Author's Notes:

Once again we have a contributing suggestion from a reader, this one being Yoshi1990, for whom I've done proofreading in the past, and who is a great guy. Coming next week though is a guest I think many people will be happy with!

“Hey, I was thinking of something this week,” said Karyn as Derpy arrived, “and I wrote myself a note on the computer to ask you, so now I can finally get rid of it.”

“You haven’t asked me yet,” Derpy replied. She was eager to get back to Equestria, where Cheerilee was waiting.

“True, but I do remember. Whatever became of that letter you got from the post office and wanted to deliver. Have you done anything with it?”

“Oh? No. Last week I got caught up a bit with everything that went on with Big Macintosh.”

Karyn pursed her lips and nodded. “And before that, Dinky was here, so I’m sure that you were obsessing over her.”

“Actually, I had some free time, but it didn’t feel right to do anything about the letter then, you know?”

“No, why?”

Derpy gestured to the air around her, then hugged herself with her hooves. “It’s hard to describe, but it feels like the day that I found that letter, and last week with Big Mac, and this week too; like they’re all part of some separate continuum, as if things we do here can’t affect how we normally interact with each other, and vice versa.”

Karyn stared at her, but she didn’t pursue it any further. “Why don’t you go ahead and get Cheerilee. She is set to come, right?”

“Yes. Wait here.”

Derpy returned with the teacher, who looked around the apartment. “Oh, it’s just like Big Mac told me it would be. Thank you, Karyn, for having me here.”

“Not at all.”

“Though I must say that it doesn’t feel right for me to have had to ask Berry Punch to substitute for me in class.”

Karyn was taken aback. “She’s a teacher? And fit to handle your students?”

“Normally she teaches the older foals. When she’s not pursuing her other passions.”

Neither one wanted to gossip further about Berry. Derpy said, “Speaking of which, since it’s a weekday, how did you get off from classes, Karyn?”

“I picked this day specifically because I only have one class today. As to that one, I was completely honest and said that I had some friends to entertain, and could I miss one lecture? The professor was very accommodating. And how did you get off work.”

“Took a personal day.”

Karyn laughed at such a human response from Derpy, but if ponies had personal days, it wasn’t her place to question. “Well, Cheerilee, it looks like you’re the only one who’s actually regretting missing work.”

“Well,” she said, “not meaning any disrespect, but teaching is a little different from delivering the mail. I’m trying to run a yearlong program to bring all the foals up to the next stage of development. Delivering the mail is more of a...linear job.”

“You can say what you mean,” Derpy said with a smile. “That I do the same thing every day.”

“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“I understand. But as much as I love my job, I don’t think I have the passion for it that you do. For teaching, I mean, not for delivering the mail. You don’t do that.”

Cheerilee walked backwards to the edge of the room, as if she needed a wall behind her to adequately speak to more than one pony. “I think that stems from when I was a little filly in school. I loved it so much that I never wanted to leave. So now I pour my heart into every class I teach so that I won’t ever have to, and maybe somepony will feel the same way.”

“That’s sweet,” said Karyn. “Derpy, how did you like school?”

“Oh, well, you know that I was so busy at home that I didn’t have a chance to learn much. Plus I’m not fast at picking up new things. I don’t think my teacher was as nice as Cheerilee, either. But I can’t be sure.”

Cheerilee sighed. “I’m sorry you didn’t have a good experience. But I’ve dealt with ponies like you, and I don’t think it’s ever too late. I’m hoping to see how humans handle their school, and hopefully feel the same thrill I do in class. Maybe then I can show it to you.”

Now Karyn had to step in. “I can’t promise that it will be like teaching your classes back in Ponyville.”

“I know. Big Macintosh told me what he saw when he was here.”

“Well, we’ll be taking you to a nicer school, but there might still be some children who don’t mind what the teacher says. Or the teachers might not be as dedicated. Some of them only do it for the money and because they get summers off.”

“They get summers off?” asked Cheerilee. “Wow, maybe I should teach here. I’m kidding of course. Let’s get the invisibility spell going so we can make the first bell.”

Karyn was pleased that Cheerilee was so astute about the protocol for a pony on Earth. She led them to the car, and Cheerilee was even willing to take the passenger seat instead of the back.

“Big Macintosh told me that the back was more comfortable, so, Derpy, if you’d like to take it...”

“Oh, no! I’m used to the front seat. I’ll take more time for you to find the right way to sit. Lie down in the back and your head’s perfectly positioned to look out the side window.”

Again Karyn grinned at the bonhomie that they all shared, and part of her wondered if it was because they were all girls. But she dismissed that thought as sexist.

They reached the school, and Karyn parked at the far end of the parking lot. “Now, I’m going to have to ask you to extend the invisibility spell on to me, Derpy. They’re generally not too happy when older people who have no reason to be around particular children show up to watch.”

“Can we go inside?” that pony asked. “Or do we have to watch through the window again?”

“I think we can get in there, but be careful. Human kids are tiny, and they can run into you very easily.”

“If it’s all right, I’m going to watch from out here. You and Cheerilee go inside, and then join me when you have the chance.”

Karyn walked in front of Derpy so she could be heard clearer. “Are you sure? You’re not afraid of the kids, are you?”

“No, but it’s a nice autumn day, I just want to enjoy the fresh air a little more. Cheerilee’s more interested than I am anyway.”

Cheerilee and Karyn entered the building. Now Karyn had to pick a classroom to go in, and she didn’t know her way around. It wouldn’t do for Cheerilee to go into, say, a fifth grade class and hear some boring lesson on long division. She wanted to see real grade school kids.

They poked around until Karyn found one that she was happy with. Perhaps it helped that the teacher vaguely resembled a human version of Cheerilee. They snuck in and watched.

The teacher was going over spelling words with the kids, some of them having harder times than others. Karyn was impressed with the patience the teacher showed, as well as how she doled out her attention to the problem students while still ensuring that none of the other students could get rowdy.

Cheerilee had the art of walking softly down, perhaps, Karyn thought, from sneaking up on unsuspecting students. But she weaved her way in and out of the rows of desks until at last the teacher said, “OK, let’s put this away for now and do our drawings.” The kids were happy with this and pencils were replaced on the desks with crayons and markers.

Cheerilee kept walking through the aisles. Karyn just hung at the back and waited for Cheerilee to come by. When the got to the farthest row from the door, where the kids could look out the window, she dashed back to Karyn and poked her with a hoof. They had neither visual nor spoken communication, but Karyn could sense the urgency of the request. At the second desk up Karyn felt a hoof stop her, and she looked at the drawing in progress.

There, on the child’s paper, was a crude cartoon of Derpy.

Karyn’s first instinct was that the child was a My Little Pony fan like her, and liked Derpy Hooves as many fans did. But the setting was right outside, and when the teacher came over to ask what she was working on, the little girl said, “There’s a gray pony outside the school.”

The good part was that the teacher didn’t believe her, and assumed that she was making up a story to go along with her drawing. But Karyn was still in a panic. She grabbed Cheerilee and ran as softly as they could to the door. Once in the hall they threw caution to the wind and made as much noise as they needed to to get outside.

“Derpy!” Karyn yelled.

“What’s wrong?”

“You haven’t stopped being invisible, have you?”

“No, of course not, why?”

“Because I think one of the kids can see you.”

“What?! How?”

Karyn looked around, feeling very self-conscious. “I don’t know. But if she can maybe the spell is failing. If it happened with the transportation spell it could happen with this one too. Thanks, Cheerilee for pointing it out to me.”

“Not at all. Now, are we going to have to abandon this outing?”

Derpy and Karyn, though they couldn’t look at each other, both inhaled sharply at the same time. “Well...” they said in unison.

They played a silent game of chicken over who would speak first. Derpy really wanted Karyn to take the lead, but she knew it was her responsibility to say what needed to be said.

“It’s just that to Karyn it’s very important to keep us secret. And if it’s important to her it’s important to me too. So we should retreat back to Karyn’s apartment and figure out what’s wrong with the spell.”

Cheerilee’s voice took on a tone that they hadn’t yet heard. Derpy guessed it was how she corrected foals who made mistakes in her class. “We haven’t yet confirmed that the spell has gone wrong, and I think we need to stay here and investigate this. If possible, we should examine the young human and see if she really can see us. I might even talk with her.”

Derpy’s mettle had given out, so it was Karyn’s turn. “I don’t know. If you’re wrong, things could get out of hand quickly.”

“I really think this is the best course of action. If need be, we can return to Equestria at a moment’s notice. I’ll take the risk of any differences in height above ground.”

Again Karyn had to be impressed with how quickly Cheerilee had picked up the nuances of interworld travel.

“All right, fine. We’ll see what we can find out.”

“The good part,” said Derpy, “is that if she can see us, we can ask her questions as to why she can, and no one else will see.”

“Yes, except that might make them think she has imaginary friends, which could get her bullied or worse. No, I have an idea...”

The school bell rang, and the teachers were escorting their charges onto the field for recess. With so many of them, Karyn hoped that one child out of place wouldn’t be noticed. On the side of the building, she had Derpy remove her invisibility, then morphed into a seven-year-old version of herself.

“Aww, you look so cute!” Derpy gave her cheeks a pinch with her hoof.

“Yeah, but I think I’ll change my hair color. I look too much like what I actually did at this age. I’ve also got too deep a voice for a grade-schooler, but it’ll have to do.”

Now wearing black hair, Karyn led the mares out onto the field. Struggling to remember how young girls acted, she walked up to the girl. “Hi. I’m Karyn.”

“I’m Chelsea. Are those horseys yours?”

Well, at least there was no difficulty getting to the subject. “No. If anything else, I’m theirs. But how come you can see them?”

“Why shouldn’t I? Hello, horsey!”

It was Derpy’s voice that responded. “Hello, little one. Chelsea, was it? I’m Derpy. Do you know that name?”

“No. It’s kind of a funny name, isn’t it? But that’s OK.”

“So, do you know anything about magic? Because no one’s supposed to be able to see me because of a spell.”

“We already finished with spelling class.”

Karyn thought that was the kind of thing that Derpy would say. She also realized how used she was to being able to use Derpy’s magic to hold private conversations with her friend while discussing what to do. In any other situation, she would excuse herself and motion for Derpy to come with her, then plan out their next move while the person thought she was alone. But now it would be rude to walk away from Chelsea, even at her apparent age.

But before she had to respond, Cheerilee stepped in. “May I speak to the child?”

“Of course.”

“My name is Miss Cheerilee. I’m a teacher myself. All of my students would be fascinated by you if they were here.”

“Are they horseys too?”

Cheerilee stood taller in front of Chelsea. It felt odd to Karyn to have to look up to talk to a pony as opposed to down. “We’re called ponies, dear, not horseys.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t you like ponies?”

“They’re OK, I guess. But you seem nice. Of course, I never talked to a pony before.”

“Back where I come from all the ponies talk.”

“What about the people?”

“The ponies are the people,” said Cheerilee. Derpy and Karyn moved to the side, but still where Chelsea could see them.

Karyn spoke under her breath to Derpy. “I can’t believe how casually that little girl’s taking everything. I would have been amazed if I saw a pegasus and a talking pony when I was her age.”

“I’m more impressed with how well Cheerilee can handle her. She must have a lot of experience getting young ones like that to pay attention. You and I couldn’t do anything.”

“Now,” Cheerilee said in her lecturing tone, “have you noticed that none of the other children mentioned me or my friend?”

“I did think that was a little weird.”

“That’s because we’re magically invisible. But not to you. Do you know why that is?”

“No, I don’t.” It seemed like Chelsea wasn’t sure if she was in trouble for being able to see the ponies, or if Cheerilee’s question was rhetorical and she would give the answer momentarily.

“We don’t either, but it’s important for us to find out. Now, have you ever encountered any other magic?”

“Not like this, but I always hoped that when I turned thirteen I’d get to go off an learn magic and become a witch!”

Karyn got the child’s reference, of course, but neither of the ponies did. She chuckled, but Cheerilee was dead serious.

“The only witches we have where I come from are things that ponies dress up as for Nightmare Night. Do you have that here?”

“You mean Halloween? Yeah.”

Cheerilee looked to Derpy for help, as she was beginning to get out of her depth, but in the first place Derpy couldn’t see her look, and in the second, even she hoped that Karyn would answer first, which was what happened.

“Now, I wasn’t there when it all started, when Lyra first discovered Earth from Equestria and Hank and she were figuring it all out, but from what I’ve gathered, the fictions in our universe have their own universes and their own magics can find us, possibly. But what no one knows, as least in this universe where there’s no magic at all, is what happens when two different types of magic intersect. If Chelsea here is somehow the focus of some other magical universe, it’s possible that that’s why she can see you two.”

Chelsea, as kids are wont to do, focused on the one part of Karyn’s guess that was relevant to her. “Does that mean that I will get my letter to become a witch someday?”

“Ha, I don’t know, but it’s certain that you’re different from everyone else. So don’t ever let anyone tell you that they’re just stories and that there’s no real magic in the world. Promise?”

“Promise.”

Now that they had an answer, or at least a guess, as to why Chelsea could see past the invisibility spell, the mood relaxed. Cheerilee said to her, “Why don’t you play with Derpy for a little while? I want to talk to Karyn.”

Karyn followed Cheerilee, but stayed close, since she didn’t think that Chelsea and Derpy had much in common. “Yes?”

“I know that Big Macintosh said I couldn’t, but would it be all right if I spoke to this little girl and taught her? It would be exactly what I wanted out of this trip to begin with.”

“Well, you’d be limited by the time of recess, which at this point would be about twenty minutes.”

“It’s better than nothing. But if that’s the case, let’s begin as soon as possible.”

Karyn agreed. “I’d like to change back. This body’s awfully cramped.”

They returned quickly. It amazed Karyn how anyone could meet Derpy and not automatically think she was the sweetest person in the world, but Chelsea was more about cool than cute, so they didn’t mix. Cheerilee took the lead. “I know it’s recess, but since this is the only chance we’ll have to talk, would you like me to tell you some things about where I come from?”

“That would be nice. You’re a lot cooler than my regular teacher.”

Everyone had a good laugh at that, and Chelsea sat on the blacktop against the school wall. Karyn and Derpy half-listened as well. It was enlightening to hear what they already knew so well put into simplest terms. They heard as Cheerilee talked about the three types of pony, and about the princesses, and about cutie marks. Chelsea in turn wanted to talk about witches and wands and potions, and Karyn noted that she was not restricting herself to one canon, but picking and choosing the best of several series. The child was clearly well-read, and had a creative mind besides.

“It’s a shame,” Cheerilee said, “that we don’t have a unicorn here to show you their kind of magic. I think it’s the type you would most identify with since you favor active spellcasting over what I can do as an Earth pony.”

There followed another brief lecture on some of the Earth pony powers that were often overlooked by pegasi and unicorns.

Chelsea had kept her composure throughout the encounter, but only after hearing that did she look down at her shoes and really open up. “Of course, if I’m not a witch, or even if I am, I’ll still need to do some job, and that bugs me. Even you ponies, you’re a teacher. Being a pony isn’t enough.”

Karyn grinned. “In that case, I could recommend going into computers like I’m doing. It’s almost like magic without any actual breaking of physics.”

She stared. “What happened to your little sister?”

And so Cheerilee had to explain further about changelings, and how Karyn was one of them. Karyn filled in some of the story, and after that it was time for Chelsea to go back in to class.

“Well, that was an interesting encounter,” said Derpy. “Do you think we will see her often, now that she’s in on the secret?”

“I don’t know,” Karyn replied. “I get the feeling that this was one of those encounters that can’t be repeated. Like that she won’t ever really understand Equestrians, and we won’t understand her powers.”

Cheerilee hadn’t stopped using her classroom voice. “I for one am more than ecstatic. After everything that Big Macintosh said last week, I expected a much different visit. One where I would just sit in the corner watching a human teacher, and probably thinking how I would do it differently. Instead, I got a chance to teach.”

“More like tutoring. But so long as you’re happy. Are you ready to get back to Equestria?”

“Indeed! I want to write up this visit into a lesson plan and tell all my little students about it!”

They returned to Karyn’s apartment, but this time Cheerilee took no notice of the scenery passing by the window. She was lost in her memories, trying to put it all into a single narrative. When she finally arrived she was eager to get back and get her hoof on a quill and scroll, so that she wouldn’t lose any of her thoughts.

Derpy smiled at Karyn. “Another successful visit, I’d say.”

“Yes. I think we’ve got these down to a science. I only hope that they never turn out boring.”

“Maybe for us, but never for the pony who comes here. Even Big Macintosh, though he was just paving the way for Cheerilee, I think he would say he had a good time.”

Karyn eyed the stack of books piled next to her laptop. “And now I have another week of work before we meet again. But when it comes to visits, I’m still the happiest with Dinky’s. I hope I see her again soon.”

“So do I.”