They didn’t make it far from the courtroom, just out into an adjoining hall before their escort of night-guards finally came to a stop. Rose was waiting in the only uncomfortable-looking chair, and her simple presence was enough to fill Tracy with relief. We can go back to normal after this.
His friends were totally silent, occasionally glancing back at Shane, but never saying anything.
But Rose was rarely quiet for long, even now. “How’d it go? Princess Luna didn’t banish you or throw you in the dungeon, did she? She’s supposed to be the more forgiving princess.”
“She was,” Tracy began. “It didn’t go quite the way I expected, but nobody’s going to prison. My friends get to go home where they belong, except…” His eyes finally settled on Shane. “I hope you were sure about all that, Shane. If you think this was a joke, or that this place isn’t real somehow, you’ll regret it. You’re committed now.”
“The volunteer has been given quarters in the lunar wing until he’s assigned,” said one of the guards. “If your case is like any of the others we’ve seen, you’ll have a chance to pick up anything you might need from Canterlot before you’re sent away.”
The bat took a step closer to him, though she had to look up to meet Shane’s impressive stature. “Take advantage of Luna’s generosity. Others elsewhere in Equestria may not embody that Element of Harmony as effectively. You’ll need an escort while you’re in Canterlot, but there are plenty of ponies on shift right now who could use some time away from the castle. You’ll just have to make do with the bat shops.”
“Alright, thank you,” Shane said, exhaustion dripping from his voice. But while he might be on the edge of consciousness, he still looked relieved. His shoulders were no longer slouched. If anything, he was smiling. “I’m sorry to get the rest of you tied up in all this. Though I still think you shouldn’t have followed me.”
“I think you should’ve told me,” Tracy interrupted. “What you guys did to Rose and I was unacceptable. I was willing to let you visit, even take you to Equestria to look around. But this is wrong. You owe me an apology, but you owe Rose twice as much.” He glowered at them both. Maybe it was his height, or the guards with similar-looking wings gathered around. But all three of his friends lowered their heads in shame.
“I’m sorry,” Anton said. “It wasn’t supposed to… We thought Tracy might be in trouble. Then we knew Shane was in trouble. Nothing about this happened the way we wanted. I’m sorry. And thanks for bailing us out.”
“Me too,” Marshall said. “All the same stuff. We screwed up. I dunno how to make it up to you.” He finally turned towards Shane, expression hardening a little. “Not sure what we do about you, Shane. Do we tell your family that you emigrated to a fictional country full of horses?”
“No.” He glared back. “Whatever you tell them, keep Tracy out of it. Just tell them I told you I was joining up with an oil crew or something. I’ll have to figure out how to… break the news. But Tracy has a local address.” He turned back to the guard. “Does Equestria have mail.”
“Yes?” She tilted her head to one side, confused.
“Good. Once I figure out what to say, I’ll write something. The jackals will be closing in to find me either way. But they’ll never get me in here.”
“You’re honestly going to say this is all for money?” Anton asked, staring at Shane. “Since we might not ever see you again, at least tell us straight. You know people can get through stuff like this. You’re not the only one to have money trouble.”
Shane walked past them, to the shuttered palace door. He pushed gently on it with a hoof, and it swung outward. The magical glow of crystal streetlamps lit the city below. The pony capital was mostly asleep now, but a few districts were still lit up. Tracy could just make out a faint music echoing from distant instruments. A bat-band, maybe?
“Money’s why I pulled the trigger. But look at this place. I can see why Tracy didn’t run screaming from his apartment. We stumbled into something incredible. I’ve had a lifetime to watch opportunities pass by. This time I’m seizing it.”
“Do your time and keep your word,” Tracy urged. “If you mail me anything, I’ll try to forward it on. I’ll… probably just mail it back from somewhere across town, so it doesn’t get traced back to this house. God help me if some detective comes banging on my door asking to know where you went. But when you’re done, feel free to stop by and say hello. Just knock, this time, please.”
There were a few more minutes of goodbyes. Tracy probably would’ve been considerably more upset not to talk to one of his best friends again—but the pain and frustration from the break-in didn’t just go away. In a way, Shane was the only one who would be doing something to pay back that debt to society.
While Shane was led away, the rest of their little group made their way out to the upper train station to wait for the morning express.
“Keep an eye on Shane for us, if you can,” Anton said. “We’ll… probably drive back home tomorrow. Maybe we can leave before most people realize we were gone. Things are gonna go nucking futs either way. If anyone comes asking questions, try not to implicate us or whatever. The last thing we need is to be suspects in a murder investigation for someone who is definitely still alive.”
“Sure,” Tracy answered, without enthusiasm. “Right now I’m just hoping this whole thing didn’t cost me my job.”
It didn’t, though the disappointment on Janet’s face that Tuesday almost felt like it was about to. Tracy apologized every way he knew how, volunteering for extra hours and every other unpleasant duty he didn’t already have as the newest member of the department.
It was her words at the end of their little work meeting that hit him the hardest. “If you really had an emergency at home that needed taking care of, Apex is understanding. But this isn’t just missing the one day.”
She leaned across the desk, steepling her fingers together. “Your work is slipping, Tracy. When your application came across my desk, I saw some real potential. I still see that potential in you, whenever you choose to apply yourself.
“But that isn’t what I’ve seen the last few weeks. I find you exhausted in your chair, barely scraping into work on time. I see you missing community-building with the rest of the department. And when you do show up, you’re watching the clock.”
She gestured, and he rose. It was probably stupid, but he felt the weight of guilt pressing down on him. This wasn’t just his escape, his lifetime ambition—Janet had taken a chance on him, and he was letting her down.
“We aren’t just a nine-to-five here at Apex. With work like yours, there are a dozen places you can go like that. Punch a clock, give them some decent assets, go home again. Not here. Your first employee review is coming in November. Decide now what you want me to tell corporate.”
Tracy slunk out to his car that day like a puppy that had pissed the carpet. Instead of a mark of pride, his lanyard itched at his neck. He barely even flashed it at security as he made his way out to the car.
What was I supposed to do, tell her I’m living in another universe and my friends almost got themselves life in prison for breaking in? Maybe he should come up with a more believable cover story. Something about an ailing parent could probably work—but he didn’t have the heart to lie about them now.
He grunted as he got into his car, shuffling around until he found the uncomfortable weight and pulled it out. It was the flying handbook, a little squished given how long it had lived in his pocket. I wonder if I should cancel the rest of those classes.
He didn’t cancel anything, except his previously regular trips to the Arby’s. The thought of all that roast beef made his stomach turn. I’ll just catch breakfast with Rose before she goes to work.
He slowed as he approached the front door, finding a figure already standing in front of the house. For a second he froze, preparing to flee if it were the police or something. But no, it was someone much more dangerous.
Discord spun as he approached, adjusting his patchwork suit with the flourish of one hand. Now that Tracy knew what he was looking for, he could faintly make out slight differences in skin tone where the creature underneath had the body parts of different species. It was definitely the same demon.
“I was hoping to see you, Tracy. Here.” He tossed something towards him, and Tracy nearly ducked—but it was just a set of keys.
He caught it, stumbling for a step, but managed not to trip. Just behind Discord, the door was entirely different. It was clearly metallic now, even with a layer of white paint on top. “I was planning on replacing the locks.”
“Nope, that won’t be necessary. I’ve taken steps to deter further break-ins. You don’t have anything to worry about, protecting my tenants is part of my responsibility. You had nothing to do with the last break-in. I will deal with them how I choose.”
Tracy fell silent, staring down at the keys. He might not know very much about Discord, but he’d heard enough. He was deeply feared in Equestria, even after apparently “reforming.” Considering what other Equestrians could do, he didn’t particularly want to think about what would happen to anyone else who tried to break in.
“Of course the terms of your lease haven’t changed. Who would I be to hold a grudge?”
He closed the distance between them in a flash, so rapid that Tracy barely even realized he had moved. He stumbled, almost falling over again. “I know you don’t think so, but I’m heavily invested in your success. If you fail here, that’s when you should be worried.”
He broke away suddenly, backing up towards the street. Tracy was positive his mismatched car hadn’t been there a few minutes before, but it was parked just beside his own, already waiting.
If Discord was an ordinary person, Tracy would’ve never tolerated threats. Under the circumstances, he just stood there and watched him go. If all he does is threaten me, this isn’t so bad. My friends did get to leave.
He waited for another minute more, until Discord had finally driven away. Only then did he venture back up the steps. He scanned over the door, inspecting it for any dangers. But there were no threats he could see—just a heavy metal front door, of a similar shape and heft to the ones used on some government buildings.
How did he get it here, anyway? How did Discord make it back to Equestria when he was done tormenting Tracy? Did he live on Earth, with his absurd real-estate business and car that didn’t work?
I’d feel a little better about all this if I knew what Discord wanted me to do. The new keys slid smoothly into place, as of course they would. When the door swung open, the house was exactly as he remembered. The inner door was shut—and if Rose knew who had been working out here, she was probably cowering in terror on the other side.
Tracy found himself smiling at the idea of seeing her again. Maybe now that his friends were gone, things would finally return to normal.