New Endings, Old Starts

by David Silver

57 - Lost in Running

Comforting clopped her dreamed forehead. "I was so busy chasing..."

"You didn't notice when you ran past." Harmony nudged her. "Your mother is coming."

Comforting woke up on her bed just in time for Fluttershy to poke her head in. "Oh, were you taking a nap? Are you hungry?"

"Comin'!" Comforting bounced down and eagerly charged for dinner. It was delicious, as most food prepared by Fluttershy tended to be. "Thank you." She hadn't been a filly so long that she'd forgotten to be thankful for such gifts. "It's so good!"

"I'm happy to hear that." Fluttershy took another gentle nibble on her portion, still working on it unlike the rapid devouring that Comforting had committed. "When you get tired again, sleep well."

"I will." Comforting's horn glowed as she squeezed her mother in an arcane hug. "Thank you again!"

Fluttershy giggled softly. "It's a funny thing, for the rest of us that don't see magic. You just looked at me, and I could feel a hug."

Comforting tried to imagine that. "That could be scary... I don't want to scare you."

"You do not." Fluttershy gently tapped Comforting's nose. "I know it's you and that you love me. I feel nothing but happiness."

Comforting shared a bright smile with her mother. With that settled, she went off to prepare for the night.

---

"Let's talk!"

Gallus hiked a brow at his suddenly loud pony friend. "What about?"

"You." Comforting circled to in front of him, blocking the way towards Ponyville. "It's you time, all you."

"What... about me? Did that banker guy show up?"

"Nope." Comforting leaned in. "Just you. You've had a hard time, and I'm just learning about it, and you. But I understand more than I used to. Is there room for a friend in there?"

Gallus snorted at that. "You're kidding, right? I have friends."

"Sure... But they're standing outside that hurt place." Comforting put both her hooves on her chest. "Right outside the door. You like them there, and you like them, but they're still not here." She tapped herself insistently. "Where it's sensitive... Where it hurts... I can imagine why. Not many want anything to touch them where it hurts..."

Gallus crossed his arms, lifting into the air along the way on his wings. "And you're just... volunteering to poke me where it hurts. Why would I want that, hypothetically or whatever? "

Comforting considered that with a hum. "It's easier to say no, and you can say that. But most good things take some effort, and that hurt can get smaller and stop being in the way... Besides, I want to help. And if 'because I care' isn't good enough, well, if you go, then there's no forward on our plans that're working so well."

Gallus landed next to her, but was walking past, having gotten around her. "Now that's true. So you want me to let a pony in? That sounds kinda wierd."

"It is a bit odd." Comforting followed at his side. "But emotions and the past are like that. Tell you what... If you let me in, I'll let you in."

Gallus roared to laughter. "Let me in? As if you have anything to 'let' anycreature in about. You're a little smiling chick. Picking which flavor of ice cream is like the most traumatic thing you have to deal with."

"I have things, promise."

Maybe it was the way she said it, but Gallus looked interested. "If this turns out to be lame, I'm going to noogie you forever."

Comforting squeaked at the idea. "It's worth it, promise. Well, go ahead. Tell me what hurts. I won't laugh. I won't judge. I am here to listen." She raised a hoof beside her right long pony ear. "You don't have parents."

"No, I don't." Oops, Gallus was scowling. "Thanks for the reminder. Grampa Gruff took me in. I think he gets his jollies knowing we owe him. He'd remind me basically every day." Gallus rolled his eyes. "Jerk... And still the best I had..."

"I'm not here to tell you to hate him."

Gallus came up short. "You're not? That's what most say when they hear that."

Comforting went up to Gallus' side and reared up, offering her arms. "I'm not here to talk about him, not right now. This is You time. You're way more important."

Gallus put his taloned hand easily over the whole of Comforting's face, forcing her back several inches. "Hold up. Alright... So... what do you want to hear? That I hear all my friends talking about the great families they all have and it pisses me off?" He started forward, motions becoming angry stomps at the ground. "Even you. Maybe especially you. You got Fluttershy, literal element of kindness. She'd do anything for you. That's your mom! I get an angry old bird. You get that. How is that fair?!" He was breathing hard, wind rushing past his teeth in a little hiss. "Sorry... Sorry..."

"It's alright. I... I get it. I got lucky, but don't forget what you already said."

Gallus peered at his small friend. "What did that griffon say? You shouldn't listen to him, nothing but trouble."

Comforting raised a hoof. "We may not start rich, but when we get there, we'll know we earned it, and we'll enjoy it that much more."

"Yeah... But you don't exactly 'earn' a family, last I checked." He poked Comforting in the side. "I'm not going to suddenly get an awesome mom, no matter how hard I try."

"You can do one better." Comforting giggled, putting all four hooves into her spirited walk alongside Gallus. "You can make a family. That family can be brothers, sisters, sometimes even parents. You could end up with a mom and a dad..."

Gallus went quiet for a minute of walking. "Look, I should go. I don't get all you're saying, like at all..." He glanced away and back. "But... thanks... See you in class tomorrow?"

Comforting resisted trying to a hug. "Be safe. You're not alone."

Gallus smirked at that. "Nope, even when I want to be." He snapped open his wings and took off, leaving Comforting behind.

"That was nice of you." Ocellus approached with a little smile. "I didn't even know... that."

Comforting sat. "Know what? Also hi!"

"Hello." Ocellus waved in fond greeting. "I didn't know he was... hurting like that... Should I have heard? I saw you two talking and I didn't want to get in the way, so I got closer but I was quiet and--"

Comforting shook her head vigorously. "It's alright, just don't suddenly treat him odd. He doesn't want that."

"Oh, alright." Ocellus leaned in. "I was curious... You don't have to tell me... But what were you going to share with him? He left before you could."

Comforting squeaked, realizing that was true. "That was a secret I'd share with him."

"Aw." Ocellus pouted a little. "We're good friends too, aren't we?"

"Great friends," gushed Comforting quickly. "It's just... personal is all. It's not because I don't like you. You're super nice!"

"Thanks." Ocellus smiled nervously. "But you won't tell me."

"I'd rather not." Comforting rubbed at her cheek. "And it wouldn't make a lot of sense anyway. I'm not mad at you, promise."

"That's good." Ocellus went in, touching nose to nose. "Good luck, with Gallus... I'll try to listen more around him. I feel like I wasn't being a good friend."

"Don't say that!" Comforting returned the gentle nose rub. "You are a dear and beloved friend. It's just we all have a different... life. You have a happy family, right?"

"Yes. I love my mother and father and my little sibling is so cute." Ocellus was smiling at the thought. "I love being with them... Gallus never talked about his family... and I never noticed until today."

Comforting detected a potential problem. "Don't spread his secret! Don't tell the others! If they all start acting odd around him, he'll be so upset. We don't want that, right?"

"Right! I will tell nocreature... Um... can I talk to him about it? I want to help too." Ocellus rubbed an arm with the other hoof slowly. "I'm not sure how... but I want to..."

"Because you care." Comforting patted Ocellus on the side. "Because you're a good friend... Right now he has to think. Chasing him will just make him angry, and close up. He let me touch the sore spot, and that's a lot of trust. Let's return it by trusting he'll come back if we keep being good friends."

Ocellus suddenly pointed at herself. "Do I have a sore spot? Where is it? Can you find it?"

Comforting burst into giggles as Ocellus looked herself over. "You are an adorable creature with no sore spots, and that's great. But we all live different lives. I have some sore spots, and so does Gallus."

"You do?!" Ocellus began peering over Comforting, as if some great pulsing sore would come into view if she looked hard enough. "Where?"

"That's the secret we were just talking about. The place that hurts when somecreature touches it... If you had a sore spot, you wouldn't want to share it with me, because it hurts when anyone touches it."

Ocellus was quiet a moment. "But... you touched his. Why? You wanted to hurt him? That's not nice."

"Because..." Things were getting complicated. "Because doing the right thing is sometimes not the nice thing... He hurt, but... I hope... he got something out of it. This is how we can make the sore spot smaller. It's... complicated on the best of days."

"Wow." Ocellus patted Comforting on the shoulder. "I will let you handle this. You know it way better than me. This is so... much! I want Gallus to feel better though, so if I can help, I'm right here!" She pointed to the ground, as if where she were standing was somehow a secret. "That's what friends do, right?"

"That is what friends do," Comforting echoed with a kind smile. "And you are one of those." They met, hoof to hoof. With the matter settled for the moment, Comforting was able to continue home without further interruptions.

"I did tell you." Harmony sat next to her sleeping form.

She had meant to take a little nap, so that part wasn't too confusing. It was still a little offputting to see herself sleeping. "What did you tell me?"

Harmony inclined her head as if indicating something outside. "Sometimes you have to hurt, to heal and strengthen. It is not something I do lightly, or because I enjoy that pain."

Comforting considered the not-Twilight. "Gallus is in a delicate place."

"But you are helping," concluded Harmony, sounding mildly pleased. "You are an excellent assistant. Many would balk at being ordered."

"It's for a good cause." Comforting shrugged at that. "And I care about Gallus, so why would I say no? He needs more help."

"He does." Harmony stared at Comforting uncomfortably in silence. "You can finish."

These words brought a smile to Comforting. "You said I could help with the magic draining."

"You could. You did not, but you could have." Harmony inclined their borrowed Twilight's head. "I can only see possibilities. That was not a certainty. The odds of you hurting the situation were small. I played the last part, but by no means the largest part. Your friends were the center of that. Did they notice? I hinted at their true purpose, of becoming my next agents."

"I don't think they did." Comforting thought back to the tail end of that conflict. "They were just happy to save the day, and so was I, even if I didn't do much."

"Few do 'much', but when a lot do a little, a lot can be done." Harmony stood up smoothly. "I will let you sleep. Thank you."

"You're--" She didn't get to finish. Harmony was gone, and her dreams returned. Was that instant? She couldn't tell.

Author's Note:

Gallus! I felt for him.

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Comments

[midnight arrow]

good chapter

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

Comforting understands about Harmony having "to hurt, to heal and strengthen" better now. And she happily helps Harmony whenever she can.

[Chrome Masquerade]

Comforting woke up on her bed just in time for Fluttershy to poke her head in. "Oh, were you taking a nap? Are you hungry?"

"Comin'!" Comforting bounced down and eagerly charged for dinner.

#meep-meep!

[Chrome Masquerade]

Fluttershy giggled softly. "It's a funny thing, for the rest of us that don't see magic. You just looked at me, and I could feel a hug."

Comforting tried to imagine that. "That could be scary... I don't want to scare you."

"You do not." Fluttershy gently tapped Comforting's nose. "I know it's you and that you love me. I feel nothing but happiness."

"Because..." Things were getting complicated. "Because doing the right thing is sometimes not the nice thing... He hurt, but... I hope... he got something out of it. This is how we can make the sore spot smaller. It's... complicated on the best of days."

Sometimes there's a difference between what you feel is right.... and what you KNOW is right. This is just right, right?

[Chrome Masquerade]

"I don't thik they did." Comforting thought back to the tail end of that conflict. "They were just happy to save the day, and so was I, even if I didn't do much."

Think

Oh, also...

[MatTheBook]

11336384
This is a story of a growing 'daughter and mother bond' right?

Fluttershy sees the filly as a daughter.
And the filly sees Fluttershy as a mother.

Did I get that right?
I'll start reading soon

[Chibalt]

Sometimes, an old wound may need to be picked at for it to heal in a better way, it seems.

[PhycoKrusk]

11338830
Kind of?

Not just the bonds between mother and daughter, but between friends too. It's a story about growing up, and all that goes along with that.

[MatTheBook]

11338917
The same can be said with Sunset and Celestia.
They both see each other as mother and daughter figures

[TheLocalCannon]

"Yes. I love my mother and father and my little sibling is so cute." Ocellus was smiling at the thought. "I love being with them... Gallus never talked about his family... and I never noticed until today."

Always listen for what's not being spoken.