Chapter 26: Jordan
Jordan was getting good at this dream stuff.
By now she knew what to expect when she became aware of the specific actions of her unconscious self—no sooner did she see the misty skies and feel the strange currents on her wings than she would dive, cutting purposefully through the fog until she found the steps.
She took them two or three at a time, hurrying forward through the part of the sleeping world she understood. She could even open the Doors to Deeper Slumber on her own. Even so, she was relieved to find another bat already there, focused intently on opening them. She could be quiet, waiting patiently while Pale Light coaxed them open a crack. Thanks to her last time through, she now knew just how intense that process could be.
Being quiet was easy, if she actually wanted to be. But as soon as the door started swinging open, and Pale Light moved through it—all bets were off. "Hey!" She glided over to him, squeezing through the open doorway without invitation. "Remember me?"
Pale Light rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. But the gesture didn't reach his ears, or his scent. "Couldn't you bond with someone else, stray? There are so many bats flying around here. Spend a few hours with them, get some sympathy going, and let me sleep in peace." They emerged through the doorway in the familiar enchanted forest, filled with glowing plants. Pale Light took off as soon as they were through.
"You don't mean that!" Jordan followed him into the air. Funny that the simple act of letting go of her old self—at least in here—made other dream stuff easier. Flying might not make sense for Jordan, but it was expected for the pony she had become. "I still don't know dreams that well, but I bet you could get rid of me. You haven't."
He looked back, expression unreadable. "Not your fault you're a stray. There are some things that might be, though. Like having a name that's completely unpronounceable."
"The hippogriffs don't mind," she said. Jordan posed in the air, straightening her neck, and adjusting her wings to fly a little smoother, with exaggerated, graceful beats. The way the not-bat named Luna had flown. "If I don't look like a Jordan, what do I look like?"
He slowed, staring at her in the air. His eyes focused mostly on her flank. From the natives, it probably wasn't sexual... but that was the trouble, wasn't it? When you were always naked, you could never tell.
"You might be an Otherworlder, but the stories say our ancestors were too. Between that and your mark, I'd peg you from one of the old tribes, with a traditional name. Like Vesper. Yeah, you could be a Vesper."
"Vesper," she repeated. Maybe it was just because this was dreaming and he had already set her expectations, but it felt easier on her tongue. Her new other-universe identity deserved a new name to go with it. It would only be in the switching between that her adaptation would really be put to the test.
"I could see Vesper. I might keep it, Pale. Thanks."
He groaned, tightening his wings to a dive. She'd barely even noticed what they were flying over—but when she moved to follow, Jordan could see a sandy beach stretching out beneath them. Vaguely square shapes emerged from the sand, eroded, and buried to greater or lesser degrees.
"You tricked me!" he called, speeding up. Now he was trying to get away, maneuvering so steep that Jordan nearly glided right over him. She twisted in the air, then barreled straight down to catch up. It wasn't about actual skill here—just mental flexibility. So long as she kept thinking she could keep up, that was what mattered.
"I didn't trick you!" she yelled after him. "I just asked for a name from someone who would know! I'm working on a new identity here! I wouldn't fit in if I made it all up myself!"
He didn't have much further to flee. He landed in black volcanic sand, spraying surface rocks away from his forelegs and sinking almost to his knees.
She tried at something more graceful, spreading her wings as wide as she could and straightening vertically the way Luna had done. But apparently that maneuver was harder than it looked, because she immediately somersaulted, smacking into the ground and spraying sand in all directions. She rolled painfully for a few feet, scraping and bumping before finally coming to rest against a half-buried wall, flank held awkwardly over her head.
Pale Light twitched once, wings folding back as though he were going to laugh—but then he reached out with a hoof, offering it to her. "Are you alright?"
The smart thing to do was not think about what a crash like that would've done to her in the real world. She wasn't in that world, so considering its rules would only hurt. She took the offered leg, shaking herself out. She felt sore all over, and one of her wings was a little slower to respond than the other. But after a few seconds to shake away the sand, she forced a smile. "Fine! So I'm still working on the landings. I'll be better next time."
"If you're trying to distract me, it won't work," he said, turning his back on her. "You can pretend not to know dreams all you want, but you're being too obvious now. Taking a name I gave you... you might just as well admit you're trying to tighten the sympathetic bond between us. But I can't quite tell why. If you're already an oneiromancer, why bother me?"
She followed him, touching his side with a wing. The gesture felt natural, though she couldn’t quite tell what it meant. Submission? Or maybe just sincerity. "I just asked a question. I won't use the name if it bothers you. But I'm in the market, and you're the only expert I know. I haven't met another bat since coming to your world."
Pale Light turned, looking her over for a few seconds. But whatever he thought he was going to see in her, evidently he didn't find it. "Alright, stray. Suppose I believe you. What barrage of questions are you going to interrupt my work with this time?"
"Just one," she said, though it was absolutely a lie. "Who's Luna?"
That caught him up short. He stopped in place, wings sliding limply down his sides. "You mean our princess? Dark blue with a crescent moon cutie mark over black? Alicorn of terrible power and beauty?"
She nodded. "I guess she's pretty. I'm kinda... completely dysfunctional figuring all that out right now. Worldgate rewired my brain and shit—hopefully you never understand. But yeah, that sounds like her."
"Then I told you." He started off again, navigating through the windswept ruins. He avoided the buildings mostly submerged in sand, and kept to where the waves washed. They had only little tide-pools filled with crabs and starfish and other things to avoid. "She's one of the Diarchs of Equestria. Well... there are four of them now, but ponies still call them that. Haven't we talked about Luna before?"
She nodded. "Yeah, maybe. But I hadn't met her before."
He stopped so suddenly she smacked into him from behind. Her face got a whole lot warmer, and he dodged to the side. "Sorry. But you shouldn't have stopped like that."
"How did you meet the princess?"
She smiled, forcing herself to move slowly, and not betray her excitement. Finally she was the one with the information. "Last night. I woke up on the moon, and found her doing... stuff. Honestly I'm a little shaky on what anyone actually does in this place. You just sorta move around telling me vague shit."
That almost got a laugh—progress, she was making progress! But it was also the truth. "I don't know why she decided to notice me. I wasn't doing anything different. Except..." She trailed off, suddenly thoughtful. "It was the first time I'd opened the door all on my own. Maybe that's why I didn't end up wherever this is? Instead of the forest, I was on the moon."
"Your cutie mark is cheating," he muttered. "Ponies don't usually get a special talent directly in their own magic. That's what made the Elements of Harmony, or at least Princess Twilight. Boosting a unicorn's magic just isn't fair. Same thing is happening here—you shouldn't be able to go somewhere so distant. The moon doesn't have anyone living on it. It's more of a concept, and all the ponies who dream of being there do it a little differently. It takes incredible dexterity to travel somewhere so far."
She shrugged. "Or incredibly dumb luck. I can tell you with confidence I am the dumb luck master. We should've starved to death, and instead we ended up in another universe of horses. Instead of all the safe ships, we booked one with pirates who wanted to sell us to a mine. My luck isn't good or bad, it's just dumb."
Still wasn't smiling. She pouted, exaggerating the gesture as much as she could. Nothing.
"I heard about... a pirate ship? I heard something about that on the evening broadcast. And you did mention hippogriffs..."
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees," she said, stretching the word until it was almost a curse. She held up one hoof, and a knife settled there—the same one she'd used. It appeared almost instantly, with barely a thought. Maybe that was more of the sympathy stuff he'd mentioned. Killing someone with a knife connected it to her in ways that a few days just couldn't erase. "We fought for our lives, and sent those bastards flying."
He eyed the knife, pushing her hoof down with one of his. It dissolved into the sand. "You don't need that here, Vesper. Maybe the waking world is full of terrors—but this is Hope, not Anger."
She smiled weakly. "And there's the vague shit. Did I do something bad by talking to the princess? I told her the truth—that I wandered in by mistake, wasn't from Equestria. That we were just trying to find a way home. She said she'd find me, and help if she could."
Pale Light let go, and turned back to his task. "That's our princess. From the beginning, she always cared about bats. It's what got her into so much trouble. Don't believe what unicorns tell you about her being 'jealous of the day'. It's nonsense. She rebelled because of us. And she failed because we weren't strong enough."
Bet Blake won't read that one in the almanac.
"If you want to be easier for the princess to find, don't come here. A sleeper in their dreams is easier to find than a Dreamer. To find you now, she would have to come to this particular shore of Forlorn Hope, and see you. But while you dream like other ponies, you are visible to her. It is her gift, and her unique responsibility."
Specific answers. She kept pace with him, though never blocked his path. Instead, Jordan remained quiet, waiting to be sure he wouldn't say anything else before asking her next question. Maybe if she were careful, never making him feel overwhelmed, he'd actually tell her things.
"Is this all that 'bat magic' does? Take us to this other world to look at stuff?"
Now he laughed—energetically enough that he stopped by a wide tidepool, catching his breath. "You think our magic is about... coming to the Dreamlands to 'look at stuff'?"
"You could've laughed at my jokes," she grumbled.
"Most bats never develop their powers, just as any pegasus ponies who don't work in weather often leave theirs untouched. Coming here is part of it—but letting dreams interact with the world out there is just as important... and more dramatic." He reached down, dragging something out from the sand. It was a book, somehow not water-damaged, though half of it had worn away to flaky black sand. "With the right mindset, I could bring this to the waking world for study. Or a tool, or an illusion, or... many things." He dropped it, and the sand seemed to reach up to swallow the volume, drowning it in seconds. "The most talented dreamers can move through physical space using sleeping ponies' dreams as a gateway. But don't ask for me to teach you—I can't do it."
"That's fine." She grinned at him. "I'll just ask Luna."
"No you bucking won't."
She bucking didn't, at least not that night. Because that was when Jordan woke up. This time it was far less abrupt and painful than it had been aboard the Bright Hawk—it came almost comfortably. But still she was ripped away from her companion, before she could learn anything really interesting.
She groaned, shaking away the last residue of sleep. The afternoon sun stained the windows gold. Blake actually let me sleep late. Was it unfair that she could do things while unconscious that counted as being productive? Jordan found the side-bedroom entirely empty. Kaelynn was probably investigating that portal about now. That meant she had a ship to negotiate, right?
Jordan stumbled over to the bathroom, which was almost the same in this universe as the one she'd left. There was still a door, albeit no lock. Still a mirror, and still bright electric lights overhead. She couldn't make sense of the little containers laid out on the counter for them, a few her companions had opened. One looked like it was filled with wax, but instead of a proper label there was just an image of a feather. Well Jordan didn't have feathers, so she could ignore that.
Instead she shut the door, and found the shower worked just as well as the lights. It was nice to be in civilization for once, instead of an evil pirate ship or a gross dumpster-town full of lizard monsters. There were some hints at how the natives did things, like a long wooden brush with an obvious grip for her mouth, and disposable sponge-heads.
Jordan didn't quite feel brave enough to go on any adventures, mostly she focused on rinsing out her mane and using a little of the local soaps. They smelled harsher than her nose seemed to like, but it would have to do. Maybe a pony hotel would have something that smelled better.
I'm really doing this, she thought, staring back at her steaming reflection. "I'm committing. New universe, new me. Old Jordan can wait until we get back.” Or maybe she'd just use the new name. Whatever a "sympathetic connection" was, it didn't seem so bad. If Pale saw her more often, maybe she could get more information. Or just absorb more about how bats in this world were supposed to behave. It might be useful if they were trapped forever and never saw Earth again.
Sadly the similarities stopped short of a hairdryer, so there would be no easy way to care for the mane. She just dried as best she could, then stumbled back out into the suite's central room.
She half expected to find Blake and Galena already off somewhere, maybe even tired of waiting for her. But no, they were both gathered around the table. Even the bird seemed to be paying attention, rather than just lounging off in a corner somewhere. "What's up?" she asked, bounding over to the table, and opening both her wings as she went. She couldn't quite glide, but the feeling was almost there. For a second, she could feel the ground slipping away from under her hooves. But the sensation was fleeting.
There was an official-looking document on the table in front of them, printed on a single sheet of white paper. "EQUESTRIAN NAVY: OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE" read the heading.
"Right, the bounty!" She tried to squeeze in beside Blake, but for once he didn't cooperate. Just sat there, staring stupidly down at the sheets in front of him. "What's the war chest gonna look like?"
In answer, Blake slid the page over to her, so she could read for herself.
"THE EQUESTRIAN OFFICE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS EXPRESSES ITS GRATITUDE FOR THE RESCUE OF SIX CITIZENS FROM PIRACY. IN CONTINUED EFFORTS TO DETER THESE EVENTS FROM TAKING PLACE IN THE FUTURE, THE REWARD FOR EACH RESCUE WILL BE DOUBLE THE FUNDS TYPICALLY DEMANDED IN RANSOM."
She stopped reading then, looking up. "That seems pretty cool. Maybe a little underhanded, making other people do your rescuing for you. Stories of this get around, and the locals will be jumping to save anypony they hear of. What kind of budget does Equestria have, anyway?"
Blake held up a plain-looking black satchel from the seat beside him, settling it onto the table. It was obviously full of metal, and the effort cost him. An honest to god sack of money.
"Miscounted, though," she said. "There were only five ponies we saved."
"Six," Blake corrected, poking her in the chest. "You're six."
I'm not one of their citizens... But apparently Equestria thought differently. Whatever, she wasn't going to say no to free money. But there was more. That wasn't even half the message.
"GIVEN THE STATE OF THE BRIGHT HAWK, THE NAVY DECLARES THE VESSEL A TOTAL LOSS, FREE TO THE SALVAGERS TO DO WHAT THEY WILL. THE VESSEL ITSELF IS THE ONLY REWARD TO BE OFFERED. THIS MESSAGE CONSTITUTES WRIT OF OWNERSHIP TO THE BRIGHT HAWK AND ALL SHE CONTAINS. EQUESTRIA THANKS THESE BRAVE SOULS FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN RENDERING THE SOUTHERLY TERRITORIES SAFE TO ALL CREATURES."
Jordan read and re-read the message, searching for something she'd missed. But there was nothing—the telegram hadn't left very much to her imagination. "So let me get this straight. They're not paying us for the ship? They're giving us a mostly-broken pirate ship?"
"Yes," Blake said. "That leaves us with two choices. We can sell it to a scrapper here at Mount Aris, and get far less than we hoped for..."
"Or you can use this bounty to outfit her properly," Galena said, resting one claw on the satchel of gold. She held it there for just a little longer than Jordan felt comfortable. "She does not need to be fit for war—just speed. Supplies for a journey, better furnishings perhaps, and you can sail to as many portals as you like."
"And leave you with the ship all to yourself once we've found our way home," Jordan said flatly. There was nothing of argument in her voice—she was just pointing out facts. "Nice haul."
Galena puffed out her chest, sitting suddenly alert in her chair. "I want to go with you," she said, annoyed. "Whatever that place is, better than my life here. Even if we refit, paint pony colors—they will find us if we stay forever. You left some alive—this means revenge. Sooner or later."
"That sounds like an argument to ditch the ship," Jordan said. "If we aren't flying around in a big glowing beacon telling them who we are, they won't find us. Just get train tickets and drive to the next one."
Galena made a frustrated sound, rising from her chair and storming past Jordan, wings half-extended. She made it to the far wall, scooped the map up in her beak, then carried it back to the table. She dropped it atop everything, glaring golden eyes at Jordan and Blake. “Look at these. Only two in Equestria proper, where we ride comfortable trains and arrive with no difficulty. Your Worldgates are scattered to the winds. We must travel into the wilderness for each. Group walking alone is slow and vulnerable. Flying our own ship—maybe too fast to catch. See?"
"I'd like to hear what the others think of the idea," Blake said. "When they get back from the Worldgate under the ocean. We might not need to worry about it at all. Maybe we can just leave from here, never think about it again.
"There are disadvantages. We made it here with Galena's help, but..." He left the rest unsaid. But Jordan didn't need to hear the words to know what he was thinking. If we take the ship, we're at her mercy.
It was his way of saying that he didn't know enough about how they worked to use the thing without her, if her loyalty proved fleeting.
"What about the almanac?" Jordan continued. "Anything useful there?"
Blake nodded. "Loads, but it's a lot to digest in an afternoon. I think Ryan will have better luck when he gets back. Memorizing random shit seems more his speed—but if they'll let us keep it, at least we'll have a little knowledge of where we're going. How's the dream research?"
She shrugged. "I'm learning things. Came up with my new secret identity for this side. From now on, you can call me Vesper over here. A little practice, and I think I can pass completely for one of the natives. Seems good to have at least one of us around who can do that."
"Vesper," Blake repeated, thoughtful. "Suits you. I like it."
That was all the deliberation Vesper needed on the subject.
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Well nice chapters and yeah the fact the Ponyville Worldgate has collapsed ain't great.
YUS!
Just finished reading one story update, and another appears!
Really enjoying this one too.
It's rare to find a good multi-viewpoint story, but you're doing a good job of keeping the characters distinct.
I don’t know how long this story will pan out for but I got visibly excited at the prospect of the whole group going on adventures in this new world on their own ship! On top of that all of them discovering themselves in their new bodies! It’s all a very interesting and exciting prospect regardless of how long this story continues for and you have my thanks for writing it!
Luna falling because she went too far in fighting the prejudice against Bat Ponies. Equestria at War reference or did you come up with it independently Starscribe?
I second 10787568's sentiment. Watching each of our protagonists discovering themselves is really cool. We've already seen Kaelynn discovering her seapony self, and as a Luna/bat pony fan I really like how you've got
JordanVesper creating a whole new identity, especially since she was so freaked about switching her gender when the crew first arrived.Can't wait to see what happens when they finally run into some changelings, and if the Kirin are still only way up in the Peaks of Peril, it might be a while before we really see Blake get to learn about himself. Which will be interesting, since he was the supposed leader of this crew when the adventure started.
Ah.
JordanVesper's a Twilight among bats. That should definitely be interesting. (Also, potent oneiromancer with a knife. I've heard that one before...)And between getting a ship and the reward for six rescued Equestrians, I'm definitely sensing Luna's hoof in the naval response. She's definitely doing what she can in the waking world. Now to see if Vesper actually holds still long enough for her to follow suit on the other side of slumber.
10787546
To be fair, that one definitely cropped up after that map was made, so it's not like they'll even consider it.
Vesper's really committing to the pronoun swap, populating the inner monologue like that.
Are we going to see future title changes to reflect this development?
Ok, but if you ever come across somepony who answers to “Bond, James Bond” run the other way. He’s very likely to accidentally get you killed-in-action, and then be an emotional wreck ever after.
Vesper. Might as well go all the way while you're here.
Guessing their species didn't have magic too. Wonder what happens if someone with magic does go through a gate? They retain their forms? Something else? Don't know if mixing magic would be a good thing.
Must be strange hearing that from an impossibly talented girl involved in impossible things.
Well, either there are legitimate and serious reasons not to learn that technique or Pale's getting a little flustered at the possibility of the novice outdoing him.
She's adjusting much faster than pretty much anyone else that used a gate.
And that must be the ship in the artwork.
Not gonna be easy setting up a life on Earth.
Give it sometime and you'll certainly make this world your home.
so knowing how the Worldgates seem to work as far as "camouflage" goes from the previous story in this universe.
I have the feeling Jordan/Vesper will be the first one to go native.
I can't wait for
JordonVesper to talk with Luna about the Worldgates.Luna: "In fact, there was Worldgate I found on my moon. But it just goes to another world's moon. I came out somewhere inside a large metal castle filled with unmoving metal golems.... oh, and there's a squat four-legged metallic spider just outside the castle along with a colorful flag of red and white stripes with a blue corner and an unknown constellation of fifty stars stitched in it...
"
"
JordonVesper: "Vesper...I like it.
Changing your body, okay, that's normal transdimensional shenanigans. But screwing with your gender preferences? That's a step too far, worldgate!
10788176
As a straight guy, I feel comfortable saying I think I'd probably roll with it as well, if not better than Jordan. I think I'd get more tripped up by the species swap than the gender.
Hey Jordan, there's this bat you gotta meet - name's Jackie - got their number yet?
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Jordan - Kaelin or (what's the bugs name?).
Depending on who first takes a plunge too deep.
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But Jordan already has a dream knife in this chapter...
Vesper is going more native with every chapter it seems. If it takes too long for them too find a useable worldgate she'll probably decide to stay.
Free airship for their troubles, nice. More airship content is always fun.
I don't see this often.