Szenka - That's actually Blazing Sun, the first OC I ever created, and who I named my profile after (Though he's not analog for me or anything like that.)

PyraohxBlaze - Hmm... Blake and Cadance... might make for an interesting sub-plot... ;)

Guest - Nah, it doesn't have any meat in it... though that's an interesting idea...

Equius Zahhak - That's kind of hard to answer... there really isn't a 'type' per se, even though they are different. The closest comparison I can come up with is the difference between A/C and D/C power; they're both electricity, but they function differently, and they're not really interchangable.

Lone The Dark Hearted Wolf - Wow... there's no way I could have read the whole thing that quickly. Oh, and do I smell a crossover?

PBJFanFiction - Lol what can I say? I'm a punny guy ;)

DragonLovingBrony - Thank you :D I'd be willing to bet I'll still be going strong with this story clear through its second anniversary.

bobfromsiam99 - But will it be what you expect...

KillerWoW - Actually, Blake only has one set of wings, like a pegasus or a bird. Lol I can be sneaky like that when I want. And Dammit Pinkie, I told you to stay on the other side of the 4th Wall or you aren't getting any more cupcakes!

Mikalzilla - And that goes for you too Discord! You aren't even in this story yet! *Ahem* Oh, he'll find out eventually, though if you remember, he already knows a bit about him from a previous chapter.

Kyguy - Isn't that just the question... ?

Lord of darkness the 1st - Well, I could cite Granny Smith because of her age, but I get the feeling that's not what you mean. The only reason I could think of for someone to actually die in my story is as a major, major plot point, though there's no plans for that in the foreseeable future.

A/N - Howdy everypony! I've got one heck of a chapter for everyone this week, and I bet you'll never guess what's gonna happen! On a side note, today's an important day; can anyone guess what it is? I think I'll keep this short and just leave you all with those cryptic little tidbits. As always, don't forget to follow/favorite, review, and most importantly; enjoy!

We kept training for a few more hours, but I was becoming frustrated and irritable, so Cadance decided to call it a day. Her timing was impeccable, since she called it right as Twilight and Shining Armor came into view from the direction of Applejack's farm. I also saw Scootaloo coming from a different direction, trotting alongside Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Rarity. It looked like she was riding her little scooter today, which puzzled me since I didn't see her with it when she left.

Even from as far away from each other as we were, I could see my daughter perk up when she spotted me. She broke off from the others and the buzz of her little wings floated on the air as she sped towards us. When she was only a few meters away, Scoots leapt off her scooter and ran the rest of the way into my open arms, hugging me tightly. "Hey there kiddo. How was school today?"

Her smile faded into a scowl. "I hate Diamond Tiara… she keeps blaming you for her dad getting arrested, and she won't stop picking on me. I try to ignore her like you said, but some of the stuff she says hurts so much…"

I hugged her tighter. "I'm sorry Scoots… I'll talk to Cheerilee tomorrow and see what she can do about it." I kissed her on her forehead, and she smiled a little. "That reminds me; I need to talk to Celestia and see if they've found anything out about her dad…"

"Hi everypony! How did training go?" Twilight's voice chimed out as she and her brother trotted up.

Cadance trotted up and hugged them both. Then she and Twilight started doing some strange dance. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake!" They plopped down and played peek-a-boo before sitting back up and playing patty cake. "Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" The pair shook their flanks and started giggling; I could only guess it was something they'd done back when Cadance foalsat Twilight.

Cadance smiled as they trotted back over to us. "Blake's training went better than expected, but it's going to take awhile for him to get the hang of things; innate magic isn't exactly easy to learn after all."

Shining groaned. "Does that mean we're going to be stuck in the library?"

Cadance shot him a warning glance. "We'll stay however long it takes to make sure he can properly control himself Shining Armor. You know just how dangerous these spells can be."

Shining sighed. "Yes dear…"

I snapped my fingers. "Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't you two stay here? There are already a couple of fully furnished guest bedrooms, and I know Twilight would love to have you over."

Twilight gasped. "That's a great idea! And since they'll be here, Spike won't have to stay at the library anymore!" She squealed and took off for the library. "Come on Cadance; let's go get you packed up so we can move you over here!" The pink princess followed with a giggle as Twilight called over her shoulder.

Rarity looked back over her own shoulder as Twilight dashed past. "Well, she certainly seems to be in a good mood…" She turned her shining sapphire gaze to me. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you if you'd be willing to help me at my boutique; I wanted to make you some attire more suited to your station… but I'm afraid I'm not well versed in military dress."

"Sure, why not? As awesome as my armor is, it's not exactly appropriate formalwear." I glanced over at Shining as a thought popped into my head. "Hey, I know! Why don't we have Shining Armor come with us?"

Rarity tilted her head with a puzzled look. "Pardon me for sounding rude Darling, but why would we want to bring Twilight's brother with us?"

The stallion in question cleared his throat. "I'm right here you know!"

"Heh heh… sorry 'bout that Shining. Anyway, what I was thinking was that we could both give you advice, and we could all work together to make a gestalt of both human and Equestrian styles; you know, make something really unique."

The beautiful white mare gasped. "That's a fabulous idea Darling! Just imagine the possibilities! We must get started at once!" Before Shining or I could say anything else, she was off; back to her boutique, with Sweetie Belle chasing after her.

"What do ya think kiddo, wanna come with?" I asked Scootaloo, who was still standing next to me.

She shook her head. "No thanks Papa, that sounds really boring. I think I'll stay here and see if Spike wants to play."

I patted her head and smirked at her. "Ok Scoots, you go have fun; I'll be back sometime later." The feisty filly took off and disappeared into the house, right as I turned around, there was a flash of light. "What about you two? Wanna come with us to Rarity's to help her make some clothes?" I asked Cadance and Twilight as the flash faded.

They looked at each other and smiled. "No thanks, I think we're gonna stay here and catch up; Cadance and I haven't gotten to spend much time together the last few times we've seen each other. You boys go have fun with Rarity."

I chuckled under my breath as I held back a comment that would probably have landed me in the doghouse. "Ok, suit yourselves. C'mon Shining, let's follow that mare!" He groaned, but didn't say anything as we took off towards Ponyville proper and the Carousel Boutique.

As we walked through the door, we were greeted by the merry chiming of the little silver bell perched above it. "I'm in the inspiration room!~" Rarity's singsong voice came floating from the side room where she liked to go to come up with new ideas.

It took several hours, but we finally managed to come up with a design that the three of us could agree was fitting of a Knight-Defender. The result was a red jacket accented with braided golden cords, and golden, tasseled shoulder pads. A blue sash ran from the right shoulder to the left hip and tucked under a wide, brown belt.

On the right side of the belt was a loop to attach the scabbard for my sword. The collar of the jacket was designed to hide the amulet that allowed me to call my armor, so I could wear it on the off chance that I might need it.

The pants were plain black silk, with strips of fabric running down the outsides of the legs that Rarity had told me was made from actual gold, and was made of the same fabric she'd used to make the braided cords and shoulder pads.

The fashionista had wanted to add more decorations to the outfit, but Shining Armor and I convinced her that function was just as important as fashion in a military uniform. All in all, the design was quite fitting, being both elegant and mildly intimidating; it showed that while the wearer was dressed for a formal event, they were still ready to do their duty at a moment's notice.

I stepped out from behind the changing curtain wearing the uniform so Rarity could check the fit. "That looks simply amazing Darling! I was honestly a little worried about how it would turn out, but I'm glad to see I had no need to be. Now, just let me just look everything over, I want to make sure I didn't miss anything." She made a slow circle around me, muttering quietly as she did. "Ah, simply marvelous! You'll be the envy of anypony and everypony with this ensemble! Now, go ahead and change back into your regular clothes, I need to make a few final adjustments and clean your new uniform."

I did as she asked, stepping back behind the changing curtain and slipping back into the clothes I'd been wearing. I stepped out again; making a few final adjustments to make sure my holstered pistol would be comfortably tucked against my side and out of sight under my tucked-in shirt. I looked around the room to see Shining already gone; couldn't say I blamed the guy, this kind of thing generally wasn't most guys' cup of tea.

Rarity was just finishing hanging the new uniform on the mannequin she'd had made just to be able to make clothes for me. Her indigo mane swished as she looked back over her shoulder. A small smile danced on her lips as she trotted over to me. "I wanted to say 'thank you' Blake… I admit, all I could think about at first was how glamorous being nobility would be, but yours and Shining Armor's insights into this uniform have helped me realize just how dangerous your position can be…" She hopped up and rested her hooves on my shoulders. "I know you didn't necessarily agree to it for us, but I want you to know that we're all grateful to you for swearing that oath nonetheless." Her beautiful, sparkling eyes shared the same smile that played on her lips as she spoke.

A moment later, her lips were pressed daintily against mine, and I could taste a sweet, minty flavor on them. When she broke the kiss, there was still a smile on her face. "You truly are a marvel Darling; and, as much as I would like for us to be together, I'm afraid being part of a herd simply doesn't appeal to me… you see, I believe a mare and stallion should be free to devote all their attentions to one another." She hopped down and her eyes went wide. "Oh dear, that didn't come out at all like I meant it! I don't mean to say that I disapprove of you being in a herd; it simply isn't for me, is all."

I chuckled and gave the beautiful fashionista a quick hug. "It's ok Rarity; to be honest, I wasn't too keen on the idea of a herd at first either. But hey, a beautiful, compassionate mare like you should have no problem finding her Prince Charming."

She shivered. "Please Darling, don't mention Princes… I believe Blueblood has ruined me on the idea of dating a prince, especially after what he did to you." She gave me another little smile. "But I do appreciate the compliments Darling. Now, I do believe Twilight and the others are waiting for you. Don't worry about your uniform, I'll bring it by tomorrow morning after I've cleaned and adjusted it." She shooed me out of her boutique and waved me off with a smile.

When I got back to the house, I found Twilight, Cadance, Spike and Scootaloo all merrily playing Monsters and Mazes, while poor Shining looked downright miserable. "Come on Cadance, can't we do something fun for awhile?"

She smirked cheekily at him. "Why Shining Armor, this is fun. If you just gave it a chance, you might actually have some fun to."

The white stallion grumbled as I patted him on the back. "Yeah Shiny, kick back and kick some monster butt, it's more fun than it sounds."

He groaned and grabbed his character sheet in his magic. "I don't even understand what all this is, it just looks like a bunch of gibberish to me."

After awhile, Shining started to get the hang of playing the game and, surprisingly enough, actually started to have fun. We decided to call it a night for playing when a chorus of grumbling stomachs rang out and Spike and I headed into the kitchen to make dinner while the others cleaned up the game and set the table.

When Spike and I were finished making a quick dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, I sent the little drake out into the dining room to take his place while I carried the meal out with levitation. He wanted to help of course, but I convinced him that the practice would be good for me, and he agreed, running out of the kitchen to no doubt sit next to Twilight.

I walked out into the dining room to see that my guess was right; Twilight was flanked by Cadance on one side, and her little purple assistant on the other. I took a seat across from my marefriend, and we started eating. Cadance took a bite of her sandwich and moaned quietly as she chewed. "This is delicious Blake. How did you make this?"

I stopped for a second, not sure if it was a serious question. "Wait… you've never had grilled cheese before?" She gave a little shake of her head. "Wow… Well, it's really just a cheese sandwich with butter on the outside and cooked on a skillet over low heat. Here, try this." I took my own sandwich and dunked it in my bowl of soup, much to the astonishment of everyone at the table.

Scootaloo was, of course, the first to try it, munching the sandwich while making 'Mmm…' sounds. The others decided to try it as well, all with similar results. After dinner was finished, everyone chipped in to clean up the mess, and we resumed our game of Monsters and Mazes until it was time for Scootaloo and Spike to go to bed. Once they were tucked in, the rest of us decided to call it a night as well.

I stayed awake for awhile after Twilight had fallen asleep in my arms. After some time, I started hearing noises floating in through the walls. It didn't take long to realize that the room Cadance and Shining were sharing was on the other side of that particular wall, and it took even less time to figure out what the noises were. I snuggled closer to Twilight with a smirk on my face, and managed to drift off to seep to the sounds of a couple in love.

I walked Scootaloo to school the next morning so I could both spend time with her and talk to Cheerilee about her problems with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. When we got to the schoolhouse, the very mare I was there to talk to was standing outside, smiling and ushering the arriving foals inside even as she greeted the ponies walking with them.

I shooed Scootaloo into the schoolhouse and waited outside for the last of the fillies and colts to trot inside the little, red building. When the last of them had passed through the doors, Cheerilee turned her warm smile to me. "Good morning Sir Marshall. Is there something I can do for you?"

"For starters, you can still just call me Blake; I don't want to be treated any differently than I was before. And secondly," I knelt down so I was face-to-face with the school teacher. "I need to talk to you about some… problems that Scootaloo's been having with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon."

Her face twisted into a grimace. "Oh dear… what kind of problems is she having with them?"

I let out a quiet sigh. "To be perfectly blunt, those two are little snobs who think they can get away with whatever they want, and they've been bullying Scootaloo and her friends for some time. But, due to some recent events, they've been focusing more on Scootaloo lately."

She nodded slowly. "I see. They have come to me in the past about similar incidents, but unfortunately, without actually seeing the bullying happening, there's only so much I can do."

I looked past her and through the window of the small building. "So what you're saying is that if there were evidence of the bullying, say a picture or something, you'd be able to do something about it?"

"Precisely. Though I have no idea how you're going to get proof like that..."

I turned to leave, but stopped to call back over my shoulder. "Oh, don't you worry about that, I have an idea of who can help me." I left her there with a puzzled look as I headed back to my house.

I arrived back to see Cadance standing outside waiting for me under the awning of the front door. I guessed that Twi and her brother had left for Applejack's while Spike had gone to tend to the library for the day. "There you are. I take it everything went well with Cheerilee?"

I shrugged as she joined me in the open front lawn. "About as well as I expected. She needs some kind of proof to do anything about it, but that's no different than most schools where I'm from. I'm going to talk to Twilight later and see if she can help with that." I took a quick look around the spacious yard. "Anyway, shall we get started?"

We sat on the cool grass as the sun shone down with just enough warmth to ward off the cool air. Cadance and I went over what I'd discovered yesterday, and I found that tapping into my innate magical stream was just as easy as it had been the day before, though I still had trouble figuring out how to call on the spells that it was supposed to power.

As we finished a short break, I looked over to see some of my friends, including Vinyl, Lyra, Octavia, Pinkie and even Rarity were all sitting off to one side of the lawn, quietly watching; though Pinkie was munching on a tub of popcorn. "Looks like we have an audience…" I walked over to them. "Hey there girls. There something I can help you with, or did you just want to watch me try to figure this out?"

Octavia stood up. "I can't speak for everypony, but I just wanted to stop by and see how you were; it feels like I've hardly seen you for the past two weeks." Vinyl and Lyra nodded their agreement.

I gave the grey cellist a grateful smile. "Well thanks for wanting to check up on me girls, it's good to know you care enough to be worried about me." I looked to Pinkie and Rarity. "I assume Pinkie's just here because everypony else is, but what about you Rarity?"

The beautiful fashionista smiled warmly and pulled a box from behind her in her sapphire aura. "Why Darling, did you forget about your new dress clothes already?"

I mentally facepalmed as I took the box from her. "Heh heh… to be honest; yeah, I kinda did."

Her smile brightened as she waved a hoof. "Oh that's quite alright Darling, you've had a lot of important matters to attend to lately; it only makes sense that certain things would slip your mind." Rarity glanced over her shoulder. "Now, while I do hate to simply dash off, I need to be getting back to the boutique." She trotted off as I waved goodbye.

"So Dude, where you been? There were rumors you got foalnapped for some kind of weird experiments out in the Everfree."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Well Vi, looks like the rumor was true for once." She hiked up her shades, looking like she was going to ask a bunch of questions. I held up a hand to silence her. "No offense Vi, but it's complicated, and I don't really have time to go into it right now. Tell you what though; how about I meet you over at your place later, then I can tell the three of you all about it and we can hang out and listen to music?"

She grinned and set her shades back over her crimson eyes. "Sounds solid to me. C'mon girls, let's go make some music together."

I felt a sly grin creep across my face as I thought back to what Vinyl had told me about her and Octavia. When the others had turned to go, she raised her shades again and shot me a look that said 'not like that'.

When they were gone, I turned around to see that Pinkie had also mysteriously disappeared, off to do who-knows-what. Cadance had a patient smile on her face. "I'm glad to see you've made more friends than just Twilight's little circle since you've been here. Now, why don't we start from the top?"

We worked for a few more hours, taking short breaks to help the both of us keep our focus. As we were taking one of these breaks, we heard a flapping sound from above us. We both looked up to see who it was. "Aunt Luna! Shouldn't you be resting now?"

The Princess of the Night smiled at us as she landed silently on the grass. "Greetings Cadance." She trotted over and wrapped her hooves around my neck. "Hello my love."

I hugged her back and she hopped down. "To answer your question, I am here because I wish to visit with dearest Blake. As for my rest, I have used a spell that allows me to gain more restful sleep more quickly."

Cadance gave her an understanding grin. "That would allow you to get the same amount of sleep in less time." Her grin widened. "That would give you more time to spend with Blake."

"Precisely. I understand you are busy instructing, so, if it is alright with the two of you, I shall simply watch until you have finished for the day."

Cadance smirked. "You could do that Aunty... or, you could help me teach Blake how to bring out his innate spells. I'm sure you have a few ideas I haven't thought of yet."

Luna rubbed her chin. "Hmm... Yes, I suppose I could I try my hoof at helping you teach my love how to harness his potential."

I chuckled under my breath. "Now I know how Shining felt…" The two mares, apparently hearing me, turned their attention to me.

Cadance cleared her throat. "Sorry about that Blake, guess we got a little wrapped up."

I waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it; let's just get back to it, shall we?" The two mares nodded to each other and we set about continuing my lessons.

Luna suddenly perked up. "Oh! And before I forget; my sister wishes for me to remind you that she wants to see you when you are able Blake, she tells me there has been a development with one of the ponies that foalnapped you."

Having Luna around proved less of a distraction than I had thought, and she proved herself to be fairly useful, coming up with several things for me to try that Cadance hadn't thought of. We decided that for our next rest break that it would be a fun idea to take a flight over Ponyville.

After grabbing the amulet from my nightstand and summoning my ethereal wings, we took off into the cool afternoon air. Luna pointed out a spire-like mountain off in the distance that I'd never noticed before. "Not long ago, a dragon made his roost at the peak of that mountain, and my sister charged the Element Bearers with convincing him to slumber elsewhere, before he accidentally covered all of Equestria in a cloud of black smoke."

"So, how did Twilight solve that one?"

Luna giggled and winked at me. "Actually, it was tender little Fluttershy that calmed the beast and convinced him to sleep elsewhere."

I blinked several times. "Wow… Fluttershy?" Luna nodded. "I figured she'd be terrified of something like a dragon…"

"You would be surprised the challenges you can overcome when your friends are in danger."

I was quiet for awhile, trying to digest that bit of news. Wow… Fluttershy of all ponies talking down a dragon…

We landed in the front lawn of my home not long after, spotting Twilight, Shining and Scootaloo making their way home as we did. Our reception was much the same as it had been the day before, with Scootaloo galloping up and wrapping her little hooves around me in a hug while Twilight and Shining greeted us all.

Shining Armor, not wanting to be bored watching me try and fail to get this innate magic thing down, opted to head inside and find something to do while Scootaloo ran off to play with her friends. Twilight sat on the grass a short distance from us and watched. Luna cleared her throat. "Perhaps we should try this from a different angle; Blake, I know that most of your anger died when you took your father's life, but-" She clapped a hoof over her mouth, but it was too late, the damage had been done.

My head snapped in Twilight's direction as my mind rushed to come up with something to say, only to see Twilight's eyes grow round as saucers as a look of fear and confusion washed over her features. "Y-you're a… a murderer!?"