Gallus's Journal : Entry #40 (continued)
One thing I quickly picked up about the inhabitants of this world, and from what I'd partially remembered of Professor Shimmer's lectures, was that these creatures walked upright.
And, not to toot my own horn, but it was very easy to get accustomed to.
Also, no wings.
Very unhelpful...
The whole building was quiet. Gallus's footprints echoed heavily through he halls.
He glance around at the walls and quickly surmised to be in some sort of school.
Just as he'd grown used to the quiet, a loud bell rang the classroom doors opened, and halls flooded with students.
Gallus stood still, taking in his situation. “I'm on a planet of apes!” he wanted to yell.
One bumped into him.
“Excuse me,” Gallus said just as another ran into him.
“What are you doing, dude?” said one of the students.
“Uhm, excuse me?”
“Don't just stand there,” said another, “You're blocking the hall.”
“Uh, sorry, I'm new here.” It seemed the only appropriate thing to say.
The two students just looked at each other.
“Well, why didn't you say so?” said one. He wrapped an arm around Gallus's shoulders. “You're probably looking for the principal's office.”
“Uh, yeah!” Gallus smiled, “That's it!”
“Yeah,” said the other, “it's right this way. Here, we'll walk with you.”
Gallus couldn't express his appreciation. Once inside the head office, he felt a bit better.
“Can I help you?” said a voice.
Gallus quickly turned to it and gasped in shock. “P-Princess Luna?”
“No,” Luna shook her head, “I'm Vice-Principal Luna. Though, hold on for a moment.” She walked to a nearby room and called out “Sister?”
A tall female ape dressed in a white pants suite walked out of the smaller office. “What is it, Luna?”
“Princess Celestia!” cried Gallus.
Celestia stopped in her tracks. One look at Gallus and her shoulders fell. “Not another one,” she grumbled. “I'll call Sunset Shimmer,” she said, returning to her office.
Gallus felt a weight on his shoulder. It was Vice-Principal Luna.
“Why don't you have a seat?” she said.
Gallus didn't have to wait very long before the office door opened and in walked another female ape with a mane Gallus quickly recognized.
She also seemed to have recognized him.
“Gallus?”
“Professor Shimmer!” he exclaimed with relief and delight.
Professor Shimmer didn't seem to share the same enthusiasm. “What are you doing here?”
Gallus winced. “It's a bit of a long story...”
Gallus's Journal : Entry #1
Note to self: When retelling a story of your adventures, make sure to make your idiotic actions sound a lot less idiotic than they actually were.
Suffice to say, Professor Shimmer wasn't very happy about the tale I had to tell her.
She grabbed my collar and dragged me back out to the plaza where I first arrived.
I now had a better view of what exactly I had tumbled out of.
It was a stone monument with a square base and a rearing horse on top.
Professor Sunset explained that it housed the portal that would take me right back to Ponyville.
Or, at least it would have, it it hasn't already been disabled...
Sunset Shimmer slammed her book shut with a growl. “Of course the princess has already started work on it...”
“So,” Gallus started cautiously, “that's a 'no' on going home?”
“For now. Looks like you're stuck here for a while.”
Gallus was about to ask about the other portals back to Equestria, but that would mean having to admit he was eavesdropping on a conversation.
“What even made you want to jump through in the first place? For that matter, what were you even doing in the castle?”
Gallus gulped. “Research?”
Sunset growled. “Come on,” she said, walking away.
“W-wait! Where are we going?”
“Home. You're staying with me until the portal is up and working again. I don't suppose you've had dinner.”
A low grumble erupted from Gallus's stomach. After his ordeal earlier, it surprised him to have an appetite.
“I'll take that as a no,” said Sunset.
---
Gallus took a big bite of his burger. It wasn't quite like the meat he'd get back in Griffonstone, but it was far supperior than the hayburgers the ponies ate.
“So,” he said through a mouthful of food, “what's with all the apes.”
“Humans.”
“What?”
“They call themselves humans. Though related to apes, they consider themselves to be quite different.”
Gallus let the word roll around on his tongue. “Humans... Don't have anything like them in Equus.”
“They don't have anything like griffons here either.”
Gallus took another bite of his burger.
“Is there a message you want to send to your folks? I'm sure they must be concerned on where you are.”
“Hm?”
Sunset pointed to the book she had at the portal. “This is a communication journal. For now, it's my only link to Equestria. If you want to send something to your family, you can write it in here and Princess Twilight can pass it on.”
Gallus swallowed slowly. “I have no one to write to...”
“Oh,” Sunset said softly, “Well, what about your friends? Do you at least want to send word that you're okay?”
Gallus took another bite of burger and shrugged. “I guess so. I did kinda just disappear on them.” He was startled by a buzzing. He saw Sunset reach down and pulled out a small tablet, it glowed as she touched it. “What's that?” he asked.
Sunset's eyes lit up. “This?” she smiled, “This is part of the greatest magic of this world.”
“Something better than friendship?”
“Well,” faltered Sunset, “maybe not that, but it's still pretty amazing. This is a cell phone.”
“And you do with it what?”
“Oh, a whole bunch of stuff! Talk, text, surf the web...” She stopped short, “It's a lot to explain.”
Gallus took a sip of his drink. “Sounds like it. So, why did it buzz?”
“Rarity just texted me.”
Gallus nearly choked in surprise. “Professor Rarity is here, too?”
“Uhm... no...” Sunset wavered, “Perhaps, there's now's a good time to tell you a little something about this world.”
“I'm suspecting it has something to do with the other Princess Luna and Celestia.”
“Yes! Everyone is Equestria has a counterpart here, and vice-versa.”
“So, we're in some alternate universe?”
Sunset rubbed her chin, “I suppose you could put it something like that.”
“Cool!” cheered Gallus, “Is my counterpart around?”
“Don't think so. I haven't seen him yet. Haven't come across mine either.” She waved for the server. “Finish up. We've got to get home. Got a lot of work ahead of us.”
Gallus frowned, “Work? But it's summer vacation!”
“In Equestria. But, since you were so nice as to follow me through the portal, you get to be my assistant.”
“Assistant? Assistant with what?”
“Not here,” Sunset hushed as the waitress approached, “I'll show you when we get to my place.”
Gallus's Journal : Entry #2
After dinner, we made our way to Professor Shimmer's apartment.
Along the way, we stopped at a pharmacy to pick up some “essentials”.
I had no clue what we were doing. Professor Shimmer did all the shopping, stopping periodically to have me smell various things.
It was quite evident she was doing shopping for me.
We exited the shop with several bags in hand (that's what they call their claws). I also learned about feet—both kinds (please don't ask).
I also learned about cars.
Very quickly, I learned about cars.
Nothing like getting nearly hit by one to teach you that they exist.
Thankfully, Professor Shimmer was looking out and pulled me out of the way just in time.
Very dangerous world this place is.
I like it!
Sunset threw a pillow and a blanket onto the couch. “You'll be sleeping here. Bathroom is over there. Try not to stay up all night watching T.V.”
“T.V.?” Gallus raised his eyebrows as Sunset thrust a black cylindrical object into his hand. He examined it before pressing a red button, jumping slightly when a black mirror on the wall came to life.
“Is this a portal?” he asked, fiddling with the other buttons. He quickly learned how to change the pictures.
Sunset laughed. “Something like it. Well, go ahead and get settled in.”
Gallus turned off the T.V. “So, what sort of 'work' are we talking about?” His brow furrowed as Sunset handed him her opened journal. He flipped through it in wonder. There were pages of notes, sketches and diagrams.
“When not giving lectures,” Sunset explained, “I was researching various Equestrian artifacts that are said to have been hidden in this world.”
“Equestrian artifacts? Here?”
“Yes, and they've been causing a world of trouble.”
“But,” Gallus frowned, “I thought you said this was a world without magic.”
Sunset's demeanor fell. “It was.”
He flipped through some more pages. “We're gonna search for all of these?”
“Would like to, but most of them I don't have any idea where in this world they may be. Right now, I'm most focused on this one.” She flipped a few pages to an entry titled “Staff of Sir Gallop the Wanderer/Wonderer”.
“Couldn't make up what he was?” asked Gallus.
“More like errant scribes.”
“So, we're going on a treasure hunt...”
“In a way.”
“Well then,” beamed Gallus, “it's a good thing you've got a griffon with you. We know all about treasure!”
Sunset grinned slyly, “I suppose you do. So,” she punched Gallus's arm, “you up for it, griffon?”
Gallus returned the gesture. “You just try to keep up, pony.”
“Well, get some rest, we'll stat early tomorrow. Oh, and one more thing.” She handed over another book.
Gallus frowned as he flipped through it. The pages were all blank.
“You should keep a journal while you're here.”
“A journal?” he sneered, “You want me to write a diary?”
“Whatever you want to call it. I'm sure you're gonna want to remember everything about this place when you return to Equestria.”
“But, I don't even know what to write!”
“Neither did I. But, eventually, something just comes to you.” She gave him a pen, “Just give it a try.”
Gallus wasn't the lest bit confident, but took the pen anyway.
Dressed for bed and alone, he opened the notebook to the first page. He stared at it thoughtfully, wondering what to write. Slowly, a thought came to him.
He uncapped the pen and began to write: “Note to self:...”