//------------------------------// // UZI 4 U // Story: Battle of the Blanks // by HumanSVD //------------------------------// Apple Bloom was still inside the dark abandoned house, and was wondering if the mysterious pony even came in here. There was no sign of her, however for all there was in the house: a broken table, a broken bed, and a fireplace. The house certainly smelled rather gross, it was like something was burnt and stinky. “Now Ah wonder why in the hay somepony left this place in such a mess and where did she go? There’s nothing here but this junk.” Apple Bloom certainly felt that it was complete waste if nopony lived in here, nor took care of it. It could at least be used for something. Apple Jack certainly wouldn’t have let the house go to waste. “Well, then again she did let her old club house go to waste until she let me have it.” That memory made Apple Bloom wish she was back home at Sweet Apple Acres with her family. She was starting to miss her them, but having a party was something she just couldn’t pass up. No doubt she would get a stern talking to for being home late, but she didn’t care about that, for she would still work on Nightmare Night and not spend time with her. “Ah just want to have fun at a party. Ah haven’t had much fun lately.” thought Apple Bloom with her sad face. Apple Bloom then snapped out of her thoughts as she began to search the one room house. It was awfully dark, and not much could be seen with the exception of the sun light coming through the door. That still confused her as to why the Sunny Town was rather well…sunny. It had been dark when Twilight Sparkle and she had been walking through Everfree forest’s main pathway towards Ponyville, but for some reason this unknown town had been bright as day. “These Sunny Towners are a bit weird, but they sure are nice folk!” Apple bloom still didn’t see anything new at all and was wondering if there was anything left to search. Realizing that she hadn’t check the fireplace, however ridiculous it may seem, she made her way over to it. As she got closer though, she got a bad feeling as if something wasn’t right. She saw that there was a lot of ash in the fireplace, as if somepony made a fire recently. Confused at this, she made a much closer observation. It looked like something was inside the ash pile and this made her even more curious. It seemed like an ordinary ash pile, but she decided to blow the ashes away, and immediately regretted it. It became more apparent as she blew the ashes away that there was something in there that shouldn’t be there. It almost looked like a… “AAAAAHHHHHHH!” screamed Apple Bloom. It was a skeleton of a pony! Apple Bloom was immediately terrified at the sight before here. She had never seen remains of a pony before and her innocent outlook on life was suddenly taking a turn for the worse way too early. To make things even worse and creepy, the fire place suddenly lit on fire! FLOOM!!! She immediately back up and fell on her hind legs, trying to push herself back away from the horrible sight before her. The fire place was burning at an incredibly fast and violent rate, as it got brighter and brighter. The increasing flooming noise didn’t make anything better at all. FLOOM! FLOOM! FLOOM! Apple Bloom just merely shouted at the sight before her, “NO NO NO NO EEEEAAAKKK!” Then, to make matters worse, the sunlight outside suddenly disappeared, leaving her in total darkness with the fireplace that was still burning. Apple Bloom immediately got on all four of her legs and then ran outside the door at fast as she bucking could. She had to let the ponies of Sunny Town know about what was wrong concerning about this house. She felt a bit guilty about giving them bad news, considering they were having a party. “Don’t worry girl, Ah’m sure they’d understand about this, they are friendly after all. They will protect me!” Unfortunately for Apple Bloom, she had no idea the how ‘friendly’ ponies of Sunny Town would be. It was going to be quite a nightmare for Apple Bloom this night, as she made her way towards her ‘friends’. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grey Hoof was currently around the punch bowl drinking the wonderful mix made by Three Leaf she made from those who refused ‘friendship’ from last year. He could see Starlet and Roneo dancing rather romantically together. “About time they became each other’s special somepony. It only took about like what, one hundred years?” He also saw Three Leaf pulling Gladstone away from the punch she made; no doubt she was trying to become his special somepony. It was rather quite funny, as he was stumbling his way towards the opening field beside the party table. Grey Hoof knew why Gladstone didn’t want to dance, and it was rather funny. It wasn’t because he didn’t like Three Leaf, he was actually in love with her, nor was it because he hated dancing. Rather it was because he just didn’t know how and was afraid of looking bad in front of her! “Ha! Silly buddy of mine! When are you going to learn that she doesn’t care? Just ask her out already!” This reminded Grey Hoof about his own romance needs, as there really weren’t any available mares left in Sunny Town. Most of the new friends the ponies of Sunny Town made were already married or with some other Stallion when they were converted. He just wished for once that he could come across a mare that was available. Had Ruby not have had the mark... “Who knows, maybe something could have happened between us. Damn that mark.” thought Grey Hoof as he drank another sip of the punch. He also noticed that Mitta was not having any fun, as she was just sitting down at the table watching everything. For many of the years they became protected, she had much fun with them. But now it seemed that things were getting old for her, and that she just didn’t care. He would have asked her to dance, but the history of killing her daughter pretty much killed that idea. Then he felt a disturbance in the town, and he stopped what he was doing. The others did the same as they felt it too. The party was now quiet, and nopony was moving. Somepony had discovered something, and Grey Hoof began to take an immediate accountability of everypony by pointing his right front hoof at all of them. “Mitta, Roneo, Starlet, Gladstone, Three Leaf, and…. “Apple Bloom...so you found the spot didn’t you?” He had hoped to assume direct control of the little filly at the party, but it would appear that Ruby made her aware of her own grave. “So you are here Ruby, well you still aren’t going to take our new friend away.” Everypony was now staring at Grey Hoof, wondering what orders to expect from him. He sighed and then spoke to them. “My ponies, it would seem Apple Bloom is aware of Ruby’s fate. You all know that are form will change now. Let’s prepare to receive her, I want everypony to spread out and get ready. We are not losing a new friend.” “Yes Grey Hoof!” they all spoke while Mitta just nodded. “At least Mitta is still on the same page with us.” thought Grey Hoof. All of the Sunny Town ponies suddenly changed their form. Their party coats turned to dead grey and black, bones were being exposed, and their eyes turned red. “YEA!” shouted Three Leaf, “I can’t wait to turn her into our new friend. I have been waiting to go into our cool form all day. Isn’t that right Gladstone?” She then just looked at Gladstone who turned his head away in shyness. She giggled at this and ran ahead to meet Apple Bloom, with Gladstone following close behind. Grey Hoof chuckled a bit at that sight and Roneo ran ahead to ambush Apple Bloom should she get past them. Starlet and Mitta would stay behind to block the entrance. Grey Hoof decided that he would simply watch the entire event unfold between them, as he was the slowest. “Well, not the best way to introduce our true forms, but at least we can protect her from the bad world. Apple bloom, I can tell you are going to be very special to us.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Konrad was currently holding Princess Luna on his back, as he walked through the forest on the other side of the river. He was really starting to get fatigued holding Luna on his back plus the gear he was carrying. He wasn’t too concerned with the ammo he left behind in the Bronco, for it was still sealed in the spam cans and wooden crates and of course the Blood Hooves would have no use for it. Still it was a lot of ammo and a lot of money was paid for it. Not only was the ammo left behind, his clothes and his rations were left behind too. He didn’t have a choice really, as the Blood Hooves forced him to move away quickly. If he could, he definitely would go back and retrieve at least a ration or two. He also had an emergency medical kit in the truck far in the back. He definitely could have used that, if Luna’s injuries were far worse than he observed. “I hope my Self Aid Buddy care training will work on an Equine Princess. The basics should still be the same…I think.” thought Konrad “Still care for her Konrad? I thought you weren’t a furry lover.” Spoke Ian. “I’m not a furry lover dammit!” “Your actions say otherwise.” “Look unless you are going to give me something useful, then just be quiet for now!” “Okay…horse furry.” Konrad continued to carry Luna some more, going around bushes, avoid twigs and branches to leave the least obvious trail behind. It was something he learned in survival school, and the fact that there was no snow made it a little bit easier. He made it about another 100 yards until he just couldn’t go any further. He gently set Luna down next to a tree that happened to have some cover drooping down, which acted as a natural concealment. He also took the SVD off of her and set it aside. He then sat next to her and then decided to try and observe her some more. She was still breathing, which was good news, and she had dried off a little bit more. Her mane was still covered in his Shemagh, and she just looked like she was at peace. The bump on her fore head had shrunk considerably, but was still there unfortunately. “How the hell did she come undone from the seat belt?” He continued to take a better look at her, making sure there weren’t any other injuries that he missed earlier. He didn’t find any more, which was great relief, and then he decided to take a look at her cutie mark. It was just like it was on the show, and it was strange how it was just like her coat. The mark was just as natural as the rest of her wonderful coat, and it was rather… “Yeah, she’s pretty hot isn’t she Konrad?” “Like I said, I’m not a furry lover, just making sure she is okay that is all.” Despite his denial, he was still looking at her flank as well as her cutie mark. He felt rather weird, and a bit of a pervert for looking at her like this. He then turned his attention to her wings as he never got much of a close look at them from earlier. They were singed slightly just like her mane was, but surprisingly her tail was not. “What the heck happened to her before I met her? And why was she out here all by herself? Did she get banished by Celestia just like in Super filly Adventure? If so I’m going to have to slap an Alicorn when I get to Canterlot, regardless of how powerful she is.” Konrad then remembered that Luna said he needed to be escorted to Canterlot discreetly, so that meant she wasn’t banished and left to fend for herself. That made him feel a bit better, but he still had no idea why she was out here, as she never did give him an explanation. He could only guess that this reality was some variation of SFA, as he had yet to see Apple Bloom, or Sunny Town. He hoped that if he saw Apple Bloom, she would be on Sweet Apple Acres farm, smiling and having fun with the CMC. As for sunny Town, he didn’t care at all, unless he accidently walked into Sunny Town, which would be extreme bad luck. He also wondered what time period in Equestria he was in, as he only saw the episodes to the end of season two. He also wondered if season three was out yet. He had been so busy with work that he didn’t even bother looking any of them up, that is if any were out. He would have to be very careful from now on aside from surviving the damn blood hooves. As cool as it would be to meet the mane 6 and Princess Celestia, he was dreading having to explain who he was and where he came from. “I’m really going to have to come up with something. I can’t let them know they are a cartoon where I come from. I’ll also have to stay away from the Discord statue, as having any interaction with that would be very unpredictable and chaotic.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now Discord was excited more than ever, as the voice he heard was getting louder and louder and clearer too. He heard something that he never thought he would hear anything like this from the strange voice. “My name! It knows my name! Oh you and I are so going to meet. The more chaotic you think, the more I am aware of you. Please keep going, I’m all ears. Now to summon some imaginary popcorn and chocolate milk.” And in the chaotic mind of Discord, a class of chocolate milk and a bag of very buttery popcorn appeared. He looked at the popcorn and then instead of eating it, he decided to drink it. SLURP! And for the chocolate milk, he decided to just eat the class cup instead. CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! When he was done consuming his imaginary chaotic snacks, Discord gave a loud belch and just relaxed on an imaginary couch in his chaotic thoughts, and began pondering what this new bring would look like. “He certainly will be a very interesting pony for sure, that is if he even is a pony at all. I’m hoping that he isn’t, because that would just be grander. Oh the chaos I can imagine with this one!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- However worried Konrad may be about the future, he had to deal with the current situation he was in. He had an unconscious Princess, no sense of direction, no food or medical supplies, and only a vague guess of where he was in Everfree Forest. He really could use Princess Luna’s company, and he hoped that she would know where the ruins were. It would be a good place to hide, and recover, and who knows maybe he could find something useful there. Konrad suddenly wondered if the Blood Hooves were capable of passing through water. If so then he would have to keep moving. If they could not, then he would at least get a bit of time to go recover the rations and meds. The only place that he remembered that connected both sides together was the bridge near the ruins. It would be the same place that Nightmare Moon tempted Rainbow Dash to abandon her friends. Ironically, he was taking care of the very same Alicorn that was Nightmare Moon. “Well she isn’t Nightmare Moon anymore. Still, I wonder how she was transformed into Nightmare Moon. The show wasn’t really clear if Nightmare Moon was an evil spirit or heck maybe I’m just over thinking it. Maybe I can ask her about it later.” He then looked at Princess Luna again and was tempted to touch her wings, just to see what they felt like. “Just a quick touch around the edges wouldn’t hurt.” “So much for being for protecting her modesty eh Konrad?” “Be quiet, I’m just going to see what her wings feel like. It won’t hurt at all.” Konrad then took his right pointer finger and ran it along the outline of her left wing. It was just as he expected, like wings but incredibly soft like her coat. After about ten seconds, he stopped, thinking that what he did was wrong and regretted touching her without her permission. He also wondered how the heck his conscious supposedly knew that she didn’t mind his touch. Perhaps it was something he would never know but to be sure, he wouldn’t touch her unless absolutely necessary, or unless she asked him too, however unlikely that would be. He then just sat there for a minute or two, continuing to look at her beauty. She was mesmerizing him more and more as the night went on. He still wasn’t a furry lover or a brony for sure but there was something about her. “Dude, I’m telling you, if you aren’t a brony by now, you will be later. I suggest you be kind to her a little bit more next time. I think you got enough Renegade points for now.” “I agree with you on the renegade points, but you’re still wrong about the furry and brony thing. “When this is all over, you’ll admit it for sure.” “Yeah whatever.” He then looked at her some more an noticed that she was slightly shivering. It was now that he wished that he had his Mexican hoodie, for that usually kept him warm during fall. His top half of the Sniper suit was still wet, so that was out of the question. “Crap! How do I keep her warm or at the very least stop her shivering?” “We’ll you could create heat by ummm…rubbing her.” replied Ian. Konrad stopped to contemplate that suggestion. When he was in survival school, he did that numerous times out in the field, and it certainly did help despite the -25 degree temperature. It certainly seemed sound enough and she was only shivering due to the water, and night fall temperature. “Strange though, I thought their coats kept them warm? I guess it is the water perhaps, but the temperature isn’t even that cold.” thought Konrad. “What do you care, you have a legitimate reason to touch her now. It is what you wanted right? To touch her?” “I’m just going to help her Ian, that is all and nothing more.” “You mean nothing more like what you did earlier, such as touching her wings?” Konrad then grunted in frustration as his conscious did have a point. There was no legitimate reason for Konrad to touch her wings other than for curiosity’s sake. He then decided to just get it over with and hope that if she woke up, she wouldn’t be furious or creeped out. That was the last thing he wanted to do, piss of a Princess Alicorn who could zap his head off. He still wondered how magic would interact with him in this world. Some HiE fan fictions portrayed humans very weak against them and others portrayed them immune or invincible to magic. Considering how wrong he was about the Blood Hooves being dumb, he decided that he would lean toward the former just in case. He could always beg for forgiveness if she woke up all vengeful. “Like I said Konrad, she doesn’t mind. Your paragon points were far more effective than you think." “Again, how would you know about that?” Konrad’s conscious was merely silent at that question and it seemed that he wasn’t going to answer it. “Well, Let’s get this over with, I can’t leave her shivering like that.” Konrad then gently put his hands on her back and started to rub at a fast but gentle pace. After he rubbed her back, he moved onto her front hooves then her back hooves. He had to take her crystal horse shoes off in order to get the whole area effective rubbed. When the hooves were done he moved to her wings, and was very careful not to fluff them the wrong way. They were very cool to touch he had to admit, as he slowly extended them to get some twigs and tiny leaves out. When that task was completed he continued to rub her back and she slowly but sure stopped shivering. He repeated the same pattern again, and again, until she stopped shivering. She looked a bit better now and she had considerably dried off. She still looked so peaceful just lying there and with her shivering gone, Konrad felt much better. He was glad that she didn’t wake up and yell at him, plus zap him with magic. He actually was contemplating laying down with her and holding her, but Konrad then decided that he would be pushing his luck. After all they only met like an hour or two ago. After observing for a few more minutes, he decided to put her shoes back on after massaging her hooves one more time. He still just could not get enough of feeling the touch of her coat, and now he really felt that he was going far. “I think that’s enough for now. Maybe I should try to wake her up.” Konrad then looked at Luna’s eyes and realized that she was already waking up. “Oh shit! Was she aware of what I did? I hope she isn’t pissed off!” “Luna! I’m glad you are awake you took a nasty bump to the head when we crashed. I’m sorry about the seat belt. I should have gotten it fixed a long time ago.” Spoke Konrad apologetically. She looked at him and gave him a weary smile, and spoke in a soft voice. “It’s not your fault Konrad, it is mine. I accidently hit the red button when the truck was falling…where are we?” finished Luna while looking around with her eyes. “Well, now I know how she got knocked out, but I still don’t know why she was out here to begin with.” “Well, I had to abandon the truck, it’s useless until somepony pulls the front out of the water. I was able to carry you across the river, and both of us got wet, as you have probably noticed.” She then got up on her hind legs while propping herself up in the front. She then gave herself a look over and noticed that she wasn’t as wet as he was and that her mane was covered up in his Shemagh. She then gave him a look of ‘why is this on me?" “I put it on you to prevent your mane from flailing all over the place and catching leaves and twigs. I hope you don’t mind, but if I offended you I’m sorry.” He then gave her a nervous smile, and she just kept looking at him. She then just giggled and said, “No Konrad, I’m actually quite flattered you took the time to help preserve my mane even though the circumstances are direr than my looks.” He visibly relaxed and then said, “Well, I’m glad you approve, now for the good news. We’re alive and we are away from the Blood Hooves for now.” She then frowned in anticipation of receiving the bad news. She raised her right eye brow and Konrad found that quite cute coming from her “And...” “Bad news is the Blood Hooves know we are on this side of the river, I was forced to leave behind some supplies, and our main method of transportation is gone.” She lowered her ears at the sound of the bad news and continued to frown while lowering her right eyebrow. “To make even things worse, I have no idea what is on this side of the river, nor do I know if there is a way for them to cross over. They didn’t seem to be willing or able to cross the river on their own, so I assume they will try to find a way over here. I was able to take another one out with that rifle over there, but three of them escaped. All in all we got four of them, but I’m sure they’ll just keep coming.” She then lowered her head and spoke, “Konrad… I’m sorry about your truck. I know it meant a lot to you, and I’m sure I wasn’t the best passenger and-” Then all of a sudden the paragon symbol appeared in the corner of his left eye. He, as always, gave into it and wondered what would come out of it this time. He hoped it would be something good. At the beckoning of the blue symbol, he interrupted her by putting his left hand on the her equine shoulder and spoke sincerely. “Hey, Luna…it’s just a damn truck, a replaceable tool, and nothing more. I will never place it above the life of anypony, especially you…understand?” She then slowly raised her head making eye contact with him. Her night blue eyes were once again looking into his and she slowly made a soft smile at him. “See, I told you your points worked.” “I thought you said they didn’t matter.” “I think you figured that one out Commander Brony.” Luna then just spoke softly and said, “Thank you, that means a lot to me.” Konrad gave a smile of his own and went over to pick up the SVD. Luna then got up on all four legs and walked over to him. She looked at the SVD and then back at him. Konrad had no idea what she was thinking of right now, but he found out went she spoke. “You know Konrad you certainly have a lot to carry, and I’ll bet carrying me was exhausting. Perhaps I can assist you carrying your what did you call it? A rifle I believe.” Konrad was surprised at this offer, and was glad to accept it. He certainly didn’t expect royalty to do this, as he expected her to have him do all the work. “I..uhh..sure, thanks Luna!” spoke Konrad as he had a surprised smile on his face. He grabbed the SVD and the told Luna, “Hold for just a minute.” He slung the rifle over her on very much the same manner. She had to lift one of her legs through the sling and she tightened the rifle using her teeth. He was surprised at how perceptive she was proving to be consider nopony had every really seen human made inventions. Perhaps there was way more to ponies than he thought, especially Princess Luna. “She is pretty cool isn’t she?” spoke Ian. “Ye..yeah. Princess Luna is best pony for sure.” The SVD was now fully slung on Princess Luna and what a badass sight it was for Konrad. She had his head cover and his rifle over her. And best of all, it was freaking Princess Luna! She then looked at him and spoke, “It’s not that heavy at all.” “No it isn’t, and again thanks.” “You saved me Konrad I have to at least do something.” They just looked again at each other for three seconds before Konrad spoke back up, “You wouldn’t happen to know if there is a place where we can hide nearby?” He noticed that she tensed up a little bit and averted her gaze to the side a little bit and spoke up glumly, “Yes…as a matter of fact I do.” “Oh great, don’t tell me the ruins is a sore spot for her.” “What’s wrong Luna?” “Oh its nothing. Well..” she trailed off. “Luna…” She then looked up at him and continued. “There’s a ruin nearby that we can take shelter in. I can explain a bit later, but for now I don’t feel comfortable talking about it.” “That’s okay Luna, I understand.” “That’s fine Luna. Well, lead the way your majesty.” Luna then looked at him one more time before taking the lead. As she led the way Konrad was covering her umm…rear. He couldn’t but help get a good view from this angle too, but mostly to watch out for her safety. Then all of a sudden she just looked at him while they walked forward. He immediately made eye contact and gave a smile and waved. She raised her eye brow, and then turned her head back forward. “Shit! I hope she doesn’t think I was checking her out!” “But you were Konrad.” “Yeah, well…just watching out for her safety that’s all. “You know, your brony denial is just as pathetic as your ‘Ninja’ eyesight.” “Psht! Yeah right, my ninja skills are sharp! She still has no clue of what I was do-“ All of a sudden, he noticed Luna was starting to walk differently. She was starting to slowly sway her ‘plot’. “-ing…uh oh…” “Brony.” Konrad then blushed as he continued to ‘cover’ her rear, so to speak. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Luna was in fact quite aware what Konrad was doing. She had somewhat awakened when he had laid her down, but every now and then she would close her eyes when it looked like he would make eye contact. She had no recollection of how or why he was carrying her. Well, it was most likely because she hit her head on his dashboard, and that part she remembered very well. The seat belt came undone and when they hit the water, it lunged her forward. It was like somepony took a 2 x 4 to her head with all their might. Never in her life had she ever felt this much pain physical pain in her life. She also was aware of the fact that she was rather wet and she wasn’t much of a swimmer at all. “I hate being wet. It ruins my perfectly good coat.” “Oh Please Princess! You like baths and take them almost every night when you can.” “Yes, well that’s different. This is just all dirty and grimy and…I hate this night.” “But you have a wonderful Knight taking care of you. That is something, maybe he can help keep you clean, if you know what I mean..” “What the hay!? Cut it out voice of mine!” Luna then just laid there relaxing from her injury of the impact earlier. Considering she was wet, and dirty, she was not pleased in the slightest. Also, it appeared that Konrad had put on of his deadly contraptions on her back while he was carrying her. It was uncomfortable, but at least he took it off of her when he laid her down.She could tell that he was just sitting there watching her for some reason. He was out of breath and he was breathing rapidly. It would appear that carrying her and his stuff took a lot on him. “He carried you, his equipment, went through a river, and up a steep hill, and the most you can do is complain about your coat. A spoiled Princess you are.” Her conscious’ words really stung, and how true they were. Here was this stranger to her kingdom, who probably has never seen magic before, in the same predicament as she is and he swore to protect her. And so far he has shown her kindness, been a gentleman, and stared the evil beings face to face and did not back down. He certainly was something alright, a true knight in his own unique way. That and he had a rather nice touch. “Do I even deserve his loyalty? Or anypony’s for that matter?” With her conscious pointing out her flaws and the memory of her past that she so wanted to move away from, everything came flooding back into her mind. She just wanted to be loved as a princess, equally like her sister was that much to ask for? And now she was feeling like nothing but a spoiled Alicorn who was just lucky to be born into Royalty. All she felt like doing right now was just to break down and cry. Then she felt something rather odd. It was one of his fingers to be exact, something she had enjoyed earlier. It appeared that he was touching her…wings? He was using on one his fingers to touch her left wing as she laid on the ground. She kept her eyes closed and wondered what why he was touching her wing. Maybe he was inspecting it for injuries? “Or maybe he just wants to for the sake of it.” “I highly doubt that.” “Are you sure? You do enjoy his touch.” “I…well you are right about that.” “So maybe it is not unreasonable to assume he enjoys the same about you.” “I’m not so sure…I mean…could he?” She just laid there for about ten seconds, feeling his finger trace the edge of her wings. It was actually quite nice, and no stallion had ever touched nor dared to do so. Then again he wasn’t a stallion, he was a man, and a rather nice one at that. Then as sudden as he started he stopped and she wondered why. Just like when he touched her hooves, she wished that he wouldn’t stop. “Damn, that was rather nice.” “He is rather gifted with those hands.” “Yes, he is…yes he is.” “You know you could get him to do it again.” “I am not going to ask him, I…still don’t know him that well.” “But enough to let him touch you without permission.” Luna realized that her conscious did have a point, and as far she could tell he did it just for the sake of it. And the fact that he did make fun of her earlier for saying Hazzah, still did not amuse her. “So he thinks my proper cheer is funny? Well, what makes him think his strange cheer “PWNED” is better than mine?!” “Your right Princess, maybe you should make him worry about you and take advantage of his hospitality. After all he did insult Royalty and he should pay for it shouldn’t he?” “You know…you are right about that. I agree, why not enjoy a nice break, he did after all insult Royalty. Still I wonder what pwned means.” Luna then decided to take the renegade route, whatever that was. She then pretended to shiver as if she was cold. Luna really gave it all of her effort to appear cold, but in reality she wasn’t. Luna was primarily counting on his experience with not having a coat to make him worry. It appeared to be working as she noticed when she took very tiny peeks at him. His face was full of worry and it looked like he was trying to figure out what to do. He did this for a few good seconds. Then he finally did what she wanted him to do, which was touch her. Luna really just wanted to mess with him just as he did with her earlier. It was really something she didn’t expect to come from him. He was paragon the first moment she met him and then in the moment of danger, he was a renegade. It seemed that he wasn’t afraid of a jab or too, and the fact that he turned it into a game when she smite that blood hoof was something entire else. “He’s gotten five and I’ve only gotten one…I’ll catch up to you for sure Konrad, but for now I’ll settle for this.” Luna then just laid there and let her worries go away as he began to rub her back. Just as she predicted it was very soothing and relaxing. His hands were once again firm but gentle, and she was enjoying every second of it. He started to rub her back, and then made his way towards her hooves. He took her shoes off and set them aside, and proceeded to rub all four of her hooves. The feeling of her hooves being rubbed was very heavenly and soothing. His hands were quite warm, and she felt very comfortable with him. Though considering she just met him, that she was too proud, and the fact that he made fun of her, she wasn’t going to admit it. “Not yet at least you sly Princess.” “This was your idea though!” “But you’re the pony who went along with it.” “Yeah...well…he shouldn’t have made fun me.” “Lame excuse Princess human lover”. Luna then snapped out of her thoughts to enjoy the hoof rubbing that Konrad was giving. This continued for another minute until he did something else. He gently grabbed her wings, extended them, and removed some twigs, and leaves that had accumulated between some of her feathers. He was very careful when he moved his fingers between her feathers as to not make her uncomfortable. It was really nice to say the least. “Like him now yet?” “I uh…still don’t know much about him yet.” “You’ll get there Princess, but remember you can’t stay out here forever, and I think you’re making him work a little bit too hard.” “I guess you’re right, I think he has paid for his ‘crime’ enough, but…just a few more minutes.” Luna then slowly eased up on the shivering and she heard Konrad give a sigh of relief. He continued to rub her some more, repeating the pattern two more times. She was very careful not to be spotted by Konrad when she would take tiny peeks at him, as well as ceasing the shiver act. He was wet alright, but his facial expression was one of relief instead of worry like it had been a minute ago. Then he just stopped, and she closed her eyes as it looked like he was about to look at her face. She kept as peacefully still as best as she could, and dared not to open her eyes. Then after a few more seconds, he massaged her hooves one more time before he began to put each shoe back on. “That was quite enjoyable for sure, though…” Luna then felt a bit guilty and realized the ruse had gone on long enough. He had done a lot for her and the best that she could do was pretend to shiver for a massage. She then opened her eyes, and looked at Konrad. A surprised look cam on his face, and she could tell he did not expect her to wake up. “Luna! I’m glad you are awake you took a nasty bump to the head when we crashed. I’m sorry about the seat belt. I should have gotten it fixed a long time ago.” Spoke Konrad apologetically. “Apparently, he blames himself for my injury. I can’t let him think that it was his fault, when it wasn’t. He has enough on his mind.” “It’s not your fault Konrad, it is mine. I accidently hit the red button when the truck was falling…where are we?” finished Luna while she looked around with her eyes. She noticed that they underneath the cover of some forest tree that had drooped down. It made sense to rest here, as it provided some cover. Konrad then replied to her question. “Well, I had to abandon the truck, it’s useless until somepony pulls the front out of the water. I was able to carry you across the river, and both of us got wet, as you have probably noticed.” After propping herself up, she looked around her body to check her own condition. “I’m not that wet, you took care of me and neglected yourself. Why that’s very…wait, what is on my head?” She then noticed that he had removed his head cover and put it on her. “I put it on you to prevent your mane from flailing all over the place and catching leaves and twigs. I hope you don’t mind, but if I offended you I’m sorry.” Replied Konrad as he gave a nervous look. “He even took the time to try and preserve my beauty? That’s very…nice. I’m still going to get more points than him though.” Luna couldn’t but help giggle at that thought and decided to ease his worries. “No Konrad, I’m actually quite flattered you took the time to help preserve my mane even though the circumstances are direr than my looks.” Unfortunately, that statement was true, as the circumstances were still dire. Luna then noticed that Konrad had visibly eased up and began to continue talking. “Well, I’m glad you approve, now for the good news. We’re alive and we are away from the Blood Hooves for now.” “Oh dear, if that is the only good news he has, then what could possibly be the bad news?’ “And…” said Luna while frowning, and raising her right eye brow. “Bad news is the Blood Hooves know we are on this side of the river, I was forced to leave behind some supplies, and our main method of transportation is gone.” She lowered her ears, her eye brow and continued frown. She noticed that he seemed particularly disappointed that his vehicle was rendered useless. It must have meant a lot to him she guessed. But he wasn’t finished with the bad news as he continued. “To make even things worse, I have no idea what is on this side of the river, nor do I know if there is a way for them to cross over. They didn’t seem to be willing or able to cross the river on their own, so I assume they will try to find a way over here. I was able to take another one out with that rifle over there, but three of them escaped. All in all, we got four of them, but I’m sure they’ll just keep coming.” Luna then noticed how dismal his tone was and the expression on his face was one of glumness. He she was enjoying his hospitality, care, and protection, while he had put his life on the line for her, lost a valuable vehicle, and he had to worry her and his life. She felt very guilty for what she had done earlier, as she really had been much of a spoiled Princess, not so useful Princess. This was most likely not even his land, but he was still acting like a knight for her. She didn’t deserve his care, and now she felt like she needed to apologize for it. She lowered her head in shame, and spoke, “Konrad… I’m sorry about your truck. I know it meant a lot to you, and I’m sure I wasn’t the best passenger and-” Then as if he couldn’t be more a caring individual, she suddenly felt his hand touch her right front leg and speak in a sincere tone. “Hey, Luna…it’s just a damn truck, a replaceable tool, and nothing more. I will never place it above the life of anypony, especially you…understand?” She then looked at him and gave small smile. “How…honorable, and caring he is…so life is more important to him than material objects.” “I know you’re warming up to him and did you notice that last part?” “Yes…especially me.” She the continued to look at him and noticed the rest of his features. His hair was indeed short, as if it had been cut to the skin on purpose and his ears were rather round and strange looking. Still she had to admit that was still.. “He’s still attractive isn’t he?” said her conscious. “Thank you, that means a lot to me.” “No…well yeah but…” Konrad then gave a rather handsome smile of his own. “Well okay he is.” “You’re getting there alright.” He then broke eye contact from her and made his way over to pick up his weapon. She then got up on her legs and followed him. She looked at his rather strange weapon and thought, “What a strange weapon he uses, it is almost as tall as I.” “Still going to expect him to do all the work?” her conscious asked. “He’s done a lot for me, the least I can do is help ease his burden. I am the Guardian of the Night, and I can’t let him show me up now can I?” “You know Konrad, you certainly have a lot to carry, and I’ll bet carrying me was exhausting. Perhaps I can assist you carrying your what did you call it? A rifle I believe.” And the look on his face was one of surprise, then to one of appreciation. It seemed that he was rather pleased with her offer. “I..uhh..sure, thanks Luna!” spoke Konrad. He grabbed the ‘rifle’ and then told Luna, “Hold still for a minute.” He then put the rifle over her head, with the sling underneath her neck. She then put her right front leg through the sling and noticed it was too loose. She used her teeth to tighten the strap lock and then the rifle was secure on her back. It was a bit odd and a little bit uncomfortable, but Konrad certainly deserved to have a lighter load to carry. She then noticed something else about it. “It’s not that heavy.” she pointed out. “No it isn’t, and again thanks.” “You saved me Konrad I have to at least do something.” Both of them just continued to stare at each other for a few seconds before he spoke back up again. “You wouldn’t happen to know if there is a place where we can hide nearby?” Luna , as a matter of fact, did know that there was a place for them to hide. It was where the Elements of Harmony cleansed her of the evil spirit of Nightmare Moon. As much as a good thing that was, it still brought up bad memories of her harming her subjects. It was something she still didn’t quite forgive herself of, even though her sister had forgiven her and extended her hoof in friendship. As much as she didn’t want to go there, they needed to have a place to hide from the Blood Hooves. She did after all know the place inside out, and her knowledge of its surrounding area would be useful. Not wanting to stall any longer she responded with the truth, well some of it anyway. She lowered her head and responded, “Yes…as a matter of fact I do.” “What’s wrong Luna?” “Oh its nothing. Well..” she trailed off. “Luna…” replied Konrad, as it was quite obvious he knew something was wrong. “I don’t want to talk about it Konrad, even though you deserve to know the truth.” She looked at him and replied, “There’s a ruin nearby that we can take shelter in. I can explain a bit later, but for now I don’t feel comfortable talking about it.” Luna hoped that he would understand, her past was really something that she was ashamed of. She knew she couldn’t hold it off from him forever, as she was going to have to answer a lot of questions no doubt. “That’s fine Luna. Well, lead the way your majesty.” replied Konrad, who appeared to be fine with her answer. She looked at him and thought, “That’s it? I give you a poor answer and your fine with it?” “It would appear he can take the obvious hint that you’re not comfortable talking about it. Quite understanding isn’t he?” spoke her conscious. “He deserves better.” “So do you.” After hearing her conscious reply, she then took the lead towards the ruins while he followed. His rifle on her back while still odd, wasn’t as uncomfortable as she thought it would be. It would take a bit getting used to carrying it, but it was something she decided to live it. He did after all deserve a little relief even though it was nothing compared to what he gave her. It was something she wished for again, but she thought she didn’t deserve it. “I may not deserve it, but at least I can be more helpful, and wait a minute…he said he got another one with this rifle, which is what I’m holding? That makes it 6 to 1! Oh I will be more helpful alright, and I will show you the true meaning of Hazzah when this is over.” “Good luck with that Princess, Lead the way to victory. By the way, you are leading right now correct?” chimed in her conscious. “Yes strange voice, what of it?” “Oh nothing…except the fact that he is covering the rear…your rear to be exact.” “Yes of course he…I know what you mean my conscious. May I ask why you must insinuate that innuendo?” “Well you did say he deserves better…why not give him something to look at? He did after all compliment you, maybe that’s an indication he finds you attractive.” “What?! I doubt he is staring at my umm…plot.” “Why don’t you quickly check then?” “Fine, but I still don’t think he is doing what you believe.” Princess Luna quickly turned her head towards Konrad, only to be surprised at what she saw. His eyes were looking straight at her plot! As soon as he realized she was looking at him, he made eye contact with her and then smiled, rather nervously she could tell. “I…don’t believe it..” “See I told you so.” “But how did you…never mind it’s not important.” Luna then raised her eye brow at him and then turned her forward once again. “Well, if he thinks I’m attractive…then maybe I should give him a better view. He did save my life after all.” “And gave you a wonderful massage that you tricked him into. Besides, you do want your self- esteem boosted remember?” Luna then blushed at that reminder, as her conscious had a point…again. “I guess your right strange voice, I guess a little display won’t hurt, after all I will get more points than he will when this is over.” Luna then slowly swayed her plot as seductively as she could, while she continued to lead him to the ruins. “I guess you deserve this at least Konrad. Thank you for compliment my ‘Knight’.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight Sparkle was still running for her life, as the two blood hooves kept on her trail. She was currently running through this strange opening of the forest that had the same odd marks on the main pathway. At this point, she really didn’t care what it was, as preserving her life was all that meant now. Never before had she been this scared for her life, and not to mention the fact that they claimed to have Apple Bloom! “No! It can’t be! Oh Celestia, I hope she is okay!” Every now and then, the Blood Hooves would get very close to her, and she would have to use her teleportation magic to remain ahead. She would have simply teleported much further away, but using most of her magic on those trees wore her out. Even worse was the fact, that despite using magic, they still were able to keep up with her! “Oh BUCK! They’re going to get me! NO! Keep calm girl, you need to keep your head straight!” Considering the fact that she was being chased by what was once considered to be the scariest of all Equestrian myths, it was very hard to do anything but keep a straight mind. She could then hear the vile ponies behind her shout, as she jumped over a tree branch. “Please don’t run away my dear! We only want to be your friends!” said the one known as Slick Jaw. “Yeah me more!” said the one known as Fester Mane. “No me!” “No me more!” Then an idea popped into Twilight Sparkle’s mind. “Wait a minute, could it even work? I only have a Saddle Bag, but it should work regardless of the item.” Twilight then felt their voices getting close, as they were still arguing over who wanted to be her ‘friend’ the most. It was so pathetic, and so gross, that they almost sounded like the Diamond Dogs that ponynapped Rarity not too long ago, but was more raspy and venomous. “I don’t have a choice, I can’t keep teleporting forever, and it isn’t working, so I might as well give it a shot.” She then sprinted with a burst of energy to make more space between her and the Blood Hooves. When she could Sprint to more, then then yanked that Saddle Bag off with her teeth, and threw it in their direction. She looked at the item and then closed her eyes. With much concentration as she could muster, her horn was enveloped into an intense Purple hue of magic and a tiny little hearts could be seen dancing around it. The Blood Hooves stopped in their tracks and their eye intently watching the now enchanted item. They just stared and stared… “Come on! Work darn it!” When it all seemed that hope was lost, the Blood Hooves eyes started to change. Their color remained the same but the shape of their eyes suddenly changed to hearts. And then they both spoke. “I WANT IT!” said Slick Jaw. “I NEED IT!” said Fester Mane. Then they both spoke, “IT’S MY FRIEND!” “NO IT’S MY FRIEND” said Fester Mane. “NO MINE!” replied Slick Jaw. Then they began to struggle over the Saddle Bag, as Fester Mane grabbed it with his rotten, but somehow sharp teeth. Slick Jaw then shot his tongue our and wrapped it around the other sides of the bag and a tug-o-war ensued. Not wanting to find out if the spell was weaker against the undead and the fact that a blood hoof’s jaw was a gross enough sight, Twilight Sparkle immediately hightailed it out of their presence. “For once the ‘Want it Need it’ spell actually proved useful for once.” Twilight Sparkle continued to run along the strange path that somehow appeared out of nowhere. Twilight Sparkle had no idea what these marks were or even where they came from. The path certainly wasn’t their when she and Apple Bloom had passed it on the way into Everfree Forest. There were branches and sticks snapped all over the place and the pattern of the trail was rather erratic, as it would abruptly turn around trees, and make sharp turns for no apparent reason other than to be random. “What are these marks and where did they come from? Could they be marks of a carriage?" The marks certainly would indicate it as such but they were too big and too wide, not to mention there were no hoof marks. This was certainly confusing to her but whatever it was she hoped it wouldn’t have something to do with those Blood Hooves. Considering how strange and horrible this night was turning out to be, she wouldn’t doubt it. She continued to run and run along the path, wondering if it would let to somewhere. The darkness certainly wasn’t making anything easier, nor were the erratic turns. Her plan was to either find another path or find the river that should be nearby. If she remembered correctly from the book “Ghosts, Goblins, and Ghoulish figures”, Blood Hooves wouldn’t be able to cross rivers due to the fact that their bodies weren’t pure or that their undead figures would saturate and come apart. Normally she would lean on the more scientific side of the latter, but considering that these mythical demons were real, she would only hope that either one was correct. If the book was correct, then she could cross the river and gain some hoofing ahead of them. If not at least she could follow the river back to Ponyville. She had to warn Princess Celestia about these demons and her friends, especially Apple Jack, that the Elements of Harmony were needed, or at the very least the Royal Guards. “BUCK! Where is the river? I know it has to be somewhere…“ Twilight Sparkle didn’t even get to finish her thought as she suddenly started to tumble downhill. Apparently there was a decline that she didn’t even notice, due to the darkness, and began to hit small twigs, and branches strewn about. “OHH! OWW! OOOOF! AHHHH!!!” screamed Twilight. As if her pain couldn’t get any worse, she hit something hard, very hard. PANG! “OOOWWWW!” moaned Twilight in pain. She had landed head first into something that was metal and big. Her horn had made a dent in the thing and it hurt her. She quickly began to check herself for injuries and noticed a few things. Her mane was a complete mess, she had a scratch on her face that look a lot like the paper cut she once received, and that her horn, however intact, hurt her head. “At least I’m still alive and…WHAT THE HAY IS THIS!?” Twilight Sparkle then observed what laid in front of her. It was a large blue square like object made of metal, glass, and… “Rubber? What the hay?” She got up on all four of her legs and began to inspect it further. It appeared to have four circular object attached to a metal body and what look like a… “Is that a muzzle?” Then something caught her eye, as she checked the back there was something. It was square shaped, and had letters and numbers! It read: ****************************************************************************************************************** UZI 4 U Donate to Umbrella Inc. Today! Serving your medical needs since 1968! EXP 10/13 RACCOON CITY, TRISTATE COUNTY ******************************************************************************************************************* This confused Twilight Sparkle even more, as not only did she not know what the purpose of this things was, where the hay is Raccoon City and what did UZI 4 U mean? At least she knew that this contraption had to be some sort of vehicle, and a Ponyless vehicle at that! “What pony made this? How did they do it, and why is it so big?” There appeared to be some type of doors on it too but they were closed. She didn’t know how to open them, nor did she have the time. If things weren’t so dire and urgent, she would have had a field day examining this, and reporting to Princess Celestia about it. “Snap out of it girl! You have to get to Ponyville and rescue Apple Bloom!” Twilight Sparkle then started to walk away from the strange thing that she guessed was a vehicle. She then continued to follow the river until she heard a voice call out to her. At first she panicked until she saw who it was calling out to her. She turned around to see that it was none other than the Sea Serpent that Rarity loaned her tail too. She never did catch his name now that she remembered. She stopped walking and turned to see what he was yelling about. “HELP HELP! Oh, I remember you! Thank goodness I have found a friendly face!” he spoke in his unusual effeminate voice. “Hello! I am glad to see you to! You wouldn’t believe the night I’ve been experiencing so far!” who was relieved to see somepony who wasn’t undead. “I can tell, your lovely mane is in such disarray! And oh dear! You have a scratch how terrible! You poor gal!” replied the Serpent. “It is fine, but I have a much bigger problem! My friend has been Ponynapped!” said Twilight Sparkle with much urgency in her voice. His eyes widened very large and the held his claws to his mouth effectively covering it in a ‘oh dear!’ expression. He then spoke in a much dramatic fashion, “OH NO! Your friend has fallen victim too?! That monster I saw earlier did the same to another pony. It was so scary!” “Yes, my friend…wait a minute. Did this monster look like zombie pony with red eyes?” “What?! No my dear, it wasn’t a pony at all! It’s about a few hooves taller than you, it was covered in a rather ghastly green outfit, and walked on two legs!” “What? Two legs!” The look of confusion on her face was very apparent and the Serpent continued, “Yes my dear two legs! It also had this strange metal and wooden stick with a red claw connected to it and it had an Alicorn on its back!” That certainly caught Twilight’s attention, as he said Alicorn. “Excuse me sir, but did you say Alicorn?” “Yes my dear, it had an Alicorn on its back.” “This can’t be right. There aren’t many Alicorn’s left, and they have very powerful magic, a true force to be reckoned with. “That…that can’t be right. Surely you mistook it for a unicorn or a pegasi.” “No my dear, I know what I saw. It had a Alicorn Mare on his back, she was dark blue, and had a slightly sparkle mane that looked to be in a horrid state, far worse than yours and her wings were a total mess, but her horn appeared to be fine. Other than that, I didn’t get a good look at her face, except her cutie mark, for the monster shouted very loud at me. I had no doubt it was trying to do the dame to me, so I had to escape.” Spoke the Serpent who appeared rather guilty at leaving the victim. “A blue Alicorn mare, sparkle mane…he can’t mean…” “What her cutie mark look like sir?” “Her mark looked like a Crescent Moon my dear.” Twilight Sparkle’s eyes widened, her ears shot straight up and, a complete look of shock on her face lit up. “NO! That can’t be! Princess Luna!? That’s impossible, she is the Guardian of the Night.” Twilight Sparkle was completely shocked at this revelation. Not only were there Blood Hooves running around, it appeared that there was another creature that which sounded to be far more powerful than an Alicorn, and if it was indeed Princess Luna… “Oh my bucking hoof!” Now getting to Ponyville was more important than ever. She could only hope that this serpent would render assistance to her. “Excuse me sir, but you kindly help me get to Ponyville? If there is indeed a Ponynapper on the loose, I can summon help from Canterlot. My brother is Captain of the Royal Guard.” Said Twilight in a proud tone at the mention of her brother. “Is that true? Well, what are we waiting for! Please hop on my back and I will take you away from this dreadful area.” Said the Serpent. “Thank Celestia he is going to help me! I can only hope that it isn’t Princess Luna. Either way, these creatures need to be stopped.” Twilight Sparkle then hopped on his back and away they went towards Ponyville. This whole night was turning into a nightmare. Two news monsters, a possible Alicorn ponynapped, and a lost frightened little filly. Only with help from her friends, and the Elements of Harmony could she be able to defeat these evil creatures. Twilight Sparkle decided to ask the Sea Serpent more questions concerning, this ‘Ponynapper’. “Sorry to pester you, but I need to know anything else you can tell me about this creature you saw.” Asked Twilight in an apologetic tone. “Oh it is no trouble at all sweetie! I’m afraid there is not much to tell other than what he looked like.” “He?” asked Twilight who was getting more and more curios by the second. “At least it sounded like a he, its voice was very scary and it yelled at me!” “What did ‘he’ say to you?” “Well, I was minding my own business and humming my favorite tune when all of a sudden I heard it him yell at me. I froze then saw the horrible being he was. He then yelled at me, “HEY! GET OVER HERE NOW!” finished the Serpent in a faithful replication of the creature’s voice. “That’s rather aggressive I have to say, but did he do anything else?” The Serpent was then silent for three to five seconds, as if he was thinking before continuing, “Well…no he didn’t I kind of…swam away, but I’m glad I did, for that wasn’t the only thing he yelled at me.” “Well, what else did he say?” The serpent had a reluctant look on his face, as if he didn’t want to repeat what was said. Whether he wanted repeat the words to or not, it appeared that he wanted to help as best as he could. He then spoke up once again after taking a deep sigh. “Very well my dear but I must warn you, it not at all pleasant.” “Please, anything however vile or insignificant, can help stop this creature or whatever ‘he’ is.” “Okay my dear, when I was swimming away as fast as I can, he shouted out to me, and I quote…”GET BACK HERE YOU GUTLESS PIECE OF SHIT!”. The Sea Serpent then closed his mouth, as if he were a little colt who said something he wasn’t supposed to. The phrase he quoted from this male creature shocked her. It was a very loud, aggressive, vile, and…chaotic statement that it made towards the Serpent. “By Celestia! What evil, and disharmonious creature could it be to hurl such an insult to somepony? Whatever he is, he must best stopped along with these Blood Hooves and whoever the pony he has, Alicorn or not, I can only hope she is okay.” “Can you take us towards Ponyville post haste? This creature must be stopped as soon as possible.” “I agree, now hold one my dear, I will get us out of here as fast as I can swim.” “Thank you very much sir!” The Sea Serpent immediately picked up speed made his way towards Ponyville. Twilight Sparkles almost lost her hoofing, but still held on as the two of them headed towards Ponyville. “Please my little pony, you may call me..” Twilight Sparkle unintentionally blocked out what he was saying as she couldn’t but think about Apple Bloom. It was her responsibility to watch out for her and she failed. That made her feel rather sad. “Don’t worry Apple Bloom, I will come back for you. I’ll bring everypony along to help take you home to your family.” At the thought of family, Twilight then wished that she had her brother here with her. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shining Armor was currently on the train towards Ponyville. He had taken his full armor with him, though he had taken his Royal Guard Helmet off, setting it beside him on his seat. He had told Cadence that he needed to head to Ponyville to check up on his little sister. She simply kissed him before he left and said to him, “Go to her, and tell her I said hi.” Between the disappearance of Princess Luna, and the strange phenomenon occurring this evening, he was really nervous for his sibling’s safety and he knew Princess Celestia felt the same way. He had seen it in Princess Celestia’s eyes when she read the letter Princess Luna left behind. Sometimes the Royals sisters had their horns clash every now and then but it always cooled down to apologizes and hugs. He would search all of Equestria to find her is he had too, and heading to Ponyville to check on his sister would ease some of his worries. He still felt guilty for not believing Twilight Sparkle that his bride to be was in fact not the real Cadence. They had been very close when they were young together, and ever since he became Captain of the Royal Guard, he had seen less of her. “Not this time, I won’t make the same mistake again.” The train was going rather slow, more than usual and this did not sit well with the Royal Captain. Shining Armor got up from his seat and made his way towards the engine room, being careful not to make too much noise as the other passengers were sleeping. When he got to the engine room he noticed that the Engineer was just sitting in a small chair, only pulling levers and tossing pathetic amounts of wood into the engine’s burner. To make things worse it looked like he was drinking something in a mug… “That better not be what I think it is, Engineer.” The Equestrian Rail Lines engineer slowly turned his head towards the Royal Captain. The Engineer looked to be quite a character for sure; he had a red coat with an odd looking wrench as cutie mark, black mane and tail, and a rather impressive looking moustache. It almost seemed as if he was half awake, barely even registering his presence. It was either that or he just didn’t care. “Oh welcome laddie! What brings you down to engineering?” Shining Armor was not amused in the least bit, this older pony certainly did not have a professional attitude and it looked like he was drinking on the job, a certain drink that was banned long ago by Princess Celestia. “You didn’t answer my question Engineer.” “Aye laddie, but technically what you said wasn’t a question now was it?” Shining Armor then realized that he made a statement and not a question like the earth pony pointed out. After realizing that, he continued to converse with older stallion that he was sure he wasn’t going to like. “You’re right it wasn’t. Now tell me what it is you have in your hoof, and why is the train going slow?” “Oh no reason in particular, just taking it smooth as you can see. It is after all in the late hour and the passengers are bit sleepy, so I thought I just let her go slow and calm.” While Shining Armor understood why the train was going slow, for his reason, he still needed to get to Ponyville as soon as possible. And there was the fact that the earth pony still didn’t tell him what it was in his hoof. “You still didn’t answer my other question. What is in that mug you have in your hoof?” The pony then got noticeably nervous, shifted his position in the chair, and spoke with slight stutter, “W-well it is n-nothing you need to worry about l-laddie, just a little s-something to keep my spirits up. Yup! That’s it alright.” Shining Armor knew there was something fishy with him, so he slowly made his way over to the earth pony, to check the contents of his mug looking rather intimidating at the same time. He took the mug away from him using his right hoof, and smelled the unknown liquid. It stunk pretty badly, a lot like something he confiscated not too long ago. He then gave the engineer as stern look, and the engineer gave him a nervous smile in response. Shining Armor then took a sip of it and it was really putrid to say the least. It was some form of Apple Cider only it was reeking of the taste of Alcohol, the vile drink that made ponies less harmonious and more chaotic. Shining Armor then spit the liquid on the ground and threw the remainder out the window. He then grabbed the Engineer, and held him close enough so that the earth pony could see the look of anger in his eyes. “HARD CIDER!? You know this is banned and it punishable by spending time in the dungeon! Worse, you are drinking it on your duty! Ponies could’ve been be hurt if you made a mistake! I should make you put this train in reverse!” “Sssssorry sir! It was just a little sip!” “A little sip? This guy is drinking on his duty and all he can come up with is that it’s just a little sip?” As much as Shining Armor wanted to put this pony in the dungeon, he just couldn’t afford to waste time on him. He had to get to Ponyville to check on Twilight, and to continue his search for Princess Luna. He then let go of the engineer and took a few steps back and took a deep breath. He also was acting unprofessional by taking his anger out on the Engineer. “This isn’t me I’m a professional, not a wise cracking renegade from another world.” He then spoke calmly to the Engineer, and did his best to be sincere with what he was about to say, “Look, I really need to get to Ponyville fast as my duties require my presence there. If you could pick up the speed, I will forget about this incident. Do we have a deal?” The earth pony then relaxed greatly as he realized he got lucky and was more than happy to avoid the Canterlot dungeon. “No problem Laddie! I’ll get you there in a jiffy, yes I will! No if you’ll excuse me, I got some wor-“ “Not so fast, I’m going to stay here and make sure you get the job done properly and safely. I better not see ANY more hard cider, is that understood?” The earth pony then gave the captain a salute, and said, “Aye Captain! I’ll give it all she’s got!” “Good…wait how did you know that I was a Captain? I don’t even have my helmet on.” “You’re not the only one who has served ya know?” “Is that so?” “Why of course it is laddie! Here take my seat, let me tell you a story. My name is Wrench Twist and I’ll be your engineer for tonight!” “Ohh great! An old timer that has me as a captive audience how wonderful.” Shining Armor then took the seat and gave a sigh indicating that he was not going to like this and that he was still rather unhappy. The engineer noticed this as he threw a log into the burner, and commented, “Oh relax my young Captain! You’re all high strung, you need to keep calm or else somepony could troll you very easy.” “Troll? What do you mean troll?” asked Shining Armor as he heard the new word. “Mess with ya laddie. There are some ponies in the world that like to do things for money while there are others that just like to watch others go bonkers. Trollers is what my friends and I used to call them. If ya don’t have cool head, then they’ll get you a wee bit angry for sure. Now that reminds me of a some of my hijinks in the old days. It was just when I was-” As the engineer continued on, Shining Armor was growing displeased by the minute as the engineer blabbed about his old days. He simply sighed and then thought to himself, “I hope Twilight is okay and I hope Princess Luna is okay to. I can’t imagine what would happen if a “Troller” got to them. If so, then it will have to answer to me.” As much as Shining Armor was worried about his sister and the Princess, he couldn’t help but laugh to himself at the word ‘troller’. “Now I wonder what pony would be stupid enough to try to ‘troll’ me.” ====================================================================== This chapter took me all day to write, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Apple Bloom's part will be much larger in the next chapter, that I promise or at least I will try to do. So what do you guys think? Work on chapter 10 has already been started and I will post it up asap or when I feel it is worthy for publication. As always please leave your thoughts on this chapter. Thanks again and don't hesitate to pm me concerning anything about the story.