New Endings, Old Starts

by David Silver

110 - Chaotic Harmony

The two Comfortings shared a wave, but went their different ways. Harmony Comforting went inside. Chaos Comforting darted off to where she knew she needed to look. The Everfree forest was about the same, with the same stairs heading down to where Harmony once rested.

Harmony wasn't there. The students had still moved her? Comforting darted up to find the treehouse still there. "There you are. Hello. I'm a friend." She landed a small distance from the tree. "But you probably don't recognize me."

The tree did not reply.

"Harmony?" Comforting took a few steps closer on timid hooves. "It's me, Comforting."

"You are not Comforting." A far-staring pony stepped out, not Twilight, but Comforting instead. "You are something else."

"Not your Comforting, yeah." Comforting rubbed an arm with the opposing hand. "But one of them. There's at least three, four technically, and probably a lot more than that."

"We have nothing to discuss."

Comforting blinked at the cold dismissal. "Don't be... like that. I'm a friend of a Harmony."

"I struggle to envision what path led me to that. You are no agent of Harmony. Leave, or I will summon one."

"Your agents are loyal and adorable." Comforting leaned in a little. "But not fast. I'm not here to cause trouble."

"You already are," countered Harmony.

Comforting waved over herself. "I am a meeting of your future agents. I want to help..."

"Then leave. You are not required at this time. I have spoken enough." And so there was no speaking Harmony, just a tree.

Comforting took a step back and slowly turned. Starting a fight with her dear friend, even an alternate of her, felt like a bad thing to do. "I'll go... Sorry." She lifted into the air and left that universe' Harmony in peace.

As she flew, she dug out the button that had been given to her. "I could go home..." That was an option. Did she have more business in that world? Ah! She powered to Ponyville, but skipped around it to land a short distance from Twilight's castle, hurrying on feet towards it. "You are a smart pony," she said to nobody as she jogged. "Let's chat." She knocked on the door lightly.

"Hello?" came a familiar but also unknown voice. The door popped open to reveal Spike, er, female Spike? "Can I help you?"

Comforting blinked softly. There were other differences in that universe. "Hi! I was hoping to talk to Twilight, if she has a moment?"

"Hi," echoed fem-Spike. "I'll check, but... who are you?" She looked over Comforting curiously. "You look... familiar."

Comforting smiled gently and held out her hands. "Would you believe I'm a different version of Comforting?"

"Yes, actually. Are you an evil one?" She rolled a hand through the air at the idea. "Or not?"

"I give evil hugs?" She waggled those offered arms.

"Oh no, the horror." Spike stepped out into range and the two shared a warm embrace, Spike giggling. "Wow, what... Did you come from a mirror?"

"Huh, good way of putting it, yep! I came from a mirror." Comforting tapped the side of her snout. "I come in peace!"

"Been there," assured fem-Spike. "Barb the Dragon, world traveler!" She struck a dynamic pose, only missing a fluttering cape. "Um, come on in. I'll go check on Twi--"

"--Who are you talking to?" Starlight joined them with a curious expression. "Huh." She peered at Comforting with confusion. "You... Gonna guess you aren't Comforting in a lot of trouble?"

Comforting shook her head. "Different Comforting, from past a mirror." Sure, it wasn't an actual mirror, but that shorthand seemed pretty useful. "Friendly, promise."

"I'm not sure I could deal with a not-friendly Comforting." Starlight inclined her head a the disjointed creature. "You remind me a little of Discord."

"You rang?" Discord casually stepped out from nowhere. "What brings my name... Oh." He spotted Comforting. "Look at you. Ha... What have I been up to?"

Comforting lifted an ear. "Hey... Do you know me? I was hoping, maybe, you did?"

"Sorta." He wobbled a hand. "I can tell I'm responsible, but since I don't remember that, going to guess another-me is responsible for that. I disavow all blame!" Still, he zipped in over Starlight with a grin. "Now that we got that out of the way, hi!"

"Word of the day." Barb went off inside, perhaps to get Twilight.

Starlight shook her head. "There's more to it... You... look like somecreature took the students and smashed them together, which is a curious look."

Comforting did a slow turn, showing herself off. "I... Another world, right? But I'm super friends with them, there. I bet they'd be... kinda confused, maybe scared, here."

Discord clapped eagerly. "I can imagine! What other bits of chaos have you been up to? Reveal it all."

"Um, I rescued Screwball?"

Discord blinked at that. "Oh. Oh...."

Starlight drove an elbow into his midsection. "I don't like how you said that. Who's Screwball and how do we rescue them?"

Discord shrugged widely. "Just a pony that enjoyed my visit a bit too much. She's still floating around my little pocket in the universe. Not much to be done about it."

Comforting scowled at her alter-papa. "I rescued her, and she's alright now. Both of you were so mean to her!"

"I was not mean!" countered Discord, folding his arms. "I just stopped paying attention to her a long time ago."

"That's not better!" grunted out Starlight. "You will take me to her, now."

"Now?"

"Now," she flatly demanded. "C'mon."

"Fine." He snapped his fingers and the two vanished, presumably to rescue a chaos-addled filly.

"Ye--" Twilight arrived, her words dying on sight of Comforting. "Oh..."

"Hello, Professor."

Twilight flashed a bright smile. "Only she would call me that. Um..."

"Mirror," reminded Barb behind her.

"Right, Mirror Comforting. Hello..."

"Hi." Truly, the word of the day. "I was hoping to talk to you."

"You... bring a thousand questions... Come inside." She stepped aside for Comforting to head in, closing the door behind them. "Are you as chaotic as you appear to be?"

"Probably more," admitted Comforting with a little giggle. "In my world, I am Discord's adopted daughter. Here, I am not."

"That is fascinating on its own..." Twilight led the way to the map room, which looked much the same. "I had wondered if he was aware, or even lived, in all the worlds he existed in."

"This Discord isn't my dad." She floated up to go alongside Twilight easily. "An uncle at best. You, on the other hand, feel just like my professor."

Twilight smiled with a little blush at that. "Did I teach you magic in your world too then?"

"You so did!" Comforting played the runic alphabet on her changeling horn. "But... then I learned chaos magic and that kinda trumped it."

"Oh." Twilight sank on her throne. "That is a shame. This world's Comforting is an eager magical student."

"She is, I met her." Comforting perched on the table, facing Twilight. "But I still love you, a lot, teaching me magic or not. I love chatting with you."

Twilight colored faintly. "I'm happy to hear that... But what do you talk about, if not magic?"

"There's still magic! Just not unicorn magic." She waved over herself. "How chaos magic works is super interesting to other-you. It can't be measured, even with a more willing target than Discord or Pinkie."

"What does Pinkie have to do with it?"

Comforting froze, realizing she was giving out information that maybe didn't belong in that world. "Just another thing that's hard to explain."

"Truly." Twilight nodded, accepting that. "Barb, can you make us a snack? I have so many questions! What can you tell me about how chaos magic does function?"

Barb saluted, rushing off to get the food.

"I'm... not sure how much I should say." She rubbed at her cheek, scratching through the thick fur. "I don't want to mess things up."

"Some creature of chaos you are." Twilight was smiling gently despite the words. "Very well. What is it you wanted to discuss, since you have me here?"

"Good question." Comforting considered it. "If I told you there was a creature on the other world, the one you have a mirror for, that may need help, what would you say?"

"I'd say... a lot of things could be different, especially between two worlds of two worlds. I try to not interfere with Canterlot High, but I could ask Sunset about it?"

Sunset! Comforting perked up at the thought of that kind host. "Yes, please. Ask her. They, in my world, lived in a creepy house. If she asks the younger students about it, they may know. She seems scary, but she's just hurting..."

"Hurt creatures can be very dangerous." Twilight floated a book over, her communication diary, which she was already scribbling in. "But, worth a look. I trust Sunset to act responsibly, and she has good friends to help her."

Friends! Comforting applied a hand to her face. Taking the other girls to check out the house would have been a lot easier, but they had caught her up in the energy of the worried younger students. That had been dumb... But it'd worked out, right? "That's all I'd ask. Her name is Cracked Mirror. She's a predator, but if you give her a way to live without hunting thinking things, she'll take it, if she's like my Cracked. She just wants to live. Who doesn't?"

"I suppose it wasn't her choice what she was born as." Twilight tapped at her chin with a feathery quill. "You are Comforting."

"Hm?"

"You care." Twilight set the book aside. "In that 'Comforting' sort of way. Though she's far more focused on ponies, rather than other creatures. A shame, I try to impress on her that all creatures are equally deserving of friendship."

Comforting clapped at the words, also at seeing Barb rushing back with a tray. "Ooo, whatcha got there?"

"Snacks." Barb slapped down the tray on the map table next to Comforting and pulled the lid free to reveal a host of little sammiches. "Eat up!"

"Mmm." She picked one at random, and grabbed a second to offer to Twilight.

"Thank you." The second glowed with her magic as she pulled it over for a bite. "Mmm," she agreed. "Very nice, Barb. Thank you."

"Besides this..." Twilight waved over Comforting's form. "Are you otherwise the same Comforting?"

"I don't think so... There are other differences. Except you. You are exactly the same, so far." She clapped with the joy of it. "But not you."

Barb jumped at the point. "What? I'm a bedrock!"

"Well, yeah... But you're a guy bedrock in the last world I was in." Comforting shrugged. "Still a great dragon either way."

Barb stuck out her tongue. "Ew... I like me as me, thanks."

Twilight gently set a hoof on Barb's head. "You're a dog in the mirror world. You seem to be very mutable, overall. I wonder what causes that... Is it a personality trait, or something else?"

Comforting waved at herself. "I was a little girl there. Nothing special, just a girl."

"And yet." Twilight wagged a hoof at Barb. "Dog. That she has a male alter-self is less surprising to me, all things considered." She paused a moment. "Is... she, he, are they still fascinated with Rarity?"

Barb colored sharply. "H-hey! Um... But since it's already up, are they?"

"Yep," sang out Comforting. "Um... but are you?" She hiked a brow at Barb, considering. "Is she interested in that?"

Twilight's color managed to beat out Barb's. "Let's change the topic, if we can, hm? How long do you plan to visit? You're welcome, of course. You hardly seem hostile, but I am curious."

Part of her wanted to dig deeper and see the differences...

But she also had her own world that needed her to actually make it into what it was to be.

Author's Note:

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Comments

[Theresa]

Definitely like cc better than hc. Hc seems to forgotten that friendship and becoming everyone friend was what she wanted. Helping everyone. Harmony doesn't really care about non ponies so hc doesn't care. She never learned anything from comforting so she never grew. Cc wanted to be treated like an equal even if Harmony had good intentions from day one.

[uis]

How interesting and cute.

Glim Glam gonna eat Discord's brains with tea spoon

[uis]

11533794
Both Comfortings were different before they even appeared in Equestria, HC could had wanted something else. Harmony do, I think.

[uis]

Starlicorn the Princess of Chaos

[Advisability]

man, this harmony is an asshole.

[uis]

11533896
Maybe she is, maybe she's not

[David Silver]

11533896
How many map quests involved not-ponies?

[Advisability]

11533904
Spike got sent on ONE. that's... honestly i think that's it.

[David Silver]

11533928
So the one time Harmony ever sent someone to deal with a not-pony problem was... sending a not-pony to deal with it.

[midnight arrow]

great chapter

[geomease]

11533896

This Harmony is closer to what I think Order is. If Chaos like Discord is not inherantly evil, then Harmony, its opposite, is not inherantly good either. One is destruction, creation, and change. The other is Stability, stagnation, and status quo.

Without Comforting embracing Chaos, both Harmony and Chaos were ‘kept in their lane’. She enforces a modicome of order on Discord, she enforces a modicome of chaos on Harmony, blending them together in the middle a bit. That I feel is actual ‘Harmony’ aka Balance. Harmony is when all things mix and synergize, where are Chaos is when nothing mixes and Order is all things are the same.

Sadly I think this universe is lesser for it

[David Silver]

11534513
Chaotic Harmony, as Harmony joyfully, and sometimes confusedly, refers to Comforting.

[Theresa]

11534513
Yeah it's a shame that they don't realize how much worse off they are by going the alicorn route. Friendship between them is diminished and the magic of Friendship doesn't get spread as much.

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

Harmony Harmony is strictly for ponies and order. She didn't see Chaos Comforting as a pony, and couldn't conceive that CH could instill a little order in Chaos.

It's a good thing that HH didn't summon a "agent of Harmony". I don't think that they would stand a chance against CH.

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

Another very weighty feeling chapter, like the last one, which in my opinion is a good thing.

It's sad that Comforting couldn't get through to this version of Harmony. But Comforting describing herself as a "meeting" of Harmony's future agents, due to the makeup of her body, was still beautiful in its own way.

Comforting ended up meeting a whole lot of people very quickly in this chapter. "Hi" was very much the word of the day, indeed.

I really liked the "evil hugs" quip Comforting gave, and how Barb accepted the hug so readily.

Starlight and Discord appearing back to back was certainly a surprise, too.

Comforting really takes after her mom. She loves her papa dearly, but she'll still scold him if she thinks he isn't being kind enough.

The interaction between Discord and Starlight feels oddly natural. I guess that in part may be because both are trying to reform, one from causing too much order, and the other too much chaos.

Twilight is right. Comforting, despite being very different from Alicorn Princess Comforting, is still very caring, still the same in all the important ways. It was wonderful that Comforting not only tried to help this universe's Screwball, but also gave Twilight so much information on how to find Cracked in this world's version of the human world.

It's really interesting that Barb is a girl in this world yet still very, very easily flustered when it comes to all things Rarity.

Twilight pointing out the Barb/Spike Dog issue was oddly adorable. The Dog transformation has always been a bit inexplicable, if consistently so.

It's great to be able to get more of a window in this world. It's so different, but Comforting can find some solace in the fact that some things, mainly her Professor, haven't changed.

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

11535201

I'd imagine one possibility is that Chaos Comforting could have turned the agent into a bunny or something equally non threatening. That might be awkward and worrisome for Chaos Comforting, though, so perhaps it's for the best it didn't happen, hee.

[David Silver]

11535308
How can it not be weighty, considering the paths untaken? The only real question, which not a commenter touched on, was if she should look more, or get back to the life she's actually living.

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

11535476

An excellent point. Many possibilities to consider, many things at stake.

Come to think of it, Comforting seems to be doing a surprisingly good job of helping this world, despite a somewhat rocky start. Maybe there are still at least a few more ways she could help.

[Quirky View]

This chapter has the same name as my cutie mark! ^_^

[David Silver]

11536250
Your cutie mark was telling you to read this chapter, clearly.

[Prettypony]

Ohhh this is interesting. Maybe chaos comforting can help make this harmony become more personable.

[drFraud]

11535476
She should go back.
This isn't her world, not her responsibility and as True Harmony so eloquently put: she isn't welcome.
Pure order and pure chaos have little tolerance with each other and it's only a matter of time until Comforting gets caught up in that little squabble.

[uis]

11535308

one from causing too much order, and the other too much chaos.

Now when I think about it... Starlight the Spirit of Order.

[uis]

11535309
What if agent IS bunny? Angel for example.

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

11537522

That sounds oddly possible and amusing.