Comforting walked along the boardwalk with her two favorite ponies flanking her. "They've really touched this place up."

"Really." Toots nodded as he looked around the bustling place. "Feels like it just came out of nowhere, but as places to idle away an evening, I've seen far worse."

Amber weaved around some incoming traffic. "What's that?" An open part of the crowd was up ahead, where an older vending machine stood. It didn't appear to be plugged in and was quite dormant.

"Let's take a look, shall we?" Comforting glanced around and hopped the crowd into that patch of quiet just around the abandoned machine. "Yeah. Now this looks old and crusty."

Toots walked past a sign proclaiming the machine had a limited time only run, having stopped sometime about five years ago. "Still looks nice for an ancient relic like this."

Amber clapped her hooves in front of it. "But what did it used to have? Makes you wonder what it used to give." She leaned in to try to examine it, but all the writing was old and worn, making that fairly impossible.

"Yeah." Comforting tilted her head slowly. "Not that we have to wonder." She put a hand to the side and gave it a sudden slap. The machine trembled, shook, then jumped as her chaotic magic took root within it. A glowing golden screen popped up on it. "Woops. Forgot the whole color scheme." She clicked the mouse hoof. "Tiny changes. Like the colors, right?"

The screen adjusted its colors to a very similar blue instead of the new and improved golden screen, complete with a swirling background that had no characters displayed on it.

Toots inclined his head one way and the other. "Uh, it still doesn't say what we can order from it. I don't get it, Comfie. How does it work?"

Comforting winked at him. "You're thinking too literally. Just ask for what you want, something edible likely. Junk food, if I had to guess."

Toots touched his chin in thought. "Hmmmm." He stepped up to the machine and tried to click the hoof-printed buttons on the machine with one hoof. "One cold bowl of pink grass, please?"

The machine buzzed and hopped before a bowl popped right out the bottom into Toot's waiting hooves. "Woah!" He laughed even as he took a nibble. "Tastes good too!"

Amber gasped with a pleased expression and took a seat on one of the stools by the stand. "What else can you get from it?" She reached to touch it with her hoof only for it to tingle faintly against her own skin with static electricity that prickled slightly. She withdrew her hoof quickly with a wince.

Comforting danced over and plopped onto a seat next to Amber, despite their large size difference. "You okay? Just ask for what you want and it'll spit it out. Nothing more complicated than that."

Amber flexed her hoof experimentally with a faint smile. "It sort of buzzed me a little when I touched it. I'm not quite sure what I want from it anyway." She tapped her chin in thought before suddenly brightening. "I think I want something cool and refreshing. How about a cold bottle of pop, orange flavored?"

The machine shook for a moment before spitting out an old-fashioned soda bottle that looked suspiciously like glass or plastic with an old fashioned style cork on the top rather than a modern twist-off cap. Amber caught it as it sailed towards her. "Look at that!" She turned it around in her magic. "That is so retro." With a twist of her magic, she got the cork out of it and brought it in for a sniff. "Smells good."

Comforting telekinetically popped herself open a fresh lemonade soda and enjoyed its cool touch against her lips with a soft hum. "And these machines don't expire." She chuckles softly. "At least, mine shouldn't? Maybe it does." She shrugged. "Hard to predict sometimes when you get to chaos, hm?"

Toots dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. "Expire?" He scoffed softly. "What does that even mean for chaos machines?"

Comforting hid a smirk behind a hand and raised her brow at him. "Exactly what you think it means."

Toots perked in surprise. "Wait! Does that mean your magic has an expiration date?!" He laughed at that strange thought before breaking into a fresh burst of laughter at the thought of chaos being expired.

Amber shook her head at Toots. "Most of her magic expires. It just, what, stops? She makes stuff, and it unmakes itself." She turned to Comforting. "Speaking of that, how do you plan on making a floor of the library and having it stick around for longer than a few moments?"

Comforting held up a lone finger. "Patience. I have plans. She grabbed a box of popcorn from her machine to munch on. "Got all you want?"

Toots snickered under his breath, muttering something about expired chaos that made him giggle every few words. He slapped himself on the forehead when he felt his eyes water from laughing so hard. "Oh, ow."

Comforting tickled her husband, making it worse. "Stop laughing at me, not very nice."

Toots struggled against his wife's tickling fingers with laughter still bubbling up his throat until he managed to wiggle free with an embarrassed expression. "Sorry. I'm sorry." He started to chuckle again but just stopped himself. "Um, nice job at least. But we're here to relax, not stuff our faces. I say we check out some of those rides."

Amber giggled and followed along after him with a bounce in her step and a pop in her step from her hooves lightly thumping the boardwalk while they made their way down the length of it. "A great idea. They sure do have a lot of them." She pointed at a roller coaster. "That looks like it could be fun."

Toots quickly hopped on line with the others in tow, bouncing slightly in place with eager anticipation. The line was quick to pass and they were at the head of the train when it stopped to unload.

Comforting was stopped by the stallion at the station. "Sorry, but if you're taller than that statue, you're too tall." He pointed a hoof at the statue of Discord holding out a hand.

Comforting's eyes went wide. "Wow." She didn't imagine him getting made into a ride warning sign, but the idea amused her all the same. "I can fix that." She walked up to the sign and put her head under Discord's extended hand. Pushing up against it, her body condensed until she wasn't stretching to reach it, perfectly sign-sized. "How's that?"

He blinked at Comforting before sighing. "That's fine."

She lifted up slightly to take a spot next to Amber and Toots before settling back down again.

Toots gripped his harness and braced his hooves on the restraints and let them do their work securing him in.

Amber thumped her armrests with a grin. "I can hardly wait!"

Comforting buckled herself into position without waiting for help. "All set. Let's get this moving."

The cart jerked to life and moved steadily forward towards the big dip ahead. Toots grinned at his wife and wiggled in his seat eagerly in preparation for the rush of the drop ahead. Comforting threw her hands in the air to allow the air rushing against her to flow along her palms as she whooped out a hearty cheer. She kept an eye on her companions, enjoying their excited reactions as well. Toots joined in with her hoots and hollers and once Amber had recovered from the first plunge, she added her own happy calls to the mix.

Other ponies were with them, cheering with each sudden swoop down, gravity allowed to bring them towards the ground as it so desperately wanted to do, just to be denied with the slope of the tracks. That was not quite all though. There were parts of the track where it flipped them upside down with little notice beyond some pressure pushing them into their seats from those controls. Toots threw his hooves into the air when the next flip came along, flailing outwards with all his limbs.

By the time they reached the end, they were panting, frazzled, and ready to fall out of their seats. The assistants unlatched them from their seats along with the rest of the crowd to dizzily stagger to the landing deck. Toots scratched at his head with a hoof, groaning slightly. "That was, uh..." He wobbled and grasped at his forehead again. "I feel like I'm flying?"

Amber grinned and straightened up when she felt she could walk straight again. "That was intense." She twirled on Comforting. "I bet you just shouted along for the fun of it."

Comforting blinked. "What, me? No! I was just as excited as the rest of you." She blew into a thumb, inflating to her usual size. "What would give you any other impression?"

Amber smirked and waved a hoof around. "I don't know what it is, but something about you just makes me think you're crazy enough to do that kind of thing for the fun of it." She put her hooves together and interlocked them. "You fly around all the time. I doubt a few ups and downs are enough to really rattle you. Be honest!"

Comforting laughed quietly with her chin low and a smile on her lips. "Alright, you got me. I could handle that no problem, but that wasn't about me! It was about watching you two have fun!" She ruffled the top of both of her companions. "You two made such delightful faces, and sounds. That's what made it fun for me, and worth every single moment. Don't go thinking about me at all, just let loose and have fun! I can do anything anywhere at any time, but with a friend? That suddenly makes it harder, and so much more precious."

Toots exhaled slowly. "Fair enough." He gestured for Amber and Comforting to follow him towards another ride. "I could go for another ride or two, what do you guys say?" He poked Amber in the side playfully when she stayed quiet for too long. "This one's less intense, but it has a better view."

Comforting craned her neck as she looked to the top. "Oh, a Ferris wheel! That looks like it could be fun."

Amber raised her hooves. "I'm not that dumb. That's meant to be enjoyed first by romantic couples." She glared at Comforting and Toots. "Like you two. I'd just be the third wheel."

Comforting snorted back a laugh. "Third wheel? On a Ferris wheel? Don't be silly. There are three seats in each car!" She glanced between Amber and Toots quickly. "Aren't there?"

Toots nodded as he headed up to the kiosk to buy tickets for it. "Yep! Perfect for all three of us." He shrugged with a smile. "We aren't getting on this for smooches."

Amber colored at the thought. "You two are married, last I checked."

"We are." Comforting curled around Toots. "Which means we can smooch whenever and wherever we want to. What makes this spot any different?"

Toots continued towards the Ferris wheel, ignoring Comforting's unrelenting squeeze around him. He did spare a moment to grab Amber's hoof and pull her along with him though. "Come on, grouchy girl, you're going on it with us."

Amber submitted to the tug and allowed herself to be led along by Toots towards the Ferris wheel with Comforting letting him drag them both along happily. Amber fidgeted with her steps. "If you're sure? I just don't want to be in the way."

Comforting laughed, reaching out to tickle Amber on her before leaving them to wiggle freely without her fingers between them. "We know you're not. Now hop on up before we go up without you!"

The three got into the car. "You're a friend, Amber. If we wanted a personal day out, we'd have gone on our own. You're here because we want you to be here, the whole time."

Amber perked up at that gentle assurance and giggled softly with a grin when she looked out the windows and saw the horizon spreading out in front of them and felt the breeze tickling her mane and tail softly as they got higher into the air. "It is a nice view." She slid a little closer and leaned against Toots, closest pony there.

Comforting reached across to tickle at Amber. "If you want a special somepony, I can and will hook you up. Just say the word."

Amber tsked Comforting and shoved her tickling hand away with a firm snort. "Focus on the moment! I'm happy here."

Toots reached over Amber to snag Comforting's hand, bringing it down to his lap. "Just relax and take it in."

Comforting only scooted closer, resting against Toots, looking out over everything below them with a quiet sigh. "I really am glad to be here with you both."

"We're happy you're here with us." Toots shifted back against her with a soft hum. He let out a little chuckle. "And it seems I'm stuck with two lovely mares, one to a side. A stallion couldn't ask for too much more."

Amber snorted back a laugh at that turn of phrase. "Alright there, cheekypants?"

"Stuck fast and feeling free at the same time." He reached over to give Amber's hoof a pat and wiggled his own hoof around when Comforting squeezed it tightly with her fingers and she chuckled softly against his mane with her warm breath wafting over him from behind.

Comforting drifted a hand into Amber's mane to pet gently through her mane and started to purr faintly when Amber didn't resist her advance at all. "Less exciting than the last one, but so relaxing." She hushed herself, enjoying the ride alongside the others. Some moments were meant to be slow and savored, and she did just that.

After they were done with the Ferris wheel, they moved along down the boardwalk to look at some of the different stands available. Some were offering food, some games to play for prizes, but it was a steady stream of opportunity for ponykind to get into shenanigans and tomfoolery.

Author's Note

In this episode, they just have fun. I also retro-explain where that vending machine came from. Pity she didn't make it 'coon proof.

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