> Our Chaotic Melancholy
>  by Edensola
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Options (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


CHAPTER 1: OPTIONS


Near the Ponyville schoolhouse, Cheerilee was currently leading her class back inside from a short trip to Sugarcube Corner. She wore a smile on her face as she happily opened the door for her students while they all muttered and continued to talk amongst themselves. Cheerilee chuckled softly before stating "Alright everypony, make sure to take your seats, break's over. We need to continue our lesson on Manehattan history here shortly." She closed her eyes with a slight pause, "After that little trip it should be easier to pay attention."

Rumble groaned as he rolled his eyes entering the schoolhouse as did majority of the other students.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom giggled somewhat before Scootaloo raised a brow at Ms. Cheerilee while they stood in front of her, filled with playful curiosity. "Why do we need to learn about Manehattan anyway Ms. Cheerilee? It's not like we live there or anything."

Cheerilee smirked at Scootaloo before shaking her head. "Ah ah ah, you never know Scootaloo. It's best to educate yourself as much as you can, there's no telling when you'll need information. Perhaps someday you'll visit Manehattan and use it there, you see?"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes with a smug smile as she proceeded to trot into the schoolhouse and Apple Bloom followed.

Cheerilee took a moment to glance around at her surroundings, ensuring no ponies were left behind. She smiled softly to herself at the sight of an empty dirt road, and the beautiful Ponyville scenery surrounding her. She took a moment to admire it all as she looked at certain areas one by one. First she peered over at the Ponyville houses in the distance, listening closely as the birds chirped overhead, and the ambience of voices echoed from the small town. Then she peered at the small area of trees with bushes surrounding them, there was also the small beady head of a draconequus sticking out from one of the bushes staring right at Cheerilee, and the mare simply smiled at it. Then she looked at the rolling hills to the left, before her eyes snapped wide. Cheerilee immediately looked back to the bushes but found there was nothing there. She raised a brow, slightly puzzled as she'd wondered if she were just seeing things. Was she starting to lose her mind?

"Mish Cheerilee, you coming!?" called out a worried Twist with her familiar lisp.

Diamond Tiara almost immediately snapped at the little filly. "You Dolt! You just costed us more free time!"

Cheerilee was still focused on the bushes outside the schoolhouse as she peered at them with a somewhat worried gaze. A puzzled and slightly distressed expression adorned her, but eventually she shook it off and then called back out to her students. "Sorry about that class, now anyway, let's get started!" It was likely best not to worry about it; like Diamond Tiara briefly mentioned, it was a waste of time. 

The class of fillies moaned and whined as Cheerilee simply proceeded to the board, and left the schoolhouse door open as well.

From outside the schoolhouse, back at the bushes near the trees, the small draconequus then poked its head out once again. It's eyes were wide with curiosity as it focused on the peculiar building, its candy apple red irises centered on the structure. It then looked past the open door and watched Cheerilee as she taught, cocking its head to the left as she did so, as if curious about the mare. Its expression soon started to grow more infatuated as it continued to look at Cheerilee, biting its lower lip as its eyes widened further in a curious manner.





Cheerilee looked upon her class in delight as she ran her hoof over a diagram she'd plastered across the board. The diagram seemed to be an actual layout of Manehattan, with some certain areas encircled by chalk. She smiled as she'd stopped her hoof at the far right corner of the diagram. "So, let's see if you've all been paying attention to my lessons. Can anypony tell me the history behind this area?"

There was only silence, accompanied by the sound of hushed coughs and a groan here and there.

Cheerilee's expression sunk as she sighed heavily. "Class, you all need to pay more attention. We're going to be having a test regarding all we've learned about Manehattan history by the end of this month. I know it doesn't seem interesting now, but just try to bear with it okay?" She asked pleadingly as the class simply stared back at her with bored expressions. Obviously, they weren't very enthusiastic.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon then began to whisper to each other as the whole class soon started to follow suit.

Cheerilee should've just yelled at all of them and told them to be quiet, but she didn't. She actually just proceeded to her desk and sat down with a solemn expression. She crossed her forehooves atop the desk and then moaned in complaint, shaking her head. As she looked upon her class she puckered her lower lip somewhat. "That's the last time I attempt to use Sugarcube Corner as a motivational reward." She then did a faceplant on her desk and a stack of papers, causing them to fly all over the place, but she really didn't care at this point.

As the class continued to talk to each other with total disregard for the lesson, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom were actually discussing what they'd be doing to hopefully achieve their Cutie Marks after school today. Something that always got them excited. 

Scootaloo seemed confident as usual, placing a hoof on her desk and smirking at her two friends cockily. "I say we go back to Sugarcube Corner, I had the strongest feeling that if I ate just a few more cupcakes, my Cutie Mark would appear! I was scary good at it!"

Apple Bloom suddenly looked puzzled as she peered at Scootaloo. "Well it's not like eating cupcakes is hard er anythin'."

Sweetie Belle looked to both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo with a pondering expression.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom then erupted into argument about what the best path to take towards their Cutie Marks would be. Scootaloo was entirely convinced hers had something to do with gorging on cupcakes. Apple Bloom was convinced she just enjoyed eating them. 

Sweetie Belle sighed heavily as she leaned her head atop her hoof and peered towards the front of the class. But what she saw caused her to let off a piercing cry as she pointed at the creature, shrieking with fear. "M-Ms. Cheerilee! Look out! T-There's a ... a scary monster!"

The rest of the class then stopped talking, wondering what had Sweetie Belle so worked up as they too looked towards the front of the class. They all then began to scream and panic as they scurried to the back of the classroom, tripping and stumbling along the way.

Cheerilee of course raised her head almost immediately after Sweetie Belle screamed. She couldn't help but feel clueless as she looked at her class scurry towards the back of the class in dismay, it actually took her a bit to process any thoughts in her head. She then followed their gazes, looking towards the side of her desk and downward. There sitting at the far side of her desk on the floor and simply looking up at her was a wide eyed baby draconequus. Cheerilee looked at it with a dumbfounded expression, not entirely sure if she was seeing things again. "Eh?" Was all she could muster up.

The baby draconequus then bounced off its feet, levitating in the air as it got in Cheerilee's face. "Hiya!"

Cheerilee screamed as she stumbled backwards out of her chair and onto the floor.

The rest of the class erupted into a volley of screams as they panicked and ran for the door.

The baby draconequus could only giggle as she raised her claw and paw to the air and yelled out. "More sweets?!" Suddenly within the classroom chocolate rain began to pour seemingly from out of nowhere.

Cheerilee cringed at the sight but was happy to see that the class didn't need her to shout instructions in order to make their own way to safety. They all just panicked, running straight for the open door and most likely straight to Ponyville right after. 

But Cheerilee then noticed the draconequus's expression saddened as it looked at the now empty classroom. It lowered its arms and then simply remained solemnly in the air, with a deep expression of melancholy. It'd happened again.

Cheerilee raised a brow at it curiously as she observed it. It was a truly mesmerizing creature, but her heart ached when she saw its expression, such a deep sense of everlasting sadness. She then began to approach the draconequus cautiously, before speaking up in a reassuring tone. "H-Hey now, it's alright..."





Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom trotted hurriedly towards the center of Ponyville with the other students. Obviously; most ponies took notice of the panicking fillies and colts. Applejack in particular rushed over to aid them as she saw them trotting down the beaten dirt road. "Hey wait a second y'all!"

Apple Bloom stopped as she turned and then rushed over to her sister. "A-Applejack! You have to hurry!"

Applejack raised a brow at her little sister. "What is it, what's wrong?"

Scootaloo was catching her breath but spoke anyway. "I-It's Miss Cheerilee, she's in danger! A draconequus invaded the classroom!"

Applejack still seemed pretty confused. "A what now?"

Applebloom protested. "A draconequus! It's a weird monster thingy with a bunch of different body parts!"

Applejack blinked a bit before sighing heavily, then nodding to her little sister. "Alright, I'll go check this out with Twi and the others, y'all get on over to the farm ya hear?" She then raised a hoof in direction to Sweet Apple Acres.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded as they'd caught up with Sweetie Belle and immediately headed for the direction of the farm.

Applejack was a little skeptical about the story of this draconequus, but realized it must have been something serious to have panicked the little fillies and colts to this degree. She then made her way to the library, it'd be best to enlist the aid of Twilight and the others before heading to the schoolhouse, but she had to hurry, every second wasted was another second Cheerilee was supposedly in danger.





Moments later, the mane six wielding the elements of harmony as well as accompanied by Discord, rushed into the schoolhouse with serious expressions.

Twilight was the first to speak. "Miss Cheerilee! We've arrived, are you alri-" Twilight's eyes widened as her brow raised at what she was seeing. She seemed a little surprised and confused at the same time.

Discord simply crossed his arms and shook his head.

Cheerilee was absolutely fine, although the classroom was a disaster, she was sitting at her desk with a cheerful smile. She had the baby draconequus sitting on the desk in front of her as they both shared a milkshake and Cheerilee was attempting to get to know the creature. "Is that so hmhm?"

The baby draconequus nodded and giggled. "Mhm! And it even had three heads!"

Cheerilee soon peered over at the mane six as well as Discord with a surprised look then a smile as she chuckled somewhat "Why hello there you all, I'm sorry, did my students cause you to worry?"

Twilight muttered with an irritated tone. "Uhm... well yeah..."

Fluttershy then fluttered over to Cheerilee and the baby draconequus with an infatuated expression before running her hoof down the draconequus's mane affectionately with a squeal. She spoke in a barely audible tone. "Oh my goodness; why aren't you just the sweetest little thing. Look Discord, it's a baby you, e-except a girl?"

Rainbow scratched the back of her own mane before shrugging a little. "Wait a second, so there are multiple Discords?"

Discord gasped with an offended expression. "Of course; although our numbers have dwindled over the countless millennia; we're still around!" He then began rubbing his chin. "But to find another here is truly quite fascinating, I honestly believed I was the last one in these parts of Equestria. But nonetheless-" Discord then snapped his claws as a cage appeared around the baby draconequus. Discord then levitated the cage over to himself with a modest expression. "-We must get rid of it." 

The baby draconequus shrieked in fear as it attempted to poof out of the cage and make an escape, to no avail.

Cheerilee also looked somewhat overwhelmed with fear in that moment as she hurried over to Discord. "W-Wait! Get rid of it? Why must we do such a thing?! It's only a baby!" 

Fluttershy scowled angrily at Discord before placing her hooves on her hips, demanding "Discord, put down that cage and let the little draconequus go this instant!"

Twilight then cut into the conversation with a heavy sigh. "No, Discord's right everypony, we can't keep it here. I'm sorry Cheerilee, we have to take it back to the outskirts and release it there."

"P-Please don't send me back out there!" The baby draconequus pleaded with the ponies.

The mane six then eyed it as their expressions worsened dramatically.

Rarity looked to Twilight with a puzzled expression. "Come now darling, I know nothing about these draconequus creatures but must we truly be so cruel? Look at the poor thing, it's scared senseless." 

Twilight sighed heavily as she seemed a little reluctant to explain.

Applejack couldn't help but feel compelled to ask as well. "Yeah I mean, shucks y'all, this is like sending a little filly out on its own aint it?"

Discord burst into laughter. "Bahahahahahaha!"

Everypony besides Twilight eyed him menacingly as they'd wondered what exactly was so funny.

Rainbow got in his face with an annoyed look. "What the heck is your problem Discord!?"

Discord then glared at Rainbow with a serious expression before raising the cage in front of the rainbow maned mare. "A Draconequus is not a pet, they're left to fend for themselves in their adolescence for a reason. You see, we are abandoned by our parents at a young age in order to develop that sense of individuality that draconequus possess when they reach adulthood. It is not uncommon you silly little ponies, it's how it's always worked. We live or we perish, but we absolutely cannot grow up alongside family figures! To do so will produce nothing but well...chaos! Bah, not saying that's entirely a bad thing but, for you all, it could be quite catastrophic if I must say so myself."

Pinkie Pie was currently licking the floor of the classroom as she'd suddenly looked up and raised a brow at Discord. "But why?"

At this point it was Twilight who cut into the conversation, in order to explain to her friends as well as Cheerilee. "Draconequus have been shown to harbor very peculiar traits when raised according to past history. Traits that can rapidly spiral out of control, which is why in the past draconequus were actually hunted in order to ensure the safety of all the races of Equestria. We all know Discord here is goofy and charismatic, now imagine if he wasn't, imagine if he was angry, filled with rage, and overall violent."

There was a looming silence as Pinkie gulped at one point.

Twilight nodded. "Exactly..." Twilight then looked to the baby draconequus in the cage with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry little one, we have no choice here, you've gotta go back to where you belong."

The baby draconequus shook her head as tears filled her eyes. "P-Please! All I want to do is not be lonely anymore! I can't go anywhere without being kicked out by somepony like you! Please I'm not like what you say, I-I swear!" 

Fluttershy whimpered as tears filled her eyes and her lower lip quivered. "P-Poor thing..."

Cheerilee then pleaded with the mane six. "Please you all, there must be some other way! Anything but this!"

Twilight sighed heavily before shaking her head at Cheerilee. "I'm sorry Cheerilee, this is the only option we've got."

Cheerilee looked down saddened as she remained silent.

The mane six then followed Discord as he took the cage and they made way for the Everfree Forest.

The baby draconequus curled up in the cage as she simply quieted down, she'd been through this process multiple times and was all too familiar with what'd occur next.

Cheerilee although reluctant to see this take place, sighed heavily as she trotted steadily behind the others. 





As they arrived at the edge of the Everfree Forest, Discord opened the cage for the baby draconequus as it simply slithered out and then began making its way into the veiled woods solemnly.

The baby draconequus kept its gaze on the ground as it sniffled, but soon peered up at the towering trees for a moment. She took a moment to regard the ponies and fellow draconequus behind her, but then continued into the shadows of Everfree. 

This utterly crushed Cheerilee, although she was a pony, she loved younglings. She loved teaching them, taking care of them and ensuring they were safe. It was times like these that made her often wonder why she didn't have a foal of her own, probably because she still couldn't find herself a certain partner she'd wanted to remain with for the rest of her life. As she looked upon the little baby draconequus venture off into the Everfree alone and with nopony to take care of her, her heart ached painfully. Her eyes were wide with tears as her lower lip quivered and she wanted nothing more than to chase after the poor creature and tell it everything would be alright. But she knew that wasn't true, she just watched, watched as it disappeared into the black forest, back into the wild.

Twilight looked to Cheerilee with a saddened expression herself. "I'm sorry Cheerilee, this was the only choice we had."

Cheerilee's expression darkened as she simply lowered her head, and made her way back towards Ponyville. 

The rest of the mane six then sighed heavily as they nodded to one another, each of them going back to their previous business. Discord followed Fluttershy back to her place of course.





Later that night Cheerilee simply laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The rest of the day had been miserable for her, she barely knew the creature, and its appearance was most certainly abrupt and random. But still, she couldn't bring herself to accept the fact she'd just let it go out on its own even with all the dangers out in the open world. She couldn't bring herself to believe that everything would be alright even though they were basically telling it that it was meant to be alone for many years to come. Cheerilee couldn't accept any of it. She tossed and turned in her bed until she'd finally managed to close her eyes. 

Of course things wouldn't end so simply though, for looming outside her window was a familiar figure in the night.

The baby draconequus remained there, floating in the night sky as it peeked through Cheerilee's window, longing for that companionship the mare was willing to give her. Even at the cost of her own safety. 

> Chapter 2: Special (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


CHAPTER 2: SPECIAL


Not long after the release of the baby draconequus had taken place, Twilight had made her way back to Golden Oaks Library, her temporary home, in a grumpy demeanor of course. She stomped her hooves angrily as she made her way through the door, slamming it behind her with her telekinetic magic almost immediately afterwards. Her brows furrowed as she went on over to her study and then lowered her hind legs; sitting, then crossing her forehooves. "Hmph!..."

Spike of course noticed the return of Twilight, although at the moment he was currently making something for dinner later. But nonetheless he made his way into the main room from the kitchen, wearing a chef's hat as well as an apron, while stirring a bowl of dough and gems. He was curious to what had Twilight so worked up, because even all the way from the kitchen, he could feel the tension building just from her grumpy appearance. He looked at her with a sly smile as he continued to stir his ingredients as he said in an expecting tone, "So what happened?"

Twilight immediately shot him a glance of discontent. "Immaturity! That's what happened Spike. I decide to do what's best for Ponyville, and the others wanna go treating me like I'm the bad one here! I mean, sure they understood a bit later but it shouldn't have even been that big of a deal!" She let off an angry grunt as she just shook her head in disbelief, then levitated a book over to her desk and proceeded to read it, attempting to take her mind off the whole event.

Spike was still unsurprisingly confused, seeing as she just bickered about the whole thing and didn't really share the details. He sighed heavily as his eyes shifted left to right, then back at Twilight. He was hesitant but persisted to ask anyway, to satisfy his curiosity about what exactly had occurred. "Erhm; yeah but what happened?" He was a little more direct this time, as if to put emphasis on the fact he'd wanted to know the whole story.

Twilight caught this of course, although she was a little offended by his sudden change of tone. She glared slightly at her assistant before groaning softly to herself and shaking her head. She peered back down at the pages of her book as she proceeded to speak without making eye contact with him. "Cheerilee's class got interrupted by a rogue baby draconequus, she wanted to keep it, me and Discord told her no, we released it, end of story." 

To this Spike raised a brow, his curiosity still unsatisfied. He then began to step rhythmically back and forth in a pacing motion, as if attempting to concentrate on two things at once. He repeated that same circular motion while stirring the dough and gems, while also listening to Twilight. "Wait, a baby draconequus? Like a real live baby draconequus? As in a little Discord baby draconequus?" His eyes widened somewhat as he looked back at Twilight, raising his brow once more. "That sounds awesome! Why couldn't she keep it?" He smiled staring back down at his bowl.

To that question, Twilight felt like her mind had snapped. Her brow twitched as she looked highly irked by Spike's question. She slammed her book shut, looking absolutely devoid of emotion for a moment. She slowly turned to regard her faithful assistant with a scowl, before raising her forehooves to the air with a scream of utter annoyance! She gritted her teeth as she stomped back and forth in the library. She muttered "It's as if nopony remembers that the harbinger of disharmony is a draconequus, must I really educate everypony on the danger they're putting themselves in before they'll listen!?" 

Spike trembled a little, although he was used to seeing Twilight angry, her anger was never a pleasure to be around. He simply remained silent as he knew the process, she'd soon most likely teach him what he needed to know. He stopped stirring however, merely staring at Twilight as she proceeded to a specific shelf towards the back half of the library, the corner opposite from the kitchen and near the front door. 

Twilight levitated out a thick dusty book from one of the shelves. She then immediately flipped through the pages, eyeing each one intensely as she stopped at a specific section before wincing impatiently at Spike. "Draconequus are known to harbor very unusual behavior when raised or brought up in a family setting. Are you listening Spike? Personality traits can rapidly spiral out of control, excelling to the point of pure dementia. Such traits commonly encountered are, obsession, severe paranoia, and intense jealousy. Although these are in the most common of cases, there are a multitude of other possibilities, it is highly recommended that those who encounter draconequus in their adolescence remain aware of the risks and dangers and avoid them at all costs." Twilight slammed the book shut before her nose wrinkled a bit. "And that's just the tip of the iceberg Spike. Baby draconequis are not meant to be pets! They're not meant to live amongst other races, as cruel as it may sound, they're meant to live alone until adulthood, that's the way it has to be."

To this Spike actually seemed a bit offended himself. He made his way over to a desk and then placed the bowl down as well as the hat and apron. He then looked at Twilight with a defensive expression "Wait a second Twilight. So you're saying draconequis are meant to be alone basically because," he crossed his arms "They're considered monsters?"

As Twilight was in the process of putting the book away, her eyes widened a bit at his sudden proclamation. She then turned to him with a slightly puzzled expression. "I never said that Spike, that's entirely different."

Spike closed his eyes halfway with an amused look. "Is that so? What about me Twilight, what about dragons? In the most common of cases, are we meant to be raised by ponies and considered highly passive?"

Twilight saw what he was getting at obviously, and she didn't like it, not one bit. She glared at Spike and looked as if she were about to say something in a moment, but no words came. She simply turned with a slight huff beneath her breath and then spoke in a calm yet defensive manner. "You're different Spike, you're special. You're not like other dragons." Twilight cringed a bit at the slight irony of her own words, she knew she'd trapped herself by saying that and was not looking forward to what her assistant would say next. 

Spike looked somewhat disappointed in Twilight. In actuality he was a little hurt by those words. He simply shook his head before exclaiming softly. "All I'm saying Twilight is perhaps everything doesn't go by the book. Is the text really all that matters? What about all those lessons on friendship we've learned about over time. What about Princess Celestia giving you my egg? What about special cases like me, isn't it possible for them to exist for draconequis to?" Spike eyed the ground solemnly as he sluggishly put on his apron and chef's hat. He then grabbed the bowl with a slight shrug "After all that's happened, I guess I expected different. Maybe it's just me being silly I guess." He made his way back into the kitchen, whistling a soft tune beneath his breath afterwards.

Twilight felt a little struck by Spike's words. She lowered her head with a somewhat saddened expression, pondering whether or not she truly did do the right thing by kicking out the baby draconequus. These days they were a really rare sighting, and she couldn't deny the possibility that things might have changed for the creatures since then. No, she had to be right. And besides, Discord was a draconequus himself, he knew better than anypony there were no special cases. This was for the best, and the deed was already done, everypony would get over it in the next few days and everything would be peachy once more. Twilight smiled a bit, bringing herself out of her brief depression, then nodding in approval. Yes, everything would turn out just fine, she just knew it.





The rest of the day, nothing interesting in particular happened. As Twilight suspected, it already seemed like everything was returning to normal. The brisk evening breeze flowed steadily throughout the small town as when the blanket of stars arrived overhead, nearly everypony went to their beds for some shuteye. 

Cheerilee in particular couldn't seem to fall into a peaceful sleep, too many thoughts occupied her mind. Her eyes were closed but she tossed and turned, and was currently facing away from the window at the moment.

Looming outside Cheerilee's window, the baby draconequus was levitating, peering at the mare with an affectionate smile. Although she was told to leave, even though she knew she wasn't welcomed here, she risked returning for the sake of seeing Cheerilee once more. She placed her paw and claw on the window as her expression brightened somewhat, and she gave a cheery smile at the mare. She let off a soft "Ah!" as she looked at Cheerilee with excitement. Her eyes widened as she suddenly heard the sound of trotting down the path behind her. The baby draconequus then hurriedly slithered its way to the roof as it then peeked over the ledge to see who was lurking about so late at night.

What she saw was two very peculiar mares, they wore ninja suits and seemed to be sneaking to some other house in particular. The baby draconequus couldn't make out their features but their manes were exposed, so she could tell at least that much. One had a pale cyan mane with white highlights while the other had a curly mane with dark cobalt blue and light fuchsia highlights. 

The pale cyan maned mare spoke in a humored tone. "Hehe, wait until Vinyl and Octavia wake up tomorrow morning! They'll never know what hit em!" 

The one with light fuchsia highlights then spoke up in a confused tone. "Why are we even wearing ninja suits Lyra?"

The pale cyan maned mare revealed as Lyra Heartstrings eyes widened as she regarded her friend. "Duh Bon Bon, humans used these suits to blend in perfectly with the night, they practically phased with objects like this!"

Bon Bon raised a brow at her close friend then sighed heavily rolling her eyes as they trotted off into the darkness further into Ponyville. "Yes, alie- I mean hoomans...of course..."  

Although a little unorthodox, those two mysterious mares were quite helpful to the baby draconequus. She chuckled somewhat as she looked at the tiles of the roof she was standing on and then smiled eagerly, muttering. "Ninja!" She then closed her eyes, focusing as she suddenly phased through the roof with a strange form of chaotic magic. As she fell inside the house flawlessly, nothing could stay perfect of course, she plopped downward as she was suddenly in the attic. "OOF!" Laying on her belly, the baby draconequus rubbed her head as her lower lip had puckered. "Oooow- I don't think I like ninja very much...." She rubbed the top of her head as she'd noticed a easy way out through a small box shaped opening in the wall. Her expression brightened as she didn't hesitate to make her way through, exploring Cheerilee's home.

As Cheerilee had finally managed to steadily fall into a deep sleep, it wasn't long before that peaceful moment would be interrupted by the echoing sounds of crashing kitchenware downstairs. 

Cheerilee's eyes snapped wide as she'd leaned up from her bed, her heart racing as she did so. She eyed her open door with paranoia, and her lights were off so of course it'd only made the suspense a little more frightening for her. She hurriedly climbed out of her bed as she proceeded to the doorway cautiously, making sure to flip on her light switch when she'd made it there. 

The sounds still proceeded to continue as Cheerilee couldn't help but gulp as she called out to whoever was downstairs. "H-Hello!? Is...is anypony there?" Well of course somepony was there! She really didn't understand why she asked something so obvious, but for some reason it comforted her. She called out once more as she slowly proceeded down the hall, still with a look of intense fear. "Y-You know I'll call for help! You're not supposed to be in here! Please, I don't want any trouble, just stop whatever you're doing and leave!" 

The sounds only continued. 

CRASH, CLANK, CRASH!

It was almost strange how obvious the intruder was however, it was as if they'd wanted to be caught. Even the lights in the kitchen were on, was there really a burglar this bad? Or was it something else?

Cheerilee gulped once more as she trotted slowly downstairs, creaking with every trot. As she was now looking down the main hall which turned to the kitchen at the far end to the right, she'd then peered over at a small lamp on a desk in the main hall. She snatched it, pulling the plug from its socket as she gave it a death clasp. She then stood on her hind hooves as she hugged the object to her chest, making her way down the hall as quietly as she could. 

As she made it to the end, she closed her eyes tight. She was afraid of course, who wouldn't be? She took a moment to prepare herself for what she was about to do. Eventually Cheerilee mustered up the courage to make for the charge as her eyes then snapped wide, and she yelled out, turning into the kitchen as she did so. "I SAID TO LEA-" she was interrupted.

"More sweets!?" The baby draconequus got in her face once again almost immediately.

Cheerilee shrieked in terror as she stumbled backwards onto the ground, hurtling her lamp in the opposite direction on impulse as she'd been caught by surprise once again. As Cheerilee was on her side rubbing her head, she soon took a moment to regard the baby draconequus who'd, surprisingly, returned. Cheerilee didn't know what to think, as she stared into those wide eyes so happy to see her, she simply stared at the draconequus before a look of dread overcame her. She rose to her hooves as she looked down at the little draconequus worriedly. "W-What're you doing here!?"

The baby draconequus's expression sunk as she heard those words from Cheerilee, she now seemed confused. "H-Huh?..." She then looked quite overwhelmed with worry as she rushed over to the middle of the kitchen. 

Cheerilee followed her every movement. 

The baby draconequus was actually setting up two bowls it seemed, although it'd made quite a mess finding them, there were now two bowls laid out on the table. She then levitated upward as she used her magic to place strawberry ice cream in the bowls. "I... I..." She then hurriedly grabbed one of the bowls, then went back over to Cheerilee as she placed the bowl of icecream in Cheerilee's hooves. "P-Ponies like sweets yes? I promise I won't be bad! I swear!..." She chuckled nervously as she lowered her head with saddened eyes and twiddled her claw and paw looking to the lower left. "Y-You took care of those little ponies..uhm..well- I was wondering.." She grew silent as she peered at the ground, a crimson blush appearing over her face. "I...was wondering-" She wanted to find the words, but couldn't, and one could notice the shame in her face for even suggesting such a thing, as if forcing the burden of herself upon somepony else. She simply quieted down, her body trembled as she couldn't muster up the courage to ask.

Cheerilee's heart sunk. She looked down at the little creature as it avoided eye contact, all it wanted was some form of companionship, affection, family. Cheerilee lowered her frame as she looked at her with saddened eyes and shook her head. "I'm, I'm sorry sweetie, it's not safe for you here." Cheerilee looked to the lower right for a moment "I don't even know where I'd start."

The baby draconequus cringed at those words. Her eyes widened as she looked frightened, desperate. She shook her head "I'll make you more sweets! A-And I can listen really good, I'm a really good listener! I promise I'll be good from now on, t-then we can talk right? We can talk like in the pony classroom?" 

Cheerilee shook her head as she rubbed the top of the baby draconequus's head. "I'm sorry, I just can't be responsible for your wellbeing in these circumstances sweetie. I wish it were different, but you have to leave here." 

The baby draconequus looked at Cheerilee wide eyed for a brief moment in despair. 

She then began sniffling as she slowly broke down. Beginning to cry as she rubbed at her eyes unable to hold back her little trickles of tears as her soft voice cracked. She tried to stop, rubbing at her eyes as she desperately wanted to not look rude and pathetic in front of the one she was attempting to win the favor of. But she couldn't stop herself. Her ears lowered as  and she lowered her frail slender frame and buried her head in her slightly crossed arms.

Cheerilee now was at a complete loss for what to do. The scene crushed her entirely, and she felt she was on the brink of tears as well. What was she to do? Twilight and even Discord told her what'd happen if draconequis were taken in as family. But her whole life revolved around ensuring little ones were best off. Now she was looking at one, obviously at the end of her rope, desperate for anything close to family, and unable to contain herself any longer. Who knows how long she lasted out there alone, shunned, and without anypony to give her any attention. Cheerilee held out a hoof to her, and felt in the next moment she would have to make one of the biggest decisions of her life.

What do you do Cheerilee? You know the risks. 

She looked upon the baby draconequus cry as her hoof trembled some.

You know the risks. You know the-..............forget the risks!

Cheerilee paused, she gritted her teeth angrily, somewhat infuriated with herself. She couldn't let this go on, and even all day she'd been secretly wishing she could get this chance, a chance to make things right. She took care of younglings, not leave them out to fend for themselves and teach them that life was meant to be some forsaken world of lonesomeness. No; she couldn't bear to live her life knowing she'd done something so against her wishful way of thinking. Besides, who could hate such an adorable creature? She wanted nothing more than to take care of it herself, and she wasn't going to let some supposed risks get in the way of such a chance. Cheerilee then grabbed the little draconequus and pulled her close into her, hugging her tiny frame gently.

The baby draconequus' eyes widened slowly as she'd never felt something like this before. The feeling of an affectionate hug, the feeling of warmth, comfort, and safety. She was at a loss for words as she trembled somewhat just at the confusion of the overwhelming sensation. 

Cheerilee spoke in a reassuring tone. "You have nothing to worry about sweetie; everything is going to be alright from now on. Can you tell me your name?"

The baby draconequus muttered in a slightly embarrassed tone. "N-Name?"

> Chapter 3: Uncertainty (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



CHAPTER 3: UNCERTAINTY


Deep in a more rural half of Equestria, a little baby draconequus chuckled playfully in the back of a hidden cavern. It obviously had been recently birthed judging from its small size and immaturity; it remained hidden away in the darkness, waiting for two familiar figures to appear once more. 

The land outside the cavern was beautiful, consisting of an autumn field of yellow grass and a dense forest surrounding the outskirts. And at the moment it was sunset, and the sky gave off a luminescent orange glow. 

The ambience was soothing, only the sounds of the comforting wind echoed in these parts, as well as the bristling trees further in the distance. There was nopony here, nopony but three, usually.

Eventually those two familiar figures did appear once more. The two larger draconequis, however, wore completely bored expressions as they regarded the baby one. They were so devoid of emotion it'd be hard to imagine these were its parents. One of them was female obviously while the other was male, and the creatures looked mighty ancient and powerful, and fond of each other in particular but not of their child. They simply looked down at it, as it looked back up at them happily. 

The baby draconequus bounced around playfully as it then attempted to reach the two larger draconequis in order to embrace at least one of them in a hug, but she was denied. Pushing softly against her tiny frail body was the larger male draconequus with his claw, he pushed her away from them gently as he then shook his head at her. The baby draconequus was confused, unsure of what her father meant by such actions. At this point she sat obediently and simply looked up at them with curious wide eyes, blinking every now and then.

The larger female draconequus then lowered her frame in front of her little one. She clapped her paw & claw together as if demonstrating something. As she did so, cotton candy manifested in her paw. The larger female draconequus raised a brow at her little one, remaining silent as she did so, looking at her as if asking through facial expression if she'd understood what she just did. 

The baby draconequus then giggled playfully as she nodded to her mother. She repeated the process as cotton candy to manifested in her paw as well. She then looked up at her parents with a bright smile as if seeking praise for her actions.

The larger female draconequus smiled softly at her little one. She then rose back up and gave a nod to her lover. The larger male draconequus nodded back to his lover in approval with a slight smirk. They both then looked back down to their little draconequus before the male pointed at the ground, as if telling her to stay.

The baby draconequus simply blinked, a little puzzled, but she nodded happily in understanding. She was used to staying anyway, it didn't really make sense to her why he was ensuring she did so this time specifically.

With that the two larger draconequis then nodded to one another before turning to leave. Their little one remained in the back of the cave as it simply smiled at their departure, expecting to see them in few hours time as usual. As they left they said absolutely nothing, they simply just made their way out of the cavern and flew up into the sky.

The baby draconequus sat there in the back of the cave, wearing a familiar smile. 

The hours drew on and on, and as they did so, the inside of the cavern only became darker. Still the baby draconequus remained, smiling as she stared at the front of the cavern waiting for the return of those two familiar figures.

Morning soon came and still she smiled, staring at the front of the cavern waiting for them to show.

The hours only kept building up, and night soon crawled its way back up into the sky. The baby draconequus at this point had a somewhat worried expression, but she still wore a faint smile, expecting them anytime now. 

Morning again, and still no sign of them. Perhaps they were just busy. No, they'd definitely come.
She nodded to herself in reassurance, and giggled as she stared wide eyed at the entrance with hopeful eyes.

The baby draconequus remained this way for an entire week, she didn't move, didn't eat, and didn't even sleep. She simply stared at the entrance to the cavern, but on the final night, as the dreadful realization hit her even at such a young age, she didn't cry, not yet. The bags beneath her eyes were signifying enough, alongside her pained and tragic expression. 

She finally decided to move from that spot at the back of the cave, her snow white bangs bristled a bit as she did so, climbing to her hoof and claw as she sluggishly made her way to the front of the cavern. As she did this she kept her gaze focused on the ground, moving like a zombie as she left the only home she'd ever known, but she didn't care about that right now, she just left.

She looked up, left, right, maybe there would be a possible glimpse of them somewhere, she had to make sure. 

Nothing, still nothing. 

She tried to keep her cool, and simply made her way to the open field as she looked up at the sky upon arrival. It was beautiful, and she'd never seen it before herself, the mesmerizing stars for the first time and the gorgeous full moon. The world seemed so vast, so beautiful,...so empty. She saw the trees in the distance and suddenly a look of fear overwhelmed her. Her body trembled and she desired the comfort of her parents, and in some weird way, expected them to just pop up when she felt such feelings. She peered at the distant forest veiled in shadow, gulping as she looked back at the area of her home once more. She then shook her head, refusing to leave this spot and then just curled up in the open field, the beauty of the vast night sky being her only comfort. 

She gave herself a hopeful smile, as the baby draconequus repeated her mother's familiar actions and manifested cotton candy in her paw. She giggled softly to herself as she began to eat it, but even though she wore a smile, even though she tried to look on the bright side of things, she eventually cried. With each bite tears trickled down onto the blades of grass, her body trembled profusely as she ate, and her smile, slowly turned into a frown, a broken expression. 

They were never coming back, never planning to, the realization had finally hit home, she was alone.





Cheerilee slept soundly in her bed as the morning sun's rays pierced through her bedroom window and irritated her face somewhat. She tossed and turned and eventually, spread out her hooves as she muttered things from her dreams, her mane was erratic and messy and she steadily started to wake up. She yawned deeply as she slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times. It would have been like any other average morning, besides the fact there was something sitting atop her staring right at her. She wasn't surprised this time however, actually she expected it a little. 

Sitting atop her belly and watching over her in her sleep was the baby draconequus with a smile. "Hiya!.."

Cheerilee smiled softly at her, then leaned up a little before rubbing the top of her head affectionately. "Hi sweetie; good morning. Did you get any sleep last night?"

The baby draconequus nodded to the mare happily. "Mhm!"

As Cheerilee looked at the draconequus, she kept her caring smile, but her eyes saddened somewhat as she recalled the events of last night. She'd asked the baby draconequus her name, seems she didn't even have one, or know it at least. One more depressingly mind boggling event after another it seemed. Cheerilee could only ponder what she'd have to call her until she came up with a fitting name. It seemed that the baby draconequus had a certain obsession with sweets, maybe she could get some ideas from Pinkie Pie later, while keeping the actual details obscure of course. Cheerilee sighed heavily before crawling out of bed and trotting on over to her bathroom.

She started off by brushing her teeth, and the whole time she was getting ready for her day, her newfound baby draconequus remained at her side with a smile. It observed her every action and movement, as if relishing in her very presence. Cheerilee found it absolutely adorable, but it saddened her as well. As she brushed her mane, she couldn't help but wonder how all of this would end. How could she possibly pull this off? She was no mother, and she couldn't just stroll around with a baby draconequus, especially not after all that's happened between her and the mane six. She'd have to be careful; take it slow, if she wanted any chance of succeeding. 

Cheerilee looked down at the baby draconequus with a smile. "S-Sweetie..." She lowered her frame and then placed a hoof atop the draconequus' head with a soft smile and sad eyes. "Are you sure you don't have a name? Anything your parent's called you in particular?...." She longed for an answer, prayed for one.

The baby draconequus nervously shook her head, a small blush appearing over her face. "I don't think so, momma and papa weren't with me long, and they were really quiet and never called me anything like ponies are called. I-Is that bad?" She looked at Cheerilee somewhat worried as she lowered her head a little and eyed the ground, twiddling her claw and paw as she awaited a response. 

Cheerilee's eyes widened as she gave her little draconequus a reassuring smile and hugged her tightly. "Of course not! It just means we'll have to find something fitting for a little bundle of joy such as yourself. Do you have anything you ever wanted to be called, anything you wanted to go by?" She cocked her head to the left slightly. 

The baby draconequus looked up at Cheerilee before peering to the lower left with a reflective expression. She pondered the question. "Well uhm, I guess I never really thought about it before. Nopony was ever really interested in knowing my name." Her expression then brightened up as she smiled happily at Cheerilee; bouncing a little. "B-But! We can figure it out, right?"

Cheerilee's heart sank, she put on a smile but couldn't hide her saddened eyes. How could this little draconequus speak of these things so naturally? The fact she no longer had parents, a topic Cheerilee didn't want to delve into at this moment, as well as the fact she had no name. Every moment became tougher for Cheerilee as she could only imagine how long this baby draconequus had been alone, was her life truly meant to be so dismal? She couldn't accept it. She took a moment to recollect herself before smiling at the baby draconequus "O-Of course..everything will work out, don't you worry."

As Cheerilee finished readying herself for the day, she'd made her way out of her room and then down the hall. Sadly; as much as she wanted to, she couldn't take this school day off. It'd seem suspicious, and she also didn't have a substitute in place but also didn't want the little fillies and colts to miss out on today's lesson. She had to go to work today, it'd also give her some free time to ponder what to do later down the line. 

As she went downstairs and made her way to the front door, her eyes had widened, she'd almost forgot, how clumsy of her. She turned around, and as expected the baby draconequus was there, continuing to look up at her happily, expectantly. Cheerilee lowered her frame once more before placing a hoof on the baby draconequus' head. "Sweetie, I'm going to have to leave for work now. I need you to stay here okay? Wait for me to come back home."

The baby draconequus's expression almost immediately sunk as she became overwhelmed with paranoia and fear. "H-Huh?!"

Cheerilee continued. "Don't worry. I'll be back, I'm just going to head to work. I can't let you come with me, and I certainly can't have you trotting about Ponyville, just wait for me okay? And later, we'll do something special." Cheerilee gave her a reassuring smile as she rubbed the top of her head, ruffling her white mane a bit. 

The baby draconequus simply peered into Cheerilee's eyes with a frightened expression, her body trembled as she'd looked at the mare with a sense of worry, ultimately dread. She shook her head "N-No! You can't leave!" 

To this Cheerilee cocked a brow, a little stunned by such a demanding response. She chuckled softly before pulling the baby draconequus close into an affectionate embrace. "I promise I'll be back. There's no need to be afraid."

Such comforting words did little deter the baby draconequus from her severe paranoia about the situation. Her body only continued to tremble as Cheerilee kept her close in that loving embrace. She recalled the time she looked at the entrance of the cavern, only to unexpectedly be left alone. She didn't want to take that chance, especially not with Cheerilee; Cheerilee was special, she was different, and she knew it. Her eyes simply remained wide and filled with fear as Cheerilee soon let her go, and then smiled down at her once more. She looked up at Cheerilee, her claw and paw close to her chest in a somewhat scared, defensive manner. She remained silent.

Cheerilee nodded to her, trying to get her to realize that there was nothing to worry about. "Please try not to worry, I'll be back as soon as I can. Now stay here, if you get bored the T.V is in the other room okay?" A gentle smile creeped onto the mare's face as she then opened the door to the house and trotted outside it, looking at the baby draconequus as she did so. "Be good sweetie." With that she shut the door, leaving nothing but the baby draconequus to her thoughts.

The baby draconequus' heart stung as she flinched at the sight of the door shutting. She simply looked at the door wide eyed as that sense of paranoia had never left her. She kept her tiny arms curled in as she began pacing heavily with worry, negative thoughts filling her mind. Only a few seconds after Cheerilee had left did she then burst as quickly as she could to the kitchen window, levitating and flying up to look outside it, panic written all over her face. As she saw Cheerilee already making some distance from the house and heading deeper into Ponyville, the baby draconequus' heart raced as she never lost that expression of dread and intimate fear. She then made her way hurriedly up the stairs and then phased through both the attic and the roof, ensuring to not lose distance with Cheerilee. 

The baby draconequus stumbled on the roof as she let off a soft yelp "O-Ow!" She then hurriedly got up, stepping quickly and then peeking over the edge that faced the front, trying to catch a glimpse of Cheerilee from the top. It didn't take her long to see the modern cerise mare trotting down the path through Ponyville happily. This caused the baby draconequus to brighten up some in her expression, she chuckled as she then poofed through the air quickly, moving from roof to roof, never losing sight of Cheerilee.





Along the way Cheerilee passed by numerous other ponies of course, some stopping her as she trotted and engaging in friendly conversation. One such pony being Derpy Hooves. 

Derpy waved at Cheerilee with a delighted smile. "Hi Miss Cheerilee!"

Cheerilee chuckled as she waved back at Derpy. "Why hello there Derpy, what're you up to this fine morning?"

Derpy put a hoof over her muzzle, dwelling on the question for a bit before smiling happily. "Oh! Yea, I'm okay! I remember now, I was looking for Rainbow Dash!"

This caused Cheerilee's eyes to snap wide as she then chuckled somewhat nervously, speaking in a hushed tone. "Eheheh, oh, uhm; Rainbow Dash.., well if you see her give her my regards Derpy! I have to get to the schoolhouse. I'm already falling a bit behind as it is. You have a pleasant day now!" Cheerilee then trotted past the gray mare hurriedly, continuing on to the schoolhouse.

Derpy waved at Cheerilee once more before then flying off into the sky in search of the Rainbow-maned mare.

Thankfully it was a pleasant day, the clouds were puffy and white and the sky was a gorgeous light blue color. It seemed like nothing could go wrong, and it boosted Cheerilee's spirit up even more, all she had to do was be careful and nothing bad could happen.

As she made it to the schoolhouse, it didn't take Cheerilee long to take notice of three fillies in particular hanging around outside. Cheerilee smiled softly to herself before rolling her eyes, although these three were always up to something unpredictable, they certainly weren't an unpleasant sight. 

Scootaloo was doing a hoofstand as she was also chewing on multiple toothpicks. "Juuust a little longer Sweetie Belle, I almost got it! Just a few more seconds and my cutie mark will appear!"

Sweetie Belle was holding a stop watch as Apple Bloom was doing pushups. 

As Cheerilee approached the three of them, she laughed softly. "Now what're you three doing? Come on Cutie Mark Crusaders, it's time for class, you can continue crusading after school." She looked at them expectantly, humored by their actions as they all soon stopped what they were doing, immediately being overcome with grumpy expressions.

Scootaloo fell to her side as she scowled at Cheerilee. "Miss Cheerilee! You ruined my record, I was so close to getting my cutie mark!"

Apple Bloom snapped at her as well. "Yea Miss Cheerilee! Ya ruined our concentration!" She puckered her lower lip before crossing her hooves.

Cheerilee giggled before sighing softly. "Alright, I'm sorry I'm sorry, but class is just as important. Come on you three, it's time to get started." She then patted their flanks as if signaling them to hurry on inside, and they did as they were instructed. Cheerilee followed in suit, shutting the schoolhouse door behind her as she did so.

Lurking outside the schoolhouse in some nearby bushes was the baby draconequus, she poked her head out as she then made her way over to one of the windows. Peeking through at Cheerilee from the back with a happy smile plastered onto her face. She looked at the class of ponies go about their daily routine with fascination, and in a sense she envied them. Their social and engaging lives, her eyes saddened as she wore that smile and simply observed from the background. She wanted nothing more than to be able to go inside, to be able to make friends like the three little fillies who always seemed to hang about doing weird things together. But she wasn't like any of them, no, she was the black sheep of society.

The baby draconequus looked on, lowering her head every now and then as one of the little fillies or colts passed by the window she was looking through. The baby draconequus simply continued to watch, and as she did so, over the period of the class a feeling of jealousy overwhelmed her. When she saw the fillies and colts hug Cheerilee, openly engage with her in conversation, happily embrace her, she couldn't help but stare at the event with an intense longing. At one point she came close to phasing through the very wall and just going in like she did last time, but she stopped herself. Her expression sunk, and she whimpered and looked towards the ground, she couldn't do that, she had to remain hidden away.

And so she did, for the rest of the class.

As the bell rang out in the afternoon, the little fillies and colts didn't hesitate to burst through the schoolhouse door to freedom for the rest of the day. Majority of them trotted hurriedly back to Ponyville with excited faces, but one remained for a moment. It was Scootaloo, hopping on her scooter with a determined expression before looking back into class. "Later Miss Cheerilee! See you tomorrow!"

Cheerilee chuckled from her desk waving at the little filly. "See you tomorrow Scootaloo."

With that Scootaloo strode off down the path and further into Ponyville. Along the way she didn't fail to notice two familiar mares making their way up to the schoolhouse, Scootaloo waved at them. "Oh; hey Twilight! Hey Fluttershy!" 





As Cheerilee sat in her desk, sorting through a last stack of papers before heading out, two visitors didn't hesitate to make their way inside. As Cheerilee raised a brow in the direction of the door, her eyes widened before she smiled nervously, immediately stopping what she was doing to regard the two of them. "O-Oh! Twilight, Fluttershy, what a surprise, what brings you two out here?"

Twilight had a guilty expression as she sighed heavily, then looking to Fluttershy. 

Fluttershy instead had a more grumpy, commanding expression as she crossed her forehooves, then pointed at Miss Cheerilee. "Go oooon..."

Twilight rolled her eyes before approaching Cheerilee with a groan. "L-Listen, uhm, Cheerilee, about the other day. I wanted to apologize for the whole draconequus incident. I realize you weren't as edu-..I mean, aware, of the dangers it posed to Ponyville, and I realize even though you didn't know it for long, you obviously had some feelings for it. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for- well...I guess I just wanted to say sorry, in case you were mad at me still."

Fluttershy cringed somewhat, a little displeased with Twilight's execution of the matter but still gave her a nod of approval. Fluttershy then made her way over to Cheerilee. She spoke in her soft, barely audible tone. "Yes Miss Cheerilee, Twilight is very very sorry for sending out the poor baby draconequus in such a mean way. And I'm sorry for Discord, he was very very immature about the entire thing, and I promise you, he has learned his lesson to be more gentle and caring next time." Fluttershy looked down with saddened eyes. "I only wish there was something we could do for the poor little baby draconequus, she must be so scared and alone out in the cold wilderness. If only she wasn't so dangerous..." A shiver ran down Fluttershy's back.

Twilight cut in. "It's done Fluttershy, it's already long gone by now, back in its natural habitat and living life as it should." She looked back to Cheerilee. "But anyway Cheerilee, yes; like Fluttershy said, we're sorry."

Cheerilee looked at them with wide eyes before giggling somewhat with an embarrassed smile. "Oh you two have no need to apologize for the whole matter, it's fine, you did what you had to, I understand." Cheerilee regarded them both with warm smiles, particularly Fluttershy, who Cheerilee was now considering talking to later, in private. But Twilight was still obviously a problem, there was no way Cheerilee was going to abandon the baby draconequus now, and Twilight most likely wouldn't accept that. But that'd be a issue she'd have to deal with later on, for now, perhaps it was best to start thinking of ponies she could trust with this information. She still also needed to figure out a name, but she had that process planned for later.

Twilight sighed with relief before lowering her head, smiling softly at Cheerilee. "Thank goodness, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that Cheerilee. I was worried you might still be upset with me, b-but anyway, thanks for understanding. Fluttershy and I have to get on over to Rarity's place now, seems she's having trouble with something about Caterpillars, see you later Cheerilee, take care." Twilight and Fluttershy then waved and turned back towards the door with smiles, trotting out and back down the dirt path from whence they came.

As they made their way back into Ponyville, the baby draconequus eyed the two of them with a curious expression. She then looked specifically at Fluttershy, before smiling softly. "Hehe.."





Cheerilee soon made her way out of the schoolhouse herself, shutting the door behind her as she left. She then began making her way back home, and it was obvious she'd wanted to get back a little quicker than usual, motivating herself to move quicker as she trotted through the small town. 

As Cheerilee trotted, the baby draconequus followed her every movement, keeping her distance from Cheerilee and going from rooftop to rooftop. 

As Cheerilee had made it home in a few minutes time, the baby draconequus made her way back inside quickly by phasing through Cheerilee's roof. She then hurried downstairs and waited at the front door with a wide smile, sitting obediently and waiting for Cheerilee to come trotting through the door, and soon she did.

As Cheerilee made her way inside to find she was greeted by the little draconequus, she chuckled then lowered her frame to hug her. The baby draconequus nuzzled into the mare's cheek affectionately as it cherished her loving embrace. As they remained in this touching moment for a little while, the baby draconequus felt the love coursing through her. Cheerilee was indeed special, and she felt she could never let her go. She'd protect, love, and stay by Cheerilee's side as long as she was able. Whatever it took, and to whatever end.

Cheerilee closed her eyes, smiling softly to herself as she held the baby draconequus close. "See, I told you I'd be back. And don't think I've forgotten about what I said. We'll get started with it soon."

The baby draconequus simply continued to nuzzle into Cheerilee's cheek as she giggled, muttering on impulse. "Okay, momma."

Cheerilee's eyes then snapped wide. It was as if her world completely froze up for a brief moment. M-Momma?!....

> Chapter 4: Bonds (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


CHAPTER 4: BONDS


In some areas of Equestria, it wasn't surprising to find that there lacked a sufficient pegasi population in order to clear the clouds and prevent rain. This was one such area. In the middle of a forest; as the rain poured heavily overhead, the baby draconequus found shade beneath a peculiarly large branch that segmented off into more tiny branches stacked with plentiful amounts of leaves. 

At this point in its life, it'd just been exploring, or she, she'd earned the right to not be called an it. As she sat beneath the shade of the leaves to prevent getting wet from the rain, the area surrounding her was lush with veiled mysteries. 

She shivered a little bit, but thankfully her fur kept her warm in times such as these. She was actually in the process of experimenting with her strange birthright, chaotic magic, or more peculiar magic in general. The baby draconequus lifted her paw and claw and then began trying to form something, her parents always had an arsenal of food in their knowledge banks, she wished she paid more attention then. She stuck out the tip of her tongue a little while squinting one eye as if to concentrate. "Mmmm..." As she did this, something started to form. She kept that look of utter concentration. And soon the rewards of her focus came into fruition, a large chocolate bar appeared then dropped into her paw and claw. 

Overwhelmed with satisfaction of herself, she hopped to her hoof and claw feet, standing and raising her arms to the air in delight. She chuckled "Yes yes yes!" She seemed quite tired and exhausted based on the bags beneath her eyes, perhaps she'd been working on this spell for awhile now, and through trial and error had finally accomplished it. Cotton Candy was getting a little dull anyhow. She took a munch of her chocolate bar with a cheery smile "Mmm; hmhm!" 

"RRRRRRRG........"

Her eyes snapped wide as she raised a brow. What, was, that? She felt she didn't really want to know as the sound had came from behind her, in a more shrouded area further from the tree with the shading leaves. She cringed a bit but she knew she had to at least check, she'd been out here long enough to know that most things, if anything, didn't want to be her friend. She peeked her head off to the side of the tree, the rain drenching her white mane somewhat as she blinked a bit to see what that scary growling noise was. And the moment she did that, the horrible realization hit her like a punch to the face. There, staring right back at her were large, glowing green eyes, with brows made of leaves.

Of course it had to be a timberwolf. "Rrrrrrrg......."

The baby draconequus was at a loss for words. She then smiled nervously at the timberwolf with a soft chuckle before closing her eyes. "Eheh....uhm...m-more sweets?"

The timberwolf snarled and snapped at her. "RAWF RAWF RAWF!"

The baby draconequus' expression sunk dramatically as she whimpered. "Okay...." She just turned to the opposite direction and broke off into a hasty retreat. 

To her dismay, there wasn't only one, of course there wasn't only one timberwolf, was there ever? She looked to her left, to her right, and there were more surrounding her. A look of fear overwhelmed the baby draconequus, unsurprisingly. She just kept running through the multiple shrubs and thick surplus of trees. She had no idea where she was going, perhaps it didn't even matter. She just needed to create some distance between her and the timberwolves, which she was doing a horrible job of. 

The timberwolves were at her sides in the trees as well as behind her, barking ferociously. 

She had to think! She didn't know how to do anything besides make food. She didn't know how to fight, especially timberwolves. What could she do to escape? At one point as her mind was overwhelmed with panic, she tripped in a small field of mud, her face slamming against the mushy wet substance. She laid there for a second, before pushing herself up with her frail arms, she was so tired, and for a fleeting moment a sense of hopelessness overwhelmed her. Why should she even move? What was the point of trying at this point? Maybe she should've just laid there and let nature take its course. You live or you perish, and if you weren't strong enough to live, then you'd be consumed. Maybe she wasn't strong enough. She glared somewhat breathing heavily, as at this point, the wolves were done playing games. 

"Rrrrrrrg...." They growled beneath their breaths as two of them moved some distance towards the front of the baby draconequus. Other pairs were at her side and behind her, surrounding her completely. They took small easy steps, closer and closer to their pathetically weak prey. Although most would consider timberwolves primitive creatures, they were actually quite interesting; they even held a sense of pride deep within themselves. Draconequis were ferocious predators as adults if they needed to be, and usually they'd be just as ferocious and dangerous as babies, but this one, this one was different. She was weak, ripe, practically perfect for the taking, a gift wrapped meal, of one of the most legendary creatures in existence. 

The baby draconequus eyed all of them as she slowly got back up. She swayed a bit then ran her paw and claw over her face in order to get the mud off. The rain wasn't making this anymore pleasant. She bit her lower lip, quivering and trembling unknowingly, she let off a soft "Eh!" as she took notice of the fact she was surrounded. She was frightened, and didn't know what to do. Was this really the end? Was this really how she'd leave this world? Being torn to pieces by timberwolves slowly as she cried for help to no avail? She curled her arms in as she looked at them only get closer and closer. Her eyes widening in absolute horror of what was to come, she begged in her mind for her parents to come to her aid, and in some form, they did. Although they weren't there, although they'd abandoned her, they left behind something more helpful than she'd realized ... memories. 

She thought about it for a moment, she recalled the time she'd last seen her parents when they left the cavern. They flew up into the sky, although they lacked big wings, they rose up flawlessly as if the very wind carried them towards the clouds. Could she do that as well? Could she bend the very air to her will and make way for the skies? It was a long shot, and she had no idea how it worked. How could one make sense of chaos? Such unpredictably strange magic, but she had to, she just had to. She looked to the timberwolves, then to the sky, then raised her arms up as if waiting for an welcoming embrace. 

The timberwolves only continued to creep closer, they'd make their lunge soon.

The baby draconequus then closed her eyes, and like when she'd been concentrating on making more sweets, she was concentrating on finding comfort and safety in the very clouds. But there'd be no room for trial and error this time, this was a one shot chance. She had to make it count, live or be consumed, was she strong enough to survive? She'd soon find out. 

And in that next fateful moment, she made her move. She hopped from her feet, and in a comedic way actually began to flap her arms almost immediately afterwards as if that'd make any difference. She didn't need to do that however, as she found that when she peeked, she was rising, slowly, and not as quick as she wanted to, but was doing it nonetheless. She was levitating up slowly, and found she couldn't get up to the clouds like her parents could've. Her expression brightened up as she sighed with relief, then made her way up a little past the trees.

The timberwolves looked up in dismay as their prey was making a clean getaway. They whined and snarled, barking at her as she flew off, although she wasn't very high, there was no way they'd be able to get her now.

The baby draconequus remained in the air for some time. She kept attempting to get up higher and higher, but found she could only rise up to the point past a tree, perhaps it was because she was so inexperienced. Either way this little ability would be helpful for many days to come. It'd certainly been a lifesaver on this day. So she took what she could get and just decided to make her way through the visible landscape happily, and out of this murky dark forest.

After some time she came to arrive at what appeared to be a small city. She blinked a bit, keeping her distance as she saw two peculiar creatures she'd never seen before fixing a sign, she lowered her head and peeked from some bushes.

The creatures seemed to look like timberwolves, except much more furry and plush, they also seemed more kind and gentle and lacked the fangs the predatory creatures had. 

One of them wiped his forehead with a hoof before exclaiming. "Whew, I reckon that's the best we can do! The signs readable, and that's all that matters!" 

The other one laughed before pointing a hoof at his fellow. "You're one lazy pony ya know that?"

The baby draconequus' eyes widened a bit as she continued to observe them, she muttered. "Po-....ny?"

The two ponies then let off sighs of relief as they just trotted on back to their small city; where a multitude of other ponies trotted amongst each other. They all seemed very nice and kind. 

She looked at the sign which said. Dodge City. 

The baby draconequus' expression brightened happily as she chuckled with fascination. "Po-nies..."





As Cheerilee laid on her side on the couch staring at the TV screen, she had a reflective and worried expression. 

On the TV was Photo Finish and Hoity Toity being interviewed by some anonymous pony. 

Photo Finish gasped as she'd sat in her elegant chair. "Vy of course! Vee do not worry about such tsings!" 

Cheerilee didn't care about what was on the TV however, and she definitely didn't care about this interview. What had her worried was the little baby draconequus curled up against her sleeping peacefully. Cheerilee looked down at her baby draconequus, squinting somewhat as she started second guessing herself. She ran a hoof through her white mane affectionately, but was pondering what to do. Just earlier she'd been called mother, and it hadn't even been long. Was she really so attached to her? Cheerilee couldn't help but feel a sense of pride swell up within her at the prospect, but she was no mother, and she wasn't a draconequus either. She placed a hoof over her face in the form of a facehoof. What've you gotten yourself into Cheerilee?

The baby draconequus simply nuzzled against Cheerilee in her sleep, smiling softly as she did so.

As Cheerilee looked down at her, her eyes saddened. She'd wondered when the last time her baby draconequus got to sleep like this, knowing it's safe and in the caring protection of another. She wondered when the last time was she got to sleep while happily wearing a smile. Cheerilee smiled affectionately as she continued to run her hoof through her baby draconequus' snow white mane. She then looked to the window, and the sun was going down, night was coming which means soon it'd be time to get started with what she had planned earlier. Cheerilee then began patting her baby draconequus' head softly, trying to get her to wake up. She spoke softly "Hey sweetie; wake up, it's almost time."

The baby draconequus tossed and turned somewhat, before spreading out her arms and letting off a little yawn. She then slowly opened her eyes as she blinked a few times before looking up at Cheerilee with half closed eyes. "Hi momma..."

There it was again. Cheerilee felt her heart thump as a light blush formed over her cheeks. She looked to the lower left with a hesitant expression before looking back at her baby draconequus. "L-Listen; sweetie, I don't think it's smart if you-" She stopped herself, as she caught her baby draconequus' gaze.

The baby draconequus looked up at Cheerilee with worried eyes. "If I what?"

Cheerilee's eyes widened as she then looked down and shook her head. "I-It's nothing, come on sweetie, let's get you ready." Cheerilee then hopped from the couch and trotted on over to the kitchen, but not before turning off the TV. As she'd arrived at her kitchen table, there was already a particular piece of clothing folded on the table top. Cheerilee grabbed it with one hoof, spreading it out in front of her as she got a good look at it, it was a black hoodie, one that'd be helpful for concealing somepony, or something. Cheerilee giggled "Yes; perfect."

Cheerilee then made her way back over to her baby draconequus, who was waiting near the doorway with a curious expression.

The baby draconequus cocked her head to the right as Cheerilee approached her with the black hoodie. She eyed it curiously, for she'd never really seen ponies wear clothing before, and she wasn't very familiar with clothes either.

Cheerilee smiled down at her baby draconequus before speaking softly. "Raise your arms sweetie."

The baby draconequus did as she was told, raising her arms as Cheerilee immediately dropped the hoodie over her afterwards. It slid over her slender body flawlessly as it reached down to her little hoof and claw feet just perfectly. Her tiny arms required her to roll the sleeves up but she'd be able to step without tripping over the ends at least. 

Cheerilee raised a brow with a curious expression and soft smile. "So, do you like it?"

The baby draconequus looked over herself with wide eyes as she stared at the hoodie covering her in awe. It was quite plain and simple, but to her, it meant the entire world. She'd never received a gift before. She looked at Cheerilee with wide eyes and a mesmerized expression, which actually caused the mare to worry a little.

Cheerilee's eyes shifted left to right then she looked back at her baby draconequus nervously. "Ugh? I admit the color is a little-" she didn't have time to finish as her baby draconequus ran into her giving her an affectionate hug, wrapping her claw and paw around Cheerilee as best she could.

The baby draconequus looked up at the mare with a smile and closed eyes. "I think it's the best."

Cheerilee blinked a bit, and what she said next surprised even her. "R-Really?"

The baby draconequus nodded happily. "Mhm!"

Cheerilee sighed with relief before returning the hug. "Well I'm glad that you like it sweetie." 

Cheerilee could feel it swelling deep within her, feelings of confliction, and she hated it. The further she went into this scenario the more she'd be digging herself into a bigger hole. The more time she spent with her baby draconequus the more she felt the need to refer to her as her own, the need to take care of her, but could it ever truly be so simple? She couldn't shake off the possibility this might end badly, no matter how much she planned and prepared for the worst. But everything seemed so perfect, how could her adorable baby draconequus hurt anypony? 

Cheerilee then tilted her baby draconequus' head up some, then looking into her candy apple red irises. "So now that you're ready, do you want to know what I have planned?"

The baby draconequus simply peered up at Cheerilee, curiously.

A small smirk creeped over Cheerilee's face as she raised her baby draconequus' hood and then opened the front door with a soft smile. "Hmhm.."





Although risky, Cheerilee had actually taken the baby draconequus outside, and raised her hood in order to hopefully conceal her identity. Thankfully however there were always some unusual guests passing by through Ponyville: Zebras, Minotaur, Griffons, it wasn't the average citizen she was worried about but more so the mane six. Although even so, she didn't want any other pony delving into who this mysterious creature with her was, which is also why she'd decided to wait until the time when barely anypony was around. Although Cheerilee also had one last place she needed to go before it closed, and they made their way towards that destination carefully.

As they'd arrived just outside Sugarcube Corner, they then headed into a narrow passageway between two of the houses, allowing them to be concealed in shadow. Cheerilee lowered her frame to look her baby draconequus in the eyes with a smile. "Now stay here alright? Momma will be right back." Cheerilee felt pretty awkward referring to herself as a mom still.

The baby draconequus simply smiled then nodded happily, speaking softly. "O-Okay..."

Cheerilee raised a hoof. "Now don't talk to anypony sweetie, and don't go wandering off." With that Cheerilee then turned and made her way around the corner and to Sugarcube corner.

Seeing Cheerilee leave always made the baby draconequus panic a little, but this time she did as she was told, remaining in place in the dark alleyway as to lower the chances of some curious pony questioning her. 

And as usual, something just had to go wrong.

"Yea and you won't believe what she told me afterwards! It was stellar!" A deep youthful male voice rang out nearby. Actually from above and behind at the same time. 

The baby draconequus' eyes widened as she jumped a little from the sudden voice.

There was then another voice, feminine. "Jeez is there any time you're not out talking to mares?" questioned a deeply annoyed Flitter.

The baby draconequus hesitantly lowered herself and then turned to look up, to find three pegasi passing by overhead. She gulped as they hadn't caught sight of her yet, and hopefully wouldn't and just keep moving.

Thunderlane gasped as he cocked a brow to Flitter. "W-What!? Hey, it's not my fault I'm surrounded by mares all the time."

Thunderlane and Flitter stopped, bursting into argument. 

Cloudchaser rolled her eyes as she seemed a little unsurprised by the happening, simply remaining in place with a bored expression while flapping her wings. Of course she attempted to block out the sounds of her sister and Thunderlane arguing with each other while she waited for the situation to die down by taking in the scenery. Just boring old Ponyville as usual, nothing interesting, same old dull stuff. She peered around, and eventually down, and of course, catching sight of a small hooded figure attempting to remain anonymous. Cloudchaser's eyes widened as she cocked a brow, she wouldn't have really cared, but, as she looked down at the hooded figure she couldn't help but wonder, what the heck was it?

The baby draconequus simply leaned back against one of the walls as her body trembled somewhat. She had a highly paranoid expression as she mainly kept her focus on the ground, muttering "Don't let them come near me, don't let them come near me."

Cloudchaser kept her focus on the hooded figure as she softly tapped both Thunderlane and Flitter with a curious expression. "Hey guys, check this out."

Flitter and Thunderlane were still arguing, ignoring Cloudchaser completely. 

The pale persian blue mare simply rolled her eyes and decided to flutter on down into the alleyway herself. As she touched upon the ground, she slowly approached the hooded figure, still with a raised brow, and as she did so she eyed it up and down. Still she couldn't really pertain what it was, maybe it was a baby griffon, the darkness made it pretty hard to tell, either way, she was about to find out. She raised a hoof in question as she muttered curiously "H-Hey, uhm; excuse me?"

The baby draconequus' trembling worsened as she uttered on impulse. "G-Go away please!" 

To this Cloudchaser felt struck, as she  at the hooded figure. "I'm not going to hurt you or anything!"

The baby draconequus shook her head then lowered herself some, pulling down her hood. "Please; I'm sorry for being mean, but, please just go away. I, I'm not allowed to talk to strangers!" And that wasn't the only issue, even she'd learned by now, even if nopony really knows much about draconequis, most feared them, and if they didn't, they talked about them like live gossip. Then the ones who knew, ones like Twilight Sparkle would show, and either way it was never a happy ending. 

Cloudchaser was able to tell she was young, whatever she was, and although she had no idea what it was, she still felt a sense of worry. "Hey; I'm not a bad pony alright? Uhm, where're your parents, why're you just standing here?"

The baby draconequus blinked a bit. She loved talking, and in any other case she would of loved making friends with this pegasi and opening up to her happily, she could use the friends. But this was different, Cheerilee gave her strict orders not to talk to anypony! And she was already breaking the rules, and there was a possibility this pony could be just like Twilight and want to send her back out into the forest. She'd broken the rules before, she should've just moved around, anything would've been better than this. Her heart thumped in her chest as she gulped, twiddling her paw and claw. "Ah...m-momma is in there." The baby draconequus looked down at the ground worriedly as she pulled on her hood. 

Cloudchaser then blinked a bit curiously, her mother was in Sugarcube Corner? That'd be even better then. Instead of pestering the little one that obviously didn't want her around, she could just take a good look at the parent which would make sense of everything right away. Cloudchaser then trotted past the hooded figure as she looked down at it closely as she did so, the baby draconequus kept her head lowered to conceal her face however. But that didn't hide her funny looking reptilian and hoof feet, as well as those strange arms. Cloudchaser's eyes widened as she just continued trotting, she felt as if she were seeing things. Either way she'd satisfy her curiosity, right, now. And she turned the corner, pushing open the doors to Sugarcube Corner and trotting inside.

Cloudchaser had a dull expression as she peered around the shop with a raised brow. What the buck? There was nothing but ponies in here. She glanced around the place once more, taking in a second look, yea, nothing but ponies. That little hooded creature lied to her, and it ticked her off somewhat. As she was in the process of feeling dumbfounded, there was somepony leaving.

Pinkie Pie waved at Cheerilee from the counter as she munched on some sweets. "Thanks Miss Cheerilee!" 

Cheerilee had a bag of goodies as she held them by her mouth with the straps. She then chuckled before nodding to Pinkie Pie and then trotting for the door. But on her way out, Cloudchaser looked to her with a raised brow.

"Hey uhm, Miss Cheerilee, you didn't see any non-pony thing stumble in here did you?" Cloudchaser raised a brow at Cheerilee with honest curiosity, while rubbing the back of her own mane a little puzzled.

Cheerilee's eyes widened as she cringed at those words. She then shook her head at Cloudchaser as she muttered beneath her breath, a little hard to speak while holding the bag in her mouth. "No, shorry!" She then headed outside hurriedly.

Cloudchaser sighed heavily as she realized eventually there was nothing here, she'd obviously been duped. But this wasn't over, she'd just go out and ask that little creature more questions, its not like she was going to hurt it or anything. She turned to leave the small shop, making her way out.

She trotted on over back to the small alleyway, but what she saw made her cock her brow once again. The creature was gone? Of course. Cloudchaser sighed heavily as she simply lowered her head, her eyes shifting left to right as she then just rolled her eyes with a shrug. "Whatever..." She looked up to find that Thunderlane and Flitter were still arguing! By Celestia what the heck were they even arguing about, at this point she doubted they were even on the original topic anymore. She groaned and fluttered up towards them flapping her wings, now deciding to join in on the conversation.





As they trotted through the now open fields of Ponyville, more towards the southwestern part of town, night had finally crawled up into the sky upon their arrival. And once more, Luna had created the most beautiful of nights, blanketing the skies with a multitude of stars and the beautiful full moon.

Cheerilee and her baby draconequus made their way to a more flattened area, and as they did so, the mare eventually came to a stop, and it was nowhere in particular, just a area a good distance away from the town but not too far, and open enough for them to sit in without disturbance. Cheerilee dropped the bag of goodies as she lowered her hind legs and sat taking in a deep breath. "Are you okay sweetie?" Cheerilee questioned.

The baby draconequus went to Cheerilee's side with a smile. "Mhm! I'm fine momma!" 

Cheerilee then opened the bag some, revealing a multitude of sweet delicacies. 

The baby draconequus cheered. "More sweets!"

Cheerilee giggled, humored by her attitude. "Yes, more sweets hmhm." 

The baby draconequus didn't hesitate to dig into the bag, looking at all the different varieties, but she wasn't eating them, as Cheerilee expected. She was actually inspecting them, taste testing them, and ultimately adding every single one she'd never seen before or gotten the chance to look at to her arsenal, or mental food bank. 

The baby draconequus looked up happily at Cheerilee as she jumped and then hugged her, levitating some as she wrapped her arms around the mare, nuzzling her cheek. 

Cheerilee chuckled, rubbing the top of her baby draconequus' head as she was hugged. She then wrapped her hooves around her slender figure, holding her close. 

This was a moment of bonding for the two of them, and a moment Cheerilee planned to have repeated for many more days to come. She'd succeed where others couldn't, and take the chance others wouldn't. She'd be the one to ensure this baby draconequus had a future and more positive outlook on life, every step of the way.





As they sat and looked at the stars, Cheerilee had actually come out here in hopes of giving them some time outside, as well as hopefully figuring out a name for her baby draconequus. She'd been without one for too long, but she couldn't manage to figure anything out, and now she was second guessing the sweets idea, it felt lacking, and not thoughtful enough.

But as she sat there pondering, perhaps, she'd be helped by her baby draconequus herself.

The baby draconequus smiled, looking up at the stars with wide fascinated eyes. "This is my favorite time!"

Cheerilee's eyes widened as she looked down at her. "Night time?" Or the evening per se. 

The baby draconequus smiled. "Mhm! I always liked the small shining things, they always made me feel happy."

Cheerilee chuckled as she rubbed the top of her baby draconequus' head. "Those are stars sweetie, and they are quite fascinating."

The baby draconequus simply continued to gaze up at the sky. "I love the stars, and the night time!" And as she did so, by random occurrence, a shooting star had actually appeared. Moving across the sky in a fleeting moment, this caused the baby draconequus to stand and then just simply begin running in the direction of that shooting star. She bounced playfully, running around the open field. "Did you see that momma!?"

Cheerilee to was a bit mesmerized by the sudden sight. And before she could forget, she made a private wish to herself, before looking to her baby draconequus and nodding. "Mhm, I saw it sweetie."

The baby draconequus grinned at Cheerilee playfully as she just stood there, looking up at the stars happily.

As Cheerilee looked at her draconequus, it was when she'd seen that expression, that happiness and optimism, that she thought of a name, perhaps something they both could agree with. Cheerilee simply smiled with adoring affectionate eyes as a sense of pride swelled up within her as she looked upon her baby draconequus. Eve....

The night was always comforting to the baby draconequus, it being the only thing she found comfort in on that first day she ventured from her cavern out into the open world. She was so full of life, and so curious and fascinated by things most would take for granted. Perhaps it would be perfect, perhaps Eve was just what they were looking for.

> Chapter 5: Curiosity (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



CHAPTER 5: CURIOSITY


There was a saying that Eve had heard before, she couldn't remember where she'd heard it exactly but it didn't really matter. She couldn't help but think of it as she stood there, staring right back at the two figures looking at her.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Of course she was no cat, but, it still applied, at least she felt it did. She was there, in a patch of woods right next to Ponyville as she looked Spike and Applebloom in the eyes, looking as if she'd been overwhelmed with shock. She'd failed, she'd been seen. Now she'd soon be alone again, out in the forests wandering without Cheerilee, solemnly. This was the end.

Unless.....





"Eve?" The baby draconequus was having trouble understanding the meaning behind the word she'd never heard before. She peered up at Cheerilee with wide eyes as they were both in Cheerilee's house. 

Cheerilee nodded with a soft smile, lowering her frame and looking her baby draconequus in the eyes. "Yes sweetie, Eve, I think it's perfect for you. Do you like it? It relates to life, and even to the night in some ways. I wanted to give you the sweetest name, and I believe Eve describes you perfectly."

The baby draconequus simply looked into Cheerilee's eyes as her cheeks turned crimson. She didn't have a problem with the name, she was just surprised she'd actually be called something like ponies from now on. It made her happy, well everything Cheerilee usually made her happy. She nodded hurriedly biting on her lower lip a bit, "Mhm! I really really like it." 

Cheerilee's expression brightened as she hugged Eve happily. "Eve it is then sweetie..."

The baby draconequus, now known as Eve, returned Cheerilee's hug, nuzzling into her. "Hehe.."

Cheerilee was actually in the process of leaving for work again. 

Today seemed to be a great day, and Cheerilee was careful, smart, she'd told Eve of the process that'd keep their system going. Of course she felt ashamed she had to keep Eve at home during the day while she went out for work, but all things come with time, and she was certain she could work up to a more positive future, with time. So she looked at Eve one last time before opening the front door, the sun's glistening rays bursting into the house as she did so. "Remember Eve, don't cause any trouble while I'm gone. Everything will work out sweetie, just follow my lead." She winked at Eve, then shutting the door behind her.

As Eve sat there, still wearing the hoodie given to her by her adoptive mother, she wore a gentle smile. At this moment, she'd never have guessed what the bleak future held, if only she'd listened to Cheerilee, maybe, she could've prevented any trouble from brewing up in the future. But she was a draconequus, and therefore was known for taking chances, she possessed a wildly passive nature to herself that, like her magic, was her birthright. She was curious, clingy, and sadly, inherited some traits that could cost her much, if not everything. 

She repeated her process for when Cheerilee went to work, heading upstairs as quickly as she could, and then phasing through the attic and then through the roof, ensuring not to lose sight of Cheerilee. Although she trusted Cheerilee wouldn't leave her, she still wanted to see her during the day, she disliked being all alone.

It'd ended up practically the same as last time. 

Cheerilee went to the schoolhouse as usual, and the class of little fillies and colts arrived soon after. 

It was just your typical, average school day, except, there were three students in particular missing.

As Cheerilee was going over roll call she couldn't help but notice the cutie mark crusaders weren't here today. She raised a brow, then questioned the rest of the class. "Has anypony seen Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo today?"

An anonymous filly raised her hoof as she replied to Miss Cheerilee. "Yea! I think Sweetie Belle mentioned something about spending the day with her sister today Miss Cheerilee!" 

Cheerilee blinked a bit before rolling her eyes with a soft sigh. "Well, not really an excuse to miss class but, I guess they'll all just have to make up the work when they get back, whatever they may be up to. Either way, shall we get started with today's lesson class? Today we shall be delving into the history of Starswirl the Bearded." Cheerilee said those words with anticipation, as if hoping to inspire the class with her enthusiasm; it didn't work.

The class groaned in utterance as they whined and moaned.

Cheerilee chuckled clapping her hooves together. "Good! I'm glad you're all so very excited, well, let's get started!"





Eve simply observed from that very same window towards the back of the class. She wore a cheery smile as she enjoyed watching the little ponies learn things from Cheerilee, and in some way, she too learned along with them. There was nothing wrong with it, as long as she didn't get caught like Cheerilee warned, everything would be fine. 

But as she was observing the class, a familiar figure that happened to be passing by the schoolhouse was moving down the path that lead towards a more rural part of town. This figure caught Eve's eye. Or the caressing tune the familiar figure was humming caught Eve's attention.

Eve turned to look at the familiar pony trot down the path. This pony also had a bag in her mouth, while humming a soft gentle tune. The mare was certainly no Cheerilee, but Eve had always wanted to attempt talking to this one as well. She was so kind to her as well, Eve couldn't help but swell up with hopes that the mare would be her friend. Of course this mare was none other than Fluttershy, who seemed to have just gotten done picking up some things from the market district. 

Fluttershy wore simple yet fashionable pony knapsacks near her hind legs. She carried a bag of what appeared to be an assortment of goodies and vegetables, she looked as if she were preparing to cook up a big meal. She had her eyes closed and hummed a melodic lullaby, one she'd used when she was taking care of the cutie mark crusaders on a particular night. She was actually heading back home, most likely to prepare whatever she'd gotten the goods for.

Eve observed her for a moment, and before taking one more look at Cheerilee, she then stealthily moved across the ground in pursuit of Fluttershy. Eve had remembered the time when Cheerilee would finish class, and she was quite certain her adoptive mother wouldn't be taking any surprise trips. At least not at this particular moment, perhaps the only moment Eve would get the chance to meet Fluttershy, which she was still quite hesitant to do. Eve simply observed Fluttershy curiously, watching her trot down the path and hum that sweet tune, wanting to engage in conversation with her but also not wanting to get Cheerilee upset and risk getting thrown out. Momma said not to talk to anypony, b-but maybe she'll want to help me and momma, maybe she'll want to be friends...

Many conflicted feelings stirred through Eve as she followed Fluttershy under the cover of the surrounding trees. Was this mare really worth risking everything? Cheerilee was all she needed, and their system was perfect for the moment. Was being friends with this one mare who'd happened to show affection to her as well worth the trouble? Eve couldn't decide. She'd always envied the students, being able to play and talk to their friends, and she loved Cheerilee very much, but she couldn't help but not pass up the chance of a friend like Fluttershy. Was she selfish for this decision; greedy? Maybe. She'd gained the trust of Cheerilee and the affection of a mother and guilt overwhelmed her for how she was being so deceitful with her actions. Sneaking around and breaking the rules, and now likely risking her mother's affection for the friendship of a mare she didn't even know. Eve felt she didn't deserve Cheerilee because of what she was doing, but she couldn't help herself.

Eve continued to follow, ensuring her hood was raised and covered her odd visage as she did so. The entire time, Fluttershy was clueless to the baby draconequus quietly following her, as anypony would likely be. 

Fluttershy kept trotting all the way to her home, and upon arrival to her little nook in the world, Eve was overwhelmed with fascination and wonder. It was like a little slice of eden, a paradise. Her house was what appeared to be a large, goofy shaped tree, but it worked by the looks of it. It rested atop a small hill and she even had her own bridge that passed over a narrow creek on the path that led up to it. There were bird houses everywhere, the birds generating some melodic system of peaceful ambience, personally for the mare herself, although she also took care of all of them. 

Eve stared from the forest area as Fluttershy trotted her way up and into her home. The baby draconequus was a little thrown back by the beauty of the place, and wanted to just sit there and stare at it for a little while. But she shook her head and decided she'd have to hurry this up or else she'd never muster up the courage to talk to Fluttershy and inevitably psych herself out. Eve gulped, then levitating from her hiding spot and making her way up towards Fluttershy's home. 

As she arrived at the front door she stopped, then deciding to phase through it unwittingly. Eve twiddled her claw and paw nervously in that familiar fashion as she was breathing heavily at this point. Was she really going to do something so idiotic? She looked down thinking to herself, she could turn back now and act like none of this had ever happened, there was a day for everything and perhaps today was not the day for this, perhaps she just had to have a little patience. But what if she never took the chance and this was something that she could only accomplish out of her own bravery and courage? Oh how she told herself that, told herself this needed to happen now and everything would be alright, such immaturity.

Eve gulped once more as locating Fluttershy was no problem, she just followed the sound of the beautiful singing. The pale yellow mare's voice was so graceful and comforting, there was no way she'd be unkind right? 

Fluttershy was in the kitchen at the moment, already stirring the pot of ingredients as she continued to sing softly to herself. Although Angel the bunny was also right beside her as she did so, staring into the pot. "Hush now quiet now its time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now quiet now it's time to go to bed." Although the fact she was singing a lullaby in mid-day was strange, it didn't stop one from being mesmerized by her graceful voice. 

Eve slowly stepped into the kitchen, cautiously and quietly. She was currently facing their backsides as Fluttershy and Angel were focused on the stirring of the pot. The food smelled good, kind of like sweet curry although lacking the meat of course. Eve's expression spoke of worry, her body trembled with each step as she slowly raised her paw towards Fluttershy as she crept closer and closer. She opened her mouth, then saying softly in a barely audible tone "E-Excuse m-" she didn't have time to finish, as just as she was in the process of finally talking to Fluttershy, somepony else burst into the house.

"OOOOOOOH FLUTTERSHY!" Rang out a crispy smooth voice, in that familiar comedic tone.

It seems Discord had just bursted through the front door, and not only that, he'd brought guests.

This couldn't have really been happening could it? Just her luck.

Eve's eyes immediately snapped wide as she didn't hesitate to bolt to the right side, towards one of the counter cupboards and phasing inside. Panic overwhelmed her as she did it out of natural reaction. Unexpected things usually wreaked of danger, and she was all too used to running from the unexpected. Eve's eyes were wide as her pupils were dilated and she trembled profoundly while hiding in the cupboard. She didn't know the layout of the house, her recklessness got her in this situation, simply attempting to phase through everything and out could lead her into another room and risk getting caught. She simply remained silent for now.

Almost immediately after Discord called her name, Fluttershy and Angel turned towards the kitchen door that lead to the living room. Fluttershy wore a cheery smile as she called back out to the draconequus softly "Oh my, that was quite fast. Is everypony here already?" Fluttershy then trotted towards the kitchen door as suddenly coming into the kitchen would be Twilight and Applejack. Fluttershy paused with a delighted smile "Oh; T-Twilight, Applejack, the food isn't ready yet but you're both welcome to join me in here while I prepare."

Twilight had an amused smile and a raised brow standing beside Applejack. "Thanks for having us over Fluttershy. I'm really looking forward to what you have planned for later."

As Fluttershy made her way back over to the pot she began stirring once more, then glanced back at her two friends curiously. "T-Twilight, I noticed Spike isn't beside you, is he here?" 

Twilight blinked a bit before raising a hoof in an amused gesture and laughing softly before nodding at Fluttershy. "Oh yea; Spike? Of course he's coming. He's just a little uhm, how should I put this?" She then nudged Applejack with a double brow raise. "Busy?" Both Applejack and Twilight then began giggling softly as Fluttershy couldn't help but feel confused.

Fluttershy then looked back down at the pot before questioning. "Busy? W-What might he be busy with?"

Applejack then tipped her hat downward some before sighing. "Seems our lil' Spike is growin up to be a big dragon. Ya see Sugarcube, Spike wanted to talk to Apple Bloom, well, in private. I mean Applebloom's far too young to be datin’ anypony but shucks, gotta at least humor the lil' guy. He probably just wants ta confess or somethin’. Shoot, darn be the most adorable thing I'd ever seen."

Twilight went on over to the kitchen counter Eve was hiding in before resting her head on her forehooves. She let off a soft sigh before looking up with a nostalgic expression. "Ah, they grow up so fast don't they? But all jokes aside, I'm sure Spike just needed to talk to Apple Bloom about something else entirely. Spike's far too young to be developing romantic feelings for anypony, he hasn't even hit puberty yet! He'll probably be here in another five minutes or so." Twilight then lowered her frame, about to open the cupboard. "Hey Fluttershy, I'll get the bowls, they in here?"

Eve cringed as she backed up further inside. She trembled as she shook her head silently.

Fluttershy then looked over at Twilight then shook her head. "Oh no, no, Twilight, they're over in the other cupboard by the fridge."

Twilight blinked a bit before chuckling softly to herself. "Oh, hehe, sorry about that." She then moved away from that specific cupboard and went over by the fridge, opening another. She found the bowls and began levitating them out. 

Applejack yawned before trotting on over to Fluttershy. "So sugarcube, when do ya think the food'll be ready? Ah'm starvin’!"

Fluttershy giggled softly before exclaiming. "Oh, sadly quite a bit Applejack, I just started a few minutes ago."

Applejack looked down; saddened. "Aw shoot...well guess I might as well go hang out with the others ‘til then."

Applejack then headed back towards the living room. Upon entering it was revealed that basically everypony was there, everypony except Pinkie Pie. Rarity and Sweetie Belle were there, actually talking to each other although Sweetie Belle seemed a little grumpy and annoyed with Rarity who was bickering at her about something. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were there, playing some game that required them to clap their hooves and then tap them together in some sort of rhythm similar to patty cake. Discord was relaxing on the couch whistling. It would be safe to assume Pinkie was in the process of gathering up somepony to bring to this little gathering. Other than that, the only missing individuals were Spike and Apple Bloom, who were still out talking it seemed.

Twilight remained in the kitchen with Fluttershy, gathering up some silverware at this point. As she was doing so, she glanced back at Fluttershy while using her magic to levitate out some materials. "So Fluttershy, how's Discord been acting lately? He hasn't been giving you any trouble right? If so don't hesitate to let us know." 

Fluttershy shook her head with a soft smile. "Oh Discord? No no of course not, he's been a sweetheart ever since he reformed. He helps me around the house, and always seems to want to do his best to show that he cares. Isn't that right Angel?" 

Angel then crossed his tiny little arms and nodded reluctantly.

Twilight smiled softly, happy to hear those words. "That's good, I'm glad he's behaving." 

Fluttershy then carried on the conversation. "S-So what about you Twilight, have you been up to anything recently?"

Twilight shook her head. "Surprisingly no, Princess Celestia seems to be busy with other things these days so I'm free."

As the two ponies continued to converse with each other, Eve remained in the cupboard, but she knew she couldn't stay here forever. Now would be a good time to start figuring out what'd be the best course of action. She'd come too close to being caught, so remaining in this cupboard was a no go, that left only one option. She had to phase through the back and hope it didn't lead anywhere too conspicuous. Tears swelled up in her eyes as she bit on her lower lip, why had she been so stupid!? If she simply decided to stay at the schoolhouse she wouldn't be in this situation. I-I can do this, I can do this. She closed her eyes tight as she took in a deep breath before using her magic to phase through the back of the cupboard, falling onto the other side flawlessly. She was afraid to peek afterwards, but as she did so, she couldn't help but smile. 

She'd landed in a narrow hallway on the other side, decorated with pictures of animals on the walls as well as a small desk with a little flower pot atop of it. That hall lead to the upstairs area and turned into the living room at the opposite end, it wasn't the perfect situation but it'd do. Eve then creeped over towards the end that lead to the living room, peeking to ensure nopony would be heading down here. She saw that most of them were still busy, talking to each other, and Discord was fast asleep on the couch. Eve couldn't help but feel a sense of intense jealousy at the sight of Discord. He was a draconequus like her, but their lives differed greatly. He was apparently welcomed amongst the ponies, and he had friends. Of course she didn't know what his earlier life had been like so she couldn’t quite judge him completely, but nonetheless she was jealous of him, and she wished she were him. 

Eve gulped as she turned back towards the other end of the hall. Alright good, she'd just now phase out of the opposite wall and make her way back down the path towards the schoolhouse, she was in the clear. But Eve's eyes snapped wide as she saw something that made her heart thump wildly beneath her chest. Her hood was raised but that didn't seem to make a difference, when did the bunny get here? 

Angel stared at Eve with a look of disinterest, still with his tiny arms crossed.

Eve felt frozen in place, she knew the bunny couldn't talk, so why was she still so scared of it?

Angel looked Eve up and down before nodding to her silently with a smile. He then moved out of her way.

Eve was a little confused by the bunny's actions but, thankful for them nonetheless. She quickly hurried past Angel, but not without muttering. "Goodbye little bunny...t-thank you..." Eve then phased through the opposite wall exiting the house hurriedly, back into the area surrounding Fluttershy's home.

Angel smirked a bit, before silently hopping down the hall and into the living room. 





Eve hurriedly levitated into the air and swiftly moved down towards the forest looking area. Well it couldn't really be considered a forest, just a area with quite a bit of trees. She hurried down the path that lead from Fluttershy's house and past the bridge and narrow creek. She moved into the trees before touching onto the ground gasping, then sighing with relief as she felt she was now home free. "I..I'm actually out...yes!" Eve cheered as she raised her paw and claw to the air. She then began dancing in a comedic fashion on the grass as she chuckled, but she couldn't help but feel saddened she didn't get to talk to Fluttershy, either way she wouldn't be taking the risk again. "I guess, I was just being greedy...I'm sorry momma.." 

"Come on! Stop being party poopers you silly fillies!"

Eve's eyes widened as she lowered herself quickly. Another one? Seriously? 

Pinkie Pie was currently nudging along two little fillies as they seemed grumpy and reluctant to go to Fluttershy's house. The fillies bore darker colors than their surprisingly pink sister. 

The more ebon black and grey one whined. "Pinkieee! I want to go back home, my art project is due tomorrow!"

The other nodded in agreement. "Y-Yea! Can't we do this some other time!?"

Pinkie groaned in annoyance before exclaiming. "You two are going to eat some num nums and you're going to like it!"

They eventually passed by as Pinkie Pie forced them along. Eve peeked at them as they passed, cautiously keeping an eye on them as she backed up further into the forest area. She kept slowly receding backwards as she watched them, guess she was just doing it as a precaution since she'd taken enough risky chances already. She just kept backing up and up and the house only got further and further away. Eve chuckled as she turned around, closing her eyes with a smile. "Hehe..." She was in the clear once again. Until she'd bumped into something.

"OOF!" Eve immediately bumped into a somewhat plushy yet rough object, causing her to fall back onto the grass and her hood to fall back. 

As Spike felt the thump while standing next to Apple Bloom, he was in the middle of saying something. "W-Well, I mean, it's tough to try to get this out...heh I know Twilight wouldn't really understand it, I mean...I-I don't really understand it either..and-" He paused, cocking a brow as he turned to regard the thing that bumped him.

Apple Bloom looked to Spike, puzzled. "Understand what Spike? I'm confused..." As Spike remained silent Apple Bloom blinked a bit before turning around also. "Spike, what is it?" Then her eyes widened.

Spike and Apple Bloom simply looked down at Eve with wide eyes, a little speechless for a moment.

Eve rubbed her face for a minute with her paw before whimpering. "O-Ow..." As she then felt the looming stares of the two figures; her eyes snapped wide, her heart raced, and she felt as if her world seemingly shattered. She was frozen, not wanting to look up, not wanting to accept the reality that even after all that she'd just gone through, fate would be willing to deal her another absurd blow. She gulped, looking up, then seeing not only a baby dragon, but, a familiar filly, the same one from Cheerilee's class. She'd been caught.

Eve shook her head in denial before scurrying back hurriedly away from the two of them and getting up, simply looking at them with wide eyes, still shaking her head.

Spike looked at Eve with a confused expression. "I-Is that what I think it is?"

Eve shook her head, pleading softly. "W-Wait! I'm not-"

Apple Bloom was actually a little overwhelmed with fear. She recognized that draconequus, it was the same one that attacked their class the other day. Applebloom let off a loud shriek of fear before pointing a hoof at it. "W-Watch out Spike! It's that same thing that attacked the class the other day! It gots all types of weird scary powers!"

Spike looked to Applebloom wide eyed. "Wait what!? A-Attacked?! I-I thought-" He then looked to the draconequus, raising his claws in the form of a surrender. "L-Listen, we don't want any trouble. We'll just be leaving now, r-right Apple Bloom?" 

Applebloom snapped at him. "Just run Spike!"

Eve wasn't thinking in the flurry of the moment. She knew that little filly recognized her, and although she didn't know the baby dragon, he was friends with the little filly. Eve was panicked, she didn't have time to think of a good way out of this situation. So, she did the worst possible thing on impulse. Her body trembled as she pieced together what would happen, only having a few seconds to react. 

There was a saying that Eve had heard before, she couldn't remember where she'd heard it exactly but it didn't really matter. She couldn't help but think of it as she stood there, staring right back at the two figures looking at her.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Of course she was no cat, but, it still applied, at least she felt it did. She was there, in a patch of woods right next to Ponyville as she looked Spike and Apple Bloom in the eyes, looking as if she'd been overwhelmed with shock. She'd failed, she'd been seen. Now she'd soon be alone again, out in the forests wandering without Cheerilee, solemnly. This was the end.

Unless.....

With a swift motion Eve then spread her tiny arms. A look of fierce determination overtook her. "No! Y-You can't leave! I'm sorry!" And her magic began.

As Apple Bloom attempted to bolt away, she'd suddenly been knocked off her hooves, falling to her side. "OOF!"

The same happened to Spike as he fell onto his back. "GAH!"

Eve then summoned something with a slight curl of her paw and claw. And two abnormally large jawbreakers appeared over the heads of both Spike and Applebloom. Eve then motioned her paw and claw down as the jawbreakers reacted in the same fashion, slamming onto Spike and Applebloom's heads. 

Afterwords Spike leaned up, horribly dizzy, as did Apple Bloom. 

Applebloom raised a hoof as her eyes spun round and round. "I reckon it's time for a nap...." She then fell back and passed out, snoring peacefully.

Spike then raised a claw. "I uhm...second that..." He too passed out onto the ground, snoring. 

Eve trembled tremendously as the tears streamed down her cheeks. She was horribly scared. Scared of what she'd done, guilty for it, and ultimately felt that by this action, she'd costed herself everything. Now she truly was a monster, having attacked these two on impulse. She was nothing more than some beast, overreacting and not thinking clearly. At least that's how she felt now about herself. She looked at them sleep as she gripped her mane and shook her head. No no no no no no.... She knew there'd be repercussions for her actions and they'd come down with a swift vengeance, but even so, she still continued with this foolish plan out of desperation, out of feeling cornered. 

She approached Spike and Apple Bloom as they slept, and looked down at them solemnly. She then slowly began moving them with large gusts of pushing the air with her magic, and she already knew where she was going to hide them. Hah, how idiotic, hide two of the citizens of Ponyville? Was she truly considering something so linear? Eve thought about it, and perhaps she could've trusted them, perhaps she could've simply just let them go and everything would've been fine. Would they have understood if she explained her situation? It was a very slim chance based on her experience in all the other cities she'd visited, but, there was no doubt it was still a possibility, but a possibility nonetheless.

Eve continued that motion through the small patch of forest, rolling them to their new destination. Her tears hit their faces as she did so, and they only continued to snore. She felt so dumb, so embarrassed, so weak and glass minded. She was angry with herself and everypony around her, but mainly herself, she'd broken mother's rules and now look where she was at. There was nothing left, and things would likely only go downhill from here no matter what desperate attempt at a cover-up she made. How could one ruin such a perfect situation in such a short amount of time? Momma...

Punishment would come for this, for family is precious, and nopony touches family. 

> Chapter 6: Investigation (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



CHAPTER 6: INVESTIGATION


The sky was a pale orange color as the sun had begun its course to set.

"Spike?...." A concerned Twilight Sparkle questioned as she proceeded down the path outside Fluttershy's home alongside Applejack. It'd been far too long since they stayed behind, and Twilight could feel it in her gut that something was terribly off. She had a knack for those sorts of things, like figuring out the Nightmare Moon case, she just had this feeling she couldn't shake. She proceeded to trot on the outskirts of the large tree home with Applejack, calling out every few seconds. "S-Spike! Where are you? Come out already!" 

Applejack was just as flustered by the entire situation, cupping her mouth with her forehooves then standing on her hind legs as she called out in hopes of hearing her little sister. "A-Apple Bloom! Where are ya Sugarcube?" She too was met with no response. And although there was the possibility they had just wandered off, like Twilight, Applejack had a feeling that there was something awry. She wasn't certain of course, and considered her worries were just that, mere worries and perhaps paranoia. But still why would Apple Bloom have disappeared for this long? And besides that, there was the fact they said they'd be talking around this area, so what was the deal?

As the two mares stood there in disarray, overwhelmed with worry, it wasn't long before the others had decided to join them.

Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Pinkie Pie, Sweetie Belle, everypony besides Inkie and Blinkie and Discord had come to aid in the search. Personally Inkie and Blinkie were requested to stay in the house by Pinkie herself, although most wouldn't think about it, Pinkie was quite protective of her siblings. Discord however believed they all were worrying too much and wasting their time, either way, the ponies all arrived to lend a hoof.

Fluttershy lead the group as she proceeded to trot up to Applejack and Twilight. She spoke in her soft barely audible voice with concern "O-Oh my...you two still haven't found them yet?"

Rainbow bolted up into the sky, shading her eyes with a hoof then wincing down at the landscape below. "Hey Apple Bloom! Spike!? You guys out there!? If so quit playing games! We're all worried sick here!"

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo peered at each other with worried eyes, remaining silent. But their expressions spoke a thousand words as they too were deeply worried for their friend as well as Spike. 

Rarity couldn't help but cover her mouth with a hoof somewhat before looking down reflecting on the situation. "Oh this is just awful, I do hope they're alright. Where could they have gone? Perhaps they needed more time alone than we expected?"

Twilight's eyes began shifting left to right, as if playing a scenario through her head and analyzing the situation. "That's certainly a possibility, but still, it seems unlikely. Spike isn't one to just disappear without leaving some sort of notice, and Apple Bloom as well, that's just strange. They said they only needed a little time, if they needed more they could've just told us instead of leaving us here to worry and look for them." Twilight was now on the move once again, making her way through the small patch of forest that surrounded Fluttershy's home. "Either way guys, maybe they left some sort of indication to where they've gone."

The rest of the mane six simply stood there as if awaiting further instructions from Twilight. Just like when she helped organize the winter wrap up, she'd probably already come up with an organized process of sorting this situation out as well, and they all knew it. Applejack however was growing more impatient by the second, worried for the safety of her baby sister and anxious over not knowing what'd happened. 

Twilight glanced around the forest before turning to regard her friends once more. "Alright, Pinkie; you're coming with me."

Pinkie saluted Twilight as she'd immediately put on her Sherlock Holmes getup with a determined expression. "You can count on me Watson!" Pinkie then began focusing on the dirt with her magnifying glass as she slowly moved past Twilight.

Twilight didn't regard the vividly pink mare as her behavior was as expected. Twilight then looked to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, you fly on over to Ponyville and ask around, somepony might have seen them passing through town."

Rainbow nodded with a determined smile. "Heh! Gotcha!" She then bolted off into the sky straight towards the small town.

Twilight regarded Applejack next. "Applejack, you go search the other half of the woods, Pinkie and I got this side covered. I'd like you down in this area with us, three heads are better than two."

Applejack nodded as she didn't hesitate to waste any time. "You got it Twi." Applejack then hurriedly sprinted off into the opposite direction searching around for her little sis and Spike, her voice fading from earshot. "Spike!? Apple Bloom!? Where are you!?"

Twilight of course then looked to Fluttershy and Rarity as well as the two remaining Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Rarity, Fluttershy, I want you guys to take the girls back up to the house, just in case Apple Bloom and Spike decide to come back and we're not there. I also don't want to leave Discord with Inkie and Blinkie, he can be a bit much for two little fillies."

Rarity nodded with approval. "Of course darling. Come on Sweetie Belle, let's go back up to the house."

At that moment Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo then gasped as they shook their heads, the two little fillies bolting over to Twilight.

Scootaloo peered up at Twilight angrily. "W-What!? Twilight! Apple Bloom's our friend too, we don't want to sit around! We want to help!"

Sweetie Belle persisted. "Yea! Let us go out and search with Applejack!"

Twilights eyes saddened as she lowered her frame and looked both of them in their eyes. She rubbed the top of their heads. "I'm sorry girls, I understand you want to help, but please, leave this to us okay? We don't want whatever happened to Spike and Apple Bloom to possibly happen to you two, as unlikely as it may be. But you never know, and it’d be better to be safe than sorry.. Just head back up to the house with Rarity and Fluttershy and wait for us to get back, we'll find them, I promise."

The two fillies peered at Twilight in discontent, but their expressions slowly died down as they reluctantly agreed. They didn't wait for Fluttershy and Rarity to guide them back to the house however, they weren't foals, they knew the way. They angrily made their way down the path and towards Fluttershy's house.

Rarity winked at Twilight in approval before following the two fillies in suit.

Fluttershy however approached Twilight with concern. "T-Twilight, are you okay? This all must be very hard on you. I know you must be worried sick about Spike." The pale yellow mare couldn't help but worry for her friend, usually playing the role of the leader she knew it was too often Twilight's feelings went unchecked about running the situation. 

Twilight lowered her head as she'd suddenly lost that confident expression. "Is it that obvious? Yea, I am..." Her eyes saddened somewhat as she kept her gaze focused on the ground. "It's just none of it seems to add up Fluttershy, I know we might just be worrying too much but, I can't shake this bad feeling. I guess it just might be my relationship to Spike clouding my judgement, he's like family you know."

Fluttershy nodded to Twilight. "I understand."

Twilight chuckled some before glancing up at Fluttershy with an amused smile. "Yea; you usually do Fluttershy..."

"GUYS!" Called out an ecstatic Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy and Twilight's eyes widened as they peered at one another. The two mares then didn't hesitate to make their way into the forest towards the spot where Pinkie had just screamed. 

As they trotted hurriedly, Twilight called out to Pinkie. "Pinkie! What is it!? What's wrong!? Did you find them?!"

As they arrived at the scene, what they saw made both Fluttershy and Twilight raise a brow. 

Fluttershy spoke in a soft curious tone. "Uhm...Pinkie? What're you doing?..."

Pinkie was actually sitting on her flank, munching on what appeared to be a giant jawbreaker. She licked it greedily as she smiled happily attempting to shove the oversized delicacy into her mouth. "Look what I found! Jawbreakers!"

Twilight's expression sunk as she suddenly seemed annoyed. "We can see that Pinkie! This isn't the time to be hoarding sweets! Where did you even get those?"

As Pinkie actually managed to get one of the jawbreakers into her mouth, she began to drool as she also attempted to reply to Twilight. "I found them silly! Right here, waiting for me!" 

Twilight raised a brow. "Wait a second, found them?"

Fluttershy then suddenly called out in a panicked voice. "T-Twilight!"

Twilight then looked over to Fluttershy who was looking over the second jawbreaker. Twilight cocked a brow as she slowly trotted on over to Fluttershy with a puzzled expression. 

When Twilight got to her, Fluttershy pointed a hoof at the jawbreaker, her body actually trembling somewhat from what she was seeing. "L-L-Look..."

Twilight blinked a bit as she then looked at the jawbreaker as well, and what she saw made her eyes widen exponentially. She was at a loss for words as she lowered her frame and levitated the jawbreaker with her magic. Stuck to the sticky ball of delight, were a few strands of red hair, or red mane. Twilight looked over the jawbreaker and then dropped it back onto the ground. She then began moving about that particular area, remaining focused on the grass as Pinkie just continued to roll the giant ball in her mouth while Fluttershy stayed close to Twilight. Soon Twilight found just what she'd been looking for, indication that Spike had certainly been here, as well as Applebloom. There were indents from where they'd been standing for awhile in the grass, very unnoticeable indents, one had to know what they were looking for to see them. But even with all these clues, Twilight couldn't make sense of the situation, not one bit. She ran every possible scenario she could think of through her head yet, nothing made sense. Giant jawbreakers, Applebloom's hair? What the hay was going on here? Either way Twilight looked to her two friends before gulping, then a look of fierce determination came over her.

Fluttershy looked at Twilight worriedly. "Twilight? W-What is it?"

Twilight then began trotting back in the direction of the path, but not before taking the second jawbreaker with her. "Come on Fluttershy, we're heading back to the house. Pinkie, you go find Applejack and Rainbow Dash and tell them to meet us back at Fluttershy's place. I think I might have some idea on how to figure this all out."





When they'd all arrived back at Fluttershy's house, Twilight of course had everypony gathered in the living room.

She then began to trot back and forth as all the attention was on her.

Eventually somepony broke the silence, that pony being Applejack. "Twi, what is it? What're ya thinkin?" Applejack was still quite impatient with everything, feeling everything that could've went wrong for this supposedly simple gathering, did.

Twilight then looked to the rest of the group before stating. "We might have to go to Canterlot."

To this nearly everypony gasped as Rainbow cocked a brow, utterly confused. "What!? Canterlot!? We don't have time for that Twilight! We have to go out there and find Apple Bloom and Spike! I asked around town and nopony knows where they are! This is nuts, something bad could've happened, we don't have time for Canterlot!"

Twilight looked to Rainbow, then sighed heavily. "I understand what you're saying Rainbow, but trust me on this. I think I know a way to find Applebloom and Spike. We just need to go talk to Princess Luna. It's the quickest way I can think of besides blindly searching. Either way I believe we might have a short window of time in order for this plan to work."

Scootaloo cut into the conversation. "P-Princess Luna? How come?"

Everypony was curious, but Discord was bored, he looked at Twilight with disinterest. He already knew her plan, to him it was plain as day, in some way he actually found it comedic that they were all still wondering.

Twilight kept silent to this, she merely eyed the jawbreaker, wincing at it, before simply stating. "Dreams."
> Chapter 7: Dreams (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



CHAPTER 7: DREAMS


Eve and Cheerilee were sitting on the couch, or perhaps a better description would be laying on the couch. Cheerilee was on her side, smiling at the TV, but more happy about the fact she had her baby draconequus at her side the entire time. Eve was curled up against the mare with her eyes closed, holding onto Cheerilee tightly. Cheerilee couldn't help but notice Eve's expression, the baby draconequus seemed distraught about something, one could see it in her sad features. Cheerilee; feeling as if she were the draconequus' newfound mother couldn't help but worry because of this. She ran her hoof through Eve's mane with a smile "Sweetie? What's wrong? What's the matter?"

Eve remained silent about the issue, she only nuzzled into Cheerilee affectionately. The last thing she wanted to tell the mare was she was responsible for abducting two Ponyville citizens, who were now hidden away in a place the baby draconequus was all too familiar with. A place she used to go, before she'd even met Cheerilee. But Eve knew that wouldn't last forever, and she knew that when the time came, she'd likely be separated from the mare, and she couldn't bear it, she couldn't bear thinking about that inevitable day, whenever it would occur. Cheerilee gave her everything: a home, gifts, a name, love. The thought of losing her was heartbreaking for the baby draconequus. Eve found herself opening her eyes halfway, as she looked towards the ground solemnly while still clinging to Cheerilee. "Momma;..." and she found she said something, quite on impulse, and quite absurd. "Will you leave with me?"

To this Cheerilee's eyes widened. Did she really just say that? Did she truly just ask that question? Cheerilee cocked a brow, at a loss for words. "Uhm; what do you mean sweetie? Leave with you? Leave where?"

Eve's expression saddened more as she formed a small frown, not wanting to continue, but finding the need to. "A-Anywhere, anywhere but here. Will you come with me?....." Her words were sincere, and it wasn't hard to find a strong hint of worry in her voice. 

Cheerilee caught this almost immediately. She then turned Eve's head towards her with a concerned expression, looking her baby draconequus in the eyes. "Eve; what happened? What's got you acting like this sweetie?"

Eve peered into Cheerilee's eyes with fear, and felt after a few seconds she couldn't look the mare in the eyes anymore. She simply looked to the lower left, avoiding all eye contact with Cheerilee. "I-It's nothing momma. Forget I asked, I'm sorry."

Cheerilee's expression saddened as she held onto Eve tightly. "Sweetie, you're not going to lose me, don't worry about those kinds of things, okay? Me and you; we're going to end up just fine. No matter what happens, I'll look out for you."

And Eve believed her. She knew Cheerilee would, at this point, do as best she could to protect her. And that's what made Eve fill with dread, she didn't want that for Cheerilee. She didn't want her adoptive mother's life to be ruined because of her own stupid mistakes. But she didn't want to leave Cheerilee either, she loved the mare, more than anything. Even in this short period of time, Cheerilee had made an unbelievable impact on the baby draconequus' life. An impact that would remain for as long as she lived. Eve simply glared at the ground once more, this time hiding away her concerns as she looked up at Cheerilee with a smile before nuzzling into her. "Okay momma..."

That night, when Cheerilee had finally gone to bed, Eve remained at her bedside for a while, simply watching her. The moon's luminescent rays pierced through the window, lighting the room some with its beautiful crystal glow. Although Eve's appearance was supposedly concealed by the darkness since her hood was pulled up, one could easily see her due to the moon's lighting. She simply stood at Cheerilee's bedside as the mare slept peacefully, turned on her side. 

Eve wore the most gentle smile, her caring eyes soaking up Cheerilee’s candid beauty  as she relished in this moment. She simply stared at the mare sleep, and loved every second of it. She wouldn't give up such a peaceful moment for anything else in the world. She was young, and she made stupid decisions, and she regretted every bit of them. She wished that she never broke Cheerilee's rules, that she just stayed in the house and perhaps she'd be able to enjoy moments like this for many more days to come. To her, she'd cost herself so much for her own stupidity; but that didn't stop her from now taking all she could out of the time she had left. She wasn't certain how much there was, but the baby draconequus ensured she at least spent some time doing such things because of the situation. But now she had to be ready to do something else, she had to go ensure both Spike and Apple Bloom were safe in their hiding spot, and she knew she couldn't stay like this for long, her guilty conscience tore at her and she wanted to set them free.

Perhaps that time would best be now, and no longer procrastinated. 

Eve leaned over the bed as she nuzzled against Cheerilee's cheek. "Goodnight momma, have a good rest." 

She said one more thing, although at the time, she didn't know, how important these words would be. "I'll miss you."

To Eve, she was merely stating the obvious. She'd always missed Cheerilee when she knew she wouldn't see her for a bit. But, this time, it was different.

Eve then tugged on her hood one last time, ensuring it was pulled all the way up. She turned towards the window then placed her paw and claw on the surface of the glass, phasing through the wall and going outside. It was time to check up on Spike and Applebloom, and ensure they were also okay.





And Earlier that day, of course, Twilight Sparkle and the mane six had already arrived in Canterlot. Although they were also accompanied by Discord. 

The remaining cutie mark crusaders as well as Inkie and Blinkie however had already been returned home, and sadly, Fluttershy's gathering was cut short.

As they all trotted off the train upon arrival one by one, Applejack and Twilight looked the grumpiest of the six. Although Applejack looked very upset while Twilight seemed more annoyed by everything.

Twilight sighed heavily as she looked upon her old home city. "Alright everypony; let's go."

Discord in particular yawned, oh how all of this bored him, he didn't even get why he came along. Oh; that's right, he came along to talk to Celestia and Luna, although he never really did so much these days, he always found it humorous to push the night princess's buttons. Discord moved with the crowd of ponies, well, the crowd of six, staying as anonymous as possible as they all continued to treat this like a conquest of sorts.

Twilight lead the others to Canterlot Castle as she seemed quite impatient, and of course in a hurry to find her precious assistant. Upon entering Canterlot Castle, Twilight and the others then immediately proceeded to the throne room and didn't hesitate to burst open the throne room doors.

Coincidentally, Princess Luna as well as Princess Celestia were both there alone, talking to one another perhaps about more political concerns. But as their throne room door burst open and they saw who was standing in the doorway, both Princesses eyes widened.

Princess Celestia cocked a brow at Twilight curiously. "T-Twilight, my student; I was not expecting you. What brings you to Canterlot? And why all the grumpy faces?"

Princess Luna cut in. "And why did you bring him!?" She winced at Discord angrily.

Discord cackled somewhat before porting over to Luna and patting her head. ""I missed you too night owl. Hey, we should have a sleepover sometime! I hear you throw the best slumber parties!" Exclaimed Discord. "You must tell me, how was it being stuck on the moon? I'm ever so curious. I mean I was turned to stone sure, but at least I could still hear and see everything going on around me. You however were stuck on an empty rock for a thousand years; I mean, bah! I'd practically lose my mind, and that's saying something." Discord then popped out a couch and pillow and laid on it looking up at the ceiling. 

Princess Luna gasped at the draconequus before snarling angrily at him. "Why thy pitiful whelp dare insult the night mistress herself!? You shall be punished!" Almost immediately Luna fired off a spell towards Discord.

Discord's eyes widened as he then blocked it with one of his pillows in a comedic stance. "Hah! Touché!"

Princess Luna gritted her teeth angrily at him as the two then went off into a minor duel.

Fluttershy covered her mouth with a hoof before lightly exclaiming. "O-Oh my...." She then fluttered on over to Discord hurriedly as in hopes to prevent him from causing too much trouble.

Princess Celestia and the rest of the mane six simply stared at the two for a brief moment, before regarding one another and discussing the actual situation.

Twilight sighed heavily as she shook her head. "I'm sorry for coming on such short notice Princess, but, we're in a bit of a pickle, actually, it's much bigger than that." Twilight lowered her head as her eyes went wide with worry, tears swelling up within them as she looked up at Princess Celestia hesitantly. "S-Spike's been kidnapped."

Princess Celestia's eyes snapped wide as did Princess Luna's with a gasp as both Princess spoke in unison. "WHAT!?"

Applejack then trotted forward. "Y-Yes Princess, and my little sister, little Apple Bloom, has been kidnapped as well. W-We have no idea where they are and, and based on what we found we think somepony might of hurt them."

Princess Celestia then winced before exclaiming. "Discord! How could you have let this happen?"

Discord burst into laughter slapping his knee. "BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!...Aha..hahaha...good one Celestia, I thought you were serious for a second there." He then noticed Celestia's looming gaze as he'd suddenly looked dumbfounded. "Wait a second? What in oblivion- don't look at me! They’re not my baby dragon and little sister! Hah, I didn't even know they were gone until somepony mentioned it."

Princess Celestia then looked back to Twilight and Applejack with a reassuring smile. "Don't you two worry, this situation is now our utmost priority. Twilight, I must ask that you try not to worry, Princess Luna and I will find them, we can assure you."

Twilight then shook her head at the Princess. "That's the thing Princess, we actually came here in the hopes of acquiring Princess Luna's aid with something in specific. I have a plan that I think could help us locate Spike and Apple Bloom easily."

Princess Luna then made her way over beside her sister with a reassuring nod to Twilight and the mane six. "Of course, whatever you may need, you will have it if I can provide it." 

Twilight then continued with a smile. "T-Thank you Princess, you see, I've heard you have the power to go into anypony's dream? I was wondering if this was true."

Princess Luna cocked a brow at Twilight. "Yeees...."

Twilight smirked, happy to hear such news. "Well, I was thinking whoever took Spike and Apple Bloom must have used something to knock them out. We found two very strange erhm....suspicious items that I think could have been the source or weapons used in the attack. Perhaps if they're still unconscious, you could enter their dreams and ask them if they have any idea who’s taken them and why."

Princess Celestia smiled down at Twilight, impressed with her thought process. "Excellent my student, that is indeed a very interesting plan."

Rainbow Dash then cut into the conversation. "Yea! And even if she can't access their dreams right now she can get into them later! So it's fool-proof! Hah! Smart thinking Twi!"

Rarity's eyes shifted left to right before muttering. "I know this is uhm...a little out of place but; eeeeh- you can access anypony's dreams?...D-Did you happen to see any of mine?" A crimson blush appeared over Rarity's face as she suddenly looked highly nervous.

Princess Luna then turned a bit red as well before exclaiming after a soft cough. "Aherm...let's just say if I have a feeling certain dreams contain, 'private' happenings, then I do not trek within them. Thine business is thy own and shall not be disrupted by me." She then smiled at Rarity.

Rarity sighed with relief before closing her eyes. "Oh thank goodness.." The white mare's eyes then widened as she felt the looming blank stares of everypony else around her. Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Princess Celestia all just stared at Rarity with blank expressions.

Pinkie scratched her head confused, then shrugged. "I don't get it!"

Discord coughed. "Ahem..I don't think you want to..." 

Princess Celestia sighed. "Well either way, we should probably get back to the matter at hoof. Come my student, sister, let us get started right away." 

Princess Celestia then lead the mane six and Discord to a more private area of the castle. The halls were ebon black and hollow, and there were no guards on patrol in this part of the castle. Of course the mane six were eyeing the area with discontent and worry, seeing as to how creepy it was. 

Rainbow then fluttered on down to Twilight, whispering in the mare's ear. "Hey uhm, Twilight, have you ever been to this part of the castle? Seeing as your Princess Celestia's apprentice and all."

Twilight shook her head, whispering back to Rainbow. "N-No, actually I haven't. It's so weird."

Princess Celestia and Luna then halted in front of a large chamber door at the end of the black hall. The door was massive and made of stone and had glowing markings etched into it. The markings in particular looked like a multitude of different star patterns that pulsed with a light blue glow. 

Princess Luna made her way forward as her horn started to glow and she touched it upon the chamber door, causing it to slowly slide open.

Through all this, Discord still seemed pretty bored, surprisingly.

The mane six however stared in awe as the contents behind the door were revealed. The door appeared to lead into what looked like an astral plane, a field of stars and galaxies. 

Princess Luna then trotted inside calmly, as if she were used to it. She then turned to regard the mane six with a smile. "Come now, we mustn't waste any more time."

The mane six made their way forward as Fluttershy peered into the room trembling. She looked towards the transparent ground with wide eyes and a soft shriek of fear. "P-Princess, you're sure it's safe for us?"

Princess Luna sighed heavily rolling her eyes. "Of course it's safe Fluttershy, I wouldn't have told you to come inside otherwise."

Twilight looked up at Princess Celestia, who simply nodded to her student.

With that the lavender mare was the second to make her way inside the room. As she found upon entering it indeed was safe, she could trot along the invisible path and further into the astral realm.

With that the rest of the mane six looked to one another before nodding and following Twilight in suit. 

As everypony made their way inside, the chamber door shut behind them.

Princess Luna then began to speak. "This realm will allow you all to see into the very heart of the dream, along with myself. It is here we will attempt to communicate with Apple Bloom and Spike. All we must do now is hope they are fast asleep."

The mane six gulped as they awaited for Luna to begin the process.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but look around in awe then mutter. "This is way too awesome..."

Princess Celestia then instructed the mane six. "Alright you all, quiet down now, Princess Luna requires concentration."

Princess Luna grew silent, as she closed her eyes and remained quiet and concentrated. There was a looming silence as nothing happened for a brief moment. And suddenly, what felt like an instant, the whole world around them began to shift and change before their very eyes. The astral plain then began to manipulate and flash a multitude of different images. It was as if they were flying down a tunnel consisting of thousands of different pictures of unseen worlds or other pony's lives. The scenery of the world around them was changing so fast that it was beyond comprehension, and the mane six felt as if their brains were being overloaded with too much information at the very sight. But as they looked upon the changing landscape before them, they understood eventually what they were seeing. These were dreams. The dreams of everypony that was sleeping in Equestria, perhaps the world. Did Luna's range truly stretch so far? 

This went on for a good few minutes before Luna eventually exclaimed in an excited tone, "Great news everypony! I have found her! I've found Apple Bloom! She is indeed in the land of dreams!"

To this Applejack grew ecstatic, anticipated and happy. "W-What!? Apple Bloom! She's alright?!"

A soft smile creeped onto Luna's face as she nodded. "Yes she's quite fine as is, it's safe for us to assume that wherever she may be, she's fast asleep so no harm has likely come to her, yet." 

Twilight cut in. "Uhm, w-what about Spike, Princess? C-Can you find him?"

Princess Luna shook her head. "Sadly my range is quite limited to ponies, to delve into the dreams of other races requires a great deal of effort on my part and is a much longer process. I'm sorry Twilight Sparkle, for now Spike's fate is uncertain."

Twilight felt struck by such words as she lowered her head.

Luna then pulled them into Apple Bloom's dream. And humorously the little filly was actually dreaming of getting her cutie mark. She was at Sweet Apple Acres and she'd finally received a cutie mark that appeared to be similar to Applejack's. 

As Applejack saw her little sister so happy in the fields of Sweet Apple Acres, tears swelled within her eyes, delighted to see her little sister was alright for now, just dreaming peacefully. Applejack then called out to her little sister hurriedly "A-Applebloom! Are ya okay sugarcube!? Big sis is here now!"

To this Applebloom cocked a brow as she looked around. The world was hazy and everything was quite transparent but as she focused, the mane six as well as Discord, Luna, and Princess Celestia came into view. This caused Applebloom to cock a brow as she felt utterly confused. "W-What the!? Eh...I must be dreamin..." She didn't really mean that at first but, heck, who couldn't laugh at the unintentional pun. Well, Discord sure did.

Discord burst into laughter. "Bahahahaha!"

Everypony eyed Discord.

Discord grew quiet then shrugged. "Man, does anypony have a sense of humor around here?"

Princess Luna then spoke to Apple Bloom directly. "This is correct Apple Bloom, you are in fact dreaming, in the land disconnected from the real world. At the moment you're currently dreaming, and we're communicating with you through my magic. We have come to you from the real world in hopes of finding out your whereabouts."

Applebloom still seemed confused. "Wait a second, b-but if I'm dreamin, then doesn't that mean I'm dreamin this too? Which means in fact I'm actually dreamin up these words and all of you guys! Which means none of what you're saying is real."

Discord couldn't help but facepalm.

Applejack then trotted up to speak to Apple Bloom. "No sugarcube, we're our real selves! Y-Ya went missing down by Fluttershy's house, you and Spike, and we've been lookin for ya! Do you have any idea where you are?"

Apple Bloom looked up at her sis with worried eyes as the realization slowly came to her. Apple Bloom then began tapping her muzzle softly with a hoof as she thought about it. "W-Wait...I remember...m-me and Spike, we were talkin bout somethin." Apple Bloom's eyes slowly widened.

Twilight couldn't help but cut in, impatient with the little filly's reply. "What happened Apple Bloom!? Who took you guys?"

Applebloom stomped her hoof with a frightened expression. "It was t-that same thing that attacked Miss.Cheerilee's class! It came right out of the woods and bashed us on our heads!"

Everypony gasped. 

Even Discord looked a little dumbfounded by the proclamation.

Princess Celestia cocked a brow, then looked over to her student. "Why wasn't I notified there was an attack on the schoolhouse Twilight?"

Twilight's eyes were wide with disbelief, she then looked over to Celestia with a panicked look. "W-We dealt with the situation Princess! There was no need to inform you!"

Discord then cut in with a serious tone, and his arms crossed. "I can vouch for her there Celestia. There was no need to inform you of the situation, we took care of it. Or at least; I thought we did."

Fluttershy couldn't help but feel a little shaken by the news. "B-But she was so sweet...s-she attacked you?"

Rarity sighed. "Ugh; I guess it showed us then huh?.."

Pinkie Pie gasped. "Oh my goodness I-....still don't get it." She blinked a bit with a blank expression.

Rainbow seemed just as upset as Applejack. "We let it go and this is how it repays us!? Sheesh!"

Apple Bloom nodded with a scared expression. "Y-Yea, I don't remember what happened after that but, it attacked me and Spike!...." Apple Bloom then looked to all of them as she started to tremble. "Wait...if...if you're all here looking for me then..then it really did take us? Oh no! A-Applejack are we gonna be okay!? I don't wanna get eaten or anythin!"

Applejack's expression sunk as she shook her head. "D-Don't ya worry sugarcube! Big sis ain't gonna let anything happen to ya alright? We're gonna find ya'll and we're gonna ensure that this never happens again, ya hear?"

Applebloom then nodded and sniffled some. "Just hurry okay?"

Applejack gave her sister a reassuring smile. "I will lil'sis, I will. Now you just stay patient now, do you have any idea where this thing might of taken ya'll?"

Applebloom shook her head. "N-No...we were just in the forest and, and then we got attacked..."

Twilight then peered down at the floor with an inquisitive look. "If I recall it was only a baby wasn't it? How does a baby draconequus manage to kidnap a baby dragon and filly and hide them somewhere nopony can think of?"

Discord scoffed. "Hah! A draconequus' abilities range far beyond your petty little pony magic. Even for a youngling, I'm sure she could have thought of something to get those to where she wanted to go."

To this Celestia's eyes snapped wide as Luna then cancelled the spell, her concentration being broken by Twilight's words. 

As Apple Bloom slowly faded from sight, Applejack went into a panic.

Apple Bloom cried out stretching a hoof out to Applejack. "W-Wait! Big sis I-" Then she was gone.

Applejack stared for a bit wide eyed, before gritting her teeth angrily. "Come on ya'll, I'm getting tired of this whole draconequus thing! She wants to mess with my family, then I'll give it a good buck to the face."

Rainbow Dash nodded raising a shaking hoof. "Yea, nopony messes with us! It's time we taught this thing some manners!"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash then immediately headed for the chamber door.

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie soon followed after them.

Twilight and Discord would have also proceeded out but Princess Celestia and Luna kept them back.

Princess Celestia looked at Discord as if highly upset. "Discord;.....a draconequus....in Ponyville!?"

Princess Luna winced angrily at him. "I told you he cannot be trusted dear sister...."

Discord scoffed. "Bah! Don't blame me Celestia, I only did what was necessary. There was no need to kill the blasted thing! It posed no threat at the time so we let it go, simple as that."

Twilight actually came to Discord's defense. "Yes Princess, Discord and I only did what we felt was necessary. I see that I was wrong now. But rest assured we will deal with it this time, for sure, and ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."

Princess Celestia nodded to Twilight. "See that you do my student, a baby draconequus attacking citizens is a very serious situation. We mustn't ignore this, I trust that you can handle it. But if you require my aid, all you have to do is ask."

Princess Luna remained silent, simply keeping her angered gaze on Discord.

To this Twilight nodded as she had an expression of fierce determination. "I will Princess, I won't disappoint you. And I'll never let Spike get hurt by some crazy draconequus." A fleeting expression of anger washed over Twilight as she gritted her teeth, then turned towards the chamber door and quickly trotted off in order to catch up with the others.

Discord to then began to leave but, the Princesses weren't planning to let that happen.

Princess Celestia then called back to draconequus. "Not you Discord....you stay..."

Discord had a disinterested look, as if he sort of expected that. His arms were still crossed as he turned to regard the two Princesses with a slight smirk. "Oh?"

Princess Celestia trotted over to Discord with a spiteful gleam in her eyes. "You knew how dangerous the situation could be, yet you let my student, her friends, the new elements of harmony, risk themselves instead of revealing this information. You recall the last time we let something like this spiral out of control?"

Discord winced at her somewhat. "Of course Celestia; hmhm,...how could I forget?"

Princess Luna's nose wrinkled in disgust at Discord's smug persona.

Princess Celestia continued. "I will not have another you on my doorstep Discord, I would prefer not to risk it and simply go deal with this myself but, my student is capable. She knows what needs to be done, but you, I cannot trust you with this task."

Discord shrugged. "Hah; that's understandable, I get it. But to think, the kind hearted Celestia is finally being the realist. I haven't seen this side of you for quite awhile."

Celestia winced at him before trotting past him and continuing. "I do what is best for my subjects, I won't let any harm come to them, you know this full well Discord. You will stay here in the castle until Twilight and her friends complete their task. Luna, watch over him will you?"

Princess Luna nodded. "Hmph...my pleasure dear sister..."

Discord cackled somewhat. "Oh, well what do ya know? Looks like we'll get to hang out after all."





As Twilight and the others made their way back to Ponyville, night had fallen over the small town, and they were all eager to finally get this little situation over with, but there was still the problem that they had no idea where the draconequus had taken Spike and Applebloom. They discussed ideas from Canterlot all the way to Ponyville, but none of them could come up with anything they felt was logical enough. But Twilight was smart, and as with most things, she had a knack for figuring stuff out. She thought about the situation, and eventually, came up with a solution.

Applejack was furious, it wasn't often she'd been seen this upset but the thought of Apple Bloom out there at night, she couldn't help but cringe at the thought. "Come on ya'll! We gotta think of something!"

Fluttershy was actually quite silent for majority of the time. She simply sat, looking towards the ground with saddened eyes. It was times like this her kindness was actually a fault, even now the mare couldn't help but feel sorry for the draconequus. Did she truly attack them, and if so, was she truly to blame? Fluttershy had a tendency for siding with the smaller critters, but she felt conflicted about this in a bad way, she felt like she was wrong but still she couldn't help but wish there was another way around all this.

Twilight, however, was done playing nice. "There's one place that seems to fit the puzzle."

To this the rest of the mane six looked to Twilight, focusing on what she had to say and listening intently.

"Do you all recall the Everfree Ruins?" Twilight asked simply, her expression almost devoid of emotion as she peered towards the Everfree Forest.

Rainbow cocked a brow and folded her forehooves. "Wait, the place where Nightmare Moon was at? Why would it go there?"

Twilight smiled. "Think about it guys; before she came to Ponyville, she had to have a place to live. What better place than the abandoned Ruins of Everfree? As dangerous as the forest is, it's the only place nearby that provides perfect cover from harsh weather, is away from all the dangerous creatures of the forest, and ultimately it's the perfect home for a lone baby draconequus."

Applejack smirked, happy to hear something that actually seemed to make sense. "Good thinking Twi, it does make sense; now let's hurry on down there and get back Apple Bloom and Spike already!"

Twilight shook her head. "We can't go there without being prepared Applejack, first we have to go grab the Elements of Harmony. We don't know what we could be trotting into, remember, it may be young but it's still a Discord, with chaotic magic on its side."

Fluttershy then cut into the conversation. "D-Don't you all think this is a bit much? I mean we don't even know the whole story. I-I still think we should be careful but...but don't you think we might be taking this too seriously?..."

To this Applejack's eyes widened as she immediately got in Fluttershy's face. "Listen here sugarcube, I understand you like to take care of animals and all but, this is my little sis we're talkin’ about here. She was kidnapped, there is no 'too seriously' in this situation...got it?" 

Rarity then cocked a brow. "Wait now hold on just a second Applejack, we understand you're angry but don't take it out on Fluttershy, she's just saying what she thinks."

Twilight scoffed as she shook her head. "No! Applejack's right you guys, we don't have time to be worrying about whether we're overreacting or not. This draconequus took our friends and family, there's no excuse for that. Just because she's young doesn't mean she gets a free ride. You all need to understand that we're in the right here, now will we stop all this pointless bickering and go save Spike and Apple Bloom already?"

Applejack then backed away from Fluttershy. "Hmph!..."

Fluttershy looked towards the ground, ashamed. 

Rainbow had her hooves crossed as she nodded to both Twilight and Applejack, they had her full support.

Rarity was a little skeptical like Fluttershy but, ultimately she knew they were in the right.

Pinkie was a little ecstatic about the idea of going on a rescue mission. "Attention! We got some ponies, or pony and a dragon to save! Hoorah!"

Twilight smirked as she looked to all her friends with an approving smile. "Just remember guys, in the end we've got arguably the most powerful objects in Equestria on our side, and we've dealt with worse. But most importantly, we have each other, we have friendship. Now let's go get this thing over with."





Of course, destiny made habit of creating the most unlikely yet fitting situations.

For Twilight, as usual, was correct in her theories, although the possibilities were endless, she certainly was correct.

It was a stormy night in the Everfree, and the forest was known for its unpredictably, especially with the weather. This very land was filled with chaos, perhaps any other draconequus would have loved to call this place home, but Eve didn't feel at home at all here, but she couldn't deny, maybe this was where something like she belonged. Maybe, she truly was a fool for attempting to become part of a society that constantly told her she was unwelcome. But even so, she didn't regret it, she'd met Cheerilee, and that was worth it, even with all the consequences she'd made certain would come to pass.

The baby draconequus landed on the murky dirt path that lead straight into the abandoned ruins of Everfree. She recognized this place all too well, and just like Twilight pieced together, she'd brought them both here. Eve although she was young, knew the landscape quite well in the forest area. Of course getting them here was a nearly insurmountable hassle, but if it meant being able to be with Cheerilee for even a little while longer, she'd risk anything. She only wished she had more time, time she knew was running out, her hourglass was running empty, and a feeling within the young draconequus told her as much. But she'd never have guessed just how soon everything would be rapidly closing in all around her. Of course she was also dealing with the toughest opponents in Equestria, and perhaps its smartest mind, Twilight Sparkle. These were the very same ponies that bested the legendary Nightmare Moon, defeated the master of chaos, fought back the queen of the changelings, and helped destroy the king of darkness. Who was she compared to them? Nothing; nothing but some foolish draconequus who fought against fate. But one’s fate is inevitably inescapable, no matter how hard you try and how far you run, it will always catch up to you, one way or another, much like destiny if such a thing existed.

Eve made her way inside the ruins but she didn't lower her hood. No, she didn't really feel the need to. She simply made her way towards the back with a solemn expression.

And there they were, still tied and sealed with jawbreaker locks. 

Surprisingly both of them were still passed out. 

Eve looked at her two prisoners with a saddened expression as she began walking towards them. 

"DRACONEQUUS!"

Eve's eyes widened as she seemed to be a little overwhelmed with shock. She turned slowly to regard the one who'd yelled at her, and surprisingly, it was none other than Twilight Sparkle herself. Impossible; how could she of figured out everything in such a short amount of time? As said; Eve had no idea who she was dealing with in these circumstances. But did it even matter? She knew this moment would come, it was almost comedic to her how quickly it arrived. But still, she turned to look at them, all six of them, they had their fancy little necklaces and the purple one had her elegant crown, just like the first time she saw them. Eve's expression died down a bit as she looked at them all as if tired, she didn't want to beg anymore, she didn't want to cry, she was just so tired, and just looking at them she knew, she'd made a big mistake. "Hiya..." Her hood fell down slowly, revealing the baby draconequus' red eyes, and tired features.

As Twilight and the others looked at Eve from the opposite end of the long hall, as in similar fashion to when they were dealing with Nightmare Moon, Twilight glared angrily at the little draconequus. "IT'S OVER!"

> Chapter 8: Shattered (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER 8: SHATTERED



So it seems Eve’s time had finally come.

A little sooner than expected, but hey, what could she do? Her options were quite slim. She simply stood there at the other end of the hall, dumbfounded as she was on the small stone steps that led to a circular pedestal area where Spike and Applebloom were. She knew how bad the situation looked, and she could see it in the faces of the mane six; they really weren't happy with her. Well, could she blame them? She was the one at fault here. Nonetheless the staring continued for a brief moment, Eve remained silent as she just looked at the mane six with that tired expression, not really motivated to move or even to speak to them, to her, it would all end the same way.

The scene was quite fitting, abandoned ruins in the middle of Everfree with pouring rain and booming thunder outside. The place itself seemed it'd be quite dark but the moon's rays shone through the numerous openings that acted as windows as well as cracks and gaping holes in the structure. This was something that'd always comforted Eve when she used to stay here. But now she was starting to second guess herself, hah, maybe she could've even remained anonymous for a bit without it. Little did she know, it made no difference, because through means she never would've guessed; they deduced this place, knew she was the perpetrator, and had known what she'd done. Who would have thought one could look into the very realm of the dream? The mane six truly did have powerful allies. 

Eventually this staring contest would have to come to an end though, of course, Twilight would be the very one to end it. "Why'd you do it draconequus?"

Eve then peered at the ground, looking devoid of any emotion as she opened her mouth, preparing to speak, but she then stopped herself. All eyes were on her and what came out of her mouth next would play a vital role for the future to come. Of course Eve was planning to be honest with them, and not cause anymore trouble than she already did and just accept her punishment and be kicked out once more but, did she truly want to tell them about Cheerilee? Of course not. She didn't know these ponies intimately, she didn't know how things worked for them, and no matter the case Eve didn't want to risk Cheerilee's happiness and wellbeing. She'd already done that enough. No more; she wouldn't let her answers affect Cheerilee's future, she was already caught, but they didn't know about her adoptive mother, maybe she could play that off. But she didn't want to lose Cheerilee either; things were quite complicated. 

Eve slowly folded one arm across her slender body nervously, while rubbing the side of her other arm with her paw. As she attempted to look ahead, she found the idea of looking the mane six in the eyes horribly frightening and intimidating. She simply kept her nervous gaze on the ground, and her eyes shifted to the left as she spoke. 

Twilight noticed this. 

"I..I..uhm..." Eve was looking for an answer, and as she did she found attempting to lie to them was much harder than anticipated. She finally managed to construct a believable one. "I acted alone...I was mad because you wouldn't let me stay...and, and I wasn't thinking clearly at the time, I'm sorry..." 

Of course at this point, most of the mane six wondered what they were even doing right now. This wasn't some huge dastardly nemesis, this was no big villain, it was obvious to most of them that this little draconequus was scared and ashamed of her actions based on her body language alone. Although the remaining five held their tongues, the task was quite difficult, their eyes continually shifted from Twilight to the draconequus with interest. In a way, the conversation felt quite one sided, being only between Twilight and Eve. But the one who seemed to be having the most trouble of all keeping quiet was Fluttershy, whose frustration with Twilight only continued to grow as this little scene drew on.

Twilight didn't look amused. "I figured as much."

To those words, Eve actually wanted to smile, but she didn't. 

She'd done it, they believed it. Now all that was left was her punishment; whatever it may be and then everything would be ov-

"She's lying." Twilight stated almost immediately after her first statement.

To this Eve's eyes snapped wide, as her body started to tremble somewhat. She looked Twilight in the eyes and what Eve saw scared her to the core, piercing eyes, filled with knowledge and perception, a mare that looked like she could read the draconequus like a book. Perhaps to Twilight, the draconequus was merely a book to read, she'd studied them intimately not long after the Discord incident. To Twilight, maybe she already knew all the paths Eve would take. 

Fluttershy then couldn't keep herself held back any longer as she looked to Twilight with a glare. "Now wait just a minute Twilight. How can you go accusing her of lying? Based on what? That’s just wrong."

Applejack then sighed heavily. "I don't even understand what it is we're doin Twi. She ain't no threat, let's just go over there, take Applebloom and Spike, and get the hay out of dodge."

Rarity nodded. "Couldn't have said it better myself darling, there's no need to drag this on."

Twilight cut in. "No guys, I told Princess Celestia we'd handle this, and we're going to do just that. But first I need you all to understand where I'm coming from. She has you all tricked with the cute and innocent act, but I've studied draconequis, and her behavior is far from unfamiliar. Think about it, we told her once to stay out of Ponyville, she refused to listen, now she's kidnapped Spike and Applebloom. What's to stop her from doing it again? We can't just let her walk away from this. Even if she seems to be making it easy, draconequis don't work that way."

To that question there was only silence, but Fluttershy persisted. "B-But we can't just go around making accusations and assumptions, w-what's wrong with giving her a chance Twilight?"

Twilight cared for Fluttershy deeply, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed by her ignorance. Twilight disregarded Fluttershy's bickering for the moment, she'd prove to the pale yellow mare just what they were dealing with soon enough, as well as the rest of her friends, it was time they were educated. She then focused on the draconequus once more. "Tell me draconequus, where did you get that hoodie?" 

Eve gulped, shaking her head as she took a few steps back looking to the lower left. "I-I found it..."

Twilight replied. "Likely story."

Rainbow cocked a brow at the draconequus as she fluttered, she crossed her forehooves with a curious expression. "Yea I was kind of wondering about that to actually..."

Twilight glared in annoyance. "Don't you understand what you're doing? You're ruining the very cycle your race is meant to follow, do you think you're the only draconequus who wanted to rebel? To be a part of pony society?" 

Eve looked at Twilight as if shocked for a moment, before glancing to the lower right with a saddened expression and a shrug.

Twilight raised a hoof. "I understand where you're coming from. But there's a saying that fits this situation, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. History has shown us time and again, that draconequis are not meant to live amongst ponies in their youth. History has shown us that the risks are far too great to take chances when it comes to situations like this. I don't want to sound like the bad guy, I don't, but you have to understand the way things have to be. With your actions you're risking not only yourself, but the ponies of Ponyville, and I can't allow that." 

To this Eve slowly broke down. "B-But I..."

It came over her in a fleeting moment, but it needed to pass. She simply began sniffling, as small tears coursed down her face and she bit her lower lip in an attempt from breaking down completely. "I..."

This didn't appear easy, not even for Twilight.

Applejack scratched the back of her own mane with a heavy sigh and contemplative look to the others. "Jeez..."

Rainbow Dash looked to Applejack, mimicking that same motion. "Yea; you said it."

Fluttershy was heartbroken, the sight of this made her cringe and went against everything she stood for. 

Pinkie Pie blinked a bit with a worried expression. "H-Hey! Is she gonna be okay guys? I mean..."

Twilight sighed with a hesitant look, she didn't want to do this but she had to continue. "To start off, you need to stay away from Ponyville, you need to remain where you belong, which is out here, away from civilization. Maybe if you were older like Discord, my views would be different, but already your development seems to be taking a turn for the worse. It's not hard for me to tell that you're very protective of something. I'll have to guess that something is Cheerilee."

Eve continued to sob as her eyes were closed at this point. She clenched her opposite arm with her paw, lowering her head at the mention of Cheerilee, sniffling. So she even deduced that; it probably made the most sense.

Twilight sighed. "I thought so. I'm not sure how much of an impact she's made on you, so I'll have to assume the worst. Either way I'll make sure Cheerilee understands the repercussions for doing things like this." Of course Twilight didn't mean to imply she'd bring harm to Cheerilee, only hound her for the possible consequences of what she'd done. Twilight then cocked a brow. "I need to be certain you understand, so tell me,....... Do you understand?"





".............................."

Eve understood full well, but still- 

She couldn't take it. 

She was tired of being told she was a monster; and not how. She was tired of others telling her she didn't deserve a chance to prove herself. She was tired of losing the only ones she cared about. She understood that she was a danger in some form, that her feelings were abnormal, that her attachment to Cheerilee was progressing too quickly. She understood that she did wrong by taking Spike and Apple Bloom. And as much as she despised the idea, she understood Twilight Sparkle. As much as she understood all these things, it didn't change the fact she hated them. Eve would also do anything to keep her loved ones, just like they would for theirs, but that was the thing, anything, was such a broad word. 

She was tired of all of it! Tired of being alone, fending for herself, having no friends or family! Tired of seeing the ponies live happily amongst one another! She was absolutely sick of all of it. And she didn't want to lose her, no, not Cheerilee.

Eve had been broken down by Twilight's all too familiar words, and the violet mare expected as much. Upon analysis of the draconequus she knew it needed to be reminded of the potential destruction and chaos it could bring to Ponyville. But there was one flaw Twilight didn't expect, Eve's persistence. Eve was meant to be broken down, and built up to an understanding draconequus, one who'd live the life it was meant to and get over the tragic misgivings of her unfortunate existence. 

But in those short moments, something about Eve changed, her psyche shattered, and just the thought of being alone again filled her with anger toward Twilight. 

She loved Cheerilee, and would never hurt her, just the fact one even considered that a possibility angered her greatly. What was the point of living this life? A life of where all she did was accept what others told her and scurried about on her way. A life where all she did was fight to survive and be alone? There was no point to a life like that. Eve realized in that moment, from that one question, that she did understand. She understood what would happen if she just accepted everything once again. 

And she wouldn't have it.

It was funny, just earlier Twilight mentioned a quote she found fitting for this situation. And now Eve couldn't agree more, her eyes were wide as she thought about it, as if a psychotic persona had washed over her.

"Y-You said that those who fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it...." Eve said this in an almost reflective manner as she stopped crying. Her snow white bangs covered some of her features and her darkened callous eyes.

Twilight then cocked a brow at the baby draconequus, a little puzzled by what her point was.

Eve then looked at the mare with her own piercing red eyes masked beneath a saddened expression. Thick crescent bags underlined her candy apple red irises as she stood and raised her paw and claw. And for probably the first time in her life, she spoke in a tone purely defensive, and full of clarity and sorrow. 

"I don't want to repeat this anymore...." 

And that was it. That was her exclamation, her first form of true resistance. Her mind couldn't take it, the absurd luck and bad circumstances, and their sudden appearance and proclamation that she wouldn't be able to see Cheerilee anymore. Eve wouldn't stand for it. In the next moment she moved with natural grace, raising her claw to the sky, and she had a look of fierce determination especially for a baby draconequus. It was as if she was possessed by some personal conquest. And as she prepared her spell, another voice rang out in her head.

This. Is. Chaos.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash seemed a bit overwhelmed with shock and awe at the sight.  

Eve's claw curled in as the very air around her began to shimmer and crack as if the actual essence of their world was a simple glass sheet. She never took her eyes off Twilight as suddenly a malefic cosmic sphere hovered in the baby draconequus' claw. Without even being aware of it, she was abusing her potential, and almost absently calling upon her inherited powers out of pure malice. She never lost focus, the thought of Cheerilee driving her into this state of pure concentration, she was finally awakening her catastrophic powers out of her own volition. She'd already been abandoned by her real parents, and now she was about to lose Cheerilee, unless, she did something about it. Tears filled her eyes as she only continued to stare down Twilight, it pained her to think she'd crossed such a terrible threshold. And it pained her to imagine just what she'd managed to create in her curled claw. 

But she had to make a stand. 

And so, in that next moment, with all her strength, she propelled the crackling sphere forward, sending it hurtling towards Twilight.

She'd attacked.

And Twilight simply smirked.

> Chapter 9: Resistance (Revised + Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



CHAPTER 9: RESISTANCE


And so it'd begun. 

Eve's conjured sphere, and ultimately destructive spell, surged towards Twilight. 

Twilight simply smirked from the other end of the hall. It was fleeting, as almost immediately after that smug expression appeared, it vanished. Twilight then looked to her friends with a serious look. "Get ready guys!" She said with utmost importance, stressing the severity of the situation. 

Although Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy still felt quite conflicted with the entire thing, Rarity and Pinkie gave Twilight a nod of approval. It wasn't that hard for them to decide in those few seconds they had, whose side they were on. Eve had kidnapped Spike and Apple Bloom, she'd obviously lied to their faces according to Twilight, and now here she was attacking them, although she meant to only hit Twilight, it looked all the same to them. They knew Twilight for her studious personality, honest judgement, and insightful wisdom, and most importantly, she was their close friend. And to them, they had to give her the benefit of the doubt, because that's what friends do, who were they to claim they knew what was best, despite what it looked like, despite their feelings about all of this, they never studied draconequis, and Discord was the only one they knew and he was the master of chaos. Now they were under attack, so they would defend themselves.

Fluttershy was simply overwhelmed with shock. She still didn't want to do this, no matter what Twilight claimed to know, even though she was usually timid and submissive, this made her stomach churn, it all felt wrong to the shy mare. But still, she couldn't deny that by this point, it seemed Twilight might be right about all of this. Eve was now attacking them, although it was because she didn't want to be alone, it also sent a different message, that she was willing to risk all the ponies of Ponyville for her own self benefit in a way. Fluttershy still however, no matter how bad the situation looked, wanted to give the baby draconequus the benefit of the doubt as well. As the sphere continued surging towards them, Fluttershy didn't really have time to say much herself, but she managed to get off a pleading call to her close friend. "T-Twilight!"

Twilight ignored Fluttershy; as said, she cared for Fluttershy deeply but to her, Fluttershy was being no different than an immature filly whining about not getting what she wanted. "Not now Fluttershy!"

At this point, Rainbow Dash and Applejack didn't feel conflicted at all. Rainbow would always be loyal to her friends, no matter what, and to her, there wasn't even much to consider. Eve committed a crime, lied to their faces, and was now attacking them, how straightforward could it get? Applejack was dealing with something much more personal, this draconequus took her little sister, and now was attacking her friend, and she made a promise to Apple Bloom to ensure something like this wouldn't happen again. She'd stand by Twilight, there was no question in the matter.

And Twilight knew this, although she knew her friends might feel wrong at first, she knew she could show them that they were indeed in the right. To Twilight, this is what it meant to be a leader in such circumstances. You had to make the hard decisions, and even if they seemed cruel and unjust, you had to remain steadfast if you were certain this is what needed to be done. Twilight didn't feel wrong, but she couldn't deny she felt quite biased as well, why would she want to give the draconequus that caused her so much trouble a chance? The very same draconequus that made her friends upset with her, especially Fluttershy, and the very same draconequus that took her precious Spike. This was the same race that had nearly cost her all her friends, turning them against one another, and the race capable of filling the world with nothing but chaos. Nonetheless she'd also looked into draconequis, and although her knowledge on the matter was still hazy to everypony else, she knew in her heart that she was fighting for the greater good, she felt it. She'd show the Princess she knew how to handle situations such as this, and she'd make her proud, no matter what.

And so although it only lasted a few seconds for them all to make that split-second decision, they all of course sided with one another. They were friends who'd taken on impossible odds together, and they wouldn't let some draconequus change that. 

Such was the power of friendship. 

In that moment all of their elements lit up, giving off a shining vibrant glow as they prepared to attack. 

Twilight lowered her frame as her crown was the focus of their powerful spell as usual. They all went through this process many times before, and to them it would all go perfectly once more. They'd counter the desperate attempt made by Eve, and defeat her with the elements, it was simple, nothing could go wrong.

Twilight snapped angrily. "You asked for this!"

And in that next moment, the elements activated, sending a powerful spell surging forward; straight towards Eve's. 





Eve was no fighter, and that spell she'd shot towards Twilight was probably her first real taste of destructive magic. She didn't know what to think seeing that frighteningly large blast heading straight for her, and of course she felt her little sphere wouldn't be able to make it past such a spell. Her eyes widened as an expression of dread overcame her, but she said nothing, there was nothing to say. She was simply overwhelmed with shock and fear. As the blast from the elements of harmony continued to come straight towards her, its bright lighting was almost blinding to the baby draconequus. But still she stared it down from the far end of the hall, and felt she couldn't take her eyes of it.

Then in that next moment, the Elements’ and Eve's own spell made contact, setting off a violent crackling reaction, creating a crashing noise which sounded like thunder and static going off in recurrence. 

The mane six had their determined expressions, as they knew the elements wouldn't fail them, especially to something so meager. No, they weren't worried.

Then it happened.

The magical blast from the elements dispersed, as if powerless to withstand against Eve's spell.

Twilight's eyes snapped wide as did the others. 

Twilight gasped. "WHAT!?"

The elements failed!? Impossible!

Even Eve was filled with shock and awe at the fact her little spell pushed through. She simply stared as now Twilight and the others were dangerously short on time to react. But of course, it could never be that easy.

Twilight had to snap back to her senses. She should've considered the possibility something could've gone wrong but this, how was this even possible? They were in the right weren't they? Eve took their friends and family, refused to listen, and even attacked them, everything made sense! But then it didn't. What was going on? Were they suddenly disconnected to the elements somehow? Or was the draconequus resistant to the power of the elements in some unique way? So many questions. Twilight squinted; no matter, in a way it wasn't surprising to consider Eve somehow managed to resist the elements, draconequis were clever, based off of Discord’s intelligence. 

Either way they didn't need the elements to win this, and Twilight certainly was confident in the power of all of them working together. But still she couldn't lose sight of the fact she had to improvise now. She took a quick glance at all her friends who also wore shocked expressions. She called out to Rarity in specific. "Rarity!" 

Rarity looked over to Twilight with a nod, still looking quite shocked but understood what the mare was implying. "R-Right!"

Rarity and Twilight then both lowered their frames as their horns started to glow in correspondence to their spell colors, even though they were currently working together for a specific spell. They had to act fast and in that next second as Eve's spell arrived at its destination, Twilight and Rarity summoned a transparent barrier, most likely a defensive spell. And as Eve's own spherical shaped attack smashed against this barrier, a small explosion then set off.

But it wasn't an explosion of fire, no, it was one of lightning and ice. Eve's spell summoned forth from it, small spires of crystal and shards of ice shimmering with lightning & electricity. A truly mesmerizing sight. The spell sent up a dust cloud, shrouding the mane six's location, the only thing visible was some of the destruction caused by Eve's spell.

The mane six's fate was unknown.

Eve simply blinked a bit, wide eyed as she looked upon the damage she'd caused. She stared in disbelief, before looking down at her claw as if fascinated by it. This is what she was capable of? This was the sort of power that dwelled within her all this time? She herself couldn't believe it, and she couldn't believe that she actually managed to use it in the heat of the moment. But as she looked down at her claw for a second, anger swelled up inside her, she didn't want this. She didn't want to be a monster capable of such magic. The thoughts of what she could accomplish frightened even her now. But she wanted to be with Cheerilee, even now she missed her terribly. But she wouldn't be able to dwell on these thoughts for long because of course, the mane six weren't finished with her yet.

Eve's eyes widened as she'd heard the shifting noises in the distance, then suddenly emerging from the shroud of dust and debris were three of the six. Rainbow burst forth on the right side with a mighty flap of her wings. Twilight charged down the middle. And Applejack was on Eve's far left as she trotted hurriedly down the hall. They all wore determined expressions and seemed to already have a set plan without even communicating with one another, or perhaps their teamwork was so solid that they had no need for words. 

A shiver ran down Eve's spine as she barely knew how to react, as she was no fighter, but if she wanted to make it through this she had to stop being afraid and defend herself. She had to grow up and realize, that situations like this would inevitably occur for ones such as herself, even though she was so young, if she wanted the life she craved, unfortunately she'd have to fight for it, and prove her place, if that was even possible. At least this was what she felt was the only way. And even though she was afraid, even though she lacked any confidence that she could possibly win, the thought of being with Cheerilee spurred her on, motivating her.

Rainbow didn't have any trouble making it to the opposite end of the hall in an astoundingly short amount of time, speed being one of her greatest attributes. The rainbow maned mare was at Eve's right side, and almost immediately went into a counterattack. Rainbow was intending to finish this in one sweeping kick, nopony attacked her friends, and if this draconequus wanted to play rough, then she'd get it. So Rainbow did just that, appearing at Eve's side, she propelled herself in a full spin with a rotative flap of her wings, and swung her hind leg towards Eve's head in the hopes of making contact.

"Ah!" Eve's eyes widened as she let off a small shriek of fear at the sudden appearance of the rainbow maned mare at her side; not hesitating to attack. She was so inexperienced, cowardice could only be expected. But as Eve would soon learn, her powers would come to her aid when she needed them to. She flinched terribly at the sight of Rainbow's incoming hoof, she closed her eyes in fear and raised her arms in defense at the side of her head. And in that moment, chocolate, wood, and ice spires emerged from the ground at her side acting as shields. 

Rainbow's kick landed against them as the mare gritted her teeth and cocked a brow. "W-What the heck?"

Twilight then called out to Rainbow. "Careful Rainbow! Remember what she's capable of!" And Twilight then teleported straight in front of the draconequus, an infuriated gleam in her eyes. 

Eve's pupils dilated at the sight of the violet mare in front of her. Twilight seemed towering, frightening, powerful. And much like with Rainbow, Eve reacted on impulse, slinging up her arm in a desperate attempt to get a chaotic spell off and force Twilight away from her.

In some form, Twilight actually found it insulting this little draconequus expected to fight them off. Who did she think she was? She certainly wasn't Discord, yet. No, Twilight would show her just how pointless all of this really was. Her magic was chaotic, unpredictable, powerful yes, but ultimately she was unseasoned, and that'd cost her. Twilight never took her eyes off the baby draconequus, her horn then alit a vibrant purple color as she released a spell that shot straight for Eve's defensive arm, the one she was attempting to use to summon forth another of her spells and send her back.

As Twilight's spell made contact with Eve's right arm, the baby draconequus found that she couldn't move it. It was as if Twilight had frozen it in place, in time. "H-Huh?" Eve glanced at her arm wide eyed as she didn't really know what to think, it confused her. And her thoughts on the matter didn't last long.

CRACK!

Eve suddenly felt pain the likes of which she'd never felt before. It was almost indescribable, but thankfully it passed in a fleeting moment due to the circumstance of the situation. Her head forcefully turned, and she'd been kicked right in the jaw. 

Behind Eve with her hind legs stretched out was a light brilliant gamboge mare with an angry expression and a tilted cowboy hat. Applejack had made her move.

Applejack's buck to the face caused the baby draconequus to fling forward from her original spot. Sending her body hurtling through the air and then crashing, tumbling and then skidding across the ground.

As the baby draconequus laid face down, she was limp and motionless. But her eyes were wide as her claw and paw twitched, she was still in quite a bit of shock from the sudden surge of pain in her jawbone area, so she simply laid there on the ground. She felt she lacked any strength to move, anything really.

As Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy emerged from the dust cloud coughing, Fluttershy gasped covering her mouth at the sight laid out before her.

Rarity continued coughing as she sighed heavily. "Uuugh, I swear, this place is absolutely dread-........oh my.."

Pinkie Pie simply blinked, then whispered to Rarity. "Is she sleeeping?"

Rainbow, Twilight and Applejack then regarded Eve laying in the middle of the hall with looks of pity.

Applejack sighed. "Stay down Sugarcube..." 

Applejack then slowly began trotting towards Spike and Apple Bloom. To her this was already over, she was far from cocky but she couldn't deny a buck from her, especially after all of her apple bucking, certainly wasn't a pleasant surprise. And of course she wanted this over with fast. As she made it to the two, she was relieved to find they were alright, especially Apple Bloom. Applejack lowered her frame as she ran a hoof through Apple Bloom's mane affectionately, tears swelled up in her eyes as she did so. "H-Hey there lil'sis, everything's alright now ya hear? I told ya I'd come to get ya didn't I?"

Apple Bloom didn't reply seeing as she was passed out. 

Twilight kept her eyes on Eve as she then glanced back at Applejack. "Applejack, is Spike alright?"

Applejack then looked over Spike closely as she nodded, smirking at Twilight. "He's all good Twi!"

Twilight then smiled, sighing with relief. "Thank goodness..."

Rainbow couldn't help but look at Eve worriedly as she then looked back down at Twilight. "So uhm...what now Twilight?"

Twilight looked back towards Eve who was still motionless on the ground. "We don't have to do anything at this point, let's just go home."

Rainbow cocked a brow, raising her forehooves to the air. "What!? After all that trouble she gave us we're just going to leave her here? Shouldn't we take her back to the Princess or something? I mean, weren't you the one talking about ensuring she never does this again? How do we know she won't attack again? Or recover or something."

Twilight looked at Rainbow with a humored smile. "I think she gets it Rainbow, but maybe you're right, maybe we should take her to Canterlot and turn her over to the Princess. Either way she probably won't be causing anymore trouble in her condition."

Fluttershy then trotted straight towards Eve while glaring angrily at Twilight and Rainbow. "T-Twilight! Rainbow!...I-...I just....I-" Fluttershy looked infuriated, and she wanted to go off on them, she wanted to yell something at them but couldn't find any words. Tears swelled in her eyes as she simply glared at them for a bit, she felt ashamed, and found these acts despicable. The pale yellow mare simply looked away from them without saying any more. Then lowered her frame as she regarded Eve with a saddened expression, and as she turned the baby draconequus over, she couldn't help but feel like crying. Was there really an excuse for this? Fluttershy brought Eve into her forehooves as she laid on her side. 

Eve simply eyed the mare with a tired expression with half closed eyes. 

Well, at least she was like she imagined, just like at the schoolhouse that day, she accepted her for what she was.

Eve couldn't say anything to her, and a small amount of blood spatter decorated the side of her mouth, some of the red substance protruded from her lower lip. Her jaw was smashed, and disappointingly she'd lost the will to fight back. That was quite fast, and she felt pathetic because of it. She accomplished nothing, all she accomplished was a broken jaw. This certainly escalated further than she thought it would, but she still couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself. She had so many powers, and still she failed, and her resistance made no difference. It was childish, and it only worsened her reputation more. She reacted out of anger, and still she'd lose Cheerilee. I'm sorry momma......

Fluttershy then gritted her teeth, setting her piercing gaze towards Twilight and Rainbow once more. 

Twilight however was now approaching the mare and draconequus with a saddened expression herself. "Listen Fluttershy, she attacked first. We realize that you're angry but you can't expect to blame us for defending ourselves. Either way, it's over, and we're going to probably want to keep her this way so she doesn't resist."

Fluttershy at that moment seemed like she'd snapped herself. Her eyes widened as she couldn't even believe what she was hearing. She loved them, Rainbow and Twilight of course, but, for some reason she couldn't find anything they were saying plausible. It all sounded like a big joke to her, and it wasn't funny, not one bit. It actually filled her with rage, and then it happened, she erupted at Twilight. "WHAT!?"

But Twilight had just about had it with Fluttershy as well; constantly thinking of her as evil. "You heard me!"

Rarity then cut in as she began trotting towards them, Pinkie followed. "H-Hey now; settle down you two!"

Rainbow then went to Twilight's defense, arguing against Fluttershy. 

Applejack was still tending to her little sister and also fiddling with the weird sweet locks that bound them. But she couldn't help but overhear the arguing, which caused her expression to sink as she rolled her eyes then turned towards them. "What the hay is going on over there!?" Applejack then trotted on over to see what the commotion was about.





It was chaotic.

And Eve, wasn't even listening. As she laid there in Fluttershy's hooves, her world was deathly silent. She looked devoid of any emotion as she was lost in her own thoughts and concerns. She wondered if she'd ever get to say goodbye to Cheerilee,  obviously by fighting back she ensured a more severe punishment than mere exile, she'd never met the Princess before, maybe she'd go easy on her. It was funny, the baby draconequus was finally growing up, but not in anyway she'd expected. She used to be so innocent, curious, full of life, but now it all seemed so bleak now. Life seemed so, uninteresting to her, and she felt too tired to even give that idea any deep thought. Cheerilee was the only thing that seemed to make it mean something, but she'd soon be gone too.

Then; another voice spoke out in Eve's head. It was feminine.

Your only limitation is your imagination you know. It's not over.

Eve couldn't help but respond to the question in her mind. My imagination?

Yes, you'd do anything to be with Momma wouldn't you?

What a question. Eve thought about it for a moment, but the answer was simple.

She closed her eyes as she felt her world going dark. 
And a small tear rolled down her cheek. Y-Yes...





Suddenly as Twilight, Fluttershy, and the others were arguing, the very air around them began to grow heavy.

All of them noticed this almost immediately as Twilight seemed a bit fearful herself. "W-What?"

Fluttershy then looked down at Eve with concerned eyes, but found that the baby draconequus was fast asleep, or fainted.

The air around them only continued to grow denser, and soon began to shimmer and crack. Black sparks spread about the area surrounding them as they all regarded one another with worried glances.

Applejack looked to Twilight. "T-Twi...mind telling us what's going on here?"

And then, Twilight said that one dreadful thing none of them wanted to hear. "I...I don't know..."

Almost immediately after stating that, one by one, the mane six started dropping like flies.

First it was Pinkie Pie, getting dizzy, then falling to her side, passing out.

Rarity yelled at Pinkie. "Pinkie! Darling are you al-....right?" And then Rarity was the next to fall.

Rainbow blinked a bit before placing her forehooves on her head. "What the heck is going on!?" And not a moment later, Rainbow to got dizzy and fell to the floor passing out.

Applejack looked at the remaining two with a panicked expression. "T-Twi! This ain't good! We need to do somethin about this right now!"

Twilight shot her glance towards Fluttershy, but more specifically at Eve. "Give her to me Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy clutched the sleeping draconequus.

Twilight's eyes widened. "Fluttershy!"

Then Applejack dropped.

Only Fluttershy and Twilight remained. 

Twilight then started getting dizzy herself as did Fluttershy. But not before giving each other a tired look did they pass out.

And so everypony laid on the ground, as if all in a comatose state.





Twilight soon slowly awoke, but not in anywhere she'd expect. The world around her was dark, and she seemed to be in a vast, empty room, the only light being above her, creating a perfect circle of light in the middle of this vast room. She staggered to her hooves before rubbing her head. "W-What...what's?..."

"Why hello there Twilight....-"

Suddenly a figure emerged before Twilight from the shadows. And who it was could only make her stare in wonder and confusion; she was speechless. The figure grinned.

"Or should I say, hello me."

The figure was revealed to be shade of Twilight, a doppelgänger in a sense.

As Pinkie awoke, she too found herself in a very similar position to Twilight. Standing in the middle of a dark room with nothing but herself and a doppelgänger. Pinkie's resembling her of course; except, her mane was straightened, as in a similar fashion to the times she was sad and unmotivated. This caused Pinkie to back away in fear, shaking her head.

Her doppelgänger simply peered at her with a disinterested expression. "You'll always be a weirdo..."

Rainbow Dash's situation was no different.

Her doppelgänger was dressed in a black wonderbolts uniform, smirking at her.

But Rainbow wasn't scared, she simply crossed her hooves. "Hah!"

Fluttershy trembled as she looked in the eyes of her's.

Her doppelgänger seemed to possess a certain sadistic manner to itself, grinning fiercely at the timid mare. "Clutzershy! Hah! What a big baby, little scaredy cat!"

And so was the same with Rarity and Applejack. Both being in their own vast room's as they were faced with doppelgängers of themselves. As the mane six were all disconnected and separated from one another, it didn't stop them from yelling the same thing in unison all the same time. "WHAT'S GOING ON!?"





As Eve awoke, she to was in a similar position as the mane six, but her room was a little different. Her's was more like an open labyrinth, and she stood atop a black circular disk floating in the middle of this vast labyrinth. The disk was abnormally large and had runic markings etched into its stainless steel surface. The world around her of course was dark as well, the only light being above her, allowing her to see anything that joined her on the disk, and inevitably, something soon did, touching down atop the surface of the disk with a smile.

Eve looked at the figure a little dumbfounded, of course like the others, she was just as confused.

Her doppelgänger simply smirked at her, but seemed more lively, possessing a totally unique personality of its own. "Hi Eve, it's good to finally see you in here with me, I'm looking forward to our talk."

Eve took a few steps back nervously. "U-Uhm...who are you?"

Her doppelgänger cocked a brow before giving her a soft smile and closing her eyes. "Just call me Eris...hehe.."

> Chapter 10: Melancholy (Revised + Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



CHAPTER 10: MELANCHOLY


As Eve stood atop the floating disk shaped platform, looking at this doppelganger of her's introduce itself, she couldn't help but cock a brow due to the name. "E-Eris?...."

The second draconequus known only known as Eris smirked, circling Eve with interest as she moved around the platform. "Yes; Eris. Don't spend your time dwelling on it, my name isn't important. What I'd like to talk about is you. Your understanding of all this, how is it little one? This very world you're standing in, your strange magic, do you comprehend any of it?"

Eve looked up at Eris with a pondering expression, before looking back towards the ground nervously. "W-Well I...I don't really understand it in detail, I don't see how I can.....I just wanted to use it to be with momma.."

Eris smirked as she moved behind Eve. "Ah yes, momma, the mare. You truly care for her don't you? Even though you've recently met her, you've found your connection to her far more valuable than anything else you've ever come across. Losing her is no different from losing your world. I for one find this interesting. It's been quite a long time since I've seen such influence amongst the draconequus youth, millennia even, but where did this influence originate I wonder." Eris then snapped her claws as she made her way to Eve's side. As she did this, she touched upon the ground then placing her paw on her hip still with that interested smile. 

Then emerging from the shadows were two figures Eve recognized all too well.

As Eve looked at them, her eyes widened. She was at a loss for words as she slowly began walking towards them, unsure what to think as she did so. She couldn't really manage to say anything, and soon she stopped herself. She looked at the figures with obvious craving, but still; she'd stopped approaching them.

These two figures were none other than Eve's real parents. Of course they were simply shades, imitations of the real thing, but not the real thing itself. 

As Eve looked at them wide-eyed, Eris couldn't help but notice the baby draconequus didn't seem too eager to go and see them. 

This caused Eris to cock a brow with interest. "Hmhm; interesting. Although you crave that parental affection, you still choose the mare over them. They may give you acceptance, but they have left you alone to fend for yourself, this ‘momma’ of yours is different, at least that's how you seem to portray it. It's touching really; but it doesn't change the fact that your desires have obviously been met with resistance." Eris chuckled in amusement as she levitated some and then summoned a throne to her liking. She sat on it then rested her head on her paw smirking. "I can't blame them though, my influence stretches far and wide, and is far more interesting than ponies linear magic. They are simply afraid, afraid of what you may become, and they should be." Eris giggled looking to the lower left, lowering her voice some as if reflecting on some things herself. "Although I must say, the one known as Twilight; her paranoia is quite intriguing; if not a little dangerous as well."

Eris then snapped her claw once more and the shades of Eve's parents disappeared.

Eve looked at them go with a saddened expression, and only by Eris's actions did she realize herself how much they meant to her now, and it wasn't much. She looked up at Eris on her throne with a puzzled expression, something the fellow draconequus had said caught her attention. "Y-Your influence?"

Eris looked down at Eve, giving her a look of adoration. "Yes little Eve; my influence. Chaos is everywhere, it is a part of this world one cannot deny, and as much as they hate to admit it, the world cannot progress without it. Chaos brings forth order, and order in itself is well; progress towards the things these ponies seem to value. Even now, the chaos of one who has dwelt here before lingers. It is a very large influence on this very world of the dream." Eris looked around with interest. "But it seems this realm of the dream is more focused on the aspect of nightmares. Scary." 

Eve blinked a bit, still peering up at Eris curiously. "But why did you bring me here?"

Eris looked back down towards Eve with a blank expression. "Ah yes....that...." She then looked up, as if lost in her own thoughts before exclaiming. "Because I like you. It's as simple as that." 

Eve continued looking up at her as Eris glanced back down at Eve with a cold look. 

When she did this it was as if the mood had suddenly shifted for the worse, and the fellow draconequus was no longer attempting to be humorous in her approach.

Eris spoke simply. "I am unable to intervene much; for reasons I will not delve into. I am only here to give you fair warning little Eve; and a chance. Many would find it surprising but, I to care about those that struggle with my gifts. I am not heartless. I have watched you for some time, and even now you're one who seems to possess traits I have not seen for quite some time in young draconequus. I would be quite sad to see you go."

There was a looming silence.

Eve simply continued to look up at Eris with her full attention.

Eris stated in a cold tone. "You will die, Eve."

Eve's pupils dilated as she felt a shiver run down her spine.

Eris continued. "Unless you accept my gifts in full."

She paused for a moment, before cocking her head to the left with a sigh. "You can no longer be afraid of using your powers, or worry about what others think of you. You must realize that in order for you to get what you want, you must kill to survive. Your innocence is something that I value, but I would much rather see you accept reality rather than perish here. Your adoptive mother, however, is a complication, and I fear that your attachment to her will cost you everything. But the trials ahead matter little unless you deal with the ones set before you now. This world holds many secrets Eve, secrets younglings such as yourself couldn't grasp in a thousand years. The rulers of this world and the secrets they hide are beyond comprehension. And as you are now, you're not ready to face such a world, and the ones who inhabit it."

Eris's expression worsened. "My time here is short; but I have allowed you this small window of opportunity. In this world there are six others that have caused you much pain, I'm sure you're aware of who they are." Eris then snapped her claw as a portal then appeared in the middle of the circular platform. "This portal will lead you back to the real world; outside the influence of this nightmare. It is all I can provide for you in here." She glared at Eve. "But I must know that you're able to accept the idea of allowing these six to perish, that you're able to accept the idea of saving yourself. You may decide to guide them out of the nightmare, but I pray that you make the right decision. I warn you again Eve; you must learn to take things for what they are, your childish innocence is certainly something I find treasurable, but it is also a hindrance to your well-being. I cannot stress this enough: trusting them will only lead to your demise."

Eris crossed her arms; then closed her eyes. "You must decide for yourself whether you're willing to do what's necessary; for once you leave, there is no coming back, and there is no escape for those who remain. Whoever the basis is for such a place possessed magic darker than even that of pure chaos, to remain here, is to never awake from the dream. I have granted you this chance in the hopes of eliminating your enemies for you; a free pass if you will. And ensuring that you'll be ready for the future ahead. It is not often I intervene in the lives of other creatures." 

All this information was a little too much for the baby draconequus to take in; but she understood the basic concepts. She simply continued to listen, a little overwhelmed as she stared at Eris above.

Eris sighed. "I would much rather tell you to just leave; but, I know then you'd only remain the same. This is a change you must go through yourself. So please tell me, you shall decide to leave while knowing this information?"

Eve didn't know what to say, this talk of rulers, secrets, realm of the nightmare, everything seemed so confusing to her. But she understood one thing: whoever this Eris was had granted her a chance, a chance to escape, a chance to be with Cheerilee. All she'd have to do is sacrifice one thing, her morality. Her compassion held her back, and Eris could see that. Her young innocence would cost her everything if she didn't dispose of it. She had to delve into the darkness of her heart in order to get what she wanted, she had to accept that chaos was the only way. Sacrificing the mane six would simply be the first step on a much darker path for the baby draconequus. But still; she'd be able to be with Cheerilee, and perhaps figure out a solution to all of this. Princess Celestia and Luna didn't know the whole situation, perhaps Discord would catch on but if Eve left she'd be more careful, ensure she wouldn't get caught, or at least increase her chances. All she had to do was step through that portal, and leave the six here to dwell in the nightmare. Either way, a free pass was a free pass, and it'd be quite foolish to pass up. 

But then she thought of Cheerilee. Cheerilee; the caring affectionate mare who took her in for this short period of time and gave her love and affection, a home, and a name. 

That wasn't chaos, that was tranquility. 

As Eve thought about Cheerilee, tears filled her eyes as she looked at the portal leaving this twisted realm, and she felt ashamed she'd even considered it. No; she didn't want to be a monster, no matter what it ensured. She didn't want to make anymore mistakes, and she knew that Cheerilee would never approve of such a decision. Cheerilee showed her compassion, and that's what mattered, that's what you needed to show others. Her adoptive mother set the example. 

Cheerilee was what she wanted to be like as well.

So Eve stated simply. "I...I'm going to stay Eris...I don't want to leave them here..."

At this, Eris's expression saddened dramatically.

She simply looked down at Eve for a moment, as if relishing in her presence one last time. "I see....I'm sorry to hear that..." Eris then closed her eyes, further explaining the situation. "Well, if you want to help them, you must gaze down into the labyrinth below. Each are separated into six of their own individual sectors, they themselves must defeat their own nightmares, as I've learned from this strange realm. If they do they should be able to attempt to figure a way out. But this platform is my only form of control within this realm, it shall allow you to control how the labyrinth works, so I suggest you don't fall." Eris looked at Eve with sigh. "Your time is limited, so I'd suggest if they don't show soon, you simply leave. As said my influence in this realm is based solely on the actual bearers previous essence, but ultimately, it is still not my own. Eventually this place will be consumed and lost to the influence of the nightmare once more." She paused "I do hope you reconsider, little Eve..." 

Eve shook her head with a slight smile. "These ponies are only doing what they think is best...so I will too..."

Eris smiled softly at the baby draconequus, almost as if inspired by her, giving her caring affectionate eyes. Eris chuckled. "Hehe; that mare really did instill something into you hm?...Or perhaps such compassion has always been there..." 

Eris then slowly began to disperse and disappear, but she didn't take her eyes off Eve as she did so. "And as said, it seems now, I also must depart...... Goodbye little Eve, I'm very glad I got this chance to meet you."

Eve smiled at Eris. "I'm happy I got to meet you too."

Eris cocked her head to the right with a giggle and cheesy smile, and soon after, she was gone.

Eve just continued to stare at the spot where Eris had just been with a look of awe for a moment. 

But the mysterious draconequus was gone now, and she knew she wasn't coming back. But the moment Eris left, Eve felt a sudden shift in the balance of this realm, and it was accompanied by a sound. It sounded like a bellowing roar, as Eve looked off into the distance and noticed the labyrinth below was slowly being consumed by the darkness that surrounded it at the distant edges. 

So it seemed their time already was running out. 

Eve looked back at the portal once more before looking back down into the labyrinth with a worried expression. It seemed that she couldn't even use her magic here, she felt it within her, it was as if she were a mere shell of her former self. All she could do was use this platform to hopefully guide the mane six to this destination when they appeared, she only hoped they'd all hurry before it was too late.





As Twilight stood in her room with her supposed doppelganger, she couldn't help but continuously glare at it with a look of discontent.

Her doppelganger smirked. "You're only going to end up disappointing everypony you know."

Twilight cocked a brow. "Is that so?"

Her doppelganger nodded. "Mhm, you don't got the stones to figure out something like this Twilight, and that's why I'll always be better than you. In the end it's going to be your own lack of perception and better judgement that fails you. You're going to fail Spike, your friends, Princess Celestia, and most importantly, yourself." 

Twilight glared at the doppelganger, gritting her teeth some before looking towards the ground. "Tch, this is a waste of time."

Her doppleganger chuckled. "And why's that?"

Twilight then smirked, looking her doppelganger in the eyes. "Because, I've already dealt with you before. You don't scare me, and I know you're only here to fill me with doubt, but it won't work. I know I've got what it takes to succeed, perhaps if you tried this awhile back I might've been fooled, but your mind games are just comedic now. You're just a pitiful shade, and my willpower, and the knowledge my friends have instilled in me are more than enough to deal with you."

“Friendship, what a pathetic illusion. Mark my words Twilight; you are going to ignore the promises of Friendship before the end.” A pathway of light through the darkness opened up behind Twilight. “I gave you a chance to admit your faults and surrender. Don’t look back, you no longer have a choice.” The doppelganger vanished as the closing darkness swallowed her up, leaving Twilight with one final message. "You're in way over your head Twilight Sparkle. I only hope it's all worth it in the end."

Twilight's vast room then suddenly lit up as towards the back, a passageway had opened up. She took a few steps back before galloping down the only way out, and she couldn't hide a slightly nervous look placating her features, her doppelganger's words, echoing in her mind as she did so.





The hooves that pulled her up were cold, lifeless. It only made Fluttershy want to cry more, a copy of herself with such a barren nature scared her down to her feathers. And the voice especially, hearing her own voice used in such a cruel manner... “Let’s face it! This world is falling away as we speak... No, as I stand here and shout at you for being such a stupid klutz, that you’ve got no hope of getting out before everything crumbles!” Fluttershy dropped onto her hooves again, stumbling further down to her knees. It was so mean of her to make herself feel bad, especially when there could very well be an actual threat lurking out there.

“What did I expect? You’re just going to sit there and cry, aren’t you? Well tough luck Fluttershy! Your friends aren’t here to give you a kick in the flank to get moving, so grow a pair of wings and do something yourself for once!” A pathway of light opened in front of the sobbing mare, who took one look at it and resumed crying. This caused the upright Fluttershy to shake her head in severe disappointment. “Too bad, I’m done here. You’ve got about thirty or so seconds to make up your mind.” The second Fluttershy backed into the darkness once more.

It took ten seconds at least for Fluttershy to realize that she was now completely alone. Even though her other self was mean, it was far better than being alone altogether. Panic overwhelmed her quickly! “Wait! I’m sorry! I’ll... I’ll try to do better!” With one hoof, she wiped away most of the tears that had coated her face. A lot of mental determination went into placing that hoof onto the pathway before her. When it met a solid surface, she breathed in heavily to regain her composure. “I can do this; my friends are counting on me.” Despite the self-reassurance, she whimpered through the entire gallop down to safety.





Pinkie could only stare back at the copy of herself. It brought back very bad memories, not just of the Mirror Pool either. “But... but...” It wasn’t a matter of lacking the words to speak; she had plenty of questions and theories to voice. Ironically, it was her voice itself that refused to work. And the darker copy of herself continued to stare through into her very being. The extreme opposite, dangerous in every way conceivable. And Pinkie Pie was the most vulnerable pony to her ways in all of existence.

“Don’t apologize; I’m not really here, am I? I’m just that shell you choose to hide behind when all the air in your head gets let out.” Pinkie’s eyes sank downward to the surface below. It was all true, she just chose to ignore it and move on with her life. But here, there was nothing to move onto; she had to face what was put in front of her. Was it some sort of twisted fate? Had she done something bad enough that deserved forcing her to face her flaws?

Her doppelganger simply looked at her with a tired expression. "You don't need to say anything. It looks like we both already know there's no point in discussing what we already realize. How long have you kept me in the dark Pinkie, and how long are you planning to keep running from your desires? Masking them beneath some goofy persona, is that what truly makes you happy? ...I suggest you think about it."

Pinkie simply kept silent as her expression worsened and she lowered her head.

Her doppelganger gave her a soft smile. "I don't want to live your life; and I don't want to be here either. I find it funny that I've been called out in such a place, but I am happy I got to see you."

Pinkie glanced up at her doppelganger in a reflective manner, but still kept her head lowered.

Pinkie's doppelganger didn't seem to put up much resistance. It simply started to back away slowly, further into the shadows. "I'll be around when you need me, and you know where to find me. Now hurry along, your time is running out."

And then she was gone.

Pinkie raised a hoof at her disappearing doppelganger in a pleading manner. "W-Wait!"

But there was no reply, and Pinkie's room soon opened up to reveal a passage.

Pinkie sat there in silence for a moment, glancing to the lower left. Soon she eventually went back to all fours and trotted slowly out of the room, making her way into the labyrinth.





It felt almost like one of Daring Do’s adventures, although she didn’t have an alter ego that liked to dress in Nightmare Night costumes. Had she decided to wear her Wonderbolts outfit, the scene would be perfect for a movie poster all the same. Staring back into the glowing eyes of a Shadowbolt version of herself, it was too cool to be real. “Stop gawking Dash! If you want to marry an evil version of yourself, leave me out of it!” Shadow Dash stood firmly on the edge of the light circle, well away from Rainbow Dash while she continued to stare.

She finally registered what her counterpart had implied. “What? Hey, how can you blame me for liking a pony who is as awesome and spectacular as anypony can get?” Shadow Dash nodded in a sort of agreement with her point. “But seriously now, what’s with the get up? Not that being a Shadowbolt is uncool or anything, but we are standing in the middle of nothing. I figured I’d at least get to do a little bit of fighting.”

Shadow Dash shrugged, kicking the ground beside her to bring up a way out. “Sorry, but I’m only here to tell you that you shouldn’t bother trying to make a difference in the times to come. Just get on with your life, and don’t take the Elements of Harmony seriously. Less heartache that way.” Rainbow Dash sneered as the Shadowbolt vanished into the darkness again. Don’t take the Elements of Harmony seriously, I’ll show me. She shook her head at the absolute absurdity of what she was thinking before bolting off.

Rainbow grinned as she then attempted to fly, flapping her wings. But as she did so, she found she couldn't get off the ground. She blinked a bit, puzzled and somewhat panicked. She realized though this was a strange place so in a way it did make sense even though it didn't. Rainbow sighed as she just started trotting hurriedly down the path and into the labyrinth.





Rarity flicked her mane in an attempt to keep her composure. A copy of herself wanted to have a little chitchat, in the middle of a horrible emptiness. “You do realize darling that this is absolutely absurd. What are we supposed to talk about, when there is quite literally nothing here?” The other Rarity looked back at her with an expression of agreement.

“Actually dear, this void is slowly collapsing in on itself, and you need to make your escape. But first, be ready for some rather unpleasant times ahead. Twilight isn’t going to be herself, and you’re going to have to make the best of things. That’s all.” Rarity blinked at her duplicate. That wasn’t much of a talk at all, more like a brief lecture about independence. “I would say more, but time and space here is quickly ceasing to exist here. You do understand, right?”

There wasn’t time for Rarity to formulate a response before her counterpart simply vanished. “Well, I can’t really blame her for leaving when I’m apparently in danger of universal collapse, whatever that means.” In the far distance, a set of walls seemed to appear. A path to those walls conveniently appeared. “Well, it just goes to show what you can achieve by taking a moment to observe your surroundings.” With that, she began on a leisurely trot towards the only viable destination she could see. It was nice to talk with somepony as sophisticated and reasonable as herself.





Applejack had to do a drowsy triple take before finally looking back at herself. “Oh for pony’s sake, I swear I wasn’t drinkin’ cider before I fell asleep. Especially ‘cause Applebloom’s in the house.” The other Applejack looked at her in total confusion before dropping her down again. There was a long pause before she worked out just how to respond to her.

“AJ, you’re not drunk or anything. You’re going to have to pucker up and get movin’, because otherwise you’re going to have one very long nap. Oh, and when you do wake up... Expect to see a lot of lyin’ going on.” Applejack took her time to get up again. She had forgotten Applebloom when she first arrived, seeing herself had somehow reminded her of that. And yet, she lacked the motivation to get going and save her.

While she peered across the empty void, a faint structure in the distance appeared. “Well, looks like I’m up for one hike in the dark, unless...” For a moment, she expected some sort of pathway to appear for her to follow. No such event occurred. “Fine, what was I thinking anyway? I just hope the others can stand walking through darkness like this.” Her hoof met a solid surface outside of the circle of light. It was encouragement enough for her to begin the gallop to safety.





It was at times like this the mane six realized that their friendship for each other, their memories of their experiences, and the idea of sticking together were their greatest strengths. Although their individual personalities shined for them as well, they wouldn't be consumed by some simple night terrors, not after everything they'd dealt with. 

They were the Elements of Harmony, and nightmares, were outdated. Or so they thought.





But even as powerful as they were, they wouldn't be able to best this realm without some help.

And that help came in the most unlikely of forms. 

Eve peered down at the labyrinth, squinting some with a paranoid expression. Where were they? The labyrinth itself seemed like an entire city of its own. Of course, to her, the wait for them to defeat their six doppelgangers, shadows, or nightmares or whatever they were seemed to drag on for an eternity. This realm itself wasn't going to wait for them either, already the world had begun to combust and be consumed by the evil essence that infested it. To think that Eris was able to accomplish sending them here was amazing in itself, did chaos truly have such broad possibilities that it could even manage to mix with other's magical essence? Did that mean all creatures that could use magic possessed some world of their own? Some intimate connection to their spells giving it its own personal identity in some form? Magic was a very mysterious thing and worked in very unpredictable ways, which of course Eve had learned that by this point. She couldn't help but wonder which pony or creature this world was based on. And she also pondered the idea if some creature possessed this subconscious world at some point, then did Eris have her own realm as well? Is that where she dwelled? Of course Eris could have just sent the mane six here and let the baby draconequus go but, then she wouldn't have been able to get her point across. Eve could still leave, she could still choose to save herself over the others, but, that's not what Cheerilee would've approved of, and that's not what she wanted either. The mane six weren't bad ponies, and nopony deserved to be stuck in an endless nightmare, with no clear signs of escape besides Eris's portal. 

No; they'd make it out of here together. 

Eve wasn't thinking about it of course but, perhaps this could win her some acceptance amongst the mane six if she even properly explained the situation to them. Even though she said she'd do anything to be with Cheerilee; and in some way basically got them in this scenario, she still wasn't exactly involved with the entire process of sending them here. Maybe they'd understand, well, not likely but hey, it was worth a shot. The thought caused Eve to chuckle.

BOOM!

Eve's eyes snapped wide as she immediately looked in the direction of what sounded like a cataclysmic explosion. And indeed it was, at the far edges of this nightmarish world; in the looming darkness. The explosion however seem more like an astral one, exploding into a stream of stars and cosmic dust clouds. They were mesmerizing and beautiful, but Eve didn't really want to consider what'd happen once those explosions arrived at this very spot. She then peered back down at the area below, trying to catch sight of the mane six, any of them at least. They needed to hurry. 

Eve began doing a nervous dance, and in some form it was comedic as she whimpered to herself, seeing the edges of this world be consumed by weird explosions and darkness itself. "Come ooooon- hurry hurry...." 

She realized though that the mane six also didn't have the same information she did. To them, they probably thought they had all the time in the world.

But even in the midst of her worries, Eve finally saw what she'd been looking for, she caught sight of them, or at least two of them! 

Eve's expression brightened up as she then smiled raising her paw and claw, and as she did so, the runic markings on the strange circular platform began to glow bright red. Eve's eyes widened as she felt the power of chaos surge through her, and then with a swing of her arm, she actually shifted the labyrinth. She cocked a brow, raising her claw and found she could even create stone pillars in the labyrinth made of the very same material... interesting. This was so cool! She giggled, that childlike side of her being revealed even under these trying circumstances. She bounced as she couldn't help but feel a little anxious about all this, but she had to concentrate, she had to get them out of here.

And with that, Eve put on a determined yet playful expression, raising her paw. "Okay!"

And she started shifting the labyrinth into a certain pathway, one that'd lead the ponies right into each other.





As Fluttershy was making her way through the labyrinth, she, like the others, heard the strange sounds and explosions going off in the dreaded place. This caused her to tremble with fear as she tried to navigate her way through. She muttered to herself in her soft tone, "T-This isn't good..."

"FLUTTERSHY!"

Fluttershy's eyes snapped wide as she then glanced back towards the origin of the voice, which she'd recognized was Rainbow Dash. Seems the two ponies had found each other.

Rainbow made her way over to Fluttershy as the two mares embraced in a hug before regarding each other; both with worried expressions. 

Both of them heard the strange sounds and explosions, and felt the tremors beneath their hooves. Whatever this was, the situation certainly was far from good.

Suddenly beneath their hooves the ground started to tremble, and almost a split second later rose up, carrying them towards the infinite black sky. Rainbow and Fluttershy then burst into unified screams as they embraced each other again, absolutely puzzled to what the heck was going on. But as they were stuck atop this giant pillar against their own will, the pillar soon divided into blocks, forcing them along towards the center of the labyrinth.

Fluttershy cried out. "I don't like this!"

Rainbow yelled back at her. "Neither do I!"

But their troubles would soon come to an end as the two mares were led to the circular platform Eve was on.

As they landed atop the platform, Rainbow and Fluttershy regarded the busy draconequus with differing expressions. Of course first they had to regain their composure, wheezing and taking in deep breaths and recovering from their what felt like a near death experience. But as they did so, they looked to Eve both with thoughts of their own.

Rainbow's nose wrinkled in annoyance with the draconequus; she was the one who did this, she brought them here, and now the rainbow maned mare was going to put a beating on her.

Fluttershy simply looked to Eve with a hint of caution, but wasn't flat out angry with her, but wasn't happy with her either.

Eve looked at them with a saddened expression before lowering her head. "T-That portal will take you back home. I suggest that you hurry and use it....i-if you want to leave that is..."

Rainbow snapped at her. "Where are our friends!?"

Eve flinched before looking to Rainbow with a worried look. "I..I don't know but I'll do my best to get them out of here.."

Rainbow cocked a brow. "What?" But wasn't this draconequus the one who brought them here?

Eve motioned over to the portal that lead out of the nightmare realm. "Please hurry; I don't have time to explain right now."

Fluttershy unexpectedly remained silent as she felt she wanted to say something, but also felt this wasn't the time. In a way she felt like a fool, was this what they were capable of? These draconequis? This was beyond words.

Rainbow scowled at Eve. "Tch! We're not leaving! Not until we know our friends are okay!"

Eve wanted to persist, and for a moment it looked like she was going to attempt to convince them, but no words came. She thought about it, how could she possibly explain right now what'd really occurred? She couldn't waste time attempting to convince these two who now supposedly considered her an enemy. She simply looked to her far right with a submissive look followed by a nod. "O-Okay..."

And so the two mares stayed, Eve turned away from them, looking back down into the labyrinth. As she raised her paw and claw once more, causing the runic markings to glow once again, Rainbow and Fluttershy both looked quite confused, and simply observed the unfamiliar process.

Eve took in a deep breath, smiling softly to herself. I can do this....





As Twilight made her way through the vast labyrinth, she wasn't panicking but she couldn't help but feel a little paranoid about this entire mess. No matter where she trotted or where she went, she couldn't seem to find a way out, was there even a way out? Or was she simply wasting her time? There had to be a way out, didn't there? What happens if there wasn't? As Twilight was making her way through this labyrinth, thoughts of paranoia and dread leaked into her mind. Was her doppelganger right? Would she fail her friends, Spike, the Princess......herself? No; she always managed to figure out a way, she could always manage to find the answer when the stakes were so high! There was no way she could fail. As she thought about her friends well-being, she couldn't help but get infuriated at the thought of Eve, even when beaten that little draconequus still caused her trouble, and she knew the risks they could pose to society but this was on an entirely different level. They were capable of something like this? Not even Twilight understood this, and that simple fact frightened her. Twilight was simply clueless to the situation, but she craved answers, and so she filled those questions with the most logical answers she could come up with. She knew not of Eris like the others, so there was only one with the ability to use chaotic magic, and that was Eve. Eve must have triggered something not even Twilight could comprehend, and it scared Twilight.

She craved another chance to set things right, and if she got it, she wouldn't let it cost them again.

And little did she know; she'd soon get that chance. 

Beneath Twilight’s hooves the ground began shaking tremendously, and like when Fluttershy and Rainbow got lifted into the air, she did as well. The ground shifted, and a stone pillar emerged, raising her straight up into the infinite black sky. Twilight was overwhelmed with confusion as she creeped into the center of the pillar of course, paranoid about falling. Like Rainbow and Fluttershy she'd found this realm was quite different from their previous world. Their magic was useless here, and it seemed they were in somepony else's domain, of course Twilight didn't come up with those answers but she knew her magic was useless for some reason. She cringed at the thought of falling, a look of fear washing over her as she fell to her side. 

"T-Twilight!"

Twilight's eyes widened as she looked to her far left, on another separate pillar was Rarity. "What's going on, where are we!?"

Twilight was extremely glad to see Rarity was alright. But her answer wasn't so pleasing. "I'm not sure!"

"Rarity! Twilight!"

Rarity and Twilight then looked behind them, Pinkie! Pinkie was fine as well, and she was with Applejack, both on the same pillar like Fluttershy and Rainbow were.

Applejack was trembling, holding onto Pinkie. "I-I got a pretty big fear of heights ya'll! Mind telling us what the hay we're doing in this weird place!?"

Pinkie giggled as she bounced some. "This is fun! Hehe!"

Twilight wanted to answer all of them desperately with something besides 'I don't know' but she truly didn't know. 





Holding a look of pure concentration, Eve kept her focus on the three pillars: Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie. Alright, that means all six were there and okay, and not a moment too soon. The radius of the labyrinth had decreased dramatically by this point, and their time was running out fast. All around them the sounds of recurring explosions were going off and the darkness was closing in. This was it, it was now or never, this world itself was breaking apart and soon it'd be consumed by whatever dominant presence previous held it. Eve couldn't help but question still who this world was based off of. Who possessed such dark magic to create such a creepy place? Although of course the world itself was based off this mysterious pony or creatures magic essence, she still couldn't help but wonder who. That pony or creature must've been on the level of a god. Either way it didn't matter, the whole cast was present, all that was left was getting them here to the circular platform, entering Eris's portal, and getting out and back to the normal world. Eve couldn't help but give herself an amused smile, hah, she'd be returning to the real world with the six who were going to punish her. Well, it's better than having the guilt of just leaving. Eris was most likely disappointed she decided to do this, but Eve was proud of herself, she'd set the example for draconequis, once they understood the situation maybe they'd see she wasn't just some mindless chaotic beast who had abnormal personality disorders. That perhaps she really was a different case; maybe special.

A soft smile creeped onto her face. Momma would be proud, wouldn't she? Perhaps if Eve ended up in a similar situation before meeting Cheerilee, she'd have chosen the easy way out. But now things were different, now she had somepony she felt couldn't ever be replaced, a role model, and one she wanted to make happy and stay with, with all her heart.

She'd made her decision, and good decision or bad, she was proud she made it. Sure she'd have to deal with the consequences like with every choice; but she felt she could worry about that, after they'd escaped.

For now, it was time to hurry and get those four ponies over here and bring an end to this nightmare

Eris's offer was generous, but Eve wasn't willing to succumb to her terms. Eris saw chaos as the only way, that selflessness wasn't a possible path to take. But at this point, it looked as if there was another way, that the good path could get her the life she wanted, that acceptance she craved with all ponies, and that life with Cheerilee. 

It'd all be alight. 

Rainbow raised a hoof to the air in a cheer. "Haha! Awesome! They're all okay!"

Fluttershy sighed with relief. "Thank goodness...."

"Now isn't this a surprise...."





Everypony's eyes widened.

Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack. All of them, recognized that horrid voice.

But, it wasn't possible, was it?

Fluttershy and Rainbow simply stared off into the distance in complete shock, as they both found themselves trembling. They must've been seeing things, there was no way she could be here.

Of course, the four ponies on the pillars turned around, to face the bearer of that frighteningly familiar voice.

Twilight's pupils dilated, as she felt a shiver run down her spine. 

There, as if a grim representation of who this realm belonged to, was a pony whose appearance masked the very sky, as if a god overlooking her own personal world.

It was none other than Nightmare Moon.

But that was impossible! She was destroyed by the elements of harmony! And wasn't Princess Luna Nightmare Moon? Wasn't all the influence Nightmare Moon had vanquished the moment Princess Luna returned to her former self? None of this made any sense, she shouldn't even exist anymore! But there she was, looking down upon them with interest, and an amused smile. And she recognized them all; she never forgot who they were.

"I knew I felt something odd was happening within my domain, but this, this is much better than I expected. The six little ponies that ruined all my plans, and the ones responsible for me being trapped here. I never imagined I'd see anypony else again, let alone you meddlesome six. We; have a lot of catching up to do hmhmhmhm..."

Well, this was bad, no, a thousand times worse than that.

Rarity certainly understood. "Of all the worst things that can happen, this is the worst, POSSIBLE, THING!"

Applejack, Twilight, and Pinkie snapped at Rarity. "Not now Rarity!"

Twilight looked at Nightmare Moon in fear. What were they all to do? They were powerless here, and their elements were only useful in the real world, not in the very world of nightmares as far as they knew. This was Nightmare Moon's domain, and that in itself was something Twilight knew was beyond them. This whole situation was beyond them. How could they possibly overcome this? 

But that was the thing, they couldn't, and she knew it. There was no winning here, the only option was to escape.

But how could they accomplish that either? 

A tragic realization hit her, it was over, they were finished.

But then it happened, and their pillars all shifted dividing into stone blocks hastily, leading them to a circular platform in the center of this area of the realm. 





Eve didn't know who this Nightmare Moon was, but it didn't stop her from realizing just how dangerous she was. Fear overwhelmed Eve as she moved as quickly as she could, there was no more time for thinking, this Nightmare Moon was here and closing in on them, they were out of time.

The next moment was defining. Though it was a very quick, blink-and-you’d-miss-it moment, it was, perhaps, the most important of all.

Eve got the rest of the six onto the platform. 

Everything was perfect, now all they had to do was leave.

Eve fell to her knees, catching her breath as the manipulation of the labyrinth seemed to take its toll on her. She smiled however, finally they were all here though, it was a close call, a little too close for comfort. But she did it.

As Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack landed on the platform, they were all happy to see Rainbow and Fluttershy were okay, they all made it, for reasons they were unsure of.

The mane six then immediately turned towards the portal as Rainbow pointed to it.

Rainbow then yelled. "Sorry to break up our sweet reunion guys but we've gotta go! That's our ticket out of here!"

Rarity didn't hesitate to trot straight to the portal with a sigh of relief. "You said it darling!"

There was no time to dwell here and make idle conversation. 

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy made their way up to the portal first, as Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack followed, Twilight was close behind her friends.

As Eve then stood, there was a moment she caught the glance of Nightmare Moon.

The dark mare simply smiled at her. "So you're the one who invaded my private sanctum..." 

Of course it wasn't Eve, it was Eris who'd done so, but either way those words sent a shiver down Eve's spine. She didn't want to stay here any longer, and she preferred not to find out what Nightmare Moon had planned if she did so.

So Eve then turned to the portal with the mane six before gulping. "I-I think we should-..."

But she was stopped by a hoof.

"You know full well,.....I can't let you come with us..." Twilight stated simply.

Eve's eyes widened.

Twilight then bucked Eve back, causing the baby draconequus to toss and tumble and skid across the platform, then actually get flung off, but not before catching the edge with her claw.

"A-Ah!" Eve let off as she held onto the edge of the platform. She felt shocked, dumbfounded, overwhelmed with confusion. She attempted to climb back up, but found her skinny frail arms didn't house enough strength.

This couldn't really be happening to her right?





The moment felt so fast, yet pivotal to everything.

Eve couldn't grasp what to think, and she couldn't wrap her mind around the situation. 

Even the rest of the mane six weren't certain what'd just occurred, seeing as they were all looking to the portal as Twilight did what she did. 

Some of them turned; a little puzzled by what the commotion was about.

Twilight made her way over to the edge of the circular platform, placing a hoof on Eve's claw with a judgmental glance. "I'm not sure how you managed this! But it's obvious to me not even you were prepared for the consequences of doing such an irresponsible thing! You’re immature, brash, and constantly putting everypony in danger with your actions! You don't have the potential to be just as bad as Discord, you could be even worse! And I see that now.....I see what I must do." Twilight closed her eyes as she sighed heavily with a saddened expression. "You're a danger to all of Equestria, and you've meddled in things beyond you, your lack of understanding will cost everypony if I don't deal with it now. Do you realize how catastrophic this could of ended up!? To be involved with Nightmare Moon!? You invaded Ponyville; attacking a class of fillies and colts! You used Cheerilee! Attacked Spike, my Spike! And now you're messing around with something like this!" 

Eve looked at Twilight wide eyed, at a loss for words.

Of course Twilight had to raise her voice, all around them strange explosions were setting off, as well as the noise of the crumbling shifting labyrinth below. Eve's snow white mane bristled with the steady wind that accompanied the numerous explosions to this deteriorating realm of nightmares. She didn't know how to reply to Twilight, there was so much she had to explain to the mare, so much she needed to say, but, she didn't have enough time, she couldn't think straight in this sort of atmosphere. She used to panic when Cheerilee left for school, how was she supposed to deal with this?! She managed to shake her head at Twilight but it wasn't enough of course. 

Twilight lowered her frame in front of Eve, while keeping a hoof on her claw.

She stared the draconequus in her eyes. "In life, there are times when one must decide, whether it's all worth it. Even if it makes you feel horrible on the inside, even if it doesn't feel like the merciful solution, you have to ask yourself whether or not you're willing to accept it for the greater good of your family, your friends, and everypony as a whole. You've shown me that I am willing, that this is worth it. Princess Celestia asked me to take care of you, and, that's exactly what I'll do. You don't deserve mercy after all this. I've learned that painful lesson today, and in order to ensure that harmony is everlasting in Equestria, I will do my part. Me and my friends, the ponies of Equestria, we are the greater good, and as long as we're around we'll be there to defend it. Your plots, tricks, and schemes are at an end draconequus! You wear the face of a child but hide the heart of a monstrous threat! And I see through it, perhaps you were planning this from the beginning, bringing us here. I can't be certain, but either way-" Twilight glared. "Goodbye."

And with that the mare pushed back on Eve's claw, sending the draconequus off, and plummeting into the darkness below.

The violet mare wasn't certain what would become of the draconequus, but based on Eve's reaction she could assume that much like that, she couldn't use her magic. Yes, it'd end the way she wanted to.

The moment, seemed so fast, so fleeting, and so unexpected.

Twilight, had made her views clear, that even now, she was willing to do anything to protect those she cared about. That she was willing to show that she understood what needed to be done in her eyes, and how draconequus worked, according to her perception of the situation, and her philosophy. And she made her decision, and that's all there was to it.

Nightmare Moon burst into laughter at the scene. "AHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!"

Fluttershy's eyes widened as she saw Twilight basically dispose of the baby draconequus. A look of disbelief and tragedy overcame her as she screamed. "T-TWILIGHT!! WHAT'D YOU JUST DO!? N-NO!"

Applejack and Rainbow to were in a bit of shock from what just occurred but, they held Fluttershy back, staying at the portal.

Applejack called out to Twilight. "T-Twi! We have to go now!" Applejack herself couldn't really believe Twilight did what she just did. Not because she sided with Eve, but more so because, this seemed like crossing into a whole different level.

Fluttershy trembled as her lower lip quivered. She couldn't believe it, but, it'd happened, and now it was too late to do anything. There was nothing more she could attempt to do at this point. And it filled her with regret, if she paid more attention, if she only considered Twilight might still be a little antic about the draconequus. Fluttershy didn't know Eve personally, but, did she truly deserve such a fate? For Fluttershy, there were still too many unanswered questions.

Questions that were quite pointless now.

Twilight of course heard her friends as she replied back to them. "I..I'm ready; come on guys, let's get out of here."

Pinkie and Rarity simply held in their shock and thoughts on the matter, they, they didn't have time to discuss this now. They had to go, so go they did. They made their way through the portal, disappearing from sight afterwards.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were next. Although they practically forced Fluttershy through as they exited this nightmarish realm with haste.

Twilight took one last look back towards the edge of the circular platform, before lowering her head with a saddened expression and making her way through the portal herself. 

And with that the mane six were gone.





As Eve fell, so many thoughts streamed through her head. Particularly moments from her short time with Cheerilee.

She reflected on those memories, and felt this would be the last time she could do so.





Eve bounced off her feet, levitating in the air as she got in Cheerilee's face. "Hiya!"
Cheerilee screamed as she stumbled backwards out of her chair and onto the floor.

~

Eve cringed at those words. Her eyes widened as she looked frightened, desperate. She shook her head "I'll make you more sweets! A-And I can listen really good, I'm a really good listener! I promise I'll be good from now on, t-then we can talk right? We can talk like in the pony classroom?"

~

Cheerilee spoke in a reassuring tone. "You have nothing to worry about sweetie; everything is going to be alright from now on. Can you tell me your name?"

Eve muttered in a slightly embarrassed tone. "N-Name?"

~

Sitting atop her belly and watching over her in her sleep was Eve with a smile. "Hiya!.."

Cheerilee smiled softly at her, then leaned up a little before rubbing the top of her head affectionately. "Hi sweetie; goodmorning. Did you get any sleep last night?"

Eve nodded to the mare happily. "Mhm!"

~

Cheerilee closed her eyes, smiling softly to herself as she held Eve close. "See, I told you I'd be back. And don't think I've forgotten about what I said. We'll get started with it soon."

Eve simply continued to nuzzle into Cheerilee's cheek as she giggled, muttering on impulse. "Okay, momma."

~

Eve looked up at the mare with a smile and closed eyes. "I think it's the best."

Cheerilee blinked a bit, and what she said next surprised even her. "R-Really?"

Eve nodded happily. "Mhm!"

Cheerilee sighed with relief before returning the hug. "Well I'm glad that you like it sweetie."

~

Eve smiled, looking up at the stars with wide fascinated eyes. "This is my favorite time!"

Cheerilee's eyes widened as she looked down at her. "Night time?" Or the evening per say.

Eve smiled. "Mhm! I always liked the small shining things, they always made me feel happy."

Cheerilee chuckled as she rubbed the top of her baby draconequus' head. "Those are stars sweetie, they are quite fascinating."

Eve simply continued to gaze up at the sky. "I love the stars, and the night time!"

~

Cheerilee nodded with a soft smile, lowering her frame and looking her baby draconequus in the eyes. "Yes sweetie, Eve, I think it's perfect for you. Do you like it? It relates to life, and even to the night in some ways. I wanted to give you the sweetest name, and I believe Eve describes you perfectly."

Eve simply looked into Cheerilee's eyes as her cheeks turned crimson. She didn't have a problem with the name, she was just surprised she'd actually be called something like ponies from now on. It made her happy, well everything Cheerilee did usually made her happy. She nodded hurriedly biting on her lower lip a bit, "Mhm! I really really like it."

Cheerilee's expression brightened as she hugged Eve happily. "Eve it is then sweetie..."

The baby draconequus, or now known as Eve, returned Cheerilee's hug, nuzzling into her. "Hehe.."

~

Eve said one more thing, although at the time, she didn't know, how important these words would be. "I'll miss you." 





As Eve slammed against the walls and then skidded across the stone floor of the labyrinth, she laid there for a moment.

She eventually moved, struggling to her feet. 

She found it funny, even though this was a dream of sorts, that drop still hurt quite a bit. 

Eve looked up at the platform overhead, her only exit, it was so close, yet so far away.

As she looked up into the distant black sky, seeing her only form of escape so far overhead. She looked down at her paw and claw; there was no more magic to aid her. She was stuck down here, and even she knew even if there was another way out, she couldn't find it in what little time she had left. Everything seemed to be going just perfect in what felt like a moment ago, and now here she was, at the end of her rope, this was really it. She'd arrived at the end.

And she just had to remain there for some time, taking it all in. 

So many reacted in such different ways when they felt death was on their doorstep. Some would react by screaming, begging some higher power to help them. Some would weep and sob, reflecting on their past decisions and stating their regrets, unable to cope with or bear such news. Some faced death with bravery, even welcoming it at times. And like Eve, some just didn't know how to react when they felt they were at their end.

It was as if clarity hit her, and she felt she knew what she wanted, even if it came so fast, in this moment; she had to consider her final wishes, and she knew what it was.

She had to move soon.

There was no point in panicking anymore, she knew full well that nothing would get her out of this one.

And Nightmare Moon looked down at her from the vast black sky. "How funny! It seems your friends have left you here with me! Not exactly what I would've preferred but, one plaything is better than none."

Eve looked up at Nightmare Moon with a look of melancholy. Surprisingly, even to herself, she wasn't scared anymore. She was only disappointed, disappointed that this is how it would all end. These consequences were a lot worse than she expected, and the baby draconequus hated the idea but, she found it funny. She took her chances, and this is where she ended up, this was due to her own decision, and perhaps she should've expected Twilight to act the way she did,...and maybe that was her fault, too, she guessed. But in the end, she still didn't regret her decision, she wanted the mane six to escape. They deserved to. They didn't deserve to be brought into this place, they were only rescuing the ones she took. Cheerilee would be happy she made the right decision...wouldn't she? 

Eve smiled; Cheerilee didn't know her for long. And in some way, Eve was glad she didn't, she doubted the mare would ever find out what'd transpired here, based on the personalities of the mane six. Hopefully, Cheerilee would just forget about her, and move on with her life, Eve didn't feel she made a large impact on Cheerilee herself. But still she loved her, and she hoped that in the end, Cheerilee's happiness wouldn't be affected by her sudden disappearance. 

No; Cheerilee had her students, and her friends, Cheerilee would be alright, she'd be just fine.

Eve only wished she could see her one last time.

But maybe she could.

Her eyes widened as she regarded Nightmare Moon with a simple glance, before turning to run further into the labyrinth.

Nightmare Moon found this amusing. "Hmhmhmhm; oh, now isn't this cute?"

Eve wasn't trying to escape however.

She was just attempting to buy herself some time.

As she made it to a more open space, she found the world itself had reached its limit, and Eve could feel the very ground beneath her crumbling as the explosions only continued to get louder and draw closer. She had to do this fast. She could even see the walls around her begin to crumble.

But there was still a small moment to spare.

Eve fell to her knees, and then slid off her black hoodie, perhaps her most cherished possession. And even if it wasn't the real thing, just the sight of it filled her with joy and happiness.

She hugged the hoody affectionately, nuzzling into the fabric which even here, felt so real. As she did so, small tears slid down her cheeks as she sniffled, hugging the hoodie as if it were Cheerilee herself. Eve bit on her lower lip, crying softly as she then laid out the hoody in front of her, regarding it with a warm smile. 

There was no time to cry, and if she wanted to accomplish this last feat of hers, she had to concentrate.

Eris was able to create shades of Eve's real parents, and even though she claimed that her influence in this place was small, Eve wished, and hoped, that perhaps she could maybe do the same with Cheerilee. 

Perhaps with enough heart, she could manifest a shade of Cheerilee, just to see her one more time.

She stared at the hoody as the world around her fell apart, at this point, even the labyrinth wasn't looking like a labyrinth anymore. Eve squinted at her cherished gift, concentrating as hard as she could, and little did she know, now she was simply kneeling on a large piece of stone, the walls had all crumbled, falling into a pool of infinite black, and it looked like the very galaxy itself surrounded her. But next would be the floor that was to fall, and the explosions were now dreadfully close, turning anything in their perimeter to cosmic ash.

The more she focused, the more a faint image of the mare zoned in and out of sight.

As Eve continued to glare at the hoody, she started losing hope, but she still didn't stop. 

Maybe...just maybe.....

And soon; her wishes were thankfully realized as she'd managed to actually do it.

She managed to accomplish a feat she previously thought impossible.

And it only caused her to react with disbelief and silence for a moment.
"........................."

She'd actually done it.





Standing not too far away from her was the caring mare, of course the mare wasn't real and didn't speak, nor did it possess the liveliness of Cheerilee, but it looked like her in every shape and form. As Eve looked at it, her expression brightened as she ran her paw over her eyes in happiness, wiping away her tears as she did so, and she couldn't stop herself from breaking down. 

She did it, she really did it. Even with such little time. Perhaps she was simply seeing things out of desperation, perhaps it wasn't even a real shade she'd accomplished through magic. But none of it mattered to her, she could see her adoptive mother a final time before this place was nothing more than a faint memory. As well as she herself.

And as she cried, she felt her body tremble as she approached the shade of the mare, she stumbled every few steps, like a newborn baby taking its first walk, and as the very world around her shattered and fell apart, she never lost sight of her objective and destination, that final goal she wanted to accomplish even in this realm of the nightmare. She wanted to be able to imagine what it'd be like one last time, to sit on that couch, nuzzled into her adoptive mother as they lived together in that peaceful home, away from the danger, in their own little world.

As Eve arrived at the shade of Cheerilee, Cheerilee's shape smiled at her softly, then held open a leg as if waiting for the little draconequus to embrace her in a hug. 

And Eve joined her, wrapping her arms around the mare with a smile and nuzzling against her with her eyes closed. She knew she wasn't the real thing, that she wasn't truly there, but in the end, just the thought of this moment, filled her with peace. "Momma....." She was ready now, and she wasn't afraid of what'd come next. She'd remain here until that final moment, like this, together in eternity.

And not soon after, the ground beneath them crumbled as the two remained in the vast empty space for a moment never leaving that close embrace. Before the world around them ignited, alighting with cosmic explosions and streams of stars as if caught in a supernova. 

Consuming both Eve and the shade of Cheerilee, and the realm of the dream itself, turning everything in it to ash. 

And the realm of the nightmare, was reduced to its original form and consumed, once more.





As Fluttershy laid on the ground in the ruins of Everfree, she slowly batted her eyelids, steadily waking up once again. 

As did the others.

Rainbow stretched out her forehooves as she yawned. "W-Wha...what?"

Applejack yawned as well, rubbing the back of her head. "Ugh, shucks ya'll...talk about weird..."

Pinkie couldn't help but notice that the sun had also come up, and the light from outside shined into the ruins.

The night had felt like it lasted forever. But, either way, it was finally over.

All of the mane six seemed to be fine, as they had successfully awoke from the dream.

And Twilight Sparkle, was the last to awake. 

As she slowly rose from her slumber, she blinked a bit before regarding all her friends with a somewhat baffled expression, before smiling with a relieved smile. "Y-You're all okay...I'm..I'm so glad.." 

And they all smiled back at her, although somewhat reluctant to state their thoughts on what'd occurred. They couldn't deny they were all happy that such a nightmarish scenario ended without any of them in particular getting hurt.

But Fluttershy was silent, and was turned away from the others as she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. There was one who didn't awake from the nightmare, supposedly trapped in a comatose state, forever sleeping. Fluttershy held that one in her arms, uncertain of what the future would bring.

But it seemed this one was gone, forever dreaming, and forever stuck in the realm of of dreams.


> Chapter 11: Aftermath (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



CHAPTER 11: AFTERMATH


Cheerilee softly batted her eyelids as she laid in her bed. 

It was another familiar morning it seemed; and the morning sun's rays shone through her window, decking her face with warmth and irritation at the same time, waking her up.

Cheerilee yawned as she placed one hoof over her mouth, and stretched out the other as she did so, before leaning up. She found herself wearing a smile with an eager expression as she spoke softly. "Goodmorning sweetie...."

But there were no words to accompany her daily greeting. There was only silence.

Cheerilee found this strange, as she blinked a bit after realizing Eve wasn't in the room with her. "Eve?..."

Cheerilee glanced around the room with a blank expression. Where was she? The mare then slowly climbed out of bed as she trotted around the room, looking for any sign of the baby draconequus. "Eve? Sweetie, come out now, you're starting to worry me." She checked under the bed, nothing. She checked in the bathroom, nothing. She checked in her closet and even her drawers, nothing. Eve was absolutely nowhere to be seen. 

A look of slight paranoia overcame Cheerilee as she gulped. 

This was unlike Eve, Cheerilee didn't find herself irresistible but, Eve was always by her side when she was home, why would today be any different? Maybe she was overreacting, maybe the baby draconequus was simply downstairs watching TV. 

Cheerilee found herself skipping out on washing her face and getting ready at the moment. The only thing she found herself doing was hurriedly trotting downstairs, hoping that Eve would be down there waiting for her. But as she made her way down her creaky steps, the hall, and into the living room, she found it was no different than from earlier: Eve was nowhere to be seen. 

Cheerilee was becoming overwhelmed with dread. They weren't related by blood, no; but even now, Cheerilee had found her attachment to the draconequus surprisingly strong. And although they were only together for a short time, she loved Eve with all her heart, and wanted to give her a happy life, she felt like a caring mother, and she was happy she did. She didn't want to give up that feeling, or the draconequus, so, where was she? Where was her little Eve?

Cheerilee shook her head for a bit in denial, this couldn't be happening. And she felt she wasn't overreacting in the slightest, she was worried for her adopted daughter. This wasn't some ordinary occurrence, this was unlike Eve. Cheerilee began pacing back and forth in the living room, pondering what could've happened. She started second guessing herself whether taking Eve outside was a smart decision, could the baby draconequus have been seen? Was she stolen!? 

But as she did all this, out of the corner of her eye, Cheerilee caught sight of something odd in particular. She couldn't believe she didn't notice it before but, the sight of it caused her eyes to widen. 

Folded neatly on a the desk with the flowerpot in the hallway, was Eve's black hoodie, with a piece of paper sitting on top of it, and even from where she was standing, Cheerilee could see there was text written on it.

This caused Cheerilee to twitch one eye, as she slowly made her way over to Eve's hoodie. As she stood there looking down at it and the piece of paper, she felt uneasy. She found she was actually trembling, and she didn't want to find out what that letter said, but she knew she had to read it. Perhaps it was a clue to Eve's location. So Cheerilee did what she felt she had to, and slowly raised a hoof, grabbing the letter delicately; gulping, and then holding it in front of her and looking over the text. 

As her eyes scrolled over the contents of the letter, it wasn't hard to notice Cheerilee seemed absolutely puzzled by what it said. And by the end, she was speechless. The mare's expression darkened as she simply dropped the letter to the floor, and then stomped on it once, crumpling it. 

Cheerilee suddenly seemed to be overcome by an entirely different mood. She seemed to be masking a hidden fury; gritting her teeth angrily as she looked as if she were about to lose it.

Cheerilee then turned, making her way back upstairs, and leaving the letter on the ground.

The letter stated simply,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Mother,

Thank you for taking care of me for all this time.
But I've decided I must move on. I've realized that I don't belong here.
I don't want to get you into trouble, or be the cause of misfortune for you.

Thank you, and I wish you the best.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


As Cheerilee made her way to the bathroom, she found she was having trouble keeping her cool.

She looked into the mirror with half closed eyes, and a look of utter failure placated on her face.
So; Eve decided to leave, hm?

What nonsense! Cheerilee felt insulted. Insulted by that letter, insulted by the simple fact that whoever contrived such a faulty piece of scrap actually believed she'd consider it being the truth. No; Cheerilee got an entirely different message from reading over that letter. A message that told her that not only had something happened to her little Eve; that whoever took her and for whatever reasons, considered her simple minded, maybe even a moron. Did the pony who placed the letter there actually believe Cheerilee wouldn't question every little aspect of it? Eve would never leave out of the blue in such a manner, and she didn't feel like she was insulting her baby draconequus but did Eve even know how to write? And why would she feel the need to leave her hoodie behind as well? No. Whoever made that letter wasn't thinking straight, and didn't do their best work, didn't think out the entire process, and that'd cost them dearly. 

Of course, Cheerilee already had an idea of who was involved. 

But she didn't want to sit here and dwell on dealing with this issue, no, she wanted it to be a surprise. She'd go about her normal day and when she was ready, she'd ensure it came out of the blue, guaranteeing she'd find out what she wanted. Cheerilee would show this pony that she wasn't so easy to fool.

So Cheerilee did as she usually did, washing her face, brushing her teeth, combing her mane and then making her way out of the house and for school. But as she did so, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of failure as a mother, she'd failed to ensure the safety of Eve. And although she didn't know where she was, her condition, or if she was simply kicked out once again, she felt that she'd failed in ensuring her well-being. And it caused the mare to be overcome with grief.

But she'd find out what'd happened, this wouldn't end here.





As Cheerilee made her way to the schoolhouse; she didn't fail to notice Apple Bloom and the other cutie mark crusaders were now present.

They were outside the schoolhouse as usual, attempting multiple different feats in order attain their cutie marks. And as the three of them noticed their familiar teacher approaching the schoolhouse, they each regarded her with a smile and a wave.

Scootaloo was first. "Hey Miss.Cheerilee! Sorry about missing school the other day! We were kind of busy!"

Sweetie Belle sighed lowering her head. "Tell me about it; that sure was a long day."

Apple Bloom cocked a brow at her two friends. "You're telling me! Shucks! I can't believe sis went through all that trouble. I wish she let me stay home today."

Cheerilee of course didn't fail to notice this, and the cutie mark crusaders also didn't fail to notice the sudden change in their teacher. Cheerilee didn't seem to be in a good mood, and this was rare, she regarded the three of them with a questioning glance. "Trouble? Now that's interesting. Apple Bloom, sweetie; mind telling me what happened? I'm quite curious."

To this Apple Bloom gulped, Cheerilee's tone of voice was really quite peculiar and creepy. Apple Bloom's gaze shifted to the lower left as she stuttered. "I...I uhm...A-Applejack said that it'd be best not to talk about..."

Cheerilee smiled softly at Apple Bloom closing her eyes. "Is that so?...." 

There was a looming silence for a moment before the cutie mark crusaders all eyed one another with nervous glances.

Cheerilee continued, speaking in a kind and gentle tone. "Okay you all, hurry on inside; you three have some work you need to catch up on. We also need to discuss today's lesson."

The cutie mark crusaders then looked up at Cheerilee with a smile, nodding happily to her as they all seemed somewhat relieved their teacher didn't come off as all scary anymore.

The three little fillies then trotted back to the schoolhouse, making their way inside. 

Cheerilee remained outside for a moment as the three of them went inside. She peered at the ground with an emotionless expression and half closed eyes. She was silent, and seemed to be lost in her own dark thoughts. She recalled the time when Eve had asked her if they could run away together, she knew that was strange, if only she'd persisted on finding out why her baby draconequus was so nervous at that time then maybe she could've found out more about the situation. This only fueled Cheerilee's irritation more, what'd happened? Who would hurt her precious Eve? She was so sweet and caring, and filled with life and curiosity, she just wanted to live like everypony else. She just wanted acceptance and to make friends and be able to play outside, find a hobby, do all these things other ponies and races were able to do. Why should Eve be forced to live a life not even most adults would be able to cope with let alone a child? This angered her tremendously.  

All she had to do was last through this school day real quick, and that's exactly what she did.

Cheerilee was quiet majority of the class of course, simply glancing over old school work and papers, still lost in her own silent grief. The class didn't question it, actually they abused Cheerilee's lack of concentration, and majority of the day just conversed with one another and talked about things that had nothing to do with Cheerilee's lesson. 

And in some way, Cheerilee actually didn't mind the time to think to herself either.

And when the dismissal bell rang out, Cheerilee still said nothing.

As all the little fillies and colts hurried out the class, the cutie mark crusaders in particular stopped, taking a moment to say goodbye to Miss.Cheerilee, and they found Cheerilee didn't even acknowledge them.

Of course they were worried for their teacher, but they just assumed she'd just been having a bad day, which she was, and then just went about their own days happily. 

But finally, the day was over. Cheerilee could now do what she was waiting for all this time.

She looked ahead for a moment, her cold callous eyes set on one task laid out before her.





First she made her way home.

And as she looked at Eve's hoodie once again, she found her heart ached with pain. But nonetheless she grabbed the hoodie, and then looked down at the letter on the floor grabbing that as well.

As Cheerilee looked over the letter once again, she found her heart couldn't take it. She lowered her hind legs and sat there holding the letter and hoodie to her chest, and began silently weeping to herself. She ran her cheek softly against the hoody, and she wasn't only crying out of her recent realization of how much she cared for Eve as a motherly figure, but just the whole tragedy of her situation as a whole. Cheerilee loved children, she couldn't understand how one so kind, so gentle could be portrayed as a monster in others eyes. That one in particular could be forced to live such an unfortunate existence; and she wanted to take that pain away from Eve, to make her life simple and happy. But once again the baby draconequus had been dealt an unfair hand, and now her fate was uncertain, and the thoughts that streamed through Cheerilee's mind of what may have occurred, only caused her to grieve more, she muttered to herself. "I'm sorry sweetie; I'm so sorry..."

She'd failed, and she felt she should've tried harder. She needed this time to herself, to take this entire situation in.





"Spike, could you go check the kitchen and see if I left my notebook there?" Twilight asked her faithful assistant.

Spike was now back as well. He gave Twilight a thumbs up with a wink "Sure thing Twi, I gotcha." Spike then hurriedly made his way towards the kitchen. 

Twilight was busy packing some of her things, preparing to make a trip for Canterlot. She wore a knapsack and she was also currently at her study, looking over a certain book in particular. It was the same book she pulled out a few days ago, the one relating to draconequis. She flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning over them intently, and as she continued to do so, her expression saddened. She was frustrated, why did she feel so conflicted about what'd occurred? She did what needed to be done. But still; that didn't stop her from feeling wrong, guilty, and it was like a plaque that was slowly overtaking her, these feelings slowly rising as if trying to take her over completely. She didn't want to feel like this, and didn't expect to. She couldn't let these thoughts and feelings get the better of her, she made this choice herself and was willing to bare the burden she felt somepony needed to take, it was a draconequus, and it wasn't exactly murder. Was it?

Twilight's eyes snapped wide as suddenly somepony's hoof patted her shoulder. She turned to regard the pony behind her, and it was none other than Applejack. Rarity was there was well. 

Twilight then looked back down at the book with a silent solemn look, before placing it in her knapsack. 

She had something to discuss with Princess Celestia about all this....

Applejack sighed, giving Twilight a reassuring smile. "L-Listen Sugarcube; I-...I know things might look bad, but hey, look on the bright side, ya got Spike and Apple Bloom out safely, and uhm...." Applejack herself had trouble saying the next part, and the thought of saying it even made her cringe somewhat. But she had to reassure her friend, and hopefully not allow her to fall into some looming depression. "Well...we at least don't have to worry about anypony getting hurt anymore..."

Twilight was silent. She wasn't dumb, she knew Applejack didn't even believe her own words, or at least not fully, but the thought was nice. They all thought she did the wrong thing, and maybe she did, Twilight wasn't sure what to think about all this. But perhaps she was just assuming those things, maybe they all agreed with her and were guilty about it as well. But she'd made a lot of assumptions as well. That moment, it felt so fast and time was so short, in the heat of the moment it felt so right. But she couldn't get the baby draconequus out of her head. That final head shake she gave her, was it one of pleading desperation, or one that was telling Twilight she didn't understand the whole situation? There were still so many questions to what'd exactly occurred in that nightmare, but could she risk giving the draconequus a second chance to send them there? Twilight's thoughts were in disarray as Rarity soon interrupted them.

Rarity spoke softly. "A-Applejack's right darling; don't go about worrying yourself. Either way it's over, and we need to move past this. I'm sure Fluttershy will get over this whole mess soon enough, I can assure you."

Oh that's right. Twilight looked back down at her desk. Fluttershy hated her as well, and that was for certain. Ever since that event occurred, Fluttershy didn't say a word to Twilight, or any of the others in particular. She wouldn't even look her in the eyes or even regard she existed. Everything between the two felt so hollow now, and Twilight wondered if with time, she'd be able to patch up things with the mare. No, things would work out between the two of them, they were friends, and friends make mistakes, even though Twilight didn't consider her decision a mistake, yet, she knew Fluttershy, and Fluttershy and her had been through so much together, she wouldn't truly abandon their friendship over what'd happened right? 

Ah yes; friendship as well. Why did that word seem to hold such a linear meaning for Twilight as well now? Was it truly the way of harmony to vanquish supposed evil? Or to find the bright side on all things? Was it the job of the elements of harmony to cast their judgements upon others; to judge whether they were good or evil and then dispose of that evil if that's what they saw? Or was it their job to always attempt to find a peaceful resolution? But they'd used the elements to destroy Nightmare Moon. They'd used the elements to imprison Discord once more. They sent back a queen with starving subjects. They'd even helped vanquish the king of darkness without the elements. In so many recent cases everything appeared so simple, evil was in such plain-sight that the idea of giving redemption to such characters seemed laughable. So why did this situation feel so different? Why did this little draconequus deserve the benefit of the doubt compared to the others? Because she was young? Because she was weak? 

Because things might have been different?

Twilight disagreed with all of it, but why did she suddenly feel those things should've been considered? Why did she suddenly feel that the risk should've been taken only after it was all over? No; she had to stop thinking these things! She had to accept she did what needed to be done, and what they'd always done! They prevented a possible threat, a lurking evil from placing Equestria in danger! The draconequus was even involved with Nightmare Moon! She deserved what she got! Twilight gritted her teeth angrily telling herself all these things in her head. She couldn't let these conflicting questions overwhelm her, she couldn't let herself fall into a pool of guilt and sorrow. She had to get over this one way or another.

But as Twilight was still lost in her thoughts, Applejack cut in once again. "That's right sugarcube, Fluttershy is just a little upset is all, but I'm sure Rainbow and Pinkie are dealing with it right now. Shucks; I bet they've already convinced her to move on from this whole scenario! Things'll be peachy again in no time Twi, so; don't be getting all down and all."

Rarity nodded to Applejack with a approving smile. "Y-You said it darling! Applejack's right Twilight, just try not to think about it."

Of course that was easy for them to say. 

But just as Twilight was reflecting on all these things, there was a knock at the door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Rarity's expression brightened up. "See, would you look at that? I'm sure that's Fluttershy and the others right now."

Applejack sighed with relief.

Twilight remained silent as Rarity went on over to open the door.

As Rarity did open the door however, she at first wore an eager smile, but then the color in her face flushed as her expression sunk for the worst. She found she was at a loss for words as she just stood in the open door space regarding the mare in front of her, trying to figure out something to say. Rarity eventually spoke. "C-Cheerilee; why isn't this a surprise."

To this Twilight and Applejack's eyes snapped wide.

Twilight suddenly had a look of paranoia wash over her. She glanced behind her slowly to look at Cheerilee.

Cheerilee wore a friendly, kind expression with her eyes closed. "Hi you all; I'm sorry to bother you. But I've got something from the school that I was hoping you all could help me with if you don't mind. Particularly you Twilight." Cheerilee chuckled as she motioned over to a small bag she had at her side with a smile. "It seems Rumble was a little busy roaming through things outside again and I was hoping you all could identify it for me. I figured it'd be best to get your personal opinion on this Twilight. Since you tend to be knowledgeable about many things."

Twilight was a little skeptical at first, but ultimately felt relieved. As well as Applejack and Rarity. She was worried that Cheerilee was here concerning Eve, but it seems that the letter worked after all, thank goodness. Twilight felt she should've perhaps spent a bit more time making the letter seem more liable, but Cheerilee probably just took it for what it seemed. It's not like she knew the draconequus long, and as long as it sounded as if it were happy when it left, Cheerilee wouldn't really question it right? It's not like she felt personally attached to it, she barely even knew it. Of course that'd be a little too simple to assume as well. Either way; it seemed they were in the clear for now, so Twilight smiled at Cheerilee. "Hey there Cheerilee; of course I'd love to help. Show me what you've got." She could use a quick puzzle to take her mind off this whole mess.

Twilight turned to regard the mare with a delighted smile, sitting.

Cheerilee sighed with relief rolling her eyes and softly chuckled. "Oh thank you so much girls, you won't believe how much this has been bothering me as of late. I'll be sure not to take up too much of your time." Cheerilee then trotted over to Twilight with the bag. Rarity and Applejack looked to one another with a smile before nodding to one another. 

As Cheerilee arrived to Twilight, she lowered her hind legs to sit and then smiled lowering her head towards the zipper of the bag. She smiled as she then slowly began to open it. "Alright, well let's get this over with then shall we?"

Twilight smiled nodding to Cheerilee as she opened the bag. "Alright, well let's see what we've got he-......"

Twilight's eyes widened as she looked into the bag. Her pupils dilated.

A black hoodie and a crumpled letter. Of course....

She then looked back up at Cheerilee with that speechless expression, and found that Cheerilee's expression had suddenly changed as well. Cheerilee stared right back into Twilight's eyes with a cold callous look, seeming devoid of any emotion, and the silence was almost frightening. 

And that was it. 

That was the look Cheerilee wanted to see. That look of recognition. 

Cheerilee then charged Twilight, slamming the violet mare against the edge of her desk, practically strangling her with her hooves. "Twilight Sparkle!.......What've you done!"

Spike then exited from the kitchen breathing heavily. "Whew, guys I finally found the note-...whoa whoa whoa! What the heck is going on!?"

Rarity and Applejack's expressions then sunk as they immediately sprung into action. They hurried over to Twilight and Cheerilee, grabbing Cheerilee and pulling her back away from Twilight.

Twilight gasped for breath as she fell to her side and ran a hoof over her throat with a terrified look. She then looked up at Cheerilee shaking her head. "I-I don't get it Cheerilee, what're you talking about!?"

Cheerilee snapped at the mare. "Where is she Twilight!? What did you say to her!?"

Twilight's eyes widened as she avoided eye contact with Cheerilee, remaining silent.

Cheerilee's expression sunk tragically as she attempted to get back over to Twilight. "She's just a baby! Why're you doing this to her!? Why're you making her go through these things!?"

Twilight kept silent.

Cheerilee shook her head as Rarity and Applejack struggled, getting the erratic mare to the door. "Just give her back to me! All of you! I don't care about the risks! I don't care about what you think is best! Twilight....I beg of you! Just let me give her a life away from all of this nonsense...t-think if it was Spike..." She looked to Rarity "Think about if it was Sweetie Belle...." then to Applejack "Or Applebloom?" Tears filled Cheerilee's eyes. "Why're you all not willing to just take a leap of faith for a child! The world shouldn't be looked at in such a linear way! We should be there for all children of Equestria!" Tears slowly streamed down Cheerilee's face as she was pleading with the mare. "She's not a bad draconequus...she's a sweetheart, and I don't know what she may have done...b-but we all make mistakes, she deserves a mother...she deserves me! Twilight Sparkle; please! Tell me what you've done with her!"

Twilight was at a loss for words, and she looked at Cheerilee as if about to cry herself, but that expression soon melted away as she then peered back to her lower left while on the ground. "I...I don't know what you're talking about Cheerilee..."

Cheerilee's eyes widened once more as she was filled with rage once again. "WHERE IS SHE TWILIGHT!? WHERE IS EVE! TELL ME THIS INSTANT! TWILIGHT SPARKLE!......ANSWER ME!!!!"

Twilight simply remained silent with her solemn expression.

Rarity and Applejack managed to finally get Cheerilee out of the house as once they did so, they hurried back into the library and slammed the door shut behind them, locking it.

Cheerilee burst to her hooves and then slammed against the wooden door angrily, then banging on it with her forehooves as she stood on her hind legs, tears streaming down her face as she did so with an infuriated expression. "What's wrong with all of you!? I know you're good ponies! Why are you allowing such a cruel thing to happen!? Why won't you just let me take care of her!?" Then Cheerilee considered the possibilities, and her heart ached at the thought of what might've occurred. "Twilight, Applejack, Rarity! Please!" Cheerilee's rage soon subsided as she slowly slid to the ground, looking at the dirt. "Don't force me to move on from this.....don't force me into this position...I have to at least know...p-please..."

There was only silence.

"PLEASE!" She stated pleadingly.

And still, there was only silence.

Cheerilee stood to her hooves; and already she noticed she was causing quite a commotion in the small town. Ponies all around were looking at her, regarding the mare with worried looks. Cheerilee didn't care, she sluggishly made her way away from Golden Oaks Library, and down the path that led through the middle of town with her head lowered, and her eyes closed. It was sunset, and the day was basically over, but there was at least one place she hoped to check. And even if she found nothing, she just wanted to visit that place for the moment. 





Twilight was trembling still with that terrified expression. She couldn't do this, she couldn't deal with that.

She looked as if she'd been broken, wide eyed, and left utterly speechless. As she was on the ground, she simply peered at the ground as she looked as if she were about to lose her mind. She slowly raised her forehooves to her head as she gripped at her mane and her eyes widened, her pupils were like small dots quivering in the center and tears filled her eyes. Twilight let off a piercing scream as she tore at her mane. 

Applejack, Rarity, and Spike looked at Twilight with horrified expressions.





Pinkie and Rainbow as said by Applejack and Rarity, were outside Fluttershy's home.

Rainbow called up to the second floor. "Come out already Fluttershy! Jeez; you can't stay cooped up in there forever! Fluttershy!? I know you can hear me in there! We have to go to Canterlot with Twilight and the others. You also need to go pick up Discord, what're you even doing in there?" Rainbow sighed heavily as she fluttered up to the second level and attempted to look through one of the windows. But the windows were all covered. She then joined Pinkie back on the ground as she looked to the pink mare, shaking her head with a disappointed look.

Pinkie then smiled looking up at Fluttershy's home. "F-Fluttershy! Come on, let me put a smile on that face!"

Nopony replied to either of them.

Pinkie and Rainbow sighed heavily as they looked to the ground. 

Meanwhile Fluttershy was in her home, locking herself away as she tended to something private. 

Back at the ruins of everfree they'd simply left Eve laying against one of the stone pillars, alone and unattended. To them that was the end of things, there'd be no point in going back. But not to Fluttershy, as of recent, she did indeed go back, and not only that, but she'd brought the baby draconequus back home with her. Of course she kept this news to herself, and to them, she was simply shutting herself away in her home. And perhaps she was. Although she wasn't solely responsible for what'd happened, Fluttershy felt just as guilty if not more about the situation. 

The pale yellow mare was upstairs in a dark room with an exhausted look. It looked as if she hadn't gotten any real sleep ever since the nightmare scenario, thick crescent bags hung beneath her eyes. She sat at a bedside, and simply stared at the baby draconequus practically lay there in a vegetative state. She wanted her to wake up, she begged her to, this couldn't have been the answer, and this certainly wasn't closure to the mare. To Fluttershy; there had to be a better ending to things than this. She couldn't accept that this was how this episode of their lives would conclude. 

And as the mare sat there in melancholy, her eyes widened. Maybe there was one, one who'd be able to help, and at the same time, one who held a neutral perspective about almost everything. One who'd be able to keep this little one safe, away from all the bias and protocols. Even if the baby draconequus was practically brain dead, Fluttershy knew nothing of the world of the dream, but perhaps this one did, and perhaps there was a sliver of redemption for all of them.

Yes; to the mare, there had to be something she could do besides tend to comatose draconequus.

Fluttershy ran her hoof through Eve's mane as she laid there in the bed, and she smiled affectionately at the creature.





Cheerilee had made her way to the open fields near Ponyville, the same fields where her and Eve sat and looked at the stars and she'd decided on her name.

The mare felt drained, and she took a long glance around the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of the baby draconequus somewhere, she was at the point of desperation. And to Cheerilee, it was the not knowing that hurt the most.

She recalled the wish she made on the shooting star that day. That wish seemed so absent now. 

She simply sat there, looking at the ground with a saddened expression. 

She felt there truly was nothing at this point.

> Chapter 12: Forevermore (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



CHAPTER 12: FOREVERMORE



============================================================



"Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself." - Walter Anderson 



============================================================


There was one who Fluttershy had confidence in. 

One who she believed could help her without being intimately involved with the situation, without being held back by the bias and protocols of pony society or having any particular connections to anypony in particular. One who was wise on many things, and powerful to boot, and one who was safely nestled away in the forest of Everfree. 

This one was none other than Zecora the zebra. 

When the coast was clear, Fluttershy wore a cowl of her own, holding the baby draconequus wrapped in a small blanket close to her. Thankfully it seemed Rainbow and Pinkie had just given up eventually, and decided to go to Canterlot with Twilight and the others without her. Discord wasn't a baby, and he didn't need Fluttershy there to take care of him 24/7, she knew that. Fluttershy had this business she needed to attend to, so with the baby draconequus in her hoof, she made her way to the entrance of Everfree. She looked up at the towering tears and bristling leaves with a frightened expression, but as she then looked down at the little baby draconequus sleeping, her expression saddened; and she put on a look of bravery. She was scared, but she wouldn't let that stop her from accomplishing this task she felt she was meant to do.

She smiled looking down at the sleeping Eve; whispering. "Don't worry....I won't let anything happen to you..."

Fluttershy then made her way into the forest of Everfree, trotting as quickly as she could to Zecora's home.





Twilight and the others; as suspected, had already made their way to Canterlot by this time.

Twilight's mane was erratic, and her eyes had thick crescent bags beneath them, she wore an irritated look, and looked as if she'd gone off the deep end. Her brows were furrowed in discomfort, and she still had that knapsack with the book inside it. "Let's get this over with...." She stated in a monotone.

Of course Rainbow and the others noticed that Twilight wasn't doing so good.

Applejack approached her friend with a nervous expression, before raising a hoof in front of her own mouth in the form of a hesitant gesture. She then cocked a brow at Twilight. "Listen;...Twi, what Cheerilee said, I mean...it's...it's..-" Applejack wanted to desperately to say something to Twilight, something reassuring and comforting but, she was all out of advice. As much as she hated to admit it herself, she had absolutely nothing to say to Twilight. There was nothing she could say.

Perhaps the best they could do for Twilight now was to just not talk about it anymore.

Rainbow and Pinkie however were a little baffled by Twilight's look and mood; seeing as they weren't present during the whole fiasco in Twilight's home. 

Rainbow made her way over to Rarity. "What the heck happened to Twilight?"

Rarity sighed heavily before regarding Rainbow with a disappointed look. "She had a run in with Cheerilee..."

Rainbow's eyes widened as she then scratched the back of her own mane and her gaze shifted to the lower right. "Oooh.."

Rarity nodded. "Yea; so what about Fluttershy? What happened with her?"

Rainbow closed her eyes shaking her head. "Fluttershy won't even talk to us, she's just cooped up in her house."

Rarity's expression saddened as she looked towards the ground. "Poor dear; she's probably still blaming herself for what happened, this whole situation has certainly spiraled out of control..."

Rainbow continued fluttering beside Rarity before looking up with a sigh. "Tell me about it..."

Rarity then glanced back at Pinkie who was currently bouncing and munching on random cupcakes. "Well at least one of us seems to be in high spirits..." 

The group continued trotting through Canterlot. And eventually they arrived at the castle, and immediately made their way to the throne room.

Twilight didn't speak another word the rest of the way there.

And as they all arrived in the throne room, it wasn't surprising to find the princesses as well as Discord there to greet them.

Twilight stated simply. "Princess, I've dealt with the issue..."

Princess Celestia's eyes widened at the sight of her student. Twilight looked absolutely horrible, what'd occurred to make her appear this way? Of course Celestia was curious. "My student, what's happened? What's wrong?"

Twilight then dug into her knapsack and pulled out her book on draconequus, before simply tossing it across the ground. The book slid until it stopped in front of Princess Celestia.

Princess Celestia looked down at the book for a moment with a bewildered expression, before she eased up into a smile of recognition. "Oh my; why if it isn't my collaboration with Starswirl the Bearded, it has been far too long since I've seen one of these. I'm happy to see you've had a copy nestled away in your library Twilight, of course, I should've expected as much."

Twilight still seemed devoid of any emotion as she simply turned to the porch, then looked at Princess Celestia with a cocked brow and a nudge. "Princess, if I may, could I talk to you in private?" 

Princess Celestia nodded. "Of course Twilight."

With that, Twilight and Celestia made their way to the second story porch in order to discuss more 'personal' matters.

As they did so, Discord couldn't help but look at the rest of the mane six, seeming quite puzzled himself. "Eh...one, two, three, four- where's Fluttershy?" He cocked a brow.

Applejack cut in, raising a hoof at Discord with a slight shrug. "She didn't wanna tag along..."

Rainbow groaned crossing her hooves and glancing to her left. "Yea; she's all depressed over what happened..."

Princess Luna was now curious as well. "And what happened? If I may ask."

Pinkie gasped, randomly making a dramatic entrance, raising her hooves to the air. "There was a big battle! And the little dragon thing was using all these funky powers in order to destroy the real world! Then we had to fight in the double world! And there were double doubles! And then there was you! And then Twilight got all angry and creepy all like 'rrrrrrrrrg you no come with us' and Fluttershy was all like 'noooooooo' like it was a movie or something! Then we all got out and were like wheeeeeew we made it and now we're here all like, whoooooa that was crazy and-" Pinkie then paused as she noticed everypony was staring at her with crossed hooves. "Eheh...."

As Twilight and Princess Celestia stood on the porch overlooking the beautiful city of Canterlot, there was a long silence between the two of them, before Celestia finally spoke. "So; what is it you wanted to talk with me about my dear student?"

Twilight then looked towards the ground with an ashamed expression. "P-Princess;...I...I may have misinterpreted your messages, I, I thought in the moment it all seemed so right, that everything seemed to make sense. But I let my own paranoia and selfishness cloud my judgement, and I feel I was cruel and unfair. I based all my decisions off text on pages. Now I think I may have made a grave mistake, and that mistake costed a young draconequus its life. "

Suddenly in that moment, Celestia smirked, but Twilight didn't notice it seeing as her eyes weren't focused on her teacher. But that smirk quickly disappeared as Celestia then looked down to her student with a caring smile, wrapping a hoof around Twilight and pulling her close. "My dear Twilight, you did no such thing. You did what you felt you had to, we all make choices we regret in our lifetimes, but we always learn from them. And I'm sure whatever may have occurred, you had everypony's best interests in mind. You're my protege, and I have complete faith in the decisions you make."

Twilight persisted, looking up at her teacher with sad eyes. "But Princess I-"

Princess Celestia raised a hoof, interrupting the violet mare. "Shhhhh; Twilight..." The princess then lowered her frame somewhat, looking Twilight in the eyes. "You know, I've ruled over Equestria for quite some time, and there have been many instances where I to felt my decisions were cruel and unfair. But I've learned in all those years that sometimes, those choices are the right ones to make. There is no shame in feeling guilt for your actions, we all do at times, but you mustn't consider it wholly as a mistake either. You based your judgement on the information I have provided for you and all the ponies of Equestria, and I base that information on what I have seen over countless millennium. I tell you now my student, you are no failure in my eyes. In my eyes, I see a future leader, and one who will me me very proud."

To this Twilight teared up as she sniffled; she couldn't resist the temptation to hug Princess Celestia at that moment, who then hugged her back, comforting her young protege with a smile.

Celestia chuckled. "There there; it's alright Twilight...."

As the rest of the group observed this from afar, they all couldn't help but smile. 

Well everypony except Discord of course as he made a mope face and suddenly manifested some handkerchiefs in his paw and then began patting down his face. "Oh; how touching, it truly brings tears to my eyes!" 

The others glared at him due to his obvious sarcasm.

Discord laughed a shrug. "Oh what? I'm being serious! Reeeeeally!"





But everything wasn't over just yet, as there was still things that needed to be tended to in the Everfree.

"Now all I have to do; is mix my special stew, and all the herbs shall be good as new!" Zecora was currently using a large wooden spoon to mix a strange bubbling substance in her cauldron. She seemed absolutely delighted in doing so as well, eager to see her finished result as she churned the substance in a smooth rhythm.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Zecora's eyes widened as she then stopped mixing her mysterious substance. She glanced back at her door as she cocked a brow. "Oh, now who could that be I wonder." She then trotted on over to her door, opening it with a curious expression; as she looked the cowled mare up and down she couldn't help but feel bewildered. "Why if it isn't Fluttershy! I did not expect you to come over. But tell me Fluttershy, why do you wear such gloomy eyes?" Zecora's expression sunk as she regarded the mare with a worried look.

Fluttershy simply raised the small wrapped object in her forehooves, as Zecora looked down at it curiously. Fluttershy then uncovered Eve's face to reveal the baby draconequus. "I'm..I'm sorry to come on such short notice Zecora...but..."

Zecora's eyes widened in disbelief. "Is that...what I think it is!?"

Fluttershy simply remained silent as she whimpered a little, avoiding eye contact with the zebra.

Zecora then burst into laughter. "Why! This is a baby draconequus in the flesh! This is truly quite fascinating; yes!" Zecora then took a few trots backward as she turned and then regarded the mare with a wave. "Come come Fluttershy! We will speak furthermore inside!"

To this Fluttershy sighed with relief as she made her way into Zecora's home; shutting the door behind her.

Now that they were both inside, Zecora looked over the sleeping Eve with interest. "Now you must tell me Fluttershy; what has brought you to me with such a sight? Draconequis are creatures one rarely sees, especially a baby; such a fascinating thing!" But Zecora noticed the one thing in particular that seemed off. "But this one seems to be in quite the deep sleep. Does she not wake? Even to me shouting?" Zecora glanced up at Fluttershy with curious eyes.

Fluttershy then whimpered once more glancing down at the sleeping Eve. "I-It's a long story...."

Zecora then immediately made her way over to a small table in the other room, pulling out two wooden chairs as she did so. She then nodded to Fluttershy giving her a sweet smile and sitting, then patting the other chair with a hoof. "Come, time is not a problem for me, as you can imagine, I'm almost always free."

Fluttershy then looked to Zecora with a soft smile herself, but her expression sunk again as she considered what she was about to tell the zebra. She sighed heavily; not looking forward to it, as she trotted on over to the table and then sat. "Well;....where do I start...."





And as Fluttershy eventually finished her story; Zecora was left speechless by the end.

The zebra was at a loss for words as she then took a second to show her disappointment, not in Fluttershy; but for Twilight in particular. "Now this...is grave news indeed; for what you have told me, this little one has been lost to the world of the dream." Zecora then began muttering to herself before crossing her forehooves. "But Twilight Sparkle; I know she is wise, so why would she ensure a baby's demise?" Zecora couldn't wrap her mind around the idea, as she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts for a moment.

Fluttershy then spoke softly, looking to Zecora with a worried glance. "S-So...can you fix her? I can't get her to wake up, no matter how hard I try, she just...sleeps..."

Zecora stood to all fours with a determined expression before glancing down at the baby draconequus curled in Fluttershy's hoof. "What has happened to her, is often fatal indeed, but I do believe I may be able to wake her from this dream." 

Fluttershy's eyes widened with horror as she said with paranoia "F-Fatal!?..."

Zecora nodded as she then made her way over to her racks, going through an assortment of various ingredients. She continued to speak to Fluttershy however, further explaining the situation as she did so. "Yes; to shatter one's mind within the world of the dream is no different from shattering their soul entirely. Everything she once was, is now lost to the unknown, whether she'll return to her former self, only time will tell. But magic of such caliber should not exist, it fascinates me how you were able to describe it." As the zebra gathered all the ingredients, she then motioned for Fluttershy to follow her into a room further towards the back of the hut. 

Fluttershy of course followed, still holding Eve close in her hoof.





Zecora led them to a room with glowing blue lights; while the rest of the room was dark. There was a single area in the center with a pillow, as well as many tribal markings that decorated all walls of the strange room. 

Fluttershy simply glanced around with awe, her jaw practically dropped as she seemed a little frightened by the look of such a place; as well as mesmerized by it.

Zecora didn't hesitate to further continue her explanation. "In order to awake her from the dream; we must ease her body and spirit entirely. It is a process that takes much time, there is no rushing when it comes to piecing back together the mind. What you stand in now is my room of meditation, Fluttershy, I ask you lay the draconequus in that destination, it is where I shall begin the restoration." Zecora then pointed a hoof towards the pillow in the center of the room.

Fluttershy followed Zecora's orders with haste; hurriedly making her way towards the center of the room and then setting Eve down with ease. But as she did, she couldn't help but run her hoof once more through the baby draconequus' mane as she slept peacefully on the ground. Fluttershy whispered to her "Please be okay..."

Zecora's expression saddened as she saw this, but it only revealed her fierce determination more soon afterwards.

Fluttershy then began trotting back as Zecora made her way to the center of the room, still with the majority of her ingredients in hoof.

Zecora laid down the ingredients, and then grabbed a pestle and mortar already nearby and began dumping the diverse herbs and other ingredients inside the mortar, then crushing and mixing them with the pestle in a natural manner. Zecora knew exactly what she was doing, and she was a master of her art. 

As Fluttershy observed the zebra at work, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief that she'd come to seek her aid. Zecora held respect for pony society, but her views differed greatly on such matters, she was from an entirely different land and Fluttershy knew that out of everypony, she was probably the best chance Eve had; seeing as Zecora could also be considered a masterful sage. 

As Zecora finished mixing all the ingredients, she then added some water to it, then mixing it again, and as she finished, what was left in the mortar was a beautiful glowing green substance. It was barely transparent, and if one focused on it, they could see small miniature swirls beneath the surface of liquid substance. It was almost hypnotic how beautifully strange it was; appearing unlike any liquid Fluttershy had ever seen before. 

Zecora then tilted Eve's head upward, helping her body force down the strange substance. "And now we wait; I will do all that I can to help her ease into the process with time." Zecora then stood on all fours as she sighed heavily.

Fluttershy then spoke out in a worried tone. "I-Is there anything else that I can do?"

Zecora glanced back at Fluttershy with a soft smile. "You have done all that you can Fluttershy; all I ask of you is you try to get by. You seem a little worse for wear; and I can understand why, but you cannot blame yourself for what has transpired, I shall not continue to pry. Your heart is gentle, sweet, and kind, I ask that you attempt to move on from such days gone by."

The two then moved out of the meditation room, and Zecora shut the door behind her as she did so, then leading Fluttershy to the front door. "I will keep her safe over time, but you must promise me you'll not speak of what's transpired here to the public ear." 

Fluttershy nodded. "I..I promise..."

Zecora smiled. "Good...please try not to worry dear Fluttershy, certain I am not, but my confidence; I shall not deny."

Fluttershy then made her way out the front door with a soft smile, looking back at Zecora. "I..I trust you will do your best Zecora..."

Zecora smirked at the mare. "Have no doubt."

And with that, Fluttershy departed back to Ponyville, leaving Eve in the hooves of the wise sage, and following her advice as well, hopefully being able to find a way to move past all of this. And hopefully waiting for that day when Eve would awake.





And as Fluttershy made her way back home; so many thoughts streamed through her head. Zecora had made her promise not to tell anypony about what'd transpired at her home. But Fluttershy told Zecora the whole story, so did the zebra consider Cheerilee's feelings revolving around all of this? Although Fluttershy herself wasn't even sure how Cheerilee's reaction was to this entire situation, actually, she wasn't even sure if Cheerilee knew anything past Eve's disappearance. Fluttershy wanted so desperately to open up to the school teacher, but she also didn't want her to be forced to deal with Eve's condition if she did find out. And Fluttershy also didn't want to risk anypony finding out about what her and Zecora's plans were. So as she promised, she kept such information to herself. 

Fluttershy also considered her feelings revolving around Twilight, and she still couldn't bring herself to forgive her close friend; but perhaps if Twilight showed remorse for her actions, perhaps if she showed she was sincerely sorry for committing such an atrocity, she could forgive her. Maybe.

But as with everything, only time would tell, and time from beyond that moment, certainly did pass.





And as unfortunate as it was, everypony over time seemed to be able to move past this tragic event in their lives.

Even the caring Cheerilee; although unlike the others, she never felt she had any full closure, and in the back of her mind, she'd always suspected the mane six and wondered what happened to little Eve. But she continued on with her life, refusing to soak in a pool of sorrow, regret, and anger, and attempt to move past that short time she had with her adopted daughter. But as said, the mare never found any true closure.

Even with all her loving students, and her close friends, the thought of Eve never got any easier.

The mane six however, seemed to be able to work through their problems, and even Fluttershy, who at the time believed she would never be able to forgive Twilight, found that she was with time. Her friend did indeed show regret for committing such actions, and eventually, even Twilight mustered up the courage to claim she was wrong about what'd transpired, of course due to the comforting Princess Celestia had given her. Fluttershy still kept Eve a secret however of course, still waiting for the fateful day she'd hear that the little draconequus had awoken. But as time drew on, and that secret seemed to fade with memory, Zecora never spoke of Eve, and never even regarded her existence; it was as if the draconequus fell off the face of Equestria. And even Fluttershy, the kindest mare with the most gentle of hearts, found herself moving on from this entire story as well, it just being another dark episode in her life. Trials come and go, and more trials did indeed come, trials that her friends required her full attention for, more problems emerged and more drama ensued, and the pale yellow mare eventually found herself joining her friends as one of those who'd also moved on. 

And although she regretted it, Fluttershy never expected the day Zecora would mention Eve again.

So as everypony did what all inevitably find themselves doing after such things, days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months; so much so that even Twilight Sparkle, the once unicorn, had become a recently crowned alicorn.

And that day for Eve, never seemed to come. Until it finally did.





So many things change with time, even those who many thought were beyond saving.

And as the day arrived, and Zecora stood in front of Fluttershy's open doorway with a serious expression. She simply stated "She's awake."

Fluttershy didn't know how to react as first, seeing as she'd been waiting for so long, so long to the point where she'd even moved past what transpired on that day that felt so long ago. A dark time where she and her friends questioned their friendship, and Fluttershy found herself regrettably scared to think back on such a time. She wanted to forget it, and even now, as much as she hated to admit it; she felt scared about confronting the draconequus that they'd done this to. Or at least to Fluttershy, the mane six as a whole were involved and responsible for letting it happen. 

But the news wasn't over yet, as Zecora simply continued
.
She stated. "And as I suspected; her past is but a haze to her."

Fluttershy wanted to cringe at such news. So not only had the draconequus finally woken up, but she also didn't have any memories of what had transpired? What'd happened to her in that eternal sleep? Now even though Fluttershy was afraid, she was just as curious to see the little draconequus once again. So on this day, she'd informed Discord of course she had more personal business to attend to, and Discord didn't question it; actually, he was happy at the thought of being able to have the entire house to himself. And so Fluttershy went with Zecora back to her hut, and back to see the little draconequus that had been comatose for what felt like so long.





And so as they arrived at Zecora's hut, towards the back near a beautiful pond, there she was; the young draconequus, simply sitting and looking up towards the sky.

Zecora spoke. "All she seems to be able to recall is her name...it is really quite a shame..."

But as Fluttershy simply took a moment to take in the sight; her eyes teared up at the fact she noticed not only had they changed over time, but the draconequus had as well. Eve's mane was now much longer, and she seemed to have gotten a little bigger, perhaps it was due to Zecora's strange remedy or perhaps much time really did pass. But Fluttershy felt those feelings of guilt swell up inside her as she looked at the draconequus kick the water absently; and sit on the edge of the pond lost in her own thoughts. Such wasted youth, but it was her expression that caused Fluttershy to cry. The draconequus wore a soft smile, and her eyes possessed a passive everlasting sadness that the mare couldn't recognize. 

But as Fluttershy took in all these feelings, she then looked to Zecora with a curious expression. "So...w-what're we going to do now Zecora?...It's been so long..."

Zecora's expression saddened herself as she looked at Eve herself. "I will prepare her for the days to come; for I can assure you they won't be easy ones."

Fluttershy's eyes saddened at such news, as she looked back towards the ground. Why did it feel like such a wasted effort then? They'd saved the little draconequus; but what did Eve have to come back to? If anything, it was a fresh start. Fluttershy looked to Eve with a blank look, before simply asking Zecora, "May...may I go see her?"

Zecora nodded. "Of course Fluttershy; you need not ask me."

Fluttershy then slowly began her approach towards the young draconequus.

Eve simply gazed down at her reflection in the small pond as she sat on the edge of a small wooden pathway leading from the back of Zecora's hut. And as she heard somepony approaching her, her eyes widened somewhat as she looked to the pale yellow mare with at first a slightly curious look then a soft smile. "Hiya...."

Fluttershy put on a smile herself as she went beside Eve, lowering her frame next to the young draconequus. "Hi there, how're you feeling?" She asked in a worried tone.

Eve simply glanced to her lower left as she no longer smiled, and she seemed afraid. "I'm.....confused...."

Fluttershy's heart ached as she simply wrapped her hooves around the young draconequus with a hint of tragedy her in closed eyes and slight frown. "Y-You'll be okay...you made it through this....and when Zecora is done with you; you'll be ready, and hopefully, you won't ever have to go through anything like this ever again."

Eve's eyes widened as she then closed her eyes as well, returning Fluttershy's hug. "Thank you.."

And Fluttershy kept it at that. 

Such a simple farewell, and she felt she wanted to say more, she wanted so much better for this draconequus, but would such thoughts really help the young creature? She couldn't be sure. And so the pale yellow mare stood to her hooves, and before turning back towards the direction of Zecora she smiled looking down at Eve once more. "Goodbye...and take care of yourself little one..."

Eve's eyes saddened somewhat as she returned that smile. "Bye bye....Fluttershy" Of course Eve had been told of her savior beforehoof, but other things, were kept more discrete from the draconequus. 

And then Fluttershy turned to leave, and as she made her way to Zecora she regarded the zebra with a smile as well. "Thank you Zecora." 

Zecora smiled. "There is no need to thank me Fluttershy."

Fluttershy then trotted back down the path towards Ponyville, allowing Zecora to take care of things from here on out.





And as more time passed once again, Zecora did keep her word, and she did educate little Eve on the dangers of the world. As well as instilled the little draconequus with knowledge and insight on various remedies and herbs, and survival tactics that Zecora herself found quite useful. 

And so eventually; the zebra felt the little draconequus was ready to face the world, instead of being cooped up in the Everfree forest. 

"I...I don't know if I'm ready for this Zecora..." Said Eve as Zecora wrapped around a thick leather cowl and cape around the young draconequus, in similar fashion to her's when she first arrived in Ponyville.

Zecora smiled, wrapping her hooves around the little draconequus. "You must have confidence in yourself little Eve; I know this is something you can do, I have absolute faith in you."

Eve gulped as she looked towards the ground, so now it'd come once again. That time where she'd likely be alone, but now she was better off than before, now she had the knowledge and teachings of Zecora to help her along the way. And one of the biggest lessons the zebra instilled in Eve, was the young draconequus didn't need to be alone, she simply had to keep moving, and keep travelling. Due to the views most had on draconequus, it was never safe to get too comfortable in one area, so Eve would need to stick to the roads, and move from town to town. 

Eve looked up at Zecora with a cocked brow and a humored smile. "You always say those types of things..."

Zecora chuckled. "That is because they are true, and nopony knows that better than you."

Although she was afraid, Eve to felt she was ready to depart. Her and Zecora embraced in a hug before making their way down the path through Everfree, and then around the outskirts of Ponyville itself.

A nice last walk together.





But at some point in their small venture, Eve and Zecora passed a area that caused Eve to stop in her tracks, and she couldn't help but find herself stopping to stare at one mare in specific.

Zecora and Eve had avoided most familiar ponies their entire way here, but as Zecora noticed just what exactly Eve was looking at, it caused the zebra to worry; but she allowed Eve this personal moment.

Eve simply looked in the direction towards the schoolhouse, and from a small dirt path quite some distance from the schoolhouse, Eve continued to look at it with a longing expression. Her eyes were wide, and she wondered why she felt such a unique attachment to that place, and that mare in particular. Zecora never told her all of her past, for these very reasons, they couldn't let things get out of hoof once again, and had to prevent another situation like the last.

Cheerilee was currently smiling softly at her students; guiding them into the schoolhouse, it seems they'd just gotten back from a trip, just like the first time when Eve had met Cheerilee. But as Eve stared from a distance; that longing feeling never left her, for some reason, she couldn't place her mind on it, or why, but she wanted to go up to that mare, and just be by her side, and Eve wondered why she felt such feelings. That look in Cheerilee's eyes, how come the young draconequus felt she could relate to it so well? Who was this mare? And why did Eve's name seem to ring out in her head when she looked at this mare? Eve could only stare and wonder for a moment; before another idea sprung up in her head. But not before Zecora nudged her along, and Eve looked up at the zebra with a curious look.

Zecora smiled softly at Eve with a nod. "Come Eve; we must hurry now, we don't want to overstep our bounds." 

And so Eve did as she was told, and moved along with her mentor further from the schoolhouse, and further down the path that would lead north, towards the crystal mountains, or Van Hoover in specific.

But Eve took one last wide eyed look at Cheerilee, and then smiled, continuing to walk beside Zecora.

As Cheerilee was guiding her students inside the schoolhouse, she got that awkward feeling that she was being watched. And it caused the mare's features to distort into a creeped out expression as she cocked a brow, and stopped focusing on her students for a moment. 

She then looked off into the distance from the schoolhouse with a curious expression.

But there was nothing there.

Nothing but the bristling leaves and numerous trees. And the soothing ambience of the steady wind as it moved about the area. And Cheerilee found herself feeling like she'd missed something important, and some empty feeling in her chest caused her to simply stare down that path from the schoolhouse for a brief moment.

Then Apple Bloom nudged her teacher. "You alright Miss Cheerilee?"

Scootaloo chuckled a bit then cocked a humored brow at her teacher. "Yea, you're not looking too good!"

Cheerilee looked back down at her students, then back to the path once more. She then looked back down to her two students with a smile, rubbing the top of their heads with cheerful glee. "I'm fine girls! Now you two hurry back on inside, as usual we've got quite a lot to discuss today!"

And thankfully, the cutie mark crusaders themselves actually seemed quite obliged to do so as they all cheered in unison. "All right! Today we'll get our studious cutie marks!" And the three fillies made their way into the schoolhouse.

Cheerilee chuckled as she then made her way into the schoolhouse herself, but not before glancing back once more curiously. Then she simply smiled, and shut the door behind her.





As Zecora and Eve continued to make their way down that lonesome beaten dirt path. Eve was currently using her magic to work on something in particular, and she seemed to have her full concentration on this particular object, manipulating it and morphing it to her liking.

Zecora couldn't help but feel curious as she attempted to peek, and Eve hid it away from her. 

This caused the zebra to groan somewhat.

Eve chuckled. "Patience, you'll see it you'll see it hehe..."

And as they eventually arrived to their destination, a lone road leading into the open lands of Equestria and further north, Eve and Zecora had finally come to that fateful moment.

Eve took this time to lower her hood as she smiled, looking up at Zecora. "I'll miss you..."

Zecora couldn't help but tear up as she lowered her frame to hug the young draconequus. "As will I little one, as will I..."

Eve then decided to reveal the strange objects she was working on earlier, and as Zecora looked at them, she couldn't help but stare in awe for a moment.

Sitting in the young draconequus' paw were three crystalline stars. 

Eve smiled softly. "The shape just seemed to come naturally; I know it isn't much, but....I want you to have one Zecora...and if you can, can you deliver the other two?"

Zecora was still left a little speechless by the gift.

Such beauty, formed through supposed chaos, or maybe it wasn't chaos, maybe everypony was wrong and such magic was just a form they didn't understand. And what one didn't understand they'd refer to as chaos, but to Zecora, this was beauty, and tranquility, it was absolutely perfect. "Of course; they will go where you please, darling little Eve."

Eve chuckled as she handed the three crystalline stars over to Zecora. "Could you give one, to Fluttershy?..."

Zecora nodded. "It will be done."

There was a brief silence, as if it took some time for Eve to muster up the courage for the next one.

Eve continued, before a faint blush appeared on her cheeks and her gaze shifted to the lower left. "And...erhm...c-could you give one, to the school teacher as well?"

To this Zecora's eyes widened as she cocked a brow. "I don't mean to pry but I really must ask; why?"

Eve smiled, shaking her head. "I'm...I'm not sure myself; when I just looked at her, I got this idea to make all these things for you all....and...and-" Eve began to tear up some before wiping her eyes with her paw and sniffling a little. "It's...it's nothing, but if you could, could you give her one as well Zecora?" Eve was still confused, and she felt a strange attachment to that mare in the schoolhouse, a very strong peculiar attachment, and she assumed that maybe, just maybe there was something about that mare that made her so special. Eve wanted to be with her, but as she saw that happy look the mare had, that smile as she looked upon her students, she stopped herself, and she didn't want to ruin the moment for this mare she didn't even know most likely. To Eve, Cheerilee's life seemed quite content with the way it was. But still; she wanted her to have that gift, that crafted star she felt the need to give to the mare so much.

Zecora was curious, was it really possible that some parts of Eve's former self still remained? Even after such a traumatic event, Zecora couldn't be certain but, she wouldn't pry anymore. She simply nodded to Eve. Zecora of course knew about Cheerilee, seeing as she was told about the story by Fluttershy. And perhaps it was time to stop dragging this on, perhaps it was time that the mare was finally let in, and given the closure she deserved. "It will be done Eve. I thank you for such a lovely gift."

And so the time had finally come. For the two to say their goodbyes. 

But there lengthy silence between the two of them; and during such a moment, it felt so hard to come up with the words. 

But Eve broke that silence, looking up at Zecora with a gentle smile. "T-Thank you for everything Zecora, thank you for taking care of me, for teaching me, for delivering those gifts...just; thank you..........."

The draconequus gazed to the lower left with a gentle smile and sad eyes "And goodbye..."

Zecora smiled once more. "Goodbye little Eve; may your future bare you no trouble. And always remember, you must keep on the move, avoid the pony rulers for they are not good for you."

Eve smiled before levitating up into the air and raising her cowl. "You know I will.....Well; until next time hmhm?"

Zecora nodded. "Until next time...."

And with that, the young draconequus smiled softly at Zecora, squinting her eyes some in an affectionate expression, before turning towards the open world, and vast lands of Equestria, then flying, and making her way off into the distance, and eventually out of sight, she'd finally managed to touch the clouds.  





Zecora of course, kept her word to Eve. And she started off by delivering the first crystalline star to Fluttershy, and Fluttershy; much like Zecora's reaction, was filled with awe. She gladly accepted the gift, and found comfort and peace in the thought of keeping it around. And of course Fluttershy, being as fragile as she is, couldn't help but tear up as she regarded the zebra with a smile and simply said. "Thank you..." 

Suddenly a multitude of voices called out to Fluttershy from within the house.

Twilight yelled from the living room. "Who is it Fluttershy?"

Rainbow chuckled somewhat as she tackled Twilight. "That's none of our business egg-head!"

Twilight rolled around with Rainbow. "H-Hey! Why yoooou!"

The rest of the mane six then began laughing as it seemed they were all present in Fluttershy's home for another one of her small parties of the sort. And Discord was there, simply chilling on the couch just like last time.

Zecora nodded to the mare, as Fluttershy then retreated into her home once more after receiving her crystalline star.

But the next delivery, Zecora knew wouldn't be so easy. 

But she'd wait until later on in the day to do so, during sunset when Cheerilee was sure to be home.





KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Cheerilee was currently sitting on her couch, watching some TV; although it was nothing special. She wore a tired expression and seemed to be reflecting on things; it had been a long day at school, maybe that was it. And she did hear the knocks, but she didn't really feel like answering the door. Maybe if she just ignored it, they'd go away?

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Cheerilee sighed heavily as her brow twitched. 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

She then called out "Okay okay! You got me! I'm coming." But who could possibly be coming to her house? She wasn't expecting any visitors and she had no absent students today. Perhaps something had happened. Well either way, Cheerilee got up from her couch, and trotted on over to the door, opening it soon afterwards. But as she saw who it was, she couldn't help but feel more baffled and confused; standing in front of her was a cowled zebra with a delighted smile. "Why Zecora; well this is certainly a surprise." Literally.

Zecora kept the her task simple as she nodded to Cheerilee. "Forgive me Miss Cheerilee, the circumstances; needed to be met. Something for you I have come to deliver; a fragment of the heart and whose love does not quiver." 

Cheerilee couldn't help but look at Zecora with a puzzled expression.

Zecora then pulled it out, the crystalline star as she held it in front of Cheerilee.

Cheerilee gasped, raising a hoof to her mouth with wide eyes. "O-Oh my goodness! What...who? Who could possibly want me to have this?....I've earned no such reward..." She looked at Zecora with a curious yet worried glance.

Zecora simply smiled at Cheerilee. "Oh, I believe you have Miss Cheerilee." And Zecora looked the mare in the eyes, as if a hidden message between the two, as she felt she could let Cheerilee connect the pieces herself.

And as Cheerilee did so, looking the zebra in the eyes, her eyes widened exponentially as tears swelled up within them. B-But how could that be? And Zecora of all things? She got it, but she didn't get it at the same time. So many thoughts instantly overwhelmed the mare as she was about to head into a flurry of emotions and questions. And she opened her mouth about to say something before Zecora cut her off-

"She is safe...." the zebra stated simply.

Cheerilee grew silent once more as she grabbed the crystalline star and tears streamed down her cheeks. She looked to Zecora with a pleading look. "C-Can I see her? Please? Can I talk to her? Can she come here? W-Where is she?"

Zecora didn't tell Cheerilee about Eve's memories, the poor mare didn't have to know that. "She is keeping you safe, and is keeping you close in her heart. For she knows; that such things would only bring you pain. But someday Cheerilee, I will tell you this, you will be revisited by the creator of that gift. It may not be tomorrow, or any day soon, but expect that someday, she will return to you." 

Cheerilee was at a loss for words, and she simply looked down at the crystalline heart with a sad expression. She still didn't understand it; so many things she wanted to discuss, and she hoped that perhaps with time, she could change the views so many had concerning the supposedly chaotic draconequus. And even though this was far from her idea of the perfect ending, in the end, the news still pleased her. And although she wondered what happened to Eve; she trusted Zecora. And she hoped maybe someday, everything would work out for all of them. And maybe, that this path, was the only one they had open to them; the only one that would ensure that whatever may have gone wrong, never went wrong again. And the one path that would bring them together once again; but as said, that day was not today.

There was a reason for everything. And maybe Cheerilee just had to focus on patience.

She made her way over to Zecora, hugging the zebra tightly and nuzzling her cheek some. "T-Thank you so much Zecora.."

Zecora smiled; patting Cheerilee. "You're welcome..."

And so Zecora turned to leave the mare to her privacy. 
And Cheerilee watched her leave with a smile, keeping her crystalline star close in her hoof. 

And as Zecora faded in the distance, Cheerilee shut her door and then made her way over to the hallway desk, setting the star down gently and then looking down at it with a smile. Cheerilee then made her way for the kitchen, and felt she was in the mood for some sweets, it was quite humorous. Although that time in her life was short and hectic, she never regretted it, and she never regretted meeting Eve, her adopted daughter for a short time. She would keep that star, as a reminder of that time, of that chaotic melancholy, and perhaps hope for a happier time in the future.

But in some form, this was indeed closure for the mare. And she finally felt she could move past this easier, with an open mind, and look forward to the days ahead. Forevermore.