Chapter 28: Ryan
Journal,
Lot to catch up on. Sorry I haven't had the time to dictate any of this. You'd think that even seeing Kaelynn, I'd still have time, since only one of us sleeps. But one of the biggest advantages to being a hideous freak is the productivity—while everyone but Jordan sleeps, I can keep working on the Bright Hawk.
I really don't care that technically there's no time pressure. We're already declared dead. The search parties would've given up on finding us by now. Hopefully they didn't find an evil monster.
I have less to go back to than any of the others. I'm the only one without family. Or future, come to think. So why push so hard to get home?
I'm not sure. It feels like the thing to do. Having a goal in front of me, I have to press for it. Maybe it's a bug thing? Like if I come from a colony of thousands of black, holey creatures, I bet we could really move mountains.
But we can't work now. Kaelynn just got her hooves on some weird book thing—took longer to copy than they thought, whatever it is. Just looked like music to me. I can't read music.
But without her, I'm not so sure about trying to build any of this filter system myself. I'm really more of an idea bug—designing it is one thing, but someone with machining skills like Kaelynn needs to put it together.
The Bright Hawk is ours now, by the way. Formally ours, since the ponies don't want it. We're getting it ready to sail. Turns out the ponies are pretty advanced, at least more than Mount Aris. Their ship has running water and electricity and everything. Generator is entirely inscrutable to me, looks more like perpetual motion magic, coil, and spring rewinding itself... presumably it will discharge eventually, and we'll need to top it up. Hippogriffs can't tell us anything about it.
Screw this it doesn't matter. Kaelynn and I are dating! Well, what's dating mean when we spend most of our time working? But working together! She isn't just pretending to tolerate me either, it's awesome! I'm never hungry anymore, even though I'm still not eating.
We've had plenty of time alone, enough for... intimate stuff. She's willing, maybe even eager. You know Kaelynn, always wanting to explore strange new worlds...
Should I tell her I'm still a virgin? I know none of the others are. What the hell will happen to my brain if my first time is as a weird alien? But if I do tell her, she'll think it's so weird she probably won't want to be with me anymore. It's pathetic, I know. Laugh.
Other things, better things. We're working on a new circulation system, a tank way bigger than the one that used to be here. The plan is to flood the captain's quarters, but only a little water, barely over her head. It's the only place aboard we could put all that water, so long as we balance things out with the Bright Hawk's actual tank on the stern.
Also means we're using most of our weight allowance on water, so we won't be able to run cargo for some extra cash. Maybe passengers, if it comes to that. Could be fun.
Waterproofing the space isn't that hard—the hippogriffs have lots of ways of building waterproof rooms, seeing as they're fish half the time. The hard part is a filtration system.
You're probably wondering why we're bothering. It's more than just the room, too. We're working on a real prosthetic to go with her rebreather, something she can walk around in if she's a fish. A third of the gold we've spent so far is just about keeping Kaelynn going.
Blake asked the sensible question on our first day. The hippogriffs gave her legs, so why bother? That's when it got strange. Kaelynn told him the magic would wear off—that she'd be back to herself unexpectedly, and drown. Everyone believed her.
Except me. I know when people lie, and she was lying.
I didn't tell her I know. I didn't ask what her real reasons are. Cuz I'm a selfish prick, and I'd rather have Kaelynn be happy with me than know our expedition has the most money it can to get home. Jordan and Blake are frothing to get to the next portal and get home, but I don’t care.
Maybe we find our way back, maybe we don't. So long as I'm with Kaelynn, I'll make it work.
Ryan probably would've kept dictating—but he sensed someone coming. The presence of two creatures pressed against his mind as they crossed the deck above. Their emotions were hazy at this distance, it was only minds he felt.
But then they descended belowdecks. Ryan heard Jordan's shout echoing through the Bright Hawk, her voice high in the confined space of the lower decks. Probably evolved to carry that way. Those ears resemble bats', it isn't just their wings. I wonder if she can use echolocation. "Everybody get in the mess now! This is important!"
That might be something for him to try when she wasn't around. Though lately he hadn't copied any of his friends, or any female creatures. Maybe Ryan was less flexible than everyone thought.
Jordan didn't sound worried. As she got closer, Ryan clarified what he felt from her into eagerness. She'd found something she thought they all needed to see.
He walked out of the workshop, alone for the first time in days. Kaelynn was all the way down in the hold with her book, for reasons she hadn't shared but had made her radiate embarrassment when she said it. He would ask later.
Ryan was still wearing the body of the naval officer, and nothing else. With the sweat of hard work and confined quarters, it was far easier not to get their scarce clothes dirty. It wasn't like they covered anything regardless.
Blake and Galena beat him there, smelling like sawdust and varnish. A good smell, far better than what they'd found waiting for them in most of the crew quarters.
"This better be important," Blake muttered, tanged with sour annoyance. "We have to wait 72 hours for the coat to dry. Putting it aside like this is a waste."
"It's damn important." Jordan emerged from the steps, leading a hippogriff behind her. The creature dressed like one of dozens of local sailors they'd seen, with one obvious exception: instead of a magical necklace of fishyness, she wore an honest-to-god cross around her neck.
"Where's Kaelynn? I want everyone here."
"Here," said Kaelynn, passing up the hallway from below. The same hallway where they'd fought for their lives, and left an evil pirate dead. Kaelynn sounded like she'd been up for days taking final exams—and not done well. "What is it?"
"Who," Jordan said, beaming. "Everyone, this is Janet. Janet, this is everyone." She went through them each in turn, including using Galena's fake name, Allison. The one they used whenever they talked about her around hippogriffs. They needed to think she was from Earth, after all.
"That's an interesting name," Blake said. "And your jacket. That's really something."
She grinned, spinning in a slow circle so the others could see. The entire back of the sailor's coat was an American flag, vibrant and impossible to miss. "I don't even have to ask," she said. Ages were hard to read from aliens, but she sounded older than they were. Mid-thirties maybe, with a distinctly Hispanic accent.
"That's good, I'm on the clock. So are all of you, and you didn't even know it. You're damn lucky I found you before you flew off somewhere."
They all stared, completely dumbfounded. Even Jordan's eagerness and pride weighed a tad. Maybe she wasn't so happy with what she'd dragged home after all.
As usual, Blake was the first to respond. "You're from Earth too. We'd love to know which Worldgate—we've been having a helluva time finding one that isn't dangerous and unusable."
She settled down at their table, then helped herself to one of the drinks there—simple glass bottles with corks, which she deftly opened with one of her claws. Only after taking a long sip did she finally speak.
"San Jose to Ponyville," she said. "But you can't use it—Worldgate’s gone. That's why I'm stuck here in the first place, comprende? But you're here now, which means you know about a way back. Wherever it is, we have to go there, right now. Quit this airship shit, close up whatever you've been doing. If you ever want to be human again, we turn around and sail there right now."
Ryan watched from the edge of the room, keeping his expression neutral. The stranger would have no idea that he could read her emotions, no idea that he would sense deception from her as soon as she thought of it herself.
But she wasn't lying. Every word was absolute conviction, tinged with desperation. She's not looking out for us, she's worried about her own skin.
But justifiably so, if what she said was true.
"How did you find us?" Jordan asked. "We only sailed into Mount Aris a week ago. Are birds talking about having aliens in their port?"
She laughed, taking another long draw from the drink. It was just sugary coconut water—the locals didn't seem to have carbonation, and they hadn't bought any alcohol.
Yet.
"They're talking about you everywhere," Janet said. "It was all I've heard since I arrived last night. Travelers from far away fought off pirates, rescued their hostages and set them free.
"No two of them were alike, creatures never before seen and thought extinct. I happen to know what that meant—Worldgates don't have a preference for what they make you, except that it has four legs. Worst you could tell me was that I was wrong. But I'm not wrong."
"Not on that," Blake agreed. "But about what you think—we're not brave explorers making an airship to chart this new world. We're stuck, same as you must be. The way back behind us is blocked, just like yours."
"We are brave explorers," Jordan argued. "We just have priorities. We can't show the world our discovery if we're stuck on this side."
Janet swore, deflating like a punctured gasbag. She banged the glass onto the table, hard. "Then you're as doomed as I am. Stuck, soon to be forever. God didn't lead me to you—maybe Satan instead. Curse me with hope, before the end."
There was a long, awkward silence. Galena looked between them like the newcomer was completely insane, though she didn't actually say anything. Galena was healing well, all things considered. Her patchy feathers were coming in healthy, and her shriveled body was gradually returning to normal with proper meals.
But around strangers, she still didn't speak much. Particularly hippogriffs.
None of the others had to taste that despair. Ryan stiffened, and didn't wait for permission. "We have a map of other Worldgates," he said. "Every one of them has been unsafe so far—but there are dozens. So far, they've all been there. We're retrofitting the Bright Hawk so we can sail between them, and find one that works."
Janet reacted instantly. She sat up, a feeble smile spreading across her beak. "Other Worldgates... you have to take me." She stumbled towards Jordan. "I've been here for months, I know the land! I have connections back in Equestria, and I can work. I know things. Please."
It all came out so fast that even Ryan had a hard time making sense of it all. Jordan's mouth just fell open, confused.
"We'll have to talk about specifics," Blake said. "It wouldn't be a free ride—a ship this big takes work to crew, and work to repair. But if you're willing, then... it would be wrong to leave one of us behind."
Janet nearly jumped up into the air. She spun, and actually glided over to Blake, taking his leg, and shaking it vigorously in both claws. She muttered something incomprehensible in Spanish, then switched back to nervous English. "Thank you, thank you! I swear by the Virgin you won't regret it."
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So, with Janet here, they get some good news and some bad news. Time is a factor, but maybe explaining this place is real will be a bit easier than they expect once they get earthside.
But I definitely want to hear what she's been up to for the past few months.
I think that Janet is afraid that if they stay too long in Equestria they will end up like Spark Gap did and transform on the other side. The readers know that those fears aren't entirely correct but I can't blame her for not trusting Discord on his word when he explains it.
Wait, THAT Janet?
Neat! I didn't realize these stories were connected.
10799747
The author's note in the final chapter of Fine Print directed people looking for a sequel here. It's not really a sequel, but it expands on the concept in the same universe.
Well, we know where at least *one* other Worldgate is. But...
Janet came stumbling out of the mirror, her eyes wide and giving a quick glance over her shoulder as if she were being pursued. The rest of the mismatched crew quickly gathered around her with a quick series of questions. "Well, where did it go? What did you find? Is there breathable air? Are there humans?"
"Yes, there are humans there," she croaked, accepting a tankard and drinking it down in nearly one motion. "But it's a horrible place. We're far better off looking somewhere else."
"How bad could it be?" asked Jordon.
"It's a high school."
"Oh." Jordon pulled out the map and put it on the floor. "There's this place in the middle of the Carnivorous Swamplands we haven't looked yet."
10799746
Celestia says:
Making friends, learning to fly, and using potions—these decisions all changed you. Until one day you had so much Equestrian magic bottled up inside that your human shape couldn't hold it anymore.
...
Seapony music likely counts as Equestrian magic...
Who's Janet?
So Galena wouldn't really change into a human only get an illusion for a short time.
Nice chapter and they know now that they are kinda on a time limit.
10799846
Oh come on, Canterlot High isn't that bad. You know, aside from all the magical garbage Starswirl and Clover dumped there.
The main issue I'd see with using the mirror is that it's probably not the same human world.
So it's only been afew months from the other story?
10799879
If I remember right, she's Spark Gap's former boss in Fine Print (also by Starscribe), who ended up trapped on this side of the temporary worldgate Discord had set up in an apartment in Ponyville.
A very stand up person, but perhaps overstating the urgency of having to return just a bit as there's normally a bit more leeway involved before a human has absorbed so much magic that they cannot return to their original forms anymore. Spark Gap kind of forced the issue with his Wake Up Crystal addiction, which accelerated the process with him.
Most of the current group should have a bit over a year before they have to worry about that. Janet, and perhaps a few of the others who are actively using their new magic may have a bit shorter, but still close to a full year and maybe a little longer.
But Janet is right that there is some risk of ending up stuck as their new species if they take too long to find a worldgate that's safe enough to risk using.
10799932
I'm unware of that story.
In all honesty I think its dumb that they could end up stuck like that. Its a dislike for me for this author's stories.
You'd think they'd be able to create a mirror portal like world gate where this isn't an issue. Or just have Discord drag the magic out of them.
10799879
A refugee from Fine Print, one of Starscribe's other stories.
10799963
From my understanding, Discord set up his version of a worldgate to function the same way that the naturally occurring ones that he and Celestia stated were starting to open up again operate.
Sure, the Mirror Gate that connects to the EQG world is probably safer to use, but I highly doubt leads to the same Earth, given the convergence between alternate analogue individuals and the wider spread of human skin colors there. There's also the issue that magic is leaking through that portal into the EQG world, so it's not really that much safer anyway.
Again, Spark Gap's case was atypical, as he unintentionally accelerated the process via the heavy use of Wake Up Crystals, which infused magic directly into his system over the course of several months. Janet, and the group probably have much longer, just so long as they don't do anything similar over a prolonged period.
Which, by the way, is another excellent reason for the prosthetic legs, as I'm sure that constant switching back and forth might be just such a heavy use of magic that might cause issues later on.
So apparently there's a prequel story that Janet is from that I'm unfamiliar with. From what I'm piecing together in the comments, if you stay too long in Equestria/Equis you get stuck in your new form and only get a brief illusionary transformation upon returning to Earth. But if that is the case, why did all those lizard folk in the New York tunnels stay human supposedly years after they died? Can someone help explain the rules to meas I don't have time to start a new story to find out atm?
10800106
Not really kinda sorta. Just another fic in the same mini-verse that brings one character to this.
Fine Print
10799986
Potions, not crystals, but yeah.
10800106
Janet comes from the story Fine Print
10800106
There's no pressure to read that other story to understand this one. All you need to know, that character will say.
And so Janet makes five (Six with Galena). I'm guessing the next gate they'll try to use is located in Echo Caverns. If that's a bust, they can try Equestria. Make a little time with Tracy and Shane if they can. They have roughly a year minus a few weeks or months before the magic fully consumes their "humanity" so there's still time to explore.
Well, the world still runs on the rules of thermodynamics. Unless this Equestria is literally the one CelestAI's created. What a crossover that is.
Oh neat, a song book that's also a spellbook. I wonder if Kaelynn can generate spells with human songs.
At least you're not Jordan/Vesper. That'll be a much more confusing experience. Then again you are a changeling.
Water is her element, after all. However, until she finds and learns the proper transformation song, her water form might become a liability again.
Guess Galena's gonna find out the hard truth soon. There's no Earth magic that'll permanently transform her.
I'm really hoping for a meeting between the gang and Tracy.
10799892
most likely.
I find it strange that, instead of asking about this, everyone either completely misses its significance somehow, or everyone unanimously trusts that this stranger is speaking the truth and aren’t curious at all about how or why they’re in a race against time.
10799963
you seriously think that the rules of the world as laid out are dumb, because… ? It's… inconvenient for the characters?
10800264
Can't be, as there's way too much non-pony.
10800377
Absolutely agreed. Instead of that long, awkward silence, a quick "Could you elaborate on the nature of this threat?" would fit.
10800264
Friendship is magic. The speed of conversion depends on how involved the characters get with Equestria. They could probably remain human indefinitely as hermits.
10799986
Fine Print clearly states that the world that the mirror leads to is a different world. Lyra wants to question Spark Gap about his world because it's different and she's been to Canterlot High too.
Related to the prosthetics there is no guarantee that Kaelynn will still have those legs if she returns to Equestria fater having been through the worldgate which is another argument for those posthetics and building a water tank for her on the ship.
10799963
Discord is actively part of the problem in Fine Print. He's nobody's "get out of jail free" card.
On a story level this helps to keep some tension in this urgent transformation crisis. (Previous sources such as desert starvation, seapony drowning and pirate captivity have been resolved to a greater extent)
I can understand not grilling the frantic hippogriff for the details on that time limit. She'll be part of the crew; they have time to look into the particulars later. Right now, the priority is talking her off the ledge.
Also, Kaelynn plans on getting a testing ground for seapony magic. Well, testing pond, but same principle. Let's just hope there's no way for her to blow a hole in the ship while they're in the middle of a flight. And Ryan raises the question of whether slavish devotion to a beloved woman is part of the changeling drone psyche or just his own eagerness to please his girlfriend.
But yeah, forging bonds with this world is a concern since we're operating according to the rules established in Fine Print. And it's not clear if fame works the same way as friendship. Galena being on board definitely doesn't help, and if Janet finds out "Allison" is a native... Yeah, that could get ugly.
That said, Janet still being in this world raises some other questions on what transpired between Ponyville and Mount Aris. She likely refused any deal Discord offered her since the horned, bat-winged serpent named after discontent seems just the teensiest bit demonic. Heck, Tracy's whole situation is very reminiscent of Job, and the one without angel wings in that wager probably isn't the one you want to trust.
In any case, looking forward to more.
Hehe she swore by Ryan hehe
10800890
I don’t understand that. I can understand Ryan not saying anything, because I think they’ve reached the point where they don’t care where they are so long as they’re still together with Kaelynn, but at least one of the others would want to address this extremely pertinent detail, since the whole drive and point of the story is that they want to go back home. Or, at least one wouldn’t be so insightful as to correctly gauge how this stranger will react to the question, or care enough even if they were... Not that I understand what ledge they should all be afraid of pushing Janet off (who’s distraught with worry, at worst, but clearly in control) when she’s already answering questions, addressing the subject matter, and teasing (for whatever reason) the threat without the details more than once.
Speaking of, what I quoted was just the third mention. The most natural time to ask her about it would have been the first time, which was what she pretty much led off with:
The whole thing just comes off as too unnatural and unbelievable to me. And even before that, I’d want to know why Janet would tease the threat, three times no less, and go so far as to lead off with it as well, rather than lay it all out: since, if she’s so keen to get back to their world as soon as possible, it’s in her interest to motivate and/or focus our heroes. Yet, even with all the teasing, no one bites. It’s so weird to me.
I’ll be fine if the story continues as-is, just to be clear. It’s not like the show didn’t prioritize group mentality over individuality many times, even for very serious scenarios, for the sake of the plot.
I wonder if they’ll eventually fly into areas obviously affected by previous humans.
In my head I’m imagining some sort of warlord state where the rulers are descended from inter-dimensional travellers.
A sort of failed Isekai state building wet dream. Ending like most irl kingdoms with little to no foundation. Where the haram girls eventually start killing each other and each other’s children, where generals become warlords, and where the flag and symbols of the state are blatantly lifted from (Insert Historical State here).
10799850
Changeling Magic, Kirin's "Nirik" mode, and Dreamwalking probably all also count to build up Equestrian Magic charge.
And seeing as those (along with seapony music) are pretty much Innate Active magic, it probably builds up FASTER than through the passive and external sources from Fine Print.
So while Janet might think she doesn't have a lot of time left, she likely hasn't made much friends, probably didn't really learn to fly and I doubt was on Everwake or any other "Magic Drug". So she likely still has a full year before acclimation.
The group however..... their time limit will likely end up being less than a year
Well, shit...
This should teach me to not ignore the author's previously created stories, as they may actually end up being prequels.
speaking of which.... I'll be right back....
So, in regards to Fine-Print, it's a fun romp so far (I'm only at Chapter 9 there at the moment), and my guess about Janet's origin is that she was someone that wandered into Tracy's apartment in violation of the terms of his lease.
In any event, I'll return here when I'm caught up reading it.
Awesome. In addition to the ship progressing as I had hoped, keeping Ryan fed is a great side effect.
Neat. They gotta keep a place set up for Kaelynn after all, no real alternative.
Self-conscious about the singing practice?
All these kids playing around as adventurers, they really needed an adult like Janet.
Save time, just put her in charge now.
10802494
Janet is Tracy's boss. She ends up in Ponyville when things go pear-shaped on Earth.
10799963
Dude, challenges like being on a clock before the transformation becomes permanent are a good thing for a narrative. And in this particular setting, constructing an artificial worldgate takes a lifetime of effort for anyone except Discord (and the single artificial worldgate that a pony has created connects to the EQG universe, not to Earth).
In theory Discord could make a gate home for all of them with a snap of his fingers, but why would he care?
10803510
Thanks. Yeah, I'm at Chapter 38 in Fine Print at the moment. I've seen where Janet is interacting with Tracy, but she hasn't poked her head into Equestria yet.
That said, I can't wait to see Tracy's reaction when she does...
With functioning hands!?
That dirty rassel-frackin' perka shorka bat-flattin’ portin’ filabunkabertin’, perkalooma burtin’ dirtin’ boostinattin’ bartin’ anatom Discord! Oooooooh!
"
Tracy: "Wait... You get to be a griffonhippogriff!?
edit: sorry, I misread about Janet being a griffin rather than a hippogriff.
Woot! All caught up there & here now!
So the Aris gate isn't aggressively hazardous, just very inhospitable and a bunch of naked ass hippogryphs-turned-furless-primates got cocky? I mean, shit, you can deal with cold weather at least to an extent as long as you don't leave the area. This seems like an even better opportunity than the one by Klugetown to actually get supplies appropriate for the other side, set up shop, and investigate. They'd have access to a much friendlier, more advanced, and better connected country, and cold weather gear is a lot easier to pack and react if it suddenly fails than canned air. If nothing else, they could hang out long enough to at least set up shop, check constellations, look for nearby light pollution at night, maybe set up a radio, etc. And if necessary, they can even pay for their residence with intel for the hippogryphs.
Could even hand the hippogryphs an outpost at the end. Suffice to say they'd probably want to be able to keep an eye on movement in the area if their home opens up next to a Russian polar base or something.
It just seems silly to keep writing every worldgate off as "too dangerous." They all will be, otherwise extensive contact would've happened ages ago. At some point you have to pick a poison you can deal with best and go from there.
10851160
I agree.
I suspect that more than one member of the group is trying to find an excuse to explore the world a little more, and disguise it as concern for safety.
10800976
Yeah, it definitely seems odd that nobody is thinking to ask why Janet is so insistent that there's a time limit on things. She seems to be implying that the Worldgates can vanish or have actively been vanishing, and that seems like a relevant detail to ask about.
10799986
Hm he accelerated it with the potion… but he also delayed it by staying on the other side and not going out for the first three months…
Here they are constantly exposed to the magic…
That's... Catholic, right? I'm not good with religion, but I think they worship The Virgin Mary.