Blaze disconnected his phone that he had left charging overnight and started it up. “Hmmm… let’s see what Daring photographed so much that she killed the battery.” He opened up the Gallery and paused momentarily to look at the pictures taken of him and Cirrus while they were in human form. Then he scrolled down further. First, one eyebrow lifted, then the other as his smile grew. “Snrrkk!”

His strangled laugh attracted the attention of Cirrus who had just finished dressing. “What’s so funny?”

Blaze wordlessly passed the phone to the mare who very quickly started giggling. Picture after picture featured Daring Do in selfies with various artifacts. Every possible playful and pouty facial expression was displayed in photo after photo. She had even figured out the timer to do some poses on top of various ruins.

Cirrus smirked. “We will have to commend Daring on her dedication and professionalism… after showing Trixie.”

The stallion grinned as he took back his phone. “I hope I can keep a straight face for long enough.”

They waited until they had eaten breakfast before bringing up the subject. When Blaze asked Trixie to review her partner’s photographs for the record, the pegasus mare looked alarmed.

“No, no! I’ll handle that,” Daring protested.

Trixie raised her eyebrow and tilted her head. “Why? It’s Trixie’s job, even if we usually must wait until we return to Canterlot to develop and print the film rolls.”

“I… uh… need to umm… make notes—”

“You can still do that later. Trixie shall see the photographs now.”

Blaze opened the Gallery once more and passed his stylus to Trixie to let the mare scroll at her own rate. It did not take long for the unicorn to start casting looks at Daring whose face was already turning red. Blaze kept up a stern expression while looking at the pegasus which just made her blush more. He caught Trixie’s eye and the two silently agreed to keep up the suspense. They hmphed and shook their heads in disappointment. Daring finally sank to the ground and covered her face with her wings to hide her embarrassment. That was the final straw and both unicorns burst into laughter, followed only a moment later by Cirrus who had been playing dumb until then.

Daring peeked out from under her wing. “What the heck?”

Cirrus said, “Don’t stress over it. You didn’t do anything that young human females haven’t been doing for years back home. It caught us by surprise, but we knew we had to tease you.”

Daring sighed and got up, still blushing. “Sorry – I know I got carried away.”

Blaze replied, “No harm done and, if anything, it makes you feel more alike to us. I’m just sorry I can’t print out a few of the best glamor shots.”

Daring’s blush renewed, but Trixie looked disappointed. “Have you no way of printing them? It seems strange to me that you cannot.”

“Yes, we can, but with a device that we don’t bring along on expeditions. It’s not needed out in the field.”

“Hmm… Trixie will have to ask Sparkle if she can come up with a solution.”

“Who is this Sparkle?” Cirrus asked.

“She is a former classmate of Trixie. As Great and Knowledgeable as Trixie is, she must admit that Twilight Sparkle is more so. It is said that she has learned everything there is to know about magic and spends her days researching new spells. If there’s a way of reproducing images on your phones onto paper, she will know it… or create a method.”

Cirrus leaned forward with a frown. “Then, could she figure out how to get us back in our proper human bodies?”

Trixie gave her a long look before sighing. “Trixie will not bother trying to convince you that it is impossible anymore. You have already decided to pursue that infinitesimal hope.”

“Hardly infinitesimal. It may be just a simple matter of cycling through all the recorded human patterns until the correct one is found.”

“Now you are sounding just like Twilight Sparkle”

Blaze said, “Well, we pretty much knew we’d be going back with you, so we’ll deal with convincing her when we get there. What are our plans for today though?”

Daring replied, “Now that we’ve found the relics and completed work in your world, our primary task is done. We’ll finish the preliminary survey of the ruins next. We’ll split into two teams so we can wrap up everything today. That way, we can pack up and head back to Equestria early tomorrow.”

“What?! There’s so much more to be done here!” Blaze objected. “Just going by the typical Mayan temple and township, there’s weeks or months of archaeological work to be done.”

Daring nodded. “Yeah, there is, but that’s not our job. Trix and I were sent specifically to find and retrieve potentially dangerous magical artifacts. That’s always been our main objective. The preliminary survey is for the follow-up team that will do the rest of the work.” The pegasus paused as she gathered the equipment that she would need and smirked. “Besides, we only brought enough supplies for Trix and me. Feeding the two of you cut our available time here in half.”

The Peregrines were both embarrassed to have overlooked that point. Even though they had packed some food, they had always intended to resupply themselves for an extended stay after locating the Temple of the Horse.

Daring regained her trademark grin. “We’ll go out in unicorn-pegasus pairs. Blaze – you’re with me. We’ll take the east side while Trixie and Cirrus can handle the rest.”

The survey was completed with time left over for the Peregrines to get more lessons in flying and magic. After dinner was finished and cleaned up, the movie of the night was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Trixie and Daring went to bed with some peculiar ideas about humans after that.

After breakfast the next morning, the Peregrines packed up their tent and stowed it and their backpacks in the storage area under the floor of the wagon. These were accessed by doors between the wheels on either side. Although they had their doubts about available space, they were shocked to see more go into them than they thought physically possible.

“Trixie enchanted them with expansion spells. How do you think Trixie managed to cart all her props and equipment in one small wagon? Have a look inside.” The unicorn gestured to the door at one end.

Neither of the Peregrines had seen inside the wagon yet simply because there had not been a need. Cirrus mounted the steps and pushed the door open. She froze, her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. After a long moment, she turned to look at Blaze.

“It’s a bloody TARDIS!”

“You’re shitting me,” he replied, making his way up the steps and practically pushing Cirrus aside.

His eyes were greeted by what looked like a cozy apartment with a small lounging area, a kitchenette, and a partially open door through which he spotted a bed. Considering the proportions of what he could see, he would not be surprised if there was a small en suite bathroom too.

Blaze looked at Cirrus. “I have to say it – it’s bigger on the inside than on the outside!”

“That’s what Trixie said, but what is a… tardis? That word makes no sense.”

“It’s an acronym standing for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space,” Cirrus explained.

“Oh, so humans do have expansion spells?”

Cirrus shook her head. “No, it’s just fiction, but a very popular one.”

“Ah, Trixie sees. It’s a good thing that it’s a real thing here because otherwise, it would be very crowded in there for us three while Daring flies us back.”

Blaze said, “That’s right – you said that you had flown in the wagon. Considering how much mass all this has, it’s still hard to believe that Daring is going to lug this by herself.”

“It isn’t easy,” the pegasus admitted, “but not as hard as you might think. Even Cirrus could manage it. Not that I would trust you yet, Sky – you have much to learn still.”

Cirrus shuddered. “Which is a gentle way of saying my landings suck. Yeah, I’m not taking on that responsibility yet. But I’m intrigued about how you’ll do it.”

“Once we have everything packed, you’ll see.”

Blaze said, “Cirrus and I are done, but there’s something I’d like to do before we leave. Could we do one final measurement of the time differential? I’d like to get one more data point for your experts.”

The unicorn mare frowned. “Trixie does not recommend tempting fate.”

“I’ll just dash over and back to set up the phone. We’ll only need a minute on this side before I go back to fetch it.”

Trixie hesitated for a long moment. “You’re going to do this whether Trixie helps or not, aren’t you?”

“Yep. It’ll be quicker with you along though.”

Daring said, “Might as well do as he asks, Trix. I’ll have the last things packed and ready to go by the time you get back.”

“Can’t save damn fool stallions from themselves,” Trixie muttered before she set off toward the temple. “It is possible to love science too much, you know?”

“Thanks,” Blaze said as he followed, two phones carried in his magic.

Once inside the passage, Blaze passed one phone to Trixie and then trotted over to the other side of the worldgate. He propped up the phone and immediately returned.

“How’s it looking?”

“Trixie is already sure that the difference is much larger.” She waited sixty seconds before saying, “Enough! Go fetch the phone.”

Blaze quickly did so and found the mare calculating the differential upon returning. When he saw her eyes widen, he asked, “Is it bad?”

“Trixie calculates it to be 337.”

“Oh, wow! That’s a big jump from the last meas—”

The whole world seemed to shudder for a moment, and the light at the far end of the tunnel winked out. Their lamp showed nothing but a stone wall instead.

Both ponies stared in shock before Trixie scanned the area with her magic and announced the obvious. “The worldgate just collapsed.”

Blaze made a choking noise before saying, “Oh, God! Oh, God! I nearly got trapped over there. Oh, fuck!” He stumbled out of the passageway.

Trixie found him puking up his breakfast just outside the temple. She was also shaken but she felt it was a mare’s duty to console the stallion. She rubbed his back and hugged him until he stopped trembling.

“Harmony has been kind to you and left you in the care of friends. Let’s rejoin them now and be on our way home.”

Blaze nodded. “Don’t tell Cirrus what happened. I don’t want to upset her. She’s dealing with enough as it is.”

“We will say that we found it closed already. Trixie will inform Daring in private. She has a big ‘told-you-so’ to tell her.”

Blaze managed to pull himself mostly together by the time they got to the campsite. Daring was standing next to the wagon harness, giving Cirrus some more advice on take-offs while waiting for the two to return.

“How did it go?” Cirrus asked as soon as she spotted them.

“The worldgate is closed and the passage now dead-ends,” Trixie announced.

Cirrus’ face fell. “I suppose that’s it then. There’s no possibility of getting back to our world anymore.”

“Sorry, but no, there isn’t. Even if we had a way to open a new worldgate, and Trixie assures you she knows of none, we have no means of targeting your world if we could.”

Cirrus nodded. “I pretty much had come to the same conclusion, but it took until now for it to become hard reality.” She sighed.

Daring smiled encouragingly. “Cheer up, Sky! Of all the places to get stranded, I don’t think you could do better than Equestria. And you have us to help you fit in. But for now, let’s get this show on the road. We’re burning daylight here!”

Trixie said, “That’s right. Cirrus and Blaze – get into the wagon. Trixie must cast the sky carriage spell, and you need to be inside to become part of it.”

Blaze was glad for a distraction. “How does that work?” he asked as he mounted the steps behind Cirrus.

“It’s a complex spell that greatly reduces the inertia of the wagon and its contents, which is why we need to be inside to be included,” Trixie replied as she followed Blaze and closed the wagon door. “It also nullifies gravity’s pull and keeps the wagon level. As long as the pegasus pulling keeps on an even flight, the ponies inside should have no more sensation than that of being in a train carriage. One moment…” Her horn blazed for several seconds and the Peregrines felt a tingle. Trixie then went to the window and opened it. She leaned out and said, “We’re good to go!”

Daring nodded. “OK!” She then moved into place, touched a gem on the drawbars which activated a spell, and the harness moved into place, cinching itself securely. She then spread her wings. “Ready for takeoff!” she yelled.

Trixie’s magic released the brakes. “Go!” she yelled back.

Daring beat her wings in a powerful thrust that started the wagon rolling forward. They did not stay on the ground for long though as the pegasus changed the angle of her wings and the front wheels left the earth, quickly followed by the rear wheels. There was only a short stretch of clearing ahead, but Daring judged her ascent well enough to comfortably pass over the tops of the first trees. She continued climbing until she reached the desired altitude and leveled out, adjusting her direction toward the south. Then she settled into an economical flight mode that maximized her endurance.

“Wow! I felt almost nothing during that climb,” Blaze commented. “Wait – if you’ve nullified gravity, how are we still standing on the floor?”

“It’s an effect of the spell – it attracts everything inside the wagon towards the floor,” Trixie replied. “By the way, be cautious with your movements. It does affect how you move within it.”

“Why didn’t Daring get included in the spell?” asked Cirrus.

“Because it would negatively affect how she flies. Mainly, she needs her inertia to pull the wagon, but being able to sense gravity also plays a role.”

“I see. You’ve really added a great deal of flexibility to Daring’s excursions, haven’t you? She can bring so much more equipment and supplies. No wonder she recruited you to help.”

Trixie gave her a wistful smile. “She gave Trixie much in return.”

Blaze turned away from the window through which he had been watching the scenery pass. “Do you think I could learn that spell?”

The unicorn mare chuckled. “Trixie is not saying that you don’t have the necessary ability, but it takes years of study to reach the level of proficiency to master that spell.”

The stallion grinned. “Then I’d better get started right away. Want to give me some more lessons?”

The mare smirked. “Trixie supposes she trotted into that one. Normally, Trixie would begin work on her next novel, but she thinks that there’s a lot more to this tale yet to come. It would be best to see how events pan out before settling on the narrative. Or in other words, Trixie sees no reason why she can’t start you on the way to magehood right now.”

“Awesome! Oh… Sky – are you going to be okay while we’re busy?”

Cirrus nodded. “Frankly, I can scarcely keep my eyes off the scenery. My wings feel twitchy as if I should be out there flying alongside Daring instead of being cooped up here. I’ll just have to settle for watching out the window. Have fun!”

Trixie and Blaze spent a couple of hours on his lessons and Cirrus did not move from the window. Then she noticed that Daring had angled their flight in the direction of a cloudbank. Since she had been avoiding them until then, Cirrus got curious as the pegasus slowed down over a particularly thick patch. She was genuinely shocked though when it appeared that Daring was landing on it.

“Hey, Trixie – what’s Daring doing?”

The unicorn mare glanced out the window and then to the clock on the wall. “Trixie assumes that Daring is taking a rest break.” She got up and stepped into the kitchenette. “I have some refreshments prepared for her.”

Cirrus scarcely heard her as she was riveted to the sight of the wagon coming to a halt on top of the cloud. Then her jaw dropped as Daring disengaged the harness and walked back to the wagon. “How the fuck?”

“What’s wrong, Sky?” Blaze asked.

Cirrus turned to face him and pointed to the pegasus. “Daring is walking on the clouds! Walking, as in not using her wings at all!”

Blaze hastened over to the window but was too late to see it because Daring had already reached the rear of the wagon and, moments later, she opened the door and entered it. However, since the pegasus was there and the wagon was apparently sitting on the cloud without support, he could hardly deny Cirrus’ observation.

Cirrus blurted out, “How did you do that?”

Daring blinked and tilted her head. “Do what?”

“Walk on the clouds!”

“Oh. All pegasi can do that. Go on out there and try it.”

Cirrus looked through the still open door and all she could see was the insubstantial vapor that was the top of the cloud. The rational human she had once been quailed at the thought of stepping out there. “No bloody way! I can’t even fly well yet and you want me to do that?”

“It comes naturally – you don’t have to learn anything to cloud-walk. Go ahead – see for yourself.”

“N-n-n-nope!” Cirrus replied, backing away from the door her wings raised in alarm.

Daring rolled her eyes before spreading her wings and bracing herself. She flapped hard and a big gust of wind caught Cirrus’ wings and carried her through the doorway before she could react. The mare screamed in panic for the short moment before she fell face-first into cottony softness and came to a halt. Cirrus froze in place for several seconds as she convinced herself that she was not plummeting toward the ground. Then she cautiously got up onto her hooves and gingerly tested the surface. It gave way a little but held firm. She jumped up a little and came back down to a soft halt. Then she grinned and started bouncing on it like a trampoline.

Blaze watched as his wife quickly turned into a foal with a new toy, laughing and gamboling on the cloud.

Daring said, “Don’t you try that. Unicorns can’t do what pegasi can do. Not without a cloud-walking spell anyway.”

The stallion looked at her and grinned. “If I ever want to walk on a cloud, I intend to do so under my own power someday.”

Daring grinned in return before looking toward her partner. “Got my snacks, Trix?”

“Coming right up!”

Daring relaxed on the couch while Blaze watched Cirrus enjoying herself. He smiled in satisfaction to see her cares swept away, at least for a while.

After they continued their journey, Cirrus decided to spend the time working on their findings and starting a report. There was another stop for lunch and a nap for Daring. Then they resumed traveling until midafternoon when Daring brought them in for a landing in a meadow beside a river. Trixie set the brakes and canceled the spell on the wagon.

“Why bother?” Cirrus asked. “You’ll just have to cast it again tomorrow.”

“Because a small gust of wind would easily blow the wagon over otherwise,” Trixie replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Oh. Right.”

Blaze stepped out of the wagon, intending to get a campfire built. He grinned as the tired pegasus passed him to head inside. “Too exhausted to fly more?”

Daring shook her head. “Nah, I could go on longer, but there’s no point. We won’t get to our destination today anyway.”

“Is Canterlot that far away?”

Daring snorted and chuckled. “That’s many days away! We’re headed to a city by the coast called Foaledo. There, we’ll catch a train which will take us west, skirting the Forbidden Jungle before heading north for a few days.”

“Oh. I gather it would not have been simpler just to travel north from our campsite?”

“Nope. Even more jungle before it turns into the Badlands. No towns or trains for days. I’ll show you on a map later. Right now, I’m going to rest while you three set up camp. Call me for dinner!” she added with a grin as she stepped into the wagon.

The map was illustrative rather than accurately showing geographical details, but it nevertheless gave Blaze a good idea of the distances involved. Even after traveling for much of the day, they had yet to clear the forest. Daring assured him that they should arrive in Foaledo about this time tomorrow, giving them plenty of time to buy tickets on the Cross-Continental Express. Trixie’s wagon would be shipped on a freight carriage that was part of the train.

What bemused him and Cirrus though, were some of the cities marked on the map. Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, Van Hoover, Las Pegasus – there were too many similarities to North American city names to be a coincidence, but their hosts had no explanation for why.

“Perhaps there’s been influences through other worldgates,” Cirrus suggested. “And if that’s true, then perhaps they might still be open.”

Blaze nodded. “We’ll definitely have to look into that later. First, we need to see if getting your human body back is feasible.”

It did not escape Cirrus that Blaze had not included himself in that goal, but she let it slide for now.

The movie of the night was Despicable Me. Daring informed Trixie that she now wanted a minion or three. Trixie responded that Daring was already playing the role of her personal minion, now joined by the Peregrines, and that would have to do for now. Blaze and Cirrus burst out laughing when Daring wildly gesticulated both forelegs and wings while arguing that wasn’t what she meant at all!

# # # # # # #

Author's Note

In the show, distances were traveled at the speed of plot. In this story, I intend to show that Equestria is really big and it takes a very long time to travel from one side of the country to the other.

Daring Do's selfies were Airy Words' idea.

The map is cropped from this one - https://chakatsden.com/Pony/map_of_Equus.jpg