//------------------------------//
// Hummer 
// Story: Strange New World 
// by Boopy Doopy 
//------------------------------//

Lake wasted no time in hurrying up to his friends as the police stopped by Lilac Beauty to ask her something. Hurrying in his case though meant half walking, half hobbling up to them.
“—you to take them in!” Lilac was saying as one of the cops talked to her. “I let them into my house! I said it was okay this time! Even that annoying mare, Sapphire!”
“I’m not annoying!”
“If you’re being coerced or feel unsafe,” the cop told her, “you can tell us. We can have guards stationed here if you feel you need protection.”
“I’m not unsafe!” she said frustratedly. “I just told you I let them in!”
“What the heck happened to you, Lake?” Tory asked as his friends took him in. “Did you get hurt?”
“Stay back, unless you wanna head to the station with them,” one of the other cops said.
He did as the officer ordered, and took a few steps back, but it didn’t stop him from talking. “Yeah,” he got out. “I saw one of the ponies Roxie changed into before, and thought it was her,” he explained. “And the guy took offense to it for some reason, and stabbed me, if you can believe it. I was in the hospital for two days. It still hurts.”
“Oh my god! Are you okay?”
“When did that happen? You weren’t walking alone at night were you?”
“It was the stallion with the gray coat and blonde mane, wasn’t it?” Roxanne cut in. She looked tired, and had dark bags under her eyes, like she was absolutely exhausted. Tory and Sapphire Glow looked tired, too, but Roxanne looked particularly bad. Lake could imagine how they felt after so long out there. Not that he had to.
“I’m glad that same changeling was there for you,” she continued, as she shapeshifted to look like the colorful version of it. “And yeah, I know he wants me to talk to him. He left his scent all over you for me.”
“I don’t smell anything,” Lake said, putting on a hint of a smile again. Then the cop that had his friends interrupted again.
“Stop talking to them,” he said seriously, “or you’re going to be taken in, too, for interfering with an official investigation, understand? I’m serious.”
Now was as good a time as any for Lake to test out a small theory. If friendship really was the most powerful force in this world, then this should work.
“We’re very sorry,” he said, as sincerely as he could. “We know we’re making your job harder, and they should’ve known that even asking Lilac Beauty if we could go into her home didn’t make it okay for us—errr, them—to do that.”
“That’s right,” the cop told him. “They should have known.” Tory and Sapphire gave him weird looks of confusion, but a quick glance to Roxanne told Lake all he needed to know about whether or not this would work. 
“If you could just let them off with a warning, this one time, we promise we won’t ever come by her house again, even if she lets us,” Lake said. “We know we don’t deserve it, but we would really appreciate it if you could help us out, please.”
He gave the cop the most innocent, pleading look he could possibly make. He stretched out his wings slightly before wincing in pain from his wound, hoping he looked exactly as pathetic as he thought. The cop looked him up and down, considering it, then glanced to Lilac Beauty, who put on an equally pleading look. His gaze shifted down to his hooves, then he let out a long breath and spoke.
“I don’t care if she lets you in,” the cop said. “You’re not allowed to be here. If we see you here again, it won’t be a warning next time. Got that?” He turned to the other three and said, “Consider yourselves lucky your friend was here to help you out this time. You understand what I'm saying?”
“Yes, we understand,” Lake said quickly, nodding his head as the cop’s horn stopped glowing and his friends were released. “Thank you so much.”
Friendship was a really interesting property of this world, Lake though. You could get into people's houses that they thought you broke into, stay at people's homes for weeks for free, and get out of violating probation after you broke the conditions of your release. He wondered what else could be done with it.
The three of them were finally released a few seconds later. Lake laughed nervously in relief as Roxanne leaned on his good side tiredly and Sapphire and Tory explained what happened.
“We were lost out there until the Royal Guard showed up,” she said as they moved away from Lilac Beauty's house. “Tory was the one who heard them. And when we got in, the police were there, too, and grabbed us. I think they were expecting us to be there.” She paused and smiled, “You really saved us, huh, Lake?”
“Did you find anything useful?” he asked back. “Is there any reason we'd need to go back there?”
“Other than to see if the portal leads somewhere else, no,” Tory sighed. “It was just snow and rocks out there. No cell service, no radio towers, nothing. Just a big waste of time. Your phone is at twenty four percent by the way.”
That made Lake sigh in response. He wasn't surprised. That was why he tried to work on flying before he got stabbed. Man, his side still hurt.
“I can get off of you if it does” Roxanne said quietly, already moving away from him. “Sorry.” She slumped back and moved to lean on Tory now. “I feel completely drained, because there wasn't any magic there. I don't understand what's going on with me.”
“There was some magic, actually more than I expected!” Sapphire said, giving off a little energy no one else had. “Some spots had almost two particles per cubic centimeter! There wasn't any pattern to it though, strangely enough. But it makes more sense why a portal would show up in random spots, if the magic isn't evenly distributed throughout the land!”
“She's been doing nothing but nerding out about being a human with fingers and being on Earth, seriously,” Tory said with a little smile, like he thought it was cute. “At least until we got lost.” He glanced to the mare, then looked back at Lake and said, “Tell us what happened with you though.”
He explained the details to them as they slowly walked, about how he mistaked the guy for Roxanne and how he got offended and stabbed him in the side, how he needed to stay in the hospital for a few days after the changeling took him there. Then he looked over and said, “What the heck did you get involved in Roxie? How do you know that guy? And the changeling?”
She waved him off with a hoof. “Too exhausted. I'll tell you later. I'm gonna take a nap forever first. After something to eat. What time is it anyway?”
They all returned to Sapphire Glow’s home a few hours later, to be greeted by Shimmering Diamond before Roxanne promptly headed up to bed and Sapphire Glow took a shower. He was alone with Tory to talk to him.
“Are you okay, Lake?” he asked. “You look like you're still in pain.”
“I'm fine,” he sighed. “Pegasus ponies and earth ponies are supposed to be fast healers, and I think that’s true. It still kinda hurts though. But I preened my wings, see?” he said, stretching the appendages out and showing off the neat looking feathers. “Apparently I have to do it once a week. Oh, and I'm learning to fly.” Well, he was until he got stabbed.
“That's great,” Tory said kindly as he sent a smile his way that Lake had to avoid blushing at. “How far can you fly?”
“Not very high, and it's only for a minute max right now.” There was a momentary pause before Lake asked slightly nervously, “What are we gonna do?” It earned another sigh from Tory.
“I don't know,” he admitted frustratedly. “We all decided that the portal is useless unless there's no other options at all. Then we'd try to make a boat or a raft to get to the other island. I think the city there is Longyearben? Or something like that.”
“I wish I was surprised,” Lake admitted.
“Sapphire did tell us though that we could get a train to the capital of this country and talk to the Queen in court for free. That might be the next plan actually. After talking to that human club friend she supposedly has anyway.“
Lake nodded. It seemed as good a plan as any. He didn’t expect a random Norwegian island to lead to anything useful anyway. Why the heck couldn’t it have just put them back at his apartment?
“Do you actually trust her though?” Lake asked, a bit more quietly. “Not that she's trying to get us into trouble, but you know she's kind of reckless.”
“Does it matter?” Tory asked back with a shrug. “Don't really have much of a choice, do we?” Lake sent a serious look his way, and Tory finished, “Yeah, I trust her.”
Lake nodded at that, then asked the obvious follow up question. “Do you like her? I wanna know, just so I can know,” he said. “I won't tell anyone if you actually do, but I'm pretty sure Roxie can figure it out either way.”
“Nah,” he waved a hoof casually, no sense of embarrassment about him like Lake would show at a similar question. “She's cute as a human, but I'm not into horses. Maybe if she moved to Earth like she says she wants to do, but not here.”
That sounded like the opposite of a no to Lake, but he didn't bring it up. Instead the conversation moved on to Tory asking more about what happened to him and how he got stabbed before heading into the shower following Sapphire Glow’s reappearance. Naturally, Lake asked her the same question in between her excitedly chattering about their adventure and what she thought they should do next.
She actually blushed at the question, and stuttered, too, surprisingly enough. Lake wasn’t entirely sure why; it wasn’t like she was ever secretive about her intentions.
“I– I mean, I– I don’t not like him,” she got out. “We’re just teasing each other, and he knows that. Kind of like how he and Roxie tease you and—wait a minute!” Sapphire suddenly gasped, and then, in a hushed voice, asked, “Do you like him?”
Now it was Lake’s turn to have his cheek become hot. He would’ve immediately said no if not for how obvious his expression made the answer. “Does he know?” was Sapphire’s immediate next question.
“Uh, no,” Lake admitted just as quietly. “I’m kinda… trying to get over it,” he told her. “So, uh, if, uh, you were interested… it’d help a little.”
“I mean, I am kind of,” Sapphire smiled, a little sheepishly. “Don’t know if he actually is in me though. But it’d be cool to be with a human. All the ponies in the Humans in Equestria club would be so jealous!”
Lake had to close his eyes to avoid rolling them. But it did help to hear that they both liked each other on some level. There was a strange comfort in knowing there was basically no chance without having to directly ask.
Of course, once the conversation passed and Sapphire went back to doing whatever she did at her desk all day, his anxiety flared up again. About her knowing he liked Tory, about how dangerous Equestria could be—about the whole stupid situation in general. The three of them were going to have to be here long term. That was a fact. He definitely lost his job and was reported missing, and already missed some of the bills he had to pay, so even once he got back to Earth, there were going to be problems. Not to mention the whole world knowing about this place, Equus. He was already dreading how many interviews he’d have to give once he got back. It was going to be a lot. He hoped he’d be compensated at least.
If they even got back. Seventy five percent of Earth was covered in ocean, and then there were a bunch of inhospitable places like Siberia and the Andes and the Gobi Desert and wherever else. If Lilac Beauty’s portal changed, what made him think it wasn’t going to change if they found whatever portal Sapphire’s friend used? How improbable was it that they’d put them in Des Moines, Iowa, or anywhere in America? What if it didn’t even place them on Earth at all?
Suddenly, Tory was putting a hoof on his shoulder that was still wet from the shower he took. “We're fine, man,” he told him slowly. “Just take a breath and calm down. We'll figure it all out.”
Lake closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “Since we're gonna be here a while, do you think they have any psychiatrists here?” he asked. “I need my anti anxiety meds.”
“You should probably talk to Sapphire about that. I bet she'd know, since she probably needs ADHD meds anyway.”
Lake laughed at that. It eased his nerves a little bit. It was a process.
It was a night the four of them spent lounging around again like they'd been doing for the last month, with Shimmering Diamond cooking dinner while they discussed what they should do after Roxanne woke back up. Sapphire Glow explained that she was still preparing for the next Humans In Equestria club meeting, which would take place in a few days, and waiting for Twilight Sparkle’s letter to arrive.
“She'll send something back, trust me,” Sapphire Glow assured them. “And if she forgets, like I said, we can take a train to Canterlot to talk to her. But not until after the HiE club meeting. Record Keeper is always there.”
“And he'll definitely be able to help us, right?” Tory asked. “I really don't wanna stay here forever.”
“And what's going on with the Royal Guard at Lilac's house?” Lake added. “I haven't been able to check on it the last few days. Are they doing anything with the portal?”
“They're gonna have some scientists investigating and report back to Twilight Sparkle about it,” Sapphire Glow explained. “Lilac Beauty's not very happy, but I'm sure it's better to her than having us hanging around. Well, us three anyway. She doesn't hate you, I don't think.”
“What can I say?” Lake shrugged with a small smile. “I didn't expect friendship to be so powerful.”
“And useful,” Roxanne added. “Except for you getting stabbed by that stallion. He's lucky we didn't go to jail with him, because he would've gotten it from me at least for that shit. He tried to kill me for money and telling him to fuck off when he asked.”
“That's why he was upset with me about you,” Lake nodded, using a wing to rub his sore side. “When did you even have time to meet that guy?”
“He’s just some jackass I ran into,” she shook her head. “I don't even know, honestly, but fuck him. He deserves to be in prison.”
“I'd honestly hit him if I saw him,” Tory added. It made Lake smile to hear.
“It's a good thing you're supposed to be a fast healer,” Roxanne continued, “even if you're still hurting. But anyway, what did he say to tell me? The changeling? I recognize his scent—it’s all over you.
“Huh? Oh. Uhh… I don't even remember,” Lake shook his head. “Something about how he can't wait to talk to you? When did you get the chance to meet him?”
“Same place,” she explained tiredly. “He helped me out a little bit, and knew we weren't from Equestria by how I felt. I do wanna talk to him if I can find him though. It might be useful… actually, Lake, since you saw him, too, did you wanna go walking with me tonight? Or some night soon?”
“Uhhh, not tonight,” he told her. “Not before I feel better. And only if Tory and Sapphire come, too. More safety in numbers.”
“Yeah, I understand that,” Roxanne nodded. “I might go out myself though anyway, just to see if I can find that changeling. I'm really curious about what he has to say.” Before anyone could argue against her, she continued, “I don't think I will though. It's just an idea, guys… when is that humans club meeting again, Sapphire?”
“Day after tomorrow,” Sapphire broke in excitedly. “Record Keeper is gonna love meeting you guys! They all will, but he especially!”
“And he'll definitely be able to help us, right?” Lake asked. Sapphire confirmed with an eager nod, and he let out a breath he'd been holding in. It at least meant there were multiple options for them to look over. He remembered her saying it would take weeks to get to wherever the other portal was, which wouldn't be ideal. A month as horses was already a long time. Another month or two wasn't what he wanted. Not that he thought they could rely on talking to the queen of these horses. More likely, they would—
Roxanne touched his back and gave him a look that said he needed to chill out. She was right. There were more than just three options. Maybe they could learn some magic or he could convince these ponies to get on top of it if he had to. They had friendship on their side, after all.
Besides, they needed to see how the humans club meeting would go before he started to let his anxiety get the best of him. There'd probably be stuff to do before then anyway, like more community service and try to fly again once his side stopped killing him.
Just gotta not freak out until then, he said as he rubbed a hoof against Roxanne's limb to feel the texture of her fur. Either we'll get back or we won't…
Another look from her came. This one seemed to be an apology, that she was sorry for dragging him into this. As if it was her fault. He probably would've followed after her anyway, even if Tory hadn't gone through. But maybe he could've kept the portal open on the other side if he stayed in his apartment.
Too late now. Whoever this mysterious pony, Record Keeper, was, he was their current best option. He did wonder what would happen next though.
Lake had absolutely no idea.