Cheerilee had an unsettling week, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. She didn't know at the time, but her promise to Ditzy two months ago had put her in a difficult spot. In the beginning it wasn't all that bad, Ditty was a colleague, and Ditzy was her friend and mother of one of her students. But as time went on, the realization that Ditzy’s intention of not telling him started to break every moral value of honesty Cheerilee believed in.

She wasn't an ignorant pony, Cheerilee prided herself as a progressive mare. She understood relationships were complicated things, and at times they just did not work.

If Ditzy had broken the news to Ditty and they decided to stay apart Cheerilee would understand. Granted it would make being a friend to both of them awkward, but at the least Dinky would know who was her father. Instead the poor girl was being told a half truth which was pretty much a lie.

Cheerilee noticed Ditty and Dinky were naturally growing closer together as teacher and student: Ditty finding a common bond with Dinky having also grown up as a unicorn to a single parent pegasus, had naturally grown fond of the little filly. Dinky, having a lack of fatherly figures and adult unicorns who could teacher her magic, had effortlessly latched on to Ditty.

Ditzy was not making any moves or plans on talking to Ditty. Cheerilee was certain that Ditzy was content on avoiding the whole thing. All the while Cheerilee had to keep it quiet because she made a promise to her not to tell anyone.

Cheerilee could see the impeding train wreck coming. Dinky, believing that her father was a mysterious stallion from a far away city, grows up to find out she was born because of a drunken one night stand between her mother and the school teacher whom she had idolized when she was a filly. The poor girl would develop emotional complex that would haunt the family for the rest of their lives.

To make the situation even worse for Cheerilee, Ditty had been making romantic advances at her for the last few weeks. The whole thing just made her...

Cheerilee dropped her fork very loudly on to her plate. The other ponies in Sugar Cube Corner didn't take notice. Ditty, who was complimenting her recent teaching strategies, stopped in mid sentence.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"Just stop!" Cheerilee said now feeling her emotions running over with anger. "You go about and do these kind things, but you don't realize that you are so wrong! I've made it clear! I'm not interested in you but you keep on pushing it! And when I think you've gotten the message you turn around a do something like this!"

"I what?" Ditty looked shocked and a little hurt.

Cheerilee couldn't control herself, the weeks of holding her frustrations back had finally reached their toll.

"You convince me that we can just be colleagues and friends, but you're still playing the suitor the entire way. You pull out my chair for me, give me these flowers and pay me nice compliments, and it makes me feel guilty when I want to say no to you. Well that’s it NO! I've had enough! Haven't you noticed there are other mares out there besides me!? Or are you just that thick!? I would guess so by the way you’ve been completely unmindful of the signals of disinterest I’ve been sending you!"

Cheerilee in particular wanted him to leave her alone and take notice a certain grey pegasus, who secretly happened to be the mother his unknown child. But even in her anger Cheerilee still could not bring herself to say anything to break the promise she made to her.

Cheerilee looked around the room and saw half of the store was now looking at her. She didn't realized that she had raised her voice at Ditty. She tossed her mane back in a dignified way that would have rivaled Rarity's style and lowered her voice to a harsh whisper at Ditty.

"For a teacher who does an amazing job anticipating student's behavior and putting their feelings first, you are completely oblivious to the feelings and needs of other adult ponies, especially me. Its best we not see each other till work on Monday. Good afternoon Mr. Hooves."

She tossed a some bits on the table to pay him back for the meal he had just bought her and stormed out of the store.

Cheerilee got home quickly, slammed the door behind her and locked the deadbolt. She placed her hoof to her forehead and gave a deep sigh.

She thought she would be crying by now but she felt no sadness inside of her to let out. The only thing that she felt remotely close to it was a regret for Dinky; who's only fault was being a child of two of the most easygoing, kindest, and incredibly foolish ponies Cheerilee had ever met.

She honesty felt that way about them. In her time working with Ditty she began to understand why Ditzy fell for him. The quirks and strengths between the two of them would have made them a wonderful couple. She had imagined to herself if she had not known about Ditzy's secret she would have easily tried to match the two of them together.

Knowing they were both Dinky's parents only gave Cheerilee a sense of urgency to trying to get them back together. But the dim-witted decisions between the the two of them had only prevented them from finding each other again, and they were both suffering from it. Watching this happen made Cheerilee feel miserable.

Cheerilee slowly cantered in to her bedroom. She walked up to her dresser mirror and started taking out her earrings.

She looked down at one of the photographs she taped on the frame of the mirror. It was a photo of her, Ditzy, Rarity, and Berry Punch in their cap and gowns at their school graduation.

"I'm sorry I had to do that to you Ditty." She said sternly out loud to herself. "I have no choice with Ditzy, I made a promise. But I do have a choice with you, and this will be for the better. I can keep secrets from my work colleagues, but not from my lovers. And you will only be a colleague to me, it may be seven years later, and your lifestyle may have changed for the better, but I'm still not in to you."

Ditty seem to have finally come to terms with Cheerilee's wishes when she saw him work on Monday. He was far from his typical talkative self, he only shared a curt "morning" with her when he walked in. He sat down as his desk and worked silently until he had to teach.

Ditty took his lunch outside by himself rather than at his desk where he and Cheerilee where he and Cheerilee would chat. That afternoon he left without saying good bye.

This felt awkward for Cheerilee but she accepted it. She knew Ditty would need a while to accept it himself.

The rest of the week continued as such. The two of them did not neglect their responsibilities as teachers, they just kept communication and interaction to a professional minimum. Ditty maintained the same routine; ate his lunch outside, and left in the afternoon without saying a word.

Cheerilee was relived when Friday arrived and the weekend was around the corner. The students did not see any hostility between the two of them but they certainly must have noticed that something was off by now. The only thing Cheerilee had left to do for the day was observe students while Ditty and Twilight tutored The Magic Club after school.

The rain outside started to sprinkle the windows. The weather pegasus had scheduled a thunderstorm for the late afternoon, luckily everyone had planned ahead and all the students had their raincoats and galoshes waiting for them in the coat room.

Twilight had dimmed the lights of the room and was practicing with a few students in using their horn magic as a source of light.

Ditty and Dinky were in the back of the room near the door using Ditty's desk lamp to light their game of magic checkers. Dinky sat proudly wearing her Cutie Mark Crusader's cape, telling him about the adventures she and her friend have had this last week.

Cheerilee worked under the light of her own desk lamp. She was finding that her new armistice of silence with Ditty made her paper work go by faster. Unlike last week, when she was hanging off of every word in Dinky's conversation with Ditty. When she occasionally looked up it was only at Twilight and the students with her. She ignored Ditty and Dinky completely.

She had made up in her mind that if Ditzy had decided to leave Ditty and Dinky in the dark, then she'll be completely ignorant of what the two of them said to each other .

The combination of the dim lights and the low voices with constant patter of the rain on the room gave the room a tranquilness.

Cheerilee worked quietly for a few long minutes until she heard the low voices of Ditty and Dinky had changed its tone. Cheerilee forced herself not look up, but her ears had already inadvertently focused in on two.

"Dinky, I think your imagination is getting away from you."

"No it's true! I heard Mommy and Twilight talking about it!" Dinky had the sound of betrayal in her voice.

"It can't be true. I never met your mother till I moved here to Ponyville. I understand why it would be fun to make up a story about me like that. I kind of did it too when I was your age, I would pretend who I though my father was. But that is just pretend dear, it's not real. It's just not true, not true at all."

"But I told you! You don't remember because of the magic spell."

Cheerilee finally looked up at the two, a worried look on her face.

Dinky sat with her posture huddled staring down at the board with her chin in her chest. Ditty was leaning in closer trying to look her in the eye.

"There is no magic spell." Ditty said a bit flatly to her trying to be nice.

"No! It is true and I'll prove it!" Dinky looked up at him with a tears forming in her eyes. She reached her head up and touched horns with Ditty.

Ditty was caught completely by surprise. At the moment of contact there was a small spark between the two horns. Ditty's expression turned in to that of pure shock. Almost immediately the spark caused both of their horns to explode with light, till it crescendoed to a loud snap and went out.

A few of the fillies in the room gave a shout.

Everyone in the room blinked the spots out of their eyes. The flash of light was amazingly bright and the fact that everyone had been spending the last forty-five minutes in a dark room caught everyone by surprise.

Cheerilee blinked quickly making out the blurry silhouettes of the two. Dinky had taken a few steps back and was holding her hooves up over her horn like she was in pain. Ditty teetered briefly then crumpled down on his side in to the checker board.

Cheerilee heard Dinky give a loud scream as she started crying. Before anyone could act Dinky ran to the door, flung it open and dashed out in to the rain.

Twilight lit the lights with her magic and ran over to Ditty. Cheerilee went over and calmed the startled fillies and colts.

"Ditty? Are you OK? Ditty?" Twilight asked shaking him with a hoof. Ditty didn't move. She leaned closer over his face. "He's out cold but still breathing."

Twilight ran up to the open door and looked outside.

"I can't see Dinky. I'm not sure which way she ran."

"Miss Cheerilee is Mr. Hooves gonna be OK?" Starchaser asked up at her.

"We need to get him to a doctor." Cheerilee said, more to Twilight than to the fillies and colts who have all started asking her the same questions.

Twilight turned around to the group with a calculating look on her face..

"Stay exactly where you are everypony, it will make this easier. I'll be right back with help." Twilight said loudly.

Her horn then lit up as a white sphere surrounded her and she vanished.

"Where did she go?" Tootsie Flute asked.

"She did a teleportation spell." Sweetie Belle chimed in. "My sister Rarity said she has been able to do it since she moved to Ponyville."

A couple of students oooh'd at the magic they had just witnessed while the others looked over at Ditty very scared.

There was another flash and Twilight appeared again in the classroom with Nurse Redheart by her side.

"Take a few breaths and steady yourself." Twilight said putting a hoof on her shoulder.

"Believe it or not Miss Sparkle I've traveled this way once before." Nurse Redheart said spreading her stance to settle her balance. "Though I must say, it is nothing like what they say it feels like in the books."

Nurse Redheart pulled out her doctor's bag and went to work.

"Alright my little ponies." Cheerilee said to her students. "Let's give Nurse Redheart some space to help Mr. Hooves. In the mean time lets get our things put away and get out raincoats on while we wait for your parents to get here."

The students started to head over to their cubbies and put on their jackets. Cheerilee walked over to Twilight and Nurse Redheart.

Twilight was speaking to her in a quiet whisper.

"She made contact with him directly on the horn. This is the first time she had ever made contact with her father as far as I know."

"Twilight." Cheerilee whispered. "You know about Ditty and Ditzy?"

"Yes." She said back looking over her shoulder making sure none of the students weren't eavesdropping. "Ditzy told me last week. We've been talking to Redheart here on finding a way to approach Ditty in getting some treatment for his memory loss."

"I'm glad they did, Twilight and I have been researching his condition and possible treatments since Monday." Nurse Redheart said putting her stethoscope on. "I'm a little prepared in what to expect, but I never anticipated Dinky to knowingly try to give him a unicorn kiss. She's the only pony alive who could have done it."

"Unicorn kiss?" Cheerilee asked.

"Long story." Twilight said. "Lets just say that Dinky had just proven to Ditty and all of Equestria that she is very much indeed his daughter. But she may have given Ditty severe brain trauma in the process."

Cheerilee gave a gasp. She felt horrified. If she had not been intentionally ignoring Ditty in the back of the classroom she might have been able to intervene.

Nurse Redheart look back up at then and removed her stethoscope.

"He doesn't look like he's suffered any physical damage from the fall. His pulse is certainly high. I guess its to be expected given that the daughter he didn't know he had just come up linked her emotions with his. Twilight hand me my blood pressure gauge."

Nurse Redheart took a closer look at his face while she took his blood pressure.

"Interesting, rapid eye movement. If I were to give an initial analysis I would say he's in a state of magical shock, and he's dreaming."

"Dreaming?" Twilight and Cheerilee both said together.

"I hope it's the kind of dreams a pony can wake up from." Twilight said.

"Right now his brain is now processing this new information at a subconscious level. Moving or teleporting him at the moment is too risky, his body and mind needs to settle. All we can do is give him time so his pulse is steady and his mind can piece it's self together. He may be able to pull himself out of this state naturally. That or he may slip in to a deeper coma."