Queen Haven sat on the soft, pillowy surface of a cloud she had made herself by dint of her magic and stared down at her hooves with a soft frown on her face and her wings pulled in close to herself and still as stone as she hovered in place like that just as perfectly. "Nopony ever thought to sit on a cloud." She lowered herself, laying her full belly across it. "And that it would be this pleasant to do so on!"

Rain Shower hopped in place excitedly with giggles at Haven's discovery and discoveries yet to be made. "Pretty great, huh? Pegasi are the masters of weather. You guys should totally be lounging on your own clouds every chance you get. You deserve it."

Haven stretched out and fell back against the cloud like it was a mattress like any pony would fall back on their bed to relax after a long day's work. "Tempting! But we do have work we need to do, and we can't do them just laying on clouds all day." She rolled back to her hooves and took off into the air with a light flapping. "Still, a delightful option."

Rain rushed up next to Haven, grinning brightly. "Clouds can do so much more than be pillows!" She gestured to one that had gotten a little heavy and was threatening to break up into raindrops. "See that one? Give it a push and it'll let all that rain out. That's one big way pegasi can help control the weather itself. We make it wet, or help keep it dry."

Haven directed her wings towards that cloud and made it spin lazily in place while she leaned in towards it and cleared her throat loudly to say very clearly, "I don't think it should rain today!" She looked to Rain Shower. "How do I make it go away?"

Rain flapped her wings gently, flying over beside Haven. "Two ways. One, move it to where you'd rather rain. Two, if you really just don't need a rain cloud." She twirled around, pointing her rump at it. "You kick it!" She lashed out with her hind legs, bucking the cloud and breaking it up into little harmless puffs. "Big clouds may take more effort."

Haven gasped softly at that display from Rain Shower. "My word! How extraordinary! Such effortless precision! You make this look easy." She chuckled softly, unable to help but laugh at herself. "And here I was thinking pegasi magic was just for flying."

Rain spread her wings briefly, still flying. "Flying is pretty great on its own, but we have more in there." She darted around Haven. "But now you're caught up! You won't have to feel silly around the other students."

Haven motioned towards a fluffy little cloud that she spied floating past them lazily. "Do you mind?" She floated closer to it and reached out with a hoof to run her hoof through the little white puffball, humming softly at the texture of the cool mist around her hoof. With a light tapping, she made it start to drizzle. "Oh my, this is more fun than it has any right to be." She let out a happy laughter, twirling to face Rain. "Yes, I feel confident enough in the basics. Now, as a queen, I am unlikely to make weather ponying my primary duty. But knowing how it's done, that's different."

Rain nodded at that remark from Haven and fluttered over closer. "Knowing to know is still good."

Zipp darted over to join them. "You look pretty happy, mom. All done for today?"

Haven continued flicking through the little raincloud with her hoof idly and tapping it to give it little pauses between drops and sprays of water. "It was a lovely start! It's quite wonderful learning that we've had all of this power all along."

Zipp laughed at that. "Oh, yeah. Imagine how surprised I was! Seriously, sitting on a cloud? I wouldn't have tried it!"

Haven gestured with her free hoof towards Zipp. "Precisely! Such mundane things were under our noses this entire time! Why have we never tried? Why didn't anypony think to try sitting on a cloud?" She started for the ground beneath them. "Still, somepony has to be the first. Today has been a wonderful day, and I'm looking forward to those classes of your, dear Rain Shower."

Rain giggled with amusement at Haven calling her 'dear'. "Any time! I love teaching!" She waved at Haven and Zipp. "I'm going to do some more flying for a bit!" She took off into the city with a joyous cry.

Zipp landed with her mother. "She sure seems to like, you know, existing."

Haven watched Rain fly away. "That isn't a bad thing. Such a cheerful teacher. I was worried I'd end up being taught by a grumpy old pony who would tell me 'because that's how things have always been' if I asked them why they did something one way."

Zipp laughed at the mental image. "You're being silly. We told you it was a mare. She's really nice."

"So I see." Haven nodded at her guards, also landing near her. "For now, we should head into the city and get a room." She pauses. "Well, I should. You already have a place for yourself, dear daughter."

Zipp turned for the city herself with a quick salute. "Yep! Good luck with that! See you later!" She raced off and away at speed, deciding that her mom wasn't getting into any trouble that day.

***

Comforting looked around a moment. "Where'd your bunny go?"

Toots peeked out from a room in the back. "He's, uh, not really 'my' bunny. He kinda goes where and when he wants." He came back towards Comforting. "And right now, he decided he wanted to be out somewhere."

Comforting watched him. She noticed something unusual about his coat and put her hoof on his face. "What happened here?" She brushed over the scratch.

He pulled away slightly. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Too late, worrying." She drew him closer. "Tell me, or I'll worry even harder."

He stepped back and smiled softly. "Nothing that matters now." He took a deep breath and looked out the window at the tall towers that loomed over the city like watchful giants ready to defend anypony that may be living there. "I just made a silly mistake, that's all. It won't happen again."

Comforting came up on him from behind. "Glad to hear that, but I really wanna know. Is it that embarrassing?"

He chuckled softly at the tickle of Comforting being so close to him. "Alright, alright." He reached back and gently rubbed his hoof along Comforting's side, briefly savoring the softness of her coat and how easy it was to slip his hoof against her body. He drew her into a hug, and she didn't resist, not that she often did. "I tried to give that bunny a bath, and he strongly objected."

Comforting scowled, for just a tiny moment considering what roasted rabbit would taste like. She bit back that response. "As you've found out, he's a wild rabbit." She paused to think about that. Fishing out her phone, she did a quick search. "Oh, hm. It seems rabbits are usually kinda spooked by water. They can get hurt in the wild if they get wet, then they get really cold really easily. Today I learned!"

Toots tapped at his chin. "Guess he just doesn't like baths." He grinned at Comforting. "Wonder what that says about us?"

Comforting chuckled and elbowed him gently in the chest. "We aren't nearly as plush as a rabbit is." She fluffed her own fur. "I am fuzzy, but not that fuzzy. Besides, also pretty good at drying myself afterwards."

Toots leaned in and booped his nose against hers. "Well, just wanted to make sure everything was good here. I didn't leave you in the lurch, did I?"

Comforting snorted softly at that. "Me? You're the one that got mildly mauled by a terrified rabbit." She fluffed Toots' cheeks. "Don't do that again."

He laughed and nuzzled up against her briefly before slipping away again. "I'll be fine! The things we do for cute little bunnies." He rolled his eyes and headed back towards the door. "Gotta make sure somepony isn't stuck looking for a room somewhere."

She watched him leave with a brief snort of amusement. "I'm glad I have such a hard worker." She pounces him suddenly, curling all around him and nuzzling into his fur. "The world is changing."

Toots was still a moment. "You're part of why."

She glanced back at him. "How do you mean?"

"If you're from such a different place than us," he said slowly, "you being around means things are going to be a lot different from here on out." He sank to his haunches. "You're making things change. That isn't a bad thing, but it's true."

She slumped onto the ground next to him. "And I'm the source of this?" She hummed thoughtfully, nuzzling against him. "So long as I don't ruin things, I guess that's okay." She considered. "Yeah, hm." She thought of Rain Shower. Would they have returned? Would they have met that bunny, to then attack Toots. "Dang it." She nuzzled one of those scuffed spots. "Sorry."

He blushed deeply at that touch and bit his lower lip for a moment, at a loss for words. He recovered quickly with a little chuckle and motioned for Comforting to stop with a touch of his hoof against her hand. "I love you. Simple as that. A little angry bunny isn't changing that." He stuck out his tongue at her. "So there."

Comforting returned the expression briefly before calming down again and breathing a long sigh out from her lips and letting her shoulders slump forwards with the weight of her worries evaporating away like morning dew under the gentle warmth of the sun on that beautiful spring day that filled the streets with life and color. "Alright." She rubbed her nose with his. "The world is changing, but not in a bad way. Let's enjoy it!"

"Exactly." He turned for the door. "That's what I plan on doing. I'd rather live in a world with my Comforting at my side."

Comforting heaved a long sigh at those sweet words from Toots and held him for a few moments more before pulling away. "I should get to work, and you probably should too. See you tonight?"

"I'm sure you will." He gave her one last nuzzle before departing, heading for the door with a wave over his shoulder and just barely being able to hear her say something very kind back towards him before he was out of earshot of that wonderful conversation with his wife.

Comforting waved a little longer than she needed to. She closed the door and checked around for anything missing. The oven was off as was all the other appliances. "Dinner!" That was the promise. Breakfast and dinner. Together, until the last of days. Confident all was in place, Comforting casually vanished.

She appeared within the library, wearing the uniform of the place and a smile to go with it. She saw a pony looking lost and darted over to help them find what they were hunting.

Nearby, Amber was browsing through a book about Earth ponies she hadn't really had a reason to read before then but was quite interesting to learn about what makes them so special beyond just being a kind of pony.

Comforting got the lost pony where she wanted to be and left them with an exchanged little wave. Shortly, she found Amber and sank next to her. "What are you reading so happily?"

Amber looked up from her book. "It's a new one." She lifted the book in her magic. "About earth ponies. Somepony decided they needed to write a new one, since earth ponies discovered their magic and all."

Comforting snorted. "Are you trying to get even more clever?"

Amber smiled with a short little laugh and pat her cheeks. "Me? No way!" She grinned playfully at Comforting. "Good to see you. You're late, little miss chaos." She rolled her eyes, not looking that upset. "Upstairs is doing great. You're doing such a good job."

Comforting laughed bashfully at that compliment and leaned in for a moment to kiss Amber's cheek playfully. "Always nice to be acknowledged. I got a little sidetracked with Toots, but he's off doing his thing now, and I'm here!" She clapped with a smile. "So how can I help? My little wizard, still spreading magic to the other unicorns?"

Amber pushed her gently back with a little playful pout. "Stop it! You're gonna make me blush if you keep this up, y'know!" She laughed, leaning against Comforting. "But, yes, I am. And, thankfully, not the only one." She curled a hoof to her chin. "Teachers get students who become teachers. It's wonderful! Um, only one thing."

Comforting slipped a hand against Amber's hoof and ran a few fingers along it absently. "Tell me? You sound upset. Upset is bad."

Amber huffed lightly. "Well you have me under your loving hand. If I do something silly, you'll bop me on the nose and make me stop. My student, or my student's student? They don't all have you. They could start using magic oddly, for any wild thing."

Comforting reclined and kept massaging Amber's hoof. "Well, seems to me your student had a really good teacher that taught them well, and your student will continue the wonderful lesson and their student will make another. Our ponies are eager to learn. We can just hope our students continue being great teachers and make everypony better from what we were."

Amber laughed in a strained way. "I hope!" She gets her hoof free, just to hug Comforting. "I'm just a little worried. Magic's powerful. Somepony could hurt themselves."

Comforting patted the unicorn on the back and stayed silent a while to let Amber have a little emotional moment. "Change is scary." She lifts an ear towards Amber. "Scary things could happen. But if we don't move, good things can't happen either."

Amber nodded sadly. "Yeah, I know. You're right, you're right." She shakily rubbed a hoof against her forehead and took a long breath, sighing out slowly. "I'll just have to do my best, teach them as best I can."

"Exactly." Comforting tickled along Amber's sides. "Like I did with you. All anypony can ask in the end." She shuffled a hoof against the ground nervously. "Which leads to my question for today, my lovely unicorn. We've made so much progress recently with teaching the world. What else can be taught?"

Amber blinked at that. "Do we need to do more? There's so much already happening. Magic is coming back, to unicorns and the pegasi." She frowns a bit. "And the earth ponies, but it's all new to them, not coming back. Still new for everypony! We have so very much to learn."

Comforting squeezed Amber tighter for a moment, rubbing a hand along the unicorn's flank before pulling away. "New magic, and so much learning."

Amber nodded and stood up. "And teaching. What an amazing time to be around. I can't imagine what it was like, when everypony just knew this stuff already. What trouble did they get into?"

"Not nearly as much as we'll manage." Comforting drifted away with a grin. "Let's make it fun."

Author's Note

Thoughts and learning things all over the place.

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