Six months is a long time. Especially when you count in the fact that you recently accepted the love of your new life into your heart. Those six months, coupled together with the fact that you married your love, your best friend and his girl (or mare) finally came out of hiding and tied the knot themselves, and when one of your other friends enters what everyone else called a "50 year nap", could be the most tiring you've had in a while.

Such was the way Terrance felt when he fell down onto his bed, the covers fluffing up and over him, covering his body almost completely. Entering the room behind him came the one he loved. An alabaster winged unicorn, or alicorn to be precise, with flowing rainbow hair and a wide smile on her face. Previously being a ranch hand, Terrance had come to terms with his placement in this new reality, and as such had come to enjoy having this wonderful creature as his "special somepony" as they called it here. It wasn't weird to him anymore, having a relationship with an equine-shaped individual. In fact, it made the more... physical aspects of the relationship more interesting.

"Tired, Mister Solare?" asked the mare of his dreams as she entered the room. Terrance smiled and patted the bed next to him. She smiled and entertained him, trotting over and flopping down, draping herself over him.

"Yes ah am, Missus Solare. Ah fergot how exhaustin' weddin's were. Ours wasn't nearly as bad."

Celestia giggled. "That's because ours was held in secret with only our closest friends and family. You know that the presses would have had a field day if they found out that a strange being married their Princess."

Terrance narrowed his eyes and put on a devilish smile. "So ahm a 'strange being', huh? That all ah am to ya?"

Celestia giggled, then leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. They stayed like that for a few moments before pulling apart, smiling at each other.

"Is there anything you wanted, before we spend the day in each other's arms?" she asked, her smile still visible on her face. Terrance looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling, intrigued by the question. Disheartened by the amount of time before his answer, Celestia began to pout.

"Seriously, Terrance? I finally have you in bed again after three weeks and you want me to get up and actually get you something?"

"No, no..." Terrance said, shaking his head. "Ah don't want you to get up at all, ah want you right where ya are. Ah was just thinkin'... Ah kinda want mah own place. Ah mean, ah like the palace and all, very fancy, but it just ain't... me... ya know?"

Celestia nuzzled him and laid her head down on his chest. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. His temperament and lifestyle just didn't match the "cushy-life" of the castle. He was one to go and chop his own firewood, instead he had maids lighting one with magic. He was the kind to make his own dishes, not have them prepared beforehand by castle chefs. The kind to make or take what he needed, not have it handed to him. And Celestia loved him all the more for it. She nodded against him.

"Yes... I understand. What do you say we talk more in the morning? Right now I have an itch you just need to scratch."

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"I must say, I never realized how big the interior of the castle was before. The rest of these are just... cramped in comparison..."

The unique couple had been wandering among the available houses in Ponyville for the past couple hours, with no luck on locating one that would actually fit the human. All the availabilities were crafted to pony standards. Not 6'5" human standards. Terrance was being forced to bend over almost every room they looked at, and by the end of the showings, his back was obviously sore.

Stretching himself out as they left the last house, Terrance managed to pop a couple vertebrae back into face, which resulted in Celestia making a face.

"Ow, sweetie, you know that even hearing that gives me the shivers. No normal pony can do that, and for good reason."

Terrance gave her a look. "You sayin' AJ ain't a normal pony? Ah hear that girl do it more than me!"

Celestia replied with a look of her own. "She's one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, none of them are normal ponies."

"Point taken," Terrance agreed with a nod. They began their way back down the street towards Twilight's house, deciding to drop in for a surprise visit. They always had a giggle when Twilight got all flustered at their sudden arrival, it was cute. As they turned the corner, however, they bumped into a familiar face.

The candy-maned mare blushed slightly and shook her head. "Please, Terrance you know me, just BonBon will do."

Giving her a nod, Terrance focused his attention back on Mac. "What are y'all up to? No work on the farm today?"

"Actually, ah came by tah offer ya sumthin'" came the drawled reply from the crimson stallion.

"Mac, Ah've been all over Sweet Apple Acres. If there was a building, ah'd have asked about it already."

Big Mac shook his head. "Ya never been in the old fields then. Just south of the west fields is the old barn we used to run. When our fields expanded, we ended up havin' to move our house too. That barn's still there, and it's still kickin'. Apple Family craftsponyship ain't nothing to shake a stick at. Ahm sure you could fix it up as a house almost good as new iffin ya put yer back into it."

Terrance gave him a look of surprise, genuinely shocked that there was such a building out there. Turning to his mare, Terrance gave her a smile.

Celestia nuzzled him and gave a small giggle. "Of course, I have all day. Court was cancelled for me."

Returning the nuzzle, Terrance turned to Big Mac and gave him a nod. "Alrighty then, let's go."

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The trip was short, surprisingly enough, as the road to the older fields was just beyond the western ones. The actual plot of land however, did need some work as Mac had warned. The trees nearby looked a little sickly, the walls were old and the paint was peeling. A quick look at the insides showed some small issues here and there, but nothing too serious thankfully. All in all Mac had kept his word that the old building still functioned, and if Terrance did indeed put some work in, the building would be refurbished to its younger state, and would house Terrance just fine.

"Well Mac, Ah must say that this is mighty enticin' fer me. What would yer offer be?"

Mac shook his head and smiled at BonBon. "Nnope. Free. We all agreed. Yer an Apple, Terrance. Whether ya like it or not, we're family now."

Terrance was taken slightly aback at that. Sure he had considered them like family for a while now, but to hear that they had actually accepted him into it, it meant a whole new thing entirely. A warm smile spread across his face as he soaked in this news. Not only was he getting a new house for free, but his blood brother was now his actual brother. The day could only get better if-

Mac smiled at the word 'brother' and gave Terrance a smile and a nod. "Eeyup, sure thing... brother. Jus' lemme go grab a few things and ah'll meet ya back here, with some help."

The two ponies ran off towards the Apple house, and Terrance turned to Celestia.

"Whatcha think?" he asked, looping an arm around her neck. She leaned against him, draping a wing of her own around his shoulders.

They stood together, waiting for Mac and the tools, until Terrance noticed the cans of paint stacked on the side of the shed. He took a second glance at them, and got a crazy idea.

Celestia gave Terrance a startled look. "But we have no brushes... we would get paint all over ourselves!"

Terrance looked back at her with a sly grin. "Maybe ah wanna take a shower with ya later...?"

He jumped a little when she batted with her wing, a fierce blush erupting over her face.

Terrance only sidled in closer. "Maybe ah want em to hear us. Then someone would know how dirty their Princess is..." At his continued advancing, her resolve weakened, until he was breathing on her neck, and her own breaths were shallow and heated.

"Maybe ah wanna take you right here... right now..." At this point she was whimpering, and her face was radiating heat with her blush, eyes fluttering closed as his lips approached her fur...

Until he was caught off guard with a sudden cascade of paint being poured over his head. The culprit was one smug looking Princess, who only grinned at him, eyes twinkling with mischievousness.

Terrance calmly reached up, wiped the coat of paint off his mouth, and muttered three words.

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Applejack had seen a lot of things. Celestia knows the sort of things she's walked in on the Cutie Mark Crusaders trying to pull off, let alone anyone else. But this was a definite first for her. Before her lay Princess Celestia, covered in red paint, and, currently tangled in a sea of limbs, was an equally coated Terrance. Yep, this was a first for her, and she hoped not to see it again.

"No 'but's! Ah can't believe ya'll made a mess with the paint! That's three cans ya wasted! What are ya, foals?" Applejack trudged up and knocked Terrance on the head with a hoof, making him let go of Celestia and grasp his head in pain. Pony hooves hurt when they connect with your skull.

Rubbing his head, Terrance gave her a solemn look. "Ahm sorry, AJ. Should've found a better way tah get dirty with mah mare..."

Looking around at the mess he and Celestia had made, a question formed in Terrance's mind. "Uh, AJ?"

Shaking her head, Applejack calmed Terrance's fears. "Nah. This here paint's enchanted to not dry on skin or hair. Or so Twi' says... Speak of the Devil, here she comes!"

Looking over his shoulder in the direction Applejack was facing, Terrance caught a glimpse of a small multitude of ponies coming their way. In the lead was Rainbow Dash (obviously), and following behind her were all the others: Twilight, Rarity and her sister Sweetie Belle, Pinkie Pie (towing behind her was her party cannon and what looked like a wagon overflowing with red burritos), Fluttershy (who was wearing a large sun hat), BonBon's roommate and best friend Lyra, and pulling up the tail-end was Fix-It, who was giving a piggyback ride to very cheerful Applebloom.

They all crowded around the couple, intrigued to say the least. It wasn't everyday you saw your Princess and her stallion (husband, human, lover, whatever) covered in paint, now was it? And after a few laughs, the two were hosed off (much to Rarity's chagrin, as she expressed the need to bath properly), and Applejack left to go buy some new paint. While waiting for the orange mare, Pinkie thought it best to show off her new invention, a cherry filled and flavored pastry.

"And... what did you call it again?" asked a concerned Twilight, as she eyed the thing in her hoof.

"It's a Chimicherrichangarrito! It's suuuuuper yummy, you guys have to try one!"

Almost as if it was orchestrated by some cruel god, everyone leaned forward at the same time and took bites of their own 'Chimicherrichangarrito'. The effect was instantaneous, as the group spat was in their mouth all over the ground, and began scraping their tongues in an attempt to get the taste off. Pinkie, however, was unfazed by the act and even seemed to smile a little wider.

Pinkie scratched her chin, looking thoughtful as she ticked off the ingredients out loud. "Cherries, tortillas, cherries, sugar, cherries, vanilla, cherries, some honey, and some cherries. Why?"

Pinkie's face broke out in a toothy grin. "Silly! There's no such thing as too sweet!" And with this exclamation, Pinkie proceeded to flip several of the beastly concoctions off the wagon and into her mouth. Chewing for a second, she swallowed and then sighed in what could only be called a state of 'Pinkie Bliss'.

Allowing the rest of the 'Cherry-burritos' to be devoured by the pink menace, the others simply waited for Applejack to return, and upon her arrival they all began to fix up the old barn. Terrance and Mac were the heavy lifters, along with Twilight who was using her magic. The build went steadily, repairing some fixtures, replacing others that were beyond fixing. About halfway through the repairs, Pinkie went missing, only to return with her christened 'Party Cannon'.

"For later," was the only reply they got from her. And still the building continued. Boards got replaced, paint was used, laughs were had, and the old barn was looking better and better.

The group project went well into the night, and the friends lit a campfire out front of the barn for heat and light. Around 9 o'clock at night, they finished... and it was beautiful. All the forward hanging eaves had been ripped out and replaced with fresh posts, all the siding to it had been replaced and painted a lovely shade of red. A new door had been installed, as were new windows, several new walls, fixtures and rails, and to finish it off they added a porch after the backdoor that gave them a great view of the sunset (courtesy of Celestia). The group was exhausted, the house was finished, and everyone felt no small amount of accomplishment.

After a short rest wherein everyone regained their breath, a familiar sound graced their ears.

"Now that we're done, we need to have a 'Finished Terrance's House So Now Let's Shake Our Groovy Hooves Because He Didn't Get One In The First Place' PARTY~!" she shouted, kicking the cannon and forcing it to spew out an arrangement of tables, chairs, punch bowls, food, streamers, and balloons all over the yard.

The party picked up quite quickly, and soon ponies were dancing to music, eating some proper food, and enjoying the punch. Having a sudden idea, Terrance left the party and walked to Applejack's house, taking care to look up and enjoy the night Luna had summoned in her full glory. The stars were bright and easy to pick out, and the moon was a giant pool of light that spread from the ephemeral heavens, lighting his path. Finding AJ's house quickly, he ducked inside, located the cabinet that held his guitar, and left again before he made too much noise and woke up Granny.

As he made his way back to the party, a shadow kept darting back and forth between the trees, following the trail ahead of him. Catching up to it, Terrance recognized the familiar shape of Princess Luna.

"Howdy, Princess. Out fer a stroll are ya?" Luna jumped at his sudden appearance, and shot a glare at him.

"Should've been more aware then... If ah can catch up to ya and jump ya, ya'll need more practice."

Giving a huff, Luna tossed her mane over her shoulder, a small blush decorating her cheeks. Noticing her reddish hue, Terrance gave her a curious look.

Luna gave a quick nod, then a shake, then another nod. Terrance raised an eybrow.

"Wanna come join the party and hear the song ah got fer Celestia?" Luna nodded feverishly.

"Princess Luna!" came Twilight's excited cry, who ran up and hugged the Night Pony. Celestia joined in the hug, happy to see her sister.

Luna shook her head. "No, I cancelled it in lieu of the party that Miss Pie told me about. Also, Terrance mentioned a song for you, sister. And as I missed his last one, I simply could not pass this opportunity up."

"Yeah, Celly. Ah was thinkin' of singin' it fer ya tonight, considerin' that mah house is done and all..."

At the whole groups insistence, Terrance laughed, agreed, and sat down on a stump, tuning his guitar.

Giving the strings a couple strums,he looked out at all his friends who were sitting in a crescent shape around him.

Like kids an' their camp counselor. he giggled to himself. Meeting eyes with Celestia, he gave her a wink. Her face instantly flushed lightly.

"This song also ain't mine, but ah couldn't think of a better one for ya Celestia. For us. Song's called 'Cowboys an' Angels'. Hope ya'll like it."

"There's a want and there's a need
There's a history between
Girls like her and guys like me
Cowboys and angels

I've got boots and she's got wings
I'm hell on wheels and she's heavenly
I'd die for her and she lives for me
Cowboys and angels

At this, Celestia gave him a sad sort of smile, but he merely shook his head and mouthed: 'I love you'

We ride side by side
A cloud of dust, a ray of light
My touch is her temptation, her kiss is my salvation
She's sweet, I'm wild, we're dangerous
Cowboys and angels

Terrance gave a flirtatious wink at Celestia, inciting wolf whistles and a couple laughs. Celestia,on her part, flushed an even deeper hue of crimson.

Not sure why her path crossed mine
Accident or grand design
Aw, maybe God just kind of likes
Cowboys and angels

We ride side by side
A cloud of dust, a ray of light
My touch is her temptation, her kiss is my salvation
She's sweet, I'm wild, we're dangerous
Cowboys and angels

There's a want and there's a need
There's a history between
Girls like you and guys like me
Cowboys and angels
Cowboys and angels"

Leaning forwards, Terrance planted a kiss on her cheek, whispering "I love you."

"I love you too," came her whispered reply. The others cheered for him for another song well done, and sooner than later the party picked back up and the others were all enjoying themselves once more.

Terrance merely sat on his stump, leaning back and taking in the whole scene. Applejack, Big Mac, and Applebloom... three out of the four ponies that had offered him a home when was new to their world. Rainbow Dash, the one pony who had been impressed with him from the start, and had never doubted him. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, the two mares that were capable of cheering him up, no matter his current mood at the time. Twilight, Fix-It, BonBon, and Lyra... Terrance owed them a lot for befriending him when the other ponies still stared at him awkwardly. Luna, his sister-in-law and another of his closest friends. Though she had regarded him with caution when he had first arrived, she had soon warmed up to the human, and the two of them now carried conversations easily, no more oddness between them... usually.

And finally there was Celestia. That mare meant more to him than all the others combined, though he'd never say that out loud. Too heartless. In effect though, to him she was an angel, though she still denied it to that day. She was his guiding light, his savior, his salvation. She gave him companionship when she didn't have to. She gave him permission to stay among her subjects, when she didn't have to. She gave him her heart, when she definitely didn't have to. She had given him so much, and he was going to spend the rest of his life proving that to her. He was her cowboy, and she was his angel.

Chuckling a little to himself, Terrance looked out amongst his friends. His family. His wife.

Cowboys and Angels

by RecklessRush

Settling Down