"Miss Skyray." The severely dressed pony pressed her hooves together, steepling them. "You've had a year of operating the new facility." A sign on the wall beseeched the reader to keep hanging in there. A window showed a nice view of the city she was in charge of. "How do you feel you've progressed in that time?"

Amber cleared her throat, trying not to be too intimidated by her boss's office. "I think I've been doing fairly well, ma'am. We've not only attracted ponies to the library for education and entertainment, but we've expanded, both a floor and in what we offer, twice!"

"Twice." The pony leaned forward a bit. "Yes, I remember. First, the third floor. I can understand wanting an area for yourself, but why on earth did you fill the second with video games?" She rolled a hoof. "That aside, you do realize it is customary for the city to decide when any of its buildings gain an additional floor? That was a breech of protocol, at the least." She took a slow breath. "On the other hoof, you continue to delight your zone."

She reached down to a shelf and pulled out a thick wad of envelopes. "Do you know what this is?"

"No, ma'am." Amber swallowed hard, trying to guess.

Her superior sighed. "They're love letters to you. From your zone." A smile slipped through the icy demeanor. "I think, on the whole, your innovations have helped your zone grow." She ran a hoof slowly down the stack of letters. "They sent me these, crowing about how that spot, once empty, has become something new, and wonderful. They like you, Miss Skyray, and I think we should listen. I will allow the floor and the... games."

Amber let out a long breath of relief. "Thank you, ma'am."

"One thing." The mayor leaned forward. "I'm told the games are educational in nature. Is that true?"

Amber went bolt upright. "Yes ma'am! I made sure each and every title we got can be learned from, at least indirectly. I want ponies to have fun and come out knowing something new."

The mayor chuckled softly at that. "Well, if they can come out wiser, I don't think we have a problem. Continue your work, Miss Skyray."

"Thank you, ma'am." Amber dipped her front down and scampered to the door. "Oh, um. I'll make sure we ask before we go adding any extra, um, architectural anything."

The mayor raised a brow at that. "I am more amazed how you did that without going over-budget. Still, yes. I can't operate a city without knowing what's going on in it. Stop by, or send a letter." She tapped the pile. "I do read them."

***

Amber got back to her library and let out a huge sigh of relief. "That went way better than I hoped." She trotted inside, heading over to the third floor. "Misty? Are you up here?"

Misty poked her head out of a room, rubbing sleepily at one eye. "Oh, hey Amber." She looked in that way. "Where were you?" She shook herself out as she emerged. "Watching a library is a lot harder than you make it look, sheesh! You are amazing, Amber."

Amber blushed hard, leaning on Misty. "I was just talking to the mayor. I thought she'd have some problems with what I've been doing with the library. But, as it turns out, she's mostly happy. Just no more sudden extra floors."

"She doesn't like them?" But that wasn't Misty. Comforting was there, as if she had been part of the conversation the whole time. "I really think we're putting this space to good use."

Amber jumped and squeaked at Comforting's presence, but calmed almost instantly. "Oh, sorry. Yes, the mayor likes that it's being used for good purposes." She scratched under her chin. "But she wants us to tell and ask her before we go adding to the library, upwards or sideways." She realized her error an instant later. "Or downwards! In any direction, real or imagined. She is the mayor, we should tell her before we do that."

"I think I understand." Misty nodded, closing her eyes. "We need to not do unexpected things without the permission of the mayor. That's what I got out of it." She put a hoof over Amber's shoulders. "Well, I don't plan on doing anything like that." She looked to Comforting. "You'll ask first, right?"

Comforting pouted a little. "I'm lucky I got away with what I did, but fine! She really should allow just a little chaos into her city planning." She huffed a little before joining in with the hug. "I will ask. I promise."

Amber breathed a sigh of relief, glad that was settled. "That's good, I don't want either of you in trouble." She stepped back, looking thoughtful a moment before her mind caught up. "Oh! I don't think I told you." She pointed to Misty, then herself. "We're special someponies now."

Comforting clapped, cheered, called, and jumped, several copies of her appearing to get it all done in the same moment. "Congratualations," all of the copies got out at the same time before they melded back into one Comforting. "How delightful!"

Misty nodded eagerly. "Yeah! I'm really excited. It's a lot of work, but really rewarding." Her smile grew a little wider, and she leaned on Amber. "Also, like, half the reason we got that was because of what we're doing here." She pricked her ears at Comforting. "I meant to ask, and you don't have to, but do you, um, have a special somepony, or creature?"

Comforting put a hand to her chin. "Well, I am married, to start. That's a step past special somepony, which he still he." She sighed with a smile. "Delightful little thing he is. But I have a special sometree on the side." Both ponies looked confused at that. "What? Didn't I mention that before?"

Amber shook her head. "You did not. But now you have to."

Misty bobbed her head quickly. "Yeah, tell us about her! What's she like?"

Comforting rubbed the back of her head with an uncertain chuckle. "Well, she's, um, a tree. Also I never said she was a she! Bold of you to assume. A tree can be a guy too."

Misty laughed awkwardly, turning her eyes to about anything else. "Just a lucky guess. But, um, so what is she like? Can you have a 'special tree' and also be married? Does Toots know?"

Comforting giggled, waving Misty to calm. "Yes, I have permission. I adore him, and he adores me, but neither of us have quite the same feelings for trees. Besides, this is a special tree. They've always been a tree, for as long as I've been this." She waved over her curious form. "Which is a long time. She watches quietly over all ponies, trying to help them grow and be happy. But she is a tree. She tried not being a tree for a while, but she went back to tree."

She frowned at that memory. "We were an actual pair, when she walked around sometimes. But, that wasn't for her, and I can't tell somecreature what they are more than they can. She is a tree, and if I can't accept that, well, maybe I'm not as good a friend as I claimed to be." She spread her arms out. "So I love her, but I love her more like a tree. Get me?"

Misty nodded slowly, taking that in. "I think so. I'm sure I'd want a tree to do whatever would make it happy, even if that meant staying rooted."

Amber pressed a hoof to her cheek. "Comforting, you have quite the past. Thank you for sharing a little of it with us. Um, do you still talk with them? The tree that is. Can you talk with a tree?"

Comforting beamed. "Sure! It just takes time, patience, and the will to not move around all day." She rubbed the back of her head, looking sheepish. "I'm joking around. She may not move, but she's surprisingly fast at sending texts. Thanks to that, I can send, and get back, messages with her." She fished out her phone to display it to both of them, moving to let a pony walk past.

The phone had a root icon, and when Comforting opened the recent messages, she was presented with the last one, which contained one word: Hello.

"Really talkative." Comforting smiled fondly down at the screen. She swiped downwards, showing a lot of other messages, but all too quickly to read. She stuffed it away without revealing what else had been said one way or the other. "She takes her job seriously, but so do I! I have half an eye on a little bit of growing chaos you have in the city."

Both ponies looked surprised. Amber asked the question on both their minds. "What do you mean? Do you think something's wrong? Can you tell us?"

Comforting paused, tapping her chin. "I don't think it's something that'll hurt anypony. But they need to find their way, and they aren't one to give up easily. I wish them luck, and hope they don't mess up a few things along the way. I think they can be better, but that's going to take time. I'm watching and waiting."

Amber and Misty shared a look of confusion. "I have no idea what that means." Amber shook her head. "But I trust that you're doing your job. What exactly is your job, aside from helping me run the library."

"That was always a side gig." Comforting tapped Amber on the snoot. "I'm a chaos spirit. But I like to think of myself as positive change. I'm watching a creature grapple with change. It's hard, frustrating sometimes. But, still rooting for her. I leave a few clues where she can find them, but it's only her own will that will carry her forward, or not. If I do it for her, well, that's not really growth, now is it?"

Amber scowled slightly. "That's a bit unfair, I think."

"Not everyone needs the sort of help you give. Sometimes, a little chaos is the only push needed." Comforting grinned, patting Amber on the back. She looked to Misty. "You went quiet."

Misty squeaked. "Well, um." She fidgeted in place. "It's just, well. Sunny works with the power of harmony and friendship. How does chaos work with, um, that?"

"Oh!" Comforting chuckled softly at that. "Life isn't just about harmony. Change is scary, but with the right kind of help, you can make the change into a good thing. Sometimes all it takes is a little nudge to get someone thinking about something differently." She tapped her fingers together. "Think of Sunny! She was quite the force of chaos when she went out determined to get all the ponies back together. What change! What disorder that introduced. I'm fairly sure that's part of what woke me up."

The two stared, a bit slack-jawed, at the idea. "Sunny, chaos?" They looked at one another, then back to Comforting.

"Well, that was certainly a new and different idea." Comforting nodded with confidence. "And things became quite chaotic around here before they eventually settled. That little spike was enough of a prod to get me moving, and so I met you, Amber. You know how that story ended up. Harmony isn't always order. Things grow. Things change. That's how you know they're alive."

Misty nodded slowly. "So change is a good thing, and you help change happen?"

"I like to think that change is a vital part of life." Comforting gave Misty a wink. "But, yes. I think you get it. Change can be bad, but it can also be a doorway to whole new possibilities of goodness too. Part of it is how you take it and react to it."

"Head Librarian, ma'am?" Another pony, a stallion, trotted up. "I need your help, please."

Amber nodded. "Of course." She went right back to her duties, leaving Comforting to her chaotic ways.

Author's Note

Comforting is watching this whole Allura thing. What pieces did she nudge into place?

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