<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
"Comet!"
The door looked like it was about to fly off its hinges from all the knocking.
"Did you fall in Noodle Hooves? Come on, this cake isn't going to ice itself!"
I hastily shut off the water and dried my hooves with a towel. I rolled down my sleeves properly, just far enough to where they wouldn't get in the way and double-checked that the fancy Canterlot Castle cufflinks would display correctly as I served guests. Finally, I checked my image in the mirror before patting down my neatly trimmed mane and flashing my best-winning smile. I was going to have to work hard to buck this up.
"On my way, Mints!"
I pushed open the restroom doors and walked into the Canterlot Kitchens. Standing there to greet me was this beautiful mint-colored earth pony mare. Her normally curly ice blue mane was wrapped up in a hair net, and she wore an apron that marked her as one of the lead bakers assigned specifically to the Royal Wedding Cake. Today, we were going to finish it together.
"Bout time. I didn't figure you for a stallion to keep the mares waiting."
"We've known each other for months now, Minty; you know I’ve got no game." I winked at her.
Minty giggled and swaggered up to me. This back-and-forth flirting had been a regular occurrence whenever we worked together. I used to think it was all in good fun. But lately, she had been a little more aggressive than usual. I can't help but wonder if she was waiting for me to stallion up and ask her out. It had been a long time since I felt any kind of feeling towards a mare. My last crush, well, I chased her away, and that was years ago.
"Tell you what. If the walking disaster known as Comet Tail survives tonight…" She placed her hooves on my shirt and straightened the collar, intentionally letting her muzzle close to mine.
"Maybe I could have you all to myself. And you can practice your game on me all you want."
I held my ground, though admittedly, I was on the verge of panic. My mind raced, and my heart feels like it’s going to leap out of my chest. Is she serious? She looked at me with that half-lidded look and then gave a hearty laugh.
"That face never gets old. Seriously, Comet, let's get to work. Grab that pastry bag."
Of course, I was disappointed, but I didn't let it show. Instead, I try to take it in stride.
"Oh boy. You'd better slow down. I almost proposed just then." I quipped.
"PUH-lease. We both know you don't have the backbone."
She's right. I didn't. I grabbed the pastry bag filled with delicious buttercream frosting sourced from Prance. I moved with Minty to the Seven-Tiered monstrosity that was Princess Mi'Amore Cadenza, and Shining Armor's wedding cake. Six ponies were already working on it. Sparky and Slender Vine worked the middle with their magic. Humming and Swifty hovered around the top while I joined the earth ponies, Berry Mix and Juniper, working on the very large bottom. Standing a short distance away, supervising, was Minty.
"C'mon, ponies! Soul Warden wants this cake done within the hour!"
"Whose bright idea was it to redo the cake anyway?" Juniper grumbles as she expertly dispenses buttercream in intricate patterns around the edge.
Minty ran a hoof through the portion of her mane that wasn’t in a hair net and sighed.
"Her majesty can be quite fickle. She wants everything to be perfect."
I raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word as I filled in frosting behind Juniper with well-practiced hooves. The original had been planned weeks ago, long before Shining Armor's bubble shield was placed around Canterlot. Now, at the last minute (last week), the order was changed. I had met Princess Cadence only once before. It was when she toured the kitchens for the first time to discuss plans for the wedding cake. The original design was more modest. Only three tiers, less decorative icing, and way more chocolate, a stark contrast to the seven tiers of vanilla with more flowered icing than actual cake.
"Weddings can make a mare crazy, I guess," Swifty said, putting the final touches on his section before flying over to help the less experienced Humming with her side.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Hummingbird, or as we all called her, Humming shot back with a dangerous look. Swifty just raised his hooves in a placating gesture. "All I'm saying is she wasn't like this when the wedding was still far off. I heard those poor mares from Ponyville run in circles, trying to keep her happy. Pinkie Pie practically lives in the guest kitchen now.”
A yes, Pinkie Pie. The baker from Ponyville who had reached semi-legendary status among the staff here in Canterlot Castle. Her confectioneries put some of the castle bakers to shame earning herself both Ire and admiration. I, for my part had never met her, but I would certainly like to. Soul Warden, the House Master of the castle damn near hired her on the spot, but she declined.
Minty slapped a spatula on the table catching everypony by surprise. "Less talking. More icing."
I redoubled my efforts to ice the cake to avoid attracting Minty's wrath. The mare could get painfully serious when it came time to work. I could feel Minty's eyes following my hooves as I carefully finished my section. Then I felt something strange: It's like a pulse rippling through the air. I turn and look around. A few of us did likewise. The rest, well, their reaction was a little stranger.
"Hmmm. Her majesty is early," Minty said. She walked up to the window overlooking Canterlot. I carefully placed my pastry bag on the counter and joined her out of curiosity.
"Hey, wait a minute," I say, noticing one crucial detail about the skyline. "Where's the magic shield?"
There was a flash of green and a loud crash. I turned and see that Swifty had somehow smashed himself into the pots and pans cabinet. He gave a soft and painful groan before falling and collapsing on the tile floor unconscious; a scattering of pots following in his wake. My eyes shoot to the wedding cake, and there, looking quite pleased with herself, was Humming.
"I've been waiting months to do that." She turns to me and flashes a fanged grin, and my heart leaps into my throat.
I stand, frozen in place, eyes as wide as saucers as I notice the change. She looked, hungry. Even feral. Apparently, I was the only one to notice, yet I was too afraid to say anything. I backed up until my rump hit a counter edge. Juniper scrambles over to Swifty, too worried about him to notice the sudden transformation her colleague had undergone.
"Humming have you lost your mind?! He didn't deserve that!”
Another flash of green and Juniper falls over limp. Her eyes were wide, pupils dancing everywhere before finally locking onto mine. They screamed, "Help me," but I just stood there like the damn coward I am. Slender Vine, Berry Mix, and Sparky took her by the hooves and dragged her behind the counter. A sickening glow emanated from beyond what I could see as the three ponies performed some sort of magic on her. Their cackling fills the room.
"M…Minty. H…help!" I finally find my voice and turn to look at my friend. She stands there giving me that same half-lidded look she always gives me, except this time, it looks hungrier than usual. It's the same kind of look a predator gives to her meal right before it tears into its flesh. There was a flash of green, and I topple over, my head hitting the counter on the way down.
"Sorry, Comet. It looks like you're not going to make it through the night after all." Her voice sounds wrong, like the buzzing you get when you speak through a whirring fan. Minty's body shimmered with an ethereally green energy. The mint coat disappears, in its place was a black hardened shell. Her, correction, its eyes flash green, morphing into green insect-like eyes and a wicked black horn appears on its head.
"I have been looking forward to this Comet." The thing that was minty toyed with my mane, drawing circles as her magic enveloped me.
"I know how you feel about me. It's always so delicious. The way your heart beats. The way you yearn for something more. Your fear of rejection. Your shame and insecurity."
She laughs.
“Your cowardice.”
The bug-thing snarled. All I can do is follow its movements with my eyes. I try to scream for help, but my voice just dies in my throat.
"It's a shame that something is holding you back from devoting yourself to me. It truly would be a feast worthy of the hive."
The changeling lay beside me, petting my mane and basking in my fear.
"Don't worry. I’ve changed my mind; I won't kill you. No. You'll live a nice long life as cattle; I'll make sure to water you and feed you every day." It gave a cackling laugh. Before its magic increased in power. I felt something pulling at my very soul. Memories and feelings flashed through my eyes. The way Minty and I met. The nights out at the bar with the rest of the cooks. The acceptance letter to the Canterlot Royal Kitchens. My Ma, the baker, was so proud, and my father was disappointed in me for not joining the guard instead. Then there was Twilight Sparkle, the filly that I saved all those years ago, who by now was doing wonders as Celestia’s faithful student…
My vision goes black, and I fall unconscious. I wake up just in time to feel my heart tear itself in two.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><>
I wake up staring at myself in the mirror. Cold water running over my hooves. My eyes are bloodshot, and the look of terror is fresh on my face. What happened?
Was it a dream? My eyes drop to the cold water. It wasn’t a dream. It couldn’t have been. It felt so real. My mind races trying to make sense of it all. Co-workers were bugs. They captured Juniper and damn near killed Swifty. The events keep running through my brain. I lift my hoof up to my head where I hit it on the counter on my way to the floor. No sign of any bump or any kind of pain. Next, I recall what was once Minty gloating then…
Suddenly I remember the pain before I woke up and it all comes together.
I try to open my mouth to scream, but my lunch decides to come back up instead. With great effort I held it in long enough to make it to the toilet and puke my guts into it. Broken down hay fries and a myriad of other stomach fluid drains down the toilet. The acrid smell makes me dry heave a few times before I regain control. Finally, I find the strength to get back up on four hooves, shaking.
"This can't be happening. Not again. Not like before." My voice trembles as I cling to my denial. Suddenly everything I had tried so hard to forget rushes back all at once. Years of work sweeping trauma under the rug is gone in an instant. Suddenly I feel like a little colt again, back at that blasted kindergarten.
"Comet!"
The door felt like it was about to fly off its hinges from all the knocking. I whip my head to the sound, hardly believing my ears.
"Did you fall in…?" I whispered under my breath while staring at the door, dreading the words I knew were coming.
"Did you fall in Noodle Hooves? Come on, this cake isn't going to ice itself!"
Confirmation. It wasn't a dream. This is really happening. No matter how much I want it not to be. I try to steady myself and move towards the door. Slowly, I push the door open. A concerned Minty was waiting on the other side.
"It's about time." She gives me a once-over, looking me up and down. “Uh, Comet? You don't look very good. You okay?"
I don't respond right away. I glance over at the cake, or rather behind the cake where Juniper had been working. She’s icing her section of the bottom layer smiling broadly, completely oblivious to what had happened. Swifty, likewise was running his mouth like he always did. The rest of his co-workers, the bugs, were all working diligently like he had always known them.
“Yeah Mints. O…of course I’m okay.” I lie, avoiding Minty’s eyes like the plague.
Minty paws the floor with her hoof in worry pursing her lips in a pout.
“Well. You don’t look okay. Why don’t you get some air. We can take it from here.”
I try not to sigh in relief, but minty catches it anyway. Minty gives me that friendly smile, all playfulness and mirth gone from her eyes. Moving from the bathroom doorway I head towards the kitchen entrance. It takes all I have not to bolt through the threshold. I pause just long enough to glance outside the window. Shining Armor’s shield still stands for now. I let out a slow breath as I leave the kitchen.
Then I felt it: The rippling pulse.
The hair on my back stands on end and I bolt through the threshold of the Canterlot castle kitchens. Adrenaline courses through my veins as I turn a corner and slam headfirst into a guard. My ears ring as I try to recover from the blow. The audible clang would have been comical if the situation weren’t life and limb.
“Are you Alright!?”
The guard asks alarmed as he helps me back onto my hooves.
“This is why we have no running rules in the castle!” He scolds, but his tone changes when he sees the look of absolute terror on my face.
“Oh thank Celestia. Guard, please, you must help. B…bug things are attacking the kitchen. The shield…the shield…” I blabber on, damn near yelling at this point. A crash from the kitchen causes me to jump and I begin to run. The guard turns and runs with me.
“Sir! Please come with me! I’ll keep you safe!”
I needn’t be told twice as I pivot on my hooves to follow the quicker and more capable guard down the hallway away from the kitchens. We reach a large storage room, one used for towels, toilet paper and other supplies. He opens the door with his magic and motions me inside.
“Get inside! I’ll deal with…what did you say it was?”
“Bugs!” I stutter. “I…I think they call themselves changelings!”
The guards’ eyes widen, and he nods in understanding.
“I’ll take care of it. Now get inside!”
I rush in and immediately stumble over something as I cross the doorway. Flailing my hooves I intend to catch myself but, being the uncoordinated mess that I am, slam horn first into a shelf. I grasp my horn in pain, hissing a curse through my teeth, and then I make the mistake of opening my eyes.
A Royal Guard Unicorn Stallion lay sprawled out before me. A gaping wound on his head. His breath was shallow. Barely breathing. My eyes grow wide and I turn to the doorway. The guard who led me into this closet just stands there, smiling. There was a flash of green and my head hit the floor. The only thing I can move are my eyes, just like before. I hear the door slam, and I am surrounded in darkness.
I yell.
I scream.
But only in my head.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
By the time I wake up in front of that mirror, I had finished screaming. (for the most part). I feel my lunch come back up and I don’t bother moving to the toilet this time. The putrid mess splashes all over my pristine white sleeves. I turn to the door and eye a deadbolt in addition to the regular lock. I Immediately slam it closed, ensuring that the door remains shut. I collapse to the floor and curl into a ball. The pounding on the door grows louder as I desperately try to Ignore Minty’s faux concern even as she calls out my name.
I shudder as her knocking grows louder.
“Please. Just stop.” I whisper.
The knocking ceases.
“Comet…what’s going on?” Minty asks. I can hear her through the cracks in the door.
“Is it something I did? Something I said?”
Suddenly I wanted to scream again. My eyes dart around the bathroom. Anything to distract myself. Seeing only useless objects, I shut my eyes, wishing for all of this to be a bad dream.
Moment’s pass. Then the pulse happens. I hold my hooves over my ears. Wishing for this hell to end. I do nothing as they start breaking down the door. I can feel their eyes lingering on me. There is a flash of green. Then they start to feed. My life is draining away. I can feel myself growing weaker and weaker. Memories of who I once was drain away from me. This happens for what feels like an eternity, and I am almost relieved when my heart finally explodes.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
I find myself floating in a void. Was this it? Was whatever abomination that granted this poor excuse for immortality tired of me? Had I truly died? The void shifts into an image of an all too familiar office. A tall yellow stallion in royal guard armor was there, talking to me. I couldn’t make out what he said before he entered the principal’s office. I finally recognized Glass Shard; My father. He was the strongest, most dependable pony I knew. Sure we fought plenty of times, but he always had my back. I start to remember that day clearer and clearer, until I was viewing the dream from the perspective of my younger self.
Ah I remember now.
Some years after the incident at Ms. Kindle’s. I had been called into the school’s office for refusing to use my magic.
“I’m sorry Mr. Shard.” I remember overhearing the principal through closed doors.
“But a colt that continuously refuses to use his magic can hardly be a proper fit at a unicorn school. He may have more luck at a public school.”
I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell my father was furious. There’s a kind of biting cold in his voice. No sarcasm, no malice. Just pure coldness.
“So, what you’re telling me is: The great Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns is giving up.”
There was a snort from the principal, and I winced. The disrespect was obvious. The Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns was a step down from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. It was known behind closed doors and in hushed whispers as the “reject” school. Unicorns who were not good enough to make it to the top. The school staff and even Celestia herself tried to squash this idea but it had already taken root. For some ponies. Being second is worse than being last, and principal Leavenworth was one of those ponies.
“I’ll have you know. We never giveup, and that’s part of the problem.” Principal Leavenworth replies in a heated tone. “Your son gives up before he even tries! Hardly a fit for our prestigious school. Besides, there’s also his reputation to consider…”
I hear something like a mix between a tear and an explosion. I wince again.
“M…. Mr.…Shard…. please. Control yourself.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. Did I obliterate your desk? Silly me. Hear let me fix that for you.”
There’s a flash of light, and I sink lower and lower into the waiting room couch. The principal’s secretary throws a glance at me then at the door to the principal’s office with a worried expression on her face.
“There’s no need to bring my son’s bullying record into this. It was one time, and it was years ago. The fact that it was Princess Celestia’s future protégé should have no bearing on his future. For you to sink so low, it truly is unbecoming.”
There was a pause. A softness in my father’s voice that I rarely heard. It almost made me cry.
“He’s just a young kid. Kid’s do dumb things sometimes. He shouldn’t have to pay for it for the rest of his life.”
That did it. I was crying now. Full blown ugly crying.
“Be that as it may.” The principal’s voice held a note of finality. “The board has decided his fate. To keep him here and force him to work magic when he truly chooses not to is wrong. Regardless of what you think of me personally, I will not force this on your son. I hope you can understand that.”
The scene grows hazy and shifts to my walk home that day. I was still crying. Silently this time, following in my father’s hoof steps. It was quiet and uncomfortable. I wanted to say something. Anything to break the silence. I reach deep into my soul to find the words. I wanted to share with him what I experienced. Why I did what I did. But I knew in my heart of hearts that he wouldn’t believe me. No one would.
Still. I had to say something. There were several false starts. But I finally managed to squeak the word out.
“Pa…”
Somehow that was enough. Glass Shard spun around on his hooves and pulled me close into a hug.
“I don’t want to hear it son.”
“But…but I got expelled…”
“I know. I won’t lie to you. I’m disappointed. But I won’t hate you. I’ll never hate you.”
I embrace him back. The tears threaten to return. After a while we separate, and he lowers himself down to my level.
“Why are you afraid to use your magic son?”
There it was. The question that kept coming up. Normally I clam up. Say nothing. Until my father gives up or something forces the topic to drop. This time, I open my mouth to speak, but stop myself. The rattling of the cart returns. Twilight’s maimed corpse. The fury in my words and ill intent in my magic. The pain of death over and over and over again.
*no onE will beLIeVe you*
I wince.
“I hurt her dad. I was awful. I don’t want to hurt anyone ever again. I hate my magic. Is that enough?”
My father didn’t buy it. Of course he didn’t, I was always a terrible liar. But still, when a unicorn says he hates his magic. It’s the same thing as saying he hates himself. I knew that, even at this young age. For the first time in my life, my normally unreadable father showed concern.
“My son. It’s okay to be afraid.”
“WHY!?” I yell. Loud enough where several passersby turn their heads.
“WHY IS IT OKAY!? I HATE BEING SCARED! I DON’T WANT TO BE!”
*I will only say this once. Speak and everyone dies*
My Father ponders this question for a moment. Before leaning in close and whispering in my ear.
“Because I’m afraid too. I’m afraid I might lose you. That you might do something to hurt yourself.”
I say nothing.
“My Son. You may be afraid. But being afraid is part of what it means to be a stallion. In fact, you know what else you are?”
I tilt my head confused.
“What?”
“You’re a Warrior Comet. Warrior blood runs in our family.”
Now I was even more confused. Being a warrior is an alien concept to Ponies. Gryphons had warriors. So did minotaur society. Warriors are Soldiers bread for the express purpose of war, hence the name. Being a warrior is the exact opposite of the Equestrian Guard. Ponies are natural protectors and cultivators. We avoid war at all costs. To be called a warrior is the same as being called an uncouth barbarian in some circles. My father grins, I can tell whenever he suppresses a chuckle, like when my mom does something funny, and laughing at it will get him in trouble.
“Warriors? Aren’t they, you know…the bad guys?” I retort.
My father sighs.
“There was a time in our history when being a warrior was a good thing. It was needed. It wasn’t a happy time. But it was needed. The world was a dangerous place back then, and we can trace our lineage back to some of the fiercest battle mages of that time.”
My eyes were wide as I listened to my father speak.
“It may be a mares world son, but I think you need to start having the mindset of a Warrior. Because you know what a warrior does?”
“What?” I reply.
My father looks left and right, the ponies that had once stopped to listen had carried on. He leans close to my ear.
“A Warrior stares fear, even death, right in the face. Then tells it to go buck itself.”
My eyes grow as wide as saucers.
“Oooooh you said a bad word! Mom’s not gonna like that!” I exclaim. My father laughs. The dream shifts. I remember my dad telling me not to tell my mom about what we had talked about. I remember disobeying him and telling her anyway. My Ma was furious and squashed any idea’s of being a warrior from my mind. My father was angry and argued with Ma but he ultimately relented. My Ma certainly had a way with words.
“How dare you fill my sons head with such tribalistic nonsense!” I think were her exact words.
My Ma tried extra hard from then on to teach me about baking since my education had fallen through. Soon I found a new life and shoved dreams of being a warrior to the farthest part of my mind. Along with everything else.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Cold water runs over my hooves. I let my hooves linger as I contemplate the dream. My father was likely on duty right now. Somewhere in Canterlot Castle. He could fight. But would he win? I splash water on myself and clear my head of that idea. There was no way I could rely on my father to save me now. I was alone. But his words rang true. It didn’t take much thought to realize the choice that lay before me: I could stay as I am and cower in fear, or I can take my life in my own hooves and at least try to make it work.
The door sounded like it was going to fly off its hinges, with how hard Minty was knocking.
“Did you fall in Noodle Hooves?”
I grit my teeth and slammed my hoof into the mirror shattering it .
“GO BUCK YOURSELF MINTS! IM DOING MY BUSINESS HERE!”
My own voice surprises me. I don’t think I’ve ever been this angry. Not since Twilight. The knocking stops.
“Geez Comet. Sorry.” I hear Minty whimper as I hear her turn and leave.
Oh, that felt good. The rage. The release. The elation was amazing. Does this make me a warrior? BUCK no. But it seems like death is coming for me either way. I have died a total of three times now, just like with Twilight. How would I manage to get myself out of this one? How many times would I have to die?
My lunch decides to come up again. This time I catch it in my mouth and with gargantuan effort I swallow it back down. Absolutely disgusting. The bitterness in my mouth is foul. I use it to fuel my rage. I steady myself. Legs are jelly. Knees weak like Ma’s spaghetti.
“Comet…This is a terrible bucking idea.”
With every amount of grit, I can muster. I await the pulse.