Whatever Happened to Diamond Tiara?

Cheerilee didn’t take a sleeping potion before bed, due to the mixed results from the previous night. She woke up feeling even worse, but she did at least make it to school on time. She stood there before the students. Bloodshot eyes. Mind fumbling for direction. The students were out of control, chattering raucously while she zoned out, eyes fixed upon Diamond Tiara’s empty desk.

She was suddenly snapped back to consciousness as somepony threw a fluttering workbook across the room.

“Okay, everypony sit in your seats and quiet down,” she shouted. She quickly tried to get mentally on track while the students settled back down but it felt like trying to scoop up sand with a toothpick.

“Um, well.... Okay, reading. So-”

“Miss Cheerilee,” called Silver Spoon. “That’s not a complete sentence.”

Cheerilee’s eyebrow twitched as the whole room erupted in laughter. A week ago she would have shared a good natured laugh with them, but now she could only feel sad or irritable about everything. Diamond Tiara was gone, and apparently the only pony here that cared was her because here they all were, still able to have a hearty laugh at their teacher’s inability to articulate a coherent thought while she quietly drowned in solitude.

“Very good, Silver” glowered Cheerilee. “Now can you tell me why it’s an incomplete sentence?”

The smile disappeared from Silver Spoon’s face. “Umm… No,” she admitted.

“Then maybe you should spend less time cracking jokes and more time listening in class,” she snapped.

Silver Spoon bit her lip and clammed up in embarrassment.

“As I was saying, you all know that questions mostly only start with a hooffull of different words.” She pointed to the board where many of the words were written down above a pile of short chalk sticks which she could no longer use without breaking. “So for our morning reading game, everypony is going to take turns asking a question beginning with a different word each time until we can’t think of any more new words. Let’s go in order down the rows starting in this corner with Applebloom.”

“Alright,” nodded Applebloom. “Where did you hide Diamond’s body?

“E-excuse me?” blurted Cheerilee in disbelief.

“Huh?” muttered Applebloom.

“What did you just say?”

“Where could my dog be?” repeated Applebloom, taken aback by her teacher’s apparent offense at the answer.

“O-oh." Cheerilee rubbed her ears warily. "Continue.” She pointed at the next student.

"Are you going to run forever?"

Her face tightened.

“Would your parents be proud?”

“Do you think you deserve peace?”

“Could I be next?”

Cheerilee covered her ears but could still hear them speaking plainly. No matter how hard she pushed, their voices made it through.

“Am I next?”

“Will I be next?”

“Stop!” she shouted. “Just stop! You’re not going insane,” she panted shakily. “This will all stop if you just get more sleep. You said that out loud. You said that out loud.” She covered her mouth at the sudden realization of losing her inner voice. “Wooooooooo!” she laughed manically, looking up at the clock and then back down at the students who were all staring at her, dumbstruck. “You know what, everypony? It looks like it’s recess time! Go outside!”

The students looked at each other in bewilderment, but happily obliged, rushing outside to the playground.

Cheerilee sighed like a train engine blasting steam at the station. She flew to her desk and yanked open a drawer, groping around until her hoof touched the liquor flask hidden in the back which she’d use to spike her coffee on particularly difficult days.

"Miss Cheerilee?" called a voice from above her.

Cheerilee flinched in surprise, abruptly slamming the drawer closed.

"It's not actually recess time though," expounded Twist, the only foal to stay behind.

Cheerilee pounded her hoof on the desk. "I didn't ask what time it was, you little ginger-headed dork," she snarled. "I said to go outside."

"Y-yes ma’am," she cowered before skulking away.

Cheerilee waited until Twist had disappeared from the doorway before reacquiring the flask. She fidgeted anxiously with the screw top and took a big swig.

"Need to supervise them," she muttered angrily to herself. “Before another one falls in a hole.” But she also needed to get her head on straight and recompose herself before trying to teach again. She was really losing it. Never had she felt so out of control.

Cheerilee stowed the flask and wandered out to the playground. She stood at her post, taking deep, rhythmic breaths, trying to clear her head. Her eyes fell on the cluster of boarded over holes. They infuriated her more than ever now. Just one more awful thing on a mountain of awful things. Even now after somepony died, it still needed to be fixed. She couldn't even figure out how to teach anymore. She'd never get this stupid playground built.

She closed her eyes and began taking deep breaths again until she heard Snips and Snails calling out to her from far away.

“Great, just what I-” Her words trailed off as she looked to see Snips and Snails galloping across the field toward her, levitating something in the air and shouting her name.

Cheerilee squinted at the object until suddenly she knew what it was. Her mouth dropped open in abject terror. It was Diamond Tiara’s tiara. She had completely forgotten about the article and just left it there at the grave. She shot a panicked glance to the students on the playground who luckily seemed to be occupied and paying no attention. Then she dashed forward to meet the two unicorns as they continued to shout her name.

“Miss Cheerilee! Miss Cheerilee! We found Diamond Tiara’s tiara!” blasted Snails.

Cheerilee snatched the tiara from the air, obscuring it from the sight of the rest of the students.

“We found it over by that tree near a hole in the ground,” added Snips excitedly.

She leaned in close to them, adopting a deathly serious tone. “I’m so glad you brought this to me but boys, listen, can you promise me something?

The two of them looked up at her and nodded exuberantly.

“I need you to keep this a secret and not tell anypony about it, okay? Not even your parents. It could make a lot of ponies very scared or sad and we don’t want to do that.” She shook her head for emphasis.

“Are you going to take it to the police,” asked Snips.

“Yes, of course,” she nodded. “You don’t need to worry about it. Just go play and remember, don’t tell anypony.”

Snips and Snails exchanged elated glances, adequately content with believing they were contributing to the investigation in secret. Cheerilee left them, rushing back in the schoolhouse. It was horrifying, but not surprising when she thought about it. How could she stay on top of a coverup when she was so frazzled all the time? What else was out there that slipped her mush brain? Though if it had to be found by a pair of students, she was glad it was the two least likely to put two and two together. She opened her desk drawer and shoved the tiara inside next to the flask.

Out of necessity, Cheerilee coasted through the rest of the day with a battery of pre-made busywork. It was the only way she could survive it. After Snails left the playground, she returned to the schoolhouse, planning to ditch the tiara. It was easier and less suspicious than transporting a body so she felt confident doing it during the day. She pulled the article out from the drawer.

“Look who’s back,” mocked Diamond Tiara. “You’re really struggling with this, aren’t you?”

Cheerilee scowled and stuffed the tiara in her saddlebag. She walked briskly out the door with the key in her mouth. The lock clicked shut and suddenly there came another intrusive voice from behind her.

“Hi, Miss Cheerilee!” chimed Sweetie Belle.

Cheerilee dropped the key in surprise. “Son of a whore!” she exploded.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders stared up at her, bug-eyed.

“I mean, what are you doing back here, girls?” she laughed weakly.

“We decided we’re gonna help find Diamond Tiara,” began Applebloom boastfully. “So we’re lookin’ for clues.”

“When and where was the last time you saw Diamond Tiara?” asked Scootaloo.

Cheerilee gritted her teeth in annoyance. “Girls, please, I’ve already done this twice with ponies who actually know what they’re doing. If you want to search for clues, you should do it at her house.” She couldn’t be arsed to try to dissuade them from their antics or get them to act respectfully to the situation. She just wanted them to leave immediately.

“That’s a good idea,” agreed Sweetie Belle.

“Come on, girls,” called Scootaloo. “Let’s go get our cutie marks in detective work!” Undaunted by Cheerilee’s bluntness, they turned to depart down the walk, back into town.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” scoffed Diamond.

Cheerilee sighed and waited until the three of them were out of sight before entering the woods again. She hurried over logs and through dappled patches of sunlight, her face still contorted in worry.

"So what are we doing today?" asked Diamond Tiara. "Besides failing at hiding evidence again."

Cheerilee said nothing.

"Ugh, you're even more boring talking with than you are teaching."

Cheerilee growled unintelligibly.

"Say something already. Why won't you talk to me?"

"Because you're not real," grumbled Cheerilee. "You're my imagination. What would be the point of conversing with my own imagination, especially when it's being so hostile to me?"

"Pfffft. For you, I'm as real as it matters. Get used to it."

"No," she huffed. "You'll be gone soon enough. If somepony finds you, it'll be far away from me and it won't be my problem. Then I'll be able to sleep again and then all this weirdness is going to stop."

"You think you're this way now just because you're worried about getting caught?" laughed Diamond. "The investigation doesn't even matter, Cheerilee. You've already pulled into Crazyville Station and unpacked your bags.

"That's not true," she shot back. "I was fine… mostly just days ago."

"Yeah, until you killed me with your carelessness. You deserve this."

Cheerilee skidded to a stop at the edge of the ravine. She ripped the tiara from her pack and shook it in the air. "You fell in that hole and killed yourself on purpose to get me in trouble! Well you're not gonna win, you hear me? Because I'm smarter than you!"

"You're arguing with a tiara, you loon," posed Diamond.

"You're not a Tiara! You're my inner voice, manifesting as Diamond Tiara's voice and I want you to shut up!"

Cheerilee threw the tiara to the ground and stamped her hoof on it over and over until it was crushed flat. She kicked it into the ravine, hearing it plunk in the water. Then she tore at her mane, screaming in rabid fury, sending echoes through the valley.