No matter how hard she tried, Rose could never figure out how time moved so fast once her duties at the flower stand ended for the year. Well, "ended" was subjective, since they still served breakfast, along with opening briefly for Hearth’s Warming when the time came. But without their own greenhouse, even earth pony magic couldn't keep flowers alive when the first winter frost came.
That meant everything they did sell either came from hardier species they could grow outside, sometimes even with snow all around it, or more often, was imported from Canterlot greenhouses. Even when the family was stable, their parents had never rushed to build their own. "Every pony needs time away from work," her father had said. "Even working your talent, sometimes you need some time away to remind you what made you fall in love in the first place."
Now Rose had falling in love to take her away, and take her away it did. Tracy was at once like and unlike the other bats she'd been with over the years. He exuded confidence and danger wherever he went, even more dangerous than the bats she'd previously dated. His home was a world so frightening that some of its residents fled in terror—where their entertainment featured constant death and violence, and every resident had control over vehicles faster and more powerful than a royal carriage.
Only coming into work a few hours a week meant that Rose could drift towards Tracy's schedule, sleeping in late on the other days so that she could join him in his world when his work was over. She explored plenty of exotic food, visited museums and nearby landmarks—and most importantly, she got to drive his car.
After only her third visit to earth, Tracy surprised her with a “phone” of her own, a flat piece of plastic and metal that apparently had access to near-limitless information. Rose still wasn’t quite sure about all the details--but the important part was that she could use it to contact Tracy if there was an emergency. So long as she was in their home, the message would reach him, as reliably as dragonfire.
But the car was much more interesting to her. Where the phone’s uses were esoteric and outside the realm of her experience, a transportation mechanism to replace pony-drawn carts had already been contemplated and even explored in Equestria before. But where the horseless carriage was a clumsy, dirty machine, Tracy’s world had the technology as mature as Equestrian magic.
"How powerful is it?" she asked, the second time he put her behind the wheel. He'd taken them far away from other buildings and cars, which was probably just as well. There was nopony to hurt by accident if she made a mistake, just dirt roads lit by the magical lights on the front of his car.
"How... powerful?" Tracy made his confused, thinking face. It looked almost the same as the one he used in Equestria whenever anything went wrong. She was now entirely convinced that the Worldgate really did just change how ponies looked. "I only have the four cylinder, so I think around... 150 horsepower?"
But he must've seen something from her shocked expression, because he rested one hand on her shoulder. "Wait, that name is a coincidence. It has nothing to do with ponies, just... how many horses from my world would have to pull at the same time to go just as fast. None of them here have magic, don't freak out at the number."
His advice fell on deaf ears, and her spidery hand-things started to sweat. It was so much harder to ignore when there was no fur to disperse it—her fingers slid right off the wheel. "You mean this carriage is as strong as me and every friend I ever had, all pulling at once?"
"No," he said flatly. "Not even close. I've seen some of the stuff you can do, Rose. Like I said, it's a coincidence. Remember, you're sitting in a wagon made out of metal and glass. It needs to be able to travel at seventy or eighty miles an hour, even when it has five passengers, and the back is full of cargo. But you won't go that fast. Let's just focus on going forward, nice and slow."
Once she got past her initial terror at the phenomenal power at her hooves, “driving” was actually not a very complicated skill. The hardest part wasn't even making the car go forward, or stop, or even turn. Using her legs to control speed and stopping was intuitive, and the wheel was at least easy to turn. It was all the little buttons that confused her, particularly the "signals".
"You probably won't have to use those much anyway," Tracy said, at another lesson about a week later. "We can't take you onto the roads in the city, or the highway. You need a license for that—a permission card that says you're able to drive. Unless Discord helps you with his magic, we'll never get one. Out here with no one around, you don't need to worry."
"No," she declared, sticking her tongue out at him. "You said it's the proper way. I'm going to learn." She practiced when she could, but mostly the portal became a way to escape the Ponyville chill, to enjoy exotic sweets, and spend time with Tracy.
She never did have the courage to ask him what he meant when her sisters pressured him about marriage. She'd given them quite the talking-to the next morning, and they'd been good about it since. I'm not losing him because they're tactless.
Of course, she might be losing Tracy through the simple progression of time. February 1st stalked ever closer to her, like a changeling poking its head out from behind every calendar in the house. It felt like she had almost as much time to spend with Tracy as she could've dreamed of. But the more time they were together, the faster their calendar started acquiring marks.
"Have you thought about how you'll ask him yet?" Lily asked the next Saturday, as they reviewed holiday orders at the stand. "Somewhere in Whitetail Woods, maybe? Maybe the same place Mom proposed?"
"Slow down," Rose said, just as she always did whenever they went that direction. "I like Spark Gap, maybe more. But you can't keep talking about committing to one pony after just a few months like it's normal."
"It wasn't just a few months," Lily said. "You've been living together for a year. How much more do you want to know?"
An impossible question. Rose shook her head, even harder when Lily draped one leg around her neck. "I know I shouldn't be the one giving my older sister advice. But I know how much you want foals, sis. Sooner or later you'll either have to make your decision, or give up on that dream forever."
"I don't know if I have enough time," she said weakly. "If I were with him another year, I'd know for sure, I'd do it. But there's a banishment looming over our heads, worse than any migration. A thestral can always decide not to fly where the clan does, catch up with them later. But when the lease ends, that's it."
"You couldn't ask for an extension?" Lily prompted. "Even if it cost more bits. I bet Spark Gap wouldn't mind paying extra to stay with you."
"We tried," she said despondently. "No luck. Discord doesn't care where we go when the Worldgate closes, but we'll be stuck on one side or the other."
"So it's Equestria or another world," Lily finally said. "We should've known something like this would happen sooner or later. Ponyville makes everypony a little crazy if you live here too long. Did you ask the princess about it?"
Rose hadn't. It seemed a fool's hope—but she was desperate enough at that point to try anything. Otherwise, the two of them might just pull both ways, stretching between two worlds until something snapped, and they never saw each other again.
But Tracy didn't seem to mind living in Equestria, or being a thestral. If there was some way to make a new Worldgate, one without Discord—maybe she wouldn't have to say goodbye! Maybe they had more than a few months to figure out if they were right for each other.
Rose made an appointment the same day. Princess Twilight was easier to see than any of the other royals of Equestria, and the very next Monday she stepped through into the royal throne room.
The Castle of Friendship wasn't nearly as fancy as Canterlot. There weren't thousands of years of history here, recorded in sculpture and tapestry and stained glass. But the strange enchanted table before the throne was far more impressive than a gold fountain. Rose took one look at the glowing map of Equestria on its surface, then looked away as quickly as she could. Such secrets weren't meant for a pony as lowly as herself.
"That's enough bowing, Roseluck," Princess Twilight said, gesturing for her to come closer. "My record says this is our first formal meeting since my elevation. I don't have anything in your file, so I'm going to guess you don't have any problems with my rule over Ponyville. How can I help you?"
Rose shuffled nervously as she approached Twilight's throne. It wasn't elevated over the room like Celestia's in Canterlot, and the Princess of Friendship wore far less regalia. But this was still an Alicorn, one who had saved Equestria herself more than once.
"I have a... friendship problem," she said lamely. "Technically more than friendship, but I think it still counts. You are the princess of friendship, right?"
The Alicorn nodded, eyes narrowing. "I am. But if you're asking about love, I'm the wrong princess. My sister-in-law is the mare you want to talk to. I can get you a referral, if you want. You'll have to travel, but Ponyville can help subsidize the cost..."
"No!" Rose blurted, raising a hoof. So abruptly that the princess turned to stare.
She stiffened, backing nervously away. "I mean, no. I'm sorry princess, I don't mean to be rude. Honestly, this is more of a magic problem than a friendship problem. I don't think there's anypony in Equestria who knows as much as you do."
Twilight shrugged. "That's probably not true, but ask anyway. I'll help you any way I can."
She explained the problem as simply as she could, staying light on the details. Twilight Sparkle had not been happy with any part of the strange arrangement of Otherworlder and magic hidden in her own domain. But whatever frustration she felt, she didn't take it out on Roseluck.
"You want to make a permanent Worldgate," Twilight finally finished, a few minutes later. "Am I understanding you correctly?"
Rose nodded eagerly. "It's possible?"
Twilight rose suddenly from her throne, walking past her towards an open door. "Come with me."
She followed, growing increasingly eager by the step. The princess led her up through the castle, past the areas open to the public and into her own chambers. "It's not my place to judge your relationship with the Otherworlder," she said. "From what I've learned about his home, I'm amazed you had enough in common. But what you're asking... I don't have good news."
She nudged a door open, leading Roseluck into a magical laboratory of sorts. Most of the enchanted devices there were utterly beyond her understanding. Glowing crystals, strange diagrams that contained liquid suspended in the air, plants that grew in reverse.
Twilight took her past all of it, to a plain chalkboard against the wall. On each side was a drawing—one of Celestia, one of Discord. They'd been connected with various lines and scribbled text. Her own cutie mark was there, and Tracy's, bridging the gap between them.
"Princess Luna and I have been trying to solve this particular mystery for the last six months. It's not my place to share the details with you, but what matters is this: Discord meant for this to happen, all of it. I think your relationship means he's winning. But we're quite certain that this complex relationship will be forced to collapse within the next two months.
"You're afraid for what happens after your lease ends, you want to keep a friendship intact? I hate to be the one to tell you this—but somepony has to. Discord is the only being with the power to create worldgates on a whim. Other than his magic, we only have the Mirror Portal for an example. That device was the life's work of Clover the Clever."
The princess met her eyes, expression resolved. "I want you to be happy, Roseluck. But a pony would have to labor their entire lives to build what you suggest. By the time they finished, you wouldn't need it anymore, one way or another."
Roseluck sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes. Twilight's board was tucked away in the corner of her lab, an afterthought at the scope of a powerful Alicorn. But the magical factors on it were somehow manipulating Rose's entire life, and Tracy's too. Did all this mean Celestia was trying and failing to protect her from Discord's evil influence?
But it isn't all evil. I want to be with Spark Gap. The more she thought about it, the more it hurt. "There's no way, then," Roseluck finally said. "Somepony has to choose to give up their home."
Twilight nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry. All I can tell you is that I will support your decision. If the Otherworlder wants to stay, I'll grant his citizenship. If you want to go, Equestria will respect your wishes."
very nice!
Everwake is 100% going to crash Tracy on earth and Rose is going to have to commandeer his car, calling it now.
I will say this development does allow an interesting "Tracy falls into a coma and misses the time to choose" opportunity: Rose having to choose for both of them.
This soloution would have been to good to be true.
I am starting to suspect that Roseluck has a personal stigma or hatred of changelings, with good reason of course. Still, I wonder how she feels about Thorax and the changelings being reformed.
Side note, I find the Square root of Discord on the chalkboard very amusing Not sure if math can solve Discord or not (frustrated Twilight noises )
This story is still very interesting but I'm not happy with Discord at the moment, playing with people hearts... Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
10688115
Don't you remember? Her parents died in the invasion. Chapter 25.
10688120
yeah, hence the "with good reason"
Twilight is presenting this quite well and Rose is handling this bad news rather well too. The only wat for anypony to solve this if that's possible is to figure out Discord's reasons for doing this.
Damn it, Discord. Stop being a jerk.
Since it's in the same continuity as Forbidden places we already know that Discord is just a giant troll :>
10688099
I said that last week/week before last, good to know I'm not the only one who sees it. However, there is another scenario that ties into that:
Janet is the one who drives them, and all 3 get stuck in Equestria
or
Rose stays on Earth and opens a flower shop, she will not have Earth Pony magic to help her, but with Google and Youtube she would learn quick
Should I stay or should I go now.... (crank it)
Huh, I wonder if Twilight is saying that Celestia or some other pony, knows more of magic than her...
...
So Equestrian magic hasn't advanced in Mirror Portal crafting since 1000 years ago... Well, it's a rare skill to advance when there was only one user for one instance...
I'm guessing it's too much of a hassle to actually ask Celestia what exactly the two are doing? I'm still wondering if Luna and Twilight are simply neutral out of respect or that Celestia is outright refusing to speak on the matter. This seems serious enough for an intervention.
A lot of it but not all of it!
Depending on the frequency of Worldgate travel, the two species may be two sides of the same coin, occasionally separating and rejoining as people move back and forth.
If this is a game is Celestia actually betting against the relationship? Maybe? We still don't know what the victory conditions are for each player.
So he isn't simply taking advantage of natural gates. He would have more knowledge on the interactions between interdimensional civilizations as well. That's quite a disadvantaged position for Celestia to enter in.
Or perhaps Tracy's? Humanity is on a whole new level of difference compared to the other races of Equus. I wouldn't be surprised if she's reluctant to have one of her ponies interact with Humanity so haphazardly. Though for some reason, she's forced to play the game and support Tracy's visa.
10688099
Yup, I can really see the crash happening at the end of the lease. The choice probably won't be in Tracy's hands.
10688126
10688147
Depending on the situation, Celestia might be culpable as well. She hasn't really shown any visible objection or resistance to the game so far.
Anyone want to flip a coin as to which world they choose, because this decision is not so clear to me now?
Phrasing?
That's more like it.
i kind of have a idea of a fix,, but good luck manipulating Discord to get a fix for this.
or not think of the chaos having a full time world gate would bring?
And so the ultimatum comes...
10688213
If I stay there will be trouble.
If I go there will be double.
And you know how much of a wild card Discord is.
Small bit of a time skip, then. Or at least a montage of sorts so to hurry things a long a little.
Also, sounds like since there was no news to the contrary, things have been working out okay still for Tracy on the work side of things, despite everything. So there's that.
Oh dear, that actually put an honestly rather alarming thought in my head...honestly, I sort of hope it's a thought that doesn't become a reality. It's definitely not an invalid path the story could take...but I think it could also either overcomplicate it ethically-wise, or overly simplify it in making the looming choice entirely too straightforward...depending on how you approach the problem.
So better to cross that bridge after the "choice" has already been made and committed to, I think.
As in they've both individually tried to ask? Because I know Tracy's asked and was told no, but that's Tracy. For all we know, Discord's response might be different if Rose were to ask him directly, separate from Tracy--heck, that could be what Discord's waiting for.
But then, we also don't know the circumstances under which the worldgate is open anyway. Again, for all we know, there could be a very valid and technical reason why Discord can't keep the worldgate open for longer, beyond even his control.
See, I've had that same thought for awhile too, which is why I keep viewing the problem of the worldgate as not necessarily a permanent one, as just because one door has closed...doesn't mean another can't be opened too...or, for that matter, the first one reopening again.
But maybe that was always wishful thinking on my part.
Well, that settles that then...not there was really much doubt about who the "other pony" was at this point in this whole affair.
Yeah, what is her role in all of this? Up to now, I had been thinking that Celestia was the one who was hoping the relationship would persist, not Discord, but if Twilight's right, then it's actually the reverse. So...what? Celestia was expecting it not to work out between two creatures from the start? Why?
Or is it not so much the relationship that's the issue, or what she and Discord are betting on Tracy and Rose might do in response to it? Are they betting over whether one will choose to stay or agree to break it off and they each stay in their respective worlds?
Gosh, we're so close to getting to the bottom of this whole affair, and yet we're still missing what feels like to be that all-important missing link...
That all said...my gut expectation is that Rose will be the one who chooses to jump worlds.
10688115
Yeah, I was looking at that too...so what is the square root of Discord anyway?
10688222
Well, not just that, but I suspect for most of those 1000 years, the mirror portal wasn't well understood in function by subsequent generations, and thereby there wasn't enough of a foundation to build off of in the first place, especially since it seems much of Starswirl's own studies on the matter didn't survive the test of time very well.
But even if we got Starswirl himself in on the matter, I expect even his understanding of the subject to be very basic, and he wouldn't be able to help much more than Twilight could.
Wow why are you so evil‽
And so the stakes are clear. The question is why Discord is doing this. What does he get out of it, aside from watching these two twist in the wind? Or is he just extracting schadenfreude where he can? With him, "why" can even more frustrating than "how," or "what's the cleaning bill?"
Also, the Otherworlder has a name, Twilight. You could do him the courtesy of calling him by it.
I don't understand most of what's going on on that board, but the vision of 'square root of Discord' makes me laugh. Great job!
*Sigh* Sorry, Rose. Looks like—at least at the moment—you can't both win. I personally can see Tracy/Spark Gap being willing to leave his home behind, and I bet Janet wouldn't resent him for it (even though she'd lose a great employee and have a lot of explaining to do), but I'm sure neither of you want the other to have to make a choice like that. Maybe call in all the princesses and have them get Discord to make a permanent worldgate or be stoned again? But that's 99% a long shot.
10688296
Nice use of interrobang. That requires using a 'special character' function and a copy-paste (on a Mac, at least).
10688247
Problem with flipping a coin is when the coin flip ends up as "edge" rather than heads or tails.
As much as Rose might want to go to Earth on a permanent basis, there is the question of citizenship. She would be an illegal alien of the most literal form. Getting her papers would be nearly impossible.
10688323
more like polymorphed into a marble with no edges or faces.
want answers twilight then tell fluttershy and unleash her on discord he break in less then a minute
The spirit of chaos and disharmony winning? What a curious concept, as that would mean the chaos introduced by the worldgate would become a more constant element...
10688301
Haha, Compose key go brrrr.
10688301
I think flutters might be upset at her friend being threatened and without her, how do you stone him?
10688382
Discord might have set things up in a way that not even he can recreate the same worldgate. So the "plan" is Fluttershy proof.
He would not set up the drama, if it was so easy to undo it. At least if he was thinking any deeply about it. His decisions are always strange in canon, sometimes counterproductive, or we do not know Discord's real intentions.
10688297
Maybe it's more her trying to keep him at an arms length out of worry or knowledge of playing into discords hand.
10688503
Fair. But if they do have as good a friendship in this story as they do in canon, couldn't Flutters just ask him to create a permanent worldgate? Tracy hasn't done anything to upset her, so I'm sure she'd have no problem doing it. But I mean, after Pinkie's appearance early on when Tracy is interrogated, we hear very little (if anything) from the Mane 6 other than Twilight, and so far (as far as I recall, could be wrong), that's only been for Princess Purposes. This has basically been a story revolving around background ponies, and we don't really know what's going on with the Mane 6, so for all we know, this could be an AltU where Flutters and Discord may not have that same friendship, and she would have no problem stoning him.
But ya know what? It's for plot purposes, so I'm fine to leave it well enough alone. We could speculate all we want, but che sarà sarà.
10688478
Don't have one of those on the Mac, but I did just discover a shortcut to the character palette (ctrl+command+space) that you can search for it on...
Never used the phrase myself, but I guess Google go brrrr.
10688287
It would be reasonable to assume Rose asking Discord would yield the same answer. She's his tenant, too. And everything points to him only caring for the result and nothing after that. Still, it might amuse him to see Rose beg him for a solution that he might act mercifully. As for the reason I'm guessing that might head back to Tracy's friends. He seems to have no control of who can use the gate and since the experiment is coming to its end, it really shouldn't be left opened. If the Wendigo from Forbidden Places is any indication, it'd be best to keep monsters or ambitious people on their side of the gate. A well-known Worldgate might cause problems for everyone.
Two creatures from two different worlds and timezones. It's easy to see why Celestia would scoff at the thing. It's totally like Discord to just rip out a hapless victim in the multiverse and pair him with a random pony and say "Now kiss". It's quite interesting to see Discord as an advocate for Tracy. If that is what the game is. Still, it won't be long until we know the victory conditions for both of them. I'm really quite interested to see Celestia's thoughts on interdimensional relations. If everything on the surface is true, then Celestia is surprisingly pessimistic about two alien civilizations coming together in friendship and love. Though I suppose it's understandable as those are Twilight's and Cadance's domains.
10688615
It just doesn't seem like Celestia to take that stance, honestly, at least not without some added justification that hasn't yet been presented to the table--she's usually the one who'd be more supportive of this sort of thing, or so I've always had the impression of her character.
Of course, it also seems to be some sort of bet between her and Discord, so it's possible Discord just took his stance, and thereby Celestia was forced to take hers or else it wouldn't really be a bet. I could see that coming about in a heat of the moment argument between them if Discord was the one who first floated the idea.
That all said, I do think what they're actually more focused on is whether who will stay or leave their respective worlds, not so much whether or not the relationship is successful (heck, if I'm right, then it's entirely possible the whole thing was set up already knowing Tracy and Rose would fall for each other, and indeed the whole shebang requiring that to happen). With the facts presented thus far, this strikes me as the more reasonable approach to it, and I can better buy why Discord and Celestia would have taken the stances they currently appear to have.
But I haven't also ruled out the possibility of there being some unforeseen third explanation for the whole ordeal that we just haven't been given enough information to be able to surmise for ourselves. We'll just have to see.
10688633
Everything about the two players and the bet would probably be answered by their victory conditions. And we won't find that out until the "stay or leave" question is answered. For both Tracy and Rose. They certainly deserve to know the why for all of it.
Season 1 Twilight: Is the most reasonable about Zecora the foreigner, only flips when she's "cursed".
EQG Twilight: Has no problem with "outworlder" humans, has a relationship on a timer much like this one.
Season 9 Twilight: Literally runs a school for making friends with all the foreigners, who are welcomed with open arms.
Your Fic Twilight: Can't wait for that filthy foreigner, who she only refers to by the name Filthy Foreigner, to leave.
10688334
wait, our googley princess is leaving?
10688701
He, paraphrasing chapter 51 here, "may be implicated... in a scheme against equestria."
Also he checked out a book months ago and presumably still hasn't returned it.
In spite of this, she's happy to grant his citizenship and was quite upset to hear that he was being called a demon.
Also, it's been noted several times before that Tracy is a tough name for them.
Heartbreaking!
10688701
She said she'd let him stay in Equestria if that's what he decided.
10688115
That's easy.
Discord = (Chaos + Madnoess) x (Power + Time).
If Discord is winning, that would mean you all are assuming it wrong.
This is the same Twilight that managed to MacGyver a work-around one of the portal's main limitations with an entirely unrelated set of enchanted books in about five minutes?
10688600
I think we do get a tiny bit of information on the mane 6 doing things in the background. I just think that because they're not really in Tracy or Rose's inner circle of friends we don't really have a in on how much they know and what they're up to. For example in Chapter 29 we know the entire mane 6 plus Spike rode with Tracy and Roseluck to Canterlot for the trial.
And later in the same chapter I think it was inferred they went with Twilight to some sort of meeting in Canterlot castle.
So I feel they're at least aware of the situation, though to what extent, who knows Maybe Flutters has already confronted Discord about it?
That said, I suspect that Discord is indeed freinds with Fluttershy considering how he was acting when he mentioned Everwake to Tracy. He came to the stand (at least so he says...) to buy flowers for a friend's birthday.
All in all, I suppose what I'm saying is that, I suspect that not only the princesses, but the mane 6 know more about the situation with Discord than we think. However, what/how much they know and why they seemingly either do not wish or are not allowed to approach Tracy about this, we just dont know.
First, the root of discord is really simple. Entertainment.
However, he never plays fair and _square_. So trying to get a square root will fail.
I think we need to take an irrational log base.
What do you call it when you take an "e" th root?
10688728
In English, what does it say
10688848
Hmm... if I had to guess. It could be argued what Twilight did is the equivalent to hot-wiring a Ferrari LaFerrari to drive, but making an entirely new mirror portal would be like trying to build a Ferrari from scratch with hand tools. She probably knows how (in theory) to do it, but actually sitting down and crafting one would be a life's work.
10688880
Ah, I stand corrected. You're much better at keeping track of these details than I am, clearly.
I honestly can't comprehend how you folks remember exactly which chapters these excerpts come from— I couldn't do that for the life of me. That said:
Yep, that seems to be the case alright.