Perihelion

by InTheStands

Chapter 4

The weather was as beautiful as could be. The sun had just begun to set, flooding everything with an orange-yellow tint of light. At this point in the day, most ponies in the park were already out and traveling home.
One small filly wasn't.
Sitting under the shade of a tree, the purple unicorn was engaged in the reading of a large book in front of her. At her side rested a small, gray doll in the shape of a horse, positioned in such a way that it seemed the doll was reading along with her.The tweeting of the birds and the gentle breeze aside, all was calm for the young unicorn.
That is, until her doll began taking on a green glow and began floating. This grabbed her attention immediately, looking at the toy just before it flew away from her, hitting against her face as it glided off. Her eyes followed the travel of the doll until...
Oh no.
THEM.
The three foals that she always dreaded seeing. The ones that wasted no time laughing at her as her doll floated out of her reach.
"What's the matter, Twi-Lame?" The gray pegasus colt of the group, and the apparent leader, sarcastically asked. "Lose your dolly?"
"Give her back!" Twilight stood up sharply. She tried using her magic to bring Ms. Smarty Pants back down, but her telekinesis only went so far. The doll remained in the air.
Another of them, a pink unicorn filly, simply laughed at her. "You mean 'give IT back', right? I don't think so. Maybe now you can get some real friends!"
Twilight stammered, her eyes welling. She looked at the three before resting her eyes on the third one; The unicorn colt holding her doll in the air.
The one with the dull, lime green coat and dull blue mane. The one that looked EXACTLY like Comet Tail.
Twilight could feel the tears running down her cheeks as she sat back down, looking at Smarty Pants in sorrow.
The pegasus laughed again. "I knew it! She can't talk to anpony. Now she can't even fight!" He flew up and took the doll under his foreleg. "Come on, guys, we're done."
The pegasus and filly unicorn laughed, while Comet Tail stayed suspiciously silent. Twilight didn't notice this, however. She was too busy crying her eyes out.
She sank to the ground, staining the sheets of the book with tears as she wept. First the name-calling, then taking her books, and now this. After what felt like an eternity, she gasped and looked up as she felt a hoof on her shoulder.
It was Cadance, looking down at her with fright and concern. "Twilight? What happened?"
The unicorn filly cried into her foalsitter's chest, making no attempt to tell her what happened. Cadance embraced her, then began asking again. "Twilight, please tell me. Twilight? Twilight?"

"Twilight?!"
The purple unicorn shook her head as she found herself back in the present. She looked around before realizing she was on the floor, curled up in a fetal position, the enchanted stick now laying on the floor before her, just a regular stick. She was pulled up by somepony from behind. Turning around as she was sat up, she came face-to-face with Cadance. The look of concern was exactly what it was years ago. "Twilight, please speak to me! What happened?!"
Twilight opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She was still processing what she just witnessed. Comet Tail wasn't some old friend or neighbor, as she thought.
He was a bully.
One of the worst bullies she had the displeasure of remembering.
And he never mentioned this once to her.
NOT.
ONCE.
The look of shock on Twilight's face was replaced with one of rage. She bared her teeth, scaring Cadance, Spike and Shining Armor.
"Twilight?" Spike asked, afraid for his caregiver and his safety.
Ignoring them, Twilight ran around Cadance, then ran out the library door. The two ponies and dragon looked at each other in pure horror.
"What happened?" Cadance quietly asked as she began to cry, wondering if it was her fault. Shining immediately hugged her, looking out the now wide open door in disbelief.
Twilight, meanwhile, ran as fast as she possibly could to her destination. Ponyville was easy to navigate, and she had no trouble reaching her target.
She slowed her running to a walk, all four hooves stomping as she approached the front door of the house. She gave the wooden door three sharp strikes that weren't knocks so much as they were punches.
Gritting her teeth, she felt herself snorting as she breathed. She could hear the hoofsteps approaching the door.
And then HE appeared.
"Twilight!" Comet Tail smiled. "I thought I wasn't gonna-"
"YOU." Twilight growled out. "It's YOU."
Comet Tail felt fear wash over him. "Huh?"
Twilight stepped into his house, forcing him to back up. She kept walking as she spoke. "All those times you talked about us. About our foalhood, about our memories...I didn't remember one bit of you."
Comet's heart sank a bit. "You didn't?" He suddenly felt the wall of his house hitting his back. But Twilight kept coming at him.
"Not until tonight. I cast a memory spell on myself. Now I remember everything." Her voice lowered as she put her face directly in front of his. "I. Remember. EVERYTHING."
Confused at first, Comet Tail suddenly realized what Twilight was talking about. His mouth dropped open. "Oh Celestia. Twilight, please. It...it's not-"
"It's not what?!?" She fully screamed at him for the first time in the confrontation. "It's not what I think?! Not what I remember?!? Are you saying that it wasn't you and those so-called friends of yours, who made every single day of my life they could MISERABLE?!?" Her mane at this point was shaken loose, strands pointing out everywhere. "Don't you DARE tell me that's not true! I KNOW it's true!!"
Comet Tail's lower lip quivered before closing his eyes, sighing, and bowing his head. "Yes. It's true. It was me." He looked at her. "But that's the thing. It WAS me. It's not who I am NOW. I know better."
Twilight calmed down a little, but was still angrier than she ever was. "You expect me to believe that? That you can just drop the attitude of being a bully? Especially one that was as cruel as you? How do I even KNOW you mean that? That all this wasn't some trick to let me get my guard down so you can torment me all over again?!"
Comet felt his heart twist. "Twilight, please. I mean it. What I did was wrong. And I apologize for it. I'm sorry."
And just like that, Twilight started to scream all over again. "Sorry?! All those times you took my books, my toys, and pushed me around?! And all you have to say is sorry?!?" She bared her teeth again before screaming out, shaking her head, and turning to face the door. She then uttered one final sentence at him. "I didn't think it was possible to hate anypony as much as I hate you."
Comet was completely shattered by this confession. He lowered himself on the ground in a sitting position, mouth agape as he tried to say something - anything - to prove his sincerity.
But it was too late. Twilight had begun leaving the house, forcing him to stammer. "W-wait! What about the book?! I was gonna give it to you for your library!"
Twilight looked back at him before sneering. "At this time, NOTHING of yours will so much as touch ANYTHING of mine ever again. Goodbye."
Comet Tail hung his head again, staring at the ground. For the first time in a while, he could actually feel himself starting to cry. His one chance at redemption - at forgivenes - maybe even at...
And it was all ruined.
He looked up and saw Twilight disappear into town, not once looking back at him. What neither of them saw, however, was the cyan, rainbow-maned pegasus crouched down under one of the house's windows, mouth open in shock as to what had just happened.

The three figures in the library snapped their heads to the direction of the door as they heard it slam. Twilight stood there, mane messed up, and a look of determination on her face. She slowly walked towards them.
"Twilight?" Cadance gently asked. "Please tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing," Twilight answered. "Not anymore, at least."
Spike grew fearful. "What...what exactly did you do, Twilight?"
"Severed ties with the one thing of my past that still gave me problems," Was her answer as she walked past them up to the door leading to her room. "I need a moment alone," She announced to them. She then shut the bedroom door as quickly as she opened it. The two ponies and one dragon were alone once again.
"...What happened?" Shining Armor asked.
"I think she remembered something she wanted to forget," Spike gave his best possible explanation. "So why did she just run out and then come back?"
"I know someone in the guard who runs laps when he gets angry," Shining shrugged. "But other than that..."
"Wait," Cadance stopped them both, raising a hoof as she looked up into the air of the room. "Do you hear that?"
They fell silent. Sure enough, a strange tapping filled the air. They looked at the windows around them, but saw nothing. Until Spike noticed a cyan foreleg disappearing as quickly as it appeared.
"Up there!" Spike pointed. Cadance, being careful not to blow away any loose papers, levitated herself to the oval window. Opening it and peering out, she stuck out her head to notice a small letter tacked to the trunk of the enormous tree the library was built in. Taking the letter, she floated herself gently back onto the ground.
"That was Rainbow Dash," Spike told them once Cadance returned to them. "And that's her hoofwriting."
Cadance used her magic to open the letter, reading it aloud for the other two to hear:
"Emergency meeting tomorrow. Do NOT bring Twilight. Go to the Fountain at Town Hall and look for a rabbit who answers to the name of 'Angel'. He will bring you to Fluttershy's cottage. Make up any story you want but DO NOT bring Twilight. Rainbow Dash."
The three looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
"You know what?" Spike began. "You two go. Twilight will suspect something if I left the library. You can fill me in on the details, anyway."
"If you say so," Shining sighed. "Wait, how does Dash know what happened?"
"Does it matter at this point?" Cadance retorted. "If Twilight won't tell us, someone has to."
With that, the three of them agreed to find their answers tomorrow at this meeting.