KingChaotixX7 - Glad you're liking my story so far, but unfortunately, I don't do hints/spoilers, so you'll have to wait like the rest of us ;)

Blue Lightning123 - Well, I dunno if I'd go that far... but yeah, he's better than the average human now, and for more than just his magic.

Kyguy - Hehe... nah~

- Glad you enjoy it so much. I'm sorry that I can't post more often, that's just life it seems. I'll tell you all more in my Author's Note.

PBJFanFiction - Nice. I can't say I've ever been to New Zealand. Heck, I've never even been out of the States before.

shadows being - She was being a curious little kitty ;)

xel101 - Read on, and find out what happens to our intrepid hero~

PyraohXBlaze - Well, you can be sure there's more fun and adventure waiting for you in this installment

headreviewer mk2 - Hehe... he might need it. Or he might not, I'll never tell~

RainbowYuriDash - Don't worry; I'm still working on getting my updating schedule back in order. Though Life likes to keep throwing snags in everywhere. More on that in the Author's Note though.

shadow 74 - Yup. It's actually a pretty interesting little flash game, I highly recommend that you give it a look. And I don't think I'm anywhere near perfect.

KyuubiMakai009 - Lol can ya blame her? All her friends are getting laid anymore, but poor Dash is getting left out :( And I have the same problem with both Pinkie and Derpy... all the muffins and cupcakes in my house keep disappearing.

centaurus2 - Ah. I can certainly understand that. and it's good that you've got an editor.

DragonLovingBrony - Lol I dunno, things just kinda happened that way XD

HaloloverA001 - Lol yeah, it's been a bit, hasn't it? Sure, feel free to run them by me if you'd like; I'm always up to help out.

ShadowfireAngel - Le gasp! How could do such a thing to little old moi?! Lol nah, it's fine. ;) Hehe... we'll see just how that goes over, won't we?

tcp25able - Thanks. Here's the next one :D

WTA WWAR3A1 - Yup, and here's that next chapter. I've been told that before, or at least that I could write and publish my own works, though I'd never abandon this to do that.

Harmonia000 - Hehe... Rainbow just wants to feel the love tonight ;)

SquirtlePWN - Hehe... da ponies always be frisky, yo! Just wait til heat season tho...

Anon - Well, now you can find out~

DragonLord RyuKizoku - You will see young Padiwan, in time.

Dragon King Chaos - Hehe... yeah, they do seem well and truly boned, don't they?

- Among other things :D

coldshadow 92 - Same here. And here's more for you

Ponified Bacon Boss - That's the thing with magic; you really can't predict it. And you also have to remember that he isn't used to his new strength yet, so he isn't really compensating for it just yet. Hehe... and besides that, you could say that being a Pegasus makes Dash... as light as a feather XD

welcometodalolz - Lol yes, or who ate all the cake last night (not that there's a big mystery there *turns head slowly to look at Pinkie*)

A/N - Howdy ponies! I hope the wait wasn't too much for you all. Once again, I must apologize for that, but Life just doesn't want to relent. And in fact, I have a bit of news regarding that; as some of you already know through PMs you've sent me, and I've responded to... I suffered a heart attack this past Thursday. It obviously wasn't fatal, but it did have a significant impact on me, and I will likely be spending the next few months recovering. The cause of the attack was a blood clot that had worked its way from elsewhere in my body into one of the arteries that feeds my heart, blocking it off and triggering a heart attack. The doctor has done his exams on me, and doesn't think that I'm at risk for a repeat, so hopefully I'm in the clear... but, I must still face some life-long lifestyle changes, some drastic, in the coming months, and I'm unsure how well I'll cope with these changes. Anyway, that's enough about me, you all came here for a fun story, didn't you? As always, don't forget to follow/favorite, review, and most importantly; enjoy!

Rainbow Dash trembled beneath my sheets as Luna stepped closer. "Why is the Element of Loyalty cowering beneath the sheets of your bed, dear Blake?" She asked, her tone level. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I got the inkling that she wasn't actually upset, but is seemed that Dash didn't know that.

I gave her a knowing wink, and gulped loudly. "I um… well, she was a little curious and…" I could see the mirth in my Lunar lover's eyes; she knew roughly what was happening here, and it seemed that we were going to be playing a prank on poor Rainbow Dash.

Luna returned my wink, and glared down at the sheets. "I see. Loyalty, show thysef!" She commanded to the lump beneath the sheets.

Dash cowered further, and given how convincing Luna was being with her faux anger, I couldn't blame her. Slowly, the normally brash Pegasus poked her head out from the foot of my sheets. "Y-yes, Princess?" She asked in a surprisingly shaky voice.

Luna looked down at her with a rather convincing look of disdain. "Tell me, Loyalty; why art thou beneath the sheets of mine lover's bed?" Her brow furrowed as she spoke, and Dash gulped loudly.

I could practically feel the bed shake as Dash trembled under Luna's gaze. "I… well, ya see…" The poor mare was stumbling over her words like my lovely Derpy might over a few dandelions. "I-I… I just wanted to see it, Princess…" She said finally, sheepishly.

Luna seemed taken aback. "You wish to see my love's proud stallionhood?! What possessed you to believe that that would be a good idea?" I actually wanted to hear this answer myself; Dash had already seen me once before, granted that she was inebriated at the time.

Rainbow Dash gulped again, and grinned. "I um… well, he told me about what that artifact thingy was doing to him, and… I kinda wanted to see if that got changed too." Her face turned bright crimson as she spoke, and she rubbed the back of her head nervously.

Luna stepped up to the bed, a dangerous glint in her eye. "If that is what you truly want…" She practically growled the words. "Then why didn't you just say so?" Her voice turned from menacing to jovial in an instant, and took Dash so off-guard that she tumbled off of the bed and onto the floor.

She shook her head as she sat on the cold, tile floor, and looked up to Luna. "I... wait, what?" The poor mare was clearly confused; our little ruse had worked; she had actually believed that Luna was going to do something terrible to her.

My lovely Lunar marefriend smiled brightly at the Element of Loyalty. "I said; why don't you ask him if you can take a look? He's right here." She gestured to me as she spoke.

I blinked as the spotlight was suddenly shifted to me. "Hey now, I didn't sign up for showing Rainbow Dash my junk in front of you, Luna!" I replied as I held my hands up in an ultimately futile defensive gesture.

Luna giggled, and nuzzled into my neck. "Oh come now, my love; what's the harm in simply allowing her to sate her curiosity?" She looked down to Rainbow Dash, who blushed profusely. "As long as it doesn't go any further than looking." She said in a warning tone.

The normally confident Pegasus gulped, and looked to me. "I-it's really ok?" She asked nervously.

I rolled my eyes, and shifted the bedsheets aside. "Sure thing; if Lulu doesn't mind, then I don't mind. The main reason I hesitated to show you was because I didn't want to seem like I was being unfaithful."

That last statement made Dash pause in shifting my hospital gown, the garment still obstructing her view, and tilt her head. "What does that even mean? You're the stallion of the herd; you get to bring anypony into it you want."

Luna shook her head, and spoke before I could answer myself. "Romantic relationships on Blake's homeworld work very differently from the way they do here, Rainbow Dash. In most parts of it, including where he was raised, a romantic relationship was almost exclusively between one stallion and one mare. To do otherwise would be a breach of trust between the two, and oftentimes even against their laws."

Dash's head remained tilted to the side, and she shook her head. "I don't get it… why would that break their trust? I mean, wouldn't they want each other to be happy with other ponies too? Can't they fall in love with more than one po- err, human, like we can other ponies?"

It was my turn to answer this time. "We can, Dash, but in most human cultures, humans dedicate all of their time to the one they've chosen to be with, and to pursue a romance with another is considered betraying them." I looked to the sheets, and thought for a moment. "Think of it like this; what if Applejack promised not to sell a single mug of cider to anypony else until you had yours, even though she has more than enough for the whole town, you'd trot up to her stall thinking that you were going to be the first pony to have her cider for that day… well, what if you got there, and found out that she had sold the first mug to somepony else instead? That's sort of how human romance works; that relationship is a promise, and to be with another person would be to break that promise."

The blue Pegasus's ears flattened against her head, and she nodded. "Oh, I think I get it now…" She looked back up to me, a hint of steel in her eyes. "But, I still don't think it's right that you should be stuck with just one po- person, when there are so many out there to love, and who would love you back… it just doesn't make sense to me."

Luna rested a hoof on her shoulder, seeming to snap her out of her current state. "Blake is no longer on his homeworld, remember? He's been released from that monogamy, and is free to pursue whomever he chooses. However, with that being said, he is now in a place where things do not work like he expects them to, and he is still adjusting to quite a few drastic, even diametric changes."

This caused Rainbow to look between the two of us several times, and then shrug. "If you say so, Princess. It still sounds really weird to me." She flew up then, and gave me a hug, which was something I hadn't expected. "I'll see ya later, big guy!" She exclaimed happily before bolting out the door, leaving Luna and I alone.

When I turned back to my Lunar lover, the warm smile on my face dropped instantly, and my blood turned to ice; she didn't need to speak for me to know that she had spoken to Celestia already. "What is this about the scourge Nightmare Moon residing within your mind, my love?" The tone of her voice was strange; it was like she was trying to keep her cool, while at the same time seething with anger and pleading with me for it to be a lie, or joke.

I gulped, and took a deep breath. "It's true; when I defeated her, she transferred her essence into my mind." Before Luna could react, I held my hand up to stop her from doing or saying anything. Luckily, she seemed to be willing to listen, if grudgingly. "I know it sounds bad, but she's not the same as she was; she doesn't want to fight anymore. In fact, she wants me to teach her how to be a better pony than what she is now."

Luna regarded me for several long moments, and then turned towards the door. "I do not like this, Blake; she is cunning and powerful. If she were to take control of your body somehow, we might be forced to… to…"

I struggled to my feet, finding myself still weak, but not so much so as I'd expected. "Luna, listen; it won't come to that. I've already proven that I'm stronger than her, and she doesn't want to even risk fighting me anymore. All I'm asking… all we're asking, is that you come into my dream, and speak with her. If you decide she still can't be trusted after that, then we'll go from there."

Luna looked back at me over her shoulder. "I will do this for you, because I love you." Her voice sounded… hollow, as she spoke. "But know this; if she is to remain in your mind… I do not know if we can remain together. I don't know if I could bear seeing that reminder of my darkest hour when I look into your eyes." Before I could protest, she opened the door, and left, leaving me alone once more.

Sleep didn't come easily to me that night, but once it found me, I was quickly transported to the all too familiar deep space dreamscape that so many ponies seemed to favor. I could feel Nightmare Moon's presence within the dreaming realm even before she'd materialized. "Hu- err, Blake… it was not my intent to cause such turmoil in your love life." To the casual listener, the apology sounded forced, but I could tell that she was making an effort to change her behavior, the way she had literally acted since her birth.

"It is too late for that, cur. You have already done considerable damage!" We both jerked our heads in the direction of Luna's harsh voice. "You had better have a very good reason for me not to banish you to Tartarus here and now, wench." Nightmare's ears folded back onto her un-helmeted head at her other half's hate-filled words.

Nightmare Moon looked like she wanted to be angry with Luna, but she quickly suppressed that, and cleared her throat. "I do not know what to tell you, Luna. The strongest argument for my own life that I have… is that I don't want to die." Her stance was regal, and she towered over her other half.

Before Luna could speak again, a white blob appeared next to her, and materialized into Celestia. "Sister, it would seem you forgot to ferry me here in your haste. Luckily, you are not the only one who can dream-trot."

Luna scowled. "I left you behind, sister, because I wished to speak to this… thing for myself before you could distract me with your words of 'wisdom'."

I took a step towards my Lunar lover. "Luna… don't you see what's happening here? You're doing the same thing to Nightmare Moon that you were so terrified that other ponies would do to you after your return; mistaking her for the evil being that she once was. Can't you at least give her a chance and see for yourself if she's capable of change before you pass that kind of damning judgement on her?"

Luna scowled at me, and stepped forward as well. "I do not need to see it, my love! I was Nightmare Moon for over a thousand years; I know what she is and is not capable of being and doing, and becoming a better pony isn't something she is capable of doing."

"Stop it, the both of you." Luna and Celestia's ears both perked up at the voice behind me. I turned to see Nightmare Moon walking slowly up to us. "If this is the kind of turmoil that my presence will cause, then you should send me to Tartarus now, and be rid of me for good."

Luna blinked at the dark mare's words, actually seeming dumbfounded by them for a brief moment. "Surely you cannot be serious. What sort of ploy is this, Moon? Tell me now, or I will find a worse fate for you than Tartarus."

Nightmare Moon, to her credit, stood her ground. "There is no ploy. If you were to expel me now, I would have nowhere to go, no backup plan, no spell ready to stop this. If you send me to Tartarus, then that is where I will go."

Luna studied her darker half for a long moment. And then turned to me. "I do not like this, Blake; not one bit. If you choose to bear her in your mind, then I won't stop you." Tears welled in her beautiful, cobalt eyes. "But… I don't know how I will manage to look at you, knowing that this, my greatest failure, remains within your mind."

Before I could say a word, Luna vanished, leaving just myself, Celestia and Nightmare Moon within my dreamscape. "Well… that went better than I expected…" I remarked ruefully.

To my surprise, it was Nightmare Mon's hoof that rested on my shoulder. "I am sorry for this; I expected her to react poorly, but that was beyond what even I expected." She sighed, and turned her attention to Celestia. "Perhaps it would be better for all involved if you were to send me to Tartarus, that I may pay for my crimes, and haunt you all no longer." The shift in her behavior was stark, and I couldn't help but wonder if there was something more happening here than we were aware of.

Celestia shook her head. "No. I will speak with my sister. You have convinced me, for now, of your sincerity, and I would not send you to Tartarus when you wish to repent for your sins."

I watched the exchange between the two, and shook my head. "I don't think she'll be so eager to listen right now, Tia; if you were to bring my father here right now, and tell me that he was completely different from the monster I knew my entire life, I highly doubt I'd believe a word you said about him being a changed man."

Celestia gave me an understanding look, but I felt Moon tense next to me. "I don't think 'monster' is harsh enough a word to describe what that… thing was to you, Blake." She let out a soft sigh, and shook her own head. "Though the mention of him has brought up a good point; knowing how you feel about… the one who raised you, gives me something of an understanding of how Luna feels about me. And I agree with you; I do not think she will listen to anything anypony has to say."

Celestia's ears suddenly perked up. "I believe I may have a solution. You two wait here, I will return shortly." She was gone before either of us had a chance to speak up.

I watched the spot where she had been a moment before, and sighed. "You know, magic really irritates me sometimes; I mean, how could ponies just disappear before you can say anything without it?"

The darker half of Luna giggled at my reaction, a strange, though not unpleasant sound. "I'm afraid that that's simply the way this world is, Blake. I'm sure you will adjust though, some day."

I grumbled something unintelligible as we waited for Celestia to return… or for me to awaken for all I knew; it wasn't a guarantee that she would be able to change her sister's mind, though I hoped that she could be persuaded to see Nightmare Moon for the mare she was trying to become instead of the one she was before.

After what felt like hours, there were two distinct flashes of light, and Nightmare Moon and I looked up from our game of chess to see both of the royal sisters striding towards us. "Have you come to a decision?" Moon asked them nervously.

I couldn't understand how or why her personality was so suddenly and drastically changing, but I couldn't say that I found it to be a bad thing. "We have." Luna intoned in a neutral voice. "Nightmare Moon… you will be allowed to inhabit my love's mind, on the conditions that he continues to allow it, and that we place wards on his mind to prevent you from doing anything untoward during your inhabitation of his subconscious." She may have been speaking neutrally, but I could tell that Luna wasn't happy about the turn of events.

Celestia then looked to me. "You will also need to give your permission for us to place the wards, my dearest; we would not do something like this unless you allowed us to beforehoof."

There was no hesitation in my answer; whatever was happening to Nightmare Moon, it made me feel that I could trust her. "I understand, Tia. And you two have my permission to place whatever wards on me that you need to."

Luna's eyes widened a fraction at my words, my lover seeming to have not expected me to say that for some reason. She scowled briefly, and nodded, lighting her horn at nearly the same time as her sister. "Very well, my love. We will ensure that this harlot does not harm you while she remains within your mind." I could already feel their magic going to work as my starry-maned lover spoke, her tone not filling me with confidence.

It took several minutes for the spells to be cast, but once they were, the two mares turned their attention to me. "Before we leave, there is something we must discuss." Luna remarked before turning to Nightmare Moon. "In private." Her tone was cold as her horn lit once more, her magic encircling her other half.

To her credit, Moon only flinched briefly before relaxing and lightly tapping on the sphere of magic surrounding her. "There; she can no longer hear what we are saying, my love." The pair moved closer as Luna spoke once more, and I started to grow nervous. "These wards are quite strict, my love; if she tries anything that we do not approve of, then she will most certainly know it, and if she continues… then she will be sent to Tartarus without hesitation."

Celestia spoke as Luna trailed off. "Nopony else can know about this, my dear; if word were to get out about our Knight being corrupted… then you would be stripped of your title."

I gulped at the thought. "And if that happened… then Luna and I would be forced apart…" I looked to her then, a sadness in my eyes. "Assuming that that hasn't already happened."

To my surprise, Luna shook her head with a soft smile. "That will never happen, my love. I was being foolish before; I know that you will not change, despite having her within the realm of your mind. I am sorry to have worried you." She trotted up to me, and reared up before wrapping her hooves around my neck and kissing me deeply.

After we broke the kiss, I looked over to Celestia, only to see yet another figure within my dreamscape; Falathiel. Or at least, her elven dream avatar. "You don't need to worry about him, Princess Luna; I will ensure that Nightmare Moon causes him no harm."

Luna hopped down off of my shoulders, and approached the avatar. "Thank you." She remarked as she knelt before the sentient blade. "I know that he will be safe in your care."

I glanced to Nightmare Moon as this happened, and she watched the act with a raised eyebrow from within the magical sphere that prevented her from hearing us. "Um… isn't it about time we let her out of there? I don't think there's anything else that she shouldn't hear, is there?"

Celestia followed my gaze, and shook her head. "No, I believe that we've said all that we need to." Her horn glowed briefly, and the sound-proof shell that her sister had placed dropped from around Nightmare Moon.

The dark mare looked around briefly as sound was restored to her, and then trotted over to us. "I will never forget the sting of your blade, Sylvari. You can rest assured that I will not attempt to harm my host at any time, let alone under your watchful gaze; I do not wish to feel your bite for a third time."

Falathiel regarded Nightmare Moon as she spoke, and nodded her head. "See that you don't. I've put my trust in you, and to squander that carries a heavy price." Luna's dark half gulped and nodded. "Good. Now, the sun will need to be raised in mere minutes, and the time for you all to awaken approaches."

Even as she spoke, I could feel my conscious mind starting to take over once more. Before that happened, I turned to my new 'occupant' one last time. "Watch and learn, Night; you can pick up a lot just by studying how everypony around me interacts with one another."

She nodded as the dreamscape began to collapse around us. "I will do my level best, Blake Marshall. Tartarus is not someplace I wish to spend even a short time, and I will do what I can to avoid that fate." Her voice faded as she spoke, morphing into an echo in my mind as my eyes slowly slid open.

Fortunately, despite the relative turmoil of my dreamscape, I felt as though I had slept fairly well.

"Good morning, sleepy head." A cheery, familiar voice chirped to my left.

I smiled softly, and looked over to greet my lovable little klutz. "Good morning, Derpy. You're… here… Umm, what are you wearing?" It wasn't until I looked over at her that I noticed she seemed to be wearing what looked to be a red dog collar with a matching leash attached to it.

"O-oh, this? It's umm…" Her face flushed as red as the collar around her neck as she paused, seemingly trying to think of what to say. "I-it's a um… a collar." She somehow managed to blush even brighter at the words.

I blinked, and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I can see that it's a collar. Why are you wearing a collar? Is this some sort of Equestrian tradition that nopony told me about?" I had seen such things before, back on Earth, but I never expected Derpy of all ponies to be into that sort of thing.

Derpy giggled nervously, and trotted over to me. When she was close enough, she picked up the end of the lead in her mouth, and pressed it into my hand, much like a dog might. "N-no. I want… I want to be your… your pet. I-in the bedroom."

It was my turn to flush deeply at her announcement; I had never expected Master/pet play to be a thing in Equestria, let alone that a psychologically damaged pony like Derpy might want to partake in it. "Why do you want to be my pet, Derpy? You know that that means you'd have to follow my orders, no matter what, right?"

The mare stared at me for a few seconds, and then nodded. "I do! I want to be a good little pet for you, Blake; I think it will help me get over my fear of sex if I put all my trust in you." She hopped up onto the bed with her front hooves, and nuzzled me gently. "And besides, this sounds like it might be a lot of fun anyways, so why not give it a try~"

I sensed a change in her attitude as she spoke, almost as though surrendering control to me had somehow made her more confident, and maybe even raised her self-esteem. "If it's what you want to do, then you won't hear any complaints from me, my lovely little pet~" I would have been lying if I had said that I hadn't fantasized about being someone's Master a time or two, and it seemed like this was a literal dream come true. "And don't worry, I'll be a loving Master for you, my dear." I nuzzled her as I spoke, my words loving and kind.

She smiled warmly at my words, and hopped off of the bed. "Thank you, Master. Your pet knows she can trust you to be kind to her." A different area of my body began to fill with blood as she spoke to me like a proper pet would.