Ponified Bacon Boss - Sorry about the delay, I would have updated if I'd been physically able to.

PyraohXBlaze - Lol read and find out ;)

LordMentat - Why thank you :D. I do try to keep a nice balance to things

PBJFanFiction - Lucky you! I've always wanted to go to Japan (Lol even though I doubt I could ever speak the language) Yeah, it's not fun; I got flash-burns in both eyes while I was welding once, and I had to keep them both covered for like a week while they healed. Just what do you and Pinkie do after video games?!

MrNoOne - I believe I did one for Christmas... but I can't remember if I did another one after that. That sucks, I'd go nuts if I couldn't have any steak for that long!

PSYCHOPATH - You actually get used to it eventually...

xel101 - You'll just have to wait and see ;)

KillerWoW - Lol I think you'd be better off trying to bribe Derpy with that muffin ;)

Kyguy - yes, yes, yes it did

bobfromsiam - Well, here's the next one! (finally)

frytrix - Your wait is finally over :D

DragonLovingBrony - Lol I didn't do it on purpose, honest!

darksoul78 - And here it is...

DragonLord RyuKizoku - She may, but then, she may not join at all, you'll just have to read and find out

shodapop98 - It took awhile to get into a steady schedule that didn't take up too much of my time or burn me out.

HYBRID BATTLESHIP INFINITY210 - Lol. This is true; doing the right thing doesn't always come without consequence. But, we just have to persevere and keep doing it anyway.

Mikalzilla - Lol she certainly is.

A/N - Howdy Everypony! Sorry for the long delay in updates, but there were things that I had to take care of. Unfortunately, those things had to take place in Washington state rather than Indiana, where I live, and I had to travel by car with my parents (who can't sit in a car for more than around four hours), so I spent around eight days traveling for something that only took about three to resolve. Unfortunately, I was so busy for that entire time, that I didn't really have any time for myself, let alone for writing, so I won't be able to do a double-update after all. The good news is that I shouldn't have to do anything like that again, so you guys shouldn't have to worry about long gaps in updates (unless I go on vacation again that is ;) ). I literally walked in the door, sat down, answered the PMs I'd gotten while I was gone, then started working on this chapter so I could get it out as soon as possible for all of you. Thank all of you for being so awesome and patient with me while I was away! As always, don't forget to follow/favorite, review, and most importantly; enjoy!

Rainbow Dash sat silently on one of the couches as she tried to process what Twilight and I had told her. While we were explaining the situation to her, I had been testing my aurasight, and found that I could ping it for short durations to get my bearings with little discomfort. I didn't want to push myself too hard too fast, so I left it at that for the moment. I could still hear Fluttershy sniffling quietly, which I was relieved for; it had taken nearly twenty minutes just to get the sensitive, big-hearted Pegasus to this point.

"So… it's my fault then…" I didn't need my aurasight to know that all heads, including my own, had shifted in Dash's direction. "I'm the one who planned the storm… and I'm the one who made sure it was a doozy… so this is all my fault…"

"Rainbow Dash, what are you saying? Why would you plan a storm that severe?" Twilight sounded both confused and slightly accusatory.

She let out a heavy sigh. "I didn't mean for it to be that bad… I just wanted it to be enough to make sure Blake wouldn't want to go home in it… I… I wanted you two to make up…"

"So you forced us to be stuck together?! Do you have any idea how much worse that could have made things?! How much worse it did make things?!" Twilight was practically shouting now.

With a quick 'ping' to find out exactly where she was, I walked over to the distraught mare. "There's no need to be this hard on her Twilight; after all, how could she have known that any of this would happen? Besides, I don't need to be able to see to know that she's really torn up about this already… it won't do any good to make her feel worse by tearing into her like this."

"I-I should've watched… I should've…" Another quick ping showed that Dash had her front hooves wrapped around herself, hugging herself and rocking slightly. "This is nopony's fault but mine…"

I wrapped my own arms around her comfortingly. "Shh… it's ok Dash… This isn't anypony's fault at all… You couldn't have known the winds would be that strong, and even if you did, there's no way you could have known that Twilight and I would have to use magic like that to keep the library safe from them."

Dash shuddered, and the normally brash mare unfolded her forelegs from her chest and wrapped them around my own in an uncharacteristic show of affection; a display that many with many with Alpha Dog personalities like her would consider weak. "I'm sorry Blake… I never wanted this…" the words were so quiet that I felt them in her breath more than heard them.

I squeezed a little tighter. "It's ok Dash… I don't blame you one bit for this." I released her and held her back to 'look' her face-to-face. "Now, Pinkie has a birthday party planned for me; why don't we all get ready to go to that? I'm sure one of her parties is just what all of us need to get our minds off this whole 'poor Blake, he's gone blind!' business. I don't want to hear any 'buts' either; I don't feel sorry for myself, so there's no reason for you… any of you to feel sorry for me. Understand?" There was a quiet chorus of agreements, and I heard the shuffling of hooves as everyone did as I asked and went to get ready.

Since there was still time left, I made my way clumsily upstairs and took a quick shower; it had been at least two days since my last shower, and I could feel the funk all over myself. After walking out of the attached bathroom and back into master bedroom, I pinged my aurasight to make sure I wasn't going to bang my shins on every single piece of furniture ever, which seemed to be the norm when walking around a house without being able to see.

I froze when I noticed someone else in the room; it only took an instant to recognize the grey aura standing just inside the doorway. Even though my aurasight couldn't 'see' in that much detail, I didn't need it to know she was blushing rather heavily. It only made sense, since I hadn't bothered to wrap a towel around myself when I'd come out of the shower.

"Hey there Derpy. Need something?" I hadn't expected her up here when I came out of the shower, and she took me somewhat by surprise.

"Oh… I… I um… I just wanted to make sure you were doing ok…" I decided to try holding my aurasight on for more than just a short ping, and noticed that Derpy was pawing the ground and looking anywhere but in my direction.

"Derpy… are you ok…?" The klutzy mare started when I spoke again.

She gulped and shuffled her hooves. "Y-yeah… I just umm… I've never seen a stallion… umm…"

I chuckled when it dawned on me. "You've never seen a stallion naked huh?" She shook her head. "Well, I remember once upon a time you couldn't wait to get my clothes off…" I gave her a playful grin, and she giggled nervously.

Someone chose that moment to knock on the door, causing poor Derpy to jump so high I was afraid I would have to pry her off the ceiling. "Papa! Are you almost ready?! We're gonna be late for your party!"

I cut off my aurasight when I suddenly felt the precursor of a headache coming on. "I just need to get dressed Scoots, I'll be out in just a sec!"

"Ok Papa! Hurry up, Dinky and I are ready when you are!" I let out a chuckle as I walked over to the dresser and pulled out a new set of clothes, the feeling of Derpy watching me following the whole way. "Heh heh… she sure is something else…"

Derpy let out another nervous giggle. "Yeah… Dinky's a lot like that too..."

I finished dressing and tried my aurasight again; I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could use it slightly longer than I could the last time before the threat of a headache came about. Derpy and I collected the girls and we made for Sugarcube corner.

We hadn't been on the dirt path long when I heard the muffled clopping of hooves coming up behind us. "Well howdy y'all! Ah guess yer all headed ta Blake's party too, huh?" I stopped and turned to face my sweet southern belle. "Heya pardner… something wrong? Ah'm over here…"

I sighed in defeat; my head warned against using my aurasight again so soon, and I knew that Applejack already knew something was wrong. "Listen AJ… I want you to promise me you won't freak out about this…"

"Freak out 'bout what Sugarcube…?"

"Do you remember that storm we had just a few days ago?" I really didn't want to do this now, but I didn't see any other options at this point.

"O' course Ah remember it! Thanks ta Rainbow Dash an' her feather-brained weather team, we lost three good apple trees ta that storm! Ah mean, what was she thinkin, cookin up somethin' that outta control?!"

I knelt down and beckoned her over. It was a moment before I felt my fingers weave their way into her thick mane. When my hand was planted firmly on her shoulder, I took a deep breath. "Well… that storm almost took down the library too, and I had to help Twilight keep that from happening." I felt AJ tense under my gentle grip, like she already knew what was coming. "I overdid it and now…"

"Y'all can't see no more, can ya?" Her whispered words were almost as much a statement as they were a question. "That's why ya didn't look at me when Ah called out to ya…"

I shook my head slightly, desperately wishing I could look into those beautiful emerald eyes of hers and tell her everything would be alright. "No, I can't…" AJ let out an angry snort, but I cut her off. "And it's not Dash's fault either, she didn't know the storm would get out of control like that. She made it that bad so I would be stuck at the library with Twilight and we could make up."

There was an agonizing moment of silence. "So… what yer sayin' is; this is all just a big ol' accident, and Dash was just tryin' ta help y'all an' Twi patch things up?" She sounded skeptical, to say the least. There was another silence, and my heart started hammering in my chest. "Ah… Ah believe ya Blake… t'ain't like Dash ta do somethin' like this on purpose, 'specially if'n she thought somepony might get hurt. If it's all tha same ta you, Ah'm gonna keep mah yapper shut; it won't do no good ta start tellin 'er off about somethin' y'all obviously already settled. B'sides, y'all seem ta be doin just fine so far, so Ah don't see no reason ta be upset."

I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "Thanks AJ…" I stood back up. "Come on, Sugarcube Corner is on the far side of Ponyville, and we can't move with Pinkie's speed... however she does that…"

The rest of the trip to the sweets shop was made in a relatively pleasant, if somewhat uneasy, silence. I mentally lamented the fact that I couldn't see the delightfully decorated delicatessen with my own two eyes anymore, but I didn't dwell on it for long. "Hey girls… I know this is a lot to ask, but would you mind going in ahead of me and explaining what's going on? I think things would go better if someone besides me were to be the one to tell everyone what happened." There was a short pause before a quiet chorus of agreements. "Oh! And please leave out details if you can; I don't want anypony to be angry with Dash for this…"

There was another round of agreements followed shortly by the sound of the bell above the door jingling as everyone went inside. I sat down on the steps outside the door to wait. A moment later, I felt a pair of small bodies snuggle up against me. "It'll be ok Daddy… with everypony here to help you, you'll be just fine in no time at all, you'll see."

I stayed silent, basking in the warmth and affection of the two fillies as I stroked their manes affectionately. We were quiet for a time as I strained to listen to what was going on inside, but anything that was said was too muffled to make out. "Oh! Hiya Princess Luna!" I jumped slightly as Scootaloo's voice suddenly broke the silence. "Are you here for Papa's party too?"

"Indeed I am dear one, though I am curious as to why he has not yet greeted me himself; surely he could see me walking up the path as plainly as you could…"

I gulped; I was definitely not ready for this so soon… "Heh heh… About that Lulu…"

"What do you mean you were blinded when you suffered a magical burnout?!"

I shrugged. "Like I said, I had to help Twilight keep the library from collapsing on top of us, and I used that new shield spell to do it; turns out I overdid it and well… this is the result…"

"And you are simply alright with this?!"

I shrugged again. "To be honest, not really. There's not really a whole lot to be done about it; though; moping and feeling sorry for myself won't bring my sight back, so the only thing there really is to do is try to get back into the swing of things as quickly as possible. Besides, I got over being killed, didn't I? This is small beans compared to that kind of trauma."

There was a small gasp to my right. "What do you mean Daddy? I thought he princesses brought you here with their magic!"

"They did Dinky, but it's more complicated than that. Now isn't really the time for that though; I promise I'll tell you everything later, ok?"

She sighed and snuggled into my side. "Ok Daddy…"

The door behind me opened. "Ok Blake, I think they're… Oh! Hello Princess Luna."

Luna cleared her throat. "Twilight Sparkle. I trust you have sufficiently amended yourself to Blake?"

Before Twilight could reply, I got up and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok Lulu, we had a long talk before the storm tried to bury us with a tree. I wouldn't go so far as to say things are back to normal, but I have forgiven her for what happened."

Luna snorted. "If you are sure… I will do my best to forgive her as well. Now, I believe there is a party in your honor about to commence."

I turned and stepped through the door and immediately felt the chilling sensation of all eyes in the room suddenly turning to me.

"Is it true Blake?" The voice was undoubtedly Hammer Hoof's. "Did you really go blind trying to save the Golden Oaks library?"

Great… looks like I'll be spending the party doing Q&A… I was about to reply when Luna's voice cut me off. "There will be plenty of time for questions at a later date everypony; right now, we are here to celebrate the thirtieth birthday of our dear friend, Blake Marshall!"

I heard a chuckle that could only belong to Ponyville's resident D.J. "Heh heh… Wow Blake, I had no idea you were such a geezer!"

"Vinyl Scratch! That is quite a rude comment to make about Sir Marshall, especially so soon after learning of his condition!" And there's Octavia…

Vinyl's laughter died down. "Oh relax Tavi, if I know my buddy Blake, he wouldn't want us to treat him any different than we did before, and I plan on doin' just that!"

"Enough chit-chat everypony; let's get this party STARTED!" Pinkie's voice projected through the room, and was followed by the needle of her record player sliding across a record, a happy tune playing a moment later.

I tried my aurasight again, and was relieved to feel that my mind had grown less strained by its use. Several unicorns in the room, including Lyra, looked around for the source of the strange sensation that using this particular ability caused, but soon shrugged it off and went back to enjoying the party.

The party seemed to be just what everyone, including me, needed. Even poor Fluttershy seemed to be enjoying herself, though she mostly stuck to the walls and watched the others enjoy themselves. "Ok everypony, time for the birthday colt to open his presents, then we can all have cake!" I groaned inwardly at Pinkie's announcement, knowing that all attention was going to be on me while I opened the surprisingly large pile of presents stacked haphazardly in one corner of the room.

I reluctantly walked over to the pile, and everyone gathered around me. I decided to try something new with my aurasight, and reached out to it. When the world around me suddenly jumped to life, I started concentrating on focusing it so that it only showed what was in front of me rather than what was all around me. I cracked a smile when the present I held in my hands came into clearer focus than it had been before; it was still a pale comparison to my actual sight, but it was definitely better than it had been before. As an added bonus, my mind seemed to be less strained without having to handle all the extra information the omni-directional bubble that was the normal version of the spell tended to feed it.

I turned back to the present and flipped over the card attached to it. I flipped it over several more times, looking for the writing that was supposed to be there to tell me who the present was from. "What's wrong Sugarcube?" I shuddered as the breath from the whisper tickled my ear.

I turned in AJ's direction, her worried expression coming in fairly clearly. "I… I can't read with my aurasight spell…"

Her expression turned to a reassuring, confident smile. "Don't y'all worry 'bout that Hon, Ah'll help ya till y'all figure out how ta work that fancy magic right!" She situated herself so she was looking over my shoulder. "Lesee… Well Ah'll be a two-toed gopher at a hole-diggin' contest! Looks like this one's from Mayor Mare herself!"

Said Mayor giggled form somewhere in the room. "Oh please Applejack! I consider Ponyville's resident human to be a friend of mine, just like everypony else!" I spotted her as she waved a hoof in the air. "Now go on, open your present, we're all waiting!"

I looked back to the present, thinking about what I'd just seen; when I looked up to find Mayor Mare, I'd realized that my 'vision' became blurry before it reached the far wall, which I couldn't see at all. From what I remembered of the layout of the bakery, that wall was barely twelve meters away from me, which meant that I could only see around ten meters away at best.

Not wanting to worry everyone or keep them waiting, I started unwrapping the gift the Mayor of Ponyville had so thoughtfully gone out of her way to get me. When I had peeled away the paper, I opened the box within to reveal what she had gotten me; another box, though this one was made of finely polished wood. I flipped open the box's lid to reveal a pony in a tutu striking an elegant dance pose. I cracked a small smile. "A music box…" I looked back to Silver Scroll. "Thank you… this reminds me of my mother's music box."

There was a chorus of 'Aww's as I set the already sentimental gift aside and reached for the next.

When I had finally opened the last of the presents, I came away with more than just the material gifts; the thought and compassion that had gone into each gift had given me a new appreciation of the residents of Ponyville. I had discovered that, to a one, they had all but forgotten about the fact that I had murdered my own father, the knowledge of which I had thought had earned me their eternal enmity. I looked around at the fairly large gathering, using my aurasight to see the smiling faces of everyone there, all of them looking at me expectantly; it didn't take long to realize that they were waiting patiently for me to say something.

I opened my mouth to begin a heartfelt 'thank you' speech for all the compassion and forgiveness they had shown me, when a voice rang out from somewhere in the back of the crowd. "Alright everypony! Who's ready for Blakey to blow out the candles so we can have some cake?!"

I let out a small sigh amidst the cheers of agreement. On one hand, I wanted everyone to know just how much I appreciated all this, but on the other, I was still no public speaker, and being the center of attention during the present opening had been hard enough on my nerves.

I turned to the pile of unwrapped gifts when I felt the familiar pressure of Twilight's magic to see her carrying them towards the door with said magic. I had found over the course of my time on Mythis that each unicorn's magic had its own unique feel to it, and by paying attention, I could recognize each of them as easily by their aura as by their faces or the unique, pleasant aromas that each pony seemed to naturally have.

Twilight looked over her shoulder and winked. "Don't worry, I'm just taking these out to Applejack's cart so you can take them home. After all, the doctor wants you to take it easy with your magic for a few days." She made a shooing gesture with a hoof. "Now go enjoy some cake, Pinkie always makes the best sweets!"

I did as she asked, getting up and walking over to where the rest of the party's attendees had gathered. "There you are!" Pinkie was smiling brightly at me, a plate with an enormous slice of cake balanced on one hoof and a cake knife in the other. "Silly willy, everypony knows the birthday colt gets the first piece!" Pinkie disappeared from my sight, moving faster than my aurasight spell could follow, reappearing in a burst of what felt like confetti against my bare skin right next to me.

Even though I was fairly used to the pink mare's antics, I was still caught off-guard and nearly went tail-over-teakettle at the nearly magical display. When I had recovered, I took the plate from the party pony, who merely stood there, grin widening. I looked around and noticed that I was once again the center of attention. I realized that they were waiting for me to take the first bite of the first slice of cake.

Not wanting to disappoint, or be the focus of attention for any longer than need be, I obliged them, picking up the fork and scooping up a bite of the fragrant pastry. When the special-made confection touched my tongue, I nearly went weak in the knees at the perfect balance of flavors.

Pinkie's giggle-laugh rang out through the room. "Hee hee hee! I think he likes it! Alright everypony, time to dig in!" I was secretly grateful that there apparently wasn't a song to accompany the whole affair.

Once everyone had eaten their fill of the delicious confection, some came up to wish me well and say 'Happy Birthday', while others hung around for awhile longer and chatted amongst themselves.

When I decided it was time to go, I was followed out by a small entourage of mares, all of which accompanied me back to the house while I carried a pair of exhausted and sleeping fillies on my shoulders.

When we finally made it back, I walked upstairs and tucked the adorable duo into bed for the night before heading back downstairs and slumping into one of the couches in the spacious living room, cutting off my aurasight as soon as I felt myself come into contact with the soft cushions.

"Are you well my love?"

I picked up my head, which I hadn't even realized had been slumped back, and turned a blind eye in the direction of the Lunar Princess's voice. "Yeah, I'm ok Luna. Just… today was a lot to take in, that's all…"

I listened to the almost noiseless clopping of hooves and felt the couch sink slightly next to me, and I smiled at the sweet scent of blackberries that tickled my nose. "I cannot understand how you feel my love; the events of the past coupled with the revelations of today would tax the sanity of many to the breaking point, but you must remember that we are all here for you, and that this day is no longer to be dreaded, but rejoiced! You have made many happy memories in your short time here, and this day will signify all the many new ones beyond that that you have created with those that love and cherish you."

I wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her lightly. "Thanks Luna… that actually helps a lot…"

I felt her head come to rest on my shoulder. "It is simply the truth, my beloved." Her head lifted from me again and I felt her get up off the couch. "Now, lest I forget, I have also come bearing gifts for you; though these are of a somewhat more personal nature, which is why I did not reveal them at your celebration."

"What gifts do you have for him Princess Luna?" Twilight sounded like she was sitting on the couch opposite me, likely with Applejack and Derpy.

"The first gift is that of knowledge; I wish to teach Blake the missive spell, the same spell that my sister and young Spike use to communicate." I was about to remind her that I couldn't read or write, but she continued before I had the chance. "I know that you cannot currently see normal inks with your vision spell; however, I know of a special ink that is sensitive to magic, and should be visible to you. When I return to Canterlot, I shall commission this ink and send it to you via the missive spell, which will imprint a small portion of my magic upon it and should make it visible to you."

"Thank you Luna… that would be amazing…"

I felt a gentle hoof caress my cheek. "You need not thank me my dearest Blake… I give you this gift out of my love for you." She cleared her throat and her tone turned somber. "That however, brings me back to my second gift to you, though it was not originally intended as such. I have completed the item that you requested, that shall lift the curse from the mare in Sunny Town that you wish to free." I felt her magic come to life and I activated my aurasight to watch it wrap around an object in the saddlebag I hadn't noticed that she was wearing.

She pulled out the item and everyone gasped as it came into view. Floating in her magic and putting off its own surprisingly strong aura, was a dagger.