Sandbar hoofed at Comforting's side. "Wow... Why a leg?"
"You didn't get a tail." Gallus rolled his eyes in a mighty gesture. "So stop complaining."
"Yak is best, so get more." This seemed like simple logic to Yona, nodding with approval at how much more yak got than the others. "Good at using?" She tapped at the yak horn. "Fun!"
"Is it?" Comforting looked up at her new horn and the yak examining it. "How is it fun?"
Yona gasped with shock. "How fun? Easy! Crash into things." She shook her head in clockwise and counter motions. "The faster you're going, the better. Got yak horn, got yak head. Yak have strong head!"
"Strongest?" suggested Ocellus.
"Strongest," agreed Yona with a nod. "And proving it is fun. Run into things. Break them."
Comforting put both of her new hands on the thick yak horn. "But I only have one."
"So?" Yona inclined her head away from the new horn. "Lean into. Watch." She turned and looked around before huffing. "Headmare Twilight get angry if show here..." There was nothing she could crash into without creating destruction of the school property, to her clear annoyance. "Will show later."
Ocellus circled around Comforting to peek at her changed friend's back. "Do those work?" Her horn glowed as she plucked carefully at Comforting's mismatched wings.
"Maybe?" Comforting looked over her shoulder as she spread her new wings. "I don't know how yet. I don't know how a lot of this. It's me, but that doesn't mean I get me."
Silverstream burst into giggles. "I get that. When I first got onto land, I was so confused. What do you mean you can't swim around?!"
Smolder huffed with a small curl of flames. "Imagine that... Well, you're still Comforting, so you're still a friend." Noises of approval rose up. As odd as Comforting appeared, she was still their friend. "Just let me know when you get that magic worked out. I want to see that."
Gallus rolled a hand in the air. "You sure you want to see that? There's a reason they turned Discord to stone."
Comforting squeaked at the thought. "I'd never be that mean, and neither would he, again... He learned his lesson..."
Sandbar moved to stand next to Comforting. "Yeah. She's still Comforting. Can you really imagine Comforting being mean with her magic?"
Gallus smirked at that. "On purpose? No. On accident? Yes, easily."
Comforting's cheeks burned all the brighter. "I'll try not to!"
Smolder poked the chimeric being. "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't mess with us on purpose." Noises rose in agreement. "And we'll be here to help keep you on the straight and narrow." She flashed a grin. "But not too narrow." Her tail wagged with the mischief on her mind.
Comforting smiled at the unified support being shown. "You're all so good!" She clapped her hands together in a firm meeting, fingers entwining. "This is why I'm alright being a little of all of you. I'm a lot of pieces of good things."
Sandbar consider that with a hoof to the chin. "Yeah... Not how I'd want it, but sure. So... does it mean something? I mean, the parts we got? Was it just... random?"
"Random would fit..." Comforting considered it and reached up for her horn. "A changeling horn can do unicorn magic, but has a different view. It fits nicely." She slid her hippogriff hand towards her feathery ear. "My color, but there are two lovely birds I know that probably added to this. They help me hear... and hold my mane in place."
Sliverstream laughed at that. "And you have my arm!" She grabbed for that arm, taking hold of its hand. "Do you like it?"
"I do." Comforting squeezed Silverstream in return. "I like having fingers again."
Smolder hiked a brow. "Again?"
Oops! "Um. And this." Comforting grabbed across her face to reach her yak horn with her right dragon arm. "Yona reminds me that sometimes you have to go forward, even if it seems scary."
"Yes, extra when then." Yona nodded with certainty. "Glad you listen."
Smolder tapped at a draconic wing with the end of a claw. "I got two bits too. So what do my parts mean, since you seem to have this all worked out."
"Dragons and yaks are about confidence," assured Comforting with a big smile. "Even now, all mixed up, I feel like I love me, and that's important." She hiked a dragon's thumb at herself. "Confidence. Maybe that's why you two got two? I feel good about me." She hopped away from the grasping hands and hooves.
Gallus crossed his arms, foot tapping at the ground as he lashed his tail. "And me? Not sure how that tail means much."
Comforting reached behind herself with both hands, grabbing the feline tail firmly. "Tails do two things. They help you keep upright, and they can help show the world how you feel." Her tail curled even as she felt it. "You have a very nice tail."
Gallus colored. "Which you now have! And... are enjoying way too much." He looked away. "Cut it out..."
Silverstream casually snatched Gallus' tail. "She's right. Your tail is pretty great." This prompted the two to wrestle with laughs and squawks as they vied for dominance.
Sandbar poked her on her pony leg. "I help keep you standing?"
"Close," sang out Comforting. "You're a stable pillar."
Yona inclined her head. "Huh. Yona see that. Yona is second pillar! Keep Comforting up."
Ocellus pointed to the hallway. "We should get back to class before we get in trouble. "
Sandbar joined her in heading for the exit. "Glad you're alright, Comforting."
Smolder fired a thumbs up. "Next time we have to wrestle with all the magic of Equestria, you have to help out more. No excuses!" Her laughter followed her out to the next class.
Yona patted Comforting lightly, well, lightly for Yona which still had comforting wobbling. "Be best Comforting. All ask." And she walked off with a satisfied smile.
Silverstream clapped both hands on Comforting's shoulders. "I've changed shapes before! I do it all the time." She waved at where Ocellus already fled. "Her too! Um, just mean that I get it. It's not even weird, just new! New can be good." She headed out, giggling.
Gallus headed for the door with the others. "We still have plans, discorded or not."
Comforting joined the slow wave, leaving the room for more educational things.
"Hm." Twilight considered her magical student. "Hm..."
"Hm."
Comforting raised a brow. "Hm?"
"Hm," echoed Twilight again. "Are you... in pain?"
"No." Comforting crossed her arms. "If I was, I'd want a reward for doing all of school while hurting."
"And I'd give you one... after I yelled at you for not telling us sooner so we could send you home." Twilight smiled gently. "This is... a lot... Your horn has been modified. Can you use magic?"
Comforting considered the spells she knew. "Flowers!" She waved at her desk and nothing happened other than the glow from her new horn. "I remember how... but it doesn't work..."
"You're singing off key."
Comforting blinked. "What?"
Twilight pointed up at Comforting's horn. "You're playing the right notes, but in the wrong key. On the bright side, it means you can control your new horn, but it's not your old horn. You just need to learn the difference." She raised the same hoof to her own horn. "That would distract me terribly! I can only imagine and I don't like what I'm imagining."
With her own, operating, horn, Twilight grabbed a sheet and pulled it over to lay flat in front of Comforting. "Back to the basics. Go over the scales and practice the charts. When you get the runes down with your new horn, your magic should come back to you. Now! Having said that, you've been through quite an adjustment! If you want to just wait on this, I completely understand."
But Comforting was giving Twilight a new look, eyes swirling purple a moment.
"But you aren't going to do that." Twilight smiled a little. "I understand that too. Now... as you are likely aware, you've become something new."
"A chaos spirit," suggested Comforting. "I don't feel very... spirity. Thought that was way more gaseous, if we're being honest about it."
Twilight wobbled a hoof. "I am told you don't know how to chaos just yet... and to be clear, chaosing is against school policies! No chaosing during classes."
Comforting blinked slowly, colorful eyes swirling. "Was that really a rule? Why?"
"It... wasn't until we discussed this..." Twilight slowly turned away. "We want you to continue finding an education here, but we need to protect both you and the other students, so no chaosing in class." She swiveled an ear back, but didn't look. "Smolder isn't allowed to set things on fire. Ocellus has been told not to shapeshift. Many of our students have talents that are wonderful and grand, but not helpful in education." She finally turned back to Comforting. "And that was true of you before. Magic mid-class is not allowed! Unicorn or chaos, that rule hasn't really changed, hm?"
"True..." She leaned forward on her arms on the desk. "Everyone seems excited for me to learn how to chaos properly. Are you waiting for that too?"
Twilight took an unsure step back. "I can't say I share that same enthusiasm... Discord's magic is quite... a force. That you'll have some portion of it is worrying, but I know there's a good pony in there, and I trust her to use it gently." Her worry turned to a kind smile. "Comforting things is your specialty. Speaking of that." She leaned to the side. "You've lost your cutie mark... Do you feel disoriented?"
Comforting peeked back at where a mark had been. "I'm still me..." She reached back to rub at the yak fur that covered the spot. "And you know me, mark or no mark."
"Certainly... but a mark does have some power, especially... Oh." Twilight sat back. "I'm being silly. Of course. You aren't doing anything related to your mark, so how would you know? Maybe after you've regained your magic, we can tell. I'm putting the cart before the pony, as it were."
Comforting stuck out her tongue at that. "I may be a chaos spirit, by the way, but you are still my teacher, and I will still listen to you. You know a lot of things I don't, and--"
"Thank you." Twilight put a hoof on Comforting's chest. "I didn't... realise I needed to hear that, but I did." She smiled brightly. "Which is proof, I suppose. You are still Comforting, living up to that name."
She swept with her hoof from Comforting's horn to her shoulder? "You are two parts changeling. Can you shapeshift?"
Comforting blinked owlishly. "I never had practice with that."
"Yes, you have." Twilight pointed at Comforting's eyes, that swirled in response. "This, you said it was the same as changeling changing, did you not? If it's the same now, then..."
"Then maybe," admitted Comforting breathlessly. "Wow. I didn't think of that." she clapped a hand to her cheek. "You're so smart!"
"I try," bashfully accepted Twilight. "Care to make an attempt?"
Comforting took a soft breath. "Should I? I want to... but neither of us are actually good at chaos. Maybe I should wait until I'm back home. Discord knows better than us combined about this."
Twilight rubbed at her chin. "As curious as I am, you're not wrong. Well, no lesson today." She pointed at the paper in front of Comforting. "Practice."
"Practice." Comforting snatched it up in her talons. "Practice. That's the motto of this new life."
Twilight smiled gently. "I've heard of worse mottos before, considering you're getting other things done in the process. Oh.. Oh. I meant to ask, did you... We need to compare and contrast. I would like to know the similarities and differences we experienced on our ascensions."