//------------------------------// // Chapter 81: Vesper // Story: Forbidden Places // by Starscribe //------------------------------// Vesper wasn't the first one across the Worldgate. She probably could've been, if she asked loudly enough. But of all the places she wanted to go, Earth was about the bottom of the list. Completing first contact would be a world-shattering accomplishment, but for her it was an obligation. Vesper spent her whole life pushing the boundaries of what was allowed, exploring places that no one else would dare to see. Now she had a whole world of new mysteries, and she was leaving it behind. For a little while, anyway. We still have the Bright Hawk waiting in Ponyville for us. Blake was the first one through the portal ahead of her, because of course he was. If there was anything terrible waiting there, he'd be the first one to see it, and maybe flee back across the Worldgate to warn them. When no one did, Kaelynn and Ryan went through together. They didn't have the fingers to hold hands, but they were about as close as they could be, even so. I hope you heal from this eventually, she thought. But sympathy was all anyone could give the fish right now. No one else had ever suffered through kidnapping like her. The other fish had gone through the same treatment, but in their few conversations he hadn't seemed all there to Vesper. For him the damage might be beyond healing. She probably wouldn't have bothered wearing any borrowed pony clothes for the crossing, except that she expected a bunch of other crew to be there. Blake didn't matter, and the others would give her privacy if she asked for it. The B crew were all cool people in their own ways, she just hadn't been traveling naked with them for the last three months. Unfortunately that meant a soggy dress and wet socks as she swam her way to the steps, only dimly aware of her surroundings at first. The cave was lit, she knew that much. But she hadn't had human eyes for almost two weeks now. She moved to the edge of the steps, looking out at her friends out on the surface. She counted, making sure that no one drowned down there in the water. Something caught her eye past the gentle blur of moving forms, enough that she suddenly came alert. She saw a familiar blue, the same bright shade as Ryan's new body. Only there couldn't be a changeling here on Earth, that just wasn't how the Worldgates worked. Ryan didn't look like one exactly, but he also didn't look like himself. He was taller than he'd been, with brilliant blue hair the exact same shade as his fins in Equestria. On anyone else, she might've called him unnaturally thin, but on him the features somehow seemed elven and graceful. That was only the second strangest thing Vesper could see. Looking down was the same graceful bat-dress she'd taken from the ponies, with its star and moon patterns. It was probably straight out of Luna's court. Yet the gown was supposed to look all wrong on a male body. Presumably all that flight and exercise in Equestria would only have made her muscles get broader and more developed. There shouldn't be breasts, visible through fabric turned almost transparent by water. "Uh..." She tried to say something, and found the same voice she was used to. The one she heard in her head, and whenever she talked to her friends in Equestria. A high mare's voice. She stood suddenly, and nearly tripped over herself as she clambered out of the water. The chill reached through soaking clothes, making her breath fog up in front of her. Her center of balance was wrong, enough that she nearly fell on her face. Vesper reached up to touch skin, and found she didn't recognize what she felt. That was too smooth, too graceful. No one was watching her. They were all distracted by the cavern entrance. Vesper would check that soon enough, but just now she couldn't bring herself to care. Her own body was just so unbelievably confusing, she had to know why. What the buck was wrong with her? There were no members of the B-crew in the cave. There were signs of a camp, including bright propane lights shining down on the Worldgate itself, and a few of the more interesting murals. There were no actual people, though. Vesper made it to a polished metal surface near the wall. Bathhouses needed mirrors, and now she knew why someone would put them in Worldgates too. She stared transfixed by her reflection.  She was short, maybe five feet on tiptoe. Her pony dress was soaking wet, but that made it easy to see the body underneath. Lean and athletic, like a relay-runner, with hair bright blonde. She touched one hand up against the glass, mouth hanging open. Her brain just wasn't connecting. How can that be me? "Well, we're screwed," Blake said. He retreated from the cave entrance, turning back towards the Worldgate. "And they know we're here, so that's fantastic. What the hell did Janet do?" He was so panicked he nearly walked right into her, stopping abruptly. He froze, looking down. Her eyes were now at about the level of his chest. "I'm sorry, which pony are you?" "Vesper," she said flatly. "Jordan? I was right behind you, remember?" He glanced to the side. Like him, Kaelynn seemed entirely unchanged by the transition. She was half a head taller than Vesper, and prettier in other ways. At least she didn't glare at her the way Galena had. "Okay, but... how? Jordan isn't..." "He wasn't," she said, holding up her bracelet. Twilight's magical sensor had changed from a steady blue glow to a deep red, no longer emitting any light. "But I am, so... I have no idea what the hell this means." "I can guess," Ryan said. "That creature the princess didn't like, Discord… he said that some of us still had a choice to make. He didn't say we all did." "Right." Blake stomped one foot—he hadn't had shoes, so it was just wet skin on ground, painful and soft sounding. "Let's put that on the backburner. We need to decide if we tell Equestria the plan is a bust." "And do what, go back there?" Kaelynn asked, frustrated. "I need time on Earth before I'm ready for that. I want all of Morningtide's evil friends to forget about me. Canterlot isn't safe for us right now. Besides, this is what we came to do. We expected it to be hard." Vesper could've just asked them—but she wasn't content to just listen. She pushed past them, making her way towards the entrance. It took more steps than she was used to, and balance was still a problem. But through stress or spite, she managed, creeping towards the cavern exit. There were more signs of occupation along the way. A textured foam surface led straight out, with glowing red warning lights to illustrate the path. A little odd for the film crew—the whole point of what they did was not making a change, so they could leave the locations behind as empty and pure as they found them. It was a lot easier to get out of punishment for breaking in if there was no damage left behind. But if she had any doubt about where the changes had come from, her first peek outside erased it. The hillside had been flash-cleared, every patch of brush and debris in a circle around the cave entrance. Heavy razor-wire fences encircled the opening, with thick steel support-bars that could probably stop a bus if they had to. At the base of the mountain, between the hill and the little town of Bydska, a makeshift military camp was erected, with tents and trailers stretching out as far as she could see. There were many flags, but she recognized only the EU, German, and Polish at a glance. There were other nations too, but she didn't get the chance to stare. Soldiers stood on a single security tower, overlooking the fence with a swiveling spotlight shining directly through the entrance at her.  There was something wrong with Bydska too, though she couldn't quite tell at this distance. No more car traffic, not as much smoke rising from the chimneys, too many police cars on the streets. A single figure stepped over the rocky trail towards her, wearing a bright yellow hazmat suit over their entire body. They carried no weapons, only a single heavy plastic case. They had just started walking, maybe emerged from that gate in the time that her friends turned around. "Hey guys, I think we've got company!" she called back. Kaelynn appeared beside her in the opening, the others not far behind. "Oh." "This is fast," Blake muttered. "Like, you don't even know how slow the military moves. Someone burned money like it was oil to get this here so soon." Vesper nodded. "You think Janet and Galena are okay? Maybe they're still hiding out down in the village." "I think..." Blake began, speaking very quietly. "That there are probably microphones and cameras in every inch of this room. So choose your words very carefully." Vesper shut up after that, falling entirely silent. She glanced briefly back towards the pool. It wasn't too late for them to flee back where they'd come. She wasn't going to let them hold her here, not with Equestria so close. But could she run away like Spark Gap had?  She wasn't a coward. Blake didn't run, so neither did she. As the figure got closer, she could see a spool of wire in their other hand, unrolling back towards the gate. It connected to the box from one end. But it didn't seem to do anything, at least not during their walk. The person inside was a man with graying hair and a muscular build, along with short-cut hair. Probably military, like so much else here. He stopped just outside the entrance, staring at them all. Finally he spoke, his voice muffled by the suit. "I am looking for four people," he said, in heavily accented English. Still quite distinct to Vesper's ears. "Please tell me your names." Just getting right into it, huh? Guess they don't have to ask if we came through the portal if they hid cameras. "I'm Blake Hodges," he said, stepping forward to the front of the group.  The man withdrew just as far from him, holding the case between them. "Please, no closer. Say again."  He did, sounding exasperated. The others did the same, until it was Vesper's turn. "I used to be called... Jordan Little," she said. "But stuff happened. It was a long story." The speaker didn't look terribly interested in hearing it. He just nodded, then deposited his case on the ground in front of them. He clicked the plastic box open, revealing a strange, old-looking machine. A... landline handset, along with a single flat plastic screen. There were no buttons, though a red light in the corner was flashing.  "We're just people," Blake said. "We're Americans, that's all. We don't have the right to negotiate for anyone, but there's someone coming who does." "Don't talk to me, talk to them." The soldier pointed down at the old-looking phone. He took another step back, down the path the way he'd come. "Do not leave this cave, or you will be shot. Don't do anything unnatural, or you will be shot. Poland will protect ourselves, if we have to. Keep friendly, yes?" "Sure," Blake said, voice flat and exasperated. "Talk to them, huh?" He dropped down in front of the box, reaching out for the phone. "Anyone else want to do this?" Vesper shook her head, along with each of the others in turn. Sure, they all wanted to be out here. But that wasn’t the same as being the one to deal with the consequences. "Alright. Hopefully this goes peacefully. Get ready to move back into the cave if we have to." Which means run for our lives and probably never see Earth again, Vesper realized. Was she prepared to make that sacrifice?  Maybe, but she didn't want to. Recent events meant she didn't even have to be awkward around Blake anymore. She could do the TV interviews now, assuming they didn't get shot.