New Endings, Old Starts

by David Silver

149 - Founding

"Mom?" Comforting peeked in the door with a smile. "Screwie?"

"Comfs!" Screwie tackled her sister into a spinning hug that had the both of them giggling. "Hi hi hi!"

"Hello to you too." She smooched Screwie's forehead. "Where's mom?"

Screwie pointed. "Cleaning, washing. Cleaning mostly."

Comforting leaned to get a better peek. Cleaning her room? Well, everycreature had to do that once in a while, even Comforting, though she had cheats to get it done in a clap. "I have to ask her a little something." She gave one last hug and darted off to Fluttershy's room. "Mom, busy?"

Fluttershy looked up from a pile of clothing she had been sorting through. "Oh, hello there." She waved at her daughter with a smile. "Never too busy for you." She picked herself free, shaking herself as if the clothes had been clinging to her. "How are you?"

"Better now." She went in for a hug with her mom, enjoying a moment of affection. "Any time I get time with you is a good time." She produced the permission slip and held it out. "You know what this is."

"I do." Fluttershy took it with a wing. "I can't see many reasons I wouldn't sign this. You're an independent creature, and it isn't a bad thing... Not my taste... But that's half the point." She placed her signature with a swirl of that wing. "You always did like exploring new things."

"Bad habit." Comforting accepted the paper back and tucked it away. "But I also want to share it, with the other students, young and old."

Fluttershy perked at that. "Young and old? You're the youngest student there... Who's the oldest?"

Comforting picked up a shirt and got to hanging it up, helping in the cleaning she had disrupted. "I'm one of the older ones, in Pony College and all. The foals are trying to go too. I'm so proud of them. Diamond's working on getting her mother on board with making it a field trip."

"How wonderful." Fluttershy resumed cleaning, perhaps detecting it had become a group activity. "Was it your idea?"

"Part of it." Comforting waggled her fingers, making the clothes dance along with them in a conga line towards cleanliness. "Diamond already wanted to go. I just suggested maybe she could ask, instead of just being sad about it. I did way more to get us older students on the way."

"You are very productive." She threw a leg around Comforting in a brief hug. "I'm very proud. Now... There will be teachers there, of course... but I would ask a favor, if I may?"

Comforting perked both ears. "Of course you can. You're my mom, mom." As if that was in question. "What's up?"

Fluttershy raised a hoof at her. "Help keep an eye on them all. I know you can... But I also know you don't have to, and you may not want to... Chaos spirits have their own motivations at times... But please, for this. I don't want even a single student, young or old, to be lost or hurt. The thought of it..." She looked so very sad at the very idea of a precious student meeting a poor fate on the trip. "It's so very far away. I'll be so much... more relaxed if I know you're keeping an eye on them."

On one hand, that felt like asking the gods for favors. It was over the line. On the other... It was Fluttershy... Mom... "Mmm..." She didn't want to disappoint Fluttershy... What would Discord do? "If I see any of them wandering towards trouble, I'll be sure to let a teacher know." But it'll be on them to do something about it!

Fluttershy's tension abated like a lifting cloud. "Good! That'll be just fine. If you're even half as good as your father at keeping an eye on things, I doubt much will get past you." She considered Comforting a moment. "I have... a question, if I may...? They brought you to me, a little filly... But you weren't exactly a little filly, even then..." She raised a hoof to her chin. "Were you always a chaos spirit? I... Were you just growing into it?"

With a wave, she closed the closet, all the clothes put away. "There we go. That's an interesting way of looking at it, mom..." Comforting thought back on her time in Equestria. "Feels pretty valid depending on how you look at it... I could have become not a chaos spirit, but then I wouldn't have been the same Comforting you know now. If you believe in destiny, then yes. I was always going to be this, because I am now."

"That is one way to look at it." Fluttershy walked past Comforting, heading out to the main part of the house. "Want to stay for dinner?"

"I'd like something else." She landed on Fluttershy's back, hugging her warmly. "Up to visiting? I'd like to host you and Screwball, if you're up for it."

"Yay!" Screwball gave her vote with little room for confusion.

Fluttershy smiled at that. "If you.... If you'd like, certainly. Your home is less of a trip than your father's by quite a few degrees." She looked outside her window, to where she could see Comforting's home. "I think I can make that journey."

Comforting guided the two of them on the arduous few minute journey to her home and led them inside. Cracked perked a massive ear at their entry. "Ah, hello." She let her tongue loll a little. "My favorite little pest."

"My favorite big doggy!" Screwball attached herself to Cracked's snout, the two sharing a moment of affection. "We're here for dinner!"

"Join us." With a wagging tail, Cracked sat up. "Comforting will make it. I am not very good at preparing meals." She knew her limits. Hunting, she had that handled. Meal prep, best left to others.

It was a fine dinner for the family.

---

Comforting bounced just a little in her seat. They were on a train, rumbling beneath them as they powered along. "This is... exciting."

Silversteam inclined her head. "I agree! But I'm also a little confused. You've been places! You've been on a train. What are you excited about?"

Comforting giggled at the hippogriff. "You've been on a train before, why are you excited?"

"I get excited easily." Silverstream shrugged, comfortable with that fact. "But also the part after that will be even better! We get to sail on a pony boat, and visit the minotaurs! That sounds so fun!" She balled her fists with a squeal of joy. "I can't wait!"

Gallus tapped Comforting's shoulder from a seat back. "Thanks for the lift."

"No problem." Comforting fired a thumbs up, looking over the rest of her classmates. "None of the rest of you wanted any help. You got home fast?"

Yona nodded firmly. "Not cheat, not now. If go home and ask to see minotaur thing when not going Yak way, he laugh, then say no. Go yak way, be yak proud." She crossed her arms. "He say yes. Learn minotaur way, even if not as good as yak way."

Ocellus waved to Silverstream and herself. "We flew home."

That prompted Silverstream to flip out her wings, slapping Smolder in the face. She swatted the errant wing. "Watch where you're putting that. I flew back too. It was a trip, but nothing I couldn't handle. Why'd you need a pickup, Gallus?" But Gallus was being silent and sullen suddenly. "Bad question? C'mon!"

Gallus huffed... "Look..." He squirmed. "It's just..." He rolled his eyes, fishing for the right words, or maybe just the right feeling. "I wanted company..."

Comforting felt her heart swell. "I'm glad I could provide that. You did super well on your own. I just gave a quick ride."

"Knowing you were there..." He rubbed one arm with the opposing hand. "It made a big difference. So, uh... Thanks or whatever..."

Smolder reached across Silverstream to punch at Gallus' shoulder. "Softy! No wonder you asked Comforting. I would have laughed."

"Yes, you would have." He glared at Smolder. "So I didn't ask you. You're not so good at mushy emotional... stuff."

Sandbar waved from a few spots away. "I would have helped if you asked."

Gallus fired a finger gun at the eager pony. "Bet you would have, but you don't have wings, or crazy teleporting magic, so..."

"Yeah... good point." He didn't even have to leave the town to get his permission. "I was with you in spirit!"

Gallus chuckled. "Thanks for that, at least. Comfs, did you even get a permission slip?"

Comforting perked a tufted ear. "Why wouldn't I? I am a student."

"Sure, sure." Galus rolled a hand. "But... you're also independent. You live on your own. You own a house. Fluttershy's your mom, but also so what? Most of our teachers have parents, and you don't see them rushing to get their permission to do stuff."

Ocellus nodded with a hmm. "He's not wrong. You're almost an adult. A tiny and cute adult, but still... basically?"

Comforting felt a chilly grasp spreading from her core. She was an adult, in some ways, but... "I don't... wanna be. I like what I am, and that's still a kid... for now..."

Yona wrapped an arm around Comforting, hugging her close. "You say kid, you kid. When ready, then adult."

That yak... She felt like an old soul at times, but was also definitely still a growing creature, learning her place. "Thanks." Comforting nuzzled into that warm yak fur, nestling with the snuggly big warm mass without complaint.

Two teachers had come with them, Twilight and Applejack. "We've arrived," called Twilight. "Get your bags and form a line." She shepherded them off like eager ducklings behind herself. They hadn't arrived at the minotaurs, not yet. There was a whole ocean in the way. They could smell the salt in the air, having come to the docks. "Let's get to our ship." She waved the way with a wing as she walked, just to stop. "Oh."

"Hello there." Cheerilee smiled, closing in. "What timing. Were you a few cars back?" Behind her, a line of smaller students. "Headed for the same thing?"

Twilight waved back at her students and Applejack. "We're headed for the ship that'll take us to--"

"--The minotaur republic, I imagine?"

Twilight nodded. "Ah, then you are on the same trip. Well.. Then we could go together?"

"A lovely idea. Students." Cheerilee waved the foals forward. "These may look like older creatures, but this is a fine time to bring up that one is never too old to try something new. They are students too, going to see the same thing."

Diamond and Silver rushed up to Comforting with big smiles. Comforting put an arm around either neck, hugging them close as the three giggled, their plans succeeding flawlessly.

Gallus leaned a bit, looking at the fillies. "I've seen you with those two before, right? Friends?"

"Big friends." Comforting released them to twirl back to Gallus. "Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon." She waved to each with their names. "These are--" She pointed to each of the Young Six with a name attached with each gesture. "How have we gone this long without a proper introduction?"

Smolder leaned forward with a smirk. "You're keeping your big friends from your little friends?"

Yona shook her head. "She see us at school. We not see little ponies at school. Not see, not think. Not think, not say hi." She waved at the two new fillies. "Hello."

Silver giggled at the big creature. "Like, hey. Wow, you're... big."

"Yaks big." Yona nodded with this. This was a simple fact. "Nice meet." She offered a hoof.

"After me!" called Twilight to all the students, joined by Cheerilee as they got all their wards back on the path towards the boat.

Comforting marched alongside with her friends on either side of her. "This is... I'm not sure I can say best, but this is pretty good."

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Comments

[readsponies]

How tall is Comforting? I think I'm imagining her too tall after the species swap. Ocellus calls her tiny, but when her dad is half again as tall as Celestia, that's hard to visualize.

[Theresa hall]

I think fluttershy always knew somewhat about her past but chose not to bother with looking past the surface . Comforting will help everyone sometimes with a bit of chaos to help them become better in the long. If she thought they were in danger and way over their heads she help directly unless harmony said no but she is going very popular with everyone when they grow up because they will realize how she helped them even when it didn't seem like it.

[David Silver]

11669576
It's a funny thing, but when you go from quadraped to biped, you get taller. She is still a little girl, but standing up, versus the ponies who go on all fours. So she really is small, but also tall, at the same time. If a pony bumped against her, they could likely knock her over, but that'd be mean!

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

Was Comforting always a Chaos Spirit in waiting? Discord did say that the chaos that he used to make her into a "proper" Chaos Spirit had been inside her from the beginning.

Surely there won't be too much chaos on their sea voyage, right?

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

It's good for Comforting to meet with as many family and friends as possible before the trip. Comforting briefly talking a bit with her mom about destiny was particularly interesting.

[David Silver]

11670077
Remember her dimension hopping jaunt? She met other hers that didn't become chaos spirits. They were all Comforting, but they were all not that Comforting. Each led their own life and were their own person. None were 'Comforting, but like this one little thing was different but otherwise the exact same person!'

It's a trippy thing to think about, knowing your alternates are really alternates. Lives are big and complicated.

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

11670181

Very good points. Sometimes it's easy to forget to take the butterfly effect into account when looking at other possible lives.

[Alvsecret]

With a wave, she closed the closet, all the clothes put away. "There we go. That's an interesting way of looking at it, mom..." Comforting thought back on her time in Equestria. "Feels pretty valid depending on how you look at it... I could have become not a chaos spirit, but then I wouldn't have been the same Comforting you know now. If you beleive in destiny, then yes. I was always going to be this, because I am now."

Believe

[Alvsecret]

Two teachers had come with them, Twilight and Applejack. "We've arrived," called Twilight. "Get your bags and form a line." She shepherded them off like eager ducklings behind herself. They hadn't arrived at the minotaurs, not yet. There was a whole ocean in the way. They could smell the salt air, having come to the docks. "Let's get to our ship." She waved the way with a wing as she walked, just to stop. "Oh."

Salt in the air

[David Silver]

11704232
The Typos did not fill their permission slip. They are sent home.