There's A Mare In The Woods
by Jonathan “KnightMysterio” Spires
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Canterlot Elementary...
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Cheerilee watched with a smile as the kids ran down the nearby hill to the honeysuckle bushes by the nearby woods. They would eat the small, sweet flowers off the bushes, the drop of nectar within making each bite all the sweeter. She sighed contentedly. It was a perfect, innocent sight, and...
“There's a mare in the woods!” said a voice from behind Cheerilee. She turned, and saw Diamond Tiara there, a look of fear on the pink filly's face.
Cheerilee frowned. Diamond Tiara was a notorious bully. And recently she had started hoarding the honeysuckle blossoms to herself and her friend Silver Spoon. When the Cutie Mark Crusaders had banded together to stop her hoarding, she had stopped bothering them for a while. But this...
She sighed, and decided to indulge her. “Oh? And where did you see this mare?”
Diamond Tiara, with a trembling hoof, pointed just past the honeysuckle bushes. “Th-there,” she said. “I saw her stalking around, just staring at the other kids...”
Of course you did, Cheerilee thought with irritation. “Well, let's go check then, shall we?”
Cheerilee turned, missing the smirk that briefly crossed Diamond's face. The two of them went down to the bushes by the woods, Cheerilee looking around disinterestedly.
“Diamond...” Dinky said, coming forward. “Did you say there's a mare in the woods?”
Diamond nodded insistently. “I... I don't know what she was doing there,” she said. “She was just... staring at everyone...”
Apple Bloom frowned. “Could it have just been Zecora? She sometimes goes lookin' for new herbs and stuff in weird places.”
Diamond shook her head. “No. No mohawk, and she wasn't wearing that cloak Zecora wears when she goes out,” she said.
Cheerilee sighed, shaking her head. “Girls, there's nopony here, and there's no sign there was anypony here.”
The foals fidgeted nervously. Cheerilee sighed. Damn it, Diamond. “Look. Why don't we all go play tag near the jungle gym? Hm? Doesn't that sound like fun?”
Reluctantly, the nervous foals all casting glances back to the woods, they went back up to play, quickly forgetting about their troubles once the game started.
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The next day...
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“I saw her again! The mare in the woods!” Diamond Tiara said to a group of gathered fillies, fear on her face. “It was so creepy... She had, like, batpony ears! And creepy yellow eyes!”
Dinky shivered. “R-Really?!”
Scootaloo frowned. “I don't believe you,” she said finally.
Diamond shook her head. “I wouldn't make something like this up...” she said.
“I'm gonna go check...” Scootaloo said, impressing the other foals with her bravery.
“Be careful,” Diamond Tiara said. “I don't like you, but I don't want some freak to hurt you...”
“You've reserved that privilege for yourself, huh?” Scootaloo teased.
Diamond managed to smirk. “Well, yeah.”
“THAT I believe,” Scootaloo laughed. She trotted down to the honeysuckle, a group of nervous foals following behind her. She fluttered her wings, looking up over the top of the bushes. She scanned the dark forest, looking for any sign of the supposed mare, when...
“EEP!” Scootaloo suddenly dropped down to the ground.
“What's wrong?!” Silver Spoon asked.
Scootaloo gulped. “I thought... I thought I saw something... With yellow eyes...”
The foals all traded worried looks. If Scootaloo had saw something...
Diamond was resisting the urge to smirk, playing up the role of 'scared filly' perfectly. In her head, though, she was envisioning Scootaloo as a fiddle, one which she was playing expertly...
“Kids? What's going on?” Cheerilee asked, coming down to the group.
“Diamond saw the mare in the woods again,” Scootaloo said, swallowing nervously and adding, “And so did I...”
Cheerilee face-hoofed. “Not this again...” she muttered. She stepped into the forest proper, scanning about for anything that could even remotely be taken as a sign that there was a 'mare in the woods.' After finding less than nothing, she came out again, smiling.
“See?” Cheerilee said. “Nothing.”
The foals fidgeted nervously. “You didn't really look...” Snips said after a moment, the lot of them moving back up to the playground. There was a brief snap, Cheerilee turning to see Diamond Tiara walking back with a vine of honeysuckle wrapped around her hooves, a smirk on her face.
The bell rung to start class again. Cheerilee would put a stop to this tomorrow, she swore.
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The next day...
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Cheerilee decided to do this on a case by case basis. Dinky seemed to be the most scared, refusing to leave the side of the playground farthest from the forest. Diamond Tiara sat nearby, bored.
“So you see, sometimes your mind can play tricks on you,” Cheerilee said. “Someone makes up a scary story, and your imagination can make it into something it really isn't. Do you understand?”
Dinky frowned. “I guess that makes sense...”
Before Cheerilee could say anything else, voices came from the edge of the playground.
“L-look! It's the mare in the woods!” said Snails.
“I saw her holding something rusty... a knife?!” said Sweetie Belle.
“Oh man! She's got a knife!” screamed Button Mash.
The children all panicked, screaming and running inside. Dinky was openly sobbing. Diamond quickly flashed Cheerilee a grin, and then joined the other students in their screaming, faking her fear.
“Kids... kids, there's nothing there! You're just seeing things! Diamond's lying to you!” Cheerilee called out in frustration. They didn't listen, the magenta Earth pony stomping the ground in frustration.
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That night...
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Diamond initiated phase two of her plan to get the honeysuckle bushes at the school to herself: getting her parents involved. Just her mother, tonight, but that'd be more than enough.
“And she had batpony ears, and scary eyes, and Snails saw that she had a knife, and I'm SO SCARED, MOMMY!” Diamond fake-sobbed, Spoiled Rich buying the act completely.
“Don't worry, my dear,” Spoiled said. “I'll get to the bottom of this...”
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The next day...
Cheerilee's Office...
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“I want to know what you're doing about this mare in the woods,” Spoiled Rich said imperiously to Cheerilee.
Oh no... Cheerilee thought. “Ma'am, I assure you, there is no mare in the woods,” she said. “Your daughter is perfectly safe.”
“If there is no mare in the woods, then why is my daughter so terrified?” Spoiled said.
Cheerilee took a breath to calm herself. “Mrs. Rich. I believe that your daughter made up the mare in the woods to scare the other children away from the honeysuckle bushes near the woods. She had been hoarding them recently, and when the CMC stopped her from doing so...”
“I do NOT believe what I am hearing!” Spoiled Rich said angrily. “Are you saying that my daughter, my precious little angel, would make up such a story for such an inane reason? For HONEYSUCKLE?!”
“With Diamond Tiara's past history of behavioral problems, she...” Cheerilee tried to say.
“How monstrous! To even suggest that she would make up something like this!” Spoiled shouted.
A secretary looked in, causing both mares to glare at her. She winced, and said, “Um... There's more parents here wanting to talk about the mare in the woods thing...”
“You've got to be kidding me...” Cheerilee muttered, a triumphant look crossing Spoiled's face. Cheerilee stepped out of her office, seeing several parents and family members (and Rainbow Dash for some reason) standing in the hallway.
“What are you doing about this mare in the woods?!” shouted Button Mash's mother.
“Mah boy is too scared to go to school now!” Snails's father said, “And it ain't the fake scare of a kid trying to get out of class, either!”
“Please...” Derpy said, coming up to the front of the group. “My daughter had such horrible nightmares last night. What's being done about this?”
“Indeed, Ms. Cheerilee,” Spoiled Rich said smugly. “What is being done?”
Cheerilee resisted the urge to snap at her. She took a calming breath, and said, “Firstly, everypony, I want you to calm down and think about things. The first one to say this, Diamond Tiara, has a history of behavioral problems. You've all come to be before to complain about her behavior. Now, doesn't it seem like this is just another scheme of hers to torment your children?”
Several of the parents and family gathered there began to mutter amongst themselves, remembering other things Diamond Tiara had done to their children in the past. Spoiled frowned, while Cheerilee began to relax. “I've looked through the forest,” she said. “And I can assure you, there is no mare in the woods. I...”
“Um...” Rainbow Dash said, pawing at the ground nervously. She, Rarity, and Applejack had uncomfortable looks on their faces.
Cheerilee frowned. “What is it?”
Rainbow Dash, giving Rarity and Applejack a pained look, stepped forward and said, “Well... With everything that's happened in the past few months... A mare in the woods doesn't seem that farfetched.”
Spoiled smirked again as Cheerilee's jaw dropped.
Rainbow Dash continued, clearly not wanting to but feeling the need to. “Plus... That forest's pretty big. Even with my eyes, there's a chance I could miss something.”
Rarity chose that moment to chime in. “And even if Rainbow Dash did do a search... No offense darling, but you're about as subtle as an explosion...”
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “No, I get what you mean. If there is a mare in the woods, they would notice my contrail and have a chance to hide before I spotted them.” She did a quick flip, leaving a streak of rainbow behind her tail briefly.
More mutterings, this time worried that Diamond Tiara might be right for once. Cheerilee could only stare in shock. “Please...” she said. “Your childrens' imaginations are just running away with them. Remember how many times a certain trio of cowards have sent the town into a panic over nothing? There is no danger!”
“I think I want a team of professionals to verify that,” Spoiled Rich said, glaring at her. “Since you obviously are too lackadaisical a teacher to PROPERLY search the forest.”
Cheerilee glared at her. “This isn't over,” she said.
Spoiled Rich's expression was murderous. “No. It's not...” she said.
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Five days later...
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Cheerilee nervously stepped into the principal's office, smiling. “May I help you, sir?” she asked.
The principal, looking emotionally exhausted, motioned for her to sit. “We need to talk about what's been going on the past few days.”
Cheerilee sat down, frowning. “Sir, if this is about the so-called 'mare in the woods...'” she said.
“I'm afraid it is, Cheerilee,” the principal said. “The constant sightings from the children...”
“They're imagining things,” Cheerilee said. “Diamond Tiara is playing us all. Rainbow Dash couldn't find anything. She brought in a couple WONDERBOLTS and they couldn't find anything! We've even had Zecora and Twilight Sparkle go through and check, and neither of them could find any sign of this 'mare in the woods!' If someone as powerful as an alicorn and someone as knowledgeable about forest living as Zecora couldn't find anything...”
The principal sighed. “Cheerilee...” he said, “Twilight told me about a unicorn named Starlight Glimmer.”
Cheerilee blinked. “Who in blazes is that!?” she asked.
“A dangerously psychotic unicorn who used to run a cult based on cutie mark removal,” the principal said, shocking Cheerilee. “Twilight said that Starlight was incredibly powerful, and that she escaped when they confront them. It's not a stretch to think that Starlight Glimmer might be this 'mare in the woods,' and has somehow managed to find a way to hide from them.”
“I...” Cheerilee stammered, her eye twitching. This can't be happening... “Discord!” she tried desperately. “Discord. We get Fluttershy to convince him to help and... I don't know, he can make the forest stand up and do the hula! That way...”
“Cheerilee...” the principal said. “The schoolboard's already voted...”
“On what!?” Cheerilee demanded.
The principal sighed. “With the growing amount of evidence of the 'mare in the woods' actually being real, your insistence that said 'mare' might not be real is being perceived as negligence. I'm sorry, Cheerilee. You're fired.”
Cheerilee flinched, her eye twitching. “W-What?”
The principal shook his head. “Spoiled's been vilifying you to them. Plus, she's one of the schoolboard's major financial backers. They voted, and they voted against you. I'm sorry, Cheery...”
“Ten years...” Cheerilee said softly. “Ten years I've been here... And it's over, just like that...”
“It isn't fair,” the principal agreed.
“Can... can I at least say goodbye to my students?” she asked.
The principal shook his head. “A substitute's already been sent in,” he said.
Cheerilee said nothing. She just stared at the principal for a long moment, and then left wordlessly. “Cheery...” the principal said, visibly pained.
A slamming door was his answer. He sighed, letting his head drop to his desk.
As Cheerilee was leaving the school, she passed Spoiled Rich, waiting outside her daughter's classroom. “Going job hunting?” Spoiled teased.
Cheerilee muttered something unintelligible.
Spoiled smirked wickedly. “Good luck,” she said in a sing-songy voice.
Cheerilee stared at her. Something about the way she said that...
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Three days later...
Canterlot University...
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“Miss Cheerilee, we've received some distressing reports about you... Something about negligence in terms of your students' safety?” the dean said.
“I assure you,” Cheerilee said, her eye twitching, “those claims are completely unfounded. The person who made them is simply vindictive that I actually called her bully of a daughter out on her lying.”
The dean frowned. “Still, I'm not exactly confident about your ability... We'll get back to you,” she said finally.
Translation: you'll never hear from us again. Go away, Cheerilee thought. “T-Thank you, ma'am. I hope to hear from you soon.”
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Two days later...
At another school...
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“Sir, I assure you, those claims are baseless!” Cheerilee protested.
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Four days later...
At another school...
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“I would NEVER disregard the safety of my students! I loved my kids!” Cheerilee said desperately.
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Six days later...
At another school...
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“Did they ever find anything? Any sign that there was a mare in the woods? No, they did not!” Cheerilee almost shouted. “I was in the right! The kids were in no danger!”
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Eight days later...
At another school...
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“Please... Don't believe the rumors about me...” Cheerilee begged. “I love children! I'd never let them come to harm!”
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Ten days later...
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“Yes, I was just calling in to see if you've gotten my application? I...” Cheerilee's face fell. “Oh. You... You rejected it. Not what you're looking for right now. Okay, thank you for your consideration...”
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A month later...
An apartment in Manehatten...
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Cheerilee took another swig of beer, her eye twitching. She had lost everything. She had to sell her home in Ponyville, Spoiled's influence making her a pariah amongst the parents there. Plus, Spoiled had spread baseless rumors about her to every school for miles around, making it impossible for her to find another teaching job.
To make ends meet, she had to live in a cockroach-infested hotel on the outskirts of Manehattan, barely making a living off of a janitorial job at a grocery store. (Not Barnyard Bargains. She couldn't bring herself to work for anything even remotely connected to the Rich family.)
She looked at herself in the mirror. Her coat was matted from lack of care, even her cutie mark looking distorted, the smiles on the flowers seemingly frowning now. From her drinking, her eyes now had a slight yellowish tinge to them. After a moment, she turned away from the mirror, whimpering.
This was her life now. Barely making minimum wage, living in a horrid apartment, turning to alcohol to try and comfort herself. Twilight wrote her now and then.
No sign of the 'mare in the woods' had ever been found. And despite her best efforts, she had been unable to find a way to get Cheerilee her old job back. Spoiled Rich's connections in the schoolboard were too strong.
Her life was ruined.
There was a thump at her door. She went over to it, opening it to find a newspaper there. Sighing, she picked it up, intent on looking through the classifieds to see if there was a job available that wouldn't fill her with despair and self-loathing.
She opened it... and stared.
On the front page was a picture of her old class. Diamond Tiara was standing at the forefront, a huge smile on her face. “PONYVILLE CHILDREN WIN SCIENCE FAIR COMPETITION,” the headline said. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had somehow gotten their Cutie Marks, a trio of shields, each with a unique design for each individual pony.
But she only had eyes for one single filly. Diamond Tiara.
“Diamond Tiara...” Cheerilee muttered, her voice hoarse and growling. “Diamond Tiara. DIAMOND TIARA.” She snarled, and began pacing. “All because she wanted to keep the honeysuckle bushes for herself. DIAMOND TIARA. Damn her... Little vile swine... I WAS IN MY PRIME!!”
Her neighbors pounded on the door, yelling at her to shut up. Cheerilee ignored them. “But no. Just because someone opposed you, you had to RUIN MY LIFE. And now I'm nothing. Nothing. NOTHING!!”
She suddenly stopped, a mad grin coming over her face, her eye twitching. “...Which means I have nothing left to lose.”
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Two days later...
Ponyville...
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Fluttershy hummed to herself, quietly trotting along the path to Zecora's hut. She had a tea set with her, and Discord floating alongside her. “Now, Discord, you promised to be on your best behavior,” she said, turning to admonish her traveling companion.
The draconequus rolled his eyes. They came up with an eleven. “Yes, yes,” he said. “I promise I won't try to trick her into rhyming 'purple' and 'orange' again.”
Fluttershy nodded. “Okay. I just wanted to be sure,” she said.
Discord chuckled. “Relax. I'll be nice. Zecora's one of the few interesting folk in this little town,” picking up some poison joke from a nearby patch and eating it.
Fluttershy smiled. The two of them turned the final corner... and saw the door to Zecora's tree hut broken open. “Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy squeaked, she and Discord rushing inside. The zebra's hut had been ransacked, Zecora herself laying on the ground with a bloody impact wound on her head. Zecora groaned weakly, trying to stagger to her hooves.
Discord winced. “Eesh. Black and white and red all over... The newspaper look does not suit you, my dear,” he said as Fluttershy went to find a first aid kit.
“Please, Discord, now's not the time for jokes,” she said.
“She's... right...” Zecora grunted, falling down again after her failed attempt to stand. “Still... in danger...”
Fluttershy, returning with a hot, wet washcloth and some bandages, starting to tend to her wounds. “Ssssh, just lay still... Everything's okay now.”
“No...” Zecora said. “S-Stolen...”
Discord frowned. Something stolen from a known mystic couldn't be a good thing. “What was taken?”
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Meanwhile...
Ponyville Elementary...
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Diamond Tiara sat alone near the honeysuckle bushes, thinking. A lot had changed for her since her little scheme had worked. She had finally come to understand herself and her cutie mark. And with that change... came guilt.
She regretted screwing over Cheerilee like that. She was a good teacher, and always seemed to care about her and the other students. But she was afraid of what might happen if she did confess she was lying about the mare in the woods back then. Would she lose her newfound friendships? Would Cheerilee ever forgive her for letting it get that far? All she really wanted was to have the honeysuckle to herself (and maybe Silver Spoon). Maybe...
“Hey,” said a voice from behind the bushes.
Diamond Tiara looked around, startled. “Who... who's there?” she asked.
“You should really be more careful, don't you know?” the voice said.
Before Diamond Tiara could react, the honeysuckle vines came to life, wrapping around her neck and choking her before she could scream. Struggling, she was lifted into the air by the vines.
“After all,” the voice said, emerging from the bushes.
To Diamond Tiara's horror, it was Cheerilee. Her eyes were glowing red. And the Alicorn Amulet was around her neck.
Cheerilee grinned viciously. “There's a mare in the woods.”
THE END