Chapter 36
The light from the rising moon shone dimly through the kitchen window at Cheerilee's house. Johnathon and Cheerilee sat at the table, Johnathon looking out the window, Cheerilee staring at his back.
"Johnathon, you've got to go. You know you do," Cheerilee insisted gently. "They'll need you."
"We don't even know if it's my world that the portal will go to yet," the man protested quietly. "And even if it was, I promised. I promised you'd I'd stay here."
"It's not like you wouldn't come back," Cheerilee told him, smiling slightly. "With Twilight and her friends going along, you'd all be able to come back when you're finished."
"There aren't any guarantees, you know," he reminded her.
"When are there ever guarantees in life?" Cheerilee shot back, still smiling gently. "I know you want to go. I saw the look in your eyes when they were talking about it. You'll be able to help them, guide them, protect them if they need it. It's your world. Who is better suited?"
Johnathon sighed, turning to face her at last. "I don't want to leave you behind."
Cheerilee looked thoughtful. "What if I came along?"
"What?" Johnathon looked surprised. "Cheerilee, no, it's too dangerous."
"Saying that won't convince me it's a bad idea. If you go into danger, I want to be there with you, facing it with you," Cheerilee leaned up against his chest. "Besides, aside from Twilight, no one else speaks your language. And I think I can safely say I know more about human customs and behavior than anypony else. I'm sure I could be helpful."
Johnathon shook his head and chuckled wryly. "I'm sure you could, but..."
"But what?" Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. "I'm stronger than you. Faster than you... tougher too. I know I don't have your experience, but if you're going into danger, you can't tell me that I can't come along as well. I can take care of myself."
"Strength and speed aren't everything," Johnathon warned. "And I'd debate the tougher," he sighed. "But I'm getting the impression I'm not going to win this argument."
"You know me better than that, Mister Dwire."
"Yes dear."
The two of them sat in silence for a long moment, and Cheerilee began blushing. "Johnathon! You say that like we're an old married couple!"
The archeologist chuckled lightly. "Just an old habit. Still, that's not a bad idea."
Cheerilee blinked. "What?"
He smiled at her, then got down on one knee. "If we're really going to do this... let's get married first."
Cheerilee just stared. "What?!?"
Johnathon took one of her hands in both of his, and held it. "Cheerilee, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? You've been my friend, my confidant, my co-writer, and my lover. Marry me. Let's make it official."
Cheerilee took a deep breath, then slowly nodded, her face going red.
Johnathon waited for half a minute before speaking. "Is that a yes?"
Cheerilee nodded again more urgently, then took another quick breath. "Yes. Yes you dummy. Of course I'll marry you."
Johnathon smiled. "Oh good, you had me worried there for a second."
Cheerilee snorted and punched him in the chest.
*********************************
When Cheerilee followed Johnathon into Twilight's Library the next morning, the schoolmare almost immediately felt out of place. She was in a gathering of heroes, and who was she? Just a schoolteacher in a tiny town. Even Johnathon was an inter-dimensional traveler and, despite his modesty, a skilled explorer and fighter. And the rest!
The Elements of Harmony were all there, as was Briar Rose, and, to Cheerilee's chagrin, Princess Luna herself. She started to rethink her plan to suggest that she come along on their proposed journey to Earth. Who was she to join such ponies as these?
"Thank you all for coming," Twilight Sparkle said with a serious expression. "Now then, I believe you all understand the seriousness of what we are proposing. I thought I'd go over the various difficulties involved before we begin to discuss means of overcoming them."
Everyone settled in, Johnathon leaning against the wall nearest the door, and Cheerilee finding a spot next to him, leaning lightly up against him for the reassurance of the physical contact.
"First, I'd like to address the obvious question. Where is this portal going to end up?" Twilight paused, her eyes sparkling slightly in excitement. "Yesterday, I managed to open a pinpoint dimensional opening for one point eight four seconds... approximately. Rarity was using her human detection spell at the time, and she achieved a positive result!"
They all turned to Rarity curiously, causing the fashionista to blush lightly. "Ah yes. I did use the spell after Johnathon and Miss Cheerilee returned to Ponyville, and when Twilight opened her... portal, I did my best to focus in that direction. And I am quite certain that I sensed the presence of a number of human beings!"
Princess Luna raised an eyebrow curiously. "Could you be more specific? How many did you sense? Could you tell how far away from the portal they were?"
Rarity grimaced slightly. "I'm afraid I am not quite that skilled in that particular detection spell to be certain of anything... aside from the fact that I most certainly did detect some humans. More than one, certainly... and... well, I THINK they were at some distance away... but obviously close enough to detect," shaking her head, she sighed. "But I can't be certain of the details, I'm afraid."
Twilight spoke up. "As a test, I had Rarity cast the spell a second time after the portal was closed, to be sure that she hadn't detected Johnathon or Miss Cheerilee, but they were out of range in town. I postulated at first that the miniature portal I created might have acted as a lens, amplifying the range of Rarity's detection spell... but after going over the math, I don't think that's the case. Obviously, results gotten through a dimensional portal might be altered somewhat, but I think it's safe to say that at least some humans are on the other side. I think that's a good indicator that we have indeed created a portal to Johnathon's home world."
Princess Luna cleared her throat. "Your suggestion that the spell matrix in the underground chamber also creates a portal to the same place... seems solid. I would be inclined to agree with your conclusions."
Twilight took a deep breath. "Which brings us to the real problem. As far as I can determine, the spell matrix will open a portal for a very short time, but the portal will encompass the entire room. Everything and everypony within the portal room would be transported, almost instantaneously, to the far side of the portal, which would include the Elements of Harmony themselves, if we are going to use them to activate it."
Princess Luna nodded somberly. "A serious problem. Without the Elements, it is doubtful we would be able to open the portal again from the Equestrian side... which would not help in any case, as it appears to only function one way. Theoretically it would be possible to... swim upstream, so to speak, and travel to Equestria through the portal as it opens, but it would be quite difficult... and probably dangerous."
Johnathon raised a hand. "Wait a second. How does that work? The portal that brought me here sucked me in... and you seem to be saying that if you open a portal, you get pushed through to the other side. Doesn't that kind of imply that the portal that brought me here originated on my world? Is that even possible?"
Twilight spoke up. "Actually, the portal that brought you here was created by Discord's magic, not the magic in the portal room. The reason it opened where you were, and brought you were it did, was almost certainly because of the weakened dimensional stability in that area, but the two magics are very different. Discord's portal took... a significantly larger amount of magic, to start with, and I can't even imagine the power required for the portal Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used to visit Earth after Discord was defeated the first time. It had to be a stable construct... made semi-permanent in a fashion I've been trying to imitate for quite a while now. I would assume that there is some sort of energy in the spaces between... something that can be drawn upon to make such portals last longer... or even stay open permanently, but I can't be sure."
Twilight cleared her throat. "But regardless, the portal that would be created in that room would not function quite the same way. We'd be sent to the other side, and, presumably, we'd have to open another portal from Earth to get back."
Applejack frowned. "Is that even possible? I mean... didn't you say something about the spell thingy in that room having a ton of that really rare metal? What did you call it?"
"Orichalcum," Twilight explained. "And yes. The spell matrix is lined with one of the rarest magical metals known. The orichalcum makes the spell much more stable, and the risk almost non-existent. It's practically impossible for the spell to work incorrectly, regardless of the skill of the caster. Any group of ponies that are aligned with the Elements should be able to create a portal using that room. The only requirement would be enough energy, and the only real outcome besides success would be, well, nothing."
"Nothing? What does that mean?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking extremely confused.
"Just that... nothing," Twilight explained. "The energy would drain away harmlessly, and nothing would happen. It's really quite the elegant design. I've already come up with half a dozen improvements to modern enchanting that we could implement from the ideas behind the design alone! It's really quite the breakthrough in modern magic!"
Rainbow Dash raised a hoof. "Isn't it ANCIENT magic?"
Twilight glared at her. "Technically... but it uses techniques that we lost over a thousand years ago, during Discord's rule. It has been widely speculated that pony civilization was highly magically advanced before the advent of Discord, but of course, almost all knowledge from that time period has been lost to us."
Applejack coughed, catching everyone's attention. "My point is... isn't it kind of risky? Thinking about going, I mean. Even if we know it works... wouldn't we just get stuck on the other side?"
Twilight nodded once. "I thought of the same thing. But, in fact, we do know that ponies can come back... HAVE come back from exactly such a journey."
Applejack blinked. "We do?"
Twilight nodded firmly. "It's simple logic. We know that ponies used the portal to travel to Earth at some point. The weakening of the field in that area itself is indication enough for that much."
Applejack frowned. "How do we know they made it back though?"
Twilight grinned. "Simple. The Elements did. They were used to open the portal in the first place, and, according to my calculations, they would have traveled along with their bearers through the portal. But they are here now, so obviously whomever went through made it back. See?"
Applejack blinked. "Huh. I guess they must have."
Twilight grinned triumphantly. "I had a theory about that, in any case. To make it back, they would have had to have either a supremely gifted spellcaster with them, to channel the energy to open the portal correctly, or they would have had to bring the materials to make a second portal room on the far side with them. To test my theory, I had Rarity use her Gem Finding spell to get a feeling for orichalcum, and then I created a second pinhole so she could scan the other side for that element."
Rarity nodded, looking smug. "There was a large amount of orichalcum on the far side of Twilight's portal. The reading was very clear."
Princess Luna frowned. "Are you quite certain, Miss Rarity?'
Rarity nodded confidently. "I am quite certain. I had already eliminated the orichalcum on our side from my spell's..." she frowned. "I'm sorry, Twilight Darling, what did you call it?"
"Your spell's determination matrix," Twilight helpfully supplied.
"Yes, quite," Rarity agreed. "I often use my spell while I am already transporting large amounts of gems, and it's important not to get confused by the gems I've already found, you see. It's practically second nature for me by now."
Luna nodded knowingly. "I see," she looked thoughtful, then nodded a second time. "Yes... I have to agree with your conclusions. The presence of a large quantity of orichalcum on the far side is a rather clear indicator, I believe," she turned to Johnathon. "May I assume that orichalcum is not terribly common on your world?"
Johnathon blinked. "Er... no. I don't think so, anyway." he shrugged. "I did take a good look at the stuff earlier, and it kind of looks like an alloy of gold and... well, I don't know what else. Something else shiny? Silver maybe? But large quantities of those metals aren't exactly common anywhere on my world outside of Fort Knox as far as I know."
Twilight spoke up. "Orichalcum does have a lot in common with gold and silver, but its magical properties are unique. From what you've told me of your atomic chart, I don't believe orichalcum is native to your world, Johnathon, although perhaps you simply haven't discovered it yet?"
Johnathon shrugged. "Maybe, but in any case, I think it's safe to say that it's very unlikely that a bunch of the stuff just happens to be laying around near the other end of your portal. I think you're probably right. They must have built another portal room on the far side."
Briar Rose spoke up. "You were excavating a site in that area, correct? Did you come across any signs of underground structures?"
Johnathon shook his head. "We'd barely tapped the surface, frankly. We were pretty poorly funded, so we really hadn't gotten a lot done. Still..." he looked thoughtful. "It's very possible that there is an underground chamber we hadn't located yet, holding a portal room. Who knows... maybe your lost library is there as well, underground. If it's deep enough, it could have remained hidden for all this time."
Twilight nodded. "That's what we're hoping."
Rainbow Dash punched one forehoof into the other with a crack. "Oh yeah! We're going to Earth!"
Twilight raised an eyebrow at her outburst. "Not that I don't appreciate the enthusiasm, Rainbow Dash, but we still haven't explained the rest of the possible problems we'll be facing."
Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Whatever. We're going, and you know it. There's nothing we can't handle if we're together."
Twilight smiled fondly at her. "Maybe. But I'd like to explain my thoughts on the other difficulties anyway, alright Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow Dash shrugged again. "Sure, Egghead. That's cool."
Twilight chuckled, shaking her head, then took a deep breath before continuing. "In any case, problem two is the chance that we might have to remain on the far side of the portal for an extended time. It's only a possibility, mind you, but I find it highly probable that the power requirements for the trip will drain the Elements of Harmony. Not permanently, mind you, but while the theoretical limits of their power has never been truly determined, their practical limits can be extrapolated with a little bit of guesswork... and a whole lot of math," she grinned slightly. "Which I've done. In any case, the energy requirements for the portal that the portal room would create is a significant fraction of the amount of energy that the Elements should be able to produce if, say, the six of us were to activate them. It's quite possible that it might take some time for them to recharge enough to be able to activate a second portal home. Also, there is the significant possibility that the spell matrix on the far side might be damaged in some way. An earthquake, or subsidence could have destroyed part or all of the matrix. The orichalcum itself is nearly indestructible, and should be easy to recover, but it could take some time to rebuild the matrix to bring us home."
Twilight shrugged. "Of course, these are worst case scenarios, but I think we should be prepared for any eventuality."
"Very wise, Twilight Sparkle," Luna complimented. "Such a journey is bound to have some surprises."
"Which is why I want us to be as well prepared as we can be for the trip." Twilight explained. "I have a number of ideas about how to go about that..."
"What kind of ideas?" Applejack asked cautiously.
"Well, first, I've prepared a list of supplies we might need, including two copies of the spell matrix from the portal room, in case I need to repair the one on the far side," Twilight explained quickly before pausing. "And... er... second, I think some of us... most of us, should be... er... human for the trip."
Applejack blinked twice. "Say what now?"
Pinkie looked up from where she was playing tic-tac-toe with herself and gasped. "You're going to turn us all into humans?" she leaped up and stood on two legs, waving one forehoof high in the air. "Oh, Oh! Can I be first? That sounds like fun!"
Fluttershy shivered and covered her eyes with her wings. "Oh dear..."
Applejack frowned. "Why would we wanna do something like that anyhow?"
Twilight hesitated. "Well, if we're going to be on Johnathon's home world for an extended period, we may end up meeting some of the inhabitants, and while in a best case scenario things would go well... if we were to meet some of the less... nice people of Johnathon's world, we might not be treated very... nicely."
Johnathon sighed. "Twilight's got a point. If you get lucky, you'll meet some nice folks... and everything will be fine. If you aren't lucky, you could get rounded up as lab specimens, or zoo exhibits, or something worse."
Rainbow Dash snorted and stomped a hoof. "I'd like to see them try."
Johnathon shrugged. "Oh, I know you six can handle yourselves... still, there are dangers on my world you've got no experience with... like guns. Better not to take unnecessary chances."
Applejack hesitated. "Twilight, I don't know about this. Can we even use our elements if we're not ponies?"
Twilight nodded immediately. "That part isn't a problem. I wouldn't be changing anything about our basic natures... we'd still be the same, magically, as we are now. It'd just be our outward appearances that would be different."
Johnathon cleared his throat. "Speaking of that... I think I should go with you. Even if you all look human, you don't know the customs or the language... well, aside from Twilight, and... no offense, Twilight, but your accent is pretty thick."
Cheerilee spoke up. "If Johnathon is coming, so am I. I speak English, and I know human customs better than anypony," she hesitated, then blushed. "Besides, we're engaged. I'm not letting him go that easily."
There was a long silence, and then the room was filled with congratulations and shouts of approval at the news.
"That's great!" Pinkie said, hugging Cheerilee enthusiastically. "Can I plan the wedding reception?"
"Whom are you having perform the wedding, may I ask?" Luna asked Johnathon quietly.
"Well... I don't want to be impertinent... but do you think you could...?" he began.
Luna smiled warmly. "It would be my pleasure. Do you have a date in mind?"
"Before we go through the portal, I think," Johnathon said with a shrug, then smiled. "I appreciate this, Princess. Cheerilee deserves the best, and I couldn't think of any pony better to marry us."
"I'm sure Celestia would agree if you asked her..." Luna said hesitantly.
Johnathon shook his head. "I asked you. I'd like you to do it."
Luna smiled faintly and nodded. "Very well. So it shall be."
*****************************************
After everyone finished discussing the upcoming wedding... Applejack had offered Sweet Apple Acres to serve as an outdoor wedding venue, Pinkie had already conspired with Rarity about the decorations, and Fluttershy had offered to have a choir of birds for the ceremony... they got back to discussing plans for their proposed trip to Earth.
"So... humans, huh?" Applejack said sourly. "Are you going to transform us right before we go, then?"
Twilight grimaced. "I'll have to do you one at a time, I'm afraid. One a day should be about all I can manage. I might be able to handle two, but I don't want to push things. Besides, I think you should take some time getting used to your human bodies before we go, anyway. I'd say a week, to be safe."
Applejack's eyes narrowed. "You keep saying you, like you aren't turning human with the rest of us, Twilight. Is there a reason for that?"
Twilight hesitated. "Well... I can't do any magic in human form, and frankly, a permanent transformation into a human would probably kill me in three or four days. I plan on using the temporary transformation spell on myself, but I can't maintain that and similar spells on the rest of you. It'll be a lot easier to transform you all using the permanent spell. I won't have the energy to keep six ponies in temporary forms, but just one won't be too difficult."
Rarity blinked. "Twilight, darling... I hate to bring this up, but won't I suffer the same problem you will if you turn me into a human? Not that I don't trust you, but..."
Twilight hesitated. "Well, to start with, you have... er... rather less magical energy than I do. Even in human form, you won't suffer from magical feedback for several days, and it won't get dangerous for... well, I'd say you'd be safe for a week at a time, easily," she blushed. "It's not that you're weak or anything... I'm just saying..."
Rarity chuckled. "Don't worry about wounding my pride, darling. We all know that you're the most powerful unicorn in Equestria. I know I'm no match for your strength."
Twilight grimaced slightly. "Sorry... I don't like mentioning it, but it is kind of important to the plan. In any case, I plan on using a temporary transformation on you as well, Rarity... although I'll use as long a duration one on you as I can to avoid having to refresh it as often. As you probably know, the initial energy cost is the biggest problem, extending the duration takes quite a bit less magic, proportionally. I should be able to make your transformation last... oh, five days or so without any trouble, and that will save me a lot of energy in the long run. Of course, I'll also have to cast translation spells on everypony except myself, Johnathon and Miss Cheerilee, but those are quite easy in comparison, and can also be cast for extended periods easily."
She turned to the rest of her friends. "In any case, I won't do it without your permission, and I want to be sure I can reverse the transformation first before I try, but I think Strangehorn's spells are actually exactly the thing we need for this expedition."
Cheerilee spoke up. "Reversing the transformation. You mean turning a human into a pony?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes... in fact, with your permission, I'd like to try that with you first. Is that alright?"
Cheerilee hesitated, then nodded. "Of course. Since I've already been transformed, that would be simplest," she hesitated, glancing at Johnathon. "On one condition. Afterwards, you must change me back into a human."
Twilight frowned. "Are you sure about that?"
Cheerilee nodded. "Yes. Johnathon would not be comfortable as a pony... and I find I have adapted to being human rather well. I am... happy like this, especially with Johnathon by my side. So yes. After you have made sure you can change me back into a pony, I want to be human again, alright?"
Twilight took a deep breath, then nodded. "Very well, if that's your wish."
Cheerilee nodded firmly. "It is."
Johnathon opened his mouth, then closed it, then lowered his head and closed his eyes. He crossed his arms and took a deep breath.
"Johnathon?" Cheerilee moved into his body, leaning against him a bit harder. "Is that alright with you?"
"Yeah," Johnathon said simply. "Yeah. I just. I feel guilty... I know... I know this is your choice, and that you have adapted amazingly well and all... but... I feel like I've failed you somehow," he opened his eyes to look into her face, and there were tears slowly pooling at their corners.
Cheerilee shook her head gently. "I love you for the stallion... for the man you are. You aren't perfect, but what pony is? You are a generous, caring, wonderful soul, and you are human. You are the man I love. That's more than enough. You haven't failed me. I don't think you ever could."
Cheerilee reached up to gently brush away his forming tears, and smiled brightly. "Now stop crying. Only mares are supposed to cry before the wedding."
She hugged him tightly and smiled, then let him go and turned to Twilight. "So... can you do it now?"
Twilight blinked. "You mean... right now? Turn you into a pony again?"
Cheerilee nodded. "Yes. Before I lose my nerve. Right now."
Twilight wrinkled her nose, then nodded. "Yes. Yes I can do it. I'm confident I've finally worked out all the bugs out of the spell, and with Princess Luna right here, there probably won't be a better time," she widened her stance, and nodded to Cheerliee. "Move a few feet to your left please. I want a clear line of fire."
Cheerilee did so, glancing around herself to make sure she was well clear of everyone else in the room. "Here?"
Twilight nodded. "Perfect. Just stand still..." she started to power up her horn, closing her eyes for several seconds in concentration before opening them to stare firmly at Cheerilee. A beam of energy shot out of her horn, enveloping the woman, and with an intense flash, it was over. Cheerilee stood awkwardly on her hind legs in ill fitting clothing. There was a long, slow tearing sound from around her chest, and as she settled onto four legs it stopped.
Coughing slightly, Cheerilee pulled the neck of her now too tight sweater away from her throat and glanced down inside it. "The bra broke," she stated in a distracted sounding voice. "... wow," she sat down on her haunches and brought one of her hooves up in front of her face. "I'm a pony," she waved her hoof in front of her face a while, looking fascinated.
After several long moments of that, she started struggling out of her clothing.
"Here, darling, let me help you with that," Rarity said, her horn glowing as she helped extract the purple earth pony from her ill fitting attire. Making a titching sound at the tears in the fabric, she folded the garments carefully and put them in a pile next to her. "I'll repair these tonight and get them back to you tomorrow, Cheerilee. Apparently they're not quite up to surviving human to pony transformations."
Cheerilee was too busy inspecting herself all over to reply, seemingly a bit overwhelmed. "Oh," she finally said, glancing up. "Thank you, Rarity. That would be nice."
Johnathon knelt next to her, putting one hand on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
"Strange," Cheerliee looked at him with a strained smile. "It's been so long, I feel strange being a pony again," she blinked. "I suppose it just felt like a long time. It hasn't really been all that long really, has it?"
She looked at him curiously, a slightly worried expression crossing her face. "How are you doing? Is it weird seeing me as a pony again?"
He shook his head. "Not really, no. It's how I got to know you, after all," he smiled. "You're still you, no matter your form, Cheerilee," Johnathon hugged her around her neck. "You could stay like this, you know? I won't leave you."
Cheerilee patted him on the back, returning the hug automatically. "I know you wouldn't. Stop saying stupid things, you big oaf," she glanced at Twilight. "I assume you'll have to wait till tomorrow to change me back?"
Twilight, who had been sitting quietly resting, wrinkled her nose. "It might be best. I can probably manage changing you back in a few hours, but that would pretty much exhaust me for the rest of the day."
Cheerilee nodded. "Tomorrow then," she stood up slowly, bringing Johnathon to his feet at the same time. "I... think I'll have a bit of a walk around... unless you need me for something else?" she headed for the door, and Johnathon moved to follow. "Why don't you stay and help plan for the expedition, dear," she suggested mildly. "I'll see you at home tonight, alright?"
He hesitated, then nodded. "OK Cheerilee. I'll see you tonight."
Cheerilee opened the front door, took a couple steps outside, then stretched. "You know what? I think I'm going to go for a run," with a final wave, she trotted off, breaking into a gallop as she turned the first corner, a wild grin coming over her features.
"I'll turn her back to a pony again, any time she wants." Twilight remarked quietly. "Be sure and tell her that Johnathon. Any time. I know she wants to be a human for you, but any time she feels the urge to have four hooves and fur again..." Twilight nodded. "I owe her that much."
Johnathon looked at Twilight in mild surprise, then smiled. "I'll tell her, and thanks, Twilight. That means a lot to me as well."
Twilight smiled softly. "I know that."
Johnathon turned to face the other ponies in the room, only to find that they had congregated over on the other side of the room, while Pinkie Pie regaled them with a complicated joke that involved half a dozen rubber chickens and a griffon. Rainbow Dash seemed to be having such a hard time holding in her laughter that she was in physical pain.
Twilight glanced at Johnathon long enough to see that he had regained his composure before clearing her throat.
She had to do so several more times to get everyone's attention, and then wait a bit longer for Rainbow Dash to stop rolling around on the floor laughing, then she turned to Johnathon. "Johnathon, it's your world, do you have any thoughts on what preparations we might want to make?"
Johnathon looked thoughtful. "In fact, I do. If you're planning on transforming your friends into humans... could you start with Applejack, and then Rainbow Dash?"
Applejack looked startled, and Rainbow Dash stopped laughing to look at him in confusion.
Twilight blinked. "Well of course I could, but why?"
Johnathon looked at the two ponies in question. "Well, they're both really good athletes... and I happen to know Rainbow Dash is a skilled martial artist. I was thinking that I'd teach them both how to fight. As humans, I mean. I spent some time as a martial arts instructor, believe it or not. It was just a short time, but I also trained my son. I do know quite a bit on the subject."
Twilight frowned. "Do you really think that's necessary?"
Johnathon shrugged. "Better safe than sorry. I'll take some time to show you all some basic defensive moves before we go, if we have the time, anyway, but I think Applejack and Rainbow Dash could learn the most, the quickest, and it could be handy, having them know how to handle themselves in a fight."
Rainbow Dash grinned and bumped her front hooves together. "Heh. Can't wait."
Applejack grimaced. "Well, if it's got to be somepony, I guess it might as well be me."
She turned to Twilight. "When do you want to do this. Turn me human, I mean?"
Twilight wrinkled her nose. "The day after tomorrow, I think. Maybe tomorrow evening at the earliest if I'm feeling up to it by then. I still need to transform Cheerilee back."
"I'll be teaching her as well, if she agrees," Johnathon commented. "She's not the athlete you two are, but she's had the most time on two legs."
Rarity suddenly gasped. "Oh dear! I have so much to do!"
Everyone blinked and turned to her.
Rarity put a hoof to her forehead dramatically. "Clothes! I must design multiple new outfits for each of you! Humans wear clothing all of the time, and you can't go around in the same outfit constantly, now can you?"
Twilight turned to Briar Rose. "Professor Rose... we probably won't be taking many other ponies with us... but... would you come along? Your experience would be invaluable."
Briar Rose took a deep breath, then sighed, shaking her head. "It sounds like you could be away for some time... and I've just gotten word about a... situation that I really can't leave to anypony else. Some idiot has been looking for the Rings of Scorchero. I really need to make sure that they aren't all gathered together."
Rainbow Dash and Twilight both gasped and pointed at her. "The Rings of Scorchero are real?!?"
Briar Rose blinked. "Well... yes. My books are based on my own expeditions, you know."
Luna looked to Briar Rose curiously. "Do you need any assistance, Professor? I know of the Rings... if they are gathered, well, my sister would be most upset. She does so hate it when somepony else tries to take control of her sun."
Briar Rose shook her head. "That's alright. I work best alone. If I get in over my head, I'll let you know."
Rainbow Dash looked anxious. "If... if you need any help...?"
Briar Rose smiled at her. "You'll be one of the first ponies I'd call, Rainbow Dash. I know you can handle yourself. Still, you have your own adventure waiting for you. Finding the Lost Library of the Unicorns is no small thing. The Rings are just one measly artifact left behind from those days, but the Library... that could tell us how to MAKE artifacts on that level. Imagine the possibilities!" she shook her head. "Wish I could come with you, but this is really something I need to take care of. I'll come back when I've gotten the Rings secured."
Twilight Sparkle smiled. "Good luck, Professor Rose."
"Who needs luck?" Briar Rose said with a grin. "Daring Do makes her own luck," tipping her hat, she headed for the door. "You're going to do just fine. I look forward to reading about all of your adventures some day. As for me... well, daylight is fading. See you next time."
Without another word, she left, nodding once as she closed the door behind her.
Rainbow Dash was in full fanmare mode. "She is SOOO AWESOME!"
Luna was looking at the door as if she could see the Professor through it, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I really must read these... Daring Do novels at some point. It seems I have missed more than I realized. I wonder how much my sister knows of this?" she shook her head, turning to face the others in the room. "Well then, it seems you have your plans well in hand, so I will be going as well. I will bring the Elements of Harmony with me when I return... although I believe my sister may wish to bring them herself. Still, I will at the very least see you off. I'm sorry I will not be able to accompany you myself. It sounds like it will be a grand adventure."
"I'll let you know when we'll need them," Twilight promised. "I'll have Spike send you a message with the day we intend to depart... once we've gotten all the details worked out."
"Very good," Luna rose, bowed slightly, which caused Twilight and the others to bow as well, then turned to go. Smiling back at them, she sighed wistfully. "Tis a grand adventure you propose, Twilight Sparkle. I wish you well," with that, she left as well, heading outside before flying into the air, only to disappear with a crack of imploding air a moment later.
Twilight looked out of the open door, frowning slightly. "You know... I really should have asked Cheerilee to stay out of sight... now everypony will know that I can reverse a permanent transformation. They're all going to want me to change them into things."
Johnathon shrugged, putting a hand on her shoulder. "One problem at a time, Twilight. Besides, could you really ask her to stay cooped up on her one day of being a pony again?"
Twilight slowly shook her head. "No, I suppose I couldn't do that."
************************************
Cheerilee ran, and ran. She left Ponyville behind her, and ran into Whitetail wood, running effortlessly, tirelessly under the shade of the branches. She ran till her body was slick with sweat, then changed course to head for a small lake she knew, just outside of the outskirts of town. She hadn't been there in years, and yet today she'd made the run there in one go, faster than she could remember traveling that distance before.
She dived in with a splash, and swam, hard, for the far bank. Reaching it, she doubled back and swam back the way she came. Her limbs finally tiring, she let herself float into the middle of the pond, then slowly paddled over to the edge and pulled herself onto the shore.
Laying on a dry patch of grass nearby, she rolled onto her back and laid there, exhausted but content. She let the warmth of the sun dry her wet hair, and just laid there for nearly an hour, watching clouds and doing her best not to think at all.
"I feel like a foal again," Cheerilee said quietly to herself. "Reborn, almost. Oh, how could I give this up?" she raised a hoof in front of her eyes, and regarded the limb thoughtfully. She squinted and turned her head, imagining a slender hand on the end of a supple wrist instead. "Hands ARE nice though," she admitted quietly.
Cheerilee lay quietly for a long time after that, unable to keep her mind from racing any more. Her future, her past... endless possibilities flowed out from this one point in time, and the totality of it was almost more than she could bear, She knew what she wanted... what she thought she wanted... but was the cost worth what she would gain?
"Of course it is," she told herself firmly. "I have my friends, my job... and him. What does it matter if I have hands or hooves? He wants to marry me!" she rolled around giggling to herself. "I love him. I want him. I'll have him." she looked at her hooves, imagining hands there again, reaching out and gripping his shoulders... she blushed as more images, memories of nights spent in each others arms, swam through her mind. "No... being human isn't all that bad at all, is it," it was a statement, not a question. Cheerilee sat up, and rolled to her hooves, peering into the distance where Ponyville lay.
"It's not difficult. Not difficult at all."
The mare started walking, taking her time, but moving with purpose. It was time to go home.
***********************
It was getting late. Johnathon sat in the kitchen, watching out the window. He couldn't help himself. He could be reading, or coming up with a list of supplies to take to Earth, or planning out how training Applejack and Rainbow Dash would go... but he couldn't concentrate. So he sat, and kept watch out the window.
The sun was setting as he spotted her coming up the lane to their home. She looked tired, but he could see a faint smile on her face. He went to the door, and opened it for her.
"Welcome home, love."
Cheerilee smiled up at him, then reared up to put her hooves lightly on his shoulders. She nuzzled his neck.
Johnathon hugged her and put his head next to hers, rubbing the side of his face against hers. "I missed you."
Cheerilee pushed back lightly, balancing on her hind legs with mild difficulty that she tried to conceal. "Are you alright?"
Johnathon blinked. "I'm fine. How are you?"
Cheerilee took a deep breath and smiled. "Content. Happy. I know everything is going to be just fine."
Johnathon grinned. "Well yeah. Of course it is."
Cheerilee wrinkled her nose, looking hesitant. "I'm pretty tired. Do you want to go to bed?"
Johnathon raised an eyebrow. "You're not suggesting..."
Cheerilee blushed, shaking her head quickly. "No! No... I... well, no," she looked at the floor. "I just meant sleeping. Together. Sleeping."
Johnathon smiled and nodded. "Yeah. OK," he stepped back, letting her inside. "Welcome home," he repeated.
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The ending was so full of D'aw that my heart went and 'sploded. This is getting intense! I'm looking forward to AJ's and Dashi's lessons. I'm kind of worrried about the trip though. A billion things can go wrong.
"How will a rational human, confronted by creatures out of mythology..."
Why do I get the feeling that the word 'rational' in this context possesses a definition that really means 'atheist?'
Honestly, how many people would try to raid an old ruin? Oh sure, you could get some ransomers trying to make a buck, but come on! They would've left to find a proper hiding spot.
The only people who would be camping out on the other side after attacking the ruins would be the people who aren't after a ransom and instead want something from the ruins themselves. But that would mean they likely know about the portal and the magical energies present there, and they would need to do the research to figure all that out, and then assault the old temple. That would most likely necessitate that any organization attempting such an action, be sizable and militaristic. I mean, how many large militaristic organizations exist that have an interest in the occult?
... Wait a minute.
4126786 What? Really?
Huh. Not a reaction I was expecting. The short answer is no. Atheism isn't meant to be implied. One can be a scientist and still religious. Although Johnathon's faith isn't referenced in the story (I think? He might have mentioned it in passing at some point), and he's obviously not heavily religious, he certainly wouldn't consider himself an atheist.
This has the potential to blow up into a big thing... but let's not. This is a story about ponies, and exploring their world with a slightly different perspective... not about religion or the lack of it.
4126786
It doesn't? I don't think I've seen Johnathan's faith, or lack of, mentioned in the story at all.
4126786 Not so much atheist but more along the line of someone without a warped view of religion. There are religious people, an then RELIGIOUS people. The later groups is raised by word of mouth and hasn't ever touched the so called good book, let alone questioned what they are told. The you got to keep in mind the ponies are at some ruin in the ass end of no where so there are likely to be locals with all kinds of superstitions.
This story is cool but could you please update What Happened Afterward some time?
4126941 I'd love to, but I've got to strike where inspiration takes me, I'm afraid.
Maybe after the second movie comes I'll be inspired to write more of "What Happened Afterward" again?
I do have ideas... but my writing time is pretty limited, and I tend to only write when inspired to do so, and so far ADV has been easier to find inspiration for.
So much foreshadowing to either being stuck on Earth or as humans...
The relationship develops!
An identity of desire,
another of self.
You must not have both; choose now,
find the extent of which your love reaches!
Learn then of a boundary that separates reality
and this wonderful paradise.
Learn then and uphold this dream.
Awaiting further releases.
Well, I still find it weird that Johnathon cannot into sexy ponies. Or maybe I'm a sexual deviant to the extreme.
4127242 I don't think that the idea of a physical relationship between two different species, so long as both are sapient and consenting, is necessarily a terrible thing. I'm sure Captain Kirk would agree.
But desire is weird, and everyone is different. I don't judge.
4127242
different strokes and all that. Maybe he just isn't into horsebutt.
...stop that!
Also...Johnathan...just do it. Who cares if she's in a different form, lol.
4127322 but horsebutt is best butt! And dat wink, how can you resist it?
4127281
I would say sapient, not sentient. Sapience is commonly understood as human-like intelligence, while sentience is just being able to perceive sensations. So dogs are sentient, hamsters are sentient, heck, anything with a brain is sentient. While obviously the two aren't mutually exclusive (since a sapient being must be sentient by pretty much definition) in this kind of scenario it's usually either/or thing. Using the word sentient assumes no sapience.
Sorry for that, you might know it and it could be a mistake, but it's common enough that I decided to correct every wrong use of the word. It makes people look... well, suffice to say that technically if they're not sapient then it's zoophilia.
No inter-species for you, dirty-minded fans!
"Earth" should be capitalized, as it's a proper name (and you capitalize it elsewhere in the chapter).
"It's" should be "its", as replacing it with "it is" doesn't make sense in context.
You're missing an ending quote on this paragraph, as the next one starts with a new speaker.
I read that and it became very clear that there will be a ways to go before 1st contact and the hardest part would be waiting for it. Oh the long, long wait!!
4127718
4127850 I do keep making that mistake. Sapient is the word I meant to use.
4128075 And the award for the best editor goes to...! Seriously, thanks again.
4127940 I happen to like the Twilight Series. I'm not going to apologize for that.
As for a person studying the martial arts so they do not have to hurt others when they act in self defense... is that so hard to believe? People are strange. Some of them are actually pacifists.
As for humanity itself, there is a quote from Men in Black that I find appropriate. "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."
I've met many wonderful individuals. (and many awful ones) but you can never be sure what you're going to get.
Sure, Johnathon might be a bit overcautious, but if you found something beautiful and delicate, wouldn't you want to protect it while you could?
I bet you hated the Avatar Movie. It portrayed humans (some, not all) as greedy bastards that would destroy the innocent for profit. Obviously you don't believe people are like that.
4128687
Why is it that every time I actually do correct with an excessive amount of lecturing, it's usually to someone who knows the word...
Again, my apologies for unneeded correction.
On another note, can't wait for more!
Edit:
Oh, just remembered:
Shone. Homonyms are one heck of a cookie.
Oh, and this one: feet. Though since she's a pony now, wouldn't hooves be better?
4128652 u cannot into horses, bro?
I guess you're too new to internet.
this isn't even close to weirdest shit out there.
>>Nataniel which horsebutt is best butt?
i thing its luna's
4128877 Tia's flank is lush.
Luna's flank is young adult alicorn, yum.
Twiflank is adorkable
Pink one is juicy
Chryssyflank is hole-y goodness
gotta catch 'em all!
Well, a pleasant surprise for a Monday! Much daww, and no real surprises, save perhaps the use of the Permanant transformation spell so freely after so many issues with it previously:
Then again, it has been leading up to that as well.
I hope the opposite end of the portal is stable. If the room was discovered, I can just see each pony being transported to a seperate collectior's art gallery....
Woot update! Chris you bad man you making us wait so long
Also
4128652
why must you stalk all the good stories
3865009 Johnathon picked out a griffon made sword because the only canon races with hands (even clawed ones) are Griffons, Minotaurs, and Diamond Dogs.
Minotaur weapons would probably be a bit too big, and of the two, Griffons seemed more likely to have a warlike history with ponies... and be more likely to favor long, curved blades, for slashing while flying past. So that's my head canon for the sword he picked out.
4127281
I do find it a little weird that Jon and Cheerilee are willing to be intimate... just not without first being the same species. It seems like a really strange line to draw.
Okay I have something to bring up and it may take a bit to explain, but this has been bothering me for quite a while now.
So ponies can use magic to get super strength, flight, levitation, teleportation, time travel, etc. while humans are stuck using non-magical means to manipulate their environments and I get that. Naturally this would give ponies a clear advantage in terms of Super Weight and I can accept that too. There isn't really a problem with any of this logically speaking (however as someone who likes competitive balance, this does tend to cause me some frustration.) No, from a purely logic based standpoint, the problem only appears when a magic user travels to Earth.
You see where I'm going with this? There are only two reasons for humans to have never developed magic; the first is that in the three to four billion years of biological evolution on Earth, nothing ever figured out how to use magic and take advantage of it, but that explanation seems highly unlikely. The other option is that there simply isn't any magic on Earth or perhaps even in the universe. This option makes much more sense, but it brings us back to the problem: What happens when a magic user travels to Earth?
Having stopped to think about it, I have managed to shave off about two paragraphs from my rant. To summarize the conclusion of my little time out: The relationship between biology and magic seems to be tangential at best unless you are a unicorn (because being a unicorn needs to have some drawbacks.) An individual's magic is based on some sort of magical core within each pony. This nexus (as I shall call it from now on) is tied to each ponies body, but isn't automatically changed with the body in the event of say, a transformation spell.
The nexus uses the body of the pony as an outlet for whatever magical energy is acquired in accordance to the nature of the nexus itself. This magical energy is probably absorbed from the surrounding world. If however, there is no ambient magic on Earth, the ponies would most likely be unable to replenish their... nexi, nexui, nexuses, spell check says nexuses, and they would therefore begin to run out of magic.
There are two ways out of this: One has the nexus create it's own magic from essentially nothing (and then I go cry in a corner,) while the other has the nexus convert non-magical energy (probably chemical energy or something) into magical energy. Obviously that causes a bunch of problems, most of which tie back to Cheerilee still having magic and not having any adverse health effects.
I'm sorry, it's not just you. This comes up all the time and I really needed to vent.
4129924 So far in my story, aside from Celestia and Luna making a short trip to Earth about 1500 years ago, there is no information on what happens to a pony who visits Earth...
So your theory may be correct. After all, Celestia and Luna might simply have not really felt the drain of their powers not being replenished in their short visit, seeing as they have significantly larger magical reserves than average. (or so we might assume)
But since speculating on your theory would mean giving away spoilers of what happens when our protagonists travel to Earth, I will not do so.
I will only say this. I have, in fact, thought of this already. There has simply been no way to explore it without actually traveling to Earth in the story.
As for the Mane 6 being on the level of super heroes compared to your average human?
Well... yeah. They're super heroes on their own world too.
4128842 No, I'm familiar enough with that stuff. I just wasn't expecting it to show up so blatantly in the comments of this story.
4128999 It's what I do.
4129924
Hmm. interesting. Anther possibility is that Earth dose have magic, but there is so little of it that it produces no noticeable effect. And so nothing has come to rely on it on Earth. Or very few things uses it and the effect is so minute that no one has noticed.
4126813
Can I just say that I love you?
4130099
Also look who's showing up in the top of the popular story list
4127850
Even some things that don't have brains are sentient: trees grow toward the sun, which is why they curve when they're planted on a slope.
4132968
I was considering the use of this particular phrase. For simplicity's sake I rolled with it. One could debate that single-cell organisms are sentient, since they do react to their surroundings in a manner that could be called feeling.
Still, good to see others on watch!
4132998
Indeed, it is one of my greatest pet peeves when people get the two mixed up. It is unfortunate that it's so prevalent, though.
4133006
It's actually funny, since my native language does not really have similar issue.
For one, the words are completely different from one another. Not only that, they are also not really used in this kind of distinction. So it's got nothing to do here. The fact that they are self-explanatory is also of note.
The moment sapient/sentient are mixed up though? It activates my lecture mode... I suppose being in this fandom long enough is what convinced me that this distinction could be crucial. Doubly interesting since I was mixing them up myself for quite a time, until it suddenly clicked...
Fascinating world we live on.
4133048
Interesting... English is my native language, and It's in my nature to be as precise as possible - when I was a kid, and my parents were teaching me to draw faces, they had me draw a circle first, then told me: "put your face on it".
I faceplanted onto the paper.
Metaphors, figures of speech and other non-literal interpretations were difficult for me to get for quite a while...
Pretty good plan regarding turning the girls human for this trip, though I can't help but suspect that the temporary spell being used for Twilight and Rarity is going to cause some sort of issue before the trip is over.
Something about how this bit was written made me briefly panic/wonder if a Tragedy tag had been snuck onto the story while I wasn't looking. It was a pretty big relief when Cheerilee made it home safe in the next paragraph.
I liked it. Splendid character, splendid Cheerilee, splendid Princesses, splendid Mane Six, splendid use of magical and show mechanics.
Splendid.
9/10 - "Splendid. Did I mention Splendid?"
Splendidly Supervising in Supreme Suspense of Subsequent Sections...
Splendid Ken. Nington. The Fifty-first.
4128726
Fuck you!! History proves nothing!!!
Why do I get the distinct feeling something awful is going to happen to Cheerilee? Her relationship with Jonathan just seems too perfect.
Umm... If Luna is going with them, does that mean Luna will be turned human as well? Wouldn't she explode in a couple minutes with her levels of magic?
4141168 Bwahahaha...
What? Something bad happen? Never!
Seriously though... I didn't put "tragedy" on it, so nothing TOO bad, obviously.
4141257 If it is implied that Luna is coming with them... then perhaps I was not careful enough with that scene. I may have to revisit it to make it more clear.
Luna is not coming to Earth.
4141318 I think it's pretty clear that the Sonic Rainboom occurs at about Mach 1. While obviously she can exceed that speed by a bit, she's never, at least in Canon, hit Mach 2... (as that would almost certainly cause a second Sonic Rainboom after the first).
So no, Rainbow Dash will not be able to race with most supersonic planes and win. Not that she'll get the chance unless she's a pegasi when she is on Earth, anyway.
4141668
That lightly implied it.
4141675 Ah yes. Hmm. I like that opening... but I will have to put something with Luna stating that she regrets she can not come along herself, or something along those lines.
4141679 Indeed. Wouldn't be too difficult to add in such a line though...