Rarity smiled at her class, which was smiling right back at her. "Now, darlings, Manehatten happens to be one of my favorite places. What I want to know is what interests you all in it. And don't give me that 'it's educational' thing either, really dear. Foals do not go somewhere just for that and I am not fooled, not even for a moment. So be clear, do Applejack proud, and tell me what's on your minds."
Comforting squeaked with the force of half the class shoving her forward as the spokespony. "Um, well..." She had not planned on the position, and yet there she was... "To be honest--"
"--Please." Rarity batted her lashes at Comforting. "Is this your idea? You've had some interesting ones. Go ahead and tell me. I may like it."
Comforting tapped her hooves together. "I wanted to learn about banking, and there are no banks in Ponyville."
Rarity sank to her haunches. "Banking? Banking...? Really? You do look serious... I would not have guessed that in a hundred moons." She fanned herself, looking thoughtful. "Banking... Well, as a self-made business mare, I've had to deal with a fair amount of banking myself! Why, do you think I store all my bits under my mattress? Pfft, as if, dears. That would hardly suffice."
Comforting perked her ears and began to clap. "Do they have investment accounts, or do they just hold your bits?"
Rarity blinked at Comforting. "That is quite a step beyond what I imagined you were going to ask." She looked beyond Comforting to the rest of the class. "Are the rest of you as curious about the inner workings of banking?"
Gallus raised his hand quickly, waving it about.
"Well that's one at least." Rarity smiled kindly though. "And the rest of you are more eager to see the city itself, which is more where I imagined you would be. Well! If we were to make the trip, we would visit a bank, and learn about it. Are you ready to take notes?" She waggled a hoof at the lot of them. "If we do it, we do it properly, which means there will be instruction... And fun afterwards."
The classroom exploded into cheers, with hooves meeting talons and other signs of celebration rippling through the room. Rarity waved Comforting and Gallus to the side. "Now, you two seem to be genuinely interested in the whole affair. I'm still a bit unsure why exactly, but I'm not one to quash the desire to learn! I'll invite my banker over to have a chat with you two, hmm. How does that sound? I imagine the class will be a little... distracted."
Gallus clapped his hands in a firm strike. "That sounds like you're going for teach of the month!"
Comforting clopped to join in. "That would be wonderful. They work at a bank then?"
"They do." Rarity nodded, thinking back on it. "They visit me once in a while to go over various banking needs I have. Fortunately for you two, I'm a 'prized customer' as it were, and they check in on me. They don't want me to take my bits elsewhere."
Comforting bobbed with obvious excitement. "I can't wait to meet them. When will they visit next?"
"In no time at all, be patient." She patted Comforting on the head. "If only Sweetie had any interest in that, hm. Maybe I should ask... Now, back to class!" She clapped her hooves and directed ponies back to the topic of the day, fashion in the before times, when Celestia hadn't yet arrived. Very important.
Gallus was there at the end of the day with a big grin. "That went better than expected." He hopped down from the rail of the bridge and walked along with Comforting. "Now I almost don't even care about Manehatten. We can just have fun there or whatever. I want to talk to that pony Rarity knows."
"Me too." Comforting considered the excited griffon next to her. It was nice seeing him so... into something. "Now, I should warn. If this is anything like my banking, this is not exciting. The results can be, but its a set it and forget it kind of thing. The hardest part is not reaching for your bits."
"If they're making more bits, I'll leave them alone." Gallus shrugged softly. "Oh, by the way. Any luck with that book?"
Comforting squeaked at the thought of it. "That book is intense, to put it mildly. It's going to take me longer to work through it. I am reading it."
"I trust you." He fired a thumbs up. "You don't make many promises you don't plan to keep. To keep it clear, if you just can't, eh...but it would be so cool if you could..."
No pressure... "I'll try, promise."
"All I'm asking." He walked with her into the middle of town, headed for her house on the other end. "You friends with that other chick? She seemed nice, if a little bossy."
"Diamond? That... describes her pretty well. I like her, and her friend."
"She comes in a set of two?" asked Gallus with proper horror. "Say it isn't so."
"Alas, it is." Comforting giggled at Gallus' mostly-pretended shock. "Silver Spoon. She's just as rich, but a bit less snooty. They're both great once you get to know them."
"From their parents?"
"Hm? Yeah." Comforting nodded in slow thought. "I never met Silver's parents, but Diamond's dad is really famous around here. He owns a lot of shops. Both of them got their money from their parents."
"Lucky..." Gallus lifted an ear at Comforting. "Your parent isn't so rich. You're like me. We'll earn it ourselves! We don't need any handouts." He crossed his arms, going into bipedal mode to pout properly. "And when we're rich, we'll have earned it, and we'll enjoy it that much more."
"If the bank thing works..." She still had no assurance of that. "It's a long game. A real long game. We're both young enough to play it." She wobbled a hoof between herself and Gallus. "Using the most powerful magic known to money."
Gallus fell to all fours, eyes shining. "You didn't mention magic was involved. What kinda magic?!"
"This magic doesn't belong to unicorns." Gallus was nodding with growing excitement. "It's a math magic."
His expression fell. "Is this a way to get me to practice math?"
"Math has power," sang out Comforting. but it was not the last bit of that song. She started a ballad about the power of interest and the whole town just kinda joined in, lulled by the power of heart song. "Many creatures think getting bits is a blitz."
Rarity joined them from nowhere, shaking a piggy bank wildly. "What is this, on the fritz? I was told this would be simple!"
The power of heart song was not to be denied, but Comforting gave a quick lesson on the power of compounding interest and its magic ability to make money reproduce. "But it's not fast," she concluded. "Get it?"
Gallus shook his head. "Only kinda... So I put bits in. They make money with it, but then that money, all of it, starts to make more money, which is mine, so it counts when that more money makes money, and so on?"
Comforting slapped his side. "Exactly! You understand. But it's not fast," she repeated. "We're talking moons and years to see anything, and probably a little, but it keeps building like a snowball going downhill..."
"I... think I get it." He snapped the fingers of his right hand. "I'm with you. Let me know when Rarity's friend gets here."
"I will!" She waved at him as she sped down the rest of the road to Fluttershy's cottage. Fluttershy was in the yard, feeding a host of critters as she sang melodically.
Comforting sat at the corner of the yard and listened to her mother's sweet song. It had no words, but it didn't feel like it needed it. That had been a good day for songs, and she swayed to the gentle pattern weaving around her.
"Oh!" Fluttershy turned as if noticing Comforting suddenly. "Hello there."
"Aw... You don't have to stop." What had set her mother off? She wondered. "I was enjoying it."
"I could tell... You were singing along." Fluttershy waved Comforting closer. "Singing is... a special thing. I don't do it with other ponies much."
Comforting perked with understanding. "I will try to be more careful, but your singing was very nice, Mom. I wouldn't mind hearing more, if you want to share it."
Fluttershy squirmed in place. "I get... very nervous singing in front of other ponies."
"I'm your daughter and I love you," countered Comforting. "So you know I would never make fun of you. Besides, your singing is lovely! I wouldn't be asking for it if that wasn't true." She leaned in, nose twitching. "I'm not that good at singing... outside of a heart song. I'm alright there, apparently."
Fluttershy blinked and sat up. "Did one just happen?"
"I started one, on accident..." Comforting rubbed at her blushing cheeks with her hooves. "But it got the point across that I was trying to make. Gallus appreciated it."
"That's good. Was it... related to friendship?" Comforting shook her head. "Kindness?" Comforting shook her head. "Well, hm. Magic?"
"Sorta but not really." Comforting fell in against Fluttershy, snuggling with her mom happily. "The magic of saving money in the right place, which I still have to make sure exists. Rarity's going to help me with that. Maybe I'll be very wealthy, when I'm older."
Fluttershy recoiled. "Oh my... Why when you're older?" The idea seemed to baffle her. "Are you starting a business now?"
"That did work for Rarity..." Comforting tapped her chin. "But not that. I'm talking about investing." Fluttershy looked just as clueless. "I just sang that song, no repeats!" She jumped up to smooch Fluttershy's cheek. "If you're really curious, you could come with us when Rarity's banker friend arrives."
"Mmm... No. I'm happy with the bits I have." She rose to her hooves. "If you do become rich, you won't forget me, I hope."
"Of course not." Comforting trailed after Fluttershy, the two heading inside. "If this works, you'll be taken care of just as well as you took care of me, and you're taking care of me so well, so I have a lot to match."
"I'm just doing my part." Fluttershy smooched Comforting between the ears, to both of their simple pleasure. "Now, I was thinking of something baked today. You alright with that?"
"Baked goods from mom? Yes please!" Comforting clapped, but then ran past. She had other things to do in the meanwhile.
Comforting threw herself on her bed and willed the heavy book to flop in front of her with the rustle of paper. "You are so big..." But she had to read it. She had promised! She resumed her poring over the details and nitty gritty. There were so many things that went into other things...
But then she saw a part, an important part. "I can take that out." She slapped the page at the diagram. "I don't have to redo that..." She still had plenty to do, but that was one part she could avoid, and even keep that part if they needed it in the future. "Yes!"
"You seem happy." Harmony sat quietly in front of Comforting. "But I think it is more relief."
Comforting looked around. She could see herself, flopped across the bed, very asleep. "Oh..." She was standing in the middle of the room too. The fake her? The sleeping one was real, right? "Hello, Harmony."
"Hello, Comforting," replied the not-Twilight, copying the tone Comforting had just used. "You are working very hard. Did you forget why?"
"Why? To reach Gallus."
"But he is already close enough to brush a hoof against. Also, your mother is calling you."