A Comet's Tale

by Parakalo

Chapter 4 - Comet's House

Comet's night at Twilight Sparkle's house was awkward to say the least. Whenever Comet tried to be friendly or make conversation, Twilight would always seem put off, or hostile on occasions. Comet's new friend Spike didn't understand it either.

"What's wrong with just talking with him, Twilight? You've never had problems making friends since you moved here."

"Oh, I don't know Spike he's just... a colt." That was the best Twilight could put it. Comet and Spike couldn't make heads or tails of it. After a silent breakfast, Comet thanked her again and collected his things. She had a big day getting ready for the Gala at Canterlot tonight and Comet did not want to distract her. On his way out the door, Comet stopped to overhear some furious whispering behind him. After a resigned "Fine" Spike came and joined him.

"What you doing today, Comet?" Spike followed him about the town.

"I'm going to spend the day finding a place to live. I think you and I both know I'm not welcome in the tree again."

"Aw, you're always welcome to spend the night with me, Comet." Spike was ashamed at Twilight's behavior. What had gotten into her? Comet laughed at the thought.

"I don't think I could fit in your basket, Spike." They laughed. After a pause, he turned to face Spike.

"Where do you think I should start?" In all honesty, Comet had no idea how to go about finding a place to live.

"Why don't we check the mayor's office? I'm sure if there's a house with an open bed, it would be listed there."

"I like that idea. Let's do that." Spike hopped on Comet's back and they went together, talking about whatever came to mind.

"So, you're a dragon, right? So you eat gems?"

"Well, not exclusively. Given the choice, I would take gems any day, though." Spike's mouth started to water at the thought. "Well, what about you? What do you like to eat?" Comet hadn't really thought about it.

"Well, I really liked the hay fries with alfalfa and carrots I had yesterday." The waitress was pretty pleasant as well.

"I'm not big on the greens, believe it or not," Spike found vegetables on hay fries to be a crime to taste-buds.

"So... tell me about some of Twilight's friends. I'm pretty sure I have Twilight's character down pretty good," Comet was interested in hearing Spike's input. Hopefully he could give some more immediately relevant information than what the waitress had for him.

"Well, who do you want to hear about?"

"Tell me about... Fluttershy. I've only ever heard her talk once. What does she do?"

"Fluttershy works with animals. She's got this way with little critters and things." Comet guessed that was pretty cool. "She's always been really quiet though, so don't worry, it's not you." That made Comet feel a little better.

"And what about Pinkie Pie? Why is she so... so..."

"Pinkie Pie?"

"Well, yeah." Comet found that was a surprisingly good way to put it.

"Pinkie Pie just loves parties and games. You have to kind of roll with it, but she grows on you after awhile." Comet had a friend like that in school. "Pinkie Pie also loves pranks, too, so keep an eye out." Comet made a mental note of that.

"I guess she gets along with Rainbow Dash pretty well, then?" Comet didn't know what to think of the blue Pegasus.

"Yeah, the two of them have terrorized Ponyville together more than once." Spike knew all too well. "Rainbow Dash is a competitive spirit, though, which makes her a hard worker and a reliable friend." Comet nodded in approval. He felt he made a good choice in getting Spike's thoughts on his new friends.

"I think I know Applejack pretty well at this point, which only leaves---"

"Rarity..." Spike's sigh told Comet all too much. Too much indeed.

"So she's a fashion designer?"

"Only the best fashion designer in all of Equestria! She's been complimented by Hoity Toity, done photo shoots with Photo Finish, she's smart, she's funny, she's beautiful..."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Down boy." Comet had heard enough of that. Drama left a particularly bad taste in his mouth. "Looks like we're here." The town hall had an ornate appeal to it, although it's design was simplistic and sturdy.

At the reception desk inside, they found a receptionist writing letters and filing papers. She appeared... ergonomical. She was easily the least natural-looking unicorn he had ever seen. She returned to her desk when they approached.

"Something I can help you two with?" Her voice sounded interested, but her face said that she would rather be anywhere but here.

"Yeah, I was wondering if there are any houses for sale in Ponyville? I'm Comet."

The receptionist turned and got a large book from a shelf, without a word. She returned with the book and gave a small "Charmed." Speaking of bad tastes in my mouth, Comet thought to himself. She thumbed through the book and revealed a charming display of some of the open rooms and houses in town.

"Wow, these houses are so nice," Spike was fascinated. They were all in the middle of the hustle and bustle of town, waiting to be moved into. They had everything from rooms above the shops for rent to entire two story houses that could be converted into stores. Comet checked how much money he had. He had a solid 430 gold coins to work with. Unfortunately, the smallest cottage he could find was easily triple that.

"Uhm..." Comet did his best to avoid being awkward, "Do you have anything... cheaper? Maybe?" Comet was afraid this would happen. The last thing he wanted to do was have to ask to spend the night at Twilight Sparkle's again.

The receptionist gave a roll of her eyes and went back to the bookshelf. She browsed for a bit and moved to the file cabinet. She waded through papers and pamphlets. She perused assorted colors of documents before reproducing a small manilla folder. There was a photo of a quaint little church on the front.

"Isn't that..." Spike appeared to recognize the building.

"I could sell you the rights to the old church on the hill. It's a bit of a way out of town, and it needs a little work, but I could offer it for as low as 350 gold coins." Comet raised his eyebrows. It was perfect. It even had a bell tower that he could make an observatory out of. He felt a tug on his ear. Spike was waiving him over from his back.

"Excuse us for a minute." Comet quickly turned around to see what was wrong.

"I've been to that place, Comet. It's a dump! You are going to be getting what you pay for."

"So it needs a little work. Nothing I couldn't handle. I took Wood Shop in school." Comet could picture it now. A question arose in his mind. "What happened to the previous owner?" He turned to face the receptionist again. She raised an eyebrow.

"He couldn't afford to maintain the church and moved out west a few years back. Not a lot of marriages in this town." Comet couldn't think of any other options.

"I'll take it!" Spike buried his head in his hands.

"You don't know what you are getting into, Comet..."

"Nonsense, I need some good grunt labor to take my mind off things." Comet payed the receptionist and signed and hoof-printed all the necessary paperwork. At the end, she handed him the manilla folder.

"Good luck to you." Her tone was almost snide, but with it, they took their leave. Comet was stoked. His first place all to himself. He couldn't wait to see it with his own two eyes. They headed out of town, in the opposite direction of the orchard. Comet could see it silhouetted in the sun on the hill.

"The walk isn't that bad," Comet grinned, "It even has a cobblestone path! How cool is that?" The gate at the beginning of the path had rusted off of one of its hinges. Moving carefully, Comet worked around it and headed up the path, Spike on his tail.

When they got to the church, Comet suddenly realized what Spike had meant.

"The picture.... was...."

"The day the pastor left, yes. That's what I was trying to tell you." Spike was satisfied with the look on Comet's face and decided it was I-told-you-so enough for him. The building had virtually no paint left on it, most of the windows were broken or missing, and they could hear a creak from within when the wind blew. There was no bell, but a flapping pair of shutters at the top of the tower.

"Okay... so it needs some tender loving care. Nothing I can't handle." Comet nervously put the key in the lock. The door stuck a bit, but reluctantly opened with some force. The inside reflected the outside of the church. It was small and one-room, with a large storage closet opposite the stairs to the bell tower. A single pew remained on the bare floor. Comet had reason to believe there was a carpet on the floor at one point, but only shreds of it remained.

"You are gonna need some tools, Comet." Spike nodded at the fact that it was worse than he thought. What Comet intended to do with the rest of his afternoon, he had no idea. He was losing light fast, and this place would not keep him out of the cold.

"I'll stop by Applejacks. Surely she has some tools and wood she could lend me."

"Applejack is probably busy, but Big McIntosh would probably help you."

"Is that Applejack's brother or something?"

"Yup. You'll like him, he's a good guy. Strongest colt I've ever met." They locked up the house and Spike found he was running late. "I have to get ready too! See ya, Comet! Good luck!" He ran down the hill for the library. Comet nodded to himself in the failing light. This was just a hurdle. He could handle this. Nothing he couldn't handle at all.

"I have a house!" Comet shouted to the sun. He was just going to pour his soul into it and make it his own. First thing was first, Comet decided, that he had to make it so he could sleep in it that night. Which meant he needed windows, a light source, the tools to install those windows, and a blanket or two. Perhaps a broom to clean a little. The list made perfect sense. Hopefully this Big McIntosh was reasonable.

The walk to Apple Acres was disconcerting. He would need a cart to take all of these things across town, and would probably need to get more tomorrow morning. Just a hurdle. When Comet got to the farm, he found a red colt bucking apples out of the tree with surprising strength. He could clear a tree with a single kick, knocking all the apples out of the tree into thoughtfully placed baskets. That must be him.

"Uh... Excuse me..." Comet approached him cautiously. When he turned to look at Comet, Comet found he had freckles identical to Applejack. "I'm Comet, I just moved here. Are you... Big McIntosh?"

"Eeyup." Big McIntosh's face was practically emotionless.

"I just moved here, like I said, and I just bought the old church on the opposite side of town? Have you been there?"

"Eeyup."

"Yeah, well, it needs a little work, and I was wondering if I could buy some windows off of you and borrow some tools so I could start fixing it up? And the cart to put it all in?"

"Eeyup." Big McIntosh led him down to a big red barn, where everything hardware-related that Comet could think of, was located. Big McIntosh fetched the things Comet asked for quickly and quietly, and had a small cart hitched to go.

"Thanks so much, Big McIntosh. I really appreciate yours and Applejack's hospitality."

"Eeyup." Comet thought, when reflecting upon it later, that Big McIntosh smiled after the last one. He couldn't be sure, though. Comet gave him the last of the money he had, and set off. It took Comet a good 15 minutes and a small push from Big McIntosh to get the cart rolling out of Apple Acres. Comet had no idea it would be so heavy. Comet tugged and huffed at the harness throughout town, drawing more attention to himself than he was comfortable with. On an occasion or two, he had to stop for breath and get some help from passerby to get moving again. A trio of fillies that Comet recognized raced past in a wagon drawn by a small scooter. He knew one of them was Applejack's little sister. What was her name? He couldn't remember it for the life of him.

When they came up beside him, he tried to strike up a conversation between heaves and pants.

"I remember you three." Gasp, "You were in the barn where I woke up." Wheeze. "What were your names again?"

"I'm Sweety Belle," the white one spoke. She had a lovely voice. "And this is Scootaloo and Applebloom." Applebloom! That was her name! Comet could only see the bow poking up from behind Sweety Belle that belonged to Applebloom. "We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, on the hunt to find our special talents. We saw your Cutie Mark was comets. I was wondering, how did you get it?"

"Well," Pant. "It's not very inter---" Gasp, "---esting. I was reading my favorite book. It was... about... comets..." Comet sweat bullets into that harness. He knew he wasn't the most fit pony in school, but this was ridiculous. That big red colt Big McIntosh could probably bench four of those barrels of apples, and this was all he had?

"Ugh, a book? That's so boring." Scootaloo wasn't impressed. Although, it was safer than some of the things she had tried.

"Right now," Wheeze, "I'm going to fix up," Pant, "My new house. I sure could use some help, if you aren't busy."

Sweety Belle liked the idea. He seemed nice enough. Scootaloo, bored of racing around town, found it was better than nothing, and not to Comet's surprise, Applebloom said nothing.

When they reached the church, the Crusaders were fascinated. It was practically an adventure getting to explore this old place.

"Is it haunted?" Scootaloo hoped he would say yes.

"I sure hope not." Comet slumped over on the gate to catch his breath, only for the gate's last hinge to break and tip the gate (and Comet with) it onto the floor. At this point it was about dinner time and the sun was moving fast. Comet had to get moving quickly.

"Okay Crusaders," Comet figured it would be fast enough if he made a game out of it. "I have a mission for you." His suddenly stern voice got all of their attention. "The one who can explore the house the fastest and bring me as much loose wood as possible will win a special prize. The rules are that you can't pull up or apart any furniture, and if it's rotted it doesn't count.:

"All right," Scootaloo was as eager to win as Rainbow Dash, "I'm not going to lose." Applebloom took a serious stance amongst the three of them. She seemed very sure of herself.

"Ready... go!" The three of them raced off into the house. Comet was satisfied with his handiwork. He was glad he could use their help at least until they had to head for home. Comet carefully moved his tools one at a time up the hill to the house to set them down inside. He could hear the three of them racing around shouting at their findings.

"New Rule!" Comet had an idea. "Anything that's not wood but still interesting is worth bonus points!" More shouts could be heard from about the building. Their energy gave Comet a boost in stamina, and he took his broom and started sweeping the ground floor. By the time the floor was clean enough to start working, the girls had found all they could find.

Comet paced amongst them like a stalwart commander. He eyed their piles carefully. Most of Sweety Belle's wood was rotten, and she was unable to produce anything of interest. Scootaloo found a sizable pile of good boards in what was apparently an attic unmentioned in any of the paperwork. Although Applebloom's pile was one-third the size of Scootaloo's, she had in her hooves a golden pocket watch she had found outside by the water spigot, it was damaged, but opened to reveal the remains of an ancient, water-destroyed picture. Easily the most interesting thing.

"I believe this does it right here," Comet gave a satisfying smile, "Applebloom wins." She gave a heavy sigh of relief. Scootaloo groaned and pouted, and Sweety Belle seemed a little disappointed. "For your special prize, I'm going to need you to come back tomorrow. All three of you. It is late now, and I need you to head home for me to keep us all out of trouble. They appeared tuckered out and had done more than Comet had hoped for in that evening. The lantern Comet had borrowed provided more light than the sun at this point. They said their goodbyes and headed out. Applebloom was last to leave. "Be careful on your way home," Comet called to her, "I don't want to hear of anything bad happening to you in the dark." She gave a small nod and moved to leave.

"Thanks for all your help, Applebloom." His grin made her reveal a small smile before she hurried out. She was a sweet girl. Now that Comet had more than enough to work with, he got cracking. Removing the old windows proved challenging, but it wasn't anything Comet couldn't handle after tugging all that junk across town. Once all three of the windows were in place, he found the draft was almost non-existent. It was old, but a well-built church. The lantern did a good job of warming up the inside now that the leaks were mostly gone. Tomorrow, he would fix the door and see what he could do about getting the water and electricity working again. Also, he had no money, and would need to find work until he could put his talent to work for him. This things took time, he supposed. Although he was tired, there was one thing Comet wanted to do before he slept.

Taking his prized telescope and a blanket, Comet climbed the rickety stairs to the bell tower, where he pinned down the flapping shutters. In protest, one of them fell to the ground with a loud crack. Comet was too tired to care. Carefully perching his telescope so that it poked out of the bell tower, Comet took in the big, bright universe around him. There was an unfathomable number of stars this far from civilization. A glowing trail of stars could be seen moving through the sky like a heavenly river, moving across the path it had probably moved for at least hundreds of thousands of years. Comet would name all of these stars. One day, he would become acquainted with every single one. Suddenly dissatisfied with his view, Comet carefully grabbed his telescope and scaled to the top of the flat bell tower roof, where he could take it all in. He found the large cross on that roof was good as a safety in case he slipped. Comet drank in the energy of the universe like he never had before in his life. This spot, where he sat and simply absorbed all of his joy and soreness and comfort, would be his home.

~~~

As Applebloom walked home in the night, she turned once or twice to look back at that house, hoping to see the colt that lived inside. She wasn't sure what it was about him, but he made her insides turn and her mouth feel fuzzy whenever he spoke. His words echoed in her head as she walked. When she turned for the last time, she saw him, sitting on the roof of the bell tower, gazing at the stars in the night. The moonlight illuminated him enough to see his shape, but not define any of his features. She wondered how he felt up there. Was he enjoying himself? Was he lonely? She couldn't tell from here, and once thought of going back. She knew she would be in trouble for being out this late, though, and that kept her headed home.

She would dream of him on his roof that night, and had trouble thinking about anything else for the next few days to come.

Comments

[Professor Donger]

ohhh applebloom has a crush on comet XD

[-Brutus]

So cute! XD