You awake to a knock on your door.

“Five more minutes…” you mumble, peacefully and temporarily forgetting where you are. You roll over onto your other side and pull the covers up to your shoulders, getting more comfortable.

Hopefully whoever is at the door will go away. You don’t want to deal with people right now. Too tired.

You don’t know why you feel so abnormally tired, or why there is someone outside of your door, especially at this time of night. It’s probably like, 2 in the morning or something like that.

Maybe it’s a murderer or a thief.

That’d be kinda cool, you think, but you doubt it. Why would they knock? It’s awfully courteous of them to knock, of course, and you appreciate it, but it is rather out of character.

You open your eyes.

Oh. Hold up a second… You’re in Equestria. This isn’t your house.

Oopsy.

That explains why your feet are hanging off the bottom of the bed. Mattresses here are a little small.

There is another series of short knocks on the door.

“Monsieur?” a female, accented voice almost whispers from behind your door. It sounds like she’s from France, but France doesn’t exist here. Right?

Do other countries still exist? Maybe, but they have to be occupied by other random creatures and not humans. Otherwise Twi wouldn’t have been so interested in you when you got here.

“Monsieur?” the accented voice calls again. “It is 7 o’clock. May I come in?”

You don’t know what she wants, but you don’t want to be rude. Princess Celestia probably sent her over here, anyway, so of course you decide to let her in.

“Come in,” you call before clearing your throat. Your voice sounds a little strange after that nap.

The door opens and in walks a little pony. Her coat is dark blue with a black mane and tail, and she has massive brown eyes. She also has a white diamond in her fur right between her eyes. It’s not unusual, you think, but it’s worthy of taking note of.

But this is no ordinary pony.

This particular pony is wearing a little maid outfit! Like she’s a maid!

‘Oh my god that is the cutest thing I have ever seen!’ you shout in your head.

Of course, she is a maid. You have seen humans in maid outfits before, but there is something about this little pony being in one that makes you smile.

The outfit is basically all black, covering her body and ending in a skirt down by her tail. She has a small pink bow at the center of her collar, below her chin, and another larger bow on the top of the middle of her body. And to top it off, she even has a little black hat.

“Good evening, monsieur,” she greets with a smile. And her little accent. “It is almost supper time. I was told to wake you.”

“Thank you, miss,” you respond, trying not to smile too much or laugh. Her accent just makes it so much better!

“Princess Celestia would also like to inform you that you will be fitted for some clothing tomorrow morning to replace your old ones. It won’t do to live in the palace wearing a hospital gown everyday.”

You couldn’t agree more. When was the last time you changed out of this thing? Have you ever changed? You can’t remember. You just know that wearing legitimate clothes for the first time in a week sounds awesome.

They’ll be made by ponies, though, and they don’t wear clothes, from what you’ve seen. So they will probably be terrible. But hey, it’s a gift, and one you will gladly accept.

“Thank you, ma’am,” you say, beginning to stretch and slide your way to your wheelchair.

“Do you need any assistance, monsieur?” she asks, probably seeing your discomfort at moving around.

“No,” you respond, not wanting anyone else’s help. You gotta get used to doing this sort of thing on your own, anyway. “No, thank you.”

“If you are sure, monsieur.”

She keeps calling you ‘monsieur.’ You guess it’s just part of her job to address all men like that. God she’s so cute!

You just want to pick her up and hug her and throw her up in the air and squeeze her until she squeeks!

But you don’t. You’re under control.

“Do you need anything else, monsieur?”

You think for a moment. “Actually, yes. I need directions. Where exactly is it that I have to go?”

“The dining hall?”

“Yes. Where is that, exactly?”

What she says next is an obscure blur of ‘lefts’ and ‘rights’ and ‘straight aheads’ and all kinds of directions. There is no possible way you could keep up with her verbal map of the castle. She tells you to make turns when you see certain statues or paintings but you almost immediately forget what particular statues or paintings she is referring to.

It’s not like you’ve lived here long enough to know what pieces of art she’s talking about, anyway, which just makes everything that much more difficult. Maybe one day you will, but even that’s unlikely. There’s no telling how long you’re actually gonna be living here. Hopefully not long.

The sooner you can get home the better.

And there are so many different directions to take in this damn place that one wrong turn could ruin your evening.

“Is that all you require, monsieur?” she asks, finishing with giving you the directions.

You just look at her for a moment. You’ve basically forgotten everything she has said in the past few minutes. But you do remember the first directions, which was ‘Turn right out of this room and go down the hallway.’

That’s all you can remember, and you doubt the Dining Hall is down the hallway from where you are staying.

“Uh, no,” you say, giving up and deciding to wing it. For better or for worse, you will set out on your own. “That is all. Thank you.”

“Would you like a Guard to escort you, monsieur?”

Hell no. Not a damn chance.

You don’t like guards. You don’t like them because they do not like you. Simple as that. Perhaps your relations will improve over the next… however long you are here.

“No, thank you. I can manage on my own, I think.” You hope.

“Do you need me for anything else, monsieur?”

You slide into your wheelchair and get comfortable. You forgot how small this thing was.

“No, ma’am,” you say. “That’s all for me. Thank you.”

She bids you a good evening and takes her leave. It’s a good thing that she left. If she stayed any longer you ran the risk of getting diabetes.

You will probably be seeing her again at some point. How big could this castle be?

It’s time to find out.

You roll out of your room and turn right.

==========

'Well that was fast.’

Yep. It’s official. You’re lost.

That cute little maid pony gave you accented directions and you followed them poorly. And, as a result, you’re lost. Lost beyond hope.

You can’t even remember where your room is, so there is no chance of turning around.

It’s not your fault, though. It can’t be. This castle is humongous. It’s way too big and confusing.

You wonder who designed this massive structure. Perhaps this palace was designed in such a way that if it was infiltrated by an enemy, that they would get lost and starve to death without ever laying eyes on the ruler of this country.

It’s a thought, and the longer you wheel yourself around these long, empty hallways, the more that thought seems to be true.

It must take someone of great experience in this place to navigate it successfully; experience that you clearly do not have, and most likely, never will.

Your stomach grumbles.

‘I’m gonna die in here!’ your brain shouts in desperation. At this point, you’re willing to do anything to survive.

You have only been lost in the halls for about 10 or 15 minutes, but it feels a lot longer than that. Time seems to drag one when you’re hungry. And you’re starving.

You prepare to give up; to just stop where you are, accept your fate, and die.

It’s a shame that you made it so far just to die now. Entering Equestria was rather painful, and you have suffered a great deal of injuries as a result of it; as evidenced by your wheelchair.

Point is, you give up. You’re done. And you’re fine with that.

‘Where is a guard when you actually need one?’

What a grand question that is. In this current state, perhaps you are desperate enough to seek assistance from a guard. You may even give it a try…

If there was a guard to ask help from!

Seriously! Those guys stand around all day, guarding a horse that probably doesn’t even need their help, and when you actually need them, where the hell are they?!

No idea. Could be anywhere. You may even find one if you roll about long enough.

At this point you would ask anyone, or anything, for directions. If you could remember your way back to the garden, you would go ask a squirrel or something for directions.

And the weird thing is that it would probably point you in the way you want to go. You wouldn’t doubt that it would. So much weird shit has happened to you this week that you’re expecting anything.

There is no one in the hallway you are in. There is no one in the hallway you were in. Or the one you were in before that one. So it goes.

No guards. No maids. No… whoever the hell else would be in this giant ass castle.

Surely if this place is so big, there must be more inhabitants than Princess Celestia. Do the guards stay here? And the maids?

Maybe. But even then, this place is still a little too big. You have to be missing something.

There’s time to think of that later. Now, you gotta find a way to the Dining Hall. A room that you have never entered.

Shit. You have been making yourself look bad since you got here, and being late to dinner, a dinner that you were personally invited to by the Princess, herself, is just making everything that much worse.

The amount of disrespect you are probably showing right now is incredibly high. You clearly did not intend to get lost, but bad things happen to good people. And if that saying is true, then you must be a great guy ‘cause bad things haven’t stopped happening to you.

You roll down the end of the hallway and turn right.

Where you find yet another long, abandoned hallway. Great. Have you already been down this hallway?

Probably. Fuck this place.

“Excuse me. Can I help you?” a voice from behind you calls; a voice that you do not recognize. That can be a good or a bad thing.

You turn your chair entirely around to see another horse walking up to you.

This particular horse is pink with a mane and tail of purple, dark pink, and yellow. She has both a horn and wings, making you wonder who she is. Princess Celestia had a horn and wings, and was the only pony until now who you saw with both features. You assume that this pony must be important.

It can also be assumed that she is important because of the crown on her head. Your detective skills are off the charts.

The tips of her wings and purple, which is pretty cool, and her big eyes are purple. She has a mark of a heart on her rump; not that you were looking, of course! It wouldn’t do to look.

Before you can say anything, this pony begins talking about how she has already heard about you. She even knows your name. She speaks to you softly and with a smile, and you decide quickly that you like her.

“Where are my manners?” she says, “I am Princess Cadance.”

You figured she was some important political figure, but another princess?! How many of those do they need in this place?

Hell, they probably need one just to govern over the castle, it’s so damn big.

Not only that, but you remember Princess Celestia telling you that this pony is Shining’s wife.

You give a slight bow, all while remaining seated, of course.

“That is not necessary,” she says, saying you name. “You are a guest here, not a subject. Are you lost?”

Your face warms up in embarrassment. You are lost, but it’s weird telling someone that you got lost in their house and have been wandering around for 15 minutes.

You nod.

And your stomach grumbles again, causing Princess Cadance to giggle.

‘I’m doing an incredible job around royalty, aren’t I?’ you ask yourself, rhetorically.

You blush even harder. If you blush anymore, your head is going to explode.

“Follow me,” she instructs, and you follow along. “Don’t feel bad for being late for supper. Princess Celestia likes setting a time for it, but most of us are too busy to make that deadline. If I had to guess, even she hasn’t arrived yet.”

Well that’s good. If Celestia isn’t there, then she will never have to know that you got lost in her house.

“And there is no need to feel embarrassed about getting lost,” she continues as you roll next to her. “When I first moved in, I got lost more times than I care to admit. It just takes a little getting used to is all.”

She turns her head to smile at you, and you return it.

“How are you feeling?” she asks, glancing down at your body with some concern. “I was told that you were released from Ponyville General only this morning.”

“I am fine, thank you, Princess,” you respond nervously, bowing your head slightly. “I’ve, uh… I’ve had a long day, to say the least.”

The pink mare giggles beside you. She turns a corner and you follow, rolling a little faster in order to keep up with her.

Cadance glances at you.

“I can only imagine. This must be quite the culture shock, seeing as you do not come from a land where creatures like myself cannot speak.”

“Yes,” you breathe, chuckling a little. “It has taken a while to get used to.”

“It still does not appear that you have entirely gotten used to being here,” she observes, looking at you before looking ahead of her agian. She smiles. “I heard you tried to escape Ponyville General early yesterday morning.”

Your face is abnormally warm. You would have preferred if no one ever found out about that little incident other than those directly involved. Oh well.

“Who told you that, Princess?” you ask timidly.

“Oh, I believe it was Twilight, who told Celestia, who told me,” she explains. “Word gets around in this city, especially when you run it.”

You imagine so. Any information relevant to you is probably important for the Princesses to know.

Cadance glances at you.

“So,” she begins again. “You have met my husband?”

Husband? You didn’t know she was married. You just met her 3 minutes ago. And she’s not wearing a ring or anything. So - oh! Duh!

“Yes,” you nod, now remembering the obvious. “I met Shining earlier today. He is very friendly.”

“Yes,” she giggles. “He is. “

“It surprises me how kind he is, though, considering he is Captain of the Royal Guard.” No offense to him, but you would have expected someone in that position to be more… aggressive, you suppose is the word.

“He is always sure to keep work and his personal life separate.” She glances at you. “The Guards here are not something you need to worry about.”

You look at her, wondering how she could have known you didn’t like them. Can she read your thoughts? Or are you just that obvious?

“Princess Celestia informed me,” she explains. “You seemed a little nervous around them earlier, according to her.”

“I was.” And you still are.

“Well, believe me, they will not even think of touching you. They know the consequences if they do.”

Cadance glances at you again.

What does she want? She has looked over at you multiple times on this little journey of yours. Of course, that shouldn’t be a problem.

But she’s looking at you funny and too often to be normal. Kind of like she’s studying you or something. And just now, when she glanced at you, her horn was glowing, but you didn’t see her using magic on anything.

It’s strange, you think, but you don’t know enough about unicorns or whatever she classifies as to make any judgments. It could just be nothing. Maybe every once in a while their horns just glow?

You wouldn’t know, and it’s not your place to ask. It’s best just to let that be.

You finally enter the Dining Room, which is way bigger than you originally thought.

The room itself is massive, as everything in this castle seems to be, and the roof is very high. You like it. It’s very spacious. Maybe a little too spacious, but it looks really nice, and appearances matter here, especially.

It is a castle, after all.

At the far end of the room is an incredibly long table which could easily seat dozens of ponies and then some. It’s big.

Despite it’s size, it is not very full. There are a few ponies sitting and chatting on one side of the table, and a few on the other side. The only ponies you recognize are Princess Celestia who is sitting next to Shining. Both of whom are talking to some old, bearded pony.

The stallion they are speaking to looks rather… aged. He has a long grey beard that almost touches his hooves. His mane and tail are grey, as well, and his coat is a faded blue. His cutie mark seems to be some kind of scroll or something. You can’t really see it from where you are now.

You don’t recognize a single pony at the other end of the table, but you’ve only been here for a few hours. You pay them no mind for now, and simply follow Princess Cadance as she leads you along.

“Good evening, aunt Celestia,” Cadance greets with a small bow.

Celestia turns her attention from the old pony to the pink princess. “My dear Cadance, how lovely to see you! I’m glad you could join us this evening.”

“Of course, Princess.”

Celestia greets you enthusiastically as well, glad to see that you are rested and are joining her for dinner.

“Thank you for having me, Princess,” you say with a small bow. “It’s very kind of you.”

“Oh, nonsense,” she responds. “You will be staying in the castle for quite some time. You are invited to all meals, my dear.”

Wow.

That’s very nice of her. You thought you were just gonna eat dinner with her one time and that would be that. Maybe you would see each other again in a few days or something while she had some ponies “study” you.

Apparently not, though.

You rejoice at the idea of getting to eat with royalty three times a day, every day, but it scares you a little too. Your table manners probably aren’t up to their standards, but you suppose you’ll just have to try your best.

“Unfortunately,” the white Princess continues, “not all of us are able to attend every meal, depending on our work. Just know that the kitchen is open 24 hours a day, so if you are ever hungry, don’t be shy.”

That’s very generous of her. You would love to take up that offer, but that means that you will have to know where this room is in the future. You best get yourself a map.

“This is actually the first time all of us have been able to share a meal together in over a week.”

Really? That long? They must get pretty busy here.

Celestia says your name, getting your attention. She gestures to the blue stallion next to her. “I would like you to meet Mr. Kiusa.”

The old pony gives a small bow to you, which you return after a moment.

Celestia continues. “He is my political advisor, and is almost always around me. Seeing that the two of us will be spending a great deal of time together in the foreseeable future, you will also be spending time with Mr. Kiusa.”

You’re spending time with Celestia?

A lot of time apparently.

And this old pony, too, by the looks of it.

Right now, you don’t know how to feel about that, so you simply smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” you say politely.

Before he can respond, you hear an incredibly loud intake of air from behind you.

Startled, you quickly turn your chair around to see Cadance, face flushed, with a pink hoof over her mouth. Her eyes are wide and are moving quickly between you and Celestia.

“Sorry,” she squeaks.

You look at her curiously for a second before turning back around… only to see Mr. Kiusa slowly hobbling his way to the exit of the room, without so much as a “goodbye”. Or a “hello,” actually.

Maybe he doesn’t like you.

You wouldn’t doubt it. Most ponies here don’t seem to like you, aside from Princess Celestia and very few others.

But that can’t be it. He only just met you! You will get to know each other in the near future.

“No!” Cadance shouts a moment later, causing you to turn your head around again. “No, I take it back. Apology revoked. I’m not sorry. Shining, dear!” she exclaims, moving towards her husband who has been silently observing everything from beside Celestia.

“Yes- hey!” he shouts as Cadance begins forcibly pushing him out of seat and down to the other end of the table. Shining looks like he wants to say something, but doesn’t argue with his wife.

You couldn’t be more confused if you tried. What is she doing?

After pushing her husband all the way down to the far end of the table, she quickly bounces back over. Literally, she hops like a rabbit back to where you are.

With an uncomfortably large smile, she gestures with a hoof to the spot in which Shining was recently seated.

“Please!” she exclaims. “Sit here!”

You clear your throat uneasily. “But, uh, isn’t that Shining’s seat?” You don’t want to take the guy’s spot.

“Not anymore!”

You glance down to the end of the table to see Shining getting settled in with the ponies who are already down there. “O-Okay,” you respond. If she insists, you suppose you will sit there.

You don’t know why she seems so eager about it all of a sudden, but some questions are best left unasked. If a Princess tells you to sit somewhere, you best do it.

You enjoy having a head, and intend on keeping it.

It’s not like you can easily get out of your wheelchair, so you simply park it where Shining was just sitting. You could get out if you wanted, but hospital gowns are open in the back, and it probably isn’t okay to show the Princess your backside.

Celestia, as you just realized, does not have a chair at the table. It looks like she is sitting on some sofa cushion. You imagine finding a chair her size would be difficult. But she is a large horse, so she can still see over the table very well.

In fact, there are no chairs at the table at all. That could be a problem for when you eventually get out of the wheelchair for good. You sitting on one of those cushions would impair your ability to eat, considering you wouldn’t be able to see over the table at all.

Cadance takes her seat across from you and next to Celestia, her uncomfortable large smile still on her face. Her teeth are very white.

Her ears are perked up and she is fidgeting around like she’s on a sugar rush. Why is she so excited?

You exchange a glance with Celestia, and judging by the way she looks, she is equally as confused as you are.

You take a brief moment to look at the other end of the table and fully observe what is happening over there.

On the other end of the incredibly long table, sits a large, dark horse with wings and a horn. Her hair flows in a gently yet nonexistent breeze, much like Celestia’s. She’s a princess, no doubt.

How many Princesses does this country need?

And why is her hair all wavy but not Cadance’s?

You always ask the important questions.

The dark horse has blue eyes and a blue mane, which looks like it has stars in it. It’s a beautiful sight.

Next to her sits a smaller, white stallion. He has blond hair, blue eyes, and a blinding white coat.

You don’t know either of them. Surely, you will very soon.

Princess Cadance says your name, startling you but getting your attention.

“Princess Celestia was just wondering how you are liking it here so far,” Cadance says, still with that smile. Celestia glances at Cadance for a second before looking back at you.

“Sorry,” you stutter. “I am liking it here, Princess. Thank you. You have been very kind to me.”

“You may speak honestly, my dear,” Princess Celestia says gently. “There is no need to constantly thank me. I am sure of your gratitude.” She smiles at you for a moment. “But surely all of this must be quite a bit to take in.”

You take a deep breath. “It is, Princess. I-I’m just not used to this at all. I’m not sure what’s stranger: living with a bunch of talking ponies, or living with royalty.”

Princess Celestia giggles. It is a very cute sound, you think. It is certainly one you wouldn’t mind hearing again.

It is also an interesting sight: seeing the ruler of this country giggling. You like it.

“It must be a lot to get used to,” Celestia says, “especially in such a short period of time. How are you liking the castle?”

“It’s very nice, Princess,” you say, cheeks flushing. “It’s a little… big, though.”

“Yes, it does appear that way to most newcomers. It does take some time for most to learn their way around the halls and stairs and gardens.”

Cadance gasps, getting both of your attentions. “Princess!” she exclaims, rather loudly and excitedly. “After supper, you could show him around some more! Who better to give a tour of the castle than you?”

You cut in. “I don’t want to impose,” you say nervously, not wanting to take the Princess away from important business. “I’m sure you’re very busy, Princess.”

“That is a wonderful idea, Cadance,” Celestia says, turning to you with a soft smile. “I would love to show you the rest of the castle. We can pick up from where we left off earlier.”

Well… if she wants to, you guess.

“That sounds great, Princess,” you respond, smiling back at her.

“Splendid!” Cadance shouts again. “After supper, you two can go around the castle together! Alone, of course. I’d love to tag along but I’m afraid I’m far too busy! Yep! Busy, busy, busy!”

She says all of this with a giant smile, like she is happy to be busy this evening. You’re happy for her, too, you think.

“Have you shown him the gardens yet, Aunt Celestia?” Cadance asks, still practically shaking with enthusiasm. “It is lovely out there this time of night. Especially with the stars out. I am sure Luna has done a wonderful job, as usual.”

She seems incredibly impatient for some reason. You suppose you’re happy that Cadance is eager for you to finally learn your way around the halls of the castle. At least that way you won’t get lost anymore.

“Yes, dear,” Celestia says, “I have shown him the gardens, but we can stroll through them again. You are right. Luna does a wonderful job with the night sky.”

Who the hell is Luna? And what is she doing to the sky?

Before you can ask any questions, food is placed directly in front of you.

‘Food!’

You haven’t eaten in days! Not real food, at least. That crap at the hospital does not count as food. You don’t know what it is.

It does not surprise you that a place such as this has ponies that serve you food. You’ve seen Downton Abbey. That place had servants, and this place does too.

You dig in.

It is just an unreasonably large salad. There is nothing special about it in the slightest, but because you haven’t eaten anything like it in quite some time, you’re in heaven.

The dressing is really good. A salad without dressing is nasty. Who would ever eat leaves if they tasted like leaves? Not you. Dressing is important. Salad will do until the main course comes out.

You eat and talk, trying your hardest not to look like a barbarian in front of all these ponies. That certainly won’t do.

Cadance seems to be guiding most of yours and Celestia’s discussions. She will say something, and then she will just let you and Celestia talk. It’s strange.

In your peripheral vision, you see Cadance’s eyes frequently on you. It’s like she’s staring at you, but you don’t look back up at her. If the ruler of this country wants to stare at you, you’ll just have to let her.

It’s kind of scary, actually, having one of the rulers of this country stare at you. It makes you pretty uncomfortable, which you already are considering where you are and what you are sitting on.

You don’t mind if she stares at you. It’s just weird.

Your etiquette is poor, you realize fairly quickly. Celestia eats a leaf at a time with an incredibly tiny fork before wiping her mouth with her napkin after every bite.

Meanwhile, your face is practically in the salad. God knows how much dressing is on your face.

But who can blame you? You’re starving. You haven’t eaten real food in quite a while. You’re injured.

Thus, you eat like a caveman in a hospital gown.

You see Celestia smiling at you, looking amused. Your cheeks flush as you hope you’re not embarrassing yourself more than usual.

Upon seeing Celestia’s expression, Cadance’s smile somehow gets even bigger. It’s terrifying.

You look over at the other end of the table again, trying to see what has been happening over there.

Shining is sitting, talking with the larger, dark pony. You don’t know who she is yet, but she looks serious.

She looks like that teacher in school that no one messed around with for fear of getting yelled at.

She does appear pretty intimidating.

Neither Shining or the large pony is paying any sort of attention to you.

But the blond pony is. He is looking right at you; kind of like the way those guards were looking at you earlier. It’s like he is looking down on you.

And he probably is.

He’s probably that dark pony’s husband or something. He may even be Celestia’s husband, for all you know. That would make him a prince.

So, for some commoner, such as yourself, to come in here and act as you are probably pisses him off.

If he is Celestia’s husband, it probably pisses him off even more that you have been speaking with his wife and will be continuing to do so.

Well shit. You can’t help that.

You sit up as straight as possible as you try not to look and act like a troll. You hear Cadance and Celestia talk next to you, but you pay them no mind.

That blond dude is still looking at you weird.

What are you doing? Are you doing something wrong?...

Who the hell knows. Well, not you, obviously. Maybe he is just naturally unkind to foreigners? Xenophobia.

As you look at him, Celestia leans in next to you, the sound of her voice startling you a bit.

“The stallion with the blond mane is Prince Blueblood,” she says quietly to you. “He is my nephew.”

Well alright then.

“And the mare directly across from me is my sister, Princess Luna.”

For the first time, Luna looks up at you, and your eyes connect. There is a sudden pain in your chest for some reason.

She seems to be looking at you in the same way Blueblood was.

Great. Two members of the Royal Family that already hate you. And you literally just found out their names!

The ponies on the other end of the table stand and begin to disperse.

Was that the end of the meal?

Oh…

Obviously! Horses don’t eat meat, thus, you don’t eat meat.

Shit.

“Are you ready to go?” Celestia asks, standing.

You suppose you are.

The both of you begin to walk and roll, side by side, out of the Dining Hall and to who knows where.

“Bye, you two!” Cadance calls. “Have fun!”

==========

Your eyes slowly open to familiar surroundings.

You pick up your head and look around the room before dropping back down onto the pillow.

No matter where you look, the angel is no where to be seen. Where did she go? Was that only a dream?

Probs. Who knows what kind of drugs these pony doctors got you on right now. Strangely enough, though, when you are sober you see unicorns and shit. Only when you’re high do you actually stop seeing all the talking horses.

Was that dream an omen? You remember it rather clearly. Why would an angel have been sitting in your room? There was something familiar about her, but she did not speak.

If only.

Oh well.

Your vision is still impaired. It is difficult to see clearly for whatever reason. Hopefully someone will explain why soon.

The dizziness and grogginess you experienced before seems to have gone away a bit. It is still there, but it’s manageable.

But you still can’t see.

Everything else seems normal enough. Your body is aching, as it should; your heart monitor is beeping, as it does. Yep. You’re in a hospital.

Just then, the door to your room opens.

“Good!” says a brown unicorn with a white lab coat upon walking in. He’s a doctor, presumably. “You’re awake again.”

“Again?” you ask.

That is the first thing you have said out loud, that you know of, in like three days. Your voice is as scratchy as a broken record and your throat is dry.

“Indeed,” the doctor says, closing the door behind him and approaching your bed. “You awoke earlier but did not acknowledge my presence.” He pulls out your file and begins looking it over.

“Is that bad?” you ask, a little concerned.

“Hmm? No, no, it’s perfectly normal for someone in your situation.” He walks over to the chair beside your bed and takes a seat. “You were quite out of it, these past couple days.”

You imagine so.

“How are you feeling now that you are awake?”

“Tired,” you reply simply. Obviously you’re tired. God knows what you have been through these past few days. You can hardly remember any of it.

“That is to be expected.” He turns through some pages and scans them over. “You were shot… three times.”

‘No shit, Sherlock, I was there.’ You want to say that, but that would be rude. And your throat is too dry.

You felt the arrows when they hit you. You still feel them, even though they aren’t there anymore. You tell the doctor as much.

“That is normal, as well,” he explains. “I can’t tell you when that feeling will pass. It varies from pony to pony.”

“Great.”

“You have a deep cut below your eye, which we have bandaged.”

“I do?”

The doctor nods. “Your eye, itself, was also cut, so it is a little red.”

With your good hand, you reach up to your face and feel the bandage that covers one of your eyes. Sure enough, there is a bandage there, and you gently glide your fingers across it, part of you still not believing that is really there.

At least that explains your vision problems, but with that discovery also comes a great deal of questions that do not hesitate to flood into your mind.

“Not to worry,” the doctor says, probably seeing the look on your face. “Your eye will be fine. It just needs to heal on its’ own.”

“G-Good,” you stutter, putting your hand down.

“You have multiple bruises and cuts, some of which will scar, all over your body. No serious injuries other than what you already are aware of.”

Well that’s good news.

“Are you feeling any nausea?” he asks.

“No.”

“Any unusual pain?”

“Nothing that I can’t already explain.”

He chuckles. “Let me or a nurse know if you feel any extreme pain anywhere. We have you on a lot of painkillers right now, so you should feel fine, but if there is pain, let us know.”

“I will.”

“Good.” He rises, closes your papers, and begins to leave.

“That’s it?” you ask, expecting there to have been more of an evaluation on your injuries. “Is that all of the questions?”

“For now,” he says, opening the door. “Somepony will be with you shortly.” He closes the door and you are alone.

‘Wait, what? What does he mean ‘somepony will be with you shortly’? He’s the damn doctor! He’s supposed to be the one that is with me!’

Whatever. Damn doctors.

He did a wonderful job at being as vague as possible before walking out. How much does that guy make? More than a soldier, that’s for sure, but he doesn’t even seem to be working.

Whatever.

You are alone again. You’re getting used to that.

Seeing as you have the time and the ability, you decide to examine yourself to see the extent of your injuries. Hopefully it is nothing too bad.

You haven’t seen all of your injuries at all since you received them. What a wonderful occasion.

Your right arm cannot be moved, not at all. It’s just not happening. That is due to the fact that an arrow went through your right armpit. Your right arm currently rests in a sling over your chest to take pressure off of your shoulder.

For a moment, you worry about your eye, but that worry is short lived. Nothing bad happened to it. You don’t remember anything even happening to it. When you were shot, both of your eyes were working just fine. You remember using both eyes throughout the battle.

Even after you were shot you do not remember having any vision problems.

What happened to it?

Question for later.

With your good hand, you lift up the blanket. As expected, you see the bandaged form of yourself. Some cuts have not been dealt with, as they are small and don’t hurt anyway. You don’t have that many cuts, though, and the ones you do have are primarily on your legs.

A bandage has been wrapped around your stomach. You were shot there. Another bandage covers your left thigh, as you were shot there as well.

You put the blanket back down and relax. It is probably best for your sanity to not observe your injuries. It can wait anyway. It’ll be best to go over that stuff with a doctor.

You think.

You wonder if that offer Sherman made you is still available. He said you could stay with him considering you and Celestia… you know.

The expression, ‘You don’t know what you have until it’s gone’ pops into your mind. But you cannot say you entirely agree with it.

You knew exactly what you had; you just never thought you would lose it...

Oh well. It’s over. Best get your shit together real quick. Life can be hard on a disabled veteran.

You remember talking to Sherman just a few days ago; he said you could move in. And you accepted.

You hope he’s alright. You hope all of your friends are okay.

They are all fighting bravely for their country, and you are lying in a warm bed, miles away from them. You were their leader. You were supposed to be there.

But you’re not. You feel so useless.

The door to your room opens. You look up and see-

“P-Princess?!” you gasp, sitting up as much as your injuries allow, seeing none other than the great Princess Celestia standing in the doorway.

The breath in your lungs escapes you as the sun goddess stands before you. Your heart beats faster and you try to think of something to say, but you can’t think of anything.

Your mind is entirely blank. Who would’ve thought you would be visited by the sun goddess, or the ruler of Equestria, or your ex-marefriend while you were still lying here?

Not you, that’s for sure.

Should you move?

You couldn’t move even if you tried, so no.

‘Say something! Anything!’ your mind screams unsurely, not knowing what should be said right now.

Your mouth moves but no words come out. Your eyes are watering already.

“Princess…” you whisper, not even having the energy to speak at regular volume or say her name.

‘Gah! What can I say?!’

Maybe you would be able to say something if you actually ever expected to see her again.

You certainly did not expect to see her again, though. Like, ever. She didn’t seem to ever want to see you again last time you spoke.

What are you supposed to think?

You’re angry that she threw you away, like you were some expendable object that she could use for her amusement and throw away when she got tired of it.

You’re angry that she did not write to you, but you didn’t write to her either.

You’re sad that you have not seen her in so long, and now feel delighted to see her again.

There is no one emotion to settle upon, so you just sit there and stare, your mouth slightly agape.

Your head starts hurting due to these conflicting thoughts and feelings rushing through you.

She looks as beautiful as she always has as she begins walking into your room. You have missed looking at her a great deal. The real her. Not that picture you have.

Why is she here? What does she want from you? Does it look like you have anything left to give her?

What is she thinking? Is she angry at you? Will she renounce your citizenship?

Where will you go? You like it here.

‘No,’ you think. ‘She would never do that.’

She slowly approaches you, walking up to the side of your bed. Her purple eyes stay connected with yours and she does not look away. Not once.

You look back at her, feeling all sorts of emotions.

You glance away before looking back. You glance away again before looking back.

She is not smiling, but she is not frowning either. She does not appear to be pleased or angry.

You are very happy to see that she seems alright. You suppose that it is good that she has not been worrying about you. You can only imagine how much stress she has been under recently, and you would have only added to that.

You look like a piece of shit right now, but she looks as perfect as ever.

What does she want?!

She isn’t saying anything. You have to say something.

“Princess,” you choke out, your throat feeling even drier than it just was.

You try to straighten up more, considering she is your superior officer. She’s the ruler of the country, and the most superior officer you have.

There is no one above her, and that is reason enough to be worried considering you are just a lieutenant.

She says your name, making your heart skip a beat, as she puts a hoof on your shoulder, stopping you from trying to sit up more. Her hoof is soft and white. She must have removed her golden horseshoe.

You can’t help but shake as she touches you. You haven’t had any contact with this mare for a long time. And you have missed it.

You simply look at the gentle hoof on you.

You haven’t been this nervous around her since you started dating. She’s probably been in here for 12 seconds, and you are already about to have a heart attack.

Your mind is moving a mile a minute, unsure of what to be thinking or what to say.

Her features soften.

“You’re okay,” she whispers, looking into your eyes. “You’re okay.”

“I-I’m fine, Princess,” you say in return, wanting to calm the mare you love. “I’m alright, now.”

“Everything is going to be fine…”

“I know, Princess.”

“You’re okay.”

Wanting to calm the only pony you’ve ever loved and ever will, you move the hand on your uninjured arm and grab Celestia’s hoof.

You hold the soft appendage loosely but as lovingly as you can manage.

God damn your eyes burn.

Your rub your thumb along her fur. It’s softer and smoother than you remember, and you love it.

You missed it. You really did.

As you stroke her hoof, you look up at her face.

And, for once, you wish she hadn’t.

Tears can be seen, glistening in her eyes. And they are there because of you. You are the reason she is upset.

“Celestia,” you gasp. You know you didn’t address her as ‘Princess,’ but right now, that doesn’t seem to matter.

You have never seen her cry before… but because of what you did, you’re about to.

Tears suddenly spring up into your own eyes, but you hold them back.

Her brilliant purple eyes should never have tears in them. A mare as beautiful and benevolent as Princess Celestia should not have to know sadness. Not anymore.

“Please don’t cry, Celestia,” you beg. “It’s-”

Your pleading is interrupted by her quivering lips connecting with yours. Without a second thought or care, you push back.

Her lips are as soft and gently and giving as you have always known them to be.

She slowly pulls away and you gaze upon her face once again.

The fur under her eyes is matted down and she brings a hoof up to wipe at her face. She levitates a couple of tissues from beside your bed and begins dabbing at her eyes.

“Ahem,” she clears her throat, shakily. “I’m sorry. I must look like a mess right now.”

You extend your arm and touch her chest. Making contact, she stops for a moment to look at your hand before looking at your face.

“You have never looked more beautiful than you do right now,” you say, focused on her watering purple eyes.

She smiles before another tear slides down her face. She looks at the floor and continues to clean herself.

“I really missed you,” she says quietly, looking back up at you again.

She takes a seat next to the bed, her face close to yours. A wing extends from her side and gently drapes itself across your body. She loosely holds it there as you touch the top of it with your hand, and it reminds you of that dream you had.

You kiss the top of her giant, feathery appendage. “I missed you too…” You want to say more, but you don’t know if you should.

You’re not exactly sure where the both of you stand with each other, and if she has different plans, you don’t want to get in the way of them.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, her voice soothing. She must see the conflicting look on your face.

“Celestia…” you begin hesitantly before just deciding to dive into it. “Celestia, I love you.”

You look at her, but she does not have any reaction. You guess that’s a good sign.

“I love you more than anything… Are we… still… together?”

“I…” she glances at the ground. “I want us to be,” she says, saying your name. “But I don’t want you to think that you are obligated to stay with me. If you wish to leave, you-”

That’s enough of that you think, and you quickly place a hand on her moist cheek and connect your lips again.

She returns it wholeheartedly and you can almost feel your heart leap out of your chest in celebration.

The kiss isn’t lustful; it’s not like you and Celestia are going to be doing anything with each for a while. The kiss is simple, but that’s the way it should be.

It feels loving, passionate, and… right.

She breaks the kiss and nuzzles your cheek. You wrap your arm around her neck and hold her against you. The feeling of her short fur rubbing against your skin is incredible. Just one of the many things you have missed.

“How long have you been waiting here?” you quietly ask your princess. You know she must have been outside the room for a bit, but you don’t know how long exactly.

“Since yesterday morning,” she responds calmly.

Your eyes widen and you let go of her. She instinctively moves back so she can look you in the eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“N-Nothing, h-hon,” you stutter. You’ll have to get used to calling her that again. “Just… yesterday morning?”

She nods.

“Why were you out there that long?”

She smiles. “I was waiting for you to wake up.”

“Yeah, but…” you think for a second. “You’ve been here this whole time?”

“Mm-hmm,” she nods. “I can do my royal duties anywhere I please, and Luna can handle anything else while I’m away.”

You guess so.

You smile at your princess. She’s been waiting for you.

“My guards have been here the whole time, too,” she says.

“They’re probably bored to tears,” you think out loud. Not much for them to do in a hospital… But there isn’t really much for them to do in the castle, either.

Celestia giggles. Oh you’ve missed that sound!

“They’ve actually been very busy, believe it or not.”

“I don’t believe it.” When are the Royal Guards busy? Never. That’s when. “What have they been doing?”

“Guarding your room, of course.”

What?

“What?” you ask . “Why are they guarding my room? And why is that such a big job?”

Celestia smiles at you, like the answer is blatantly obvious. “They guard you because you are important to me. They’re busy because there are reporters from dozens of different newspapers just trying to get a picture of you.”

Huh…

“Didn’t know I was so famous,” you ponder. You’re used to a couple of reporters, but dozens? That’s excessive.

“They want a picture of your injuries.”

Hmm…

“I could probably sell a picture of myself to them. They’d be willing to pay a lot for it, too. I’d get rich real quick.”

“Is that so?” Celestia asks.

“Yep! You don’t have enough money for my tastes, babe,” you tease, and Celestia laughs. “Why are the guards protecting me from them?”

“One reason is that so you don’t have a stroke from the constant flashing and questions. The other would be that I don’t want them to have a picture of you, especially not while you’re injured.”

“Why?”

She rolls her eyes. “With everything that’s going on, the last thing I need is them to get a picture of you and make up some story about what they think is happening.”

She’s got that right.

“How have you been, hon?” you ask, stroking her neck. “You all right?”

She smiles. “Much better now… the doctors said you’re on painkillers and you will be fine. How do you feel?”

You kiss her snout. “Never better.” You look into her eyes for a few moments before resuming conversation. “Why did you wait outside? I’m sure you could’ve waited in here.”

She smiles at you. The biggest smile you’ve seen her wear all day. “I was waiting in here for a while, actually.”

“Oh? Why’d you leave?”

“Well…” she begins. “I was in here this morning when you first woke up.”

‘When did I first wake up?’

You have no memory of this.

“You don’t remember?” she asks, and you swear she can read your thoughts. “You don’t recall a particular…” she pecks you on the lips. “Angel?”

Angel?

Then it suddenly dawns on you.

“Oh…” your cheeks flush. “I thought that was a dream…”

She kisses the tip of your nose. “I thought it was cute.”

“I bet you did.”

You stare into each others eyes for a few moments, just for the sake of looking at each other. It’s been a while since you’ve last seen each other.

You feel her breath run over your face. It’s cool and minty, and it always seems to be.

Suddenly the grip of her wing around you gets a little tighter, but not uncomfortably so.

“I love you,” she whispers. “I love you so much.”

You kiss her. “I love you too, sweetheart. I really missed you.”

She rests her head on top of yours before taking a deep breath.

Everything seems all right now. You have been thrown out, almost frozen to death, got cut up, shot, and trampled in just a few weeks time.

But all of that seems all right now. All you ever wanted was to be with this mare again, and you are. You have nothing else to ask for.

You’re alive. You’re being taken care of. You have your Princess beside you.

There are still a lot of things that need to be gone over. You have a mental list of questions that don’t seem appropriate to ask right now.

You still don’t know who that stallion in the newspaper is. You guess Luna was right about that being mindless gossip. As if Celestia doesn’t have enough problems, she’s got the media being douchebags about everything.

There are fewer things you hate than those clowns with their cameras.

You don’t know how the Legion is doing, or more specifically, how your Century is doing. How many men have you lost? Who have you lost?

Did you even win that battle last week? You assume you did, but you don’t know for sure.

The list of questions just goes on and on and on and on and then on some more.

But maybe it will all be okay.

You don’t expect things to go back to the way they once were. But this time around you won’t take what you have for granted. You will cherish every moment you have.

Everything, just at this special moment, seems fine.

==========

Written by - ScatMan2001

Edited by- TheTownCrier

Special thanks to TheTownCrier for being the man.

Author's Notes:

I'm really sorry it took so long. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I haven't written in a very long time so I'm a little rusty.
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I'm never abandoning this story.