UnknownHero55 - Lol so to speak

KillerWoW - Oh, don't worry, he's not going out that easy. Remember, things aren't always what they seem.

centaurus2 - Yup. So, how's An Eternity's End coming?

HYBRID BATTLESHIP INFINITY210 -

1) Lol now now, you'll just hafta figure that out for yourself ;)

2) He was kind of a dick, wasn't he?

3) She has her reasons

4) Well here it is

5) You'd have to get past Mythis's Veil first. :p

6) Because you can?

Guest - I update Tuesday mornings at around 0500 Central time

SO SORRY - Don't worry too much about it, I've run across my fair share of anti-bronies. Though I recommend password-protecting your phone so he can't do that in the future.

The Request Author - Yup, that cliffhanger. Why thank you, I try to make every chapter as good as or better than the last. I actually don't have a set length that I plan on making it, though I would guess that I'll put out at least 100 chapters before I move on to the sequel. As for the evil, I do have plans for that, but it's going to be something that spans the entire story.

raritysman403 - Lol it just got real

marco2o - Well, technically he's not hanging off the cliff anymore...

KingTobi - Awesome; I'm glad my story has you that excited and interested.

GhostChris - Yup, angry Celestia is angry

frytrix - Why thank you

Zelfra1234 -

1) That he did

2) She may be a princess, but there are certain laws even she can't overlook

3) That just makes him an endangered species

4) His bloodline grants him magical power, not a political station.

5) Lol well, not so much jumped as fell, but yeah

6) That was more than three :p

Mithendel - Thank you, I'm glad so many are enjoying my story. No matter how many times I hear it, I always appreciate hearing that I'm doing something that others enjoy.

I closed my eyes as my demise rushed up to meet me. As suddenly as the fall started, it ended. When i realized that the wind was no longer rushing past me, I opened my eyes and looked on in wonder as the rocky doom that awaited me ceased to grow closer. The question of how it was possible was answered when I heard a familiar voice ring out into the early morning air. "BLAKE! MY LOVE, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" She shouted in an obvious panic.

I sighed in relief as I looked down at myself and noticed I was covered in a cerulean magic aura. "I'm fine Luna, thanks for the save." I replied with a relieved smile as she turned me over and lifted me back onto the balcony she was standing on.

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" She demanded as she wrapped me in a hug once I was safely on the balcony.

I returned the embrace. "I was thinking that the mare I love was heartbroken, and that I wanted to be there for her." I whispered.

She squeezed me a little tighter. "You truly have a big heart my love." She said as she pulled back to look me in the eye. "But you must be careful, or that big heart may just get you killed." She told me, seemingly forgetting her other troubles, if only temporarily.

I sighed and stroked her cheek, the midnight Alicorn leaning into my hand. "I know Luna, but I couldn't just sit there and do nothing."

Luna rested her head wearily on my shoulder. "Thank you… but my sister was right, according to the law, we cannot-" She was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Luna… I'm sorry, please let me in." The voice wafting in through the door and its blockade was undoubtedly Celestia's.

"Oh blast it! Can I not get a single moment?"

I gave her one last hug before letting her go. "Go on," I gestured to the open balcony door. "I'll talk to her; you go and have some time for yourself."

Luna gave me a grateful smile and trotted over to the balcony before spreading her wings and leaping off into the pre-dawn air. I walked over to the door where Celestia was still knocking and pleading. "Hang on, I'll open it in a sec." I told her through the virtual mountain of furniture blocking the door.

It took several minutes, but I finally managed to clear and open the door. When I did, I found a rather distraught looking Celestia standing on the other side. Rather than looking angry at me for my earlier display, she looked relieved. "I'm glad you are here Blake, but where is my sister?" She asked as she looked around for said mare.

I shrugged. "I dunno, I told her to leave when you started knocking, but I don't know where she went. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you right now. You and I need to have a talk first." I gestured to Luna's bed as I moved to take a seat on it, indicating that she sit as well so we could talk in relative comfort.

Celestia nodded and sat upon the bed next to me. "You're right, there are many things that I should explain, but I'm not sure where I should start…"

I set a hand on her shoulder. "How about we start what happened in the sitting room?"

She closed her eyes and nodded. "You're right; I suppose you deserve an explanation about that. I assume you heard everything?" I nodded. "I see… You must understand; I wish for you and my sister to be happy together, however, there are laws in place that I will admit I had forgotten about over time that prevent that from happening."

"Can't you just repeal the law?" I asked in confusion.

She sighed and shook her head. "It is not that simple. It is not a mere law; it is one of the foundational laws of Equestria herself. Changing one of those laws is impossible; they must all be repealed and replaced by a committee that must first decide if the action is even necessary, it's a system set in place by our parents to ensure that these laws were not removed easily. If I had the authority to do so I would, but alas, I do not."

I could see her plight; from the sound of things, changing these laws would be harder than the U.S. government repealing the entire constitution. "I understand… is there a way around it? I doubt you can make me royalty, but what about nobility? Surely I could find a way to do that."

"It is possible, though most who are of the noble class this day and age were born into it, actually becoming a noble can be fairly difficult. The only pony I can think of off-hoof is Fancy Pants, and he only became so after he built a successful business buying and selling high quality clothing from the ground up. In fact, most of Canterlot's residents buy their outfits from him anymore."

"I see. Are there any other ways of becoming nobility?"

She nodded. "There is one, and while it is much quicker, it is also very dangerous."

"Well, lay it on me; I'm no stranger to danger." I snorted a laugh as I realized my accidental rhyme. "Heh heh, see what I did there?"

Celestia giggled. "The only other way to become Equestrian nobility is to become a knight, and the only way to do that is to perform a militant service to Equestria above and beyond your role. To put it simply, you would need to assist in the defeat of a threat to the entire nation."

I was silent for several minutes as I digested this. The only realistic way for me to keep dating Luna was to stop a threat to a peaceful nation on a world that, as far as I could tell, was peaceful itself. I opened and closed my mouth several times during this period, meaning to say something but coming up with nothing. Celestia waited patiently while I came to terms with the possibility of not being able to date Luna anymore. Finally, a question came to mind. "So if this law prevents me and Luna from dating, why were you so supportive of it in the beginning?"

She let out a shaking sigh. "It's as I said before, I forgot about that particular law; it had been over a millennia since either of us had even thought about courtship, and so it faded from memory. Despite what my little ponies may think, I am far from perfect, but I do my best for their sakes." She explained, sounding tired. "And now that imperfection has caused me to harm not only my dear sister, but my dearest friend as well… if you even see fit to call me that after what's happened tonight."

I wrapped an arm around her. "I won't lie and say I'm not upset, but this isn't your fault, so I'm not upset at you, I'm upset at the situation."

The alabaster mare looked over to me and offered a small smile. "Thank you Blake, that means a lot to me… I just wish that there was something I could do to circumvent this nonsense and allow you and my sister your happiness…" Her eyes opened wide. "Oh, poor Luna, after how I reacted earlier, she must be devastated, and there's nopony to blame but me." She sighed, hanging her head.

"Just give her some time to cool off." I offered, rubbing her back in a soothing gesture. "I'll talk to her later and convince her to come to you when she's ready to talk; until then, just give her some space to think things through."

She looked over to me, still hanging her head before wrapping her wing around me. "Thank you Blake, not since Starswirl the Bearded passed have I had a friend that I could count on for advice." She stood and offered me another grateful smile. "If you'll excuse me, the events of tonight have left me feeling weary and I wish to try to get some rest."

I walked over and gave her one last hug. "Of course Celly, sleep well." I broke the embrace and opened the door for her as she left.

As soon as the door shut, I heard wings flapping behind me, leading me to turn around to see Luna land on the balcony. "So I assume you didn't go very far?" I asked, noticing her quick return.

The Princess of the Night shook her head, her beautiful starry mane swaying gently. "I did not; I was on the adjacent balcony, listening with a spell. I must admit, you handled my sister far better than I would have…"

I chuckled somewhat darkly as I hugged her head to my chest. "Don't forget Luna, I've had a lot of practice at keeping my cool around people I'm upset with."

She shifted her head to look up at me. "I know, I know what your father would do to you whenever you would 'talk back'…" She sighed and rested her head against my chest again. "That we could do nothing to stop him sickens me."

"It's alright Luna, that's all dust in the wind now. For now, why don't we talk about something more pleasant, like this 'demonstration' you have planned for me later." I said with a gesture towards the balcony.

We walked out and made ourselves comfortable. "There is not really much to tell really, there will be special targets for you to practice upon, and that will give us a demonstration of not only your weapon's destructive capability, but your own skill as well." As she finished, her horn lit up as she lowered the moon.

"Y'know, as much as I love the night, there's a beauty in the twilight hours that I can't help but admire."

She looked to me curiously. "Really? All I see is my sister taking over the adulation of our ponies." She commented cynically.

"Well, that's one way to look at it I suppose, but remember that you do the same at the evening twilight." She nodded with a thoughtful 'hmm'. "Just look at the sky, don't think about how you feel about your sister right now." She turned her head skyward and just watched as the night shifted to day. "See all the warm oranges and pinks that Celestia's sun brings about? Now just take a moment and admire how they contrast the cool blues and purples of your night, without thinking of it as your sister taking something away from you."

She seemed to do as I asked, and was quiet for some time. "You are right… it is quite beautiful." She whispered.

"And just think, all this beauty is only possible when you and your sister work together, in harmony."

A smile crept across her lips. "You are right Blake; individually, we can do many things, but together we are nearly limitless." She reared up and drew me in for an emotion-filled kiss, one that I happily returned.

The rest of our morning was spent watching the sunrise in relative silence until it was time for me to wake Scoots up for the day. With one final kiss, I left Luna in her chambers to rest. I went back to our room and began rousing Scootaloo. Once she was awake, the day proceeded in its normal routine, with the exception of Scoots staying with me for the daily session with the councilponies.

Luna was waiting for us when it was over. There was a big smile plastered on her face. "I have wonderful news my love! My sister and I are no longer at odds!"

That made me smile too. "That's great! I'm glad you two aren't fighting."

Her smile widened. "That is not even the best part; she and I went back over the foundational laws of Equestria, and we have found a loophole to our dilemma." This piqued my interest. "The law states that a member of the royal family may not court a pony that is not either royalty or nobility, it says nothing of non-ponies. It is a temporary solution at best, but it gives us time to devise a more permanent alternative."

Luna and I wrapped each other in a tight embrace. "That's a hay of a loophole Luna, but I won't argue with it!" I exclaimed happily. Scootaloo just gave a confused 'huh?'

I explained to Scootaloo what was going on along the way to the impromptu range that Luna had supposedly set up. She shook her head when I was done. "That's dumb, why should some dumb law get to say who the princesses can and can't date?"

"I honestly cannot say why our parents decided to enact such a law, though I agree with your sentiment. Ah, we have arrived!"

I looked back ahead to see that we were somewhere in the palace gardens, in a fairly large, pony-made clearing form the look of it. I quickly noticed something off about it however; there seemed to be some kind of distortion around the border, like heat distortion on asphalt only it seemed to have a bluish tint to it. "That, dear Blake, is a protective shield that will capture any stray… whatever it is that your weapon uses for ammunition, and safely keep them from leaving this area." She explained when I asked about the strange effect.

"W-what does she mean by 'weapon'?" It was obvious Scoots was uncomfortable.

I couldn't lie to her. "It's something from my world that Luna wants to see, that's why she brought us here, so I could show her what it can do safely."

"Oh, o-ok…" She still sounded nervous, but seemed to accept that it was just a demonstration.

"Guess who!" Someone suddenly shouted as my world went dark. Judging by the soft, furry feel of things, my eyes were being covered by a pair of hooves.

"Hmm… I'd have to say the lovely Miss Derpy." I replied, recognizing the voice.

"Heh heh, guess again pardner." This voice was distinctly Applejack's, though it came from somewhere to my left.

"Hmm… how about… Pinkie Pie?"

"Heeheehee! Nope, I'm over here silly!"

I shrugged my shoulders, getting a feel for my 'assailant's weight. "Ah, I know! It's Twilight!"

"Aww, how'd you guess so quick?" Came said mare's reply as she slipped off of me.

"Easy, I remember your weight from the time I carried you back to the library." I explained as I turned around and wrapped her in a hug that was quickly joined by Applejack and Derpy. I glanced around to see that in addition to the three mares I was currently cuddling, Lyra, Vinyl, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and surprisingly, Princess Celestia were also here.

I looked back to see Twilight staring at me. "What do you mean you 'remember my weight', are you saying I'm fat?"

I chuckled as an evil thought came to mind. "Of course not thunder-thighs."

Her eyes opened wide in horror before quickly narrowing in what I hoped was only mock anger. "So you do think I'm fat! I should give you a piece of my mind mister, I-" She was cut off as both Rainbow Dash and Vinyl burst out laughing.

"Relax Twi, it was a joke, he's just messin' with ya." Dash said as she set a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"R-really?"

"Yeah, it was meant to be a joke. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings Twi, I honestly didn't expect you to take me seriously. What I meant when I said I remembered your weight was that I remembered how it felt when I carried you back to the library after you fell asleep. It's kind of a skill I picked up from my job, my mind learned to remember how something felt to carry so I know how to do so the next time without having to fight with it."

"I see… Well, I'm still mad at you buster." I noted a hint of playfulness in her voice. "So Princess Luna, what was it you wanted us to see?"

I turned to the Lunar Diarch. "You invited them here? What for?"

She seemed slightly hurt. "They are your friends and herd-mates, I believed they deserved to see what it is you were capable of doing to the one who sent you here."

"Wait wait wait… What do you mean?" Vinyl asked, approaching Luna. "I thought you two brought him here."

"We did; however there were events beyond our control that led up to that." Celestia answered.

"What kind of 'events'?" Lyra asked this time.

"Blake's life was… prematurely ended by a fellow human. We intercepted his spirit in a plane between this life and the next and brought him here."

Vinyl, Lyra and Derpy had shocked expressions, their jaws hanging low while Scootaloo had tears threatening to spill forth. "B-Blake… is-is that true?" Derpy stuttered.

"Yes, its true… the princesses showed us what happened through Blake's memories." Twilight answered, walking up to the three.

Scootaloo ran up to me and latched herself onto my leg. "So how come we're just now hearing about this?" Vinyl asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that too." I added.

"That was our decision, we felt at the time of his arrival that only the Element Bearers be made aware of the circumstances of his arrival. That is part of why we asked you to come here today, we feel that his closest friends and herd-mates should be made aware of what happened." Celestia turned her head and levitated an ornate box in front of her. "Contained within this box is a device that our dear friend carried with him for self-defense. A similar device was used against him and caused his death. You are about to see what such a device is capable of and the sacrifice Blake made by not using his own."

The box floated over to me and opened, revealing my pistol, still in its holster, with the extra magazine lying next to it. Both were lying on what looked to be on a felt pillow nestled in the bottom of the box. I reached in and rested my hand on the grip, caressing the polymer respectfully, as though it were an explosive that could go off at any time.

Tentatively, I picked up the holstered weapon and turned it over in my hands, feeling my heart rate quicken. I could feel all eyes on me as I slipped it out of its cloth holster; the matte black tool steel of the slide seeming to absorb the sunlight shining down on it, yet the metal was still cool to the touch as I slipped my finger into the familiar safe position resting along the slide as I gripped it.

I heard a small 'eep' from Fluttershy, who obviously recognized the weapon in my hand for what it was. I looked over to the group to see Twilight levitating several pairs of earmuffs from her saddlebags and passing them out; she even had a small set for Scootaloo to use. Seeing the filly here made me wonder if I wanted her to see this.

I looked around the clearing briefly and noted that there were no targets set up. "Hey Luna, just what am I supposed to be shooting at here?"

"It shall become apparent in a moment Blake, but first allow us to move to a safe location." I watched as she and Celestia led the group to a seemingly random corner of the roughly octagonal clearing. Once everyone was in place, the distortion effect of the spell around the edge of the clearing seemed to shift, wrapping around them and protecting them from any stray bullets. "The exterior of this shield shall prevent sound from escaping it; however the barrier we are currently protected by provides no such advantage to us."

I nodded and turned to face the clearing, holstering my pistol and slipping it under my waistband, the extra magazine going into the small extra pocket of my pants. For nearly a minute, nothing happened; then, as I was about to turn and ask what was going on, something strange began happening. As I looked on, several mounds formed in the soil, bulging up as though something was trying to push its way through the earth.

To my horror, the decayed heads and hooves of several ponies suddenly burst through the mounds and their equally decayed bodies quickly followed; I glanced back at the sounds of several panicked shrieks. "It is alright, these are merely elaborate illusions. Blake would be in more danger from a falling leaf than these figments." Luna explained to the others before I could ask what the hell was going on.

Shrugging, I turned back to the now approaching miniature horde. The first zombie in line had what remained of a grey coat draped over its body with a scraggly black mane. Quickly un-holstering my pistol, I took aim and squeezed the trigger three times, sending three rounds streaking into the lead zombie's chest. There was a chorus of screams behind me as the thunderous booms of the rounds being fired off echoed around the clearing. The zombie didn't even seem fazed by the hits. So, these are Romero Zombies, huh? Well, I know how to deal with that.

Readjusting my aim, I squeezed the trigger again, this time sending a round between its large, glowing red eye sockets and dropping the thing. I heard several gasps and even a few retches from behind me as the bullet sailed through the zombie's frail skull and exited, bringing coagulated blood and decayed gore with it. The other zombies were completely undeterred and simply stepped over their fallen comrade as if he were part of the landscape, which was only to be expected from the walking dead.

The remaining zombies began to fan out and seemed to shamble faster towards me. With quick, fluid motions brought on by over two hundred hours of run-and-gunning, I brought my pistol to bear once again, dropping two more and leaving an opening on my left which I quickly exploited for more breathing room between myself and the undead.

I stole a quick glance at the others to see that Fluttershy and Scootaloo were cowering down, covering their eyes. Good, I'd rather those two not see this. I hit the magazine release, dropping the now empty mag to the ground and sliding the spare home, hitting the slide release and chambering a fresh round that I promptly used to drop another. I dropped two more after that, leaving me with only one to go. This one was different however, it seemed less decayed and even looked… sad? This one had a dirty, light grey coat and a faded red mane that looked like it had been crimson at one point.

Something made me hesitate to shoot this one, like I felt sorry for it. With a sigh, I leveled my sights and fired, putting the final illusory zombie out of its simulated misery. I looked over to where the others were to see the distortion effect dissipate along with the 'corpses' of the target zombies. I holstered my pistol and took a step towards the group, with all save the princesses flinching at the movement.

"Come now my little ponies, this is still the same Blake Marshall you have come to know and trust. You must remember that he lost his life by choosing not to use that weapon against another living being." Celestia said in a reassuring tone, which seemed to work.

Scootaloo ran up to me and leapt into my open arms. "That was so scary! Please don't use that thing again!"

I hugged her tightly to me. "I promise I'll do my very best not to Scoots."

Once everyone was calmed down, the princesses led us to the rooms where the girls would be staying, with Rarity beckoning me into her room to discuss my suit for the upcoming party.

It took over an hour, but Rarity had crafted a tasteful two-piece suit that was dark blue with light blue vertical stripes and a matching fedora. She sent me into the bathroom to put it on. As I was coming out, a commotion broke out in the hall. "Durn it Rainbow Dash! Get back here!" came Applejack's muffled voice through the door seconds before it flew open and the mare in question flew in. "Look out! Big Mac packed a bad batch a cider an' Dash got inta it, now she's actin' crazy!" AJ exclaimed as the others piled in after her.

"There he ish!" Dash exclaimed as she saw me, seeming to ignore the others. I could tell by the look in her eye and her slurred words that the "bad cider" was really just fermented. Heh heh, drunk Rainbow Dash, this oughta be interesting.

Dash zipped behind me and, before I could react, grabbed the waistline of my yet to be belted pants and yanked them down, shouting "C'mon Blake, sshow ush what yer hidin' under there!" Even before I saw the blushing faces of every other mare in the room, I could tell that when my pants had dropped, my boxers had gone along for the ride.

"And that ladies, is why humans wear pants."