Chapter X

Upon coming home, Cheerilee was faced with several difficulties as she tried to return to daily life. The first thing she noticed was that somepony had apparently broken into her apartment during her absence. There was a note on the table from her landlord with the information that her door had been replaced, and that Cheerilee would be held responsible for the costs. Luckily, the only thing the burglar had done was make a mess, as there had been nothing worth stealing in her apartment.

She also found out that she had been gone for a little over five weeks, a feat that surprised her. It meant that she even had a few days left on her vacation. She could go back to work without anypony suspecting a thing.

Cheerilee decided that the first order of business was to let Case Study and Vinyl Scratch know that she was back in Manehatten. Vinyl was her usual cheery self, tightly embracing her friend and nuzzling her mane upon their reunion. The bandages around her flank raised the topic of the timber wolves and the creatures in the cavern, though she decided to downplay how close she had truly come to death.

“Whoa, Cheers,” Vinyl said with a mixed expression of awe and horror. “When you told me you were going on vacation I didn’t think you’d be off to re-enact Daring Do!” To make up for missed adventures, Cheerilee decided to bring a tub of chocolate ice cream and stay the night at Vinyl’s apartment. This meant, of course, listening to some of Vinyl’s music, but it was a small price to pay for the cheery DJ’s company.

Case Study, who was surprised at Cheerilee’s swift return, didn’t seem to be the slightest bit fazed as she spoke of her experiences. If she got any reaction from her teacher, it would come in the form of understanding nods and arched eyebrows. After she finished her story, Case grasped her forehoof in his own and shook it with a big grin.

“Congratulations, Cheerilee. You did it.”

No other words were needed to make the purple mare’s heart soar with pride.

*****

Once properly settled at home, Cheerilee unpacked her saddlebags. Most of the equipment she had brought was still in decent condition. Only her book on edible plants had become unreadable. Upon inspecting the climber claws, Cheerilee mentally cursed herself for forgetting to ask Case Study about their origins. Though they were filthy, there was no sign of any wear or rust, despite the punishment they had received upon her trek. She put them aside, deciding to clean them later.

Her eyes fell on the wrapped bundle she had brought along. The flower that blossomed from the seed of kindness, and the scroll that Zecora had provided. As it turned out, the scroll was a recipe for a potent truth serum. Detailed instructions, pictures, and especially warnings on its use. Cheerilee recalled Zecora’s words on the value of truth, and thanked the zebra inwardly.

Last of all, she pulled out the Mare Do Well costume. She stared at it for a moment, taking in its features, before folding it up and placing it in her wardrobe. Not yet. There are preparations to be made first.

As it turned out, those preparations were easier to accomplish than she had thought. Pawning several of the glimmerstones she found in Everfree earned her enough bits to buy her food for a year. Selling the stones in small bundles didn’t only keep suspicion on the low, but it also increased the amount that purchasers were willing to pay. Soon enough she found she had enough bits to make a few adjustments to her apartment. Zecora’s discomfort at accepting the amount of gems that Cheerilee had insisted on became a little more understandable.

She also realized she could have easily purchased a new apartment in a better neighborhood, yet she decided against it. For what she was about to do, she needed to lay low. No need to alert anypony to her newfound wealth. Second of all, it was important to keep your enemies close, and how could she become closer than living in the very neighborhoods that was their territory?

Cheerilee couldn’t help but chuckle as she saw the situation she had created in her living room. She had emptied the bedroom to make place for the equipment she was going to need if she was to take up the mantle of Mare Do Well. Despite the fact that her bed and all of her possessions were now placed in a single area, there was still plenty of room to move about. It showed what few possessions Cheerilee had to her name. Until now.

First of all, Cheerilee decided to take a few security measures. She replaced her bedroom door with the sturdiest door she could find, outfitted with an intricate locking mechanism. She covered up the window to prevent people from looking inside, and bolted a set of steel bars on the inside to prevent anyone from entering. The window could now be opened only slightly, to allow a breeze of fresh air into the room when necessary.

Next, the area had to be made soundproof. She ended up padding the entire room, including the ceiling, and the floor was covered in a thick carpet that cushioned and muffled her hoofsteps. With a cringe, Cheerilee realized that her security measures made the room look like a cell in a mental institute.

Shaking the thought, she continued her preparations by installing an expansive chemistry table, complete with a large assortment of books on the subjects she believed she would require. Second, she was going to need tools and materials that would allow her to maintain the condition of her costume. She was no expert seamstress like Rarity, but felt confident enough in her abilities to patch up holes and tears. Finally, she installed a wide array of training equipment. Though there was little training she was going to need, she thought it best to be prepared for the occasion.

*****

Several nights later, with everything in place, Cheerilee decided that it was time. There were no more preparations to be made, no more excuses to delay this. Apprehensively, she put on her glimmerstone amulet and slipped the dark purple bodysuit on her form. She noticed it was definitely made for an earth pony, made specifically to be put on with ease for a pony that did not have the benefit of magic. She slipped the mask over her head, adjusting the eye holes for optimal vision, before setting the wide-brimmed hat on her head.

Cheerilee suppressed a gasp as she looked at herself in the mirror. The skin-tight suit hugged her form, showing off the tight musculature that she had accumulated over the years. If it weren’t for the shape of her muzzle and the unmistakable curves of her body, she figured she could have been mistaken for a stallion. The cape was designed in such a way that it didn’t hinder the freedom of movement that the suit offered, another sign of Rarity’s genius when it came to designing. Looking herself over in a mirror, she came to the conclusion that she looked, in one word, frightening. Her grin was hidden by the mask that covered her face, as she opened her living room window and sneaked out of her apartment, into the night.

Manehatten’s rooftops provided a whole new perspective of the city. In the distance, she could see the brightly illuminated skyscrapers that made up most of the city’s center. In the city’s outer rings the buildings were lower, but still high enough to have a good vantage point. The ease with which she got to the top was surprising. Her climbing claws proved, once again, to be invaluable. Though a lot of buildings in Manehatten had stone walls, there were still plenty of wooden support beams she could use to climb up. Once she was up, it was easy to jump from rooftop to rooftop, as the differences in height weren’t enough to match the jumps that Cheerilee’s strong legs could make.

A cold wind blew, causing her cloak to billow around her as she sat on the edge of one of the taller buildings in the neighborhood. Summer was starting to make way for autumn, and though it was far from freezing, a distinct chill could be felt in the nighttime air. She knew perfectly well what she wanted to do: find a couple of thugs, and teach them the error of their ways. The problem was that Cheerilee had no idea where to begin looking. She cursed to herself for her naïveté. The last time she had run into trouble, it had been mere coincidence. She was in the wrong—or right, arguably—place at the wrong time. Her best bet, for now, would be to simply roam the seedier neighborhoods and hope for the best.

She jumped to an adjacent building, landing with a soft thud. From this point, she had a good view of a twenty-four-seven store in the street down below. She decided to keep an eye out for a while, but even though there were a few seedy types that visited the store, none of them actually made any trouble.

As hours went by, Cheerilee was starting to lose hope and motivation. Her eyes drooped with fatigue as her patrol proved fruitless. What am I doing here?, she thought as she adjusted her hat. She was about to turn home when a nearby scream made her eyes snap open, her fatigue forgotten entirely. She shot up and raced towards the source of the sound. Fortunately for her, whoever was screaming, was now wailing continuously, allowing her to track the sound with relative ease. Within a minute, she found the scene. A group of five stallions stood around another, yellow-coated stallion. The yellow stallion looked bruised, and trickles of red ran from his nose and mouth. The wailing came from a light blue mare wearing a rather racy outfit, who was groveling before a rough looking, grey-coated stallion.

“Please! Please, it’s not his fault! Just let him go! Please, Switch, please!,” the mare sobbed, tears causing her make-up to run down her face in thick black streaks. The gray stallion seemed unfazed.

“I warned you what would happen. I thought I made it clear that you’re mine, yet here you are giving away your services for free,” the grey stallion who was apparently known as Switch replied coolly. “Give him another one in the ribs, boys.”

The yellow stallion that was sprawled on the ground instinctively raised his forelegs to cover his face, as one of the stallions from the group broke the circle to plant one of his hind hooves firmly on his victim’s ribcage, resulting in a guttural squeal.

“Please! Enough! I understand now, I’ll pay for everything! Just leave him alone, it wasn’t his fault! He didn’t know!,” the blue mare wailed again.

Switch turned towards the mare, cupping her chin in his hoof. “His mistake was not knowing. Besides, this is as much your punishment as it is his. I had to do something to make you see, as I would never intentionally hurt a woman.”

At exactly this moment, Cheerilee dropped from the roof, landing on one of the stallion cronies surrounding the yellow pony on the ground. In the lowest, raspiest tone she could muster, Cheerilee spoke. “Lucky me.”

She didn’t give the group a moment to recover from their surprise as she brought up her foreleg for a swing, hitting a second pony in the muzzle with the metal of her climbing claw and knocking him cold. By now, the other stallions had sprung to action, two of them aiming to kick her with their hind legs, the third turning tail and running. She ducked, avoiding the legs, and brought up her own hoof to strike a solid blow to one of the stallions’ stomach, which knocked the wind out of him. Spinning around, she flanked the other pony to deliver a solid buck to his haunches, which gave a solid ‘crack’ followed by an ear-splitting wail.

Turning her attention towards Switch, she found him shakily brandishing a hoofblade. Typical. Big attitude when he has cronies around, but shaking like a leaf once you catch them alone. Couldn’t ask for more. Cheerilee’s grin was hidden by her mask as she stalked towards the grey stallion.

“Stay back! I work for Maul, you don’t want to make an enemy of him.”

Cheerilee feinted, causing Switch to instinctively attempt a stab, allowing her to knock the stallion’s hoof out of the way, while bringing up her other hoof for a solid hit to the head, knocking him to the floor.

“Pathetic,” Cheerilee spat. She looked around, five stallions sprawled across the alley floor, some groaning in pain, others out cold. She felt a sense of euphoria that spread from her stomach that reinvigorated her. She turned her head towards the blue mare, who was now cowering against the wall, hyperventilating as she regarded Cheerilee with wide eyes.

“You can come out. These guys won’t hurt anyone anymore,” Cheerilee rasped, turning to the yellow stallion that the group had been beating on. She briefly checked on his wounds, before turning back to the mare. “He’s going to need help. You need to take him to a hospital.”

“Wh-what have you done?!,” the mare spluttered.

Cheerilee instinctively arched an eyebrow, before realizing the gesture would be lost due to her mask. “I taught a group of low-lifes, that’s what.”

“They’re n-not going to accept this. They w-will hurt us. And you. Maul will hunt you.”

“Who is Maul?,” Cheerilee inquired.

“Y-you don’t know? Maul is the griffin that rules this neighborhood. His real name is Maurice. He’ll send people after you! Switch is one of his lieutenants!”

“Was,” Cheerilee corrected. “He’ll be a jailbird now. Listen, your coltfriend needs help. Stay with him while I call the guard and a medical carriage.”

“Aren’t you listening?! He will-,”

Cheerilee cut her off. “I heard you perfectly fine. Frankly, I think you should take this opportunity to get out of Manehatten and start a life where you don’t have to sell yourself for the profit of some low-life pimp.” Cheerilee peered at the prostitute for a moment. The nearly anorexic, trembling figure and running make-up made for a pitiful sight. Taking a good look at the mare, she saw she was more of a filly than an actual mare, probably barely of the legal age for this sort of work. The masked mare suppressed a sudden maternal instinct that wanted to offer the filly a hug and a place to stay. Don’t. Nothing good is going to come from that. Can’t blow my cover.

“I can’t make you do anything,” Cheerilee continued. “Nor do I have any desire to do so. If you insist on staying you can tell this ‘Maul’ that Mare Do Well will be waiting. And if he hurts anyone again, I won’t be waiting. I will be hunting. His rule is over.”

She turned to leave the alley, the blue mare immediately rushing towards the yellow stallion to cradle his head and whisper sweet nothings. Cheerilee turned her head momentarily to regard the sight.

“Class is in session.”

Author's Note

And here. We. Go.