PyraohXBlaze - Well, in his eyes, Blake did hurt Twilight's feelings... And you'll just have to wait and see what happens with those two :P
DragonLovingBrony - Oh they've still got a ways to go before all is completely well between them, but that was a good start.
recordflipthepony - Well unfortunately, there are those pesky copyright laws to deal with, so even if I wanted to, I'd end up getting sued by Hasbro for making a profit off of their intellectual property
Darksroid17 - Lol was that a Super Troopers reference? Well, here you go ;)
Killerbeast1998 - Lol. Oh don't worry, I'm not about to let you off the hook ;)
PBJFanFiction - 58 - Lol leave it to Pinkie to find a way to play games without thumbs. 59 - Beginner's luck I say! 60 - Oh it's not done yet...
Mr NoOne - Lol it's all about the pacing. You were the only one to suggest it in a review, but I also got several PMs suggesting going to Dailymotion
russellthebrony - Better hope Gallagher isn't anywhere around...
Mikalzilla - You're about to find out :P
HYBRID BATTLESHIP INFINITY210 - That's a lesson that poor Twilight has to learn the hard way... as do we all
KillerWoW - Well great... Pinkie! Better get the hammer and the pies!
Kyguy - It's about to get even realer ;)
DragonLord RyuKizoku - Well technically, all magic does (at least in my story), it's just very difficult to get to that point.
xel101 - Such is the fate of a protector I'm afraid... Though his beatings are fewer and far more in-between than some other characters I know of... She will, in good time...
A/N - Howdy everypony! I hope you're ready for this chapter, it's gonna be a doozy! As promised, I have an update about my absence; Unfortunately, I'll almost certainly be unable to post for the next 2 weeks, but I'll be taking my tablet with me so that I can still do some writing at least (if I get the chance, the next two weeks promise to be very busy for me). At the absolute latest, I'll be posting again on the 19th, and I'll do my best to make it a double-update to make up for lost time. As always, don't forget to follow/favorite, review, and most importantly; enjoy!
I groaned and sat up, my head throbbing like someone was trying to drill through it with a jackhammer. I tried to open my eyes, but the light was blinding, forcing them shut an instant later. I faintly felt something rustling next to me, and I gingerly reached my hand out to see what it was. My fingers made contact first with a soft mane, then a small body, its breathing slow and steady. The throbbing lessened somewhat, and I brushed my hand down along its side, feeling the soft feathers covering a small set of wings. Scootaloo...
I moved my other hand down to brace myself to lay back when I came across another small, sleeping form. When I tousled the mane, I discovered a horn poking out of this one's forehead. And Dinky… That must mean I'm-
"Blake! You're up!" Derpy's voice rang out from the other side of the room, and a moment later I felt a light form barrel into me. "I was so worried when Twilight brought you here!"
I wrapped the arm that had been caressing Dinky's mane around my relieved marefriend. "It's ok… we just had to use our magic to keep the storm out…"
I felt her pull back and rest her hooves on my shoulders. "OK?! Blake, the storm was two days ago! You've been unconscious for almost-"
"Forty two hours and twelve minutes…" If my guess was right and I was indeed in my own house, Twilight's voice was coming from the doorway to the master bedroom. "You used magics you shouldn't have even attempted for months yet…"
Derpy cleared her throat. "I-I'll um… I'll go make us some snacks. Don't worry, I'll be back soon." I felt her soft lips gently caress my own, then her slight weight lifted from me and I listened to her hoofsteps as she left the room.
Something in her voice sounded off, a strange mix between sadness and joy, like she was happy I was alright, but knew something was still very wrong. "Did… did the storm damage the library?"
I heard the clopping of hooves followed by a weight on the foot of the bed. "Blake… I want you to do something for me." She took a deep breath. "I want you to open your eyes."
I was nervous, both from the sound of her voice, and because of the intensity of the pain the light had caused. "Ok… but could you close the curtains first? The light really hurt my eyes before."
There was a small pause. "Daddy… it's almost pitch-black in here… we haven't even turned a light on since Twilight brought you home…" I hadn't even realized Dinky was awake until she spoke.
The implications made my nervousness transform into a sense of dread that lumped in my chest. Tentatively, I opened my eyes. There was a blindingly bright burst of colors, like fireworks going off right in front of my face, then everything went dark.
I felt the weight on the bed shift and move closer, and I heard and felt magic spark up in front of me. There was a gasp, and Twilight started sobbing. "Oh Blake! I'm-I'm so so-sorry! I should never have… let you put up that barrier!" I felt her hooves wrap around my waist, and squeeze tight.
"T-Twilight… why couldn't I see your magic just now?" Before she could answer, I reached out with my magic to grab the curtains and throw them open; my head started throbbing again, even more violently than before, but I managed. I was stunned into silence by what I saw… or rather, didn't see…
The little form to my left shifted and grumbled. "Close the curtains Papa! The sun's too bright!" Scootaloo shuffled around on the bed, probably to cover her head with a pillow, but I barely noticed it.
It took a moment of relative silence, the only sound being Twilight's continued crying, for the realization to sink in. "I… I'm blind… aren't I?" The nodding motion Twilight made into my abdomen made a pit form in my stomach as I felt Dinky tense next to me.
"Twilight… i-is that true… is Daddy really…?"
Twilight sniffed and I felt her head lift away from me. "I'm afraid it is Dinky…"
Two more, smaller forms barreled into me. "That's not true! Papa can't be blind!"
I hugged the two tightly. "Shh… It's ok… I'm sure this is only temporary… right Twilight?"
I could practically taste the uncertainty coming off of her. "I… I don't know…" Scootaloo lifted her head up, probably to say something, but Twilight continued before she could. "I made a trip to Canterlot yesterday… I managed to talk one of the doctors into stopping by to take a look at you. Hopefully he'll be able to tell us more." She let out a somewhat relieved-sounding puff of air. "His wife was one of the ones captured by Nightmare Moon, and he seemed eager to help the stallion who saved her."
"What exactly happened? I don't remember you ever telling me about any kind of side-effects to magic use beyond headaches and the like."
She sighed again, and was silent for a moment. "That's because magical burnouts are rare, and any kind of lasting side-effect like this are even moreso… The last documented case of anypony suffering something like this was over a hundred years ago, and he just got nosebleeds at random times for about a year after it happened. I had to scour the entire library just to find out that much about your condition, so I'm hoping the doctor will be able to tell us more when he stops by. From what he told me, he should be here-" We all froze in place when a knock on the front door echoed into the room. "That must be him now, I'll be right back!" I felt Twilight hop off the bed and listened as her hoofsteps grew faint.
"Papa… what's gonna happen if they can't fix you?" Scootaloo was clutching at my arm, and the worry in her voice tugged at my heart.
I tousled her mane with my free hand. "Don't you worry kiddo, I still have my aurasight, so even if I can't see with my eyes, I'll still be able to use that to see just fine… maybe even better with practice."
I felt Dinky doing something. "It always makes something feel really weird in my horn when you do that…"
I chuckled and patted her head. "I wouldn't worry too much about that Dinky, if worse comes to worse, I'll work with Twilight on a way to keep that from happening. I bet by the time we're done, you two won't even be able to tell I'm not using my eyes to see."
Scootaloo gasped. "But Papa, how will you be able to fly if you can't see?!"
I hadn't even thought of that. I couldn't lie to either of these two, especially not Scoots since I still felt guilty for lying to her about Luna, so I decided to be honest with them. "… I really don't know Scoots. I guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there."
Dinky suddenly perked up against me. "I bet Twilight could help you with that too! She's all kinds of good when it comes to magic!"
Scootaloo shifted on my other side. "I don't know if I-"
"Hiya Blakey!" The three of us jumped at Pinkie's overly-cheerful voice resounding throughout the relatively spacious room. "I hope you're ready for your party today! I have all kinds of super fun-tastic things planned!"
"Pinkie Pie… what are you talking about; why did you plan a party for Papa today?"
The bed shifted and I presumed Pinkie hopped up on it. My suspicions were all but confirmed when I felt Scoots lean back, like she was trying to get away from the overly-energetic pink mare. "Silly filly! Today's Blakey's birthday!"
My eyes went wide, though I still only saw blackness. "H-how did you know that…? I never told anypony when my birthday was…" I turned my sightless eyes down to the bed. "It's been so long, I'd almost forgotten myself…"
Instead of the expected silence, the room was filled with the sound of Pinkie's giggling laughter. "Silly willy! It's my job to know stuff like that! I mean, just look at my cutie mark!"
Another thought popped into my head, seemingly at random. "Pinkie… How did you get past Twilight? I doubt she would have let you up here with everything that's going on."
She giggled again. "Oh that was easy! She and Derpy were both busy talking to this stallion in a white coat, and I didn't want to bother her, so I just let myself in! He was funny too, he had a really serious face, like this!" She was silent for a moment, and from the fillys' giggles, I guessed she'd pulled one of her funny faces. "Anyway, I didn't think you'd mind your favorite party pony dropping in to tell you about your party!"
Someone cleared their throat in the direction of the doorway. "*Ahem*… Pinkie, what's this about a party? I thought I told you Blake was sick and needed to rest."
"He looks fine to me Twilight! And if he is feeling all frumpy-wumpy, I bet one of my parties will have him feeling right as chocolate rain in no time!"
"I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than that Miss." The voice had come from a stallion, probably this doctor Twilight had gone to Canterlot to see. "Sir Marshall's condition is somewhat… delicate at the moment I'm afraid, and until I've had a chance to properly examine him, he won't be going anywhere, especially not to any party."
I made my way to the edge of the bed as I heard two sets of quiet clopping sounds as Dinky and Scootaloo hopped off the foot of the bed. An unfamiliar magic sparked up, and I felt my eyelids being gently pulled apart. "Hey! Why are you shining that light in poor Blakey's eyes!? He won't be able to see anything but spots when he gets to his party later!"
"Please Miss, I need to be able to concentrate if I'm to examine him properly. If you want any hope of Sir Marshall attending this party, you'll kindly let me do my work."
Pinkie was actually quiet for a moment as the doctor continued his examination. "Hey Twilight, why's the doctor looking at Blakey's eyes anyway? Did he get something in them?"
"Listen Pinkie…" Twilight's voice was muffled, like she was facing away from me. "Blake had to help me keep the storm from blowing the library over, and now… he's paying the price for it."
Pinkie giggled. "Silly filly! Blakey has lots of bits! I'm sure he can afford whatever silly old- MMPH!"
"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight sounded really frustrated all of a sudden. "I'm trying to tell you he's blind! He over-exerted himself and now he can't see because of it!"
The doctor released my eyelids and cleared his throat. "I've examined him as well as I can without any kind of equipment. The good news is that this hasn't greatly affected the aesthetics of his eyes, so he shouldn't have to worry about them turning opaque or developing any other unseemly defects. The bad news… is that I can't tell you if this is permanent, or only temporary; the likelihood of either outcome seems to be roughly equal. All you can do for the time being is help him adjust and hope that his vision eventually returns."
I heard a small sniffle. "B-but… You're a doctor! You're supposed to be able to fix him, it's your job!" I got up off the bed and made my way clumsily over to where I had heard Dinky's voice. I felt a filly latch onto my leg. "Daddy, you're a knight; can't you order him to make you better or something?!"
I reached down and picked the desperate filly up, hugging her tight. "You know it doesn't work that way Dinky, and even if it did, I wouldn't abuse my authority like that. We'll just have to do as the doctor says; that means you and Scootaloo are going to have to help me until I get over this burnout thing and I can use my magic again."
"Speaking of which…" I turned my head in the doctor's direction so he knew I was listening. "From what I've gathered, it would appear that you took most of the brunt of this physically; I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to use your magic again as early as a few hours from now. I'll prescribe you some pain killers to help with any lingering discomfort, though I urge you to take it easy for a few days, this was a major shock to your system after all. And yes, I do believe he will be well enough to attend this party this evening, though again, I caution you to take things easy." I heard magic spark up, and hoofsteps receding out the door and elsewhere in the house.
"So Papa, whatcha wanna do? I bet you don't want to spend all day cooped up in here."
I thought for a moment. "You got that right kiddo; why don't we eat those snacks Derpy's working on making for us, then we can all go for a relaxing walk before we have to head to Sutagcube Corner?"
Almost on cue, someone tapped lightly on the door frame. "Umm… snacks are in the kitchen. Would it be ok if you three went ahead? I kinda wanna talk to Blake for a second." The fillies were only too happy to dash out of the room at the prospect of tasty treats, and I listened as a giggling Twilight followed them out. When they were gone, I heard a quiet *thump*, and I didn't need to see to know that Derpy had sat on her rump on the floor. "Blake… I wanted to say sorry… Twilight told me about this when she brought you back, but… something in my heart didn't want to hear her tell you…"
I sighed and motioned for her to come closer. It was a few moments before I felt her get up on the bed, and a few more after that before I felt her warmth against me. I sat there a moment and basked in the scent of freshly-baked muffins that always seemed to follow her around. "It's ok Derpy… in fact, I know just how you feel." She shuffled beside me, like she'd moved her head to look at me. "Do you remember when I told you my wife couldn't have children? Well, the doctors didn't catch the damage that caused that when she was younger… we went to a doctor after we'd tried for awhile to see if there was anything we could do. After running a whole bunch of different tests, the doctor told us he had some bad news, and I wanted to be absolutely anywhere but there… I knew what he was going to say, but my heart didn't want to believe it. It was like if I could only keep from hearing it, it wouldn't be real…"
She sniffled and cuddled closer. "I… I'm sorry… I never knew that…"
I gave her a wry grin. "That's because you're the first one that I've ever told that… It's another one of those things I'm not all that comfortable telling anyone, but it's something I think you should know." I felt her sigh next to me. "Now come on, let's go meet up with the others before they start wondering where we are; I want to hurry up and get outside anyway, I'm feeling a little cooped up."
Derpy shifted off of me and I listened as her hoofsteps disappeared out through the door. I stood up and stumbled to the doorway. "Whoops! Sorry Blake, I forgot!" I felt a wingtip slip into my grasping hand and guide my hand to her body so Derpy could act as my eyes until I could use my magic again.
"OW! Sonova-" I only just managed to keep myself from swearing when Derpy accidentally ran me face first into the solid wood of the door frame.
After that little incident, I started sticking out either a hand or a foot or some combination of the two to make sure I didn't run into anything else. We cautiously made our way down the stairs, with my heart leaping into my throat more than once as my feet failed to find the stairs where I thought they would be. We got to the bottom and I resumed feeling ahead of myself for any obstacles as Derpy led me in a direction that felt like where the kitchen was located.
My plan was working well until I felt a sharp pain in my shin. I reached out to find one of the many coffee tables on the main floor to be the culprit. I once again bit my tongue as I hopped around, clutching at my smarting shinbone. From the sharp, concentrated pain, I could tell I had caught the corner of the table on the universe's biggest furniture magnet.
"Blake, are you alright?" I heard hoofsteps even as Twilight's concerned voice called out from the direction of the kitchen. "Derpy, be more careful; Blake's having a hard enough time with this as it is…"
I sighed and waved it what I thought was Twilight's direction. "It's ok Twi, I'm not the only one that has to make adjustments here. Besides, I'm very appreciative of her help, so please be nicer to her."
I could almost feel Twilight's ears pin themselves to her head. "Y-you're right Blake… and I'm sorry Derpy, I didn't mean to sound mean or condescending."
"It's ok Twilight, I know you were just trying to help! If you want, you can take over; I'm being a bit of a klutz, and I'm sure you and Blake could use the time to help patch things up." While sincere, Derpy's words were also a little too sweet-sounding, but I couldn't place what hidden meaning, if any, might be behind them.
I felt Derpy's shoulder slip out from under my hand, only to be replaced by what I guessed to be Twilight's shoulder. "How are you doing Blake? This isn't too much for you, is it?" Her voice was full of concern, and perhaps a twinge of regret.
I let out a long, low sigh. "This is all different, I'll admit that. And to be honest, I'm really not looking forward to spending the rest of my life like this, but if it comes down to that, at least I know I have loved ones I can count on."
Twilight's head shifted and I felt her cheek rub against my arm. "I'm sorry again Blake... this is all my fault…"
I gave her shoulder a light squeeze to reassure her. "It's ok Twilight, neither of us could have known this would happen; besides, like I told the girls, as soon as I have my magic back I'll be able to see with my aurasight. Now come on, I want to spend some time outside before the party." I listened for a moment for Pinkie Pie, but after a moment of not hearing her, I guessed that she had gone back to Sugarcube Corner to finish preparing the party.
Twilight cleared her throat. "Speaking of the party… why didn't you tell us when your birthday was?"
I let out another sigh; I really didn't like having to explain things over and over, especially things that had to do with my past. "To be honest… with the way my father was, birthdays weren't really a thing; to him, it was just a reminder of the day our mother died. I've never actually had a birthday party before… no presents, no games, not even a slice of birthday cake…" I paused and felt Twilight tense as a gasp rang out from somewhere outside. "The best we could hope for was that our father would drink until he passed out, that way he wouldn't be awake to beat us that day."
"I'm sorry…" It was barely above a whisper, but I caught it.
"Hey Papa! These treats that Derpy made are really good! Here, try one." Scootaloo's excited voice was a welcome change from the somber mood that seemed to permeate the room a moment ago.
I felt around for a moment before I felt the treat being lightly pressed into my hand. I took the sticky treat and sunk my teeth into the crispy, gooey brick. I realized almost instantly that it was almost exactly like the crispy rice treats my grandma used to bake. The same treats I borrowed the recipe from to make the food bars Scootaloo, Dinky and I had made for the camping trip just a few days ago.
There was a sudden knock at the door. "I'll get it!" I heard Derpy call out from somewhere outside the kitchen. "Oh! Hiya Pinkie Pie! What brings you back so soon?"
Pinkie's distinctive giggle floated in. "It's time to pass out the invitations! How else will anypony know Blakey's having a party if I don't pass out invitations?!"
Twilight's magic sparked to life, followed closely by a strange sound I'd never heard before. Almost the instant I heard it, it died down, and Twilight's magic had disappeared from the kitchen and was suddenly coming from where the front door was. "… Pinkie, this party is an hour from now..."
The pink party mare giggled again. "Silly Twilight! You don't expect ponies to wait all day, do you?"
Twi groaned. "That's not the point! The point is; how are ponies supposed to have time to shop for presents if they only found out about this an hour before the party is set to start?"
I didn't hear anything for a moment. "I'm sure it'll be fine Twilight! After all, what pony doesn't love to shop?!"
"Pinkie! Come… back…" I listened as an exasperated Twilight clopped back into the kitchen. "I swear… that mare is going to drive me crazy one of these days…"
I let out a chuckle, and it felt like all eyes were suddenly on me. "She's not that bad Twi… I actually think she's a lot of fun. In fact, I should spend more time with her than I have been… that goes for everyone else too."
There was another knock at the door. The sudden fluttering of wings told me that Derpy had once again gone to answer the door. "Hi there Fluttershy, what brings you here?" Fluttershy's answer was so quiet that I couldn't even tell if she'd answered at all. "You aren't a bother at all; after all, you are one of Blake's closest friends."
I once again listened as two sets of hooves clopped quietly against the wood floor, though one was so quiet I could barely make it out. "H-hello Blake… It's umm… it's been awhile, hasn't it?"
"Too long Fluttershy, and I was actually just talking to the girls about changing that; all of you have become my friends, and it feels like I hardly spend enough time with any of you anymore."
"Oh, that would be umm… nice…" I didn't need to be able to see to know she was giving me a soft, warm smile. "Anyway, I just got this party invitation from Pinkie Pie and… well… I'm afraid I won't be able to have anything for you in time for the party, so I was wondering if you'd like for me to set up a play-date with my little animal friends, and you could see if you'd like to adopt one as a pet…?"
I gave out a smile of my own. "That sounds amazing Fluttershy; I'd love to have a pet around here, and I'm sure Dinky and Scootaloo would love to have a new playmate as well."
"Wonderful! I'll tell all my little friends right away. See you at your part- EEP!" Fluttershy was cut off by a *CRASH* coming from the living room.
Before anyone had a chance to do anything, a rapid flapping of wings followed by a strange screeching sound made their way into the kitchen. "Blake! Is what Pinkie Pie said true, are you really blind?!"