At least Tracy was half right: Roseluck was just inside, glancing nervously at the door. She was so frightened in fact that she hadn’t actually prepared anything despite the time. A few cucumbers and some leafy green things that Tracy figured were probably healthy were arranged on the cutting board, untouched.

“Is he gone?” Rose whispered, leaning to one side to squint around him.

“Yep.” Tracy kicked the door closed with one leg, practically dragging himself in the rest of the way. “One nightmare has been resolved. Friends gone, door fixed… everything is back to normal.” Except that work says I’m slipping, and I might lose my job.

He slumped into a kitchen chair, shifting uneasily in the strangely converted not-clothes the gateway had given him. Maybe he should try wearing less of it around Equestria. It wasn’t like anyone here would care.

“Good.” Rose settled into the chair across from him, resting one hoof on his. “You look awful. Was he that bad?”

“I dunno? Maybe. It’s mostly work on my mind. I had to miss some thanks to Shane’s border-hopping adventure, and they weren’t happy about that. Where I’m working, reliability is king. Vanishing unexpectedly, not so much.”

Rose nodded. “Well, I can sympathize. Not like I’d fire myself from the flower stand, but… if there’s not a stand anymore, it’s the same thing. Wanna get breakfast in town? I always feel better after I eat.”

Work tomorrow. If I go in wasted and tired, Janet will notice. I need to show her that I’ve changed. But Rose watched from across the table, grinning hopefully. Maybe it was just Discord interrupting her breakfast, but this was more than a casual request. How could he say no to that face? “Sure. I can’t stay out all day, though. I really have to get to bed on time.”

Rose hurried to put her half-finished meal away, then they made their way out. “We won’t take long. I’m working soon too. Stand is doing much better now, but it might not be if we don’t stay on top of things.”

Ponyville had started to look familiar to him. No sidewalks, but the streets still felt more inviting. There was something special about people just walking around, instead of being locked in cars and busses. Even if it was just a polite wave or a few words to wish him good morning. He’d been here long enough that the surprise and covert glances at his bat wings were all gone now. A few of them could even say his name right.

Rose’s choice of cafe was the same Café Hay they always went, but he didn’t mind. Ponyville didn’t have much selection, but that was just like Ely. He’d trade some options for knowing the owner and being able to talk to the chef.

He barely even paid attention to what he was ordering. Rose grinning at him from across the table was far more enjoyable to look at. Oh crap he was staring.

He looked away awkwardly, scanning for something nearby he could be plausibly looking at. There weren’t many other patrons eating today, and none of them were anywhere nearby. “So the stand is doing better?” he asked. “What’s your next big holiday?”

But if Rose noticed his staring, she didn’t react. Had she been watching him too? “Nightmare Night. You wouldn’t think there would be much demand, but loads of ponies choose flowers for their fall displays. Some even want black flowers, and those varieties are usually rare and difficult to raise. We really get our bits worth for those.”

“Just do what you did for the last festival—project based on past history and eliminate the poorly-selling arrangements. That increase in efficiency is worth a little disappointment.”

“I know!” She stuck her tongue out, then flushed red as their server arrived. Apparently Tracy had chosen pancakes with a rich, meaty-looking sauce. But it couldn’t be real meat, right? His tongue watered even at the smell. “I didn’t forget what we figured out. My sisters are still having nightmares over the terminal, but at least they haven’t lit the stall on fire or anything.” She sighed. “Mom would’ve been all over those charts and sheets. Probably would’ve called you a catch just for knowing your way around numbers.”

“Called me a—” He hesitated, balancing a fork between both his hooves. It was a good thing he had fur on his face right now, or she’d see his embarrassment for sure.

“Probably,” Rose went on, oblivious. “When I was younger, Dad never asked questions about who I was seeing. Mom was always the one trying to set me up with somepony. ‘You won’t be young forever, Rose. Someone has to pass the flower stand onto our grandchildren, and you know it won’t be Lily. You’re the oldest.’”

She froze, eyes narrowing. “I… sorry. I shouldn’t be talking about that. You’re one of the few ponies who knows what that’s like, but… you’re not even a pony. I used to think about it all the time, how I had some invader living across the hall. But now I have to remind myself that you don’t really belong here.”

He lowered his fork to the plate, moving slowly. If he wasn’t always constantly exhausted, he probably would’ve stopped there. But it was hard to be rational after today. “We could just make it official, if you want.” His eyes scanned the restaurant around them, but there was nopony watching. Plenty of Ponyville regulars went about their lives, none were close enough to listen.

“What?” She tilted her head to the side, confused. “What do you mean?”

“We’re spending all this time together anyway,” he finished. “I wish some of it hadn’t been making rescues for people who should’ve known better, but… still. Might as well just call it a date.” That little voice in the back of his head was screaming now. There was no good way for this to end.

Suddenly he began to doubt that ponies couldn’t blush, because her face lit up. Her ears pressed flat. She stared across the table at him, suddenly serious. “You signed when I did—that means your lease ends in five months. After that, you walk through the front door, leave Equestria behind…”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, Roseluck. Maybe that happens, maybe not. But five months is a long time. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but it’s… longer than I’ve ever been with anyone anyway. Not sure if it was me, or maybe just fate. But it gets awkward living in the same small town after a while.”

I’m just digging myself in deeper. Tracy what are you doing shut up this is stupid and pointless forget it—

She choked, covering her mouth with one leg. He leaned towards her across the table—but she was only laughing. “Same, except it wasn’t fate for sure, it was definitely them. Most bats are migratory.” She sunk lower into her cushion, staring bleakly down at her plate. “Sweet Celestia, Daisy and Lily will never let me hear the end of this. I’ve been telling them for months that we weren’t seeing each other.”

That doesn’t sound like no. He leaned towards her across the table, prodding her foreleg with a hoof. He might not know very much about ponies, but they couldn’t be that different from humans, could they? If the attractiveness translated, maybe everything else did too.

“So it’s a date?” He grinned, hoping the weird bat teeth made him look confident instead of terrified. “I'm gonna have to owe you for this food, then. My dad would kill me if I let a lady pay for food.”

She returned the smile, albeit less confidently. “You’ll have to get clever to figure that one out, Tracy. I don’t think your money works here.”

She hadn’t been willing to just say it, but… maybe this was good enough. Or you could tell her how stupid you’re being and to shut up before you hurt someone. Hadn’t Discord been threatening him about something like this just an hour ago?

“Buck, I have to get to work!” Rose bolted out of her chair, making it halfway to the street before she darted back. She dug into her satchel, tossing a pile of bits out onto the table. “You can give them the bits, keep the change. I probably owe you more than a few flying classes for all your help with the flower shop. We’ll have to do something soon.”

Was he allowed to stare now? Or was that still creepy? “Yeah,” he said, his voice strained. “How about on my side next time? Then I can pay. I think you’d like movie theaters too. It’s not all creepy purple monsters blowing stuff up.”

She froze, one hoof over the button to her satchel. “Canterlot first, before your flying class. If you don’t go straight off the cliff, then I’ll come with you. One time. No promises about after that.”

Then she kissed him. It wasn’t much, just a brief peck on the cheek, before turning to gallop off so fast he barely saw her tail. But it was still enough to freeze him in his seat, watching the crowd long after she left.

He finished his pancakes in silence, his face still red. Had all that just happened? Discord is not going to like this. There was nothing at all in the lease about the two of them, just the basics about tenants having shared responsibility for chores and respecting public areas.

There is no way in hell any of this is a good idea. I just asked a little horse if we were official. We live in the same house, naked almost all the time. We’re both trapped in place by a deal with the devil we can’t leave.

You’re a little horse too, Tracy. What did you expect to happen?

This would all be so much easier if she’d just kept thinking that he was an evil invader trying to scout Equestria for weaknesses. She’d never given him a second glance back then.

Actually no, that wasn’t true. She’d been watching him closely since the beginning. Everypony who knew Rose already thought they were dating.

And if somehow we’re not too different and this actually turns into something, Rose already knew what would happen next. My time in Equestria will run out, and it’s time for heartbreak.

Too bad he couldn’t just go pretending that this hadn’t happened. I can’t get her out of my head.

“Excuse me, sir,” said the waiter, offering a folder with the bill. Tracy reached out with a wing, scraping up the pile of bits into it. It was much more than he needed—he wasn’t the only one on edge. He kept the rest on the table, looking down at the pancakes. “What kind of syrup was that, anyway? I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

The waiter snapped the folio shut, taking a step back. “I gave you the, uh… exotic menu. I believe you ordered a lac beetle crêpes flambées.”

“Oh.” Tracy felt his stomach twist just once, but this time he didn’t gag. The taste was still on his tongue, sweet and savory at the same time. “Thanks, uh…”

“Savoir Fare,” the waiter said. “Come again.”

Tracy took the fork in his hooves, taking another large bite. “I will.”

He should probably have headed straight home after that, to lay sleeplessly for a few hours with anxiety over how much of an idiot he’d just been. Instead, he gathered the rest of Rose’s bits into a pocket, and hurried off for the library.

It was a long-shot that anyone inside would know how to help him—maybe even less likely that they would be willing to help after the mess he’d made for the local princess. But he had to find out. The worst they could do was tell him no.

Author's Notes:

Credit goes to Acesential for the awesome art in this chapter! It took us thirty chapters, but we got there!