DarkSpider11 (Ch44) - Hmm... well, you know me; it's possible that it could happen, then again, it's also possible that it won't And as for timeline, it's definitely before Keep Calm and Flutter On

PyraohXBlaze - I think you may like this chapter even more then ;) I actually haven't decided on that yet; it's just as much a mystery to me as it is you at this point.

theflammablefiredragon - Lol. I don't think it quite works that way... either here or in Equestria.

KillerWow - Why thank you :D And don't worry; we haven't seen the last of her yet.

DragonLovingBrony - Lol no spoilers: I still haven't seen past S5E13 yet. (I have to wait until the new episodes come to Netflix, which won't be till after Christmas.)

PBJFanFiction - Lol very interesting. No, you didn't miss anything, she just didn't open her yap during the conversation.

Kyguy - Lol right? I honestly have no idea where I get the time some days. I'd love to have that time-altering amulet that Hermione had.

DragonLord RyuKizoku - Lol is there a better time?

The Ten Ton Hammer - Nah... Lol this fic isn't much of a musical :P Patience young Padawan, patience.

coldshadow 92 - Oh, you don't have to worry about that.

SquirtlePWN - Isn't it just?

Spiked29 (Ch90) - It's never too late to start reviewing. ;) Wow, that's pretty quick

Mikalzilla - Yup. Ain't it great? (Deadpans) Too harsh?! If I caught my hypothetical daughter talking like that to anyone, she'd be lucky if she ever saw the sun again...

Pianouniverse - 1) I thought of that, but there's a few reasns I decided not to use it. It being too cliche being just one of them. 2) Lol could be interesting. 3) :O How could you hate BlakeXDerpy?!

Lone The Dark Hearted Wolf - Eeyup ;)

ShadowfireAngel - Right? Who doesn't love a happy Nightmare Night story?

centaurus2 - Lol 'Ego Sword', hmm?

KyuubiMakai009 - All your questions will be answered, in time ;)

RapidRoadkill - You'll have to write your email another way; the site deletes anything written in web address format

TurnupGrain43 - Lol yeah, everyone's a winner it seems

DarkSpider11 (Ch91) - I actually didn't know she'd been introduced into the canon yet, I was looking at Diamond Tiara's Wiki page when I was writing this chapter to see if her mother was ever mentioned, and I found out about that. He's been in Equestria for roughly five months now; he first arrived at the beginning of Summer (June-ish), and it's now heading towards the end of Fall (end of October).

A/N - Howdy everypony! Just one more update left before Christmas is here! Can you all believe how much time flies? The holiday season has been wreaking havoc on my writing and sleep schedule, but I've been able to more-or-less keep up with where I wanted to be. Not much else worth noting on my end, so I'll leave off here so you all can get to the new chapter. As always, don't forget to follow/favorite, review, and most importantly; enjoy!

Both Twilight's and Luna's faces lit up when I told them the news, but I convinced them to keep things under wraps for the time being, since I didn't want to spoil the fillies' Nightmare Night by distracting them with the good news. Dinky had set her winning apple aside after she pulled it out from the tub, wanting us all to have fun bobbing for apples together more than she wanted a prize. I couldn't help but feel proud of her for her lack of greed and genuine big heart.

After we all had our fill of apple bobbing, I took Dinky over to Applejack's stall and hoisted her up so that she could give AJ the apple herself. Applejack grinned at the sight. "Well Ah'll be… Ah never woulda guessed such a little filly could pull one o' them big ol' apples out all by herself. How'd ya do it, Sugarcube?" I guessed that my proud smile had tipped her off to the little filly's feat.

Dinky grinned as Applejack took the apple she was so happily presenting. "I just did what Daddy would do! Daddy never gives up on anything, and so I didn't either!" Her words, which clearly told just how much she looked up to me, sent a pang of warm emotion into my heart.

Applejack smiled warmly at the little filly as she handed her a plush vampony doll that was nearly as big as she was. "Well good on ya, Dinky! That kind o' attitude'll get ya just about anythin' ya want outta life."

Dinky's grin widened as she hugged the doll to her, and I hugged her to me. I set her on my shoulders and we headed for the town hall, which is where Twilight and Luna were headed with Scootaloo so they could start planning our route for their version of trick-or-treating, though I'd never actually heard what it was called.

The three all started to giggle as I approached, since all they could see were Dinky's legs dangling over my shoulders while she rested her new vampony doll on my head. She'd said that it was because she wanted him to have the best view, and I couldn't help but laugh a little on the inside at her innocence.

Twilight trotted up to us as we approached. "Looks like you have a new hat there." She commented with a giggle.

I gave her a wink. "Nah, he's just resting… he forgot how to turn into a bat, so his forelegs are tired from all the flapping he was doing." Dinky giggled from behind my head at the bad joke.

Twilight gave me a flat look, but it quickly dissolved into laughter of her own. "You're the worst sometimes, you know that?"

I chuckled and set Dinky down, placing her vampony doll on her back for her to carry. "Yeah, but you love me anyway."

She grinned and walked with us over to the others. "And don't you forget it either, mister… or I'll just have to remind you."

I snickered as certain thoughts fluttered into my head. "Oh woe is me… what a terrible fate for you to visit on your poor, defenseless coltfriend…" Twilight giggled and rolled her eyes at my antics.

The five of us went around from house to house, letting the fillies have fun while we watched them collect candy. I felt warmth bloom in my chest every time I saw their smiling faces, knowing that these two were nothing less than my little girls, and this was our very first Nightmare Night together. I'd never had a child of my own to spend any holidays with, and knowing that I suddenly had two made my heart soar.

Thinking back to my old world and its people brought my mind back to reality, and as we watched them holding their bags up to receive candy from Roseluck, I leaned in to whisper to Twilight. "This may seem like a stupid question… but do parents check their foals' candy here?"

Twilight gave me a strange look. "What do you mean? Check it for what?"

Luna sighed, apparently having heard the question, and leaned in as well. "The humans of Earth can be cruel at times, Twilight… There are some that will put harmful things in a child's candy, such as harmful chemicals and sharp objects. The parents of the children check their candy to ensure no such dangers lurk within."

Twilight's ears pinned to her head, and she looked up to me. "That… that's monstrous! Why would somepony do something horrible like that?!" She was clearly upset, but she had the sense to keep her voice down so that the nearby foals couldn't hear.

I sighed, and shrugged. "I really wish I knew Twilight… I don't understand how someone could be that cruel…"

Luna gave me a smile. "Well, you can both rest at ease; there will be no such acts in our fair nation… least of all in quiet little Ponyville."

Her words got through to me, and I felt better. "Thanks Luna. You're right; I can't think of a single pony that I've met that would do such a thing to a foal. Like Twilight said, it's a monstrous thing to do, and I can't see anypony being so heartless that they'd purposely try to harm a filly or colt."

Our attention was drawn by the two little fillies trotting back over to us. "Lookit Daddy! Miss Roseluck gave us full-sized chocolate bars!" The huge grins on their faces as they held their bags open for us to see instantly melted my fears away, and I reminded myself that I was in a place that was infinitely better than where I had been before.

I squatted down and tousled their manes. "That's awesome, girls! I hope you thanked her for them."

They both nodded. "We did Papa! She had a big smile on her face and everything!"

I chuckled and stood back up, pushing down the alarm bell that their statement had set off in my mind, and motioned to Luna. "Well, you girls had better make sure you give some of your candy to Luna, or else she might just gobble up your backsides." Luna had told me the story of how she saved little Pipsqueak after he'd fallen into an apple-bobbing tub on her first Nightmare Night, and I'd been waiting all night long for a chance to do something with his cry of 'Help! My backside's been gobbled!'.

Luna puffed out her cheeks and glared at me. "'Tis a lie! You know very well that I won't be gobbling any backsides!"

I chuckled and hugged her, which made her puff out her cheeks further. "Oh, I'm just messing with you again, Lulu…"

She stuck her tongue out at me as I pulled back from the hug, which she had begrudgingly returned. "No, you're being a big meanie again!"

That made me laugh. "Yeah… yeah, I am… But, at least I don't do it too often…"

Luna sighed and kissed me on the cheek. "This is true. I must admit; I've always found your antics to be cheeky, yet endearing."

I grinned. "Sounds like me in a nutshell."

Dinky giggled and flopped over onto her back. "No Daddy, this is you in a nutshell!" She started flailing her hooves like she was pressing against an imaginary box. "Help, help! I'm trapped in a nutshell! Somepony get me out of this nutshell!" She did her level best to impersonate my voice, but it just served to make her little display all the funnier.

Twilight giggled as Dinky got back to her hooves, Luna using a wing to dust off her back. "Now that sounds like Blake!"

Luna giggled as well. "I agree… that most definitely sounds like something he would do." I rolled my eyes at the pair with a smirk, knowing all too well that they were right.

The three of us took the girls around to several more places, some were houses, while others were simply where ponies had gathered, so they could collect all the candy that they could. Eventually, their bags were full to bursting, and we made our way to the edge of town, towards the Everfree.

During the trip around the quaint little town, I had spotted a familiar Pegasus mare flitting through the clouds, though she seemed to notice me just as quickly, and would be gone before I could even get a good look at her costume, which seemed to be some sort of dark grey armor. I sighed quietly and shook my head. Oh Rainbow Dash… Did I really hurt you that badly…?

It didn't take long for us to come across a statue of Nightmare Moon, resting at the edge of the forest. She was reared up on her hind legs, striking a fearsome pose, and even though she appeared to be ready to attack, I couldn't help but admire her beauty, which was so perfectly captured in the statue. It was rather uncanny just how closely this statue resembled the real thing, and how clear my memories became of our first meeting when I looked at the cold stone.

"Blake, dear, are you alright?" Luna's soft tone brought me back to the present, and I realized that I'd been holding my breath.

I let the air out slowly, and my hand moved up to touch the scar on my chest, seemingly of its own volition. "Y-yeah… just remembering, that's all."

Luna noticed my demeanor, and reared up, wrapping her forelegs around my neck in a comforting hug. "You don't need to worry about her any longer, my love… she is gone from this world, once and for all."

I hugged her back, and sighed. "I hope you're right Luna…"

Dinky and Scootaloo poured some of their candy out at the base of the statue, and Dinky kept pouring more out as Scootaloo brought her bag upright again. "Dinky! That's too much candy!"

The tiger-striped filly shook a little more out onto the pile and turned her bag upright again. "I'm giving her some extra candy… so she won't hurt Daddy again…" She pointed to me, and Scootaloo's eyes turned to the scar on my chest.

Scootaloo grabbed her own bag, and poured out more candy as well. She even reached into the bag and grabbed the candy bar that Roseluck had given her, and tossed it on the pile. She looked up to the statue. "Please Nightmare Moon… don't hurt my Papa… I love him so much… and I don't want to see him hurt anymore…"

I couldn't hold myself back any longer; overwhelmed by the display of love and selflessness, I walked slowly over to the statue and scooped both of the little fillies up into my arms and gave them both a loving hug as tears spilled freely down my face. "Oh girls… I love you too… so much…" The pair squirmed around in my arms, and threw their little hooves around my neck as I hugged them.

I felt wet spots on either shoulder as the two began to cry silently in my embrace. "Please don't cry Daddy… we want you to be happy…"

I felt my heart melt a little more at her words, and I nuzzled both of them affectionately. "I am happy Dinky… these tears are happy tears… because I have wonderful little fillies like you in my life."

I held the two for some time, basking in the unbelievable amount of love that radiated from their little bodies. Eventually, I realized that I needed to let them go so that we could be on our way, and reluctantly, I let them down. Dinky walked over to her bag of candy and grabbed it by the bottom, flipping it up and pouring its entire contents onto the pile at the statue's base. She looked at us with a huge, warm smile on her face. "I don't want my candy… I just want to be with my Daddy."

I felt fresh, hot tears welling at the gesture, and the sentiment behind it. I watched Scootaloo grab her own bag and upend it, pouring the rest of her candy out as well. I did my best to push my welling emotions down, but I felt myself quickly losing that battle as my darling little Scootaloo repeated Dinky's sentiment.

"Blake Dear, didn't you have something back at home you needed to do before the rest of us got there?" Luna said, resting a wing on my shoulders. I recognized what she was doing; she knew I needed a minute to myself, and she was giving me an excuse. I nodded slowly, and she reared up and hugged me. "Well, why don't you go do that then? We'll take the fillies and get them some candied apples from Applejack and meet you there."

As much as I didn't want to leave them, especially not after that display, I wanted even less for them to see me break down from the emotional overload of their display. I waved to all of them, and climbed out of my centaur outfit, tucking it under an arm before summoning my wings and taking flight.

It didn't take long at all to reach the front porch of the house, and I quickly ducked inside. It felt like I had been followed the entire way home, but I didn't pay the feeling any mind, I was too focused on holding myself together until I could have some privacy.

I could tell by the stirring in my mind that I wasn't truly alone, and that thought brought me a small comfort as I made my way up to the master bedroom, closing the door quietly behind me and walking over to where Falathiel was resting. Gently, I reached up and took the awakening blade from the pegs she had been resting on, and sat on the bed with her in my lap.

"I'm glad you're finally awake… I've been worried about you." I wasn't sure if she was aware enough to hear me or not; in fact, I wasn't really sure how our telepathic link worked in her current state, but I wanted to try anyway.

"Bearer?" I felt an electric tingle shoot up my spine at the sound of her voice in my head. "Are you well? Your mind is in turmoil."

I smiled inwardly at her. "I am better than I think I have ever been, Falathiel. If my mind really is in turmoil, as you say, then it's only because I can't remember a time in my life when I've been as happy as I am now." Our conversation sparked memories of what had just happened in my mind, and I beckoned the sentient sword to share them with me if she wished.

She accepted my offer, and I felt her envelope herself in the moment, and I could somehow tell that she was experiencing things just as I had mere minutes ago. When she finished, I could feel more strength in our connection, and I could feel her own, happy emotions. "I am so very happy for you, Bearer; you have truly earned the love of those two fillies, and it's clear for any to see that you love them just as much." She grew quiet for a moment. "I know this is an improper time to ask… but, how long have I been dormant?"

I sighed and ran my hand slowly down her exposed blade. "More than a week… tonight is actually Nightmare Night, if that helps at all."

Falathiel was quiet for a moment. "I see… I wonder if perhaps the increased magic in the air somehow hastened my recovery."

I shrugged, forgetting that the gesture wasn't necessary. "I couldn't tell you… all I know is that I'm glad you're finally back with us."

"As am I, Bearer. Now, I can sense that you wish for some time to yourself; I too could use more time to recuperate."

I got up from the bed and set her down on it. "Ok. I should probably figure out something to do for when the others get back so that the fillies won't think we were lying to them."

Falathiel gave me a mental nod, and I left her to her own devices as I tended to my own. I was nearly halfway down the stairs when an idea popped into my mind; pumpkin cupcakes. They were tasty, festive, and they'd be done fairly quickly; hopefully before the others got back.

I set about my work, gathering and mixing the necessary ingredients, and using the time to simply process my emotions as my body went about the task more-or-less on autopilot. Before I even knew it, the door to the house opened, right as I was pulling the freshly baked cupcakes from the oven. "Hey you four! You're just in time; the cupcakes just came out of the oven."

I heard a familiar giggle from the living room, one that didn't belong to any of the mares or fillies I was expecting. "Sorry Blake, it's just Shining Armor and me."

I set the pan on a rack on the counter to cool and walked into the living room. "Heya Cadance. Did you two enjoy yourselves?"

I looked the pair over, getting my first look at their costumes; Cadance had dressed up as, oddly enough, Nightmare Moon, complete with fake fangs that were currently resting in her hoof. Shining on the other hand, being the wet blanket he tended to be, was simply dressed in a dress uniform. Cadance worked her jaw a few times, rubbing her cheek with a hoof. "Aunt Luna was right… these really are hard to talk with." She looked up to me and gave me a warm smile. "We did; Shiny here won me an adorable plush zombie pony, but I gave it away to a little filly who got separated her mother in all the excitement. I was really glad we were able to help her find her mommy, that really made my night."

I gave her a warm smile of my own, and nodded. "I can imagine… you have just about the biggest heart of anypony I know."

Cadance was interrupted by a sound from the top of the stairwell. My blood turned to ice as a familiar, warbling voice rang out from that spot. "Sir Blake? Is everything alright? I felt a huge pulse of love from town some time ago." I looked to Shining and Cadance as Shimmer spoke, hoping their reactions wouldn't be what I thought they would.

Shining Armor immediately took an aggressive stance, charging up a spell in his horn, while Cadance merely stood there, a confused look on her face. I tried to move in between Shimmer and Shining, but I wasn't quick enough; he loosed a bolt of energy at the poor, cowering mare.

My instincts kicked in, and I threw up a shield in front of her. I watched, in what felt like slow motion, as the barrier formed a mere instant before the ball of bright pink magic struck Shimmer, shielding her from the blast and repelling the ball of magic. The ball of pink energy scattered like a water balloon against my shield, dissipating harmlessly as I felt the impact in my mind. "Bearer!? What has happened?!" Falathiel called out to me in alarm, likely having felt the mental impact as well.

I looked to Shining Armor. "Hang On, I'll tell you soon."

The stallion shifted his aggressive stance towards me. "Blake! How could you let a monster like that into your house?!" I took a step towards him as he spoke. "You should have squashed that thing like the bu-"

Shining never got to finish his sentence; a swift right hook and a short flying lesson ensured that. I walked over to him as he lay, dazed, in a pile of the broken remains of a coffee table. "How dare you Shining Armor! This is my home! And you would attack one of my guests in front of me like that?!" I reached down and grabbed him by his jacket, hauling him up into the air. "And don't you think for a second that I don't know how powerful that shot was! If that had hit her, you would have killed her outright!"

The Guard-Captain-turned-Prince struggled in my steely grasp. "You don't know what they did! They tried to take over Equestria!"

Sickened by his blatant racism, I threw him bodily to the floor at his wife's hooves. "You're wrong! It was the Changeling Queen that tried to take over Equestria! She was merely a servant, a tool of that twisted maniac's will… but she's renounced her former Queen, and sworn her fealty to me." Cadance simply watched as her husband struggled to his feet, face quickly swelling where I had struck him. "And even if it was not entirely that bitch's doing, you have no evidence that this mare in particular has ever done anything to harm another! For all you know, you just tried to murder an innocent victim!"

He opened his mouth to speak, but I glared him into silence. "No, Shining Armor. No more excuses. No more apologies. I want you out of my house… and don't you dare think of coming back here… ever…" I could feel every muscle in my body tense up as I did everything in my power to control my rage, and I feared that if he didn't leave my sight soon, that I might just lose the battle.

He looked to Cadance. "C-come on Cadance… We're not-" He was cut off again by another blow, this time by the hoof of his own wife.

"No Shining Armor! You're not welcome here anymore!" I could see tears streaming down her cheeks. "Blake's right… you have no evidence that this changeling has ever done anything to us or anypony else… and you attacked her all the same…" She sniffled and took a step away from him. "I don't know who you are… but you're not the stallion I married anymore."

Shining's eyes went wide as saucers, and his pupils shrunk to pinpricks at her icy words. "B-but…"

She shook her head, a teary-eyed scowl crossing her features. "No… You heard Blake; this is his house, and you need to leave it… Now!"

Shining rose shakily to his hooves, and headed for the door with his head hung low, walking slowly. Cadance and I watched silently as he left my home, closing the door with a forlorn look. The latch had barely clicked shut when Cadance slumped down, sobbing quietly into her hoof. I walked over to her, despite my minds protestations to give her space, and wrapped my arms around her.

To my surprise, she threw her forelegs around me and started sobbing into my shoulder. I stroked her back slowly and gently, knowing that there was nothing I could do or say to console her. A few moments later, I felt a pressure against my thigh, and glanced over to see Shimmer resting her hoof against my leg. "Sir Blake… I… I believe I should leave…" She hung her head. "It has been less than half a day since you invited me into your home, but... I have already caused such turmoil…"

She turned to leave, but she was stopped by a pink hoof resting against her side. "Please… don't go… what happened wasn't really your fault…" Cadance looked to Shimmer with big, pleading eyes even as tears continued to stream from them. "If Blake thinks you can be trusted, then you must be deserving of at least a chance… so please, don't go."

Shimmer stared at the Princess of Love for a long moment. "I… I don't understand… I can feel your grief… so much pain that I caused… yet you are being kind to me…"

Even through her tears, Cadance managed a warm smile for the confused changeling. "It wasn't your fault though; you didn't do a single thing to provoke my husband, what happened was entirely his fault…"

I hugged Cadance a little closer. "Thank you Cadance… and, I know I shouldn't have hit your husband like that, but-" She turned to me and rested a hoof against my lips.

"It's alright, Blake. He deserved what he got; there's no excuse at all for attacking somepony like that."

Shimmer slumped to her haunches, head still hanging. "I'm sorry. Sir Blake, Lady Cadance… I know you say it's not my fault, and perhaps that's true, but I can't help but feel responsible… I was not in Canterlot when my kind attacked, but I know what they did, and I can't blame your husband for reacting the way he did…" The two of us watched as a single tear spilled from her turquoise eye and rolled down her shiny, black cheek.

Cadance reached out a hoof to the distraught little changeling and pulled her into the hug with us. I followed suit as well, wrapping an arm around her as we all sought comfort in the embrace.

We sat there for a long moment before hearing the front door opening again, the quiet voices of Twilight and Luna floating in from the other side. A moment later, they appeared from behind it. "Oh Blake, we're home~" Luna called out in a singsong voice. She turned her head and noticed us. "Oh, Blake, I-" It was then that she noticed the state of things in the living room. 'What has happened?! Is everypony alright?!"