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// 17 - Camping? 
// Story: New Endings, Old Starts 
// by David Silver 
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"Camping?" Comforting tilted her head at the grinning dragon that was one of her friends. "Where?"

Smolder threw out a hand as if to the wide stretches of the unknown beyond the school and everything. "Not that far, just out in the woods. We'll all be there, so you won't be alone, promise. Sound fun?"

Comforting considered that with a little dance of her hooves. She'd never slept outside of a house as a pony before, but... "Alright! Will there be any other ponies as small as me?"

Smolder snorted an aborted laugh. "You're the only little pony in our friendship brigade. That's a compliment, by the way." She flashed a toothy smile at Comforting, fangs displayed in a show of sharpness. "It'll be me, the other five, and you." She pointed to each mentioned, though 'the other five' was more of a vague sweep. "It'll be fun. We're bringing s'mores and other snacks with us, and we plan to have a grand time."

Comforting clapped with sparkling eyes. "Ooo! I will be there. Tell me where to be and I will be there, promise!"

"Ah ha, so talk of melted treats is what gets you going, huh?" Smolder was grinning with perhaps too much confidence. "I'll keep that in mind in case I need it for later." She shared a date and a place with a hike of her thumb. "Be there."

"Um..." Comforting shrank back a little. "That's far out in the forest for me to wander in the dark."

"You are such a goody little pony." Smolder smirked at her good-natured friend. "I'll have Sandbar come pick you up from Fluttershy's. How's that?"

"Thank you!" Comforting raced off to class. Camping trips didn't get her out of those, but the thought of that coming up put a great big smile on her face.





"Camping trip?" She had informed Fluttershy of the social event. "I... Sandbar will be there?"

"He's picking me up." Comforting bobbed her head strongly with a clap to go with it. "Then we're going camping. We'll have treats and probably share scary stories and watch the stars." She spread her hooves in a circle above at the mention of stars. "It'll be fun!"

Fluttershy smiled a little. "That sounds fun, but let me speak to Sandbar before you go racing off." She leaned in on her little ward. "I know you're a clever little pony, but there are dangers out there. I don't want you getting mixed up in them."

Comforting suddenly sank to her haunches. "Is this a bad idea? I won't go if you think it's a bad idea."

Fluttershy blinked softly at the abrupt about-face of excitement. "It... could be a bad idea, if you approach it badly... You'll have friends there, that can protect you." A little smile returned. "I doubt they would let anything bad happen to you. I just want to talk to Sandbar, so he understands the responsibility I expect." She booped her little child casually. "I just want you to be safe. You should have a good time, too."

Comforting bounced back up to her hooves. "I'll listen to them. They have a lot more experience with this kind of thing than I do." Her experience with Equestrian camping being about zero. "But it does sound fun. Do I need a sleeping bag?"

"Oh, yes. Good idea." She walked past Comforting, towards the door. "Want to shop for supplies? You have no camping supplies."

"Good idea!" Comforting raced after Fluttershy as they emerged from her cottage and headed towards town. "Thanks, mom. I know this is kind of sudden."

Fluttershy reached out a wing to ensnare her filly and bring her closer. "It's no trouble. I want you to be safe and comfortable while you explore the outdoors." She quirked an ear at Comforting with a curious look. "Do you like the outdoors?"

"I don't know." Comforting leaned against the wing-snug for as brief as it lasted. "This is the first time I'll go camping." At least as a pony. "Maybe I'll hate it, but I hope not. With good company, I should have fun." She could imagine the creatures she'd be spending time with. "They're fun. I wonder if Gallus will brighten up when we camp though..."

Fluttershy led the way into a store where a pony she knew was. "Sandbar, what luck."

Sandbar turned in place to see Comforting and Fluttershy. "Hey! I was just picking up a few things. You heard about the trip?"

Comforting waved at Fluttershy and scooted out of the way. Fluttershy smiled as she advanced. "That was exactly what I wanted to talk about. This is going to be Comforting's first time out camping. I just want her to be to be safe and happy with you all. She'll be on her best behavior."

"Promise," added Comforting with a big smile and a swishing tail.

Sandbar laughed at the idea. "I don't think Comforting is very good at being a bad pony. I'll pick her up and drop her off. Shouldn't be any problems at all. Hay, so, what brings you here? You didn't come looking for me, right?"

Fluttershy pointed past Sandbar. "I was here to get a sleeping bag, for one."

"Oh, good idea." Sandbar turned back towards the supplies behind the counter. "If she doesn't have a tent, one of those would be good, too."

"What a lovely idea." Fluttershy went up to the counter where an older stallion was happy to lend a helping hoof to decide on things.

Sandbar wandered over towards Comforting and sat beside her. "You realize she's going to give you a problem?"

"She is?" Comforting peered at Fluttershy with doubt. "Mom would never hurt me."

"On purpose." Sandbar chuckled softly. "She's already buying too much. You're going to have all the supplies you can't carry. Especially a filly your size." He leaned in closer. "Don't worry about it. I'll help carry some of that."

Comforting clapped with a big smile. "You're the best. Mom's doing her best to give me a good camping time."

"You don't technically need a lantern." He was watching things get stacked in the purchase pile. "Or a blanket to go with the sleeping bag. Or a folding chair... Or..."

Comforting began to sweat at the number of things making the list. "Mom, I think that's enough! I'll be alright."

Fluttershy peeked over her shoulder. "Are you sure?" The helping stallion didn't dare to push too hard and Fluttershy slowed in pointing at things. "I'll take this then." She fished out her bit purse and completed the transaction. "Thank you."

Comforting dashed up to the pile of stuff. "How good are pony pockets?"

Sandbar raised a brow at the question. "Sometimes I forget how... new you are at things." That just wasn't a question a foal asked by the time they were toddlers. That Comforting had asked it tickled as just straight up strange, but that was part of what made Comforting odd. "You don't want to stuff things in there bigger than you are... Unless you are Pinkie Pie. She's special. Don't imitate her, if you want to avoid getting hurt."

"No imitating Pinkie Pie." That seemed like solid advice to Comforting. She knew of the pink wonder and her earth pony magic. "So this." She willed a sleeping bag that was sized for her to lift from the pile. "This should fit." And in it went. It was a little tight, but she got it worked into that strange internal space with a pop, right out of sight. "Yay!"

Sandbar smiled a bit awkwardly. "You are like a kid who is also a baby, and it's cute." With the keyword spoken in kindness, she allowed him to ruffle the top of her mane gently. "I love it." He got to gathering up some things himself. "I'll bring it with me when we go, promise."

Fluttershy patted Sandbar on the back. "Thank you for lending a hoof. It sounds like you'll have a great time with your friends."

Sandbar saluted at his teacher, that wasn't teaching at the moment. "If I have any say in the matter. Oh, Comforting." He turned to face her. "How are you with scary stories?"

Comforting considered the eager pony and the others. What scary story could the young creatures of that world pose that's threaten her? "I'm ready for your worst." She flashed a bright smile. "But I'm not the best at them, telling them I mean." Would human scary stories even translate over? Maybe some of them.

Fluttershy's wings spread for a moment. "Oh dear. I don't like scary stories much... But this is your party, not mine." She turned to go and began walking. "Let's go, Comforting. We should head back."

Comforting grabbed a little lighter with her magic and stuffed it away far more easily than the sleeping bag. Trusting that Sandbar would grab the rest, she raced after Fluttershy. "Thanks for helping!" She waved eagerly at Sandbar, even as he and the pile of stuff left her sight.

"One thing." Comforting was looking up at her mother as they walked side by side. "Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara both want to go to the school." Comforting pointed the way. "Any way they could join us?"

Fluttershy hummed softly at the idea. "They are not as... mature as you are, Comforting. They still need to learn how to be foals before they..." She slowed in her talking. "Hm..." She was looking over Comforting a moment. "This is harder to argue with you being so foal-like in ways. On one hoof, you have a point. But on the other, that point is mostly that you shouldn't be there either."

"But I manage," sang out Comforting with a grin. "Why not give them a chance?"

"You are very good for standing up for your friends." Fluttershy smiled as they wove through town. "But you are a bit of an exception..."

"An exception that proves it can work." Comforting's smile was too large for her own good. "Don't they deserve at least a chance?"

"Well... for one, it would depend on their parents." Fluttershy nodded with confidence in that. "They are not adults, so what they want takes priority with their schooling. Even Twilight wouldn't try to supersede that unless it was an emergency, which this isn't."

But instead of cooling down her ambitions, it just colored them. "So we have to talk to their parents first, alright." Comforting nodded, accepting the mission given to her. "Once I get them to agree, then I will talk to you again."

Fluttershy shrank back a step. "That's not..." But the joyful look of determination was hard to argue with directly. "They... probably don't want their daughters going to a strange school for adult ponies."

"The others aren't adults." Comforting lifted an ear. "Are they? Sandbar is... Am I being rude? He is smaller than you." She scowled with thoughts on the ages of the other characters she planned to camp with. "I never met many other griffons or stuff."

"They are in the middle." Flutter lifted on wings to let her bring her forehooves close together in demonstration. "Becoming adults, but not adults yet. We had to get permission from their parents, and we did. Without that, they wouldn't be here. They're still much closer to being adults than Diamond or Silver, or you, for that matter."

"But not adults." As if that was the only part of that with any gravity at all. "I'll talk to them and get their permission. They'll want their girls to get the best possible education, and your school has that. I'm sure their school is very nice, but also doubt it has all... No, Miss Cheerilee couldn't do all that."

"You've met her?" Fluttershy raised a brow at her curious child. "Oh, you know them like the others, don't you?"

Comforting blushed a dark color through her fur when she was called out. "I know how she works. She's very dedicated to her, um, craft."

"Then maybe we should let her do what she does best." Fluttershy hurried towards her house. "I'll get dinner ready."