Chapter 5
Fuzzy.
Everything felt fuzzy. Everything looked fuzzy too. Arms were numb. Yep... legs were too. Well that's just great... Where was he? White ceiling, white walls, and sky blue bed sheets. Terrance was in a hospital room. He tried to sit up, but his body was too weak. In fact, even the attempt to move was-
Oh God...
Stomach heaving, Terrance could only turn his head to the right and throw up... right onto a unicorns head. Said pony was (thankfully) not Twilight, but since her cutie-mark was a scalpel pointing into an eye, it was obvious that this was a doctor. Everything was quiet for a moment as the doctor used her magic to remove the puke from her face... and existence.
"Sorry 'bout that doc..."
The unicorn took a slow, shuddering breath, then broke out in a grin.
"Quite alright, should have said something when I saw you open your eyes. I am Doctor Precision, and I must say I'm surprised you didn't come in sooner."
"That bad, huh?"
The pony nodded. "Indeed. How long have you been feeling ill, or at least some negative effects on your body?"
"'Bout a good week... maybe a little longer... Can ah have some water? Mah throat hurts."
"Hmmm, you can have some, but I urge you not to drink it quickly."
A small glass was levitated to his lips, and Terrance drank greedily, albeit slowly. The sensation of cool water running down his irritated throat was sheer bliss to the human. After swallowing his salvation, he returned to the matter at hand.
"What happened...?"
Dr. Precision took a look at the clipboard on Terrance's bedside table. "Well, you seem to have fainted-"
"Obviously."
"-due to a protein deficiency."
Terrance blinked a couple times. "Protein... what?"
"A protein deficiency Mr. Terrance. Tell me, is your species usually vegetarian?"
"Uh... well, no. Ah used tah eat meat before ah came here. But ya'll don't, so ah changed."
The doctor hmm'd and uh-huh'd, making some marks on the clipboard. "Well, did you take proper dietary procedures to transfer your eating habits? You stopped over time, yes? Ordered meat from some griffin establishments to get the carnivorous sustenance you needed?"
"Uhhhh... no?"
"Well there's your problem! Your species needs meat, Terrance! You can't just cut it out of your diet, cold turkey like that!"
Terrance only nodded slightly. "Ok..."
Making a few more marks on her papers, Precision stood and made her way to the door. As she opened it, a small "Oh!" escaped her and she turned back to Terrance.
"By the way, do you feel well enough for a visitor? I warn you, you may need a healthy amount of energy to deal with this one."
Terrance thought for a bit, but eventually he agreed to a visitor. The doctor nodded, and left the room. Terrance was left alone with his thoughts, and his regret.
Did ah really do... what ah remember myself doing? Ah kissed Celestia? Ah can't believe ah actually did that... Ah mean, it wasn't so bad. Fer kissin' a hor- pony, it was actually kinda... nice.
But Terrance's mellow thoughts were shunted aside by the entrance of his visitor.
A certain blue alicorn.
"Rest assured, Mister Terrance, that were you not already in a hospital bed: We would put you in one," came the vehement hiss.
Terrance could not wish to be in a hole anymore than he did at that moment. Not only was he helpless, sickly, and frightened, but he was also stuck in a hospital room with the sister of the pony he had cussed out. Yeah, Terrance wasn't feeling on top of the world at this point.
"Hiya... Luna..."
"HIYA!? TERRANCE... YOU HAVE HARMED MY SISTER IN THE WORST OF WAYS! SHE HAS NOT SPOKEN TO ME SINCE YESTERDAY! AND WHEN SHE RETURNED, SHE CRIED ALL THE WAY TO HER ROOM. WHAT- DID- YOU- DO!?"
That pony could yell. Ow. Terrance was surprised he didn't puke again after the amount of pressure those words put on his inner ear. His sense of hearing was still a little numb when he gave a small nod.
"Ah fucked up..." came the labored reply. "Ah wasn't in mah right mind... since ah got here, ah gave up eatin' meat... not the best plan since now a got an issue with mah protein levels... made me all woozy and delusional. Ah said some things... and pointed fingers at all the wrong folk... mainly yer sister." Terrance slowly sat up and cradled his head in his hands. "Oh God... what have ah done...?"
"You broke her heart, Terrance. Rather harshly I might add..."
Terrance looked up and trained an eye on Luna.
"What happened to yer talkin' thing? No more 'thou' and 'thee' and stuff?"
Luna gave a small cough, and Terrance could see a faint blush on her cheeks. "We- I have been getting lessons from a dear friend, and I decided yesterday after my sister left to attempt my change from now on. And when my sister DID come back, I decided to do my trial run on you."
Terrance could only swallow in fear.
"So... not in your right mind, huh?" Luna asked after a small pause. Terrance nodded.
"Doc said ah should start eatin' meat again, ah guess..."
Luna scrunched up her nose at this. "So you are an omnivore? Ugh, the act of devouring carcasses disgusts me..."
Terrance gave a small chuckle. "Well, when ya put it like that... yeah. But where ah come from the food couldn't talk before ya ate it..."
"Indeed..."
"Ah regret everythin' by the way. What ah said... what ah did... ah regret it all..."
The room was silent for a good while. A nurse entered and took some notes on his health, turned a dial or two, then left again. Luna coughed and looked out the window, suddenly interested in the clouds outside.
"Even the kiss...?"
Everything went silent. Terrance managed to turn his head without throwing up, making him able to stare at the younger Princess.
"Um... W-what?"
"The kiss... do you regret that?"
"How... did you-"
"I'm the Princess of the Night... my domain is the evening hours, and my eye is the moon... not to mention that you dreamed of it last night... and I can dream-walk." The last bit was said in a hush.
"Dream... what?"
Luna sighed. "Dream-walk, I can enter and view anypony's dreams. And if I see fit, I can intervene. Last night, you repeated the kiss... over and over again." Luna was blushing again at this point. "I can tell you don't remember such a dream."
Terrance was blushing hard as well now. "Uh...no. Ah don't remember that..."
"So now I require an answer to my question: Do you regret the kiss?"
Terrance thought for a good while on that. The meetings he had had with Celestia, her demeanor and how she acted around him, even her smile.
Still a horse... his brain kept repeating.
But was she? She had a mane and a tail and she definitely looked looked equine in nature, but was she really just a horse?
No... she's more than that... they're ALL more than that. They don't just winny and snort, they talk and have opinions... Miss Smith was right. They're more than just mere beasts of burden. And Celestia...
"No."
Luna turned back to the human. "No?"
"No, ah don't regret it... Not even fer a second. She means more tah me than that. Sure she looks like an animal ah used tah work with back where ahm from, but she ain't that animal here... She's her own bein'... ya all are, and ah would be insultin' ya if ah still didn't think that."
Luna nodded, seemingly approving of his declaration. "Good, now what are you going to do about it?"
"Ahm gonna fix it... after ah get better enough tah do so..."
Luna smiled. "Of course... I shall see you again, hmm?"
"Heh, ah'll invite ya fer dinner..."
Luna leaned forward, placing her horn on Terrance's brow. "Sleep well, little human."
And with a little glow, Terrance fell back asleep.
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"Now, why am I doing this again?"
Spike had been in the room with Terrance, joining the human in a shared lunchtime. After a couple days of resting and recuperating his strength, Terrance had been allowed to eat some actual food and not the "food smoothies" the doctors had insisted on feeding him. He was now enjoying a medium-well cooked cut of beef, directly sent from "Chez de Gustave le Grand". That griffin knew how to make more than just eclairs, and Terrance was enjoying his meal.
"Cuz ahm gonna pay you. 5 bits a letter, everyday until she writes back."
Spike looked up from his "Crystal Empire Sapphire" with a dubious look. "Really? How do you know she even will write back? You might just end up in debt to me."
"Spike... ahm serious. Ah want to fix this, and this is the only way ah know that ah can contact her directly. So will ya help me?"
Spike sighed and wiped his mouth free of gem dust, setting his snack aside. "So let me get this straight, you want me to send your letters to Celestia, ignoring anyone that asks me to stop, even her, until she sends you, personally, even one word?"
Smiling, Terrance nodded. "Eeyup."
Spike shook his head. "You spend too much time with Macintosh..."
"So will you?"
"Yes! Fine, I'll help you... but I want 5 bits up front."
"Haha, fair nuff..."
Reaching over the side of the bed,Terrance rustled around inside his bag and pulled out his bit pouch. Tossing Spike a 5-bit coin, he smiled and continued eating his meat. Greedily stuffing the coin away, Spike brought out a quill and paper from his small shoulder bag.
"Alright," he started, licking the quill tip and preparing to write. "Whatcha got?"
Terrance stopped chewing for a second and stared at the drake. Reaching up with one hand he wiggled his fingers and, while swallowing, Terrance took the quill and paper from him.
"Ah can write mah own letters, thank you very much. What ahm writin; ah don't want ya ta know about. Not fer yer ears, little lizard."
Folding his arms on top of his chest, Spike grumbled. "I'm not a lizard..."
"Maybe not, but ya are young. So thank you, but ah will only need ya'll's sendin' skills."
Taking a rather big bite of his jewel, Spike gave a small huff and stared at the ceiling. Propping the quill in his hand, Terrance started to write.
Dear Celestia,
I'm sorry for what I did. What I've done and said to you, I know it hurts. I'm hurting about it myself so I can't even imagine how you feel at the moment. I just want to say that I apologize for what I've said and that I want to talk to you. Please send me a letter back as soon as you can.
Please forgive me,
Terrance
"Alright, Spike. Please seal this and send it, if ya will."
"'Kay." On went the ribbon, on went the wax seal, and in a puff of green flame, away it went. "Need anything else?"
Terrance scratched his chin for a second, then nodded. "Yeah ah do. C'mere a second."
Curious, Spike drew near.
"Closer."
Spike went over to the side of the bed.
"Closer."
Spike, ever curious, leaned onto Terrance's pillow to get closer. Then, in a flurry of movement, Terrance wrapped the little drake in a hug.
"You're a good kid, Spike. And a really cool, unique dragon. You're really helpin' me, so thank you again for doin' this."
Spike's face flushed to a slight hue of red, and embarrassed, he returned the hug.
"Thanks Terrance..."
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And so it continued for days, Spike would walk by the hospital to send Terrance's letters every day, and after each one, he got five bits. Everyday it was the same: One Apology Letter for Celestia. After about a week, Celestia started to send warning letters to Spike, asking him to stop sending her, "these flimsy parchments" as she called them. Spike replied that Terrance was making him, and he was sorry for the inconvenience. After another week of letters, not only was Terrance starting to get the most of his energy back and walking around a little, Spike started to get the angry responses.
Dearest Spike,
Stop sending them. I am no longer asking as a friend, I am ordering as a Princess of Equestria. To continue sending Terrance's letters is now considered an affront to the crown and will be dealt with as such. You have been warned.
Celestia
But still Terrance did not stop. Every day, an apology letter. After five more days, he was walking on his own power, even running short distances, and though he had not ceased the letters, no action had been taken against him. However, Twilight had been scolded by her teacher for letting him continue, and when she came to him (in tears) and asked him to stop, he told her no. Explaining himself, Twilight gleaned some answers, and with a quiet, "Okay...", she had gone back home.
Finally, after weeks of letters, Terrance was feeling 100% again. He was back at working at the Acres, and the Apples were happy to have him back... so long as he ate his meals outside from now on. Healthy for him or not, the smell of cooked meat unsettled their stomachs.
On one such day of hard work, a parchment 'popped' in front of his face. This was different, usually they went through Spike first, sometimes literally. Putting the bushel of apples down from his shoulder that he had been carrying, he picked up the scroll and opened it.
Inside were only two words that crushed Terrance to his core.
Please stop.
The only other additions to the paper were some spots that were undoubtedly tear stains.
Sighing, Terrance rolled up the letter and stuck it in his back pocket. Turning to Big Mac who was nearby, Terrance gave a nod. Big Mac nodded back, and Terrance took off for the house. Rushing past AJ, she hollered out a "Good Luck!", and Terrance ran all the faster for it. Entering the house, he caught Applebloom's attention. Looking up, she noticed his urgency.
"Did it happen!?"
"Yup."
"Eee! Yay! Tell me what happens when you get back!"
"Sure thing, 'Bloom." Then, after grabbing his bit-pouch and coat (Rarity had made it while he was in the hospital), he rushed back out the door. As he began to run towards town, he was stopped only by the shout of Granny Smith.
"Go get her, sonny~!"
Pausing only to turn around and give her a salute, he yelled back a response. "Yes, Ma'am!"
Continuing his running, Terrance sprinted through town, dodging ponies and market stalls, advancing on his target of the town's train station.
"One ticket to Canterlot, please." Terrance requested, slamming the bits onto the counter. "Here's the money, keep the change."
A hurried exchange later, and Terrance was on a direct train to the capitol of Equestria. He arrived on the station's loading bay to a flurry of "Ah!"'s and "Eek!"'s, probably since none of these locals had ever seen a being like him before. Let alone seeing one sprinting through the crowds and streets towards the castle like a bat out of Tartarus.
"Move, please. Ahm sorry. Watch yer feet!"
So the apologies went down the street, until Terrance made it to the front gates.
"Terrance here to see the Princess."
One of the guards stepped forward and inspected him closely. His scrutinizing eye looked Terrance up and down until they came to rest on his face. After staring into Terrance's eyes for a good thirty seconds, he took a step back.
"Nope. She doesn't want to see you."
Terrance rolled his eyes in an attempt to seem irritated.
"Not Celestia, the other one!"
"Oh! Princess Luna? Well, uh, okay then... I guess. LET HIM THROUGH!" the pony shouted to the other guard at the gate wheel.
The wheel creaked and groaned,opening the gate in agonizing slowness. As soon as Terrance saw enough space to fit, he squeezed himself through the opening and resumed his sprint into the inside of the castle, dodging castle staff and random guards until he made it to the location that was his target from the start.
Celestia's room.
Luckily for him, this had been one of the stops on the tour she had pointed out the last time Terrance had been here. Just before Terrance started pounding on the door, however, he was interrupted.
"She's not in there you know..."
Terrance spun around and nearly fell over from what he saw. Luna had stumbled down the hall, her tired groggy voice calling him from down the hall. She was obviously still tired and was still in her sleep wear; fuzzy shoes, sleeping cap, and a rather cute teddy bear sticking out of her mane. Terrance did his best not to laugh at her demeanor, but when she yawned and nearly fell over, the battle was lost.
"...Huh?..."
Luna rolled her eyes, an act that did not go unnoticed by the bipedal.
"It's still daytime. I'M about to go back to sleep myself. The only reason I'm up now is that you ran right past my bedroom. Your feet are loud..."
"...Oh! Uh, sorry."
Luna rubbed her eyes with a hoof and yawned.
"Aaaawwwhh... Just wait for her... She'll be here around nightfall..." Luna turnedand just like that, trotted down the hall, swaying from side to side as she fought off sleep.
Terrance stared after her for a second or two, before turning back to the door. He contemplated what would be the best option at the moment, then chose the least hazardous one. Taking station at the opposite side of the hallway across the door, Terrance sat... and waited.
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Terrance was starting to doze off by the time night came around, but just he was about to close his eyes, the sound of hooves on tile reached his ears. Looking up at the approaching individual, his eyes met with the one he had come for. Freezing in place, Celestia's eyes were wide as she realized who was sitting in front of her room.
But before Terrance could speak, she disappeared with an audible 'pop'. Before Terrance could utter any kind of expletive, he heard a similar 'pop' inside her bedroom. Getting up and rushing over the door, he gave small knocks on its surface.
"Celestia. Ah know ah just saw you. And ah heard ya go in there. Please, ah just wanna talk to you..."
Silence was all that returned to him. Exasperated, Terrance allowed his forehead to 'thud' against the thick wood of the door. A sigh escaped his lips as he leaned there, upset at himself. Then an idea came to him. Pulling back and putting a hand on the door, he tried his best to project his voice into the sealed room.
"Ahm gonna stay here, Celestia. Right here. Ah ain't movin' from this spot til ya talk to me... See if ah don't... What ah got to say... ah gotta say it to yer face fer it mean anythin'... So please... please talk to me..."
Still, only silence replied to him. Sighing once more, Terrance returned to his spot on the opposite end of the hall. Sitting heavily, he closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
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Terrance stayed there all through the night. He slept quietly, and even the night guards did not remove him for the premise. Luna had ordered them not to. In the morning, Celestia did not leave her room, not even a 'pop' of a teleport came from her quarters. And so Terrance sat, unmoving, and waiting. Servants walked past, some looking at him, some not even caring, some accidentally kicking him, and still he did not move. His stomach growled, he did not heed it. His bladder groaned, he did not squirm. He merely breathed, and sat, and waited. Another night, more sleeping,more waiting.
The next day traveled the same route as the first. Celestia again did not leave her room either, however servants did bring her food, so Terrance knew she was there, and had not flown off. The day was long, and by the end of it, Terrance was quite parched. He still slept however, even it if he did toss and turn. The following day, Terrance's breath was shallow, and his eyes were refusing to stay open. He was hungry, thirsty, and his bathroom needs were getting unbearable. But still he remained, unmoving.
It was about midday when a servant came to Celestia's room, a tray of food in her telekinetic grip. As she approached the door, she noticed Terrance and almost cringed. His hair was scraggly and was now growing out from under his hat, and his facial hair was beginning to get longer too. He gave off a slight smell, and his eye movements were getting erratic. It couldn't be good for him to stay there much longer, ponies needed food and water at least once every two days, and here was, going on three days without either.
The maid, Kindred Spirit, entered the room, and shut the door quickly behind her. Approaching the bed, she laid the tray at the foot of the sheets, bowed, then turned to leave.
"Is he still there?"
The sudden question made the maid stop, and turn back to her Princess. Bowing once more, the maid gave a nod.
"Yes, Ma'am."
If Celestia was shocked, she didn't show it. Instead, she merely bowed her head.
"Miss..."
"Oh! Um, Kindred Spirit, ma'am."
"Miss Spirit, can I ask you to do something for me?"
Kindred nodded quickly. "Of course Your Highness, anything."
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Leaving the room, Kindred ran down the hall and straight to the kitchens, stopping only to get a pitcher of water and a glass, she ran back to where Terrance was now slouching against the wall, barely able to keep himself up. She approached him carefully, slowly bringing the water near his face.
"Um... here..."
Terrance's gaze flicked to her for a second and she froze, frightened by the look he was giving. But the tense feeling soon disappeared as he reached up and stole the pitcher from her magical field, and then proceeded to guzzle the water down in great haste. He froze and coughed harshly, but soon returned to emptying the pitcher of its liquid remains. Finishing the container off, he handed it back to Kindred. She took it, wary of him still.
"...Thank you. Means a lot. No one else even asked..."
Setting the pitcher down, Kindred took a seat where she was, in an attempt to not smell him.
"It... actually wasn't from me... though I was thinking about it..."
Terrance looked up once more, but all he saw was Kindred looking at Celestia's door. Terrance followed her gaze, and suddenly understood. Moving a hand underneath himself to steady his ascent, Terrance began to shakily raise up from the floor. Kindred gave an "oh!", but otherwise did not move. Moving a little sloppily, Terrance managed to make it to the grand oak doors that were Celestia's. Leaning hard against it for support, but trying hard to not make a sound, Terrance leaned in close to the wooden doors. Listening hard, Terrance could hear the breathing of someone on the other side. Smiling, Terrance addressed them.
"Thank you... Celestia..."
A gasp came from the other side, and in a flurry of movement, the doors were swung open, sending Terrance flying onto his ass. There, standing in the hallway, was a very disheveled Celestia. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her hair wasn't even flowing, it merely hung limp along the sides of her neck. Kindred quickly got up and bowed, but Celestia paid her no attention. Her attention was solely on Terrance.
"You idiot! What did you think you were doing!? Killing yourself outside my bedroom! Do you know how worried I've been!? Get inside! Now! You need a bath and food!"
Without even waiting for a response, she pulled him inside with her magic and slammed the door, leaving Kindred bowing. Once inside, Celestia half-dragged half-floated Terrance into the adjoining bathroom and deposited him in the bathtub.
"Get clean! I'll not have you stinking up my room!"
And with this, she shut the door and left Terrance to fix himself up. He merely sat in the porcelain tub for a few seconds, trying to register what just happened, but just shook his head and stripped for a bath.
"Oh! And don't use my-"
Terrance's hand froze on the tub's handle, hot water already rushing out of the faucet. Turning his head, he saw that Celestia had reentered and was now frozen in place. She was simply staring at him, eyes wide on his naked body. Terrance himself began to blush.
"-designer shampoo... So... your kind doesn't have a sheath... that explains the clothes."
"Celestia! Ahm kinda naked here! Privacy!"
Her gazing was cut short as she shook her head fervently, a blush blossoming on her face. Without any further word, she shut the door once more with a slam. Blushing himself from her antics, Terrance drank some of the clean bathwater quickly, before lowering himself into the tub. Enjoying the temperature, he washed himself with proper scrubbing and rubbing... no need to smell or seem unkempt in front of royalty, is there? As he was finishing, a robe appeared on a nearby stool. Another "gift" from Celestia, he guessed. Putting it on, he noticed it actually fit perfectly to his form. As though it was meant for him or something. Shrugging, Terrance left the room, hair still dripping. What he saw almost put a stop to his heart. Celestia was curled up on her bed, wings tucked, head hanging low, with a teary look in her eye. All around her were Terrance's letters, a few of them still untouched, but most of them were unrolled and looking very read through.
"Did you just-"
"I'm sorry!" Celestia cut him off, tears beginning to stream down her face. "I didn't want to read them in case it was you telling me that you wanted to leave! Or die! Or anything that would have meant you were going to be gone! I was scared! I didn't want to lose you, even you had been cruel to me! I care about you too much for that! I'm sorry I threatened Spike and yelled at Twilight! I'm sorry for not responding to you sooner! I'm-"
The rest was cut off as Terrance crossed the room in a few quick strides, and pushed his lips against hers. As the two of them came into contact, Celestia's eyes grew wide, then fluttered closed. Her hooves came up and wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer, and he let her. Terrance was enjoying it. The moment, the kiss, the emotions swirling around in his head, all of it was coming together in a way he had not felt in a long time.
Happy.
Terrance was happy, truly happy... for the first time in years. After a few moments, he pulled back and looked at her. Both of them had tears in their eyes, though now for different reasons than before.
"Celestia... You. Are not. A horse."
Celestia blinked, surprised that he chose those words to say in their little moment.
"Um... thank you?"
"No, no..." Terrance responded, shaking his head. "Ya didn't hear me. You are not ah horse. You are more than that. Back when ah first came here, ah didn't know what to think. Intelligent animals, that what ah thought ya were. But livin' here has taught me a lot, and shown me a lot too. Now that ah know what ah know, ah can't look at ya'll and see critters no more. Ah see a wider view. All of ya opened mah eyes, Celestia. And now, lookin' at ya again through these new eyes o' mine... ah don't see a horse. All ah see now is what ah saw when ah first arrived here, right here. Ah look at you and ah see an angel. A beautiful being, whose very existence brightens up mah day. Celestia, ah don't regret comin' here to Equestria, and ah certainly don't regret meetin' you... Ahm sorry fer mah actions that night... can ya ever forgive me?"
Sparing no words, Celestia merely nodded rapidly and hugged him close. Terrance added his own arms to the hug and the two of them simply sat, holding each other. Then Terrance spoke.
"Celestia... will you be mah angel?"
And Celestia merely uttered the one word that needed to be said.
"...Yes..."