//------------------------------// // Chapter Six: New Home. // Story: Mare Do Well Begins // by shanetommas111 //------------------------------// After finding the note in her mail box Cheerilee stealthy left her home town to Maine Manor. She snuck onto a cargo train to Canterlot. Maine Manor wasn't real in Canterlot but was close to it enough for Cheerilee to get of the train and walk there. When she got to the front gate she saw a com system by the side. She hesitated for a bit incase this was a trap, but she deiced to risk it and spoke into it. "Hello is anypony there?" "Ah Mistress Cheerilee I've been waiting for you please come in." An old stallion spoke through the com system. Cheerilee noticed that he called her Mistress for some reason. Then the gates opened and Cheerilee bushed her thought for later and entered the Manor. When she reached the front door she nocked, and hopefully this time she wouldn't be greeted with a hoof in the face. The door opened by a old unicorn stallion, his coat had a grey color and his mane a whitish grey. "It's good to see you again Mistress Cheerilee." Cheerilee took her a second to recognize the stallion in front of her and shouted in joy. "Hoofred!" She then jump on him and hugged the old grey stallion. "I haven't seen you since I was eleven." Hoofred patted Cheerilee on the back and said. "Yes but I hoped I would of see you without you being in a predicament." After hearing that Cheerilee back away a foot with a worried look and asked. "Do you believe me." The old stallion smiled and answered. "Mistress Cheerilee I've known you since you were a filly, of course I believe you." Cheerilee smiled but then she saw Hoofred's smiled faded in sadness. "I just can't believe that your own parents didn't." It was silent for awhile till Hoofred spoke again. "It's freezing out here, lets come inside or will get a cold." After that both Cheerilee and Hoofred entered the Manor and closed the door. They then went into a living room with a fireplace still burning. Cheerilee sat in one of the cozy chairs. "It feels like I haven't been in a actual chair in ages." Cheerilee said out loud. Then Hoofred was going to the kitchen and ask. "I'm going to make some tea Mistress, do you want any?" "Yes please. It feels like I haven't had a decent cup of tea in..." Cheerilee said before being cut of be Hoofred. "Ages." Cheerilee giggled and nodded. Hoofred smiled and left to the kitchen leaving Cheerilee deep in thought of the times she had visited this place when she was a filly. ******************* Twenty years ago During her childhood, Cheerilee's parents had connections with the Maine family and got to visit them once a year. Cheerilee and her mother were visiting Maine Manor and it's two inhabitants Huse Maine, and Hoofred. When the carriage stopped the seven year old Cheerilee jumped out and ran to the front door where Hruse and Hoofred were and said. "Uncle Hruse! Grandpa Hoof!" She ran and hugged them both while they did the same until her mother came. "Cheerilee for the hundred time they aren't your uncle or grandfather." She said softly to her filly and then looked at Hruse. "Sorry about that." Hruse smiled and said. "And we told you hundred times that we like her calling us that." Hoofred also smiled when looking at Cinnamon Breeze and Cheerilee. "I now but I don't want her to get confused when she meets her real uncles and grandparents." Cinnamon said with a smile looking at the cheerful Cheerilee. "Its quite alright miss Breeze, we understand." Hruse told Cinnamon and then bend over and looked at Cheerilee and ask. "Want to explore Maine gardens." The purple filly jump up and said "Yeah." Then she ran towards the gardens while Hruse and Hoofred are talking to her mother about something else. When she got to the gardens she immediately went to her favorite place, the flower house. She liked it so much because she can look at all the pretty flowers and when no pony was looking she eats some. When she got their she noticed a tunnel blocked by a wall of vines. With curiosity she went through the vines and into the tunnel where it led to a big cave with a waterfall. She was amazed of seeing the cave till she heard screeching from above and saw bats hanging. She coward because in school students say that bats are scary and they drink your blood. She froze for a second till something fell in front of her. She looked and saw it was a baby bat that lost it grip from the sealing, seeing the little bat on the ground Cheerilee's fear was gone and all she felt was helping the poor thing. She pick it up and said. "Don't worry, I'll bring you back to your mommy." After saying that she began to climb the wall to the sealing. It took a couple of seconds before she finally reached the top. She then held out a hoof and the baby bat jumped back on top of the sealing. Cheerilee then climbed down and looked where the baby bat was going, and she saw that it made it back to its mother. After it did the mother flew down and landed on Cheerilee's right hoof looking at her. Cheerilee smiled and said. "Your welcome mommy bat." Then the bat took of and began to fly around her, Cheerilee didn't now what it was doing till more bats joined it and then in mere seconds almost all of the bats were circling her. To most foals and some adults this would frighten them but for Cheerilee it looked beautiful like she was seeing into a kaleidoscope. She enjoyed it until she saw her mother and the other two stallions calling her name. They got worried when they couldn't find her in the gardens and saw that a gap between of vines that led into the cave. When they finally found her she was being circled by bats. "Look mommy aren't they pretty?" Cheerilee said pointing at the bats. Cinnamon quickley ran grabbing Hoofred's torch and swung it at the bats scaring them off. "Go! Get away from my daughter!" The bats quickly flew away while Hoofred picked up Cheerilee and carried her in the Manor. Cheerilee was confused. 'Why did mommy took me away? Why did the battys flew away from her?' Cheerilee thought to her self then she noticed that Hoofred had put her on a comfy chair near the fire place. She then saw her mother coming up to her and saying. "Baby are you alright?" Her mother had a worried look on her face. "I was so worried about you." Then Hruse came up and put a hoof on Cinnamon's shoulder and said. "I'm sorry about this Cinnamon. Me and Hoofred should of looked over the gardens before letting her go." Cheerilee's mother nodded and both her and Hoofred left the room. Hruse then went to Cheerilee and asked. "Are you alright. I now you must of been scared but its all over now." Cheerilee looked at Hruse and said. "I wasn't, I wanted to stay with the battys." Hruse right eyebrow rose saying 'What do you mean? "A baby bat fell on the ground so picked it up climbed the wall and gave it back to it's mommy. Then the mommy and its friends started to circle me. It was pretty like looking into a calidascopa." Cheerilee said while it was hard trying to say kaleidoscope. Hruse smiled patted her on the back and came closer to her when she spoke again. "But then mommy came and the battys flew away. Why did the battys flew away when mommy came?" Hruse smiled and answered. "Because they were afraid of her. Just like she was afraid of you getting hurt." Cheerilee tilted her head. "You see everything gets scared you now why." Cheerilee shook her head. "Because every has a fear even scary things like bats." Cheerilee looked at him and said. "I'm not afraid of battys. I like them." Hruse smiled and said. "Oh I now that, but next time you go somewhere make sure to tell a grown up before you do. Understand?" Cheerilee nodded and was picked up by Hruse and was being carried to the kitchen. "Now want some fresh baked cookies?" The purple filly smiled and said. "Yay cookies!" ******************* Cheerilee had a tear in her eye remembering of how she loved this place and also how her mother cared about her back then. Then she heard hoof steps and she quickly brushed of the tear and saw Hoofred levitating her a cup of tea. She kindly took it and drank from it. "It tastes wonderful Hoofred." Cheerilee sadi while Hoofred sat on an other chair. Then Cheerilee realized something, for this entire time Hoofred had been calling her 'Mistress'. "Hoofred why have you been calling me Mistress." Hoofred sat on his chair before speaking. "Because you are the Mistress of this Manor." Cheerilee raised an eyebrow and he continued. "You see after Hruse passed away he gave Maine Enterprises to Dust Feather, the maid that worked here. Do you know remember who she is?" Cheerilee nodded and said. "Of course I remember her, she would play games with me when we the same age. And yes I did heard about her becoming the CEO of Maine Enterprises." "Was. She passed away two months ago." Hoofred said shocking Cheerilee nearly dropping her tea. "Before she passed she got her name changed to yours." Cheerilee now was even more confused and asked. "Why?" "We both watched the news on your escape and we decided that when you finally come, Dust would secretly hand over Maine Enterprises to you and her name changed to yours it would look like she still owned it." He paused for a moment till he spoke again. "But she died. So she made a secret will to you and made a perfect cover up of her death, that for the passed two months she had been on a world wide vacation." He looked into his tea then back to Cheerilee and smiled. "So that is why I am calling you Mistress Cheerilee." The purple mare just sat there trying to take everything in. 'I now own a multi billion bit enterprise.' She thought to her self then she asked. "What about when I appear in public when every pony would recognize me." Hoofred smiled and levitated a devise to her left ear and he said. "Click the red button." Cheerilee did what he said and when she did her body turned into a white mare with a golden mane. She got up and looked at her self and saw that she looked just like her childhood friend Dust Feather. "Its Maine Enterprises latest devise we made just for you Cheerilee. It will make you look like Dust at all times." Cheerilee then pressed the red button again turning into her back into her old self and then got an idea. She sat down again thinking about how to get started and then asked. "Does Mr. Fox still have excess to the inventions in Maine Enterprises?" Hoofred raised an eyebrow and asked. "Yes but why?" Cheerilee got up and said. "Because I need to prepare for my new career." She got up and opened the front door, but before she left she asked. "Hoofred remember that cave I wondered in when I was just a filly?" Hoofred nodded and got up to follow her where she going. "We're going to need it."