It was a thing of strange wonder. It was a school, like the one she distantly remembered. Its occupants were strangely colored, for they were... They were ponies, bipedal human ponies. They smiled more often and had their cutie marks stitched on their clothes. Comforting colored a little, wondering if they actually had that mark on their skin, and had it done on their clothes so it could be visible?
She could find out quickly! But pulling her clothes off certainly felt like it would be a rude thing. The people there clearly wanted to wear clothing, so not wearing it would probably freak them out. One did not strip down to nothing in the middle of a school. Proprieties!
"Here's my class." Sunset waved inside. "I have a lot of them. Do you know how Highschool works, schedule-wise?"
Comforting considered that, fingers curled around her chin. "Periods, one class to a period, right?"
"Bingo!" Sunset fired a finger gun. "For a... You know, you are pretty familiar with how this works." She pulled open the door. "Hey, Teach..." She went up to the front desk to explain why she had a guest.
Comforting trailed after her into the room, but didn't charge for the front desk, instead looking at all the other students that were sitting or filing in to do that. Some of them were chatting animatedly among themselves.
"You are standing in a Great and Powerful way," came an announcement behind her. There was Trixie! Well, human Trixie. Still Trixie. She made a shooing motion at Comforting. "And aren't you a little small to be in this school?"
Comforting hopped to the side. "Sorry about that." Still, it was Trixie... She never had a lot of chance to approach the pony model... "So, you do super tricks, right?"
Trixie paused in her approach of her desk, putting on a cocky smile. "My reputation precedes me, clearly." She crouched down closer to Comforting's level. "I'd love to show you some of Trixie's tricks, but the teacher would get upset." She made an explosive gesture and, with a puff of smoke, some flowers appeared between her hands. She offered the fake flowers towards Comforting. "For a little fan."
Comforting accepted the flower, hugging it with a giggle. "Thanks! Wow, you really are Great."
"And Powerful," added Trixie, though she looks pretty pleased as she got into her seat properly.
Sunset returned, pointing to a free set of desks. "You can join me there. Let's do some learning."
"Learning!" Comforting doubted she would learn much, but at least pretending would be good, right?
So she made it through several periods of instruction. She knew most of it, though some of it had been forgotten, so she tried to pay attention to that. But, lunch time! Sunset had a hand gently behind her back, guiding her through the crowded hallway. "And you'll get to--"
"--Who's that walkin' with ya there?" Applejack, human version, came jogging up and joined their walk. "Howdy." She tipped her hat at Comforting.
Comforting raised a hand to wave, the other still holding the flowers. She didn't have a backpack, purse, or anything else to stash things in. Did human ponies have built in pockets? She imagined not, being the sort to wear clothes with pockets. "Hello... Applejack, right?"
Applejack started at that. "Have we met?"
Sunset leaned closer to her country friend. "Equestria thing," she whispered harshly. "But nice."
"Oh, well, howdy. But that ain't hardly fair none. Ya know mah name, but ah don't know yers." She pointed to herself, then at Comforting.
Comforting tipped her head. "Comforting Shade. Comforting's just fine. Nice to meet you." Again, she didn't say that part out loud. That Applejack was clearly a teenager, not an adult. A big difference there. She had been Comforting's teacher, one of several. "Your school's nice."
"Thanks kindly. Like it mahself." She walked with them into the cafeteria. "But it's grub time! Now, yer a little thin'. Want me to grab somethin' for ya?" She hiked a thumb at where students lined up to grab some food.
Comforting realized at that moment that she was indeed hungry. "Please! Thank you."
"Ain't no thin'." She ruffled the top of Comforting fondly. "Cute little thin'." And off she went.
It was kinda nice being the cutest thing for some distance. Comforting couldn't even muster the barest ire at the contact. It was a friendly touch, and not forceful. She let Sunset direct her to a table where others were already talking and eating. There was Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. They were all humans, of course, living their best teenaged lives. "Woah..."
They looked over at Comforting's breathless gasp of a word. Rainbow hiked a brow. "What's up with the little girl?" She gestured with a flat hand at comforting and up at Sunset. "You have a sister?"
Fluttershy smiled at the small child. "Aw, hello there... Um, is this allowed?"
Sunset sank to join them at the table and offered a hand, helping Comforting get up next to her. "May I introduce, Comforting Shade. No relation. Celestia gave the alright for her to be here while her competency exam is graded."
Comforting waved at the girls. "Pleased to meet you. Applejack is getting my food, because she's really nice."
Rarity tittered, a hand held over her mouth. "That sounds just like her, darling. Now, why is a little girl like you here at all? What sort of 'competency' test are we talking about?"
Twilight considered the child, adjusting her glasses. "Competency exam? Are you attempting to enlist in the school?"
Sunset blinked owlishly. "You are as sharp as a tack some times. Comforting?"
"I want to attend with you all," confirmed Comforting. "It's been a little... too..." She glanced around. "M-word where I'm from. So, for a while, nice and simple! I'll do some homework."
Fluttershy nibbled on the carrot she had, offering it to a little rabbit that was hiding on her person that took a chomp. "Aren't you a little... young for this? I wouldn't want to see you be overwhelmed or anything..."
Her mom was still the best, even as a teenager... "I can handle it, trust me. I may not look it, but I've been through school one and a half times already." All of the girls were looking at her. Oops? "Long story?"
Rainbow leaned in with a cocky smile. "A long story I can make room for. This I gotta hear."
Rarity gently waved her off. "Don't be rude, darling. She hasn't even had her lunch." She flicked her fingers at the returning Applejack. "Speak and she appears."
"Hey everyone." Applejack sank to join the rest, her own plate before her and another slid towards Comforting. "Eat up! Y'all gettin' 'long?"
A hamburger, and salad, and ketchup and... It was a fine, serviceable, school meal. And it was tasty! She chomped a bit messily on the offerings.
Rainbow watched it with a growing sneer. "She's from Equestria."
Sunset jumped. "W-what? Who said that?!"
Rainbow gestured at Comforting as she wolfed down her food. "So far, every single Equestrian has gone nuts for our food the first time they try it. Explains how odd she's acting. So... you're a pony?"
Comforting grabbed some tissues to clean herself. "Um..." Was she supposed to admit that?
Sunset laughed nervously. "That... was surprisingly fast... but this isn't really the place to talk about that, hmm?"
Fluttershy inclined her head. "All the other ponies we met were about our size. You look... young."
"I am...and not. It's complicated." Comforting pushed her largely empty plate away. Mmm, that had tasted good. "What class comes next, Sunset?"
"Hm? Right! Comforting is trailing me today. Next up is--"
"--Gym," cut in Rainbow with a click of her tongue and a thumbs up. "I'll be there. Wonder if they'll even let you play... No offense or nothin' but you are kinda small. Wouldn't want you to get stepped on by someone else."
Comforting squeaked at the imagined horror of a bunch of teenagers running around her, trying to play their sportsball. "I'll just watch... Good luck, Sunset."
"Thanks, kiddo." She patted Comforting lightly, other hand working to devour her own food, far less messily than Comforting had done. "I'll explain to the teach, like I did with the other ones. You know the drill by now."
"Thank you, really... You don't owe me this." Comforting smiled up at her temporary mom of sorts. "But you're doing a great job!"
"Aw, thanks." Sunset colored faintly, but was smiling as she enjoyed her lunch. Everyone could use a compliment once in a while.
Rarity leaned in closer to the new guest at the table. "Dear. Did you come with that?" She waved over Comforting as a whole. "I heard ponies are not always the most fashion forward. Perhaps, after school, we could spruce up your look, really make you shine." She spread her hands, fingers wide in the vision of glamour.
Was she dressed poorly? Comforting put out a hand and looked across her arm and front. She seemed... presentable? But Rarity would know. She was a fashionista as a pony, and, from the sound of it, as a human too.
"I don't mean to insult," assured Rarity with a dismissive wave. "You're fine, but you could be better. It'll be fun, dear! We can visit the mall."
A mall?! They had those? Rarity seemed to spot the excitement in Comforting's gesture. "Ah ha, got your interest. It's settled then. After school, we do some retail therapy!" She looked to the others. "You're all invited, if you like."
Most of them passed on the idea, but Sunset raised a hand. "I promised to keep an eye on her, so I'll come along."
"Sunset, absolutely welcome, darling. It's a date." Rarity glanced up at a clock. "Period's almost over. See you after school."
The girls completed their meals and headed off back to class. Sunset kept ahead of Comforting. "Explaining!" And she went right up to the gym teacher to do that. "So, yeah, got a +1." She waved back at Comforting, who was watching the sports being played with wide eyes. "The principal knows about it."
"Uh huh." The female gym instructor didn't look enthused. "She is way too small to take part. You understand that, right?"
Sunset shrugged. "She said she'd be happy watching, but what if some student was just... short? You wouldn't just sit them out forever, would you?"
The teacher hummed thoughtfully. "You have a point there. Hey, kid." Comforting looked up. "Yes you, come here." She waved Comforting closer. "We're playing dodgeball today. On the positive, you're a smaller target. On the downside, how good are you at throwing a ball?" She grabbed a ball from a nearby bin and thrust it at Comforting. "Show me the best you got."
Comforting ran her hands over the ball. "Hmm..." She danced back several steps away from the teacher. "I'll try my best."
"That's all I'm asking." The teacher put up her hands in a defensive position. "Go on, knock me out of the game. Put your all into it." That she did not fear the little girl was not being hidden well.
Visions of cannons and catapults danced in Comforting's mind, but she was not there to use any of that. She was there to be a regular little girl, which meant using little girl arms, as unideal a tool as that was for that game. "Alright!" She wound the ball back and chucked it with both hands over her head. "Haw!"
The teacher easily caught it, but looked impressed despite that. "Huh. I didn't even expect it to reach me, if we're being honest." She bounced it off the ground in a single dribble. "Not bad for a kid your age. Alright, if you want to play, you're in, but I'm not putting you out there without some protective gear. I don't want to get chewed out if you get bashed across the head."
So it was that Comforting was the only child sent out with a safety helmet and pads, but she was allowed to charge out on Sunset's team to play some dodgeball.