The mare pushed forward through the crowd towards the center aisle, where she could walk unimpeded forward. Her cutie mark was a bottle of bubbles and soap. Her mane was dark and unruly, almost like a cloud over her head. She held up a phone, showing off a picture of a family tree to them as she threw down an accusation with it. "I object!" She threw the phone, bouncing off Hitch's chest. "I. Object."

Hitch blinked in confusion before his serious face came on firmly. "What is the meaning of this? Why are you objecting?"

She pointed to the dropped phone. "Look for yourself."

Comforting gently took Toots by the hoof and led him away from the argument to be someplace else as she watched the debate unfold as more ponies swarmed around Hitch and the protestor to look at what she was talking about.

Hitch drew up the phone. "This is highly improper. If this is a false alarm, you are disturbing the peace, ma'am." On the phone was that family tree, which started with Comforting way way way up. There were countless ponies beneath her, a dazzling tree that spread wide and far. "Uh, what am I looking at?"

The mare snorted with annoyance as she stomped in and swiped the phone's screen once, getting it to go to to the bottom where one pony rested. "Comforting and Toots are related! They can't get married."

Ponies protested the accusation from all sides as Hitch silenced them with a hoof and reading that page out loud: "Comforting had a child with, who had a child with, who, hm." he scrolled slowly through the information. "You're not wrong, but they're so distantly related, I'm not sure there are any laws against this."

"This isn't about some law." The mare sneered at him even as she tried to regain control of her phone even as she kept arguing. "This is about family. It's improper for them to be together." She folded her arms. "Obscene! Toots is marrying is Great grandmother!"

Hitch gave the phone back. "You forgot a few 'greats' in there. And by a few, I mean at least a hundred."

"Gimmie that!" Pipp snatched the phone just before it could get back to the mare. She swiped across the screen with a snicker. "As I thought, wow. Comforting is related to a lot of ponies! Guess that happens when you're that old, no offense girl. She couldn't get involved with anypony the way you're looking at it."

Pipp blew out her lips at that assertion before quickly wrapping her wings around herself in a protective stance. "How about this! Every single pony in Equestria is related to every other one in some manner!" She laughed, offering the phone back. "Go back far enough and even the pegasi and the unicorns have links. We're all ponies, in the end."

The mare angrily stuffed her phone away. "Maybe we shouldn't be marrying ancient ponies!"

Comforting giggled with a smile. "Aw! She called me a pony. I'm one of you!" She hugged Toots, laughing and looking unbothered by the accusations thrown her way.

Toots leaned into that hug with a smile on his lips as he snorted loudly. "Why does this matter so much to you?"

The accusing mare whirled on Toots with a glare on her face. "There's a pony she's not related to." She pointed at herself. "Who's Great great great! grandmother she got in the way of, hip bumping her way into so much of Equestria."

Comforting seemed to perk at that. "Really? What pony was that?"

The mare swelled at being noticed, at the attention being directed at her for what she felt was her actions. "Silver Spoon! She was supposed to be with Diamond Tiara, not you!"

Comforting inclined her head. "Oh, Silver. Darling mare. But she was a mare, and so was Diamond. How were they going to have foals? I don't think I stopped the two of them from having all the foals they were going to have."

"Not like that!" The mare squawked angrily. "I mean, a family line. My great great great grandmama! They were so close, but then you had to come in!"

Comforting gently set Toots down. "I'm sorry, but Diamond picked me, not the other way around. It was her choice, and I was very helpless." She blushed at the ancient memories. "I loved her, no, still love her, so very much. I loved Silver, as a friend. Please stop shouting about them, please?"

She swept out her wings protectively, defensively. "You do not want to get me angry." She softened her tone, almost pleading. "Please, let me enjoy my wedding? It's already over anyway."

Hitch stepped up, business face on. "Ma'am. Your motion to nullify the wedding has been heard, and rejected. You are now violating the peace. Please step aside, join the festivities, or leave."

The mare shook her head angrily as she stamped her hooves at that announcement. "This is not right! She should have married a pony, and not, not whatever that is!" She waved a hoof at Comforting wildly.

Pipp cocked her head as she crossed her arms at that. "That's not being nice."

Zipp shook her head in agreement. "Nope. Hitch, want some help with that one?"

"Please do." Hitch shoved the mare along gently away from the Together tree and the wedding ceremony. "This isn't appropriate." He pointed out towards the edge of town. "You can go over there, or you can leave. You're not going to ruin this day for my friends."

"I'm not going anywhere." She wasn't doing well at resisting each of Hitch's pushes, being ejected from the wedding. "This isn't the end of this!"

Comforting let out a huff, turning to the crowd. "I'm sorry about that. Thank you all for coming to cheer me on. I've set up a reception just over there." She pointed to a restaraunt within view of the tree. "Let's eat, drink, and talk about happy times."

Toots jumped up to whisper to her as the crowd chattered to one another and headed for that location, "Do we need to go too?"

Comforting laughed at that, gently squeezing Toots. "Don't be shy. A new husband doesn't miss their own reception." She ruffled his mane. "Why, feeling drained already? Be honest."

Toots sat up in her grasp as he nodded at that. "It's not bad, it's just so different! I'm just nervous."

Comforting set him down gently. "Don't be. Everypony here is happy for you and just wants a chance to tell you that. We already dealt with the one that was not. Let's get some food in you." She pinched his chubby cheek. "I ordered your favorite."

"Pumpkin soup?" Toots swayed in place for a moment, lost in that thought. "Let's go, that sounds delicious!" He bounded ahead with Comforting gliding after him easily as they arrived at the table with chairs for everypony to sit in even as some guests arrived at the party late or spent some time walking about town instead of heading straight to the event location as they arrived shortly after Toots and Comforting took their places there.

"I have a question." Amber floated books back to their home with her Twilighting spell. "If you're up for it, newlywed."

Comforting snorted at that. "I'm here to work. What's on your mind, boss mare?"

Amber stiffened a moment. "Fair return shot. Um, but yeah, you're a little god." She turned to Comforting fully. "Everything about you is up to your whim. You could be anything or anyone at any time. How does an infinite creature marry one pony?"

"Fair question." Comforting patted Amber's head with a warm smile on her lips. "Marriage isn't just for sex or family." She hummed gently. "Toots is a ground. He's a safe place, a happy place. Whatever crazy adventures I get into, I can always come home, snuggle up next to Toots, and know I'll be loved. That's worth more than the stupid amount of bits I have."

"It sounds like you love him more than your hoard." Amber closed her eyes in thought. "Which makes sense, because he is a hoard! Does he have you too?"

Comforting tickled gently at Amber's side. "Of course he does! We're married. That goes both ways. We belong to each other now. I hope the power he owns doesn't go to his head." She didn't sound like she was that worried about such an eventuality. "No pressure, none at all, but do you have your eyes on any pony, or creature?"

Amber flopped on top of her head as she snorted in annoyance. "I'm not looking right now! Even if I did find somepony, they'd still need to earn my trust and acceptance."

Comforting grabbed Amber by the cheeks. "Of course! Sorry, wasn't trying to force anything. I was just curious. You run on your own schedule, and that's perfectly fine." She drew her hands away. "If it helps, I went centuries without a special somepony."

"Some of us don't live that long." Amber huffed at that and looked over to Comforting with an odd smile on her lips. "Okay! Let's start shifting these things over to their new home." New books had arrived. The Twilighting spell refused to work until they were put away at least once. "Let's go!"

Comforting carefully wandered around the library with Amber in tow as she pushed those books back into place where they belonged. After they had completed that chore, Comforting whirled on Amber. "Speaking of, you've been such a good little pony, perhaps it's time for some new magic?"

Amber snorted with irritation. "Are you being condescending? Is this going to be a teachable moment?"

Comforting fluttered her wings quickly with a playful smile on her lips as she turned away from Amber and hovered up into the air with a gentle whoosh of a new book being drawn from within herself. "Yes on the teachable moments." She landed, book held out. "Because I'm offering a new spell."

Amber stared at it for a moment before eagerly trotting over and grabbing it, holding it up in the air with a pleased sound. "Really? You're not just playing a trick on me?"

"You're my student." She ruffled Amber's mane. "No tricks when I say 'new spell'. In fact, the question is what sort of spell you're hoping to learn."

Amber let out a huff as she considered that for a moment as she clutched the book close to her chest. "New magic would be nice. Nothing too flashy. I still have so much to learn." She paced back and forth nervously. "We started with transformations, can we take that to the next level?"

Comforting gave a solemn nod as she watched Amber think over her options carefully before she hovered before Amber as she offered out a hoof in a show of trust. "How about a change of body parts?" She waved over herself. "Look at me! I'm a mess of different creatures, and you could be too, at least as long as you want to be. I'm not suggesting it as a lifestyle."

Amber took a moment to consider that before hesitantly nodding with a grin on her face at that idea even as she skipped happily in place before nodding eagerly. "Yes! Yes please! When do we start?"

"When is now. Where is our usual spot." Comforting darted off towards the magical learning room. She doodled on the board at the front of the room, writing down what was clearly a spell with its runic letters.

Amber waggled her hooves in excitement as she hurried into the room after Comforting and peered over her shoulder with a curious expression on her face as she followed along with Comforting's hand movements.

She put the book down and sank to her haunches, reading over the letters that were already revealed. "So that, then, and a little, mmhmm." She nodded as she read the spell as it came into view. "I see some blank spots."

Comforting looked over her shoulders. "Do you? Good! Like the first spell I showed you, this one's meant to have spots you fill in." She pointed to those mystery blanks. "To become part tiger, you have to put tiger parts in here. But which part tiger? Want a tiger tail? Tiger arms? You have to specify that. Now, lucky you!" She pointed to Amber with a smile. "You have a whole body right there, so getting the arcane words for your own parts should be easy enough."

"Okay, okay." Amber poked at those empty spots. "So I use myself as an example and just pop these in?"

"Mmhm!" Comforting patted her gently. "That will give you all the part words. The trick, after that, is to get new 'thing' words to become. You already know doorknob, but I doubt you want to turn any of you into a doorknob."

Amber peered over her glasses at Comforting before hoofing at her side playfully. "No thank you! That wouldn't help me do the reading and cataloging stuff."

"Exactly." Comforting nodded firmly. "Still, you're getting the idead. Collect words, and your options expand. Start with naming yourself, all your parts. The word for head, face, neck, tail, rump, sides, all of them."

Amber nodded as she put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully as she took in that instruction as she processed it all carefully before taking a deep breath and running her hooves through her mane. "Oh." She fluffed up her mane, considering the feel and the weight of it as she rocked left and right. "We can start here."

Author's Note

Wedding Receptions and magic lessons? Is this legal?

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