3rd Pov:

Thomas

You know how you sometimes feel like absolute shit after having a full night's sleep? Yeah, that's what Tom felt when he woke up that day. Or, should I say, afternoon, based off of the direction the sunlight was coming into the room. He felt rested, sure, but with how much his body ached it trumped the feeling of restfulness. It was like most of his body was in pain but it had been dulled by a significant degree.

'Fuck my life, what the hell…' Thomas began to think until he got a mental flash of images. The alley. The hooves. The pain. He absentmindedly heard the increase of a heart monitor, paid no attention to the nurses and doctors coming into his room, and was only pulled out of his panic attack when he felt something removed from his throat. He registered that he was in a hospital room, but that only left him with questions as he began to cough, his throat scratchy from the tube that had been down it.

He heard voices, but with his mind as muddled as it was, he didn't register what was being said. Everything for the next few minutes was a blur to him, and before he knew it, he fell back unconscious.

3rd Pov:

Celestia

Time:

Few hours later

Celestia and Cadance sat at the side of Thomas's hospital bed, the tube down his throat replaced by a smaller tube that connected to his nose. However no tubes connected his nostrils to the clear tube. Most of the bandages had been removed, most of the smaller cuts now completely healed. His face was mostly healed, however, he wouldn't escape unscathed. His left eye had become unusable, and no amount of magic was able to heal it.

All was quiet, nothing but the steady beep of the heart monitor interrupted the silence. That was, until Cadence spoke up. "Aunty… how… how do you think… he'll react?" Celestia took a moment, her gaze sweeping over the human up and down. After that moment to think, she spoke.

"If he were a pony, most likely devastated, maybe a little angry. But he isn't, and he has been living in Equestria for little over a year. In that time, the number of times we have personally interacted is non-existent. In fact, this will be the first time we will meet. However, from what I have heard, he will be beyond angry. His kind are not ones to forgive easily. The long standing war that continues to this day with religious zealots of another country attest to that.

"I also feel he may point his anger at me, as I have also been told that he does hold some anger to my choice of placing him in an orphanage after his arrival. And I must admit, I myself feel that it is justified, his anger that is. The loss of his eye will only fuel that inevitable inferno. In the coming days he might even become distant, cold, near reclusive." Celestia sighed, shifting her gaze to her fetlocks.

"It is my fault he is in the state he is in. I should have asked him what it was he desired for his living arrangements instead of making them for him." She heard Cadence move, then felt the wings of her niece wrap around her.

"You did what you thought was best, aunty. Nopony can blame you for that." Celestia gave a derisive snort at that.

"Yes, nopony will." She felt Cadence flinch, making Celestia sigh and return the hug. "I apologize my niece, these last few days have been quite taxing." Celestia felt Cadence nod against her chest.

"It's okay aunty, I understand." Just as Celestia was about to respond, she heard a change in the rhythm of the heart monitor. Looking at Thomas once more, she saw him beginning to stir. But as he began to stir, he suddenly shot up right, his right eye wide as the heart monitor began beeping rapidly.

He twisted his head back and forth, kicking at the thin sheet that covered him. Celestia immediately acted, and grabbed him with her magic, stilling him. However, that only seemed to increase his heart rate on the monitor. Cadence hopped up onto the bed behind Thomas, and wrapped her 4 legs around his front, as well as her wings while she put her head on his right shoulder.

"It's okay Thomas, you're safe now. You're safe." Cadence repeated her words several times, rocking him gently even as nurses and doctors poured into the room as they had received alarms when Thomas's heart rate sharply rose. After several minutes of struggling, Thomas slowly began to calm down. Whether from the adrenaline finally exhausting itself from his muscles, or from the fact that he was being hugged by a very soft Alicorn could be debated.

"Wh-wher-" Thomas barely got out before his barely spoken word became wheezes and coughs. Thinking quickly, Celestia ordered for one of the nurses to bring some water. Said nurse immediately left to get the requested liquid. Barely a minute had passed before the nurse came back with a pitcher of water and a small cup. She poured some into the cup, and gave it to the Princess of the Sun.

Celestia immediately took it and levitated it over to Thomas who drank greedily of the refreshing liquid. After finishing the cup, he let out a light gasp, breathing heavily. "Agh, I hate dry mouth." Thomas said a bit hoarsely. His throat still felt like he had deepthroated sandpaper.

"Yes, as does everypony." Celestia said, making Thomas glance at her. He looked her up and down, before glaring at her.

"Me and you have some shit to talk about later." While Thomas had talked, Celestia refilled the cup and gave it back to Thomas who took it gratefully. "But for now, just keep giving me this amazing ass water." Celestia couldn't help the short giggle that escaped her. She knew of his aptitude for his world's 'curse words' from her time as Golden Feather.

"Uh, you know donkeys have nothing to do with water, right?" Cadence asked, tilting her head in confusion. Thomas let out a sharp laugh, shaking his head.

"Right, donkeys are like you ponies. Keep forgetting that." He looks towards Cadence, a confused but happy smile on his face. "It's nice to see you Cadence, but what are you doing here?"

"She was worried about your well being. And I assume your other friends will be here tomorrow to talk to you as well when they hear you have awakened." Celestia said, sitting down right beside the end of the hospital bed.

"Worried? Wh-" Thomas froze, his face becoming unreadable as an intense look of concentration came over him as his eyes shifted back and forth. The pain. The hooves. The magic blast to his face. Thomas became quiet as fear and rage warred inside him. On one hand, he was terrified he almost died, and that it would be easy for it to happen again, especially now that he was injured. On the other, he wanted to find the ponies that did this to him and return the favor.

"Before you say anything, they've already been dealt with." Tom whipped his head up to look directly at Celestia. "Both the noble in charge of the orphanage, and the ponies that did this to you." Celestia's face was also devoid of emotion, yet Thomas could almost detect revulsion in her mannerisms. She was sickened that ponies had done this. Her ponies. The blank canvas then cracked, showing remorse.

"Thomas, nothing I can do can make up for what has been done, and the decisions I have made that have led to your current circumstances. I can only hope you can forgive me, in time." Before Celestia could put her head down in a bow, Thomas spoke.

"Hey, don't you fucking dare put on those damn eyes. Y'all are fucking adorable enough already. I'm still pissed at you, and I want to continue being pissed at you. So don't you even think about making yourself look weak, damn it." The room was silent as the two looked at each other, Celestia's mask back on, showing nothing. Inside though, her heart cracked. It pained her that Thomas felt this way, but she could understand the reasons why.

"Thomas." Thomas turned to Cadence, her head down, ears folded back, and she was looking up at him. Thomas glared at Cadence for all of two seconds before he sighed, placing a hand on his stomach weakly as he looked away. He felt hungry.

"Damn it all, this is exactly what I'm talking about. What is it, Cadence?" Thomas said, annoyance in his tone before it shifted into a kind one.

"I… I was the one who found you. I found you… nearly lifeless… in a pool of blood." Cadence had tears coming to her eyes now as she choked out her words. "I… I thought, hik, I thought you were-" Her words were cut off as the doctors and nurses began shouting exclamations as Thomas tried to sit on the edge of the bed. Cadence's eyes widened as she moved forwards, pushing him back so he was lying down.

"Thomas, what are you-" Her words were cut off as he struggled to put an arm over her withers. And when he did, tried to pull her into a hug.

"Don't you fucking start crying on me pinks. I don't think I could take seeing you cry even if I was completely healthy." Thomas joked, making Cadence chuckle as she laid her head on his stomach. Thomas winced, but tried to ignore the pain.

"You're too nice Thomas." Cadence replied even as tears welled up in her closed eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I have a bleeding heart. Yada, yada, yada. Just don't tell your boy toy, Shining." Cadence blushed, pulling away as she lightly slapped his shoulder. Thomas chuckled through the wince of pain.

Celestia smiled at their banter. Seeing Thomas act like his caring self was what she liked to see. "Thomas, ew!" Cadence cried out, her muzzle scrunching. Thomas chuckled, but soon began coughing again. Celestia gave him another drink of water. After he finished drinking was when Thomas noticed something was wrong with his vision. He reached up, touching his face where a bandage was still covering his damaged eye.

Immediately his mood fell, and he turned his head to look at one of the pony doctors. Seeming to understand the question he was about to ask, Celestia spoke. "Thomas," the human turned to look at her, "I'm sorry, but… your eye… we couldn't salvage it. The magic… it did too much damage to several vital areas of your eye." Thomas closed his one eye and let his head hit the pillow.

All was silent for several seconds as Thomas processed this info. Then, he spoke with an intense underlying rage. "What happened to them?" The question was spoken like a demand more than anything.

"Thom-" Cadence spoke up, trying to play the peacemaker. However, she was cut off by Thomas repeating his question with greater force.

"What happened to them?" He continued to stare straight ahead, eyes locked on the ceiling. Celestia was silent for several seconds before she turned to the attending staff.

"Give us the room. We have… much to discuss." The doctors and nurses immediately complied with the demand, exiting the room. Cadence moved to sit down but Celestia spoke up once more. "You too Cadence. If you can, please have a nurse bring Thomas some food. He is likely hungry." Cadence was going to protest, but a single look from Celestia told her that there was no room for argument.

Head down, Cadence nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. Celestia got up and moved so she was sitting parallel to the bed, with her front facing Thomas. She then sat down, and looked him in his one good eye. "Tell me what you wish to know." After a second of silence, Tom responded.

"Everything."

Author's Note

Sorry for the wait, I had to do this chapter over a few times cause I wanted it to be a bit balanced. The next one will feature the days of what happened while Thomas was in his mini coma from Celestia's PoV.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and look forward to more. Until then, this is Bronze Inkwell.