Chapter 47

– Face your Fears –

Comet and her friends sat in the library of the School of Friendship. Sitting around a table were Smoulder, Sandbar, and Gallus. Ocellus and Comet had a stack of pictures to show to them.

Comet held a picture of the Tree of Harmony up to her friends. Gallus and Smoulder looked at it intensely before Smoulder said, “The Elements of Harmony grew the tree?”

Comet and Ocellus groaned, “No, the Pillars grew the tree. The tree grew the Elements.”

Gallus slumped, “We are so gonna fail.”

“No you’re not, Gallus. Not if I have anything to say about it.” Comet grinned.

“So what, you’re just gonna keep tutoring us till we get it?” Smoulder shrugged.

“No. I’m gonna make you study till you start reciting the answers in your sleep.” Comet grinned wickedly.

Smoulder and Gallus started visibly sweating, both speaking in the same scared tone, “You’re kidding right?”

Comet’s grin stayed while Ocellus giggled at her friend's antics.

“Guys! Look what I’ve found!” Silverstream said, holding a book in front of herself.

Gallus looked at the hippogriff, “It’s not another book about sinks and plumbing is it?”

Silverstream shook her head, “Nope, I finished that yesterday, still cool. But this is even cooler!”

The group looked at the book and Gallus spoke up, “That’s a book about stoves and furnaces.”

“I know right! So cool! It’s a thing that makes fire! And you can actually cook food!”

“Silverstream, what’s that got to do with Equestrian History?” Comet asked.

“Nothing, I just think it’s so cool! We never had anything like this back home!” Silverstream said.

“Kinda hard to make fire and cook food underwater isn’t it?” Smoulder said.

“Exactly! I wonder what cooked kelp and seaweed taste like.” Silverstream pondered.

“Probably like burnt grass.” Sandbar said.

“Oh that reminds me, I’ve gotta finish that book on showers and bathtubs. Plumbing is so weird. Water, in pipes! We never had pipes underwater. Never had showers either.” Silverstream said.

“You were underwater all the time!” Gallus shouted.

Ocellus looked at her, “Come to think of it, Silver, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you use our shower in our room. You have bathed since you got here right?”

“Of course I have, that would be gross. I use the public bath.” Silverstream said, reading her book.

“What public bath?” Sandbar asked.

“You know, the one around Headmare Twilight’s Castle.”

The whole group gave her a blank look for a moment, then looked at each other, then back to the hippogriff.

“You bathe in the moat?” Comet asked.

“Is that what it’s called? Ponies have weird names for things. Yeah, I go at night. No crowd, so I can swim while I’m there.” Silverstream said.

Comet opened her mouth to say something but Ocellus stopped her with a hoof, “I’ll show her how the shower works tonight. Make sure Headmare Twilight never finds out.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, except Silverstream, who was hovering and reading at the same time.

“Hey, where’s Yona?” Sandbar asked.

A loud snore rang out on cue, making the group look behind. Yona sat in one of the beanbag chairs, a book on her face.

Smoulder chuckled, “Apparently, YAKS NO LOVE STUDY GROUPS!”

Gallus hushed her and flew over Yona, taping her face gently, crawling up her face. Yona tried to bat the claws away but missed. She suddenly bolted awake yelling, “SPIDER, NO!”

When she realized that there was no spider, Comet and the rest of the group all laughed, making Yona give a big sheepish grin.

With Yona awake it was back to studying, most of the group struggling with the questions. Smoulder, Yona, and Gallus in particular. Silverstream was just too carefree to be worried about a test.

“Come on, how are we supposed to know all this pony stuff?” Gallus asked.

“By studying, come on Gallus. It’s not that bad.” Comet said.

“Easy for you to say, little miss I’ve been everywhere in Equestria.” Gallus grumbled.

Comet’s ears folded against her head. She wasn’t trying to be like that.

“Gallus, that was mean. Comet’s only trying to help us.” Ocellus defended.

“But it’s kinda true. You’ve been everywhere and know so much. Heck, you practically live with a teacher now.” Gallus said.

Then the griffin got an idea, “A teacher real close to Headmare Twilight who might know what was on the test tomorrow.”

“Gallus, Starlight isn’t gonna tell us what’s on the test. That’s cheating.” Comet said, disappointment in her voice.

“Not cheating, think of it as advanced studying. Information gathering.” Gallus said, shrugging his shoulders.

“I can get behind that, this friendship stuff is hard.” Smoulder said.

“It wouldn’t be if you tried a little harder.” Comet said.

“What was that!?” Smoulder said, baring her fangs.

“Yona confused, why we all upset?” Yona asked.

A loud bang rang out from the back of the library, making the group run towards it in curiosity. When they arrived, an iron grate was opened in the floor, a crystal sticking out of it.

“I didn’t memorize that plumbing book but I’m pretty sure this isn’t supposed to be here.” Silverstream said, staring at the grate.

Smoulder moved towards the grate and poked her head inside.

“What are you doing?” Ocellus asked.

Smoulder looked back at her, “Dragon, strange magical cave, what do you think I’m doing?”

She flew down and the rest of the group followed her. The cave was full of crystals, and they were humming with magic.

“What is this? I’ve never seen crystals like these. You can feel the magic surge through them.” Comet said, staring at the crystals.

“I’ll take your word for it. Unicorns are weird.” Gallus said.

Comet glared at him.

Hoofsteps could be heard walking towards the group, and Headmare Twilight appeared. She was glowing too, like she was a reflection.

“Welcome.” Twilight said, almost emotionless.

“Headmare Twilight, where are we?” Sandbar asked.

“Where you need to be.” She said.

“Yona confused.” Yona said.

“It is as I feared. You are not one, this will not do.” Twilight said.

“Not one, won’t do? What are you talking about?” Comet asked.

Twilight looked directly at Comet, “You must be one. The fate of Equestria depends on it.”

“Fate of Equestria? I thought we were just studying for a test?” Smoulder asked.

“Yes, a test. Very well.” Twilight said, her horn glowing.

The group looked up and saw that the entrance they came in from was closing. The crystals formed around the opening.

“By sunrise, this door will be closed. Finish the test and you may go. Fail the test and here you will stay.” Twilight said, light gathering around her.

The light flashed, blinding the group, and in an instant, Comet found herself alone in a dark corridor.

“Huh? Where am I?” Comet said, looking around.

“Ocellus? Sandbar? Silverstream?” Comet called out.

She moved further down the corridor, “Smoulder? Gallus? Yona? Where are you guys?”

Comet decided that the best thing to do in a situation like this would be to stay calm and try to figure out where she was.

“Come on Comet, it’s not the first spooky dark cave you’ve been in. The Ghastly Gorge was way worse. As long as there are not any Quarray Eels.” Comet said, that last bit sending a shiver down her spine.

She continued down the hall and eventually ran into something she did not expect to see. It looked like the front door to her house. But that couldn’t be right.

“Is this some kind of illusion?” Comet asked.

She tried channeling her magic to dispel the images like Starlight showed her but nothing happened.

“Either this isn’t an illusion, or something super powerful is behind this.”

She decided to throw caution to the wind and open the door. It truly was her home in Ponyville, down to the last detail. But how was it beneath the school?

From the kitchen emerged her Auntie Zala.

“Auntie Zala, what are you doing down here? What’s going on?” Comet asked.

Zala looked at the filly and got a look of disgust, “Oh it’s you. Shouldn't you be studying?”

Comet was shocked, “What?”

Zala shook her head, “Typical. So much disappointment.”

Zala then moved back into the kitchen, leaving Comet severely confused.

“What was that about? Disappointed about what?” Comet asked.

She then found herself picked up by her tail. She screamed and as she was dangled upside down, she saw it was her Auntie Tala.

“You were supposed to be back an hour ago. If you don’t get your grades back up, then what are you even doing at that school? Such a disappointment.” Tala said.

Tala dropped the filly, causing her to land on the floor on her side. Comet groaned a little but got back up. When she looked to where the griffin was standing, Tala was gone.

“My grades? Disappointment? I don’t understand.” Comet said, her ears folding against her head.

She then heard a sound coming from upstairs. It sounded like laughter, two voices. Comet made her way up the stairs and followed the sound coming from her room. She opened the door and found that her Dad and Starlight were in her room, which looked completely different. The walls were baby pink and there was a crib in the middle, where Starlight and her Dad were looking inside.

When she approached, the two adults looked her way. Both immediately lost their happy expressions and they turned into that same disgusted look that Tala and Zala had.

“Where have you been, young filly? You were supposed to be home hours ago. Goofing off as usual I imagine.” Starlight said in a very mean tone.

“I’m very disappointed in you Comet. We thought you had so much potential, but here you are. No cutiemark, and you’re almost 16. Your grades have plummeted and all you do is goof off. When will you learn to take magic and school seriously?” Trail said, in the same mean tone.

Comet’s heart was breaking, why would her Daddy say such things? Tears started to form as the two ponies she admired more than anypony were telling her how disappointed they were.

“Well, no matter Trail. Our darling new filly has already made the top of her class, and she’s barely two years old. A prodigy, maybe she will even be the new element of magic.” Starlight said, gesturing to the crib.

“Yes, our little genius will be perfect. She could never disappoint us.” Trail said, reaching into the crib.

He pulled out a bundle and while Comet couldn’t see the filly, she heard the filly laughing at her. Then the two adults starting laughing, and even Tala and Zala appeared out of nowhere to laugh at Comet.

“No…” Comet cried softly.

She fell to her knees and held her head, “No!”

Comet started to cry her eyes out, she couldn’t take it. All the laughing, all the disappointment of her family. She was a failure. She never wanted to disappoint her family, she only wanted to do her best and make them proud. But she failed, she thought they were proud, but she was wrong.

Suddenly, the door burst open behind her and Ocellus and Silverstream appeared.

“Comet!” Ocellus said, rushing to her friend.

Silverstream and Ocellus hugged Comet, both trying to calm her down.

“Comet, this isn’t real. The cavern is enchanted. All of us faced illusions of our own fears. This is yours. You have to fight it.” Ocellus said.

“I had to face the Storm King again. I was really scared. But Gallus showed me that I didn’t have to be afraid anymore. Now we’re here to tell you. This isn’t real. Your family wouldn’t laugh at you.” Silverstream said.

“But I am a disappointment. I still don’t have cutiemark, and maybe I’ll never be good at magic.” Comet cried.

“You are not a disappointment. Cutiemark or not, you are the top of our magic class. Probably the best student in the school. Your Dad is proud of you, Starlight is proud of you. You can’t let your fear of letting people down hold you back.” Ocellus said.

Comet looked at her friends, “You really think that?”

“Of course we do! Who fixed that lamp I accidentally broke in Headmare Twilight’s office with a repair spell?” Silverstream asked.

“Me.” Comet said softly.

“Who helped Gallus and Smoulder get A’s on their reports on Cities of Equestria?” Ocellus asked.

“Me.” Comet said, more confident this time.

“Who’s gonna be the number 1 mage in all of Equestria someday!?” Silverstream shouted.

“ME!” Comet said, getting back to her hooves and thrusting her hoof into the air.

She turned to the fake family, who had stopped laughing, “You aren’t real! My family loves me and they support me no matter what! My friends love me, and together we can overcome anything!”

The family smiled and then disappeared, along with the house that Comet and her friends were standing in. The cavern reappeared and they found themselves standing in the entrance where they came in.

Smoulder, Sandbar, Yona, and Gallus were there too. Comet couldn’t help but hug every single one of them. Gallus and Smoulder were taken aback, but kinda returned the hugs. Yona nearly cracked Comet’s spine but was still pleasant. Sandbar laughed and was given a hug out of nowhere too. Ocellus and Silverstream found themselves in a double hug as Comet teared up some more.

And when the hugging was done, Comet wiped the tears out of her eyes, “You guys are the best friends I could have ever asked for.”

And with those words, Headmare Twilight reappeared. She was smiling this time.

Comet stepped forward, “You're not Headmare Twilight, are you?”

The glowing mare shook her head.

Ocellus gasped, “You’re the Tree of Harmony!”

The mare nodded this time.

“The Tree of Harmony turned into a sparkly version of our Headmare to talk to us? Did I miss a chapter in class?” Silverstream asked.

“Like all living things, I change as I grow. As I have grown, so have my abilities.” The Tree said.

“I’m a bit rusty on pony history, but since when does the Tree of Harmony trap creatures in a cave with their biggest fears?” Gallus said, crossing his arms.

“You chose what you saw in my roots. Not me.” The Tree answered.

Comet gasped, “Our friendship got us through our fears. But I still don’t understand why.”

The Tree stood before us, “You've accomplished so much in your time at the school. I have watched you closely. Your friendship has grown so strong, that my roots called out to you. When you showed signs of dividing, I knew I needed to act.”

“But why us?” Comet asked.

“There is something coming. Something that could threaten our entire world. And I know that you will be the ones to stop it.” The Tree said.

“But why us? We’re not special.” Comet said, confused.

“How wrong you are, Comet Trail. You and your friends are very special. And when the time comes, you will step up and save Equestria.” The Tree said.

And with a flash of light, the group found themselves back in the library. The group looked at each other with confusion.

“What was that all about?” Sandbar asked.

“I don’t know.” Comet said.

Smoulder yawned, “Can we worry about that later? I really need a nap right now.”

“But we can’t go to sleep, we’ll miss the test!” Sandbar said.

“The test? I almost forgot!” Gallus said, his eyes drooping.

Ocellus yawned, “We’re all gonna fail.”

And soon, everyone started laying down and falling asleep. As Comet smiled at her friends all snuggling together, she noticed the glowing Twilight, or the Tree of Harmony looking at her from around the bookshelf. She winked at her and disappeared.

Comet shrugged and snuggled between Ocellus and Silverstream, everyone snoring their trouble away.

Author's Note

Hey guys, Hades here.

So here ya go. Another chapter done. What could the Tree have been talking about?

Find out next time