//------------------------------// // Nothing at all! // Story: Aftermath of the Blanks // by HumanSVD //------------------------------// "Finally! I'm about to wrap up this crazy night!" Konrad was relieved to enter the home of the Apple Family and happy at the prospect of getting sleep. Walking in behind the family members, he took in the sights of the country-styled home, holding the green military bag that had his clean clothes and shoes. The house reminded him of what it looked like in the show but with a hint of realism. The smell of the home was pleasant, almost like that of an apple cinnamon candle. The walls were adorned with a country feel, similar to a Cracker Barrel Restaurant, minus the overboard commercialism. i] "Mmm…Cracker Barrel…I wonder if they similarly cook their food…" On the wall to his left were numerous photos, some of which he had never seen in the show. Some were obviously Applejack and Apple Bloom at different ages, organized in no particular order. Big Macintosh was right next to their pictures, in the same manner as the others. He couldn't help but smirk at the pictures, taking in every detail of what the ponies looked like. Even pictures of a younger Granny Smith could be seen, though the quality was similar to that of a late 19th century stylized picture regarding her younger photos. Despite numerous pictures on the all, Konrad could not see any of their parents. "Pity would have been cool to see what they look like. Wonder why they aren't on the wall?" Applejack was the first to turn around and notice that he was looking at their family portraits. Blushing a bit, the country mare took off her stetson and greeted him. "Welcome to our home, Mr. Ford. Glad you like our family photos." Looking back at Applejack, the man set his green bag gently on the ground and stretched his back. Apple Bloom giggled, seeing Applejack blushing, while Granny Smith and Big Macintosh smiled. "I do, actually. It's where I'll bet your family's heart is." "Eeyup!" Stomping on the floor in approval, Granny Smith eagerly added her two bits. "You got that right, mister! This farm has been in our family for as long as I can remember." Without warning, Granny Smith got up to his ear, standing on her hind legs, and held a hoof up as if to whisper a secret. "And that's a very long time, I tell ya what." Konrad chuckled and replied, "Yes, ma'am." "Woof!" Turning around, Konrad found the canine pet of the apple family behind him. Winona was eager to see him again and enjoyed the ear scratches he gave without missing a beat. "Hey there, Winona! Yeah, I remember my promise from earlier. Who's a good girl?" While Winona continued to enjoy the ear scratches, the Apple family behind him exchanged confused looks with each other. "Pardon me, Mr. Ford-" "Konrad, just call me Konrad," replied Konrad with his back still turned towards them. "-I mean Konrad. How do you know our dog's name? And why does she seem to know ya already?" It was a good thing Applejack didn't see Konrad's reaction or the rest of the Apple family, for that matter. They would have seen a brief look of panic on his face. "Crap! They don't know I trespassed, and I also know her name from the show! I got to spin a lie, but she's gonna know!" Luckily for the man, he spotted her name tag on her collar, so he was safe from a possible dimensional continuity screw-up. He decided it was better to come clean with the rest of the truth and hope they wouldn't get mad. Ceasing his scratching of Winona's ears, he stood back up and turned around to reply to her question. Rubbing the back of his head nervously, "Well…I kinda walked on your property earlier trying to find Apple Bloom. I ran into this loyal canine of yours, who, I might add, was ready to defend your home, thinking I was a bad person up to no good." Apple Bloom went over, started petting Winona's back, and showered her with praise. "That's our Winona! She's the best dog in all of Equestria!" Smiling at the cute display, Konrad continued, "She certainly is Apple Bloom, but luckily I was able to convince her I wasn't bad. She even helped point me in the right direction with this." Konrad pulled out the military green bandana he let Apple Bloom wear during their struggle for survival. Winona took another sniff of it and immediately pointed at Apple Bloom. "See? She pointed towards Ponyville, so that's how I knew where to look. Since you and your friends didn't believe me earlier, I was trying to lay low and find Apple Bloom as I knew she would vouch for me. Sorry I came onto your property without permission." While seemingly convinced of his explanation, Applejack appeared uneasy with his confession. "I guess the country attitude of property is sacred is a thing here too. They can't be that put off by me walking onto the property." "Well, I guess it's fine and all, but-" Surprisingly, Big Mac was the one to speak up out of the family and interrupted Applejack, "AJ, it ain't no harm and certainly no foul. He saved our sister and risked his own life. Even if we didn't know about him earlier, Apple Bloom knew him, and he ain't a stranger." "Darn tooting Big Macintosh! Well said, if I might say so myself!" Granny Smith's approval put Konrad at ease, allowing him to relax with Apple Bloom hugging his right leg with a smile. "Well, I guess so, but you didn't answer how I knew Winona's name. And how did you know this was our farm?" Pointing at Winona's nametag, who in return started licking his fingers with affection, Konrad replied, "That. And this is your family's farm. Apple Bloom told me about it earlier, and the whole place was a dead giveaway. If I tried, I can't honestly mistake it for anyone else's property." "Ah…well, shoot, sorry about that. I hope you understand why I asked and all." Shrugging his shoulders, Konrad replied, "Eh, no big deal, it's your home and all. I'd probably feel the same if I had someone come onto my large property…Well, if I had one. I only had an apartment in a city before I wound up here…." Konrad frowned before saying, "…in the future." "Another fucking dimension…fucking zombies and angels. My life is weird. I feel like I'm in the city of Austin in Texas right now! I just don't belong!" Feeling Apple Bloom hug his right leg tighter, Konrad smiled and rustled her mane as she giggled. "Sorry, I guess I got a little annoyed over nothing. Anyway, it's getting late, and I'm sure you'll want to hit the hay. Our guest room is upstairs and to the left. We usually get up early to do chores, but it's pretty late and all. You can feel free to sleep in if you want." "Think all of us are gonna do that. We ain't got no chores tomorrow since we got them done early. Now let's get to bed! It's callin' my name right now! And we're gonna have brunch when we all wake up!" "Heh, Granny Smith is so damn funny in person. She's still feisty regardless of her age. And brunch is the shit!" "Alright, everypony, see ya tomorrow! Hope ya get good sleep!" Every Apple family member began walking upstairs with Konrad picking up his green bag, following behind. Winona elected to fall asleep on the carpet in the living room, happy as a dog could be. After giving Apple Bloom another hug and saying goodnight, he walked into the guest bedroom set aside for him. The room was simple as it contained only a bed, a dresser, a small closet, and a mirror. The view of the property entrance was as clear as the moon, which also was visible. Setting his bag down and sitting on the bed, which was surprisingly big enough for him, Konrad took off his boots and socks. The feeling of his toes exposed to the air felt great and was a welcomed relief. Electing to wear only a clean shirt and underwear, Konrad eased into the bed and was happy to discover that it was more comfortable than it appeared. "Damn…I never thought I'd get to relax in a nice bed again. I guess this is the first night of my new life. Not a bad way to start." It didn't take long for sleep to come to Konrad. He had never had a more relaxing night of sleep in a long time. "This is insane! I try my best to wean Lyra off her obsessive human hobby, finally get her to agree to a deal to stop it, and what happens? A bucking human appears! WHY?! Now she's never going to stop!" Bon Bon was furious as she walked into the shared house she and Lyra were renting. Still dressed in her candy costume, Bon Bon made her way around the living room furniture, doing her best not to knock anything down. She was followed by Lyra, sporting a massive grin as wide as all of Equestria. Her face was red with anger and frustration as she took off her candy costume, while Lyra elected to keep hers on. "So Bon Bon…how about that-" Turning around fast, Bon Bon raised a hoof and pointed at Lyra, "Don't say it." "Hu-" "Don't you dare say it!" As if her grin couldn't get any wider, Lyra stared directly at Bon Bon, ready to cross her friend's red line. "-maaaaaan!" Bon Bon lost it and unloaded her frustration on Lyra, "DANGIT, LYRA! Don't you get it!? I'm the one who's keeping us afloat in this house! I'm the one working all the week with little free time while you get to play fantasy human…whatever it is you do!" Lyra's grin dropped to a surprising look of sadness and guilt. Before Lyra could say anything, Bon Bon continued, "You don't play your Lyre anymore! You're a shut-in most of the time. We discussed this earlier, and I'm worried about your lifestyle." Setting her costume aside, Bon Bon took a deep breath and sat down on the couch on her haunches. Lyra did the same and continued to listen to her friend. "I'm trying to say I can't keep enabling you anymore. In my opinion, I don't think it's healthy long term, nor is it something I want ponies to tease you about." "But we had a bet. You agreed to it! I win, which means you have to try my hobby!" Sighing once more, Bon Bon looked at her friend after rubbing her temples, "You didn't even win the contest, Lyra. He did. And out of all strangest, biggest coincidences, a human dressed up EXACTLY like your costume just appears out of nowhere and steals the show! I saw the look on your face when they said he won. I can't bear seeing you like that. You're like a sister to me. This was your moment, and he took it from you. He doesn't even like you after you tried pulling his face off. And you gave away something dear to you to get the costume, your own lucky sapphire." Lyra stared down at the floor, frowning, appearing to think what Bon Bon said over the human. After a few minutes, Lyra hugged her best friend. The two shared their sisterly hug, with Lyra being a little tearful. Wiping her tears away, Lyra smiled while looking down and said, "I'm sorry Bon Bon. I didn't know my hobby was such a stressor on you. I have been spending too much time slacking on the bit-making business. I should probably give my creative hobby a break." "Finally! She's coming around!" "But…" Bon Bon's mind started to turn from elation to that dread the moment she heard the word "but." All the time she knew Lyra, which spanned to pre-school back in Canterlot, that word usually meant a tangent. And when Lyra went into tangents, they tended to go into the great beyond. Apprehensively, Bon Bon replied, "Y-yes?" Slowly raising her head back up, her grin of Lyra slowly came back and came into full fruition when she made eye contact. This sent shivers down Bon Bon's back, and the mare did her best to prepare herself for her best friend's following words. "I got the money." Bon Bon was taken aback as it was not what she expected. "What?!" Lyra's horn enveloped itself in a golden hue, pulling out a large bag of bits from a side pocket of her costume. Dangling the giant bag of bits before Bon Bon's face, and laughed. Her mouth was fully agape as Bon Bon couldn't process the sight before her. "H-how! But you didn't-" "Win? Well, technically yes, and technically no. Hehehe!" Setting the bag of bits on the table next to the couch, Lyra opened it and poured numerous golden bits out. Many scattered across the table, with the light in the room reflecting the Equestrian currency. Before Bon Bon could ask, Lyra explained further, "You see, Bon Bon, backstage, I grabbed him. Yes, yes, don't interrupt! I was locked onto his leg in awe of his marvelous existence. For some reason, Princess Luna didn't like it; I think she wanted him to herself-" Annoyed at the tangent, Bon Bon shouted, "Lyra! Get to the point, please!" Sheepishly smiling, Lyra continued, "Whoops! Sorry! Anyway, after they pulled me off of him, I told him that I based my costume off of him and that I was sorry, and I really was just happy to see him since I had a dream about him and all. He thought that was cool and felt bad for taking my spot in the contest, so he gave me the bits. Every single one of the sum of the one thousand bucking bits! Can you believe it?!" "H-he did what?!" Squealing with joy, Lyra clapped her front hooves and continued. "I know! He gave them to me, said I had good taste, and said I could hang with him later! *squee!* Don't you get it, Bon Bon! My hobby is what got us this money! It's enough to last us 6 months' rent WITH groceries added to the lot! Now-" Pointing a hoof at Bon Bon, Lyra continued, "-you can take time off! Vent, destress! The whole 9 yards and whatnot! And it's all because of my hobby! Oh, and the hot human too." Unable to hear Lyra, Bon Bon asked, "What was that?" Feigning ignorance and looking away as if she were an innocent filly, Lyra replied, "Oh, nothing! Nothing at all! Nothing at all! Nothing at all!" Backing up on the couch, Bon Bon thought to herself, "I have no clue what's she thinking, but I really hope it's not perverted… don't think she's gone THAT far into her fantasy." "Ummm, okay…well…." Looking at the bits on the table forces Bon Bon to reconsider what had transpired during this strange Nightmare Night Celebration. A human appeared, an actual genuine human appeared before everypony, and he really was something to behold. And not just any human, a human that Lyra had fantasized about in her mind for the longest of time, according to Bon Bon's opinion at least. In the end, he gave her the prize money, doing the right thing and representing her happiness. Bon Bon knew her friend, and a few things that made her happy: food, playing the Lyre, and humans. And here was one of them, making her happy and helping her living expenses even if it wasn't his primary goal. Reassessing whether her fandom of humanity was harmful, Bon Bon now started to see it from her best friend's point of view. Smiling, Bon Bon thought, "Well, he did help. He didn't hurt Lyra, aside from smack-talking her costume of him. I guess that can be overlooked. And he did make it up in the end and make her happy. I guess this whole human thing isn't so bad after all. Meh, I'll give it a try." "Okay, Lyra. You win. A bet is a bet, and taking some free time is just what I need, now that I can afford it. I just…hope you'll be cautious. He may be real, but not everything in real life is a fantasy or ever turns out that way." Rolling her eyes and giggling, Lyra replied, "Umm…hello?! Human? I think my point speaks for itself." Scrunching her face, Bon Bon took the bits and put them back in the bag. "Fine. I'm taking these to go pay bills and rent. Whatever is left over, we split." Shrugging he shoulders, Lyra said, "Sure. Whatever Bonnie! I am going to hit the hay and get ready to see him. Hopefully, I'll see him tomorrow or the next day. Don't know where he is, but he's here!" Giving Bon Bon a hug, Lyra bounced her way to her bedroom and closed the door. Bon Bon, in return, looked at the bits and shook her head. "Somehow, I don't think this is the last time I'm going to hear about humans. Actually, I'm never going to hear the end of it. I hope he's as decent of a guy as she says he is. Wonder what the human fandom is all about…" Setting the bits in a safe place, Bon Bon took her costume and put it in the closet. Going to bed was now on her top priority list, and as she lay down in her own bed, she couldn't help but wonder, "Where the buck did he come from?! I guess I will find out since I'm going to get dragged by Lyra. What the hay do I know about humans anyway? Nothing at all...nothing at all...nothing at all... " Sleep overtook Bon Bon, and she eventually dreamed of a pair of smooth, light bread buns. It never made sense to her, and she rationalized it as "nothing at all."