‘Man, that’s a good OJ!’ Rapidfire drained his cup and held out his hoof for more. Luna poured with her magic.
‘Canterlot Larder, Raps,’ she said. ‘Only the best. You eat at the Larder?’
‘Ah, so that explains it – and yeah, all the time! Great place. Spitfire and me used to go after training.’
‘Used to?’
‘Team’s not what it once was. There’s a new generation of Wonderbolts to look to, and most of us have slipped into coaching. I used to be quicker off the mark than a startled rabbit. And some speed’s still there, more or less, but the acceleration – that’s declining.’
‘So that’s why you stopped flying in the derby!’ Celestia brandished her toast at him. ‘I knew I hadn’t seen you in a while!’
Rapidfire grinned. ‘That’s right. Game’s the game. Older you are the harder it gets. I’ve made peace with myself, though. The skill’s still in here.’ He tapped his head. ‘Now my job is passing it along.’
‘We won a lot of money betting on you,’ Jet Set called from the other balloon. Upper Crust nodded.
‘We used to watch the races with Fancy Pants. You won almost every time!’
‘Yeah, the good times,’ said Rapidfire. ‘I won’t forget that feeling – eyes in the goggles, air whipping my muzzle. The force as you turn. Flying. Nothing like it.’
‘I’ll bet,’ said Doc Top. ‘As a colt, I hated being an Earth Pony. My friends were casting spells and kicking clouds, and I dug the garden.’
‘Now?’ asked Rapidfire.
‘As you said – I made peace with myself.’ Doc Top chuckled.
‘Must be a good rep, though, being a doctor. Or a nurse. Helping ponies.’
Nurse Redheart smiled. ‘Not quite as awed as being a Wonderbolt, but I didn’t join the hospital for money or glory.’
‘Nor did I join the team for either,’ said Rapidfire. He paused, then added, ‘Well, for glory – OK, I admit.’
Everypony laughed.
‘I wanted to get into cooking,’ said Luna, inspecting her bread. ‘Baking in particular. You remember, Sister? My rock buns were nice!’
Celestia pulled a face. ‘They were, but your muffins – they ate like tar. And those were your words, Luna, not mine!’
‘Heh, true, true. I could whip together a batch here, couldn’t I? Could dangle the oven off the basket if I got some more rope – joking, Sister! Just joking!’
‘I composed a lot before becoming a princess,’ said Cadence, her eyes distant. ‘Wrote it all out. It’s still sitting in the castle, in a folder somewhere.’
‘How come we never heard any?’ Luna asked her. Cadence shrugged.
‘It wasn’t very good.’
‘Yeah? Isn’t that for others to judge?’
‘I – I suppose.’
‘So, can we hear it?’
‘Luna,’ said Celestia. ‘If Cadence is uncomfortable with –’
‘Nonsense, Sister! Cadence, you can show us when we get back, right?’
‘Speaking of which,’ interrupted Jet Set. He lost his nerve as all eyes flicked to him. ‘Erm – well, I mean to say – how are we? Returning to Canterlot, that is?’
Upper Crust stared at Celestia, who eyed Luna, who grinned. ‘Not to worry, Jetso, old boy. Not to worry. My sister and I have a plan. We’re going to petition Tirek to get to the bottom of it all. Petition? Commission? Is that the word?’
Celestia frowned. ‘Luna, I don’t think that’s quite what we had in mind.’
‘Nonsense, it’s exactly what’s needed! Tirek’ll help us out, don’t you worry! And Cadence, she’ll come along too. Help us get him in the right mood.’
‘Tirek?’ Rapidfire repeated, confused.
‘An old friend,’ said Luna before Celestia could reply. ‘Good pal of ours who we can visit thanks to these!’ She picked up her T-Kam and wiggled it. ‘And he knows all sorts about magic, doesn’t he, Sister? He’ll get to the bottom of it for us.’
‘About magic?’ Doc Top sounded puzzled. ‘What do you mean? Whatever for?’
‘Nothing to worry about,’ said Celestia quickly. ‘Just a theory. Luna and I think that this situation might be the product of some awry magic. It wouldn’t be the first time.’
If Celestia suspected her counterparts’ adoption of the bizarre circumstances, she decided not to show it. At any rate, to her something was amiss. Though the others, it was true, she did not know well, certainly she thought Cadence wasn’t herself. Only Luna displayed her typical crisis-time behaviour. Something was going on – more than merely a strange situation. It made her pensive and quiet.
‘Luna,’ she whispered as Cadence and Doc Top launched into a debate about set theory. ‘Can I – speak with you? Later?’
Luna shrugged. ‘Uh, yeah. Of course? What’s up?’
Celestia nodded. ‘Good. And nothing! Nothing. Just – good.’
‘– and maximally invariant transposition accounts for close-key relationships in a tonal system. You’re basically evolving a set incrementally. That’s what maintains a high degree of common members. A close key contains only one pitch class not among those of its relatives.’
‘But Cadence, that isn’t a suitable explanation at all! It hasn’t any ethics yet. It’s a pseudoscientific justification for standardised manipulations! Why subvert a system if the operations of your unfamiliar alternative lead to the same destination?’
Yes, thought Celestia, something was wrong, when Cadence and Doc Top, who had never met before, discussed a thesis in music theory. Something was out of place. Something.
But what? She watched them, whose faces were a little too relaxed. A little too pleased. They knew something. Somepony knew something.
Something.