Okay so maybe I overreacted back there when I shouted that Princess was coming and ran off. But I had my reasons, chief among them keeping my secret a secret. By the way, if you're keeping score of everything that happened today you'd realize I wasn't doing the best job of that. Which is why I headed straight to the barn. After all, nothing says something is suspicious like hiding an alien spacecraft in your barn.
"Just get a hold of yourself." I told myself "It might just be a coincidence, What are the chances that the Princess visiting Ponyville has anything to do with me?" Which admittedly didn't help me at that moment. "Aw who am I kidding, Who in Equestria can cause as many freak accidents in one day as I can?"
*** Third Pony POV
"Achoo!"
Twilight Sparkle looked up from her book and pulled a tissue out with her magic. "Huh weird." She said pondering the strange sensation running down her spine before returning to her studying.
***Comet's POV
"Okay just calm down," I told myself If I started to panic I was going to start breaking things. If I started breaking things that just led to those things breaking even more things and before I knew the whole farm would be broken. I had to find somepony I could trust who understood what I was going thru. But no one on Equus could understand that. Suddenly a revelation crossed through my mind. I pulled the tarp off of the rocket and opened the hatch. "This is what brought me here. I whispered as I examined the foal-sized pod I had been placed in. My attention was drawn to the switch on the side of the pod. With a click I pressed it and a section of the wall slid open revealing a now empty slot to insert a crystal.
"That's right Pa kept it in his tool bench" I exclaimed. I felt a rush of melancholy as I trotted over to Pa's tools. I looked over at the beam next to it. Its fresh color stood in contrast to the worn and faded wood that made up the rest of the barn structure. It was the beam I'd smashed in a bout of anger yet in that instant I realized it was more than that. It was a reminder of what I was capable of, What I could become if I wasn't careful for just one instant. "Sigh, I just need to grab the crystal and I can leave." I sighed as I walked over to the tool bench. carefully sliding the top drawer open, To my surprise it was empty.
"It's not here!" I exclaimed hastily checking the other drawers. Nothing, nada, zip, The crystal was gone and with it the only ponies that could help me. Suddenly a strange flash of light flooded the room. Instinctively I closed my eyes and felt a strange weightless sensation as if my body had disappeared and my soul was being pulled like a coin caught in a magnet. When the light faded I found myself in Granny Smith's bedroom.
"I'm in Granny's Smith's room?" My disembodied voice echoed through the room. "How did I get here?" The strange sensation returned directing me to the top drawer of her dresser. I could sense the crystal was in there. I couldn't explain how I knew that. I could just feel it I guess. A flash of light flooded the room as I felt myself being pulled back into my body. As the light faded I was standing back in the barn.
"Ugh, okay that was weird," I muttered as I tried to process what had just happened. I could still "feel" the crystal tethered by some strange pull to my head that reminded me of Unicorn magic in some way. Or at least what I'd read about Unicorn magic. No one in our family was a unicorn so I didn't have a personal point of reference. Feeling overwhelmed I decided it best to try and put it out of my mind. "Focus Apple Comet focus, The Princess will be here any second. Need to hide the rocket.
***
I took my time getting back to the house. I wasn't in any rush to explain that something else weird had happened to me. When I got there I found the entire family waiting for me. They asked me the usual was I feeling alright, To which I responded by saying I needed to lie down.
After a less-than-relaxing outdoor bath, I was finally let back into the house. As soon as I got to my room I plopped down on my mattress and got comfortable. What I'd done today would have been enough to tire out an Equestria Games athlete. Not that my body or mind could get tired thanks to the power of Celestia's sun. But after a day like this, I was emotionally spent. Even super colts need to lie down now and then, If only to clear their heads if nothing else. I decided to make a checklist of everything I had done that day and what I needed to do before either the Princess or someone from the Castle came knocking on our door. Ironically my train of thought was interrupted by a knock at my door. Peeking through with my X-ray vision I saw Apple Bloom standing behind the door.
"Oh hey, Apple Bloom." I suppressed a giggle as I watched her jump back in surprise. Once you got the hang of it X-Ray vision was a lot of fun provided you didn't look into any bathrooms.
"How'd Y'all know it was me?" She asked as I opened the door.
"How do you think?" I answered smugly.
"Ha ha very funny." She said rolling her eyes. "Granny told me to come and find you. She wants us both in the kitchen."
"What for?" I asked She'd never asked me to help in the kitchen before.
"She said she wanted help setting the table."
"Setting the table?" I asked puzzled. I took a glance through the floorboards, making sure to avoid the downstairs bathroom as I looked for the kitchen. Sure enough, Granny Smith was stirring a pot on the stove. She was humming a tune as she took a sip from the broth.
"Hmm needs a pinch more cinnamon." She muttered as she reached for the spice rack. A glance over to the dining area revealed the dinner table was not set yet. I figured the least I could do was help her in the kitchen.
"What are you looking at now?" Apple Bloom asked sticking her nose close to mine.
"Just looking downstairs," I answered. "Come let's go."
***
The sweet-savory smell of apples boiling in broth wafted through my nostrils as Apple Bloom and I stepped into the kitchen. I instantly recognized it as boiled apple soup. Not my favorite dish, that honor goes to Granny's cinnamon apple fritters. But hey anything Granny cooked I would eat.
"Ah, there you are," Granny said as she stepped away from the pot and turned toward us. "Yer both just in time to help set the table. Apple Bloom A'h want you to fetch the tablecloth, Apple Comet I want you to help me pour soup. There's a step stool for you over there." Deciding not to waste any more time I grabbed the step stool and joined Granny at the stove.
"You sure you want me doing this after today?" I asked.
"Or For land's sake, it's just a little soup, not a marathon. Just put the soup bowls on the tray as I hand 'em to ya." Her tone was reassuring as she poured the contents of the ladle into a bowl. "If it's too hot just blow on it gently."
I took the bowl from her hoof, the steam coming off of it permeated my senses. Closing my eyes in dread I took a deep breath and blew on it as gently as a kiss. As if by magic the soup suddenly didn't feel so hot. Actually, it felt kinda...cold. No, it wasn't cold it was...freezing. I opened my eyes to find I had frozen the soup solid.
"Oh...my," Granny muttered shockingly as she tapped the soup with her hoof. "YEOW Sweet Celestia that's cold!!!"
"Oops sorry, Granny," I said sheepishly. "Guess I still haven't gotten the hang of that one yet. If you want I can try melting it with my eyes.
"No no that's quite alright, Ah'll just make ya another bowl." She said reaching into the cupboard.
I decided to give it a try anyway. I took a deep breath and focused my sight on the frozen soup in front of me. Immediately volumes of steam rose from the icy surface as it began to crack and melt. I'd have this soup nice and hot in just moments.
CRRAAAACCKKKKOOOOM!!
Unfortunately, I didn't know how fragile porcelain becomes when exposed to sub-zero temperatures. The heat escaping from the bowl expanded until it shattered under pressure. I fell back and hit my head on the floor.
"What was that?" Granny Smith cried out as she turned around to see what happened. Once she saw the pieces of exploded china covered in boiling soup, She was able to put two and two together. "Apple Comet what did you do?" She asked gazing at me with her stink eye.
"I-I was trying to warm up my soup." I smiled sheepishly. She wasn't buying it.
***
"Next time A'h tell ya not to do something A'h expect ya to listen." Granny scolded me as she set a fresh bowl of soup down. "Just let this one cool on its own okay?"
"Sorry, I broke your china, Granny," I muttered.
"It's alright." She smiled at me. "A'h knows Y'all didn't mean to do what ya did." She reassured me as she took her seat. "Now everypony join hooves in prayer." I took Applejack and AppleBloom's hooves and knelt my head down like we did every meal.
"We give our thanks to the soil for giving us this bountiful harvest. We give our thanks to the Pegasi who brought forth the rain to nurture it. We give our thanks to Princess Celestia who raises and lowers the sun so our fruits may grow. We give our thanks to those Earth Ponies who came before us and taught us how to till the land. And finally, we give our thanks to Faust Mother of Harmony who endowed us with her wisdom and knowledge. May it guide us on the path to Harmony Amen.
"Amen." We said.
"Alright let's dig in!" Granny shouted.
***
The Apple Soup was delicious that evening. Made with just the right proportions of cinnamon and lack of subzero temperature. I'd forgotten how easy it was to lose sight of your worries when you're at the table among family.
"Apple Comet? If y'all don't mind me asking, What made ya shout out that Princess Celestia was coming?"
Until Applejack said that. Well, where did I begin? Did I tell her straight off the bat that I kicked a full-grown apple tree into the castle of our Kingdom's ruler in full view of Granny Smith? Could Granny even tell how far I kicked it? She did squint whenever she was reading something. What am I saying? Who else but me has eyesight that good?
"I-I-I overheard somepony talking about it while we were walking back to the house," I answered nervously. "Y-You know super hearing and all that." Applejack looked confused about what I was saying."
"Are ya sure?" Big Mac asked me. "Ah didn't hear anything bout her visit while I was at the market today."
"Seems to me something like that would be pretty big news," Granny added.
Crap my story was unraveling fast. I had to think of something fast. I looked around the room for anything to take my eyes off the family.
"Ya feel'in alright" Oh no please Celestia no. I thought as I turned around to see Apple Bloom looking at me with those worried puppy dog eyes of hers. "Y'all sound nervous about it?" she said softly as she squeezed my hoof. I was no use, I was a condemned pony on the stand. I had to come clean.
"I...sigh...sort of kicked a tree into her castle this morning," I confessed. "I saw it crash into one of the towers."
The dining room went silent, None of them said a word. They just looked at me, The look in their eyes told me they were shocked by their ability to still be amazed by anything I did at this point.
"Y-You k-kicked a tree that far?" Applejack stammered.
"I didn't mean to," I responded in defense. "Granny was trying to show me how to buck apple trees and it just sort of happened.
"Is this true Granny?" Big Mac asked. Granny simply nodded her head.
"A'h figured learning how to buck apples would help him learn to put his strength to good use. She said. "Though A'h guess A'h underestimated how strong he was." Applejack and Big Mac were dumbstruck. I guess I would be too if I were in their hooves right now. I suddenly felt something grab my hoof. I looked over to see Apple Bloom holding it in hers.
"Ya didn't mean to do it on purpose, Apple Comet." She whispered. "A'h know You'd never harm anypony."
"Have you already forgotten about Pa?" I replied. She looked away from me sadly. My frustration quickly evaporated. "Sorry It's just, it's been a long day. I whispered.
"Have ya already forgotten about me?" Granny said. "A'h probably wouldn't be here if ya hadn't found me in the cellar that day." My heart skipped a beat as I looked down at the fiery comet on my flank.
"It's not that I've forgotten." I began. "It's just...I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard. Every time I try to help out on the farm or fit in at school I'm afraid of breaking something or hurting someone. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be just like everypony else.
Granny set her spoon down and looked at me. "But yer not like everypony else Apple Comet. She said. "Being different from others doesn't make you a bad pony, far from it. It's what makes ya unique. Maybe instead of running away from who you are, Y'all should be trying to figure that out."
(This is as far as the chapter goes.)