The Smallest Gestures Make The Biggest Difference
Comet stood at the edge of the balcony that was at the top of the Crystal Brighthouse, watching the stars above him. He rested his hooves against the railing and sighed deeply to himself. It was supposed to be a day of learning. He thought that the other ponies would be able to help him discover what he was good at. But instead, his stroll through town had been a total disaster.
It was like everything that could have gone wrong did. In just one day, he had made himself the laughing stock of the whole town. He wasn’t good at anything. He couldn’t do hooficures, he couldn’t help sell smoothies, he couldn’t help with patrolling the streets…there was nothing that he knew how to do that could help others. The only thing he knew how to do was make special cocoa during Starshine Time, and nopony needed that when they had a literal smoothie maker ready to make them anything at any time. He had no knowledge of anything about the outside world. All he had ever known for his entire life was the small village of Starlight Ridge.
He had grown up as a curious stallion, the inquisitive type that was always eager to learn more. He would always fantasize about exploring what else was out there in the known universe, his never ending fascination being much to the detriment of the other ponies in the realm. As a result, he had never truly fit in with those around him, and the only pony who treated him with an ounce of respect was Violet Frost. He remembered how excited he had been when she had given him her blessing to leave. Those six ponies had come from a whole other world, and that meant an opportunity to find a place that he truly belonged in. He finally had the means to see what life was like and find those who would truly accept him for who he was.
Yet even in spite of these ponies being so generous and offering him hospitality, that feeling of emptiness that gnawed at his heart was still there, and he had no idea why. He had everything he ever wanted. The world was at his command. There was nothing stopping him from blazing a trail and making himself known. But he knew one likely culprit that could be the reason for him feeling not at peace, and that was that he didn’t even know what to do with his life. He had no concept of purpose or short-term goals. He had lofty dreams and aspirations, but those had always been just that: dreams. They were fantasies that he had began to accept would never come true.
But over the course of a single day, those dreams had become reality. As if it was answering his prayers at long last, fate had produced six intrepid little ponies that had come to his rescue and saved Starlight Ridge from the evil clutches of the snow leopard Allura. He had been granted his request to leave and explore Equestria. This should’ve been a dream come true for him…right? So then why was it incredibly difficult to actually achieve something? Why couldn’t he just belong somewhere for once? Why was he such an outcast? Why couldn’t he do anything right?
He didn’t have the answers to any of those questions, and they slowly ate at his psyche the more he thought about them. He didn’t know what he was even doing here. He wasn’t learning anything. All he had experienced since hopping through that portal was nothing but rejection and humiliation, and he was just so tired of everything.
Feeling overwhelmed, he had retreated to the top of his new home; this dominating structure that looked like a fortress from the outside, and had sought refuge with the stars. The starlight canvas was all he had ever known, and it was the only time that he actually felt like he was home. Sure, the night sky looked nothing like it had back in Starlight Ridge, and he could never pluck these stars out of their orbits even if he tried, but at least he could see them. At least he could be reminded of home and pretend like he was still there.
He felt close to the night sky because the truth was that he certainly didn’t belong here. He didn’t fit in, and he wanted nothing more than to go back home where he was needed. Auroricorns weren’t like regular unicorns. They had abilities that they didn’t, and the more that reality became clear to him, the sadder he felt. This was a mistake. He wasn’t meant to be here. He wished that he could take everything back and forget that he had ever wasted everypony’s time. He wished…
“Comet?”
His ears perked up and he spun around in a startled manner to see a familiar lavender unicorn with a blue mane and tail emerge from the elevator and join him outside. It was Izzy Moonbow, the very pony who had befriended him and trip-skated with. He could feel his spirits sink to the bottom of the ocean as he contemplated how to tell her what he was feeling.
“Oh, uh…hi there, Izzy,” Comet greeted her nervously, his ears flattening against his head. “Isn’t it…uh, such a lovely night out?”
Izzy nodded enthusiastically. “It sure is! I couldn’t really get any sleep, so I decided to come out here. I normally use the balcony to think of stuff for a loooooong time. It helps empty my mind.” Her smile faded when she saw how apprehensive he was. “Are you okay?”
“Okay? Never better!” he lied with a big grin. “I have you guys, I’m learning so much, and I totally do not regret stepping through that portal at all! Everything is just peachy!!” He attempted to walk back inside and avoid her, but slipped and fell on his face.
Izzy was instantly by his side to help him up. She held out her hoof, which he took. Once he was back on his hooves, he sighed deeply. She stared at him with a skeptical expression as he did this, clearly catching on that he was hiding something.
“I know peachy and this certainly isn’t it.” the energetic unicorn remarked.
That was when Comet finally gave in. “Alright, fine! You got me.” He reluctantly looked her in the eyes. “Do you…happen to have the Nova Charm on you?”
Izzy nodded again, reaching into her mane and pulling the gem out. “I put it in my mane for safe keeping. Why do you need it?”
“It’s just…” Comet admitted. “Look, today was horrible, okay? I couldn’t do anything right today and I’m officially the laughing stock of the whole town. I want you to use the Charm to send me home…right now.”
Izzy gasped upon realizing what he wanted. “Comet, no!! We haven’t even done all the fun stuff yet!”
“It’s not worth it!!” he snapped back at her. “I can’t fit in anywhere and I messed up big time! This whole ‘new life’ thing…” He looked down in sadness. “It was a mistake, and I don’t want you guys to be burdened by somepony who doesn’t even know what to do with his life.”
“You don’t…know what you’re good at?” Izzy asked him, her eyes glistening with tears as she took a small step closer towards him.
Comet shook his head. “No. For my whole life, all I’ve ever known is Starlight Ridge. I’ve only known how to make cocoa for the other Auroricorns. That was my only purpose, and it worked because we were a small, tight knit community. But here? There’s just so much going on at once and I don’t even know anything about this world! I’m not sure what to do, how to spend my life, and what my spark even is…” He sighed again. “I know this probably sounds foreign, you can’t relate.”
“No, I do!” Izzy countered. “I didn’t feel like I belonged here either when I first came to Maretime Bay. You know what everypony else’s reactions were to me when I showed up?”
“What?”
“They basically panicked and ran all over town. Some even jumped down into the water below when I waved. At the time, no one knew what a unicorn even was, let alone a completely different variant.”
Comet chuckled after hearing this. “Wow. It certainly makes my situation look boring by comparison. So then…how did you find your purpose here? It doesn’t look like you worry about that anymore.”
“I really didn’t,” answered Izzy honestly. “Because there was never this all-encompassing destiny that I was meant for. All I could do was help out where I could; whether that be a smile there, some words of encouragement there. I never really cared what others thought about me because I have my friends to support me. And the same goes with you. You have us now. You should be honest about these things with us.”
“I just…don’t wanna sound ungrateful. I knew I was already asking a lot by requesting to come with you guys. That meant you all had to house me among other things. And I can’t imagine how stressful it must be.”
“To tell you the truth, we really don’t mind. Sure, we didn’t plan for it at all, but we never felt like you were a burden on us. We like making new friends, and we’re so glad you’re here. I know I am…”
Comet looked up once he heard this, not daring to believe what he had just heard. “You mean it?”
“Mhm,” Izzy affirmed. “You got us now and even if it might take time…you will find a new path in life someday. We all did, and it doesn’t have to be this big or grand thing. Sometimes, it’s the smallest gestures that make the greatest difference.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I know from experience that they mean the most, sometimes even more than the big things. Whether it be helping Sunny with her smoothies or everything else you did today, that’s living. Yeah, things went wrong, but you can’t ever let that get you down. Because ultimately, you’re doing something nice for others, and that’s the greatest thing you can do with your life.”
“I’m just…not sure how to live right now.”
“Just being yourself is enough for us,” she advised him kindly. “If you need any help with doing that, you can always ask me. I am the master at living in the moment.” She smiled, causing him to blush.
“Thanks.”
The two stood in silence, staring at one another for a solid minute before walking over to the railing and looking out towards the night sky above them. The stars twinkled, fading in and out from view as they burned millions of miles away. They shared in this peaceful moment, standing next to one another as the minutes ticked on, not having a care in the world.
Comet had to admit that he was beginning to feel better now that he had somepony to confide in. It was all he wanted after all; to have another pony that would understand his feelings and what he was going through. He was grateful to have met Izzy, and even grateful that she had taken the time out of her night to be there for him when he really needed her.
Was this what true friendship felt like?
He never had many friends back home. Outside of Violet Frost, no one bothered to pay him much attention. To the other Auroricorns, he was always the “eccentric cocoa pony.” But here, there was someone beside him, listening…caring. He could feel his spirits rising the more he was with her. He did belong. He did have a place here. Even though he didn’t have his entire life figured out yet, there were still other ponies who actually wanted and appreciated his company. Maybe that was enough…
“Comet, look!!” Izzy exclaimed, catching his attention. The excited mare pointed at the sky, where a shooting star was flying in the direction of the horizon for the briefest of moments. “It’s you!”
Comet stared at it, his mouth wide open in awe. He had never seen something like this before in his life. In Starlight Ridge, the equivalent to the shooting star was the Aurora Flares they created when they were happy. But this? This was a star that moved, and he could not believe this was real.
“Wow…” he marveled, watching it pass by them. He looked to his right and his expression changed to one of curiosity once he saw her eyes closed. “What are you doing?”
“Making a wish,” Izzy responded. “I can’t tell you what it is as then it’ll never come true, but it’s super duper important.”
“Is that some sort of superstition where you’re from, or…”
“All ponies seem to share it, actually. You don’t have wishing stars back in Starlight Ridge?”
He shook his head. “All the stars are magical if you remember, so if we ever did have one, we…probably wouldn’t’ve bat an eye.”
Izzy opened her eyes again, grinning at him. “Well then, you got a lot to learn about how the stars work here because these comets only happen very rarely. Elder Flower always said it was a sign that if it shot to the left, good luck was in our future.”
Comet laughed. “Well whatever your wish was, I hope it comes true for you, Izzy.” He smiled back at her. “Me personally, I don’t need a wish to know what I’m gonna do.”
“You figured it out?” she asked, her eyes reflecting apprehension. She eyed the Nova Charm in her hooves anxiously, as if she was expecting him to ask about being sent home again at any moment.
“Not exactly,” Comet countered gently. “I may not know what my future holds, but…I’ll have all the time in the world to think about it. You ponies gave me a second chance to explore who I am. And I’m not gonna waste it.”
Izzy’s eyes shone with happiness as she realized that he was going to stay. It was clear that she wasn’t very keen on him leaving, and his decision might’ve just made her entire week. “So…what are you gonna do? How are you going to spend your life right now?”
“I’m not sure,” Comet replied, his lips morphing into a sincere smile. He then put his hoof around her and she moved up closer to him, giggling as she did so. “But I do know one thing.”
“What?”
“I’m gonna live every minute of it…”
With that declaration, he felt the hole in his heart close up at last. He finally understood what it was meant to live a new life far away from home. It wasn’t always about fighting off an evil snow leopard dictator or looking for the next adventure. Sometimes, the grandest form of living was just being in the moment and doing what you could for your fellow ponies.
And for the rest of the night, the two of them stayed up and watched the comets go by, embracing each other’s company. It was a night that they would never forget for as long as they lived.
Author's Note
Hello everypony, and welcome to my first standalone story in a LONG time. When I watched Chapter 6, I just knew that I had to make this. Comet for me is a character with a lot of potential, just as Misty was. I believe that he’s going to be the heart of this next narrative arc with Tell Your Tale. So what better way to celebrate this new era than to make a story about him? Also yes, this is my first attempt at a sorta kinda “romance” fic. I feel like it’s more alluded to than expressly stated as I’m not an expert in that field yet. I just wanted to make a story about he and Izzy just…talking, and comforting one another as I feel like that kind of characterization is where I ultimately shine the best.
To the Fimfiction moderators, if you’re reading this…COMET NEEDS HIS OWN CHARACTER TAG RIGHT NOW, GIVE IT TO ME, I WANT IT PLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAASE…That’s all.
Feel free to let me know what you think down in the comments below. See you all soon! 
