1234andynguyen - You'll just have to wait and see what the letter is all about ;)
The it - The real question is; Is life about to get better, or worse for our hero? Only one person knows, and I don't think they're going to tell
A/N - Hey there, everycreature! It's been awhile since I've been able to do much with this, sadly, as life has been more busy and stressful than usual, including a multi-day trip to the hospital due to food poisoning. For that, I apologize, but I'm feeling better and getting back into it now. I might do just one post a month until the holiday season is over to give myself a chance to catch back up and rebuild my stockpile of finished chapters. As always; I hope you enjoy this installment, and remember to be kind!
When I returned to the royal bedroom suite with our dinner, Celestia asked me about the envelope I carried with me along with the sandwiches. Deciding to be honest with her as we ate the tasty sandwiches together, I told the lovely mare it had come from the Foal Services Representative named Iron Heart, but I didn't know what was in it. What I didn't tell her was that I had my suspicions about what the letter contained within the envelope entailed, and that I planned to leave it unopened for the time being. I wanted that seal to be cracked open on Hearth's Warming, so Scootaloo and the others would know I hadn't learned the contents of the letter beforehand.
I knew it was an immense gamble to make, as if my guess was wrong, it would undoubtedly spoil mine and Scootaloo's first Hearth's Warming together, but I believed the payoff to be worth the risk. Besides, if my reading of Iron Heart was correct, she would have outright told me if it was bad news, and the fact she'd used what seemed to be a double entendre when she had passed off the letter gave me more confidence my suspicion was accurate.
After we ate, Celestia and I talked more, each of us airing more of our darker thoughts, those we dared not give voice to with anyone else, and allowing the other to offer comfort, helping both of us to feel much better than either of us had previously. Eventually it grew late and we got ready for bed. I could tell Celestia was much happier just having someone aside from her sister to talk to and be herself around than she had been in a long time, and that alone was enough to make me smile. "I'm glad I got to come spend time with you tonight, Tia." I said as we made ourselves ready to turn in for the night.
She smiled and nodded as we both got into bed. This time, I lay on my back and she cuddled against me, her larger frame feeling odd compared to my other, smaller loves, yet still comforting all the same. "It makes me very happy to have spent this time with you, my dear." She said softly as her bare hoof began to lightly trace the scar adorning my chest, which bore a striking resemblance to her own cutie mark, though was considerably more grisly. "It's been so long since I've seen you without anything covering this, I'd nearly forgotten how bad it was. It still pains me to know you were this badly hurt, even if you were the one who bravely rushed into danger, facing down a foe you had no reason to believe you could defeat. You have the heart of a true hero within you, Blake Marshall. That is another part of why we chose you, and it's also why you must remember that it's alright to allow others to help you. Those who are most deserving of the title of hero often believe they must face their own, personal challenges alone, to not burden others with their woes, and that is simply not the case."
Her words were soft and kind, and I knew she was looking out for me, keeping my best interests at heart. "I… don't see myself as any sort of hero, Tia. I mean, I know protecting others just for the sake of keeping them safe is kind of the textbook definition, but still."
She giggled softly and leaned up, kissing me gently. "And that is why you truly are a hero. You do not wish to be labeled as such, and that humility, that recognition that you do what you do simply because it is right makes you worthy of the title." She lay her head down then, and nuzzled lightly into my chest. "I do want you to be careful though. For your own sake, as I don't want you to be in pain, and for the sakes of others, as none of us want to see anything happen to you. I know my sister would be beyond devastated if she were to lose you."
Her kind words soothed me, and I felt myself relaxing as we grew more comfortable together. "I feel the same way about everyone else, Tia. I would be ashamed of myself if I saw someone in need, and didn't do everything I could to help them." The admission came more easily than I would have expected, and that surprised me.
The lovely mare snuggled comfortably against me hummed softly into my chest as her head rested there. "That is an admirable attitude to hold, but it can also be dangerous if not tempered with caution. But, it is late, and we are both tired from the day. Come my dear, let us sleep." I agreed silently and leaned down, kissing Celestia one last time before allowing myself to drift off to sleep.
The next day saw me having breakfast with all my marefriends and several other friends as well. Even Spring Leaf had joined us, having finally had her fill of exploring for the time being. She had seen quite a bit, and while she enjoyed the city itself, the poor, temporally displaced mare quickly learned that the snooty, high-brow ponies of the Capitol city were best taken in small doses. After breakfast was finished, most of the mares dispersed, preparing to leave to head back to Ponyville. This led to a long round of hugs and goodbyes which I honestly didn't mind in the slightest.
After most were gone, only Celestia, Luna, Twilight and myself remained. "If you two don't mind…" The purple librarian began somewhat nervously, glancing between myself and Luna. "Would it be alright if I came with you to observe the transfusion? I'd like to document what happens and take notes in case something needs to be referenced some time later."
With a shrug, I looked to Luna. "I don't have a problem with it. I don't imagine it'll be very exciting, but she does have a point; something could very well happen, and either her notes or her skills in magic could be useful."
The Princess of the Night nodded lightly. "I don't see an issue with it. And in fact I see the logic in having Twilight accompany us. Come then, I shall inform the guards to direct the performing doctor to the sitting room so we may have this procedure handled in comfort."
Celestia giggled softly. "It sounds to me as though you will have a productive day." She approached me and gave me a loving kiss on the lips. "Sadly, I won't be able to join you. I must return to my duties today, and so I must take my leave."
Before the mare could even turn around, I wrapped her in a hug and returned her kiss with a deep one of my own, causing her to blush as we pulled away. "Take care, Tia. And know you go with my love." She smiled and I leaned in, smiling mischievously. "I do also hope your throne isn't too uncomfortable to sit on today~" As the Princess took in my words, her face grew nearly as red as her cute flank had been the previous evening, though the lovely, reddish color was only tinging one set of cheeks at the moment, with her ass having returned to its normal, alabaster hue by this point.
With a soft giggle, Celestia turned and looked back at me, wiggling her flank lightly as she did so, earning a morbid gasp from Twilight, whom I guessed had caught the meaning of the gesture her mentor and herdmate had just offered me. "I believe I'll manage, dearheart. And thank you again, last night was… cathartic." With that, the Princess of the Sun trotted from the room.
"What… did she mean by that?" Twilight asked as she trotted up next to me, watching the door Celestia had just used to exit the small dining hall. "If you don't mind my asking, that is. I know it's private, but I also can't help being curious about what you two did last night."
I smiled down at the curious bookworm and petted her head gently, teasingly caressing the base of her horn and earning myself a soft shiver of pleasure for my troubles. "I don't mind telling you Twi, and I don't think Tia would either. But I'll tell you what; why don't we wait until we're all in the sitting room before-" My thought was interrupted by a flash of light, and when it cleared, the dining hall had been replaced by the sitting room, my stomach having been replaced by a hamster clumsily doing cartwheels. "Urgh… So soon after we ate, Twi?" I asked, trying to keep my meal down.
Behind me, I heard Luna giggle, and a waste basket floated over to me, coated in my lovely marefriend's cerulean magical aura. "It seems Twilight is quite eager to know what happened, my love. And to be honest, I am as well."
The vertigo passed slowly, and I sat down on the chair within the room, shaking my head to clear away the last of the unease the unexpected teleportation had caused me. "I guess I can't blame you, Twi." I said, looking up into her sheepishly grinning face. "Anyway, as to what Tia was talking about… to put it simply, I gave her a good spanking. Made her cute butt nice and red too."
This news made Twilight's jaw drop in disbelief, but Luna began to laugh hysterically. "I knew my sister was into such debauchery!" She exclaimed between fits of laughter, rolling around on the floor. "Di-did she also call you by pet names while you spanked her like a bad filly?" Her laughter was slowly dying down, and despite the chortling, that question seemed to be at least partly out of genuine curiosity.
Twilight was blushing brighter than Celestia had when she left us by this point, and she looked at the floor. "B… but I liked it when he spanked me too." She said, seemingly embarrassed by Luna's laughter.
My lovely, Lunar lover sobered up quickly as she heard this, and she climbed to her hooves, approaching her herdmate. "I am sorry for laughing, Twilight." She said with genuine regret. "It merely amused me that my sister, always so proper and uptight, would enjoy something of that nature. I didn't mean to imply anything about either of your characters." Gently, she nuzzled the smaller mare. "Please forgive me for upsetting you."
Twilight let out a soft sigh and nodded, returning Luna's gentle nuzzle. "Ok Luna. I forgive you." She smirked and looked to me. "But maybe the next time you and Blake are alone, he'll let you feel what it's like for yourself. Maybe then you won't be laughing~" It was Luna's turn to blush, and it seemed neither of us was quite sure if Twilight was kidding or not, though her 'threat' did earn a chuckle from me, as it seemed our little session in the holodeck room had boosted her sexual confidence.
Our fun was cut short by a knock at the door. "Hello? This is the Doctor. Nurse Sweetheart and I have come to administer the transfusion."
Upon hearing this, I walked to the door and opened it, stepping aside so the pair could trot into the room, with Sweetheart giving me a bright smile as she saw me. It seemed she had completely gotten over her previous fear of me, and even seemed to have warmed up to me more since the last time I'd seen her. "Good timing, Doc." I said as I watched Sweetheart wheeling in a cart with a relatively old-fashioned device upon it that looked like it belonged in the middle of the twentieth century. "So, how do we do this? I'm not going to have to eat more nutrient paste, am I?" This little comment made Sweetheart giggle, no doubt recalling the last time she and I had met.
The unnervingly antique-looking device appeared to be little more than a pair of giant, glass syringes held into a wood and metal fixture with a tube extending from the bottom of each, bearing a rather intimidating needle at the end of each tube. There was also some kind of motor situated atop the housing holding the two syringes and connected to the top of each. The whole contraption looked like it belonged in a museum, and likely would have been back on Earth, yet was still somehow viable medical tech here even when things like EKG machines were in common use.
The doctor gestured to the chair I had been sitting on, then to the large pillow Celestia normally sat on when she was reading in this room. "If you and the Princess will please have a seat, we can begin momentarily. This will be a relatively painless procedure, aside from a small poke by the needle." He looked to Luna as I doubted the validity of his claim, given the size of the 'needles'. "However, I will warn you that you're likely to be… a little weak for a time. From what little research I've been able to do on Alicorn blood transfusions, we'll need to do at least two units of blood for the… shall we say the desired effects to properly take hold. And while we can replace some of the blood we take from you with Sir Marshall's, we don't want to risk doing so with all of it, as we won't know what potential effects diluting your blood to that degree might have."
Luna nodded lighty. "I understand. The last time, you were able to take three… err, units, I believe you called them, safely and without having to replenish my blood. If you can, I would like you to do so again. I would rather we not have to repeat this, or be left wondering if it truly had the desired effect." Her beautiful, cobalt eyes then fell upon me. "That is, assuming you still wish to go through with this, my love. I would not blame you if you were having second thoughts."
I smiled and shook my head lightly as I reached out and took her hoof in my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I think you'd have to be crazy not to have second thoughts in a situation like this. But, I know this is what I want, and I'm not going anywhere." Somewhere in the room, I could hear quiet scribblings as Twilight took notes.
My sentiment brought tears to the corners of the lovely Princess's eyes, and she took a breath to steady herself. "Very well then. Please, begin whenever you're ready, Doctor."
It fortunately didn't take long for the Doctor and Nurse Sweetheart to set up the device, ending with the sterile covers being removed from the needles. Then, Sweetheart moved to me while the Doctor went to Luna, each of them holding a needle and pulling one of each of our arms out. Once they found veins to work with, each swabbed the area with alcohol, and I watched as my needle was pressed to my skin. "Ok now Sir Marshall.. One, two, and…" The large needle suddenly slipped into my arm, and I took in a short, hissing gasp of air through my teeth. "Three. See? That wasn't so bad." Sweetheart smiled up at me as she used a piece of tape to secure the needle in place.
Luna grumbled as the Doctor switched on the motor, and I watched as blood began to slowly flow from our limbs as it was drawn through the translucent, white tubes and into the clear cylinders by the slow raising of the large plungers. I wasn't sure the proper name for for the syringe-like devices, though each one looked like a mostly sealed cylinder crafted from a single piece of blown glass, with their only openings being a relatively small, circular hole at the top for the shaft of the syringe plunger, as well as one at the bottom for the blood-draw tube, which I couldn't actually see as it was within the housing. "That was a larger needle than the one you used last time." Luna said in annoyance. It seemed she didn't care for needles any more than I did.
I watched as our two bloods flowed forth, each into its own 'syringe'. There was a faint glow of magic surrounding the small connector where the blood entered each tube at the base of its needle, which I guessed was meant to sterilize the blood as it entered the device. Luna's blood was very similar to my own, though it seemed to look… off. I couldn't easily describe the phenomenon, as it was almost like there were tiny, silvery swirls in the blood, as though there were small amounts of a second liquid that didn't quite mix together with her blood. I had to wonder if that was some form of Alicorn magic I was seeing, perhaps the very phenomenon that would work to make me immortal. Either way it was strange to think the odd looking blood was somehow compatible with my physiology.
The syringes slowly raised and the glass cylinders filled until each of our bloods were near the top, even as I began to feel light-headed from so much of my blood being outside my body. It seemed that was the three unit mark, at least according to the markings along the side of the glass. Nurse Sweetheart turned a small valve just below the base of each needle, where it was merged with a fitting that allowed it to mate with the much larger tube, then stopped the motor which had been raising the syringes once the blood stopped flowing from the now closed off tubes. Next, she detached each of the tubes from their needles and placed the tube previously attached to Luna onto the needle in my arm, and installed a blood bag onto the tube containing my own blood. As she did so, the doctor removed the needle from Luna's arm, placing a gauze pad and tape over the hole in her foreleg.
I watched as the motor was switched back on in the opposite polarity, causing it to press the syringes back down once more. As soon as she had done that, Sweetheart opened the tiny valve at the base of my needle to the halfway point, and I heard a faint hissing. I realized that the valve was letting the air in the tube, which had been pulled in while the motor continued to run, to escape, which was a clever idea in my mind. Not the most efficient, but clever. The bag began to fill with my old blood, the nurse not seeming to care that the air hadn't been removed from that tube. I realized why a moment later, as I noticed how little air there really was inside the bag after it had all been pushed in from the tube.
Once the air was almost completely gone from the tube in my arm, Sweetheart opened the valve the rest of the way to allow Luna's blood to enter my arm while closing off the port the air had escaped from. I knew from experience that such a small amount of air as what remained in the tube wouldn't be enough to cause an embolism, though that worry did still enter my mind any time even a tiny amount of air went through an I.V. into my body.
A soft gasp escaped my lips as I felt the first of Luna's eternal life-giving blood enter my veins. "That feels… weird." I said, beginning to pant softly as I kept mild panic in check.
Twilight rushed over and began scribbling furiously as she heard me say this, examining both my arm and the apparatus closely. "What does it feel like?' She asked, sounding almost manic. "Tell me everything you feel, don't leave a single thing out!"
I couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Well, I feel endeared to my adorkable marefriend for starters." I remarked with a playful grin. Twilight seemed not to notice at first, simply scribbling down my words before pausing, having likely reread them, then looked up to me with a sheepish grin and a blush. "Anyway, it feels really hot. Not enough to be painful, but I can definitely feel the new blood as it runs through the rest of my body. It also… tingles, I guess is the best way to describe it. I don't really know the best way to say it. It almost feels like that rush of tiny, popping bubbles you get when you drink something carbonated, but in my whole body instead of in my mouth." Twilight resumed writing in her small notebook, clearly fascinated.
As I spoke, Luna watched the proceedings from the comfort of the pillow, eyes slightly glazed from her own loss of blood. "Please, do not hesitate to let us know if something feels seriously wrong, my love." Nurse Sweetheart, true to her name, set down a small tray of snacks meant to help Luna recover from her blood loss as the Lunar Princess spoke.
I nodded and gave her a warm, loving smile. "Don't worry, I'll absolutely tell you if I feel anything wrong." In truth, there was definitely an element of uncertainty and worry to this, but I'd received one transfusion already and been fine. I was more worried about what the two interacting together would do to me, if anything. "Speaking of… that's a weird sensation…"
That statement clearly piqued Twilight's interest, and she came a little closer, looking at me. "What is it? What's a strange sensation? Come on Blake, don't hold out on me!"
Everyone in the room got a chuckle out of Twilight's antics. "Relax, Twi. It's not anything major. I'm just starting to feel a little… floaty. Like Luna's blood is trying to make me more buoyant or something, like a balloon. Though that could just be the rush of blood back to my brain." All of this was truly odd, and part of me was secretly glad I hadn't been awake for this the first time. "How will we know if this worked or not?" I asked, suddenly realizing we hadn't discussed any measures to ensure the procedure had worked as intended. How did one test for immorality, after all?
My question earned a shake of the head from Luna. "I don't believe there is a way to tell for sure, my love. Unless Twilight can concoct a spell that can detect such things."
The mention of a new spell had Twilight perk up considerably even as she finished scribbling her latest notes. "I can go do research on that as soon as we're all finished here!" She remarked excitedly, giving us all a grin that was both thrilled and slightly creepy.
Before I could reply to my adorkable marefriend, I felt my body shiver of its own accord, and a series of strange pops that were as much felt as heard began running through my bones and joints. 'Well, that's a new feeling…" I said with a slight groan as I felt the odd sensations continue.
All eyes focused on me as the strange sensations caused my body to shift and twitch slightly. "Blake, tell me what you're feeling!" Twilight exclaimed as she leaned in close, eyes studying me intently as her magic scribbled away notes at a furious pace.
A soft gasp escaped me as a particularly large pop sounded off in the small of my back. "W-well, it doesn't hurt, really." I said as another, wince-inducing pop emanated from my right knee. "It's just kind of odd feeling. If I were doing this myself, it would be fine, but I'm not, so it just feels weird."
I watched as Twilight's horn lit and I felt myself wreathed in her aura as she scanned my body with magic. "Oh, that's positively fascinating!" She exclaimed as even more notes were written, her quill moving at such a furious pace that I was a little worried the friction would set the paper on fire. "Whatever unique qualities exist inside Luna's blood seem to be repairing pre-existing maladies within your body! If I had to guess, I would say there's some sort of healing property that helps keep an Alicorn's body in top, youthful condition, and that property is now extending to you. It looks like all your internal damage is being slowly repaired, which is why your bones are popping; They're literally reshaping themselves back to the way they were before they were damaged, it's incredible!"
Curious, I unbuttoned my shirt and looked down at the large scar on the center of my chest. Myself, Luna and Twilight all looked on as the damaged tissue began to fade away, slowly shifting and becoming less noticeable until eventually, it stopped, leaving a much less noticeable patch of skin that was nowhere near as grotesque as it had once been. I was so wrapped up in watching the scar fade that it took several seconds for my mind to register the quiet and stillness marking the lack of bone restructuring itself, or even the fact that the transfusion device had finished its cycle and been switched off.
When I realized this, I looked to Twilight, quickly noticing she was staring at me, horn still glowing. "B-Blake… I'll need to do some more testing on you to confirm this, but I think it worked… I think you really are as immortal as Luna now." There was sadness in her eyes as she said this, though she was smiling.