New Endings, Old Starts

by David Silver

101 - Double Diamond is a Different Pony

Diamond 1 gave Diamond 2 a shove. "You didn't plan something, dummy."

Diamond 2 scowled at her local copy. "Didn't plan what?"

Diamond 1 rolled a hoof in the air. "You're broke."

Diamond 2 blinked at that. The very idea, alien. She patted herself down, pulling out her wallet with some effort and unfolding it to reveal the dollars and cards within. "Nuh uh!"

Diamond 1 laughed at the display. "Yep. That sure is a lot of not-money. I'm sure it's worth something where you're from. Around here, that looks like... a lot of paper, and..." She poked at one of the cards. "Not sure what this is, but it isn't money."

Comforting watched the exchange fascinatedly. They were talking and not attacking one another, so that was a victory, right? "People around here use gold coins usually."

Diamond 2 sank to her haunches, just to finish flopping on her belly. "Gold coins?!" she wailed out miserably. "I didn't bring any of those!"

Diamond 1 patted the defeated back of her clone. "If it helps, Comforting isn't likely to let you be too bad off. She's awesome like that."

Comforting fired a thumbs up at that. "Of course! Diamond, can you help too?"

Diamond 1 frowned. "I should... have seen that coming." She offered a hoof to help her double back to their hooves. "Fine. If I ever end up in your strange place, you better help me."

"Deal." Diamond 2 began re-stuffing her wallet awkwardly with her hooves, getting that tucked away. "Comforting tried to sneak away from me!"

Diamond 1 rolled her eyes. "She did sneak away from me. She's good at that." The two Diamonds nodded at one another, unified in that moment with being annoyed at Comforting. "Let's keep an eye on her."

So Comforting had two Diamonds, agreed to keep her under monitor. "I'm not going anywhere, promise..." That promise held little weight with either of them. "Where's mom?"

She was burdened with snacks, and walking alongside Cracked. "You seem to like it," she reported with a happy sound to her voice. "How wonderful."

"It's all pretty good... Ponies got way better at cooking!" She chomped the last half of the hayburger she had, wrapper and all. "And the wrapper they use is edible. The other world, it isn't. Way better."

Fluttershy inclined an ear. "It isn't? I wonder what it was made of..." The idea of metal foil being used for that, not one that even occurred to her. "Now, with you fed, how do you feel?"

"Much better." She rubbed at her belly with a hoof. "I think I can get along with ponies. They have burgers! Fish and hay, both were tasty..." She licked over her lips. "You gave that pony something, a trade. How do I get those, so I can get burgers? If I ask loudly enough, will that work?"

Fluttershy shook her head quickly. "So close..." She was even impressed at how close Cracked had come to the correct conclusion. "Yelling at them will make them upset, and they may ask you to leave. You don't want that." She folded a wing on herself, drawing out a single bit. "These are bits. We trade them for things, like burgers."

"Oooo." Cracked leaned in to study the power of the bit. Just like that, she was introduced to commerce, and she wanted more of it. "How do I get these?"

Comforting heard that question. "We were just going over that." She waved the two over to join them. "Now... I'm still new to the whole thing, so I want to hear too. How do ponies get bits, usually?"

All eyes were on Fluttershy. A pity Diamond 1 was huffing indignantly. "Why are you looking at her? Who's the richest pony here? It isn't her." She rolled her eyes. "You should know better, supposed Diamond."

Diamond 2 colored, called out in such a silly mistake. "Yeah, other me probably knows how to get money... sorta. Let's be real, if you're like me, most of it comes from daddy."

Diamond 1 shuffled in place. "A lot of it, still! I know how to make bits, in theory... There's the simplest, most pedestrian way, just get a job! Celestia will pay any pony that's doing what their cutie mark says to do. But that's just enough to get by. If you have a scrap of ambition, you want more than that!"

Fluttershy directed a wing at her home. "That isn't so bad. That's where most of my bits come from." She also lived a fairly spartan life and wasn't terribly ambitious where money was concerned. "I know Applejack works far harder for her bits."

Diamond 1 nodded at that. "Of course she does! She has a whole orchard to tend and a family to support, two of them not working. Still, for all her complaining, she has bits. If she didn't, she wouldn't have either of those to worry about." Simple logic, by her view. "She isn't very good at managing them though."

Diamond 2 cocked a brow at her double. "And you are? If you're like me, money management isn't exactly our specialty."

Diamond 1 stomped in place. "Better than her, trust me on this! Anyway!" She looked to Cracked. "A job, or convince Celestia you're doing your part." Her eyes fell to their new friend's blank rump. "Which is hard, with no cutie mark."

Cracked peeked back at her lack of mark and to the others. "Well, that's not fair... I'm doing my part! I'm a fearsome monster! Will eating a pony prove that?"

Comforting squeaked. "Don't do that! No! Please..."

"Yes." Fluttershy looped around Cracked. "That won't get Celestia's attention, um, in a good way. Do you have talents besides being a very good predator?"

That got Cracked thinking, and scratching with a hindpaw. "Hm... Hm... Back in my day, we didn't have this." She waved a hoof over the town. "This is all new... The talents I have probably aren't... worth much anymore."

Comforting suddenly grabbed Cracked by the snout. "Because you are a child."

"I am older than you." Cracked scowled at the little thing grabbing her face. "Foal."

"Guilty." Comforting didn't look affronted at being called what she was. "But so are you. You're just a bigger one. That's not a bad thing to be. I know where you belong, and it has free food."

That got Cracked to perk. "Where?!"

Diamond 1 and 2 tilted their heads in opposing directions. 2 ehhed. "Where are you thinking?"

Comforting pointed off into the distance. "A special school I go to, where creatures of all shapes and sizes learn how to be friends, and adult lessons too. It's for older teens, not little kids. So you wont have to sit and learn how to count. I love it there."

Cracked drew her snout free to snuff at Comforting. "You go there? And it has food?"

Fluttershy clapped her hooves with a big smile. "I work there. If you'd like to learn how to get along with ponies and other creatures, that sounds like a wonderful idea! With that education, you could then go on to have a job, if you want."

Diamond 2 snickered softly. "Wow... This place has a school about being friends? Freaky."

Diamond 1 shrugged at that. "I thought the same thing when it came up. I go to a regular school." She pointed the way. "Boring, but servicable. Now, you." She pointed at her twin. "Let's get you into something presentable."

Diamond 2 followed eagerly. "Ponies get clothes? I was starting to think that was just a thing they didn't do... She waved at the ones she was leaving behind. "Later!"

Comforting giggled, but didn't follow. "I'm sure Diamond knows what Diamond likes. Alright! Let's get Cracked signed up for the school."

"Yes." Cracked leaned in, looming over Comforting. "I will attend this school of yours. I will be the best predator there, easily."

"Actually...."

Fluttershy nodded at Comforting's doubting words. "There are other predators that attend the school. You wouldn't be able to take that title without some effort."

Cracked looked genuinely shocked. "I wouldn't be the only one? I want to go there! What other predators are there? Tell me!" She got a new idea, her grin growing. "Does that mean they have meat? This school is sounding better by the moment."

Fluttershy patted the excited predator. "Actually, yes. We have a dragon and a griffon, off the top of my head. Both are predators. Hum. Actually..." She rubbed at her snout. "The dragon could be considered at least partially a lithovore. Still..."

"Lithowhat?" Cracked cocked a brow. "What is that?"

"Eater of something." The exact meaning was eluding Comforting. She had heard that word before...

"Rocks," completed Fluttershy. "Gems, specifically in this case. They love them. But they won't turn down a tasty steak either."

Cracked made a face, tongue extended in horror. "Ew... How do you even hunt a gem? That sounds boring, and hard to chew, with either teeth."

"Oh, yes... But they manage." She got a sly look. "Just imagine teeth that can crunch gems."

Cracked shuddered from ears to tail, which tucked low in fear. "I would not want to be bit by that... Maybe I won't be the most fierce predator there..." She directed a hoof at Fluttershy. "What do you teach there? What to eat?"

"Hm. I never thought of it that way, but sometimes I do teach what animals like to eat." Fluttershy began to lead her little herd back towards her home. "But, mostly, I teach how to consider how others are feeling, and how best to make them feel better, and, doing that, make yourself feel better too. I'm--"

"--the professor of kindness," cut in Comforting, looking so proud of her mother. "She's a pro!"

"Technically, yes, I am that." She was being a professor as a career, that was professional, right? "But I'm here to help, not gloat. I look forward to seeing what things you two are drawn to doing. I'm certain they'll be simply wonderful."

"Sister!" Coming in at a hurried floating, her hooves pinwheeling wildly in a vain attempt to go faster, Screwball collided with Comforting in a loving embrace. "You're back! I missed you so much! They said you'd come back, but that was hard to believe. You were gone for so long and... And..." She trailed off, spotting Cracked, huge and dangerous. "Ooo. Are they a friend?"

Cracked sniffed, not to get a scent, but because her nose was running, and a tear spilled. "Stop that... Ponies of this age... Why are you all alright with me?! I'm a predator, of you!"

Comforting hugged Screwball fondly, but with her little sister facing the big monster. "Ponies have changed. You will too. It will be hard some times, but you already have friends." She ruffled Screwball's mane. "Here's an eager one right here."

"Hi!" Screwball thrust a hoof up at Cracked. "I'm Screwball. I'm what happens when a pony shoves a hoof in some chaos. This is my sister, Comforting. She's what happens when a pony just falls in and manages to come out again."

Cracked inclined her head at that explination. "I... think I see? Nice to meet you. I am Cracked Mirror." She flashed a big smile. "My mirror isn't cracked anymore, thanks to your sister."

"Ooo! Good job, sis!" She wriggled with excitement, giggling. "Good job! Can I see it?"

They arrived at Fluttershy's cottage. Even as Cracked dug out the mirror, Fluttershy was gesturing over her home. "I'm afraid my little house may be a bit... small for your stature... You are quite welcome to stay here, provided you don't eat the animals." Who were all gone, minus the bear that was staring at Cracked, daring her to pick a fight. "And eat breakfast with us."

"I like that part... I can dig out my own burrow." She pawed at the ground with a hoof. "That's alright, right?"

Fluttershy imagined the huge hole that'd result. "Oh! You... dig." She hadn't expected that. "Well, this way." She led Cracked off to find a good spot for that work to begin.

The family would adjust for its newest member.

Author's Note:

Welcome Cracked to Equestria. Ponies are too nice, perhaps. It's overwhelming!

Join the special community of folks who like my stories, see the updates early, and/or get your own written here at atreon!

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Comments

[Prettypony]

I love it when I finish reading an update for a different series and then you post an update so soon

[David Silver]

11508075
I do my best!

[Dontar]

im really loving this story

[redmar]

The Friendship School is probably the best place for Cracked.

[David Silver]

11508178
Glad to hear it. Just caught up?

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

The two Diamonds have become friends! The economy may never be the same again.

Comforting doesn't wany to use her chaos to just make bits. That'd be counterfeiting.

[Dontar]

11508188
been following along, reading all your stories

[David Silver]

11508481
Oh ho, a fan! A pleasure to speak with you then. We have a Discord if you like chatting.

[uis]

11508486
Also we have Fluttershy

[David Silver]

11508790
Fluttershy can be unideal as a chatting platform, due to her timidness.

[uis]

11508827
For chatting Pinkie Pie is my favourite

[Quirky View]

"brb going to another country, later dad"
comes back with a bag of thick, solid gold coins

[MichelleTwistaloo]

"--the professor of kindness," cut in Comforting, looking so proud of her mother. "She's a pro!"

"Techncially, yes, I am that." She was being a professor as a career, that was professional, right? "But I'm here to help, not gloat. I look forward to seeing what things you two are drawn to doing. I'm certain they'll be simply wonderful."

Technically, me thinks, unless it's an intentional typo?

[David Silver]

11516531
Fixed!