Comet The Last Son of Kolton

It was a quiet night in Ponyville the sun had long since set and most ponies had gone home to rest for the day ahead. For the Apple Family who lived on their farm at Sweet Apple Acres it had been a typical day of toil, labor and sweat working to grow the apples famous throughout all of Equestria and it seemed tomorrow would promise more of the same.

"Goodnight lil sis." Applejack smiled as she tucked her little sister into bed."

"Goodnight big sis." Applebloom yawned as her sister kissed her forehead.

"Now remember we've got a load of wares to pick up at the market tomorrow so I need you here right after school got it?

"Yeah yeah Applejack I remember."

"Just remindin ya is all."

Applejack turned off the light and closed the door while Applebloom laid her head on her pillow and looked out the window at her family's farm. She had just about fell asleep when she saw a shooting star brighter than any she had ever seen before streak across the sky. She threw off her covers and walked over to her window her eyes wide with wonder as the star drew closer and closer to their farm only to disappear behind the barn.

"Wow!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Suddenly and without warning there a great tremor and an earth shattering roar as the comet crashed into the apple orchard behind the barn. Applebloom was knocked off her hooves and onto her back. Pictures fell off the walls, China fell from the cabinet and shattered onto the floor, Vases and lamps tumbled and shattered and the  window panes cracked and rattled. In the barn outside tools fell from the hangers, dust dropped from the ceiling and the bell outside clanged wildly back in forth.

Then as just as soon as it began it was over. Sweet Apple Acres fell silent once again the only exception being Winona's frenzied barking.

"Owwww!"

Applebloom rubbed  her head in pain as she picked herself off the floor and looked around her room. Her vanity mirror was cracked in several places, the vase and picture frame on top had tumbled onto the floor next to the picture on her wall which was now bent.

Just as she was clearing her head the bedroom door flew open.

"APPLEBLOOM ARE Y'ALL ALRIGHT!" Her big sister looked like an awful fright. her mane was tousled and messy and she was sweating bullets.

"Ugh A'h think so just a splitting headache is all."

"Let me see."

Applejack knelt down to check the bump on her sisters head.

"Aw it's nothing just a lil o'l goose egg you'll be fine.

"WHAT IN TARNATION WAS ALL THAT RACKET? HOW'S AN OLD MARE SUPPOSED TO GET SOME SLEEP AROUND HERE!" Granny Smith cried from down the hall.

"Are y'all alright Granny?" Applejack called out.

"Ah'm fine Ah'm fine just a little shaken is all." Granny sadi.

"Mac are y'all okay?"

"Eyup ow." her big brother moaned.

"What in Equestria was that? an earthquake?"

"It was some kind of shootin star Applejack. Ah saw it thru my window." She walked over to her window and pointed to a trail of smoke rising from the orchard.

"Sweet Celestia! Granny, Mac! Git dressed there's something out in the orchard!"

Fast as Applejack could make a southern cliche simile the whole family threw on their robes and sashes and ran out the orchard, Applejack with her lasso and Granny with her boomstick with Winona leading the pack.. They arrived to find the orchard in ruins the shooting star had splintered through several acres of apple trees and dug a deep trench thru the fields ending in a large crater illuminated by small dying embers.

Applejack's eyes widened with shock when she saw the state the orchard was in. In just a flash acres of apple trees some going all the way back to the founding of Ponyville were gone.

"Oh my Celestia." She didn't feel upset she didn't feel angry she didn't feel worried or uncertain of what this meant for the harvest. All Applejack could feel was shock. This was her family's lively hood, what they relied to live on day after day. Applejack's worry faded when she heard Winona barking in the distance."

"What is it Winona? You find something girl?"

"A'h think she wants us to follow her." Applebloom said.

The Apples followed the family dog over to a large crater where the falling star had landed, Only it wasn't a falling star but some kind of  spacecraft. Applejack had never seen anything like this in all her life.

What do y'all think it is? Applebloom asked.

"I dunno it kinda looks like some sort of fancy silo or somethin?"  Applejack said.

"Looks like some kind of weather balloon to me."

The other Apples turned to look at Big Mac.

"Really big brother a weather balloon?"  Applejack asked

"Eyup."

"Hornswoogles it's some kind of alien space probe A'h tell you."

Applebloom rolled her eyes.

"Aw Granny not that probing story again."

Suddenly the strange craft began to hiss steam as the entry hatch on the side opened wide. The Apple family huddled together Granny pointing her boom stick ready for whatever was about to come out. But all that came out of the craft was a familiar sound.

Risking the heat Applejack climbed into the trench to get a better listen to the sound. It was faint at first but as she drew closer to it she realized it was the sound of someone or something crying.  Fanning the heat with her hat Applejack managed to get close enough to see what it was. It was a foal with a coat as white as snow and a smoky grey tail.

Fast as jackrabbit Applejack ran back over to her family to tell them what she saw.

Applejack! What is it you look like you've seen a ghost? Granny asked.

"GRANNY THERE'S A FOAL TRAPPED INSIDE THAT THING BUT IT'S TOO HOT TO GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO E'M!"

"Oh Great Star Swirl's Ghost the poor dear must be burning up." Granny Smith said dropping her shotgun.

"Come on Everypony that lil foal needs a rescuin! Mac fetch as many buckets as you can carry! Applebloom you fetch the water from the well!

make haste ponies!"

Fast as they could the Apple's sprung into action to save the little foal trapped in the hot space ship, While Applejack and Granny Smith stayed with the spaceship to keep an eye on the foal Big Macintosh and Applebloom worked feverishly to fetch the water.

"It's going to be okay sweet baby we're gonna git you out of there!" Applejack called out trying to sooth the child's nerves.

"APPLEBLOOM MACINTOSH! HURRY UP WITH THAT WATER WILL YA THIS POOR FOAL'S A ROASTING!" Granny hollered out.

Applebloom frantically worked the well pump trying to fill the buckets of water Big Mac wore on his yoke.

"AH'M A PUMPIN AS FAST AS A'H CAN GRANNY!"

Finally she managed to fill them all up and the two of them raced back to the orchard as fast they could.

"How's he holding up Applejack?"

"He's still bawling so A'h know he's still breathing now come on !"

Working together the Apples tossed bucket after bucket after bucket onto the red hot spacecraft. Thick plumes of steam hissed and rose from the hull with each splash of water until finally after two agonizing minutes the fires were out and the spacecraft was cool enough for them to approach it.

The Foal was a colt that much Applejack could see his coat was a white as snow his tail a smoky gray with a matching tuft on his head. He wore a strange pendent around his neck with the letter C engraved in a diamond with a comet's tail .

Speaking as  soothingly as possible Applejack scooped the crying foal into her hooves.

"Ssh it's okay sugarcube it's okay  your safe now."

"Is he all alright Applejack?"

"Ah think so sis he don't hurt look hurt at all."

While Applejack did her best to calm the sleeping foal Granny and Big Mac took a closer look at the spacecraft.

"Now who in Equestria would put a cute lil fella like that in a some kinda cockamamie contraption like that?" Granny asked as she poked it a few times with her cane.

Applejack looked down at the pendent around his neck and opened it, Inside was a picture of a stallion and a mare dressed in clothes she had never seen anypony wear before. The Stallion wore what looked like a fancy suit of blue tights with a red cape in the back and a silver headband while the mare wore a silver robe that covered her entire body with a matching silver headband and held a white newborn foal in her hooves. Were these his parents? Why would they put him in danger like this? Did they not want him anymore? or did they not have a choice? The questions circled in Applejack's head like a carousel

"What's this?" Mac said as he pulled out a strange crystal pyramid in his mouth.

"What Cha'll got there Big Mac?" Granny said

Big Mac spat the crystal into his hoof.

"I dunno I've never seen anything like it." He answered.

"Well just hang onto it fe'r now."

"Are y'all alright down there Granny? Applejack called out.

"Ah'm fine Applejack Big Mac just found something. how's the little guy doing?"

"He seems to have calmed down a bit." She cradled him in her hooves gently rocking him back and forth." "What did y'all find?"

"Heck if A'h know some kind of strange gem or something."

"A Strange Gem?"

Big Mac walked out of the crater took the gem out of his saddle bag and showed it to Applejack.

Applejack and Applebloom looked at the strange crystal, It was a pyramid shaped gem with beams of light snaking up and down lines along it's surface.

"A'h gotta tell Twilight about this first thing tomorrow morning." Applejack said

Applebloom looked over at her sister with concern.

"But Applejack what are we gonna do about him? Ah don't want to send him away to no orphanage."

Applejack looked over at her little sister and then down at the tiny white bundle of joy in her arms looking at her with his sleepy little eyes. She felt her explode twice inside her chest as she looked down at him.

"Ah suppose he can live with us, That is if your all okay with it?"

Applebloom jumped excitedly into the air.

"Are you kidding Ah've always wanted a baby brother or sister to look after."

Granny smiled and looked down at the little foal in her granddaughter's hooves.

"Well Ah still have most of all your baby things in the attic Ah suppose we could put the old nursery back together tomorrow."

Applejack smiled and looked over to her brother.

"What do you say big brother y'all think you can get used to changing some dirty diapers?"

"Eyup."

Applejack smiled and looked down at the tiny colt.

"Well then that settles it little fella your an Apple now!"

The tiny foal yawned and smiled at Applejack words.

"Wait what are we all gonna name him?" Applebloom said asking the all important question.

Applejack looked down at the little foal who had now fallen asleep and saw the tiny locket of a crystal diamond with a comet's tail around his neck. She looked carefully at the letter C inside the diamond.

"Comet." She finally said.

"Comet?" Applebloom asked inquisitively.

Applejack gently removed the locket and showed it to her sister while Granny and Big Mac pondered Applejack's choice of a name.

"Well it certainly suits the little tyke I guess."

"Eyup!"

"Well Applebloom what do you think? Do you like the name Comet?" Applejack asked her sister.

"A'h sure do sis A'h think it's perfect because it's how he came to us."

"Comet it is then welcome to the family Comet Apple!"

The Apples gathered up the foals things and headed back into the farmhouse to get ready for a very busy day tomorrow.

End of Chapter 1.