New Endings, Old Starts

by David Silver

99 - End EQG Arc

Sunset waved a book at Comforting. "Twilight sent me a message."

"How?" She peered at the book, deceptively normal looking. "What'd she say?!"

Sunset flipped the book open to the page with her writing. "Send Comforting home if she seems balanced and happy. Fluttershy and her friends miss her dearly. Discord insists she has spent enough time there."

Comforting inclined her head. "Oh." She looked from hand to hand. "Well, I did some good time existing with just my own hands and without chaos magic everywhere... and I made some friends." Speaking of that. She winced at that thought. "Who I need to say bye to, aw..."

Sunset lifted her shoulders. "If it helps, you have a perfect cover already, being an exchange student. If your parents are calling for you, what are you going to do?"

"True." That'd work for most of them, but... "Promise not to be mad."

Sunset hiked a brow at that. "I'm already concerned. What's up?"

Comforting threw her hands wide. "Two of them know about Equestria, and that I'm from it."

Sunset blinked, turning into a little snicker. "The worst kept secret of the school... That shouldn't be the end of the world. Do they know how you got here?" Comforting shook her head. "Good. Then all they know is there's a magic pony world, and you're from it. You'll vanish just as mysteriously." She wiggled her fingers with the fog of mystery.

"I want to say bye!" Comforting crossed her arms in pouting defiance. "I don't want to just stop being there..."

"You'll get your chance." Sunset popped out a pen, scrawling on that book. "We have to time when the portal will be open anyway. Twilight can make it be on, but that isn't helpful if we're not ready to hop through it. So, after school?"

"We need to take one more with us." Her hands moved to her little hips. "The monster we met. She needs a home, back in Equestria."

Sunset's pen faltered. "What? Monster?"

"She's really nice! Just lost and in need of a friend or three." Comforting bounced in place. "I will take responsibility of her."

"Is that how you got that?" Sunset directed her pen at Comforting's bandaged hand. "Not sure I want you around something that does that to little girls."

"I did that to myself." She hid the hand behind her back. "So I'm the monster that did that to a little girl."

"Ha ha." Sunset ruffled the top of Comforting. "Pretty sure you can handle that monster. I hear she's pretty nice." She turned away, tapping her pen on the book. "Seriously though, a monster? Hm, not the first I've run into... but we usually just... tame them, really... We never tossed them back to Equestria."

Comforting folded her arms. "And you think that's nice? She deserves to live somewhere she won't be at maximum freakiness level with everyone she wants to say hi to."

"These are ponies we're talking about." Sunset turned back to Comforting. "Is this monster basically human, here? Because that's about the only way they'll end up a pony over there."

That brought up the image of the strange pony-wolf that Cracked would become. "Sorta... Look, it doesn't matter." She crossed her arms petulantly. "They're making good progress to dealing with not-ponies all the time! Didn't Twilight tell you about her school?"

"Wait, that wasn't, like, metaphorical?" Sunset cocked a brow at that. "They really have dragons and griffons and stuff?"

"And yaks and a changeling! They can deal with one confused, but nice, monster. She only hunted because she didn't know a better way. She loves hamburgers!"

Sunset blinked slowly. "Hamburgers?"

"She is a carnivore, but I'd say 75% carnivore, not 100%." Comforting clapped her hands together and swished them left and right to show a spectrum. "People are pretty close to 50%. A cat's 100%." She swayed her hand along to indicate each. "Most herbivores are like 5%." Off to the left she went.

Sunset put a hand on those clasped ones at the left end of the spectrum. "I don't think a random deer is trying to hunt down some chow like that."

"They aren't, but things happen." Comforting went back to the right. "and a kitty might try some veggies, especially if they're cooked. But neither is really made for it. Kitty needs meat. Deer needs veggies. Humans love both and are healthiest getting both."

"And you know where your new friend is... how?"

That was a moment of defeat. "Um... I don't actually know... It'll be easier to figure out back in Equestria, but she's alright with fish, which ponies do have." She scratched behind her head with her good hand. "And I'll help. I promised."

Sunset laughed warily. "Alright... and can you get your friend to the school without a panic this evening then?"

"With help!" She thrust a hand up into the air, only for it to fall. "Oh..."

"Oh?" Sunset peered at her young guest. "You have two monster friends?"

"Just one, promise." She crossed her arms negatively. "But my idea was to get Silver's driver to bring her over since he knows what's going on, but then he and Silver would be nearby when we're doing this."

"Which is what I'm trying to avoid," finished Sunset with a grunt. "Look... Fine. I'll talk to her. You get ready for your last day." She made a final note in her book and closed it with finality.

---

At school, Comforting told everyone she even passingly knew that she was heading back to her home country, even the principals. She thanked Celestia and Luna for letting her spend some time there. "I learned a lot!" A lot of it was pretty useless, but other bits... "This is a wonderful school."

Luna leaned forward, hands clasped, elbows on her desk. "Going back to Equestria?"

Comforting froze. They knew that?! "Um... yes."

Celestia nodded, seated back in her chair. "Then we both wish you a safe journey. Thank you for abiding the rules while you were here. The only comments I got about you were largely pleasant."

Luna inclined her head. "Tell me, curiosity compels, are there really pony versions of everyone at the school?"

Comforting tensed, feeling she was in a dangerous place. "There's, um... I should say bye to everyone else!" She dashed from the room, leaving the question unanswered.

Celestia smirked faintly. "I knew she wouldn't tell you."

"Don't rub it in." Luna reached for the next sheet of paper needing attention. "It's a fanciful thought. What would you be as a pony? Think you get your own school there?"

"No assurance of that." Celestia scribbled a little something. "Maybe something else entirely. Magic's involved, after all."

Both hummed in agreement. Magic made guessing difficult.

---

"Aw." She had told people far and wide, including Snips. "Will you come back? That was kinda fun. You were, like, brave."

Brave wasn't the first word Comforting would have picked for herself, but she smiled. "Maybe, but no promises. Home is far away. You be good, and don't forget what we went over."

"Yes, mom." He rolled his eyes and laughed at the absurdity of the little kid telling him that. "Go on."

She couldn't forget Silver and Diamond. "I'll miss you both a lot! Um, Silver?"

Silver hmmed? "What? Do you have to go? We got a thing, like, worked out here."

"I do... Got people who love me on both sides, but one has my mother. I'm not saying no to her." She hopped forward and hugged both of her bigger friends. "I'll still be with you."

Diamond cocked a brow at that. "Is this one of those 'in spirit' things?"

"Nope! Literally. There's a pony Diamond and pony Silver Spoon. I'm friends with them too."

Silver blinked at that. "Not fair. I'm not pony Silver. I don't get to hang out with you if you're with her." She glanced away and back. "Is she cool?"

"As if either of you could be not cool," countered Comforting with a big smile. "I love all four of you. Um, speaking of that, can you bring Cracked by the school after school. She's going to Equestria too, remember?"

Silver fired a big thumbs up. "I'll pick her up afterwards then. Huh, this'll be her first car ride, I bet."

Diamond squinted at them both. "Do I get to be part of this?"

"Hm. Um... trying to keep this small and simple." Comforting rocked on her feet forwards and backwards.

Diamond threw up her hands. "Right, fine." She stormed off. "Good luck in pony land or whatever."

Silver patted Comforting's shoulder. "She's upset she's losing a friend. I am too... She's not mad at you, like, promise."

So it was settled. Her friends knew she was leaving. All her ducks were in a row.

Comforting met up with Sunset after school. "Silver said she'd bring Cracked."

"That's the, uh, guest's name?" She glanced around, students still in the process of leaving.

"That's her. Knowing them, shouldn't take too long."

It was about ten minutes later that Comforting spotted Silver's car pulling up. The area was largely emptied of students, but not entirely. Comforting rushed up to the car, waving wildly.

Silver pushed open the door from inside. "Hey." But she staggered forward, Diamond pushing past her. "Rude."

Diamond stood tall and proud. "You thought you could get away without me being there? Hardly."

Sunset put a hand to her forehead. "Hey, Diamond."

"Hey yourself." She hiked a thumb back at the car. "Cracked's inside, waiting for the signal to get moving."

Comforting tried to get a peek inside, but the tinted windows provided for very little chance of that. "Alright. We'll have to wait until the coast is clear."

So they waited patiently for the last loitering students to be on their way. Sunset made a quick mark in her book, and the base of the statue shimmered faintly with the power to transcend worlds. "There we go. Good luck back there."

"Thanks for being a super awesome big sister." Comforting grabbed Sunset about the nearest leg, squeezing. "This was fun, and scary, but mostly fun."

Sunset ruffled the hair of her leaving ward. "You were an A+ guest. Now get going. Let Cracked out?"

Diamond pulled the door open. "Time to go."

A great form exploded from the vehicle. Part woman, part wolf, with sharp edges and an aura of menace, she grabbed Diamond on the way and stormed for the statue, vanishing into it before anyone could finish registering the action.

Silver blinked numbly. "Um... Like, that wasn't the plan."

Sunset groaned sufferingly. "Great..." She made new notes in her book. "You better get going." She nudged comforting with the front of a knee. "One way or the other, you're supposed to be there, with or without Diamond. Help get her back, kindly?" As Comforting moved to head back home, Sunset looked to Silver. "Sorry, but you're the best person to explain to Diamond's parents what's going on."

"I don't even have to lie," claimed Silver, looking confident. "Her exchange student friend went home to their country... and Diamond went along." It was an answer that'd make no sense for most students. Unless one were as rich as Silver or Diamond. "You can message them, right? They'll get nervous if I can't reach her at least."

Sunset pointed to her book. "The least of our worries. You're taking this well."

Silver shrugged. "I'm only mad I didn't think of it myself... She better tell me every detail when she gets back! Hmmph... One of us has to be here to keep our parents from flipping, like, right out."

Comforting hopped into the portal. The trip back wasn't nearly as harrowing. She wasn't losing things, she was gaining them. She emerged in Twilight's basement, her chaotic magic returned in a giddy rush that made her lash her returned tail as she stood up, wobbling with the mild difference in proportions. "I'm home!"

Author's Note:

Welcome back to Equestria! Now with double the Diamond Tiara!

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Comments

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

The mostly calm EQG adventure is over, and Comforting's back home. But what has been going on in Equestria while she was away?

Did Diamond and Cracked plan Diamond's trip to Equestria? Or did Cracked act on a whim?

How is the EQG Diamond going to take being a pony? Will the two Diamonds get along?

Cracked will need to settle into Equestria now. How much help will she need from Comforting ?

[redmar]

This is going to cause problems. The pony Diamond will make a point of the fact that she was not asked and did not agree to the fact htat there would be 2 of her in Equestria.

[Theresa]

I keep wondering if cracked got a fair trial considering she doesn't seem so bad and ponies haven't been the best about getting to know non ponies until recently. And if starswirl is going to be a brat like the pos incident and if anyone else got an unfair trial.

[PhycoKrusk]

Goddammit Cracked....

[Morphy]

11502360

She wanted to bring a snack along for the flight home.

[PhycoKrusk]

11502744
Goddammit, Morphy....

[uis]

11502087
Or they will be like two Pinkies - both having fun from it.