Of all the dangerous things Blake had watched his friends do, none gave him more anxiety than watching them go out and interact with other human beings.
When it came to climbing something, picking a lock, or navigating an old building, Blake had little to fear. His friends were all good at what they did. He had no reason to doubt they would succeed, given their skill and the research they'd already done on the various sites they visited.
But as soon as other human beings got involved, suddenly all certainty went out the window. It's okay. We aren't even breaking the law this time. There's nobody to bribe, no one who might not look the other way.
At worst, they wouldn't be able to communicate effectively, and his friends would have to return in defeat. Right? That was what he told himself.
He kept near the entrance to the cave, even though it meant a constant barrage of chilling wind and dust. He needed to know the instant anything happened. Maybe he'd be able to see it from far away, and... and help, somehow?
He watched for over an hour, squinting down at the distant town for any sign of what might be happening to his friends. Well, to Jordan. His skills would be necessary to get them out of this... and that would likely make him the first target if something went wrong.
We should've gone together. We wouldn't seem like as much of a target with five people. Of course, that would make them more intimidating. Five people might be a threat to the little town, or at least feel like one.
Ultimately Blake had no choice but to accept the fact that he'd stayed behind, and there was nothing more he could do to help. He could only wait, and watch, and maybe hope.
Occasionally Ryan poked his head out from the inner cavern. The walk through the tunnel wasn't exactly easy, and he took each step walking precariously over rough rock.
"Any sign of them?" he asked, every few hours.
Each time, Blake shook his head, slumping a little lower against the rock. Except the last, where something finally appeared on the edge of the trail.
Only two figures, carrying something between them. They didn't move slowly and confused, but cut straight up the side of the mountain. Blake stood up, waving energetically. The distant people waved back.
Before they'd even reached the cave entrance, Ryan appeared from behind him again. "You seemed excited. Something going on?"
Blake pointed this time, grinning. "Looks like they made it!"
"What in god's name are they wearing?" Ryan asked, pointing. "I don't think I've ever seen colors like that outside of a movie screen. Even the ponies in Equestria had more sense than that."
Blake didn't answer, just waited for the away group to arrive. There were only two of them, confirming what he thought he'd seen from a distance. Jordan and Galena, both dressed in a mix of what they'd been wearing before and old clothes. They smelled like a thrift store, but at least they weren't freezing.
"Good thing you stood up," Jordan said, settling down a huge cardboard box on the ground in front of him as he arrived. "This cave is invisible from below, just blends right into the rock."
"That's good," Ryan said. "In fact, why don't you all come inside? In case anyone followed you, let's not make finding us easier for them. Don't want to be blamed if someone follows us through and gets killed in a diamond mine."
Even Galena evidently thought that logic was sound, because they hurried through, gathering around an old desk. Ryan had transformed the space in their absence, pulling the functional furniture into the center of the room.
A desk, a few chairs almost made it feel like somewhere people were meant to live.
"So you're not going to believe what happened down there," Jordan said. "In a good way, I think. Maybe?"
"I can speak to them," Galena interrupted. "The natives of this place know the tribal tongue of my ancestors. Even if I do not know all the words they have created. They are a strange people. But perhaps with time they would welcome us?"
"Hold up," Ryan said, looking up from the box of clothes he'd been digging through. "You think the Polish speak... Griffon?"
"I heard them with my own ears," Galena insisted. "And I spoke with them as Janet. She was more persuasive. But the two of us shared this victory. The bat was only an observer."
Jordan stood a little straighter, though even taller than Galena he wasn't built the same. His friend was athletic and lean, maybe even lighter and slimmer than he remembered. "She's not wrong. I don’t speak Polish. Blake, they don't either. Galena spoke English, and Janet was using Spanish. The locals understood them both, even though I couldn't. I have absolutely no idea how it's possible."
But Galena was built like a tank, like some of the female officers he'd met while deployed. She was the kind of woman who made trucks get out of her way just by grimacing at them. "I told you, bat. It was an old tongue, my first. If these creatures can learn it, I believe we will get along. Even if this much clothing is absurd, I do admire the stripes."
"That is... not consistent with the way translation has worked thus far," Ryan said. One hand twitched, and he seemed to be muttering to himself for a few seconds. "So you, Galena... we can guess about you. When we go through a Worldgate, we understand everyone on the other side. Yet the words cannot be the same language—some translation effect is in place."
"And... she's doing the reverse," Blake realized. "She's from that world, and comes into ours. So she can speak to people here. Do you think maybe Janet knew Polish, Jordan? I'm still not convinced we ever knew her that well."
"Not a chance. I might not be able to speak to them, but I know what Spanish and Polish sound like. It seemed like everyone could understand her. Except me."
"Baffling," Blake said. "But... probably academic for right now. We could talk to them, that's good news! What did we learn?"
Jordan explained in a rush. More than once, Galena had to intervene to correct some little detail—she apparently had understood the locals, lending a little more support to that theory. And now her value on any team that travels back across is much higher.
Galena wasn't just the skilled navigator who became dead-weight on these away missions. She was a universal translator for Earth. That alone might make her the most valuable translator in the world. Along with anyone else who ever comes across from Equestria.
Mystery about Janet aside, he learned the details of what they'd negotiated.
"Sounds like a great deal," Ryan said, as soon as they were finished. "We've got a local home base. We'll need it when the crew gets here. How many do you think we'll have, Blake?"
"Uh..." He ticked off the names on his hands for a minute. "Somewhere between five and ten. There's plenty of money in the company accounts, assuming they weren't drained. The real question is how many people are sketched out by our sudden appearance, and what we're asking them to do. But once we charge up our crap, we could give a little more information."
"We should start thinking about how we're going to reveal this to the world," Jordan said. "This quiet little town will become the center of the world. Didn't even have a rail station."
"Not here." Ryan gestured back at the shimmering pool behind them. "Kaelynn deserves to be part of that conversation. Holding down the ship doesn't mean she's out of the team. This is her victory as much as ours. She gets a vote."
Blake nodded. "But we need to work out what to do. We've got nine days to kill. Going through the crystal caverns didn't seem so bad, but we might want to outline the way down. Might have to wait for the crew to get here, they should have UV paint."
It was a common technique they used when working in areas others might see. Didn't want to risk the public or law-enforcement figuring out what they were up to.
They spoke for several minutes, considering different ways of passing information, and ways to separate the group. After being in another world for so long, spending nine whole days on this side seemed like an eternity.
"Alright, I think I know what we should do," Blake declared, after some discussion. "Galena, you don’t mind staying here. Is that right?"
She nodded eagerly. "I wish to learn more of your world, and the people of Bydska. And here, no captain will ever find me. It is as safe as I have ever been."
"Great, fantastic," Jordan exclaimed. "So she stays with Janet, is that the plan?"
Blake nodded. Inwardly though, he was more confused than anything. The bat Vesper hadn't seemed to mind Galena. So why was Jordan so on edge around her? If it was the physical attraction, at least they could relate.
"We'll join Janet down there for the night, get everything we can charged up. In the morning, we'll get Janet a phone, any other supplies we can find, maybe pawn one of our gold coins...
"Galena, you'll be staying behind. You're welcome to spend that time with Janet in town, so long as you visit the cave at least once each day, to wait for messages. Also, don't get into trouble. If you get revealed as an alien, you will probably find the locals become far less accommodating."
She shrugged. "Even if Janet is right about the magic—she said I could remain here for a month, yes? I will be safe enough."
"Sounds perfect," Jordan agreed. "I assume we'll be going back to tell Kaelynn all this, and give her a chance to come across."
Blake nodded. "We'll be back in nine days, unless we hear from the crew sooner that things are changing. We'll have to work out someone else to keep an eye on the ship. And... think about what to do about the locals. We'll need a way to keep it on the downlow that there's a Worldgate a mile from their village."
There was a little more discussion about the details. But soon enough they'd distributed more of the spare clothes, and were on their way back down the mountain. Blake had left a white shirt hanging from the edge of the cave, to help them find their way back. Hopefully one night wouldn't be long enough for the locals to get too curious.
"You think there's enough room in the house for five people?" he asked, when they finally reached the trail. "Or... another ten?"
"No," Jordan said, without skipping a beat. "But it's not a tile floor in an ancient bathhouse."
There wasn't as much activity in the old village as they made their way in for Blake's first time. A few old cars, a bus winding its way through town, and plenty of foot traffic.
They attracted their fair share of stares and raised eyebrows. But ultimately, there were no mobs, no robberies, and they made it to a run-down little farmhouse on the edge of town.
Janet was waiting for them inside, wearing an old apron and holding an unmarked bottle of soapy water and a broom. "You made it. I wasn't sure if you would go straight through to the other side."
"We're hoping to charge up all our batteries first. Is there anything to eat in here?"
"Sure, yeah. Miss Wysocki sent a plate of... I think they're dumplings. Here, they're still warm."
Blake took one from the offered plate, and settled in for the strangest night of his life.
Blake and Ryan are just as confused about the translation effect. It seems that it won't be long before they go back for Kaelynn.
Yo, are they eating pierogis? Those things are literally the best food to ever exist
Other than the possibility that Janet has been completely transformed by magic, the only thing the gang has to worry about now is rescuing Kaelynn. That may prove to be their biggest obstacle yet.
Even so, you'd think someone would have stumbled into it during the long centuries of disuse.
An inconsistent gate effect would be a cause for concern.
It shouldn't take long to realize Janet is under the same effect.
Not that any gate travelers need it.
It's not you so much I'm worried about. You already know you need to replenish the spell. But if it's true that Janet will need to as well...
She's going to experience San Jose all over again.
It'll be important to see if he experiences the same strangeness as Jordan. See if that increases the possibility that Janet is transformed or they just travelled through another wonky gate.
Janet was there too long it looks like.
The calm before the storm. They think it's all done, they just have to get their one other party member, everything is hunky-dory.
Now comes the real fun part: tracking down the missing person with no clues.
10961656
That's my guess too, she's now a native equestrian, too much magic. Which means we may have been wrong about how close Jordan was to the line in the sand from her dream magic.
10961699
No, there's something more screwy going on here... Galena spoke English, and Janet Spanish, so how did the Polish understand both of those? A small town in the middle of nowhere, I doubt there's a trilingual living there.
10961972
Or if what Galena suggests, that the Polish are speaking a form of proto-Griffon language, or the griffons are speaking a language descended from Polish. Either the griffons or the Poles crossed through a portal at one point in the stories world and massively impacted one or another’s culture titanically. Though the village is rather isolated, so it could be home to an older dialect of Polish autonomous from the modern Polish language.
10962151
I took it as the world gate providing a translation effect to native equestrians. Galena and Janet have been on the Equestrian side for long enough that when they transported over they were "speaking tongues" so to speak. Galena and Janet are speaking in their own languages but are somehow understandable to both Jordan and the Landlady at the same time, neither of whom share a language.
This may indicate that Janet has the mechanics of magic poisoning wrong, since she's abstained from using magic and Jordan's alternate has been dumping magic like it's going out of style. Maybe it's only specific things, like Spark Gap's constant infusion of a magic tonic, that contribute to buildup. Maybe active magic use purges it from the body instead of transforming it.
10962177
That would be massively ironic, wouldn't it?
10961972
There's likely a translation element added into the illusion spell applied to Equestrians as they use the gate to help them as they go across. Janet claims the signs and languages she sees and hears are in Spanish (her native language) and Galena claims its Old Native Equestrian. Jordan sees and hears things in Polish because it's presumed he isn't fully transformed yet and the spell doesn't apply itself to humans going Earthside. Though not confirmed, I'm guessing Jordan is hearing a trilingual conversation because he isn't a party to it, only an observer and not under the effects of the spell. Landlady, Janet, and Galena are presumably speaking and hearing things in their native tongues.
10962151
There are things that could suggest cultural mixing though any would be limited into the Equestrian side as humans (or any other nonmagical sapient lifeform) are basically the only ones who could integrate seamlessly.
10962177
Only Galena's Old Equestrian was understandable to Jordan for unknown reasons. He could discern that Janet is speaking Spanish and the Landlady is speaking Polish but doesn't understand much else. Landlady understood probably because she was being spoken to.
I'm guessing even though Vesper was reckless with magic, she was still within her safe limits. Janet may have withheld her magic, but enough time has passed for magic to eat away at her remaining Humanity regardless.
I'd be surprised if Janet got magic poisoning wrong. Twilight seemed to have gotten the gist of it down when talking with Tracy and would've been available to help. Still, the only ones who would have really known and could have really helped are Discord and possibly Celestia.
10962177
That absolutely works. Holy crap if Janet finds out she’s screwed herself through an abstinence to Magic I’d get out of there real quick.
Not to Janet, if she realized what it meant, that the portal was treating her as if she was from the Equestrian side...
I hadn't considered the inconsistency, but that's honestly stranger than the translation effect in and of itself. Maybe Jordan is stuck in the cracks in the system, neither magical nor mundane enough to benefit from any part of the translation. (And let's not forget that both Galena and Janet could also read Polish given the street sign. They didn't even notice the diacritics!)
But over a week until they head back? Oof. I hope Kaelynn has some kind of plan that doesn't rely on outside assistance. Really, it seems polite to pop in quick and tell her the timetable, but I understand the group wanting to get in a bit of magical detox.
If Starswirl set up the portals, he certainly would have included something to assist with any language barriers. The old coot had tricks inside his tricks.
10962911
Gate building would have been one heck of an achievement if that was Starswirl. A real step up from the mirror portal. Discord is currently the only known being capable of creating gates or something similar to them. Not even the alicorns are able or willing to do it.
10962911
I don't think he did though because of this passage from Fine Print. (Chapter 56)
10963355
Ch 64:
Apparently, ponies understood enough to make modifications to existing gates. I'm guessing with more research, they might be able to build on Clover's work and set up more functioning portals.
It occurs to me the supposed rough terrain of the mountain shouldn't really bother the folks who are griffins on the other side. Or at least, no more than it would bother them as griffins. I can't think of any reason the hardened foot pad the rear paws would not have transferred over to their human soles unless they were wearing booties on the other side (a rather funny image) and they didn't develop hardened pads similar to shoes keeping human feet soft and easily cut up. So the terrain would be equally as detrimental regardless of if they were in human or equestrian forms.
10962809
But "Ulica W Centrum" IS how Center Street is spelled in English....
Do nothing from a distance more likely, or maybe fall down the mountain trying to help.
I was about to say, highly valuable and unique right up until someone else comes across from Equestria who isn't a pirate.
Well yes, but also no.
10968183
“Ulica w centrum” literally means “a street in the center [of town]”, and is not grammatical as a street name. “Center Street” would be “ulica Centralna”.