//------------------------------// // ...Who have Everything? // Story: Comet The Colt of Steel // by Stallion of Steel //------------------------------// Apple Comet's POV. "Apple Comet, wake up, we're here!" Apple Bloom's hoof shook me by the shoulder. Ugh, My head felt like that one time we rode the Tilt-a-Whirl at the fair. My hoof instinctively reached for my forehead as A'h squinted my eyes open. This wasn't the first time A'h dozed off on the school hack. But from the way my head felt, it must've been going downhill at breakneck speed. "Come on we're gonna be late." Well whatever happened, Apple Bloom seemed no worse for wear. "Ugh...hold yer horses, Ah'm coming." A'h groaned rubbing the sleep from my eyes as A'h stood up and stretched my legs. A'h wasn't fully awake yet, but close enough. My head still felt like a tree trunk at the end of Applebuck season, but somehow A'h was able to get to class without stumbling all over myself. "Good Morning Class." Ms. Cheerilee greeted us in her usual cheery way. "Good Morning Ms. Cheerilee!" The class chorused in their usual response. Without missing a beat Ms. Cheerilee picked up her chalk and began writing the day's lesson on the board. "Now I'd like everyone to take out last night's homework and leave it on their desk. I'll be around to collect it in just a minute. While I'm busy with that I want you all to put on your learning faces and your thinking caps because we're gonna start today off with an assignment." Everypony in the class did exactly as instructed Apple Bloom and myself included. All in all, it looked like It was gonna just another normal school day. But even as my headache started to go away, something in the back of my head kept bugging me. While A'h was asleep on the cart, Ah'd had a strange daydream. Apple Bloom and A'h had been sitting on the hack when somepony hollered out and pointed up at the sky. When A'h looked up to see what it was, A'h saw me and Apple Bloom flying through the air like Pegasi. Only we didn't have any wings. But we were both dressed in these strange red and blue costumes with red capes. And A'h remembered both of us had a diamond on our chests with a letter inside. But then Apple Bloom woke me up before A'h could see what letter it was. "Buck up Apple Comet, it was just a dream," A'h told myself. "Y'all should've listened to Ma bout eating pie before bed." But a part of me just wasn't buying it. A'h wasn't into comic books or superhero movies like some of the other Colts in my class. So why in the middle of the cart ride had A'h dreamed about my sister and A'h as superheroes? "Apple Comet?" A'h looked up to see Ms. Cheerilee standing next to my desk. "May I please see your homework?" "Huh? Oh sure of course." I said handing it over to her. She looked at me for a second before saying "Thank you" before moving on to the next desk. Bloom-El's POV. "Bloom-El? Wake up! Wake up Bloom-El!" I opened my eyes to the feeling of fresh grass in my mane and the sight of Kom-El standing over me. My head pounded as I tried to get to my hooves. What just happened? The last thing I remembered was leaping to school beside Kom-El, Then nothing. "Come on this is no time to be sleeping." Kom-El chided as I began to stand on shaking legs. " Ugh... what-what just happened?" I hissed. Kom-El simply shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know, we landed here and then you just fell asleep. Are you feeling okay?" "I-I did?" My head felt like I'd just dropped out of the sky like a rock. But that couldn't be right. Kom-El and I had been leaping to school for years and neither one of us ever had any problems. The closest was that one time Kom-El misjudged his jump and got his cape tangled up in the weathervane. Looking up I could see we'd landed on the front lawn just outside the school. Ms. Cheerilee was already outside greeting our classmates as they filed through the front door. She looked up at us and smiled. "A'h Good morning, Kom-El, good morning, Bloom-El," She greeted us in her usual warm friendly tone. "right on time as usual I see. Are you ready for another full day of learning?" Kom-El nodded and smiled her way. "I sure am Ms. Cheerilee." He said confidently strolling up to her. My brother was such a teacher's pet. I don't mean he's a suck-up or a tattletale or anything like that. I mean that he was always courteous and did whatever task Ms. Cheerilee asked of him without question. "That's good to hear." She grinned. "And what about you Bloom-El?" I rolled my eyes and said, "Yeah I guess." The lightheadedness was starting to fade away. Probably just stress from rushing to get ready this morning. A little time in the sunshine and I'd be back to my usual super self by recess. "That's the spirit, get in there and seize the day!" Ms. Cheerilee exclaimed excitedly heading inside, humming a delighted tune to herself as she went with Kom-El right behind her. 'Just another school day' I thought to myself. But in the back of my mind, I couldn't shake the feeling that something just seemed off about it. 'Come on get a grip,' I told myself. 'You do not have off days, it's all in your head. A little schoolwork and you'll forget all about it.' The only problem with that logic was that Koltonians never forget. "Bloom-El!" I looked up to see my best friends waving over to me. I smiled back as I walked over to my desk between them. We'd been the best of friends for as long as I could remember. "Hey Diamond Tiara, hey Silver Spoon." "Are we still on for swimming together after school?" Diamond asked me. "Sure," I said eagerly hoping to get my mind on anything else before class started. "Will your brother be coming along?" Silver Spoon asked. "That depends on whether any old mares need help crossing the street." I joked eliciting giggles from both of them. "Alright, class settle down," Everypony stopped what they were doing and sat up straight. "Take out your homework from last night and place it on your desk. I'll be coming around to collect it momentarily." I sighed and did as instructed reaching into my saddlebag. That was the one thing I didn't get about going to school Everything was so easy for us. Of course when you have a super genius IQ and can memorize the contents of entire books in seconds. What could really challenge you? I got my answer when I opened my book. eAMe tOhZ7etS QjV696 j3z 9f23 slK "Wha...What is this? I gasped loudly in shock. The pages were covered with jumbled distorted letters and numbers Some big some small, some upside down, some even spilling over to the other page. I quickly turned the page only to find more of the same. XpOtS GR1mE4 ZoTz I tried again but page after page was just garbled letters and numbers in no sensical order covering the page like one of them fancy hidden pictures you're supposed to stare at. Wait? Why was A'h thinking like that? It ain't like me. "Bloom-El what's wrong?" I heard Silver Spoon ask worriedly as I reached down for my math book. fAN3e M8tH+m@tZ Throwing it open I flipped through the pages at lightning speed. !+1=Moo $x%-7t&_2# What's going on here? None of it makes any sense. "Bloom-El are you okay?" I looked around to see everypony in class was looking at me. I looked at the blackboard to see, T0Daz aZz1gm&nt Yhy Gen3 zUcKeD "This Ain't right, None of this ain't right? Aaaeeeeegh!" I screamed as I felt the familiar feeling of shooting pain come rushing into my skull. my eyes went white with pain as I felt my legs give out from under me. "Bloom-El! Bloom-El!" Apple Comet's POV. "Ugh, what just happened?" A'h remembered sitting in class getting ready to write down today's assignment, And then nothing. "Apple Comet? Apple Comet?" A'h felt a familiar nudge on my shoulder. A'h looked up to see a blurry two-headed yellow pony in front of me. A'h let out a scream and fell backward off my seat onto the grass. A'h could hear the echo of laughter around me as the two-headed eight-legged eight-eyed monster stood over me. "What are y'all doing sleeping during lunch?" Its heads spoke to me in unison with my sister's voice. "Are Y'all really that tired?" "What what are you?" A'h asked it. "What are ya talking about? It's me, Apple Bloom." The creature said holding a pair of black U-shaped thing-a-jigs in both its left front hooves. "Now quit fooling around and put your glasses back on. You're as blind as a bat pony without them." "M-My glasses?" Hesitantly A'h reached out with my two right front hooves at the same time. Realizing that was one more than A'h was supposed to have. I let out another scream. The two-headed Spider-Bloom rolled her eight eyes and lowered the glasses onto my face. "Here allow me." Instantly everything became clearer. A'h was lying down on the playground grass. Apple Bloom, no longer sporting no more extra body parts standing over me. "There, better?" She asked offering her hoof up. "Y-Yeah A'h guess," A'h said sheepishly accepting it. Now that A'h knew where A'h was, the only questions A'h had were where did these come from and why were they the goofy-looking horn-rimmed kind? "How long have A'h had these?" Apple Bloom looked at me like Ah was a few apples short of a bushel. "What're you talking about? Y'all have had them since 1st grade." "1st Grade? No that can't be right, A'h didn't need them this morning!" A'h took them to prove her wrong but to my surprise, the blurred vision instantly returned. "Are you feeling alright? You're talking kind of funny." "A'h ain't talking funny, A'h swear something is seriously wrong. A'h keep getting these headaches that make me pass out. And when A'h wakes up things are different than they were before." "Different how?" "Like these glasses, A'h didn't have them when A'h woke up this morning, They just appeared out of nowhere!" "A'h think Y'all need to see the school counselor, this ain't funny talk anymore, it's crazy talk." "Are you saying I'm crazy?" A'h lashed back angrily pounding the lunch table with my hoof. Apple Bloom flinched back nervously covering her face with her forelegs like A'h was gonna hit her. My hooves trembled uncontrollably as A'h looked down to see a dent in the wood. Ah, 'd hit the table so hard it had left a mark. This wasn't like me at all. What if...maybe Apple Bloom was right, maybe A'h did need to talk to somepony. "Apple Bloom, Ah',m sorry, Ah'm so so sorry." A'h scooted out of my seat and made my way over to her. "Your right, A-A'h n-need help. Ah, 'll..." Before A'h could finish, a roar louder than any Ah'd ever heard before echoed through the air. Even with my hooves held over my ears, A'h could still hear it. Then as quickly as it came it was gone, replaced by the wailing of a distant siren. The playground had fallen silent, everypony sitting frozen in shock. Students that had dove under the lunch tables were trembling like flies trapped in a spider's web. Some were crying while others huddled close together in fear. "W-Wha-What w-wa-was th-th-that?" Apple Bloom stammered slowly rising out from under the table. As the shock slowly began to fade Ms. Cheerilee, quickly took charge. "Everypony stay calm! everything's going to be fine" Even raised her voice was calm and controlled as she gathered us up. "We're gonna play the follow the teacher as we rehearsed. Everypony line up single file and head for the basement. Stay close together, we don't want to lose anyone." Another roar, loud enough to rattle the schoolhouse's windows cut her off. But Ms. Cheerilee kept her calm. "It's gonna be okay, we'll get through this as long as we stay calm and together." Slowly our classmates emerged from under the tables lining up as instructed. A few were hesitant at first until somepony shouted that Snips had peed himself. That flushed them out pretty fast. Once everypony was lined up Ms. Cheerilee made a quick headcount before herding us back inside. As we filed through the storm doors, A'h caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye. Two figures flying through the air. At first, A'h thought they were just pegasi until A'h noticed they didn't have any wings. They were clad in blue bodysuits with red capes streaming behind them. Before A'h could get a closer look, another roar rattled the schoolhouse. This time it was so loud it cracked my glasses. Before A'h could even get a word out, Apple Bloom grabbed me by the hoof. "C'mon let's go!" She cried out pulling me inside. Bloom-El's POV. "Wake up Bloom-El wake up!" I opened my eyes to the sight of my brother and Mr. Rich standing over me. The fading pain in my head told me I'd fallen unconscious again. That made what three times today? But that didn't explain why Mr. Rich was here. "What are doing at our school, Mr. Rich?" I moaned rubbing my head. He raised an eyebrow and said. "Um...You two are in my store, You crashed through the window and knocked over several shelves of merchandise." I turned around to see I'd been lying down on top of a row of shelves. Several rows behind me had toppled over like dominos spilling various knick-knacks everywhere. "Oops, sorry about that." Mr. Rich turned his neck and huffed. "Well, I'm still gonna have a word with your parents about some form of compensation." A piercing roar filled the air causing Mr. Rich to let out a shriek that I'd never heard from a stallion before. But of course, that can wait till later. With a burst of speed, he closed the distance between the front of the store to the storeroom door. Quickly withdrawing his keys he flung open the door and dashed inside slamming it behind him. "What in tarnation is going on here?" "Why are you talking like that?" Kom-El asked. "Consarnit A'h don't know! Weird things just keep happening today." "CARRIAGE!" An earth pony mare cried out in terror We looked up to see an airborne carriage heading right here with two ponies trapped inside. "I got it!" Kom-El took off like a flash catching the wagon by the undercarriage before it hit the ground and gently set it down. "Are you alright?" He asked tearing the door off the carriage. The couple inside the carriage looked pretty shaken but otherwise fine. "I-I think so," The mare in the carriage sighed with relief. "Thank you so much." "PIE WAGON!" The other mare suddenly screamed pointing her hoof up at a pie wagon headed right for her. "I got it!" Quick as a flash, I was off, my mind already calculating where it was going to land. A quick glance of my X-ray vision showed that nopony was inside, only freshly baked pies. I caught it by the back end sending an avalanche of pies sliding toward me. "Uh oh." Pie after pie piled on top of me, coating my fur in every flavor imaginable. Apple, blueberry, cherry, strawberry, blackberry, boysenberry, and course banana cream. When it was over I was covered from head to toe. "Pfffft looks like dessert is on you tonight Sis," Kom-El said trying desperately not to laugh. The ponies we had saved were also trying to stifle their laughter as they trotted away. That's it I was done playing games, whatever this varmint was, it was gonna pay. Using my super speed, I shook the pie off of me. The fruit filling flew off in every direction. "Hey watch it!" Kom-El protested covering his face with one leg. I ignored him. "C'mon let's go already." I cried taking down the street. I'd already figured out where the cart had been thrown from. Now all I had to do was confront this pie wagon thrower and bring him to...justice? Standing in front of me towering over the rooftops and market stands was an enormous starry blue lion, at least fifty hooves long and thirty hooves tall. Its mane shimmered like waves on a sea of stars and its coat was as dark as a starry night. Its teeth were as long as a pony's leg and its eyes glowed like two bright stars. For the moment the beast was distracted by a pair of red and blue blurs zipping around its head. A closer inspection with my telescopic vision revealed them to be Mom and Dad keeping him busy while Mac and Jack-El raced up and down the various streets leading ponies away from the scene to safety. "What is that thing?" "Now I know it didn't hit you that hard," Kom-El said coming up beside me. "It's a Nemean Lion now come on Mom and Dad need our help." "What do we do?" Kom-El winked at me and smiled "We do what we always do, save the day." He said with a smirk before leaping headlong into the fray. "Oh right, heh heh of course." A feeling of hesitation gripped my stomach. What was I so scared of? This wasn't anything new to me. "Come on Bloom-El, You've done this before. Just go out there, be a hero, save Ponyville, and everyone in will love you for it." My pep talk did little to encourage confidence. It made me feel even more doubtful. Was my life really always this perfect? Did I deserve to have it? Did Ponyville really love us as much as they said? Or did they only love us when we saved them from danger? A crash of thunder brought my attention to the sky above. A sky that I swore was clear just a moment ago. Apple Comet's POV. "Okay that's everypony," Ms. Cheerilee sighed with relief as she closed the door behind her. Our class had taken shelter in the school basement. It was mostly used as an office by the school paper, But it also doubled as a shelter in case of an emergency. "Now I know some of you might be a little nervous or afraid. I just want you to know that we're all gonna be perfectly safe down here. There's nothing to be afraid of." "Ms. Cheerilee?" a hoof shot up from the class. "Yes, Twist?" "How long do we have to stay down here?" The frizzy maned filly asked. "Until we hear we hear the all-clear siren." Another hoof went up. "Yes, Featherweight?" "What are we supposed to do until then?" He asked. "Well, why don't we have some quiet reading time?" She gestured over to the trolley of books in the corner. The class groaned unenthusiastically. "Aw, but that's so boring." Snips complained. "Now now children," Cheerilee assured. "We've got lots of books, I'm sure there's something everyone can enjoy." She brought the trolley over and one by everypony grabbed a book. Finally, it was my turn, A'h knew which one wanted right away. I reached over to pull out the Astronomical Astronomers Almanac to All Things Astronomy when A'h suddenly stopped. Something was off about the lettering on the book's spine. AOrg tEPaR0gOr "What the?" "The Astronomical Astronomers Almanac to All Things Astronomy. That seems right up your alley." Ms. Cheerilee smiled as A'h opened the book to the first page. TOmec R eTom & RoidasT My face turned white as A'h looked at it. The pictures were as A'h remembered but the words were nothing but a jumbled mess. Checking to make sure my glasses were on straight, A'h turned to the next page. hEt nus HET ONOM & hEt TARs "T-This is all wrong, it doesn't make any sense!" "Is something wrong?" Ms. Cheerilee asked me. "T-The w-words," I stammered. "They don't make any sense." "Oh, Apple Comet, it's okay if you don't understand what some words mean. Why don't I help you?" "But I've read this book before, I know every sentence on every page. It doesn't make any sense." A series of shocked gasps suddenly erupted from behind me. "Y-Your voice...it ch-changed." Apple Bloom stammered nervously. "What are you talking..." Celestia, she was right! My Apple family accent was gone. My eyes darted around the room frantically looking for some answer to what was happening. "Alright class it's obvious we're all a little overexcited," Ms. Cheerilee said trying to reassert control of the situation. "Why don't we all sit down with our books and relax." My eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of the front page of the school paper. WAKE UP! It said in bold letters. That didn't make any sense, I was already awake. Or was I? "Arrgh!" I felt the sudden familiar pain of lightning striking my brain. "Apple Comet!" Cheerilee gasped as I went down on my hind knees. The view through my glasses became blurred and distorted as I fought to remain conscious. "Don't give in," I heard a faint distant voice say. "You're so close to the truth now, fight it, fight her!" "Who's there?" I asked. "Listen to me, none of this is real, You're trapped in a dream! "What are you talking about? Who are you?" "Umm, who are you talking to Apple Comet?" I heard Snips ask. "It's all a lie!" The voice continued. "You're not a simple farm colt! Neither your birth nor adoptive parents are still alive, Your life is not this perfect!" "No that's not true! That's impossible!" "Search your feelings, you know it to be true." "Noooooo! No!" I cried out in denial. "Think about it, the constant blackouts? The gaps in your memory? Your inability to read? Your accent? Not to mention those glasses you've suddenly always worn." Suddenly it was as if all the missing pieces fell into my lap. As much as I didn't want to believe it, the voice in my head seemed to have all the answers. "Listen to me, you're running out of time. You need to find the filly in the red cape and leave this place together." "Filly in a red cape? What in Equestria are you talking about?" "There's no time to explain she's at the other schoolhouse on the other side of town. You need to go there now!" The voice faded away. "Apple Comet, can you hear me? Speak to me." I opened my eyes to find I was still standing. Had I passed out again? Everything was blurry. I felt around for my glasses thinking I might've dropped them until I realized they were on my face. Slowly I took them off to find my vision was normal again. "Are you alright?" Ms.Cheerilee stood by my side a look of great worry on her face. Apple Bloom stood next to her a first aid kit in her mouth. "I'm fine now," I said folding up my glasses. "Are you sure?" Apple Bloom asked. "Your voice is still different." A reassuring smile stretched across my face. "Don't worry sis, A'h feels right as rain now," I said. Apple Bloom's face relaxed "You gave us all quite a scare," Ms. Cheerilee sighed with relief. "What happened?" "Ms. Cheerilee, can A'h ask you a question?" She looked at me puzzled but said, "Sure." "What do Y'all know about dreams?" "That's a strange question, why do you ask?" Something about her tone seemed uneased. "A'h had a really strange dream last night and A'h can't stop thinking about it." Her answer was not what I was expecting. "Oh, well, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. After all, it was only a dream right?" It wasn't like Ms. Cheerilee to be evasive when answering a student's question. She seemed nervous trying to answer as fast as she could. "But Granny Smith says that talking about your dreams can help you understand them?" "That's funny, Granny Smith never said that to me?" It was now Apple Bloom's turn to seem suspicious. "Really? A'h thought she did after that nightmare you had last week." I slinked over to her. "You know the one Y'all had about the giant pony-eating apples?" Apple Bloom instantly seemed to recall the event. "Oh, that dream, A'h guess A'h forgot all about it." The trap was sprung. "You didn't forget, you never had it." I bore my teeth like the lion of a chimera. "And if you did you wouldn't admit it out in the open for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to hear because you know they'd bully you." "What are you talking about?" The Pink posh filly in question asked in shock. "Yeah we're friends aren't we?" Silver Spoon added. "We'd never do anything mean like that." "Alright, that's enough Apple Comet," Ms. Cheerilee interrupted with a stern expression on her face. It's obvious you've been under a lot of stress today for whatever reason." Why don't you lie down on the couch for a little bit? It'll help you take your mind off things." "Couch what couch?" What was she talking about? There wasn't a couch in the school...basement? My eyes laid upon the sight of a dark blue almost black couch sitting where the editor's desk had been. I knew it hadn't been there a second ago. A feeling of unease filled my stomach as I remembered who it reminded me of. Something told me if I did as my teacher asked, I'd never wake up. "No thanks, Ah'm feeling better now," I answered. "Are you sure?" Ms. Cheerilee asked sounding a little disappointed. "It's really comfy." "Yeah Ah'm sure." Something told me I was gonna have to run soon. "Well then you leave me no choice," She said icily as her expression changed to irate. "Class seize him!" Like a switch had been flipped the other foals surrounded me like a pack of Timberwolves. "Should've done what the teacher said Apple Vomit." Diamond Tiara sneered menacingly. "Heh heh, Apple Vomit." Snails laughed goofily. "Huh huh, gross," Snips added. "Are you two done?" Diamond snapped at them. The two goofballs shut their mouths and motioned zipping their lips. "Now then," She said turning her attention back to me. "As I was saying, you should've done what you were told. It would've made this a whole lot easier. But you just had to keep sticking your snout where it didn't belong." "So you're the one behind all this?" Diamond Tiara let out a snort, "Ha as if, no I'm just playing my part just like everypony else, right Apple Bloom?" Suddenly I felt something leap onto my back. Without warning, Apple Bloom wrapped her forelegs under my elbows and crossed her hooves behind my head as she lifted me onto my hind legs. "Apple Bloom! You too?" I cried in disbelief. Her eyes were brimming with tears as if she regretted being a part of this. "Why couldn't you just be happy?" She asked barely choking back from sobbing. "You had everything your heart desired?" "Because none of it is real," I answered trying desperately not to cry myself. "This isn't my life, it's not who I am, it's just a fantasy." Apple Bloom's face hardened with rejection. She realized that playing to my heart wasn't going to work. "Then A'h suppose we're doing the hard way." She spat angrily. "I suppose so," I concurred realizing what I was going to have to do. I carefully slid my hind leg around and behind hers. Then I bent down and grabbed her other leg. Before she could realize what happened I lifted her and slammed her onto the floor. Quick as a flash, I bolted for the storm door, dodging and shoving past the angry swarms of my classmates. "Get him!" "Stop him!" "Don't let him get away!" "Grab his legs!" "I've got him!" "Silver get off me!" "Look he's over there!" "After him!" "He's headed for the door!" In the chaos, I somehow managed to reach the storm door only to find it covered with more padlocks and chains than a Hoofdini escape act. "Looking for this?" Ms. Cheerilee asked smugly jingling a key in her hoof. She opened her mouth tossed it in and swallowed. "Burrrrp! No way out now! You're trapped! Now, why don't you quit struggling and accept your fate already?" As much as I hated to admit it, this Cheerilee had a point. If whoever or whatever was keeping me trapped here could control what happened in my dreams...then why couldn't I?" "Well shucks Ms. Cheerilee," I said turning to face her. "When Y'all put it that way? A'h guess A'h only got one choice... or two." WHAM! With a single buck, the doors flew open sending padlocks and chainlinks flying into the air in an explosion of shattered metal. The doppelgangers of my class stood frozen in shock. "Now if you'll excuse I think it's past time I woke up." With those words, I took off galloping as fast as only I could into the dark and stormy night.