Despite Daring’s urge to set forth immediately, both of the couples’ GPS units took several minutes to acquire a signal and confirm their known location.

“That’s odd,” said Blaze. “Did they factory reset? Satellite visibility shouldn’t be a problem in this clearing.”

Cirrus shook her head. “They are acting like they did when we first bought them, but that’s a mystery for another day. Both are good now, so let’s head out.”

“Finally!” Daring said with some asperity.

Because the forest was so dense, the four ponies set off in single file with Cirrus in the lead, using the GPS to keep them on course. With a definite goal in mind, it was easier to choose the optimum path through the trees and bushes. Daring Do and Trixie were intrigued by the differences between their worlds and silently observed everything as they traveled. Eventually, Daring landed and spoke up.

“Normally, I’m only interested in ancient buildings and artifacts, but this is so different from the jungles that I’m used to traversing.”

Cirrus stopped and turned around, blinking in confusion. “What did you just say?”

Daring frowned and tilted her head. “What? I didn’t understand a word of that.”

Blaze said, “You sound weird, and your language is different.” He looked at Trixie. “What’s she talking about?”

The unicorn mare looked stunned. “Trixie has no idea what you’re saying.” Then her eyes widened, and she face-hoofed. “Of course. We are out of range of the World Tongue Enchantment.”

Cirrus guessed what was happening. “Blaze, I think the magic universal language thing doesn’t work here. Once we left the vicinity of the temple, we lost the ability to understand each other.”

The stallion groaned. “Great! Just what we need – another problem. That’s going to complicate things. Do you think we should turn back?”

“Let’s find out what Daring prefers.” Before Blaze could ask how she could do that, Cirrus turned to the pegasus and mimed as she spoke, touching her ears, mouth, and pointing as needed. “Since we can’t understand … each other … do you … want to go back?”

Both the Equestrians understood what Cirrus was trying to ask. Daring looked at her companion and said, “What do you think, Trix? Keep going?”

“Trixie thinks you will want to no matter what she says, so let’s go on.” The blue mare lifted a small stick with her magical aura. “Trixie feels no reduction in her unicorn magic reserves and you can still fly. Trixie trusts our friends to handle any talking to the natives, but stay alert.”

“I always do, don’t I?” Daring replied with a grin.

“And you keep walking into it anyway,” the unicorn replied with a sigh.

Daring looked back to Cirrus and pointed in the direction they had been going, then took to the air again.

“It seems we’re continuing,” the pegasus said.

“Fine by me. We’ll deal with any communication problems as they come,” Blaze replied.

Speaking of which, “¿Cómo se dice en español ‘blockhead’?”

“Yep. Both Spanish and English are separate now. And to answer your question – ‘Se dice en inglés: Cyrus Peregrine’.”

Cirrus answered her spouse’s chuckle with a wing-slap on his rump.

Their unicorn guest laughed out loud. “Trixie thought she recognized that tone of voice.” She angled her rear toward the couple, daring them with her grin. They both rolled their eyes and went back to the task at hoof.

The group made good time through the forest. Cirrus’ small form proved adept at pushing through the denser parts that would have obstructed her human form. Trixie used her horn to push aside branches with ease, but Blaze did not know how to do that yet. Being the largest pony, he had more trouble than the others, but he found his greater strength compensated a lot.

‘Nice to be the big strong one for a change,’ the stallion mused as he effortlessly pushed aside a branch, remembering how Cyrus sometimes had to help the formerly petite woman. ‘Might as well enjoy it while I’m stuck like this.’

Ironically, Cirrus was thinking about the flip side of their situation. ‘It’s so much easier to navigate through this jungle as a small pony. Of course, Daring has it best as she can fly over the worst parts. That must be a lot of fun as well as practical. I almost wish I could get some flying lessons before we find a way to change back to our human selves.’

They continued mostly in silence for over an hour until they emerged onto a dirt road cut through the forest.

“Almost there now,” Cirrus announced. “The car should be just over there.” She pointed in the direction and Daring nodded in comprehension.

Although the pegasus did not know what exactly she was looking for, she figured that anything that did not belong in a jungle was likely to be it. Still, the vehicle wasn’t easy to spot as it was very well camouflaged.

“What the hell?!” Blaze exclaimed. “It looks as if this thing’s been here for months, not a couple of days!”

Cirrus looked at the accumulated debris that had been added to the branches that they had used to hide the vehicle and had to agree. “At least it’s still here and intact, so count our blessings. Let’s clear it and get on our way.”

The Peregrines started to manually remove the concealing material but Trixie huffed impatiently. Her horn lit up and hurled the branches, leaves, and other offending material to the side.

“Trixie wishes to see how your strange cart works,” she pronounced.

Her frown and hoof-stomp needed no translation. Cirrus opened the passenger door and indicated that she and Daring should get in. The two squatted on the bench seat while the Peregrines got in the front. Blaze had the key and was designated as the driver for the simple reason that he was the only one who had any hope of reaching the pedals. Even so, it was going to be a stretch. He put the key into the ignition and turned it.

Click! Click! Click! Click!

Blaze examined a dial on the dashboard and then looked at Cirrus with frustration. “The battery’s dead!”

“Shit! I had the car serviced thoroughly before we left. The battery should be perfectly fine. It’s not that old!”

The stallion’s eyes widened and a look of dread crossed his face. “It could have gone dead from sitting around for too long.”

“In two days?!” Cirrus retorted.

“Did you check the date when you turned on the satellite phone?”

“No. Why would I do that?”

“Do me a favor and do so.”

The mare frowned but pulled out the phone and carefully pressed the power button with the tip of a hoof. As the display lit up, her jaw dropped. “What the fuck?! It says it’s September! What’s going on? How can it be five months later?”

“Remember what Trixie said? The worldgate bends space and time. There’s no reason why time should flow at the same rate here as well as in the pony world. Think about all that extra stuff that accumulated on the car. The thorns over the entrance to the temple grew over the same time. Our satphone account was deactivated because the bill hasn’t been paid. Face it, Sky, we’ve been gone for too long.”

The mare did not want to agree but she could not see an alternative in the face of all the evidence. She groaned. “This is turning out to be a disaster. I suppose we’ll just have to hoof it to the village and see if we can contact our friends some other way.”

“Agreed,” Blaze said with a sigh. He turned to their passengers and said as he mimed, “The car (he pointed at the dashboard) is dead (he slid his hoof across his throat) and we have to walk (he pointed out to the road and made walking motions).”

Trixie frowned and grumbled, “Trixie is not impressed with human magic so far.”

Daring shrugged. “When have any of our adventures gone as planned? Our friends obviously weren’t expecting whatever went wrong. It’s not as if we can’t walk a bit further.”

They all emerged from the car and Blaze and Cirrus started concealing it once more, reasoning that they could salvage it later. The peeved and impatient Trixie helped once it became obvious that they were not going to proceed until the car was hidden. Thus, it was not long before the four plodded up the road.

“What do you want to do if a vehicle comes along?” Blaze asked.

After thinking for a while, Cirrus replied, “I don’t like the thought of confronting the locals in such an isolated area. I’d rather have a large group temper the possible extreme reactions of individuals. While our friends might be able to hold their own, we barely know these pony bodies.”

Blaze nodded. “Yeah. That makes sense. I’m not keen on how the locals might react at the village let alone here. If things do go wrong, let me do the fighting. I’m bigger and stronger than you now, and I’m sure I can give someone a mean buck.”

Cirrus’ ears wilted at that reminder. She was easily the smallest of the four ponies and that was a huge comedown from her previous stature. ‘I really need to learn to fly. Anything so I’m not completely useless.’

The group did encounter one truck traveling along the road, but even if they had been prepared to risk contact, it turned in from a side road and went in the opposite direction. Although the dirt track was not conducive to high speeds for vehicles, the same distance covered by the car in about half an hour took the ponies about two at an easy trot. The Peregrines heard some grumbling from Daring that they guessed was her complaining about how slow it was compared to flying there. Nevertheless, she was firmly on the ground when they reached the outskirts of the village. They cautiously entered and they were very quickly spotted by a couple of children whose shouts drew the attention of the adults.

At first, the colorful equines just drew amazed stares, then one older man began chivvying the youngsters away, saying, “¡No te acerques a los caballos demoníacos!”

“Oh, great – we’re demon horses now,” Cirrus said quietly to Blaze.

Daring Do, however, chose to put a confident face on the situation and strode forward. She took off her pith helmet and did a sweeping bow. “Greetings, humans! We come from the world of Equis and wish to learn about yours. We seek knowledge in Friendship and Harmony.”

The villagers looked at her with incomprehension. However, one shouted, “¡El animal habla! ¡Realmente es un demonio!”

Cirrus grimaced. “Shit! That guy is convinced that we’re demons because animals can’t talk.” She stepped forward and raised her voice. “Please! ¡No somos animales ni demonios! ¡Somos personas! We are people! We need your help. Necesitamos tu ayuda.” She fervently hoped that the dual-language plea would reassure the villagers.

At first, it seemed that it might have worked as the more curious crowded closer. However, that hope was quickly shattered as two men pushed through from one side, carrying ropes. Before the ponies realized their intentions, they expertly lassoed Blaze and Daring.

“Demonio o monstruo: ¡nos harás ganar mucho dinero!” one said with a nasty grin.

“¡Nosotras no somos monstruos del circo!” Blaze shouted and surprised his captor by charging with his head lowered, his horn aimed at the man’s belly.

While a unicorn’s horn was not meant to be used that way, the man was in no doubt that it would cause him grave injury and barely managed to dodge. However, Blaze anticipated that and immediately stopped, spun around, and lashed out with his hind legs. One hoof connected just below a knee, bone snapped, and the man collapsed with a scream of agony.

Meanwhile, Daring glared at her would-be captor for a moment before smirking and taking to the air. The villager yelped as the rope was nearly wrenched from his grasp, then hung on for dear life as he was effortlessly lifted high above the ground. Then Daring began flying in tight circles and centripetal force added to the man’s problems. He very quickly lost his grip and went flying into the side of one of the buildings. He slid down the wall and ended up in an unmoving heap.

Trixie rolled her eyes and moved up beside Cirrus who was nervously eyeing the other villagers. “Trixie has dealt with unruly mobs many times. Don’t worry about our companions.” Her horn glowed and a shimmering wall appeared between the ponies and the humans.

The people were startled by how the insubstantial glow held them back. Blaze was momentarily concerned about being able to join them but quickly found he was unimpeded. Once safe, he took the time to remove the lasso from his neck.

“I know I said I’d buck them if necessary, but damn, that came much easier than I expected,” he said with a pleased grin. “That prick isn’t going to try anything again soon.”

Daring soon joined them too. “This has turned into a complete shit storm. Time for a tactical retreat.”

“If you said we need to get out of here, I’m all for it,” Cirrus said over her withers while facing the way they had come. She took a step forward, only pausing to look meaningfully at Trixie who was still maintaining the barrier.

“Trixie agrees with you both,” she said, moving up to join the mare.

Cirrus glared at the cowering villagers and couldn’t stop from getting in the last word. “¡Llegamos en paz y nos atacasteis! ¡Vuestros hijos podrían haber sido los primeros en montar un caballo alado! ¡En cambio, nunca sabréis todo lo que habéis perdido este día!”
{ We came in peace and you attacked us! Your children could have been the first to ride a winged horse! Instead, you will never know all that you lost this day! }

She saw the eyes of children go wide and they started pulling on the sleeves of nearby grown-ups. For their part, the adults’ faces changed from expressions of fear to anger.

Daring and Blaze fell in behind Trixie and Cirrus. Together, they headed out of town.

Blaze said, “I don’t think your speech won you any friends among the adults.”

Cirrus shrugged while trotting. “Don’t care.”

When Cirrus saw some of the villagers following, she broke into a gallop, immediately joined by the others. The humans could not match their speed and the ponies rapidly drew ahead. The sound of gunshots only spurred them on to greater effort. Almost as soon as they turned a bend in the road and were out of sight of the villagers, Cirrus dived into the forest, barely slowing down. Daring took to the air once more while Blaze was right on Cirrus’ tail. Trixie took up the rear, still maintaining a defensive shield just in case. They kept up the fast pace until the pegasus mare stopped to hover just above the three.

Cirrus looked up at Daring. “Are we safe?”

While the adventurer did not understand the words, she comprehended their meaning. She rose higher, looking and listening for signs of pursuit. Satisfied that there weren’t any, she landed by the others.

“We’re clear.” She sat down and drew out her water bottle before asking, “So, what do we do now?”

Daring’s calm demeanor reassured the Peregrines and they followed suit, taking a few moments to rest and rehydrate.

Blaze said to Cirrus, “Well, it’s pretty clear we’re not going to get any help from those villagers, and if they’re any indication, we won’t do any better at any other town. This approach isn’t going to work.”

The mare sighed. “Yeah. Our only hope is to get our human forms back, and that means returning to the pony world.”

“The biggest problem with that plan is the time difference between our worlds. If it remains consistent, and that’s a big if, we’re going to lose many months, if not years.”

“What choice do we have? Even if we’re thought to be dead, we still have our passports to prove who we are if we get back to being humans.”

The stallion nodded. “First things first. We find that missing bowl and then arrange a better-prepared expedition. If the ponies are accompanied by us two humans, then we shouldn’t have the problems that we encountered back there.”

Cirrus grimaced. “I think we’ll have to aim for another town though. I don’t think we’ll be very welcome in that village anymore.”

Blaze chuckled. “No, I don’t suppose we will. Not that I regret breaking that bastard’s leg.”

“So – head straight back to the temple?”

“Hmmm… no. Let’s see what we can salvage from the car. I especially want to get the battery. If it only went dead due to lack of use, maybe we can charge it up and use the voltage converter to charge our devices.”

“Good idea. You get to carry it though. You big strong stallion, you.”

Blaze groaned. “Me and my big stallion mouth. Do you reckon the ponies know much about electricity?”

“If not, they’re smart enough to figure it out. Actually, let’s take the alternator too. If nothing else, we can rig up a way to run it.”

“I can just imagine it now – you on a pony bicycle and pedaling hard to charge up the battery.”

Cirrus stuck out her tongue at him.

While the couple talked, Daring pulled sandwiches from Trixie’s saddlebags. She stuck two of them under the Peregrines’ noses. “Time to eat!”

A spell kept them as fresh as when they were made and their delicious smell reminded Cirrus and Blaze how hungry they were. The four munched away in silence for a while and took the time to have a short rest. When Cirrus stood up and indicated that they should continue, they began the trek back to the car, guided once again by their GPS.

They had only been traveling for about forty minutes before Cirrus noticed they were losing the light despite traveling for only about half the day. She checked the time and groaned.

“It’s nearly sunset. We should have realized that we only arrived during the daytime by coincidence. The time difference could have dumped us on Earth in the middle of the night.”

“We’re going to have to make camp,” Blaze replied. The next suitable spot we see, we’ll stop.” He looked at Daring and Trixie. “We have to camp for the night,” he said, pointing to the tent on his back then rested his head on his forehooves and pretended to sleep.

Daring frowned and then shot up above the trees. Noting the sunset, she came down again and said to Trixie, “Whoever sets the sun on this world does it very slowly. I noticed that it was getting dimmer but I didn’t figure in that the time was different here and just thought it was getting very cloudy. There’s no weather control out here.”

“So, we have to stop for the night? It’s a good thing that the Amazing Trixie had the forethought to prepare for such an eventuality.”

Daring rolled her eyes. “You’ve always overpacked everything ever since leaving behind your favorite blanket that one time.”

“And this occasion has proved the Great and Wise Trixie correct to do so,” she replied smugly.

They found a flat clearing near a stream to provide them with water just before it got dark. Trixie conjured a glowing orb above their heads to supply enough light to set up their tents and build a small fire. They boiled water to make hot chocolate before heading to bed. Cirrus gave Blaze a goodnight kiss before snuggling into his embrace once more. Despite it being a very short day for everyone, the activity had tired them out enough to quickly find sleep.

After breakfast the next day, the four set off with the Peregrine’s car as their goal. They soon encountered the meandering road and decided to follow it as the risk of being discovered was now very low. They heard approaching vehicles long before they came into sight and they took cover until they passed.

Trixie and Daring were a little surprised to find that they were stopping at the car once more, but when the Peregrines started stripping out parts, they soon realized what they were doing and assisted in any way they could. When it came time to pack up, much could be fitted into the saddlebags and backpacks, but a couple of items, especially the battery and alternator would not fit and proved more problematic. A bag that had been left in the car was used to pack them, but carrying it was a whole different question. Blaze lifted the handles as he had seen Daring do previously, but while that worked, he could tell that carting it that way would very quickly get tiresome on the long walk back to the temple.

“Oh, for Celestia’s sake! It’s about time you used your magic!” Trixie said with exasperation. She lifted the bag out of his grasp and cast a featherweight enchantment on it before placing it on Blaze’s back. Her magic held it in place as she put her hoof over his mouth to stop his objections. “You are going to maintain the featherweight spell and telekinetic hold by yourself,” she told him firmly, not caring that he did not understand the words, only the intentions. She leaned forward, touched his horn with hers, and closed her eyes.

Blaze’s eyes shot open wide and began glowing. In his mind, he saw patterns and he watched as they linked up with a flow of energy that he had barely noticed before. He could feel the bag on his back with his mind, and the matrix that held it comfortably. His vision cleared and he saw Trixie smiling smugly at him before nodding in satisfaction.

“Trixie will have to teach him how to cast those spells, but for now at least, he can maintain them until we get back to our camp,” she said to Daring.

“Good job, Trix.”

“Hey, look, Sky! I’m doing magic!” the stallion said with a grin.

“Good for you,” she replied a little enviously. “Now, let’s stop wasting time and get moving.”

They set off once more, plunging straight into the forest on a heading that would take them back to the temple. A little over an hour later, Trixie asked, “Are we there yet?”

Cirrus replied, “We should be seeing the temple any moment. Wait! I can understand you again. We must be within range of the magic translation.”

Daring swooped down from her aerial path and confirmed it. “I’ve spotted the pyramid. That Gee Pee Ess thing of yours is pretty amazing. Way better than just a compass.”

They quickly found the entrance which was still clear of thorns, thankfully. They passed through the temple and headed straight for the campsite. Once there, everyone began unloading themselves.

Blaze looked puzzled. “Umm, Trixie – how do I get this bag off my back without just turning off my magic and letting it fall?”

The unicorn mare sighed in exasperation and took the bag from his magical grasp and into her own before setting it on the ground beside him.

“Trixie will teach you how to levitate objects as a priority, but first, Trixie decrees that we will have lunch and rest before discussing our next course of action.”

“Is it even lunchtime here?” Cirrus asked. “Considering the time distortion that we went through, I’m not sure.”

Blaze replied, “Taking into account how many months passed on Earth in the single day we spent in your world, I’m betting that only minutes have passed here.”

Daring looked at the position of the sun and nodded. “That looks about right to me. Besides, the fireplace is still warm from when we made breakfast yesterday… or should I say today? Time shifting is confusing.”

“Less talking and more meal preparation!” Trixie commanded.

With Cirrus’ help, Daring and Trixie set to work. Cirrus was already getting quite adept at using her wings almost like hands, which meant that she was far more useful to their hosts. Blaze felt ineffectual in comparison and decided he would spend the time stashing away the salvaged equipment in their tent. Trixie’s lessons could not come soon enough for him.

The four reviewed their adventure during the meal, and the Peregrines answered the many questions that their hosts wanted to ask earlier but were stymied by the language barrier. Afterward, they relaxed in the shade for a while before Daring broached the subject.

“So, what’s our next course of action?”

Cirrus said, “We have to find the other bowl, or else Blaze and I might never get our human forms back.”

“Trixie is compelled to remind you both that it’s virtually impossible that you will ever become the same human you once were.”

“Why not?” Cirrus demanded. “We have our blood samples that we can add to the bowl once we find it.”

“But there’s no link to the ponies you became,” the unicorn mare pointed out.

“Can you say with absolute certainty that it can’t be done?” the pegasus asked with a glare.

Trixie was silent for a long moment before sighing. “No, Trixie cannot. Too much knowledge about blood magic has been lost for Trixie to say that there is no hope.”

“Then, that’s what Blaze and I will be doing, with or without your or Daring’s help.”

Daring said, “Oh, I’d be looking for it anyway. After all, rumors of a powerful artifact are why the Princesses sent us here on this quest in the first place. If not for needing the bowl’s partner, we would be heading back to Canterlot immediately.”

Blaze frowned at the pegasus. “What about all the other archaeological work? There’s an enormous amount that we can learn from this site, perhaps for both worlds.”

“Yeah, maybe, but that’s not our specialty. We find the unfindable, rescue relics, and bring them back to Canterlot for safekeeping. The Princesses then send out a large team to follow up on our report and do all the tedious stuff.”

“We have a very different approach to archaeology,” the stallion concluded.

“Trixie understands your position but feels you underestimate how much work Daring does before we even get to a site. She has to chase down rumors, dig up obscure knowledge, and then spend weeks finding where it all leads, frequently into considerable danger. That is her skill and it has led to her being commissioned by the Crown for all such endeavors.”

“I didn’t mean to demean you, Daring,” Blaze said contritely.

The pegasus waved it off. “You aren’t the first to say such things. I prefer to shove results in their faces than make a fuss about it.”

The stallion chuckled. “Yeah – results do make or break a reputation. This expedition was going to be my and Cirrus’s big break. We got more than we bargained for.”

Daring nodded. “Now that I’ve seen humans for myself, I have some idea of how big a shock it had to be for you to transform into ponies. I can’t say that I’m in a hurry to find out what it’s like to be a human. So, do you want to start searching the ruins immediately?”

“Actually, no. Right now, I can’t do much because I don’t know how to use my unicorn body or magic. Trixie – you said you’d teach me. Do you want to start right away?”

“The Great and Knowledgeable Trixie is willing to take you on as her student beginning immediately.”

Daring looked at Cirrus. “What about you?”

Cirrus was torn between her desire to find the bowl as soon as possible and one other thing that she had never dreamed she could do. Conceding that tracking down the artifact was likely to take weeks rather than hours, she made up her mind. “Can you give me lessons? I want to fly!”

# # # # # # #

Author's Note

Before anyone starts pointing out problems with the time differential, please wait for the next chapter.