> A Blossoming Star > by Blood_rose_doll > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comet Flower took a deep breath to try and steady her beating heart. With a sharp breath she ruffled the mane hanging in her face. Her tail swayed through the dirt which she did when she was nervous. The light pink of the bottom her tail was turning brown but she didn’t even bother to look. As her tail and mane went up it turned into a dark rose pink in a slow ombre. She heard a rustle of leaves behind her and she spun around her bats wings flying open in shock. Though the second she saw the bright pink of her mom’s mane she relaxed. The light grey unicorn had a white steak that ran her face and all the way down her belly. She had an old-school unicorn tail to boot. The one thing that stuck out was the wings at her side. She looked at Comet with gentle red eyes. “You don’t have to go little bud,” she said in her gentle tone. Comet rolled her lilac eyes. “I wish you would stop calling me that mom. I’m not a foal anymore,” Comet replied with a frown. Daisy Field ignored her daughter though and walked closer. She gently swept her hoof over Comet’s dark purple coat that was speckled like the night sky and also with dirt. She smiled softly as she brushed dirt out of her coat slightly. Comet knew it was meant as a comforting gesture but she shied away. Daisy gave a soft sigh at that. “You really aren’t a foal anymore are you? No matter how much I wish you would never grow up, you have. And if this is what you have decided as a grown mare then I can’t stop you,” she said with sad eyes. Comet flicked her tail softly, hating that she was upsetting her mom. “I have to do this mom. I can’t live here my whole life. You and dad lived out there. Star Echo went out for a day and said he won’t go back. I want to see the world not the inside of some perfect snowglobe for the rest of my life,” Comet said with determination. Daisy nodded sagely at that. “I know you’re ready for this but I still worry as your mother. Night Rain and I will always welcome you back home as well,” Daisy said with a small kick to the dirt as she said the name. “Whenever I am too serious I always just call your father by his name and he hates it.” Comet chuckled softly at her mother. With a deep breath she stood tall and turned back around to the magic barrier. She looked back at her mom over her shoulder. “I’ll be back. I’ll have plenty of stories to tell,” She said with a smile. She looked back at the barrier and raised her bat wings. They gave a soft pink glow as Comet’s magic flowed through them like a unicorn’s horn. The magic barrier in front of her opened like a waterfall being split and she stepped through. As it closed behind her she snuck one last look at her mom who gave her a huge smile. Comet shook her head softly just as the barrier closed. She looked at the empty space in the air and stuck her back hoof backwards. Nothing happened and Comet nodded with a smile. She had done it. She opened and closed the barrier on her own for the first time. She was gonna be fine. Looking around at her surroundings she was a little surprised to find herself in a forest clearing. With a small shrug though Comet raised her wings and they glowed softly again. In a flash she was somewhere new. She had no idea where she was but she smiled anyhow. This was the start of her adventure. Comet spread her wings to take off when she heard something faintly. Her ears twitched as she tried to pick it up and then she heard it again a little louder. It was somepony’s voice. She flapped her wings and took to the air. From her new vantage point she could now see a pony in the distance with a cart. With a big smile Comet flew over. As she neared she realized they were talking to somepony else. Before she could make out who though the pony pulling the cart turned to look in her direction. The pony she now saw was a colt with a green coat and grey mane. He smiled up at her. “Well, howdy there young filly,” he said in an accent that made Comet’s eyes go wide. She landed in front of him in slight wonder. She had never heard anypony with an accent before. It was kind of cool. “I haven’t seen a bat pony around these parts in quite a while. What brings you out this way?” Comet shook her head softly to focus. “I’m exploring the world,” she declared with a soft smile. The colt chuckled lightly at that. “Well that is a mighty nice idea young one. My world trotting days are behind me but I can at least show you around town. What do ya say?” He said with a tilt of his head in the direction he was heading. Comet nodded eagerly and with a smile he started walking again. “Name’s Apple Core and the one in the cart is my faithful pooch Ditch. Whose company do we have the pleasure of today?” He asked just as dog popped his head up from inside the cart. “I’m Comet Flower. Why did you name him Ditch?” Comet asked with a head tilt. “That’s where I found him. Wasn’t gonna name him that at first but he loves digging ditches as much as laying in them so it came naturally. I wasn’t looking for a pet but one was looking for me it seems. Old Ditch was just a pup then. Course I was a might younger then as well myself.” As Apple Core talked Comet noticed the town coming into view. It was not very impressive but to her it was the world. She was finally out in the real world with normal ponies and it felt great. Apple Core cleared his throat gently as they got very close to the entrance. “Welcome to Appleloosa, mare.” Comet was in awe. She never knew that so many ponies lived in one town together and Apple Core told her it was just a small country town. Comet couldn’t even imagine how it could be bigger than this. Seeing the town was almost like she had stepped into a new world. The real world was a lot different then she had pictured. The tour of the town only took 5 minutes and the last stop was the saloon. Apple Core left his cart outside the door and told Ditch he would be back. He stepped through the wooden flaps that Comet was unsure classified as a door. She followed him inside though and it smelled amazing just walking in. The smell of apples was everywhere in town but in the saloon it felt like you had stepped into a giant apple. Apple Core wave a hoof at a pony and motion Comet to follow as he walked over. The pony in question was a colt with a yellow coat and a golden yellow mane. He had on a hat and vest as well. He smiled brightly at Comet and tipped his hat to her. “Howdy. Welcome to Appleloosa stranger. Always nice to see a new face round here,” he said with a smile. Apple Core stepped up next to him. “This here is Braeburn he’s my third cousin. Us Apples have a big family but we all know family. Comet Flower here is exploring the world. Thought you might want to point her to her next stop,” Apple Core said with a small tilt of his head. Braeburn’s face broke into a huge smile at that. “I’ll be taking my leave then miss Comet, gotta get Ditch home. Was great meeting a fresh face.” With a final nod Apple Core walked out of the saloon leaving Comet with Braeburn. As soon as he was gone Braeburn bucked back with glee. “He’s right! You should go and visit cousin Applejack. If you want to see the world she could be a big help. She even has a map of-” Braeburn was cut off as a commotion arouse from outside. He frowned as he headed for the flaps. “What the hay is all this ruckus?” He asked to himself as he disappeared outside. The other ponies were quick to follow and Comet not far behind excited to see what was going on. As she made it out the doors though her face became one of shock. There was no way she was seeing this. Standing in the center of town in glorious fashion was Celestia herself. Comet looked up just as Luna’s chariot came in for a landing. Comet tried to slowly back into the saloon again but there was a pony in her way. Celestia turned to look at her sister but something caught her eye and she turned to look Comet directly in the eye. Comet froze on the spot not knowing what to do. Her wings vibrated nervously and they started to glow faintly. She wasn’t trying to use magic but her defenses were up and everything was telling her to run. Her mother had told her everything about what had happened. Why they lived alone in that snowglobe world and why she was different. Celestia nodded her head in Comet’s direction and guard ponies saluted her. Comet watched as they cleared a path to her and then escorted her to the princess’s hooves. Celestia said nothing at first and the long silence was almost unbearable to Comet. As her nerves increased her wings glowed slightly brighter. Finally the princess cleared her throat softly to draw Comet’s attention. “What is your name young one?” She asked with a dignified voice. Comet had never heard her speak and she was surprised by how beautiful her voice was. With a look around at the ponies too far away for Celestia to mean she took a shaky breath. “Comet Flower.” Celestia nodded to Luna who turned and became giving orders to the guard ponies. Celestia looked down at Comet and gave her a kind smile. “You need to come with us Comet,” Celestia said as she gestures at her chariot with a hoof. Comet swallowed hard and looked around for some kind of excuse to say no. She knew she would find nothing even before she tried though. With a deep sigh Comet stood and boarded Celestia’s chariot. The guard ponies pulling it didn’t even acknowledge her. Celestia joined her on the chariot and with a soft voice said the worst five words Comet had ever heard in a sentence. “We have much to discuss.” Before she could react the chariot took to the air and she knew she was stuck. She thought of her family and wondered if her punishment would mean she could never see them again. She had broken the only rule they had and gotten caught. She was in DEEP trouble with a princess no less. So much for being a grown pony because this whole thing just made Comet feel like a helpless foal again. And this was just the beginning of her adventure. > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comet Flower paced slowly, her tail brushing the ground rapidly. She was in the hall of the castle in Canterlot. Every nerve in her body was on edge. Everything was telling her to run away but she knew that wasn’t possible. Celestia had found her so quickly after all. She had to have some method. She hated this. She had ruined everything just because she wanted to fulfill a selfish desire. She glanced at the guard ponies watching her. With a heavy sigh, she sat on the ground with a thud and hung her head. She couldn’t disobey Celestia and so because of that, she was trapped in this miserable fate. Her bat wings spread wide and glowed softly pink. It would be so easy to get out of here. She looked sideways through an open door to see a window. She stood and tucked her wings back in. She walked over to the window and looked out at the world beneath the castle. Then her eyes focused on her reflection in the glass. A new reflection appeared in the window and she spun around to come face to face with Celestia. The princess tilted her head towards the door to the room. “Come along young one,” Celestia said in the same regal manner she seemed to always use. It wasn’t an order. Yet Comet knew she couldn’t refuse. She knew that would only hurt her family. With a sigh, she followed the princess out of the room. She was lead into a new room, a bedroom. The decorations made it clear that this was Celestia’s private quarters. Standing in the room waiting for them was Luna. Comet stopped just inside the doorway as she heard the door shut behind her. Celestia joined her sister on the other side of the room. Comet took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” Comet blurted in a rush. Celestia gave a slow nod at that as if she had expected it. This irked Comet. Why did she have to say sorry? Did she really do anything wrong? Celestia took a step towards Comet as she began to address her. “You left the barrier. You used your magic where anypony could have seen you. Do you understand what that could mean?” Celestia asked like a disappointed mother. This caused Comet’s temper to flare. “What it would mean for you!” Comet yelled with a stomp of her hoof. The princesses seemed quite shocked at her tone. This only gave Comet more confidence. “You are the entire reason we have to hide! You made my parents into alicorns. You are the one who is ashamed of us. You are the one who would be affected if everypony found out we existed. After all their perfect princess could never mess up. You force us to hide away just to save your own skin. Well, I am tired of hiding. I want a normal life!” Celestia and Luna looked completely taken aback. They were probably so used to everypony bending over backward to please them. Luna was the first to shake off her shock and take several steps towards Comet. “That is no way to speak to us,” Luna said in a very unregal angry voice. Comet only glared at her. “This is all your fault in the first place. The spell was to help YOU. I see that Celestia must have found somepony else to use it on. You seem to be just fine again. Miss princess alicorn. You both aren’t the only ones. What makes you so special?! You get to be princesses of all of Equestria and what does my family get? I’m an alicorn as well! Where’s my crown? Where’s my respect?” Comet looked over to the open balcony doors. She ran over to them turning back to look at Celestia. “You want my respect? Earn it.” With that Comet took to the air and flew off as fast as she could. Not caring what direction she had chosen. Comet flew at top speed for several minutes before finally slowing as she realized she wasn’t being followed. Did they send nopony after her? Did they expect her to come back?! Did they think she would bend so easily? She wasn’t just anypony they could boss around. She had a right to be who she wanted to be. With renewed determination Comet continued to fly away from the castle. She was going to live her life as she wanted. She wasn’t going to let Celestia tell her that she had to hide. Comet continued to fly until her wings started to ache. Not used to so much flying she looked below her. On the ground, she saw a bunch of buildings and lights. Her curiosity peaked and sorely needing a break she headed for the ground. As she neared she could hear the sounds of the ground. She had never heard so many ponies altogether. As she landed on the sidewalk and looked around her mouth fell open. It almost seemed impossible. All of the buildings were so tall and almost all of them were covered in lights and signs. Everywhere she looked there were ponies. Chatting, eating, and walking. There was no way they all lived here. She started to trot down the street in wonder. How could a place like this exist? With her eyes up at the buildings and her mind elsewhere Comet never even saw the pony she ran into at full force. Comet shook her head to clear the stars and started to get back on her hooves. She looked to the blue unicorn she had knocked down. She had an orange mane and a lot of bags with her. She had yet to recover from the collision. Comet stepped over to help her. “I’m so sorry,” Comet said as she helped the unicorn up off the ground. She lightly dusted her dress with a hoof. Comet began picking up her bags with her teeth and setting them together as the unicorn regained her bearings. “Oh my seams and sequins, what happened?” The unicorn asked as she rubbed her head softly. Comet kicked the ground softly and hung her head slightly. “I ran into you. I’m really sorry about that. I got your bags together though,” Comet said as she indicated the bags on the ground. The unicorn looked down and picked them up in her yellow magic. She looked them over seeming to make sure they were all there. With a small sigh of relief. “I’d like to make it up to you. I’m Comet Flower by the way.” Comet stuck out a hoof to the mare. She looked back to Comet and shook her hoof gently. “Sassy Saddles. I really am pressed for time. I must get back to the boutique. There is still so much to do before the show tonight and I am already behind.” Sassy spoke quickly and was gearing up to take off. “Let me help you,” Comet said in a rush before she could bolt off. “It’s the least I can do.” Sassy thought for a minute and then nodded. “Come with me quickly then.” With that, she trotted off and Comet followed her. Meanwhile back at Canterlot castle, Luna was angrily pacing. “How dare she speak to us in such a manner! We are royalty!” Celestia was not her usual calm self either. She was clearly upset but was keeping herself in check. With a hard sigh, she looked out at the balcony. She knew Comet wasn’t coming back. “We’ll just have to observe her for now. We can’t force her to go back without potentially causing a scene. It would be best if we just wait until the time is right. We can’t afford for anypony to find out about her. Equestria can’t handle any more alicorns.” > Chapter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comet had been led by Sassy down a few streets until she suddenly turned without warning into one the the shop doors. Comet was quick to follow after a small stumble. Inside a few unicorns were walking about placing clothes and other items around. A stage was set up in the center as well. While she was looking around Sassy handed off the bags to a male unicorn and then turned back to Comet. She trotted over quickly and took hold of Comet’s right wing in her hoof. The bat wing was quickly pulled back as Comet jumped to the side in surprise. Sassy gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that dear. I need a wing model though and so I was simply checking if your bat wings could work.” Sassy tried to give a small reassuring smile as well but she was clearly flustered. Comet extended her wing for the unicorn to inspect. The unicorn seemed very curious in the feel and shape of the wing. After a moment though she pulled a tape measure from her dress pocket and began actually working. This intrigued Comet. “Have you never seen a bat wing before?” Comet asked innocently and Sassy hesitated slightly in her movements. After getting the last measurement she motioned for Comet to follow as she lead her to the back studio. “Not up close before. They are quite interesting,” Sassy said with a clear sparkle in her eye. They had given her many ideas for designs. When they got to the back Sassy quickly directed Comet to stand in place as she started making things using her wings as a base to work from. It was about an hour later with ponies coming in and out of the back to grab the completed items as well as ask Sassy for opinions. It all seemed so well choreographed it was amazing to watch. Finally though with a great sigh Sassy sat down in front of Comet. She made a tired dismissive gesture and Comet took that as her cue to leave. When she walked out of the back she was amazed to see how much the shop had transformed in that amount of time. Everything looked so fancy and almost regal throughout the entire place. Everywhere you looked was something new and beautiful. A few new ponies were chatting in the middle of the shop. As Comet started to walk past them her ears twitched softly as she heard a snippet of the conversation. “Don’t be silly Applejack it’s all perfectly necessary.” A white unicorn with a purple mane stated to the orange earth pony before her. Comet was immediately interested. Still unsure of how to handle this sort of thing Comet simply trotted up to the earth pony. “Are you Applejack? As in Braeburn’s cousin?” Comet asked the startled mare. It took a moment for the earth pony to recover before she responded. “How does a bat pony know my cousin?” She asked, not in a rude way but in an honest bewilderment. “I met him while I was passing through Appaloosa. I’m traveling the world. He mentioned I should visit you in fact though I never expected to run into you here.” Comet thought she would be living in a town like her cousin and not a city. Applejack chuckled at that. “Not much of a city pony am I?” Applejack asked in good humor. Comet shook her head lightly and this caused Applejack to smile more at her honesty. “Well you got me there. I’m here to support my friends city pony or not.” For the first time Comet looked over to the third pony and the unicorn. The other pony was a pegasus with a yellow coat and pink mane. The unicorn cleared her throat in a dignified way. “Indeed. I brought Fluttershy here to be a wing model but when we arrived we were informed that somepony else had volunteered. I’m Rarity by the way dear, I own this boutique.” Comet looked at the unicorn with slightly new eyes. She could tell that she was fancy but to own this whole shop blew Comet’s mind. “I bumped into Sassy outside causing her to drop all her things and so I only felt it was right to offer some help in return.” Comet stated simply. Rarity nodded and gave her a grateful smile. “Well you must let me thank you for that darling. Stay for the show. It’s quite an exclusive event.” Rarity said with a small boost to her own ego. Comet was unsure if she would fit in but she really wanted to see it. She figured this was her only chance to see something like this and she readily accepted with a nod. Comet was finally turning her first day out back around or so she thought in that moment. It was all dashed when the door to the shop opened. As the ponies who had been working on the event started to leave another set of four ponies walked in. The pony at the front was the one who caught Comet’s attention. She was an alicorn. Immediately Comet felt cornered. Who was this? Did Celestia send her to get her? Deciding that she would not go so easily this time Comet ran over to the alicorn mare. She stopped in front of her and spread her wings. They glowed brightly as her magic flowed through them. She looked at the alicorn daring her with her eyes to try something. The ponies in the shop looked at Comet with pure shock, even the alicorn in front of her. It took several seconds for her to regain composure and her eyes landed on Comet’s wings. “Is that magic? How?” The alicorn asked in pure bewilderment. Comet relaxed slightly in confusion. “Did Celestia not send you for me?” Comet asked in a tone that implied she would not fall for her tricks. “Celestia? Why would she send me to you? Who are you?” The alicorn asked as she looked around at the other ponies. Comet finally tucked her wings back into her side but they still glowed softly, ready to react just in case. “How can you not know? You must be a relative of hers I was unaware of. You should be one of the only ponies to know of her greatest secret.” Comet stated like it was no big deal but the alicorn seemed to be having a breakdown. “What?!” The alicorn asked in pure amazement. Comet realized she had no idea who she was. How was that possible? “Who are you?” “Comet Flower. Sister of Star Echo. Daughter of Night Rain and Daisy Field. Celestia’s failed first attempt to make an alicorn.” Comet stated as if it was simple. The alicorn in front of her though seemed like her brain shut down. She stared at Comet like she had suddenly turned into a bird in front of her eyes. The first pony to regain their voice after that was a pink earth pony. “So are you like a prototype Twilight?” the pink mare asked with a wonder that surprised Comet. This shook the alicorn out of her shock. “I think you need to start from the beginning.” The alicorn mare looked to Rarity at that. “Can we talk in the studio Rarity?” The unicorn nodded and all of the ponies filed into the back with Comet in tow. Her wings finally stopped glowing as she walked. When they made it to the back the alicorn looked at the ponies assembled. “Perhaps we should start with introductions. I’m Twilight Sparkle. I think you met these three. The rest of my friends are Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight Glimmer.” Twilight said as she pointed to the three ponies she arrived with in turn. “Now how exactly do your wings glow?” “I’m an alicorn like you. Though I was not born with a horn I still have the magic my parents passed on to me. It manifests using my wings as the conduit.” Comet stated as her wings started to glow again. She picked up a nearby spool of thread in her magic. Her magic was unique in that it was not a single color. It was mainly pink on her wings but around the spool it was purple. She spun the spool around and then teleported it across the room and back. She turned it into cup and then back again. It felt different to use her magic outside of the bubble. “You said that princess Celestia made your parents alicorns?” Twilight asked as she watched the small display in wonder. Comet stopped and placed the thread down. She looked down at her hooves sadly. “She wanted to save her sister. The idea was to make an alicorn to assist in returning her to her old self. She enlisted my parents for that. The spell backfired though. My parents were turned into alicorns but their magic is incomplete. Celestia was also affected when the spell exploded though I am unsure how exactly. Celestia was terrified that ponies would find out that she had failed in such a huge way and so she decided nopony could know about them. She created a magical place for them to live in secret for the rest of their lives. I don’t think she expected them to live as long as her or to have kids. When she found out about us she was not pleased but she said we had to follow the same rules. I want to see the world though not be trapped in a snow globe my whole life.” Comet looked back up into the now sympathetic eyes of Twilight. She was surprised to see that she cared. Twilight stepped forward quickly and wrapped Comet in a hug. Unused to such attention Comet froze in place. “I’m so sorry. It sounds like you really need a friend.” She backed up from the hug and smiled at Comet. “As the princess of friendship I shall be your first friend.” Comet stared at Twilight in wonder. She sure was a weird alicorn. > Chapter 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the Castle princess Celestia was meeting with some of the ponies of the city in the throne room when her ears twitched rapidly as if she heard something nopony else could. She smiled politely to the ponies before her, she briefly excused herself and stepped into the hall. She heard the small bell sounds that meant Comet was using her magic. Ever since the accident she could hear the cue everytime that family used magic outside of the barrier. With a small glance around to make sure she was alone her horn glowed. In front of her formed a circle of magic that showed the scene in the studio of Rarity’s boutique. She frowned softly at what she saw. She had not wanted Twilight to know of this. She wished nopony else to know of any this. She was the princess of the sun, she was who ponies looked up to. This whole thing was a huge red mark on her record that could sow distrust among all the ponies in her kingdom. As much as she valued her former student she would not take chances. She dispelled the magic and called for a guard. Back in the studio Comet looked at the ponies before her in confusion. They were talking among themselves about things they could do with her. Comet started to feel uncomfortable and she looked over the dresses around her to distract herself. She felt a nudge so soft that it made her question for a second if she had been nudged at all. When she looked Fluttershy stood there with her hoof extended towards her like she was going to nudge her again. The pegasus quickly dropped her hoof when she noticed that Comet had looked to her. “Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked in a soft voice that reminded Comet of her mother. The studio was not very big and this question seemed to catch the attention of another pony. Starlight Glimmer trotted over to Comet. “I know how you feel. This group can be a little much at first,” Starlight said with a small sympathetic smile. “They all mean well though and will respect if you don’t want to do something.” Comet looked to Twilight and glared softly at her wings. She walked over to the alicorn. Twilight noticed her approach and turned to give Comet her attention. “Are you the one who took their place?” Comet asked bluntly. Twilight was obviously confused and Comet sighed. “Did Celestia make you an alicorn to save her sister? Are you the one that cured Luna?” “My friends and I helped Luna with the elements. I didn’t become an alicorn until well after that though.” Twilight responded. Comet was obviously upset by this. Her parents were the product of Celestia’s failure and she didn’t even end up succeeding?! She didn’t even use the spell to save her sister. Without a word Comet left the studio. She was quickly followed by everypony else but none of them got far. In the boutique stood one of Celestia’s guards. Comet stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the white pegasus guard. Twilight walked around her to greet the guard however. He smiled at the princess of friendship and gave a salute. “Celestia requests all of you to come and see her at the castle right away.” He stated in a matter of fact manner. Twilight went to respond but was cut off by Comet. “No.” Everypony looked to Comet at her clear denial. “I already escaped that castle once before. I refuse to let miss perfect pretty princess force me to go home or worse yet make me stay in that gaudy castle of hers.” The ponies around Comet were shocked at what she had said. Nopony had ever heard such disrespect for a princess before. Comet scoffed softly. “You all act like nopony can dislike a princess. She hasn’t changed since the first day I met her. She is so concerned with being perfect to everypony even to somepony who knows that isn’t true. It’s sickening sometimes, she barely feels the need to grace my family with her presence as it is. I have seen her a total of five times before I left. Every hundred years just to be sure we know she is still watching us.” Every single pony in the room gasped out loud. Starlight looked to Comet. “Comet are you saying you are over 500 years old?” Starlight asked with wonder. Comet looked at her with a small shrug. “560 to be exact.” Comet said to another barrage of gasps. “Stop doing that. Is it really so surprising? I’m an alicorn. It comes with the territory.” Comet walked around the guard towards the door the the shop. “I am done being in a cage.” As Comet went to walk out though the guard spoke up. “Shall I inform the princess that you refused?” Comet froze in place which everypony noticed. She considered it for almost a minute before giving a hard sigh. “She knows I can’t do that. It’s against the rules she set. Ones she makes really hard to follow.” Comet shook her head sadly and returned to the group. “Fine. I’ll go.” The other ponies nodded their agreement but before anypony could speak Comet’s wings glowed brightly. The next second they all stood in the throne room with a surprised looking Celestia and Luna before them. Luna glared at the new arrivals, centered squarely on Comet. “What recklessness you show! Anypony could have seen such a display. Do you not think about your actions?” Luna huffed in angry at the clearly uncaring alicorn. Celestia stepped up to silence her sister. “Enough sister. She is still young with much to learn and please mind your temper.” Celestia stated in a way that would allow no argument. Luna looked embarrassed at the mention of her temper. With a stiff nod she stepped back to give her older sister the floor. Celestia walked down from the throne to stand directly in front of Comet. Towering over the alicorn she frowned. “Comet Flower.” As she spoke her name Comet felt the magic shift through her body. Her eyes widened in shock and in an instant she was encased in a bubble of her own magic. Comet stumbled slightly at the big power drain forced upon her. The other ponies in the room were very confused. Comet glared up at the pure white alicorn. Comet knew she could command her magic by speaking her name but she never thought she would use it. Twilight stepped up next to her former teacher to try and defend her new friend. Celestia did not acknowledge her for several seconds though. When she did look to Twilight though her face had returned to her neutral smile. “I don’t understand all of this princess,” Twilight said with confusion. The older alicorn nodded sagely. “Perhaps we should start from the very beginning and go over it all. After all I know how you love a good tale.” Celestia smiled down to her former student and her horn glowed. A magic panel appeared before them all showing Celestia and the moon bearing Luna’s image. Comet sat down with a tired sigh, this would take a while. She had heard all this before anyway. The question was how these new ‘friends’ would react. Comet could only sit and watch. Somehow a small part of her hoped that it didn’t change anything though. > Chapter 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “After I sent Luna to the moon on that night so many years ago I already knew that one day she would return. It took several years but I put together a plan to save her using the power of multiple alicorns combined. The issue was that there was only me. Using all of the teachings I had I put together a spell to turn a worthy pony into an alicorn.” All the ponies assembled watched the magical panel as it shifted through the images that went along with Celestia’s story. As she spoke Luna looked down in shame. Celestia looked to Comet as she spoke the next line. “Comet’s parents were as worthy as I could see.” Comet rolled her eyes softly. She had heard this story from her parents. She saw them more as vulnerable than this so called worthiness that Celestia claimed. She wondered how she would spin that part of the story to make herself look like the perfect little princess she pretended to be. “Her mother was a student of mine. Daisy Field, a unicorn of exceptional ability with the magic to make anything grow and spread. Her father, Night Rain, was a bat pony of the night guard. They were in love but not yet married at the time. It was hard on them. With Luna’s banishment the night guard itself was shunned and sometimes resented. When it was discovered that Daisy was dating a member of the former night guard it was considered scandalous. Yet still they held out for their love,” Celestia continued. Comet watched as the panel showed her parents back then. She saw the looks other ponies gave them and it hurt her heart. She could see the love they clearly had for each other though. “I approached them with the offer. They were understandably hesitant at first. Soon though they saw the benefit of what I was offering them. With them in agreement I gathered all I would need for the spell. It didn’t go according to plan,” Celestia said sadly as everypony watched the panel. On it Comet’s parents stood in the same throne room they were in now as Celestia aimed a spell at them. The next second there was a magical explosion. All three ponies were shot across the room in different directions. As Daisy stood first her new wings were clear to see as well as Night’s new horn as she helped him up. Celestia stood and as she neared them they glowed with yellow magic, Celestia’s magic. “The spell had not only exploded but it had worked in a different way than intended. Instead of increasing their own magic a piece of my magic merged with them to make them alicorns. We became linked,” Celestia said with a pointed look to Comet’s bubble. “Including Comet and her brother as well. I can control their magic to an extent by speaking their full name and standing close to them. I can also tell when they are using magic outside of the barrier. Though this all seemed to be mostly a success though a complication soon arose. One that I could never have predicted,” Celestia said as she looked back to the panel. This time the panel showed her parents trying out their new abilities. Her mother flew slightly off the ground and her dad levitated a few small objects. They were in a room that looked like Celestia’s personal chamber, Comet assumed it belonged to Luna. In a second though her mom fell out of the air and the objects followed her. “Their magic was imperfect. They were not true alicorns. They had magic of ones though however unpredictable. It was dangerous for them to be around regular ponies for their own sake,” Celestia said sorrowfully but Comet scoffed loudly. Everypony looked to her as she stood to glare at the white princess. “You mean it was dangerous for you. You were ashamed that you had failed. You couldn’t let everypony know that their perfect pony princess had made such a huge blunder. So you hid them away,” The magic panel continued to shift at Comet’s words showing the images to accompany her words. “You picked a field that was far away from any pony city and you made a magical barrier to cage them. You gave them rules and to make sure they behaved you told them that you ‘could not protect them should they leave’. They also found out that your little spell made it almost impossible for them to foal. They tried for almost a hundred years to have my brother after they decided it was worth the risk to have one in the first place. Star Echo was not the only foal they wanted however. So they tried again with you discouraging them. That is when they had me.” Celestia sighed as Comet finished. “You weren’t happy to spend your life happily with your family though it seems,” Celestia said as a small dig to Comet. Her neutral expression cracked for just a moment as she started to glare and caught herself. Comet laughed like that was the funniest thing she had heard. “I was not happy to live in a cage my whole life,” Comet spit out the words with anger. “I want to see the world. I want to be part of it. I don’t care about your reputation. I deserve to do as I please. I am just as much an alicorn as you or your sister. I don’t get a fancy little crown or title though. You’re afraid. Afraid that everypony is finally going to see you as the failure you are. To see you as anything but perfect.” Celestia did not deny this or even respond, she couldn’t. Comet was right and she knew it. Celestia was worried how it would affect how her kingdom viewed the pony who was suppose to protect them. She couldn’t let this pony ruin everything she had built. She also realized that her options were limited. Ponies knew she existed now, knew what she was. Celestia let out a deep sigh. She knew what she had to do. “Fine,” Celestia said bluntly as her horn lit up. She dispelled the magical panel and Comet’s bubble. “Go and see the world if you wish. You will do so on my terms though. You will go with Twilight or one of her friends or you will not go at all. You may not care about your actions but they can have serious consequences. You can refuse if you wish but you know the price of that.” Comet was trapped and Celestia knew it. She was threatening to take away everything her family cared about. To take away their home, Celestia’s so called ‘protection’ of the barrier and it’s contents. Comet looked to the other ponies in the room and an idea came to her. “What is they refuse to come with me?” Comet asked smugly but Celestia simply smiled. She looked to her former student who nodded. “Of course we’ll go with you Comet,” Twilight stated with a smile. Comet gave a deep sigh at that. She didn’t need a foalsitter but there was little she could do about it. She knew there was no way she was getting out of this and so finally she gave a small huff. “Fine,” Comet stated angrily. Celestia gave her an approving smile that Comet hated. How could she still look like the perfect princess after revealing that she had make such a mistake? Comet decided right then that she would find a way to crack that armor of hers. She would show everypony else the pony she really was. Then maybe her family could live out in the open freely. She could finally be just like everypony else. That was what she wanted. A life that most ponies took for granted.