A young Comet Tail stood overlooking a plain of nothing but barren waste. The snow had risen higher than he could walk in some areas, and the unicorn tribe pulling ahead was just simply too fast for his slender hooves to carry him. Shivers raced down his spine and each hoofstep felt heavier and heavier as he watched the rest of the group of unicorns grow farther into the distance.
Finally, he stopped, the world pressed down on him as the icy wind battered at his snout. He let out a few panting breaths and watched the smoke dance with the breeze until it disappeared.
“Are you alright?”
Comet jumped at the sudden voice and looked to his left where he had heard it. Standing there with concern was a pony in which he had never seen, one that wasn’t quite a unicorn, but not a pegasus, either.
Naturally, that begged a question.
“G-Goddess?” The colt’s eyes grew wide as he croaked the question, and the stranger looked flustered.
“Oh! No no no no!” She shook her head rapidly, “That’s my mother. No, not me.” Her ears pointed forward as she brought her head down to look at him, “Greetings, young one. I am known as Luna.”
“Luna, daughter of the Goddess,” Comet repeated, looking the alicorn over again. “I’m Comet Tail. Of the unicorn tribe.”
She seemed disturbed by this for some reason. “The unicorn tribe? So close? Oh, sister won’t be happy.” She shook her head with a fallen expression, scanning over the small unicorn colt. “Don’t lose faith, young one. There is a bounty up ahead, plenty to eat. When you get there, take as much as you can immediately.” Luna said.
A voice called out up ahead, coming their way, as a mare’s outline appeared in the blizzard. Luna folded her ears, and when Comet looked over again, she had disappeared.
“Comet! Comet!” A mare appeared through the curtain of wind and snow flurry, who was at least 20 years his senior. She let out a sigh when she found him, “Goddess, they shouldn’t have let you come.” She looked over him worriedly, “Bring a colt on such a dangerous mission.” She rolled her eyes, “Great idea.”
“Clover.” Comet replied, cutting her off, “I saw a mare. She said she was a daughter of the Goddess, and that there is a-”
The mare pulled him onto her back with her magic, not allowing him to finish his thought. “That was probably a hallucination from the hunger, lad.”
He squirmed, pulling himself off her back. “Excuse me, ma'am, but you have a thick head.” And with that, he burst into a run through the snow, falling for a moment in a particularly thick patch, but picking himself up determinedly. As he hoped, Clover charged after him.
She growled, “Come now, you ungrateful colt! You shouldn’t be running like this!”
Comet smirked, making it past the group who had so eagerly left him behind. Much to the confusion to a certain pointy-hat mage, who watched the orphan colt and then his student storm past him without a word, disappearing into the distance.
It wasn’t long before Comet’s body wore down, and he slowed to a trot, panting. As the blue alicorn mare had said, he saw a clearing on the horizon, and sunlight peeked through the clouds of the raging storm.
He heard the sounds of racing hooves following behind him, only a few steps away from realizing that he had been right all along.
Comet Tail opened his eyes drearily, staring down at the star chart he had fallen asleep on. Last night had been so particularly beautiful that he couldn’t help himself but plot it out. Luna had gotten better, it seemed… But, somehow, he had fallen asleep while working.
He sighed, pulling himself up and shaking the sleep from his body. Going over to the window, he peeled back the curtains to let the morning sunlight stain the room with bright color. His body sagged. “Another beautiful night, wasted.” He shut them again, wishing that the house was more like his own, suited for the drowning out of the harsh sun.
His illusions were best cast in darkness, much like the light of stars from far away. It wasn’t until the sun was gone could it not overshadow them; darkness was their stage. How he had longed for the rightful caster of that darkness to return. Now that she had, he couldn’t even push his body to stay up to witness it. How pathetic.
He glanced into his reflection in the mirror, running a hoof over the bags under his eyes, and shook his head, casting the spell that made him look refreshed and at least content with things. It could fool the world, but not himself.
In the kitchen, his roommates were going about their own business, and Comet simply sat down at the table.
“Good morning, Comet.” The mare across from him grumbled, barely pulling herself away from her work long enough to greet him.
“How’d you sleep?” The other asked, actually taking a moment of her time to acknowledge him.
“Fine,” Comet replied, not much unlike a foal who was asked how school had gone that day. He looked between the two, “So, this plan. How far along is it?” This question was pointed solely to Distant Star, who looked up from the scroll she was writing.
“Well,” Star pressed her lips together thoughtfully as she processed her answer. “At this rate, we can hopefully be done in five days, give or take a few depending on how well things go along.”
“Less!” The second mare exclaimed, “I think the enchanting side of the equation is nearly done, as would be expected by someone of my prowess.”
“You mean the plan of the enchanting of your prowess,” Comet said with a fairly blank expression.
He was met with a sharp look from the second mare.
“I’m just saying.” He rolled his eyes. “Don’t pat yourself on the back yet, you just drew something.”
“Something with exact measurements and proper balancing!” The mare pointed up her snout.
Comet looked over at this ‘great pride’. “It’s a stick with a few gems.” He deadpanned.
“Yes! And a single gem out of place isn’t just dangerous: it’s inefficient!” She hissed, her eyes shifting in a comedic way.
“Calm down, Meadow.” Distant Star glanced between the two before setting her eyes on Comet, “So, what’s going on? You’re not usually so… On the attack.”
Comet looked away, attempting to not feel so sorry for himself. “I want out of this. I want us to stop hiding, and I want to actually be there for Luna.” He frowned, knowing how the conversation would go.
“Nothing’s stopping you, Comet. Really.” Star shook her head, “You can leave whenever you’d like.”
“Sure, but that’ll give you two away.” Comet let out another forceful breath, “You leave me stuck between betraying you two or being miserable. I owe you everything, but I can’t get out of here until you’re ready.”
“It doesn’t have to be like that.” Star replied, “And I had no idea you were so miserable with us.”
Meadow snorted, “All I hear is complaints without action. Leave if you want to go. We'll be fine without you.” The red mare got up, levitating the plans as she walked by. “We’ll just tell Swirly that you bailed on us.” She trotted into the hallway, and Comet watched the Enchantress duck into her room.
That left him alone with Distant Star.
“Listen.” Star reached out to touch him with a hoof, “I know this plan seems a bit far-fetched.”
“Far-fetched?” Comet looked back at her with a scoff, “We’re talking about releasing the Spirit of Chaos himself here, that’s treason of the highest order.”
Star rubbed her neck, “I understand the risks, Comet… And I’m sure Celestia will understand after everything settles itself out.”
“We’re still operating on what-ifs.” Comet reminded curtly, “Releasing Discord is a gigantic gamble. What if you’re wrong? What if Starswirl can’t be brought back? We’ve doomed Equestria at that point.” He slammed his hoof on the table as if to prove his point.
“That’s why we’re not doing this until we have a backup.” She sighed, “Why do you think we’ve given ourselves so much time? Meadowbrook will have the enchantment ready to free him done much sooner, but we’re not jumping on the opportunity right away; it gives us time to have several alternatives on the table should it fail.” Her voice started to rise, “I might be a little desperate to have my mentor back; I admit that. But nothing is worth adding more trouble to Equestria’s laundry list of threats.”
“Do we really have that backup without Celestia and the elements knowing about this?” Comet asked, “They could always seal him away again if he-”
Star's eyes went wild, “-NO!” Comet shut his mouth immediately, looking over at the mare who was shaking as if it were difficult for her to stand up. "We... We can't." She gasped out, "We can't let them do that, Comet. We... we need to put him back together. Discord has to help us..."
He ran over, helping to support her. "Is... this the way, though?" He asked quietly. "Trusting the Tyrant King of Chaos?"
"Maybe I'm wrong, but this will my way, for now." Star responded, brushing back his mane with a tired smile, "Thank you, Comet. I lost him for so long, and... Maybe I can get him back..." She muttered, pulling away from him finally with a renewed vigor.
He watched her go, and let out a sigh. Straightening up, he toughened his resolve. Comet knew what he had to do, but it was going to be hard on everyone here. It was time to come clean, and give them all away. It was time to face the Sun.
Twilight was sweating bullets as she strained to read aloud and fight that nauseous feeling that welled up inside of her, “Clever Clover died… at.. age 117 from… a genetic disease!” She strained.
Celestia blinked down at her from where she sat on the bed, her head tilted to the side. She seemed to be incredibly worried about the safety of her student as she struggled through an incredibly simple history book about Clover the Clever’s life.
“I… I did it!” Twilight panted, triumphant.
“...You only read the summary.” Celestia said, shaking her head with a sigh.
Twilight nodded, “Yep! So she lived until age 117!”
Celestia pulled the book away from her student, frowning. “You looked sick beyond belief. ...Are you sure that nothing’s bothering you, Twilight?”
“I mean… Clearly, something is.” Twilight sighed, “But I have no idea what it is or why. And that time it felt worse than before!”
“Hmm.” Celestia mused. “What did you read last that didn’t make you feel sick?”
“Um, before I got your letter, I was catching up on the latest Daring Do novel. Had to read it so that I can understand what Dash is always going on about after all of the new books come out.” She chuckled to herself happily, remembering Dash’s excited squeal after they had started talking about the contents of the newest book. “That didn’t make me sick.”
“Isn’t that a fiction book?” Celestia asked, seemingly making a connection.
“Nope. It’s real. We know her.” Twilight chuckled as she watched Celestia’s face shuffle through expressions for a moment.
Celestia settled on muted surprise, “Well… Erm, I never knew that.” She giggled.
“So, yeah, it’s not a case of the type of book, I don’t think.” Twilight frowned, looking at the Clover the Clever biography, “That was a history book, and what I was reading on the way over here was a book on the specifics of illusion magic.”
“...Illusion magic.” Tia mused, “Comet Tail was the founder of Illusion Magic.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, “So…?”
“So nothing. Not just yet anyway. Are you sure you weren’t just nervous?” Celestia asked her.
“I mean, that’s the reasonable explanation, sure.” Twilight nodded.
“Well, if it truly is your nerves… It’ll wane with time. Perhaps a rest will help.” Celestia said.
“Maybe.” Twilight hung her head, not entirely buying it.
Celestia was startled awake the next morning to a knock at their hotel door. She quickly pulled on her disguise and watched as Twilight pulled herself from her sleep as well. The two exchanged glances, passing the same cautious curiosity between them.
The knocking came again a few minutes later, and ‘Prominence’ flew up to the peephole of the door while Twilight wrestled with the sheets.
Peering through the door, she saw Comet Tail standing there, shifting nervously on his hooves. Considering that he knocked for the third time now, Celestia had good faith that he wouldn’t leave. She opened the door, landing on her hooves.
“Can I help you?” She asked.
He took a moment to look a little surprised, but recovered quickly, “I want to talk to you both. About my identity.”
“Come in.” ‘Prominence’ nodded, pushing the door open a little wider and getting out of his way.
“Comet!” Twilight called as he came in, somehow managing to get one of her wings trapped in the sheets.
“Did I wake you both? Apologies.” He said formally, his tone making Twilight tilt her head a little.
“You, err, sound nervous,” Twilight said to him.
Prominence sat on her bed, “You’re right. Why’s that, Mr. Comet?”
“Drop the disguise, Celestia.” He replied bluntly, throwing them both for a loop, “You’re absolutely terrible at hiding your aura.”
His tone was surprisingly cutting to her, and Twilight would’ve been blown backward had she have been standing. Something about the Comet she knew had changed completely. His voice was deeper but somehow less assured than normal. He sat up straighter and was lightly glaring at Celestia.
“...I knew it.” Celestia said, standing and letting her disguise drop. She stood over Comet for a moment, and Twilight held back the thought that Celestia might send the Ponyville resident to the dungeons or something for talking to her like that. “It’s been some time. ...I see you’re still angry with me.”
“A thousand years is a long time to hold a grudge, don’t you think?” Comet replied, “...I’m not that kind of stallion.” He frowned, “I hear Luna’s doing well enough.”
“She is,” Celestia confirmed, and tension hung in the air for a few moments as the two passed the short, chopped retorts. Twilight was just confused at why Comet was so harsh towards Celestia. It had something to do with Luna, she guessed, and the Nightmare Moon Incident.
“Why did you fake your death, Comet?” Celestia asked him in a harsh voice, “Don’t you know how much you hurt her?! She needed you to be there with her, and you just left!” Comet’s lips drew in a flat line, his eyes narrowed with so much pressure, they were actively twitching.
“Do I have to remind you that loving her isn’t my job? You’re her sister, for Lumen’s sake! You’re the one who was supposed to keep her safe!” He snapped back defensively, “I had good reasons for leaving, Celestia, and I thought she would be safe with you!”
“What reason could you possibly have for hiding away for all of those years?!” Celestia asked with a scoff.
“Clover,” Comet said simply.
Celestia’s eyes widened, and her voice faltered, “...what about her?”
Comet bit his lip, hesitating for a moment before he looked back up to her, “I’ve been hiding away with her. Clover the Clever is still alive.”
Celestia stumbled back as Twilight’s suspicions were confirmed. “She...is?”
“She, myself, and Mage Meadowbrook.” Comet nodded, letting out a large breath after the admission, “And the other two have a dangerous plan for Equestria. I need you two to stop them.”
“Which one?” Celestia asked him, “Which Mage Meadowbrook?”
‘...Which one?!’ Twilight’s eyes widened, ‘There’s two Mage Meadowbrooks of Legend?!’
“The younger.” Comet said, “The Eastern Unicorn and legendary enchantress.”
“H-How?!” Celestia stuttered.
“...A magical plant called the Eternal Flower.” Comet said, looking up at her, “I found it, and used it to cure Clover of her illness. I used it on myself as well, and then we destroyed it.”
“Then how did Meadowbrook come along?” Celestia asked, “Wasn’t she born closer to 600 years after you?”
Comet sighed, “The eternal flower grows only once every year, and Clover and I go out of our way to hunt it down and destroy it every time. Meadowbrook the Younger was the only one to find Clover and I until recently. We promised her a spot in our group if she kept quiet about it. She’s impulsive, proud, and hot-headed, but a good mare in the end.”
Twilight’s eyes lit up. Three ancient mages, founders of three different branches of magical study and history were still alive?! And one of them was the student of Starswirl the Bearded! She grinned widely, her body shaking with the intense excitement that overwhelmed her, but something struck her just as quickly. That sickly feeling replaced the excitement, making her vision blurr and her head pound like an Earthquake.
“Ugh!” Twilight cried out, holding her head up against her pillow. Comet and Celestia looked over to her, both wearing matching looks of concern.
“Until re-” Celestia paused when she heard Twilight’s outburst and grimaced, “Oh no.”
“What’s ‘oh no’?” Comet asked her, looking between teacher and student worriedly.
Celestia sighed, “Twilight’s been suffering from some sort of nausea spell that seemingly comes out of nowhere. Usually, it’s only when she reads books, it’s never struck like this before.”
“It’s worse!” Twilight groaned. “I can barely see anything!”
A look of panic flashed over Comet’s face, but he seemed to reel it back, “...Have you tried healing it?” He asked Celestia.
“Usually it doesn’t strike her this badly,” Celestia said as she went to Twilight’s side to do just that. Her horn glowed a soothing yellow as she placed it on Twilight’s head.
As the intensity faded, Twilight let out a sigh of relief, and Celestia pulled away.
“At least we know that works.” Celestia nodded as she backed away and faced Comet again. He was staring at Twilight intently for some reason, face completely neutral. “...You were saying, about Clover and Meadowbrook?” She noted his poker face.
“Yes. That.” His eyes went back to Celestia, more tired than angry now, “...They plan to release and make a deal with Discord, in order to bring back Starswirl the Bearded.”
Twilight sat up with a frown, “...Erm, Comet? Discord’s already been released.”
Comet blinked, “Wait, what?!”
“Where have you been for the last, like two years?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “He has weekly tea parties with Fluttershy. He caused the Everfree forest to spread rapidly into Ponyville.”
Comet looked at her with wide eyes, and crimson washed over him like a wave, “I...I’m here more than I am at home, to be honest.” He cleared his throat.
“That explains a lot, actually,” Twilight muttered to herself.
“But… He’s out of his stone prison?” Comet asked, “They don’t know that.”
“Think it’ll throw them off?” Twilight asked.
“Only for a moment.” Comet replied with a frown, “Clover’s so desperate to find out where Starswirl’s gone to, she’ll do anything and everything. She and Meadow just recently found out a way to counter the effects of the Elements of Harmony. A powerful enchantment.” He frowned, “They’re calling it the ‘Staff of Upheaval’, and they’ll be using it soon. If not on that statue, then on something else if it fits their needs.”
The two stared at him, stunned into silence.
“Are they insane?! There’s now another artifact that can rival the elements?!” Twilight exclaimed, “Do they understand how dangerous that is?!”
“Yes.” Comet said, “And they knew it would make you both upset as well. That’s why we’ve been in hiding. It’s taken them 1000 years of trial and error to get this right.”
Celestia’s eyes widened, “‘Trial and Error’?! What have they been using this thing on, Comet?!”
Comet flinched back, biting his lip. The bad news was about to get worse.
“Riverlilly” or Mage Meadowbrook the Younger, frowned to herself.
‘They’re calling it the ‘Staff of Upheaval’, and they’ll be using it soon.’ She heard Comet say, and her lips drew back into a snarl. Her impulsive decision to sneak a seer stone into Comet’s saddlebags was a good one. It was like she could smell the idiot in him before he showed his true colors.
“I knew it… That snitch.” She growled quietly to herself, “Tail tucked between his legs, right to Celestia… We’ll have to find that chimera-demon, and fast.” She turned, poking her head out of the door, “CLOVER!” She shouted down the hall, “DISCORD’S FREE! AND HE’S IN PONYVILLE!”
“Distant Star” trotted into the room, “He is?!” The beam on her face was so bright, it might as well have been a small star, “Then we’ll be off to Ponyville, tonight!” She stamped her hoof in finality, “Think the last version of the staff will be ready by then?”
Meadow’s face curled into a nearly manic grin, “Oh, it’ll be ready, alright...”