> Tale of a Comet: White Light
>  by Ashfur
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Once upon a time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Papa, papa! Can you tell us a bedtime story?" Two young foals looked on expectantly from their beds, eyes wide with anticipation as they awaited the stallion's response. He chuckled.

"You two are going to be the death of me one of these days with all that cute, you know that?" Asked their father. "But I suppose I can tell you one. Excitable little foals such as yourselves do tend to sleep better if they get a bedtime story, after all. Tell me, which one should I tell you? Frogs on a picnic? Little Blossom's rainy day? Or-"

"We want the story of Astral Comet!" Both shouted.

"That old story, huh?" The stallion mused, gazing out the window. "I haven't told that one in a while. Well, if I recall correctly, it goes something like this.  Ahem..."





So many stories begin with a prophecy, a foal destined from birth to vanquish some ancient evil.  With our cutiemarks, destiny is all the more ingrained in our stories.  But the story of Astral Comet, the great shooting star of hope, starts out a little differently.  There never was a prophecy, the evil was never ancient, and while the adventure is all too real, it started with the dream of a child...

"It's over, Terminatus!  I've won, give up.  With the power of the stars, I will defeat you, and everything can go back to the way it should be!"  A young boy, no older than twelve years old, stood against his eternal rival.  The child clenched his fists tightly as a haunting wind blew at the edges of his white robe.  The multicolored trim of the garment reflected the gaze of what could only be described as a monster.  Across the orange tiled floor, the only other occupant of the throne room stood, watching.  His body covered in a cloak made of shadows, most of the creature was blocked from view, but the child would recognize its face anywhere.

In place of a head, Terminatus had a golden mask in the shape of an triangle, which was split from left to right like a beak revealing rows of sharp teeth.  Three golden spikes protruded from the top of the mask, giving it the shape of a mouse cursor on a computer pointed straight down.  But the most striking and terrifying feature were his eyes, or at least eyeholes, a total of 7 arranged in a V shape and a glowing red gem in each pitch black hole acting as the pupil.  Grinning, he wordlessly extended a horrifying claw made of rusty, bloody chains from his cloak and beckoned the boy forward.  In a dark, distorted voice, he simply taunted, "Go ahead and try, Boy."

"If that's how you want it, fine!"  The young human assumed a fighting stance, readying himself for the incoming fight.  As he always had, he rushed forward, crying out  "Boss Battle!  ENGAGE!"

Terminatus tossed aside his cloak, revealing a mess of flesh and metal, but still humanoid in shape, and lunged forward, claws at the ready.  The child was quick to meet him, summoning forth a greatsword made of lightning to strike back at the beast.  The grating sound of metal grinding against metal filled the hall as sword met claw again and again, the echoes bouncing of the walls and the massive abstract stained glass window behind the throne.  Terminatus dodged left, shooting a metal chain straight at the boy, latched onto his weapon and pulled the greatsword out of his hands.  Undeterred, the young child let loose with every weapon in his arsenal.  Fire rained from the skies, tidal waves flooded the room, illusions allowed for strikes from the shadows.  Little by little Terminatus showed signs of wear and exhaustion, but it simply wasn't enough.  It never would be enough, not without using that.

Outraged by the creature still standing before him, the boy relented.  Impaling Terminatus on a massive icicle, he took a mighty leap to the top of the steps in front of the throne, he lifted his arms skyward as seven 4-pointed stars began to circle him, one for each color of the rainbow.  "Like I said, Terminatus, it's over!  This bad dream has ended, and it's time for me to wake up and be with my family!  FIRE!  EARTH!  LIGHTNING!  PLANT!  ICE!  WATER!  DARKNESS!  The seven stars will seal you back away, and you'll be nothing more than a memory!"

To the boy's surprise, Terminatus laughed.  Well, more like he opened his mouth and a very disturbing sound came out, but he knew it was laughter.  "You think you've won, Boy?  That your own imagination is enough to beat me?  You've been playing too many video games, that doesn't work here.  You think-"  He coughed up a dark fluid, still impaled on the icicle.  "You think I'm just a dream?  That therapist your family got you doesn't know anything, but I don't care anymore.  It's time I went back to my world.  Yes, this battle is over.  This 'Bad dream' is over..."  The glass behind the boy shattered, and only darkness lay beyond the window.  Darkness and two massive, glowing red eyes, followed by hundreds more.

"But the nightmare is just beginning."

Before he could react, a wave of shadows engulfed the child.  Terrified, he felt the inky blackness overwhelm his senses.  He desperately tried to grasp at the stars he was so confident would win him the day, but he could feel them slowly slipping out of his control.  He was going to die here, he thought.  He would never wake up back on Earth, never see his family.  But he wouldn't go quietly, he thought.  As the mass of dark energy left his mind in a void of emptiness, moving on to some other place, He promised that he would not stop until it was gone for good.  The seven stars heard his promise, and used the last of their connection with him to send the boy after the shadowy monster, before following suit into the deep recesses of the mind where dreams and other worlds connect.

As he was flung through the void on his chase against his foe, the boy felt the stars leave him but smiled knowing that he wasn't going to die today.  Holding onto that tiny spark of hope, his only light in the darkness, he fell into a peaceful slumber as the eighth star, the White star of Hope, was born.
> Make a wish upon me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flurry Heart sat in the main courtyard of the Crystal Palace, located in the Crystal Empire in the northern reaches of Equestria.  Upon her head, instead of her usual tiara, was a party hat, and the courtyard's main feature that evening was a mountain of gifts for the young princess.  After all, a royal's birthday is something to be celebrated.

"...Happy birthday dear Flurry, Happy birthday to you!"  Sang the crowd of ponies in attendance.  Mostly nobles were the ones present, but a few of the ponies were ones she actually cared about.  Those few were her mother and father, Princess Celestia and Luna, and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.  Her adviser Sunburst was there too, but he was spending the day with his foalhood friend Starlight Glimmer.  So, atop her pile of gifts, she surveyed all those present, and noticed the same thing she noticed every year:  There were no ponies her age present who were not from the nobility.  And the noble ponies her age that tried to befriend her only did it for the connections it would provide.

Flurry Heart sighed, looking up at the twinkling stars in the night sky.  "I wish I had somepony who wasn't uptight and all about money and power,"  she quietly lamented.  "I'd trade all these gifts for one real, true friend.  One who's willing to do more than sit around and discuss politics.  One who loves adventure!"  As she gazed upwards, she saw a shooting star, and made her wish for a friend on it.

Gliding down the pile of gifts to her family, she nuzzled Luna closely.  "Thanks for that, Auntie Luna.  I don't know how hard it is to change the sky after you've made it for the night, but I really appreciate it."

Luna nuzzled back, but turned to look at Flurry inquisitively.  "Thine affections are appreciated, but of what dost thou speak of, dear niece?"  Flurry simply pointed upwards at the shooting star.  Luna's eyes went wide with shock.  "Flurry, we did not make that one."

"Then who did?"

Among the nobles present, many more noticed the star as well, but wishes quickly turned to terror as the crowd realized that the shooting star was rapidly getting closer.  "A question to be investigated later, dear niece. For now, we must find shelter!  'Tis coming right at us!"  The royals joined the crowd in a mad dash for cover.  It's funny how an impending disaster suddenly makes all titles and ranks disappear.  Ponies huddled together with their closest friends and archrivals, it mattered not as long as they were safe.  And as the falling star grew closer, ponies seemed to compress together even further, until with a deafening blast and a massive cloud of dust and debris, it hit the ground.

More specifically, it obliterated Flurry's present pile, as it happened to be right at the point of impact.





"Is everypony alright?"  Became the phrase of the night, along with "I'm okay!"  It seemed as though, thank harmony, the impact had been lessened by the now-destroyed presents and no major injuries had occurred.  Of course, once the dust had settled, the nobles began trying to one-up each other again in promises of replacement gifts.  Flurry simply left them to their bickering and flew over the crater to see if anything was salvageable.  It was worth it to see the meteor, at least.

Carefully climbing down amidst the rubble with her aunt Twilight, Flurry pondered about the wish she made for a friend.  She had certainly traded all her gifts away, she thought while suppressing a chuckle.

"Don't worry Flurry.  We will get you something to make up for this, I promise,"  Twilight said in a comforting tone.  "But this is still amazing!  A real meteor, fresh from space, and we get to investigate it!  And judging by the looks of things, our meteor should be ringht...  here?!"

Lifting a final peice of rubble out of the way, the two ponies found their meteor.  There, right at the center of the crater, a single pegasus colt lay battered, bruised, and barely breathing.  Covered in dirt, dust, and debris, it was impossible to tell anything more about the pony.

Twilight had only one thing to say.

"Oh, sweet Celestia!  Somepony get a medic down here!"
> Gray Anatomy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Doctor Cross.  Twilight.  Have you uncovered anything new about our new friend?"  Celestia sat waiting patiently in the emergency room of the Crytal Empire's finest hospital.  Some of the best doctors were examining the pegasus who seemingly fell from outer space, hoping to glean information on where he came from, how he got that high in the first place, and how he survived a fall from that height.

Doctor Golden Cross, one of the best surgeons in the world, nodded his head groggily, clearly in need of sleep.  There were visible bags under his eyes and his brown coat would have been covered in mud, dust and some blood had he not worn a lab coat.  Twilight spoke up in his stead, as he seemed too tired to even speak.  They had been at this for twelve hours, after all, five of which were emergency surgery.

"Well, Celestia," Twilight began.  "We have done some extensive tests on the patient, and we found a few surprising things."

Celestia stood up from her seat as Twilight beckoned her down the hall for a walk in a soundproof bubble.  "Well?  Go on, my faithful ex-student."

The purple alicorn smiled at that.  "Well, the first thing we had to do was clean him off to make sure nothing got infected.  Turns out that while there was a lot of gray dust, his coat was that color as well, but I'll get to that in a minute.  The most pressing matter was surgery, as the poor colt suffered some broken ribs and had some internal bleeding, but it wasn't even close to lethal."

Celestia tilted her head, clearly intrigued.  "Not that I doubt you, twilight, but a fall at that speed from that high up would most certainly do more than crack a few ribs.  And if that is the case, why did surgery take five whole hours?"

"He has next to no magic."

"I beg your pardon?  How much does he have?"

Twilight floated over her clipboard, covered in complex mathematics and notes.  She narrated for her fellow princess.  "Well, when we tried to activate his natural magic to heal his wounds, it didn't come on.  We took so long because it takes a lot more magic to heal somepony when their inner magic isn't helping you.  He is, thankfully, expected to make a full recovery though.  The issue lies in the scans we took afterward.  His natural magic reserves are so low they may as well be nonexistent.  He only has slightly more than the amount required to run normal body functions.  If he had reserves even ten percent smaller than he does, he'd be in a coma at best."

"And do you know why this is, Twilight?  That doesn't seem natural."

"It isn't.  We know it's not.  Remember how I said his coat was gray?"  Her old mentor nodded.  "That's not the whole story.  His entire body is gray, at least on the outside.  He's completely monochromatic.  See for yourself."  Flipping to the final page of the clipboard, Celestia finally saw the image of the colt who quite literally crashed Flurry Heart's party.

Light gray fur covered his body, ending in dark gray hooves.  His two-tone mane was long but seemed to stand up like a fire, with the hairs being two colors each, with the shift in color in the middle, being dark gray on the half closer to his head and pitch black further away from his body.  His tail had a similar pattern, but the hairs were each a solid color.  The top half of his tail was black and the bottom half gray.  It almost seemed as if he was copying the manestyle of Captain spitfire of the Wonderbolts.  He also had a cutie mark, a large 4 pointed white star with a semicircles of 7 smaller 4 pointed white stars above it.

Celestia looked over the picture again, and turned back to Twilight.  "Well, it's strange, but not unusual for a pony to be all one color.  What makes you think he is any different?"

"Two reasons.  First, his eyes are gray.  Nopony has gray eyes.  But more importantly, we got him to change color for a second."

"Explain."

"By all of our tests, he is a perfectly normal pony from Equestria.  But whenever we applied healing magic to fix anything, two things happened.  First, his magic reserves temporarily increased, trying to store the magic we poured into him.  We actually had to pour nearly twice as much as normal into him to actually heal the poor colt, but  his magic reserves quickly shrunk back to normal after we stopped applying magic."

"And the second thing?"

"When we applied healing magic, the gray part of his mane, the middle star of the semicircle on his cutie mark, and his irises all turned green.  They went back to gray when we stopped using magic on him."  Twilight gave Celestia a moment to process this.  "Now, remeber when Tirek stole our magic?  We all grayed out a bit, but we never lost our color completely.  Same with when Cozy glow tried draining all the magic in Equestria.  But those times they were draining our magic, not our magic reserves. "

Celestia thought for a moment, then replied.  "Are you suggesting that this colt has had his magic reserves stolen?"

"Stolen or broken off.  We will need to keep watch for any similar situations, and ask him when he wakes up for any information he has.  We might have a new threat on our hooves, but the question still remains on how he got so high up in the sky..."

"Then I suppose we will have to wait until he wakes.  I have one more question, Twilight, then I implore you to get some rest.  This colt, does he have a name?"

"We couldn't find any records of him in the local hospitals.  So for now, given his big entrance, we're calling him Comet."

"Comet, hm?  What a nice name."
> Companions by candlelight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comet stared at his reflection in the mirror, gray eyes gazing back.  He had been like this for half an hour since he woke up, his mind desperately trying to process his surprise change of species.  For what it was worth, though, that was only the first of many things wrong with the room.

For starters, his body was that of a pegasus now.  Admittedly strange, but he managed to walk over to the mirror in the dim light of the crescent moon out the window.  What he saw put him at ease, but also worried him slightly.  Looking at his new cutiemark, he recognized the stars he used in his dreams to keep his insecurities at bay, but their lack of color was disturbing.  There was also eight stars instead of seven, but something told him it belonged.

The other major problem was that of the clipboard at the end of his hospital bed.  It was written in an indecipherable script, some foreign language that Comet didn't recognize.  Everything else in the room was written in it too, so he had no idea of where he was or even what the inspirational posters on the wall said.  What he did find, though, after stumbling about on his new legs, was a lantern affixed to a small gold chain hanging from the wall.

Deciding to find out where he was, Comet took a running leap and yanked the light fixture down from its hook.  He made some noise, but at least he had a portable light source!  Taking it up in his mouth despite hating the taste, he grabbed the lantern and awkwardly stumbled out of the room.

The hallway was deserted.  Not another soul in sight was awake at this late hour as the gray pegasus roamed the halls.  The little bit of light from his lantern guided him as he moved around as quietly as he could, looking for a way out of the building.

At the center of the city, a few dozen blocks away, a young pony was trying to sneak out herself.  Granted, being a princess, Flurry Heart had her own dedicated guard, so she had to start her escape attempt by flying out her window and quickly swooping down into the gardens below.  Thankfully nopony saw her leave, so all she had to do was slip past the guards in the garden and she should be able to sneak out through the courtyard as the guards ran their nightly patrols.  It was tricky, and the guards knew she had tried it before, but she kept to the shadows and managed to get to the outer courtyard by cutting through the hedges.

Sneaking out of the courtyard would be harder.  Guards kept a close watch on the sky and the gate so no intruders could get in.  This also meant that nopony could leave without being noticed, either.  That is, until a messenger ran through the gate and made an announcement.

"I just got word from the Cryatal Jewel Memorial hospital!  Comet has disappeared!"

Within minutes the courtyard was abuzz with activity as search groups were formed.  Flurry had to retreat back to the gardens to avoid detection, but she was able to slip over the wall unnoticed as a cloud covered the moon due to the sudden absence of nearly half the guard force.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Comet had managed to find and exit one of the matinence doors in the back of the facility.  He nearly dropped the lantern from his mouth as he looked around him, buildings made of crystal glittering in the moonlight.  Still, he decided to pick a direction and start walking, hoping to find someone to help him with his predicament.

It wasn't long after he started walking that he came upon a place untouched by the shimmering crystals of the city.  A small park featuring a hill and a few trees added some much needed nature to the mineral city.  Deciding that a higher vantage point might help him get his bearings, he trotted up the hill to try and figure out where in this crazy city of crystals he was.

Flurry heart, meanwhile, was resting against a tree in her favorite park to stargaze in.  She knew she would get found by the guards eventually and brought back to the castle, likely getting quite the talking-to, but she just wanted to get away from the role of princess.  The week had barely begun and already her peers at school were trying to get on her good side again.  It infuriated her, to be honest.

Suddenly, a light climbing the hill caught her eye, if only for a moment.  She turned to face it, but it did not seem to be approaching her location.  Shrugging it off as a pony out late, possibly lost, Flurry laid back down and watched the sky.  However, the pony with the light was rather distracting as he climbed to the top of the hill and seemed to look around, lost.  Against her better judgement, Flurry flew over to the mystery pony.

"Hey, are you lost?" She asked.

[Whoa, who's there?!]  The pony jumped in surprise and spun around, dropping the lantern he was holding.  Flurry recognized the colt quickly in the dim glow of the lantern.  It was Comet, the pure gray pony who had fallen from the sky a few days prior.

Flurry took a startled step back.  "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.  I'm Flurry Heart, but you probably knew that.  How did you get all the way over here?"

Comet tilted his head to one side, perplexed.  [I'm sorry, I can't understand you, horse thing.  Do you speak english?]

Flurry didn't recognize the language coming from the colt's mouth, but it held the inflection of a question.  It was pretty obvious this pony didn't speak her language.  So she pointed to herself.  "Flurry Heart."

[Is that your name?  Oh hey, you have wings too!]  He glanced at the wings at her sides.  [Can I call you feathers for now?]

Flurry was becoming even more confused.  She laid down and beckoned Comet to do the same, the lantern ther only light as the moon vanished behind a cloud.  "Do you not know who I am, or have you never seen an alicorn before?  You must come from really far away, or at least hit your head pretty hard."  Comet chose this moment to reach over and hold out a hoof in greeting, a smile on his face.  He didn't need to say anything, as his message was clear.  A greeting, and possibly friendship.  She reached her hoof over to make contact, and he moved their hooves up and down in an odd motion.

[A handshake.  Er, hoofshake.]

"I still don't understand you."

"There you are.  Do you know how worried I've been Flurry?" A voice called from further down the hill.

Flurry's ears shot up and her eyes widened.  "Oh, no!  Mom found me!  Aw mane, I don't wanna go home yet."

Comet looked down the hill and saw the silhouette of a lager pony approaching.  He then looked back at the worried Flurry.  In his mind, he thought the larger pony was trying to catch his new companion, but he didn't know why.  Still, he put a hoof to his mouth go indicate silence and whispered, [Don't worry, Feathers.  I wanna keep everyone safe.  Just trust me.]

"What are you-"  Before she cold finish, Comet grabbed the lantern and, not knowing how to turn it off with his mouth or hooves, resorted to spinning in place and letting go, sending the lantern flying.  Now barely visible, he motioned for her to follow before galloping down the hill away from Cadence.

That was, at least until Cadence used her magic to grab the lantern, Flurry Heart, and Comet all in one go.  Pulling Flurry close, she hugged her and began fussing over her.  "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, mom.  I don't think he knows who we are.  Or even how to speak Equish."

Comet was befuddled.  [Wait, they know each other?  So much for saving the day.  And... I guess unicorns can levitate things?  That's so cool!]  It was then he noticed the two looking at him and asking him questions he couldn't even translate.  He settled on one word.

[Hi!]
> Walk with me talk with me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Hey Feathers, you got a minute to talk?  Or hang out, at least?]

Flurry looked up from her homework at her new friend.  It had been a week since they met, and after the misunderstanding concerning their initial meeting with Princess Cadence, Comet was quickly integrated into the daily lives of the crystal palace staff.  It wouldn't do to put such a unique pony in the care of anypony else, due to his inability to speak the local language and crippling lack of magic.  Still, he was learning fast thanks to the combined efforts of some of the best Crystal Empire scholars.  It would be while yet, but...

"Fea-thers!  He-low!"

...Comet was picking up some words.  Although his nickname for her was perplexing, she appreciated not being called 'Your majesty' or 'Your highness' all the time.  Besides, it was a distraction from homework.  "Hey, Comet.  How are you?"

"Comma is good.  Yoo?"  He paused, then added, [I really hope I got that right.]

Flurry floated over a paper and crayons from her desk.  "Here, draw something.  I have homework to do."

"Oh, hey there Flurry!  I was hoping to run into you."  Flurry Heart's ears perked up at that.

"Auntie Twilight!  I missed you!"  She rushed over and gave the purple pony a hug in greeting.

"It is good to see you, Flurry.  And... oh!"  She turned, noticing the room's other occupant.  "You're that colt who fell from the sky.  I'm Twilight Sparkle, element of magic.  I have so many questions for you!  How did you get that high up?  What did you do to survive a fall that far?  Do you know why your magic is at such a low level?"  As Twilight rattled off questions, Comet sat down, confused and slightly dizzy from the barrage of questions.  Flurry Heart tapped her aunt of the shoulder to get her attention.  "Huh?  What is it Flurry, I'm busy."

"He can't speak Equish."

Twilght's ears folded back, noticing the slightly distressed colt on the floor.  "Oh.  I'm... sorry?  What language does he speak?"

"Mom and Dad aren't sure.  Still,"  she got Comet's attention and pointed at Twilight.  "Twi-Light Spark-le," she instructed.

Comet took a moment to roll his tongue around, getting a feel for the words.  Putting on a confident grin, he replied to the princess in kind.

"He-low, Tribite Sprinkle!  I yam Comma."  As he beamed proudly, Flurry barely managed to keep from falling over laughing.

"I'm calling you that from now on, Auntie Tribite," Flurry joked.

Twilight, ever the diplomat, didn't even flinch at her butchered name.  "Well, clearly he needs teaching.  Maybe I can try and figure out what language he speaks, then I can help him figure out how to tell us what happened.  Do you think you can get him to speak, Flurry?  I heard you two are close."

"He's nice to me and we play together, but he doesn't talk much since nopony seems to understand him.  I could try, though.  He's smart, maybe you could use pictures?"

"That's great idea!"  Swiftly, Twilight took the paper and crayons in her magic and scribbled out a diagram.  On one side were two badly drawn ponies, but still evidently Twilight and Flurry.  Each one had a speech bubble with Equestrian script in it.  On the other side was a badly drawn Comet, with two speech bubbles.  One had the same text as Twilight and Flurry's speech, and was crossed out.  The other had a blank space, and was circled.  "I hope he understands this,"  she hoped as she goofed the paper back over.

"He seems smart, I think he will."

Comet slowly reviewed the picture, looked back at the ponies, and back at the paper again.  [They want me to speak like this?]  He pondered aloud.

"There!  Do you know that language, Auntie Twilight?  ...Auntie?  What's wrong?"  Looking over, she saw Twilight's jaw hanging open.  It was nearly on the floor she was so surprised.  Stuttering slightly, she asked the most important question Comet had heard since arriving.

[Do you speak English, Comet?]





After that day, things progressed faster than the ponies working with Comet expected.  Turns out that he came from a different world, somehow, and despite not knowing how he got there it was determined that it wasn't a 'normal'method like the portal mirror, since that let's you speak the native language as well as your own as soon as you go through.  Speaking of the portal mirror, a quick look at Twilight's scrapbook of that adventure determined that Comet didn't come from the human world Twilight knew.  However, he was progressing fast at both adapting to pony customs and his new language thanks to Twilight's tutoring.  The only struggles had was a few breakdowns about his family, which were calmed by his new family consisting of the castle staff.  Cadence even appointed herself as his legal guardian until he could go off on his own.

One other problem held fast, though.  Try as they might, Comet's original human name was impossible to translate into Equish, so he decided that Comet would be his name for good.  More specifically 'Astral Comet', but he preferred 'Comet'.

"Hey Feathers, you got a... uh... meenute?"  That, and despite a whole month of work, there was a lot of language to learn.

"It's pronounced 'minute', Comet.  But yeah."  The other thing the purple princess had done was fashion a set of enchanted headsets for Flurry and Comet to translate their speech on the fly.  They were incredibly expensive and took a lot of Magic to enchant properly, but Cadence had paid the price without issue, stating her daughter needed a friend who ignored her status like Comet did.  And Twilight gladly did the enchanting, because there were 'abundant scientific possibilities from observing Comet's interactions with magical items when he came from a magicless world.'  She was even writing a paper on it.

So, Flurry put on her headset as Comet did the same.  "So, Comet, what's up?  Mom went to the spa for a while, and I don't have homework, so we can play if you wanna."

Comet smiled at his closest pony friend.  "Nah, maybe later.  I was gonna go get some food.  I kinda miss meat,"  he said as Flurry looked slightly nauseous, "but you guys sure know how to make hay and flowers tasty.  I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch?  We could go play tag in the gardens later, if you want."

Flurry got out of her chair and put down her book without a second thought.  "Yeah, let's go!  And I promise not to fly this time.  It wasn't fair since you don't know how yet."

"Twilight said I might not be able to with my lack of magic.  Not that I miss it, I never had wings to start with!"

"True, but we can move later.  Come on, let's go get some ice cream before Mom gets home!"  Flurry galloped off down the hall towards the kitchens, smiling all the while.

"Hey, wait for me!  I'm still not used to four legs!"
> The weakest link lights the way
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pain.

It is a sensation not many can say they enjoy, and fewer can say they have never known.  Of course, for the average pony, their natural magic will cause wounds to heal faster than most and hurt less, especially when it is related to their tribe.  Earth ponies can get up after a good rest despite having pulled muscles in every leg the day before.  Unicorns can recover from negaitve magical effects with greater efficiency.  And the average pegasus can get up from a small crash landing with nothing more than a bruise.

Astral Comet was not an average pegasus.  In fact, his lack of available magic not only made it harder to recover quick, but it also could not lift him off the ground completely.  Unfortunately this meant that everything was a lit more dangerous to the colt.  Case in point, his current position: his body splayed out in pain as the doctors popped his dislocated front shoulder back into place.

"And that should do it.  Don't you go doing anything strenuous for a few days, Comet,"  Dr. Cross instructed.  "If there's residual pain, take the pain medicine I'm sending to Princess Cadence, and if it gets worse come back and see me.  Okay?"  His patient nodded.  "Then go on home to the palace.  I'm sure everypony is waiting for you.

Sure enough, the princess of love, her husband and daughter, and a few guards were there to greet Comet in the waiting room.  Flurry heart was quick to run over and hug her best friend tightly.  "I'm so sorry I wasnt there to help!  You aren't hurt anymore, are you?"

A chuckle, albeit pained, escaped Comet's mouth.  "I'll live.  Doctor Cross said if I had hit the ground any harder, I probably would have broken my leg.  Not too big a deal, right?"

While Flurry and Comet chatter, Cadence and her guards grimaced.  They knew the reality of the situation, a grim reminder to keep Comet safe.  Without magic at his disposal, breaking a leg might cause him to never recover, much like their ancient ancestor the horse.  Cadence made a note to assign a guard to him at school to prevent a recurrence, as it was in all honesty an accident.  Some colts pushed Comet off a ledge thinking be could fly, and nothing good came of the situation.  Still...

"I hope you aren't mad at those other ponies that pushed me, Mrs. Cadence.  They didn't know."  Comet looked hopefully at the pink princess.  "They already stopped by to say sorry, and promised to not do it again.  I don't think they meant to hurt me."

Cadence nuzzled the colt reassuringly.  "No need to worry, Comet.  I understand the issue.  I will be assigning a guard to keep you safe at school, though.  I refuse to let any of my subjects get hurt, even more so those close to me and my family."

With that done, the royal entourage left back for the palace, the guards paying extra attention to the carriage.





Twilight looked up from her lab work as a familiar gray colt trotted in.  "Hey there, Miss Twilight.  Mrs. Cadence said you had something to show me?"

"Oh, yes!  You are just on time.  I was just working on a solution to your magic problem."

Comet tilted his head to one side.  "You mean the fact I have next to none?  I didn't have any in the human world, so it's not to big a deal..."

Twilight shook her head.  "It is a big deal.  Your lack of mana reserves mean that you are very fragile.  It wouldn't take much to knock you into a coma or worse, as your body needs a certain amount of magic to survive.  So, I made a solution.  Or at least, a temporary one.  She pointed to a large selection of crystals, and a pendant that each crystal was sized to fit into.  "Here I have a stash of some magic Crystal's charged with energy.  They should act as temporary mana batteries so you can use magic, but it will only augment your natural defense and healing.  You can't use it to fly, as that would run the risk of you needing to swap crystals midair and get seriously hurt.  So until we can figure out why you don't have as much magic, this will have to do."

As she levitated the pendant onto his neck, Comet felt the magical energy in the crystal.  It felt foreign, yet somehow familiar.  Twilight ran her magic over him to check his body, and her muzzle scrunched in frustration.  "That's... odd.  It should be giving you way more magic than that.  It's barely operating at five percent efficiency!"

"What do you mean, Miss Twilight?"

She grumbled for a moment.  "Please, just call me Twilight.  I get enough of that at my school.  Anyway, that pendant was supposed to use 20 percent of its magic to transfer the other 80 percent to you.  But for some reason, it's spending 20 percent and you're only getting five percent!  Where is the other 75 percent of the magic going?"

Comet shrugged.  "I dunno.  How do we find out?"

"Well, I... oh!  I know, give me that pendant."  Taking it in her magic, she enveloped it in a bright glow of magic.  "There.  I altered the enchantment so instead of sending the magic to you, it will instead point a light to where the magic would be going.  Maybe it's just sending it to the wrong part of your body?  This is kinda unknown territory for me."

Nodding, Comet took the pendant and placed it around his neck again.  As expected, a small beam of white light pointed straight to his chest.  However, seven more beams of light shot upwards at slightly different angles, each one a different color.  They passed through the roof of the lab.  One other beam shot out upwards, another white beam, and the pair noticed it appeared to be moving toward the wall.  Slowly but surely, the beam changed its angle to shine out the window, pointing straight at a falling star as it cut through the evening light and caused a massive cloud of dust and snow in the mountain range beyond the empire's warmth.

"So uh... are we gonna go check that out, Miss Twilight?"

"We most certainly are."
> After school adventure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Brrrrring!*

"Well, that's the bell.  Class dismissed!"  As the teacher slumped back in her chair, twenty-four foals belonging to the upper nobility of the crystal empire rushed out of the room joyously.  Most of them rushed over to the playground to wait for their parents (or butlers in some cases) to come pick them up.  Of course, one chose to remain seated until the stampede was over.  Packing up his books into his bag, Astral Comet bid farewell to his teacher before heading outside, where Flurry Heart waited patiently.

"Hiya, Comet!  You okay?"

The gray colt sighed in response.  "Just tired.  Miss Twilight was right, not having much magic makes it really easy to run out of steam..."  Still, he perked up slightly.  "Hey, isn't that expedition to go find where that light from my pendant pointed today?  Maybe sparky will let us come along!"

"I doubt that Mom and Auntie Twilight would let anypony our age go, especially not the princess of the empire and a magicless pegasus."

Comet hung his head down again.  "Good point.  If I barely have enough energy for a 45 minute recess, I'm not sure how I could convince her to let me go all the way to the mountains.  I know it's only an hour's walk beyond the border of the crystal heart's influence, but with how cold it gets there are risks.  Maybe we can at least see them off?  Oh, wait, didn't they already leave?  I'm not sure."  Deciding that now was as good a time as any to stop dragging his bag along the ground and actually wear it, Comet reared up on his hind legs and flared his wings out for stability before slinging the bag over his shoulder like a backpack.  "Well, only one way to find out!"

Flurry responded by facehoofing.  "Must you?"

"You try walking on two legs for all your life and having to switch.  At least I have SOME use for my wings."  This was true, and most ponies had to concede to that point: unused wings deteriorated like any other muscle, and ever since Comet nearly broke his front leg he put most of his weight on the back legs anyway.  It wasn't exactly normal, but then again neither was the monochrome colt.  Plus, it was Twilight's idea.

Flurry Heart flapped her wings to hover in the air at Comet's eye level.  "That extra height makes me wanna learn how to do that.  Might get me on some theme park rides."

A shrug was her response.  "I could try to teach you, but Miss Twilight said there's only one other pony she knows who can walk like this without falling over, and that's because she's obsessed with humans or something, I wasn't paying too much attention.  Hey, why don't we head over and play with the others for a bit?"

Flurry was about to respond, but a voice interrupted.  "I'm afraid there's no time.  My apologies, your majesty... and sir."  The two turned to look at the new pony, a very strong looking earth pony.  He had dark burgundy fur and a silver mane that flowed straight down, unlike most ponies.  He also wore the traditional armor of the crystal guard, reassuring the pair that he was no threat, despite the intimidating vertical scar over his left eye.  "Extrema Units, at your service.  I come on orders from the princess.  You two are to be taken to see the group off as they leave, her majesties Cadence and Twilight wished to bid you two farewell.  I have a carriage ready to go.  Shall we?"  He gestured to a nearby carriage.  It looked like it was prepared in a rush, but it still looked presentable.

Flurry recognized the royal carriage and hopped in.  "Well? come on, Comet!  We can't keep them waiting!"

"Right behind you, Feathers!  Let's go!"





It didn't take long for the pair to realize that the carriage was not heading for the crystal palace.  Comet was the first to speak up.  "Uh, hey, Mister Extrema, sir?  The palace is that way."  He pointed with a hoof to the structure in the center of the city.  "I know it's easy to get lost here, but even I can find the palace."

"Okay, we can discuss your sense of direction later.  But Comet's right, what gives?  This is NOT the route to the palace,"  Flurry angrily interrupted.

"Oh, relax, you two," Extrema replied in a gruff yet reassuring voice.  They had to leave, so they asked me to bring the two of you to their base camp at the edge of the snow.  Last I checked, the boundary is this way."

"You're taking us to the boundary?"  Inquired Comet.  "I know earth ponies are strong, but to take us all that way alone?  What does your job have to with mathematics, anyway?"

That got a reaction out of his 'ACBFF' (Astral Comet's Best Friend Forever, as Flurry was quite imitative of her father and aunt.  He was FHBFF, of Flurry Heart's BFF).   She looked right at Comet with one question.  "What the hay does his job have to do with math?  Have you finally lost it?"

Comet smiled.  Flurry recognized his trademark 'I'm smart and I'm reminding you of that' face.  It was similar to Twilight's actually.  "An extremum is the highest or lowest point in a numerical function.  Multiple extremum are called extrema.  So with a name like Extrema Units, I'd expect him to be teaching math, not pulling us..."

"You're a sharp one, aren't ya?"  The guard replied.

"I was in advanced math on my old world."  It was common knowledge by now that Comet wasn't from anywhere on Equus, so he could say that without worry.

"Well, only other pony to know what that means in math and call me out on it was some old professor at a college I guarded once.  But what I'm good at is really leading my units through extrema.  That is to say, I can guide ponies through harsh environments like deserts and tundras safely.  Sharp thinking, but you need to remember words can have many meanings. 
Things aren't always as they seem, you know, boy."

"True."

Flurry sighed.  "This is why you never need to study to ace our math tests, isn't it?"

"Also true."





The rest of the ride progressed with little incident.  By the time bellies were feeling empty, the base camp was in sight.  Easily visible due to their distance from the group were Twilight, Cadence, Shining Armor, Sunburst, and Starlight Glimmer.  Flurry spread her wings and soared over to the merry group, while Extrema helped Comet out of the carriage.  The gray pegasus walked over to the group himself, before dropping to all fours and galloping forward to give Cadence a tackle-hug.

"You guys almost left without us!  Meanies,"  he chided.

Cadence looked away in a gesture of shame.  "We didn't have much of a choice.  We caught word from our scouts of some kind of energy coming from the crash site of that fallen star.  None of our sensor crystals resonated with it, so we don't know what kind of magic it is.  If it's dangerous, we have to contain it."

Comet looked at Starlight.  "Resonate?  Explain, please, but no lectures."

"Oh please, I'm not Twilight.  I'll give you the brief explanation,"  she began.  "As you know, there are three types of pony magic.  Earth pony, Unicorn, and Pegasus.  But those all fall under one frequency of magic, Pony magic."  Comet nodded, and Flurry looked on in interest.  "The pony magic types are similar enough in frequency that anypony can easily sense other pony magic.  But it's harder to pick up on a griffon's natural magic, or a dragon's.  Even dark magic has a frequency.  In order to identify magic from other races, we need to use special crystals called sensor crystals that glow in response to whichever magic frequency they are set to.  Some of our scout teams have one of each type, but most have one to pick up on pony magic and one for all other types."

Twilight continued from there.  "This is where the problem arises.  A scouting team sent on a brief flight near the impact point of that falling star had the non-pony magic crystal turn on.  By protocol, we then send a team with one of each type of crystal to verify the type of magic.  But the thing is, the only one that reacted was the generic crystal that reacts to any magic that isn't pony magic.  Not a single one of our other crystals reacted, not even the dark and chaos magic detection crystals!  This means we are dealing with a new type of magic, so we have to go investigate NOW in case it's dangerous!"

"I thought I said no lectures.  A simple, 'We detected unknown magic at the crash site' would have sufficed..."

"Regardless,"  interrupted Shining Armor.  "We need to leave.  We already ate.  However, the sun will set soon and a blizzard is pushing against the boundary, so I think you and Flurry should stay here at camp and head back to the palace tomorrow morning.  Maybe play in the snow a bit, but only with guards watching and only if you don't venture too far out into the blizzard."

"Yes, dad."

"Prince Armor," Extrema spoke up.  "You could easily send them back tonight.  It's not safe out there for foals."

Cadence quickly quashed his argument.  "The crystal guard's camp is the safest place to be with most of them here in case we need to protect the border from that magic.  I'd rather them here than near the city, especially if that magic tries to do something to the crystal heart.  Plus, I made them camping outfits.  Look!"  She used her magic to place a deep blue scarf around Flurry's neck and tied a black neckerchief around Comet's neck, as well as a pair of flight goggles on his head.  Comet noticed the neckerchief had a single white four pointed star in the middle, exactly like the eight that made up his cutie mark.  "The dark colors will make the snow stand out on it if you go play in it, so we can have even cuter pictures!  And those goggles look good on you, Comet."

"MOM!"

"Hmph.  Fine.  If I can't convince you, let's just leave before it gets dark.  We can set up camp for the night in the crater, sheltered from the wind and snow. Let's move!"  With a few more hugs, the group was off, and the two best friends settled down to eat dinner while the guards kept watch over the camp.





"These daisies are good.  Fresh.  Want some, Comet?  ...Comet?"  Her FHBFF seemed out of it, gazing at the blizzard held at bay a few minutes away from them.  "That barrier is amazing, isn't it?  Did I tell you I broke it once when I wasn't even a year old?"

"I'm worried about them, Feathers."

"Well, they have that Extrema guy to guide them!  I still can't believe his name meant two things.  Words really aren't always what they seem, huh?"

"Yeah, like an anagram.  Wait a minute..."

"You mean like rearranging the letters in a word to make another, like how you can rearrange silent to make the word listen?"

"Yeah, Feathers.  But now I'm thinking.  That guardspony seemed to stress that words can mean two things.  That things aren't what they seem.  Wait.  He called me 'boy'."

Flurry tilted her head to the side.  "So?"

"So he didn't call me 'colt' or 'sir'.  There's only one creature I know who calls me 'boy'."  He drew some letters in the dirt with his hoof.

E X T R E M A U N I T S

He rewrote the letters a few times in the dirt below it, scuffing out any mangled words.  "Maybe if I exclude a letter or two.  Wait, exclude...  then we get...  oh no."

"What do we get?"  Inquired Flurry Heart, looking over her friend's shoulder.

Comet pulled his goggles over his eyes.  "A no expenses paid trip past the barrier."
> Me and my Shadow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, you're trying to tell me that Extrema Units is somepony you know?"

"Not exactly.  He's... well, I might as well show you.  Come on over here into the sunlight with me, I need to check something. 
Maybe I'm just paranoid."

Flurry Heart got up and followed her friend.  He seemed worried, after all.  As she stood in the rays of the setting sun, Comet walked over to join her.  However, as Flurry looked towards the sunset, Comet looked in the other direction.  "Feathers.  Look this way, and tell me what is wrong with this scene."  The snow-white princess looked around.  Guards milled about, cooking and running drills.  Clouds peppered the land beyond the border, with a strong blizzard beginning further in.  But it all looked normal.

"What, is somepony not doing a drill right?"  She looked over at her friend.  Perhaps it was something with him?  He seemed normal.  "You don't look like you have anything wrong with you."

Comet shook his head.  "There's a lot wrong with me, but that's just my self-doubt talking.  No, the issue isn't with me.  It's with what I should be making, but am not.  For what it's worth, you are making one yourself."  Flurry took a long look at Comet.  He had no way of making magic, but that couldn't be it.  His wings seemed fine...  "Need another hint?"  She nodded.  "Once the sun sets, you won't be making one, either."

Suddenly, she realized.  Looking at hers, and Comet's lack of one, she began to worry.  "Your shadow, it's..."

"Gone.  I know."

"How?  Why?  And how long has it been like this?  You had one a few days ago!"

"Come on, Feathers.  I'll explain on the way, unless you wanna stay here..."

"Not a chance, bestie,"  Flurry stomped her hoof on the ground.  "And that's final."

"I figured,"  Comet replied.  "Grab your scarf, it's gonna get cold.  We have to reach the crater, and the others. Sooner versus later."

"But it's getting dark.  We could survive the cold for the hour hike, but how do you know we won't get lost?"

Comet held up a gleaming pendant.  "I came prepared."

As soon as he saw the pendant, she realized that they had a better guide than anypony could ask for: a line drawn straight to the prize.  She nodded, and hurried to grab her scarf from her tent, while Comet had kept his outfit on.  After she quickly rejoined her friend, they hid behind a rock formation until the next patrol of guards passed by, then booked it into the frozen tundra beyond.





So why exactly is your shadow missing?

"This crevice is where the star fell, according to the map you provided, princess.  If we make camp in that small cave just a few yards below us, it should provide a comfortable amount of heat for us to rest before continuing."  Extrema Units helped the ponies get a good base camp set up rather quickly, Twilight's portable instruments buzzing away as raw data poured in.

Well, it's not missing.  I know that something took it, and I know who.

"There.  I will stay behind and watch the instruments.  Extrema, you take the others and head to the crash site."  Twilight turned back to the various devices and stared intently at their readouts.

You mean Extrema, right?

"Go on ahead, I need to ask Miss Sparkle a few things.  I can travel harsh terrain much faster than you.  So please, don't hesitate.  I'll catch up."  The stallion watched as the group left.  "I need to ask you some questions about this...  energy source.  If it's dangerous, I need to know.  Now."

He's not the real Extrema Units.  I doubt that the stallion he's taken the form of has a name even remotely close to that.

"Well, this energy source is new but seems t be linked to Comet, the colt that fell from the sky a few weeks ago.  It doesn't seem inherently dangerous, but I suppose if handled improperly it could cause a magical backlash.  But if we study it properly, that won't happen!"  Twilight beamed.  "That's why I brought Starlight and Sunburst along.  They are good with odd magic."

So is he a rogue changeling or something?  King Thorax has been working hard to deal with all of those.

"I see.  Well, if you are sure, I suppose I should go catch up with the others.  Ta-ta."  Extrema trotted out of the cave and his hoofsteps could be heard heading to meet the others.  Twilight sighed, and turned back to her instruments.  A few fluctuations from the background magic here, a blip there, all within margin of error.  She was going to handle this new magic carefully, and unlock it's power, she was sure of it!

If only it were that simple.  No, he...  it...  whatever it is, is a monster.  A monster from my nightmares that I never thought I'd see in the real world.  A monster that can and will grow in power if we don't do something.

"Miss Twilight!  Miss Twilight!"  Comet came galloping in at top speed into the cave.  Twilight was stunned.  She made several noises of shock at the sudden entrance of her young friend.  Comet seemed pleased with himself that he made it as far as he had.

"Comet?  What are you doing here?  I told you to stay at the camp!  How did you even find us?  Wait, that pendant!  That was very irresponsible, young colt.  Is Flurry with you as well?  I know you two tend to stick together."

"Yeah, but I need a pick-me-up after coming this far."  He reared up, opening his front legs to accept a hug.

How does it gain power then?  And more importantly, how does it turn into somepony else?

"Sure, Comet.  but then we need to talk about trusting us to handle things, okay?  I don't want you getting hurt."  Twilight walked over and wrapped her front leg around the pegasus.

Comet's grip on Twilight tightened without warning, and his usual warm and welcoming smile became a viciously grinning maw of sharp teeth.  t spoke in a vicious, distorted snarl.

"Trust me Twilight, I won't be the one hurting by the end of this."

It sneaks up on you... and steals your shadow.  Now run faster, Miss Twilight and the others might be in danger!  Double time!
> Reflections in the cold
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So sorry to keep you waiting, everypony!  Let's get this show back on the road.  According to princess Twilight's directions, the crater should be just at the end of this cave system."  Extrema Units slowed his pace as he approached, falling in line just ahead of the group.  Reflections of the expedition team bounced off the ancient ice making up the walls of the subzero cave system they entered at the bottom of the , giving the whole place an otherworldly feel to it.

"I never knew a cave like this existed,"  Cadence remarked.  "It must be thousands of years old."  She watched her breath float upwards in the light cast by her horn.  As the small cloud joined the rest of the group's and mingled at the top of the tunnel, she couldn't help but look in wonder at the natural beauty of the place.  "I don't know why this place hasn't been discovered yet.  Surely a scouting team should have found it by now."

"If I may, your highness,"  Sunburst interrupted.  "It's highly likely that this place was undiscovered because the impact of the falling star caused a geological disturbance to open the system to the outside world.  Can't you taste how stale the air is?  We're treading where nopony has for centuries, at least.  Who knows what we could find down here."

"Speaking on that topic, do you think that anypony has actually been down here, ever?"  Asked Starlight.  "I don't see any hoofprints other than our own, and this place is so untouched by time that I doubt any would fade.  Wait, look!"  She pointed to the wall, where frozen in the ice was the skeleton of what seemed to be a large snake.  "I think that's a Draconi Terra skeleton.  The ancient ancestor of modern dragonkind has been extinct for millennia!  They used to dig complex tunnels, and live underground in them since they needed gems to eat but also couldn't fly and were light-sensitive.  To find a fossil here, and so well preserved...  This place really hasn't seen anything enter it in quite some time.  Do you think its hoard is anywhere around here?"

"If it is, then this expedition just got even more interesting than it already was,"  Shining commented.  "We could use it to fund some public works projects for the Empire, and still have some for ourselves.  Think of how many Ogre and Oubliettes figurines I could buy!"  

"Shiny, please..."  Cadence sighed.  "We talked about this.  The shelf is already full..."

"Either way, it's an interesting find," remarked Sunburst.  "History books don't know too much about the third era, when the mighty Tunnel Snakes ruled the underground for 101 centuries.  I almost wish we had the time to take it back and study it, but we do have a space object to find.  Come to think of it, I hope it's not another pony.  They wouldn't survive long out in the cold, all alone, for long."

That got the group moving faster, but not before starlight took a photograph of the skeleton to show to Twilight along with the ones she was asked to take of whatever the object they were heading towards was.  Even then, the caves proved to be a difficult challenge to surpass.  Slippery floors and unpredictable slopes made the journey slow and difficult.  Still, the group trudged on, their guide leading them along.  "Hold on, please, the lot of you.  There's a dip in the path ahead.  There might be debris.  I will go through first, and clear the path.  You follow in a few moments."  The Earth Pony guard trotted ahead of the group and sounds of heavy lifting could be heard.  After a few minutes, he called back to them.  "Alright, you can all come through!  Hurry up, I don't think this tunnel looks stable!"

The ponies galloped forward, determined to reach the end.  As they dashed through the tunnel, they saw light at the end, illuminating a cavern.  But then everything went wrong.  The tunnel began to rumble and quake, rubble and icicles falling from above.  The group ran faster than they thought possible, and while they managed to outrun the damage they were blinded by a cloud of dust, snow, and rock.

"Is everypony okay?"  Cried Cadence.

"I think *cough* I sprained a hoof, but I'll be fine,"  replied Starlight.  "Sunburst, Shining!  Tell us you're alright!"

"Ow... my head... I think I ran into a wall.  Guess I rolled a one on the acrobatics check..."

"Sounds like shining will live.  I'm fine too!  Barely.  I think I lost some of my tail,"  Sunburst noted.  "Oh!  And Extrema, are you safe?"

Silence permeated the tunnel for a moment.  The ponies all suddenly started shivering, years of prey instincts telling them that SOMETHING was watching them.

"Oh, I'm safe."

Cadence sighed.  "Good, because-"

"But you aren't!"





Icy winds whipped around two foals as they finally reached the edge of the crevice.  "Thank Faust,"  Flurry remarked.  "I was losing feeling in my ears.

"Me too.  But there's no time to waste.  We need to see what the safest route we can take is.  But before we go, I do have a rule for you.  For your own safety, if you see anypony standing in a shadow or other dark area, don't trust them.  Even if it's your own mother.  Instead, shine light on them somehow.  If they don't change, then you can trust them."

"Does that mean you won't trust me either?"  Flurry asked.

"No.  I trust you, because you still have your shadow.  Hey, look!"  He pointed with his hoof.  Walking along the ravine was Twilight Sparkle, albeit out of hearing range.  But she was alone.

"Is that Auntie Twilight?  HEY, AUN-mph!"  A cold, snowy hoof in her mouth shut her up.  Comet pulled her down into the snow to hide.  When it became obvious she hadn't heard Flurry, the two re-emerged.  They just caught a glimpse of Twilight vanishing from sight as the blizzard picked up.

"Are you insane?!"  Comet whispered sternly.  "We don't know if that's Twilight or not!  I JUST told you not to trust anyone in the like this!  We should follow her, yes, but keep your distance and your voice down!"

Suddenly, and echo reached their ears from the cave at the bottom of the ravine.  Screaming.  Several different screams.

"Is that a trick, too, Comet?"  Flurry asked, with a slight air of sarcasm.

"No.  It can do voices, but not more than one at a time.  Our friends are in danger!  Forget Twilight, the others need us!  Come on Feathers, let's go!"
> A Subzero Soliloquy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"-re you okay, Comet?  COMET!"  As the dust settled, a white alicorn filled the vision of a gray pony splayed out on the ground.  Flurry heart had entered the cavern with Comet, but a distant rumbling had brought about yet another earthquake.  In the aftershock, both ponies managed to somehow avoid getting seriously hurt, some loose snow on the outside of the entrance had collapsed in a small avalanche, trapping the pair inside the dark, frozen cave.

"Ugh,  I'm fine.  Just... gimmie a minute.  I think I hurt my... everything."  Looking up, he added, "Are you okay, Flurry?  I don't want my friends getting put in danger like that."

Flurry helped her companion to his hooves, supporting him with her wing.  "Come on, I doubt the others are much further ahead.  If we hurry, maybe we can get to the treasure or whatever it is before they do!  You're lucky I don't call you a whiny colt, but you get a pass because you really are fragile right now."

The pair quickly trudged on down the corridor, following the twisting labyrinth of tunnels until they too came across the skeleton Starlight and company had passed previously.  "WOW!  Look at that, Comet!  We should rest here for a moment, it seems like a good spot to catch our breath anyway.  And besides," Flurry added with a yawn, "I'm exhausted.  I hope we don't have to keep this up for much longer."

Comet didn't even come close to hearing his friend.  Instead, he was focused on his own reflection in the ice.  True, his monochrome form stared back, but he also caught a glimpse of the human he used to be, in his mind's eye.  Isolating his mind, he focused on his feelings instead of the physical world for a moment.

This... This is really me now, huh?  I thought it was just a dream or some trick at first, but it's been months and I still find myself waking up with four hooves and wings.  What happened?  Did I die?  Is my family back home moving on from putting me...  Comet choked back a sob, barely audible.  He swore he saw the smiling faces of his parents in the shimmering ice wall.  No... no.  I can't fall into despair like that so easily.  I have to be strong right now.  It's too cold for tears anyway...

Besides, that would only cement the fact that I'm weak.  Look at yourself, Comet.  A gray echo of who you were.  He found himself looking at his former body, wearing the same white robe with rainbow trim he wore during his final moments as a human.  He blinked, and the colors changed:  The radiant white became a pitch black, and the multicolored trim of the robe grayed until no color could be distinguished.  Another blink, and he found his pony self staring back once more.

Comet sighed.  But what have I gained here?  I've got a fresh start, nopony to pick on my awkwardness.  And Flurry is the best friend I could ask for.  Funny, kind, and just the right amount of adventurous to know where to start and just how far we should go.  And for the first time in a long time, I feel free.  In a world where what we are meant to do is painted on our flanks, there's way less stress over thinking ahead.

So why...  why do you have to come and ruin everything?  Why couldn't you just live your own life?  You exist in the real world now, beyond my dreams and nightmares.  Go.  Thrive.  But do it the right way, not like this.  We aren't what we used to be, old friend.  An ex-human and his ex-human shadow.  Heh, I should have realized that's what you put those letters in for, you clever Creature.  Fine, if you want to add an EX to your name, I won't argue.  In fact, I know we'll be seeing each other a lot over the next few years.  The stars are my DESTINY now, old friend.  I will gather them.  I will keep my friends and this new world safe from your threat, be it real or imaginary.  I swear on the stars that I won't stop until I've wiped that stupid grin off your face and put myself... ourselves... back together.  A boy and his shadow.

Watch yourself, old friend.  There's a Comet on a collision course with you, and he won't leave you be until the world need not fear you anymore.  But just a few more minutes, and I'll be able to say it to your face.

"Comet, you coming?"

"Yeah.  I'm ready.  Let's do this."

See you soon, Extrema Units.  Or to be more accurate...

See you soon, Exterminatus.
> Snowblind to the truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The crater left by the crashed object was something to behold.  As Twilight trod among the ruined landscape of the otherwise desolate tundra, she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched.  It didn't do any favors to her already strained psyche, having experienced quite the shock as what she thought was Comet had attacked her and ran off.  That it had let her live was strange enough, but the fact she no longer had a shadow was even stranger.  Still, she theorized it was all connected to this mystery artifact, and had set off to investigate herself.

Okay, who was she kidding.  She was trying to find her friends both to be safe in a group and to warn them.  Unknown threats are always the scariest.  So, here she was, cantering amidst the impact crater, hoping to find something, anything to tell her where her friends were.  She got her answer in the form of a brilliant, shining light as she rounded a large boulder.

There, floating at eye level with her, was what she could only describe as a star.  A tiny orb emitting white light on par with the flashes created while welding, but somehow not hurting her eyes in the slightest.  It looked... mesmerizing.  Enticing yet calming.  Somehow unreal, yet there nevertheless.  She felt the need to reach out and touch it, despite science screaming in her head to never touch an unknown.  What stopped her was a small beam of magic light streaking past her and into the star.  Whipping her head around, she scowled as her eyes met the form of a gray pegasus, holding a pendant in his hand.

"YOU!"  She cried out.

"Me."  Comet grinned.  "Been a while, huh?  Did ya miss me?  Or did you just forget I'd be coming after the rest of my magic?"  He held up his pendant to emphasize.  One beam shot to him, one to the star, and seven more to the sky above.  At least the snow had slowed to a dusting and the night sky was visible, the moon illuminating the two as they stared each other down.

Comet chuckled warmly.  "So, you want to go off on your whole monologue, just skip to the fight, or surrender and hoof over the star?  You can't use it, anyway."

"Well, at least it won't be going to you!"  Twilight barked back at him.  "I refuse to let you take another step, so leave while I'm giving you the chance!  But take a single step closer, and I won't be going easy on you!"

"So be it."  And Comet stepped forward.  "Boss battle, ENGA-"

In an instant, Twilight shot a combination of a stun spell, a concussive force blast, and a flashbang spell at her foe before he could even react, sending the colt careening backwards into the rocks.  With a sickening CRACK, she heard bone snap from the impact, and heard groaning from the rubble.  Unceremoniously flinging it off, the ground shaking slightly, she approached with a fire in her eyes.  "It's going to take a lot more than that to beat me, you monster.  Now where are my friends?"





"MOM!  Mom, are you safe?  Please tell me you're safe!"  Flurry galloped up to her mother, only pausing for half a second to ensure she was standing in the light.  The chamber at the end of the tunnel was massive, easily several stories tall, with moonlight flickering in through a few holes in the ceiling.  Illuminated by the dim light was the skeleton of a massive tunnel snake, likely the one to dig the caves they had traversed, curled around a ridiculously large pile of gemstones.  Close to the size of the royal vault's gem supply, even.  It was all immediately ignored as the young princess leapt into her mother's embrace and the others of the group soon joined her.

"Flurry?!  How did you even get here?  And Comet, too?  What's going on?"  Starlight seemed skeptical and confused until the gray pegasus turned to her and responded to her questions in kind.

"We used the pendant to guide us to the treasure!  But we realized there's a monster on the loose, pretending to be other ponies and stealing their shadows!"  At that remark, the gathered ponies all looked at each other's lack of shadows and gasped.  The only one visible was Flurry Heart's.  "We thought it might be related to the treasure, so we chased you down to see if you were alright!  But it looks like it got you..."

Flurry interrupted.  "It came from Comet's world, I think he said.  Right?"  A nod was her response.  "So we came to help you handle it!  After all, Comet knows it, so he should know how to fight it!  Right, Comet?"

"Right.  Come on Flurry, we need to find it before it escapes!  We can't let it get the treasure.  If it has any sort of connection, the results could be terrible!"

Flurry walked over to the gray pegasus.  "Yeah,  we can do this together."  She put her hoof reassuringly on his back.  "But you're forgetting one important detail, Comet." 

"What's that, Flurry?"

"The real Comet calls me Feathers."

"Wait, wha-"  'Comet' didn't get to finish his sentence.  As soon as she finished her remark, Flurry him up with a combination of Earth pony strength and telekinesis, and hurled him into the soft glow of the moonlight filtering down from above.

"AAAIIIEEERRRGGHH!!!!!"

The effect was immediate, the false Comet's flesh darkening into a shadow before dissolving in the light.  As the creature underneath writhed in pain, it was clear that having his form ripped away was incredibly painful.  Slowly, it stood, and the gathered ponies stepped back in worry over the... creature before them.

By all accounts, it looked like a pony in shape.  Four legs, hooves, a head and torso.  But there was nothing normal about this... 'pony'.  Its head was replaced with a horrifying, beaklike mask with sharp teeth and seven glowing red eyes in a V shape.  In place of a mane, thin metal chains extended from the spikes on the back of the mask.  A rusty iron chain with a blade on the end made its tail, and wile it lacked a horn of any sort it did have tattered wings with bits of exposed bone.    Even with his merely unkempt dark brown fur not adding anything to the disturbing creature's image, it still served to look intimidating.  The sharp clawlike growths on its front hooves were also highly disturbing.  Even it's cutiemark looked wrong, an upside-down mimicry of Comet's cutiemark with seven blood-red stars forming a V shape around one larger one in the middle.

"Oh, phooey.  I was hoping to keep the charade up for a bit longer, maybe enough for that fool to succumb to the cold outside.  Oh well, points for catching the illusion, I suppose."

Flurry heart stomped the ground with her hoof.  "Where is Comet?  What did you do to him?"

"Oh, that fool?  I honestly don't know.  If he escaped that rockslide, he'll be lost in the cold and freeze to death for sure! 
And don't bother trying to save him.  It's far too late, I've already taken your friend's shadows and you're all trapped down here!  I don't often like being an ineffective parasite, but some victims I can't let live.  Have fun dying of starvation!"

Suddenly, with a deafening rumble, the cavern shook again, chunks of the ceiling falling down.  Shining and Cadence barely had time to put up a shield to keep the group safe.  Despite the massive amount of noise, a single, infuriated voice could be heard over everything else.





Three minutes prior, Twilight stormed over to her opponent and threw the rubble off him.  "It's going to take a lot more than that to beat me, you monster.  Now where are my friends?"  But as soon as she spoke, she gasped in horror.  There lay Comet, a crumpled heap, grievously injured from her attack.  And this one didn't have a shadow.  "C...Comet?"

The battered pony lifted his head weakly, gazing past Twilight at the star.  "Exter...min...a...tus.  Why..."

"COMET!  I'm so sorry!  It's me, Twilight!  Please, please don't move!  You're going to be okay!  Stay with me, Comet!"  Tears welled in Twilight's eyes as the reality of what she had done hit her hard.  Comet, on the other hand, wasn't thinking much, pain clouding his thoughts.  He could barely remember escaping the collapse to the cave's exterior, then setting off after 'Twilight' in hopes of finding a way to save Flurry, only pausing once to look at his reflection and think of his past upon finding a reflective ice wall.

"Twi-light?"  He glanced instincivly at her hooves, noticing a lack of a shadow.  "Really...you?"

"Yes, it's me.  Comet, Stay still!  I can still heal you!  I can try..."

Comet kicked his back leg, pushing himself a few inches closer to the prize.  "Star...will help.  Twi-light...please...star..."

Twilight glanced back at the star, and a thousand thoughts raced through her head.  Deciding that she probably wouldn't save Comet with what she had at hoof, she decided to trust the unknown.  She galloped over, took the star, and passed it to her broken friend.

Comet pulled the star close to his body, and its light seemed to react with him.  It seemed to intensify in brightness, enveloping Comet in its glow.  "T...thanks... Twilight.  I can...take it from here."  He paused.  "Star of light... of hope.  My will to see... the sunrise tomorrow.  Please... lend me your power, one more time..."

Twilight could feel a shift in the natural magic around her.  It seemed as though the world itself was pouring energy into the area.  The ground shook, and began to fall apart beneath her.   Amid the chaos, she heard Comet's voice pierce through it all, as did the ponies below.

"STAR SURGE!  LIGHT LEGIONNAIRE!"
> 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!"
> Here for you, always
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoofsteps rang out along the orange-tiled floor of what was once an impressive hallway.  Magnificent pillars, reduced to rubble, and the walls cracked and coated in grime.  This place had seen better days.

Twilight turned to her companion and asked the obvious question.  "What caused this?  This doesn't seem normal, even for a being from another world."

Luna nodded.  "Yes, this place is... heavily damaged.  Thou said the colt admitted to being twelve years old, correct?"  Twilight nodded in affirmation and Luna took on a more somber look.  "Then he has clearly had some form of psychological trauma, of some sort.  The deepest reaches of one's mind are often pristine and well-kept, much more than the fleeting dreams on the surface of the brain.  We will not go into details, but this place... it is filled with sorrow, and regret.  What has that monster done?"

The two continued forward, traversing the debris.  Before long, a soft sound reached their ears.  Somepony, or something, up ahead was crying.  "Do you hear that, Luna?  I think that's Comet.  We must be close!"  She galloped forward towards the approaching end of the hall, but the grasp of magic on her tail stopped her.

"Be calm, Twilight.  We do not know what lies ahead, as the dream world is far more fickle than reality.  If thou wishes to speak with Comet to gain information while he is still unconscious, thou WILL follow our instructions."

"But he's been in a coma for a whole week!"  She whined back.

"We know.  And his magic is recovering.  But he is still barely alive after burning up so much mana at once.  His safety is paramount, Sparkle.  It may be why this place is in such disrepair."

Twilight sighed in defeat.  After Exterminatus had vanished, the group dragged themselves back to the crystal empire with a heavily drained Comet in tow.  While Twilight and some of the Empire's best worked on how and why the group's shadows were... gone, Comet was in a coma.  Whatever a 'Star break' was, as he had called it, it had used up so much magic it ate into his magical ember slightly, giving him even less maximum mana to work with and leaving him in critical condition.  Flurry rarely left his side, inconsolable over the potential loss of the one friend who didn't treat her like royalty.

Still, by some miracle he was regaining what little power he had far faster than anypony even thought possible.  For most ponies, burning up a piece of their magical ember to essentially overcharge themselves would be a lifelong disability, recovering barely 1% of their maximum magical potential a year.  Comet was expected to reach his crippled 5% power that he was known for by the end of the week.  And while there was still a few days until he was expected to awaken, things needed to be moved ahead of schedule.

Reports were coming in from around the empire of ponies losing their shadows.  The story was always the same:  a pony they knew would coax them into a dark area, before shifting into a monstrous form and attacking.  The victim would wake in pain around an hour later, completely unharmed aside from their now-missing shadow.  Some even claimed that Twilight and Cadence had been the form used to lure ponies to the dark.  Regardless, an emergency declaration was made to never follow a pony into a dark area alone, and that slowed the reports down from around ten per day to one per day.

But they needed answers, and their only hope for any information was out cold.  Thankfully, Comet's magic had recovered enough for him to dream again, so professional help was called in from Camterlot.  Thus, Luna and Twilight were now venturing into the depths of the colt's mind, hoping to find his concious thought and get the answers they needed.

The pair approached a large, ornate door decorated with an elegant version of Comet's cutiemark.  Though faded, they could make out that the seven stars forming the semicircle around the main one each had a faint color, forming a rainbow from left to right.  Luna turned to her friend and partner.  "He is just beyond this door, Sparkle.  We can sense it.  And we do not sense any other presence.  Still, be on your guard."

Twilight nodded, and pushed the door open.  She needed to take a moment to adjust to the darkness in the room.  It seemed to be a throne room, but clearly a battle had taken place.  Despite the obscuring, almost fog foglike darkness limiting visibility, she saw that the pillars holding the roof had suffered impacts from large projectiles, the stairs leading to the throne were cracked and ruined, and what was likely once a magnificent stained glass window taking up the wall behind the throne was shattered into thousands of pieces.  And in the far corner, a tiny light shone, illuminating a form curled around it, sobbing.

Luna walked over, careful to make as little sound as possible, and Twilight followed.  "Excuse us,"  she whispered.

Comet's reaction was immediate.  He jumped nearly three feet in the air before shuffling backwards against the wall, shaking in terror.  It was then that Twilight saw the source of the light: he was holding the star he had used a week prior to help fend off Exterminatus.

"St-stay away from me!  Puh-please..."  Comet pleaded through closed eyes.  He curled up into a ball, trembling.  "Please..."

Twilight approached cautiously.  "Comet.  It's okay, it's me.  Twilight.  You're safe, everything is going to be alright."  As she reached out to lay a comforting hoof on his shoulder, he only curled up deeper into himself.  The room almost seemed to get darker, and even more dilapidated than it was before.  "Comet, we aren't going to hurt you.  Everything is going to be alright."  Taking a risk, she wrapped Comet up in a hug, holding her wings protectively around him.  And it worked.

The star in his grasp shone bright once more, and the room shook as it healed to its former glory.   "Sparkle!  Something is going on!  He's... He's waking up!  Hold on, we will have to get out of here, NOW!"  Luna lit her horn, and in a flash of light, the pair evacuated the dram as fast as they could.





In the dead of night, the central star of Comet's cutiemark glowed for just a moment, and his eyes fluttered open.  He felt exhausted.  Drained.  But he also felt that he had hope again.  It felt like somepony cared.  Glancing around the darkened hospital room, he saw Flurry heart passed out in the chair next to his bed.

Shakily getting to his hooves, Comet clambered out of the hospital bed and approached his friend.  Noticing nopony was around, he slipped back into his old language.  [You really do care, don't you, Feathers?  Heh... I don't deserve you as a friend.  But... I swear on the stars I'll protect that smile of yours.  You need it more than I do.]

Climbing up into the adult-sized chair, he snuggled up next to Flurry and let the bliss of sleep take him once more, a smile on his face.  Unconciously, Flurry snuggled closer to her friend, and draped a wing over him, a smile appearing on her face as well, for the first time since their adventure together.
> The Imposter's Rulebook
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flurry Heart was awoken to a chorus of "Awww"s and mentions of what a cute scene it was, as well as a camera flash to capture the moment forever.  Groggily looking around, she saw her family and friends fawning over her, and whatever she had under her wing.  She lifted it to check what she was next to, but when she did a hoof grasped it and pulled it back down like a blanket.

"Mph... five more minutes..."

"COMET!"  The colt didn't get his extra time.  As a consolation, he received a mighty hug from the young princess as she jubilantly exclaimed, "You're okay!  You're okay!"

"Ow!  Feathers?!  Watch it, that smarts!"  as she loosened her grip but refused to let go, Comet glanced at the gathered ponies.  Cadence, Shining, Twilight, and two who he had only received letters from welcoming him as a citizen of Equestria: Celestia and Luna.  All that was overshadowed, though, by a loud grumble from his stomach.  "Oog... how long was I out for?  I feel like I haven't eaten in days."

"You haven't,"  Twilight replied.  "But we can fix that.  Come on!  I'll send an order for all the flowers and hay you could want."  Twilight was too inexperienced of a princess still, but Celestia, Luna, and even Cadence caught how he quickly scanned the ground they stood on, almost imperceptibly.  He shrunk back under Flurry's wing ever so slightly.

"Nuh-uh.  Not unless you go stand in that sunbeam over there,"  he replied, pointing to the rays of the mid-morning sun pouring through the window.  "You, Miss Cadence, and Mr. Armor."

"Forgive my interruption.  Astral Comet, correct?  I am Princess Celestia.  Might I ask why you are making such a... peculiar request?"  Celestia's voice was warm, calming, peaceful.  Centuries of being the mother figure to so many ponies had such an effect.  Comet almost relented, but held firm. He did, however, lean forward and allow Flurry to pull her wing away for a much needed stretch.

"Uh... h-hello, your majestyness,"  He bowed his head directly into the cushion of the chair, muffling his voice a bit.  "Did I get that right?"

The solar princess giggled at the colt's antics.  "Almost.  It's pronounced 'your majesty'," she replied putting emphasis on the proper pronunciation.  "But a friend of Cadence, Flurry and her family is a friend of mine.  Please, call me Celestia."

Comet raised his head back up.  "A-alright, Miss Celestia.  And you wanted to know why I want those three to be in the light, right?"  Upon receiving a nod, he continued.  "Well, they don't have shadows.  That means any one of them could be... uh... you-know-who."

The three semi-accused ponies stood stock still for a moment.  Shining reacted first, casting a soundproof spell on the room.  "You think... that one of us is that Exterminatus monster?  We've had reports of ponies losing their shadows all over the city, is that related somehow, Comet?"

Flurry Heart looked at Comet, scooching away a bit to get a better look at her friend.  "Wait, does this have anything to do with that thing you told me to do if anypony was in the shadows?  Here, let me just-"  Her horn lit up, and with a strong illumination spell she bathed the room in bright light.  Everypony had to shield their eyes slightly from the flash.  "Did that work, Comet?"

"Yeah, they're the real deal.  Can we get food now?  I promise I'll explain the rest over breakfast."  He hopped off the chair and trotted over to the hallway door, ready to go, then paused.  :Hey, wait a minute, where's my neckerchief and goggles?!"  That scored a round of laughter.





The group, plus Starlight and Sunburst (after another light flash test from Flurry), gathered around a table in a secure room of the Crystal Palace.  Between bites, Comet told them all he knew.

"So, what exactly is Exterminatus, anyway?"  Starlight asked, hoping to get the major facts out of the way.  "And why did he take our shadows?"

Comet swallowed his daisies and gave his answer.  "Well, it's hard to say exactly what he is.  When I was really young, I used to get teased a lot.  Nopony wanted to be with me on the playground, or anything.  So I used to hang out with myself... and my shadow.  That's what Exterminatus is... my shadow, brought to life.  And he hates me for it.

"When I was... I wanna say seven, mom told me not to keep everything that the kids at school were telling me under my skin.  So I pretended that they were saying it to my shadow, and I didn't feel so bad.  Eventually, I started calling him Echo.  Echo the shadow.  I decided that since he was a shadow, he needed to eat darkness to live.  So the teasing was like food to him.  And that made me feel better about my place in school.  Eventually, summer break came, and all of a sudden he didn't have any negativity to eat anymore.

"So one day... he 'talked' to me.  Not really, I was just feeling upset over not getting a new toy.  But I blamed it on Echo, and fed him the sadness and anger I felt over not getting what I wanted.  It made me feel better... until he started eating more.  He started telling me I was weak, useless.  He was worse than the bullies at school because he knew me, he WAS me.  So he knew what to say to make me upset.  But I never told anypony about it because he said they wouldn't listen, and call me a crybaby.  And I let him do it, because I thought that if I could put up with Echo, I could handle the school bullies' mocking words easily!  And I thought Echo would stop when school started again.  He didn't.

"He started haunting my dreams, pretending to be other people I knew to use their words against me.  So I came up with rules to know where he was, and who he was.  It just seems that here, he's broken out of my mind, and it's...it's...it's all my fault!"  Comet slammed his face into his salad bowl and wept loudly.  It took the combined  efforts and reassurance of everypony to calm him down, and another salad was ordered.

"Astral Comet, foal who fell from our night sky.  Do you know of our transformation into Nightmare Moon and our desire to bring about eternal night?"  He nodded at princess Luna's question.  "We took those actions deliberately, and we were still forgiven.  We hold thee in no ill will, little pony."

After more reassurance, Comet finally gained the mental strength to continue.  "W-well, Exterminatus, as he now calls himself, has to folow a few rules I put in place to keep him from hurting my mind.  First, He can perfectly copy the form of anypony, even thier voice, but only if he's stolen their shadow first."  That earned a few gasps.

"Is that why those reports of me and Cadence staling shadows are coming in?"  Twilight asked, worried.

"Probably.  I wonder who that guard, Extrema Units, really was.  Exterminatus isn't bound by names, although he never appears with a shadow either, since he is one.  Anyways, the second rule is that If you don't know about him and his powers, there's no way to see through his illusion."

Another set of gasps.  Sunburst responded first.  "A royal announcement might help, but it might cause widespread panic, too..."

"I agree," proclaimed Starlight.  "We should limit information to the Crystal Empire for now, and tell others if he moves on.  what's the next rule?"

Comet didn't need to be told twice.  "Rule three:  If you know about him, you can see through his illusion, but only when he's in an area lighter than the one you're standing in.  So if he's standing in a shadow or under an umbrella or something, you wouldn't be able to tell, but if he's standing next to you in the glow of a fire the illusion would be transparent and you could see him underneath.  Oh, and one more thing:  If he is in direct sunlight or hit with a blast of light, his illusion disappears,  painfully.  From what you said, Feathers, tossing him into that ray of moonlight must have been bright enough to do the trick."

Luna spoke up once more.  "So this... Exterminatus is a loose shadow who steals the shadows of others and plays dress-up with them.  We fail to see exactly how this is anything more than an inconvenience to the citizens of the empire, little one."

"Well... that's not all he does with them, Miss Luna..."

"He said something about not wanting to be an ineffective parasite,"  Shining remarked.  "Then he taunted us about the fact we were going to die.  I feel like that's important."

"He did WHAT?!"  Celestia and Luna bellowed.  The whole room shook, thank goodness for the soundproof spell.

"Yeah... so Exterminatus... may be a parasite, of sorts.  But he doesnt live in you like most do.  After he's stolen your shadow, it's still your shadow.  And he can use some method similar to how we hide our darker thoughts to literally drain the negative energy from any bad feelings you get, making him capable of darker magics.  His ultimate goal is to not kill everypony, but gather as much negative energy as he can.  If he gets enough, he can summon his master."

"And his master is...?"  Flurry questioned.

"Grand Nightmare, the Perfect Imperfection.  When I was eleven I had a nightmare so bad that not only was I trapped in perpetual darkness being chased by a beast so massive I couldn't comprehend it, I was running around in the real world screaming for my mother... and when she grabbed me and stared me in the face saying 'I'm here,' I stared back and screamed 'I want my mom'."

Silence.  The ponies had never heard of such a bad dream, mainly due to Luna guarding theirs.  "That night, I realized there had to be something worse than Exterminatus.  He never broke out of my dream and affected the real world like that before.  So I called the... thing, Grand Nightmare.  It was a perfect being meant to cause terror, but as it caused terror it was imperfect, not seeking peace.  So it is the perfect imperfection."

"We... we would like to retract our statement on him being just a nuisance.  Is there any way to beat him?"  Luna asked.

"I came up with the power of the stars to fight him.  Imaginary... until I got dropped here, I guess."  The black section of his mane lut up white, and the shimmering white star appeared in his grasp.  "They represent my... no, everypony's self control over our inner darkness, and the hope that even the darkest places can be lit with good things.  This one is the main one.  Light is its focus, and hope is what it stands for."

Luna and the others gazed at it for a while, enchanted by its glow.  Luna, however, noticed something.  "We know how it came to reality."

"You do?"

"Yes.  It feels like it came from a dream.  Once upon a time, We created the Tantabus, a creature in dreams that almost broke into reality.  If Exterminatus is from a real enough dream, and thou seem to have given him enough to work with, it is entirely possible he broke loose into our reality, and from what thou told us of thine dream before landing here it seems the thou took the stars and followed him.  Tell us about the other stars, Comet.  It might help us."

"Actually, Luna, I think the poor dear has had enough for one day.  Let's give him some time to recover.  Perhaps you could tell us about the stars over dinner, Comet?"  Celestia asked.

"Sure, Miss Celestia!"

"Good.  It will give us time to prepare how we will inform the kingdom of this new threat.  For now though, go with Twilight.  She wants to run a few tests to make sure your body and magic are stable."

Comet nodded reluctantly.  "Alright, I suppose.  See you at dinner, Feathers.  And keep an eye out for shadowless ponies!  I don't want him taking my best friend, too."

"I will, Comet.  Stay safe..."
> Cry Uncle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flurry Heart left the conference room alone, sighing.  It would be a few hours while Twilight ran tests on Comet, and this left her with a companion she hadn't been with in a while: loneliness.  Yes, she had the castle staff, but with the noble foals only being near her at their parent's behest and any adults being close to her for the leverage they could get, it didn't leave many options.  Thankfully, there was always one.  Taking a small group if guards (after checking for shadows) she set off for her destination.

"Hello, welcome to the Shimmering- OH!  Princess Flurry Heart!  My apologies for not noticing you come in," the receptionist pony bowed nervously.  "You're here to see Sharp, right?  I can let you in, just give me a few moments to alert the staff upstairs."  The mare made a few frantic calls via the intercom system and within minutes the little princess had an entourage of staff taking her to the room she wanted.  She entered alone, closing the door behind her, and faced the only other pony present.

"Hey, Uncle Sharp."

A dark green pegasus stallion with a straight, long mane of  dark brown hair sat at the window, gazing out at something unknowable in the snowfield.  He chuckled, which grew into a hearty laugh, and turned to face the filly.  "The little snowflake arrives!  It's been ages.  My princess,"  he knelt down, bowing in respect far deeper that most ponies chose to.  "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?  New orders?  Or are you in danger?"

Flurry trotted over and gripped the stallion in a hug, which he reciprocated without hesitation.  "No, not anymore.  But I just wanted to come see you.  I need somepony to talk to," she replied.

"Well, you know I'm always here to listen.  I would be a horrible guard if I did any less."  He hopped up on the bed and patted it with a hoof.  "Come on up, it's comfier than the floor."  Flurry followed suit, careful not to knock the bed into the medical equipment next to it as she landed.

Sergeant Sharp Wing of the crystal guard, draped a wing over his charge in a loving manner only family can pull off.  And while never related by blood, he had been assigned to be Flurry's guard so long ago and held that position for seven years, cementing him in the filly's life forever as 'Uncle' Sharp.  He smiled a warm smile, a rare feat for a veteran guard such as himself, as he felt Flurry try to snuggle up under his wing completely like she used to when she was no older than five.  "Comfy?"

"Mhm.  I miss seeing you around, Uncle Sharp.  I wish Mom and Dad would let you get back to work soon,"  the princess lamented.  "But they just keep telling me you're in no condition to be a guard anymore!  And... and they say you need to stay here.  Why are you stuck here for so long, Uncle Sharp?  Are you sick?"

Sharp looked around his room.  It tried it's best to feel like a cross between a hotel and a comfy apartment bedroom, but even without the medical supplies it felt off, more clinical than anything else.  He patted Flurry on the head.  She'd understand one day, he hoped.  But she needed him to keep her safe now, so he put on his kindest face and comforted her.

"No, my little snowflake.  I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.  I need to stay here for a while yet.  I'm sick, but you don't need to worry about catching anything.  And it won't make me leave you alone any sooner than I would normally.  All it does is make it difficult to do my job protecting you and making you happy,"  he lifted her chin to stare him in the face, "so your parents put me here so I can recover.  Now, you wanna play a game of cards?  I want to see you still know how to deal, little one.

Flurry's eyes lit up, and she scrambled to find Sharp's favorite deck of playing cards in the nightstand drawer.  "I'd love to!  After the last couple days, I've been looking forward to playing with you!"





By the time they had finished, orange light illuminated the sky as the sun slowly set beyond the horizon.  Sharp Wing put his cards back where they belonged, happy to have taught Flurry a few more tricks.  "Well, my precious snowflake, it's getting late.  You ought to head home.  Stay safe, alright?"  He ushered her towards the door with a wing, the pair sharing one last embrace before Flurry departed.  As she left the building, the clerk had one last thing to say to her.

"Thank you for visiting the Shimmering Jewel institute for the mentally ill, your majesty.  Do come again!"