Zipp was sitting on the roof of the brighthouse, lazily relaxing and watching the clouds, when her phone buzzed with a message. She looked at the image that had arrived. "What's this?"
It was a text, from her mother. It had her smiling face on it, of course. "Dear, how are you? Your friend was seen wandering around. Why didn't you tell me she was stopping by? Ponies tell me she was very happy all on her own, so I let it go."
Zipp inclined her head. She mentally counted through all her friends, unsure which one would be around Zephyr Heights. "Curious..." She started tapping at the phone. "Which friend are you talking about? Glad they're having fun."
"Comforting! You know, your tall, strange, multicolored, not-a-pony friend? That's the one ponies have seen, so I think it has to be her, right? I can't imagine who else it'd be, she cuts a very distinct profile."
Zipp tapped a hoof on her chin, but wrote her reply. "Comforting didn't tell me she was going. I didn't even know she knew about the place! Or how to get to it. She did make a lot of noise about being an all powerful spirit, so, you know?"
Things were quiet. Rather than sit there waiting for the reply text, Zipp spread her wings and soared down to the entrance of the brighthouse. She burst through the doors, hovering over the living room, where she spotted Izzy just to the side, working on some project. "Izzy!"
Izzy glanced over with a happy expression. "Zipp? What's going on?"
"When you and Comforting were hanging out, did you say anything to her about Zephyr Heights?"
Izzy shook her head quickly. "Noperooni! We were talking about that bunny and their need for specific shinies. Why? She wanna visit?"
"Not just yet, she's there already." Zipp paced back and forth with thoughtful muttering.
"Who's where?" Hitch strolled in, having caught the tail end of Zipp's words. "Is someone having fun without us? You know I hate being left out."
"It's not that!" Zipp waved off his suggestion. "And it's not one of us. Comforting showed up at Zephyr Heights. She's, uh, allowed to do that, but I wasn't expecting it, you know?"
Hitch hummed a note as he leaned back, thinking that over. "Huh, that is odd. Why do you think she'd be there?"
"I don't know! Maybe it was random? Who can guess with her." Zipp smirked at the idea. "She has been telling us she's a 'chaos' spirit and all. Maybe she can be wherever she wants to be?"
Izzy set down her tools. "But you're sure it's Comfy? Maybe they got confused?"
Zipp laughed at the idea. "Who else looked kinda like Comforting? Seriously." She stalked past Izzy. "If they think they saw Comforting, it's probably her, unless somepony was out there enough to make a Comforting disguise." She paused. "Why? Should I check and be certain it's her?" She grumbled to herself and dug her phone from her pocket, preparing a new text to send to her mom. "Just in case."
She tapped at the phone with a hoof. "Mom, just double-checking, any chance that Comforting was somepony being silly in a getup to look like her?"
"I doubt it though." Zipp stuffed the phone away with a huff. "Am I overblowing this? Not like she caused any problems. Mom said she was happy and everypony involved was happy and all." She hung her head a little. "Maybe I'm just bored?"
Hitch glanced towards the front door. "When was this, exactly? If she's back, she's probably hanging around the library. She does work there. You could just talk to her directly, instead of worrying about it." He leaned in with a little smile. "Or, I could. It'd be a nice walk, and she's a pleasant pony." He leaned back with a sigh. "Even if I still can't decide how I feel about her."
Zipp patted Hitch on the shoulder lightly. "I get that. If she can do half the stuff she implies, she's a public menace, and you're a sheriff and all. Still, pretty nice as potential dooms go." She grinned, lolling her tongue out. "You'll figure it out."
Hitch frowned at the idea of it all. "I just worry about her. She's so nice and friendly, but..." He rolled a hoof along with that thought. "How do I even prepare for that?"
Izzy giggled, missing any gravity. "You don't, silly. If she does something wrong, you grab her!" She circled her arms as if hugging something. "Pull her close, and tell her not to do that again. Bad Comfy! Bad!" Her giggles only increased in volume. "That'd fix it."
"What if it doesn't?" Hitch folded his forelegs across his chest. "She's so big, and not really a pony." His eyes traced Izzy up and down. "Could you grab her? Really?"
Izzy took on a more determined expression, looking like she was about to run off into battle, though she remained sitting. "I got this! I could totally wrestle Comforting." She took on the best fighting stance she could manage while remaining seated. "Take that!" Her attack moves all consisted of various grabs to hug Comforting back to the good side.
Zipp chuckled gently. "Thanks for being ready to go. I'm sure she'd appreciate knowing how much we care, especially since she cares a lot about us." Zipp slid in her seat and got into her own attempt at a fighter's posture. "I'd help. Between us, Comforting's going down. Then we'll tickle her until she stops feeling evil."
Izzy and Zipp laughed together at the idea, but Hitch raised his hooves to intercede. "Please, if we have to do that, I want to be on the winning team." He took a deep breath. "Which I already am." He hugged the two battle-ready mares. "Thanks, I feel better. Uh, so, Zipp, go on." He tossed his head towards the door. "See if she's at the library."
Zipp bobbed her head up and down. "That is the place to start. Thanks, Izzy, you're the best. Don't mention this to her. I want to be sneaky." She zipped out the door, leaving a waving Izzy behind.
Soaring over the roads of the city, she waved at a few pegasi sharing the airspace, but made her way smoothly to the still new library. It was a nice sight, seeing the library in action, full of books and eager readers.
She entered, eyes sweeping over the bookcases. "Comforting? Hello?"
The chaos spirit herself was just exiting the storage area, holding a handful of books and chatting with a pony in a mask. She squeaked in surprise, throwing the books in the air. "Oh, hey Zipp." The books, somehow, landed exactly where they needed to be on various shelves. "What brings you by?" She waved at the masked pony, who trotted off.
"Where is that pony off to?" Zipp tried to catch the retreating pony's attention, but they were gone in moments. She shrugged and returned her attention to Comforting. "Somepony just told me they saw you up at Zephyr Heights." Zipp inclined her head towards the distant home of pegasi. "That's quite a distance from here."
Comforting hummed gently. "Well, when you're a grown one of mes, distance takes on new meanings." She casually tapped Zipp, but was doing it from the wrong direction, somehow getting her back despite standing in front of her. "I heard Zephyr Heights had all sorts of things to see and do, so I stopped by for a visit. It was fun! They knew how to make a guest feel at home, and never bored for a second."
"Did they now? Sounds like quite the adventure." Zipp rolled a hoof across the counter, drawing gentle circles. "What was the most exciting thing? Did you talk to anypony? The natives are still a bit on edge with outsiders, but they're getting better."
"Lucky for them." Comforting directed up to her mismatched horns. "These never glow, usually, so that didn't panic them. Sure, the first pegasus was a little nervous, but as soon as I started going around and buying things, they warmed right up."
Zipp burst into laughter at that. "Wow, money, breaking barriers. You should consider a career in politics."
"I prefer librarian." Comforting rested her hooves on her chest. "It's peaceful and quiet. No pressure on me to make any real decisions, I just put books where they belong and pass the time. Make sure ponies are finding what will lead them to new places." She leaned in over Zipp, looming really. "Speaking of that! What tome are you looking for today?"
Zipp considered Comforting carefully. "What if you're the book I'm trying to figure out?"
"Oh." Comforting stood taller with a sheepish expression. "You'd rather talk than look for a book then? I suppose that's fine. I do have to watch the library and all, but I'm here for you." She turned away, but lashed her long griffon tail around Zipp, hugging her and drawing her along as she retreated deeper into the library.
The pair ended up in the small lounge meant for those taking breaks from reading, or in need of a place to nap. "So, what's going on? Did I do something that made you upset?" She sat on a couch near a low table, patting the empty seat next to her.
"Not quite, I just wanted to chat." Zipp hopped onto the couch and scooted over closer. "About you. You've made it pretty clear that you're no small thing, and now you're casually hopping a day away for the fun of it." Zipp folded her arms over her chest. "I want to know what, or who, I'm dealing with. I'm not accusing you of anything, you didn't do anything wrong."
"I did not. Thank you." Comforting crossed her arms. "I think I understand. You're a curious little pony. I'm glad, because I want to get to know you as well. It's not easy for a creature like me to make friends. So, you ask, and I will answer, if I can." She unlashed her tail from around Zipp, letting it sway freely as she relaced in her seat.
Zipp nodded slowly. "First, wow, I'm not used to my investigations being this easy. You'll just tell me what I want to know?"
"I'm not hiding things." Comforting rolled her hands together. "I'm the new creature on the block, hit me with your best shots."
Zipp squinted with suspicion, but had no way of disproving her claims. "What are you then? You aren't a pony. It's weird saying that, seeing as it's what we are, but you're not a pony, and not a griffon or dragon or anything else I heard of, but you are a lot of bits of basically all of those."
"Guilty." Comforting fell apart suddenly, as if her composite body lost the glue that held its various different species together. That didn't stop her from talking, "I am a spirit, a chaos spirit. I know I mentioned that before. My dad was a composite critter like me, but had different creatures in there. My mom was a lovely pegasus. I bet Sunny would know her."
Zipp put a hoof to her chin. "The Princess of Love?"
"No, but nice guess. Nope! A nice humble pegasus that lived in a sleepy town." Comforting sighed gently with the distant memories of Ponyville. "It was way before your time, of course." She began to slowly gather herself together, starting with her equine half. "I grew up with friends, family, the normal stuff."
"Yeah, normal's a word I don't see you using often." Zipp passed over the griffon tail that had fallen further away from the rest. "Okay, pegasus for a mom, chaos spirit for a dad, and we get you. So, are you a girl spirit or a boy spirit?"
"Yes." Comforting gave a serious nod, with a face equally as stoic.
"What?" Zipp blinked at her, dumbfounded. "Seriously?"
"Yeah!" Comforting flashed a bright smile. "You get as old as I am and the question loses the bite it used to. I'm whatever I want to be. That can change. Right now, lady spirit. Pretty happy with how that's worked out so far, dating a stallion, the works." Comforting tapped her chin. "I suppose it's possible I'll change that decision at some point, but it hasn't happened yet. I really like him, so I think I'm staying as a her."
Zipp sank into the cushions. "How can you just shrug that off?" She burst into nervous laughter. "I'm a her, and happy staying that way, forever, thanks."
Comforting tapped Zipp on the nose. "But you won't. Nothing stays the same forever. Such is the regrettable fate of mortality." She threw her hands up dramatically. "Woe unto them, for their days are numbered, even if they can't see them." Her eyes became Roman numerals. "I can, but I make it a point not to stare at that. It's rude, and not fun for them, or me." She laughed gently. "Besides, sometimes that leads to awkward conversations like this, which, fun, but you have better questions I'm sure!"
"That's, wait, that's what you're going to use to cheer me up?" Zipp cringed with nervous chuckles at the sudden turn towards the topic of mortality. "Don't tell me what number you see, thanks. I'm happier not knowing." She shook herself out, trying to release the tension of that topic. "So, uh, back to the topic at hoof! Yes. Chaos spirit for a dad. He's, like, the entity of chaos itself?"
Comforting tapped her fingers together. "Now that's a tricky one. I'd say yes, but not the way you're thinking of it. He was pretty bad in his youth, but he mellowed with age, and the influence of my mom. He became a nicer person, bit by bit. Still chaos, just a gentler chaos, more like me!"
"Uh, huh." Zipp waved her hoof. "I'm not sure how much of that to believe. So, your father is chaos? I'm just going to trust he's not a supervillain like Allura."
"No, he's a perfectly ordinary villain like Allura. Dad was definitely a supervillain, the baddest of the baddies back in his day." Comforting rubbed along her chin. "But he left. You don't have to worry about him anymore." She lashed her tail gently. "I miss him sometimes."
Zipp shifted closer. "He died?"
"No." Comforting lowered her voice with a little wince. "Dad's out there somewhere. I haven't seen him in years." She waved a hand upwards. "Look out into the stars and you may spot him if you look hard enough. He may even give a wave if he feels like it. You never know for sure with him." She giggled with rising spirits. "Dad..." She sighed gently. "But you had more questions, about me?"
Zipp kept her comments to herself about the apparent immortality of the pair. "Sure, sure. So, you're a chaos spirit, and the embodiment of friendship, but you were a normal pony for a good long while."
"Until I wasn't." Comforting threw her hooves wide, doing her best to convey that event, without giving the details. "But I'm me, and I always was. I am a gentle chaos, a push towards growth, change that helps, if I can." She leaned in, putting a finger under Zipp's chin. "But that's me. So, still feel threatened?"