Comforting squeaked in the darkness, sitting up and looking around wildly. It wasn't as dark as it should have been, her horn sputtering to life in her surprise and casting moody wavering light across the room. Her tense worry began to fade a little. She was her own night light. That was... That was nice, really.
She looked at the dim objects in her room, staring intently to find the source of what had woken her up. Light spilled over them, still shaking and sputtering, but focusing on them. How? She looked up and saw she was putting out a weak little spotlight. "Oh!" She was getting used to her horn, step by step. She didn't have to use that mecha imagination crutch. It was her horn, part of her.
Though part of her wondered, was that light visible to most ponies? Would a normal filly her age and experience still be in pure dark? It was impossible to know when she was alone. "Thank you," she said to nothing and everything. Whatever had decided she would be able to see that light, she was grateful for. Celestia? That seemed unlikely, to her. Celestia had just gone with the flow, gathering her tired essence and bringing it to a gentler land. The body felt like it...
Like it just happened. Like a tired old human just didn't belong in Equestria, so a suitable alternative was provided. Did ponies have a god, besides maybe kneeling in worship of Celestia? Comforting made a point to ask about that as she slipped to the floor with a clop and began exploring her dark room.
Something scurried! She squeaked in surprise, whipping her light onto it. It was one of the mice she had seen before. The mouse was waving at her. It was... hard to keep being scared of any animal that gave a friendly wave. "Oh." Fluttershy had an infestation, but she had invited it in, and they were usually polite guests. "Please don't run around my room in the middle of the night," she requested, even if she wasn't at all sure the mouse could understand her. "You gave me such a scare."
The mouse squeaked in a far less scared way, scampering under the door that separated Comforting's room from the rest of the house. "Get some sleep," called Comforting quietly, lest she upset Fluttershy. Having an animal friend for a mentor also had some downsides. Life was like that, plusses and minuses. She hopped back onto her bed, the room going darker as her horn ceased its glow. "Systems offline," she yawned out, snuggling into her bedding. Sleep came for her without too much more delay, certain that there were no monsters lurking in her room, just maybe a mouse that wouldn't hurt her.
"You aren't supposed to be here." Comforting awoke, but didn't feel entirely awake. She was on a familiar bed of stars that felt soft and somehow gently warm beneath her. "What a curious thing." The voice was gentle. Curious. Despite its words, Comforting felt no malice from it. "You think our world is at peace? I would like it to be so."
Comforting hopped to all fours, clip-clopping against the lack of floor as she looked around the stars, trying to find the source of the voice. "Hello?"
"Hello." A strange version of Twilight appeared, her gaze a thousand yards past Comforting. "You were drifting past, on the way to where your kind goes, but Celestia reached out a hoof, and caught you."
"Yes..." That was... Yeah, that felt right. "I'm very grateful for her."
"Why?" The strange Twilight approached. "Is where you were going that frightening?"
"I... don't know," admitted Comforting. "That is a very heavy question."
"We are both adults," reasoned the strange not-Twilight. "Advanced in our years. We can discuss it."
"Well..." Comforting sat on her little haunches. "No person can know for sure what the end is, other than the end. Who you were is wiped off the planet, that much we can be certain of."
"It's hard to argue that," gently agreed the strange star guardian that looked like the school headmistress. "But here you are. You knew you were not erased."
"I didn't know what came next. Death delayed can still be death." Comforting raised a hoof at the figure. "So when I was offered a chance to be safe, and loved... Why would I say no?"
"Perhaps where you should have been could have been better?" The not-Twilight leaned in, nose close to Comforting, close enough to feel breath, but there was none coming. The spirit had no need to use lungs, so it just didn't. "Doesn't that bother you?"
"I am more curious who you are." She casually reached with both her fore hooves to grab the not-Twilight by the snout, rubbing through the fur and inspecting them. "You feel like a pony." But she was not a pony, was the accusation unspoken.
The strange not-Twilight smiled faintly. "Your people are curious... Now that you are here, you may become one of us. Then you will go where we go, even at the end. Not to where yours go. Are you satisfied with that?"
"I started over." Comforting brought a hoof back to rub at her own cheek. "Most don't even get asked if they want to, so I'm not mad at that. I started, I'll finish. From what you said..." she wobbled that same hoof. "I probably won't be caught again."
"Probably not," gently agreed the spirit. "Does that scare you?"
"I don't think it does..." Comforting sat back, frowning with thought. "I was ready to go the first time. This is... all bonus time, and such a wonderful extra bit it is. I have no right to complain at this point."
"How optimistic." The not-Twilight sounded genuinely pleased at that. "I am Harmony."
"Harmony..." Comforting looked over the not-Twilight intensely. "Why do you look like Twilight?"
"Because I must look like something." She leaned forward. "To look like nothing would be rude and disconcerting."
"Looking like my horn tutor is still kinda both of those," laughed Comforting. "But thanks for trying... Are you... Are you this world's God?"
"That is a heavy question." Harmony was still for a moment of utter silence. "But, it is fair. I asked one." She reached out, resting a hoof on Comforting's little nose. "I am a force, but I do not decide the flow of this world. There are other forces. I am the force that draws ponies together, even when they feel so very far apart. Eventually, they will gather again. The more strongly ponies feel that connection, the happier I am. The weaker that connection grows, the weaker and sadder I become, but I am always there, drawing them. Eventually, they come back together. I am pleased, this time."
"Why?" asked Comforting without thought. It just felt like the natural question.
"The connection has spread beyond ponies." She waved to the left where dragons, griffons, and hippogriffs emerged from nothing. She waved to the right where a massive yak and a bright changeling stepped in. "Perhaps they will become part of me, but I cannot say, only that they are touched, right now, and it is good."
Comforting curled her hooves on herself. "Well, then maybe this is natural, and good." Harmony inclined her head at Comforting. "I'm just another creature, caught in the web you made. I'm not even resisting."
Harmony's smile deepened. "A willing captive. I can only hope my people treat their captured one well." Things began to go fuzzy. "It is time for you to awaken."
Comforting almost said wait, but that never worked. That never ever worked! "Do come back, please."
Harmony's ears danced, confusion? "If you like." And the dream ended.
At least that dream did. Luna descended onto a starry forest floor, looking around. "Hm. I thought I felt a nightmare..." But everything was at peace. Even the actual dreamer was there, smiling at her. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm fine." Comforting inclined her head at the new alicorn. The third she'd ever seen. "Are you related to Twilight or Celestia?"
Luna blinked at that, caught by surprise. "You don't know me?" She curled a hoof at herself. "Luna? Mistress of the night and peaceful slumber?"
"Hi, Luna." Comforting waved a small paw at the so-large pony. "You keep dreams safe? That's so... pure."
"Pure?" Luna raised a brow. "I have not heard that description before."
"Pure," echoed Comforting. "And nice. Thank you. That dream was odd, but not bad. I'm alright."
Luna lifted on grand wings. "If you are certain. Sleep well then, Comforting." Not that the name had ever been given. "And I am Celestia's sister."
"Ask her about me, if you want." Comforting waved goodbye at the departing dream guardian. "Thanks!" She hadn't asked for a dream patrol, but the idea of one didn't bother her. It was someone who cared about her enough to chase away bad dreams. So pure.
"You look happy." Fluttershy was nibbling at her breakfast, looking across the table at Comforting. "Did something happen?"
"A few things." Comforting took a sip at the sweet fruit juice. Not oranges, something else... She couldn't place it, but it was good. "Thank you for breakfast. It's really tasty."
Fluttershy warmed at that. "O-oh... It's nothing special."
"Yes it is." Comforting leaned over the table towards her caretaker. "For one, you made it, which makes it pretty special. But it's also tasty and good, so thank you."
"You're very welcome," allowed Fluttershy with an unsure smile. "So what happened?"
"I had a few nice dreams." She tapped her hooves. "And, oh!" She perked up. "Can you see this?" Her horn began to sputter and glow as best she could, shining light right on Fluttershy's face, though it was a faint light in the already lit room, even in her eyes.
"See what?" Fluttershy inclined her head, eyes darting around. "What am I looking for?"
Aw. "Well, I still felt like I'm getting better at it." The light she had made was so small and tiny that only she could see it. "That book is really good! Um, oh. They didn't give me any homework yesterday. Is that normal?"
"Homework?" Fluttershy lifted her shoulders gently. "Why would that be an everyday thing?"
"School work you do at home?" suggested Comforting, cycling her hooves. "A part of every day... I thought?"
"Only for projects." Fluttershy shrugged softly. "Once you're away from school, it's your time, mostly. Why would we make our students go to school when they're not in school?" She burst into sudden giggles. "That even sounds funny. Did they do it like that where you're from?"
"Yeah..." But was it a bad thing that homework was mostly not there? "Huh. Guess I gave myself homework." But it was magic homework, so it barely even counted. "Oh! How will I get graded? I joined midway." That got another confused look from Fluttershy. "You don't grade people?"
"We grade tests?" Fluttershy shrugged softly. "To see how well a student is doing, so we can try to fix what's missing, if there is anything. Why would we grade a pony? Or any creature? That seems... mean, to give a creature a grade."
"Too bad," called Comforting with a huge grin. "I'm grading you." Fluttershy stiffened with concern. "Mmm, mmm! Yep. Your grade is A+."
Fluttershy burst into little giggles. "Yay," she called out in her soft little voice. "Well, that kind of grading I can agree with."
"Keep up the great work," spoke the little filly in serious tones. "I expect you to keep earning that grade." She waved a hoof at Fluttershy, only to start laughing herself, giggling uncontrollably. "Sorry, was just being silly."
Fluttershy reached across, gently petting the top of her filly. "That sort of silly I'm alright with. Now, we should go to school." She rose to her hooves. "Do you want to walk?"
"What's the other option?"
Fluttershy was smiling at her confused ward. "We fly." And it was then that Comforting got to ride on the back of a pegasus into town and to school, cheering most of the way.