//------------------------------// // Chapter 23 // Story: Fine Print // by Starscribe //------------------------------// The day of Tracy’s flying lesson arrived without much fanfare, all things considered. He’d forced himself to stay up quite a few hours the night before, so he could sleep longer the next day and not feel so much like a zombie while in Equestria. One quick check of social media before he left to join Rose did leave him with something unusual to think about. There was a message waiting for him in group chat, sent by Keith from back home. “We haven’t seen you in too long, Tracy. It’s time for an intervention.” His request for clarification went unanswered though, so he clicked the laptop closed and headed outside. He thought about fighting with the silly vests and socks, but ultimately it just seemed like more trouble than it was worth. He wrapped the elastic of the new camera around his foreleg, then met Rose in the kitchen. “Was wondering if you’d given up,” she called, grinning weakly at him. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” “I don’t think so?” He shrugged his wings weakly. “Mostly I’m afraid of getting lost in a world I don’t belong in with no way to make it back here.” “Well that’s why I’m here!” Rose nudged him affectionately with her shoulder, grinning. “Just relax. We’ll be taking the train straight there. Class at four, so we should have time to get lunch somewhere first. I know a few places you might like, assuming you’re not going to spit it out again.” “Just don’t give me bugs,” he answered. “I can do flowers and green stuff, but not bugs.” “Green stuff,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “You need some remedial education about food, while we’re at it. What do you even eat on the other side of that door?” Things I’ve never seen here, he thought. Earth horses could apparently eat meat sometimes, or so a google search had told him. But he hadn’t ever seen any for sale in Ponyville. Or in their fridge, for that matter. But as little as he’d enjoyed the interview with Lyra, part of him was excited to get a good look at the rest of Rose’s world. He’d never gone down the road that led to the train station, or seen the crowds of creatures thronging there. Mostly naked, though none seemed to care. He tucked his tail anyway, regretting that he’d left his not-socks at home. “Canterlot Express, now boarding!” called a conductor with an adorable little train tattooed on his butt. Or… those were “cutie marks,” weren’t they? “All ponies aboard! Prepare to show your tickets!” Steam billowed from an authentic-looking steam engine, which led only a single passenger car and half a dozen filled with cargo. Rose hadn’t brought much either, other than a thin satchel over one side that Tracy took for a light purse. She flashed a few sheets of paper as they passed the conductor, and led him through the train to some empty seats. “What is Canterlot like?” he asked, as the conductor shut the door to their car. There were only a few others with them—three children, with a blue pony watching them like a babysitter. He tuned their voices out easily enough. “Canterlot is… wonderful. It’s where Celestia’s castle is. It’s where the best restaurants and fashion and other things fancy ponies all brag about are. My sisters and I used to go all the time, but now that things have slowed down… usually we can’t justify the expense.” “You sure we can do this?” Tracy asked, shifting nervously in his chair. “I don’t want you to strain your finances taking me to this.” Rose pushed away his wing with a foreleg. “Settle down, stallion. You eared those bits and way more. A few tickets and some night school are nothing. Just keep everything working, so we have the bits to spare, okay?” He nodded weakly. He couldn’t quite tell how sincere she was being, but he didn’t want to ask. That would sound like he didn’t trust her, which wasn’t the kind of message he wanted to send before a trip into the capital of a foreign country. Tracy had never been on a train before, but the trip wasn’t that different from what he’d expected. They rode for about an hour, past farmland and a few villages like Ponyville. The little engine seemed to struggle as they reached a set of craggy mountains, and finally began to climb.  He caught his first glimpse of Canterlot from the side, as they approached it over a bridge. Tracy stared, utterly dumbfounded by the engineering. In less than an hour, Ponies had gone from simple farmers to creatures that could make castles out of mountainsides, and build a city into tiers cut in the rock. “Why would anyone want to build a city up here?” he asked, though his voice was still awed. “There’s no river, no farmland…” “Dunno.” Rose seemed to be watching him more than the window. “It’s been the center of Equestria for ages now. I couldn’t tell you why they wanted to move. I do know they get most things up from the villages all around. Trains like ours come in with enough to keep the city fed, and go out again with clothes or whatever ponies want to buy.” It wasn’t much detail, but she sounded bored even sharing that much. Tracy didn’t press, just waited patiently as they came to a stop in an impressive station of wrought iron and marble.  Tracy had never been to Paris, but he imagined the trip would probably go something like what happened next. Dozens of little avenues and boulevards were crowded with boutique shops and thronged by creatures who managed to make him feel underdressed. Many of the locals wore dresses or fancy suits, though few actually covered anything important. Like clothes people sometimes bought for their dogs, and forced them to wear for photos online. Granted, some of them pranced around a little like those dogs, moving about through invisible social circles of popularity and influence that were entirely inscrutable to Tracy. “Should I have worn more for this?” he whispered, following Rose as close as he could through the crowd. “Most of them aren’t naked.” “That’s an interesting choice of words.” Rose stuck her tongue out. “I guess maybe you’re from somewhere fancy after all? That little town you told Lyra about… did ponies dress like this?” He barely suppressed a laugh. “No. Think more… Wranglers and cowboy boots.” Rose grinned back, apparently satisfied. “So don’t change who you are for the ponies you’re around. We aren’t here for the Grand Galloping Gala. There’s a little cafe down this way, you’ll love it.” She broke into a trot, forcing him to hurry to keep up. A few weeks ago, he probably would’ve just tripped on his face and looked even stupider. But he managed this time, weaving from sidewalk to sidewalk. Canterlot had proper streets in the way Ponyville hadn’t, though there was nothing like automobiles. Every vehicle was pony-driven, mostly rickshaw carts. A few were actual carriages, with staff who pulled it one minute then stepped aside to act as butlers for the creatures inside the next. How does your society work, anyway? This whole time he’d just sort of assumed they were basically the same, maybe with a few puns in the names and a little less technology. But maybe this place wasn’t innocent at all, and he was actually an ant hovering under the magnifying lens of a vast system of nobles, ready to burn him to dust if he edged a footstep out of line. But nothing came to crush them on the way to the cafe. He caught a few creatures in uniform, and maybe they were police. But they didn’t give Tracy a second glance. He was certainly feeling hungry enough by the time they finally reached the cafe. Spice filled the air, and something sizzled from the back of the shop. “Equestria has burger shops after all?” Rose stopped in the doorway, glaring. “You think we came all this way for hayburgers?” She slid past him into the shop, without any particular regard for his personal space. You’re doing that with your tail on purpose, Rose. Cut it out. He followed her to a table, eyes going suddenly wide as he realized what was going on. Is this a date? Restaurants weren’t really that different in Equestria, and the next hour went about the way he would’ve expected. The strange reliance on pictographs continued to Canterlot as well, which meant he could’ve ordered even if he couldn’t read the language. Which he still could, for reasons that made about as much sense as looking like a bat-horse. Rose had looked a little annoyed when, despite her insistence, he’d found and ordered a burger anyway. At least it didn’t taste like some farmer had made it with the worst animal feed on their farm. “We come all this way, and you still order that?” She stared across the table, eyes narrowing at the partially eaten burger. “Why?” He shrugged. “Was I supposed to get what you’re eating? I, uh… can’t really tell one salad apart from another. I’ve never been a fan of leaves.” Rose looked like she might be about to strangle him, or at least start throwing her utensils across the table in his direction. She didn’t, though maybe that was just because she hadn’t touched them at all. Most of the other patrons had those weird horn-things, and levitated everything around the way Lyra had. That still doesn’t seem fair. “Nopony who lives with me is going to call this ‘leaves.’” She took a few thoughtful bites, tail swishing forcefully back and forth. “From now on, quit buying rotten food on your way home. I’ll find something fresh and have it ready each morning until you don’t embarrass the Flower Sisters anymore.” Tracy opened his mouth to argue—but stopped short. She might be saying it like she was a professor frustrated with his low performance. But she was actually offering to prepare who knew how many meals. Are you just trying to get me to come home sooner, instead of eating out? “I’m still not sure why that brisket sandwich was so awful. I used to get lunch at that Arby’s every day, and it was only good stuff.” Rose waved a threating hoof across the table. “Well, you find Arby and tell her you don’t want any more of whatever a brisket is until further notice. It can’t be good for you, smelling that way.” The urge to argue was rising, though the absurdity of what she said did temper his feelings a little. “Alright, Rose. But on one condition.” He spread his wings a little wider in his seat, turning to the window so he could look up at the sloped mountain terrace of Canterlot.  “When I finally figure out this flying thing, after however long it takes—you come with me to the other side of that door, and you let me treat you to dinner in San Jose.” For a few moments she was completely silent, eyes widening with shock and surprise. Or… was that embarrassment? Horse expressions were sometimes so easy to read, but sometimes so arcane. All the apparent indignance at his identification of “leaves” seemed to melt away, and her voice became suddenly timid. “I didn’t think you liked me, Tracy. Couldn’t really blame you. I did think you were leading an invasion of Ponyville.” That isn’t the kind of like you’re asking about. Why are you saying it like we’re still in high school? It was almost charming. “I changed my mind,” he said, as confidently as he could. “Maybe you did too. Anyway, I couldn’t live with the guilt if you just kept treating me to things over here. Sooner or later you might as well cross over and see where I come from.” “Not until you can fly,” she said, laughing nervously. “That way you focus on your lessons! Regular trips all the way to Canterlot mean my sisters need to run the stand on their own. I’m still not sure they’ve figured out the tablet.” “Sure. That should give me more time to plan something fun.”