Tracy stumbled through the inner door. Everwake shoved down his throat didn't have quite the same effect as carefully managed doses. The magic was still there, still enough to keep him awake. But now all those nights without sleep loomed behind him like a pallet of bricks.
But he couldn't sleep now. Tracy would have to face the goodbye to his world with barely enough strength to walk. He managed that at least, making his slow way into the living room.
For the second time in a year, he found a princess waiting for him. But where Twilight could pass for one of the unicorns of Ponyville if he didn't catch her wings, this creature barely seemed like the same species. She towered over all of them, even Janet, with proportions that must be the pony equivalent of “supermodel”.
There were no lights on on the ground floor, other than the diffuse glow of his TV. But with Celestia standing before them, he could've mistaken it for daylight.
Rose bowed low to the ground, far more than anything she'd ever done for Twilight. Tracy stumbled to imitate her, though he was far slower about it.
Janet didn't bow, just stopped in the doorway completely dumbfounded. "Dios mio. Are you some... angelic steed, sent to carry us home? Are we dead?"
Rose made a sound of desperate fear, worse than when she stumbled out of Discord's car. She covered her face, and whatever she wanted to say melted into an apology that didn't quite reach words.
The fear was apparently unfounded. Celestia laughed. "These days I trust my ponies to find their own paths. More often than not, I find myself impressed with their results."
Janet nodded, apparently too subdued to speak further. She didn't bow, but she did look away, shielding her eyes with a wing.
"I would be happy to speak with you, visitor," she continued. "But please, would you give us a moment of privacy while I discuss recent events with my subjects? Perhaps if Roseluck would grant you permission, you could take this opportunity to use the facilities upstairs. I won't stay long."
Rose nodded weakly. Her voice was so timid it was barely audible. "O-of course, Princess. Janet, you... upstairs. Anything you want."
It wasn't quite a sentence, but it was enough. Janet backed towards the stairs, never showing her rear to the visiting princess, until she turned the corner and was finally out of sight.
At least this time it didn't seem like half of Ponyville was watching through the window. The darkness outside showed no pairs of eyes.
But there was another creature, settled comfortably on the couch. Apparently he'd been watching something on Tracy's TV—one of the Marvel movies? Tracy didn't care enough to see which one. Discord stood, and suddenly there was another creature to rival Celestia in the room. "I simply cannot wait to get my hands on that security footage."
"Welcome back, Roseluck," Princess Celestia interrupted. "I'm thrilled you've returned to Equestria safe and sound." She levitated something towards them—a tray with five cups and a single fine china teapot. "Not hot chocolate, I'm afraid. But you'll find this more refreshing I'm sure. You in particular, Spark Gap. Or would you prefer Tracy?"
He didn't answer at first—half because he couldn't find the words to answer someone so important, but more because he didn't know. Rose took her cup politely, holding it with a single hoof and a lifetime of practiced balance. Tracy had to fiddle around, nearly knocking over the tray in his exhaustion and clumsiness. But Celestia was ready for that, pulling it back and tilting it upward slightly so none of the other cups spilled.
Then he drank. The supernatural tiredness threatening to crush him didn't fade away, exactly. But the sensation of fighting to stay awake through sleeping pills vanished. It was like coming back to life.
"It won't last," the princess said, settling the tray gently on the table between them. "But a little relief seems deserved."
Tracy could finally think straight, with his debt to Everwake pushed away from his conscious mind for a little while longer. "I wish I could answer your question a little better, Princess." He drained his cup completely, though it took one hoof and one wing working together to tilt it back all the way. "But I don't know."
"I think we do." Discord moved in beside her, blocking the window with his strangely mismatched body. "The terms were clear, Princess. Two creatures with nothing in common, transformed to intimate, lifelong partners. Could you imagine any relationship more lasting? Could I have won this little wager any more thoroughly?"
The princess was unmoved. She settled comfortably down into one of their seat-cushions, the first creature he'd ever seen put her back to Discord. "I don't know. Miss Roseluck clearly risked life and limb to rescue a friend in need. But Spark Gap—you took away whatever choice he would have made. Of course he stands before us in Equestria now—his life was forfeit to powers unknown."
With every word, Rose sunk further and further into her seat. Tracy moved towards her, putting a protective wing between themselves and these great powers. Even Celestia, friendly and polite and helpful—spoke about their lives like it was a game.
Rose might be too frightened to speak—or maybe she was just overwhelmed with her respect for the princess. He wasn't. "We're more than a wager," he said, barely keeping his voice calm. "We deserve... better. We're people. Ponies, whatever word you want. You can't just... use us."
"We didn't," Discord said. That alien grin spread wider and wider. "Think for a moment, Tracy Maxwell. You chose to sign that lease. You chose to help Roseluck sell her flowers. You decided to fall in love with her."
"You made me a pony in front of my coworkers!" he shouted, spreading both wings and puffing himself up as big as he dared. But no matter how brave he acted, it still felt like he was a child shouting at a disapproving babysitter. With mom watching, entirely silent. "I'm not sure what I would've chosen now! Her, obviously! But where? My world, this one... you took that away!"
Celestia whistled quietly, then took a single sip from her glass.
"Which world doesn't matter," Discord said. "And again, you assume. I left you with a Worldgate robust enough to survive a year of use, even as you learned your own magic. You say you didn't get to decide—but you did, bat. You chose Everwake, so you could keep the terms of our agreement, and still spend time with her. That extra trickle of magic is what transformed you at last from human to pony."
He bowed dramatically—but not to them. His attention was all for the Alicorn across the room. "You see, Princess. I believe my understanding of friendship has graduated from casual to mastery."
Finally the princess nodded. "You win. Visit Canterlot Castle tomorrow, Discord. We'll discuss our next steps. But I think it’s safe to say that the possibility of future Worldgates with that sister realm has reopened. As you suggest, Equestria will not remain in isolation for much longer."
He positively beamed with satisfaction, then finally turned his attention on the two of them. "In thanks for all the entertainment, I have something for the two of you."
He tossed something onto the table, which unrolled right beside Tracy's cup. He glanced down, and knew instantly what he was looking at. A deed. "I have no further use of this property, so perhaps you will. You know what they say about real estate: location, location, location."
"Send Janet home," Tracy spat. "We want that instead. Whatever choices I made—she didn't. She was just being kind."
Discord loomed down over him, resting one claw on the edge of the deed. "What agreements I strike with the Otherworlder are no concern of yours. You chose—now she will choose. I offer you no guarantees or promises on her behalf."
He snapped one claw, and vanished from before them.
There was a long, awkward silence. Well, awkward for them. Princess Celestia poured herself another glass of tea, looking around their room with mild amusement. She seemed neither intimidated nor surprised by the big screen and other human furniture tucked away in the corner.
Finally, Rose managed a feeble squeak. "Is all that true, Princess? Did you really... make a wager with Discord? Was the last year of our lives just a game to you?"
Celestia met her eyes, unblinking at the accusation. "He thinks so. But would you ponies like to know a secret?" She didn't wait for their confirmation, though she did glance once around the living room—as though searching for Discord, still watching them. When he didn't reappear, she continued.
"Discord saw this as a game, because that's the way he looks at everything. The harm he does to other creatures isn't always obvious to him. But with the right incentive, his remarkable talents can be turned to doing good."
She reached out with one hoof, touching Rose gently on the shoulder. "You've shown incredible fortitude, Miss Roseluck. This is exactly the strength Equestria needs in the years and centuries ahead. As friendships grow stronger and magic advances, ponies will continue to press at the boundaries of our world. Sometimes something—or somepony, finds their way in."
She turned her attention on Tracy. "I'm sorry for what you lost, Spark Gap. But I do want to help you. If any questions still linger, I would like to give you closure."
You didn't really answer Rose's question. All that sounded like a polite way of telling her that you toyed with our lives for a good reason.
But an argument like that risked giving up the chance for real answers. Discord clearly wouldn't be forthcoming, but maybe Celestia would. "What happened to me, exactly? Was Discord telling the truth?"
Celestia nodded. "His Worldgate used the same compatibility spell ponies have used on other portals in the past, to explore realms beyond our hooves. Any creature to pass through from either direction would be changed to match the world waiting for them. It might seem like both directions of travel are equal—this is not actually the case."
She rose, circling slowly around them, and opening the inner door. "When Roseluck or any other creature from our world visits yours, they pass through this door. The spell creates a human illusion. What you did not see was the magic waning every moment they spent in your world. There is no way to replenish the enchantment on your side, or none you were likely to encounter. Any Equestrian creature who remained too long would eventually break that spell, and the illusion would fail."
"I went through over and over," Rose said meekly. "I never felt like a pony over there. Could I break it by mistake?"
"If you stayed too long," Celestia said. "You remember the requirement Discord gave you, that you should make this your home, and nowhere else? That is why. Returning here regularly was enough that the spell was refreshed, no matter which world you chose."
"So where did it go wrong?" Tracy asked, following her to the door. He passed in the narrow hallway, nudging it open with a hoof. He half expected the Worldgate to return, waiting for him again. But it didn't, and there was only snow waiting outside. "Why did I... change?"
"Because of what happens when you move the other way," Celestia explained. "Your kind does not have magic of your own. But in the absence of other magical threats, you don't have any resistance to it, either. This makes you... receptive, malleable to magical effects. Magic is change, Spark. It is a flame that consumes what it touches, and makes it into something new. Not ash and smoke—but new life."
"He didn't have magic at first," Rose said, settling down beside him. She pulled the door closed with one hoof, then rested up against him. "He hid from Equestria for months and months."
"And so he was unchanged," Celestia agreed. "Until he decided to be part of life here. Making friends, learning to fly, and using potions—these decisions all changed you. Until one day you had so much Equestrian magic bottled up inside that your human shape couldn't hold it anymore.
"That was what happened today. No spell shielded you with an illusion, since none was necessary. Until it was. You saw what happened there."
"So if... if the Worldgate was still here, I could use it again?"
Celestia smiled sadly. "For a day, perhaps a week. But beyond that—I'm sorry to say that Discord never lied, Spark Gap. You made your decision."
"Do you... regret it?" Rose asked timidly. She met his eyes, not looking away this time. "Would you rather you spent this year hiding upstairs?"
Spark Gap might not have known what he was doing, and he certainly hadn't known the consequences. But here at least he didn't hesitate. He saved a flower shop, flew off a few cliffs, saved his friends' immortal souls. And most importantly, met Rose.
"No. I wish I'd known. But I wouldn't have done things differently." He flicked one wing towards the stairs. "What about my boss? Janet... she's the only reason I made it back here. She didn't choose anything."
Celestia looked away. "Just as the other you brought through this Worldgate, the illusion will not fail while they're surrounded by magic. Eventually, no illusion will be necessary. If your 'boss' wishes to return, she will have to find another Worldgate soon enough that she is still human underneath. She could have years of time, or maybe weeks. But that power is not mine—she will have to make arrangements with Discord, or else brave the ancient and forbidden places to find a Worldgate of her own."
It wasn't a good answer, exactly. But it was something. Janet could still find her way home.
Tracy yawned, his whole body shaking as he did so. "I think... I think the Everwake is catching up with me again, Princess. I'm sorry."
Princess Celestia chuckled politely. "Then let me be the first to welcome you as a new citizen of Equestria. I'll see to all the legal arrangements, by way of apology for my involvement. I have full faith my little ponies will make you feel as welcome as they have already done. Learn from them, Spark Gap. This is a kinder place than the one you left—understand that I will do anything necessary to keep it that way."
She nodded one last time to Rose, then turned towards the stairs. "I'll do what I can to settle her fears. But she will need a great deal of friendship in the coming days." Celestia vanished, leaving the two of them alone downstairs.