Chapter 48
Rose might not know exactly what she was doing with these strange bodies, but some things didn't need much instruction. She rested her hand on Tracy's shoulder, looking up at him. "Is that what you expected?"
"Nope." He smiled anyway, smiled at her. To think that Rose had believed he was the first wave of another invasion. "Thanks for being there anyway. Felt easier with someone else around. Doesn't feel as much like I'm losing my mind. But I won't blame you if you don't want to see any more of my world."
She shoved him. Not hard—she couldn’t be sure of her own strength in this world, and Tracy still had a broken leg. But saying something so dumb deserved a response in kind. "I crossed a universe for you, Tracy. I'm not sure I'll ever be brave enough to do it again. If it's my only trip, I'd like to see the sights."
"Well then." He locked the door behind them, then led the way to his own metal monster. He opened the side with his good arm. There were no teeth inside, it wasn't a maw waiting to devour them. Instead there were a few comfortable seats, and smells so powerful it nearly overwhelmed her.
"How many coconuts were you delivering?"
He laughed, and finally started to look like himself again. "It's an air freshener. There were never any coconuts."
"Too bad. We don't get exotic fruit in Ponyville very often. Was going to ask if I could steal some." She wasn't sure exactly how to get in, at least not until Tracy walked around to the other side and demonstrated. Once she saw it all made sense—the seats were the perfect shape for humans, and would've been quite uncomfortable with her real body. Nowhere for a tail to go, and a gaping void for her to fall into if she wasn't prepared.
But the humans had taken care of that too, with clever restraints that came right out of the walls. Only after Tracy showed her how to attach them did he start doing things to the controls. That explained the strange key he always carried.
"We're moving," Rose said, hand darting over to grip his leg. "Are you sure this is safe?"
He nodded, though he didn't take his hand from the circle in front of him. His other just hung there, limp. "Yes, Rose. But I only have one hand right now, so I need to focus."
She let go, and felt warmth rising from her face. "Sorry, sorry. Probably takes all your attention to serve as engineer on this compact railcar. That's what it is, right?"
"More or less," he answered. "And yeah, usually. Not because it's hard, but because there are other people on the road. It's them you have to watch."
They moved. She watched outside as the nearby buildings blurred past them. The rush was far stronger than anything she'd felt from a train—they were so low to the ground, and accelerated so fast!
"We used to use... horses, a long time ago. But caring for horses is expensive, and made the cities dirty, and..." Now his face lit up, bright red patches just like Rose had felt moments before. "Sorry, that sounds terrible. It's like in those movies, remember? Horses aren't ponies, they're not smart. I'm not trying to make comparisons."
"Relax." Rose held up one hand. "Even in Equestria horses are something different. You don't need to answer every question tonight."
She didn't want him to try, not when there was so much to see just outside. The buildings here were more like Canterlot than Ponyville, several stories tall at the shortest. But even as darkness fell in his world, there was so much light. Downtown Manehattan stayed lit up like this, and the bat neighborhoods in a few smaller cities. But nowhere she'd visited very often.
Some part of Rose kept alert for danger every moment. There had to be an army waiting somewhere, poised to invade her home. Or maybe there were lakes of fire, ponies screaming as they were tortured, something.
She saw none. They passed parks filled with happy people, sidewalks lined with palm trees, and a few buildings so tall she had to strain her neck to see the top. But no soldiers, no demons, no terrors.
It's just a city, she realized. "Living here must be... crazy," she muttered. "I like Ponyville better. My customers are my friends, instead of strangers."
Finally they stopped, beside a building no stranger than any they'd visited so far. "This part should be more of what you're expecting, honestly. Restaurants are basically the same in every universe, I guess."
He wasn't wrong, though of course there was plenty to be confused and bewildered about. For thinking her nose had gone numb, she was suddenly surrounded by smells she couldn't identify, rich, savory scents that filled the air and grew stronger whenever food was delivered around them.
"Wasn't sure exactly what you'd want to see..." he said, after placing an order for both of them. After trusting her so often when they went out together, it was her turn to do a little trusting in return. "I thought about ice skating. But that seemed like a bad idea. You just learned to walk, so... yeah, not that."
"I've practiced," Rose said. "When we wrap up winter, ponies sometimes skate the ponds near Ponyville, to break up the ice. I'm not a performer or anything, but I think I know what I'm doing. Is it cold enough for ice already?" The restaurant, like his carriage, was comfortably warm inside. She hadn't shivered once during their meal so far.
"Not outside, but there's a... we're not really dressed for it anyway, so I thought of something better. The aquarium is open until midnight on Friday nights. They've got fish from all over the world. Or we could see a movie, but we can already do that at home."
She grinned back at him. Tracy was worrying again—he'd probably worry himself to death if she didn't intervene.
Their waitress arrived with a pair of drinks. Rose sniffed at her own, eyes widening. "Today's special," she said. "Salads are on the way too." And she was off again.
Rose sniffed at her glass. There was the harsh smell of alcohol, but not nearly as unpleasant. It was tempered by a great deal of sweetness, in a distinctly familiar scent. She grinned at him. "I was wondering how long I'd go without seeing you eat these."
Tracy flushed red, putting down the orange drink before he could get the straw into his lips. "You are not going to tell me someone who comes from a world of hearts and rainbows is going to judge me for a girly drink. I'm driving, remember? This is as far as I go. And we'll be walking to the aquarium. It's only a block away, we could see it from where we parked. I'll be stone cold by the time we go home."
Rose rolled her eyes. Most of that hadn't made sense, though the tone of it was familiar enough. He was defending himself again. Janet was a little like that, too. These ponies act like they're constantly under attack.
"Mangos," she said, sipping at the straw. Her eyes widened as she took in the barrage of sensations. The drink was ice, but somehow smooth. She could taste the alcohol, but it was also sweet. "Celestia this is fantastic.” She lifted the whole glass in her hand, downing half of it in a few quick gulps. She had to tell her sisters about this—they had ice cream you could drink!
Tracy glanced down at the menu, then back to her. "Oh, I guess so. Mango on Friday." He took his own glass, sipping casually at it.
Then he stopped, staring in shock down at the glass. He lifted the single chunk of yellowish fruit stuck onto the side in his fingers, popping it into his mouth. He chewed slowly, and didn't speak for almost a minute. "Change of plans," he said. "This is... We're stopping by the grocer on the way home, I know one open all night."
"I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves," said their waitress. She settled a strange contraption between them—flatbread on one side, with little bowls filled with ingredients on the other. In the center was a jet of bright blue flame, and a hissing griddle surface. "You want seconds on those drinks? I could get the bar on them now."
"She can have another if she wants," Tracy said, almost mournfully. "Not me, I'm designated."
Rose nodded. "Please."
The human settled empty plates in front of them both. "I'll be right back."
"Feels like I'm missing something," Rose said, staring at the steaming cooking surface. "Why did she bring this here?"
"They're called fajitas," Tracy said, settling his glass down beside him with a kind of religious reverence. "We make them ourselves, it's part of the fun. I wasn't sure what ingredients you'd want in yours. But don't worry, I asked for it vegetarian. Even if I'd rather put chicken in mine."
She picked up one of the cups, gesturing towards him. "There's egg right here, Tracy."
"Didn't say egg," he said. "Chicken. That couple eating just over there—that's a grilled chicken breast. For Fajitas it would be shredded, seasoned, but it's the same thing."
She swallowed, putting her own glass down. It didn't matter how great it tasted, or how great the veggies in front of her smelled. She took a deep breath. "Like hippogriffs. You're omnivores."
He leaned across the table, taking her hand. "I hope that's okay."
She rolled her eyes again. "I've known pegasi who ate fish, and I already know you eat bugs. You're supposed to ask dumb questions after the alcohol, not before."
So maybe it was a little different than most restaurants she'd visited—usually they did the cooking. But Tracy tried his best, assembling their meal using finger-sized grippers and flatbread. The resulting mix of beans and veggies was unlike anything she'd ever tasted... but not bad. But the drink was better, sweet enough that she was happy to have a second.
That had the added benefit of easing her nerves, so that by the time they'd finished, she couldn't quite remember why being here had frightened her so much. Tracy still looked like her coltfriend, even on this side—and more importantly still acted like him.
"Here." He thrust an oversized jacket towards her as they left, though he didn't have enough arms to help her put it on. "It's not worth the fight of getting this back on, and you're in a dress. You need the warmth more than I do."
"Okay." She squirmed into the thing, a process made easier by its size. Yet another thing that their worlds shared in common—he was quite a bit taller than she was. "You said we're going to see fish? Daisy will never believe me. I'm not sure if she thinks I'll make it back."
"She still doesn't trust me? I don't have any secrets left, I'm not sure what she could be afraid of. I know you've gone snooping through my things."
He took her by the hand as they walked together, a gesture that seemed far more intimate than anything he'd done with Janet. While her own fingers went almost instantly numb in the cold, his were a source of warmth, just like the jacket.
"That's not quite true," Rose said seriously. "We're not sleeping together. Daisy thinks it's strange for any bat to act like that... too much like a unicorn."
Tracy's skin turned red again, though she couldn't imagine why. She was just telling him the truth.
"My arm's still broken."
She rolled her eyes. "So? Isn't your wing. You're not made of glass, Tracy. As my sisters will tell you whether you ask them or not, all the stallions I've dated were bats. I know your bones are hollow. I won't break any by accident, promise. You seem good at that yourself."
How much redder could he get?
Rose jerked suddenly, pulling away from him. "I understand!" she proclaimed, loud enough that a few other humans walking nearby turned to stare. "It's like the other taboo! Humans are scared of sex!”
Stats
Page generated in 0.048 seconds
Total duration
677 users online
861,731 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
i.imgur.com/u6rUFAA.png
Another Christmas gift from Acesential. Little fun fact, the aquarium is loosley based of the San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay.
Ahhhh-haaaa, as if Tracy hadn't hit upon all of the bat pony cliches already.
Shots fired!
Uh...sure. We'll go with that.
It's sort of nice to get all of the drama with Janet and the portal out of the way for a bit and just let these two be lovebirds again. And thus far, it seems things are going well.
that ending
priceless
So far the date has been successfull and I hope the rest of the date will go smooth as well. It's clear that Tracy has gotten a taste for mangos as a result of his visit to Equestria.
That lil fang in the image has me wondering.
Yep, a supermarket or even a florist on this side would probably push some buttons. Although I can see the question -- why is this fruit covered in wax?
First date on Earth. Seems to going well enough to allow another trip in the near future.
Guess Tracy was more insulting to our Saddle Arabian friends.
Gotta know the full package but it certainly has an effect on her. Still, no doubt she won't be thrilled about humans eating the much larger animals that would be sapient on the other side, nevermind the entire industry built around their raising and harvest.
I'm guessing if the time comes they'll have to explain to their kids that they're wrestling in bed, it won't be too far from the truth.
C'mon, that's not fair. There shouldn't be that much of a comfort gap between the two species. It's not like you'll find pony couples doing it in the streets in broad daylight. Unless they do.
10599198
Would probably make Applejack faint
I mean, despite what some people seem to think, you're not wrong.
lol yep Rose has had a bit to drink. not drunk fare from it but relaxed...
i awesome chapter i love it.
Oh Rose, pray you don't see the internet. Humans are far from afraid of sex. Good chapter though I am afraid it'll be second from the last since Tracy will probably erupt into flames from embarrassment.
10599198
It could actually push a button for progress since all our supermarkets and groceries are a aberration.
Think of it this way I have coconuts but I live in the norther hemisphere nowhere near a coastline. I can eat shrimp and calamari fresh. Its relatively cheap to get. Now go back about 300 years and try and say that without being a noble and having extreme amounts of money to burn. Try and find pepper, garlic and sugar within your budget. The sugar alone would be horribly expensive unless your using a local equivalent. Which could be beet sugar or cane sugar. Oranges hah good luck unless you live decently near the states they originated from.
Taste for mango. And is that a very small hint of bat pony fang in his mouth? I wonder if the spell that converts is "failing" as it gets closer to the end of the contract
They definitely need to go to a grocery store. Rose will want to buy so many foods, though she’ll be shocked with how bad the flowers look.
i.imgur.com/2oHN42j.png
Uh oh. He's developed a craving for mangoes.
My comment is for the illustration. Though not referenced in the story in any way, if you look at the right side of Tracy's mouth, you will see his eyetooth peeking out in an inhuman way, almost as if his transformation to human is becoming less complete now - an element of his bat nature is retained, his sharp, overlong canines. If this were in the story, if this were canon to the narrative, it would be profound indeed. But, even in the illustration, it has a certain essence to it that immediately commanded my attention. It has the power of implications, and I love that sort of thing.
They seem to have forgotten their masks.
That ending
I still find it strange Rose doesn't connect cars to train engines instead of "beasts".
Sudden taste for mangoes? Cute little fang? Somebody’s going native.
Pffft! Rose knows how to have a good time. A perfect date at its finest!
No, that's Cleveland.
And then the bat pony discovered mangoes. And he wasn't even in Equestria!
That last line.
Oh, that won't cause a scene at all. Daiquiris will sneak up on you like that. Let's hope Rose doesn't make too much of a spectacle of herself in the aquarium. Or the supermarket. Or...
Well, we'll see what happens from here. Especially whether Tracy's protruding fang hints at something significant down the line.
10599331
I think you forgot last week's pic as well Princess. Made me worried for a little :o
But aside glad to see the princess of googley eyes is still with us ;D
He's been straddling the line for long enough, which way will he fall?
10599496
As a Browns fan I felt that hard...
The second are especially good with chocolate.
10599306
Rose kept her mane style and strength attributes...
Awk-ward~.
10599391
Given that the fang has been present two chapter illustrations in a row, I'm thinking it just might be canon. One could have been a stylistic choice, but probably not two. Especially since only Tracy had a fang both times.
10599530
True, but keeping aspects of their original form is almost expected. Tracey is keeping aspects of his altered form when going back to original
Oh dear Rose is a little drunk and its making her adorable.
Very good thing Tracy wanted chicken not beef as given the cows in season 1 I doubt Rose would take that anywhere near as well.
10599315
I wouldn't be surprised if she's dissapointed in how they humans are only selling food that's "gone off". Compared to Equestria I doubt she'll be pleased.
10599201
Well if we're speaking our world biology there probably is going to be a different in the attitude towards sex since humans have a menstrual cycle whereas horses have an estrus one. Going into heat during summer even if you develop a means of suppressing the symptoms would as a species give you a very different view on sex than a species that can have children all year round but don't have biological urges pushing you to mate. Hmmm this could explain the ponies odd attitudes towards nudity walk around town naked = fine, have a male walk in on you changing = embarassment.
The.... beast?
Wouldn't her more natural comparison be a train without rails? They have locomotives, they're just big and coal-powered. This doesn't make much sense.
Now that is fucking real.
10599391
I think is the artist interpretation...as long as the fic doesn't mention this it can be a great headcanon
10599101
Tracy's in San Jose, right? So they drove up the 101 to Pier 39?
10599451
Yeah my thoughts exactly. They have dams, airships, wagons, big electric poles capable of cooking a bat boy, and trains, but a car is a "beast"?
Rose, NO!
10599760
It appears that way. Peir 39 IS the closest aquarium to San Jose.
Yes, Rose. Yes they are.
Ahhh, mangos and bats, the pairing continues ....
10599934
I checked, and surprisingly, you're actually right. San Jose to Pier 39 is 50 miles, about an hour of driving. San Jose to Monterey Bay is about 70 minutes, or 72+ miles. (And they would have used US-101 for that, too.)
Also, just a general comment, I wanted to point out that Tracy should tell Rose that humans' bones aren't hollow, so as long as he's on this side of the portal, his bones are tough.
10599871
You're right. Revised that bit.
10600086
It takes real commitment to be willing to respond to criticism like that! That's awesome.
One comment on it - I notice the part where Tracy says "It's not alive" is still present a couple paragraphs down.
Also, really cute chapter - honestly, this is my favorite Rose chapter by a long shot. I liked the culture clash and felt like she was getting to be really interesting. I hope we get to see them being romantic in the upcoming one as well~
10599871
I think it's just a trope that most authors here seem to use without thinking.
I laughed out loud from Rose's final statement. She will learn soon enough.
You have something pokey there, Tracy.
I sense an import/export business opportunity here, although Discord might not approve.
Thank you, Rose, very helpful.
Good luck with that Tracy. Honestly, Godspeed.
10599504
i.imgur.com/tWy6lsz.jpg