Three days seem to pass rather quickly when you are with the ones you love most of all. I mean, yes I do love and care deeply for Saki, and the days just seem to be a lot…better with her around. But still, after being away from my ‘family’ for a while now, it just felt…good. Catching up with what’s been going on and such, mother telling me to go shopping for her, some of my old friends stopping me to chat up and see how I was doing. Saki…I noticed that she’s seem…far off at times, mostly when I was with my family here. When we get to the train, I’ll have to speak to her of that.

As Master spoke, in the early hours of the day, we set to work on making my blade. Once he told me the metal was ready to be smashed and molded, he took my hoof and made a small cut on my arm, letting some blood; more then a drop mind you! Into the blade as it sizzled from the heat. He left to make the hilt, after I told him on what I was planning on building, and after the shape on the second day was made, he made the sheath. When it was done, I was free for the last day to spend doing what I pleased with my family and old friends.

At last, it was time to go, the train wouldn’t be leaving for a while and so mother, my brother and sisters would wait at the train, as Saki and I went to retrieve my now newly built blade. It was amazing how we built it so fast, but I found out that Master would stay up until the wee hours of the morning, working on some parts of it. Walking in, I found him in his same old spot, with a long case before him. Saki, in her Cloud Dasher form, followed after me. “Ah, so this is the mare you spoke of?” he asked as I nodded, he turned and gave her a small nod. “So great to meet you Cloud Dasher, Lighting here speaks quite highly of you.” I saw her blush as Master chuckle before looking to me. “It is done, I must say, the blade you made…amazing Lighting, and your first time no?”

“I have study the way of the blade making as you told me to many years ago,” I answered. “It’s hard to forget when you’re standing behind me, smacking my head if I doodled.”

“So true,” he answered as I smiled. “But now…your blade Lighting,”

Flicking the case open, he held out my new, and my own blade. It was longer then his sword that he gave me before I set off, and a bit wider as well. Making it look more like a long sword, slash broad sword as well. The handle and hilt were a light blue, the guard of the blade looking like Pegasus wings, going upward; in the middle of the guard, sat a bright blue gem, which sparkled in the light. He gave it a few swings, before holding it out to me. “And what name,” he asked as I placed my hoof on the hilt. “Do you wish to call this sword?” I thought long and hard on this, before the name came to me last night, I liked it, and even did Saki.

“I shall call this blade,” I spoke softly. “The Star of Nora,” he looked to me, as if reading my eyes, before a smile came along his lips.

“You have chosen to name it after your mother?”

“Yes,” I answered looking down at the blade before me. “She named me after a Bright Star…so I decided to place her name in this blade.”

“A fitting name then, to one who built it,” I gave him a small smile as he passed me the sheath. The sheath was about a blue like color, going down the middle was a double line, which looked much like gold. Placing my sword in it, the click of the guard hitting the top of it heard as I slung it over and buckled it to my back.

The train ride was boring…the sounds of the wheel on the tracks and the same old green hills flashing by. My mother and brother and also my sisters were waiting for us, to bid us farewell. We promised we would visit when we could, and they vic versa. There was nopony in the train with us, barely anypony came to this area anymore, so it was just me and Saki, this allowing her to be her true self as she looked out the window. She found out when the pony that would make his rounds would come, this allowing her to change just moments before he walked into our cabin, I think it was every ten minuets; her hoof under her chin as she let out a loud sigh before I asked. “What’s wrong Saki?” she slowly turned to look at me, her big blue eyes half closed.

“You’re rather lucky…you know that?”

“How so?” I asked with the tilt of my head.

“I mean…all those ponies, that mare that took you in, your ‘brother’ and ‘sisters’. They…they treat you as if you share their blood with them.”

“I thought your Granny did the same?”

“Yes she did,” she answered with a nod looking back outside. “But…it’s been so long, that I nearly…forgotten what that felt like. Night, Alice, and Alex…they really look up to you, they can’t really remember where they came from, but they know you saved them. And…what was her name…Density, I believe?” I nodded when she called my adopted mother’s name. “She…her love for all of you, it’s…amazing!”

“Better then mine to you?”

“Hardly,” she answered with a smile. “But…how can somepony that is not blood related…love you four so much?”

“Blood is not the only thing that makes us family Saki,” I answered looking back outside. “The ties we shared as we grew up, all the times I was a, as she put it ‘naughty’ pony, and she never gave up on me. She wasn’t like anypony who tried to pretend to know how you felt, if she didn’t know, she told you.” I sighed as I closed my eyes. “I remember her telling me why she adopted me and the other three. When she was younger, she was to be a mother herself, she was so happy…but well, one day, she found out that she had a miscarried, and…unable to have foals of her own anymore. The stallion she was with left her just after hearing that, he didn’t want to be with a mare that couldn’t give him foals, leaving her in a broken like sate. She loved children Saki, and so, after closely becoming a mother herself, she went to help any children she could at her work, when I came with the three, I was in a rough spot, those three…I don’t really know myself, but by the time I knew it, I was adopted by her.”

“I’ll admit, I hated her at first. Back home, I knew never to trust anypony outside of the Black Light, even after leaving. I didn’t know what her motives were, if she even had any. But I did nothing, because Alex, Alice, and Night were happy. Slowly and surely, I grew to like her as well, and well; considered her a mother to me.” I turned to look at Saki as she watched me. “Saki, as I’ve told you no doubt…love is something so powerful, it’s unthinkable! It can bring two ponies or other together in a way nopony can think of!”

“Like your birth mother and Shade?”

“Yes.”

“Or like you and me,”

“Before or after I found out I was a half breed?” we both chuckled softly as she came over and sat beside me, nuzzling into my side as I smiled.

“I know you’re right Light,” she sighed softly. “But…still, love is freaking hard to explain!”

“If it was easy,” I offered. “I think all the Changelings would be able to walk freely, because they would have everypony under their spell,”

“All but you,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, because I’m already under your spell,” I answered kissing her cheek as she giggled.

“Silly pony,”

“Silly pony you love,”

“So true…”

“So Light?” Saki asked me as I turned to look at her fully. “I know you told me you were given a choice about how you would go to a sort of colt jail and such, when you were younger, or go with; as you called him Master.” I nodded at this as she went on. “I have two questions, one, why do you call him master, even to this day, and two; what your story with him?” I did give her the small detail of me and him, though I guess not the full story, there really wasn’t much to tell. But, well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell her.

“It’s like this,” I answered. “The only way he would even agree to watch over me, to try and rant out my angry and such; was that I called him ‘Master’. In a way, he is a master of sorts, he’s no doubt what, three times my age, and I had yet to beat him in sparring or anything along the lines of that! I never got his real name, so to this day; I still call him, Master.” I closed my eyes as I thought of the first day I met him. “As to the story behind it, well, we got a few hours until we get to Canterlot; wouldn’t hurt to pass the time like that.” I then looked to the Changeling. “But do you mind being Cloud Dasher, I would hate to have that pony freaking out.” she only rolled her eyes and with a flame of green, she went back to being her fake self. I cleared my throat, and started to tell my story.

*Flash Back*

It wasn’t my fault that stupid colt got his nose broken, shouldn’t have gotten in my muzzle in the first place! And this idea, I mean, really, how stupid could the mayor be, sending me to some old ponies place to ‘learn’ from him, or go to help out around this place for a year? Ha, I go the better part of the deal, and what’s this old stallion gonna do, tell me about the ‘good old day’? These older ponies have no idea what I’ve been through, and trust me; I didn’t even want to be here at all! The plan was to just keep going with my sisters and brother, but no! I’ll admit…Density has been rather nice to us, but still, she is not my mother! My mother…is gone.

Looking up at the cabin, or whatever it was, I frowned as I knew I had to go in there, well, whatever, not like I truly care; easy thing to do. Walking in, the place looked very old fashion, a few training dummies here and there, nothing too ‘dizzied’ at the far end, the bald mane pony sat there, and his eyes locked to me, causing me to flinched slightly. The way he looked to me…reminded me of Sir a bit. “You are Bright Star?” he asked as I snorted and looked away.

“The name is Lighting Knight!” I yelled. “Get it right old stallion!”

“That was not the name you were given at birth, is it not?” he asked as I frowned slightly.

“Bright Star died with his family in a fire!” I resorted at him. “My name is Lighting Knight,”

“As you wish,” he answered as he stood. “I sense great anger in you young colt,”

“No duh,” I answered looking away. “Getting sent here, just because I punched another foal,”

“You broke his nose,”

“Shouldn’t have come up in my face!”

“Mhm…” he mused to himself before walking over to me. “Why are you here then?”

“Because it was this, or I help around this town for a year, and I can only leave when you say I have been…changed; or whatever.”

“Yes, I am aware of this,”

“Then why ask?”

“I wished to see if you knew,”

“I just think you forgot…idiot.” He said nothing as the walked past me and stood before the door.

“I shall make you a deal Lighting Knight,” he spoke as I turned and raised an eyebrow. “If you can get past me, I shall tell them that you have indeed changed, simple yes?”

“That…it?”

“That’s it,” he answered as I smiled, almost wicked like as I ran toward him, I was smaller, faster, and stronger then this old…whoa?! I felt a hoof to the chest as I was pushed back, how…how did he move that fast, or that strong for that matter? I got up again, this time ready to attack him if I had to, I brought my hoof out, but his arm wrapped around it and threw me to the ground, I was about to stand up, but I felt his right hoof press down on my chest. “You forget youngling,” he spoke softly looking down at me. “Never misjudge your foe, by their size, age, or sex.” I snorted and pushed his hoof away as I got back up. “Again, show me what you can do,” he wanted to fight me? Fine, this old stallion, got lucky once, but not this time!”

I went at him, throwing hoof after hoof at him, as he dodged or pushed my hoof away, like you would a fly, his face, always the same blank look, like he was reading me or something. I went for an uppercut, he pushed my hoof back down, and then turned and slammed his hind leg to my chest, causing me to fall backwards and slide a bit from the force. I coughed as I tried to get air back into my lungs as he gave me a cheeky grin. “Let me ask you something,” he spoke. “You were part of a civil war…so how did you last this long, if you can take down a simple old stallion such as myself?”

“Shut your trap!” I screamed and ran again, trying to hit him at least once, but it was all in vain, and he gave me a few hard hits in the chest, before grabbing my tail with his teeth and threw me to the ground. He pressed his hoof onto my chest and leaned down to me.

“You fight with anger,” he spoke as I glared up at him; it was all I could do at the moment. “You think power if what is needed to win a battle, but it is not, you lack true skills, you lack discipline when you fight.” He then released my chest allowing me to stand up. “Why did you fight back in your home of Higher Wing?”

“To…to kill the ones who killed my family!”

“And how did your family die?”

“A fire,” I answered simply. “I was told…that my family was killed in a fire.”

“You did not witness this?”

“No,”

“Then how do you plan on killing the one who caused you this pain?”

“I…”

“Were you just going to kill them all then Lighting Knight?” he asked looking back at me. “Watch them all die, even if those who had no role in the death of your family?” I said nothing as he then came up to me and placed a hoof on my shoulder. I looked up for a moment, and then away. “Losing a family member, at such a young age, can be heart breaking. I will not say that I share your pain, so I shall not, but listen to me youngling,” he brought his hoof and lifted my chin up. “Anger, will not bring them back, even justice will not bring them back. But this does not mean that you should give in to the darkness of the rage. It can consume you, to where all you think, is the rage.” He released my chin and turned to open the door. “I will not force you to come back Lighting Knight; that is your choice. But, if you do come back, know this, if you do come back, I shall train you. I shall show you the ways of fighting, passed down from my family, but, I ask only for one thing in return,”

“What’s…that?” I asked, slowly walking over to him.

“Never use the skills, for if you come back here, to kill, unless you have to. When I see your eyes, I see that you have already killed, and I shall not judge you by that. However, I will not allow you to use my skills, to harm anypony; understand?”

*Present Time*

“So as you can no doubt guess,” I spoke after telling that much of the story to Saki. “I agreed, and came back the next morning. His training…goodness it was hard, much harder then what they taught me in Higher Wing.”

“How bad was his training?”

“Well…” I answered looking at her. “Let’s just say I was rather strong for my age back then when I was done. But even after the year, I went back, I learned more…I enjoyed the studies, and I slowly grew less and less rage full.” I watched as Saki gave me a slow nod, she then looked back outside, watching the hills slowly become less and less high, I remember this, this was meaning we were getting closer and closer to Ponyville. I knew we would have to stop at the small village, before going to Canterlot, no doubt which gave us enough time to eat if we wanted to.

“It’s hard to believe you know,” I heard her answer me as I looked to her.

“What is?” I asked as she smiled.

“You being a badass, or even close to one,”

“Oh, ho, ho!” I laughed slightly. “You wanna go there huh?” I answered looking at her. “What about you saying, ‘I could kill you whenever I wanted to!’.” saying what she said the first time we met, or when she awoken after I knocked her out.

“That was different!”

“How so?”

“I dunno…” I softly chuckled again as she glared at me. “It’s not funny!”

“Yes it is,” I let out a short breath as I kept laughing as she glared hard at me.

After a while of riding, the train made a loud whistle, looking out the window, I saw the docking port for the train of Ponyville. Slowly and surely, the train stopped, jerking a bit. Me and Saki got up, her changing into Cloud Dasher as I slung my sword over my side and followed her off the train. The conductor told us it would take a little bit of two hours before the train was ready to go again, seem something was wrong with the engine, or something along the lines of that. I thanked him for the information, as me and Saki made our way through town, to kill some time. “H…Hey!” from reflex, seeing how I didn’t hear the name of a pony being called, I turned to see Twilight Sparkles, having seeing her in a while, make her way toward me and Saki. The purple dragon…Spike, I believe his name was that, was riding on her back. “Hey, it’s been a while!” she called out. Now that I think of it, I don’t think it was, I mean, how long ago was it that me and Saki went to see her mother, to talk about what I was and such; ether way, maybe a few weeks at most?

“Yes I guess it has been,” I answered. “Twilight was it?” she smiled and nodded her head slightly.

“Yes, I’m glad you remembered, wait it’s…uh…” she tapped her chin before looking at us both while pointing. “Lighting Knight, and Cloud Dasher, yes?”

“That’s right,” Saki agreed with her as she smiled. “Surprised you remembered,”

“I hardly forget a name,” she answered before saying. “So what brings you two to Ponyville?”

“We were returning from…somewhere,” I said. “The train is docked for two hours, so, we’re just killing time. Maybe go and get something to eat and such.”

“Then how about you join me and my friends?” she offered as me and Saki shared a look. “Oh come on, they don’t bite!”

“Well…” I trailed off. “What do you think Cloud?”

“Eh,” she only lightly shrugged her shoulders. “Why not?”

“Great!” I heard Spike call out. “It will be good to have another guy at the table!” we all shared a laugh as Twilight led us over to an outdoor café.

After asking the owner if we could bring three tables together to make one big one, we set up the hay around the weird looking circle. Nine menus were passed and placed among the spots where the hays were. There were four of us here already, so leaving me to know that she had five other friends. We made small talk as we waited, Twilight asking us where we went, we decided not to tell, knowing how she like to asked question, we wouldn’t be able to leave. I asked her of her brother, Shining Armor was doing and such. And before long, the clopping of hooves was heard. Five ponies were walking over toward us.

“Hiya Twilight!” the pink earth pony spoke out as she bounced over, her mane, was a different shade of pink, and was…poofy. “Who’s your friend here?”

“Oh, this is Lighting Knight, and his mare-friend Cloud Dasher,” she answered pointing a hoof to us as we waved slightly. “I asked if they would like to join us for lunch, hope you girls don’t mind,”

“Oh parish the thought!” a snow white unicorn could, her mane a bright purple, and styled rather like a upper class, even her voice made me think of her as true upper class. She smiled at both me and Saki. “Any are welcome to join friends in a dinning!”

“YA got that right,” the orange coat earth pony, with three apples as her Cutie Mark spoke. Her long yellow mane, under her brown hat. “Beside, Twilight here told us about how ya’ll met on the train, ya some guard up in Canterlot?”

“That’s right,” I answered. “Before that, me and her brother did a sparring, he liked my skills and invited me up here, to become part of the guards. In fact, he even offered me a Captain Job at the Crystal Empire!”

“Then why don’t you go and take the job?!” I turned to see a light blue flying pony looking at me, her mane and tail were that of rainbows, and I knew she was Rainbow Dash, seeing how she’s the only one that was true to her name. “I mean, what’s keeping ya back?”

My eyes turned to Saki for a second, she caught my eye, and her ears flatting as I sighed. “I…I just don’t think I’m ready right now for that sort of role. I mean, I just started off as a guard, and beside; there’s something I have to do before I can fully leave. And one more thing,” I nudged Saki softly. “Seeing how we’re together, this is both of our choice, not just the one.”

So we talked as we ate, telling stories of our pasts and such like if we were always such good friends, the only one that did not speak, was a shy one, Fluttershy I believed her name was. She barely spoke, and when she did, it was in a small voice, I could barely hear. “So, the way your speaking about this Doctor Love,” Twilight spoke snapping me out of my trance. “HE sounds almost like Pinkie Pie here,”

“How so?” I asked as she rolled her eyes.

“Things with Pinkie Pie…never a dull moment.”

“You should see Doc when you say his real name,” I laughed as I spoke. “He hates it when ponies call him Lovey Dovey…ow?!” my head shot forward a bit as I felt something smack me in the back of my head, looking back, I picked up a small rock, though…it was large enough to see the word ‘no’ on it. “What the…”

“Who would throw a rock?!” Rarity spoke. “Such rudeness is not norm in Ponyville!”

“I…think I know what happened,” I answered as they looked to me. “Lovey Dovey…ow!” again, I was hit with another small rock; again, this one had ‘no’ written on it. Saki, seeming to catch on, also said the name, before she too was hit.

“What madness is this?” she hissed under her breath. Some of the others said it too, one by one, they too were also whacked in the head, but the weird thing was, we couldn’t see who was throwing them, and Doc couldn’t be here…could he?

“This is impossible,” I heard Twilight muttered. “This is just like the Pinkie Sense all over again!”

“The what now?” I asked as she shook her hoof.

“Never mind…hrm, what do you think will happen if we all say it?”

“We already know,” Rainbow Dash answered as she rubbed the back of her head. “We all get a rock with ‘no’ thrown at us!”

“I mean at the same time!” I had a worry feeling about this, she seemed to see my face, and the rest of her friends faces. “Come on! I’ll even pay for this lunch, alright?” in the end, we all agreed to this. “Okay…on the count of three, one…two…three!”

“Lovey Dovey!” we all announced…nothing…huh I guess then it won’t…

CRASH!

We all jumped back as a huge boulder crashed where the table use to be, big bold letters in red, again this one had written ‘no’ on it, but was underline many, many times. We all stared blankly at it, nopony moving, before Saki spoke up. “Never again?”

“Never again…” we all agreed.

(****************************************)

“Hey, Light,” I paused in my writing, slowly closing the book as I looked up to Saki, who was standing right before me. “I’ve been reading that as you write.”

“It’s upside down to you,” I pointed out.

“So?” she answered as I rolled my eyes. “Anyway…I think we should say his name,”

“I thought the boulder to the table was good enough testing?”

“Oh come on!” she whined. “I’m bored, and I wanna see what would happen! And beside, we’re inside, no pebbles are gonna hit us!”

“Maybe a bolder might,” I pointed out again as she rolled her eyes.

“I’mma do it,”

“Don’t you do it!”

“I’mma do it!”

“Saki for the love of the sun and moon don’t…”

“Lovey Dovey!” I flinched and cowered, ready for anything. And waited…and waited…nothing happened. I slowly removed my hooves from my head as she giggled. “See? Nothing…” she stopped speaking when a loud ‘clang’ was heard from the metal door. We both looked to each other, then to the door.

“There’s no way…” I muttered as we went closer to the door. The rattling of keys was heard as the door slowly swung open, leaving both me and Saki gasping in surprised. It was him; Doctor Love was right on the door!

He was just on it…like…if some force was holding him up, I couldn’t even see his muzzle, his head jerked, pulling backwards as a loud sucking sound was heard, before his face…popped off the door? He slowly turned to us; his brown eyes twinkling as his grin slowly came before he pulled an arm out and yelled. “What’s up, bitchesssssssssssss!” he announced loudly. “Did somepony say my name?”