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// 22 - Hiya! 
// Story: New Endings, Old Starts 
// by David Silver 
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Scootaloo came in at a screeching halt on her scooter. "You have your mark?"

Sweetie Belle popped out of the bushes less quickly. "Wow, there it is!" She was pointing at Comforting's mark. "Nice!"

"Won't be needing our help any." Apple Bloom nodded sagely at the discovery. "Congratulations though." She raised a brow at the little filly. "Ya know what it means, right?"

Comforting rubbed behind her head. "Do you mean what getting one means, or what this specific one means?" The two things were very different!

Sweetie spread her hooves wide. "Both are valid. You're one of us now. Not a crusader, obviously, but welcome to older foal." All three of them nodded in agreement.

Scootaloo wagged a hoof at Comforting. "Not that there was a thing wrong with you before. You're actually a bit young to get your mark."

"But ya did." Apple Bloom inclined her head. "Now tell us what it means, the specific mark ah mean."

Comforting turned to present her mark most easily. "I think it means I enjoy comforting ponies so they don't have a bruised heart. Sorry I never talked to you, but — "

"But nuthin'!" Apple Bloom waved it away. "You weren't confused, an' ya went and got yer mark without us. Sounds like ya didn't need no Crusadin' in your life to start."

Sweetie bobbed her head. "Still wanted to greet the newest pony with a mark." All three applauded the accomplishment with complete sync in their clops. "Is Fluttershy throwing a party?"

Scootaloo raised a brow. "I know she's your step mom or whatever, but I can't imagine any party by Fluttershy is going to be that great."

Comforting backed a step away. "Actually, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are doing most of the planning?"

All three gasped, but it was Apple Bloom that spoke first. "That's great!" A brief pause. "Yer not givin' them anythin', are ya?"

Comforting scowled at that. "No! They're just being nice to a friend."

Sweetie bobbed her head. "Good! Excellent! Then I look forward to seeing your party."

Comforting froze. The Crusaders didn't match who to invite. "Um..."

Scootaloo snorted softly. "I know that look. So why aren't we invited?"

Comforting shrank. Even considering inviting the Crusaders hadn't occurred to her. "I'm sure you're super amazing ponies. I just hadn't met you." Technically, she had met them, but not met them met them. Like... in person. She knew them from the show. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, promise! I told them to keep it to school people."

All three smiled with three squeaks. Apple Bloom grabbed either Crusader beside her. "Lucky you, we're on the school staff! We'll get invited." Without another word, all three vanished in scrambles in their various directions. The last visible was Scootaloo powering away on her scooter into the distance.

"Huh..." Comforting considered where the Crusaders had been. "Maybe I should have met them earlier."

"Probably." Pinkie was next to Comforting without warning, which got a yelp and a hop away from the filly. "Hi there! I'm Pinkie, but you know that." She leaned in towards Comforting. "I hear you know a lot of things, which are great! I know a lot of things too. But I’m gonna bet I know more flavors of ice cream than you."

Comforting let out a mildly distressed laugh. Pinkie's ability to appear anywhere was only more uncanny when it was happening right next to a person. "Hey! You also know how to just... appear out of nowhere."

"I do that." She didn't even fight it. "We're planning your big party! I'm so excited." She clopped her hooves with a big grin. "One thing, though. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon took over most of it! Boo... They won't even tell me where it'll be until closer to the big date. Do you know about that?"

Oh, right... "I asked them to plan the party. Past that, I don't know much. Does that bother you?"

"You could have asked me." She was smiling despite the words. "But it's kind of nice to see a foal asking a foal for help. I'm not one of those anymore." She inclined her head. "But something about you..."

Comforting tensed with fresh worries. "Sorry for not saying hi earlier."

"That's no big deal." Pinkie leaned in a little too close. "You were new at the school and the newest, youngest student." She tilted her head. "The only one without a mark, but you fixed that! And without the Crusaders helping you, so congrats on that." The clapping resumed. "Nice mark, by the way."

Comforting's worry eased into a little smile. Being complimented instead of questioned was much easier. "I like yours too. Will there be balloons at the party?"

"If I have any say in it." Pinkie crossed her arms with a huff. "I'll bring so many! You just wait right here and... Actually, you don't have to wait right there. You keep doing what you do. We've got this handled." She thumped her chest and hopped up to all fours. "This is gonna be good." With a giddy energy, she began bouncing off.

Comforting was free to wander down the street. Having survived the various challenges, she felt happy. Happy enough for a song? Yes, a song felt right, and ponies loved belting out a beat as much as she did, anyway.

"The sun is up, and the sky is clear. It's a warm day, and birds sing near." As if in response to her words, birds sang and chirped nearby, some even swirling around her briefly on their way to wherever birds needed to be.

"It's gonna be a nice day. I'm so happy I feel this way." She was already doing her part with a big smile. The sun was glowing, and she was dancing on her steps to the tune of the beat that only mattered to her.

"Not gonna fret, not gonna worry, Even though the future is blurry." The world in front of her became hazy, but she danced right into it, dragging the line of haze with her. It was the future that was blurry, not the present or the past, and she wasn't worried about it.

"It's gonna be a nice day. I'm so happy I feel this way." She could feel the lightness in her heart, as if her entire body was buoyant in its bounces as she trotted forward in a light jog.

"I offer a friendly hug to you, to help you feel this way, too." And suddenly a pony was in front of her, looking in need of a hug. She pounced on the random stallion and hugged them tightly and chasing that frown away. She left him with a smile like hers, his day restored.

"It's gonna be a nice day. I'm so happy I feel this way." With a dancing tail, she advanced with a clear heart and a smile she was happy to share with the town. With a final twirl, she landed at school and cantered inside.

Gallus shot her a finger gun. "Hey, kiddo."

"Good day to you!" She was fairly sure even Gallus couldn't dampen her good mood. "How are you doing?"

"Wow... you have that 'happy pony' vibe down super pat." Down came his hand to ruffle the top of her head. "What has you in such a good mood?"

She danced away from his petting hand. Teens! "Gallus, I have a question for you."

"Shoot." He fell to all fours, still looming over her easily.

"What are your dreams?" She flashed a big smile and clapped her hooves together. "If you had everything you wanted, what would that look like?"

"Everything I wanted, huh?" He raised a hand to rub at his beak. "Everything? I'd be rich, for one." He turned the same hand into a rubbing motion on some imagined bits. "I'd get whatever me and my friends wanted to have."

"That's not a bad dream." Perhaps a bit pedestrian, but not awful that Comforting could see. "What would you buy first, then?"

"You're full of questions." Gallus went right past her. "Gotta get rich first, which means learning my stuff here." He looked over his shoulder. "What about you? You got some little pony dream?"

Well... "Actually." She trailed after him down the hallway. "Kinda yes. I want to be a good pony to know and be around. I want to help people, all kinds of people. Even people I don't get all the way." Like Gallus? She left that part unsaid.

"Heh, well, you're closer than me." He peered sideways at the little filly following him. "Is that why you're askin' these questions? See if you can't cheer me up?"

"It'd be nice." Comforting hurried to match his pace. "And to be your friend. We haven't been much friends. I mean, I know you. You know me... But barely either way. I want to make that better."

A hand barred her way as he turned to make that act easier. "You aren't ready."

She blinked at his attempt to shut her down. "I am!"

"You're a pony." He cocked a brow. "A little one. Even with some of your... leanings... You're still that."

She crossed her arms. "Try me before saying I can't handle it."

He thrust a finger out, but didn't poke her with it. "Sometimes, when I got really hungry, I had to eat whatever, and 'whatever' takes on a whole new meaning when you're that hungry. You want to hear what I ate sometimes?"

But instead of disgust, she looked arguably worse. Comforting looked sad. She looked pitying. "That's awful! Where were your parents?"

He covered his face with a hand. "That's a brilliant question. Got any more wounds you want to dig into?"

She squeaked and drew back half a step. "I'm so sorry! That had to be rough... But you did make it. I can't say I've been through that." Before or after becoming a pony, really. "But it's not right and I'm sorry."

"Your sorries don't magically fix things." He wriggled his fingers in the air as if pantomiming a rainbow half-heartedly. "You ponies got it way easier."

She wasn't always a pony. She was an American! Wait... They had it easier than griffons, at least a good chunk of them, sort of. It was complicated.

Gallus squinted at her. "You have a funny look, like you're not thinking about how to make me smile or something. What's on your mind?"

Comforting stomped in place. What she was thinking was hard to translate. "I've... seen... creatures like that, even if I wasn't one. I'm sorry I didn't do more, but big things are hard to fix with just little me." She spread her hooves wide to encompass the enormity of the issue. "Which isn't helping them either. I can't help them... But I'd like to help you. Can I help you?"

"Good on you." He turned back to walking. "Some things are a bit large for any one creature to fix." He hiked a brow. "And for saying creature. Props on you."

Comforting was quiet in her steps. A door was coming closer. "Is this your class?"

"Sure is. So I'll see you later?"

Comforting offered a hoof to the larger griffon. "I'd like that, and to talk more, if you let me."

"Ponies." He rolled his eyes as he made good his escape into the classroom she didn't belong in.

"Griffons." But she was smiling at his escaped form. "I'll figure it out..." She turned towards her own class and got to walking towards it. "But not today, probably." Comforting floated her pad out, clasping it firmly in her grasp. Her innate magic was coming to her better by the day! "I need to learn some magic. Real magic!"

"First you'll learn today's lesson." There was Twilight with a smile. "But if you want to meet up after school?"

"Please!" Comforting bounced in place, forgetting to be surprised at Twilight's approach. "Ocellus taught me to be better, but I need to apply that to my horn."