HYBRID BATTLESHIP INFINITY210 - Lol that it was. Though i doubt Celestia's looking at the moment; I'll be sure to ask her the next time i see her though. ;)

A/N - As always, highly appreciate the praise, it keeps me motivated to keep doing my best to please those who take the time to read my humble little story. Little update on my situation: my back seems to be healing nicely, and I'll be returning to work for the forst time in two weeks tonight. Still no laptop though, and this unpaid leave due to me being broken doesn't help, though i did enjoy the reprieve and got quite a bit of writing done when i wasn't in terrible pain. Anyway, enough about my problems! Don't forget to follow/favorite and review!

The trip between Canterlot and Ponyville only took about thirty minutes as far as I could tell. Luna's guard landed the chariot right outside the door to the library. It looked like there was still a light on the main level, but that seemed to be the only sign of activity. "Thanks guys. See ya later." I said with a wave at the two Pegasi.

I turned around and opened the door before ducking through. I looked around briefly, but didn't see anyone in the main room. "Hey Twi, I'm home!" I called as I walked into the lobby.

I decided to head up the stairs to see if Twilight had fallen asleep already. I barely got to the center of the room before I was unceremoniously knocked to the floor by a familiar mulberry blur. "Blake! You're alright!" Twilight exclaimed as she hugged me tightly and nuzzled into my chest.

After a few moments, she broke her embrace and allowed me to stand, "We were all so worried when we got the letter saying that you'd been hurt. Spike told me about it as soon as I got back to the library. What happened? The princess said that you have magic all of a sudden."

"Well, Luna wanted to see how well I could fight, so she arranged a sparring match between me and her guard captain, Midnight Flash. She ordered Flash not to use magic since I couldn't; at least as far as we knew at the time, and during the match, Flash got a little carried away and blasted me with some kind of offensive spell. By the time I got back to my feet, she had another spell charged and the only thing I had time to do was try and block the attack. The next thing I knew, there was a magical barrier of some kind between us that had blocked the attack. I felt incredibly drained and passed out right after, which Celestia explained later to be due to the sudden use of magic being too much for my body to handle." I explained as I stood and dusted myself off.

Twilight was silent for a moment, contemplating. "I see. Princess Celestia asked me to teach you how to use your magic in the letter she sent, so why don't we get started?"

"Well, as much as I'd like to get started, it is getting kinda late, and I need to help Applejack tomorrow, so why don't we start after I'm done with that? It'll give you some more time to prepare whatever it is you're gonna need to teach me too."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "I see your point. Alright, tomorrow it is!" She exclaimed with a wide grin.

We both headed upstairs after that, Twilight going first at my insistence. We then proceeded to take care of our pre-bed rituals, which mostly consisted of us brushing our teeth and Twilight brushing her mane and tail out. Once that was said and done, Twilight reared up on her hind legs and embraced me again in a quick goodnight hug before trotting off to her own bed for the night; leaving me in my room to do the same.

Before I could get into bed however, I remembered the gift Luna had given me, and walked over to open it up. I began carefully unwrapping the bundle, which was held together by what seemed to be an incredibly soft towel. When I had fully unwrapped the bundle, I stopped in awe for a moment at what I beheld; a beautifully crafted shaving set.

I picked up the blade first and inspected it. The handle seemed to be made of some sort of stainless steel with lacquered wooden grip inserts. The wood was a dark color that I wasn't familiar with the grain flowing through it in beautiful swirling patterns that had been sanded and polished to a near-mirror finish. Next I opened the blade, which was an old-fashioned straight razor, that swung almost effortlessly on its pivot when I pressed the tail. It had a deep hollow grind that allowed it to be given a wickedly sharp edge that a normal, flat-ground blade couldn't achieve. The blade was a bluish color with intricate swirling patterns embedded in the metal itself and had been laboriously polished to a highly reflective surface.

As I tilted the blade to view it from a different angle, I noticed that the swirls in the blade came together in such a way that it appeared that the blade itself had become a small body of moving water, like a stream or brook. "Damascus…" I uttered quietly as I ran my fingertips gingerly along the body of the blade.

I knew that Damascus was a difficult steel to make, but well worth the effort if it came out right, and I could fully appreciate the skill of the smith that had crafted this. After a moment of admiration, I gently set the blade down and picked up the bowl; it seemed to be crafted of the same lacquered dark wood as the grips on the blade, though the grain seemed to be in a larger swirl pattern, indicating that it had likely been taken from a different part of the tree.

I set the bowl down next to the blade and moved on to the brush, which had a handle made of the same wood, though what interested me about it were its bristles; they were a pale blue color and seemed to be made of some kind of hair rather than a synthetic material, and were nicely fluffed for use.

I was about to set aside the brush to think on it later when a thought came to me; the thought was of the mare who had given me the set, and an image of her smiling face flashed through my mind. I took another look at the bristles and thought about their color again. After a moment, it hit me: the bristles were the exact same color as the strand of Luna's hair that's always draped down the side of her face. It didn't take long for the realization to sink in; Luna had donated some of her own hair to make this brush for me.

I honestly wasn't sure whether to be flattered or creeped out by the realization, though I quickly decided to take it as a gesture of goodwill and set the brush down next to the blade and bowl.

The next item I picked up was a small disk wrapped in waxed paper that I presumed to be the soap. I unwrapped it to find that my assumption was correct; the small puck of shaver's soap was milky white and plain, which made sense as it would be used fairly quickly, so any decorations would be wasted. I wafted the soap under my nose to see what scent, if any, it held; only to find that the soap had no specific odor that I could identify, but rather a flurry of scents that brought to mind a calm spring night sitting in a clearing in the woods. I spent many such nights with my wife, laying on a picnic blanket and staring at the night sky, just enjoying the calm of the night, the beauty of the diamond-studded grand tapestry that was the the sky, and each others loving embrace.

I quickly placed the soap to next to the other pieces of the set I had already examined, taking a moment to fight off the melancholy feeling that had washed over me and wipe away the unbidden tears that had begun falling from my eyes. I quickly dismissed any misgivings towards Luna with the thought that she couldn't have known I would react that way, assuming she was the one to have the soap made with that particular mixture of scents to begin with.

The strop that came with the kit was relatively the same, with a handle made of the familiar dark wood and a tan belt of some unidentified material. There was also a whetstone and a small bottle of honing oil; the oil seemed unremarkable, but the stone seemed to be made of ceramic and felt to be one thousand grit or higher and was set in a rubber base. As I set the stone aside, I noticed another object that I hadn't before, a small tube. I popped the end off of the tube and shook its contents out into my hand to reveal a small scroll.

I opened the scroll to reveal a note written in the same calligraphy that Luna had used in her previous letter to me.

Dearest Blake, during our observation of you whilst you were on Earth, I noticed that you seemed to care for your appearance greatly. While we cannot replicate the 'disposable razors' that you are used to, I hope that this will be an adequate substitute. I commissioned this set especially for you and hope you find it to your liking. If you have not yet guessed, the bristles of your brush are made from strands of my tail. Alicorn fur and hair contain residual magic from our bodies, which allows them to be formed to fit a craftsponies needs with little effort, making them perfect for such uses and highly sought after. They are also very durable, and will likely still be in the same condition that they are in today several hundred years from now. The soap also has mild herbal healing properties to combat skin irritation and minor cuts during your readjustment to such methods of personal hygiene.

Best wishes, Luna

I rubbed my chin absently, realizing that I hadn't shaved since I came here. Luna was right however, I normally did have a lot of pride in the way I looked. I had never been one to use any kind of product, but I had found that I looked best while clean-shaven. Beyond that and combing my hair however, I normally didn't do much for my appearance, which is where most of that pride came from.

I carried the set into the bathroom and set it up as best I could, making a mental note to look for something to better organize everything. I returned to my room and finally lay down on my bed, quickly falling asleep.

I awoke sometime later feeling completely refreshed. I looked outside to see that it was still dark out. I looked over to the wall-mounted clock to see that I had only been asleep for around four hours. Normally after so little sleep I'd still be tired, functional but tired, but instead I felt like I'd just slept for ten hours straight.

I decided to go out to the balcony for a bit and enjoy the night sky that Luna had made. I quietly sat down and placed my legs between the railings and rested my arms on the hoof-rail as I had before. The sky was magnificent indeed, though there was one thing that troubled me; there weren't any constellations that I could recognize.

I walked back inside before the thought became too much for me. I caught a glint in the dim light and recognized it to be my sword. I walked over to it and picked it up; I was suddenly struck with an urge to practice with it. Looking around, I quickly determined that there was nowhere near enough room within the library for something like that.

I quietly made my way down to the main level and exited the tree-house, finding a sufficiently open spot to practice not far from the balcony where I had just been. I began to drop into a ready stance when I realized that my shirt, currently the only one I owned, might get sweaty. I deftly unbuttoned the shirt and hung it on a low hanging branch nearby before assuming my ready stance once more.

After several warm up swings, I began to fall into the teachings my grandpa had imparted on me. What began as somewhat clunky, slow thrusts and swings quickly morphed into more fluid actions as my mind and muscles began remembering the motions to this dance; and according to what my grandpa had always told me, it was exactly that. I closed my eyes and began to imagine enemies attacking me with various weapons and from different directions, sometimes more than one at a time.

The trance-like state I had entered was so deep that I actually began feeling the pain of my imaginary enemies weapons when they would slip past my guard and connect with my body; I was all but unaware of it, but I had actually started physically recoiling as if I had been struck.

Sometime later, I opened my eyes to see that I was nearly ten meters from where I had started. I looked to the horizon to see that dawn was still an hour or more off, and returned my blade to its sheath to head inside and get myself ready for the rest of my day.

After I deposited my sword where I had gotten it, I quietly made my way into the small bathroom and began readying my new shaving kit for its first use. I had been taught how to use such a kit, again by my grandpa, though it had been years since I had actually used one.

Grabbing the towel that had come with the kit, I turned on the faucets and allowed the water to warm up until it was borderline uncomfortable, then began soaking the towel in it. After wringing it back out, I placed the now steaming towel on my face to allow the heat and moisture to soften the coarse stubble that had grown in as I allowed the basin to fill with the hot water. While I was waiting, I soaked the brush in the water and began whisking it against the soap cake to create lather.

Once I was satisfied that the towel had done its job, I set it aside to air dry and splashed more water on my face before applying the lather. I opened the dangerously sharp straight razor and placed it against my left cheek before I began the painstaking task of relearning how to shave with a straight razor.

After completing the three passes as I had been taught: one with the grain, one across, and the last against it, I admired my newly shaven and washed face in the oddly fogless mirror. Despite some razor burn and a few nicks caused by my relative inexperience, the end product had turned out better than I'd expected; my face hadn't been this smooth-shaven in quite some time.

I left the washroom in the condition I'd found it, stepping back into the main room and looking over to see Twilight and Spike still sleeping soundly. I turned my attention to the large window to see that dawn was fast approaching and realized that I'd need to be leaving if I was to make it to Applejack's orchard on time.

Doing a quick once over of the fridge, I grabbed two apples, a leftover cupcake and a box of juice and quickly made my way out the door and towards Sweet Apple Acres. The predawn air was calm and cool, though the threat of midday heat hung on the gentle breeze.

After my makeshift breakfast had been polished off, I broke into a light jog to both warm my muscles back up for the work ahead and quicken the metabolization of my meal to provide more energy. In what felt like no time at all, the orchard and the big red barn came into view, along with the chicken coops and the rest of the farmland. I made my way up to the farmhouse and knocked on the door, being careful not to knock too loud in case little Applebloom was still asleep.

A moment later, the door opened to reveal a chipper looking Applejack. "Well howdy there Blake, yer just in time, we're just about ta get started!" She seemed sincerely happy to see me, but something in the back of my mind was telling me that something was off. "We'll be harvestin' from tha west field today, ya ready for some good old-fashioned hard work?"

Dismissing that niggling little voice for now, I chuckled at AJ's enthusiasm. "Sure am, I just hope you can keep up." I replied with a playful smirk and wink.

She trotted through the door, closing it behind her with a hind hoof and came up next to me as I turned towards the west field. "We'll see about that pardner!" She exclaimed with that endearing chuckle as she bumped her flank into my side playfully.

Applejack made a quick stop to hitch herself to the cart that was pre-loaded with empty bushels before we made our way to the day's work site. Once we got there, we both got to work right away, each of us setting up bushels below several trees and bucking -or kicking in my case- said trees to relieve them of their ripe, juicy burdens. We worked until late into the morning, filling bushels then hauling a load back to the barn with the wagon, while we alternated who stayed behind to fill more and who hauled the cart back to keep either of us from burning out.

Upon filling the wagon one last time, Applejack trotted up to me. "Well, that oughta do it Blake. Let's take this batch back up to tha barn then we can head on inside and get us some grub, Ah think we've both earned it."

I was about to respond when my stomach did so for me, rather loudly. "Well, looks like you won't hear any arguments from me." I said, which was followed with another growl that oddly enough sounded both happy and impatient somehow. This caused us both to burst out laughing.

We each munched down an apple from the cart to tide us over for the day's final trek back to the barn. The trip was made in silence, and I could tell that something was bothering AJ, though I decided not to bring it up. We arrived at the barn and unloaded the apples so they could be made into various treats later.

As we were about to leave the barn, Applejack stopped me. "Hey, Blake?" She was nervously rubbing her left hoof against her right foreleg. "Could Ah talk to ya about somethin'?"

I turned to fully face the farm mare. "Sure AJ, what's up?"

She walked over to a bale of hay that was resting against one of the barn's sidewalls. "This is somethin' important, can we talk about it out here? Ah promise we can go in and get some food afterwards." I could sense something was really bothering her.

I walked over to the hay bale and sat next to her. "Don't worry about that AJ, if you need me for something, I'm here for you; anything else can wait." As I walked over, she took off her Stetson and placed it on the bale next to her.

She looked up at me and I saw a single tear streak from one of her emerald eyes. "Thanks Blake, that means a lot ta me… After what the princesses showed us at tha palace, Ah think you just might be the only po- er, person Ah can talk to about this." She hesitated afterward, as if trying to read my reaction.

I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Take your time AJ, I'm here for you and I can wait as long as you need me to."

She smiled weakly at me. "Thanks Blake, Ah think Ah'm ok now… This kinda thing don't come easy ta me, but Ah think it's time Ah talked ta somepony about it besides Big Mac. I bet y'all have noticed by now that it's just me, Big Mac, little Applebloom and Granny Smith around tha farm. Well, that's because our ma and pa… they," She heaved a big sigh. "They aren't with us anymore… Back when me an' Big Mac were young and lil' Applebloom was just a foal, somethin' terrible happened… Ah woke up one night ta Big Mac shakin' me; there was smoke all over tha place and Ah didn't know what was goin on. Turns out tha house had caught fire durin' tha night, and Granny Smith got Applebloom from her crib while Big Mac came an' got me…" She started to shudder, trying to hold back tears.

I squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "It's ok to let it out AJ, but you don't need to tell me anymore if you don't want to."

She shook her head. "No, this needs ta get said. While the four of us made it out alright, our ma and pa… they… they got… trapped inside…" She began to sob quietly and I leaned over and hugged her for support. "Oh Blake… Ah c'n still hear their screams in my sleep! Ah-Ah miss 'em so much, and Ah feel so guilty that Ah didn't do nothin' ta help em…" She threw her forehooves around me and began sobbing into my shoulder while she squeezed me tightly. "Ah feel like a terrible daughter, Ah want this pain ta stop, but Ah don't know how; part of me wants ta let 'em go so it will, but Ah don't think Ah know how… An' the worst part is, we could never find a way ta tell Applebloom about it…"

I nodded. "And you came to me about it because I know that same terrible ripping feeling in my heart that you do…" She silently nodded into my shoulder, still sobbing.

I don't know how long we sat there, as I cradled Applejack while she let out all her pain onto my soaked shoulder. Eventually she pulled away, looking me in the eyes; hers were expectedly puffy and bloodshot. "Thanks Blake, Ah really needed that…" She said as her gaze dropped down to my chest and she sniffled.

I placed a hand gently on her cheek, cupping it and using my thumb to wipe away a stray tear. "It's ok AJ, like I said, I'm here for you." This seems like as good a time as any, I need to bring myself some closure anyway so I can move on myself. "Hey AJ, if you'd like, I know a way to say goodbye that will bring some closure."

She looked back up to me. "Really? What do Ah need ta do?"

I stood and helped her up as well. "Just give me three hours and meet me in the bare plot of land between here and Fluttershy's cottage, and bring a few things that hold sentimental value towards them."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Why do Ah need ta bring stuff like that? And what about yer lunch, Ah know yer starvin'."

I shook my head. "I'll be ok, I'll just take a couple of apples with me; I'm used to this kind of work on less than what I've eaten today, so it's no big deal for me. As for why you need to bring that stuff, it'll be clear when you meet me in the field."

She nodded. "Alright Blake, Ah trust ya to know what yer doin'. If yer sure this is what you want, Ah'll see ya in three hours."

I nodded and waved goodbye as Applejack headed back to the house, presumably for dinner. I hadn't lied to Applejack about my work either, my crew often worked twelve to fourteen hour shifts with only one thirty minute break for lunch in the middle, so my body could handle another few hours without a meal.

I made a quick stop by the library to grab the shirt and pants I had come to this world in, as well as a container of lamp oil before making my way to the small field I had indicated. Once I was there, I began gathering materials, namely twigs and sticks, branches and small logs and putting them in a pile to use for my project as I needed. I stuffed my shirt and pants with some of the twigs, small sticks, and various dried grasses I had picked up.

I hope I'm doing the right thing, for both our sakes…