“I thought you said one of the Wonderbolts was guest lecturing.” Lightning Dust couldn’t take her eyes off the decorated halls of the School of Friendship. Small wooden yak carvings and etched pieces of coral from Mount Aris hung from the walls or were mounted on shelves beside portraits of world leaders and Equestrian paintings. On the outside, the school was built like any other school in Equestria. But the small additions from beyond Equestria were like tiny windows looking out to the other kingdoms.
Lightning broke her focus for a moment and looked beside her, at Rainbow Dash. “Why do you need me?”
“I don’t need you guest lecture,” Dash replied, “but I do want you to. Soarin’s topic on translating flight coordination skills to leadership skills is awesome, of course. But it’s not stunt flying.” She stopped and put a hoof on Lightning’s shoulder. “Besides, it’d be a favour to me.”
Lightning smiled. “Yeah, I guess I can’t let you Wonderbolts bore kids with synchronized flying manoeuvres.” She gestured to the decorations around the hall. “Plus, this place does look kinda cool.”
“That the spirit!” Rainbow gently nudged her back.
They passed empty classrooms as they walked through the school. It was a little eerie, though there was a good reason. The guest speakers had their own schedules, and if they gave their presentations one class at a time they would have been there all day. Already the guest lectures were planned to carry over for another day.
The students had all gathered and listened to their lessons in the school’s main lecture hall. And the two pegasi passed by the door to the hall, Lightning recognized the voice of the speaker.
“No way,” she said peering in and dropping her jaw. Countess Coloratura, or Rara as she preferred, was standing behind the podium. Upon the projector screen, the slide titled Art Deco Movement in Stage and Music Performance showed a close-up photo of one of her recent performances on Bridleway, with an emphasis on the design choices of the stage and props.
Lightning pulled her head out of the lecture hall and chased after Rainbow, who had continued on the path to the faculty lounge.
“How did you get Coloratura to come here?”
“She’s Applejack’s friend from when they were fillies,” Rainbow answered. “Didn’t you know that?”
“I don’t think I did.”
“Besides, she like inspiring kids. She practically begged us to let her help, even if there was no way we could say no.”
“Well, shit.” Lightning hung her head down and stared at her hooves. “I’m not going to share my stories if I’m going after the Coloratura.”
Rainbow laughed. “Ha! Now that would be pretty funny to watch. But don’t worry about it. Your lecture time’s tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow?” Lightning held a hoof out to one of the windows that looked out to Ponyville. As bright as it was, hardly a shadow was cast. “It’s only noon. Who’s going after Rara?”
“Soarin, actually,” Rainbow Dash said, before pausing and breaking out into laughter. “Oh-ho! We gotta find him, I wanna see the look on his face. I don’t even know if he knows that Rara’s here.”
“Your students are interesting.” Maud stayed focused on her work as she talked to her sister and Applejack. “After my lecture, the changeling one asked me about these rocks. But I don’t know anything about them.” In front of her, a half dozen stone flakes from Chrysalis’s throne warped and shifted their composition under the glare of a table lamp and a magnifying glass. A small wall of homework folders separated her workspace from a field of empty chip bags. She hadn’t moved from her seat all morning.
“You mean Ocellus?” Applejack clarified. “Now, that ain’t a surprise, she’s one of our best students.”
“Is that her name?” Maud lifted her eyes up for just a second.
Pinkie clicked her tongue in disappointment. “Oh, Maud. You’re so good at memorizing rocks, you should be able to get to know the students.”
“Sorry.” Maud retreated to her magnifying glass, placing a second smaller lens beneath her main one. The two lenses exposed the grain of the broken pieces, but they only managed to make her grumble to herself. Her composed demeanour dipped into noticeable frustration as she flipped the stones around.
“These rocks don’t make sense,” she eventually said with monotonous seething. “They keep changing their grain.”
“And I reckon that’s supposed to be bad?” Applejack asked. “It’s a changeling rock, right? Ain’t supposed to, you know, change?”
“Rocks don’t normally change, ” Maud answered, pausing and picking up the largest piece to scrape at its surface with the tip of a needle. She opening her mouth as if to explain more, but she was stuck in the middle of her thoughts.
And also Rainbow Dash butted in. “Is Soarin here?”
“Good morning to you too, Dashie,” Applejack turned around and stared so hard at Rainbow that Lightning Dust swore she saw actual death rays beaming across the room. “Funny you mention him, Dash. Did you bother to tell Soarin the lecture schedule ahead of time?”
Rainbow Dash covered her mouth snickering as she tried to hold back her laughter. “No.
“For the love of—” Applejack pressed her hoof to her temple. “Poor thing ran off for the bathroom after Maud’s lecture. Heard Rara’s name started hurling up this morning’s apple pie. Reckon the sugar cube’s still doing it now.”
“Probably dry hurling,” Maud corrected. “It’s been an hour. That’s too long for one pie.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.” Rainbow waved Applejack’s accusation away. “Soarin can handle it. Just some pre-flight jitters, that’s all.”
Lightning Dust scanned around the faculty lounge until she spotted the rest of the pie Applejack mentioned. It had cooled, but the gooey cinnamon-scented apples inside the crust still smelled delicious. She instinctively grabbed a slice and ate as she sat down beside Maud.
“Please don’t get any crust in my work area,” Maud cautioned her.
“You’re working on rocks?” Lightning smirked. “What, they come from a gold mine or something?”
Maud shook her head. “Equestria mines almost fifty metric tons of gold a year. Gold ores are common compared to the rare gemstones I study.”
“Okay…” Lighting’s voice trailed off before she switched topics. She turned to Applejack. “So, how are the classes? Do you always just talk about your lives and stuff?”
“Kind of,” she replied. “It’s more like we share our professional experiences. Though I guess stories are the student’s favourite part.” Applejack suddenly smiled and looked over Lightning’s shoulder. “Ain’t that right, Rara?”
Lightning tensed up and whipped her head around. Sure enough, the former pop star trotted into the lounge and immediately reached for the water cooler.
“Didn’t think it’d be this hard though,” Rara said, vanishing two cups of water before joining the other ponies. “I’m surprised, I’m almost as thirsty as when I sing.”
“Oh wow,” Lightning Dust said, quickly swallowing the rest of her pie. “This sure tasty.” She got up and move out of Rara’s way. “Y-you can have my seat, I’m going to get more pie.”
“Uh, thanks?” Rara accepted.
But Lightning Dust did not go immediately for the pie. Not at all. She grabbed Rainbow Dash and pulled her away to the mini kitchen, pretending to pick out a slice of pie.
“What’s going on with you?” Rainbow asked.
“Shh!” Lightning hissed. “I didn’t think I’d be in the same room as her! Shouldn’t she still be teaching?”
“It’s lunch. Class restarts in an hour.” Rainbow whispered back. “Seriously, what are you freaking out about?”
Lightning ignored her. Instead, she turned her attention to rearranging her hair. “Ugh, I barely combed my mane today. I look totally shitty.”
“Wait,” Rainbow smirked, “are you worried about what Rara thinks about you?”
“You’ve saved the world before,” Lightning snapped under her hushed breath. “We can’t all have that kind of reputation.” She closed her eyes and took deep breaths to steady herself, breathing so hard the fresh air burned its way through her nose.
“She’s not going to care,” Rainbow said. “She’s as down-to-earth as Applejack.”
“That’s not the point.” Lightning balanced a plate on her wing and picked a slice of pie. “She’s so freakin’ hot, dude. You can’t go up to some pony who looks that good when you look like you just got out of bed. It’s just too embarrassing!”
“Either you go back and start acting normal,” Rainbow threatened, “or I tell Rara exactly what kind of calming ‘music’ you like to listen to.”
Lightning Dust paled. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“You know I would,” Rainbow flashed a toothy smile. “And don’t stuff up on the pie. We’re going out for a faculty lunch if you want to join.”
“Oh, now I remember!” Rara’s jingled like a windchime, cutting through the faculty lounge. “I almost didn’t recognize you without the face paint.”
Lightning Dust’s face paled as she turned around to face the pop star.
“You’re the drummer for the Nightmare Knights, right? I have so many questions. I hope I’m not bothering you but I’d love it if we could talk over lunch.”
“Uh-huh,” Lightning nodded, fighting against her body as she choked on her own words. The snarky, muffled snickering from Rainbow Dash barely registered in her mind. “Lunch is cool.”
Svengallop dusted himself off as he walked off Ponyville’s brand-new teleportation pad, making sure to keep his eyes open for any ponies walking through the train station. There were some odd sorts of ponies in Ponyville, and he preferred it if he could avoid them entirely.
Teleportation stations were quickly becoming a booming business, trickling out from metropolitan areas and into more remote towns. Anywhere with a train station, shipyard, or airship port had, or was planning to have, brand-new teleportation pads.
Svengallop walked off the rickety wooden platform of Ponyville’s train station. He wondered why it had to be so public. With an invention as convenient as widespread teleportation, it could go anywhere. Why the train stations?
But the day seemed slow. The pegasi had cleared the sky of most clouds, save for the wispy white strands that flowed high above all the rest, and the sun’s touch warmed the skin even as winter’s cold breeze hung in the air. Ponies seemed more concerned with flying kites and enjoying the weather than they were with travelling.
“One day,” Svengallop whispered to himself, watching two pegasi playing catch while gliding. “One day I’ll get to relax.”
But for now, there was work to do.
At the centre of Ponyville, where flyers for Mayor Mare’s unopposed election campaign were posted around the town hall’s forum board, Svengallop found Coco Pommel, who was deep in a conversation with Rarity.
“Oh, Svengallop!” Rarity made a small gasp as she noticed him walking closer. “When Coco mentioned she was meeting a friend, I never imagined she meant you.”
“Why?” Svengallop tilted his head. “Because I’m so unlikeable?”
“N-no!” Rarity said, flustered. “I simply meant that—”
He let out a short laugh. “Sorry. Self-deprecation is pretty much a staple food among the Knights. Forget I said anything.”
“Very well,” Rarity said, and then turned to Coco. “If you two are busy, you don’t have to come to the luncheon.”
“It’s fine,” Coco assured her, “Svengallop and I are just touching base to make sure everything’s ready for the Rainbow Falls concert. We were planning on talking over lunch anyway.”
“Although I’m guessing it’s not going to be the two of us,” Svengallop added cautiously. “What’s this luncheon about?”
“Rarity asked me to give a special lecture on diversity, equity, and inclusion as they relate to international fashion trends,” Coco explained. “We were just about to meet up with the rest of the teachers. But it’s not exclusive, so you’re welcome to join.”
“I’m already here,” Svengallop said. “And I suppose this is the perfect weather for a cocktail.”
Rarity frowned and looked up at the clock atop the town hall. “It’s only a quarter past noon, darling.”
“I know,” Svengallop clicked his tongue. “I should have a white rabbit by now.”
“Let’s see what they’re serving, first,” Coco said. “I’m kind of excited, this is the first time I’ve been to a small-town diner.”
Pushing through the portal felt like swimming in a sea of gelatin. The portal stretched and contorted as if it knew Luna was trying to go where she did not belong. It was unnatural, forcing open a portal to another world. But it was also necessary. She had to speak to her sister, one way or another.
She reached her hoof out, feeling for some grass or dirt or anything on the other side where she could find her footing. Suddenly, she felt a tug, and her body started moving again.
Starlight grasped her hoof with a field of magic and pulled. The portal gave her a good fight, sucking Luna back to their own Equestria, but it eventually gave way. The alicorn tumbled out, rolling over Starlight as her face dragged through the ground.
“Bleh,” Luna spat out the grass as she picked herself up and dusted herself off. “The portal was much friendlier previously.”
“Well, we’re not using the original portal.” Starlight stretched her neck out. “The gemstone Maud gave me takes the mirror’s magic and refracts it into the component spell elements, but there’s bound to be a little imperfection. Even if we shine the exact spell onto your mirror fragment, the gemstone’s also sending some background interference.”
“Will it be stable?” Luna asked.
Starlight nodded. “Should be, as long as nothing changes.”
A garbled voice from the portal interrupted them. “Hello? I think I need a little assistance. The portal isn’t working correctly.”
Starlight sighed and rolled her eyes. She reached out with her magic and yanked Mudbriar through to their side of the portal, pulling as hard as she had with Luna. But Mudbriar’s twig-like frame was light, and he slipped easily through the portal even with two heavily packed travel bags on his back.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “You were supposed to wait until we said it was safe!”
Mudbriar rubbed his head. “When Luna when through it looked safe.”
Starlight clicked her tongue at him and picked up their bags, giving one to Luna. “Or, we could’ve both vanished into limbo and you’d be the only one who could warn some pony.”
“Technically, I’m not to blame. If you were more certain of your work we wouldn’t need a test run.”
Starlight clenched her jaw, but the issue slide. She reached into her bag and pulled out a diagram of the portal they had constructed in the castle. “Take this to Sunburst. If the portal becomes unstable and closes, he’ll be able to open it again.”
Mudbriar frowned and looked at the sheet. “I thought… I mean, I think I should come along to double-check your work.”
Starlight’s pupils narrowed on him as her eyes widened. “Mudbriar! Do you see three travel bags? This is a Luna and Starlight mission. If you come and something happens, what am I going to say to Maud?” Starlight waved her hooves around, miming a conversation. “‘Oh, sorry Maud, but your idiot boyfriend got shanked in the kidneys by an evil version of Trixie.’”
“Why the kidneys?” Mudbriar asked.
Starlight furrowed her brow, levitating him and the diagram. “Go home, Mudbriar.” She tossed him back through the portal with twice as much force as when she pulled him out, just to make sure the portal did not slow him down on the way.
“That was rather harsh,” Luna remarked as Starlight began to walk away from the portal. “He’s just being… himself. Surely he would have understood.”
“Nah, he’s my friend’s boyfriend,” Starlight shrugged it off casually. “By the transitive property of friendship, I get to be mean to him.”
“Is that a lesson you teach at school?”
“Ha!” Starlight laughed. “I wish.”
Resting on the horizon, they could both spot the tower, half-lit by a rose-red sky. It had grown to twice its size, by Luna’s estimation. Daybreaker’s hive of villainy was much the same as it had always been, though now it was more of itself. More buildings cropped up around it, their shadows stretching far along the grass from their corner of the horizon.
“I’m guessing that’s the place?” Starlight looked at it intensely, trying to make out the details of the creatures that walked out and about the tower. “Well, I’m ready when you are, Luna.”