HeadBangingBrony - I'm gld that you enjoy my story after taking the risk to read it. I agree, I've run across stories that are all but unintelligible myself. As for the doubled words, that's unfortunately something the word processor on my tablet does from time to time; I fix it whenever I catch it, but unfortunately, I don't always catch them all. I try to balance my descriptiveness as best I can; I don't want to take up half the chapter describing one thing, but I don't want it to be difficult to visualize what I'm describing either. And don't worry, you'll be getting your wish sooner than you might think. ;)

centaurus2 (Ch31) - Heh heh... I did too. I tried to make her spastic and fun without going overboard. As I'm sure you've already guessed, no, Earth is not real (at least not as it was in his dream). I only have the testimony of a friend to go on for what a sponge bath is like, as I've never been injured badly enough to need someone else to bathe me.

centaurus2 (Ch33) - Yeah... this wasn't meant to be a happy mini-arc. Though at the moment, I don't have plans for it to get any darker than that (At least I don't think it'll be that dark)

Kyguy - Nope, you can look forward to reading this story every Tuesday (unless my schedule changes drastically) for the next year, possibly two.

Jason - I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'll do my best to keep up the good work!

Guest - Yup, it wasn't meant to be happy, that'll be coming in the next chapters.

Hybrid Battleship Infinity210 - Lol and I love your enthusiasm!

UnknownHero55 - Yeah... though it could have been worse if I was the type to describe what had happened, but I will never put a graphic rape scene in this or any other story.

DragonLovingBrony - It's all good, like I said, I knew what you meant. I actually did originally want this arc to be a chapter or two longer, but I know a lot of my readers are wanting me to move on to other things, so I shortened it up a bit.

A/N - Howdy everypony! Blazing Sun here with another installment of A second Chance! As always, I'm really glad you're all enjoying my story as much as you are; I never would've dreamed it'd be as popular as it is now! Not really much to say here, but I encourage you all to check out DragonLord RyuKizoku's MLP fic, as I'm his beta for that story (I come in at Chapter 7), and vote on both UnknownHero55's poll as well as my own. As always, don't forget to follow/favorite, review, and most importantly; enjoy!

I began struggling against my casts in an attempt to leave this white-walled prison, not wanting to spend another second in the place. What I had been forced to witness had torn into my very soul and my mind was rebelling against the thought of being helpless once again. I was only vaguely aware of Luna standing next to me, whispering things I couldn't hear in an attempt to calm me.

The static suddenly returned to my head, though it was different somehow; and after a few moments, I strangely felt better. I became aware of Twilight, back in her pony form, curled up in a corner and crying softly as Applejack tried to soothe her as well. I looked back to Luna just as her horn stopped glowing. "Wh-what did you do?"

She hung her head. "I have suppressed the memories of what you endured in order to escape your mental prison. I take no joy in hiding anything from you, but it is necessary if you wish to remain sane."

I nodded. "I understand Luna, thank you. Though you might want to so the same for Twilight, I don't think I was able to shield her well enough."

She turned and looked at the distraught mare. "I believe you are right. I shall attend to her presently." Luna then trotted over to where Twilight and Applejack were and her horn lit up, as did Twilight's head.

The spell was brief, but it seemed to work, as Twilight almost immediately stopped crying. She sniffled and wiped her nose with a hoof. "Thanks Princess." She said with a soft smile, which Luna returned.

"You are welcome Twilight Sparkle." She yawned. "If you will excuse me, I must rest if I am to be in any shape to raise the moon this night. And do not worry; I have taken the liberty of looking for any more nasty surprises Nightmare Moon's vile magic might have left behind. I am pleased to say that you are free of any further torments."

Applejack helped Twilight up as Luna took her leave, turning back to offer me one last grateful smile as the door closed. Twilight and Applejack both trotted over to me and positioned themselves on either side of the bed. "Ah'm glad ta see everything worked out alright." AJ said with a relieved sigh.

Twilight frowned. "'Alright'? What part of what just happened was 'alright'? We could've lost him to that stupid spell!" Twilight was obviously still agitated over the events of the dream-world.

AJ sighed and stroked my casted arm with a hoof. "Yeah, but we didn't; so as far as Ah'm concerned, everything turned out alright. B'sides, if'n Ah'm guessin' right, y'all got ta see a bit o' Blake's home, am Ah right?"

Twilight's frown faded. "You're right… it could've been so much worse…" She smiled a bit. "And I did get to see a bit of Earth; the things they have there are just amazing! I even got to see one of the 'cars' Blake's told us about in the past, though I wish I'd gotten a chance to study it in detail…"

I cleared my throat. "I'm still here too, remember?" The girls smiled sheepishly, causing me to chuckle at the adorable looks on their faces. "So, since we're all here, who's up for a board game?" Twilight and Applejack trotted over to the table containing all the board games that had been gifted to me and debated with one another about which one to choose.

A moment later, they returned, with Twilight striking a victorious pose as she trotted over while carrying a game in her magic. Applejack wheeled the strange lap-tray over to place the board on while I made a mental note to find out what the thing was actually called.

Twilight opened the box and I caught a glimpse of what we were playing. "'Chutes and Ladders', huh?" I smirked. "Figures a place like this would have a version of that game."

Twilight's eyes brightened as they always did when she was about to learn something new. "You mean you have this game too?" Even while she talked, Twilight never stopped setting up the board with her magic. "Tell us about some of the other board games humans have."

And so the afternoon was spent, with the three of us playing games and joking around; if the other two were like me, they were trying to move past recent events. There was a knock on the door that interrupted a particularly heated bout of Go Fish.

Nurse Snowheart poked her head in. "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are almost over, I'm going to have to ask you to wrap things up and head home for the evening."

Twilight turned to the mare and nodded, and Snowheart replied with a grateful smile and closed the door. "Well, looks like we'll need to be going now. The last train for Ponyville should be leaving soon anyway."

Applejack huffed. "Aww shucks! Ah almost had that one in tha bag too!"

I nodded to the table behind her. "Well, you could always leave the cards as they are over on that table and we could pick up where we left off the next time you come to visit."

Twilight nodded. "That sounds like a good idea to me, though it might be a few days before either of us can visit again, we both have jobs to do back in Ponyville."

I hugged the purple unicorn as she jumped up to embrace me. "I understand Twi, and I'm glad the both of you came to visit." I gestured for AJ to join us with my head, to which she happily complied.

Both mares broke the embrace and jumped down from the bed just as there was a second knock on the door. "Last call for visitors, I'm afraid you'll have to be going now. Don't worry, mister Marshall's in good hooves here; after all, everypony in the hospital knows what he did for Equestria."

"Thank you nurse Snowheart, we were just leaving." Twilight replied as she began walking out of the room next to Applejack. She turned around and smiled at me. "We'll see you soon!" And with that, both mares were gone.

I looked over to the window to see that it was evening, the light from the setting sun filtering in through the half-closed blinds. I ignited my magic and used the levitation spell to undo the latch and open the window. I doubted there were going to be any hummingbirds out this late, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be there in the morning.

I then grabbed one of the spell books Twilight had brought and looked at the title: Early Magic and You: A Guide to Cantrips, Charms, and Other Basic Spells. Hmm. Well, I suppose I have to start somewhere. I read through the first three chapters of the book, which mainly consisted of things Twilight had already taught me, such as different techniques for activating your magic.

The next morning, I was greeted by a pair of Princesses walking into my room behind the doctor I had seen more often than not during my stay here. "Good morning mister Marshall, the princesses would like me to evaluate you for release." He said as he trotted up to me. After a quick diagnostic spell, he nodded. "Everything seems in order; I see no problems with allowing him to be checked out to complete his recovery at the palace." He said, addressing the Princesses.

Celestia nodded to the stallion. "Thank you doctor, that will be all." The doctor bowed and left the room. "Good morning Blake, it's good to see you well. My sister told me what happened yesterday, and I would like to sincerely apologize for your continued suffering."

Luna walked up to me and smiled. "I also informed her of your decision to accept our offer of becoming a knight." Celestia cleared her throat and Luna grinned mischievously as I laughed. "…Eventually. Your knighting ceremony is scheduled to take place three weeks from now, giving you ample time to recover and prepare yourself to assume the mantle of Knight-Defender of Equestria."

"Today however," Celestia interjected. "We are here to see to it that you are released from your care here and moved to the palace to complete that recovery in comfort. We have also commissioned a human-sized wheelchair so that you may move about the palace freely."

"Thank God." I said with a sigh of relief. "I would've gone nuts if I'd have been trapped here much longer. So, does that mean no more hospital food too?"

Both of them giggled into their hooves. "Yes my love, you shall no longer be subjected to the… food, if you wish to call it that, that you have been forced to endure."

"To be fair, I only had to eat that nutrient paste stuff once. Not to mention Snowheart bringing me nice meals once in awhile. So, how're we gonna do this? Are you two just gonna wheel me to the front desk and check me out, or is there something else that needs to happen."

"It's as you say." Celestia answered. "Now that the doctor has cleared you, you may leave whenever you wish, though with our assistance due to your condition."

Luna turned around and brought out a wheelchair that had been hidden behind them. It was just the right size for me, even with my casted hip. Celestia levitated me off of the bed and into the wheelchair. "Go ahead, try it out." She encouraged.

I looked around for some sort of control. "Umm… how do I do that? I've only got one arm, so I can't exactly push the wheels that way."

Luna giggled. "You are correct; however, you have another tool at your disposal with which to manipulate your new mode of transportation."

I looked at her quizzically for a brief moment before Celestia's still-glowing horn caught my eye and it dawned on me. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that!" I called on my own magic and grabbed the metal rings around the wheels with the levitation spell and, with some effort, managed to manipulate the dual points of contact in the correct manner; albeit clumsily and slowly.

Luna smiled and walked up to me. "I am proud of you my love, not many ponies could grasp more advanced uses of the levitation spell so quickly."

I smiled and looked to Celestia. "What can I say? I had a great teacher." Celestia returned my smile.

Luna kissed me on the cheek. "Come, let us not tarry any longer, I wish for my beloved to return to the palace so that we may make merry!"

I blinked several times. "Umm… as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm…" I looked down to my pelvis. "I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet."

Luna followed my gaze and stared with a confused expression before suddenly turning bright pink. "Th-that is not what I meant! I merely meant that we could- MMPH!" I cut her off with a sudden kiss, causing her blush to deepen to almost red.

"I know what you meant my sweet." I said as we broke the kiss, which Luna had been surprisingly enthusiastic about returning. "I was just joking. Man, you and Twilight both, I swear." She punched my good shoulder playfully as I gave her a toothy grin.

Luna turned and swatted my face lightly with her tail, giving me a view I rather enjoyed; though I couldn't tell if it was intentional or not, I wasn't going to complain. "Come sister; let us return to the palace so we may show this knave to his quarters." I couldn't see her face, instead getting a rather nice view of her flank, but I could tell she was smiling the entire time she spoke.

The two sisters made their way through the door and into the hallway, seemingly making sure they didn't outpace me as I got used to using the levitation spell in an awkward new way. We made our way to the front desk in record time, if that record was based on the slowest time, and the receptionist helped me check out.

Outside the hospital was a large carriage with a ramp leading into the back. Standing at the back of the carriage were a pair of earth pony guards wearing harnesses that looked like they were meant to hook to the front of the carriage. "We've had this carriage specially modified so that you may ride in it." Celestia explained from behind me. "It has the ramp which you see here to allow you entry and exit, as well as locking clamps built into the floor to hold you steady in transit."

I looked the carriage over. "Awesome! How did you get one modified so quickly?"

Luna giggled as she walked over to me. "You would be surprised what ponies are willing to do for royalty; besides, you have been in this hospital for nearly two weeks, is it really so unbelievable that our craftsponies could not accomplish this in such a timeframe?"

I shrugged with my good arm. "I suppose that's true. So, what about all the stuff the girls brought that's still in the room?"

Celestia walked up next to me as well. "We've arranged for your belongings to be brought to the palace in a separate carriage. For now though, why don't we head there ourselves? I can only imagine you're hungry for something other than 'nutrient paste', whatever that may be."

Luna grimaced. "It is a vile concoction that had all of the qualities of 'puree o' cardboard' as Blake aptly described it."

Celestia shivered. "That sounds dreadful. Why would you be forced to eat such a thing?"

"Well, allegedly, it's extremely good for malnourished patients like I was. It wasn't that bad after the nurse brought some berries and other things to flavor it up though."

"Well, as long as it aided in your recovery, then I suppose it could be considered a necessary evil. Now, let us be off. Please Blake, guests first."

"And here I thought I was a consort." I said with a smirk as I began working my way up the ramp.

I quickly discovered that trying to use the levitation spell as I would my hands to push and release the wheels was a bad idea with potentially catastrophic results. After a few tries, I managed to figure out how to manipulate it in a circle, providing constant motion which allowed me to traverse the ramp without fear of tipping over backwards.

Once I was in the carriage, Luna walked in next to me and lit her horn. I heard a pair of clicks from either side of the wheelchair which I quickly guessed were the clamps Celestia had told me were to keep me from rolling around. Celestia stepped in next, the guards closing the door behind her. A few moments later, the carriage lurched forward, making its way to the palace.

The ride was made in a comfortable silence; I was enjoying just being out of that room, while I imagined my companions were simply enjoying the reprieve from their duties that the ride offered.

During the ride, I noticed Luna subtly shifting ever closer to me, and since she was on the side with my uninjured arm, I quickly took advantage of this knowledge and rewarded her with gentle caresses to her neck and back. She more quickly closed the distance between us as soon as she felt my hand make contact with her silky, insubstantial mane. She sighed softly as she leaned against me, gently enough that she didn't hurt me, but with enough pressure that her presence was comforting.

I heard Celestia giggle quietly and glanced over just in time to see her head dart off so that she was facing forward. Ignoring her, I continued my ministrations, basking in the companionship of the beautiful mare. We were drawn out of our little reverie by the carriage coasting to a surprisingly gentle halt. "Ah, it would appear we have reached the palace." Celestia said quietly, seemingly to no one in particular.

We disembarked the carriage, the two royal mares going first once they had released the securing clamps from the wheels of my wheelchair; and me shortly after, once I had figured out how to turn around. I grumbled to myself, irritated as to how difficult and awkward this new situation was. The two guards from before were standing a stoic watch to either side of the ramp, looking straight ahead as though they were statues.

Once we were off the carriage and making our way towards the palace gates, the two stallions hooked themselves back to the carriage and towed it off to who-knows-where. Celestia excused herself almost as soon as we were inside, claiming that she had duties to attend to, leaving Luna and I by ourselves.

Luna began walking the halls of the palace, with me in tow. She walked fairly slowly, so much so that I passed her at one point, quickly falling in next to her when I realized what I had done. It was obvious that I could move faster than we were, but it was also obvious that Luna had something on her mind. I continued on beside her in silence, not wanting to disturb her from her thoughts.

Eventually, we came to a door, though I had been focusing on Luna more than where we had been headed, so I didn't know which room this was. I could only assume this was the same room I had stayed in the last few times I'd been to Canterlot.

Luna opened the door and entered, with me following close behind. When she got in the room, she moved to the side of the door and held it open for me. Once I was inside, I heard the door click as it closed behind me. I turned around to see Luna with a strange expression on her face.

She walked slowly towards me with a gait that was undeniably sultry. I could tell that she had removed at least her slippers due to her muffled hoofsteps. "I cannot deny it my love, either to you or myself; even though it was in jest, you were not wrong about my desires." She got right up to me and kissed me with a fiery passion. "I desire you Blake, in a way I have never before in my long life desired another stallion. My body aches for your touch with every passing moment, and I wish so badly to answer that call." She was whispering in my ear in a husky, lust-laden voice that awoke my own desires.

I didn't answer her, instead returning the kiss from a moment before with all the pent up lust and passion within me. Luna didn't shy away from the kiss, instead pushing back into it. As the moment became more heated, she climbed up into the wheelchair, engaging the wheel locks with her magic as she did so. The unearthly beauty now sitting in my lap wrapped her hooves around my neck, doing everything she could to throw more and more passion into her actions.

Our mouths opened up, seemingly of their own accord; and our tongues lashed out, dancing around one another in a fiery battle for dominance. I could feel my body heat rising as our passions increased, and I could tell Luna felt the same.

Things got even more heated for me when I felt my Lunar lover grinding her hips against my own, the cast creating a barrier between us growing ever tighter.

With more than a little regret, I pulled back, ending the kiss. She looked at me with confusion as she panted lightly with a blush kissing her cheeks. "Sorry Luna, things were just getting a little… cramped."

Her look of confusion deepened until she looked down and realized that there was still a hard cast covering a certain part of my body. "Oh my love! I am so, so sorry! I-" I interrupted her with another kiss.

"It's alright Luna; I loved every second of it. I just wish this thrice-damned cast wasn't here so we didn't have to stop." A familiar scent wafted to my nose, making matters worse for me. I smiled despite the discomfort, genuinely happy that Luna felt so strongly for me. "It seems you feel the same way."

Her blush deepened. "I-I have felt this way for some time… though I must admit that I have been hiding it for fear that you might reject my feelings." She looked away. "I know that you have become significantly more comfortable with the thought of courting a different species, but that fear remained. I cannot say how glad I am to know that it was a fear unfounded."

I smiled, but didn't say anything, instead pulling her in for the best hug I could manage. When we pulled back from each other, a thought popped into my head. "Hey Luna?" She 'hmm'ed with a dreamy look on her face. "I know that regular ponies have heat cycles three times a year, but what about Alicorns?"

She almost instantly snapped back to reality. "If you are implying that the display of passion you just participated in was a result of my being in heat, you are mistaken."

"No no no, that's not what I mean at all! I was just wondering because, well…"

Her expression changed from irritation to understanding. "You wish to have a foal." She stated more than asked.

I nodded. "In due time, yes; and I would love for us to have those children together."

Luna smiled, and I could see her eyes shining with the beginnings of tears in the dim light. "I would love nothing more than to bear your foal." She whispered before clearing her throat. "And to answer your question, an Alicorn's heat cycle happens just once a decade, though we are fortunate in that my cycle shall begin a mere eleven months from now."

I let out a low whistle. "Wow… Why so long though?"

She sighed. "I am unsure of the exact physiological nature of it, but I understand that it has something to do with our bodies ensuring that we are capable of bearing children throughout most of our long lives while still only possessing a finite amount resources with which to do so. We cease to be able to conceive around three thousand, five hundred years."

I was silent for a moment. That made sense; like all living beings, female Alicorns had a limited number of eggs, and their bodies did their best to ensure the maximum timespan for bearing children. 'We cease to be able to conceive around three thousand, five hundred years'. For some reason, that thought began swirling around in my head until, moments later, I figured out why.

"Luna, isn't Celestia around thirty-seven hundred?" She nodded her head in slight confusion. "So that means she can't have foals anymore, doesn't it?" Another nod, though realization began to dawn on her face. "So then that comment about her being jealous of something you made awhile back…"

Tears began rolling down her cheeks. "Yes… I implied that she was jealous of me because I still have the ability to bear foals…" She leaned forward and began crying softly into my shoulder. "I truly am a monster…"

I hugged her with my good arm and stroked her neck soothingly. "Shh… Shh… it's ok Luna, you said something in your anger that you didn't mean, that doesn't make you a monster; we all succumb to such things, it's only natural." I pulled her back and looked into her tear-streaked cobalt eyes. "Celestia's your sister; she forgives you for things like that, now you need to forgive yourself."

She sniffed and wiped her nose with a hoof. "Thank you Blake, I am sorry I became so emotional."

I hugged her again. And I'm sorry I brought up such a hurtful topic. Now, how about we do something to enjoy our time together, hmm?"

She 'hmmed' in agreement. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Pardon me Your Highness." A pony in a butler's uniform announced before bowing. "Sir Marshall's belongings have arrived; shall we bring them into the chamber?"

"Yes, of course; thank you." Luna replied as she turned to address the pony.

Once the servant ponies had brought in my belongings and left, Luna rummaged around through it all and came back with a Scrabble board. I may or may not have spent the rest of the afternoon being trounced at said game.