"I'm so glad you could stop by today." Starlight's face was filled with a warm smile as she looked at her most chaotic student. "We really haven't had the chance to catch up in a while."
Comforting waved behind her, at the door leading into the office. "Hiya! What's up with the line? There isn't usually so many ponies formed up for a visit. Should I even be here?"
Starlight gave a wave of her hoof in a dismissive manner. "Pfft, I always have time for each and every student!"
She faked a smile, her cheeks tight with the effort, as her lips curved. "Now tell me how things are going. You made it back from your trip and you looked happy about it. Tell me more?"
Comforting nervously tapped the ends of her fingers together while she hesitantly said, "Well... I made friends, several of them. Oh!" She extended her arms and opened a shimmering chaos window. In it, she could see Diamond Tiara waving goodbye to herself. As one of them hopped into a portal, the other remained, leaving only one of them behind. "Phew! Alright. I really shoulda checked on that earlier."
Starlight slowly tilted her head. "Uh... Was that happening... now?"
"Nah." Comforting smiled with ease, one less burden on her shoulders. "I didn't see the other when I last saw her, so I checked back to when they were last together." She banished the magic window away. "I'm getting a lot more comfortable with chaos magic. I'm still sad I let down Twilight by dropping unicorn magic like I did..."
Starlight tapped at her chin. "If I could do that... I'd drop unicorn magic too, if we're being honest. It's probably for the best I can't." There was a knock at the door, as the bracelet that hung from her arm began to pulse and emit a soft, glowing light. "One moment," she called towards it. "I'm still with a student."
Comforting slid down to her feet. "I should go. You're really busy, and I'm not having an emergency."
"W-wait. Don't feel like you're being kicked out."
"I'm not." Comforting went around Starlight's desk to offer a hug. "You're a very good pony."
Starlight accepted the hug and returned it in kind, expressing her appreciation. "I... think I needed to hear that. Have a great day. Let's talk again, when the line dies down."
"You got it." Comforting fired a thumbs up and raced from the room, passing by a massive line of other students waiting their turn to speak to Starlight.
"Comfy!" Silverstream waved wildly for her attention. "Psst!" She was not being subtle. "Over here!"
Comforting went down the line to join Silverstream. "What are you doing here?"
"I was going to ask the same, but since you asked first." She felt her cheeks flush with pleasure as her laughter filled the air at the situation. "My siblings are visiting and I need to describe a shower to them, but they live in water. How do you describe a shower without 'wet', which they are usually?"
"They aren't wet."
Silverstream blinked, stunned at this idea. "How are they not wet?"
Comforting wagged a finger negatively. "Wet is what you feel when you're only kinda covered in water. Once you're all covered, you stop being wet. Wet is the difference between dry and watery. If there is no difference, not wet. Underwater creatures are never wet."
"Woah..." Silverstream felt like her head was spinning, the heavy thought weighing her down as she sank back on her haunches. "But how do you describe it then?"
"Imagine..." Comforting thought hard about it. "You come up from deep underwater into the air and the water runs down you. It's that sensation, but you don't have to swim to get it, and the water's nice and hot, running over you. You can make it as hot or cold as you like, even steamy, and it won't hurt. It'll wash away dirt and leave you nice and fresh!"
Silverstream stepped off the line, tapping her quill to her notebook. "Huh... Thanks! That gives me something to work with." She hurriedly scribbled as she wandered away, muttering something else about how to greet her aquatic kinfolk.
Comforting twirled in place. "One less visitor for you." She couldn't make all the others vanish though. Well...
"I could..." However, it would not be very kind to do that. Rather than wait in the line, she chose to go for a jog and just as she made her way out she crashed into a pony. "Sorry."
"You should be." A blue unicorn turned in place. "Wait..." Trixie squinted at Comforting appraisingly. "You're that chaos spirit that isn't Discord."
"That's me!" Comforting saw no reason in even trying to hide that. "Hiya. Sorry for bumping into you."
"No no... This may be perfect timing..." Trixie got a devious look. "Got a moment?" She tossed her head and began walking. "We should talk."
Comforting walked alongside Trixie. "What's up?" She knew Trixie, at least, as a person from the show she knew long ago. "You don't work at the school, do you?"
"Trixie is considering it." Trixie looked pensive a moment, but that passed. "That's a problem for future Trixie." She led Comforting on a walk. "She was going to have a nice picnic." She gestured to a simple blanket set up with a tea kettle and trays of snacks. "But Starlight is driving herself into the ground. You know Starlight, don't you?"
"Yep." Comforting hopped to take a seat on the blanket as Trixie pored out two cups. "It's really nice to meet you, Trixie. Are you as good at magic tricks as I'm hoping?"
Trixie started, ears pricking on her head as she sat up. "Trixie is both great and powerful. She is one of the best magicians in the land!" She buffed her chest with obvious pride. "You are a fan of mine? Of course you would be!" A moment of doubt, dispelled. "I'm not doing a show today though."
Comforting clapped with a bright smile. "Just a little? I'd love to see it."
Trixie pouted as if put out, but her smile couldn't be denied, perhaps enjoying being fawned over. "Very well... Just this once. Do you have a favorite trick, or shall Trixie select one for you?"
Comforting considered that just a moment. "You pick. I'm already being a bother."
"I appreciate you understand that." She reached for a sandwhich and opened it, revealing its mundane toppings. She closed it and re-opened it, allowing streamers and a loud explosion to erupt from it. "Ta da. A meal with a bang." She winked dramatically at Comforting. "Be careful sinking your teeth into that."
Comforting snickered, applauding the magic trick. She hadn't seen Trixie's horn glow, which made it all the more impressive. "Real magic."
Trixie perked one ear off, the other to the side. "What do you mean, 'real' magic? As if Trixie would perform any other kind."
"Well..." She pointed up at her changeling horn as it glowed with the promise of magic. "Can you see that?"
Trixie looked up at Comforting's horns. "You have horns. Should I be impressed?"
"Not that." She pawed at Trixie without touching her. "Unicorn magic. You didn't use it, which means you did real stage magic. I'm impressed."
Trixie leaned in, fluttering her lashes. "I'm impressed you know the difference. The ponies around here? They have no idea! I use magic. I use stage magic. It's all 'magic' to them! You have no idea how irritating that is! They are not the same thing." She stomped a hoof down and swigged her tea angrily. "Seriously..."
"I can understand that." She reached behind her back and drew out a magic wand, all black and shiny with brilliant white tips. "My magic is like stage magic. Misdirection is how you get a lot of it done, so I feel, I don't know... a kinship?" She waved the wand at Trixie, watching her eyes follow the tip of it. "Nice flower, by the way."
"What flower?" Trixie reached up and knocked a brilliant red rose from behind her ear. It fell towards the ground but she caught it in her magic. "Nice..." Trixie could appreciate a fellow bit of stagecraft, smirking at Comforting wickedly. "But you aren't here to compete with me, are you?"
"I would never!" Comforting clasped her hands together. "That would be mean, and I respect you. Besides, I'm not a showman."
"Showman?" Trixie perked an ear anew at that. "What is that?"
Oops. "Showpony? Showcreature." Yep, creature, she was one of those. "Not one of those."
"Oh, right." Trixie snagged a new sandwhich to chew on. "You're like Discord, but easier to get along with. Can you do anything he could do?"
"In theory." She wobbled a hand in the air. "But he has thousands of years more experience. I'm still pretty new! I'm getting the hang of it, but let's tip our hats at our elders. Don't call him an elder. That'd upset him."
Trixie snickered at the mental image. "I would imagine. Alright, baby Discord it is then. Baby Discord, can you banish Starlight's students so she can hang out for a little while?"
"I could." Comforting crossed her arms. "But I won't. That would be mean. I'm a nice baby Discord, so don't ask me to do mean things, or I might do a mean thing to you to show you a lesson."
Trixie huffed. "Then make them forget where Starlight's office is for a day. That isn't too mean, hm?"
"Less mean..." Comforting tossed aside her previous idea for punishing Trixie. "You really care about her, huh?"
Trixie colored sharply. "She is... Trixie's best friend." Her voice got weak towards the end of that, sagging. "She is... Trixie's only real friend... Well, that isn't fair... Sunburst is pretty great, but she has the #1 spot, and Trixie barely gets to spend time with her! Or Sunburst, now that I brought him up. All the other ponies get to be with their friends! Why not me?"
"I can't... fix that." She offered a hand towards Trixie. "But I can be a friend?"
Trixie reached out, just to swat the hand away. "Trixie appreciates it, really. Nice to meet you. But Starlight is hurting herself and she won't be happy until that's fixed! Now, seriously... Can we address this?"
With a chime, a message arrived. Comforting held up a hand for patience as her other reached up to tap that icon only she could see.
Hello, Friend Comforting,
Trixie isn't wrong, I think. Assisting her in assisting Starlight would be good for the order. Can you help? I would appreciate it, and so would they. I may be wrong, but I think you want to help anyway, so consider this more of me granting permission instead of making a request, but it is a request.
Please,
Amity
"What are you staring at?" Trixie couldn't see what Comforting was reading. "Is there a sign behind me?" She turned her head, but saw no billboard of interest, coiling back to Comforting. "What is it?"
"It's alright." Comforting tapped away with the hand that wasn't making placating gestures.
I'm on the case! 🫡
She hit send and reached for the teacup. "You make pleasant tea, by the way."
"Oh, thank you." Trixie floated hers over for a fresh sip. "Starlight showed me how... If only she had the time to come enjoy it with me..." She snorted softly. "Whatever... Baby Discord--"
"Comforting."
Trixie rolled her eyes. "Sorry... Come to think of it, Trixie would be just as annoyed if somepony kept getting her name wrong. Comforting. Do you have any ideas?"
Comforting clapped her hands. "A few! Let's not be mean, but she needs a little poke in the right direction." She waved a scene into existence, showing them Starlight in her office, dealing with pony after pony. "Poor thing..."
"They overwork her!" Trixie threw a tantrum in place. "It's not fair, and she doesn't even see it!"
"Not fair." Comforting watched the scene play out. "We have to show her the magic of--"
"--Friendship?" Trixie made a face. "Gag me."
"Well, that, but more work-life balance. Almost as good!"