"Hey, Twilight!" Rainbow called out, waving. Twilight waved back as Rainbow neared the portal. "So, we ready?" Rainbow asked, turning to Sunset. The rest of their friends didn't seem to be here—they were probably keeping Pinkie company. Or...school. Right, it was Thursday. Everyone else was in school today.
"Just about," Sunset said.
"So you're Princess Twilight Sparkle?" Gilda asked.
Twilight nodded. "And you are--"
"Gilda. Nice to meet you." She gave a light nod.
An odd expression crossed Twilight's face, but she said nothing on it. "Anyway, as I was saying, pictures are absolutely fine," she said, turning back to Bon-Bon. "And feel free to ask questions."
Lyra elbowed her, adding, "Though asking if Equestria has any plans to conquer Earth would probably be rude."
"Lyra!" Bon-Bon hissed.
"Um—Equestria has no such plans?" Twilight asked, looking between the two of them. "We don't really even have a standing army."
Gilda stared at Lyra and Bon-Bon, but shook her head and said nothing.
"Equestria would have no reason to do so, anyway," Sunset said. "I get it. Be careful trusting the word of strangers from other worlds, but really. Earth has no resources that would be valuable to Equestrians, that aren't also equally or more readily available to Equestria."
"I'll make sure word gets passed along," Gilda said slowly. "Ahem, Lyra? Bon-Bon? Please don't give them any reasons to declare war, okay?"
"I don't plan on it," Bon-Bon chuckled. "Boss's been on my case enough as it is."
Gilda nodded approvingly. "So you're about to head out?"
"Yup. I...honestly thought Rainbow would be late." Bon-Bon chuckled nervously.
Gilda grinned.
"I kept an eye on the time," Rainbow lied smoothly.
"Sure you did," Sunset said with a smile.
Gilda reached out, clasping Rainbow's hand. "Le'me know when you get back, 'kay? It can be fun hanging with the dorks, but it's good to have my cool friend back." She grinned.
"It's good to see you again, too," Rainbow said. "Next time, call me sooner, alright?"
Gilda nodded. "Will do, Crash." Gilda straightened her jacket, then nodded to Twilight. She pointed an accusatory finger at Bon-Bon and Lyra, and shot them a look that said all she needed to say to them, then walked off.
"If only lectures from your superiors could be converted to cash," Bon-Bon said with a sigh. "Like, a dime per 'don't-screw-this-up'. You know?"
Lyra nodded. "We could buy, like, an entire ice cream cone."
"So. You guys ready?" Sunset asked.
"As I'll ever be," Lyra moaned.
"Born ready," Bon-Bon answered.
"Good to go," Rainbow said.
"Just be warned, the portal can be a little rough," Sunset cautioned. "And I have no idea how it interacts with werewolves."
"Got it," Rainbow said.
"Follow my lead," Sunset said, before stepping through the portal.
"Geronimo!" Bon-Bon said, getting down and crawling through afterwards.
Lyra took a deep breath. Then, she grinned, leaping through the portal with a flash of yellow in her eyes.
Rainbow smiled, then leapt in after them.
Rainbow blinked her eyes open. She stretched out one arm, intent on pushing herself to her feet, only to realize that she didn't have fingers. She paused, then examined her forehoof. "Freaky," she muttered, climbing unsteadily to her hooves.
A warping sound came from behind her, and she quickly hopped aside as Twilight—or so she assumed—came through the...magic mirror?
Whatever. She had more important things to focus on.
She reached up with one hoof, messing with her hair—mane. It was a mane. Her hair was considerably thicker than it had been in the human world.
"Oh, shoot," Bon-Bon's voice muttered.
Rainbow found her by the camera she wore around her neck. "How am I supposed to use a camera like this?" she groaned. She tapped it with one hoof, then sighed.
"Well, there are cameras built for Earth ponies, but that one looks more intended for unicorns," Sunset said. "It is interesting that the camera didn't properly change to one you'd use, like your backpack did."
Bon-Bon looked over at her saddlebags, then looked at the camera. "Wait, hold on." She pointed at Lyra. "She gets a horn." She pointed her hoof at Sunset. "You get one, too." She pointed at Rainbow Dash. "She has wings." Then she pointed at Twilight. "She has both."
She looked at her sides, then felt up at her forehead with a hoof. "'Earth pony'?"
"Pegasi have flight, unicorns have their magic, and Earth pony magic grants them great strength, and magic that helps them grow plants better," Sunset said with a smile. "Earth pony efforts contriubte to the continued wellfare of Equestria, as without them, we'd have a lot less food available!"
Bon-Bon stared at her.
"Yeah, so, okay, it's not nearly as glamorous as unicorn or pegasus magic," Sunset admitted.
"I have magic?" Lyra burst out. "Awesome! What can I do?"
Sunset's horn lit up with a greenish color, and a glow of the same green enveloped Bon-Bon's camera. It floated into the air, over in front of Sunset's face. She took a picture of Bon-Bon and Lyra, then casually used her friggin' telekinesis to put the camera around Lyra's neck. "I'll help you figure out the telekinesis, so you can take the pictures for Bon-Bon."
Bon-Bon raised a hoof.
"Yes?" Sunset said, turning to fully face her.
Bon-Bon,wordlessly, pointed the hoof at Twilight. Twilight Sparkle stood noticeably taller than the others, with a build that seemed slightly more muscular, and, of course, she had both wings and a horn.
Looking back at her own wings, Twilight's wings were considerably larger, and she had a longer horn than Lyra or Sunset.
"I am an Alicorn," Twilight explained. "It means that I have the magic of all three tribes in me, and becoming one made me a princess, as well."
"It's a fairly archaic ruling, but with the specific circumstances required to become an Alicorn, it's never been challenged," Sunset commented casually. "Now, Lyra, I want you to listen carefully..."
As much as the magic lesson was vaguely interesting, Rainbow had something else to focus on. She stretched out her wings, then gave them a tentative flap. She had flown while ponied-up before, right? This shouldn't prove to be any problem.
Except her entire body was shaped differently.
After a few seconds of tentative experimentation, Rainbow Dash lifted off the ground. She waved her hooves for a second, before she quickly remembered how to balance herself in the air.
It was strange. In the human world, her flying was almost completely instinctual. Like she'd been doing it since she was born. But here in Equestria, she was having a lot of trouble figuring out what she was supposed to be doing.
Rainbow flew forward, and promptly crashed into a wall. She bounced off, and landed on her back with her hooves in the air, world spinning in her vision.
"Okay," she announced. "Too much thrust."
A short time later, after hitting a few more walls—or rather, the same wall several times—Rainbow believed she had gotten the hang of flying in this form. Lyra, it seemed, had gotten the hang of using her telekinesis.
"Okay, so, I think I can work the camera now," Lyra said. "What do you want me taking pictures of?"
"Anything you think the boss might want to see," Bon-Bon said with a sigh. "Architecture is a big one. Maybe some pictures of the locals. I don't know...anything cute. Ah!" She blinked, covering her eyes with a hoof as the camera flashed in her face.
"Ha ha," Bon-Bon muttered. "Okay, now that all that has been dealt with, um, Princess Twilight? Are we running late?"
"Princess Luna said we could go talk to her at any point," Twilight answered. "She sleeps during the day, so it doesn't matter to her what time we go over."
Sunset awkwardly ran a hoof through her mane. "What about Princess Celestia? I'd hate to interrupt a big, diplomatic meeting or something..."
"We'll meet her over dinner," Twilight answered.
"At precisely seven-thirty," Spike said, holding up a scroll. "Or seven-twenty-nine, if the castle staff listened to Twilight's recommendations about how to shave two seconds off of every task."
"I keep forgetting you can talk," Bon-Bon muttered.
"Say cheese!" Lyra said, holding up the camera. She snapped a picture as Spike posed, then lowered it. She frowned, then said, "I feel kinda funny. I'm not sure why. It's..."
"Because you're new to being a werewolf," Rainbow said, closing her eyes. She swayed a little on her hooves, wings outstretched, moving to a silent melody. "That's the call of the moon, Lyra. It's gonna be a full moon tonight."
"Only full moons," Sunset intoned. "Equestria's day and night cycle are artificial. It only has full moons."
"Are you serious?" Lyra burst out, eyes flashing gold. "Couldn't you have mentioned that?"
"She did," Bon-Bon said. "Like, three times? Four, counting just now."
"She did not!" Lyra snapped. She hesitated. "Did she?"
Bon-Bon sighed. "You dolt."
"The sooner we head over there, the better," Rainbow said, opening her eyes. Twilight blinked, as she met Rainbow's gaze. "Oh, um. I didn't know you could do that."
Rainbow grinned. "Hey, the golden eyes are the least freaky thing about this, Twilight."
"Oh. Ooookay." Twilight stepped closer, examining her face. "Everything else seems normal, so you're right. We should head over to meet with Princess Luna sooner rather than later."
Twilight began leading the way, Bon-Bon quickly cantering over to meet her. "Um, so," Bon-Bon said. "I know we get a little informal with you, but--"
"Princess Luna doesn't care that much about it," Twilight said. "She'll most likely ignore any breach in ettiquette, because you aren't nobility even in your own world."
"Oh. Okay. Um..." Bon-Bon nodded.
"Nervous?" Lyra asked, stepping up besides her. She snapped another picture of another room before turning back to Bon-Bon.
"A little. Vice Principal Luna scares me, and now I'm going to go meet Princess Luna?" She shuddered. "I could be in for a lot worse than a detention, Lyra."
"She's not going to execute you because you accidentally annoyed her," Sunset said firmly. She hesitated, then asked Twilight, "Right?" in an unsure tone.
Twilight sighed. "No, of course not," she said. "In fact, since her reformation, the worst thing she's done was almost cancel a holiday."
"Her reformation?" Rainbow asked, looking up.
"Well, yes, like Sunset, there was a time when she wasn't the best pony to be around," Twilight said.
"That's a light way to put it," Sunset muttered.
"Ah. You did that one, too, I'm guessing?"
"Um—to an extent?" Twilight shrugged as she stepped out of the castle. "I had my friends with me, but even then, I can't say we deserve all the credit. It was still Princess Celestia who reached out to her sister after we defeated her."
"That sounds like one heck of a story," Sunset said. "Got it in you for telling it?"
Twilight stared at her. "Alright, sure," she relented, "but only after we get on board. I don't want to miss the train."
"And she really just...burst into song?" Bon-Bon asked.
"Yes," Twilight said, nodding. "I honestly couldn't believe it at the time. It was kind of ridiculous."
"Kind of?" Bon-Bon laughed. "That sounds absolutely ridiculous, Princess."
Sunset stepped up, leaning in close to Twilight. "Maybe we should step up the pace, here?" she whispered. "Our lupine friends are beginning to get antsy."
"I can hear you, you know," Rainbow said.
"Yeah!" Lyra agreed, snapping to attention. "What'd she say?" she whispered to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow ignored her. "But, yeah, I'm with Sunset here," she said instead. "Lyra doesn't fully know how to control herself yet, and I'd prefer to stay away from others during my change."
Twilight nodded. "This way," she said, turning down one of the paths in Canterlot Castle.
Rainbow and the others moved to follow her, Lyra occasionally remembering she was supposed to be taking pictures.
Rainbow, of course, could hardly blame her for being somewhat absentminded. Between what they were here to do, and the echoing call ringing in her mind, she was having trouble focusing herself.
Permanent full moon...
If there had been werewolves in Equestria, what would that have been like? Rainbow could hardly imagine being on the verge of change twenty-four-seven. Especially for those who hadn't yet mastered control of their wolf. Everyone close to them would be at risk.
Rainbow shuddered at the thought.
Ahead of her, Lyra stumbled, wobbling. "You alright?" Rainbow asked, moving to stand besides her. Which was when she felt it.
A calm settled over her. All the instincts that she normally ascribed to her wolf side vanished. Her head fell quiet.
She stumbled, but managed to use her wings to maintain her balance. "Whoa," she whispered. "What the hay is this? I—I--"
"God, I didn't think she'd just turn it off," Lyra chuckled. She stumbled over to where Twilight was, asking, "I take it the Princess is near?"
"Just up ahead," Twilight answered. "Rainbow? You okay?"
Rainbow backed up, until she once again felt the wolf stir inside her. "Oh, I never thought I'd miss you," she muttered. "I'm—I'm okay. But I think I'm going to hang back here for a moment. Is...is that alright?"
Twilight nodded hesitantly. "We'll come get you when Princess Luna's ready to see you," she said.
Rainbow nodded, then sat down on a nearby bench. Several of the castle guards were giving her funny looks, but apparently, being with Princess Twilight was enough to ease their concerns.
Sunset sat down besides her. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I just...wasn't expecting...that." She shook herself. "Wait, shouldn't you be meeting up with your Princess?"
"Rainbow, I didn't know she existed over here until Twilight mentioned it, recently." She smiled. "Besides, you're important to me, Dash."
Rainbow Dash nodded. "Yeah, okay, I can see that," she said.
Sunset laughed. "That's such a you thing to say, you know that?"
"Obviously. I'm me, aren't I?" Her grin faded quickly, though. "Did...did you know that she'd do that? She's—hell, I thought she was asleep."
"She is. What even happened?"
"It was like...she turned off the wolf." Rainbow shuddered.
"I thought you didn't like being a werewolf."
"I'm still not sure I do," Rainbow said, "but...it felt like...someone got ripped away from me. Taken."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"I don't understand. I'm not sure you can," Rainbow said with a quiet chuckle.
"I dunno. Does the wolf feel like a separate person?"
Rainbow immediately began to blurt out, "No," but stopped herself. She felt...
"I think so," she answered.
"A truly rare occurrence, and then, normally only in the oldest of werewolves."
Rainbow jumped, wings outstretched, as the tall horse with a flowing mane, with what looked almost like miniature stars in it, stepped towards her.
"Hi!" Rainbow burst out stupidly. She sniffed, wondering how she hadn't smelled the newcomer appproaching, only to realize that her nose wasn't working nearly as well as it should have.
Pony nonsense, most likely.
"Good morrow, fair Rainbow Dash," Princess Luna said in an aristocratic tone—which sounded like how she talked back at CHS, too. "If you truly have been with the wolf for that long, then I can not cure you."
"...We cool," Rainbow said. She immediately regretted it—surely there was a cooler way to say that?
Luna fixed her with that gaze, which at CHS was reserved for students who were in trouble when they didn't do anything wrong.
Which wasn't so common, now that Sunset was reformed...
"Whilst I may not be able to cure you, Miss Rainbow, I did not say I couldn't help you. Come. I might be able to make this more bearable for you."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and began walking away. Rainbow looked to Sunset, who threw up one hoof in a shrug. Shaking her head, Rainbow followed after Princess Luna.