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// 21 - Collecting Crystals 
// Story: Amber Starts, Comforting Endings 
// by David Silver 
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Amber stretched her back legs, waking up with a yawn. She was eager to start her day, even more eager to be spending it with Comforting. She bounced to her hooves and galloped out of her room, not even bothering with her usual routine. "Comfs! You know what time it is."

"Hm?" Comforting rubbed her sleepy eyes, wearing a full set of pajamas and looking appropriately stirred from slumber. "What time is it exactly?" She flopped out of the chair she had fallen asleep in, and crawled across the floor, shambling to her hooves like some sort of zombie. "I don't remember what the plan for the day was."

Amber swatted at Comforting. "You're playing with me." With light buffets, she knocked Comforting's pajamas away, proving they weren't attached very well. "Seriously, you said today would be special."

Comforting grabbed her excitable friend by the cheeks. "And I meant it. But the source of that specialness isn't me." She dropped her hands to her sides. "It's you."

Amber stared at her, blinking. "Huh?"

Comforting went to the nearby fridge and pulled out a cup of yogurt. "Somepony should be stopping by, and only you can help them."

"Me?!" Amber shook her head firmly. "Oh, are they needing a book?"

"Maybe," sang out Comforting, floating along with her treat, "Something to look forward to."

Amber would get no more answers, so she got to work. She welcomed the other librarians and threw open the doors for other ponies to come in and get their books. But there were some regulars that needed something more.

She soon spied the pony she knew Comforting had been hinting at: a dazed-looking stallion staring into the shelves with many curious features. For one, he appeared at first glance to be a unicorn, but his horn was like a slab of crystal. His legs began more glittering and crystal-like as you went until terminating in crystal hooves.

Amber wasn't sure what kind of pony they were, but they were looking for a book, so Amber stepped over. "Good morning. It seems you need some assistance. Let me be the one to help."

The stranger jerked in place. "Muh." The noise was hardly more than a grunt as their mind raced to catch up. "Oh, hello!" He smiled just as brightly as he had been confused a moment before. "Nice to meet you. I'm Comet."

"Hello, Comet." Amber looked over the slender stallion curiously. "I'm Amber, and I'm the head librarian of this library, so I'm here to help however I can." She smiled and opened her hooves to invite them. "So, let's start with what you're looking for, and go from there."

Comet thought hard and long, scratching at the bottom of his jaw with a hoof. "Well, I'm new. I mean, around here. I'm not new in general." He turned in place. "I'm an adult, but I only recently arrived in Maretime Bay and there's so much I don't know about it." He put a hoof to the side of his face. "I need a book. A big one that I can read so I know more."

"An encyclopedia. Easy enough." Amber waved for Comet to follow her as she worked her way through the collections of books with practice. "The sort you're looking for is, hm." She ran her magic across the spines of several before settling on one, yanking it free. "Here you are."

Comet accepted the thick volume into his own magic. "Wow! That's perfect, but," He considered it, turning it over in his magical grasp, "A lot to read at once."

Amber smiled at that. "You did ask for a big book. Would you prefer something a little smaller to start and we can work up to this one?" She gave a little pull of the book to signal she was ready to put it away. "It's just as useful. I'd recommend you look up all the places and names in the book, and then go out and visit them."

"Ooh! That makes sense." Comet giggled at the idea, letting the book go with a wave of magic.

She tucked it away and led the way onwards to a shelf full of much more slender articles that were scarcely more than tourist brochures. "They don't go heavy into the details here, but." Amber snatched one up with her glowing magic. "They give a great list of places to visit and why you'd want to. More than enough to start."

Comet accepted this book eagerly. "And it has pictures!" He flipped through the pages with a smile. "It's so shiny."

Amber giggled at the delight displayed on the face of her new acquaintance. "We have a reading nook right there by the window where you could read that without straining your eyes. The sun's nice and bright and we keep the lights just right for enjoying a book."

Comet was already trotting over. "Thank you!"

Amber turned away with a confident grin. "Why did Comforting make that sound so dramatic?" Sure, Comet was interesting looking, but they were still a pony in need of a book, in the end. That was what she did! "Silly girl."

Elsewhere in that library, Comforting was talking to a pair of ponies. "We'll put each volume, starting from the first, working up to the latest." She made a grand swoosh of a motion forward with both hands.

The mare clapped joyfully. "Yes, exactly. We'll go down the middle."

The stallion of the pair nudged against her. "And be dressed out part. This will be so romantic." He sighed with a dreamy smile. "I've heard the bards sing of the wild adventures of adventurers, but I've never actually seen one.

"See one?" The mare gushed a moment with excitement. "We'll be one!" She pranced in place with a happy whicker. "And I can't wait. Yes, thank you." She grabbed Comforting in a firm embrace.

Comforting ruffled the head of the mare gently. "I just hope you two are happy forever." She grinned at the thought. "It's so exciting. I'll see you three days from now." She watched the pair go with a spring in their step, chuckling softly. "Hope they don't get caught."

"Get caught with what?" Amber approached at a light walk. "You look excited."

Comforting squeaked at the timing. "Oh, um." She rubbed behind her head. "I was just helping someponies."

"Yeah? Good job." Amber nodded, watching Comforting. "But you don't look like that's what you're worried about. Why are you worried about some ponies you just helped? Why are you blushing?" Amber snapped her hooves. "It's a romance, isn't it?"

Comforting colored all the darker, shrinking in place. "I can't deny it." She danced away. "But it's not mine, promise."

"So whose is it?" Amber trailed after Comforting curiously. "Is it somepony I know?"

Comforting hid her mouth behind her hand. "You could say that, but I don't think I should spread rumors. It's private. You could ask them." She bobbed her head left and right.

Amber reared up to put her hooves on her hips. "I would, if I knew who to ask. You're not giving me a lot to work with." She turned her eyes to where the two had retreated off to, then to the cart full of books from a single series. "You're hiding something from me."

Comforting grasped her chin in her hands. "I could say that, but I could say that about a lot of things, and I don't like lying. You're being sneaky, trying to get me to give away my secrets." She dramatically zipped her lips with an actual zipper. She said something, but it was impossible to hear around that zipper, just mumbled noises.

Amber rolled her eyes with a grumble. "Fine, be like that. I'll ask around, and see who's going on a date, or planning on one. I've got your number." She walked away with a thoughtful frown.

Comforting undid her zipper and tossed it aside. "A little secret between friends isn't so bad." She floated up and away with a skip. "Let's have lunch."

"This conversation isn't done," grumbled Amber, looking over her shoulder.

"Okay, Amber," singsonged Comforting. "You think that." She vanished with a pop, making it clear her side of the conversation was complete.

Amber glared at where Comforting had been a moment ago. "I love you, but sometimes, I swear." She thumped down a hoof. "Reveal your secrets!"

Misty poked her head out from around the end of the aisle. "What secrets?"

Amber jumped, landing facing Misty. "Oh, hello. I'm actually glad to see you." She rushed up towards Misty with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Um, alright, I guess." Misty rubbed along one leg with the other hoof. "Sorry for the days I took off."

Amber shook her head. "It's fine. We get it." She considered Misty. "If you're willing to talk about it."

"It's complicated." Misty perked a little. "But I feel better today." She let out a nervous laugh. "But I'm here for a book." She reached up to rub behind her ear with a small shake of her head.

Amber hiked a brow at Misty. "No need to fib to me. I had enough fibs today."

Misty smiled a bit too wide, laughing in her tense way before she slumped. "I want to help, um, but I also found something."

"Found something? At the Brighthouse?" Amber's curiosity was piqued. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Misty nodded sharply. "I found a book on magic. Real magic." She curled on herself and drew out a tome. "And you're studying that, right? With, um, Comforting. Right?"

Amber reached for the book, opening it to reveal a complex series of runes, symbols that made no sense, and pictures. "I've only gotten the basics from her, but yeah, this is, um, neat?" She flipped forward, eyes wide in amazement. "This book has so much in it. Have you started reading it? Is that why you're here?"

"Uh-huh." Misty took out a journal and a pen. "I want to do magic too." Her ears drooped a bit. "I know I can do it. But I don't know how." She sank to her haunches. "So, I have a friend that's curious about that. I thought I'd ask her."

Amber eyed Misty. "You need to take this slow." She flicked through the book, taking a cursory look at each page. "I don't even understand half of what's written here. But that's not a no." She closed the book with her magic. "Misty, I would be happy, no, delighted to help."

"Thanks, Amber. You're so nice." Misty raised her eyes and locked them to Amber's. "I have a question. Who is that pony?" She pointed.

"Hmm?" Amber turned to see Comforting in a mediocre disguise, lurking and watching them quietly. "Yeah, don't mind them." She waved that away with a giggle. "I have a specific room for magic stuff. We'll be magic buddies, okay?"

Misty hopped to her hooves. "Magic buddies, okay! Just between us."

Amber raised a hoof, ears flat to the side. "Comforting's already in the know. If you see her, don't panic. She knows more magic than me, but she's not quick to share, so don't expect tons of answers out of her. She loves her secrets."

Misty perked. "She does?" Misty glanced past Amber, seeing the disguised chaos spirit was gone. "Where did they go?"

"Who knows?" Amber shrugged, smiling all the same. "Today, it's about us, magic buddies."

Misty went in and they touched horns together with a sparkle of agreement. They were unicorns with a unified mission. They were going to learn magic, and start with a trip down the path of runes.

Comforting giggled from her nowhere place. "Coming together just fine." She dug out her phone to update Together on what was happening. "Bet she already knows; clever girl."