Roadtrip

by totallynotabrony

Chapter 8

July 6, 2013
On Saturday morning, the convention organized a free breakfast for all badge holders. 13 Coins, the restaurant we'd gone to the night before, had been great food. A little pricy, but great. I had gone to bed feeling quite nice, and the idea of getting something to eat for free when I woke up sounded just great.

Maria, Chrysalis, and I went down to the convention center early to get a good place in the breakfast line. As the serving room opened up, we shuffled forward to receive tasty things. Looking forward towards the front of the line, I was glad to see oatmeal, cereal, and…

“Unexpected muffins,” I murmured happily.

“This is a brony convention, after all,” said a voice from over my shoulder. I looked back to find The General in line behind me.

I nodded in agreement. “There’s all kinds of other things on the serving tables.”

“I wonder what kind of cereal they have,” he deadpanned.

It took me a moment, but I got the joke.

I followed Maria and Chrysalis to a table after getting our breakfast from the serving lines. Music, mostly remixed songs from the show, played in the background. I unfortunately had to cut breakfast socializing short. There were more writing panels starting soon and I didn't want to miss them.

Maria had experienced no trouble dealing with Chrysalis the day before, so I again deferred to her competence and bowed out after eating, saying that I would meet the two of them back at the hotel room in time for lunch.

The first panel of the day went well. Mr. Tristan was there as well as a few other authors I recognized. In the banter among panelists before the event started, Tristan said, “Hey, is your cousin doing cosplay?”

I hesitated several seconds before eventually going with, “Maybe?”

He shrugged. “Well, I think I saw her. It was hard to tell because of the makeup and because the costume was so good. She makes an awesome Chrysalis.”

I let out a breath. Well, as long as he wasn’t freaked out or lusting after her, then she must have been restraining herself. I still didn’t like the idea that she was in costume. I suspected that it was done to garner more attention. That made me wonder where Maria was.

Helpfully, so I didn’t spend the whole panel worrying, Tristan added, “I figured that it was your cousin because your wife was with her.”

I calmed down a bit. That was a relief. In the few minutes we'd been talking, more people had come in and now it was time to begin.

We launched into the panel and had some good discussion along the way. The next panel coming up was to be in the same room, and while I wasn’t scheduled to participate, I hung around to listen. Even though I had been invited to the panels because apparently I knew something about writing, there were still things I was learning.

When the panel was over with, it was lunchtime. I headed back to the room to find Maria and Chrysalis. When I walked into the hotel room, Maria was reading a book and Chrissy was sitting on the bed and listlessly watching the Weather Channel. It was mostly sunny.

Despite her lack of enthusiasm, Chrysalis looked stunning. Her ensemble was black and green, with holes in all the right places and just the right edge of beautiful and bad girl that somehow stayed within the PG rules of the ‘con and still delivered something adults could appreciate. The horn, ears, wings, tail, and whatnot looked perfectly crafted and blended flawlessly with her human body. She wore a pair of high heels, black of course.

Chrysalis saw me and stood up. My eyes told me I was looking at a perfect cosplay, but as her tail swished a little, I knew better that it was no costume.

While I was not an expert on equine anatomy, the annoyed twitch of her gossamer tail seemed emotional. After comparing it with the look on her face, I asked, “Is something wrong?”

“She didn’t win the cosplay contest,” said Maria, without looking up from her reading.

“Huh? Really?” I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or merely gape in disbelief. Not only was it funny that a bug alien pony shapeshifter thing was trying to disguise herself as herself, but her costume was so amazing that I couldn’t imagine how she had lost. Although, I had once heard that Charlie Chaplain finished third in a Charlie Chaplain lookalike contest. Such things were possible.

Chrysalis growled. “They took points away. Something about ‘you forgot the crown.’ Idiots.”

I noticed that she still hadn’t regrown her crest, the small crownlike protrusion on top her head. Apparently, it was something she couldn’t fake.

“Is that a problem?” I asked. “You seem to have healed everything else.”

Something that may have been worry passed over Chrysalis’ face but she shook her head. “I will be fine. I will be ready to return home soon. Tomorrow, I think."

That was the last day of the ‘con, I noted. It was nice and convenient. On the trip back to our home, Maria and I would only have to pay for two.

Maria put her book down. “I didn't see any harm in letting her dress up. She's been good.”

Chrysalis' ears twitched slightly at the complement. I hoped that she was holding them stiffer like the plastic they were supposed to be while she was out in public.

“Are you two getting to be best buddies?” I joked. Chrysalis nodded. Maria shrugged, but a small smile crept onto her face. It was good that neither Maria nor I were so edgy around Chrysalis any more.

Returning the humor, Maria said, “I suppose I could have suggested that she dress as Cadance.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “You won't let me forget that, will you?”

It was good to know that our friendship had progressed to the point that we could joke casually about that one time she tried to imprison a city.

We went out to lunch. There was a Subway within walking distance to the south. The weather was rather warm for Seattle, and I rolled my sleeves up. I picked at the bandage on my arm a little, eventually deciding that it could come off. The large piece of gauze would raise more questions than a few scabs would.

I peeled the bandage off along with some arm hair and dropped it in the trash can outside Subway. Inside the building, the three of us ordered lunch. The guy behind the counter glanced at my mohawk and practically leered at me. “That’s a really nice ‘do.”

“I like your tats,” put in the other man working there, wearing a grin that was more than just friendly.

I chuckled nervously, wondering if it had been a good idea to roll up my sleeves after all. I had seen plenty of tattoos on display at the convention, and while the ones on my arms were not particularly notable, the creepy guys at Subway made me a little self conscious. Chrysalis positioned herself between them and me, helpfully blocking their line of sight. Her appearance was rather attention grabbing.

After getting our food, we decided to eat and walk. Chrysalis had a drink in one hand and her sandwich in the other. Her horn glowed and a cookie floated out of the bag towards her mouth. She scarfed it quickly enough that nobody but Maria and I noticed.

We both gave her a look. By now she should have known better. Chrysalis rolled her eyes, evidentially knowing very well that we weren’t under observation. She’d probably put herself between me and the weird sandwich people on purpose. I was continually reminded that she was a master of emotion. I suppose I had to admit that sometimes it even came in handy. Maybe we should consider giving her more slack. She wasn't stupid and had had plenty of time to learn about Earth and what was expected.

Before going back to the convention center I rolled my sleeves down again. It was easier than changing out of the long sleeved shirt. I went to the next writing event. It was a competition for people to write a short story in a few hours. Tristan introduced me to Moonglow River, the woman hosting the event. She was about six-foot-four and had blue hair. Easy to spot in a crowd.

I hung around for a while and got some writing of my own done with my laptop. I had heard Chrysalis was invited to the cosplay photoshoot and wandered down to the hotel’s pool to check it out. I couldn’t pick out who might have beat her at the contest and other than her still-missing crest she looked flawless while posing and strutting with the group of cosplayers.

Later that evening, there was a charity auction benefitting the Seattle Children’s hospital. I had donated a ten thousand word story to the proceedings with the stipulation that the winning bidder got to dictate the plot. That was one of the smaller items and would be sold in the silent auction the next day.

I watched the auction for a while. Let me tell you, nothing is more hilarious than Peter New, voice actor for Big Macintosh, playing an auctioneer while Andrew Francis (Shining Armor) and Andrea Libman (Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy) added their own twists.

Later that evening, Tristan, The General, Moonglow, and a few other panelists gathered to review the results from the writing contest. With nothing better to do, I agreed to help. We settled down in a hotel room with editing pens and pizza.

Reading fanfiction reminded me of what a mockery of normality that my life had become since Chrysalis had come to Earth. While the past few days had helped me get a little more used to it, the fact remained that I was dealing with something that felt just like a crackfic. I should know. I've written them.

I glanced around the room while everyone quietly read the fics we'd gathered. These were people who were probably the most experienced of the fandom on fanfiction. I wondered what sort of ideas they could come up with regarding my situation. I wondered if they could help.

“Ugh,” Moonglow muttered as she read someone’s story. “This prose is so purple it’s practically gone ultraviolet.”

I chuckled with the rest, pleased by the distraction. It didn’t last, however. A few moments later, I looked back down at the story I was reviewing, but the words didn’t really filter through my mind. Did I really want to tell someone about Chrysalis? If she was leaving tomorrow, would it hurt anything? Could I really keep pressured silence for so long about something so unique happening to me?

Maybe I could tell just a few people. Maybe just the people in the room. Then again, Maria sure wouldn't be talking about Chrysalis. However, she wasn't really a brony. It was a tough decision, one that I probably knew the answer to but was having a hard time coming to terms with.

They might think I was crazy, but just down the hallway I had proof. I wondered how they would react, not having seen her fall from the sky and begin a slow recovery to mend her body and magic. Chrysalis would probably be happy to meet them.

But this was just about getting her home, right? Could I allow anything to delay that for even a second? Chrysalis did say she was going home the next day. We still had tonight.

I tapped my pen in thought, still trying to figure out what I was going to do.

Comments

[Thardoc]

Looking forward to their reactions

[Noxiefy]

That was fast update. And of course this is gonna end bad :-/

[A true pony critic]

I expect insanity incoming soon.

[kingtiger666]

Poor choices will be made.

[LuluTia]

Cuddles...lots and lots of cuddles

[clonezero]

Uh oh...

[D-Bence35]

This is Gonna Suck...

[Web of Hope]

Let me tell you, nothing is more hilarious than Peter New, voice actor for Big Macintosh, playing an auctioneer while Andrew Francis (Shining Armor) and Andrea Libman (Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy) added their own twists.

Please tell me that this was both real, and that there is video of it.

[RoboRed]

Something big is definitely gonna happen soon. Everything is just going too smoothly.

[JBL]

Don't do it bro! Seriously, we already know it won't end well, unless you hit us with a swerve, it may very well be predictable.

[AppleTank]

...I didn't get the cereal joke.

Also, you>>2836240 are like, everywhere.

[Yankeebrony19]

2836427 And if so, was the whole auction done in Big Mac's voice?

[Aporatael]

2836843 Does this help?
derpicdn.net/thumbs/800/600/2013/02/21/00_15_13_745_250327__UNOPT__safe_applejack_artist_gbillustrations.jpeg.jpeg
View on Derpibooru - Original source

Or maybe this.
derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTIvMDYvMjgvMjJfNTJfNTBfMjg3XzI0NDE3X19zYWZlX2FwcGxlamFja19hbmltYXRlZF9wdW4iXV0/24417__safe_applejack_animated_human_pun_real%2Blife_cereal_nyan%2Bcat_apple%2Bjacks.gif
View on Derpibooru

[DominiusTWD]

the only ponies i can think of that might beat chrysalis in a cosplay would be celestia or luna.

[AppleTank]

2836957
Oh. Ooohhh. Riiight.

Frosted Snowflakes.

[Alondro]

Yes, introducing Chrysalis is a brilliant idea!

Half will want to kill her, the other half will want to... you know what.

This will then lead to obvious mayhem and destruction.

[Themaskedferret]

Hmmm...I find myself wondering if Chrissy is messing with his head...

[metallusionsismagic]

2836427 It was so real, I had a case of deja vu when I read this because he said the exact same sentence (sans mention of Fluttershy ) in a blog post today!

[Paladin Redflare]

Engage explosions?

[Spanner]

Lol. I ate at Subway too. Though i guess there weren't many choices that day.

[damnaion]

hummmm

[Dustchu]

That's hilarious Hehehehe, another great chapter well done, well done!

[NotSuspicious366]

I ruined the like count. It was at 666 likes.