80 - Summons
With Screwball delivered to the caring hooves of the nurses and physicians at the hospital, Comforting put her thought to the matter at hoof. She'd already wasted time! And there was school! Wait.
She stepped through Twilight's door, despite not having gone through town. "Teacher."
Twilight looks up, ears pricked. "Is something wrong? School hasn't even started yet." She waved over some papers in front of her. "I was just grading a few papers." And yet, she seemed to 'get' that something was up.
"The tree of harmony," started Comforting directly. "It's... destroyed." Was there a better word for that? "And I need to grab some students. Is that alright? They probably won't be at school today."
Twilight flipped her ears back. "How did... Nevermind... You are a chaos spirit. I should know better than to question how you know any particular thing." She brought her hooves together. "I know about the tree. How does that involve any other student?" She glanced away nervously. "How much do you know?"
Comforting stepped inside, closing the door with a sway of her tail. "I know Harmony was destroyed by some kinda evil thing, also chaotic? Not me!" She would struggle to qualify as 'evil'. "And she wants the students to visit. Gallus, Silversteam, Yona, Ocellus, Sandbar, and Smolder." She counted on fingers as she went. It was nice to have those back. "This isn't to play, I promise."
"I don't think you're lying to me." Twilight let out a slow sigh. "Not at all... Yes, the tree of harmony was... damaged, to put it mildly. Are you certain it can't recover?"
Comforting shrank a step. "No. Maybe them being there could help it? I don't know... Harmony is still there."
Twilight parked at that. "The order spirit? That's great news." She smiled with rebounding enthusiasm. "If she wants to speak to the others, then I'll allow it. Please, be safe. The forest has become less dangerous, but not entirely safe. I don't want any of you getting hurt."
Comforting snapped a salute. "I'll keep them safe!" She giggled, rubbing her hands together. "I'm the nice chaos spirit, remember? We may just skip the entire forest."
Twilight inclined her head, one ear up. "Ah... Forgive me for asking, but you weren't this not long ago... Just trying to imagine that feels... overwhelming, to put it bluntly. Are you sure you're alright?"
Comforting jumped up and forward, not bothering to land as she zipped in at Twilight. "The less I actively think about it, the easier it gets. The more I just assume it will work, the more it just does. It's... liberating. And fun." She landed on the desk, crouching down to put their faces close together. "But a little scary once in a while. I don't want to hurt anyone."
"I could understand that." Twilight pushed back a few inches for some space. "Be careful, as you have been, and I hope the visit goes well. They are excused for the day." She raised a hoof at Comforting. "That includes you."
Comforting hopped back off the desk and almost tripped and fell over. jumping backwards off a thing was trickier than it might look. "Oops! I may be back... I don't know what part I'll be doing besides being the chaos taxi for the others. Thanks!" She jumped back one more time, but didn't land, flying backwards right out the door, which she never opened, causing it to slap open and shut with her body battering it open easily.
She hurried to the dorms. "You all in here?" Sandbar was at least, looking up at her as she flew in the door. "Where are the others?" It was good to find a pony, but she had so many others. "We have a place to be. I got permission already."
Sandbar blinked softly. "Permission for what? Hey, Comfort. What's up?"
Comforting came in for a landing in front of Sandbar. She stood as tall as him, but she was bipedal. He was a larger creature easily. "The tree of harmony was... busted."
"What?!" Sandbar rushed to the nearest window. He threw it open and poked his head outside. "Smolder, get the others!"
"What for?!"
"It's important!" Sandbar hollered, closing the window with a thunk. "She'll get the others."
Comforting smiled at the teamwork on display. "Alright. I can--" She didn't get to finish, being tackled into a hug by an excitable hippogriff. "Hey..."
"Hi!" Silverstream eagerly shot back. "You don't visit the dorms very often. I got excited." She hugged Comforting like a plush doll. "What are you looking funny for?" She was just noticing Sandbar's unsure expression.
Sandbar waved at Comforting. "She heard the tree of harmony got hurt. She's taking us there... right? That is where we're going?"
"Yep!" Comforting wriggled her way to freedom. "As soon as I have you all in one place." Thoughts of chaos-wrangling them from their various points danced in her mind, but that felt like making more ways for things to go wrong just to save a few minutes. "I already told Twilight. You're all excused from school today."
The others soon gathered around Comforting curiously. Ocellus nodded at Comforting. "We're ready, for, um, whatever it is."
Yona pumped a hoof. "If we can help, we help." She didn't expect a big fluffy blanket to be tossed over them. "What?" She threw her sizable head, sending the blanket flying. They weren't in the dorm anymore. They were in a cave, a familiar one. "Oh..." The rest of her words fled her as she began to absorb what she was seeing.
Comforting kept from between the students and the destroyed tree. She wasn't sure what to tell them. She had been told to bring them, and help them do... what they needed to do, and would do... And not to tell them Harmony was still there. Why? "I'm sorry." It was the only words that came to her.
Gallus picked through the bits of wood. "What... happened?"
Watching them pick helplessly through the bits was too much. Comforting wasn't allowed to tell them what she knew, no matter how much she wanted to assure them, not that even she could be entirely sure. She was... helpless. "Just call for me when you want a quick trip back," she half-muttered out, stepping back away from the others.
Silverstream dropped the jewel she had been examining. "Where are you going? Aren't you going to help?"
Comforting winced. How did she do that? "I'm just a call away, promise..."
Yona crashed into Comforting without warning, the two going end over end to land in a heap of horns and skewed limbs. "No!"
Comforting could see the world spinning about her. "Ow... Yona... Why did you do that?" She had learned to expect Yona to be a gentle giant, generally. "That hurt, seriously."
"All hurt." Yona sat up, snorting softly. "Sorry... Not run. Friend, not time for run." Yona reached to help Comforting to her feet. "Beside, Comforting tough! Hurt, but not hurt. Yes?"
Comforting patted herself down. It was true. She had no broken bones or pulled things, just a general soreness from being crashed into. "I'm yak tough?"
"Most Tough," agreed Yona with a big smile. "Can take yak crash and not break. Yona proud."
Sandbar gently slid himself between the two. "I'm glad you're alright. Let's not smash into each other... We got enough of a problem. Comforting, can you... magic it back together?"
Comforting thought back on Harmony's own words. She could, in theory, force the pieces back together... But that didn't feel like the answer Harmony was looking for... Is that why Harmony and Discord spoke so obliquely at times? "I could undo a mistake I made. I didn't break this." That was true and seemed enough to mollify them. They didn't ask further, thinking she had answered them.
Gallus snapped his fingers. "Would've been too easy. Why would you get us if you could fix it yourself?"
Ocellus raised a hoof. "Maybe she forgot? I've forgotten I can do things before..."
Smolder huffed a little fire. "Valid thought, but not what happened... The tree's gone... We should, at least, do something about it?"
Gallus clapped his hands with a growing smile. "We can show it off to people, remind them of what they missed. Ponies deserve to know about the tree of harmony."
There were mutterings and chatting, and they began to scatter. Each had their own idea for how to deal with the event, and were not sticking together.
Was that proper? Was that right? Had Comforting somehow ruined it? She danced in place nervously, unsure of what to do. On the other hand, they were not paying attention to her. "Call me when you want to get back." And she vanished before they could try tackling her again.
Fluttershy came up short in her walking, Comforting appearing in front of her with a kazoo bleat. "Oh! I thought you had went away today? Did you... get everything done then?"
Comforting blinked at the words. "How did you... Oh! Twilight told you?"
"Of course." Fluttershy closed to give her daughter a hug. "It would be mean if she didn't tell me when something happened with you. Something about the tree, and the students... I didn't realize they were as close to it as you were... Do they know about Harmony?"
"Yes." Comforting stepped back. "Different relationship, but they have one. Um, odd question... Do you know them much?"
Fluttershy inclined her head at Comforting. "Not personally, no. But they are a dear friend of my daughter, and I have done little tasks for them. They are the one that uses the map, aren't they? So... I know them, indirectly." She curled a hoof to her chin. "A little scary at times... But I've worked it out each time she's sent me off to who knows where."
Comforting enmeshed her fingers together. "She's hurt and weak right now. How will the map work?"
Fluttershy shrank. "Oh... It might not, until she feels better.. Is there anything we can do to help? I... thought she might be gone forever." She lifted up, smiling. "I'm glad that's not the case. Next time you see her, please tell her I said hello, and that I wish her a speedy recovery."
Comforting smiled at her mom. She was so cute and pure! Love swelled in her in purest adoration for Fluttershy. "I will, promise... Right now, the students are visiting and... doing their own thing... That's what I was supposed to do. Harmony knows I know she's still there. Um, they don't... So don't tell them."
Fluttershy mimed zipping her lips. "Mum's the word. That does feel like a mean trick, to not tell them. Aren't they worried?"
"Yeah... I don't know all the details." Thankfully, she hadn't been told not to tell Fluttershy. "I have to trust Harmony knows what she's doing."
Fluttershy drew Comforting in for a quieted hug that lasted for several long moments. "I have trust you know what you're doing." She kissed the top of Comforting's head. "But if you need help, I'm here."
Comforting smiled brightly. "You are the best mom I know."
Fluttershy giggled, blushing at the kind words. "I'm just doing what I can... which I'm sure you're doing too. Now, since you're back, are you going to class?"
Oh, right. That was an option... "I'd feel bad going to class to get a call to go pick them up again... I'm how they're getting home afterwards."
"I could imagine that..." Fluttershy moved around Comforting. "Come with me then. You can help care for the animals that stay on the campus. They won't mind too much if you vanish. They're used to Twilight and Starlight doing it."
Comforting giggled at the thought of a surprised squirrel, gaping at where the unicorns had been. "I can imagine that. Let's feed some animals!" Tending to the animals felt like a far more comfortable thing to do just then.
Did you see Season 9? If so, you know what the Young Six are going through. That part is not Comforting's story, as Harmony gently requested, and is being given.
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Devil is in the details, or as the quote used to be, God is in the details.
Just don't think about it.
I've forgotten I can do things before.
Mum's the word? This is a new phrase to me.
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you are giving away your age or perhaps the lack of it. this goes back before your time kid.
Mum's the word" has been a popular expression since at least the 17th century; for example: "Seal up your lips, and give no words but mum."
Should this be
being the chaos taxi for the
Should be
I've forgotten I can
Poor Comforting desperately wants to help, but she's worried that she will mess up something that Harmony has planned. Maybe she'll be able to help after the Young Six decide how they are going to honor Harmony's tree.
It's really too bad that the Mane Six have to remain ignorant of Harmony's survival.
Finally got caught up!!
Great chapters keep it up!!!
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Welcome to the front of the line! We missed you. What think ye of things?
Lots of emotional turmoil for Comforting and everycreature around her this chapter.
It's a very good thing, though, that she has her mom to help her while she waits for the Young Six to call for her to pick them up. Fluttershy really is indeed cute and pure.
I think it's to this chapter's credit that I'm about as uncertain as the characters at the end of it. Looking forward to how things will resolve.
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I forget. The original episodes are no assurance, but have you seen them?
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Oh, I haven't seen them outside of short clips, but I did wind up finding up how those particular Season 9 episodes ended up through the internet.
It'll be interesting to see how thing will end up similar or different to the knowledge I currently have.
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Ah ha! You did mention this. My memory is a sieve at times, and I wonder if someone didn't plant a hoof through that just to be sure.
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No problem, sometimes my memory is the same way.
Comforting is helping in the way she can and I'm sure she will be talking about with Harmony afterwards.
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its going good so far, adding chaos magic is weird but ok.
other then that its a great story!