• Published 28th May 2014
  • 7,135 Views, 871 Comments

Aftermath of the Blanks - HumanSVD



Battle of the Blanks is over and the aftermath has left many scars. Can the man who fought the Battle help heal the wounds? Or will he succumb to a new battle? One for the hearts and minds of ponies.

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Getting ready for this thang!

Pinkie Pie woke up from sleep, taking a longer nap than anticipated. She was happy to have fun tonight by energetically jumping from her bed and bouncing around her room. Pinkie Pie gave Gummy a big hug in her chicken costume last year, showing how much she loved her pet alligator.

"Late night hug! Oh Gummy! I'm going to make a new friend tonight! Isn't that exciting?"

Gently setting him down, the toothless alligator blinked with not a hint of emotion showing. Being careful while walking down the hall not to wake up Pumpkin and Pound Cake, Pinkie Pie could tell that she had overslept when she heard numerous voices from below. As she came downstairs, Pinkie Pie was greeted by the sight of ponies in costumes milling about the main room eating the various treats she helped bake. Several ponies waved to her, and a few more complimented her on the cupcakes she made.

This made Pinkie Pie smile in happiness, knowing she helped brighten the day or, in this case, the night for her friends. Looking around the room, Pinkie Pie could spot Twilight Sparkle in the corner finishing her moon cake slice with a smile on her face. Trotting over to Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie greeted her friend cheerfully,

"Hiya Twilight! Like the cake?"

Twilight smiled as she wiped her muzzle with a napkin as disposed of the trash in a nearby garbage bin.

"It was absolutely delicious! Did you make that all yourself?"

"No, but I did help a lot. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were the masterminds behind it. Did you like the cupcakes I made?"

Giggling before pulling out her costume's beard, Twilight Sparkle nodded as she showed Pinkie Pie the damage.

"I did, but I think my beard became a casualty. It's no big deal; nopony still recognizes my costume."

Pinkie Pie gasped as she saw that Twilight's costume wasn't up to its peak. As a good friend, there was no way for the love of hay she would stand by and let her friend not enjoy her costume to its full potential. If she had lost her costume's chicken beak, then she wouldn't be much of a chicken any more than Twilight Sparkle would be an obscure unicorn from the past. Pinkie Pie pulled out a clean replacement by swiping the beard away and quickly running to the kitchen.

Pinkie Pie ran out of the room in a pink blur while expertly avoiding the other ponies enjoying the party. Neither one noticed the energetic pink mare in a chicken costume blazing by with speed that rivaled Rainbow Dash on her best day. Hoofing the beard back to Twilight, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Here you go, Twilight! One beard for your Starswirl, the Bearded costume! I'll clean the other one for you tomorrow."

Twilight Sparkle was astonished and unable to comprehend her knowledge of her costume's identity and how Pinkie Pie could produce a replacement piece quickly. Her jaw dropped in amazement as she took the beard, causing Pinkie Pie to smile, happy that she was able to help her friend in need.

"She's so super duper happy! Now ponies will know who she is! If you're going to be an old fart, gotta play the part!"

"Pinkie...how did-"

Before Twilight could finish her question, Pinkie Pie beat her to the punch.

"It's okay, Twilight; I have beards stashed around the shop in case of beard emergencies. It's no biggie! Oh! I almost forgot."

From seemingly nowhere, Pinkie Pie produced a cup full of delicious fruit punch for Twilight, hoofing it to her friend. Shaking her head before giggling, Twilight Sparkle accepted the fruit punch from her friend.

"Pinkie Pie, I don't know how you do it but thank you very much."

"A magician never reveals her secrets! You should know that silly filly."

Giving her friend a bemused look, Twilight Sparkle shook her head before drinking the beverage. Pinkie Pie smiled, knowing that the simple slight hoof trick she learned as a filly always worked on everypony. So far, nopony had figured out that it was nothing more than a trick of speed and skill and not a reality-shattering ability that some ponies believed from time to time. It was great that she had perfected the trick long ago on the bits her parents gave her for allowance before moving on to other small objects.

The baby foals upstairs absolutely loved the trick, and Pinkie Pie was pleased to make them laugh.

"So much cute baby laughing! It's the simple things in life worth living."

As Twilight Sparkle finished her punch, Pinkie Pie took note of the Royal Sisters serving cake, who seemed to be getting along. This made Pinkie Pie smile even more than their wounds were already beginning to heal. Over near a wall were Shining Armor and Princess Cadence nuzzling each other, eliciting a "D'awww" from Pinkie Pie. Twilight Sparkle disagreed on the other hoof as she noticed the pink mare admiring her brother and sister-in-law.

"Believe me, it wasn't pretty earlier, Pinkie."

"Why? Because they were sharing a cupcake romantically?"

Taking a step back in surprise, Twilight Sparkle asked,

"What?! How did you know?"

Truth be told, Pinkie didn't really know that at all. She was nothing more than really good at guessing, and while she wasn't right all the time, she was pretty lucky when it came to guessing the correct answer. Pinkie Pie giggled once more before answering,

"It was just a guess, Twilight; I'm not some dimension-breaking pony that everypony thinks I am."

Giving a look of confusion at Pinkie Pie before shrugging her shoulders, Twilight Sparkle replied,

"Okay, I can accept that. Doesn't explain Pinkie Sense, though...I'd still like to figure that one out." muttered Twilight.

Pinkie Pie jumped in the air, excited that Twilight mentioned her Pinkie Sense.

"Ooh! Twilight! You're not gonna believe it and get super duper excited too!"

With an unamused look on her face, Twilight Sparkle answered,

"Nothing surprises me anymore. Last night showed just how anything can happen."

"Oh really, what if I told you my Pinkie Sense told me about a major doozy!"

A look of surprise lit across Twilight's face as the news of Pinkie receiving another warning from her Pinkie sense. With a little bit of apprehension, Twilight asked,

"What type of doozy? You seem to be very happy about this."

"That's because I am silly! It's the same doozy I had yesterday! The same one before we found the super cool human that saved Apple Bloom and Princess Luna."

Twilight's jaw lowered in shock before she was shaken out of her stupor by Pinkie Pie.

"Wha-what?! Are you serious, Pinkie Pie?"

Smiling with glee, Pinkie jumped up and down in happiness, shouting,

"Yup! He's alive! He's alive, and we're not murderers!"

Several ponies noticed Pinkie Pie's behavior, including Princess Celestia, as she continued to shout,

"We're not murderers! He's alive! The hu-MPH!"

With Twilight covering her mouth with a hoof, she nervously laughed at the herd of ponies staring at them in confusion.

"Read that follow-along horror story I loaned you? That's just great!."

Buying Twilight's excuse of Pinkie Pie referring to a horror story, the ponies in the store continued to mingle and chat amongst themselves. Curious about what Pinkie Pie was cheering, Princess Luna and Celestia made their way over to the mares. Retracting her hoof back, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie quickly bowed before the Princesses, with Luna asking,

"Greetings, Pinkie Pie, thou wouldn't be trying to organize foals into fearing me again?"

Blushing, Pinkie Pie replied,

"No, you're highness, I was just getting excited about my Pinkie Sense! It told me he's alive!"

"Who's alive?" asked a new voice.

Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were joining the group, curious about the commotion Pinkie Pie was causing.

"The human! My Pinkie Sense went off, the same one I had last night!

"Pinkie Sense?" asked Princess Luna.

"It's better that you don't ask. You'll just wind up more confused," answered Twilight Sparkle.

Raising an eyebrow at the lavender mare, Luna turned back to Pinkie Pie and asked,

"You say the human is alive?"

"Yup! My Pinkie Sense went off like this!"

As Pinkie Pie reenacting her Pinkie Sense from earlier, Princess Luna watched the earth mare and was utterly baffled at the scene before her. Princess Celestia couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Pinkie's ridiculous body movements. Shining Armor looked at her in confusion, unable to understand the significance of such an act. When Pinkie Pie had finished her reenactment, she smiled before saying,

"And that's why Konrad is alive. You see, my body spontaneously does stuff when I feel something's going to happen. I call it my Pinkie Sense. It did that last night before we met him. And it did that before I took a nap, which means he's alive!"

"I'll bet Luna will be SOOOOO happy that he's alive! I want to meet him again! Oh, and I'll bake him cupcakes and throw him a totally awesome "We're so sorry for mistaking and hurting your party!". It's gonna be so great!"

Beaming at the thought of a human enjoying one of Pinkie's parties, ponies' reactions were mixed.

While Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia, by Twilight's friendship reports, of course, understood how accurate Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense was. Shining Armor, on the other hoof, was utterly confused until Cadence quickly explained it to him by whispering in his ear. She understood it only because Twilight told her about it during the reception party a few months ago. As he nodded and finally understood what the Pinkie Sense meant, Princess Luna, narrowed her eyes at Pinkie Pie.

"Do you think this is funny?"

"What? That's not what she's supposed to say."

"No, you're supposed to be happy, Princess Luna. He's-"

Glaring at Pinkie Pie, Princess Luna continued with anger dripping like a snake's venom from her voice.

"Do you think such an act will help me move on from his death? Is this a pathetic attempt to give me false hope? Have you and your friends done enough damage to my soul!?"

Scared at Princess Luna's glare and scary voice, Pinkie Pie dropped the prop egg she used last year as a small gag. Her idea was to remain in character for her costume, and considering how frightened she was last year, she thought she had pulled it off, making other ponies laugh at the silly sight. The Egg gag didn't work at all in soothing the angry blue alicorn princess, making Pinkie Pie sweat in fear.

"Oh noes! She's mad at me and thinks I'm making a mean prank! That's not what I'm doing! I just want to make her smile and give her good news!"

Seeing the fear on Pinkie Pie's face, Princess Celestia stepped between her and Luna, helping the Element Bearer of Laughter's worry of retaliation from Luna.

"Luna, please, do not lose your temper. They think-"

"What?! That's he's alive based upon some seizure dance of a mare?! Surely thou cannot believe such drivel coming from this young foal!"

Being called a foal hurt her feelings, and for Pinkie Pie, it wasn't the first time she was called such a name. With a frown forming on her face, Celestia nuzzled her and whispered,

"It's okay, Pinkie Pie, you'll have to forgive her. I have faith in your "Sense" as much as everypony in the town does. We'll find him."

With her frown turning upside down, Pinkie Pie immediately felt better as Celestia turned to her sister to defend Pinkie Pie.

"Luna, may I have a word with you in the kitchen?"

Giving Pinkie Pie one last glare, Princess Luna turned her back to the mare and made her way towards the kitchen, with Celestia following close behind. Despite Princess Luna's words, Pinkie Pie had already forgiven her. It was apparent that Luna doubted her rare gift, and losing her human friend was still a fresh wound. Feeling Twilight's hoof on her back, Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm fine, Twilight; she just doesn't believe me, that's all."

"Okay, just wanted to make sure."

"So let me get this straight..." asked Shining Armor. "Your sixth sense or whatever helps tip you off to everything?"

"Kinda like that but not everything. It only happens when something major is about to happen like an accident or event."

"Huh, well, I'll bet that's pretty helpful. Don't you think so, Twiley?"

Giving her bother an unamused look towards her brother, Shining Armor asked,

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

Shaking her head, Twilight responded,

"No, it's fine. I was a major skeptic a while back. I didn't have the best of luck when it came to finally believe in it."

Before Shining Armor could ask any further, Spike and Sweetie Belle walked through the door of Sugarcube Corner wearing their costumes. Spike looked in the direction of the moon cake and groaned in agony.

"Awww! There's no more left!"

The table that held the moon cake was bare as a stallion in a vampire costume happily trotted away for a plate of cake safely held by his teeth. Several ponies waiting in line lowered their heads in disappointment before walking away from the table. Satisfied with the success of the culinary treat, Mr. Cake immediately cleared the table while Mrs. Cake went to work cleaning the remaining crumbs that were strewn about.

"Well, at least there's cupcakes still," added Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah, but everypony said it was awesome. Wish I had a slice..."

Noticing the newcomers, Princess Cadence smiled with glee and greeted the young ones.

"Oh, hi, Spike! Have you been protecting your fair Princess?"

As Cadence gave Spike a wink, Sweetie Belle smiled while the young dragon blushed in embarrassment.

"Yes, he has! He protected me from the monster!" replied Sweetie Belle, cracking her voice at the word monster.

This did not help the young drake, for all he wanted to do was run back to the library and eat his candy.

"Not gonna set any more traps soon, are ya?" asked Shining Armor.

Crossing his arms, Spike pouted at Shining Armor's slight jab causing the stallion to chuckle.

"Hey, c'mon, little buddy, I was just joking! I'm not mad about it at all. Kinda cool how you set the trap, really."

"R-really? You think so?" asked Spike as he looked at Shining Armor with hope.

"Heh, know so. You got skills, bro."

Holding out his hoof, Spike instantly recognized it as a brohoof. He returned it, sealing the gesture of bros.

"Too bad you missed the green thing we were chasing earlier. That would have been amazing."

Looking at each other in confusion, everypony wondered what Sweetie Belle was talking about.

"Green thing? Konrad wore green. Could he mean..."

A huge smile slowly started to form on the mare's face as Twilight asked,

"Green thing? Spike, what are you talking about?"

Taking a deep breath, Spike told them of how both he and Sweetie Belle noticed a strange tall green thing moving around the town. Investigating the strange phenomenon, they both pursued it to Rarity's Boutique, worried that she might have been in trouble. It turned out to be a false alarm, and by a false alarm, it was actually Lyra Heartstrings, the town's resident lyre player. Mistaking her for a monster, due in part to Rainbow Dash's prank, he accidentally singed Rarity's mane.

"And that's why I'm here." finished Spike with his head lowered.

"You mean we?" smiled Sweetie Belle while batting her eyelashes.

Several ponies around him smiled while the young drake rolled his eyes. After hearing Spike's story, Pinkie Pie was convinced that the individual they saw was Konrad himself.

"It's him! It's got to be him!"

"Well, I guess it was nothing then. For a second, the way you described it, I almost thought-"

"Twilight! It's him! It's got to be him! My Pinkie sense and Spike and Sweetie Belle seeing a strange tall green thing!"

"I don't know. The evidence-"

"Evidence schmevidence! It's him, that's it! I'm calling it!" replied Pinkie Pie, placing her bet.

Worried about the possibility Pinkie Pie may be right, Shining Armor asked Spike,

"Spike, how tall would you describe this...green blur?"

Scratching his head with a claw, Spike guessed,

"I'm not sure; it was taller than Princess Celestia, maybe slightly more than a minotaur? It was somewhere around there."

Putting a hoof to his chin, Shining Armor pondered the similarities of his encounter with Konrad. The human was roughly the same height, and his suit was the same dark green that Spike had described. Thinking of one more question before he could come to a conclusion, Shining Armor asked,

"Spike, did you hear the noise it made when it ran? Did it make the sound of hooves at all?"

"Umm....no, it didn't." turning his attention to Sweetie Belle, Spike asked, "Did you hear any?"

"Well, it did make a noise like this."

Sweetie Belle stomped her fore hooves in a motion similar to that of a biped like Spike. Pinkie Pie smiled when Shining Armor said,

"Spike, it's a good thing you didn't catch what that was. It definitely was NOT a pony."

Gulping in fear, Spike asked, "W-what was it then?"

Before Shining Armor could answer, Princess Luna angrily stormed past them, leaving Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie frowned that Luna was back to her old angry, and unhappy self, feeling helpless that she couldn't do anything to help her smile.

"He's alive, I know it. My Pinkie Sense is never wrong. I hope we find him so she can be happy again."

Princess Celestia sighed as she rejoined the group.

"Well, it seems she's going to be angry for a while longer and think things are going well."

Not wasting any time, Shining Armor spoke to Princess Celestia, eager to tell her what he learned from Spike and Sweetie Belle.

"Princess Celestia, I must inform you that I believe Konrad may be alive and in Ponyville."

With her eyes ever so slightly widening, Princess Celestia asked,

"I take it you have something besides Miss Pie's sense?"

Nodding, he pointed to Sweetie Belle and Spike, causing the solar Princess to smile at the cute pair.

"Oh, how wonderful! Spike, you're quite the knight, and Princess Belle, how wonderful you look tonight!"

Princess Celestia took a bow to Sweetie Belle, showing a playful sign of respect between royalty, which the filly in the costume returned. Spike blushed in embarrassment at the scene, wishing the night was over. Pinkie Pie was doing her best to not laugh at the scene before her out of respect for Spike. She could tell he was embarrassed beyond belief, and as a good friend, there would be no way she'd make his night worse. She was able to calm down as Princess Celestia asked the duo,

"Tell me, fair Princess, did you see anything that may help us?"

Sweetie Belle nodded as she told Princess Celestia what she and Spike saw, leaving out the part of him burning Rarity. After listening to the filly's testimony, Princess Celestia concluded and shared it with the herd before her.

"It would seem that our human friend may possibly be alive and among us. If he truly is alive, then we must find him before somepony else does. Panic may ensue, and I do not want that to happen. Harm could befall my subjects, and especially Konrad."

As everypony nodded in agreement, Sweetie Belle and Spike looked at each other in confusion.

"What are you guys talking about? Humans aren't real," asked Spike.

Getting super excited, Pinkie Pie gleefully added,

"Yes, they are! Don't you know? Oh, that's right! We didn't tell you about what happened! Spike, last night we saw one, and he had this cool metal and wood stuff that was very loud that went BANG BOOM POP! And-"

"Pinkie Pie?" said Twilight trying to stop the pink mare.

While most ponies were away from hearing range, it was only a matter of time before somepony else could listen to her talking about a new species sneaking around town. However, the mare could not stop as the exciting thought of meeting Konrad and making a new friend grew.

"-he also had this thingy on wheels called a truck with this super duper cool drink inside called Red Bull that tasted SOOO good! And-mphhdumamph!"

"Pinkie Pie!" whispered Twilight, "Don't say it out loud! Somepony could hear and panic!"

"Oops! Don't want ponies to panic and think he's a bad guy when he isn't."

Nodding her head in agreement, Pinkie Pie remained silent about Konrad but couldn't remove the smile on her face. In fact, she had an urge to set aside a few cupcakes for Konrad, wanting to make sure he got to have some. The human deserved to have as much of a happy Nightmare Night as everypony else, and Pinkie Pie wanted to ensure that.

"Woah! Are you serious?" asked Spike.

Face hoofing, Twilight responded,

"Spike, yes, it's true, and don't tell everypony else. In the meantime, stay near well-lit areas and other ponies. If you or Sweetie Belle see anything, find one of us or a Guard. Do NOT go chasing if you see him. Understood?"

Crossing his arms, Spike nodded in disappointment while Sweetie Belle took a step closer to him with a smile on her face. Noticing she was closer to him, Spike turned his attention to the door, ready to make his escape.

"Uh, I think I hear my candy calling me. See you guys later!"

As Spike bolted for the door, Sweetie Belle followed, trying to keep up with him. As the two left, Princess Celestia addressed the group.

"Shining Armor, notify the Guards to be on the lookout for Konrad. He is to be taken to a private area and unharmed. Tell them to be discrete in their search. If he is here, I want to be notified immediately."

Saluting, Shining Armor made his way towards the door, intent on carrying out her orders. Before he could leave Sugarcube Corner, Celestia added,

"Oh! After you've passed on my orders, I almost forgot that please join us for the costume contest. You're still technically on leave if I remember correctly."

Smiling, Shining Armor saluted once more before leaving the store. Walking up to Celestia was Princess Cadence, thankful that her aunt wouldn't separate her from her husband.

"Thank you. I'm happy you didn't send Shining Armor off to find Konrad. I'm still angry about what he did to my husband."

"As is Luna still upset about what we've done to Konrad. She thinks Pinkie Pie's "Sense" is a poor joke and an attempt to raise her spirits. It's best if we leave her be while the Guards search for him. Hopefully, he really is here; I cannot stand to see her suffer emotionally like this."

"What are we going to do now?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Until Konrad is found, assuming he is here, we should continue enjoying ourselves. There's a costume contest starting soon. I suggest we attend and see what everypony has come up with."

"That sounds like so much fun! I wonder what-"

Before Pinkie Pie could finish her sentence, her Pinkie Sense immediately kicked in. With her tail twitching and ears flapping simultaneously, Pinkie Pie immediately knew what it meant as she performed 5 back flips. When the Pinkie Sense warning was over, she smiled in front of everypony before saying,

"He's here! And it's going to be a major doozy!"

Raising an eyebrow, Princess Celestia was at a loss of words for Pinkie Pie's unique ability. Turning to her student, Celestia noticed Twilight giving her a sheepish smile which added,

"It's good enough for me. I believe in it."

With a smile, Princess Celestia added,

"Well, that was quite a sight, Miss Pie. Let's go, my little ponies! I believe we have a contest to attend."

As everypony exited Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie bounced behind everypony before realizing something.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Need to stay in character!"

Ceasing her bouncing, Pinkie Pie began walking like a chicken with her head bobbing back and forth, taking special care to stay in character with a smile. She could only hope Konrad would like her costume and enjoy Nightmare Night instead of sneaking around in fear.


Luna couldn't believe the insinuation that some random body routine of a mare could be an accurate predictor of future events. The thought of it was ridiculous beyond belief and foolish to even hope such an absurd thing could be true, especially considering who is involved. Doing her best to remain calm as she walked, several ponies smiled and waved as she trotted past them. Most were young colts and fillies in various costumes, while some were adults, most of whom were parents.

As Luna continued to make her way towards the stage set at Ponyville's town square, the thoughts of Konrad being alive filled her mind.

"How could he even survive the Elements in the first place?! As far as I know, he doesn't have magic or any protection from it. If they were powerful enough to take down Discord and me long ago when I was corrupted, how could it fail on him? None of this makes sense! He's dead, and that's it. It's got to be some sort of cruel joke."

Spotting the stage ahead, the majority of the town's ponies were gathered in a large herd, eager to see the costumes their friends had made. With a thousand bits on the line for the winning costume, there was no doubt in her mind the number of contestants would be high. This did not please her, for she wished the night was over. Despite the celebration being held in her honor, she could not get over Konrad's death, mainly due to Pinkie Pie's claim that he was alive.

"If he really was here and in hiding, it would make sense considering how he's been unjustly received by my sister and our subjects. It was exactly as I feared what would happen if I did not vouch for him. I wish he was alive; I would not leave his side for a second. I hope this contest will not drag on too long."

Luna continued approaching the herd of ponies in the distance; a noise was heard from an alley nearby. Turning her head to see what the commotion was, Luna slowly approached the alley. Having fully recovered from her accidental self-inflicted injuries last night, Luna was ready to defend herself but doubted she would have to. The Blood Hooves were no more, and anything nefarious enough to attempt to inflict harm upon her was foolish to do so against an alicorn. And if they were stupid enough, her Night Sentinels and her sister Solar Guards were ready to respond at a moment's notice.

"Who goes there? Reveal thyself this instant! I command....thee?"

Luna's voice slowly changed from an authoritative tone to one of confusion. In the poorly lit alleyway was an ambiguous shape that, as far as she could tell from the distance, was as tall as her. Slowly it began to shape into something very familiar, the shape of a human. Moving closer, Luna's eyes widened as the shape of a human wearing a green camouflage became more apparent. He heart beat faster when she heard a low but masculine voice calling her name.

"Luna...it's me."

"Konrad? Is that-"

Without warning, the sight of a clown smiling unexpectedly appeared before her eyes, obscuring her view of the alley.

"Princess Luna! The contest is about to start soon, and your presence is required. We even have special seating arrangements!"

Doing her best to not shout or raise her voice, Luna held a neutral expression while attempting to view the Mayor. No matter how much she tried, Madam Mayor continued to get in the way and maintained eye contact, much to Princess Luna's dismay.

"Curse thee clown of annoyance! We do not nor ever will like your kind! Thou art strange and fools rather than expert jesters! Now move!"

Realizing the Mayor was not going anywhere, Princess Luna gave a small but fake smile.

"Very well, Madam Mayor, please show me the way."

Nodding with a smile that sent chills down Luna's spine, Mayor Mare pointed with a hoof before walking toward Luna's special seat. With the Mayor out of the way, Luna quickly moved towards the alley, hoping to find Konrad.

"Could it really be?! Is it true that silly pink mare's "sense" was indeed an accurate predictor? Oh, Konrad! Please be there."

Before Luna could investigate the alley, two of her sister's Solar Guards, one holding a spear with the other using a simple light spell, beat her to the punch. Luna was disappointed to see it empty and used his horn to illuminate the alleyway. Only a few barrels and boxes were followed by stray candy wrappers blown away in the wind's gentle breeze. With her hopes dashed and feeling foolish, Luna turned toward the Mayor and followed her to her seat.

"How foolish I was to think he really was alive, even for a fleeting second! My mind simply showed me something that was not there and what my soul wished. How foolish I feel! I hope this cursed contest will go by fast! I've had enough of this place!"

Holding back an urge to cry, Luna sat in her seat facing the stage sitting just a bit higher above everypony else. She could spot Apple Bloom eating a cupcake with her sister from a distance. The Element of Honesty had lent her the stetson hat she usually wore, making Apple Bloom look more of the country mare that she was. Luna noted the look of happiness Apple Bloom had spending time with Applejack. It brought back memories of when she and Celestia spent time together, times when things were simple and happier.

"Those times are gone, and I'll never get them back. After everything that has happened, I'm not sure I'll ever feel happy again. I can't bear such a loss anymore."

Looking at the stage, Luna saw Mayor Mare greet the herd of town ponies before addressing them about the contest. Luna smiled and waved to everypony when the Mayor pointed the spotlight upon her. Everypony cheered and hoof stomped in Luna's honor before the mare continued explaining the contest's rules. Everypony would get a vote, and after a final tally, various prizes would be awarded by Luna presenting the Grand Prize money. When the rules were explained, Mayor Mare walked to a podium to the far left and began introducing the contestants.

Relaxing in her chair, Luna sighed as she hoped the costumes would at least be interesting to see. As the first contestant was called, a pony dressed as a Mime walked on stage.

"Another clown...why must I be so cursed!?"


Konrad sighed in relief due to no small part of relieving his bowels just a few moments ago. The man quietly chuckled at the strange and absurd event before continuing to sneak between houses.

"What's the first thing I do when I get to Ponyville? Simple, I take a shit in Rarity's house. I never thought any of this would happen to me. Goddamn, my life is weird!"

Quietly moved about, Konrad began to notice the lack of ponies near him. A few moments ago, numerous ponies were walking around the place with several fillies and colts knocking on doors saying the Nightmare Night chant. The streets were mostly bare, with a few ponies walking by every now and then. Most of the ponies he now saw were Guards carrying on their patrols of the town. He would often have to hide or wait until they moved forward. Like in the show, the Guards that were unicorns were using their horns as flashlights while another Guard that was usually an earth pony would be the one holding a spear.

While hiding from the Guards using dark areas away from the main streets was easy, they sometimes would not move for several minutes. This annoyed Konrad greatly as he wanted to find Apple Bloom or Luna without any more difficulties. Unfortunately, his luck was not changing anytime soon, and the man was forced to use patience, a virtue that was never his favorite. After a pair of Guards moved on, the man slowly moved between two houses, careful to not make a sound. Finally making it to the end of the alley, he was greeted by the sight of an open street.

Before, he was several more ponies compared to the empty streets from earlier, but there was one detail the man couldn't help but notice. They were all moving in one direction.

"Where the hell are they going?"

Everypony appeared to be heading towards the center of the town, making the man curious. Carefully peeking, there was a pair of ponies that had yet to pass him. Once they were clear of him, Konrad could easily make his way across the street and get a better view of his bearings.

"This really isn't easy figuring out where I am, and I've watched the entire show many times, for crying out loud!"

Just as the pair of ponies, a filly and colt dressed a cat and a dog that shouted the word "D'awww" to Konrad, a flash of lightning blinded his eyes. The man's ears were suddenly by the sound of thunder, making him cover his ears as they rang. Opening his eyes, the man could make out the filly and colt crying in fear as they ran away. Both had dropped their candy in the process giving Konrad a pang of sympathy for their loss.

"Oh man! Poor kids, they lost their candy!"

When his senses became clear again, he froze at the sound of hysterical laughter coming from nearby. Not only was this particular pony laughing at the misfortune of the foals enough to get his blood boiling, but the recognition of who the voice belonged made his eyes narrow in anger. There was only one name that came to his mind as the laughter continued,

"Rainbow Dash."

Carefully looking around to make sure he wouldn't be seen, Konrad was able to trace Rainbow Dash's voice to a small thunderstorm cloud above. He instantly recognized it as the same prank she pulled in the show and noticed she wore the same shadow bolt costume. Looking closer, the man could tell a second pony was wearing the same outfit on the cloud. The pony appeared to be a filly and was laughing along with her. Moving behind a box, the man could make out a conversation the two were having as soon as their laughter died out.

"That was so awesome!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, it totally was! They even dropped their candy too!"

The man's heart sank as he realized who the voice belonged.

"Scootaloo...why do you have to follow in her hoof steps? She's a douche! You're supposed to be the Cutie Mark Crusaders of D'awwness! Not douchebaggery!"

"Oh sweet! More for us! Let me get it real quick for ya."

Konrad's blood boiled in anger and he clenched his hands as Rainbow Dash casually flew down, swiping the candy bags away. He hoped to recover the candy and return it to its rightful owners, but the rainbow thief quickly dashed that plan out. Nothing would give him more joy than kicking Rainbow Dash's plot in front of her number one fan, but he knew too well such action would result in disaster. As the Element Bearer of Loyalty flew back up to the cloud and shared the spoils with her accomplice, an idea popped into Konrad's mind.

Realizing he was at the same spot earlier, Konrad noticed the apple bobbing tank was not too far away. Taking one more quick look at his target, he carefully moved to a crate nearby and took a few apples out of the tank, ready to execute his karma plan with a vengeance. Taking aim, the young man threw the apple in the air as hard as he could. Unfortunately, his aim was off as the apple sailed harmlessly over both ponies. Cursing under his breath, the sound of the apple hitting the ground caught the attention of Scootlaoo, raising her head in an alert.

"Rainbow Dash! Did you hear that?"

With her muzzle covered in a chocolate mess, Rainbow Dash replied with not a sense of worry in her voice.

"Nah, now dig in, Scoots! There's a lot of good ones in here!"

Looking around one more time, Scootaloo shrugged her shoulders and continued to partake in the stolen candy. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, the young man concentrated on his aim harder, praying for a better throw. Konrad knew he'd have to be careful this time, or his cover could be blown. As much as he hated it, he knew a fight with Rainbow Dash would result in his ass getting beat due to his condition.

"Sucks I don't even have my bayonet with me. I could still fuck somepony up with it, that's is, IF I had it. I must have dropped it on the ground back in Sunny Town."

Looking at his target once more, Konrad threw the apple in the air and prayed he wouldn't hit Scootaloo, despite her being just as guilty as Rainbow Dash. The apple shined in the air, the moonlight reflected in its skin, allowing the young man to see it sail towards its target. He smiled as the apple got closer and closer before the man was rewarded with efforts of retribution. As if his luck decided to give him a break, Rainbow Dash held up a piece of candy with her hoof to the moonlight, inspecting her new prize. Doing so resulted in her unknowingly making her a bigger target.

Before she could identify the candy, the apple smacked her hard in the good eye.

"OOOWWW!!!"

With a grin, Konrad balled his fist and raised it in the air feeling victorious against his foe.

"YEEEEAAAAAHHH!"

"Rainbow Dash! What happened?! Are you okay?"

Holding a hoof to her now injured head, Rainbow Dash replied,

"I'm fine, Scoots; something hit me."

Before she could ask more questions, Scootaloo noticed a red apple was now in her stolen candy bag. Holding it up with a hoof, Scootaloo gave it to Rainbow Dash, who was nursing one of her eyes.

"Rainbow Dash, look what I found. I think this is what hit you."

Turning around, Rainbow Dash held the apple in the air to get a better look at it. Confused as to why an apple hit her, Rainbow Dash asked nopony in particular,

"Huh? Where did this come from?"

Her question was answered in the form of another apple flying directly toward her face. Too late to react, the apple hit Rainbow Dash in the uninjured eye. She dropped on the cloud and rolled around while holding a hoof to her eye while moaning in pain. Dropping her candy bag, Scootaloo rushed over to her favorite pony.

"Rainbow Dash! Is your eye okay?"

"Oww! No, it hurts..."

Realizing she appeared weak in front of her number one fan, Rainbow Dash immediately got up and tried to appear as if it was nothing more than a bump.

"I'm fine, Scoots; nothing can take me down."

"Liar, I just did! Hope I gave you a black eye."

Looking at the apple in anger, Rainbow Dash picked up the apple and held it high in the air. At the top of her lungs, she shouted,

"WHOEVER THREW THIS, I WILL GET YOU!!"

"No, you won't! Time to get the fuck out of here."

Taking a peek from his hiding spot, Konrad noticed Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo looking around, trying to find her assailant. As he waited for both to turn their attention elsewhere, his patience was rewarded quickly, giving him the perfect opportunity to sneak away. Heading back through the alleyway, Konrad moved in the general direction of the ponies moving to Ponyville's town square. Taking extra care to remain silent in his movements, he saw Sugarcube Corner again and one of the ponies he had been searching for the whole night.

"Oh...my...god...Luna."

From a distance, he could see Princess Luna exiting the gingerbread-decorated bakery and heading in the same direction as the other ponies nearby. But something was wrong as he noted the look of anger on her face. It was the same expression of rage she had when she and Ruby fought over him in her old castle. Having only known Luna for a short time, he knew the Princess was not to be trifled with.

"She's probably pissed about what they did to me. Well, it's time to surprise her."

But the opportunity never came as too many ponies were nearby with their foals. He knew panic would result from his sudden appearance, and even though Luna was nearby, he did not want to burden her with controlling a panicking herd. Cursing under his breath, he slowly retreated to the center of the alley and turned a corner, hoping to catch her at a different spot. The cut on his arm stung, and the soreness bucking to his chest began to take a toll as he ran down the alley.

With opening passed, Konrad would take a peek, keeping track of Luna. Her trotting didn't make things any easier for the man as he struggled to keep up in his exhausted state. Finally spotting her, he ran ahead to the next turn and made a left to the end of the alley. Breathing heavily, Konrad stopped and pressed his back against the wall to prevent himself from making a shape for the ponies passing by. Looking towards the opening, he saw a large herd of ponies standing before a stage that looked exactly like the one in the show.

This made him question what the reason could be for its purpose.

"Is she going to make a speech or some shit like that? Speaking of which, where the fuck is she? There's practically nopony around here. She should be coming by any second now."

No sooner after his thought did Princess Luna come into view with a subtle look of anger on her face. Hoping to change that to a glimpse of happiness, the man tapped his knuckles on the wall, hoping to catch her attention. As the sound of his knuckles tapped on the wall, Princess Luna's ears perked straight up as she stopped and turned in his direction. Carefully moving forward, Luna spoke with the authority of a true monarch.

"Who goes there? Reveal thyself this instant! I command-"

"Yes, my Princess. Your wish is my command."

Taking his back off the wall, Konrad stood between the two buildings, carefully ensuring his silhouette was subtle enough to be seen only by Luna. He couldn't help but smirk when Luna hesitated, taking notice of his shape.

"...thee?"

"She's so attractive with ye old times obsolete speak and OH MY GOD! She's...she's so beautiful!"

The last time Konrad had seen Princess Luna, her appearance was very unkempt, but her looks were a complete one-eighty from the previous night. Her coat shined bright and was devoid of any dirt or grass. Her wings were no longer singed, nor were any twigs stuck in them. The feathers were perfectly uniform and were elegant as they possibly could be, giving her a majestic look. The feature that stuck out to him the most was her mane and tail. The sparkles appeared to shine much brighter and clearer as her mane and tail moved with the gentle breeze.

As she stared at him, he was entranced by her beautiful eyes, making the man think,

"She's....wow! She looks so great, and I look like shit! I wish I was clean right now. Better start talking instead of gawking."

Taking care to not be too loud, the man spoke softly,

"Luna...it's me."

"Konrad? Is that-"

As luck would have it, a mare dressed as a clown appeared between the two, cutting off their reunion prematurely.

"Princess Luna! The contest is about to start soon, and your presence is required. We even have special seating arrangements!"

Hiding behind a nearby barrel, Konrad clenched his teeth in anger at the interruption. Based on the costume alone, he could tell the pony was Mayor Mare, who, along with the majority of ponies, wore the same costume.

"Very well, Madam Mayor, please show me the way."

"AWWW FUCKING HELL! Can't I get a break?! Seriously! Thanks for cock blocking me, Mayor Mare!"

Retaking a look, hoping that Mayor Mare was gone, Konrad saw Princess Luna walking towards the herd of ponies and away from him. The urge to just run out there screaming was very tempting, but the sight of a strange dirty, and bloody human running towards a princess would end up very badly. His options were now minimal as he sat there contemplating his next move.

"Great! Now, what am I going to do?! I need to get her attention, but how do I do it without putting the spotlight on me?"

As he pondered and pondered his next move, it suddenly hit him like a sack of bricks. A costume contest took place, and Princess Luna was going to present the prize on stage. If he could somehow get her attention when the winner was receiving the award, he could lure her backstage and finally be reunited. Not only that, but it would give her the best option of how she wanted to disclose his existence to her kingdom. As far as he knew, his existence was still a state secret, similar to an alien crash landing on earth known only by a few people.

If he was discovered and revealed prematurely, chaos could ensue. There was no way he wanted such a problem on Luna's hooves, and Konrad was determined to not be a burden to her.

"Better make my way over there; I should probably find a good spot to hide backstage. Hell, I'll even get to play where's Waldo with the ponies. Wonder who is dressed as what?"

As Konrad sneaked back into the alleyway like a thief into the night, a unicorn was getting ready for her entry into the costume contest, utterly unaware that the human she was dressing as was right there.


Lyra was so excited to finally have her costume in hoof and couldn't contain her glee any longer as she squealed in her room. Quickly setting out the costume on her bed, the mare ran to her closet and pulled out the necessary props she had made.

"Let's see, put the awesome human weapon thingy right there, then put the gloves, and....oh wait! The boots! I left them in the main closet in the hallway!"

Opening walking to her bedroom door leading to the hallway, Lyra was unexpectedly greeted by the sight of her roommate, who was wearing a candy costume similar to the ones on her cutie mark. Lyra couldn't help but find her costume's irony hilarious, but she didn't laugh.

"She went as herself. Bon Bon dressed as a Bon Bon! That's just like Spike dressing as a dragon! Irony, it's what's for dinner."

"Oh, hi Bon Bon! I just got my costume, and I'm getting ready for this thang!"

"Getting ready!? Lyra, the contest is starting now! What have you been doing all this time?"

Lyra took a step back from her roommate's revelation and turned her attention to the clock on the wall. Sure enough, the time for the costume contest was starting, causing Lyra's pupils to shrink in fear.

"It is?! Oh, sweet Celestia, it is! Buck! I'm so sorry Bon Bon!"

"Lyra! We need that money! And besides, you gave your lucky Sapphire away; you don't want it to go to waste."

"Yeah, I know; it took Rarity all day to make it. She looked tired as buck, but I just got it not too long ago."

Face hoofing, Bon Bon shook her head before saying,

"Well, hurry up and get there! You're lucky Mayor Mare hasn't noticed you're not there yet, and it's a good thing you're going last. And...Woah! What was that?!"

As Bon Bon trotted past Lyra, the unicorn was confused about what her friend saw. Bon Bon opened the window, stuck her head outside, and looked for something.

"What is it, Bon Bon?"

"I thought I saw...never mind, it's not important."

As Lyra shrugged her shoulders, Bon Bon closed the window and locked it for good measure.

"Well, in any event, go ahead and get ready. And when you are ready, just run over there and sneak in the back, you hear?"

Waving a hoof in dismissal, Lyra replied,

"Yeah yeah, I got it, mom. Now would you please give me some privacy? I need to prepare my..."

Holding up her costume and the sketch of the human, Lyra dramatically proclaimed, with sparkles shining in her eyes,

"Perfection!"

Rubbing her hooves together, Lyra smiled at the costume as the thought of ponies joining the human fandom filled her mind. Bon Bon merely shook her head before trotting out. With her roommate out of the way, Lyra put her costume on with one thing in mind.

"Man! Am I going to look good or what? This will scare the pants off them for sure! I wonder what Bon Bon saw anyway. Maybe it was a sexy man...Nah, who am I kidding?! Gotta keep that stuff out of the fandom; it's got no place in it."

Lyra smiled as she remembered the dream of the man she had last night as naughty thoughts suddenly filled her mind. Blushing, Lyra put on the main piece of the costume before saying,

"For now."

Author's Note:

I finished writing this two days after I released the other chapter, and I've been waiting on my animator to finish the video above. I will spend the next chapter of Family of the Blanks and have some more art for that one. Do you guys like the animation? I hope you did, but I'd like to have more of that made with all the other characters. Leave comments please!