Deepfreeze222 - I'm glad you enjoyed, I put a lot of effort into making sure it was steamy but still tasteful and as original as I could make it. I never really liked stories (fanfiction or otherwise) where the two would hump for a bit and finish at the same time, it just doesn't seem realistic from my experience. And yes I will, but you'll hafta wait to find out who and when ;)

KillerWoW - Lol something like that.

centaurus2 - maybe, but then again, maybe not... Lol yeah, I liked it too, it seemed an appropriate reaction to finding out you insulted the special somepony of one of the most powerful beings on the planet.

INGENman - Yeah, I like Tavi, so I couldn't have her reputation stand as being just a bitch. I think we can all agree that nothing's hotter than that. You'll hafta read and find out the answers for yourself ;)

PSYCHOPATH - Never done Mary Jane (or any other drug), though I have nothing against those who do personally. Cool story though Brah

- Well, you're about to find out... I honestly wish I could do longer chapters for you guys, but my schedule doesn't allow me enough time to write to be able to.

KingTobi - Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. You'll find if you're right or not in just a few moments.

Kyguy - Oh, there will be a changeling, but there won't be any OC romance involved...

UnknownHero55 - Lol well spoken.

DragonLovingBrony - You might be surprised. No problem, though I'll let you know now that I won't have time to work on it until after the holidays are over.

A/N - Howdy everypony! Your wait is over; You finally get to know who the mysterious gasper was. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving, and I'll see you all next week, same pony time, same pony channel. As always, don't forget to follow/favorite, review, and most importantly; enjoy!

I pulled the towel off of my head, both expecting and hoping to see one of my lovely marefriends standing before me, only to be both disappointed and highly concerned by the prone form of a certain purple dragon lying unconscious on the floor. "Great… this is gonna be fun to explain to Twilight."

"What's going to be fun to… explain… WHAT DID YOU DO TO SPIKE?!" The very mare I was hoping to see until just that moment shrieked.

"I didn't do anything; he walked in on me like this!" I gestured to my still-naked form, still half-masted from Vinyl's revalation.

Twilight blushed heavily, though instead of looking away, her eyes were roaming over my nude form. She licked her lips when they came to rest on my half-erect manhood. Apparently realizing what was happening, she shook her head and blinked several times as I covered myself with the towel to save her from a repeat.

She looked from me to the prone Spike. "Poor little guy, must've been too much for him. Here, I'll put him to bed." She gently floated him over to his little basket with her magic and placed him in it before tucking him in. "There, all better."

"What about when he wakes up?"

Twilight giggled into her hoof. "Well, as Spike would say, that's future Twilight's problem. Present Twilight however, wanted to know if you were hungry."

"I could eat… I even know who I want for dessert." I gave her a playful wink and her face lit up crimson.

"W-we only just started dating… isn't it a little soon for that?"

"Of course it is; I just wanted to see your reaction… messing with your head was just a bonus."

Her blush somehow deepened and she looked down at the floor. "I-I wouldn't mind… i-if you wanted to… maybe… m-make out later?"

"An attractive, intelligent young mare like you; how could I say no?"

She looked up at me and gave me a happy smile. "Y-you really think I'm pretty?"

I walked up to her and kissed her, the towel inadvertently falling to the floor beneath me. Her eyes flicked down to my member, which was now somewhat stiffer than before. "Twilight, I know you're more than pretty." Her knees wobbled and she swayed a little until I put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "You ok there Twi?"

She looked up to me with a dreamy look on her face. "That was… something else." She was panting lightly.

I chuckled as I picked up the towel. "Come on beautiful, let's go get some dinner." She trotted after me, her hooves seeming to hardly touch the floor as she went.

We came back from our dinner at the local café to see Spike soundly asleep in his basket, having rolled over onto his stomach at some point. He shifted in his sleep, mumbling as he did so. "Hey Rarity…"

Twilight looked to me. "He has a bit of a thing for Rarity, but I think he's the only-"

"Sure you can touch it… yup; it's even bigger than Blake's…" Twilight's face turned the brightest red I'd ever seen it.

"I think we should go now…" I tugged on Twilight's tail as I slowly backed out of the room.

She nodded and silently followed me. We went outside and started walking aimlessly around town, just trying to clear the memory of Spike's little outburst from our minds. There was a flapping sound moments before a grey blur skidded to a halt in front of us.

I rushed over to make sure Derpy was alright; landing on one's face doesn't usually end well after all. Fortunately she wasn't hurt and dusted herself off as she stood up. "Hi Blake…" She started rubbing her foreleg nervously. "I wanted to say sorry for ruining your party like that…"

"I appreciate the sentiment, but you should be apologizing to Octavia; she's the one you called out in front of everypony."

Derpy sighed and looked at the ground. "I know… I just got so angry after what happened, I kinda… lost my temper. I'm sorry I did that." She flew up and gave me a peck on the cheek before heading off in the opposite direction of Vinyl's house.

"I don't wanna talk about it." I said simply, cutting short any chance Twilight might have had to question what had happened.

We made our way towards the edge of town. "I know! Why don't we pay Zecora a visit? I'm sure she'd be glad to know you're alright."

I nodded my approval and we walked off into the Everfree, following the path to Zecora's hut. I had only been there a few times, but the path was fairly clear, so it wasn't hard to get there.

I couldn't help but look around nervously as I kept getting the feeling that something was watching us. "Don't worry; critters never wander onto the path this close to the edge of the forest. Nopony knows why, it's just always been that way."

This did nothing to alleviate the tension though. I didn't have my gun on me, but I kept a hand on my folding knife at all times, the four-and-a-half inch blade bringing a modicum of security to my mind.

We reached Zecora's hut, fortunately without incident. Twilight walked up and knocked on the door. Several seconds later, it creaked open, revealing our zebra friend. She looked up to me. "Ah, good evening you two; and friend Blake, you look like brand new. Please, make yourselves at home; the Everfree is no place to roam."

We sat down on a small couch against one wall of the hut while Zecora prepared some tea for us, humming an obviously tribal song. When she was done, she brought over a wooden tray with small, earthenware teacups perched atop it and placed one in front of each of us. "Now tell me, why have you traveled so far to see me? If it is simply for company, I would accept it gladly."

I took a sip of the tea and smiled as the flavorful liquid tickled my tongue. "That actually is why we stopped by; I just got back into town today, and I wanted to pay you a visit."

We were having a pleasant talk about Zecora's homeland, specifically the customs she chose to hold onto and those she chose to abandon, when the clock on the wall chimed out seven times. "Oh dear, look at the time; it would appear you have heard enough of my gentle rhyme." We both looked her quizzically as she pointed out the window. "You should make your way back to Ponyville; this late in the day, the Everfree is never still."

We stood and she led us to the door. "I have enjoyed your visit, you have made my time fly; until the next time, I bid you goodbye." She stood in her doorway for a moment and waved us off as we made our way into the Everfree.

"Man, it's been too long since I've seen Zecora. Though I've always wondered, why exactly does she live way out here?"

"Hmm… You know, I'm not sure; I never thought to ask her that. I imagine it has something to do with her potion brewing though, the Everfree does have just about every kind of plant you could possibly need for something like that. That and I imagine she enjoys her privacy most of the time."

Even though I was making small talk, my eyes were constantly darting around as the feeling of being watched was even more intense than it had been on our way into the forest. "Blake? What're you so worried about I told you- AAH! SNAKE!"

I looked back to the path ahead of us to see a large snake's tail topped with red spines dart into the underbrush. "Holy… I really wish I had my gun right about now…"

Twilight shrieked as a bush near us rustled. She ran off into the forest before I could stop her. Before I could follow, Angel hopped out of the bush with a terrified expression before scurrying up onto my shoulders. As soon as he was up, I took off after Twilight, though Angel seemed to be trying to pull me off in another direction. If my guess was right, that direction was back towards Ponyville.

I broke into a clearing, which Twilight was standing in the middle of. I walked up to her. "What were you thinking Twilight? Who knows what could have happ-" I stopped dead in my tracks when I placed a hand on her back; her body was hard and rough, like stone.

"T-Twilight?" She, of course, didn't answer me.

Angel grabbed my beard and turned my head over to a side of the clearing. There, at the edge of the clearing and illuminated by a shaft of moonlight, was a petrified Fluttershy. Her body was frozen in stone just as Twilight's, locked in a cowering pose, as though she had known her fate before it came.

I looked around warily, using as much of my peripheral vision as I could. A shrub rustled off to my left, and as I turned towards it, a chicken popped its head out of the small bush. Breathing a sigh of relief, I walked over to it. "Hey there little fella, you one of… Fluttershy's…" Angel was downright panicking on my shoulder, causing me to pause and look at him.

As soon as my eyes left the chicken, a flash of red came from its direction followed by a loud rustle of leaves and a bone-chilling squawk with the undertone of a monstrous shriek. I glanced over out of the corner of my eye to see that the creature I had thought to be a chicken had burst out of the shrub and was now flapping in the air.

The creature had the head and feet of an ordinary chicken, but the only way I could describe its body was that of some type of small dragon, having wings instead of front legs. The tips of its wings and the top of its tail were tipped with familiar red spines and it was covered in deep green scales. It's beak was filled with needle-like teeth. I quickly looked away from the creature before it could petrify me as well. I wasn't sure how the whole petrification thing worked, but I wasn't taking chances.

Wait... I've read about these before… I think it's called a… Cockatrice. I slammed my eyes shut as I remembered that looking into the creature's eyes enabled it to petrify its victims.

I could hear the Cockatrice flapping and letting out that chilling cry, but I had no idea how to pinpoint it. I really wish Grandpa had taught me that whole 'fighting blind' thing. I could tell it was moving, but I didn't dare to open my eyes to look at where it was. I suddenly felt something strange, like the pressure I felt whenever somepony cast a spell near me, but this was different; it was almost like I could feel my surroundings. The best way I could describe it was like some kind of sonar.

I became aware of the cockatrice flying behind me; and it was strange, but unlike the rest of my surroundings, I could actually almost see the creature even though I wasn't facing it. Even as my mind struggled to process all this new information, I decided to use whatever was happening to my advantage. Whirling around, I grabbed the Cockatrice's comb in one hand and pulled my knife out of my pocket, flicked it open, and pressed the blade to the creature's throat; all in one fluid motion.

The Cockatrice shrieked in alarm and fright, but I held it fast. Still keeping my eyes closed, I could somehow see the fear in its eyes. "I'm guessing you can understand me, right?" The bird-dragon hybrid nodded its head. "Good. Now, here's what's going to happen; either you're going to reverse whatever you did to my friends over there and then get lost, or I'm going to find out what Cockatrice tastes like, got it?" It gave another, more vigorous nod.

I released the horrid thing and watched with my new 'vision' as it flapped over to Twilight, who I could feel more than see, and its eyes pulsed with light and pressure. I watched as Twilight glowed and a small eruption of light exploded off of her. When the light cleared, she had a faint glow of her own, like the Cockatrice did.

It repeated this with Fluttershy before promptly making itself scarce in the nearby underbrush. "Wh-what happened?" Twilight said groggily as she did her best to keep from falling over.

I put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Nothing Twilight. You saw a snake and ran away into this clearing."

She looked around. "Then what's Fluttershy doing here?"

I shrugged, but before I could reply, Fluttershy spoke up in her demure little voice. "I-I was chasing after Angel bunny." Said evil little bunny hopped over to Fluttershy as she was talking. He whispered in her ear and she gasped. "A Cockatrice? I don't remember seeing a Cockatrice; besides, I'm sure Blake would have mentioned something like that."

Twilight looked over to me. "There was a Cockatrice, wasn't there?"

I shrugged. "Lil bit. But everything obviously worked out, didn't it?"

Twilight's jaw dropped. "Why didn't you say that from the beginning?!"

"I didn't want to worry you. Why don't we at least get out of this forest before you give me my deserved reaming?"

"I like that idea… Oh, um if that's ok with you that is."

"How are we supposed to navigate? We don't have any lights, and my magic won't work for awhile, so we won't be able to see."

I reached into my pocket. "I guess this is my time to shine." I pulled my flashlight out and pressed the tail switch.

Twilight looked it over. "It's not all that bright; granted it's small, but I would expect something better from human technology."

I smirked and clicked the grey button near the head and the beam instantly got brighter. Twilight circled around me, trying to get a better look at it as I pressed the button again, causing it to get even brighter. Heh heh, just show her a shiny and she forgets everything else. I clicked the button two more times and unleashed its full eight hundred lumen potential. Twilight gasped. "Why wasn't it like that when you turned it on?"

Fluttershy huddled close to me and the super bright light. "Well, it was made so you can adjust the brightness on it. That helps not only preserve the battery, but helps if you don't need an insanely bright light."

"I'm gonna want to look at that when we get back… and don't think I've forgotten that you're in trouble mister." Well… crap…

We made our way back to the path with little trouble, soon emerging at the edge of quiet little Ponyville. We walked Fluttershy back to her cottage before heading back to our own home. I thought I saw a new building being built out of the corner of my eye, but it was too dark to tell for sure.

We got back to the library under the light of a peaceful half-moon, the start twinkling merrily; unaware of the ordeal in the Everfree. Twilight opened the door and stepped through, continuing across the room and heading up the stairs to the loft and our rooms. "What in the world?!" I heard Twilight exclaim from somewhere upstairs.

I hurried up, worried something might have happened to Spike. When I got up there, there was a fairly large chest with a scroll rolled up on top and wrapped with the golden seal that Celestia and Luna used. I walked over as Twilight unrolled the scroll with her magic. She cleared her throat before reading the letter aloud.

Dear Blake,

I wish to apologize for the delay in receiving the commission you have earned by aiding us in advancing our knowledge of building construction. Our artisans and craftsponies have held council with me and we have determined that the sum total of the knowledge you have imparted to our little ponies is worth…" Twilight trailed off and her jaw slowly fell open as she kept reading and rereading the letter.

"Well, what's it say?"

She shook her head and continued. "The sum total of the knowledge you have imparted to our little ponies is worth a total of three hundred thousand bits." I felt my jaw fall open much as Twilight's had. "In addition to this sum, another two hundred thousand bits has been included as compensation for events that occurred during your stay in Canterlot, including but not limited to the grievous injuries you received while combating Nightmare Moon and her forces." Twilight blinked several times.

She reread the letter a few more times."B-but… that would make this chest over fourteen thousand kilograms! How is this thing not crashing straight through the floor?!" She prodded the chest a few times with her hoof before lighting up her horn. "Hmm… It looks like the Princesses cast a Featherweight spell on the chest. It looks like you should be able to pick it up and carry it around as though it were empty."

I enveloped the chest with my magic and picked it up, since its sheer size would have made the thing unwieldy to carry normally. "H~uh. It is pretty light. Think I should put this in my room?"

Twilight nodded. "Sounds like a good idea to me; that should keep it out of the way. But… what're you going to do with five hundred thousand bits?"

"Well for starters, I'm going to help Applejack rebuild her family's barn. Maybe I'll commission a house of my own if I can find a place to put it."

Twilight stuck a hoof in tha air. "Oh, that reminds me; I was looking through your blueprints while you were in the hospital, and I came across something I didn't understand." She walked over to the nightstand by her bed and grabbed the folder I'd been keeping my various sketches.

I walked over and took a seat on her bed. She opened the folder and took out a few sheets with what would appear to be a greenhouse to a casual observer. She spread the sheets out on the bed and pointed to a particular one. "This one here. What's an 'aquaponics garden'?"

I looked the sheets over, deciding where best to begin. "Well, basically it's a garden that's fed entirely by water instead of dirt. See how the plants sit in this little shelf while the roots grow down below? Water from this reservoir is pumped up and through these troughs that the roots grow into and feed the plants that way."

She looked at me like I was stupid. "But plants need more than water to survive; where do they get food from?"

I smirked at her. "That's the ingenious part. This reservoir down here is actually a huge fish tank. The fish's excrement is full of nitrogen, which bacteria converts into nitrites that the plants can use, as well as other nutrients the plants need. So the water is pumped up from the bottom of the reservoir and flows over the roots, carrying these nutrients with it; then the plants extract them and whatever liquid they need, cleaning the water before it's returned to the fish tank. The clean water returning to the tank also aerates the water as it flows back into the top of the tank. It's essentially a self-running system save for having to feed the fish."

Her expression shifted to a puzzled one. "But where do the fish come into play besides providing nutrition for the plants? Or is that all they're good for?"

"That's another ingenious part; they're essentially food. So you have food growing your food while food grows your food… its foodception."

Twilight was silent for a moment. "This is… Brilliant! How did you come up with a system like this?"

"Well, it's something that already exists on Earth, but I was looking into making my own before I came here. If you had a breeding tank for the fish and an incubation tray for the plants, you'd literally be self-sustaining as long as you could get ahold of food for the fish. It'd be even better if you had a solar panel to power the pump."

That quizzical look returned. "What's a 'solar panel?'"

"It's essentially a panel, like the name implies, that converts sunlight into electricity. But with all the magic around here, I doubt you'd need something like that." I could see the questions in her eyes. "And don't even ask, because I only know the very basics of how it works. All I know is that there are a variety of different methods and materials that can convert the sunlight into electrical energy; most of which involve using its heat."

Twilight blinked several times before giggling. "I bet Princess Celestia would have a fit if she heard of something like that. Now, back to this aquaponics thing; are there any limitations to it? Can you use just any old type of fish, or does it have to be a specific type? How about plants, are there any limitations on them?"

What have I gotten myself into? "Well, as far as fish go, if it's freshwater and you find it tasty, its fair game; you can even keep multiple types in the tank at once… as long as they won't, y'know, eat each other. As for plants, the only real limitation is space. You don't want to overcrowd the plants or they won't grow properly."

She nodded sagely. "I see… What kinds of fish and plants would you stock this thing with?

We ended up talking for over an hour about what I would grow, what Twilight thought would be a good idea to add or subtract, different ways we could alter the garden's design for efficiency, even what types of fish would be best.

As I got up to stretch after sitting cross-legged on the bed for so long, we heard the door open and shut, followed by the scampering of little hooves on the wooden floor. "Dad, I'm home!" Scootaloo shouted. As she clambered up the stairs I darted over behind the door and motioned for Twilight to be quiet.

Scootaloo shot through the doorway, not noticing me hiding. "Guess what Dad? We got… a…" She looked around. "Hey Twilight, where's my dad? I figured he'd be he- EEP!" She let out the cutest little squeak when I scooped her up into my arms.

"Heya kiddo, I'm right here." She wriggled around in my arms and threw her little hooves around my neck.

"I missed you so much dad. I was so scared you'd leave me alone again… I tried to act all tough so ponies wouldn't know I was so scared, but Twilight saw through it… Sh-she helped me, told me that you were alright and I shouldn't worry. She even let me stay at the library so I didn't have to go back to the orphanage." I mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Twilight, who had a smile on her face. "I'm just glad you're home…" She squeezed my neck a little tighter.

Home… I felt a tear come to my eye and I hugged Scoot… no, my daughter... just a little tighter. Her warmth was comforting beyond words as we simply held each other after so long apart. I realized in that moment that even with everything that had happened, that this was where I was truly meant to be; I had never in my life felt as welcomed or as loved as I did in that moment. My daughter's breathing slowed and she was soon peacefully asleep in my arms, her small hooves still wrapped around my neck.

As I was running my fingers through her mane, I felt something; a slender metal chain running around her neck, ending in half of a heart-shaped pendant. "She hasn't taken it off once since she gave you the other half."