• Published 17th Jul 2012
  • 2,439 Views, 164 Comments

Jumper - KMCA



Crossover with Memoirs of a Reality Jumper

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11
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The chapter that wouldn't stay unpublished.

“So, do we actually need to get back or was that just an excuse?” A cool breeze blew through my hair, a reminder that for the first time in recent memory I’ve had my helmet off for most of a day.

Walking down the street in Ponyville with Lyra was weird. Yeah I got some concerned looks but when people looked at Lyra it was definitely amused… Then again she was trotting around looking very pleased with herself. Heck, I would go so far as to say she was proud of herself.


“Hmm? Oh, well as long as we’re back before she gets home it’s alright, unless you want to visit her store. Maybe get a treat for being a good human or did you want to stay?”

Her tone reminded me of a proud parent. Or a pet owner… That’s hilarious, but if she tries for a belly rub I’m going to get very weirded out.

Suddenly the helmet clipped to my waist felt like some form of collar. I shook my head to clear the image from my head before choosing to focus on something else.

“I think I’m about at my limit for dealing with others for the day.” Being an introvert in a land where everyone seems to be an extrovert… This is going to be a different kind of hell.

The town was not what I was used to. It was pretty much the opposite. During my jumping so far I had yet to visit a reality less advanced than my own, in fact mine was the least advanced… Even compared to that hellhole of a first jump.

The lack of high technology made everything new and different in ways that I couldn't grasp, maybe it was the sounds, or the lack of them. No engines, no hum of power sources or artificial lighting and yet the air was full of the sounds of life being lived. Ponies haggling in the marketplace, children laughing as they played, even birds chirping as they flew around.

It was sounds of a normal life, maybe not my normal life but normal life all the same.

Making my way off to the side of the cobblestone road, I leaned against a small shop. Resting for a moment and taking my weight off my leg, I just closed my eyes and let the sounds of the simple life envelope me, letting my ears take in the music of daily life.

Lyra joined me in silence I was grateful that she allowed me this moment, although even with my eyes closed I felt fairly certain she was paying more attention to me than the activities around us.

“What was it like?” It threw me for a loop hearing Lyra’s voice without the intensity I had come to expect from her, even when we had spoken of our traumas she had had a sort of drive behind her voice.

“Hmm? Jumping?” I didn't like talking about it, but if she was going to be my babysitter for the foreseeable future then I might as well give her the whole picture.

“No, your home.”

“Are we talking physically or how it feels.”

“I mean how it sounds, I grew up in Canterlot before coming here. Canterlot sounded… fuga, everything and everypony trying to imitate and add definition to every little action the Princesses take. Ponyville alternates from amabile to a capriccio folksong.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised that a pony with a musical instrument for a cutie mark hears the world that way, but I am.” She looked surprised, like she’s had this conversation multiple times but never gotten an answer except confusion in return.

“It’s different back home, here everything has an overarching melody and everything fits together… like pieces of a puzzle. My home,” I paused, trying to figure out how to put it in words.

“My home it’s like every person writes their own parts, each part fits into a different song and there are millions of songs. Even in a city there are different melodies for different areas, each person filling parts for each area that they interact with. Ah! It’s like while warming up for a major concert, each performer practicing before the conductor arrives, each practicing a tricky or important section. Sometimes parts from different songs sound good together… Am I making any sense?”

Lyra’s ears perked up, “So you live in harmony with the world around you?”

I hesitated for a moment. Home wasn’t that nice… I had few friends and fewer people even willing to give me a chance at a relationship, yeah I’d have rather left differently but in the end, I’m not really bothered by leaving it behind. She is my friend and deserved an actual answer.

“No, far from it but that’s what makes my home so special. It’s the fact that we have that balance. My home has a strong medical research community, a thriving arts community that I pay no attention to and above all is known for the steel mills by the lake. Despite all that there’s nature too, untamed… well maybe not untamed but it’s still a patch of nature that isn’t micromanaged by humanity. It’s something equestria is missing if you ask me, you’ve got all this wonderful nature all around you, all this beauty… but it’s all an illusion.” I had no clue where I was going with this, or how I’d gotten to discussing nature in a conversation about home, despite the proximity nature isn’t exactly the first thing you think of in a city.

“Everfree is untamed.” I couldn’t tell if she was trying to make a point or simply didn’t understand, she sounded almost defensive.

I waved off her concern, “I’m not saying let it run amuck, I’m saying allow it to thrive on it’s own terms but keep it from getting out of control. That vine can climb the tree, but don’t let it strangle it to death. Those wolves exist to keep the rabbit population down not hunt the wildlife to extinction. You know, balance. Compared to here it’s chaos, but chaos is never really absolute. If you watch any system long enough and factor in enough of the environment it’s all predictable with the right math. The wolves venture into the suburbs not to cause a panic or cause chaos, but because they have starving pups at home.” The dull throb of my shoulder reminded me that I’ve seen more wooden wolves in the wild than I have actual timberwolves… If nothing else, my life has certainly become far more interesting since I started jumping.

She had nothing to say to that. Maybe I made her realize just how fake her definition of ‘natural’ is. Either way, she was silent and contemplative for the rest of the night, much to Bon-Bon’s amusement.

Author's Note:

Music definitions (of which amabile is the only one I've ever seen on sheet music)

fuga (Latin and Italian): literally "flight"; hence a complex and highly regimented contrapuntal form in music. A short theme (the subject) is introduced in one voice (or part) alone, then in others, with imitation and characteristic development as the piece progresses.

amabile: amiable, pleasant

capriccio: "A humorous, fanciful, or bizarre, composition, often characterized by an idiosyncratic departure from current stylistic norms."


I do want to apologize to those who saw the chapter early... and those who've waited so long for it. I'm still not happy with the ending but I'm sick of having sat on this for the last 6 months with it being only a bit from completion. I know that many of you have been expecting more adventure and less slice of life from Jumper. That was/is the intent of it. Check out the newest entry in Lyra's diary for a hint of things to come.

Comments ( 11 )

This chapter does not feel like it's finished...

This freaking chapter posted itself a total of 3 times. Only once was intentional, sorry for those that saw it on those releases.
5606185 It wasn't

This was well worth the wait, KMCA!!

I look for ward to the continuing adventures of Lyra, and her pet human Matt.

7163510 Wow. Umm... ok. I'll write more of the next chapter tomorrow then.

Or delete what I have and start over. Again.

Comment posted by josue deleted Apr 27th, 2016

Ok. I know I can just say this to you privately, but I have to say it.

ahem...

MOAR!!!

11673556
Well, first it needs some rewriting. Then I need to figure out where the story was going.
It would be nice if I could get back to it though. I know Techogre started writing again and I should probably give it a go too.

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