Comet The Last Son of Kolton

by Stallion of Steel

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure
Length: 16799

Rocketed to Equis from the dying planet Kolton a young foal is taken in by the Apples. As he grows to maturity he discovers he has powers far beyond those of mortal ponies. Join him as he learns what he is and what it truly means to be a hero.

Far off in the vast reaches of space lies the distant planet Kolton, home to a race of equines many thousands of years older and advanced than the Equestrians. When an unstable core and a dying sun herald this planets doom one couple places their newborn foal in a rocket and sends him far away in an effort to save him.

On a small farm outside Ponyville a certain family is about to get the surprise of their lives. One that could benefit Equestria immensely.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-05-27 21:47:46 UTC

Prologue The Last Son

Our Story begins on a far distant planet called Kolton, Home to a race many light years ahead of Equestrian civilization in terms of science and magic. A mostly peaceful race who kept to themselves devoting their efforts to advancing their society, A society that unbeknownst to them was living on borrowed time.

In the chambers of Kolton's High Council a sentence was to be laid out. The Prosecutor Jav of the house of El one of Kolton's greatest scientific minds delivered his closing statement.

"And so with the evidence presented against the defendents in this court today  it is up to the ruling of this council to decide whether  you General Zebrod , Major Ursa and Neign are to be found innocent or guilty for the crimes of murder, high treason, and sedition.  Councilmen have you reached a verdict?"

The three heads of the high council looked to each other in discussion then down on the three defendants dressed in black. One a unicorn stallion, the second a pegasus mare and the third a hulking earth stallion. Finally the head of the council looked down and announced his verdict .

  "General Zebrod, Major Ursa and Neign for the crimes of murder high treason and sedition against the ruling council of this planet it is the ruling of this court that you are found guilty and are to be sentenced to a life sentence in the phantom zone where you suffer a fate worse than living death.

With the bang of a gavel a flash of light engulfed the defendants as a large mirror like portal appeared above them. The General turned to Jav-El a hateful glare in his eye.

"This isn't over THIS ISN'T OVER! YOU WILL BOW BEFORE ME SOMEDAY JAV-EL! YOU AND YOUR HEIRS!"

The last words of the General echoed thru the High Council Chamber as the three criminals who had attempted to ursurp the high council were pulled into the phantom zone which then flew off into the endless void of space.

"You have done well Jav-El we were unaware of General Zebrod's treachery had you not told us in time his coup might have well succeeded."

"Thank you Councilman if it's not too much trouble I have a request."

"State it"

The Coltonian Scientist looked up at the council with a look of grim foretelling before pulling a holo crystal out of his pocket and placing it on the console. In an instant an image of the planet's interior appeared.

"I believe I may have found the cause of the mysterious disasters plaguing our world and it does not bode well for us. After months of research I believe Kolton's core is unstable due to the aging of our sun and becoming more unstable by the day.  I fear this will continue to get worse until our planet explodes."  The image on the holo screen playing out Jav-El's fears.

The Council looked down on Jav-El their expressions emotionless.

"And what pray tell do you suggest we do." Asked the one to the right."

"In my star maps I have come across a planet fifty light years away that should be able to support our form of life.  Jav-El pulled up an image of a bright vibrant blue and green world.

"The natives are equines much like ourselves and the planet has more than enough resources to sustain our both our peoples. I propose we build an ark to send there so that we may start our civilization anew." The Image of the planet faded and turned off as Jav-El removed the holo crystal.

"You are suggesting we leave our peaceful home to a travel to an alien planet based on your theories alone?" The councilman on the left asked.

"These are no theories Councilman the evidence is all around us, all over Kolton our civilization is being ravaged by earthquakes, tidal waves, volcanic eruptions and magnetic storms of increasing magnitude!"

"And what if your theory proves to be incorrect and we told the populace of this? There would be even more panic and unrest than there already is." The Councilman on the right argued.

"You are free to continue your research into this matter Jav-El but until you have undeniable proof that this phenomenon of which you speak is real we will not risk further panic That is the final word of this council." The holographic image of head of the council vanished soon followed by his two colleagues.

Jav-El hung his head in despair for centuries Kolton had been a paradise it's inhabitants free from the ills of disease, famine, poverty, crime, old age and even death. Thanks to the science of cloning Koltonians were essentially immortal.  Theirs was a people who wanted for nothing. But centuries of prosperity had given way to decadence, boredom, sloth, and greed, Children were procreated not out of love but for the purpose of breeding stronger, smarter and more beautiful members of their race.

But Kolton's days were numbered it was an old planet orbiting an even older sun which was steadily growing larger and larger the increasing gravity slowly pulling the planet apart.

Later that day Jav-El returned home to his wife and newborn foal.

"What did the Council say?" His wife Lara Lan'faust asked.

"They didn't believe me, They said my findings lacked proof. If they just take a look outside their chambers and saw the state our world is in they'd find their undeniable proof."

She took his hoof in hers

"We shouldn't give up hope Jav-El they may still come around."

Jav-El took his wife into his forelegs their muzzles close together.

"Lara I'm worried about our son he's only a foal but at the rate things are going I fear he will not have a future."

Their little foal Kom-El slept in the next room unlike most children who parents were selected on the basis of their superior genes he had been conceived and born of an act of love. Lara came from the workers guild of Kolton the lowest of the guilds and the only ones who could never rise to another guild. Her marriage to Jav-El had upset many in the science guild where he was born and had led many in the council to doubt his contributions to the scientific community.

"If the high council ever found out about him I have no doubt they'd expel me and have him sent away."

"Is there nothing we can do Jav-El?"

"Perhaps, I've got some colleagues in Kanterdor working on a prototype spaceship right now I'll go there tomorrow and join them."

"As long as we are together Jav-El then I'll be happy."

There embrace was cut short by a violent storm that woke little Kom El.

The next day Jav-El was shocked to learn from the High Council that Kanterdor had mysteriously disappeared as if into thin air. Determined to find out the truth he went to Maneframe the great central computer that ran all day to day operations on Kolton.

"Ah Jav-El I was expecting your arrival soon." The super computer said as he entered the room.

"Then you already know what's happened to Kanterdor?"

"Of course it is right over there on that shelf." it's singular red eye turning to to the shelf in question.

Jav-El looked over to a see a large bottle on the shelf it didn't strike him as unusual until he took a closer look at it.

There in front of his face was the city of Kanterdor shrunken and placed inside a bottle it's 6 million inhabitants reduced in size a thousand fold to the size of ants.

For a moment Jav-El was speechless he stared silently at the denizens of the city trapped inside their bottled prison.

"I take it your impressed Jav-El." Maneframe finally said.

"Maneframe you did this? Why?"

"I think it should be obvious to you of all people Jav-El this planet and it's species is doomed as such I have served my purpose."

Jav-El was puzzled by the  supercomputer's logic.

"You mean you have the evidence to prove my theory is correct.

"Of course I have known the cause of this inevitable phenomenon for many years now an have been anticipating it."

"Jav-El's eyes went wide with shock Maneframe the most sophisticated computer Kolton had ever constructed had known all along.

"We have to tell the council about this there may still be time to save our people."

"I'm afraid I cannot let you do that Jav-El." The Supercomputer replied.

Suddeny alarms began to blare as the building began to shake."

"What are you doing?"

"My purpose since my creation has been to catalogue Kolton's history and now that that history is coming to an end I feel I have served my purpose here and shall be moving onto to other worlds. I have already taken the liberty of constructing a spaceship and a backup of my hard drives to send into space.  But do not fear for your colleagues Jav-El for I shall be taking them with me."

With a flash of light the bottle disappeared the computer having teleported it away.

"There is still time to save the rest of our race we can all go together."

The Supercomputer looked at him with it's single cold red eye and coldly responded.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that Jav-El you see if I had informed the High Council of our planets impending doom they would have most likely put me to work on a plan to save your species which wouldn't leave me with enough time to collect all the data on Kolton's civilization.

"You'll kill us all!"

"Your species killed itself a long ago Jav-El I've concluded that if you were allowed to escape to another world your people would simply do it all over again. I've decided that saving the data on Kolton is just as good as saving the civilization itself."

The launch bay doors  began to open as the ship Maneframe had contructed rose up prepared to launch.

"I have much enjoyed our time together but I'm afraid this is where I must say farewell to Kolton and hello to the vast reaches of the universe! Goodbye Jav-El."

With that the red monolithic eye faded away as the rocket blasted off into the void of space the bottled city of Kanterdor on board along with Jav-El's last chance of convincing the High Council.

"No Stop!"

But it was too late within seconds the rocket had broken through the atmosphere and was gone from sight. Jav-El fell to his hind legs in defeat.

Determined to continue on with his work Jav-El spent the next several months working on a spaceship to transport his family off world. He labored night and day designing the blueprints, building prototypes and launching test flights. Alas his plans of escape would not come to fruition for just as he had finished the first prototype designed to carry a specimen a violent tremor shook the entire planet. All over Kolton seas rose mountains crumbled and cities were swallowed or washed away by the cataclysms.

"No It can't be happening already I need more time there is still so much to do!"   Jav-El picked himself up off the floor and got back on his legs.

His wife Lara Lan-faust galloped into his laboratory their young foal wailing in her arms as the earth shook with fury.

"Jav-El what is going on?"

Jav-El looked at his wife and foal and said solemnly. "It's happening earlier than I estimated, I thought we had more time."

"What are we going to do?"

Jav-El looked at Kom-El who was holding onto his mother for dear life. With  tears in his eyes he knew what must be done.

"There's only one thing we can do Lara."

He led her over to the launching bay for the prototype spaceship  he had just finished preparing for a launch.

"Jav-El We can't send him out into space on his own! he could be killed. " Lara protested.

"If he stays here with us he will perish for sure, It's not how I hoped this would turn out but at least this way we can save him. "

The Koltonian scientist entered the coordinates for the planet he had charted into the rockets guidance system.

"Lara I have found a world it is a planet well suited for life the natives are just like us he will be safe."

In an instant the holoscreen brought up the image of the planet, It was a medium sized planet with blue oceans green landmass and a sun and moon in it's orbit.

Lara looked down at Kom-El with worry in her eyes.

"Jav-El What if they find out who he really is? They might try to kill him." Jav-El looked down at his son.

"He'll be like a god to them the sun's ultra solar rays will make his molecular structure stronger than steel."

With tears in her eyes Lara loaded her little foal Kom-El into the pod along with his toys and removed the locket depicting a letter C in a shield with a comet's tail that she wore around her neck.

"Goodbye my little Kom-El though I shall not live to see you fully grown you will always be my little foal." She placed her locket around his neck.

  Jav-El placed a small crystal pyramid inside the pod and took one last look at his son.

"Kom-El though our time with you was short you have made your mother and I the happiest parents in the universe. We hope you bring happiness to whoever finds and raises you. When you come of age and are ready to discover who you are this memory crystal will answer all the questions you have."

The two parents gave one last kiss to their young foal before another tremor forced Jav-El to initiate the launch sequence. They watched as the ship's door closed with their precious child inside before it rocketed through the atmosphere and into the vast reaches of space on a collision course with an unknown world.

As Kolton's core reached critical mass and it's cities crumbled into ruin Jav-El and Lara-Lan'Faust held each other in a tight embrace. With one last cataclysmic explosion  Kolton was blasted into fragments of rock and debris. The Koltonians with the exception of the bottled city of Kanterdor and one little foal in a small space ship were no more.

"Orbit of Kolton clear entering hypersleep mode." The cold computer's voice announced as the ship's life support systems began to put the young Kom-El into a state of suspended animation. It would be fifty lightyears before the rocket would reach it's destination.

After fifty lightyears of travel the rocket carrying Kom-El entered the atmosphere of the planet Equis. It's inevitable landing site a large farm outside the Equestrian town of Ponyville.

This world was to be his new home.

End of Prologue.

Chapter 1 Falling Star.

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.

Chapter 2 A Shiny New Apple

Chapter 2 A Shiny New Apple

Early the next morning before Celestia raised the sun the Apple family got to work getting their house ready for their new arrival. There was broken glass to sweep up picture frames that would need replacing and plenty of repairs made to the foundation and that was on top of the cleaning up the mess in the orchard and getting the baby things out of the attic.

"Easy now Mac that cradle's been in the Apple family since A'h was a foal." Granny Smith said.

Carefully Big Macintosh balancing a wooden rocking cradle in his teeth walked down the steps from the attic.

"You got a hold on it?"

"Eeyup." He gently set the cradle down on the floor. "Where do you want it?"

"In the old playroom just down the hall", She replied.

"Hey Granny A'h found that box of baby toys you wanted me to look fe'r!" "Applebloom called out from the attic

"Well leave it by the stairs Applebloom Ah'll send Mac up to get it as soon he's done with the cradle."

Applebloom smiled as she pushed the box over to the stairs.

"Ah've always wondered what it would be like to have little brother or sister." Applebloom's grin spread from cheek to cheek as she imagined all the fun things she would do with her new baby brother.  "A'h can't wait to tell everypony at school about him."

"Alright now let's make sure we've got everything we need here." Applejack said as she looked over a clipboard with a checklist.

"Crib?"

"Eyup"

"Changing Table?"

"Eeyup"

"Dresser?"

"Eeyup."

"Bath?"

"Eeyup."

"Toy Chest?"

"Eeyup."

"Baby clothes, Mobile, Blankets, Pillows, Bibs, Highchair, Stroller, Wagon seat?

"Eeyup yup yup yup yup yup yup."

"Okay that looks like just about everything all we need now is for Applebloom to bring the toys down."

Suddenly there was a loud tumbling sound followed by a crash, Applejack and Big Mac ran down the hall to find a sheepish Applebloom sitting in the middle of a pile of baby toys and Granny Smith holding her chest like she was about to have a heart attack.

"Are y'all alright lil sis?" Applejack asked.

"A'hm fine." The yellow filly replied

"You really need to watch where your going alright?"

"Yeah yeah Ah know."

"Good heavens it's much too early in the morning fe'r me to be dealing with this much excitement!" Granny Smith exclaimed.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The excitement was broken up by the sound of Comet crying. Applejack sighed and went over to her room to comfort him.

By the time the sun rose the house had been cleaned up and Comet's playroom was set up.

"Well that settles that A'h finally got the little rascal to go sleep." Applejack took off her stenson and wiped her brow as she and her brother stepped into the kitchen.

"Well A'h whipped up some hay, eggs and toast fe'r your breakfast.  No'thin fancy but it should get you two thru the day." Granny told her as she a some plates on the table.

"Thanks Granny Ah'm gonna need it we've got a hot date with a crashed spaceship in the orchard this morning and after that Ah gotta run into town with Mac fe'r some baby supplies." She looked around the kitchen. "Where's Applebloom?"

"She left fe'r school just a few minutes ago." Granny replied. "She was so excited she wanted to get there early. Ah think she can't wait to tell all her classmates about her new baby brother."

Applejack spat her breakfast out in surprise into Big Mac's face.

"She what?"

"Now now calm down Applejack" Her Grandmother reassured her. "Me and Applebloom, well we got to talking it over and decided that for now it was best just to tell every pony that he was dropped off on our porch in a basket."

Applejack looked down at her plate while Big Mac wiped his sisters breakfast off his face with his napkin and folded it up.

"Well A'h guess that makes sense A'h mean who'd believe we found him in a crashed spaceship in the middle o' the orchard?"

"Alright class before we get started our classmate Applebloom has some exciting news to share with us.", Mrs Cheerilee said as she handed the floor over to Applebloom."

"Thank you Mrs Cheerilee"  She said as she turned to face the class. "Everypony last night something wonderful happened, My family and Ah adopted a newborn foal.

The class erupted into a roar of cheering that was followed by many many questions.

"What's his name?" Asked Button Mash.

"What color is his coat?" Rumble asked.

"When can we see him?" Scootaloo wanted to know.

"What do you think his Cutie Mark will be?" Sweetie said.

"Isn't night a strange time to adopt a foal?" Peppermint Twist asked.

The Questions came one after another but Applebloom did her best to respond to them.

"His name is Comet, Comet Apple."

"His coat is white with a smokey gray mane."

"Right now he's with Applejack and Big Mac at the market but maybe she'll let me bring him to school tomorrow."

"I don't know what his cutie mark will be yet."

"Well it wasn't kinda planned for someone just dropped him in a basket on our front porch last night rang the bell and left."

"So you got a new baby brother so what? Diamond Tiara said smugly.

"Oh he sounds so adorable do you think Applebloom will let us see him Diamond?" Silver Spoon asked causing Diamond to hoof palm her face.

"Alright that's enough class it's time to begin our lessons for the day.", Mrs Cheerilee said before writing the day's lesson on the chalkboard while The Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled together."

"So Applebloom when can we see your new baby brother?" Sweetie asked.

"Applejack said she was gonna drop by Sugarcube Corner later today maybe we could stop and see him." Applebloom replied.

"This is gonna be so cool! Do you think your sister would let us watch him?" Scootaloo asked.

"A'h don't know Scoot's A'h heard foalsitting a lot of hard work. Remember what a handful Pinkie said Pound and Pumpkin Cake were the first time she foalsat them?"

"Yeah but there's like three of us and only one of him we can watch each others backs."

"Plus maybe we could earn our cutie marks for foalsitting." Sweetie added.

"Well A'h suppose If we ask Applejack nicely she might say yes."

"Then it's agreed today after school we'll head over to Sugarcube Corner."

"We'll be the best foalsitters ever!" Sweetie exclaimed.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Foalsitters Yay!" They shouted in unison as they jumped in the air.

"Ahem Girls!" Ms Cheerilee interrupted.

"Sorry Miss Cheerilee." The trio said simultaneously as they sat back down at their desks.

Meanwhile in Ponyville Applejack had taken it upon herself to pick up some baby supplies. Her brother assured her he could handle the mess in the orchard by himself and Granny needed some well deserved rest after being up so late so Applejack had volunteered to bring Comet with her while she did her shopping.

"Alright first thing on the list is a check up at the hospital. " She looked up at the entrance to Ponyville Hospital.

"You said you found him on your front porch last night in a basket?" Nurse Redheart asked as she filled out a clipboard.

"That is correct." Applejack answered.

"What time would you say this was?"

"A little after ten thirty  A'h think."

"Mhm and did you see who dropped him off?"

"No  Ma'm A'h didn't."

"I see, can you think of any reason why someone would choose to drop an unwanted foal on your doorstep? Anything at all?"

"No A'h don't reckon A'h can."

"One last question are you intending to do now?"

"Well Ma'm we all talked it over and we decided we want to adopt him."

"Alright thanks for your time Applejack I'll get back to you once Doctor Horse has finished his examination. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes in the meantime you can wait outside in waiting room."

"Thanks Nurse Redheart." Applejack shook her hoof picked up her stenson and walked out the door. She got as far as turn down the hall when she ran into Pinkie Pie of all ponies.

"Hey Applejack!" The pink mare exclaimed as she grabbed her friend in a tight hug.

"Hello Pinkie Pie." Applejack said. "What are you doing here?"

"Rainbow Dash broke her wing again and we're all here to cheer her up."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "What in tarnation did she do this time?"

"I dunno something to do with a midair collision with Derpy and both of them spiraling into a row of porta potties."  Pinkie answered.  "What are you doing here?"

"A'h was just bringing Comet here for a quick check up."

"Who's Comet?"

"He's a foal we're adopting."

The pink mare could hardly contain her excitement. Her mouth stretched into a smile so big it seemed to split her face in two. All at once she started asking questions at a mile a minute.

"OH MY GOSH WHY DIDN'T TELL ME?  HOW SOON CAN YOU HIRE A BABYSITTER? CAN I BE THE BABYSITTER? I'VE ALREADY GOT POUND AND PUMPKIN TO WATCH BUT I GUESS I COULD SQUEEZE ONE MORE IN AND OH MY GOD POUND AND PUMPKIN ARE GONNA HAVE A NEW PLAYMATE TO PLAY WITH! HOW SOON CAN WE CELEBRATE HIS BIRTHDAY? WHAT KIND OF CAKE SHOULD I BAKE? CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? OR STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE JUST YOU WAIT APPLEJACK I'LL THROW THE BIGGEST ADOPT A PONY BASH PONYVILLE HAS EVER SEEN! OH THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO!"

"Pinkie!"

Pinkie continued to ramble lost in her own excitement.

"FIRST WE'RE GONNA NEED DECORATIONS AND BALLOONS AND MUSIC AND A CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN WAIT IS IT SAFE FOR BABIES TO DRINK FROM A CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN!"

"Pinkie."

"AW WHAT THE HAY I'LL THROW IT IN ANYWAY! OOH I KNOW STREAMERS!" She said tossing them into the air only to be pulled back by the ear by Nurse Redheart who'd just returned with an orange unicorn in a doctors coat.  "Ow Hey!"

"Shh there are patients resting on this floor." She scolded.

"Oh whoops sorry,"  Pinkie smiled sheepishly.

"Thank you Nurse Redheart that will be all." Doctor Horse said as he walked up to Applejack carrying a file with his magic."

"Well Doctor how is he?" Applejack asked.

"Everything seems to check out nicely he's got good reflexes, good blood pressure, no serious ailments or health problems as far as I can tell. He's a perfectly healthy foal I just can't see why someone would just abandon him like that. Anyway he's in the nursery with the other's right now. Come with me I'll show you. The Doctor turned and led Applejack to the nursery.

"Right behind you Applejack!" Pinkie cried out only to pulled back by Nurse Redheart.

"Shh not you."

Pinkie could only squee nervously at the look the nurse was giving her.

"Well there he is number 209 second from the right."

Doctor Horse pointed Applejack to her baby brother who was squirming and twisting inside his bed. He cried as his little hooves kicked into the air.

"Hi baby brother, It's me your big sister Applejack." Applejack smiled in awe thru the window looking into the room."

"He's a quite a spirited one he nearly kicked Nurse Redheart a few times as she was taking his temperature." Doctor Hooves said.

"Ah'd believe it yep he's gonna make one heck of an apple bucker just like his big sister." Applejack smiled with admiration.

"Well if you'll excuse me I've got other patients waiting for me." Doctor Horse said as he walked to the door. I'll have the receptionist call the orphanage and have the adoption papers sent to you sometime this afternoon.

"Of course thanks Doc A'h won't keep you from your work."

"No trouble at all Applejack." And with that Doctor Horse left the room. Applejack turned back the nursery and looked at the Comet sleeping in his crib with the other foals. She smiled softly as she watched him stretch out his forelegs and let out a big yawn before slowly closing his eyes.

Chapter 3 Growing Pains.

Comet threw the sheets off with a yawn as he stretched his forelegs out and climbed out of bed.

"Good morning sun I got a feeling today's going to be a good day."

The young colt had a reason to be happy because today was his first day of school at Ponyville Elementary. He had been looking forward to this day for a very long time.

Comet walked into to the bathroom stepped in front of the mirror and proceeded comb his mane and coat like he did every morning before he went down to breakfast.

"Good morning everypony." Comet pulled out his chair and sat down.

"Good Morning Comet your just in time for pancakes." Granny smiled as she placed a plate of her famous apple cinnamon pancakes on the table in front of him.

"Ya'll ready for your first day at school?" Applebloom asked him.

"I sure am."

"Glad to hear that Comet." Applejack said.

Applebloom smiled and looked down at her baby brother. He was growing up right before her eyes. Of course Comet wasn't the only one going thru changes oh no a lot had changed in the years since he came into their lives. Applebloom had grown from an adorable filly to a beautiful young teenage mare who often helped on the farm with her carpentry skills.

Applejack had fully taken over the management of running Sweet Apple Acres day to day along with taking care of Granny Smith who'd retired from running the family farm except in the case of cooking and cleaning.

As for Big Mac he still worked the fields day in and out but that was soon to change ever since he'd proposed to Ms Cheerilee the local elementary school teacher. They're wedding was scheduled in just a few weeks.

Granny smith walked over and placed two more plates of pancakes at the table for Comet and Applebloom who'd devoured their first stack like a horse.

"Eat up you two your both going to need your energy for today."

That was all Comet and Applebloom needed to hear before digging into their plates . In no time flat the kids had both polished off their second stack.

"More please." Comet asked.

"My word Comet I just don't know where you put it all." Applejack said.

"Aw foooie he's jus't a growin young colt aren'cha Comet." Granny smiled as she flipped another pancake.

"I sure am Granny."

"Go ahead eat up I made plenty for everypony."

After about three to four servings of Granny's pancakes with sides of hay, apples and apple juice. Comet went upstairs to brush his teeth. He threw on his saddle bag which was a hand me down from Applebloom and hustled down the stairs determined to catch the school wagon when Applejack called out to him.

"Hold it right there."

Comet turned and looked over at his sister.

"Just where do y'all think ye'r going?" She asked?

"To school?"

"Not with that mane young man." She pointed to the tousled mess Comet had combed his mane into this morning.

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's a mess." She said as she brought her comb out and began to comb Comet's messy mane into order. "Just hold still fe'r a moment."

"Ouch ow ow ow not so hard."

If ya didn't use so much of the shampoo ya wouldn't have so many knots in ye'r mane. She stepped back and took a mirror out of her purse. "There that's much better."

Comet looked himself over his mane which had been combed over in every direction was now straight and tidy with a kiss curl over his forehead.

"Aw I look like a dork."

"Ah think you look like a handsome young colt." She took her camera out and took a few pictures of Comet. "Come on lets see a smile."

Comet tried his best to put on the best smile he could the results could best be described as awkward and forced.

"Oh A'h just know ye'r Granny gonna want these framed your growing up so fast." Applejack could hardly contain her excitement, fortunately for Comet his photo session was interrupted by the clanging bell of the school wagon.

"There's the school wagon ye'r all set?"

"Eeyup."

"Good answer."

"I'm going to school now Granny!" He called out.

"Have a good first day and take it easy on your teacher!"  She hollered back.

Applejack handed him his lunch and herded him out the door.

Comet felt a little  nervous as he and walked out the door and climbed in the back of the schoolwagon. All around him there were colts and fillies of all three races looking at him.

"Who's that?" An earth filly asked.

"I heard he's the new Apple kid or something." Her friend said.

Comet looked around him smiling nervously until he heard a voice cry out.

"Hey Comet over here!"

Comet looked over to see Pound and Pumpkin Cake waving over to him. The Twins knew him way back from the many many birthday parties held at Sugarcube Corner over the past few years. With a smile of relief on his face Comet walked over and sat next to them.

"Hey guys how's it going?"

"It's pretty good I guess" Pound answered. What's with your mane?"

"Applejack combed it before I left." Comet said. Pound burst into a fit of laughter.

"Oh man you look ridiculous." He said holding his sides.

"Well I don't think it's ridiculous." Pumpkin said. "I think it makes him look very mature and handsome." This only made Pound laugh harder.

Pumpkin glared at him unamused while Comet looked down at the floor of the wagon listening as the wheels rolled along the dirt road. She noticed he looked uneasy like a kid getting ready to ride a roller coaster for the first time.

"What's wrong Comet?" Pumpkin asked.

"It's nothing I guess I'm a little nervous that none of the other kids would like me." He replied.

"What are you talking about Comet your the sweetest most honest colt I know." Pumpkin said.

"Thanks Pumpkin."

Comet sighed and took his seat as the teacher; a purple earth pony walked up to the board and wrote her name.

"Good morning students and welcome to your first year of elementary school. My name is Ms Cheerilee I'm going be your teacher this year."

"Good morning Mrs Apple. the class called out."

Cheerilee: "Now for starters I thought we'd go around the class and introduce ourselves. Who would like to go first?"

The students threw their hooves up in excitement each of them eager to go first.

"Me; Me, Me!"

"Pick me!"

"I wanna go first!"

"I called it first!"

"No you didn't!"

"Well I had my hoof up first!"

In the back of the classroom the Comet could hear all the voices of the students  They seemed to grow louder and louder growing louder and louder until they were like claps of thunder in his ears. Fortunately Ms Cheerilee was able to bring order back to the classroom.

"Settle down class settle down I promise everypony will get a turn." The class settled and put their hooves down while the teacher looked over them.

"How about...you." She pointed over to Pumpkin Cake who stood up and introduced herself to the class.

"My name is Pumpkin Cake and this is my brother Pound Cake. Our parents run Sugarcube Corner. When I grow up I want to be a baker just like my mom."

"Okay thank you Pumpkin why don't you go next Pound?"

"Thanks Mrs Cheerilee ahem my name is Pound Cake and this is my sister Pumpkin Cake. When I grow up I want to be either a chef or a party planner like our Foalsitter Pinkie Pie."

"Alright very good Pound who wants to go next?"

One by one the students introduced themselves to the class. Comet saw a red maned earth pony colt who wanted to be a photographer. a pegasus filly who wanted to make blown cloud figurines, a unicorn colt who wanted to be an inventor and many more. Finally it was his turn to speak.

"Alright it looks like we have one more student to introduce, Comet!

Comet looked up at Ms Cheerilee and the class, They were all staring at him wondering what kind of colt he would be. Slowly Comet worked up the courage to stand and began to introduce himself.

"M-My name is C-Comet Ap-pple and my family runs S-Sweet Apple Acres."  The words stammered out of his mouth.

M-My b-big brother  Big M-Ma-Macintosh does m-m-most of the heavy f-f-field work while my b-big s-sister Applejack is the boss around the farm. Comet felt a sudden pain come over his head; Every noise in the room seemed to be magnified to him.

"Comet are you okay?"; Ms Cheerilee asked concerned.

Comet: I-I'm fine j-just a little nervous is all."

"Well would you like to finish introducing yourself?"

Comet rubbed the sides of his head trying to his head trying to soothe the pain. He could hear the whispers and murmurs of the other students around him as though they were shouts.

"He doesn't look so good." an Unicorn filly said.

"Ten bits says he breaks down and cries."; An earth colt said.

"Your on!" his friend said.

"What a spaz." A pegasus colt whispered.

Comet put his hooves to his ears and looked around the room. His mind felt like it was processing information at a million miles a minute. His senses all going into overdrive at once. He looked around the classroom and could see everything as it was happening at once. Spit balls and paper airplanes flew in slow motion, a gentle breeze blew thru the Ponyville flag outside and the buzzing of a horse fly they entered thru an open window.

"Comet are you not feeling well? I can call the school nurse if your sick." Cheerilee's words rang like thunder thru the young colt's head. Her cherry scented perfume choked his nostrils. He opened and eyes and what he saw terrified him. Standing there in front of him with a look of concern on her face was Ms Cheerilee, But now her coat and skin were gone leaving only her muscles and skeleton showing. Her eyes of concern now sat on the sockets of her skull her nose was just empty hole and her lips were replaced with her teeth sitting in the muscles of her jaw inside her ribcage he could see her heart beating slowly.  He looked around and saw the other colts and fillies were the same as her. Some laughed at him others whispered to one another and still some like Pound and Pumpkin seemed concerned. The noises building up in his build finally reached the threshold and with a mighty scream of agony Comet slammed his hooves against his desk splintering it in clean in two like a breaking board before running out the door like a bolt of lightening.

For a moment the class stood silent their eyes turned to the what remained of Comet's desk. His hooves has shattered the surface like a pane of glass and gone straight thru to the bottom, The legs has snapped the force of the blow and now lay splintered on the floor.

The wave of shock passing over her Cheerilee's concern immediately turned to her student's wellbeing.

"Children stay here I'll be right back."  And with that she dashed out the door and began to look for Comet.

"Comet? Comet? Where are you?"; She called out to him but got no response.

"It's okay Comet whatever's going on you can trust me!"

"Sniff sniff"

Her ears caught the sound of sobbing coming from behind the school.

"Comet? Comet?"

There sobbing behind a bush with his face buried into his hind legs was the missing white colt.

"Comet there you are! You gave me and the class quite the scare back there."

Comet covered his ears with hooves at the sound of words.  Realizing she must have been too loud Cheerilee dropped her voice to a soothing whisper.

"Shh everything's going to be okay." She gently put her hooves around him wrapping him into hug.  "I'm gonna give your folks a call and let them know what happened okay?" Comet sniffed and nodded his head slowly.

Back in the classroom the other students began to gather outside the window curiously.

"What's going on I can't see?" An earth filly asked.

"Ms Cheerilee found him he looks pretty upset." Pumpkin answered.

"Probably scared he's gonna get detention after what he did." A blue earth colt with a red mane and a comb cutie mark laughed.

"Leave him alone Teddy!" Pound said.

"Oh yeah who's gonna make me, You?"

"No her." Pumpkin pointed to the window where Ms Cheerilee was staring down Teddy from outside. The students bolted back to their desks  faster than they had gotten up.

True to her word Cheerilee called Applejack and told her what happened, Needless to say she was shocked when she heard Comet had splintered his desk in two with a single blow but she hurried down to the school as fast as she could to comfort her little brother.

"Comet your sister is here to see you." Cheerilee said as she opened the door. She'd given the other students an early recess so that they may have some privacy to talk. Applejack looked down at her little brother who'd since calmed down, but she could tell was still upset from the way he looked down at the floor as he sat nervously in a chair in front of the teacher's desk.

  "Hey little brother  A'h came as soon as A'h heard what happened What's eatin' ya?" Comet looked up at his big sister's eyes and sighed. "So loud." He softly whispered.

"What was that?" Applejack asked her little brother.

"Everything was so loud." he whispered.

"I don't know what happened one minute he was fine the next he was holding his ears and closing his eyes like he was in some kind of pain."

Applejack looked over to where Comet's desk once stood. The janitor had since cleaned it up but the impact had left four dents in the floor where the legs once stood.

"A'h don't what to tell you Ms Cheerilee, Comet's never had problems like this at home before." Comet's head sunk low beneath his shoulders his first day at school and he'd already managed to cause trouble. And now he'd brought Applejack into it. "It's probably nothing more than a headache."

"Applejack I've had students who've come to me with headaches. I've had students stutter; I've had students faint I've had students have accidents just about anything you can imagine but I've never had a student do anything like this before. I think it would be best if Comet saw a doctor. I'll get a sick pass for you to sign him out with.  She reached into her drawer, and pulled out a sign out form which she placed on her desk. Comet got down from his seat and went to pick up his saddle bag while Applejack signed him out for the day.

The walk to the doctor's was quiet for the most part, Despite the best of her ability Applejack wasn't able to get so much as a word out of Comet.

"So are ya gonna tell me what happened back there?" She asked.

Comet looked over at his big sister, His eyes looked ashamed of what he done, His first day of school and he already had to go home early.

"Look this isn't like when you were two and A'h caught you trying to steal the cookie jar, Ye'r not in trouble or nothin''  You were just nervous cause it was ye'r first day of school that's all. Lots of Colts and Fillies are nervous on their first day it's nothing to be ashamed of."

Comet's memories raced back to what happened in the classroom he remembered the sounds of pencils tapping against desks, the echoes of Ms Cheerilee's and his classmates voices as they bounced off the walls. He could hear as clearly as he had not more than twenty minutes ago.  He remembered what his classmates looked like with their skin missing, their muscles and organs all showing, Their eyes turning in their sockets their hearts beating inside their chests, their brains sending electric synapses down their spinal cords. It had felt like all his senses were going into overdrive all at once. He could smell Ms Cheerilee's shampoo in her mane even though he was standing at the back of the class.

"Comet? Comet? Are you okay? answer me. Applejack's cries went unheard as Comet put his hooves over his ears and closed his eyes desperately trying to make it stop.

"MAKE IT STOP APPLEJACK! MAKE IT ALL STOP!" and with that Comet took off blindly.

"COMET WAIT COME BACK!" Applejack gave chase as her brother ran into town,  She was a fast runner one of the fastest in Ponyville but Comet seemed to be like a bolt of lightening hardly breaking a sweat while she struggled just to stay behind him. COMET! COMET!  But Comet didn't heed Applejack's cries he just ran faster the sights, sounds smells and tastes overwhelming his senses all at once. All around him ponies screamed and panicked as a white blur shot thru the town. Everything around him seemed to be moving in slow motion to Comet allowing him to get out of the way in time before he crashed into anything.

COMET! STOP! Applejack began to feel short of breath, her hat had flown off her head long ago but she didn't care all that mattered to her was stopping Comet before he hurt somepony or himself. Sweat soaking her coat and mane and her lungs burning with adrenaline she somehow managed to keep him eyesight as he ran thru the market his body forming a cone around he began to reach the speed of sound. The sonic boom shattered windows and street lamps, knocked over stands and any ponies caught in it fell like they'd been shot. All around him   Comet saw the pain and damage he was causing, tears began to fall from his eyes as he tried to get away before he hurt anypony else. He felt like a monster, a freak, He had to runaway from home, His family wouldn't want anything to do with him no one would.

So caught up in his thoughts of despair was Comet that he didn't see he was headed right for the train tracks with the ten thirty friendship express to Canterlot headed straight for him.

"COMET COMET FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA STOP!" Applejack's eyes went wide with horror as she saw Comet running across the tracks to his certain doom. Her leg muscles felt like they were on fire her throat burning from fatigue Applejack could only watch in horror as the inevitable occurred.

The Collision sent out a shockwave that shattered nearly every window in town and could be felt as far away as the Everfree Forest. When the dust settled the locomotive had disintegrated into scrap metal the engineer and fireman having been knocked out by the shockwave. The cars were crumpled together like a folded accordion and in front of the train standing in total shock at what he had done was a very lucky white Colt.

Comet lay transfixed at the scene that lay before him. From all over town the residents of Ponyville rushed to the aid of the passengers and crew many still dazed and in shock from the white blur which had shot thru the town just moments before. before long the fire department in their bright red wagons showed up with axes and cutting tools and the police and ambulance wagons followed right behind them.

For a moment Comet was in awe of the sight, Ponies of all different races and colors rushing to the aid of complete strangers caught up in an unfortunate tragedy. His euphoria didn't last as he saw a pegasus mare being carried out on a stretcher by the paramedics, her husband and children by her side.  A wave of guilt washed over him as he saw thru her skin, She was bleeding internally and it was his fault.

"It's all my fault! I didn't mean to hurt anypony I...I...I" Comet's whispered gave way to tears as he broke down at the sight of the damage he'd caused.  the sights and sounds of the pandemonium before him moving in slow motion. The cries of agony and calls of the rescuer's echoed in mind tearing into his consciousness.

"COMET!" Applejack ignoring aching of her legs ran to his side along with her friends. "OH THANK CELESTIA YE'R ALRIGHT!" She pulled him into hooves tightly the tears running down her face  then looked him over her eyes widened when she saw he did have a single scratch on him.

"It's...It's....impossible! Twilight Sparkle said in disbelief. "It can't be."

"Comet can you hear me? Comet! Are you okay?"  Slowly Applejack's words brought Comet out of his trance.

"Applejack?" He looked up to her his eyes filled with fear.

"It's okay pard'ner A'hm here everything's going to be a okay."

His puffy eyes filling with fresh tears Comet collapsed into his big sister's hooves as he broke down sobbing.

"I didn't mean to! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

End of Chapter 3.

Chapter 4 Sleepless Nights

The mood at Ponyville General Hospital that day was frantic to put it mildly. Doctors and nurses rushed victims of the train crash into any and all available rooms that could find. But with so many victims and not enough beds and doctors it was an uphill battle. Patients with minor to moderate injuries had to be put up in rooms, while the most critical were rushed into emergency surgery. Relief ponies and supplies were on the way from Cloudsdale, but until then the staff was on their own.

In the midst of the chaos one young colt sat next to his oldest sister as Doctor Horse examined him. His eyes were puffy and stained with tears, and a miserable sense of guilt filled the pit of his stomach.  Memories of seeing thru the victims of the crash flashed in front of his eyes, mares with internal bleeding, Stallions with concussions and fractures, colts and fillies wailing as they were carried away on stretchers flashed thru his mind. It had been too much for a such a young foal to take, He'd fainted in his sister's hooves and woken up in a bed sometime later.

"Well Comet your very lucky to be not only alive but also completely unharmed as impossible as that seems. I've been over all your x-rays twice and I haven't been able to find so much as a trace of any broken bones fractures or internal injures." Dr Horse flipped the light switch illuminating Comet's x-rays. "All the same I'd to check you over personally myself just to be sure. Is that alright?"

Comet didn't reply he simply nodded his head.

"Alright now I'm just feel around your body for any injuries tell me if you feel any pain." Dr Horse said as he gently moved his hooves around Comet's body checking for broken bones or internal injuries.

"Any pain here?"  Comet shook his head.

"What about here? "Again the response was no.

Dr Horse examined Comet from head to toe he checked his temperature, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, and his reflexes. In every instance Comet despite the impossible odds was completely healthy the only abnormality was when Dr Horse tried to test his reflexes and broke his hammer on Comet's knee.

"I honestly don't know what to say my colt you must have had the Princesses watching over you because you don't have so much as a scratch on you." Dr Horse said looking over his clipboard.  "I am a bit concerned about your senses however, They seem to be a little over stimulated.  Has he been having any problems at home? Any trouble eating, sleeping social interactions stuff like that?"

Applejack shook her head. "No nothing like that at all until today."

"Did anything unusual happen today prior to the accident?" The Dr asked.

"He had a little incident at school, A'h had to called to come get him."

"What happened?"

"Well Ms Cheerilee said he suddenly started complaining of loud noises and ran out of the classroom, She found him in the bushes behind the schoolhouse crying.   And after A'h picked him up he started complaining of loud noises and took off like a bolt of lightening."

"And then the accident happened?"

Applejack nodded while Comet placed his head in her lap. "Ssh it's okay sugar cube it's almost over." She softly said to her little brother.

"Well I understand what the problem is and thankfully it's nothing serious." Dr Horse set his clipboard down.

"What is it?" Applejack inquired.

"Comet has sensory overstimulation, basically whenever he's around loud noises or bright lights or something like that his senses become overstimulated. This is very common in foals these days with how much they're surrrounded by stuff like TV, braystation and the canternet.

"We don't have no fancy video games at our place and the only tv is in our living room." Applejack said.

"Well like I said it's nothing serious. Dr Horse replied. Just keep the stimulation around him under control, And if something happens bring him back here."

"A'h can't thank y'all enough for this Doctor." Applejack said.

"It's no trouble Applejack it's what I'm here for." Dr Horse smiled as Applejack and Comet left his office.

Comet sat silently in the corner of the family wagon as Big Mac wheeled them home, His face buried beneath his hooves.

"What's the matter Comet?" Applebloom looked at her brother concerned.

"What's wrong with me?" He sobbed softly.

"What are you talkin about? There's nothing wrong with you Comet. The doctor just said y'all were completely fine."

"I shouldn't have lived thru that crash, I shouldn't be alive right now."

"What in tarnation are you talkin bout? Your alive and we're all grateful for it." Applejack said.

"I wish I wasn't, I wish I was dead." Comet said as he looked down into his hooves.

"Now don't you go spouting any nonsense like that. Granny Smith sternly said.  "Your alive and well and your gonna stay that way."

" But it's all my fault! If I hadn't run away like that all those ponies wouldn't have gotten hurt, If that train had just killed me instead..."

Comet was cut off by Applejack shaking his shoulders.

"Hey what happened wasn't your fault, Y'all couldn't have known that train would've wrecked like that, Y'all need to let it go and move on."

"I could see right thru them, they were hurt real bad sis, How could I let that go? What if I do something like this again?"

Applejack smiled and gently pulled him into a hug

"You won't do something like this again, Your far too honest and kind to do something like that."

Despite her reassurance, Applejack could still feel Comet's tears dripping onto her coat.

"Why is this happening to me Applejack? What did I do to deserve this?" He whimpered.  Applejack looked down at her little brother, unable to find the words to answer his question.

"Ah wish I knew Comet A'h really wish A'h knew."

Comet took his seat just as the school bell rang, He rubbed his temples as he tried to focus at the front of the class.

"Alright class today we'll be learning about what makes us all special." Ms Cheerilee said as she wrote the lesson on the blackboard.  "Now I'm going to call you up alphabetically and I want you to tell the class what makes you special.  Let's start with...Comet Apple."

Comet's throat tightened as he looked down at the report he'd written the night before.

"What makes me special by Comet Apple." Comet's eyes scrolled down the page which was written in strange letters he couldn't read. He blinked his eyes and the letters turned back to Equestrian writing.

"Comet? Are you ready to give your report." Comet noticed Ms Cheerilee's tone sounded strangely like she was getting impatient, With his paper in his mouth Comet trotted up to the front of the class.

"What makes me special by Comet Apple." My Name is Comet Apple I am seven years old. I live with my Granny, my big brother and two big sisters at Sweet Apple Acres, I really don't know what makes me special yet."

Ms Cheerilee smiled softly at him. "Oh come now Comet everypony has something that makes them special, There must be something your good." A hoof raised itself over the class. "Yes Pound do you have something to say?"

"Ms Cheerilee I know what makes Comet special."

"Really and what is that?" She asked.

"Simple he hurts ponies."

In that instant Comet's blood ran cold as the color drained from his face, Pound Cake one of his closest friends had told everyone he hurt ponies.  But it was what Ms Cheerilee said next that made his stomach churn.

"That's correct Pound Cake, As we all know from yesterday's train crash Comet's special talent is hurting other ponies.

"W-What th-that's not true I-I didn't cause that wreck I-I mean I didn't mean to."

"He even admits it!" Pumpkin exclaimed "I think we all know what your cutie mark is going to be."

"N-No I-I-I don't hurt ponies I-It was an accident!"

"Try telling that to the families of everypony you put into the hospital yesterday you heartless monster!" A pegasus filly said.

Comet's senses began to go into to overdrive, The classroom seemed to stretch on for miles thru a forest populated by staring eyes and sneering faces. His ears picking up every word his classmates said.

"An accident like anypony would believe a story like that."

"We all know  you did it on purpose."

"Your nothing but a freak!"

"Stop It!"  Comet shouted out to the class, His temples throbbed with pain as if somepony had set the inside of his head on fire. He looked out into the see of Classmates all of their insides showing several injuries.

"You should be locked up where you can never another pony as long as you live!" A Unicorn Colt with a broken horn said.

"I say we throw him in the stocks and pelt him with rocks." An earth filly with broken back shouted with glee."

"Hey that's a great idea!" Another earth pony added.

The class began pelting Comet with rocks as they shouted names and insults at him.

"FREAK!"

"MONSTER!"

"GET LOST!"

"HA HA HA HA HA!"

"GO AWAY!"

"DIE!"

The burning in Comet's head grew hotter and hotter, His vision began to turn red as it felt like his head was going to explode.

"MS CHEERILEE MAKE THEM STOP PLEASE!" He Begged. She turned to him and smiled with a wicked grin.

"Make them stop but Comet don't you see? They're only giving you what you deserve."

  Comet's eyes burned hotter than the surface of Celestia's sun, He shut his eyes in a last ditch effort to hold it in but it was to no avail.

"I SAID STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!

With a flash of intense heat beams of red light shot from Comet's eyes. His classmates screamed as they instantly vaporized at the flash point along with the school. A terrible rage exploded from as he felt his body become lighter than air, The beams of heat scorching fields and buildings as he rose higher and higher into the sky. Ponies desperately ran for their lives desperate to escape the destruction but to no avail as Comet's eyes charged up one last blast.

"NO PLEASE STOP I DON'T WANT TO HURT PONIES!" Comet shouted at the top of his lungs but it was like he was yelling against a hurricane, His screams snatched away by the raging wind. "NO!!" With one last wide sweeping blast Ponyville was no more.

When the blast faded Comet finally saw the extent of the destruction he had caused. Buildings were nothing more than charred ruins, the trees and grass scorched into embers and the entire town's population was completely vaporized, Only charred outlines where they had fallen remained.

Comet sunk to the ground, his heart heavy with guilt, his first day at school he'd hurt ponies and now he'd killed everypony in town.

Then out of the dust and wind Comet saw somepony in the distance?

"Is someone there?" He called out. "Pl-Please I-I need your help." Fast as his shaky legs could carry him Comet ran over to see if he could help. What he saw chilled him to the bone.

Kneeling there in the street beside the bodies of Granny, Mac and Applebloom was Applejack.

"Applejack!"

"NOT ANOTHER STEP YOU VARMINT!" She hissed her voice dripping with venom.

"Applejack it's me Comet your little brother!"

She turned to face Comet a look of pure hate in her eyes as she glared at him.

"We took ya in, raised ya as one of our own, we fed ya, clothed ya, sheltered ya and this is how ya'll repay us? Your no brother of mine!  Y'ALL ARE NOTHIN BUT A HEARTLESS SOULLESS MONSTER!

Comet felt every fiber of his being shatter into glass

"A-A-Applejack I-I'm s-s-sorry  I-I-I-I d-d-didn't m-m-mean to!" the words stuttered out of his mouth as tears fell from his eyes.

"YA DIDN'T MEAN TA? TELL THAT TO EVERYPONY YOU EVER HURT!" She said as she advanced on him.  Comet stepped back as he saw the rest of the Apple family rise up, Their eyes sunken and their flesh charred from his heat vision.

"MONSTER!" Applebloom cried pointing what was left of her hoof at him.

"MONSTER!" Granny cried out!

"MONSTER!" Big Mac said joining in.

"Comet felt his eyes begin to burn again."

"NO PLEASE NOT AGAIN!" Comet shut his eyes desperate to stop the rays from shooting out. His eyelids burned with a fury he could not contain. "NO MORE PLEASE I DON'T WANT TO HURT NOPONY ANYMORE! " The Apples closed in him hooves pointed, repeating their mantra.

"MONSTER! MONSTER! MONSTER MONSTER MONSTER MONSTER MONSTER MONSTER MONSTER! MONSTER! MONSTER!"

"STAY BACK! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER PLEASE!" Comet shook his head desperate to try to stop the beams of his vision from coming out. The voices grew louder as if everypony in town had joined in. Mares, Stallions, Fillies, Colts all their voices repeating the same word. Comet's head like someone was running  a buzzsaw thru it.

"MONSTER! MONSTER MONSTER! MONSTER! MONSTER! MONSTER! MONSTER! MONSTER! MONSTER! MONSTER! MONSTER! MONSTER!

"STOP IT!"

Suddenly as if an answer to his pleas the voices disappeared, Comet opened his eyes to see Ponyville still in ruins but thankfully now empty save for a single figure standing right in front of him.

"Greetings Comet was it? I'm glad to finally meet you after all this time."

The Mare stood a head taller than most ponies, Her coat was a midnight blue, Her mane twinkled and shone brightly like the night sky.

"H-How do you know my name?" He nervously asked.

"I am Princess Luna." She stated. "Princess of the Night and a bringer of pleasant dreams to Equestria. I have come into your dreams to help you."

"I'm dreaming? then that means my family...."

"Is safe and sound in their beds as is the rest of Ponyville." She answered.

Comet felt a wave of relief wash over his body, His heartbeat slowed to steady pace as he watched the destruction and desolation fade away before his eyes.

"I sense you have many questions about what's happened so far? Unfortunately I cannot completely explain this strange phenomenon of yours. However I will tell you what I do know. You are not from Equis.

Comet's pupils shrunk to the size of a pinhead, the recently returned color in his face vanished in shock. He tried to ask her what she meant but his the words would not come out of his mouth.

Luna's face softened as she saw the look of surprise on the Colt's face. "I am sorry my little pony I did not mean to upset you, But I think it's time you learned." Luna's horn lit up conjuring a starry cloud above her.

"Seven years ago on my nightly travels I noticed a shooting star that was not part of my sky streak across the heavens." Luna's memory appeared before Comet inside the cloud.  "Curious as to what it was I followed it to Ponyville where it at Sweet Apple Acres.  Comet saw the spaceship that had apparently carried him crash landed in the Apple Family Orchard.  He watched as the Apples came together to rescue him from the heat of the castle. His Sister Applejack pulling him out from the ship, cradling him in her hooves."

"I know not where you came from Comet Apple but ever since that night I have been watching you." Luna said. "I've watched you grow from a tiny foal to a happy go lucky young colt." Images of Comet's life from the past seven years played in front of his eyes.  "It's amazing though you do not come from our world you are so much like us."

Comet stepped back from the cloud, his head was spinning with questions. Was what the Princess saying true? Everypony told him that he was dropped off on the Apple's porch when he was just a newborn foal. Had they been lying to him all these years?

"That's impossible!" Comet said. "Granny always told me kinfolk don't keep secrets from one another, And Applejack is the Element of Honesty was Celestia's sake!" He looked up to Princess Luna his eyes telling her he wanted to doubt this, To believe it was nothing more than a dream caused by the stress of everything that had happened today. "Princess Luna please tell me, Are you absolutely sure this is the truth and not something I'm dreaming?"

The Princess of the night looked him in the eyes and answered.  "I assure you Comet this is all true. Though we in the realm of dreaming, I and the visions I have shown you are the truth."

Comet sat down and head his hooves to his head, He couldn't believe for seven years they kept this from him.

"I don't believe it they lied to me. They lied to me for seven years, Every time I asked about what happened to my real parents they told me they abandoned me.

"I can understand why your upset Comet." Luna said. "But you shouldn't blame the Apples for withholding the truth from you.

"Why not?" He sharply responded as he stood up and begin to walk away. "They obviously don't love me or care about me to tell the truth!"

"That is not true! In all my years I have rarely seen anypony love and care about someone the way Applejack and her family care for you." Luna responded.

"Then why didn't they tell me the truth?" Tears stung Comet's eyes as he shouted at the Princess of the Night.

"Perhaps they wanted to wait until you were ready." Luna responded.

Comet grit his teeth and let out a growl of frustration. "And when was that supposed to be?, After the second accident I caused or third or fourth, How old is old enough to honest with your own family.  He turned to walk away but stopped and looked up when he felt Luna's hoof on his shoulder.

"I know how you feel right now Comet, I too once held bitterness toward those I loved. It led me down a dark road that separated us for a thousand years.  Celestia and I still have our disagreements from time to time but I love her and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the whole world." Comet hung his head low at the Luna's words. "I'm not saying Applejack and her family were right for keeping the truth from you.  What I am saying is you should let go of your bitterness and talk to them. If they didn't care about you why did they risk their lives to rescue you when to came to Equis?"

Comet sighed. "Well yeah there's that I guess."

"And didn't they feed you, clothe you, change you, bathe you, and play with you when you were a foal?"

Comet hung his head in shame. "That's right."

"And didn't they go out of their way to spend time with you whenever they could?"

Comet thought at the many memories he had of his life on the farm. He remembered Applejack showing him how to buck apples when he was three and how she kissed his boo boo better when he hurt his hoof trying it. He remembered baking with Granny Smith and licking the apple batter off the spoons when they made Apple Strudel. He remembered the games he played with Applebloom and her friends and how much they had together and of course there was Big Mac and the jokes he'd tell him. They were corny and dated but Comet still laughed at them.

"Yeah they did." Comet softly said as a tear slid down his eye. "I guess I never really thought about how much they do for me. I've been too busy worrying they'd think I'm a monster after I hurt all those ponies today."

Luna smiled softly then lifted Comet's head up under her hoof.

"You are not a monster Comet, A monster wouldn't feel bad about hurting others or destroying property. Your a good pony Comet, You might not come from our world but you'll always be one of us. "

Comet smiled as Princess Luna gently wrapped her hooves around him.

"What if it happens again?, What if I hurt somepony else?"

"Ssh no more talk like that my little pony, You won't hurt anypony else I promise. I'll talk to my sister about this tonight."

"Does Princess Celestia know about me being..well you know?" Comet asked.

"Yes Tia knows, Do not be afraid your secret is safe with us." Luna said with a smile as she released

"Thanks Princess Luna I know what I have to do now. "Comet said as he walked away.

"Till we meet once more Comet Apple." Luna said as his dream faded away.

Comet opened his eyes and threw off the covers, He dashed over to his window to check and see. To his relief Ponyville was still standing, He was awake and he knew where to go.

Comet turned the knob and opened the door to his sister's room, He walked over to her bed and nudged her with his hoof.

Applejack? Applejack? C'mon Sis wake up." With a moan and toss Applejack turned over and slowly opened her eyes.

"Comet it's af'tah midnight you ought to be in bed, you've got school tomorr'ah." She said as she rubbed her eyes.

"But I need to see it now."

"Can't it wait till morn'in Sugarcube?"

"No I need to see the spaceship now."

"Y'all been reading too many comics, There ain't no spaceship around here."

"Yes there is, The one Princess Luna says you found me in remember?" Applejack's eyes shot wide open.

"Get undressed and meet me in the barn , We've got a family meeting to discuss."

End of Chapter.

Chapter 5 With Great Power.

Comet stood patiently outside the barn waiting for Applejack and the rest of his family to show up, His thoughts racing at a mile a minute.  In the course of one day he'd managed to cause a scene at school, derail a train, and come out unscathed and receive a visit in his dreams from Princess Luna herself claiming he was an alien.  He looked up at the moon and thought of what she'd said to him.

"You are not a monster Comet, A monster would not care about hurting others or destroying property."

Those words gave him a sliver of comfort in his heart that despite what he had done there was still hope for him. He smiled as saw the Apples walking up to the barn. Applejack wore her hat while Granny and Applebloom were still dressed in nightgowns, As for Big Mac he wore his red union suit underwear.

"Yawn would y'all mind telling me why you woke us up this late for sis?" Applebloom asked as she rubbed sleep from her eyes.

"A'h already explained to y'all twice." Applejack said as she slid off the bolt to the barn door. "It's time we tell Comet the truth."

Everyone except Applejack and Comet's woke right up at her words, their heavy eyes and tired bodies all but forgotten as Applejack swung the barn door open and led them to a tarp cover in the back corner of the barn.

"Applejack are you sure Comet is ready for this?" Granny Smith asked. "A'h was hoping to wait until he was a little older."

"A'h was too Granny but he knows about it now so A'h don't see no point in waiting." Applejack said as she reached onto and pulled the tarp off revealing a weathered looking but intact spaceship.

Comet's eyes went wide with fascination, Princess Luna had been telling the truth all along. The ship was a long cylindrical rocket with three engines and a large window on top. It was caked with dirt and dried mud thou it's original silver color shined thru in some places.

"Well this is it?" Applejack said.  Comet gently ran his hoof across the hull of the rocket, The alloy felt strange yet familiar to his touch.

"How did it happen?" He asked. Applebloom stepped forward.

"One night as A'h was lying in bed A'h saw a comet streak across the and crash into the orchard. A'h woke the rest of the family and when we got out there Applejack found you trapped inside."

Then Big Mac stepped up to him.

"We tried to get you out but it was too hot from reentry, So we all gathered up some buckets, Applebloom pumped water from the well and A'h brought them over as fast as I could so Granny and Applejack could put it out."

"Imagine the relief A'h felt when I saw you were still alive, Heaven's to Betsy for a moment it nearly gave me a heart attack." Granny said

Comet stood and his family told him how they'd all risked their lives to rescue him, Finally Applejack took off her hat and pulled out a locket which she handed to him. It was a silver diamond with a comet's tail and what looked like the letter C in the center.

"You were wearing that around ye'r neck when found you." Applejack explained "Go ahead open it."

Gently Comet pushed the button down and opened the locket, Inside was a picture of a white stallion with a silver beard that matched his mane and a white mare with a matching mane holding a newborn foal in her hooves. Tears stung his eyes as he realized who they were.

"Mom...Dad?" The First Teardrop hit the picture as Comet stared at the picture in his hoof, For a moment their was silence then Applebloom walked up to her baby brother and embraced him.

"A'h know how you feel right now Comet, A'h never really knew ma'h Ma and Pa either, they passed away when I was just a foal."   Applebloom fought to keep to from crying for Comet's sake.

"A'h don't care if your an alien or not that don't make you no different from the rest of us. As far as Ah'm concerned your an Apple to the core." Applebloom said

"Your darn tootin Granny added "Apples always look out fe'r one another."

"That goes double for me Applejack said."

"Eeyup." Big Mac smiled and said.

Comet wiped his eyes and looked up at Applejack. "How do you do it Sis? How do you keep going when you lose someone you love?"

Applejack steeled herself as thought back to when they gotten the terrible news about the accident.

"Well it's not easy at first it feels like there's a hole in your heart that'll never heal but as time goes on you find that with the help of friends and family that your able to move on.  A'h know Ma and Pa would want us to remember them as they were and move on with our lives."

Comet sighed and looked over at the spaceship. "I'd like to be alone for a while."

"A'h understand Comet just don't stay out all night okay?"

"Yeah"

"Come on everypony Comet needs a little time to himself."

Comet sat in the loft looking up at the night sky thru the open loft door, it had been almost a full hour and yet his mind would not let him rest.

"What were you like?" Comet looked at the picture in the locket. "Where did I come from? more importantly where do I fit in in this world?" Comet's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the barn door opening.

"It's me just coming to check on you, Y'all alright in here?" Comet looked down at Applejack as he stood up and climbed down. "I'm fine it's just I have so many questions and no answers."

"Well do you know what planet I came from?"

"No A'h don reckon A'h do, A'h did bring something for you thou." Applejack opened her saddlebag and took out a small pyramid shaped crystal.  "We found this inside the rocket when we found you. A'h don't know what it is or what it does or anything."

"Didn't you think of taking it to somepony who knew like Rarity or Twilight?" Comet asked.

Applejack turned and looked over at him, Her eyes full of doubt and uncertainty.

"At first A'h was going to but then A'h thought what might happen when the rest of Equestria learned about you. It's not that A'h don't trust my friends, It was mah'self A'h didn't trust. And so in spite of being the Element of Honesty A'h talked it over with the family and decided to wait and tell you first when you were older. A'h far as Ah'm concerned it's your secret to tell not mine.

Carefully Comet took the crystal in his hoof his eyes staring in wonder at the beams of light tracing their way along the edges in an intricate pattern. Suddenly the crystal began to give off a soft hum and the lights began to glow brighter.

"I-I-Is it supposed to do that?"

"It's never done it before."

The light emanating from the crystal slowly began to take form. when it finally dimmed a Mare and a Stallion stood before them. Comet and Applejack recognized them immediately . The Stallion stood tall and proud, He was clad in a long blue robe with a familiar crest on the front and a red cape flowed behind him.  The mare stood by his side clad in a sliver metallic robe with a matching headband. Her mane and coat were as white as snow and her face wore a kind gentle expression that reminded Applejack of Fluttershy in some way.

"Hello my son my how much you've grown since I last saw you." The mare's voice was as gentle as her face.  "My Name is Lara'Lan Faust, I am your mother."

"And I am your father Jav-El." The stallion said. I can see by the look on your face that you have many questions about who you are and where you come from. Which is why we are here to answer them for you.

Comet stood still as a statue, his heartbeat echoing in his ears as he processed this. Finally he managed to calm down enough to take two steps forward.

"Your...my....parents?" Lara smiled back and nodded but Comet could see tears in her eyes .

"We were your parents Kom-El what you are seeing right now are shadows, consciousness given form by this memory crystal. By my calculations of distance and velocity I estimate we have been dead for thousands of years." Comet's heart sank at his father's words.

"Mr Jav-El sir?" Applejack stepped up to him. "Mah name's Applejack Ah'm Comet err Kom-El's big sister. It's ah nice tah meet ya. "Ah've got quite a few questions mah'self like why did you send him here?"

I assume by now you know the truth, Kom-El is not from your world."

"Kom-El...Is that my name?" Comet asked.

"It is" Jav-El confirmed.

"Where do I come from? Why did you send me here?"

"You come from Kolton my son, A world with a climate and environment much harsher than Equis." An image of a large lush blue and green planet appeared behind Jav-El as he explained.

As for why we sent you it was to save your life."

Comet stood there confused. "Save me from what?"

Jav-El sighed and said "From calamity my son. For over a hundred thousand years our race thrived on many great advances in magic and science. In our heyday our world was a paradise, We were free from the ills of poverty, war, disease, famine crime, old age and even death itself.Thanks to the science of cloning our race was essentially immortal." Images of great cities filled with tall skyscrapers, lush green parks, clean air and prosperous citizens flashed before the apple's eyes.

"But overtime as our prosperity gave way to overpopulation, decadence, boredom, sloth and greed. Because of this all children were conceived not out of love but for the purpose of breeding stronger smarter more beautiful members of our race." An image of a room filled with stalks covered with strange bulbs appeared before them.

"These are genesis chambers where all children of Kolton were conceived. Their parents were selected based on the genetic strength of their lineage. From the day they were born every child was designed to fulfill a predetermined role in our society.  Depending on which guild their parents were from they would go on to be a worker, a scientist, a soldier, an artisan, or a leader.

Comet listened intently as his spoke told him of the different guilds and the roles they played in their race's lives. The Workers performed the menial labor jobs and was the lowest of the guilds, Next was the Military who's provided security and defense even though Kolton did not have many external enemies. The Artisans consisted of artists, designers and architects who built the cities and lived in fancy penthouses as a reward for their work. The Scientists of which his father belonged to were highly prized due to their guilds advancements in making Kolton the paradise it once was. Finally there was the Mediators guild which consisted of senators, lawmakers, judges and, councilmen which was led by the Chairman of the High Council,  the Vice Chairman and Speaker of the Council.  They were the governing power of Kolton. Once a Koltonian was born into their guild they could never leave it.

"So I was born into the science guild then?"

Jav-El smiled and said "No my boy you were not born into any guild."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Your father and I felt that our race lost something precious with the guild system. His Mother answered. The power of choice. What if I a child dreamed of becoming something other than what society intended. What if two ponies from different guilds found love and happiness together in spite of what society felt about it.  What if those two ponies decided to have a natural born foal together. One that could decide his own path instead of one that was chosen for him. That child was you Kom-El, Kolton's first natural birth in centuries. That's why we had to send you away."

"Why didn't you come with me?"  Lara's face sank with sadness at Comet's question.

"We wanted to Kom-El, Her voice was full of regret. We just didn't have enough time."

"You still haven't told me what happened." Comet Said.

"I was getting to that Kom-El." Jav-El said. "Our planet's sun was dying, In eons past it's ultra solar rays embodied our species with incredible powers.  but as time went on and our sun aged our species abilities began to wane. My colleagues and I discovered the the increasing gravitational pull of the sun was rendering Kolton's core very unstable." The Image of the planet slowly changed from a lush green paradise orbiting a yellow sun to an increasingly barren desert wasteland orbiting a red dwarf. "Our world was wracked natural disasters of increasingly cataclysmic proportions. Eventually our military leader General Zebrod attempted to stage a coup against the high council. but it was unsuccessful. I myself tried to warn the council of the impending danger but they wouldn't listen, So my colleagues and I decided to proceed alone."

"Are there any other survivors besides me?"  Comet asked.

"Possibly." Jav-El's answered. My Colleagues in Kanterdor were working on a plan to evacuate our race." An image of a large ship appeared along with a large telescope sized ray. "It was ark meant to carry our people to this world since it only had room for a handful of crew members we developed the miniaturizer. With it we could reduce our cities and their inhabitants in size a thousandfold and carry them in bottles to Equis. But before we could test it we were betrayed.

"Betrayed?" The Crystal displayed a large monolithic computer that seemed to tower over Jav-El.

"Maneframe the single greatest achievement of Koltonian science, A self-aware supercomputer responsible for running all day to day operations on Kolton and the keeper of all knowledge known to the Koltonian race. Maneframe knew the end was coming but rather than inform the council it chose to hijack the ark project in order to save itself. When my Colleagues tried to stop it,  it shrunk them along with the entire city of Kanterdor and it six million inhabitants and trapped it in a bottle before escaping in the ark." Comet watched as the ark launched into deep space leaving a despondent Jav-El behind."

"Alone I decided to work on building a new ark to take the three of us to Equis but by then it was too late. Kolton had entered it death throes and the only prototype was only big enough for one. So we decided to send them you our only son." Comet watched as his parents loaded him into the ark. They hugged and kissed him and said their goodbyes before another tremor forced  Jav-El to launch.

The tears fell from Comet's eyes as he ran up to the images of his parents only for his hooves to pass thru them. They knelt next to him as his mother wrapped her hooves around him.

"How I wish I could hold you in my arms again my little Kom-El. Lara said,  Alas I am only a construct of my former consciousness. It is too late for us, for Kolton but it is not too late for you. You have a second chance at life and from what I've seen a very loving family. Live as one of them my son. They are a great race capable of great compassion and caring and there is much they can teach you and much you can teach them. " Lara slowly released her son as she and Jav-El stood back up.

"Before you go I have one last question. Why am I so different from them? I know I'm an alien although I'm still having trouble believing it it's just... something happened to me yesterday I-I-I can't really explain it too well. At first It was like I could see thru and hear everything at once, Then I was somehow running fast enough to create a sonic boom, There was a train coming...I didn't see it until it was too late.

You are beginning to reach the age of maturity, your cells have been absorbing the radiation of Equis's sun. It's strengthening your muscles, your skin, your senses. Equis's sun is much younger than Kolton's was and it's gravity is much weaker. Already you are stronger than I possibly could have imagined and I'm certain you will grow much stronger as you mature. The only way to know how strong is too keep testing your limits."

"But I don't want to grow stronger!" Comet protested. "I-I-I-I don't want these powers, I've done nothing but hurt ponies since I got them!" Comet slammed his hoof into a support beam splitting it clean in two, He drew back his hoof in horror.

  "Kom-El my son...."

"Don't call me that!" Comet interrupted his mother. "It's Comet and I'm not your son I'm not this..this alien Kom-El!" Comet put his hooves to his head as his voice trembled with sadness.

Applejack tried to reason with him.  "Comet it's okay A'h understand how you feel."

"No you don't just leave me alone!" Faster than a speeding bullet Comet charged out of the barn and ran like a bolt of lightening straight for the Everfree forest leaving a trail of toppled trees in his wake. Applejack gave chase with all her speed but Comet was already a speck on the horizon.

"Comet...come back." Applejack's eyes stung with tears as she looked at the trail Comet had left.