Misty sat at their table, smiling nervously at Toots and Comforting. "Pretty sure this is the first time I had dinner here before."

"That's because it is." Toots settled in with the other two. "Glad you decided to stop by." He looked at Comforting, then at Misty. "So, Misty, I've been curious since we first met, and after hearing some stories. You're the other half of the 'magical duo' they have at the library?"

Misty blushed. "Um, well, I'm learning, and I can already do a lot, yeah."

Toots smiled. "Well, that's great! I admit, I don't know a lot about unicorn magic, so I hope you won't mind explaining." He tapped at the side of his head. "I just barely have earth pony magic going, and that's very different from what I've seen of unicorn magic. Is it hard to do?"

Misty shook her head. "No. Well, I mean, it depends." She looked up at her glowing horn. "This is the main way I cast spells, and it's like playing a song. The bigger spells have bigger, more complicated songs. But, the more you play, the better you get at it, so it kinda evens out."

Toots chuckled softly. "Ah! I like that analogy. It's easy to start, but gets more complex over time." He looked to Comforting. "You were involved in this, I bet."

Comforting shrugged. "Only a little." She held a hand up, fingers close together. "I just helped Amber remember how to use her horn again. I could have jumped her forward, but that was personal." She danced her fingers against one another. "I gave her the first step and let her wander down that path on her own, eyes wide with wonder. Her and Misty here have been eager devourers of every magic secret they can find."

Misty nodded eagerly, holding her hoof up. "We started writing what we found. I know Amber has a secret! We share almost everything, but she's hiding one from me. Not even fair!" She huffed a soft breath and slurped her soup. "Mmm, this is nice. Thank you."

Toots grinned. "Thank you, Misty." He twirled his spoon in the air. "So, Amber's keeping secrets, huh?"

"It's not even fair!" Misty flopped back. "I think she got it during the cruise, and I'm still trying to figure out what she could have learned while on vacation."

Toots' eyes flickered to Comforting, then back to Misty. "Oh, a new trick?" He chuckled softly, taking a drink of his soup. "I bet it's something impressive, then."

Comforting leaned in, tail swaying behind her. "Well, far be it for me to ruin it, but I bet whatever it is, you'll know it when you see it. Amber is careful, but she is also prone to showing off. If you ask, maybe she'll show you." She smirked at Misty. "Maybe she'll show you regardless." A wink.

Misty pouted at the idea. "You know exactly what she learned, don't you?"

"Maybe?" Comforting sipped with a smile. "Focus on your meal. Did you visit just to ask about Amber?"

"Kinda, but it's good to see you too." Misty ate her meal. "Between you and her, there's a lot of magic going on, and I can't keep up with all of it, but I want to know more."

Toots inclined his head. "Oh, am I in the way?"

"No!" She thrust a hoof towards him. "This is your house, for one thing. Sorry for being all about magic. Actually, how has earth-pony magic been for you? Did you make up any new plants?"

Toots rubbed his chin. "Not really." He looked aside to a house plant, and reached out to brush his hoof gently along its leaves. "It has been helpful to know, though." His hoof glowed softly, the leaves shifting slightly in color to become more vibrant and healthy. "I'm not great at growing crops, but I'm good with flowers."

Misty clapped at the sight of the restored flower. "Wow, I'm not all that good with houseplants. They, um, don't do so good if I'm left in charge of them." She shrank guiltily at that. "So I let Sunny lend a hoof. She knows how to do tricks like that."

Toots nodded. "Yeah! She's one of the first earth ponies to get it right. Imagine, having all three tribes? Too much for me." He clapped his hooves. "One's already plenty, right?" He gave Comforting an expectant look.

"Oh, sure." Comforting waved a hand. "The way I was made, there aren't types or kinds for me." She gestured over herself. "Not a pony and all. Back when I was one, just one. I was a little unicorn, like you, Misty. I was learning magic, also like you. I had a lot to figure out, and I wasn't always sure I was getting it right, but I kept trying." She chuckled, ear flickering. "And here I am. So I guess I got something right, at least once."

Misty took in Comforting's curious form. "Will learning unicorn magic make that happen to me?"

"Probably not." Comforting lightly tapped Misty at the end of her snout. "But, if it does, I call dibs on being chaos buddies, okay?" She grinned at Misty. "You can learn about me by being me, if that happens." She glanced at Toots. "We have plenty of room for another here, right?"

Toots nodded with a laugh. "Dear, you don't really seem to 'take up space', as it were. I don't think you'd be the sort to get territorial if another chaos spirit came visiting."

Comforting covered Toots' mouth. "Hush. You're tempting it. Ugh, they'll show up this chapter or the next, I bet. That's going to be a whole thing. Maybe it's time for me to learn a friendship lesson."

Toots nickered under Comforting's palm. "Dare we tempt it?"

Comforting looked away. "Let's not invite trouble. One disaster at a time. We're dealing with Allura now, right?"

Misty sat up at that. "She's been a good kitty. I heard she's started flying with the pegasi and even having a good time. It's really nice to see!" She giggled softly to herself. "Maybe I'll go out flying with her soon."

Comforting raised a brow at that. "Are you more advanced than I gave credit for? You're a unicorn, and they don't, usually, fly."

"Well, I've been practicing." Misty leaned aside. "A little. I haven't gotten very high, but I can lift myself off the ground a little, I'm sure I could do more if I had to." She pushed away from the table and hopped to her hooves. "Watch!"

Her horn glowed softly as she slowly raised from the ground, hovering on a platform that held her up. "Ta da!" It wobbled a little as she looked around, but it held her a foot up off the ground. "See?"

Toots smiled and applauded. "Well done!"

Comforting just sat and watched. "Misty, why did you make the platform?" She tapped Misty's platform in question. "Not an invalid approach. I'm just a little nosey, don't mind me. What inspired you?"

Misty looked down, staring at her construct. "I just, um, thought it was what I was supposed to do? I, uh, make something and lift it up." She wiggled her hooves in place. "It works, mostly." She looked upwards and the platform wobbled beneath her. "Woah, but I do have to keep it steady." With focus, she got it still again.

Comforting reached for the platform and touched it. "What if I changed what it is?" And changed it, the platform becoming solid and real.

Misty blinked at that. "How'd you do that?" She danced from hoof to hoof on what seemed to be a metal floating disc. "Silly to ask, I guess. You can do these sorts of things."

"That, yes." Comforting set her hand back. "I just wondered if there was a way for you to do something like it." She tapped her own nose. "I am chaos magic. I'm not sure what you are yet, but I bet you'll know it when you get it, you know?"

Misty hopped off the metal platform and landed on a new magic one. "I think this works for me. I have to get better at it. I can just, um, hold me mostly. I can do up or down, and not many other directions." The platform faded to nothing, leaving Misty on her hooves. "And, I can only do a little before I'm all out of energy. That's really tough."

Comforting chuckled and patted Misty on the back. "Still, quite a show." She zipped over to behind Toots, holding his shoulders. "Remember how curious you were, when you first got your magic?"

Toots nodded. "Yeah, I do. Took me a bit to figure it out, and it still doesn't work quite the same for me, but I'm getting good at it. Like Misty said, it's a lot like learning an instrument." He rubbed his hooves together with a green glow. "Maybe I should practice more often? I get distracted with the daily grind."

"Speaking of grind, dessert!" Comforting produced a tray of ice cream with a flourish. "Tonight, I'm giving you mint." She popped the tray down on the table. "Mm, I love the smell."

Misty sniffed gently. "Mmm!" Grabbing a cone, she munched into the thickly flavored minty treat. "Thank you. You two are super nice. Sorry for dropping in all of a sudden like that."

Toots shook his head. "Nonsense, you're always welcome. Besides, we're glad you came by. It's always nice to have company." He licked at his cone. "And someone to talk about magic with." He took a bite of the mint and shivered with mild brain freeze. "Mm, not bad! It's hard to talk magic with Comforting. She can do what she wants, so talking technique gets tricky."

Comforting nodded. "I do, and I don't, have any techniques. It's hard to describe when it just happens. Sometimes, it feels like I don't do it, it's just done." She snapped her fingers and a new creature appeared. "Like that?"

The creature was a chimera, with three heads. One of them, the goat, spoke first, "And a fine to-do! Summoned right in the middle of things."

The second head, the dragon's, laughed. "What's new, old buddy? You're being rude again."

The last head, the lion, roared at the dragon head, "Shut up, or I'm eating you first, I swear."

The goat bumped against the other heads. "No fighting, we have an exterior threat. Look." All three did look at Comforting. "Another chaos spirit, right there. A strange and unusual one."

Toots and Misty watched in awe as the creature walked and talked. Comforting laughed, holding up the chimera. "You're very astute! I see I picked a good talker today."

The chimera was abruptly a few feet away. The lion frowned. "We didn't say you could touch us."

"Ask first," continued the dragon. "Mind your manners. You've gotten far too used to being the only chaos agent in town."

The goat added, "We'll be around, and you're in for trouble."

Comforting sighed as the chimera vanished. "I did call that. Tell me I didn't." She sank onto her chair. "I'd come up with a brilliant plan about this, but the chapter's almost over, so we'll have to face this in the next one, I imagine."

Misty blinked slowly. "Chapter?"

Toots shook his head at her. "I've learned not to ask about those. It's something she sees and only she sees."

Author's Note

Oops, new potential bad guy/antagonist? Ah well, Comforting needed one.

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