Tale of a Comet: White Light

by Ashfur

New Friends Face an Old Foe! vs. Exterminatus!

"Papa, what exactly are the stars? What do they do?" Asked one of the foals.

The older pony paused his telling of the legendary tale to enlighten his young listeners. "Well, the stars represent our desire to do good, and our self-control over negative emotions. Like the elements of harmony, they can resonate with ponies to grant them power that can banish evil and bring light to the world. Comet just regained the power of the white star. Do either of you remember what the white star stands for?"

"Hope!" The pair shouted enthusiastically. "But papa, what happens when you get the power of hope?"

"Good question, little ones. See, when you have hope, even the smallest bit, the darkness can't take you. With the power of the white star, Comet gained the form of Light Legionnaire, the brave and valiant soldier ready to fight the darkness at every turn. But that much power comes at a cost, especially for one so frail."

---

As the light faded and Twilight regained her sight, she stared at Comet. He was different, more specifically his coloration. Gone were his gray eyes, now a vibrant and lively brown. The black sections of his mane and tail had turned to a pure white, emitting a soft glow. And his cutiemark, while the same eight white stars, saw its central star shining just like his mane. He turned back to look at her, newfound hope shining in his eyes. It took Twilight a moment to realize what felt so familiar about the soft glow from the colt: it was just as calming as the light from the now absent star.

For some reason, Comet had also gained a chestplate and a lance, but Twilight had seen stranger things occur from magical artifacts in the past, so she shrugged it off and focused more on ensuring the wellbeing of the foal she nearly crippled for life.

"Miss Twilight, we have to get down to the others! If the thing that took your shadow is down there, I have to go fight it!" Without another word or thought, he jumped down the nearest hole towards the object of his ire.

"EXTERMINATUS! STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!"

Comet realized too late that falling that far may have been a slight miscalculation, but thankfully Twilight was there to catch him in her magic before he hit the ground, shielding him from the entire cavern roof collapsing to reveal the night sky above. She was going to hold him and ask what he was thinking, but lost her focus at the sight of the creature before her. Comet capitalized on this, leaping forward to close the gap between himself and his lifelong rival.

A grim smile crept across the Exterminatus's mask. "Well, well, well. Looks like you managed to get one star. Just one.
How's that new body treating you, BOY? Any trouble avoiding papercuts and hoof-stubs? Just give up, you can't beat me like this. You're too frail. Broken, as you should be."

Comet flinched back for a second. It was hard to spot, but his new colors faded for a moment before reigniting with renewed vigor. "It doesn't matter if I can't win here! I refuse to let you hurt anypony other than me! If you want to hurt them, there's only one thing to say!"

Twilight turned and noticed her shielded friends, and was stunned for a second trying to decide who to help. But she was suddenly struck with an intense wave of emotions, as were Flurry Heart and the others: Doubt, fear, and depression seemed to seep from Exterminatus and rendered the others incapable of action. Only two ponies remained standing: Comet and Exterminatus.

"Say it, BOY. I've almost come to miss your naive battlecry."

Comet didn't even hesitate. "Boss Battle! ENGAGE!"

Hope in his heart, Comet lunged forward, and struck the ground where Exterminatus stood. His foe was quick to dodge, leaping backwards and spreading his disfigured wings to put some distance between the pair. He stomped the ground and shouted to the sky, and the shadows in the room began to congregate at his hooves. "Nice try." A dark, shadowy tendril shot out from the gathered darkness at his disposal, and Comet barely had the chance to raise his spear in defense. In the royal guard, such a shoddy block wouldn't even pass muster for a recruit due to poor form, but as soon as the darkness collided with it the weapon's tip shone bright, dispelling the dark attack.

Comet leapt forward again, this time sidestepping an incoming tendril to leap onto the massive pile of gems, rubble and bones. He hurled his spear at Exterminatus, the weapon detonating on impact before reforming anew in his grasp. "Thanks, I try my best! And it's gonna be more than enough to win here!"

"Hmph. Try this, then." The cavern seemed to grow darker, and Exterminatus vanished into the dim light. The other unicorns instinctively cast light spells in their state of fear, but they produced light no brighter than a match. Only Comet's glowing body was unaffected, and he knew this. With no warning, Exterminatus struck from the shadows, sending Comet tumbling back down the pile and slamming to a stop against the skull of the long-extinct tunnel snake. The darkness faded, and coalesced around Exterminatus once more.

"Weaker than usual, it seems. Has all that time spent being treated like you'll shatter at the slightest breeze made you go soft? Pity, I was hoping you'd do better than that. Still, you're so pathetic today, I'll even give you a fighting chance. Go ahead. Break. I want to see that hope drain from your eyes as your best shot does nothing." Already the light was flickering in and out from Comet, his body still unharmed but losing magic fast.

He turned his head slowly towards the vile creature. "No."

"WHAT?!"

"I... c-can't win here. But from what I've heard... somepony else here can. All... of them." Comet tilted his head weakly to face his friends. Twilight and Starlight Glimmer could already tell he was near a magical burnout.

"Star... Break! Seeking Shinestrike!"

The glow returned with an intensity that nearly blinded those present. Comet stood with the last of his strength, and with a dramatic pose, the light left him scrambled, each spark surrounding the pony it touched in a thin, ethereal glow. They all heard Comet's voice as his form slumped over, moments from passing out.

Please... I have hope you'll win. I know you will. I'll see you all when I wake up.

As the soft glow enveloped the ponies, they felt their fears and uncertainties melt away. They felt the light of hope shining on them, and they felt empowered, ready to take on the world. Exterminatus noticed this, and backed away slightly, chuckling as they all took aggressive stances.

"So, the fool passed the torch to you lot. You think you can handle me when the only one who knows me failed? There's no win for you here, give up!"

"Ne...ver."

That was all the warning Exterminatus got before one final spark of light struck him in the back and exploded with a flash, sending him tumbling down into the waiting formation of ponies below. They were quick to pelt him with magic, hooves, and anything else they could use to incapacitate him, anger over the fact such a monster would hurt a pony so young driving them onward. Buckling under the renewed assault, Exterminatus lashed out with several shadowy orbs launched at the ponies, taking the opportunity to make his escape back up the pile of gems.

"RGH! That insufferable little insect... Fine! You all win this once. Enjoy your victory, because the war has only just begun!" Then he spread his wings and launched upwards. The room darkened once more, and when the soft glow of moonlight returned there was no trace of the nightmarish attacker.

"What was that? I felt so empowered there, like I was driven to do anything!" Cadence remarked. Then they all turned and looked at the gray form weakly slumped against the skull of the ancient beast.

Even Twilight placed her thoughts of studying the skeleton and using the gems to supplement the economy. All of them had one word on their minds, one word that rang out in a chorus of worry.

"COMET!"

Author's Note:

What's a boss fight without some music?

For any major confrontations in this series, I'll be using some obscure songs to fit the theme. Completely optional, of course. Up next, we'll finally get what I bet a lot of you are asking for: Answers. About everything so far. I've strung you along on threads of lore long enough, you all deserve to know the rules the stars and shadows play by here.

Comments

[Mix-up]

Interesting, looking forward to see comets whole story soon