Amber pounced Comforting when they least expected it, mid-book return. "I heard about you snooping around and it's making me nervous!" She hugged her chaotic friend. "How are you going to just make a third floor? I thought you were pretty clear about chaos just being a short thing, and a third floor that's only around a moment hardly seems like a good idea."

Comforting hadn't exactly expected her old friend to rush in and grab her like that. The swift and tight hug gave her an excellent opportunity to just be happy to feel those familiar arms around her, hugging her close. It took her a moment to parse there had been questions attached to the warm hug. "Calm down." She took hold of Amber to nuzzle the unicorn. "Just a trick I plan to try. Worse case, we don't get a third floor the easy way."

Amber laughed despite herself, wiggling softly against that sweet little touch and nuzzle, though she did pause at the implication. "We are still talking about adding a third floor to my library, yes?"

"Of course." She tickles at Amber's sides a little. "I do think a magic floor's a good idea, I really do." Comforting set Amber down on her own hooves. "I'm just going to play a trick, on the city, and the universe, is all."

Amber sighed and crossed her arms, tapping her hoof nervously. "Fine, fine. I do suppose I trust you. I'd just really prefer there was no potential destruction." She waves her hoof absently, fanning the air with her mane and her flowing tail.

"There shouldn't be! Like I said, worst case, we're right where we started." She put her hands to her chest. "I haven't hurt the library so far. I don't plan to start now."

Amber relaxed, having gotten what she hoped to from their discussion, and sat down in a seat, choosing to hang around Comforting while the chaos entity finished what she needed to do that morning. "Thank you again for helping me run this place, you're being such a help, even more than I realized."

Comforting clasped her hands together at the front and leaned in a bit towards Amber. "Happy to do what I can to help the ponies in Equestria, especially you." She ruffled Amber's mane. "Though I do wonder. As lovely as your efforts are here, don't you have some dreams past these walls?"

Amber was still from the hoof playing with her mane, reaching to slap Comforting's away, though her hooves just missed that flitting touch and had to give up. "No. I'm pretty happy with what I have going here." She reached for a book. "When I first came here, I had a saddlebag of books. Now I have a whole building. I've learned magic, and am passing it along. I don't feel like I have room to complain."

"You still have me, you know." Comforting shook her head. "We aren't stuck here, Amber." She used the opportunity of that hoof up on her mane to put it up under her chin to tilt up the librarian's gaze and hold it. "This is a nice place, but a rut is still a rut, even if it's a cozy one. As your resident chaos spirit, trust me on that."

Amber blinked slowly at that and sunk a bit with a long sigh. "Yeah. I know you're right. It's just, after everything..." She stood up and away from Comforting. "I think I'd rather not take you out of a quiet place where you belong."

Comforting gestured with one hand. "So we don't have to go that far." She floofed up Amber's mane, chuckling when it was flicked right back at her face. "We could go see how much the town's grown. Then come back? Start small, but start. Also, if it means my little book horse is happy, it's alright to drag me out of my own comfort zones a while. Don't fret over me. I'm a big girl, literally." She loomed over Amber with a grin.

Amber groaned. "That's a nice offer, really. Just, not right now."

Comforting reached for Amber's hooves to squeeze them. "Amber." She slowly kneeled down in front of the librarian unicorn, looking up to meet that lovely gaze. "As your friend, I want it to be super clear that I don't want you to worry for me. I can handle myself, and I'm trying to handle you too, silly thing."

Amber blanched slightly. "Oh. Yeah. Right." She rubbed a hoof along her arm. "I'll think about it." A thought came to her even faster than she had predicted. "Oh! There's something I always wanted to do but never had the chance to."

"Tell me?" Comforting leaned in with a curious expression. "Don't leave me hanging."

"I've heard about cruises." Amber hopped up onto a seat at a computer and pulled up a cruise quickly, showing its large boat and happy ponies. "That looks fun! I never went on one of those. No time when I was going between books, and then it was impossible to leave here." She smiled sadly. "But I really wanted to. It's supposed to be an amazing vacation spot, where you get to see stuff and also enjoy your own time to rest. See the world and curl up with a good book at the same time."

Comforting gasped with a warm smile at the thought. "A book lover's dream cruise, then." She nuzzled Amber with a wink. "Let's get ourselves on one of those cruises. Get you the nice, cozy experience." She stroked her own chin. "I should talk to Toots. If he can come too, that'd be delightful. A chance for us all to unwind and relax for a while."

Amber pushed back into Comforting to counter-nuzzle. "And let you take a little time to relax yourself, without work, sounds pretty good for all of us. Maybe, hmm, not be gone for too long."

Comforting looked past Amber at that screen. "Looks like most of them are a week or two at the most. Not too long. The other librarians can keep this place going for that long, hm?"

"Sounds like a plan." Amber stood up. "If you think it'd be okay." She stood up. "You're probably right." She whispered to herself. "It might do me some good to take some time off, finally." She started away from the computer. "Check with Toots. It'd be nice to have a friend or two along."

Comforting nodded, considering the plans, the paths, and everything else. "Alright. Let me do that right now, actually." She got up. "Be back, my dear."

Comforting fizzled away from the library abruptly. In the space between here and there, she swam with a grin, to emerge just behind her target. "Whatcha working on?"

Toots jumped in surprise at the sudden emergence of his chaotic wife in the seat behind him, giggling from that hoof tickling along his mane. "Uh, so many things at once." He hoofed at his screen. "It's either slow or way too fast." He pivoted his chair to face her. "What brings you here? You don't often visit during work."

"Amber needs some vacation." Comforting sank a little bit deeper into that chair. "A cruise, sounds fun! And since Amber wants company, I was hoping you could come along. Please?" She bounced with a pleading face.

Toots rubbed at his chin. "Cruise, cruise." He snorted at the thought. "Like I can afford that on my budget!"

Comforting hiked a brow. "You're married to a suspiciously wealthy chaos creature, I remind." She tickled under his chin. "I'd be covering. This is my idea and all." She hopped up. "So long as we can go together, and stay together, it sounds nice." She clasped her hands together. "Toots, I wouldn't really get a vacation otherwise! You both know what I'm like!"

He considered that in silence a bit more before pushing off with a sigh. "I'll talk to my boss. If they give the hooves up, alright." A moment after he said that, he thrust a hoof at Comforting. "And no chaosing them into saying yes, or any other tricks."

Comforting tsked him, pushing his hoof aside. "That wasn't necessary to even bring up." She put her hands together, enjoying the prospect of time alone, but together. "So it's not really about affording the cruise. We have plenty of money and our boss likes you. What is it?"

"It's me actually asking him." He kissed her closer cheek. "So let me ask him. Now, Little Miss Teleporter, I was in the middle of a project. Love you, but I really should get back to it."

She returned that sweet little kiss to his cheek with a soft purr in the back of her throat. "As you were, Toots." She spun his chair to face his computer once more, wiggling his mouse with one finger for him before pulling back away, vanishing away.

She appeared back on the second floor of the library and began a circuit with a smile. She saw ponies creating and collaborating. She saw a group of four students gathering together, trying to create something bigger with one of the printers. They were industriously assembling parts to then press together.

Comforting drifted closer curiously. "What have you got going on there? That looks bigger than the usual thing."

One of the students looked up from the plans laid out on the desk they were using. "Oh, a little thing I've been planning." They patted at the top of their head for a moment before touching it, proud of what they were creating. "Half the challenge is getting the printer to make each piece just right so they can slide together. As they lock together, they make an arm, with a hand at the end."

Comforting perked with that curious detail and watched the arm building process for a while. "Ah, that's a really wonderful little idea, but why build such a thing?" An arm with a hand at the end? Really? Not what she expected her little ponies to dream up.

One of the ponies pointed a hoof at it. "For anypony that needs a helping hand."

Another hiked a brow and motioned to one of them. "In case their arm isn't working, y'know?" They flexed one arm proudly. "Sometimes a pony has a weak arm that just doesn't wanna lift or hold things." The group nodded together.

Comforting orbited around the printer as it works. "That's a nice idea. But the printer can only make plastic. That won't make it move. What will be the moving parts to make it work?"

Another one piped up at that question, and quickly handed over a paper schematic of the planned parts. "We can't make that part here, but being able to work out the not-moving parts is a big help."

Comforting examined the paper and put it down carefully with a chuckle. "Goodness me, but this looks like you've really thought about it." She tickles their forehead. "Sounds like a ton of hard work ahead for you."

A third hoof bumped one of theirs on the desk with a nod. "But it'll be worth it!"

Comforting smiled at the industrious ponies resuming their work. She drifted off to look over the other ponies on the floor. There were quite a lot of ponies doing crafts together and practicing teamwork. Comforting clasped her hands together and pulled away, stepping downstairs for some book restacking. She stopped when she almost bumped into a little pony. "Yes?"

The little pony smiled up at Comforting with wide eyes. "Wow, they weren't lying. You're huge!"

Comforting blushed faintly. "That I am. I'm Comforting. You are?"

She perked with a proud expression and bounced. "I'm Catching. And, and I heard that you like, go all over Equestria sometimes!"

Comforting hoofed herself under the chin, humming in thought. "That is true. What of it, little one?" She bounced a little when Catching started bouncing, before the young filly noticed, blushing sheepishly. Comforting waved a little. "Go on. A little bounce isn't hurting anypony, hm?"

Catching danced from hoof to hoof. "I also heard you could make miracles happen if you want."

Comforting sucked in a deep breath. "There is... a story like that, but let's not focus on that one."

Catching leaned in and tugged along Comforting. "I just wanted to ask a little favor. It's tiny, um, if you have a moment?"

Comforting really looked at Catching in the moment that she touched that young and inviting hoof. The child's eyes were such a soft teal green. Her hair was the same shade with black tips. "I'm listening. What were you thinking about?"

Author's Note

A full Comforting Chapter. She deserved it.

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