Chapter 28
Tracy stared back at the Alicorn, feeling the force of her gaze like a physical pressure. He could’ve turned, and maybe ran back through the opening and fled to Earth. But would he have done the same thing if this was a senator, or the president?
Deep breaths, Tracy. You didn’t do anything wrong. This isn’t about you.
Tracy crossed the room in deliberate strides, taking the seat Twilight offered. The smart thing to do was probably to treat the conversation like a meeting with the police. The less he said, the less he could do to accidentally implicate himself in something.
How different is pony law, anyway? I could’ve been doing all kinds of things I wasn’t supposed to, and I wouldn’t even know.
Maybe the princess planned on staring at him forever, until he finally crumbled under the pressure. He folded his wings awkwardly behind him, adjusted his vest—but otherwise remained right where he was.
Eventually the princess cleared her throat, passing something across the table towards him. A little manila file, with his own real name handwritten on the top. “You recognize this, Tracy?”
Somehow she managed the name first try, where so many other ponies had failed. Tracy bent down, flipping the folder open. There wasn’t much inside, just two official-looking documents. One was an “application for temporary residency of tenant”, and another was a copy of his lease.
“This I know,” he said, tapping the lease with a hoof. “This other one… looks like a crazy person wrote it. Who would change colored pens every letter?”
The Alicorn chuckled in response, levitating the other sheet across the room. She didn’t move it like Lyra—rather than laser-focusing on the sheets, Twilight seemed to just will them over, and they moved. “If you thought colored ink was strange, I can’t imagine why you would’ve signed a contract with Discord.”
She returned it to the folder, leaning across the table at him. “I’m very interested in how Ponyville could’ve had a pony visiting from another universe for all this time, without ever meeting him. It almost feels like this whole situation is deliberate escalation. Discord might not try to take over Equestria anymore, but that doesn’t mean he plays by the rules.”
Tracy’s ears flattened, wings shifting nervously behind him. He’d barely said anything, and already things were going exactly where he’d been afraid they would. “I just rented a room,” he said, as innocently as he could. “Until I got to know Roseluck, I never even planned on visiting Equestria at all.”
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because Rose sunk deeper into her chair, avoiding his eyes.
“We’ve already spoken somewhat extensively. So you don’t know anything about Discord’s involvement in this?”
Tracy shook his head, but before he could form words, someone knocked on the door, from the Equestrian side. Spike moved to open it, but it swung open before he could reach it, nearly smashing into his face.
Discord floated inside, one claw scraping along the floor. He wore a curious imitation of a Hawaiian shirt over a pair of khaki shorts, and somehow his fur was… sunburned?
“I’m really not happy that you take me off my vacation for this, Twilight,” he said, barely even looking at Tracy. “But you leave me no choice. You’re harassing my tenants, and I simply can’t have that.”
Curious that you’d show up only when she asks about you.
Twilight’s eyes narrowed, though she was the only one who could face Discord without fear. Roseluck rose from her seat, dropping into a half bow, half crouch. You want to run away from this too.
“I’m asking reasonable questions given the circumstances, Discord. Unless you’d like to explain why three aliens have just used a stable worldgate you built into this house. Not to mention one living in Ponyville for months without telling me.”
“My tenant is here on a perfectly legal basis,” Discord said, producing a briefcase from somewhere behind him—though nothing had been there. He opened it right over Twilight’s head, and an ocean of papers poured out. From the dense scrawl packed into those pages, Tracy assumed they must be lawbooks, though he couldn’t say for sure. “See for yourself. His residency has Celestia’s personal approval.”
Twilight’s horn glowed, and the pile vanished from around her. She shook herself out, and tightly coiled rolls of text shook free from her mane, her ears. “I didn’t say you’d broken the law. You hadn’t, until last night. Smuggling three aliens with unknown magic and motives into Equestria…”
Tracy nearly spoke up then—but something about the glow coming from Discord’s yellow eyes silenced him. He kept his head down, taking a few more deep breaths.
“I am absolutely appalled at that accusation,” Discord said, clutching at his chest with one claw. “In fact, I’ve come to request you press charges against those invaders. They broke into my property, causing my tenants fear and emotional distress. Add that to whatever chaos they’ve caused across Equestria.”
“Wait!” Tracy no longer cared if it made Discord upset—there was nothing in his lease about never arguing. “Princess, you might not know the three intruders, but I do. They’re my friends.”
Even Discord fell momentarily silent as he said it, though a grin spread slowly across his face.
“I didn’t tell them to do it!” he added hastily. “Actually, I told them specifically that I couldn’t have them here. They were supposed to be staying elsewhere in our world. Coming here was a violation of my trust.”
“All the more reason for a swift prosecution,” Discord added, snapping his briefcase shut. “They were informed of the contract, and violated it anyway. See, even my tenant wishes to see them punished. You just have to do something about this, Princess. Without our legal system, why… Equestria would descend into chaos.”
Twilight nodded curtly at him. “Thank you for sharing your concerns, Discord. But I’m not the pony who will be passing judgement on anyone. I’m just here because Ponyville is where I live, and I need to be able to reassure its residents that they aren’t in danger. Visit Canterlot Castle for the hearing schedule, if you want to be involved.”
“Oh, I will.” Discord waved towards the both of them, teeth glittering. “I’m sorry to both of you for the inconvenience. I assure you I’ll extract the recompense to which you’re duly entitled.”
He left, not so much walking out the door as rewinding back the way he’d come. His motions reversed, right up until he smacked Spike again. Or maybe… un-smacked him?
“Well, that’s exhausting.” Twilight waited another moment, eyes on the door. Only when Discord did not return did she finally look back at them both. “Tracy, I need to know everything you can tell me about the ones who broke into Equestria. Who are they, what are they doing here, what are their motivations—everything.”
Maybe it would’ve been better to deny her request. But if Twilight was upset with Discord too, maybe that meant she’d be on their side? He didn’t have an abundance of options left at this point.
“They’ve been my friends since I was little,” he explained. “Small town, not a lot of people our age. Anton, Marshall, and Shane. Shane did a little school up at Berkley, before he… you don’t know what that means. They all got sucked back home in the end, because that’s always what happens.
“They came down to San Jose planning to visit me. They didn’t know there was another universe in my apartment. When I told them last night, they were terrified, and I wasn’t sure I’d even see them again. They told me we would talk again after I got back from work. I’m guessing they must’ve broken into my house while I was gone.”
Twilight watched, while Spike scribbled rapidly on his oversized notepad. I wish I had hands like that. Living here would be so much easier if I did.
“Why would they do that?” Twilight asked. “Did you tell them something about Equestria that would make them want to sneak in?”
He thought back to that brief, traumatic conversation. “No. I said there was a whole world in here, not just one house. But I didn’t really say much about Equestria specifically. If anything, they seemed terrified of the whole thing. They basically ran away last night, so I’m not sure what would’ve happened to change their minds.”
Twilight nodded, gesturing over to Rose. “Could you say again what you saw for Tracy’s benefit?”
She returned to her seat, glancing nervously out the window. But Discord wasn’t waiting outside. Then again, he’d already heard when they mentioned him once. It made sense for the devil to hear anything said in his domain.
“I was asleep when I heard something break. It sounded like someone must be fighting downstairs. I don’t know what they were yelling about, exactly. But they left right away, so I don’t think they took anything. I watched out my window—an earth pony galloping away from the other two, didn’t get a good look at them. It was still dark outside.
They couldn’t have thought they would find him in Equestria, could they? They knew where he worked, Apex’s campus was only minutes away!
“Any hints?” the princess asked. “Your friend Roseluck brought this to my attention this morning, but those three had quite the head start.”
He could only shake his head, looking as apologetic as he could. “I’m sorry I don’t know more, Princess Twilight. It sounds like they might not have agreed about coming here, but you could tell that for yourself I’m sure. I don’t know where they were going.”
He paused, running through what he might’ve done if he’d run into Equestria months ago. Try to find his way back out, obviously—but if he’d only seen the house once, how would he do that?
“What will you do to them?” he asked. “Please, don’t do what Discord wants. I don’t know what they’re doing here, but… I know they don’t want to hurt you. They barely even understand that you exist. This is probably some… cosmic misunderstanding.”
Twilight rose, her wings spreading to either side. “It’s not me you have to convince, as I told Discord. Your… friends, I suppose, might’ve been quite difficult to find if they got loose somewhere like Canterlot. But Ponyville is a small place, and the number of ponies who go off running into the night is even smaller. If they haven’t been found already, they will be soon. After that…” She shrugged. “Princess Celestia will decide what happens. All you have to decide is whether you’d like to help them. Or maybe you’d rather press charges, as Discord does.”
“No way,” he snapped, without even thinking. “Whatever they did to scare Roseluck—I’ll bear the punishment. Otherwise, they don’t deserve whatever Discord wants. Just get them home before they hurt themselves.”
Twilight gestured, and the front door swung open of its own accord. “Accompany me to Canterlot, Tracy. While we wait for the Royal Guard to locate the intruders, you can detail the potential dangers they pose to Equestria to me. Or perhaps research a defense in the royal library.”
It wasn’t quite how he’d imagined spending the night. Depending on the speed of the Equestrian legal system, it might mean no flying lessons this week. But there was probably a more important aspect of that. “Will you give me a moment to send a message? I need to tell my job that I won’t be in tomorrow. Guess it’s time to burn a vacation day.”
Twilight shrugged. “As far as I can tell, you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s those ponies who need you.”
He hurried back out the way he’d come, making sure to shut the door on the way out. Whatever the temptation to sprint for his car and make a break for it, he resisted. Instead he pulled out his phone, texting Janet about a “family emergency” that would take all weekend to resolve.
“Take care of it,” she responded, only seconds later. “But don’t let this be a habit. You’re running out of get out of jail free cards, newbie.”
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To be fair, neither do they.
I do have to wonder what Discord's end goal is here. An interdimensional incident? A new permanent resident of Ponyville to make things more interesting? A live-action satire of a legal system ill-equipped for multiversal matters? Well, it's Discord. Who knows what's going through that noodle's noodle?
In any case, three human fugitives loose in Ponyville... What do you think the odds are one or more will end up in the Everfree? I'm guessing at least 75% probability, 55% that a manticore will be involved.
For now, though, it's off to the capital. Hopefully Tracy will get to know Twilight as a person and not just as a nigh-divine figure of authority.
Oh dear, looks like it’s time to hunt us some humans.
Who's Jay? Think that might be an editing error.
Also, has Tracy previously gotten in trouble with his job and I forgot about it? Seems sudden talking about running out of get out of jail free cards. I could just be forgetting something and need to re-read some chapters.
I still want to see what exactly the pony authorities are going to think when they read Discord's lease terms.
10370845
If they went into a panic they could be a danger to every creature. Not that I don't expect this to end with the CMC getting involved along wit copious quantities of tree-sap.
. . . I can easily imagine him saying that last bit. I also can't imagine why that didn't earn him a hard stare from Twilight at the least.
10370851
Iirc, he showed up late early on. Then there was the part where he dragged his heels about the address. Idk, corporate culture is weird and fanatical at times.
I wonder if the door had a curse on the intruders...otherwise they logically would’ve returned back. Things aren’t adding up here with Discord, he’s up to something...as for Tracy he hasn’t done anything wrong at his job that I’ve heard of, though reserving vacation time off so quickly is an oof.
I love the story, and the art is nice too...
But, I can't get over how Twilight looks in the latest piece. No offense, but she looks kinda... chubby... And wall-eyed.
10370851
Only time I can think of, is declining that one get together at the bar because of a prior engagement
Never accept responsibility for something before knowing what you are taking responsibility for. For all Tracy knows they could kill somepony.
Okay I seriously question what his friends are doing I thought the search his place but going into Ponyville?
The looks on Twilight's face is really hilarious.
Oof
I'm surprised the three of them even managed to start walking so quickly. Took Tracy ages to get used to hooves iirc. And I can't get over Discord's outfit; it's so simple, but looks so odd on him.
10370882
I've seen people puff out their cheeks in anger before; they do it a lot in cartoons, actually. And it's possible the rest of her looks chubby because of the papers lying on her back. But eh, everyone sees art differently.
10370908
That does make it sound like things might be more complicated than they seem.
What, do they think they're rescuing him? Idiots. Their concern is touching but unneeded.
What's that about jail free cards? Tracy hasn't been abusing the good will of his employer, this attitude is strange. They were also very rude about the whole Friday hanging out thing too. Are we sure it's Discord who is the devil here?
Why does Twilight need you to go all the way to Canterlot? You don't bring someone to Washington for abetting trespassers...
Keep going! ;)
10370908
It’s because it’s so simple and plain that it doesn’t look right on him. It makes him look more average joe.
Oh, those idiots. A little time in a cell might clear their heads. Other than that, they really should just get booted from Equestria. No reason to keep them in a dungeon for an extended period of time. They are aliens after all and from the looks of it, I don't think many residents would enjoy holding them for longer than they have to.
Poor Tracy. Doesn't look like he can continue to sacrifice his work culture without serious consequences. He might not hold his job before the end of this. Then, he won't be able to pay his rent and will be at the mercy of Discord. And even if that isn't a problem the longer this "alien invasion" continues or the more public it becomes the more residents may look at him with suspicion. He may become unwelcome as well. Tracy's life has become a chaotic mess. Just the way Discord likes it.
Really love that Twilight face, though.
10370845
Actually it could be 1000 years of service to discord for them if it's like what happens if Tracy breaks the contract, considering they knew of the contract.
10370935
Some managers are control freaks and are personally offended by the idea of subordinates taking action without their pre-approval.
Wouldn't surprise me if his colleagues are like that. In many companies, you either dance to their tune at the cost to your personal life or get shunned.
10370881
Especially since he made no effort in detaining or even locating the three.
Hmmmmmm, is that forshadowing I see?
To be fair, she could just pull him back if he tried to. Still, the fact that the last bit even occurred to him?
Lawful Neutral action.
What's the probability that he was watching already anyway?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but
Tracy stands up for his friends, despite having every right not to, and then acknowledges what they did, because that's the proper thing to do -
even against the will of the feather-plucking lord of chaos. I don't care what you say; that's a man's attitude, right there!
Lawful Good action.
Yes, I've been watching that series of videos recently.
You're not subtle. AT All.
Again, that's a MAN's attitude.
Lawful Good action
I’m giving even odds they find them corralled into a Pinky welcome party even more confused/scared than expected
10370877
I can imagine Twilight cocking an eyebrow at that line.
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/164/109/b0e.gif
Okay, it's effectively still a lie, but still...
Neutral Good action.
Discord has no legal basis to do anything to the three interlopers.
Tracy is the one who signed a contract with Discord not to have more than one visitor at a time. He should review what the contract says about punishment for breaking that clause.
Interesting chapter.
I wouldn't be too worried, individual people tend to be decent. Its only when you get larger numbers that people get chaotically dangerous.
Most average people would be reasonable with that situation. The only two types of regular people who might be dangerous are
The religious. He made a deal with the devil and there is a portal to the afterlife there, possibly hell. Looking for dead family is most likely or going on a demon hunt. A hunt is less likely.
The only other dangerous regular guy would be the weapon enthusiast, gun collector. While people like Burt Gummer (the survivalist from the Tremors movie) get a bad rap, most average collectors tend to be level headed and reasonable. Problem is that they are usually taught to respond with no more than "equal" force. Especially if they went through a concealed gun license class. Most classes drum into you that you only use your gun if lethal force is being used on you or someone else. Problem is, what do you base that on in a alien world with no basis to go on. When you don't know horns have a stun setting. Potentially dangerous for the ponies.
My personal bet is that the rental agreement saying no more than one at a time, penalizes those who break that by making the change permanent.
The Monk
“A spider’s got to spider.” -Scarheart
10370991
Which part
10371136
I agree.
Discord thinks himself smart but it is only a matter of time before something out of Tracy's control happens that the contract can't shield Discord on. This time it was old friends, but it could have been co-workers or even government authorities called to investigate a disappearance.
This is why I want to see a spirit of order mess Discord up, because Tracy can not speak for everyone else actions legally or from a practical standpoint. I hope the friends don't mess up their chances in the trial.
10371072
Lawful stupid even.
10370845
Most likely, Discord is just happy with whatever chaos is randomly generated due to the lease. He will, naturally, poke at this chaos, and maybe help it along if he finds it amusing.
10370851
It could just be a case of bad timing. If a number of people happened to either all off or request time off over a short enough period, then the supervisor may have just mentally lumped Tracy in with the rest of them.
10370880
Also this.
10370881
I could see Discord cursing the portal to prevent intruders from passing back through it until he unlocked them (yes, unlocked them, not the portal).
10371136
Incorrect. Tracy didn't break the lease at all.
By breaking into his apartment, Tracy's friends infracted against his landlord. Who happens to be Discord. Tracy has the option of also pressing charges, along with whatever charges Discord chooses to press, but the main crime is actually against Discord unless they managed to actually steal any of Tracy's property in the process.
10371384
An interesting perspective but legally only partially correct.
From a civil law perspective, Discord could file ‘appropriate remuneration as a result of unlawful trespass’ charges in Equestrian court. He doesn’t have any real chance of success as the only damages happened n San Jose which is outside the jurisdiction of the Court.
From a criminal law perspective, only properly deputized members of the Equestrian government can prosecute and enforce Equestrian law, such as criminal trespass and breaking and entering. The perpetrators being foreign nationals complicates matters. The most likely result would be banishment back to their realm with a suspended sentence.
Fortunately for the sake of promptness, the Princesses can judge both types of cases on the spot.
10371282
You know, it isn't impossible that those loose are not Tracy's friends at all. Maybe they really did run screaming away entirely, back to their small town. We could be dealing with an actual break-in that went horrifically wrong. Burglars that flipped out after sneaking rapidly in, only to run in terror into an alien universe.
What else does Roseluck know about this, if anything, I wonder?
Didn't you know? Discord's like a demon--say his name enough times in a row and he'll be summoned to your location. It's like, Supernatural 101, dude.
Well! That settles that debate on where some missing foolish friends are at...
For once, Discord's telling the truth, and really would have the legal right to make such a request.
...man, that's weird thing to have to say.
Okay, so, pre-finale then. Glad we finally have that detail settled too.
At the start of this story, I had born for awhile a sneaking suspicion that having the Apex job was somehow going to get messed up for Tracy, but after he started to fit right in and be warmly accepted and wanted, I had figured that danger had passed, and have even commented as such.
Now I'm not so sure that was actually true anymore.
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was kind of wanting the whole mess with Tracy's friends to get sorted out a little quicker than this, and not derail the story for what's looking like will be several more chapters now. It feels sort of out of place a bit with the rest of the story, y'know? I mean, a couple chapters covering it I could understand, but going on to storyarc over it for a much larger portion of the story...
But ultimately a minor gripe, that. It's not like this messes up the whole story or anything dramatic like that.
And I guess the story was probably due for some drama like this anyway.
At any rate, glad Twilight seems to be taking a very formal, but very understanding and professional approach to this. By all accounts, she's handling it exactly as any figure of her position should be, and that's really what I'd want from her in this case.
so i wonder were the 3 have gotten two?
i would put money on Discord knowing were they are ..
10371136
Actually, he really would, legally speaking, for precisely the reasons he speaks. By all accounts and purposes, they broke into and trespassed onto what is, from all points of view, Discord's property. So yes, he can, and will, press charges. Arguably, Tracy and Roseluck both could press charges of their own for similar reasons as the tenants in good standing of that same property (not that they will).
Whether or not any of those charges will stick is what the courts are going to have to decide now.
10371384
10370881
Discord does state/imply that if the no more then one guest rule is broken, the portal won't undo the transformation.
10371453
I would not be surprised if the story ends with Tracy cutting ties with Earth to emigrate full-time to Equestria to be with Roseluck and work at the flower stall.
As a general message to Starscribe, this is one of my favorites of your stories, and its one of the highlights of my week to read the new installment. Thank you for pushing out horse words the way you do - your consistency is unmatched, and much appreciated. Thank you!
10371575
Unless they sign contract with him...
10371575
But, they were not guests, they broke down the door and entered illegally. Maybe the portal refused to turn them back into humans, or maybe it refused to let them back into the human world. So that's why they ran off into Ponyville.
Chaos through use of the legal system is an interesting gambit.
10371505
Anton's car was parked on the street. The three also asked Tracy to message them when he got out of work because they'll "meet" up. We can assume the message would have served as an early warning signal. It's not likely those events and the break-in was coincidental at this point.
10372725
Damn, my mind is slipping. It has to be them. Okay, then, I guess we'll find out, eventually, why they did it.