//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Uncertainty (Edited) // Story: Our Chaotic Melancholy // by Edensola //------------------------------// 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?!....