New Endings, Old Starts

by David Silver

157 - Mother of Problems

Practicing divinity was nice and all, but there were no tricks to the next problem. Well, there were, but most of them involved being a naughty little spirit, so Comforting just walked up and knocked on the door.

It opened a moment later, revealing Ralf, their butler. He seemed surprised, looking at Comforting, then their gate. The gate was still closed. This was hardly an impediment. "Can I help you?"

Comforting waved at the bewildered butler. "Hi. Spoiled wanted to talk with me. I'm Comforting Shade? The chaos spirit if that helps."

"Very good." He turned back inside. "Please, if you would." He led her inside to a sitting room and directed his hooves at a small table. "Please, avail yourself. I will check on the lady." He left, decorum intact.

"Good butler material." Comforting didn't grab a snack, instead a seat, getting comfy on it. "Now we chat..."

"Comforting?" Diamond peeked in from another door. "What are you..." She trailed off, seeing something around the corner and dashing away with a squeak.

Spoiled was upon the room a moment later, nose upturned, though that was baked in. "Thank you for coming." She bumped the door shut behind her with a sway of her hip on the way in. "I was starting to wonder if you'd lost your nerve."

"I was distracted." She didn't bother going into the specifics of spiritly things. "Hello! We never really met. Are we changing that?"

"That would be ideal." She took a bottle in her teeth and poured out two drinks. "These are safe for foals, before you ask." She set the bottle down. "Now, you are a spirit. You have no pedigree, but being one of those could be considered a pedigree of its own."

Comforting casually snatched the second glass, her arm retracting rapidly back to her side from its stretched state. "I don't try to take advantage of it. It's just a thing I am, not an exciting qualifier."

"But you've caught Diamond's eye." She arched a brow. "What is the nature of your relationship? Be blunt."

Comforting colored a little, old enough, on the inside, to think of a few naughty things. "Nothing but friendship, and maybe a hug once in a while? We share breakfast a lot, and chat. We enjoy each other enough to want to keep doing that." She sipped the drink, finding it to be a minty experience with some faint citrusy after-taste.

"Diamond wouldn't be trying this." She looked down on Comforting, helped by Comforting sitting in the chair as she was. "If she thought you were just 'friend' material. She has one of those. She has yet to try asking her to be a girlfriend or start courting." Her eyes rolled with a will of their own. "I would have had quite the conversation if she had."

"I want--" Spoiled was quite focused on her. "--for her to be happy." Comforting lifted from the chair, taking a fresh sip of that drink. "I won't cheat for her. But I will cheer her on."

Spoiled's snout wrinkled. "Define 'cheat' in this situation?"

Comforting left the glass to float on its own as she brought her hands together gently. "Like a nice clap and she has her own mansion. A snap and she's buried in bits. That sort of thing?"

"Which you could do, I surmise." She couldn't look down on Comforting as easily, floating as she was. "But you won't."

"I wouldn't." Comforting circled around the parent of a pony. "That's cheating. I have faith Diamond will make all the bits she wants to make, and she'll be so much prouder doing it without my shortcutting it."

Spoiled allowed a faint smile. "A mature take on it... But if she were to insist?"

"I'd tell her why I'm not doing it." She zipped in, nose to nose with Spoiled. "Then not do it."

Spoiled's eyes crossed a moment before she could back a step and get Comforting in a better position to look at. "Firm... You are, I hope you realize, a check with no written amount. Many would like to try penning their wishes on you, even if just to see if you might grant them. Does that bother you?"

"A little?" Comforting shrugged, the glass floating over for another sip. "I don't like arguing with people if I can avoid it." A thought came to her with a little smirk. "What would you write on this blank check?"

Spoiled recoiled. "Me?! I wouldn't presume..." But one could see the thoughts bouncing around. "There are a fair few ponies I'd... like some time with. I imagine, being what you are, getting me on their schedule would be foal's play."

"Easy peasy." Comforting inclined her head. "I wouldn't do that though. I could say hi?"

Spoiled perked her ears at that. "Even that would be a boon... Curious creature, I don't think you fully realize the scope of your abilities. Just being able to walk up to most ponies and 'say hi' is already more than many of us could manage."

"I'm still learning." Comforting considered Spoiled. "I admit, I expected you to be a little... more aggressive."

"Me?!" Spoiled frowned a moment, but it passed into a little smile. "Diamond told you that, didn't she? I am tough on her, because it will make her grow into the best mare she will eventually be. She has a family business to take up, and it won't be easy. She'll eventually wish she could deal with me instead..." Spoiled snorted softly. "Really... You, I think, understand this." She leveled a hoof at Comforting. "You could make life easier for her, but you don't. You want her to grow too."

"I do!" Comforting looked the mare over, some doubt in her expression. "But I don't think you're 100% innocent. You're playing nice. I don't mind someone being nice, but you have your own goals."

"Me?!" A shrewd expression grew as Spoiled leaned in. "Glad you noticed. Perhaps, you're not as clueless as I had feared. Still, I'm not entirely lying. She needs a firm hoof, or she'll just be another... forgive the pun, spoiled little brat with no idea what she's doing."

"Well, she is Spoiled's little brat," reasoned Comforting out loud, giggling at the pun Spoiled had put down in easy grabbing distance. "But no cheating."

"Impossible."

Comforting blinked at that firm denial. She put her empty glass down on the table it came from. "Why do you say that?"

"Because." Spoiled turned to keep Comforting ahead of her. "You are what you are. Your very existence is 'cheating', unless you landed--" She pointed to the ground. "--and stopped teleporting, and stopped doing many of the things you do out of habit. You, are a chaos spirit." She raised the same hoof just under Comforting's chin. "A kind chaos spirit, by every report, but still a chaos spirit. You will bring change, though it seems you're quite set on it being a positive. Still, a change. That hardly seems a thing you can change."

"I suppose not..." Comforting did land, cowed perhaps. "Are you still mad?"

"Livid." Spoiled snorted softly. "Really... It's only that I gave consent to it that prevents me from taking action." She leaned in at Comforting. "That consent is rescinded."

"Got it." Comforting hopped back, letting gravity draw her back down. "No changes without you saying alright ahead of time... Um..." Bringing up lessons learned felt awkward at best. "So... You're alright, with this?" She gestured between herself and someone else not there.

"No." Spoiled sat. "But I'm not a foal. Trying to deny her, now, would only make her run. She would flee into your arms, and you would catch her. You are a dangerous creature here... So, I move carefully. Now, my turn for a question."

Comforting nodded in quick jerks at that. "Sure." A question might tell her more about what Spoiled was thinking about. "Please, go ahead."

"Very good..." She brought up her hooves and trailed a pattern of Comforting's shape from the front. "Why? You are a foal. You act like a foal, a clever one... But your interests are that of a foal. You strike me as the sort of creature that'd rather enjoy a finely crafted ice cream cone over any amount of... physical affection of the sort girlfriends engage in."

That brought Comforting to a halt for a moment, considering. "That's a legit good question."

"I try to ask things worth asking." Spoiled seemed pleased with herself. "And your answer?"

"I have no interest in Diamond Tiara the way you're implying. I want to be her best friend. I want to hug her and treat her nicely. If she wants a girlfriend, I'll be a good one! We'll celebrate anniversaries and go on long walks and--"

"Diamond is not a foal, not a small one. She stands at the edge of adulthood." Spoiled tapped the ground. "With that, come certain expectations. What will you do when her needs go beyond your own?"

"We'll talk?" Comforting shrugged softly. "We'll talk, honest... I'll make it clear where the line is, and if she isn't going to be happy with me staying on my side, then we stop it. I wish her the absolute best luck, hope to stay her friend, and root her on when she moves on to some other pony, or creature."

"You..." Spoiled leaned in, a smile slowly spreading. "You just pledged your loyalty to your immature stance, but in the most mature way I've heard in some time. Be honest. You are not a rock. I dare say, chaos spirit, change comes naturally to you. How can you assure me she won't change your mind?"

"I can't?" Comforting wriggled in place, awkwardly shuffling. "If she convinces me... Is that a bad thing, exactly? So long as we both know what we're doing and we both agree to it and we both know the consequences of those choices, I can't really give more of a chance for consent than that, can I?"

"So, you would." Spoiled tapped Comforting dead center of her chest. "You are not opposed to it."

"I am." Comforting folded her arms, partially guarding from future pokes. "I am against it, but, as you just said, my mind could change. I'm happy being a little girl. She is a slightly older little girl. If she wants me to be a loving +1, I will love the ever loving heck out of her! She will never lack for hugs and holiday chocolates."

Spoiled snorted, turning into almost a titter against a hoof. "You remind me of Filthy when he was younger and not being a little stallion getting into trouble." She sighed, relaxing to almost a flop. "Very well... You've answered my questions. Now... If you do accept this, you accept me. That is one of the ways families operate. I think you understand this?"

"Yes, um, oh!" Comforting clapped her hands, conjuring a startled pegasus. "Mom!"

"Oh, yes?" Fluttershy quickly turned to Comforting. "Was that you? Please tell me before you, um, do that."

Spoiled looked between the two. "You have no physical similarity, but in action, you two are a lovely pair. Hello, Miss Fluttershy."

Fluttershy squeaked, twirling to face Spoiled. "Hello, ma'am!" She bowed low. "Sorry to interrupt. Is Comforting bothering you?"

Comforting huffed at the idea.

Spoiled shook a hoof. "I called her. She is not... But I understand why you are here. If I am entering her family, than surely you are entering Diamond's, which puts us in direct contact." She offered the same hoof towards Fluttershy. "We should speak."

Fluttershy touched hoof to hoof. "Um, certainly. A... pleasure to meet you." She curled her hoof to her chin. "We should meet somewhere, um, neutral? A picnic, outside. Um... What is Comforting doing?"

Spoiled blinked slowly. "You don't know?" She leaned in with a growing smirk. "Your little Comforting is about to begin courting with Diamond Tiara."

Author's Note:

Did you forget about Spoiled? She didn't, and neither did Comforting.

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Comments

[Poparakelis]

Spoiled blinked slowly. "You don't know?" She leaned in with a growing smirk. "Your little Comforting is about to begin courting with Diamond Tiara."

Straight to the point

[Theresa hall]

But chaos or not life is full of changes big and small. Nothing stays the forever. Maybe without chaos spirits it might stay that way but as it stands changes are part of life.

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

A nice talk between Comforting and Spoiled.

Chaos is all about change. But for a Chaos Spirit to not change seems pretty chaotic to me.

But, of course, that can change also.

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

It's interesting to see Comforting and Spoiled discussing how both Comforting and Diamond are unusual in how they express and experience "maturity."

Fluttershy getting teleported in was quite the surprise, too, though a welcome one.

[David Silver]

11698192
It was just as surprising for poor Fluttershy. We can be sure that she was in the middle of doing something and then she was somewhere else.

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

11698363

Not convenient at all.

Hopefully the poor gal can get back to something more relaxing soon.