//------------------------------// // Screwing Up // Story: Cowboys and Angels // by RecklessRush //------------------------------// Chapter 4 "Just give up, t'ain't no way yer winnin' this one..." "Ya might as well just finish me off, AJ. Cause you'll never hear this man surrender. Ahm iron-willed, clear-headed, and ahm gonna-" THUD "DAMMIT!" "Ah HAH! Ah won! You do mah indoor chores fer a week!" Massaging his hand, Terrance looked at her incredulously. "Ah thought it was only three days?!" "Nnope... Ya'll doubled down after that last one..." The referee, Big Mac, corrected Terrance. The three of them had been enjoying their afternoon off by arm wrestling... except here it was called "hoof wrestling". Terrance was able to show that his arms packed a punch, and was even able to beat Big Mac twice before he grew tired and started losing one after the other. To make the games more interesting, they had started to make bets. And Terrance had just lost big time. "So that means sweepin', cleanin' the fireplace, moppin' the kitchen floor..." "Aaaaaand... ya'll gotta wash Granny's back when she bathes..." Terrance shuddered. Granny will love that... he thought to himself. Once, when he had been too impatient to wait for the restroom, he walked in on Granny getting scrubbed by Applebloom, who was making a face the whole while. Seeing the door open, and her escape route, Applebloom bolted from the room, leaving the human with the old wrinkled pony. Seeing him standing there, she beckoned him over, and he spent the next 10 minutes finishing the job that Bloom had run out on, while Granny enjoying the ministrations his fingers were giving her. She brought it up constantly, hoping he would do it for her yet again, and he would always politely decline such an offer. Now he had to... a bet was a bet after all. "Well then... do ah start tonight?" Applejack nodded. "Yup! Have fun!" Terrance sighed. Until he noticed a little purple dragon waddling up the road to the farm. "Terrance! Terrance! You got a letter!" Came the winded shout. Leaving the stump they had been seated at, Terrance intercepted the drake, holding out his hand for the paper. "Quick question 'fore I read this." Spike looked up wheezing. "Yeah? What?" "Why didn't Twilight just teleport this to me?" "..." At this, Spike silently stormed off, probably to interrogate a certain lavender mare. Laughing silently to himself, Terrance opened the letter. Dear Terrance, You forgot this. See you tomorrow. Your Princess, Celestia And before he could ask, his guitar materialized out of thin air next to his head. With a couple minor additions to it. P.S. Sorry about the scuff mark... and the slight crack... and the scratched paint... I tried to fix it... I'm sorry. Terrance was only slightly miffed, and not even about the damage to his instrument. It took her two weeks ta send me this? Why'd it take her so long? Terrance had left Canterlot half a month ago, and had fit in with the Apples quite well. They were used to him by now, and almost considered him a member of the Apple family. He had grown used to the ponies and their ways in turn, and magic had lost a lot of it's surprises. It no longer shocked him when things appeared nearby, or when Twilight 'popped' in for visits. She had been a life saver to him, calming the locals, teaching him the social norms, showing him around town. She had even helped him get a second place of employment in order to make some actual money. Aloe and Lotus had found his fingers carried strength behind them, and had seen fit to give him the task of seeing to their more durable clients. Most had denied his services as his fingers still creeped them out, but many had accepted them as the lovely instruments they were. Big Mac and him, however, were a different story. The two had bonded like blood-brothers, and the two of them couldn't be more inseparable. They would stay out after work and just chat. Most time it was short, but sometimes Terrance could get him to open up a little. Speaking of the red stallion, Big Mac trotted up with his sister. "What's that ya got there, Terrance?" asked Applejack with a curious look in her eyes. "Well, AJ, this was-" "Ah guitar..." Big Mac interrupted. Terrance blinked at the red stallion. "Uh, yeah... How'd you kno-" "Used to have one... Smaller than this one though... Nasty crack there... Gonna need it fixed..." Big Mac stated, inspecting the instrument. "Yeah ah will. Reckon ya know a feller?" Mac looked at the guitar some more, then nodded. "Eeyup, feller knows his way 'round... sin... the... sis? He fixes things, s'all ah know. Fixed the plow a few weeks ago. Name's Fix-It." Terrance nodded as well, hefting his guitar onto his shoulder. "Shall we go see him then?" "Sure..." And the two walked off... ...leaving Applejack behind. The orange mare huffed. "What am ah, chopped hayseed?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The two walked along the road toward town, enjoying the small silence in the air. However, the silence began to get a little unbearable, so Terrance decided to strike up a conversation. "So... anyone special in yer life?" Big Mac kept a flat face at the sudden question. "Not... 'specially. There's one gal ah got my eye on... and ah think she's doin' the same tah me... but we're keepin' it quiet fer now. How 'bout you?" "Ah might. But ahm not sure how she really feels bout me just yet..." Big Mac gave a small shocked face at this. "You? Interested in ah pony? Now that's somethin' right there." Truth be told, Terrance was still a bit uneasy with his suspicions about Celestia. About a week ago, she had visited out of the blue and offered him lunch. He accepted, and the two sat down to a salad... that she had made herself. The sauce had been too strong, the tomato chunks were huge, and she had added far too much salt and pepper. And yet, when he had stated that it was good, she had become so bubbly and happy that she brought a smile to his face. But she still looked like a horse. And it still creeped him out a little. "Not so much interested as wary, Big Mac... Still not exactly ready for that just yet." Mac's only reply was a nod. The conversation was thankfully short as they arrived at their destination. Looking at the sign, Terrance read: "Fix-It's Fix It Shop" Well, it was catchy, he had to give the guy that. Walking into the store, a little bell rang above the door, signaling their entry. Mac left to see what was on display as Terrance approached the counter. No sooner than he arrived at the wooden counter-top, then did a dark brown unicorn stallion walk in from the back. Terrance only had time to see his jet black hair before the stallion propped his forehooves in the surface between them and addressed his issue. "Now then, name's Fix-It. What can I help you with, sir?" "Well, ah need mah guitar fixed," Terrance replied, setting his instrument in front of him. "And ah gotta say ahm glad ya'll aren't treatin' me different... like everyone did when they first saw meh..." "Ah, I don't judge ponies based on appearance. Just the actions. And you're a client, so right now your actions are good for me. Let's see the damage here..." Fix-It took a few small looks and a couple measurements, then looked back to Terrance. "What kind of wood is it?" "Uh... lacquered wood." "Mmhmm... what kind of metal are the strings?" "... Tough yet springy?" "Yeeeaaaahhh... can't help you if I don't know the components." Terrance swore under his breath. "Well, is there anyway-" "Nah, I'm just joshin' ya! Got you pretty good, huh? No, I can tell just by looking. Give me a couple minutes, I'll bring it right out." Still chuckling to himself, Fix-It picked the guitar up in his telekinetic grasp and carried it into the back. Looking over, Terrance couldn't help but notice Big Mac chuckling to himself. "He usually like that?" he asked, eyebrow cocked. "Heheh, Eeyup. Been that way since ah first met em." "Pretty unique... ain't he?" "Ah he's alright. He is tricky though, Ah'll give ya that." "AND DONE!" came Fix-It's shout, as he re-entered the room. "That was quick," Terrance replied, turning back around. Fix-It hovered the guitar back over to it's rightful owner. "Eh, easier than I thought it would be. Pretty common ingredients are used to construct it. Go ahead, give a test run." Terrance draped the strap over his shoulder and hefted his guitar into his arms. Felt good, no weight missing at least. Testing the strings for a second, he tried a small riff. Had to admit, Drop D always sounded good. "Sound fine to you?" inquired Fix-It. Terrance nodded. "Ya do fine work there Mister Fix-It. It sounds beautiful. Not a single thing outta place. Thank yeh." Fix-It waved his hoof nonchalantly. "Nothing to it." Sliding his guitar behind his back, Terrance brought his bit-pouch out. "So now. What do ah owe ya?" At this, Fix-It smiled. "Not a thing. First one's free." Terrance's hand froze as it was about to open the pouch. "Ya sure? Magic ain't cheap iffin ah heard correctly..." "I'm absolutely sure. I'm satisfied just hearing you play. You are skilled, Mister Terrance." Fix-It replied, smiling. Terrance put his bit-pouch away and scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "Aw, ah ain't nothin' special. Thank ya anyways." Terrance nodded his thanks and was about to leave, when an idea struck him. "Hey, Fix-It... ya enjoy a good bar?" "What, you mean alcohol? Celestia, no! That stuff is horrible for you!" "Oh, nevermind then..." "Nah, I'm just yanking your chain again. Yeah, I like a nice stiff drink every now and then." Terrance blinked slowly. "Ooookay then... care ta join me and mah friends tomorrow at 'The Sink'?" Fix-It nodded happily. "Sure! I'll be there right after I close up shop tomorrow!" Terrance smiled. "Sounds like a plan... C'mon Mac! Let's head back so ah can get started on AJ's chores..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Are you sure he truly wants me there?" "Sister... he sent thou a personal invitation! Go! Enjoy your evening, We shall take care of proceedings and We shall even make the night look more beautiful than usual for thou." Celestia and her sister had been debating about the legitimacy of Terrance's idea to "come drinkin' with meh and friends" that he had sent in a scribbled note. His suggestion had changed Celestia's plan for that day, but she couldn't deny that the idea intrigued her. It had been a fair while since she had cut loose and just enjoyed a good drink. The only thing that held her back from agreeing, was that she tended to get... frisky while intoxicated. And Terrance still seemed to be apprehensive around her when she tried to get closer to him. "I must say, Luna. You changed your mind on me and Terrance much quicker than I thought you would." Luna waved a hoof nonchalantly. "Your dreams are beautiful-" Then she froze and her eyes grew wide. Celestia turned her head slowly and looked directly at her sister. "Luna... did you dream-walk... in my head?" Luna only smiled meekly. "We told nopony..." Celestia snorted and looked away. The silence grew until she took a side-long glance back at Luna. Her sister looked back with a cheeky grin. Celestia could only giggle. "Oh, you are just incorrigible... Very well, you are forgiven this once." she stated, nuzzling Luna. "But please... don't stay up waiting for me. I can raise the sun from anywhere, and I'm sure Twilight will want me to spend some time with her." "Of course, sister. Now go enjoy yourself." Celestia nodded, and launched herself out of the nearest window in the hallway, leaving Luna alone in the castle for the night. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Now this here is nice..." Terrance muttered. He sat at a bar counter, cold ale in his hand, while his friends were all clamoring around behind him. Twilight had shown up, along with the other Elements. Mac had tagged along, if only to join Terrance in some silent drinking, and only Spike had not shown up as he had pet duty. All in all it was a healthy turnout, and yet Celestia had not shown up yet. Terrance felt slightly bad about that, since he had sent her a note and all. The music started to quiet out, and many of the ponies were upset that the band had grown tired. Pinkie only knew one bar song, and nobody wanted to hear it again... it was very repetitive. That's when Twilight, in all her drunken glory, had an idea. "Hey, Terrance... HEY! You should sing us a s-*hic* sing us a song. I'm shure you sound AWEsome... *hic*..." she slurred out. Terrance actually smiled at the request. "Glad, SOMEone finally decided to ask. Was thinkin' AJ might, but no~. She's still butt-hurt 'bout leavin' her behind yesterday... Ahm just glad ah remembered tah bring this." Then he grabbed his guitar from near the door, and walked calmly onto the stage. Testing the microphone, he cleared his throat. "How ya'll doin' tonight?" A round of cheers and applause answered him. "Now most of ya'll know me, but fer those who don't, mah name is Terrance and ah've been asked tah play a song fer ya'll." A couple more cheers and a loud "WOO!" from Twilight. Terrance could only chuckle. "This here is a nice li'l ditty that folks like me like to listen to, and dance to, while enjoying a cold one-" Then Terrance noticed the newest patron to the bar. Celestia had walked into the room, and the room had gone silent with her. She saw him and smiled. Terrance smiled back and gave her a nod, then plucked a string on his guitar, getting the attention of the bar again. "Alright ya'll, hope yer not all too tipsy to 'preciate this one." Then he began. "One, Two, Three, Four... Got a little boom in my big truck Gonna open up the doors and turn it up Gonna stomp my boots in the Georgia mud Gonna watch you make me fall in love Get up on the hood of my daddy's tractor Up on the tool box, it don't matter Down on the tailgate, girl I can't wait To watch you do your thing Shake it for the young bucks sittin' in the honky-tonks For the rednecks rockin' 'til the break of dawn For the DJ spinnin' that country song Come on, come on, come on Shake it for the birds, shake it for the bees Shake it for the catfish swimming down deep in the creek For the crickets and the critters and the squirrels Shake it to the moon, shake it for me girl, aww Country girl, shake it for me girl, Shake it for me girl, shake it for me Country girl, shake it for me girl, Shake it for me girl, shake it for me Somebody's sweet little farmer's child, With a gattle in her blood to get a little wild Pony tail and a pretty smile, Rope me in from a country mile So come on over here and get in my arms Spin me around this big ole barn Tangle me up like grandma's yarn, yeah, yeah, yeah Shake it for the young bucks sittin' in the honky-tonks For the rednecks rockin' 'til the break of dawn For the DJ spinnin' that country song Come on, come on, come on Shake it for the birds, shake it for the bees Shake it for the catfish swimming down deep in the creek For the crickets and the critters and the squirrels Shake it to the moon, shake it for me girl, aww Country girl, shake it for me girl, Shake it for me girl, shake it for me Country girl, shake it for me girl, Shake it for me girl, shake it for me..." Terrance then spent a little time strumming his instrument in a small solo, and took a look around the building. Twilight was dancing with Pinkie, and even Rarity was swaying her haunches a little. Celestia had blended into the dancing crowd well, and was even doing a two-step with AJ and Mac. He was glad to see that she was having a good time, she needed to loosen up a little. "Now dance like a dandelion In the wind on the hill underneath the pines, yea Move like the river flows Feel the kick drum down deep in your toes All I wanna do is get to holdin' you and get to knowin' you And get to showin' you and get to lovin' you 'fore the night is through Baby you know what to do Shake it for the young bucks sittin' in the honky-tonks For the rednecks rockin' 'til the break of dawn For the DJ spinnin' that country song Come on, come on, come on Shake it for the birds, shake it for the bees Shake it for the catfish swimming down deep in the creek For the crickets and the critters and the squirrels Shake it to the moon, shake it for me girl, aww Country girl, shake it for me girl, Shake it for me girl, shake it for me Country girl, shake it for me girl, Shake it for me girl, shake it for me Country girl, shake it for me girl, Shake it for me girl, shake it for me Country girl, shake it for me girl, Shake it for me girl, shake it for me." Concluding the song, Terrance was met with loud and cheerful applause. Bowing and exiting the stage, AJ and the others crowded around him, eager to congratulate him. "Well, I must say Mister Terrance. I, for one, did not know you could sing so well!" "Wowie Terry! You're good at songs! You should sing more often!" "You... freakin' ROCK..., Terransh!" "Pretty good, Terrance. Yer not half-bad." "Eeyup..." "Terrance... that... was so... awesome!" "Go, Terrance...!" "Well done, Mister Terrance. You are quite the lyrical prodigy." Terrance gave a small blush and chuckled. "Aw, thanks ya guys. Song ain't mine though... kinda just used it." "Nonetheless, you did an amiable job re-creating it." "Heh heh, thanks Celestia." Then Pinkie hopped up in between them, giddy and giggling. "Hey! We should go see the stars, you guys! I wanna see what Luna did tonight! I'll bet it looks amazing! I mean, it always looks amazing, but since we're all celebrating maybe she did something even MORE amazing! What do ya think? Huh huh huh?" Terrance nodded. "That actually sounds like a nice idea, Pinkie. Good call. Let's go people. Twilight could use some detox." "Hey!... I'm not sober, I'm drunk!..." Terrance rolled his eyes. "Obviously..." So the group of friends left the bar and headed for the park... except Terrance was going a little slower than usual. It had been hitting him more and more recently, but after tonight's performance he was feeling more drained than before. Attacks of fatigue had become a usual thing recently. And at night he sometimes couldn't keep his legs from shaking mildly. But he had been putting on a smiling face and working normally, in order not to worry AJ and the rest of the Apples. Celestia looked back and noticed Terrance had fallen behind. "Terrance? Are you alright?" Terrance wiped some sweat from his brow and jogged to catch up. "Yeah, yeah... ahm fine..." Celestia merely replied with a worried face. Catching up with the others on a nearby hill, Terrance and Celestia sat together, with Celestia draping a wing around him to shelter him from the cold night air. The others were all laying on their backs, looking up into the night sky. "Sure is pretty... ain't it?" Terrance asked, a little hitch in his voice. "Yes indeed. My sister did a wonderful job tonight. It's gorgeous... Terrance?" "Hmm?" Terrance turned his head, only to be looking straight into Celestia's eyes. She had sidled closer to him than before. "Uh... yes? Celestia?" She leaned in a little. "How are you enjoying your time here?" "It's good." Leaning a little more. "And the locals?" "They treat me better now." Her eyes got a bit of a sultry look. "That's good... Have you thought about what you're going to do for the rest of your life here?" "Not really..." She was leaning really close now. "About who you'd like to spend it with?" "Uhhhhh..." And that's when Pinkie Pie... was Pinkie Pie. "Oh, just kiss her you silly filly!" And clapped/bumped Terrance on his back, forcing him forward... right into Celestia... who caught him... with her lips. "Mmph!" But that was all Terrance could say, given his situation. Which was him, currently kissing one of the Rulers of Equestria. And... It actually wasn't all that bad. Her lips were soft and she was humming slightly, as if happy that she was finally kissing him. Then she pressed the advantage, opening her mouth and squeezing her tongue into his. It felt just like a human tongue, except a bit more flat and broad. Through all of this, the others simply watched with mixed emotions, ranging from embarrassment to shock and all the shades in between. The only one not watching was Twilight, who was still watching the stars, giggling. And Mac only looked for a second, then turned away again, not wanting to watch one of his sister's friends making out with his closest buddy... Princess or not. Well, Ah guess it's not so bad after all... Not so bad? NOT SO BAD? Yer kissin' a horse! Yeah, but it ain't killin' me is it? Check again, wise guy. And that's when the dizziness hit. Terrance pulled back abruptly from the facial embrace and, losing his balance, rolled backwards down the hill until he hit the bottom. "Terrance!" Seeing him fall, Celestia ran after him and reached him as he was pulling himself back onto his feet. "Are you OK?" He was pale, sweating heavily, and short of breath. Not to mention, he was swaying side to side like a beanpole. "What... what did ya do ta me?" Celestia recoiled from the accusation. "W-what?" "Ah feel like shit all of a sudden... What'd ya do... poison me?" His eyes were getting cloudy and his voice was wavering. "No! I'd never do that!" She tried to approach him but he took a wobbly step back away from her. "Don'tchu fuckin' touch me... You fuckin'... talking... horse..." It was obvious he was acting delirious now, but all Celestia could hear... ... was her heart breaking. Letting out a wretching sob, tears began to flow as Terrance turned away. "...Why?..." was all she could whisper. Terrance tried to take a step to leave, but simply crumpled to the ground in a meaty THUD. Celestia only heard this, however, as she herself had turned and galloped away, taking flight at the edge of the field. All was quiet on the hill... until Rarity broke the silence. "Oh... my..." And Rainbow took charge from there. "That... was so not cool of him." Fluttershy approached Terrance's crumpled form upon the ground. "I mean... how could he say that!?" Fluttershy turned Terrance's head, and let out a small gasp. "C'mon! We're not horses!" "...Um, guys..." "We look nothing like those dumb animals!" "...Guys, he needs help... he's burning up..." "And I've got wings! Horses don't have wings!" "GUYS!" Broken off from her tirade, Rainbow Dash ceased her rant and looked down the hill at her friend. "What is it, Flutters?" "Guys! He has a horrible fever! And his pulse is really high! He needs a hospital!" Mac was instantly by her side. "Ah got 'im," he stated, and using his impressive muscles, Big Mac lifted Terrance from the ground and draped him across his back. Turning towards the right direction, he began to run... directly towards the Ponyville Hospital. "Ah don't know what's wrong with ya..." Mac muttered to his friend while he ran. "But ya made a right mess outta this fine evenin'. Celestia- er, Luna knows yer gonna be answerin' fer it later... but fer now... just stick with me. Don't you be givin' up yet." Arriving at the glass double doors, Mac pushed them open with a shove, deposited Terrance onto the floor, drew in a deep breath, and bellowed. "WE NEED HELP OVER HERE!"