the bearer of honesty, is the younger sister of Big Macintosh. You'll be seeing the youngest of the Apple family in school, a little red-tail named Apple Bloom."

"Wow." Ditty said. "This is really is small town. Everyone is in each others business."

Cheerilee looked at him a little insulted.

"I mean... Oh that sounded bad. I mean in comparison to Filly, Ponyville is a town where everyone honestly knows everyone else."

Cheerilee gave a small nod in understanding but remained quiet.

"So... Anymore info about the students." Ditty said trying to be a bit more tactful in his words.

"Well, I think that we can save that for tomorrow. We're here." Cheerilee said walking up to a city hall. "The Mayor said she wanted to speak to you. She also has all the paper work for your new home in her office. Just head on in, she'll be expecting you."

"Well OK, aren't you coming too?"

"No, I've got a dinner date with a pegasus friend."

"Oh, coltfriend?"

"Oh no." Cheerilee laughed. "Ditzy Doo, you’ve met her, she was with my friends and I that night in Fillydelphia."

Ditty leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

"Uh, nope. Don't remember."

"Grey wings, bubbles for a cutie mark."

"Pegasus with bubbles? I think I would have remembered that." Ditty responded. He threw his hooves up in surrender. "I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just drawing a blank. It was a long time ago, a different time. Let's just put that whole night behind us."

"Of course" Cheerilee said sensibly. "I'll see you at tomorrow at school, we have lesson plans to prepare."

"Yes ma'am." Ditty said with a salute and walked in to the building.