1234andynguyen - In a word; Yes. But what does that mean in the grander scheme of things? ;)

The it - I believe there are several creatures, pony and otherwise, that will be coming to terms with quite a few things thanks to these little twists and turns Blake's presence have caused. Ripples in the pond and all that. And thank you, I appreciate that.

Guest - It did. Don't worry though; I won't spoil things, but that wasn't a plot hole, it was by design, because I'm going somewhere with it.

PH98 - Not in this fic in particular. The Princesses wanted to see if humans could coexist with their little ponies.

A/N - Heya, everycreature! I hope this new month finds you well, and in good spirits. My temporary schedule continues for the time being while I deal with holidays and other madness in my personal life, though it seems to be working out well for me. Beyond that, I hope you all enjoy this latest installment, and that you always remember to be kind!

The tubes of the transfusion device sat empty as Sweetheart and the still somehow nameless Doctor packed up their supplies and left us, giving instructions to contact the closest hospital if anything should happen. The Doctor informed me the bag of my blood would be stored in the hopefully unlikely event I would need another emergency transfusion in the future. Sweetheart had given me a more warm goodbye as she trotted out of the room, turning and waving with a smile before hurrying after the doctor with the cart bearing the old fashioned transfusion apparatus, presumably leaving the castle to return to the duties we'd pulled them away from. For her part, Luna sat on her pillow-perch calmly, happily munching away on the snacks that had been laid out for her. It seemed the lack of blood in her body was hitting her now, as she had become quite loopy in the time since having her blood taken to give to me.

For her part, Twilight had continued to scan my body, seemingly combing over every inch of me, from my nervous system to my muscles to my bones and even my organs. "It's honestly a little strange…" She said when the glow of magic surrounding her horn finally faded away. "I would have expected there to have been more changes. But it seems like Luna's Alicorn blood really is only acting to help keep your body youthful and in good repair. In fact, that weird human artifact did way more to your physiology than this did. Though I did notice the new blood in your veins seeping into the marrow of your bones, my guess being to alter it so it produces more, similar blood. Overall though, I don't see this causing you any issues." The notebook Twilight had brought, which now sat on the small table next to the chair I was sitting in, had been empty when we started this, and was now full from cover to cover with notes.

Overall, this was about the best outcome I could have hoped for; I didn't need any more strength or speed or reflexes or anything else like that, and I didn't want them. I didn't even want the 'improvements' I had already had forced onto me, I just wanted to be normal, save for a lifespan that would let me be with Luna and Celestia. "Speaking of that damned artifact, do you think the healing properties in Luna's blood will reverse what it did?" I mentally winced as I broke my restriction on swearing again, though it fortunately either went unnoticed or uncared about. "I mean, I suppose that kind of thing has its uses, but I'd rather just be me." Between the armor, Falathiel, the seemingly overly generous gifts of various sorts from the Princesses and others, and now the enhancements of the artifact, it really felt like the universe was trying to compensate for something, and going overboard. I couldn't say I much cared for it.

The mulberry mare shook her head lightly. "I don't think so. So far, all I've seen is the detrimental things being rectified, like the seams of your broken bones, and the damaged tissue under your scars. That's also why they didn't disappear entirely; what's left isn't going to affect you like it would have before. So the artifact's enhancements should remain, especially since it didn't damage your body to cause those changes in the first place… though I'm sure it probably felt like it did."

I let out a mirthless chuckle at that. "That's an understatement." I said, leaning in and kissing the bookish mare's forehead to let her know I wasn't upset as my demeanor turned more serious. "It felt like my body was being torn apart, bit by bit, and then reshuffled back together by hundreds of electrified hooks. It started in my abdomen, which made me think Tia's sandwich was to blame, then started radiating out to the rest of me." I couldn't help the involuntary shiver that coursed down my spine as I thought back on the horrid experience. Even Nightmare Moon recoiled in my mind at the thought.

Twilight let out a soft gasp, and covered her mouth with a hoof. "Oh my… Blake, I'm so sorry… I never knew it was that bad for you. Prin- Err, Celestia just told us you passed out shortly after you started feeling some discomfort. She didn't tell us anything about it being so bad."

Before I could respond, Luna joined the conversation from her position nestled into the large pillow. "That is because my sister did not wish to worry you, dear Twilight." She said, sounding better than she had, though still seeming a little out of it. "It would not have done any of you any good for us to tell you our beloved suffered in terrible agony before succumbing to the pain and losing consciousness because he was overwhelmed by it." The thought alone was enough to give me phantom aches all over, and I shivered again.

Tears began to shimmer in Twilight's eyes as she continued to hold a hoof over her mouth, but I stopped her by taking that hoof in my hands and gently rubbing it. "It's ok, Twi. That's just another thing that's in the past, and I can move on from it. Did it suck at the time? Of course it did, incredibly so. But it's over, and as you can see, I'm better than ever now. At least… Subjectively." The previous evening with Celestia came to mind, and I realized I was about to start bottling those emotions up again. "I won't lie and say I'm fine after something like that, but I've got you girls to help me, and I won't try to hide my feelings from any of you, not anymore. Tia and I talked about that last night, and she helped me work through a lot of my past traumas. She showed me I was doing exactly that, without even realizing it, and I won't let myself fall back into that self-destructive rut of hiding my feelings away from you girls again."

Suddenly, Twilight sprang toward me in an act that appeared oddly slowed down by my own, artifact-granted reflexes, wrapping her hooves around my neck and hugging me tightly. "Oh Blake, please don't ever hide from us when you're hurting!" She hugged me tightly, and I smiled as I wrapped my arms around the sweet little librarian.

To my surprise, I soon felt a second set of forelegs wrapping around me, and Luna's voice spoke softly into my ear. "We love you, and all of us wish to be there for you when you are hurting, when you need us. We will not judge you for needing comfort, my beloved. You have seen much tragedy and hardship in your life, and you have had to face much of it alone. That isn't true any longer, for you have friends and loved ones now, ponies who care deeply for you, and who wish only to see you happy." Luna's words sounded very similar to what her sister had told me the night before, but they were no less heartfelt, and no less comforting. "You are strong, my love. Far stronger than any pony I have met before. But you are not invulnerable… and you are also not alone. So let us help you shoulder these burdens." I could feel my breathing growing heavier as I felt those same emotions swirling inside me again.

Seeming to sense this, both mares held me a little closer. "Thank you, both of you." I whispered eventually, taking a deep breath to calm myself. "Like I told Celestia; I have to teach myself how to open up, how to let go of my past misgivings about sharing my problems." I paused for a brief moment to finish collecting myself, then looked at my book-smart marefriend. "I think Luna might know this already Twilight, but men in the society where I was raised were taught that we weren't supposed to show our emotions, not to anyone, and that doing so made you weak in a way that was deserving of ridicule. That's one thing among many I need to work past, but you've all already helped me make so much progress doing exactly that. My wife back on Earth, for example… I don't think she ever saw me cry, not one time. There were plenty of times I wanted to do just that, plenty of times I needed her to comfort me when I was hurting, when I felt like I was being torn apart inside, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, not with the way I had been raised to 'be strong'."

A soft sniffling sound could be both heard and felt against my shoulder. "That's just awful." She said quietly. "It's no wonder you start to open up to us, then close back down again. It's like you're trying to let us see into your heart, but the doors keep shutting just as soon as we start to see the light on the other side. I'm so sorry… I don't think any of us knew it was that bad for you before."

Luna kissed my cheek softly. "That is because dear Blake has been trying to carry all of his sorrowful burdens by himself, to not burden us, despite the fact he has also been taking on the burdens of others as well. So he hasn't been telling us of his problems." She giggled and kissed me on the lips. "Like a silly filly."

That simple gesture, made by a mare who was still a little out of her right mind thanks to the blood loss she was still recovering from, helped to lighten my mood considerably. "You're right, Luna. And I'm sorry. You're both right, actually; I've been taking on other ponies' emotional burdens, but not letting other ponies help take on mine. I know it's a little hypocritical of me to do that, but consider this a first step toward fixing that problem."

We continued to hold one another like that for a time, until eventually Luna grew too fatigued and needed to return to her pillow. That left Twilight and I to embrace for a few moments longer. "You girls really are the best thing to ever happen to me." I said softly as we pulled away from one another, looking into those soulful, amethyst eyes. My hand came up and caressed Twilight's cheek gently. "Later, I want to tell the others about all this. I don't want to hide anything from any of them, so I think they should know how I've been feeling… and how I've been hiding those feelings. I think if they know about what I've been doing, they might be able to spot when I start, and help me stay out of that pattern."

My suggestion earned a soft smile from the cute little book horse, and I returned that smile as she leaned in and kissed me on the nose. "I think that sounds like a great idea. I know they'll all understand, and I have no doubt they'll all be just as happy as I am to help you get this figured out."

Though my time here had its ups and downs, it definitely had more of the former than the latter, and my heart felt more love than I could ever remember having in my previous life. "I hope they do, Twi… and I'm sure they will. For now though, I think we need to get Luna something a little more substantial than snacks to help her recover. She's going to need iron for sure, and a few other minerals to help her replace all that blood." I gave Twilight a kiss on the cheek and stood, walking past Luna and pulling a blanket from the closet nearby to drape over her, offering her an affectionate kiss as well. "This was a beautiful thing you agreed to do with me, Luna, and I don't want you feeling left out or neglected now that it's done."

The smile that graced her face in that moment showed none of the light-headedness or fatigue that had been there mere moments before. "I am the one who is grateful for this, my love. To see you perish at the end of your life while knowing I must endure without you for millenia untold would have destroyed me." She paused, and looked to Twilight with a sorrowful expression. "It will be no less painful to see you and the others in Blake's herd go to your rest either, Twilight Sparkle. Please do not mistake my words as meaning your passing will not affect me greatly. I simply mean to say-" Twilight stood from her seated position near me and walked over to Luna as she spoke, then silenced the mare with a tender kiss.

The kiss surprised both myself and the Princess of the Night, who took a brief moment to compose herself and return the tender, loving gesture. "It's alright. I understand what you meant, Luna." She said softly when their lips parted. "I can only imagine what this will be like… for all of us, but I know that together, we can face it, and when that time comes, you, Blake and Celestia will be there for each other, to help one another and get through that time after we are gone."

The thought of losing Twilight, Applejack, Derpy and now possibly Rainbow Dash hurt me deeply, but there was also some comfort in Twilight's words. I also knew there was no way in Tartarus I was going to deny myself a life full of love and adventure with those wonderful mares just because those times would someday end. That didn't make any sense at all, because such a loss was a risk even if I hadn't just allowed myself to become effectively immortal. There was always the chance they could lose their lives at any moment, and I would have to persevere without them, so in the long run, it really was no different.

"I believe you are overthinking an unknown future when you should be focusing on the here and now, Bearer." It was a little surprising to hear Falathiel speak into my mind at such a time, though I couldn't say it was totally unexpected, either.

I smirked as her words rang true, and I gave the sentient sword a mental nod. "You're right. Once again you've saved me from myself with your wise words. Thank you."

I received the mental equivalent of an affectionate caress, and that made me smile. "Are… you ok, Blake?" I heard Twilight ask. "You started spacing out again. Talking with Falathiel?"

I shook my head to clear it as Twilight brought me back to the present. "Oh, um… yeah. Kind of, at least. I was thinking about what you two were talking about, and Fal gave me a bit of a mental nudge to remind me that I shouldn't be focusing on the future when the here and now is what's really important."

Luna smiled and nodded at my statement. "That is a very wise piece of advice for her to offer, my love." She said, then looked around the room. "Where is your blade? I would like to thank her for helping you to understand the method my sister and I already use to cope with such things."

It made a weird kind of sense to me for the two immortal Princesses to not focus on the future, as doing so would only remind them that any relationships they formed would inevitably lead them to heartache in the long run. "She's actually back in my room at the moment. I generally don't go anywhere without either her, my pistol or both."

I focused on a thought for a moment, picturing Nightmare Moon's lifeless corpse, riddled with slowly bleeding bullet holes, including one between her once dark and beautiful eyes, now clouded over in death in my mind's eye. I wanted her to see how our last encounter could have gone, had I been more inclined toward the kind of malice she had once shown me, and the recoiling of her mental self within my mind told me the message had gotten across. Fortunately for her, I tried to only use my pistol on creatures that I considered to be true monsters, such as the foal-murdering denizens of Sunny Town, or the strange, nigh-invincible creatures from the temple in the Everfree.

I'd discovered recently that focusing on a thought like that let her catch what I was thinking, and could almost let me communicate with her while I was awake, without having to speak to her aloud. "I didn't think I would need her for a relatively mundane medical procedure like a blood transfusion. Although…" I shifted and untucked my shirt before lifting it up to reveal the concealed pistol tucked beneath it in the holster I had been wearing the night I'd been shot on Earth, a model that was designed to be concealable beneath a tucked-in shirt.

Luna smiled grimly as she looked the weapon over. "Our Knight-Defender is never unprepared, it would seem." The lovely, though addled Princess remarked in what I imagined sounded to her like a very wise and sagely manner. "An admirable trait to have, though one We wish wasn't necessary." I noticed as my lovely lunar lover spoke that she was switching almost erratically between the various speech patterns she was familiar with, from the more archaic 'Olde Ponish' to more modern mannerisms, like contractions.

I let out a soft sigh and tucked my shirt back in. "I wish it wasn't too, Lulu Love. Sadly though, there seem to be enough threats out there that I feel safer being armed. I think at least part of it has to do with the way things were on Earth; people can be horrible to one another, far worse than I've ever seen any pony be… even those guards that Desert Star brought with her weren't as bad as some humans I've known… And there were even humans that were worse than Nightmare Moon. So having some way to defend yourself from those terrible people was something of a necessity just to survive the day-to-day." I felt a twinge of indignation at that statement.

As I continued, Twilight sat quietly, listening in rapt attention as I told sanitized versions of some of the more common, and more heinous things humans did to one another. I spoke of the harm people with differing ideologies often caused one another, how humans made each other into slaves, both in the past and even into modern day, of how certain people actually took pleasure in the suffering of others, and of how common things like murder during a robbery were, a fact I knew far better than I ever would have wanted to. Still, it did give me a rather unique perspective on how that world had worked, and how to keep the world I considered to be my true home from warping itself into a similar image. I didn't want to focus on these details of a life gone by for too long, but I did want the two, especially Twilight, to understand things from my perspective.

When I finished speaking, after what felt like hours of recalling and cleaning up stories of horror and malice and evil from Earth, I finally concluded, and Twilight simply sat there, silent. It was actually Luna who spoke up. "Before you ask Us, dear Twilight; Yes, Our sister and I did in fact know of these horrors, and worse besides. Which is why we chose Blake to be the representative of his people for possible colonization; We knew he had seen these horrors, experienced many for himself, as you well know, and yet his heart still shines like a beacon of goodness and Hope for all those who look to see it."

There was a long moment where the lovely little bookworm didn't speak, simply stared at a point on the floor as she sat in clearly deep thought. When she finally did speak, it was preceded with a heavy sigh. "It's horrible to think of anypony… or rather, anycreature, doing something so evil to another. But, I know not all of your species are like that. I know you aren't like that." I watched as she slowly rose from her seated position, then trotted over to me. My instincts screamed at me that she was about to slap me, but the rational part of my mind told me that my instincts were talking from my experiences with such seemingly unprovoked violence back on Earth. "I don't think you're horrible, Blake. I love you, and I'm so glad every day that you got away from all that… That you got to come here, and learn about the Magic of Friendship with us. And, I'm glad I got to know you, to love you." Rather than striking me, Twilight had reared up and hugged me, dampening my shoulder with her tears as she embraced me.

It felt beyond amazing to be so loved by such wonderful mares, and I could feel still more emotion welling in my chest as I wrapped my arms around my beautiful little bookworm, hugging her back. "I'm glad too, Twilight. I… some days I wake up and expect to find out that this was all some beautiful dream, and that the microcosm spell you saved me from was reality all along. At this point, I honestly don't know what I'd do if that happened. Just thinking about having to leave you, having to go back to all that pain and suffering and misery happening all around me, all day every day… it terrifies me."

I felt Twilight hug me a little closer as I admitted one of my biggest fears about this wonderful world, and I felt instantly more at ease. "If there's anything at all I or any of us can do to stop something like that, if it ever happens, then we'll all fight as hard as we can to keep you here."

Luna spoke again from her position on the pillow, apparently still too woozy to stand and join us again. "Thanks to the shifting in the Veil of Magic of Earth, Blake's return to that world is, as far as We are aware, impossible. I believe it can be said that 'The world you left, it forgot your name.'"

I sighed and nodded. "I know you're both right, and I'm so grateful for the both of you." I leaned down and kissed Twilight on the forehead. "But it won't do any of us any good to sit here moping all day. Why don't we take Luna back to her room to rest properly and get her something to eat, then find something for the two of us to do? Maybe go back to that enchanted guest room and think up some fun scenarios." I chuckled softly and kissed Twilight on her cheek, which was still warm and dusted with a light blush from the kiss to her forehead. "I could see if it has the capability to let me take you for a ride on a motorcycle. I know for a fact Rainbow Dash would love a break-neck race on a high performance beast, but for you, I think a more leisurely cruise on a two-wheeled couch would be more enjoyable. It would also let you see more of Earth from my perspective as well."

I watched as Twilight's expression ran the gamut of emotions from happiness to worry and then curiosity as she listened to me speak. It seemed she didn't like the idea of screaming along on a crotch rocket, but a slower, more controlled cruise clearly sounded more appealing. "Sure, that actually sounds like fun. Then maybe you can show me a few other things from your world. I'd be interested to see what other kinds of weapons like your pistol exist, considering you've said that's one of the smallest humans have. I can't think of a safer way to demonstrate them, either." Just as Twilight finished speaking, I heard a soft sound from over in Luna's direction.

Looking over to the Lunar Diarch in her position on her pillow, I couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. "Looks like her day was a little busier than she expected."

There, upon the large pillow, big enough to hold even Celestia comfortably, was one of my loves, fast asleep and snoring quietly.