Chapter 27
Tracy watched Rose closely, even more than his friends from Ely. She’d be the one he had to deal with tonight, regardless of how things went with them.
“I was just… going to ask if you wanted breakfast,” she asked, tail flicking nervously behind her. But she hadn’t run for her life, screaming about how he was about to lead an invasion of Equestria. That was probably the closest to a victory he’d win tonight.
“No thanks,” he said, the subtlest permission he could think of to let her leave. “That’s my roommate Roseluck,” he explained. “She’s the native who has to put up with me.”
Roseluck backed slowly away, pushing the door gently shut behind her. The others kept staring. Anton finally got to his feet again, looking between the open doorway and Tracy right beside it. “Real,” he said. “This is actually happening, and you never asked for help?”
Tracy shrugged in response, pushing the door gently closed and turning to face them. “Of course I didn’t. Remember how you felt when I told you what was happening? There’s no way to believe it without seeing it. Going across too, by the way. I don’t know if you saw, but… there’s really another world over there. I’ve seen the capital city, and it’s freakin’ gigantic. As big and fancy as DC, with way less trash and police.”
Shane swore a few more times, getting increasingly colorful as he went. “This whole thing is insane. Completely insane. Are we sure we saw it?” He wasn’t talking to Tracy anymore. “Could be something in the air. Something we were exposed to make us suggestable or something.”
“I never told you what I would look like,” Tracy said, annoyed. “Believe me, I tried to think of every explanation I could. I didn’t want to believe it. I tried to escape the contract, on this side of the door and the other. There’s no way out. But… at least now maybe you know why I can’t have houseguests?”
Anton nodded hastily. “I think I’d rather stay at the Airbnb now. You, uh…” He took another step back. “You don’t need to lead us over, Tracy, I think we can manage. Just forward the info to us, that should be fine.”
He watched them go from the doorway. He waited a little more, forwarding the emails. He’d already sent Anton’s info as the relevant contact, so it didn’t take long. Just enough time to be sure that anyone watching would get bored.
Finally he opened the door again, practically jumping to the other side. He had a technique now, for pulling it hard enough that it clicked shut behind him. He locked it just to be sure, drawing the blinds down across the window. Finally he turned, breathing heavily.
They might never talk to me again. They might call the police. God, what happens if they show up with a warrant.
But would they? How would San Jose PD respond to a call that there was a portal to another world in a duplex downtown?
Tracy hyperventilated by the door for a few more minutes, practically unaware of the passage of time. He waited nervously, expecting someone to come banging on the door at any moment. Or maybe he’d get a call, and discover his friends had turned him in for some kind of psychological evaluation.
Nothing happened. Nobody came storming up the front. The door behind him opened for a second time, and again it was Rose’s voice. “You want to explain what that was, Tracy?” her voice was stern, though nowhere near as angry as she’d sounded months ago. “What just happened?”
He spun to face her, walking slowly into the kitchen. She backed away—though not fearfully, the way Shane had done. She was just watching. “Those were friends from back home,” he said. He only made it as far as the inner door, before clicking it closed behind him. “They drove all the way here from Ely to surprise me.”
“You showed them Equestria,” Rose said flatly. “But didn’t take them in here?”
He nodded. “Discord put a rule in my contract about only having one person from my world here at a time. If they tried to insist on coming here, I would’ve had to lock them out. I don’t want that demon getting someone else in his paws.”
“Living here is that bad?”
She sounded so calm, but even Tracy could see the obvious landmine without walking over it. “I didn’t say that. But getting cursed by Discord isn’t. I don’t know what he’d do to them if they broke his rules. Would you want your friends getting cursed?”
“No,” she admitted, turning back to her breakfast. From the smell of it, the waffles she was cooking were completely burned.
“Don’t bother!” he called. “It’s toast!”
She took the waffle-iron off the stove, emptying its blackened contents into the sink. She couldn’t talk while she worked, since she had to stick her mouth in a protective mitten. I still don’t know how you can cook with that without burning your tongue through it.
Tracy might be getting to know Equestria more and more as the months went on, but somehow he still had a hard time imagining he would ever be cooking here. Good thing he didn’t have a kid, changing a diaper would probably cause an existential crisis.
But while she worked, Rose couldn’t interrupt him. “My friends were worried about me, that was all. When I told them about Equestria, they thought I was insane. There’s no magic on that side, no other worlds, no portals. Seeing it really scared them, and I’m not sure how they’ll react.”
Rose filled the iron with fresh batter, then finally spit out her mitten. “Your world has no magic?”
“That’s what mattered about all that?” He pulled out a kitchen chair, slumping down into it. He tossed his laptop bag callously up beside him. “Not the part where my friends think I’m crazy?”
“I know what that’s like too, about you. I turned out to be wrong… what part of Equestria did they think made you insane?”
“All of it. Another world in my apartment would be enough by itself. Everything else is just a little extra crazy-frosting.” He spread his wings placatingly, though he wasn’t sure it would make a difference at this point. “I’m not saying I agree with any of it, Rose, but I’ve been here. Don’t blame them for not understanding your world.”
She was silent for a long time. She finished with her cooking, pulled over a plate, and ate quietly. “I know you’re from somewhere else. I accept that the world you come from is different. But I hope you’ll understand how much Equestria has already been through. We barely made it through the first invasion. We can’t survive another.”
“They aren’t going to invade.” He kept back laughter, if only through great effort. “Rose, they’re three poor country kids. They aren’t going to hurt anyone, except maybe me. And even if they do, it would be an accident.”
He yawned, turning for the stairs. He didn’t much feel like taking an early morning trip to the flower stand today, not when he might get a call any second. He needed to stay close enough for service.
But no call came. He slept through the night without much issue, and found only a single message waiting for him when he woke up, from Anton. “Text me when you get off work, we’ll meet up.”
“OK,” he sent back.
At least there were no fires to put out at work, which made somewhere that things were normal. He focused on that, letting everything he couldn’t control fade from his mind. He left at the normal hour, and sent a group text as he was leaving the building. “Alright guys, I’m off. Where do we want to get together?”
No response. He made it to the car, pulled out onto the road, and still there was nothing. Tracy skipped his evening meal on the way back—probably they were just busy with something, and they’d get back to him. He’d lose out on another morning in Ponyville, but that wasn’t the end of the world. Tracy still had months left to visit as often as he wanted.
He knew something was wrong the instant he pulled to a stop in front of his place. Anton’s sedan already sat on the street, luggage piled on the backseat but no one inside.
The door swung all the way open, pressed flat to the back wall. At least the inner door was shut, so there wasn’t a view of another world for all to see. Still, Tracy sprinted to the door, his hunger forgotten.
I always locked it. And sure enough, the doorframe was split around the lock, splinters of wood on the ground from where the lock was pried off.
Really, guys? You broke into my house? At least, Tracy assumed it was them. He pulled the door back, and found no stickers or notifications from the police. If they’d broken in as part of some warrantless search, then they should’ve left something behind.
Tracy whipped out his phone, hands shaking as he texted. “What the hell, guys? Did you break into my house?”
He didn’t wait for a response. There was no chance they’d gone around the block to surprise him when he arrived, or something equally stupid. They’d left their car behind.
Tracy hesitated for another moment, hoping that there might be some other explanation. Any moment now the reply would come to explain this insane behavior. It didn’t. So he took the door in one hand, feeling it grind against its hinges. Was there anything in the contract about robbery? It was one of those few areas he hadn’t read that closely, other than remembering that it wouldn’t be his problem. I need to dig that thing out.
He stepped across the threshold, holding still until the transformation was complete. He pulled the door shut with his mouth, and it started to swing open again. Tracy groaned, then reached up to twist the deadbolt shut. It caught, keeping the door from opening. More work than he ever went to, since he had to use his mouth on the Ponyville side every time.
What the hell were you thinking? Tracy had been on many adventures with his friends over the years, few of them entirely legal. Out in the featureless desert, there wasn’t much to do other than blowing things up and marijuana.
He marched into the kitchen, expecting to find a terrified Rose trying to deal with three panicked and out-of-control ponies. Rose was there, though she wasn’t the only one.
Roseluck had her back to him in one of the kitchen chairs. The cream-colored earth pony named Bon Bon was here, wearing a heavy satchel on her back. In the other chair was an oversized lavender pony, one he’d heard about for months now but never seen.
Princess Twilight Sparkle, her wings half-spread as she directed the dragon in the seat beside her to take notes. She was also the first one to notice him, or at least the first one to address him directly. “Tracy Maxwell,” she said, raising her voice. She wasn’t angry, exactly, but spoke in that flat, authoritative tone he sometimes heard from police.
He nodded, resigned. “Yes, uh… Princess?” Maybe using her title would make her go easier on him?
“Please join us,” Twilight said. “Spike, would you mind?”
He slid out of his chair, grumbling to himself.
“We need to talk.”
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I knew Tracy's friends would do something moronic.
Once Lyra finds out there are wild unstable humans among the ponies, she'll only have one thing to say to Tracy.
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I was expecting more fall out to be honest
Really guys? How dumb can you be? Why would you possibly think that this was a good idea?
10359447
"Our friend is in danger! We need to help!"
Laudable intentions, horrible execution. Par for the course for dumb but well intentioned true friends.
Whelp, they’ve done it now.
Seriously Anton, what the actual hay.
10359430
Not exactly the action I expected from the technicians from the IT company. Especially not this soon. Most of the nerds go online for answer before having an action.
"Are my friends in pony jail?"
"No. Worse."
"Worse? Are they in the hospital?"
"Worse still."
"What could be worse than that? Pony Hell?"
"They're with Lyra."
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Welp... there it be. Crisis diverted followed by crisis reinstated and cranked up five extra notches.
10359447
The old saying goes, “The path to hell is paved with good intentions” and the boys have charged down that path helter skelter.
10359444
I suspect the chaos and fallout is yet to be seen by Tracey (and therefore also by us)... but he knows that the excrement has fully impacted the air circulation device.
10359444
Pretty much guaranteed after their reactions... all we can do is wait to find out how bad the consequences are... just like Tracey.
Ohhh dear. I suppose the question is just how bad the situation is, both in terms of what the well-meaning morons did and what's happened to them. I suspect there were some parallels to Rose's initial reaction to an extradimensional roommate: "Aliens! We have to do something!"
Still, Twilight's generally reasonable. If Tracy stays calm and honest, he should be able to get the best-case outcome... whatever that is.
10359474
These are his friends from back home, not his coworkers.
I think even if his friends did something stupid, She is probably more upset because another source of knowledge has been denied her for so long.
there in the local drunk tank because they came through the door like crazy people.
Thing is because they went to his house when he was at work, Tracy technically didn't violate the terms of his lease
I think that's having kids in general.
After all Tracy had told you about Discord and the crap you seen, you thought this was a banging good idea? It's not the movies kiddos, three dumb kids versus what was described as a nigh all powerful demon isn't going to work out well for you. Don't even have the luxury of doing whatever you planned in your normal forms either.
What the hell, guys?
Technically one, but when you're dealing with Discord, better not risk it.
We had a pony using mittens in the same fashion in "Hour of Twilight" just a week ago and now we have one here. I can't be the only one requesting a picture of such an adorable image.
With what you've already seen, a kid is nothing. Won't be long before you'll want to spice up your life with a foal assuming you want to renew your contract.
Tracy is literally okay with fulfilling his end of the contract. If this is a rescue mission, you're fools. If this is for curiosity, you're even greater fools. You're now at the mercy of Tracy's "devil" for nothing.
They certainly weren't invited and even Discord has some set of morals when dealing with people so I doubt he'll hold you responsible for things out of your control. You're probably safe. Your friends... well I don't know. Only thing to do now is sit back and watch. Render some aid where possible. Maybe not immediately. Your friends could certainly learn a lesson or two.
Either Discord's little operation is actually illegal and Twilight's finally shutting it down or she's scolding Tracy about his dumbass friends.
I'm leaning more on dumbass friends.
10359434
This gets anymore public and you'll have a lot more ponies acting like paranoid Roseluck. And it already took a lot to break her out of that thinking.
Tracy never did get around to explaining the one guest at a time limit to his friends, did he?
Hopefully only one of Tracy's friends pulled this dumb-ass stunt, but I kind of doubt it.
Fortunately, Discord shouldn't hold it against Tracy for something his friends did without his consent. I mean, there's even physical evidence that they actually broke in, which they wouldn't have needed to do if he allowed them in.
Then again, it's Discord, and for all we know, he's going to blame Tracy's neighbors, or the mayor of Filly-Delphia, or a random potato...
10359430 Dude, if they don't do something stupid, they're not your friends. Trust me, I've seen it all. Friends can do stuff and get away with it that your closest relatives couldn't.
10359479 Nooooooooo!!!!!!!
10359490 "If Tracy stays calm and honest...." Welp. They're doomed.
10359530
A good friend will pull you out of Equestria. A best friend will be sitting in there with you, saying, "Oops."
That's how the saying goes, right?
10359530
10359542
Sometimes, you gotta sit with your friends.
A few feet away.
Eating a bag of popcorn.
Watching them while they get their whooping.
Tossing some popcorn to them shows them you care.
My money is on the Discord Approved (TM) Burglar Alarm System.
Foreshadowing?
And thank goodness you wouldn't have to lay an egg, Tracy. Starscribe's last victim wasn't so fortunate.
10359542
The way I’ve heard it, it’s “a good friend will bail you out of jail, a best friend will be sitting next to saying “that was fun!”
You've waited until now for that?
Not when you first heard discord was possibly going too far with things?
10359520
"A random potato."
*GLaDOS voice* You have GOT to be kidding me.
I started reading this chapter thinking it was a huge missed opportunity for a complication. His friends just left? Really?
Glad to see the opportunity was seized.
“We need to talk.”
yep this is going to be priceless..
Um, why is anyone thinking they broke into the house? After what they saw, and the text message ONE of the people sent, it just doesn't click.
I see one of a few general possibilities in descending order of likelihood.
1) Roseluck became concerned and talked to Twilight or Lyra. The door was broken out of not into (most likely by Bon Bon) as Tracy has the only key.
2) Someone witnessed the event from outside and tried to break in, or called the police due to the racket leading to #3.
3) One of his friends notified the police, and one or two broke into the door when there was no response inside, or after knocking (and announcing POLICE open the door) because there was screaming inside by Roseluck.
4) One of his friends -- most likely the one who texted was curious enough to come back and try to get in.
----
I sincerely doubt the three of them got up the courage together to not only come back unannounced and alone, but also to break down the door (without making enough noise that they would get caught before getting in) and go through the portal, all three at once. Even in that exceedingly odd circumstance they would send only one person through and wait for the results.
I was just thinking that the maintenance guy who comes to fix the door should be someone familiar with portals to other worlds and doesn't even bat an eye. Maybe discord has a list of contractors?
10359505
Maybe so, but the cost to have that door repaired is probably going to end up with a rather long extension on the leese.
10359516
Rose probably thought it was a robbery and called the guards.
10359642
I think we can rule out nr. 3. Wouldn't he have noticed it, if there was a police car parking right in front of his home?
Whenever the phrase "we need to talk" you just know the bad thing is going down...
See, the problem with this partial section is that it assumes there's a reason known to the reader for which to "not bring more than one houseguest", for example, what the consequence is for doing so. It says the lessee will assume proper form, but not necessarily that said houseguest would (though that has been demonstrated to hold as well, regardless of the guest's agreement to the term).
Additionally, his friends are technically not houseguests, he did not invite them or approve of their presence; therefore they are intruders and trespassing, for which we're sure there is another (unrevealed to us readers) section governing the response of the landlord for.
At most, Tracy would be responsible for fixing the damaged door jamb from their intrusion.
Keep going! ;)
10359665
Who is to say there are any police left there in that case?
I could see a(or a couple of) policeman breaking down the door, becoming a pony, doing a 180 and either:
1) Reporting back saying, nothing going on there (I want to keep my pension).
2) Reporting back what happened and being laughed at by the station.
3) Reporting back with what happened and having it be taken all too seriously, but without leaving a police car on the scene. Feds or some other agency takes over.
10359687
okay, you beat me there.
Great, Rose probably thought she was getting invaded, confirming her fears.
This part is ominous.
regarding burgelry. if that also included break-ins. ...
oh boy what did they or he do xD
realy love the artwork too btw
Why does literally everyone in these stories leap to drugs? It has come up like 3-4 times between this one and Child of Mine. It's not that common of an assumption!
HAHAHAHAHAHA! Okay, I get it, that's cute.
10359642
Because of Occam's Razor. It's the explanation that fits the facts we have with the fewest assumptions.
Anton's car is parked outside. Anton is not in the car. The door was forced open (from the outside; a door that requires a key on the inside is a fire hazard). Tracy checked for observers before showing his friends. The police posted no notifications that they'd been there.
Conclusion: Anton is in Equestria.
The only assumption is that Marshall and Shane went with him. Given that all three have been established as act-first, think-later types, it's not much of a stretch to think the other two went along with the break-into-Equestria plan.
10359715
Not everyone is immediately curious of the unknown or unexpected. Many people consider something they dont know or understand as dangerous until they know enough to consider otherwise.
Lets say for sake of argument Tracy's apartment was in hell, or Mordor from Lord of the Rings (because I'm a dork that likes references,
) and Tracy was in fact living with a demon. Would you honestly say you'd want to stick around to see what happens, or walk into the apartment to look yourself? Sure some may, but a lot probably would make for the hills.
10359728
I edited my comment after finding out that they were tricking him. They clearly are curious.
10359530
Friends aren't people who never piss you off. They're people worth forgiving over and over again.
10359479
I think they might actually be
playthingsguests "at Discord's pleasure" (since he is the "Landlord" and seemingly instantly knows when someone disobeys the "contract" - and breaking usually is a pretty big no-no). So worse than Pony Hell (but still be better than Lyra).Unless of course he thinks the trouble and chaos they cause is even more hilarious, so he'll leave them alone until he gets bored of that.
I can't wait till we find out what's going to happen with hose friends of his.
Remember, Anton's car has a lot of luggage.
Tracy did not check if the luggage was empty or not.
Consider a really well-intentioned friend might try to save you from a problem, and move you out for your protection. Call it an "intervention" -- didn't they say that's what was needed?
So Anton figures he's got all day. No work (remember, they are all from out of town, to visit him). A notice from him when work is over, so they have time to clean up.
Seriously, my bet is "One to Three of them tried to move him out for his own safety."
So it looks like the rear was filled with luggage to move him out, and ... this implies at most two people in there?
So, lets consider:
1. If this is a strange new world, maybe there's no phone service? One person stays outside, one or two goes inside. Hmm, nope. Tracy is contacting Anton. Anton is the one who would be the "spotter", in the normal world to let the movers in Equestria know that the time is up. But we don't have that.
2. One person went in to move him out. Other than "You broke into my house!" from Rose, that's not intriguing enough.
3. All three of them went in. Does that fit with "Luggage piled on the back seat"? Maybe.
4. Two of them went in. The third is still around, and possibly wondering what happened to the others.
Ok, so Tracy is expecting all three to have gone in. This means the luggage is not covering the entire backseat, he saw room for all three of them.
Discord, your desire for chaos is now in session.
Good that he did have the one guest limit in mind. I still think it would have been natural to mention that limit, but the conversation did still flow as-is.
Discord has been actually relatively upright in this; ironic that all the chaos is basically driven by him setting rules and the efforts of others to wiggle out of them.
Given this, I imagine the contract wouldn't hold Tracy responsible, but I'd also be surprised if the gist was anything other than any would-be robbers becoming Discord play toys.
Sorry guys, but no amount of holy water, rosaries and garlic will help you now.
10359728
I see where you're coming from, I do, but there is perhaps a difference between your friend turning into an adorable colorful pony, whose friend is brightly colored with roses on her flanks, and the Mouth of Sauron, or Shelob, or a creepy old man in a benighted tower.
So it's perhaps not the best example toward emphasizing your point?
What a great example of Chekov's friends
10359717
Either I missed that fact or it wasn't there when I read it, immediately on posting.
The paragraph:
"He knew something was wrong the instant he pulled to a stop in front of his place. Anton’s sedan already sat on the street, luggage piled on the backseat but no one inside."
Doesn't make it easy -- especially when the text-wrap has "Anton's sedan already" as the last words of the line -- I very well could have missed it when reading. My eyes could very much have wandered from "He knew something was wrong" to the next paragraph the way it was presented.
Those sentences do NOT link up very well at all, nor do they make a good paragraph. Try reading it out loud even.