.
”Right this way!” she exclaims, as I lead her towards the door of the last room in the hall.
“Since I did not have a saddle bag, she is carrying a few apples in her back pack; she did recall to take it with her, this time. Of course, we do not expect to see any one, or any Pony this time.
The door is open, as we step into the room, just as I had left it.
I feel the change, as I hear the first squeak from my hooves; directly as I am entering the still rather small room, with her in tow.
“That is odd!” she responds, giggling at the sounds of my hooves.
“I know, I just hope this will not bother you!” I respond.
Once she enters the room, just two steps behind me; she realizes, just how fun and funny these squeaking noises are. Her feet are picking up the same exact effect.
“Equestrian rubber squeaks, of the local variety of Ponyville!” I point out, as I hear her walking over the floor in the room.
"Feels as if the souls of my feet had been given a generous coating of your rubber!” she suggests.
“Then I don’t need to worry; you falling off of the edge of the world, when we go down to see where this path is leading!” I point out.
“That is convenient, I don’t want you to worry about me, falling down and hurt myself!” she responds.
“With some practice; you could walk around the room, like a fly!” I offer; teasing her and giggle at the silly image I just painted up, before myself.
“Are you saying; that I could learn to walk upside down, in the ceiling?” she inquires.
“While you only have two feet, but yes; I imagine you could, if you put in the effort!” I explain.
“I don’t know, but for now, I am happy with sticking to the path before us!” she responds.
“Just do not take that too literal!” I warn her.
With that, I set hoof on the path down, under the fort.
She quickly follows me, walking to stay by my side.
On equine hooves;, the suction effect does not change the perspective of the ground, as much as it does for her; since she has soft feet to walk on.
The squeaks are following us down the path, as we continue down; as we explore, where this path is about to take us. First; I only notice how the path is spiraling down, downwards towards what appears to be the basement of her Fort Book. Little by little, I soon realize; how the path is twisting the perspective, as we are walking upside down, just as the Flies I had mentioned earlier. Just that the gravity is pulling me down, towards the floor under my very hooves. The sensation is exactly the same for my companion.
With what feels like a downwards spiral and a floor tilting more and more inwards; I would have feared, I would have been slipping off of the floor. Now I feel the suction holding my hooves steadily in place and the coarse surface under my hooves preventing me from slipping or sliding.
After several minutes, I see a light before me, a door open for us to step through. On the other side, we are no longer in the fort we had enjoyed. Now we are in Equestria. At least, nominally speaking. Maybe this would explain the changes we had experienced topside, in the room we had just left?
“Wait, where are we?” she inquires; Are we still in the Fort Book, or have we gone to a different place, entirely?” she continues.
“I think we may be at Fort Book, still; but the probability of stepping over the border to another realm, is overwhelming..” I respond, now snickering.
Looking around, the room we had just entered looks exactly like the one we had just left. Just that this is upside down. As if we had walked, or trotted all the way through the Earth; ending up on the other side of the world.
“Maybe the border between our respective worlds was never quite as great a divide as one may have thought?” I ponder.
“Assuming we have traveled over the border to your world; exactly where in Equestria are we, on this side of the tunnel?” she inquires.
“I have no idea..” I respond; “but I would love to think, we have managed to get home to Equestria!” I offer.
“Since you were before me, maybe the tunnel leads back to your home?” she is suggesting, walking over the floor.
On closer inspection; the floor is still the same stone tiles that had replaced the books of the now former Fort Book. Where had the books gone, unless they had just been turned into stone. However; pulling the books out, would have destroyed Fort Book in any event. The investment had been made, at the construction of Fort Book. Every book forfeit; unless they could safely be replaced.
While the frog of each of my hooves had been covered or coated with the crystal-clear Equestrian Rubber, just as the souls of her feet had been as we entered the tunnel; now the palms of her hands had been subject to the same treatment.
“Clip, clop; clip, clop; clip, clop... “ is heard, as I continue to trot over the floor with my friend in tow a mere step behind and to the right.
Naturally, there is a faint squeak to her steps, just as a bounce had been added to her step in the process; as the rubbery coating had been applied to the souls of her feet. It would be unavoidable.
“Wait, what?” she exclaims, just as she notices the crystal-clear coat of rubber covering the palms of her hands; “when did that happen?” she inquires; “I did not notice it, until now…” she then concludes.
“I hope it is not inconveniencing you..” I respond; “I can but guess it happened as you transferred from bipedal to quadruped locale!” I suggest.
“Are you suggesting; this manifested, once I stepped over the border to your realm?” she inquires.
“Most likely..” I respond; “Unless it reverts back, if you traverse back; there will be no way to know!” I put forth.
“Since it does not feel different, I only realized it; once I saw it, the first time after we stepped up on this side!” she puts forth.
“I don’t feel it, unless I expressively engage it; so I can trot over the floor, without even noticing the difference!” I suggest.
“Oh!!” she exclaims, as my observation is sinking in.
“While this would normally be embarrassing, but I have been carrying Spike on my back so many times I don’t even notice it; maybe you could try to jump up onto my back, for a short ride?” I offer.
“I could?” she inquires, looking up.
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