Starlight slid open the door to her office, immediately noted that something was off. It had quite a bit to do with the blanket in the middle of the floor atop the purple and orange-flame patterned rug. Something-or more likely some filly-was bundled under it. She strode over to her cabinets where scrolls were laid in orderly patterns. She tried to keep everything in here orderly. It created a calming atmosphere. She took two blue cups from the desk, opened two packets of hot cocoa, poured it in, conjured boiling water from the air (because she was Starlight Glimmer, that's how) and soon two steaming cups of hot cocoa were in her magical grip.
She then sat down at her desk and waited. Steam wafted from the cups, carried the scent of hot chocolate through the room. Starlight examined the blanket, decided it was one of the younger students, small for their age. Bigger than Spike, who was not a student, but could easily have had a breakdown since the last time she had seen him. "Whoever is using the comfort blanket-yes, I see you down there-I made some cocoa. It's going to get cold."
Cozy Glow peaked her head out and shook herself out of the blanket, spreading her little wings and pranced up to the desk, accepting the offered cocoa and drinking it up. Starlight smiled and settled against her chair, sipping her own cocoa. "So, what brings you to my office today?" The door of her office was never locked so coming to find students waiting for her when she got back was not a new experience. This wasn't even the first time one of the younger ones had decided to huddle under the comfort blanket.
Even Silverstream had used it before. That hippogriff was...well...she was sweet when you got to know her.
Cozy continued to drink the cocoa, the only sounds in the room the slurping as she drank it up, the rhythmic ticking of the clop and Starlight occasionally tapping the desk. The filly seemed to be weighing her words carefully, thinking about what she needed to say.
Starlight stopped tapping her hoof against the wood. "When's your next class, Cozy?"
Cozy glanced up at the clock. "Golly, I was supposed to be there ten minutes ago." She set the cocoa down, but made no move to leave the room.
Starlight frowned. "Cozy, I can get you off for cutting class. It's not the worse thing you could be doing, but you have to give me a good explanation." Technically, a student could miss class if they were at the guidance counselor's-Twilight made sure mental health was at the core of what the School of Friendship was all about. Her own struggles with it no doubt inspired that attitude.
Cozy finished her cocoa. "What do you do when two creatures are going to be mad at you?"
Starlight cocked her head. "Going to be? Did you do something wrong?" On reflection, Starlight realized that was the wrong way to phrase it from how Cozy cringed. She laid a hoof on her shoulder. "There's no judgement here, okay? Whatever happened I'll help you fix it."
Cozy's lips trembled, but then she got a hold of herself. "Okay." She stared down at her cup, then back up to Starlight, sighed. "I don't wanna go to da-" She stopped. "the history class with Miss Twilight cause Kiara's dere."
Starlight nodded, warming her hooves on the porcelain. "So, is Kiara mad at you?" She had seen Cozy with the young Zebra filly and had thought they were friends.
Cozy bit her lip. "She's gonna be."
"Why's that?"
"Cause if she's not, Gallus is gonna be."
"And Gallus is going to be mad at you because...?"
Cozy hid her face behind her now empty cup. "Cause I told Kiara I'd help her look for herbs and I told Gallus I'd help him go haggling down at the market cause my homework for Miss Rarity said to do something nice for two friends, but they want to go haggling and looking for herbs at the same time and if I don't do my homework Miss Rarity and my mom and dad are gonna be mad at me and everypony's gonna be mad at me!" The filly laid her head on the table and sobbed.
Starlight levitated a tissue and wiped the tears away before stroking her mane. "Shh, shh, nopony-or creature-is going to be mad at you."
Cozy sniffled. "Yes, they are!"
"No, they're not." She straightened up. "Because I'm going to help you. First of all, you need a scheduler."
Cozy blinked. "A what?"
"It's like a notebook you schedule things in. So would you prefer gem hunting or haggling?"
Cozy refused to meet Starlight's gaze. "I kinda wanna know what a haggle is."
Starlight snorted, disguised it as a cough. "First things first, always ask what something is before you agree to it. Really, remember that if nothing else."
Cozy shifted in the chair. "So, what's haggling?"
Starlight cleared her throat, drained the last bit if chocolate. "Haggling is when you discuss the price of a good at market."
Cozy's shoulder's slumped and she preened an errant feather. "Oh. That sounds...um..."
"Boring?"
"Yeah." Cozy picked the cup back up as if she expected chocolate to appear, frowned at the bottom, lifted it to her mouth and tried her best to lick out the marshmallows.
Starlight kept her face serious and concerned and fought back a giggle at her adorableness. "So, would you rather go herb picking with Kiara or haggling with Gallus?"
Cozy sighed. "No matter what I do, somecreature's gonna be mad at me."
Starlight patted her head. "If either of them are good friends they'll understand."
Cozy laid her head back on the desk. "Miss Starlight, is friendship this hard for everypony?"
Starlight patted her curls. "Yes, Cozy. In fact, for the longest time I didn't have friends."
Cozy's ears perked up. "You didn't?" She leaned back in her chair.
"Nope. My best friend moved away when I was nine and I decided that Cutie Marks were evil so I convinced a bunch of Ponies to give up their cutie marks."
Cozy cocked her head. "Were they your friends?"
Starlight drummed her hoof on the table, adjusted a few papers, then stopped and returned her attention to Cozy. "To be honest, Cozy, I did a lot of bad, rotten things back then. Things I'm ashamed of. No, they were not my friends. On my best days, I wanted them to be." Mindful that she was speaking to a child, she struggled on how to put it. "But, then I met Twilight and she, she put me on the right path. Now I do have friends and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world."
Cozy looked up at her with more admiration than Starlight felt any Pony should look up at her with. "So, what would you do?"
Starlight gently booped her. "I'm not you, Cozy. But which would you prefer to do?"
She pouted. "Well, I like spending time with Kiara a whole lot, but I don't know how to tell Gallus I want to do that better. What if he gets mad at me?"
Starlight raised an eyebrow. "You seem awful worried about somecreature getting mad at you."
It was Cozy's turn to look around awkwardly in an attempt to find something other than directly at Starlight. "He's, um, a griffon."
Starlight raised an eyebrow. No judgement, Gods know what sort of things she's been taught by adults and it's natural to be scared of different races...particularly a predator species. We're still a prey species at heart. "Are you scared of Gallus because he's a griffon?"
"N-no."
Starlight lifted the child's chin. "Be honest with me, Cozy."
"Maybe a little. I try not to be! H-he's just so...big."
"And he's got claws and a beak, right?"
Cozy whimpered, but it was only a little bit. "Y-yeah."
"He's not going to eat you. I'd have to give him a time-out if he did that." She smirked.
Cozy grumbled. "I'm not dumb!"
Starlight drew back, smiled in what she hoped was a comforting way. "I know you're not dumb, Cozy. It's normal to be frightened of a creature that looks as different as a griffon does from a Pony. But Gallus is a sweet kid even if he acts tough. He'll understand."
Cozy frowned. "But I don't wanna hurt his feelings."
"You don't have to do it in a mean way."
Cozy rustled her wings. "So, you think I should tell Gallus?"
Starlight shook her head. "I think you should decide which friend you'd rather spend time with, but be nice about it 'kay? I'd rather not have either Gallus or Kiara show up in here after."
Cozy shook her head. "I can be nice! Super nice!"
Starlight smiled. "I know you can be."
Cozy jumped into the air, steadying herself with light flaps. "Thanks for the talk, Miss Starlight!"
"Anytime."
Cozy zoomed out, wind roaring around her ears, just as Starlight called after her.
...
Cozy happily soared through the halls, darting around other students. She passed by her history class, darted into the room. Twilight paused in her lecture about the friendship between the Pegasan heroes Noble Wing and Heart Blade. Cozy took a seat next to Kiara.
Twilight frowned at her. "Cozy? Are you alright? You're late for class."
"Oh, I was talking to Miss Starlight."
Twilight nodded. "Do you have your pass?"
Cozy's eyes widened. Twilight's frown deepened. "Don't worry. I'll ask Starlight about it unless there's anything you'd like to tell me?"
That's when Starlight galloped inside, pink pass held in her magic. She trotted up to the desk and handed it to Twilight. Twilight read it, nodded."Thank you, Starlight. So then, Heart Blade..."
Starlight trotted out of the room. Cozy reached for her saddlebag, realized it was still in Starlight's office. Kiara, noting her distress, hoofed her an extra pencil and some paper. Cozy gratefully took it.
Twilight paused again as she wrote on the board. "Very good, Kiara. What do we say when somepony does something nice for you, Cozy?"
Cozy blinked. "Oh! Thank you, Kiara."
Kiara smiled. "You're welcome friend Cozy Glow, I would not want your studying to slow."
"Good girls." Twilight returned to her lecture.
...
Kiara trotted quickly, almost breaking into a sprint, while trying to keep up with her Pegasus companion who air-pranced ahead before looking back at her slower Zebra friend, blushing and dropping back down to trot at her side. "Um Kiara, I gotta go talk to Gallus."
"Why?"
Cozy shuffled her hoof along the floor, averting her eyes and blushing. "Well, um, you see..."
Kiara touched her shoulder. "Out with it, my friend, honesty rewards always win."
Cozy sighed. "Okay. Well, I sort of maybe might of promised I'd go to the market with him at the same time I promised to go picking herbs with you." She trampled her hooves. "I'm sorry!" Her lips trembled. "Please don't be mad at me!"
Kiara giggled, drew Cozy into a hug.
"I see you using all your charm
to spare our feelings any harm,
but I see the solution quite clearly,
I will go to the market with you and he."
Cozy blinked. "Really? I thought you'd want to look for herbs in the woods."
Kiara let Cozy go as they continued to walk, opening the door and stepping into a bright sunny day. A warm wind rustled their manes and the long, spring grass swaying in the breeze.
"I love herbs from earth truthfully,
but herbs from the market are good enough for me."
Cozy slapped her forehead. "I did all that worrying for nothing! I was even late for class!"
Kiara nuzzled her.
"I am sorry for your distress,
but I think this solution might be for the best."
Cozy wrapped a foreleg around her. "Now I just gotta find Gallus!" She galloped through the field, blades of grass stinging her flanks. Kiara darted ahead of her, blew a raspberry. Cozy narrowed her eyes, smirked and rocketed into the air. Kiara, ground-bound that she was, still managed to keep up with her even as Cozy rocketed and spiraled through the air, Kiara pronking beneath her, jumping into the air as if trying to catch her.
"Gallus! Hey Gallus!"
The Griffon was coasting along a thermal, smiled at the little Pegasus. "Yo, Cozy. What's up?"
Cozy chewed her lip. "Kiara wanted to come to the market with us."
Kiara gave her a look, not disappointed or judging. Just a glance. Cozy's shoulder's sagged. "A-actually, the truth is, I messed up and said I'd go picking herbs with her and going to the market with you at the same time."
Gallus shrugged. "Ah, no biggie."
"Really?"
"Really, Cozy."
Cozy pounced and hugged the griffon who returned the embrace. Gallus patted her back and backed away. "Come on, they have some great stuff today."
Together, the three friendship students trekked through the grassland leading to the market.
Author's Note
I also added more academic classes to the School of Friendship because why wouldn't there be?
