Comet Tail surveyed the destruction. The east wing of the school was in flames. Eight students lay dead. Fifteen more were injured severely. Parents, teachers and friends were screaming, crying and mourning.
It hadn't been her intention.
But it had happened anyway. The horrifying explosion which left a trail of burning, fiery agony and destruction in its wake. Countless ponies were panicking, all because of her.
All because of Comet Tail, the Pegasus astronomer.
She could practically see the hatred, disrespect, and disdain radiating from the unicorns, Pegasi and earth ponies gathered around the scene. They almost deserved it, by Comet Tail's standards.
Almost.
She didn't belong anywhere. She could not perform magic; she lacked a horn. She could not perform earth pony feats of strength; her Pegasus bones were too fragile. And she couldn't fly with the Pegasi.
The lightning strike had torn her wing clean off.
The pale grey creature next to Comet Tail stirred. She didn't recognise him. He stood up, and she gave a gasp.
A pale grey chitinous creature, with fangs and empty red eyes, holes in its legs and short stubby insect wings.
A changeling.
"At least it can fly," she thought bitterly. "At least it has a place in the hive."
The changeling stood up. Upon realising his lack of a disguise, he panicked. He saw Comet Tail. Saw the disgusted look in her eyes. He turned to flee. Upon seeing the fire, he panicked once more. He turned and ran straight into the Pegasus.
He lit his horn. It was a foolish hope, for a changeling drone to attempt to teleport.
But he tried anyway.
His magic died with a small spark. He spoke, "Don't kill me! I am not an infiltrator! I am an outcast. I have no quarrel with you."
Comet Tail froze. The voice, despite its buzzing, trilling quality, was one she recognised.
"Fountain Pen?" she whispered.
"You recofigphrpnis me? Even without my disguise?" The changeling began to tear up. "This is he first time a pony has seen me without my disguise and not attempted to murder me. I'm not sure whether or not to be touched or suspicious."
Comet Tail responded by spreading her wing and embracing the changeling. She shuddered as her hooves made contact with his chitin, the smooth, cool substance reminding her all too much of a hydra.
"I would ask you if you were truly my friend, but I could never mistake that voice," she said.
The changeling just sat there and accepted her love, freely given, making it far more appealing and satisfying.
Suddenly, Comet Tail spoke. "What is your real name? 'Fountain Pen' doesn't sound like a standard changeling name."
"My true name is Scolopendra. I'm not particularly fond of it."
Eventually Comet Tail released Scolopendra. She cast her gaze to the smoking school, the fire having been quenched by magic. A mob was forming. All eyes were on her.
All eyes were angry, hurt, betrayed, wistful, disgusted.
One pony spotted the changeling. He pointed and shouted and soon others were pointing and shouting as well.
"She associates with changelings!"
"Traitor!"
"Saboteur!"
"It was an accident!" yelled Comet Tail. She knew it was futile. She was already pushed around. Now she was being accused of treason. What pony in their right mind would listen to and believe her?
"She has nothing to do with me! I've been consuming her friendship without her knowing! Don't blame the victim!" yelled
Scolopendra.
"That doesn't change the fact that she caused the explosion. She murdered eight students and assaulted fifteen more. Stay out of this, bug!" yelled some random mare.
"Do you have proof of the fact that it was in purpose? If you do, show it to me and I will come quietly," called Comet Tail.
Naturally, the mob ignored her. Instead, they advanced forward, with the intention of capturing her and her changeling companion.
Comet Tail sighed. How could she possibly get them to believe her? Canterlot ponies were so stuck up and stubborn. It's their way or no way. Her mind wandered to the fateful event, a mere hour ago.
Comet Tail stood in the Chemistry lab. It was not her usual field of expertise. She was an astronomer by passion, profession and destiny. But her professor had asked her to create a scale model of a star going supernova for a project. Difficult, nay, impossible for a pony without magical abilities or a talent for Chemistry.
She tried anyway. Carefully measuring certain amounts of certain elements, heating them to create a miniature star. She wished she could just ask Celestia for a piece of the sun to make her life easier. At least that way she would know exactly what the elemental makeup of a star was. But she couldn't do that. Instead, she carefully mixed up chemicals and used various apparatus to perfect her project. It really was a project meant for a unicorn, requiring precise manipulation of the required equipment that just wasn't possible with one's bare hooves.
She turned and began to measure out the hydrogen. Measuring a gas was painfully difficult without magic, but she managed. Placing the hydrogen off to the side, she began counting helium and carbon. She heard the roar of a torch in the background, but assumed it was somepony else's project. Her tail flicked.
She heard the clattering of glass as her carefully counted hydrogen toppled to the ground. She could smell it as it drifted out into the room.
And towards the Bunsen burner.
The Bunsen burner which she hadn't turned on, which was burning anyway.
Comet Tail reacted fast. She ran to the wall and slammed the fire alarm as hard as she could. When the bell began to ring, she bolted outside as fast as she could. She was outside for only a minute when a tremendous explosion erupted in the Chemistry lab. The windows shattered, and smoke and fire poured out in a torrent of searing death. The force of the explosion threw Comet Tail to the ground. The sheer sound rendered her deaf for a few moments.
Soon, ponies began to pour out of the building and meet at the assembly point. Most were screaming. Comet Tail didn't bother going towards the assembly point. She was too busy watching as fireponies arrived to quell the flames and nurses came to tend to the wounded. Eight corpses were extracted, fifteen injured on strtchers.
"At least I hit the fire alarm ahead of time," she thought. "Most ponies got out. There weren't many ponies in there anyway. Only a few Science students, and some Creative Writing students."
She stiffened. "Creative Writing," she said aloud.
"Fountain Pen."
She broke out into a cold sweat. Her only friend was potentially injured, or worse, and it was her fault. She scanned the students being extracted from the building, searching for her friend. She did not find him.
"What happened?" asked a nurse, attempting to calm a pony who sported a hideous burn across his left flank, his cutie mark all but obliterated.
"It was that one-winged Pegasus, Comet Tail! She blew up the chemistry lab!"
Comet Tail backed away, towards a small ledge a little way off the school, near an unmoving grey figure. And so she found herself in her current position. Forced to watch the product of her own error.
It hadn't been her intention.
But it had happened anyway.