"Seventy-two hours." Cheerilee smiled, professional even in the face of imminent disaster. "That's three days. Just three little days, they'll fly by before you know it! You boys can handle that, right?""This is stupid." Bruce scowled. "No offense, Missus 'Lee, but the only extra credit you could come up with is playin' pretend parents to a bloody"Oh, this assignment is a classic, Bruce." Cheerilee reassured. "It's meant to teach responsibility, to help you understand how to communicate and work with your future partner someday-""Right, becausefuture partner will clearly be Fairy Boy here." Bruce shot a cruel smirk at Aerostorm. "Lucky me, eh? Always wanted to marry a bloody overgrownDon't know the meaning of a hair cut, do you, mate?"At the insult, Stormy looked down at his hooves, but Cheerilee didn't miss the way his ears flattened in annoyance. "...Imy hair long." He said quietly."I'll bet. Long girly hair's the badge of a sissy, ain't it? I understand it's important to be proud about that kinda thing." Bruce sneered, ghost of his former schoolyard bully persona flaring up. "I won't judge if you don't wanna be a real stallion."Bruce." Cheerilee said sharply. "You're out of line, mister-""Nah, Missus Cheerilee, let him talk." Stormy said coldly. "So, Bruce, what makesa real stallion, huh? Is it the way you pick fights with ponies twice your size, for no reason? I bet it feelsmanly getting your teeth knocked loose every week.""If we could just get back to talking about the assignment-" Cheerilee tried-"Oh, hippies don't like fightin', right?" Bruce mocked. "You lot are all a bunch of flower-pickin'yeah?""Boys,"I'd rather be a coward than aStormy shrugged, feigning indifference. "Rather a flower-picker than somepony who needs to tear others down just to feel...." He paused, taking in the other pony. "Well,"...Did you just call me"I didn't exactly call you regular-sized, did I?" Stormy boredly inspected his own hoof. "Maybe all your talk about being a 'real stallion' is because you're half the size of one."Bruce gaped at him, before letting out a snarl.At leastain't some great, big overgrown clumsy idiot like, RainbowJr. How many classes are ya failing right now, huh? Bet you're makin' your famous mumproud-"Cheerilee tried desperately, but the air in the room was rapidly growing dangerous. Bruce had hit on a sore spot for Stormy, and the pegasus flared his wings in a subconscious threat display."Y'know, you keep trying to get a rise out of me, but it's really hard to get mad at you." Stormy stepped closer to Bruce, towering over the smaller pony. "Mostly I just feelfor you. Those months in juvenile hall must've been pretty rough. I bet it's been hard to come back to school, with nopony wanting to be your friend anymore, nopony that even cares-"Bruce was shaking, and looked to be trying very hard to restrain himself. "Let's go. Right fucking now, hippie. You and me-I'll make you swallow your bloodyThe two teenagers startled when Cheerilee boldly stepped in between them, professional smile abandoned completely. Her voice crashed through the school like thunder.of this! What inthe matter with you two?are youpickingfight? Did you enjoy your first trip to Juvenile Hall that much you're eager for another?" She bellowed, and Bruce cowered against the wrath of the tiny mare, letting out a squeak. "AndCheerilee whirled sharply to face Stormy, who backed up so fast he bumped into a table- "I cannotthe cruel words I heard come out ofmouth! The two of you ought to beBoth of youthis extra credit to pass, soare you acting this way? Can you really not get along forCheerilee glared hard at the two stallions, both of whom now currently resembled cornered baby rabbits, peering at her meekly."But..." Bruce nearly lost his nerve under Cheerilee's withering gaze. "But, uh, Missus Cheerilee, y-you heard what he said...he said nopony cares about m-"care about you, dear." Cheerilee sighed, frustrated. She reached out and gripped both of their shoulders. "I care aboutof you. Iboth of you are better than this. Bruce, you are a good, smart pony. You aren't a bully anymore-Iin you, but you have to believe in yourself too, honey."Bruce glanced down, desperate to look anywhere but at his teacher. There was an interesting shine in his eyes-Stormy noticed, but before he could think of something calming to say, Cheerilee turned to face him."Aerostorm, dear. I believe in you too, you know. I always have." Her gaze was weary, but stern. "I am not going to let you drop out of school.""I appreciate the effort, but one little extra credit project won't save me, Missus Cheerilee. I'm failing too many classes." Stormy smiled sadly. "Don't lose sleep over trying to help out a dumb ol' hippie. I'm not smart enough for this place-honestly, you're the reason I've made itfar." He tried to laugh reassuringly, but his teacher frowned, studying him."You'll make it further yet." She said quietly. "Both of you will. You two have your differences, but you've also got your similarities. Both of you beat yourselves up too much for your failures, and both of you are better ponies than you know. You both can help each other. Iit."Bruce and Stormy looked from Mrs. Cheerilee to one another, and there was a pause, as though they were seeing each other for the first time. Seeing raw weaknesses, strengths...loneliness."Won't you please do the assignment? Just seventy-two hours together, taking care of the egg, and a written report, that's all I ask. What d'you say?"The moment between the two stallions stretched on, long and awkward, with neither knowing what to say. Bruce seemed uncomfortable and on edge, and Stormy desperately racked his brain for something to say, anything. An idea came to him.He extended his hoof, and smiled-a small smile, but genuine. "Hi. Uh, I think we got off on the wrong hoof before. I'm Aerostorm...but everypony calls me Stormy. Nice to meet you."Bruce looked down at the proffered hoof, then glanced at Cheerilee, who waved her hooves encouragingly."Bruce." He said awkwardly, shaking the pegasus' hoof. "...Nice to meet you too. Again, I guess.""Well done, very well done!" Cheerilee praised, her trademark eagerness returning. "Civility is the first step! You two are gonna be the best of friends, I can just feel it! Best friends, and the very best parents to little Eggbert Jr here!" She beamed cheerfully, tapping the large, white and blue speckled egg she'd brought in."...If I gotta raise a fake baby, I ain't callin' itBruce sighed, resigned to his fate. "Why not name the egg Bruce Jr?""But then we risk it inheriting your lovely personality." Stormy said, then smiled when Bruce aimed a glare at him. "Kidding! I'm kidding. Maybe.""Let's name it after you then, sheepdog-that way it can inheritgood looks." Bruce scoffed, but underneath the sarcasm there was a sort of hesitant, gentle teasing. Cheerilee felt herself relax. The two were going to be okay, she knew it."It's a given that our fake baby would inherit my good looks." Stormy teased back, the faintest grin visible on his face. The corner of Bruce's mouth twitched."It's already a pretty egg though. It deserves a better name. How about, hm..." Stormy examined the unusual, pale egg, watching the way the speckled surface shone in the light. Nearly opalescent."...Pearlie. Let's call it Pearlie."~~~~in which bruce and stormy are moody teenagers, cheerilee is trying her best, and we get pearlie the seahawk's gripping backstory (yes, i retconned that bruce found baby pearlie as a colt, instead he and Stormy are unknowingly given her egg)so i get asked a lot how Bruce and Stormy metas residents of ponyville, they've both been vaguely aware of each other growing up (When Bruce was in his bullying years, he definitely wasn't afraid to spit an insult or two in skinny young Stormy's direction), but they didn't really interact until they were teenagers in secondary school. Not til the day they were unfortunately paired to work together for an extra credit class project. Stormy and Bruce were kind of problem students, but Cheerilee never gives upbehold the beauty of teenage!Bruce and Stormy. Stormy was a skinny awkward hot mess. He got mistaken for a mare a lot before he started filling out. Bruce was really scruffy and had more facial hair because he didn't really have anypony to show him how to take care of himself. Later on he figured out how to ditch the muttonchops which is great because he hated how similar they made him look to his father Captain Cutthroatbackground from here: CHS Background: The Check Out Counter characters shown: