Redeeming Chaos

by PabloTheDestr0yer71

Chapter 2: New Colt On The Block

Sweetie Belle glanced down at the dazed colt on the forest floor. Looking up at Spike, she found that the baby dragon was just as perplexed by the newcomer as she was.

“Have you ever seen this colt before…?” She inquired. Spike shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Luckily for him, having scales insured his head against most blows, but the little colt wasn’t nearly as fortunate. His collision with Spike put him out cold, and he lay in a foalish-looking, haphazard heap.

Spike scratched the back of his head and blushed a bit. “I guess I overestimated my jump a bit, huh? All this fog made it hard to see who was ‘coming to your rescue.’ Gotta stay in character, you know?” He laughed sheepishly. “And call me crazy, but I actually DID feel like a terrifying adult dragon that time around. I usually feel silly pretending to be grown-up, but this time felt… different… like, more realistic.”

“I got that feeling, too! There was a minute there when I actually felt truly afraid and helpless… It was like I was actually all bound up and awaiting my rescuers…”

Sweetie took another look at the unicorn, whose half-closed eyes had lolled back in his head. “Yeah, I think you won by default this time. Looks like we’re not Cutie Mark Crusader Knights and Damsels after all… Speaking of which, where’d my friends run off to anyway?”

As if on cue, the other two Crusaders appeared out of the receding fog, taking on a heroic stance with their makeshift blades and pointing them at Spike.

“We’ve returned, and just when you thought you’d thwarted us for good! Unhand the fair maiden, beast! Or thou shalt taste the unforgiving cold that is my sword!” Scootaloo swept the blade in a wide arc offensively, over-exaggerating to stay in character

“Yeah, what she said!” Apple Bloom piped up, trying hard to disguise her thick Southern accent to play along.

“Uuugh, why am I always the damsel in distress?” Sweetie groaned. “Whoever got their Cutie Mark being a distressed damsel?! I wanna fight too!”

With Cosmos down and out, the woodland clearing was in a perfectly normal state, and the fillies’ looked more like goofy war-scene re-enactors than actual knights without the young colt’s magic aura. Upon seeing the unconscious unicorn on the ground, Sweetie’s friends looked up to her and Spike for answers, only to find their expressions equally as puzzled as theirs.

“Ummm… Do we know this kid?” Scootaloo inquired after a few moments of awkward silence.

“Ah don’t think so…” replied Apple Bloom.

“Maybe he’s that new student Cheerilee kept telling us was coming?” Sweetie analyzed the fallen colt yet again. He was a deep violet in color, with a black horn and curly charcoal-colored mane, and a bizarre marking encircling his left eye.

Not too bad-looking for a colt, I suppose. I do like his mane-cut, though… And he’s a blank flank, just like me!

While gazing at Cosmos, the unicorn filly lost track of time. At first, her three friends blinked a few times and looked at her, trying to comprehend what was going on. After a few moments, something clicked and they began to grin in mirth.

“I’ve seen that look before, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo prodded her friend with an elbow and suppressed a gleeful snicker, causing her to snap out of her “entrancement” with a jump.

“Huh? W-what?! Nononono! No! Him? I mean, I do really like his mane, but as a coltfriend? A very special somepony? I don’t even know him! Yeah, I suppose he is kind of cute-looking, b-but y’know, I guess what I mean to say is… I’ve heard Twilight say you shouldn’t judge… a book… by… its…cover?” Her outburst tapered off as she noticed her friends giggling and shooting each other “I told you so” glances.

At this, Sweetie stomped off towards the schoolhouse in a huff, a slight blush beginning to spread across her snowy-white face.

I mean, there’s no denying it, he’s a pretty good-looking colt! Well, once you get past those lolled-back eyes…

But do I like like him?

Oh, why even ask yourself that? You haven’t even met him! For all you know, he could be a real nasty little colt…

That’s it, I won’t judge him before I get to know him, but I don’t like him now…

Or do I?

No! No no no no!

Maybe?

“GAAAH!”

All this second-guessing of herself made Sweetie doubly frustrated as she proceeded. Watching their friend stalk away to school, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo suddenly noticed just how long they’d been out playing “Knights in Armor.”

“For the love of Celestia! Miss Cheerilee must’ve begun class ages ago!” Scootaloo dashed after her flustered unicorn friend. “C’mon Apple Bloom, we don’t want to be too late again! Not for the third time this week! And especially not after what she told us that last time…” the orange pegasus shuddered at the very thought of the teacher’s harsh warning yesterday.

Apple bloom gathered their swords and costumes and stuck them in her saddlebag. “Spike, please take care of him,” she gestured to Cosmos, still spread-eagled on the ground “and try and wake ‘im up. Ah really can’t afford to risk missin’ anymore class time.”

Spike looked hesitant “But Twilight’s probably wondering where I—“

“Pretty please?” Apple Bloom’s demeanor immediately shifted as she stared at Spike with her irresistible puppy dog stare, adopting ever so slight a pout as she blinked a couple times for effect.

Completely moved by her display, the baby dragon sighed. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

Apple Bloom hopped around him a couple times before hugging him tightly. “Oh, thankyouthankyouTHANKYOU Spike! You’re the best friend a filly could have around!” After releasing Spike from her death grip, the jovial young earth pony high-tailed it to her morning classes.

Spike sighed again and looked down at Cosmos. “Well, I guess the least I can do is lend you a helping claw after conking you out like this.”

Mulling over the best way to make the colt come to, he finally resorted to dragging him by the tail over to the schoolhouse, where he brought up a full bucket from the nearby well and emptied its contents on Cosmos’s face. Almost immediately, the poor colt spluttered and gasped back to life, quickly looking around and clearly bewildered by the sudden change in scenery. Noticing Spike, he immediately pelted him with questions:

“Wh-what happened!? Where is the fair damsel? And the horrible reptile-monster? And why aren’t we back in the woods!?”

Spike smiled and helped Cosmos to his hooves. “Don’t worry, everything turned out fine; the damsel’s safe and everything’s A-okay.”

Suddenly the colt’s eyes widened again: “Wait… has the school day started already!?”

The baby dragon nodded. Cosmos went pale and his eyes nearly bugged out.

“I’M LAAAATE!!!” He charged up the schoolhouse steps and made for the front door.

“Wait, I forgot to ask! What’s your name?” Spike called after him. But he was too late; Cosmos had already barged inside and into the second humiliating situation of the day.

***
Everyone in the room was staring at him inquisitively, including the two fillies he’d seen outside the woods earlier. The teacher had abruptly stopped her lesson as he’d made his entrance, and stared along with the rest of her students.
Expecting the worst, Cosmos closed his eyes and braced himself for a lengthy, degrading lecture about showing up on time.

Cheerilee blinked twice, before a warm smile of realization washed over her face.

“You must be Cosmos! We’ve been expecting you!”

A wave of relief washed over him as he realized he was in the clear. Without a word, Cosmos smiled self-consciously and nodded once.

“Class, I’d like you to meet Cosmos Quark! He’s just arrived in Ponyville all the way from Manehattan, so be sure to be extra nice to him,” The teacher’s kindhearted smile turned back to Cosmos. “My name is Miss Cheerilee. If you ever need anything, or have any questions you’d like to ask, don’t be afraid to raise a hoof!”

Cosmos nodded again, relieved to be finally out of the spotlight. He quietly hurried off to an available desk in the front left corner of the room, which happened to be in front of Cheerilee’s desk. Several whispers floated about the room as he chose his seat.

“What a teacher’s pet,” one foal muttered to another. Fortunately for him, Cosmos was out of earshot, and he took out his notepad and pencil to join the class’s calligraphy lesson.

After what seemed like ages of name-writing in cursive, the lunch/recess bell finally rang and the other foals galloped for the door. Their newest classmate trailed behind, his lunch in tow, and found a spot to sit amongst some bushes. He quickly (yet politely) wolfed down his dandelion sandwich and apple, and gazed about at all the other kids, who were raucously enjoying their break from class.

One particular group managed to catch his eye. A particularly young, pinto-spotted colt was perched on the play structure, clutching a plastic wheel, and shouting out orders to the various other colts around him.

“First mate Shady Daze!” He addressed a periwinkle colt with a navy blue mane and tail.

“Yes, Cap’n Pipsqueak!” The colt replied, grinning broadly.

“Check me captain’s quarters and make sure these sorry lubbers haven’t pinched any of me loot!”

“Aye aye, sir!” Shady Daze swung underneath the structure and began counting the ship’s woodchip treasure.

Captain Pipsqueak turned to a beige-colored pegasus colt with a brown mane, manning the structure’s right stairway, but staring absentmindedly at a group of fillies playing hopscotch. “Boatswain Featherweight!”

The colt snapped back into reality and noticed the smirking face of his captain. “Y-yes, Captain?”

“Check the starboard jib and make sure it’s secured. Oh, and keep them eyes off yonder sea-ponies; they’ll spell nothing but trouble for all of us!” he added with a sly grin.

The boatswain fluttered up to the roof of the slide to examine the sail in question. The miniscule captain looked up at another pegasus, slate-gray with a slicked-back mane, hovering above the playground’s spiral slide. “Lookout Rumble!”

“Where? For what?!” Rumble cowered fearfully, eyeing the sky for any incoming cannon fire.

Pipsqueak groaned and face-hoofed. “No no no, matey, you’re the lookout. And just… keep doing what you’ve been doing.” Grinning in embarrassment, the young pegasus saluted and continued scanning the skies.

“And as for you two,” The pinto colt turned to a pair of young unicorns. One was short and turquoise with buck-teeth, eagerly awaiting the captain’s command. The other was lanky, yellowish-orange, and had a vacant expression pasted on his face.

“Deck-hands Snips and Snails, I want you to swab this here poop deck,” their faces fell at this, “‘till it shines like Long John Silvermane’s long-lost booty!”

The two unicorn colts groaned and answered in unison: “Aye aye, Captain Pip…”

As he watched his fellow classmates go about their pirating duties, Cosmos’s eyes sparkled, and he couldn’t help but break into a grin. Subconsciously, his ebony horn began to shimmer with its emerald-hued aura, which wafted over the playground.

All of a sudden the play structure and its inhabitants vanished from sight. In their place rocked a magnificent pirate galleon, crewed by a band of convincing-looking swashbucklers. A lone sea turtle paddled along in the ship’s wake, and on its shell sat a bedraggled-looking unicorn colt, watching from his isolated vantage point with joy all across his face.

Playing pretend was Cosmos’s favorite of all games. His sessions of pretend were the most vivid and lifelike of any other colt in Equestria, though he nor anyone else who knew him could seem to figure out why…

The captain of The Flying Dutchpony also got the sense that this was no ordinary game of “Pirate Adventures.” Captain Davy “Pipsqueak” Jones was stunned to find himself at the helm of an actual ship! Slack-jawed with awe, he scanned every nook and cranny of the wooden galleon, from bowsprit to gaff to the bulwarks, and found everything to be perfectly authentic! As he rushed below deck to ensure that the bulkhead was in good condition, a devious grin spread across his tiny face.

If everything up there was completely real, and not imaginary, then that must mean…

Captain Pipsqueak dashed for the hold, pushing past First Mate Shady, and thrust the door wide open.

The room was chock full, just as he’d suspected.

But not full of worthless woodchips.

From wall to wall of the hold lay a veritable fortune of gold doubloons and open chests! The captain’s eyes glimmered with the splendor of his newfound riches. Cackling gleefully, he pranced about the room and threw the coins into the air like confetti. But an urgent hammering on the hold door disrupted his joyful romp.

Captain Pip peered out the door to find the lookout, his pupils shrunken in shock.

“C-c-captain!” the pegasus stammered, almost breaking character in his fright. “You’ve gotta come see this!”

Meanwhile, back on the playground (and outside the range of Cosmos’s “alternate reality aura”), Sweetie Belle had grown tired of playing hopscotch with the other fillies (a game she wasn’t terribly good at in the first place). Seeing the colts lost in their own pirate-world, she decided to go join them. Playing pretend is pretty fun after all, even with crazy colts like them…

Castaway Cosmos was the next to notice, after the lookout. Glimpsing something out of the corner of his eye, he found himself completely transfixed by the sight of a lovely white sea pony bobbing toward the ship. Her pink and purple mane seemed to shine with the light of the midday sun, and her beautiful emerald eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Completely oblivious of the gawking young unicorn, Sweetie ambled right up to the front of the ship and addressed the captain, who peeked over the bow and took one look at the sea filly before pivoting 180 degrees and walking off “Hey, that’s not very nice, Pip! I just wanted to see if I could join you guys’ game.”

Captain Pipsqueak scoffed at her request. “Never in a thousand million lifetimes, sea witch! And that’s CAPTAIN Pip to you!”

Wow, he sure does get into character! He might be going a bit overboard with it, though… Cosmos thought to himself

“Come on, Pi— I mean, Captain! You do this every time I try and play with you guys! I don’t see what the big deal is…”

“’Tis bad luck to bring a female aboard a stallion’s ship, and ‘tis worse luck yet if she happens to be a wretched siren such as yerself!”

“I’m NOT a siren! (Whatever that is…)” sea pony Sweetie splashed her tail down on the water in frustration. “And wait until Miss Cheerilee hears about this! You’ll be in big trouble!”

The pinto-colored buccaneer snorted dismissively. “Not only is she a witch; she’s a low-down tattler as well! I’ve grown tired of your nonsense, cretin!” He summoned his underlings Snips and Snails. “Deck-hands, aim the cannons!” The lackeys saluted in compliance and rolled in the big guns.

Sweetie gave an exasperated sigh at this, but the castaway noticed something different about her: the young captain’s name-calling was changing her appearance as well as her demeanor. Her lovely sea pony features faded away until she truly a seaweed-covered hag, staring dejectedly at her reflection in the water.

Geez, I really ought to go help her out…

But what about all those colts watching? I’d be a laughing stock all over again…

That may be true. Regardless, I’d never get over myself if I just stood by while they actually threaten that poor filly, even if it is just as part of a game. Here goes nothing!...

At that point, Cosmos sprang from the turtle’s back, between Sweetie and the galleon’s artillery. Before hitting the water’s surface, he generated the best force field spell he could muster, just as Snips and Snails fired the twin cannons at the white unicorn. But partway through their trajectory, the cannonballs transformed into two clumps of mud and grass, and splattered ineffectively against the magic barrier.

Everypony on the playground gasped at the new colt’s sudden intervention, including Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who were stunned by the unicorn’s selfless display. Upon recognizing her defender, Sweetie blushed a deep shade of scarlet and her eyes widened in disbelief.

Confused by the sudden turn of events, the pirate crew looked about to find that they were back where they’d begun at the beginning of recess: back on the same old play structure.

Pipsqueak rushed beneath the structure in desperation, to find that all his precious loot had been replaced by woodchips once again. It had been so real… he reminisced, letting the worthless pieces sift out of his hooves. All of a sudden, his sorrow turned to boiling rage, and he wheeled on Cosmos.

“How could you? You… You had to go and ruin our bloody game, didn’t you? One day in this Celestia-blessed town and you’re already making enemies before friends! I hope you’re happy, you… you fun-spoiler! You bloody KILLJOY!” In his fury, Pipsqueak piled all his angst on the most obvious cause of his loss, with no regard whatsoever for how his words were hurting his fellow classmate.

Before the pirate captain could fling any more daggers at his forlorn victim, the school bell sounded, drawing all the foals back into class. Cosmos spent the rest of the school day trying to prevent himself from crying, and avoiding the icy glares of the pirate colts. At the same time, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were planning on thanking him for his heroic deed directly after class. When the long awaited bell finally rang, they made his way to the new colt’s desk, but to their dismay, the outcast colt had already left ahead of the crowd.

***
Cosmos ran down the road at breakneck pace, until he was a safe distance from the dreadful schoolhouse and in Ponyville itself. With a crestfallen sniffle, the colt plodded through the streets, while all around him Ponyville’s residents went about their daily business as cheerfully as always.

One such resident, a particularly bubbly earth pony, was having an exceptionally good day, until she spotted the upset standout in the downtown bustle.

“Aww, looks like someone needs a visit from the laugh doctor!” Pinkie Pie hopped her way over to the unicorn. “After all, laughter is the best medicine!”

But just as she’d approached him head-on, the pink mare noticed the colt’s face.

It was one she’d never seen before. That means...

It was a newcomer. One of the two that Twilight had been telling her about!

With an overly dramatic gasp of surprise, Pinkie froze mid-bounce and sped off down the block.

Quite confounded by Pinkie’s eccentric behavior, Cosmos sighed and continued his trudge home, eventually arriving at his house.

Walking inside, he found the baby dragon from earlier that day, bustling about the kitchen and preparing a batch of cupcakes. When the dragon noticed the colt’s arrival, he gave him a friendly smile.

“Hey, I don’t think we ever got formally acquainted earlier. My name’s Spike! What’s yours?”

“Cosmos…” replied the bewildered unicorn.

“Welcome to Ponyville, Cosmos! I think you’ll really like it here; it’s a great place to make friends”

Suuure… Cosmos thought, but said nothing.

“Well, looks like these cupcakes are finished! Want one?” Spike held out a yellow-frosted cupcake to his new acquaintance. It was absolutely delicious, which Spike could see from the approving look on Cosmos’ face.

“Glad you like it!”

Suddenly, the door to Quantum’s basement lab creaked open. Out stepped a lavender purple unicorn with a dark violet mane and bright pink highlights. She noticed the new face in the kitchen with Spike, and smiled as well. “Hello, Cosmos! My name is Twilight Sparkle, but you can just call me Twilight. Your father’s told me all about you!”

Cosmos faintly smiled back. “Nice to meet you!”

Spike noticed that the basement door was slightly ajar. “Say, what are you guys cookin’ up down there?”

Noticing the open door, Twilight quickly pushed it shut in a (failed) attempt at being subtle. “Oh, nothing really. Just some little science experiment for the princess. Now, I’ve got to run back to my own lab and run some tests for the professor."

Before turning to leave, she addressed her assistant: “Spike, why don’t you and Cosmos go find Dr. Quark's book on thermodynamic mechanics? When you do, just leave it by the basement door for him and ring the bell. I’ll see you both later!”

The colt and the dragon headed up to Quantum’s and Cosmos’s mini-library, and found the book in no time flat. Spike ran downstairs to leave the book for the professor, but when he returned, he found the unicorn colt immersed in a rather large, encyclopedic book. “Hey, what’s that about?”

“It’s ‘Equestria’s Unusual Occurrences and Entities’” Cosmos showed him the cover. “It’s got everything from cockatrices to the Slendermane. Y’see, I’m a bit of a paranormal activity fanatic…”

“Cool!” Spike’s reply was earnest and enthusiastic. “Have you ever heard of the Dusk Lurker?

“The who?” Cosmos answered quizzically.

“The Dusk Lurker. He’s a mysterious pony… thing, who’s rumored to know everything there is to know about everything and everypony. But he doesn’t come out until after dark, I guess.”

“Everything!?” Cosmos was stunned. Maybe… just maybe this Dusk Lurker can tell me where… where Mom went off to… His nickname doesn’t sound so inviting, though…

“Yeah, at least that’s what they say. I know where his house is said to be; I can show you if you’d like to see it,” Spike offered.

“Would I? Yes, please!” The colt seemed almost too enthusiastic about the prospect of seeing the local legend.

“Well, allrighty then! Remind me to do that sometime soon…” There were a few moments of awkward silence, in which Spike sat down beside Cosmos to get a better view of the book. “The Skull Colt and the Legend of Marejora’s Mane? That almost sounds like an awesome comic book title!”

Cosmos grinned, relieved that his first new friend shared his interest in the paranormal. “Yeah, it sure does! We should write/draw it sometime!”

“You know, we should!”

As the two continued their bonding session, neither of them realized the stoic, shadowy presence outside. Only after the sun had set did it creep in through the downstairs living-room window, survey the room, and silently go about its work under the cover of darkness.