Lyra: I don’t even know who lives here. I’d feel bad about peeking into an open window, but you did sneak into a castle. I mean, technically so did I, but only once. Twice. A smaller number than you.

[Rustle]

Lyra: Wait.. Is that…? Raindrops?!
Raindrops: [Gasp] … Uh… Hi.

Lyra: What are you doing? Oof. Have you lost your mind?

Raindrops: I… don’t know… what your…?
Lyra: Have you been stealing things from the human world?

Raindrops: No! Of course not…! I-… Yes! I mean no!

Lyra: Do you know how much trouble you could get in?! Do you?! Because I sure don’t! I can’t even comprehend how much trouble that is right now!

Raindrops: I know! I know! But-… Just look at this! These aren’t like the cheap, knockoff phones we have here! The charge on these things can last for days! And-and they don’t have to use texts to communicate. They can make phone calls! Real ones! Not like a crappy two-way radio! They connect to these towers that carry signals. Hundreds of signals! Thousand even! All at once! And these satellites! Floating around in space! Their connection is super fast! That’s why their internet is so powerful!

Lyra: Did you draw that chart?

Raindrops: And this paper! It’s so light and easy to carry! No more being weighted down by a hundred bits or less or carrying around fragile gemstones. And-and this stuff! It’s some kind of chemical. You spray it in somepony’s eyes when they try to attack you! Think about what this could have meant for us! Think about what it could mean for the future!

Lyra: Raindrops, stop!

Raindrops: And this thing! It shoots water out and spreads it all over the place! All that time spent scheduling rainfall and storms and supplying water to Cloudsdale when we could just let it go! Let the rain fall! Live like the Everfree! All that time wasted when we could be using our resources to better ourselves!

Lyra: But it’s not sustainable! All the resources spent on-!
Raindrops: Look at this bottle! Look how simple and elegant it is! And cheap! These things are mass-produced and sent all over their world! They’re battling thirst and hunger! Expanding their borders into territories we’d think were uninhabitable!

Lyra: Those things are non-biodegradable! They don’t decompose!
Raindrops: But what if they did? We have magic and they don’t!

Lyra: This has to stop! You can’t keep doing this!
Raindrops: I know! But… it means something, doesn’t it? There’s a bunch of alternate dimensions similar to ours, aren’t there? Why did the portal lead there? Why are we linked to their world? I know it’s a secret, but it doesn’t have to be a secret! It doesn’t have to be a hazard! We can help each other! We can change everything! [Heavy breathing]

Lyra: I… I’m not telling Twilight about this. But, Raindrops, you can’t go back there. Ever. I don’t know what all this means. And I certainly don’t know what all those charts mean. But you’re breaking the law. We can’t do that anymore.

Raindrops: I know… I never meant… I was just curious the first time.

Lyra: How did you even find out about it?

Raindrops: I saw all of you leaving the castle.
Lyra: [Omitted]. It was my fault.
Raindrops: Sorry!

Lyra: I have to go. I was never here. And you were never there! And this stuff… I don’t know how but it doesn’t exist. Not in this dimension. Do you understand?

Raindrops: Yes! I’m sorry! Thank you!

Lyra: Don’t mention it. Oof. Literally. Never mention any of this. Ever.

Stupid Ribbon… Stupid Bon-Bon… Stupid castle. Stupid pega-…!

Well well. And here I was thinking that whole thing had blown over. Finished with your light breaking-n-entering for the evening? Alright my little home invading friend, where are you headed tonight? Home maybe? Expect some company…

Lyra: Blossomforth! [Heavy Knocking] Blossomforth! [Heavy Knocking] If you don’t open this door for me you’ll open it for Twilight!

Blossomforth: Lyra? What’s going on?

Lyra: Well look who decided to wake up! I bet you had a real long night last night!

Blossomforth: I didn’t invite you inside.

Lyra: Cut the crap! I didn’t tell Twilight yet, but I know what you’ve done!

Blossomforth: You… you were spying on me?

Lyra: You bet your flank I was! How could you?!

Blossomforth: I-I didn’t think it was that big of a deal! It’s just a show!

Lyra: Just a-… What?

Blossomforth: And I thought you liked My Little Human.

Lyra: Don’t play dumb with me! I saw you fly out of Twilight’s Castle! You’ve been going to the human world!

Blossomforth: WHAT!? No! Never! I hated that place! Everything moves too fast and it’s so loud and I can’t fly and last time I was there a filly got hurt and the other two ran off and they were my responsibility and I couldn’t find either of-!

Lyra: Wait a minute. Wait a minute! You seriously haven’t been going to the human world? I saw a pegasus fly out of the castle late last night.

Blossomforth: So I’m suddenly the only pegasus in Ponyville?!

Lyra: You’re the only pegasus that knows about it! Except Rainbow Dash. And Fluttershy. Okay, I might not know everypony that knows about it. Maybe I jumped the hurdle here.

Blossomforth: MAYBE?! I’m about to have a panic attack!

Lyra: Alright I’m sorry! I just didn’t want you to get in trouble if I could talk you out of it! Just- Don’t tell anypony about this! Twilight is trying to catch whoever is responsible before they can do anything rash.

Blossomforth: I don’t even want to remember this! Get out of my house!

[Door Slam] [Pause]

Lyra: Okay. That went well.

Tootsie: [Audible Yawn]

Bon-Bon: When you said you were planning a picnic, this isn’t what I had in mind.

Lyra: Hey! You were the one that said you didn’t like me going out late by myself. Now I’m not alone!

Bon-Bon: Tootsie, let’s go home.

Tootsie: No. I… [Audiable Yawn] I wanna catch the badguy too.

Lyra: You hear that? So heroic and brave! And not covert and secret-keeping…

Bon-Bon: Okay fine! I’m the crazy pony here!

Lyra: As long as you know!

Bon-Bon: This is so stupid… If somepony’s breaking into the castle, they aren’t going to be so easy to find. Are you expecting them to just walk out the front-… Lyra. Lyra! Up! Up! The window!

Lyra: Holy crap! That’s not Twilight!

Tootsie: Oh my gosh! That’s them!

Lyra: Shh! Quiet! Twilight doesn’t want them to know we know anything!

Bon-Bon: So what do we do?

Lyra: I’m… I’m trying to make out who it is.

Bon-Bon: They’re already flying away.

Lyra: Shoot! But we know it’s a pegasus. Which gives me a pretty good idea of who it might be…

Lyra: Yeah. That’s definitely turned on.

Spike: The portal to the human world was like this when we got back from Canterlot. You really don’t know anything about it?

Lyra: No. I don’t have a reason to go back to that world again. I got everything I needed the first time.

Spike: This is really bad… If Twilight finds out-

Twilight: Finds out what?

Spike: Twilight! I-I-

Twilight: I already know everything, Spike.

Spike: You… do?

Twilight: Even with the map, I still consider this portal the most valuable and dangerous object in the castle. You think I don’t check on it several times a day?

Spike: But… why didn’t you say anything?

Twilight: You were solving a problem, so I let you take care of it. And you did a good job, Spike. At least until this happened. Speaking of which… Lyra, did this little lie lead to a greater truth too?

Lyra: Hey, I don’t know anything about this!

Twilight: I’d like to believe that, but you already tried going behind my back once. Regardless, this is a major security risk. There’s no telling who went in there, what they’re doing, or what they might bring back.

Lyra: So close the portal. Risk gone.

Twilight: I can’t! If whoever passed through the portal is still in there, they’ll be trapped! And if they become desperate… Ooh… I wish I’d dismantled that machine the moment I got back!

Spike: What do we do now?

Lyra: Go in after them?

Twilight: No… If something bad happens, Sunset Shimmer will contact me. I can’t let whoever went in there know that we know. We’re going to have to wait this one out, Spike. Lyra, I want to trust you. Whoever is doing this could be coming and going daily. If you find out anything, please let me know.

Lyra: Yeah, sure.

Lyra: Well hey there, Spike!

Spike: Lyra? Uh… Is Bon-Bon here?

Lyra: Yeah, you need her?

Spike: N-no, I… Is Tootsie Flute here?

Lyra: Yes, Spike. The gang is all here. What’s up?

Spike: Um… Can you come with me? I think I need to show you something.

Lyra: You think you need to show me something?