Konrad and Luna were still walking further up the hill towards the ruins. Konrad had a good idea why she was not looking forward to going there, but unfortunately they had no other options of other than to take refuge until a better plan of action could be pursued. It appeared that Everfree Forest was much bigger than the show implied and it was certainly not the place he wanted to be. Then again did anyone want to be here?
"Well, bronies like you for starters." spoke the ever annoying conscious.
"Yeah fucking right! And I'm still not a brony. Besides, would they want to be chased by goddam freaking zombies, have their cars wrecked and what not? And I'm still not a brony, in case you missed the first part."
"You should be very glad that you even get the chance to be in another world, especially one that you enjoy, no matter how much you deny it."
"Yeah well, my car is screwed up and I'm having to fight for my life-"
"And hers."
"Yeah and hers too. My point is this isn't fun. I was only supposed to shoot a few rounds, and then go home to some beer, that's it."
"You were having fun earlier when you met her. I could easily imagine you doing a version Rainbow Dash's 'awesome' on your face when saw her."
"Yeah well…fuck you! I'm still not a brony and if you don't mind I got to worry about…"
"Watching her rear? Go right on a head."
Konrad then returned to 'covering her rear'. She had stopped swaying her 'plot' earlier after a doing it for a good few minutes, and he did enjoy it the view until the hill started getting steeper. Both of them were starting to get tired of walking, Konrad in particular. He was still wet from the river and he was wishing right now that he could take a nice shower.
"When we get to the ruins, I need to let my feet dry. Wet boots aren't fun at all."
Combined with the wetness and fatigue of hiking up hill, Konrad started to get impatient and took the time to converse with Luna. He was still a bit nervous after realizing that she had caught him staring at her 'plot'.
"Now why did she turn her head around when I was staring at her? Does her horn give her vision in the back of her head?
"She's got her secrets too Konrad."
"And you would know that how?"
Konrad's conscious again didn't bother to answer his question. This day was getting stranger and stranger every hour for Konrad, but he shrugged it off as it didn't really matter.
"So Luna…"
Luna then panted for second before responding with a coy tone,
"Yes Konrad?"
"Oh great, she still hasn't forgot about earlier. This is going to be awkward, well you know what? Screw it, time to be a renegade."
"Are we there yet?"
She then huffed and turned her head to give him a 'are you kidding me?' look. He found this funny, chuckled a bit and said,
"Just wondering that's all."
"Is that so?" replied Luna.
"Pretty much, though I still would like to know what these ruins are."
Luna's face changed to the same look she gave him when he asked her about the ruins earlier. Her ears were down, she had a frown on her face, and her tone definitely indicated that she still wasn't interested in talking about it. She responded with the same tone and said,
"When we get there I will explain it to you, but I also have some questions for you as well."
"Oh god, the explanation questions, I'm not looking forward to this. We'll time to get creative with the half truths."
"Normally I would nag you for this, but you are right Konrad. She shouldn't know about the whole MLP thing." replied Ian.
"Finally something you and I agree on."
"That seems fair enough, but still…are we there yet?"
Luna then rolled her eyes with the same 'I'm not amused' look and turned forward to continue leading the way. Konrad still could not but help find it funny and rather cute at the same time.
"I really need to stop being a renegade, but it's just too damn fun!"
"You are right about that part."
"You mean the fun part?"
"You trolling bastard."
Konrad then performed the lulz face in his mind before returning to cover her 'rear' with his own Commander Shepard smirk
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Luna was rather pleased with the knowledge of Konrad finding her attractive. This certainly boosted her ego a bit, but at the same time she was rather annoyed at her conscious for being right, again. At the same time however, she was starting to become more aware of something that she had not truly felt before.
"Is there something going on here?"
"Oh Princess, I knew you would come around."
"I still don't love him oh strange voice. He is just interesting that is all."
"Sure…"
"There are still major differences between us that can't be ignored! I'm immortal, Royal, and not to mention an Alicorn!"
"And yet none of those mattered to you during the first contact, the massage, and the little strut you gave him! Your excuses are running low your majesty."
"Agh! I will not speak of this with you any further!"
"Oh you will Luna, you will."
Luna then shook off her thoughts as she continued to lead Konrad up the hill. Never before had she ever exerted this much physical energy in her life. Most of it had either been through the use of magic or when she performed her nightly duties when most ponies were asleep.
"Asleep…I just want to know if there is anypony out there that actually likes the night."
"Maybe he does…why not ask him."
Luna then gave it some thought as she continued to lead Konrad up the hill. She would after all have to get to know him regardless of what her conscious said or not. This also brought up something that she remembered from reading one of Twilight Sparkle's friendship reports. She read the reports because Celestia had insisted upon Luna reading them. Ponyville had panicked when they saw a zebra, a pony they did not understand, she couldn't imagine what would happen if they ran into Konrad. Luna was not going to let that happen to her ponies or to Konrad.
He definitely did not deserve to be seen as a monster, when he certainly was quite the opposite…most of the time. Luna was now starting to wonder how her sister would react to him. Celestia was definitely the most caring and understanding pony she ever knew, considering her offer for redemption after her return. Luna was so happy that she was reunited with her and that she was welcomed back to Ponyville despite what happened.
Though being seen as a mean villain when she returned to Ponyville for Nightmare Night didn't make things any easier. And now she was returning back to where her new start began, and it was certainly going to be most unpleasant.
"At least you have him with you. All of my intentions aside, he really is an understanding individual." Spoke her conscious.
"Yes…he is. I still am confused about a lot of things concerning him though." Replied Luna
"He definitely is concerned about some things too."
"About what? My plot?"
"No about you Princess, specifically your life. You still haven't explained to him why you are here."
"I just…don't want to think about my past! I want it all behind me!"
"You still have yet to face some of your personal problems Luna. Listen to me, you have a wonderful, albeit different gentlecolt, I mean, man here that can and will listen to you. You just need to take a chance. I am, after all, looking after your best interest."
"Well…okay, but remember I decide who I let in my heart! Do you understand that!?"
"Yes Princess…"
"Good."
"Human lover."
Luna then continued moving along, doing her best to not be frustrated with the voice in her head. She then started to wonder how her sister would react to Konrad. Would she panic at something she didn't know? Or would she be as understanding and friendly like she had always been? She would think that her sister would move towards the latter, but considering pony kind's tendency to panic at the unknown still cast doubt in her mind. Konrad was after all a being that was thought of as a myth.
If Celestia did react negatively at Konrad, she definitely would stand by his side and if necessary stand in front for him, just as he had done for her.
"That won't happen as she wouldn't do that. I will make sure she behaves just as I'll make sure he behaves as well. My sister doesn't exactly have patience for the wise cracking types, which is not necessarily a bad thing about him. Though her bad experience of Discord getting underneath her coat doesn't help matters."
"You know his remark about points was actually funny."
Luna then contemplated what her conscious said. As much as her voice annoyed her and was unusually right about recent events, she conceded to the fact that his remark was indeed funny.
"You're right, it was funny, but I'm not going to let him know about that." replied Luna.
"Fair enough, he did after all make fun of royalty. You can't let him get the advantage after all, since you want to beat him." Said her conscious.
"Speaking of Konrad, he hasn't said anything for a while now. I wonder what is on his mind."
Then Luna got her wish, as Konrad spoke up to her.
"So Luna…"
"Ah so you want to talk? I hope you enjoyed the display I gave you."
"Yes Konrad?" replied Luna trying her best to be coy.
"Are we there yet?"
Luna then turned around and looked at Konrad in disbelief.
"What?! Does it look like we are? You can't be serious!"
He simple just chuckled and said,
"Just wondering that's all." as he gave an innocent look.
"Is that so?"
"Pretty much, though I still would like to know what these ruins are."
Luna did not like the mention of his curiosity concerning the ruins. This was definitely not going to be pleasant to talk about. Still, if Pony kind were to have good relations with the mythic race, it would have to begin on honest terms. She just could only hope that he wouldn't think less of her when she would tell him the truth about the ruins, and her past. He did after all deserve to know.
"Don't worry Luna. He is an understanding person, just tell him the truth."
"I hope you're right."
Luna's expression reflected her dreading mood concerning what lay ahead, and there was nothing she could do to hide it. There just were too many memories of the past, of her childhood, her imprisonment, and her last moments of being Nightmare Moon that she didn't want to remember.
"Very well Konrad, but it is going to cost you."
"When we get there I will explain it to you, but I also have some questions for you as well."
Then Konrad's facial expression changed as he went from a smile to a slight frown the moment she mentioned questions about him. It would appear that he too had something to hide, though Luna couldn't possibly fathom what it could be. He responded in his serious tone that she had seen before in the truck,
"That seems fair enough-"
"You're right it is fair my 'Knight"
"but still…"
"Don't do it Konrad."
"are we there yet?" responded Konrad sporting the same smile has he did earlier.
"Oh! You just had to do it didn't you?!"
Luna rolled her eyes and turned her head forward, picking up the pace towards her former home from so long ago.
"It appears that I certainly am going to have to stand between my sister and him. He wouldn't last ten seconds from her wrath." Thought Luna
"Maybe you should learn to just ease up every now and then. He certainly seems like the type that can teach you to do just that." replied her conscious.
"Maybe…or maybe I just need to show him how to properly behave in front of Royalty before my sister petrifies him with the Elements of Harmony."
"You wouldn't let that happen. You like him too much."
"You're right about the 'won't happen' part for he has to be beaten first. I still need to get more 'points' than him."
"Oh princess, just let it go!"
Luna, however, could not let it go. As much as an interesting, brave, and caring man he was, she still wanted to show him who the better player was. She just hoped that whatever she would learn from him, she could use to her advantage.
"You mean like your looks?"
Luna simply adjusted his rifle on her back and blew a loose strand of her mane that had dangled in her face, while ignoring her conscious. She couldn't help but realize the irony of the thought that popped into her head.
"Are we there yet?"
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Grey Hoof was extremely furious now, despite the capture of Ruby. Blood Clop, his loyal friend of 99 years, simply made a smart and reasonable request to capture the human and the Alicorn. Those two were really the only loose ends that needed to be stopped, or else the party could seriously be ruined for years to come. And then the situation all started to fall apart.
The remainder of the Blood Hooves simply couldn't grasp the seriousness of the situation. They all just wanted to party, and that he couldn't blame them for that. The party after all was thrown by the greatest Celebration Planner Extraordinaire to have ever existed. Despite them wanting to have fun at his party, work needed to be taken care of.
The other Blood Hooves by the table just continued to moan and complain, ignoring him and Blood Clop's logic.
"No! I don't want to go!"
"Yeah, I want to dance!"
"I just want some MOAR!"
"MOAR?!" shouted Three Leaf, who just couldn't get enough praise of her punch.
This was really starting to annoy Grey Hoof, as this wasn't what the party spirit was supposed to be like. Plus, if he had to hear the word 'MOAR' again he was just going to lose it.
"Ruby…is this your plan? To cause arguments in MY party?"
He turned to look at Ruby to see what she was doing and what he saw surprised him. Instead of seeing Ruby on the ground, he saw nothing but Mitta. She was staring at him, giving him sort of a 'I got you now' look, with a rather annoying smirk. At this point he couldn't take it anymore, and he decided to get every ponies attention.
With as much loudness as he could do, he shouted out loud,
"QUIET EVERYPONY!"
And be quiet they did, nopony had ever heard him shout that loud before. It was almost close to a blaring horn, if that could make sense to anypony. All of the Sunny Towners stopped doing what they were doing. Roneo and Starlet who were in the corner near his house stopped 'muzzling' together and were looking in Grey Hoof's direction. Three Leaf simply froze in place holding the punch ladle while Gladstone was still looking at her 'plot' before turning his head towards Grey Hoof's direction.
The other Blood Hooves just stopped and stared at Grey Hoof, not knowing what to do next. Grey Hoof then spoke in his authoritative tone that had served him well as leader of Sunny Town.
"Do any of you realize the seriousness of the situation? We have a human on the loose, who not only put to rest seven of us, but is one his way to escaping with a Princess Alicorn. If they escape they could come back and RUIN THE PARTY!"
Every Sunny Towner, with the exception of Mitta, and Blood Hoof gasped at the last part. They wore a look of horror on their face that showed how were finally starting to understand how bad things were. And who could blame them; it was his party that they loved! Sunny Town's future was a stake because of this strange being, this 'human'!
"And because you were all distracted while sporting a un-party like attitude arguing amongst yourselves, Ruby has escaped because of it!"
Everypony now looked around and noticed that Ruby was not where she was just a few minutes ago. They only saw Mitta, who still sported that same smirk while lying on the ground. Most of them gasped at the sight of Ruby's disappearance while some, noticeably Blood Clop and Crimson Tail, were growling in anger of the realization that Ruby had pulled a fast one on them.
"Good, now you all understand the importance of what is going on here."
"Even worse, a little filly knows where our town is and if she escapes too, then others will be more willing to believe her and be sympathetic to RUINING THE PARY!"
They all gasped at the last part with Mitta simply rolling her eyes and face hoofing at the same time.
"I will get to you in a little bit Mitta, but for now I have a town to save. Now Grey Hoof, it's time to motivate them."
"Now my friends, are you going to let them RUIN THE PARTY?!"
"NO!" they all shouted.
"Are you going to let Sunny Town be put to rest?!"
"NO!"
"Are you going to show them the true friendship of Sunny Town?!"
"YES!"
"Good job Grey Hoof, now to spring them into action."
"Excellent! Now Blood Clop and Crimson Tail, your priority is to stop the Alicorn from escaping. Because if she is the Princess that she appears to be, then she will return in full force with Royal Guards. Making her a friend is second to stopping her. There is also a filly that needs to be stopped as well, for she was just here a moment ago before a party pooper over there let her slip. You can't let her go as well, though if you can bring her back alive, then that would be good too."
"Yes Grey Hoof!" replied Crimson Tail.
"I understand, but what about the 'Hu-man'?"
"As yes, the mysterious human, a mythological being of great power with an apparent attitude problem. He certainly will be the life of the party for a while."
"I want him alive, if it is possible, for I wish to see what he is like before we make him our new friend."
Grey Hoof noticed Blood Clop and Crimson Tail shift uncomfortably at this order. He simply responded with sympathy,
"I understand that he has acted unfriendly towards both of you, but he really is the best bet for keeping Sunny Town alive."
Then Crimson tail responded with a weak protest,
"B-but he called me...'
"I know Crimson Tail, but he isn't the only pony, I mean, being that has resisted us. The only difference is that he actually fought back unlike the rest of our friends. Besides, he is probably scared just like all of you once were. Don't you agree Blood Clop?"
Blood Clop made eye contact with Grey Hoof before nodding his head in agreement.
"Yes Grey Hoof, you are correct and I do agree that he is scarred, but his aggressiveness concerns me."
Grey Hoof did have to admit that his friend did indeed have a point. The human was, from what he gathered, rather aggressive using weapons that nopony had ever heard or seen before. After thinking it through one more time, Grey Hoof then gave him some leeway in dealing with the human.
"You may only kill him if your life is seriously threatened. I want him alive, but if that is not possible then, simply kill him, and bring his body back intact. He is too valuable to let go permanently. There is too much that we need to know about him, specifically where he came from and what his involvement with Ruby is. I would rather learn as much from him before we give him the gift. Is that understood?"
Grey Hoof noticed that Crimson Tail was definitely uncomfortable at his orders, but Blood Clop was as neutral as he could be. He then simply nodded his head and said,
"I understand my friend; I will do as you order."
"Good, I'm glad that you understand."
"Excellent! I'm glad to know that I can count on you my friend! And Crimson Tail, I understand your discomfort, which is why I'm going to give you a party gift."
Crimson Tail simply looked at Grey Hoof with confusion on her undead face. He motioned both of them to follow him, while sporting his signature happy smile, getting very closer towards Mitta. Mitta noticed that they were walking over to her, and simply just glared at them with her crimson eyes that were noticeably darker.
"You're not the only one who is mad Mitta, though you will pay for the treachery from earlier."
Just as they got a few hooves away from her, she spoke up and said,
"So Party Planner Extraordinaire, what wonderful event do you have planned for me? Permanent resting? Do it, I really don't care at this point as your gift is nothing but a curse."
Grey Hoof felt anger at that comment for nopony had every said his party gifts were horrible. All he wanted was to keep Sunny town safe and its ponies happy and he just couldn't fathom why she thought so.
"She just doesn't understand that it had to be done. I didn't want to but the mark…"
"Actually no Mitta."
"What?! But Grey Hoof! She tried too..." protested Crimson Tail.
Grey Hoof merely interrupted her and said,
"I know Crimson Tail, but I believe in giving ponies a second chance. She did after all help us get friends all these years, way before you joined us."
Crimson Tail simply nodded her head and glared at Mitta. All Mitta could do was just laugh at her stare, for she really didn't fear anything at this point. Grey Hoof then spoke back up,
"Instead, Mitta is going to give you a gift."
All of them just looked at Grey Hoof with even more confusion including Mitta.
"You will be punished Mitta, but I will let you redeem yourself later on when this is all over."
"Mitta, I'm so disappointed that you attempted to ruin the party, all because of the past with your daughter. You know it had to be done-"
"GO TO PONY HECK!"
Grey Hoof then ignored her and continued,
"-and I know it was painful for you. It was painful for all of us, but she is now trying to ruin it again. I simply cannot allow that to happen. You are hereby quarantined until further notice at least until I have determined that your party spirit had returned."
"I can't leave you idiot in case you have forgotten that all these years." responded Mitta.
Grey Hoof then chuckled, smiled, and then motioned for another Blood Hoof to come over. It was the one known as Plague Chomp, and he still had a punch cup in his hoof.
"Ugh, I like punch just as much as anypony, but I still don't want to hear Three Leaf say 'MOAR' again."
"No Mitta, you are going lend Crimson Tail your wonderful hooves. How very giving you are, and I must say your party spirit is returning quite nicely."
Before Mitta could even react, the other Blood Hooves, including Blood Clop and Crimson Tail, all bit down on her hooves. Mitta simply yelped in great pain as they began to devour her hooves off, specifically then ones Crimson Tail needed. Blood Clop was rather quick and clean as he always was, while Crimson Tail took great pleasure in biting them off rather slowly. Plague Chomp simply just did it his way, crude but effective, for he loved to chomp on things.
This went on a bit longer than necessary as Mitta put up quite a fight, screaming and yelping the entire time. He could see the look of suffering on her face, and while he was sympathetic to her earlier at her pain all these years ago, he realized that enough was enough concerning her party pooper attitude. Finally the deed was done and all were removed with the exception of one of her hooves remained. Grey Hoof was rather impressed with the new forms they had received so long ago. They were quite resistant to many things, they were never cold, hot, nor they never had to eat. Well, they only ate for pleasure of course. What pony wouldn't like a good cake every now and then?
Mitta simply panted and looked at were her hooves one were and growled like a wolf. Grey Hoof had to admit that she did a good job it, even though she, like them, was a pony.
"Thank you very much Mitta! I believe Crimson Tail will love these. Don't you agree?" asked Grey Hoof.
Crimson Tail simply nodded holding one of Mitta's hooves in her muzzle, and dropped it on the ground as Blood Clop and Plague Chomp began to work on attaching the new hooves. Crimson Tail did squeak in pain for just a tiny bit as they removed Blood Shot's former hooves. Then they began to attach Mitta's rather impressive hooves to her. All of them could hear the flesh attaching, making a squishy noise in the process, and then a final crack when the bones attached.
CRACK!
Finally, Crimson Tail got back up on all fours and walk in a quick circle, testing out Mitta's Hooves.
"How do they feel?" asked Blood Clop.
She then looked him and smiled before striking Mitta with of one of the new hooves.
"OOOFF" groaned Mitta as her muzzle was stuck rather hard.
Crimson Tail giggled and replied,
"Wow Mitta, your hooves are very strong! I think I'll keep the gift and thank you very much."
Mitta then spat some blood at Crimson Tail, only to miss and get hit again.
"OOOFF"
Before this could erupt into a full blown clop down, Grey Hoof intervened,
"Enough! This is not the party spirit! Roneo and Starlet come over here now!"
Both of them moaned in disappointment,
"OOOOHHH! Pony Feathers!"
"Wow, those two are meant for each other." thought Grey Hoof.
After walking over to where they were, Grey Hoof then gave both of them a command,
"You two are to put Mitta in the house and lock her in, until we have captured our potential new friends. I want both of you to make sure she doesn't leave, and that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Yes Grey Hoof, we understand." Replied Starlet
"She won't get away period!" exclaimed an excited Roneo.
"Good!" smiled Grey Hoof, "Now, please help Mitta to your house Roneo or should I say your house as well Starlet?"
Both Starlet and Roneo looked at each other with a love struck smile on their faces. Some of the Blood Hooves nearby went,
"Dawww!"
While Mitta simply said,
"Congrats to the both of you, I hope your offspring get marks! That is if you could even have any now."
They both snorted at her and quickly dragged her into the house, with Roneo setting up his favorite maze to block her in once they got inside. When the door was locked from the outside, they continued to remain close and talk, after getting another serving of punch.
"At least I won't have to hear from her for a little bit."
Grey Hoof then turned his attention to Blood Clop and Crimson Tail,
"Blood Clop, I trust your judgment in pursuing the Human and Alicorn. You may take some more Blood Hooves for now, but don't wake up any more than you have too, as the others are still tired some last year's party. Blood Clop nodded his head and motioned for Crimson Tail to follow him. Plague Chomp and Dead Coat joined them as they walked out the main entrance of Sunny Town, presumably to wake some more Blood Hooves up.
"Good luck my friends, I hope you get the Alicorn, Apple Bloom, and most importantly, the human."
And with the last thought he turned around to make his way over to the party table to get some punch. Apparently, everypony was going nuts over it, and he just had to see what was so great about it. Three Leaf certainly was the big food producer in Sunny Town and she took good pride in it too. It was good to know that she enjoyed the party as much as the rest of them did.
Three Leaf and Gladstone were talking amongst each other; most of it was Three Leaf talking though, as Gladstone seemed to be content with just watching her and listening to her. He wondered when Gladstone would just get the courage to ask her out already, as it was quite obvious to everypony that she liked him a lot.
"Oh Gladstone! You always were the shy type, so busy collecting gems and rocks. Very nice of you to give Roneo the gem to he could get Starlet's attention. If only Ruby didn't get the mark…"
Grey Hoof then got rid of that thought as he just wanted to relax now. He was already stressing out to much due to the loss of Blood Hooves, and the human, which apparently Ruby had something do with. He walked over to the punch bowl and asked Three Leaf for a serving,
"Hey Three Leaf I haven't had the chance to try some of your punch yet. May I kindly have some?"
"Yeah, totally! Hey, Gladstone do you want some 'MOAR' too?"
"You know it!" replied Gladstone.
Grey Hoof was now starting to get annoyed at that darn word. Doing his best to ignore it he took a sip of Three Leaf's punch after hoofing it to him.
"Wow…this is really good!"
Grey Hoof then quickly finished the rest of his cup and decided to get into the party spirit. He could not believe what he was about to say,
"Three Leaf… I want some 'MOAR'!'
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Konrad and Luna had finally made it to the ruins, Luna's former home from so long ago. The memories suddenly started flowing into Luna as she guided Konrad into the back entrance of her old Castle. They were of her childhood, the fight with Discord, and then her sister. The fight with her sister was so intense that the entire Castle was ruined and its condition had worsened over the years when she relocated to the place now called Canterlot.
And as a result the forest grew out of control at the sight of her former home, the place where disharmony resulted between her and Celestia. And now she was here again on unpleasant terms, specifically being hunted by demons. She felt very weak at the moment due to the fatigue and her inadvertent wounding of herself. Never had she unleashed so much raw magically energy before and it was probably a good thing that her magic missile split in half, for she couldn't have imagined what would have happened if the full blast hit her.
"Why does everything have to bring me back to my past on negative terms? This place is already painful enough I don't need any more to add to it." Thought Luna.
"Life is never fair Luna do you think his is all that fair too?" replied her conscious.
"Well…no but still I just..."
"It's understandable Luna, nopony wants to see the negatives of their past but you're just going to have to deal with it. At least you aren't alone."
Luna then looked at Konrad, whose attention was wondering around her former castle. It appeared as if he were looking at everything there was too see, the broken glass window art, the general lay out of the halls, and even the mundane stone bricks that made up the wall. It was almost as if he were…excited?
"What is so great about this place to you Konrad? It's my old home you insensitive little…" thought a confused and irritated Luna.
"Relax Luna he doesn't know everything about this place. You are after all going to fill in the blanks for him."
"What do you mean fill in the blanks? He should have any written parts at all!"
"Just tell him when you get to the chamber Princess."
Luna was starting to get more confused by her conscious by the minute. What the hay was did her conscious mean by 'fill in the blanks'? Luna just merely turned her head and said to him, in a rather unhappy tone,
"The main chamber is this way Konrad, were almost there."
"Can't wait." Replied Konrad in a tone that indicated he was intrigued.
Luna then turned her head around and gave Konrad a confused look. She just couldn't understand why he seemed so interested in this place.
"I just want to take a break that is all Luna." spoke Konrad as if it were a matter of fact.
"Oh, well then just around the corner up ahead and you can have your 'break' Konrad." Replied Luna still using her unhappy tone.
Not bothering to look at his reaction, she turned her head back forward to lead him into the chamber. It was still the same as it had been the when she was here two years ago. It still had that cold empty atmosphere, the ruined appearance and the painful attachment that she still had of this place. The chamber still had the old throne chair, with the cushion ruined, pieces of the frame chipped off, and the throne symbols were certainly worse for wear.
Her sister's symbol was broken off and on laid the ground nearby and the moon symbol was still attached to the throne. She looked at it, remembering the old fight she had with Celestia before being banished to the moon. It was a very painful part in her life, all because she was jealous of Celestia. It was because of that jealousy and bitterness that led her down to a darker path, a path which transformed her into something that she wasn't.
"Nightmare Moon…you evil spirit."
Luna then noticed Konrad walk over to the throne chair and examine it closely. He would touch it with his fingers here and there and it appeared that he noticed Celestia's symbol on the ground. He went over to pick it up and examine it, and this upset Luna, for was scrounging around her old home like a wolf.
"PUT THAT BACK DOWN THIS INSTANT AND SHOW SOME RESPECT!" shouted Luna in her Royal Canterlot voice.
Konrad jumped at this and stared at her with a 'What the hay?' expression. Luna expected him to protest, but he simply nodded and obeyed her order. He set the symbol down on the throne, and slowly backed away from it. He still had the expression on his face it was obvious that he was expecting some sort of explanation. Luna felt guilty for yelling at Konrad, for he really couldn't have known about her the connection to this place.
With her ears lowered and speaking in a remorseful voice,
"I guess I should go ahead and explain to you Konrad. Please forgive me for my outburst."
He simply gave her a soft smile and said,
"It's fine Luna. I take it this was an old home of yours?"
"Yes, it is…wait how did you know?" replied a confused Luna.
He simply shrugged, and said,
"I kind of figured it out since you knew where this place was in the middle of a forest, had a sour expression when you mentioned it, and the moon symbol on the throne kind of gave it away. That and the outburst confirmed it, and I'm sorry if I offended you by touching it like thief in the night. I was just curious."
Luna was very much surprised at how observant he was and still felt guilty for yelling at him. He had done nothing wrong at all, and here she was just yelling at him.
"I should be the pony apologizing not you." thought Luna.
"Then go ahead and tell him that Princess!" replied her conscious.
"It's okay Konrad; I should be the pony who is sorry. This place once belonged to my sister and me from so long ago. We grew up in this place together and there are so many memories here, most notably painful ones. I know it's not possible for you to have known, but this place is where…where I…" spoke Luna while lowering her head.
Luna then felt his hand pick up her right hoof, and again was feeling the gentle touch that he always had. She looked back at him and he said,
"You don't have to tell me now Luna, I can tell it's not pleasant for you. When you do feel like sharing with me, let me know. For now let's take a break shall we?"
"See I told you he was an understanding gentlecolt and quite patient isn't he?"
"You were right…her certainly is. Wait, don't you mean 'man'?"
"The pony and human terms don't really matter now do they?"
"No but the points do."
Luna then just nodded her head and said,
"Right, let us relax."
Konrad smiled and then let go of her hoof and began to sit down next to the throne. Luna again wished that he hadn't let go, but realized that he too needed a break. She sat down and propped his rifle against the old throne and took his head cover off to let her mane flow again. She adjusted her man a bit and also took the time to check her own tail too. Surprisingly, it had remained intact, with no singeing, or leaves attached.
Unfortunately for her, it too was just as dim as her mane was. After checking to make sure her tail was okay, she noticed through the corner of her eye that Konrad was starting to stare at her. For a second or two, she was trying to decide whether to call him out on it or just let him have a nice look like earlier. Before she could make a decision, he broke eye contact and began to remove the strange vest he wore.
"I hope you enjoyed the view Konrad. You're more than welcome to look anytime." Thought Luna.
"I know you're a human lover." Said her voice.
"Nope, just enjoying the attention."
"Sure Princess. Well, you are about to see more of Konrad so pay attention Princess Human lover."
Luna then continued to pay attention to Konrad as he started to take his strange boots off. They were covered by a pair of green socks, which appeared to be quite wet. As he took them off she noticed that the general shape of his hands were different from his other hands. They were flat and the fingers were noticeably a different shape.
"Are these different hands? What are they?" thought Luna.
"Luna! Seriously just ask him already, don't be shy." Replied her conscious.
Taking the cue from her conscious, she began to inquire about his new hands.
"Konrad, why are the hands on your legs different?"
At first he appeared to be confused at what she was asking, looking at his hands. Then Konrad began to chuckle as soon as he realized what she meant.
"Heh, no Luna, these are called my 'Feet'. They are meant to help support my body by waking. And these…"
He began to wiggle more of the appendages, in the same manner as he did with his fingers.
"are called my toes. They aren't meant to grab things, just help support the rest of the feet."
"How interesting…it must be strange not to have hooves." Commented Luna, who was intrigued at his feet.
"Heh, not at all. I wouldn't trade these for anything." finished Konrad as he began to wiggle them one more time before taking his top suit off.
He was wearing a stripped blue and white shirt that was similar to some of the sailor shirts she had seem some ponies wear before . It reminded her also of Pinkie Pie's dress stripes that Luna had seen her wear at the disastrous Gala from last year. For some reason, Celestia thought that it was fun, but it was a mess for Luna when she took over for her nightly duties.
"Ugh, now that was NOT a fun night for me."
While she remembered the awful events of that night's cleanup, she noticed that he was taking his shirt off. And that caught her attention for sure.
"Like what you see?"
"I uhh…his upper body it's…different."
"You like it and you know it, human lover."
"Is that the only term you have?"
"For now, I'll come up with something later, but don't let me keep you away from the view."
Luna then continued to observe Konrad as he began to wring the excess water from his shirt away from the throne. His upper body appeared to be well toned, as far as she could tell. She could see the muscles on him and they appeared to be all made to support his entire upper body. She also noticed he had…
"Human males have nipples?"
"Like what you see Princess?"
Luna then snapped out of her thought as she realized Konrad had spoken to her.
"You dare call me out when I didn't do the same to you?! Oh I'm so going to get back at you!"
Luna then quickly collected her composure and spoke in a her calm, royal tone.
"I'm just merely observing your physique for curiosity sake, as you are the first human I or any pony for that matter have ever seen. It is not due to an attraction of any sort." She then broke eye contact away from him to check her own shoes.
"Wow, Princess, what a lie that was."
Luna did her best to ignore that thought and turned her attention back to Konrad as he replied to her.
"Oh you wound me dear Princess Luna!"
She noticed he made a gesture of holding his heart as if she had stabbed him. He began to chuckle again and then said,
"I'm just playing with you Luna, I understand this is the first time you've seen a human and a good looking one at that."
"Oh yes, I'm going to have to stand in front of you before my sister smites you."
"Oh stop jesting Konrad. I'm not in the mood." Said Luna while making a dismissive gesture with her right hoof.
"Okay Luna, I'll stop, but if you have any questions just let me know." Replied Konrad with a shrug.
"I certainly will ask you later and I'll expect your full cooperation." Said Luna holding her head up high like a proper Royal Princess should.
Konrad then gave her some sort of salute and said,
"Jawohl mein Füher!"
Luna had absolutely no idea what that meant, but she simply just ignored it as a strange human expression. Konrad then turned his attention away from her and began to check his weapons and other strange accessories. While his attention was turned, she continued to look at his body. His mane definitely was cut short on purpose and for what reason she didn't know.
It was common for most male ponies to have a nice medium mane, and only a very few select ever cut it down to the coat. Even the Royal Guards had a standard mane, as their helmets adjusted them to prevent potential foes from grabbing them. Perhaps this was the reason it was short. The rest of his back was just like the front. It was well toned, as far as she could tell, and lacked a cutie mark.
This particularly puzzled Luna, as all ponies had one when they matured. It was very rare for an adult pony not to have one. But then again Konrad wasn't a pony. She made a mental to ask him about it later. Luna also noticed that he had a chain around his neck with two shiny metal looking disks.
"Konrad, what are those?"
"They're my dog tags." Replied Konrad who was still sorting out his equipment.
"Dog tags? Why would a human be wearing tags meant for a dog?"
"No Luna, all military personnel where I am from wear them in the event that we are killed, our remains can be identified. The term 'Dog Tags' is just a name." Responded Konrad as if it meant nothing.
Luna was taken aback by this. No Royal Guard had ever been killed in the line of duty, not since the old ancient times when ponies weren't aware of harmony and friendship.
"That's…terrible!" said a shocked.
"Yes it is Luna."
"But…don't humans know about harmony and friendship?"
"My world is a bit different than yours Luna. Humanity has many different nations, cultures and languages. Sometimes those differences result in wars, and people die. It happens, and as such I'm a soldier of my nation."
"But you are all the same aren't you not? Why would a human want to hurt another?"
"Let me ask you a question instead. Has Pony Kind ever been divided before?"
Luna then remembered that Pony Kind had indeed been divided along time ago between Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns. Pony Kind almost had been starved to death because of the great and terrible winter. Had it not been for harmony and friendship, Pony Kind might have disappeared.
"Well, yes there was a time when Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns were divided and fought each other before but…"
"And has Equestria ever been threatened by an enemy?"
"Well, yes there was recently the attempted takeover by the changelings…"
"Changelings?"
"They are an evil form of Pony Kind, they feed on other ponies love and feelings."
"Apparently he has never heard of changelings." Thought Luna.
"Okay…but you still needed to have a Royal Guard correct?"
"Yes…"
"Then there you have it Luna. Pony Kind is not perfect just as humanity is not perfect either, and those Blood Hooves are a perfect example. We too have had wars based on racial differences. Some humans have different skin colors, different beliefs, and different ways of life, but unfortunately wars have broken out because of that and for various other reasons such as resources and what not.
"That's so…"
"It's terrible, I know, but over the years humanity has gotten better about overcoming those differences. We still have a long way to go until we can achieve world peace, but if we didn't have our own armies, and weapons to defend ourselves, then other tyrants and oppressors would run rampant. It's kind of the reason I volunteered, to serve my country so my fellow citizens won't have to worry about their safety from other aggressive threats, just as your Royal Guards do the same. I can't change how my world works on my own, but I can at least make life better for those to the best of my ability."
"I see… I believe I understand what you mean." Responded Luna, who was trying to process as much information as she possibly could.
"Humans fighting each other? I thought they were above us."
"It would appear they are more similar to pony kind than they appear. And he is right, nopony is perfect, and it appears that he does have honor too."
"Yes, volunteering to defend his kind, how…knightly of him."
"Like him more now?"
Before Luna could respond,
"Hey I just realized we don't have any food."
Luna then realized that Konrad was right and she was starting to get a little hungry.
"You are right about that, you mention you had some in your truck?"
"Yeah, I had some in it and I would like to go back and try to get some, but I'm concerned about the Blood Hooves getting on this side. It there way they can cross over?"
Luna then remembered about the bridge outside, the same one when Nightmare Night had control over her. Luna remembered when Nightmare Night had tried to convince Rainbow Dash to abandon her friends by offering her a chance to be part of the Shadow Bolts. Of course there were no Shadow Bolts, it was just one of many tricks Nightmare Night used in order to break up the group pursing the Elements of Harmony.
"I'm so glad that you failed Nightmare Moon." Thought Luna.
"Yes Konrad, there is a bridge outside in the front. If I remember correctly it is still there." Replied Luna.
Luna observed Konrad as he lowered his head and took a breath as if he were disappointed. He then began to put his shirt back on and grabbed his strange orange looking knife. He took it off of his vest and attached it to his belt. He then put his socks back on despite them still being a bit wet and put his boots on too.
"Is the bridge made of rope or is it pure solid wood?"
Luna then realized what he was planning on doing. He was going to cut down the bridge to prevent the Blood Hooves from potentially crossing.
"It is made of rope, so cutting it should work."
"Good, I was hoping to take a longer break, and talk some more, but I guess it needs to be taken care of. When I get back, we come up with a plan to get out of the forest and into Ponyville. I still have to get you home, my Princess."
Konrad then grabbed her right hoof again and kissed it just as he had done earlier. Luna did her best not to blush at his gesture or if she knew better, his flirting.
"Oh Konrad, you don't need to do that, getting me home will be much better."
Konrad smiled, slightly bowed and said,
"Of course Princess Luna."
Konrad then started to walk towards the front stairway in the chamber to make his towards the ruin entrance. Luna got up to follow him, but she stopped and said,
"It would be better if you stay here Luna."
Luna was confused at why he wanted her to stay in the chamber.
"Why does he want me to stay here? Does he not think I can be of assistance?"
"May I ask why you don't want me to come?" asked Luna.
Konrad then scratched his head, as if he was trying to come up with a reason. He then replied,
"We'll you see, after I cut the bridge I'm going to have to um…"
"Yes, what is it?" thought Luna while raising her eye brow at him.
"relieve myself." Said Konrad with a weary smile.
"What does he mean by 'relieve'? He can take a break when the bridge is cut."
"Not that type of relief Luna. The 'other' type break."
Then it all hit Luna when she realized with the help of her conscious. He meant a restroom break, and she immediately gave an embarrassed smile and replied,
"Ohhh! Well, then…I'll just wait here then."
He just smiled and said
"I'll be right back."
Konrad then walked into the stairway and slowly made his way down towards the entrance, walking out of Luna's sight. She then made her way back over to where his equipment was and noticed that he had taken the head cover when she wasn't looking. He had left all but one of his weapons, which was the small one he used in the truck.
She then just sat down and pondered for a few minutes. She was thinking about what he said concerning his world and the comparison to hers. It was certainly an eye opener, and he even got her to take a look at her pony's history in way that she had never seen.
"Not expecting that type of information were you?" asked her conscious.
"No I wasn't…it was certainly unexpected. I never looked at our history that way before." replied Luna.
"It looks like you're going to learn a lot from him, and maybe teach him a thing or too."
"Well, I will have to teach him some manners for starters, but you are right, there is a lot more to learn. I can only hope it will be beneficial to him and my ponies. But what the hay does 'Yawool mine fuyer' mean anyway?"
Luna's thoughts were interrupted at the sound of Konrad's weapon going off. The noise was slightly muffled due to being outside but it was unmistakable of what it was.
PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! PLOP!
Luna immediately got up and started to run full sprint to the entrance readying her horn's magic with a fierce blue hue. The pain from earlier was still there but it didn't matter to her. There was no way she was going to let them hurt Konrad.
"If any of you vile ponies lay a hoof on him, I will show you true pain that Nightmare Moon couldn't even dream of!"
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Ruby was running as fast as she could through Everfree Forest. She still couldn't get over the fact that her afterlife spirit still acted as if it were alive. Every now and then she had to take a break to catch her breath, and then she would pick up back up again running. Ruby had to find Apple Bloom and the Human fast, as the Blood hooves knew where they were.
If they were unprepared, then all of them would fall to the curse, and more ponies would be in danger each year. She also couldn't let that innocent filly Apple Bloom to become one of the Blood Hooves. Apple Bloom reminded Ruby of herself a long time ago, as an innocent little filly.
As Ruby jumped over a branch, she still couldn't but help feel guilty for getting the human involved. This wasn't his fight at all, but this curse just had to stop, as well as her suffering. She could only hope that he wouldn't be furious when she met him. He at least deserved an explanation, and she was wondering if he would explain a few things too, like where he came from.
"Now that I think about it, how the hay did I find him anyway? I mean all I did was just use my talent to find a strong and brave individual. And low and behold I just happen to find a human. I thought they were just made up from the stories mom used to tell me."
The mention of her mother also brought up some memories. Her dad had passed away when she was just a new born foal, and her mother never really told her much about him. Throughout her whole life, her mom looked after her, made sure she was happy, and up until that horrid event, she was quite content with life. And now that she got to see her mother, although most likely the very last time, she was happy to know that her mom still loved her.
Ruby was never going to hold a grudge against her mother, as she was just following Grey Hoof's direction. They all did, every Sunny Towner did because of the old plague that afflicted Sunny Town nearly four generations before the curse befell Sunny Town. And now that Ruby knew her mom helped Apple Bloom escape too, she took comfort in the thought that her mom's motherly instincts were still there.
Ruby also couldn't but help think of what her mother had last said to her concerning the human.
"Nopony or human is ever going to be good enough for my precious Ruby."
Ruby then giggled a little bit as she kept running through the forest. Her mother still did not like the idea of her daughter showing interest in stallions, or in this case a man. Apparently, her mom still saw her as a little filly, and wanted to keep her that way. Ruby never really had much filly crushes when she was younger, and despite being essentially dead, she still had some 'needs' like any other mare does.
"I wonder what my life would have been like had I not died. Being alone all this time really stinks. Still, I wonder what he will be like. He did seem kind of good looking, for a non-pony. I wonder if he has a mate where he came from."
Now Ruby's face was starting to turn red at the thought of her and the human together. She couldn't believe she was thinking about this, but then again, why the hay not? Her life had been unjustly cut short, she was already wondering the forest with nothing to look forward to other than run and run and hope she wouldn't reenact her death every year. She then decided that she was going to mix things up a bit for herself.
"I don't care if we are that different, and that I'm a ghost, I still have feelings that are both physical and emotional. And if this is going to be my life for a while, I'm going to take the good things wherever they appear however unlikely or nonsensical they may be. And if anypony has a problem with it, then they can go to pony heck!"
Ruby just merely continued running and running until a new detail popped into her head. Blood Clop had mentioned that an Alicorn was with him and a female one at that. She had never seen an Alicorn before but definitely had heard of them. They were powerful and usually associated with Royalty or some other noble position, though this never really meant anything due to Sunny Town's isolation from the rest of Equestria.
Crimson Tail had mentioned that the Alicorn was a she, and Ruby immediately wondered what she would be like.
"Is she royalty? Or at the very least have some standing in Equestria that could provide some help? I hope she will be friendly, and she is very lucky that she is with him. Still, I wonder what an Alicorn was doing all the way in Everfree Forest."
Ruby then jumped over another broken log and continued to run, picking up more speed by the minute. She then felt something she never thought before…jealousy and at a stranger none the less!
"She was rendered unconscious and has the human caring for her?! Lucky mare, I wish I was in his arms."
Then Ruby felt guilty about having that thought.
"No Ruby, don't think like that, nopony asks to have their life threatened by these Blood Hooves, and the fact that he is doing a good job protecting her just shows what type of a being he is. What mare wouldn't want to have a stallion to protect her from harm? I wish I had one."
Ruby could feel that she was getting closer to the river as she had wandered the forest many times as a corporeal spirit (something she still didn't understand), which was something she never could explain or understand. It made no difference really she had to get there either way to help them survive. There was no way she was going to let them fall to the Blood Hooves, especially Apple Bloom.
"Poor Filly, I hope he can help you find your way home, and protect you just as he is protecting that Alicorn."
Ruby's thoughts were interrupted as she heard numerous loud noises in the distance.
PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! PLOP!
Ruby's immediately recognized it as the same noise from one of the human's weapons when she first saw him. And if he was using it…
"Oh no! I'm too late! Hold on Apple Bloom, Alicorn and Human! I'll find a way to help you!"
And with that last thought she made her way towards the ruins as fast as she possibly could hoping that not all was lost for her and more importantly for them.
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Konrad was psyched that he was in the old ruins of where the mane 6 defeated Nightmare Moon. It looked and even smelled like an old castle and very much looked like it did on the show. He was soaking in as much information as he could about the place. He had memorized the pathway in which they came in, just in case they needed to make a quick escape.
"Oh Konrad, here we are again with you acting like a brony. Why do you even bother trying to deny it?" spoke his conscious.
"Just to troll your annoying Jiminy Cricket like self. Besides, still not a brony."
"You can't keep this up forever you know."
"Sure I can because I'm not a brony."
Konrad then went back to surveying the layout of the castle ruins as he made his way towards the entrance. It was nice to take a small break for a bit and he got to see Princess Luna's mane free flow again. He could help but remember at how beautiful she looked, when she took the head scarf off. He wasn't sure if she knew he was staring at her, so he did his best to look for only a second or two, but man was it heavenly for him.
"BROOOONNNYYY!" spoke Ian.
"Brownie? I would love to have one right now." replied Konrad.
"You really are a trolling bastard you know that right? I mean come on! You have enough renegade points. Jawohl mein Füher? Really now."
Konrad couldn't but lough out loud as he made his way outside walking down the stairs. That Nazi remark completely went over her head and it was just priceless.
"Yeah, that probably was a bit too much, but hey at least I got some paragon points with the little 'Nopony is perfect speech', and the hoof kissing certainly helped."
"I can only hope that you meant every word of it."
"Oh I did alright, you know tolerance, learning from one another, blah blah blah. I could have gone into it a bit further but that would have been over doing it."
"I agree, that would have been over doing it, but you do realize that you only touched the surface of the whole 'half-truth' thing right?"
In fact, Konrad did realize there would be more to explain as there were plenty of more holes that needed to be filled in so to speak. He still had no idea how the hell he got here and apparently Luna and all of Pony Kind thought humanity was a lot like the Atlantians from the 'Lost City of Atlantis'. He did his best to tell as much as he could while being vague at the same time.
"You're right Ian, aside from the whole Blood Hoof thing, I'm still in a big sticky situation now aren't I?" asked Konrad.
"Yeah you are right about that, the sooner you can get Luna out of here the better." Said Ian.
"Wow, agreeing with you is starting to happen more and more often, though good luck with the brony thing though."
"You'll get there, Konrad. You'll get there, and wait a minute aren't you forgetting something?"
Konrad then stopped as soon as he got to the bottom of the stairs outside next to the other ruin where the mane 6 had found the deactivated elements. He then checked himself to see what he forgot. He left his two rifles, ammo vest, suit top, and mask back with Luna. He only bothered to grab his bayonet and Makarov with 2 spare clips, with a fresh one in the pistol. He reloaded earlier when Luna was busy talking to him about the 'Nopony is perfect speech'.
"Let me see, I got my pistol, bayonet, and recently worn Luna head scarf, and wait a minute…"
Then all of a sudden, it hit Konrad as he realized what he had forgotten.
"SHIT! MY IPOD!" he said to himself.
Konrad's IPod still had all of the MLP 'Avast your Ass' Songs on it and various other MLP tunes. If that thing was found by anypony, then…
"Shit! I can't let anypony find that damn thing! Or at the very least delete those songs before somepony stumbles across it." thought Konrad
"You're very much right about that Konrad. When you cut the bridge you need to make an excuse to go to the truck alone, and delete it."
"Yeah, I can't let chaos go loose because of that damn 'Avast your Ass' Tune. Luna will go ape shit over that!"
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Discord was learning much more about this being, now known as Konrad, by the hour. Whenever he thought something extremely chaotic, Discord would hear pieces of his thoughts. They were mostly bits and pieces, but they were something whenever he heard it.
"Ah! So this being has a name! Konrad huh? Strange, never heard of it before but I like it so far. And what is this with Luna? He can't possibly mean…"
Then Discord realized that he was talking about the very same Princess Luna, the sister of Princess Celestia. He remembered just as if it was yesterday when Princess Luna and Princess Celestia had banished him into stone so long ago when chaos had ruled all over Equestria because of him. And here was this chaotic being that had a secret, which apparently had something to do with Princess Luna.
"Hmmm, now I wonder what it's connection with Princess Luna is. And what does he mean by Ape Shit? And what does 'Avast your Ass' mean? I can't possible see what a donkey has to do with any of this. Oh well I learn more all in due time."
Discord then summoned an imaginary folding chair in his mind. He grabbed it, imagined that he was unfolding it, and sat down on it, and thought to himself,
"Dis gonna b gud!"
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Konrad was certainly worried about the ponies learning the truth and he couldn't let that happen. So he decided to pick up the pace, while at the same time, he covered his head jihad style with the head scarf. He mostly did it hide his facial expressions from Luna, just in case she decided come out of nowhere, but the smell of lavender from her mane was really nice.
"Yeah Konrad, that's the 'mane' reason alright." Said Ian.
"Shut up! I got enough to worry about already." Replied Konrad.
Konrad then pulled out his bayonet, holding it in an aggressive manner. This was due to the fact that he was stressed and pissed off at these damn blood hooves for trying to eat Luna. As he made his way closer and closer to the front entrance of the first ruin chamber he decided take a quick look. It's roof was mostly gone, probably due to neglect and erosion over the years. Konrad could see the same altar where the mane six had found the deactivated Elements of Harmony.
The Konrad's curiosity got the better of him, he wanted to take a quick peak inside.
"Why the hell not? A quick peek won't hurt." Said Konrad to himself.
He made his way over to the door and opened it.
"Wow! This is pretty cool!" exclaimed Konrad.
"Only Bronys think this is cool Konrad."
"Yeah whatever, hmm I wonder what is over here." thought Konrad as he closed the door behind him. This was primarily due to the fact he didn't want anypony sneaking up on him, especially the Blood Hooves.
"I really should just cut the bridge already, but…what the hell." said Konrad as he continued to look around. And while he was doing this, he was completely unaware of the new little visitor that was making her way over.
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Apple Bloom was getting close and closer towards the strange ruin like castle that Ruby had sent her to. Apple Bloom really had no idea what she meant by he but she trusted Ruby and if she could trust Ruby, then she could trust the pony that apparently lived there.
"Still what pony lives in a broken castle? Ah hope he's got some food. Ah'm starving."
When Apple Bloom thought of the word 'food', the horrid punch that Three Leaf made popped into her mind. This made Apple Bloom's hunger immediately go way and she started to feel a bit sick at the thought that she almost drank the darn concoction.
"Ugh! Ah can't believe that Blood Hooves exist! And they even eat like them too! Ah got to get out of here and tell everypony about this!"
When Apple Bloom thought of the Blood Hooves, she picked up the pace towards the ruins that were in her sight. She wanted to get there as quick as she could. She was afraid for Twi, but when Mitta told her that they didn't find her, that made he feel a bit better.
"Ah guess Twi gave them the slip. Ah know she will come back for me and bring Apple Jack and Big Macintosh to help me. Ah miss mah home!"
Apple Bloom then ran and ran until she eventually made her way to a bridge. It looked pretty old but it was her only chance for safety in this nightmare-ish forest.
"Ah'm not coming back here again that's for sure, and Ah won't let Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle come here either. We'll get our cutie marks someplace else."
Apple Bloom then looked at the bridge one more time before deciding to cross it slowly. Every now and then a plank would creak, but it held firm, though its swaying motion didn't make her feel better. She was about half way when she stopped, afraid to move any further after she heard a creaking noise. When she decided to take another step, one of the planks made a crack noise but held together.
"Stay strong! You're almost there!" thought Apple Bloom.
Eventually, she made it across and felt relief when she got to the other side. She turned around and stuck her tongue out at the bridge in defiance making a,
"PSSSSHHHPP!" noise.
"Ah better not step on that one plank again. Alright, now to find that pony." thought Apple Bloom.
She waked a little bit further and noticed that the Castle ruins looked a lot worse and spooky than she had seen earlier in the distance. There was also a pathway that led to another ruin with some stairs leading up to an entrance that was open. She decided however to check out the first building in front of her that had a double door. The door was closed and she slowly walked up to it, doing her best to gather courage to knock on it.
"Don't worry! Ruby wouldn't have sent me here without a good reason. Well, it's time to say hello."
Apple Bloom then grabbed one of the round door rings with her right front hoof and knocked three times.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Apple Bloom waited apprehensively for a good fifteen seconds. For a while she thought that there was nopony home, or maybe that 'he' would be in the other ruin building. Then she heard something from the other side. She couldn't make it out what it was so she decided to put her right ear to the door.
She still couldn't hear anything for another five seconds until she heard a noise. It was the sound of some sort of clop like noise, except that the rhythm was off beat. It was like somepony had trouble walking.
"Now what kinda pony walks like that? Is he trying to walk only on his hind legs or something?"
Apple Bloom was in her thoughts way too deep to notice the noise getting louder and louder until it was too late.
The door she was leaning on opened violently and she fell forward onto the stone floor.
"OOF!" was the noise she made when she made contact with the floor.
She then looked up and started to speak,
"Now Ah'm sorry to bother you mister…"
Apple Bloom suddenly seized in fear at what she saw. It wasn't a pony at all but rather some scary two legged critter and it was taller than Big Macintosh! It had no coat on at all but it had some sort of white/pinkish skin where its arms were exposed. It was wearing a striped blue white shirt and it had strange green pants with an unknown orange tooth like thing attached to a belt. It also was wearing boots that completely covered it's strange looking hooves, that is if they were hooves at all!
But the scariest part was its head. It was covered in some type of green rag that only its eyes showing and they were scary. It looked kind of like a pony's eyes, but it was a little bit smaller, blue, and a lot of red veins showing around in the white part. And in its strange looking…
"Are those hands?! This can't be what Ah think it is!"
It was holding an L like object and had a very shiny and sharp looking knife that just shouted out to all of Equestria 'back the hay off!'. This was enough to convince her to get the hay out of the fast. But before she could do anything, it spoke.
"Whatever you do don't…"
"Forget this! Ah'm outta here!"
Apple Bloom then screamed as loud as she could.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"Do what you just did…"
She immediately got back on all fours and started to run back towards the bridge. She looked back as she ran forward and the thing was coming at her, with the same knife in its hand. It shouted out to her,
"WAIT! DON'T LEAVE!" shouted the scary knife meanie.
"STAY AWAY!" she shouted back.
"This thing is as scary as them Blood Hooves except it has a big knife! And it ain't nopony either. Ah'm not taking any chances."
Unfortunately, as Apple Bloom made her way back to the bridge and proceeded to cross it, she failed to noticed what was on the other side. It was…
"NOO! This can't be happening, they found me!"
There were two blood hooves on the other side just looking at her, with one having its tongue lowered. The other one stunk real bad even though she wasn't that close to it. They both shouted out to her,
"Come here little filly! We want to be your friend!" said the one with the tongue.
"YESSS! Come to me…" said the really smelly one.
"No me!"
"No me more!"
Then Apple Bloom turned around to notice that the other monster with the knife was on the other side. It shouted out to her.
"I'm not a monster and I'm not a Blood Hoof! Come over to me and I can protect you!"
"IT'S THE HUMAN!" shouted the smelly one.
"GET THE FILLY FIRST, THEN THE HUMAN! HE DOESN'T HAVE THE RED CLAW LIKE BLOOD CLOP SAID HE HAD!" shouted the one with the tongue.
"HUMAN! That's a human! Now every darn myth is coming true! Apple Jack, help me!"
Apple Bloom didn't know what to do at this point. On one hoof she had a big tall scary lookin human with a sharp knife on one side, and two gross blood hooves on the other.
"Ruby did send me here for a reason and Ah trust her. Ah just hope this human feller will help like Ruby said he would."
Apple Bloom then made up her mind, she was going to take a chance with the human. But the moment she made a step, a loud crack was heard.
CRACK!
All of a sudden she lost her hoofing as the plank gave away underneath her. She fell through and was holding on to the bridge with the front hooves as hard as she could. She screamed out to the human,
"AAHHHH! HELP ME!"
"HOLD ON! I'M COMING."
Then all of a sudden she heard the Blood Hooves move towards her.
'No human! This filly is mine!"
Apple Bloom then felt and saw its long tongue wrap around her hooves in an attempt to pull her up. It had the same eyes at the zomponies of Sunny Town. She could do nothing but scream for her life.
"AAAHHHHH!"
"RRGGGHHHH!" gurgled the Blood Hoof.
Then Apple Bloom heard the human male shout,
"GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BITCH!"
And all of a sudden she heard five very loud noise that hurt her ears,
PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! PLOP!
Then the Blood Hoof's face exploded into chunks of flesh, bones and, blood all over the place. Some of the material had hit her face and Apple Bloom instinctively closed her eyes. Then the Blood Hoof's tongue let go and Apple Bloom began to fall.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Screamed Apple Bloom.
Then Apple Bloom's life started to flash before her eyes. She saw and remembered everything she had done in her life, spending time with friends, family, and every fun thing she ever did.
"Ah guess this is it. Ah'm gonna miss all you! Please remember me!"
Apple Bloom then continued to scream and fall as she got closer to the water below. She closed her eyes as she hit the water hard. Water went through her nose and the surface hit her belly really hard. All of the fatigue from running and falling was just too much for her as she sank to the bottom giving up all hope, closing her eyes. All of a sudden she felt something land in the water next to her as she started to lose consciousness. It was something reaching out for her and that was all she remembered before the darkness over took her.
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Oh noes! What's going to happen next? Will Apple Bloom make it? Cliffhanger, muwahaha! Anyway, this chapter should have been done yesterday but I got lazy. Let me know what you guys and gals think, what were your favorite parts and what not. Hope you enjoy it! As always work on the next chapter has been started, expect the update in a week or so. Now I'm off to get some beer!