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// 9 - Diamond on the Road 
// Story: New Endings, Old Starts 
// by David Silver 
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Freedom! Comforting trotting along from the school into the town proper. The sounds of ponies and some calling birds did much to calm her, her smile returning to her. It was a nice town she lived in... next to? "Hey." She looked towards the voice and saw a familiar pony, but without their usual company. She swerved towards them. "How was school?" asked Diamond Tiara as Comforting got close enough for easy conversation.

"I like it, most of it." An ear folded back as she thought of that awkward last conversation. "How was yours?"

"We went over some dumb theory." Diamond rolled her eyes. "Why would you need to measure a triangle anyway?"

Comforting clopped her hooves. "Oh! I know that one. It's useful, once in a while..."

"Right." Diamond sounded doubtful of that. "Are you a nerd?" When Comforting began to shrink, Diamond laughed. "Relax. I'm not making fun of you. You're the first nerd that didn't drive me up a wall, so that's a good thing." She pointed down the way. "You busy?"

Was she busy? Technically, nothing demanded her attention, but she did want to try those horn trainings, hm. "I shouldn't, but it was very nice to run into you, Diamond."

"Nerd." Despite her word, she threw a leg over Comforting and hugged her close. "You have fun doing whatever geeky thing you're doing."

Comforting hiked a hoof up towards her little horn. "I'm getting better at that."

Diamond released Comforting. "Oh, that's different. Why didn't you just say that?" She snorted softly. "If I had one of those, I'd want to be good at it too. Go ahead and knock 'em dead!"

Comforting blinked, surprised by the sharp 180 in support. "Thank you! I'll show you when I can."

"You gonna try to be a wizard, or sticking with the basics." Diamond had such a smile herself. "They say nerds make the best wizards."

Comforting blinked with wide eyes at that. "I was thinking about it. Casting spells is..." Well, she was from a world without magic. The idea of actually wielding herself was pretty exciting. "I have to get the basics first, then find out how hard it is... But I want to."

"Then I am completely behind you." Diamond nodded so firmly her tiara jostled.

"You're the best." Comforting gave her a brief two-armed hug before she began trotting off towards home. "See you later!"

Diamond curled a hoof to her chin, a little chuckle escaping her. "It'll be nice to have a wizard in the circle. Mom never managed that."





Fluttershy was outside, so she saw Comforting as the filly approached. "Good afternoon," she called, most of her attention on an animal she was inspecting. "Now you look alright. You just have to stop eating everything you see. Some things will give you a tummy ache."

"Hi, mom!" Comforting inclined her head a little. "Hello, piggy!"

The boar snorted softly at Comforting, examining her a moment before it began to trundle off, the visit concluded.

Fluttershy offered an arm, and that was enough to get Comforting. She hugged her filly gently. "How was school? You looked happy enough in my class."

"Your class is one of the best," assured Comforting with a giggle. "I like learning about the animals, and each other. I feel very safe when it's time for your class."

"Aw." Fluttershy gently nuzzled the top of her head before letting her go. "Now, you want to practice your horn?"

"Yes!" Comforting bounced with eagerness. "Miss Sparkle showed me a new thing to try."

Fluttershy pressed her hooves together silently. "How wonderful." She froze a moment. "Oh, don't forget your chores."

Comforting paused mid-step. "Right! Thank you for reminding me." And she detoured to knock out her chores before any horn practice could begin.

She cleaned up and tended the little house animals, to their delight. A mouse scrambled up onto her hoof. She eyed it a moment. "Oh, you." It was the same one that had woken her up at night. "I hope you are doing well, but don't do that again, please."

The mouse squeaked at her. A yes? She could but guess. It hopped back down to rejoin its family. Her chores were complete! She could... wait... "Mom?"

"Yes?" Flutter peeked in from outside. "I'm still... not used to being called that." But she hadn't told Comforting to stop it. "What's wrong?"

"I need to talk." Comforting worried her hooves together. "I was talking to Twilight, and we went over some of my, you know, past? And I don't want her to be the one that brings it up first."

Fluttershy slipped in entirely, clicking the door shut behind her with a raised hind hoof. "Was it bad?"

"I don't think it was." Comforting smiled up at her gentle caretaker. "Remember when Discord pulled that old, um, thing out of me?"

"Yes." Fluttershy frowned a bit, thinking back on it. "What was that?"

"Me." Comforting pointed at herself. "Still is, technically. She's just back in here." She tapped at her head. "I've... I'm a very old little filly... I still want to be a filly, your filly."

"Well... you are just that." Fluttershy sat down in front of Comforting with a little smile. "But you looked so old. You want to be a child, if you're that old?"

"That's not nice." Comforting folded her arms with a little pout. "But you're not wrong exactly... In this world, I don't know a lot of things. I'm alright going back to square 1." She pointed at herself, square one, filly. "And I was... tired. Really tired... Just letting that weight fall off... That's what I want. Are you alright with that?"

Fluttershy leaned in slowly, nose twitching. "Well, you look like a filly to me." She inclined her head. "You smell like a filly."

"Fillies have a smell?!" Comforting raised an arm to snuffle into it, failing to detect whatever smell was filly.

"They do," calmly assured Fluttershy. "You act like a filly... sometimes. But, most importantly, you are one, and you're happy being one." She touched her nose to Comforting's cheeks. "I know some other fillies that couldn't say the same. I'll take an old filly that wants to be a filly over a young filly that is already an adult, so far as she's concerned."

Comforting sat back, tension fleeing her. "I'm... Thank you." She rose up. "Are you alright with... me not always being a pony? I mean, in my past?"

Fluttershy giggled softly. "I wasn't always a pony. I was a breezie before. That was fun." She pointed past Comforting. "Now you go and practice. I know you want to. I'll have dinner ready." It was a dismissal, but a kind one.

Comforting was welcomed, just as she was. With a great smile, she charged into her room and dove onto her bed. It was time to practice that horn!

Though she practiced that muscle, those muscles really, trying to get them stronger, curiosity proved a powerful force. With her horn lightly aching from the workout she gave it, she flipped forward to see what other mysteries were in the book.



A FOAL'S FIRST SPELL



Comforting's eyes widened. They had a spell! A real spell! She began to giggle uncontrollably, but forced herself to calm. "Read!" Yes, reading. Read first before doing anything. She didn't want to make trouble for any of the wonderful people around her.



* Warning: This should only be attempted by foals that have completed the rest of this book and can confidently lift a moderate amount of weight without shaking or effort. This section also assumes your talented foal has completed the primer on arcane notation in the last chapter, without which this will be of little use.



Oh! Right... Of course. That explained why all the squiggles and icons that followed were... confusing. She didn't know the language of magic. Which was right there in the same book! She began to giggle anew, flipping back to the start of the chapter just before that one. "Time to learn!" She wasn't practicing, or training. She was learning. Straight up academia, with magic. The best kind of academia, if one asked her.

There was a trick, of course. There was always a trick. To learn the letters of the magical alphabet, she'd have to form them, with her horn, which was sore! "Boo." She was in no condition to try that after her horn workout routine. As tempting as trying anyway was, she held herself back. Hurting her horn would set her back, weeks, months? How long did it take a horn sprain to heal? She decided to avoid the possibility. That didn't mean she couldn't read!

Even if she couldn't properly learn each letter, she could read about how they worked, together. How they were supposed to flow... "I'm going to have to go over this again," she muttered to herself, still reading anyway. "But reading twice will just help me get better at it." She tapped at her horn. "Maybe I shoudn't have worked you." But then, if she didn't get stronger, what would learning magic be worth? She couldn't do both at the same time, alas.

"Dinner!" came a melodic cry.

"Coming!" Comforting slid her book off to the side and threw herself to the ground, trotting right out to the set table. "Mmm, smells great! Thanks, mom!" She hopped up onto her side and sat on her chair, tail wagging eagerly. All the work she did had worked up quite a hunger, which she could feel with the food right there, reminding her that it'd sure be great to get some of it in her mouth. "Do ponies say grace?"

"Grace?" Fluttershy inclined an ear at her curious child.

"Saying thanks." Comforting waggled her hoofs aimlessly. "For the food. Um, I'll do it." She dipped her head in reverence. "Thanks to my mom for making this food, and the farmers that grew it."

"You're very welcome." Fluttershy giggled softly. "I'll pass your thanks on when I go shopping at the market. But first, you should eat it and enjoy it."

With grace out of the way, they both enjoyed the meal, chatting gently about nothing important. "How is your training going? Don't push yourself," advised Fluttershy. "You'll grow at your own rate, not anypony else's. Some foals pick up the basics really fast, and some take their time, and neither is a bad thing." She spread her wings wide. "Just like flying. I was not a fast learner when it came to flying... not at all... Unlike Rainbow Dash." She giggled at the thought. "She was zipping around the very instant she could. I was a little jealous,  but mostly scared..."

It wasn't hard for Comforting to imagine the little Rainbow filly, darting about a concerned Fluttershy. "Aw, that must have been so cute!" She came up short. "Am I that cute, when I practice magic?"

Fluttershy considered with a soft hum. "I would say... yes. You are very endearing when you're putting your all into it." She reached over the table to deliver gentle pats to the top of Comforting's head. "Are you done?"

"All done!" Comforting pushed her plate away, about 80% cleaned. "Thank you again."

Fluttershy didn't raise a fuss about finishing what was there. "If you're happy, that's a thank you." She worked her wings under both of their plates, raising them up so she could carry them to the sink. "Now be sure to go to sleep on time. We both have school in the morning." Sure, one of them as a student, the other as a teacher, but they both had school to go to, and others would expect them to be rested.

"Yes, mom!" cried Comforting in a joyful almost-song. "You're the best, by the way."

Fluttershy began to glow as she did the dishes. The food wasn't wasted. She nudged the extras into little bowls that the animals would take care of promptly. Food waste was not a thing in the Fluttershy house. "You're the best daughter I ever had."

That was not a high bar, and yet Comforting dashed off, a trail of giggles behind her.