Tracy had only a split second to prepare for impact. Needless to say, the collision ended up non-lethal. She struck him with both forelegs, but without much force. He fell sideways, with the bat crouching over him like a cat who had just claimed a particularly juicy rodent.
Given their teeth, he could only be grateful that he wasn't a mouse right now. Did bats eat mice?
"I didn't know there were any bats in... where is this?" She grinned down, one hoof rested on his belly so he couldn't get up. Not without a fight, anyway. He felt stronger than this bat, but somehow a physical conflict just felt... wrong, somehow.
"Ponyville," he said. "And there aren't any regulars. I think a few night-guards stay in town when they're on business with the princess, but that's it." He rolled to the side, moving to stand—but she was faster, following him with both fangs exposed.
"Ponyville, right." She pulled on one of his wings with one hoof, opening it to full size. "Purple. What is an Eventide bat doing so far north from Batgota? I thought you hated living outside your caves."
Something settled onto the ground behind her—the other young-adult pony. "Let him go, Sable. You don't know who he is. Do you really think clanless bats should be starting feuds with strangers?"
She turned, seeming to almost forget about Tracy. "Come on, you know he's clanless too! Walking in the middle of the night. He's a drifter like us."
"Yes," he said, shoving her off and rising to his hooves. He shook out the dirt, wishing suddenly that he'd come dressed. Though maybe Sable would just see that as more reason to mock him. "I don't have a clan. Not here, and not back home." He trailed off, eyes going distant for a second. Of all the places he expected to be remembering the accident, Equestria wasn't high on that list.
Sable backed away, crouching low and exposing both her fangs. Like a predator who'd just been challenged for territory.
Let her try! I live here!
"Sorry about my sister." He rested one hoof on her shoulder, holding her back. "She's restless from a long flight and doesn't know how to behave herself. I’m Pitch Black. She’s Sable. Our father, Subsonic, is probably lurking somewhere nearby."
She spun, glaring at him. The shift in her body language was so distinct that for a second Tracy remembered he was living in a world of creatures with instincts far stronger than anything he was used to. She rose to full height, puffing out her chest and spreading her wings. "I don't know how to behave! You have Blood Sucker waiting for you when we get to Echo! Father's old. Of course this is easy for you. Let me do this my way!"
Then she spun on him again, crouching low and lifting her tail. "What's your name, clanless?"
Oh shit. Tracy might be dense, but he wasn't stupid.
He backed away, both wings opening reflexively. "Tracy," he said, emphasizing the strangeness of it. "And I'm not what you think, I'm not from Batgota. I'm an alien from Ely, Nevada."
Pitch Black just raised an eyebrow, going from ambivalent to curious. Tracy couldn't see the older pony, but the elderly father couldn't be far away. Maybe he was watching from another rooftop?
Instead of relaxing or even acting confused at his answer, Sable advanced on him again. "That's such an exotic name. Tracy. Tracy. Tracy." She said it slightly different each time, emphasizing strange syllables. "What brought you to Ponyville? Somewhere called 'Ely'... is that even in Equestria?"
"Nope." He backed away from her, a few steps closer to home. But it was no use—Sable closed with every step, keeping pace. Rose and I are having our first date today. I do not need this.
Back home, Tracy wouldn't have hesitated to get to know a girl like this. But now things were stable. She might be interested, but she also seemed crazy. This is why none of my relationships ever work out.
"Look, I'm sorry I snuck up on you all. I was just curious to see other bats. The only ones I've seen are guards, and they're pretty cagey. I'm still trying to wrap my head around pony tribal differences."
"Wings, ears, teeth," Sable said. "And most importantly, being awake at a reasonable hour. None of this '10 AM' stuff."
10 AM is early to you? But he didn't ask. His curiosity would have to wait for a saner opportunity.
"Leave him alone, Sable," Pitch said. "Take the hint. Bat living in Ponyville with all the day-ponies lies about his name. He's domesticated. You're better off alone than trying to drag someone like him along. Come on."
The word domesticated dug into Tracy's gut like a knife. But it was hard to argue. He was trying to hold down a job at the company he wanted, form a stable relationship... not fly off and explore. That Tracy was as dead as the rest of his family.
"Every bat has to fly south to Echo Caverns at least once!" Sable protested. "Even if you do live with day ponies and spend all your nights alone. You should go." She relaxed as she said it, straightening to stand beside her brother.
Better than trying to catch me like a cat, anyway. "What is it?" he asked, keeping his tone as flat as possible. "Like I said, I'm... new. I don't know anything about being a bat. I can't even fly."
He opened both wings, stretching and extending them before settling them closed again. Even if he could control them now, it still took an extra layer of concentration for a brain used to four limbs to deal with six.
"It's the yearly gathering of every clan from Luna Bay to Saddle Arabia," Sable said, voice recovering a little of her energy. “Everyone young and strong enough to fly goes, even if they have to set off weeks in advance. Did your family not tell you?"
He winced. "I'm not from here. I'm an alien. Does that word not... translate well? I'm from somewhere so different from Equestria, you couldn't even imagine it. I don't even have wings there."
"A bat without wings..." Sable muttered, tone confused. "How does that even make sense?"
"You two stop tormenting this stallion," called another deeper voice from just behind them. A second later and a set of hooffalls settled onto the pavement, and Subsonic appeared, burdened with heavy saddlebags. "He obviously has enough problems without saddling him with more. If he can't fly, he can't go to Echo Caverns anyway. We have more trades to make before sunrise, and only a few hours to go. Don't waste his time."
Pitch Black nodded, saluting with one wing over his head before taking off.
The mare hesitated for another second, expression confused. Unless it was... pity? "You can't fly? Are you lying about that too?"
He tensed. But his anger faded quickly. At least she hadn't called him “domesticated” again. "I didn't lie to you about anything. My name is Tracy. I'm from Ely, Nevada, and I can't fly."
He jumped for effect, spreading his wings and flapping as hard as he could. It wasn't the first time he'd tried something like it, though it was the first time he'd ever done it where others could see.
It felt almost like something was there. He hung in the air a little too long, fell a little too slow. But maybe that was his imagination, because a few moments later he touched down with a clatter of hooves, now winded as well as frustrated.
"See?"
She giggled. Tracy wasn't watching the others, but he caught a few choked laughs from behind him as well. The brother was a little braver. "All this time with earth ponies made him as heavy as they are."
"Leave it," the father said, some annoyance in his voice. "We don't steal, and we don't torment strangers who are suffering. Come on."
"I'm not tormenting him!" Sable protested, surging forward. "You two go on and do the trades. I'm gonna... I'm gonna teach him! We have a few hours before sunrise. That's enough!"
Tracy froze, somewhere between horror and desperate hope. He hadn't gone anywhere close to finishing his reading assignment, it was true. Could these bats show him something the books didn't? "Can you really do that?"
"Duh." She turned away from him, flicking her tail in his face. "Come on, Tracy. We need to find something tall."
"Don't get him killed," the older stallion called. "He's one of them, don’t forget. If anything happens, it's always our fault. Even if it's not."
"Nothing's gonna happen!" Sable called. "Now come with me, alien pony named Tracy. We're running out of moonlight."
He shouldn't have, not with the way she acted. But he'd seen her fly, and she did that almost perfectly. The flight school barely even understood how bats worked. Their reference book was brand new.
So he followed. They hiked for a short distance, up a steep hill leading away from Ponyville. Tracy knew almost nothing about that direction, except that the powerlines suggested the city's power-plant must be out there, for what little electricity they did use.
While they walked, Sable demonstrated a few basics for him about flight. She was always up in front of him, always wanted him watching her. Whenever he fell too silent, or mentioned something other than a question about flight, she showed him something else.
"You won't ever be flying like a pegasus, with their huge feathery wings. Taking off without a running start is much harder. Or you can use a drop—once you're falling, it's easy."
He learned more from watching her in ten minutes than he'd ever extracted from that dreadful reference manual. That was no less true even when Sable spent half her time showing off.
"Here's a good stop to jump from," she said, gesturing down at a steep, grassy hill. Not a cliff exactly, but it was sharp enough that he might bounce and roll all the way down to the river far below if he slipped. "The easiest kind of flying is gliding. Once you can do that, then the basics are just dives, climbs, banks... but they're all easy."
"I... can't glide," he muttered, stopping one hoof at the edge of the slope. The grass was relatively thick and comfortable looking, though it was as tall as his chest in places. I can't forget, even here I'm a little pony. The world isn't bigger, I'm smaller.
"You can now!" Sable called. She spread both wings wide beside him, using the first of the stances she'd demonstrated. "Run down the edge, spread your wings, and you'll fly. With as much magic as we have, and a hill this steep... you won't have a choice!"
"You go first," he muttered, taking a nervous step from the edge. He opened both wings slowly, imitating her stance as best he could. At least the positions seemed natural, with wings slightly bent at the joints. "I'll copy you."
"No. Same time." She turned, grinning with those wickedly sharp teeth. "Unless my brother was right. Are you domesticated after all? Afraid of being in the sky?"
Tracy barely even listened to the rest of what she had to say. He charged over the edge of the hill, spreading both wings as wide as he could.
Oh please don't let this lead to the cliche "Romantic Misunderstanding" with Rose.
See, he can't leave for Echo Caverns because it would break his lease with Discord. That would have been a much better way to broach why he can't go.
Hook, line, and sinker.
10460494
I fear that’s exactly where this is going. I sincerely hope that the author manages to surprise us both.
Editors have reminded me in the past that if something was "Needless to say", you didn't need to say it. Of course it was non-lethal; it's implied already.
I find Sable pretty irritating, but I'm very interested to learn more about their society. Admittedly, I'm not thrilled with what I've seen so far.
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10460494
I also third no dumb "romantic misunderstanding" cliche.
What can possibly go wrong? I am curious how Tracy's life is going to fall off the rails.
Oh no, she's into that. (Or I mixed up who's who.)
... or she has no context for it. In any case, let's hope this won't turn out to be a literal crash course. (Still, very interesting hints at wider batpony culture.)
10460494
Paranoid as she is, being near trouble can lead to a romantic misunderstanding with Rose. Just consider how she reacted after the break-in. The question is whether she'll let Tracy get a word in edgewise or if she'll jump to conclusions the moment she smells Sable.
10460494
I’d say Starscribe is too skilled as an author to do that, but this is a commissioned story, so it’s sadly a possibility.
I enjoyed this, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It's nice to see Tracy's rebellious side prodded by a batty pony
"He's domesticated. "
And my mind immediately went to the Far Side cartoon.
Was this meant to be 'spot'?
10460508
He's just like Marty McFly.
Love this story
Also, please, as others have said, no Romantic Misunderstanding trope. Please. They're so overdone, and this story is amazing and original. It would be terrible.
Yeah, maybe leave that part out of the introductions for now, perhaps? At least until you've all figured out each other a bit better? You wouldn't want them thinking you're crazy at best or be another Roseluck except with fangs and a willingness and ability to fight back with little held back at worst, would you?
More likely, that's really late for them.
I mean, that's not a bad life to have, honestly. Not everybody needs to live the exotic or continually changing life to still have a good and happy life, after all.
Still...I am curious about the bat pony lifestyle now--there's clearly much more to it than has been previously established. They even seem to have their own tribes amongst themselves, a thought that has admittedly never occurred to me before.
At this point, Tracy, you might as well just name drop Discord and be done with it. For them, that'll probably be explanation enough, and even if it isn't, should be enough for them to get the hint and stop asking.
Then again, maybe you should tell them the whole truth...or at least Sable. That might give her enough second thoughts about you to back off a bit.
Quite probably, since it was pretty clear there was only so much the class was equipped to cover for bat ponies, and I honestly had doubts about the book too.
Just...be careful about Sable here. I'm sure she doesn't mean any real nefarious intent by it, but I don't know if I trust her to...you know...keep her hooves to herself.
That's racist.
I mean, I get it, it is the pretty obvious route to go with bat ponies, with lots of story potential, and it does explain quite a few things about them, especially with how little canon has covered them (if anything at all--depends on how "canonical" you consider things like the books or comics)...but everybody and their brother does that. Part of me would kind of like to see an instance where that's not an issue so much for the bat ponies for a change.
Oh well, maybe next fanfic.
Because all you need is a little power of Sable!
Obviously excepting Sable here, I'm a little miffed about how dismissive, disparaging, even demeaning these bat ponies are being to Tracy. I mean, I see where they're coming from on it too, but...they're just automatically assuming quite a lot about him with little proof to back it up, and it's just not fair considering Tracy's unique situation. I wish they were a bit more willing to hear him out better, realize just how much of a fish out of water he truly is and that he really doesn't know the first thing about bat ponies...or really all that much about the day ponies either for that matter.
Still, color me intrigued by them. I hope situations become such that Tracy gets the chance to learn more about his adopted bat pony heritage at some point...if just so to satisfy my curiosity on the matter.
10460494
Ditto that! That'd be awfully cliche. Not to mention a little forced, seeing Sable would be coming in here and adding that plot complication from just about nowhere. If the story had done something to better establish that as a possibility sooner or more throughout the story in advance to now, then I'd be a bit more willing to roll with it, but if we're just gonna randomly throw it in now because dramas, that's not going to be the case.
10460508
Though hopefully not so literally on the "sinker" part, considering circumstances.
10460531
Well, obviously, if that's happening at all, it'll definitely be the latter. I mean, it's Roseluck. Just about all she's done is jump to conclusions this whole fic. It was pretty much a major breakthrough any time she stopped and let Tracy get any words in edgewise.
10460538
I hope you're right, but I've read enough of Starscribe's other fics now to know that's not necessarily a guarantee. He's definitely fallen into the trappings of the cliche and predictable before, both big and small.
But again, hopefully this will not be the case here.
Don't lead her on, Tracy. You'll just get yourself in trouble.
10460508
That was pretty easy hahaha
I'm guessing any romantic misunderstandings will be cleared very quickly. Through Sable of all ponies. She doesn't look like the type to be into unexperienced "noob" bats like Tracy despite her willingness to teach him. Though she's gonna be a better teacher than the school and it looks like Tracy could replace it with her so nothing's certain between them. The thing that is certain is that Echo Caverns is gonna be added to Tracy's to-do-list because obviously it needs to be.
Guess they won't have backup if an incident occurs, which increases greatly when they're moving about a town like this.
Do what exactly? Looks like you're more interested in a fight than an evening chat.
That's just one more thing you share with Rose.
Well, a 1% chance to see Jackie again is still more than zero.
Teaching a few pointers for fun I assume, then back to business. Perhaps, we don't have to worry about Sable becoming a long-term mentor. She does have more important priorities than Tracy and drifters don't tend to stick around for too long. Also, Tracy would probably think Echo Caverns is just way too much on his plate.
She'll be the death of him, that's certain.
Why is domesticated a derogatory word for bat ponies?
Five bits says he fucking faceplants.
10460684
They are roaming people,. Most likely, not unlike the hunter gatherer tribes still active in less developed areas of the world.
10460505
Is that the "primary residence" clause? If it isn't too far away than Tracy can afford to spend a day or two away. If it is then it's one more reason not to go. Ridicule by bat is better than humiliation and then ridicule by Draconequus.
10460531
Rose thought Sable would steal Tracy away but she could have never guessed the brother was the true threat!
It seems Sable's just having fun with Tracy, egging a "domesticated" bat to fly. It's quite clear Tracy's considered on a lower social level than the family. I'm guessing clanless is a lower level as well so that certainly says something of Tracy. Doubt Sable would try to size up a mate from someone that also sounds crazy as well. Still, more insight into bat culture could give more context.
10460629
He doesn't have an obligation to explain himself and he could have just left it as is letting them think whatever they'll think of him with no real consequence. They (Sable) just kept getting in his way. Guess pride cometh before fall in this case. Tracy wants to prove something but it's not necessary.
Well, he certainly wasn't "born in it". He'll only learn just to experience something new. Or Sable's gonna make fun of him to make him learn. I doubt he sees himself as a genuine batpony. Just a man in the guise of a bat. There's no real kinship between himself and the race of his adopted form. He'll actually feel more at home being a "domesticated" bat with Rose.
10460684
I think it's less derogatory for bat ponies, and more of just a rude thing to say. It implies that the person has no drive, or is controlled by somebody else, or that they have no purpose in life if your really stretching it. Calling somebody domesticated sort of demeans their value as a person. It also might be specifically worse for a bat pony since the tensions between bat ponies and regular ponies, where being associated with the day dwellers takes away some of your value in a bat ponies eyes, since to them, there are two separate groups, and they think theirs is better.
10460719
I did not know that
10460726
Considering Tracy, he really is being controlled by outside forces. Guess this is an opportunity for him to regain some control of his life.
Still, if the bats' "Bats are their own horses/Bats trot their own paths" mentality is really strong, then "domesticated" really was used in the derogatory fashion, separating Tracy into that class that is considered "weaker". I just wished he held a little bit of his past "I don't care about this" mentality because bat social norms shouldn't apply to or motivate someone who really isn't one.
10460761
Ah yeah. That makes a bunch of sense. I was going to mention that he probably is having a reaction for personal reasons aswell, but apparently my brain can't be bothered to remember something for 20 seconds Thanks brain...
10460723
All true, of course. Tracy doesn't have to heed or even listen to anything they say or think if he doesn't want to, nor that any of it is true just because they said so.
But still...I can't help but be disappointed that they haven't really bothered to try and understand him or hear him out at all and instead have just "assumed" their own explanations for him that fits with their own version of reality. Which is, again, unfair for anyone, regardless of the circumstances. But then, there's been waaaaay too much of that sort of attitude among RL people these days, so maybe I'm just being hypersensitive about it.
Also possible. It sort of depends on what he wants from any of his long-term plans in Equestria, if any such plans come together at all, or if he really chooses to go back to life purely in the human world in the end. If Tracy's serious about any plans to just stay permanently or at least long term in Equestria like he's already floated to himself as of late though, then he might as well take the time to explore bat pony culture at some point. He may not be a true bat pony, but he'd still be the next best thing in the eyes of many, so why not learn more about the species he ended up becoming while in Equestria at some point?
Of course, this just might be me projecting onto Tracy too...if it were me, I'd definitely look into bat pony culture and be open to the idea of embracing it at least in part if I stayed long term, if only because being transformed into a bat pony would make me feel like I still have some kind of ties to them, invented or otherwise.
Hmm, maybe there's a whole other story to consider in that, assuming this one doesn't follow a similar route...note to self...
Oh wow... Good luck Tracy, I wish you the best.
Now I’m wondering what Tracy can give in “trade” for his flight lessons. My prediction: a couple of bills and pocket change from another dimension. I don’t think he’s giving up his phone.
sable is one of those possesive mares who dont back down when she wants something xD
...Tracy fell from the sky, breaking his neck. He died. The end.
Lol jk.
Flight? I mean...
OMG she's totally chasing him! What a skank!
Careful Tracy, lest you discover a triangle has formed fill chopped filled with regrets!
Interesting tidbit about the caves. Wonder...
Keep going! ;)
In some sense, Tracy has actually shown a little more sense around women than I did.
Is this the first chapter without art? ... Is the art just delayed?
S P I C Y
10460818
Empathy is a hard thing, even for the most well-intentioned of us. That's why we should really get working in setting up a hive mind.
To the eyes of many, he's a "domesticated" bat. It'll be useful to learn biological facts about his body. But he's too old and too busy to try assimilating bat culture beyond sating curiosity or learning how not to offend a passing colony. He'll be spending most of his life with the day dwellers anyway.
That certainly falls under personal identity. I wouldn't really consider myself one of them where my only connection to them is because of door magic. They likely wouldn't consider me as one of them either. Guess I'm more of a experience guy. Maybe I'll start considering myself a bat when it starts taking up a greater percentage of my life. Sort of like some of Starscribe's male-to-female protagonists where they embrace their gender by virtue of spending a longer time in it.
Tracy: Well, maybe? I normally live on Walmart and 7-Eleven after all.
Flying lessons from an actual batpony might be very helpfull for Tracy. Like others have stated I also don't like the idea of a romantic misunderstanding especially since Tracy seems to be fully aware of that possibility and wants to avoid it.
This is either going to work brilliantly, or he'll crash through Derpy's window.
Oh, oh no.
Self awareness is important, even if it doesn't stop you from disaster.
Hey, maybe this'll work out. Just remember Roseluck.
Seconds before disaster, or success?
10460494
If she does jump to a conclusion like that, then that is a good reason to not date her. Her massive freakout was already a bit of a red flag.
10462497
I kinda forgive her on the original freakout because she was dealing with trauma from past invasions, even if it was a little extreme, but yeah I agree that if she did give him shit just for being around another mare, that would be a massive red flag.
10461454
I mean, we've seen Equestrians be racist as heck to zebras in the show!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_3TWFt_yZ0&ab_channel=PonyArchive992
God dammit. If Faust were dead, she would be spinning in her grave. If there is one thing I hate, it is that awful destruction of the pony world that the series writers like the god-cursed Merriweather Williams did when they broke Faust's original rules and put in hydroelectric dams and electrical devices. I despise such despoiling.
Oh well. If this were the Optimalverse, I wouldn't have a problem - anything can happen or exist in there. But this isn't the Optimalverse. Shit.
Oh well.
10462918
mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-1620152-2-Fluttershy_humidifier_S01E22.png
mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-1620152-1-20120914204814!Hoofer_Dam_S2E08.png
Saw a bat today, made me think of this. Hope you’re all having a good day :)
10462918
Clearly you haven't watched the show....
10462918
I would've preferred the show stick with Faust's original vision. But it didn't, ultimately. When I think of the pony world I'm writing about, I think of it as it was at the end, with all its faults and all its successes. For better or worse, I'm using the whole buffalo.
10463434
10463521
Faust was only in charge during Season One. Then Hasbro broke her contractual right to Total Creative Freedom and kicked her out. They wanted to sell toys, and her vision of a self-consistent Equestria based on magic/steampunk/Renaissance technology was in the way of Rainbow Dash driving a purchasable car.
This is how great things are reduced to the lowest common denominator. Imagine the original Avatar: The Last Airbender being forced to have sportscars and jumbo jets and hydroelectric dams because some toy company wanted to sell modern-looking toys?
I've worked for Hasbro in the past. They have no ethics. They only have greed. Art is not a thing to them.
Sometimes The Industry is... a special hell.
10463802
She did S2 aswell...
also no crap they don;t have ethics, it's an American Company. They will go out of their way to make the biggest profit at the lowest cost.
10460494
Rose's actions weren't exactly conducive to understanding either so for what it's worth, I don't blame Tracy on this one.
Overall, I like this chapter. I see the other's complaints but I personally like Sable's character. A bit more of a predator type and I like that. Strikes my fancy. I'd love for Tracy to grow a spine and act on what he actually wanted in life for once, though. That is always the main gripe that I have with 90% of MC's. Though, I see that the author is slowly building up to that. Ever so slowly. Maybe it's just me, though. There's always a delicate balancing act with pacing. Too fast and you seem like you're racing through content. Too slow and it's a slog. This story seems to be in the medium-slow pace for me.
10463929
Actually she wasn't there. From Wikipedia:
This means that she was consulted, likely over phone, email, and maybe Skype, offering light advice on which scripts to do, or how she envisioned certain things. She has no further writing credits herself, and she didn't create anything more for the show to add to it.
The only part of MLP:FIM she had any direct control over were in Season One. This is why there was such an abrupt tonal shift right from the beginning of Season Two, with the episode 'Lesson Zero'. In that episode, the first episode not connected to the finale of Season One, we see Twilight Sparkle represented not as an intelligent young woman, but instead as a Looney-Tunes wacky neurotic. It was complete tonal whiplash, and moment when the show went from Faust's original conception of young girls and women growing up and forming relationships into a wacky, silly cartoon that sold toys. With that episode, the door was open to Animaniacs styled insanity from Darkwing Duck references to hydroelectric dams and beeping hospital monitors.
And I will forever grieve at the loss of what should have been.