//------------------------------// // Exploring Ponyville // Story: Aftermath of the Blanks // by HumanSVD //------------------------------// Konrad was relieved the meeting with the Princesses went better than expected and was happy he’d get to stay at the Canterlot Castle with Princess Luna. He was disappointed he had to leave Ponyville, but was grateful to still have some time to spend with Apple Bloom. The little filly asked, “Are you okay, Konrad? Is something bothering you?” The man turned to the filly as Shining Armor, and Twilight Sparkle walked ahead of them. Konrad replied, “Just a bit disappointed I have to go away for a bit, but I’ll come back to visit. And that’s a promise I’ll be keeping.” Apple Bloom smiled as Shining Armor added, “It will be fine, Konrad. This is temporary, and we’re just trying to watch your back. We really have no clue how the other nations will react. Equis has been peaceful for centuries but wasn’t always like that.” Konrad sported a puzzled expression and asked Shining Armor, “Equis? I’m confused. I thought this was Equestria; that’s what Princess Luna told me anyway.” The unicorn stallion answered, “Equis is the planet; Equestria is our country.” “Oh.” said Konrad, “That makes sense, my country was called the United States of America, and we simply called the planet Earth.” Twilight Sparkle’s face beamed excitedly as she used her magic and wrote down all the information Konrad spoke on a parchment paper. Twilight Sparkle said, “Please, keep talking; this is just pure gold.” Konrad teased, “Nerd alert.” Apple Bloom and Shining Armor laughed as Twilight Sparkle’s face reddened before she said, “Hey! I’m not a nerd.” Her brother shook his head and said, “Yes, you are Twiley. Just own up to it; there’s nothing wrong with being a nerd.” ”Wow, they really are brother and sister. This is really interesting to watch.” thought Konrad. Twilight Sparkle looked and pointed at her brother accusingly before saying, “Pot calling the kettle black. Case in point: O&O.” Shining Armor glared daggers at his sister while she smiled proudly at her claim. Shining Armor defended himself by saying, “That doesn’t count; it’s a legitimate game anypony can play.” ”Don’t tell me it’s Dungeons and Dragons. If it is...then that’s freaking awesome!” As his curiosity increased, Konrad asked, “O&O? What’s that?” Before Shining Armor could explain, Twilight Sparkle beat him to the punch. “O&O is called Ogres and Oubliettes. It’s a game where you have a character sheet with stats and use your imagination to command your player. You can use a board or action figurines to represent your character or use chips on a board to measure where your character is. Any action taken by the player is determined by the dice you cast, and you can use many kinds of dice. The dice sets used to come with several polygonal shapes for different situations-” ”Called it! As Twilight Sparkle continued her explanation, Konrad whispered to Apple Bloom and said, “They’re nerds, aren’t they, Apple Bloom?” Apple Bloom giggled and whispered, “Eeyup, they sure are.” Neither Shining Armor nor Twilight Sparkle noticed their sidebar conversation as the mare finished by saying, “-and that’s how the game is played, and why my brother is just as nerdy as me. Ah-ha! See, I told you so!” Shining Armor huffed in annoyance before Konrad, and Apple Bloom pointed at the siblings and said, “NERDS!” “HEY!” shouted Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle, “We’re not nerds!” Apple Bloom and Konrad laughed before the man said, “It’s fine, guys, nothing wrong with being a little nerdy. Besides, we humans had a game called “Dungeons and Dragons.” It’s the same thing, and I’ve played it many times as a young teen.” Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle looked at each and grinned. Before Konrad could react, the two unicorns pointed at him and said, “NERD!” Apple Bloom laughed while Konrad sighed and said. “Yup, I admit it. Guilty as charged.” Apple Bloom said, “Wow, Konrad, Ah didn’t think you were a nerd at all.” The man shrugged and said, “Eh, whatever, it is what it is. Better to be honest and enjoy the things you like regardless of whatever label gets thrown your way. Besides, you’d have fun playing the game too.” “Really?” asked Apple Bloom. “Really, really. I’ll show you how to play it sometime. Trust me, it’s a lot of fun.” Apple Bloom smiled before bringing a hoof to her chin and pondered for a split second. She asked, “If Ah play the game, does that mean Ah’ll be a nerd too?” “Yes, Apple Bloom, yes it does. And there’s nothing wrong with that at all.” Apple Bloom jumped and smiled while cheering, “Cool! If you show me how to play the game, Ah can show mah friends, and we might be able to earn our cutie marks!” Konrad smiled, ruffled her mane, and said, “You very well could, Apple Bloom.” Shining Armor and Twilight nodded in agreement before the unicorn mare wrote the information down on the parchment paper. Twilight Sparkle asked, “That’s interesting; you have a game exactly like ours. It’s a bit...strange. That's one hay of a coincidence, just like the language we're speaking.” ”Oh no, she might be wondering about Earth. I can’t let them know they’re a TV show in my world. I told them I’m from the past, so how will I spin that back?” “Yeah.” said Konrad, “It is, isn’t it? Anyway, why overthink it? That’s just one thing my people have with your ponies. We both have good taste, am I right?” Twilight pondered the information with suspicion but shook her head as she disregarded it for now. Shining Armor said, “I’ll say, you gotta join my O&O group when we get to Canterlot. I have some spare dice I can lend you.” ”Play Dungeons and Dragons with Ponies?! My life is weird but hot damn, that sounds like fun!” The man pointed at the stallion and said, “You have a deal, bro.” The man and the stallion bump their fist and hoof together, signifying the deal. Apple Bloom and Twilight Sparkle smiled before the four walked toward the warehouse where Konrad’s truck was stored. Twilight Sparkle asked him several questions along the way, mostly minor things. The man answered all the questions without hesitation and was grateful Twilight Sparkle avoided the heavy-hitting questions. He especially liked the shocked look on all three of the ponies’ faces when he was asked, “How many people inhabited he planted during your time?” When Konrad admitted the honest answer of eight billion people, their jaws dropped in disbelief. Twilight jotted down the answer on her paper and stopped asking about humans for a little bit. They eventually made it to the warehouse, which was just a short distance from the Ponyville Train Station. A couple of ponies stared at Konrad as they walked by, and the man admitted he enjoyed the attention of the ponies in disbelief. The warehouse was not too big and appeared to be owned by the railroad based on the cartoonish train symbol on the doors. Six Solar Guards were guarding the warehouse, with two guarding the entrance. They saluted Shining Armor before letting the four of them inside. Konrad was relieved seeing his truck in the center of the warehouse and hoped his guns were messed with too much. He remembered his smartphone was left in the glove compartment and was loaded with safe photos and videos for the Equestrians to see. He grinned at showing them videos about Earth and his personal life, knowing the ponies would eat it up in excitement. “Finally, we meet again, my...my...truck.” Apple Bloom, Twilight Sparkle, and Shining Armor looked at Konrad and felt sorry for the man. He was obviously sad as he walked up to the truck. The blue Ford Bronco was full of mud on the outside, with many sticks and leaves anywhere and everywhere. In addition, the windshield had bullet holes which caused the glass to further crack. If Konrad were to drive the vehicle on the street, he was worried it might break even further. In addition, one of the locks on the doors was busted open, as if somepony forced their way in. Before any of the ponies could say anything, the man walked over to the driver’s side door and opened it. The door latch was still functional, but the lock itself was destroyed. His spare clothes, weapon cases, and other supplies were strewn about. The glove compartment was also opened, and his various car papers were soaked in water on the floorboard. The man’s face bored an angered look as they quickly went through his vehicle. Konrad tried his best to find the cell phone and was relieved it had been lodged in the passenger seat cushion. ”Well, at least I didn’t lose this. I’d be pissed if I couldn’t see my family photos again.” Twilight Sparkle asked, “Konrad, is everything okay?” The man quickly popped out of the truck after unlocking the backdoor. He sarcastically replied, “Other than having the lock on the door be busted open, the vehicle being waterlogged and at risk of mold growth, and all my belongings having been thrown all over the place, just fine.” All three ponies got the message that Konrad was angry, with neither saying a word further. The three ponies walked toward the back of the truck to see what Konrad was doing. Konrad sighed in relief as he found his weapons in the back. Apple Bloom and Shining Armor recognized the long gun he had used repeatedly. The man took one of the magazines from the long arm and began removing the rounds. Shining Armor asked, “What are those?” Konrad replied, “It’s the cartridges the weapon uses. This weapon is called a “Dragunov,” named after the weapon’s designer. It’s a sniper rifle with quick follow-up shots and can carry ten of these at a time. It fires the bullet seated in the cartridge through the gun’s barrel and out of the muzzle end, with the spent case ejected. Think of these weapons as cannons because that’s essentially what they are.” Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle looked at each other, hearing Konrad’s revelation. The man had a front-row seat to the sibling ponies as they conversed with each other. Shining Armor said, “Cannons?! Of course! It’s so simple!” Twilight wrote down notes on the paper quickly and enthusiastically before adding, “Exactly! It’s ingenious, and we can downscale Equestria’s cannons by making prototypes!” Konrad stopped what he was doing and said, “Wait, I’m certain Princess Celestia said she DIDN’T want these known to the public. So I’m certain she wouldn’t want MORE of the being made, especially the weapons data.” The man was ignored as Twilight Sparkle continued, “We’ll have to analyze his weapons and take more notes. If we can’t reverse engineer them, we can make simpler versions from what information we have. That will require manufacturing and testing, and we’ll have to use trusted ponies for the program.” “And arm all of the Royal Guards in Equestria with them. Crossbows will be replaced, and we’ll hold an edge over any enemy, especially with zombies or any creature that attacks Equestria. Quick Twiley, write all this down!” Twilight Sparkle looked at the quill writing down her notes as it hovered in the air in her magical aura. The mare smiled and said, “Already on it, BBBFF!!” Konrad turned to Apple Bloom and said worriedly, “Apple Bloom, what the heck did I just do?” Apple Bloom looked at the two sibling ponies and said, “Welp, looks like ya spilled a secret if Ah were to guess. Ah promise to keep this quiet since the Princesses wanted this to not spill out. Ah also don’t really understand half this science whatnot talk anyway.” The man smiled at Apple Bloom as he said, “You’re a good little filly, you know that?” Apple Bloom beamed an innocent smile before Konrad turned to Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle as he snapped his fingers. This caught their attention before he reminded them, “You two can write the notes down all you want, but Princess Celestia made it clear to keep this under wraps. Don’t make me narc on you too.” Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle’s eye pupils shrunk for a split second as they remembered Princess Celestia’s explicit wishes of “preventing an arms race,” which made Twilight Sparkle say, “O-of course! We promise we won’t carry out an unauthorized weapons program. We’re just taking notes in case one were to be made.” Shining Armor nodded and said, “Yup, what she said.” Konrad narrowed his eyes at the two and said, “Oh, you mean in case you were to violate her orders? That’s nice; I’ll be sure to let her know.” “WAIT!” said Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle. “That’s not what we meant.” said Twilight, “What we mean is, if a weapons program were to be authorized, these notes would be really helpful. Equestria can and has been attacked several times in our history.” Shining Armor stepped in to help his sister by saying, “You have to admit, your weapons made a huge impact from two nights ago. You demonstrated that when armed with a competent fighter, these weapons can make one heck of a plot whopping on an adversary. We were invaded not too long before your arrival, and while it worked out in the end, these weapons of yours would have been helpful. Even more so than two nights ago! My Spartrota Unit did take casualties, and it’s a miracle none perished. We would have lost good ponies if that had been a standard unit. That fight will have been over much sooner if we have weapons like these of our own.” ”Yeah, firearms are cool but still, I can’t let these spread in the world, not yet, at least.” Konrad sighed and said, “That’s true, but until Princess Celestia and Princess Luna decide when that’s appropriate, we should keep this under wraps. If the time comes, I’ll volunteer to be an advisor and answer any question regarding my firearms to the best of my ability.” “Firearms, another name for Konrad’s personal weapons,” said Twilight Sparkle. The quill wrote down the note on the paper as she finished her statement, which made the man shrug his shoulders. Konrad added, “Okay, now that we got that out of the way, I’ll finish up so we can get out of here.” Konrad held up the Dragunov and quickly gave it an inspection. He also found a spent cartridge case and compared it with a loaded cartridge. Twilight Sparkle promptly wrote down all of the details he described. The man was too irritated to care about keeping the inner workings of a firearm a secret as he continued, “All of my weapons work the same way, and I have a lot left over for a lifetime, assuming I conserve them.” “How many of these “cartridges” do you have?” asked Shining Armor. ”Hmm, I think I have a decent amount. I doubt I’ll blow through all over them. I might have to invest in archery soon unless the princesses approve of making ammo for me. If not, my guns will likely be museum pieces when I’m gone or be Area 51’d.” Konrad took a quick visual scan of the ammo cases and replied, “Not exactly sure; I’d have to take a complete head count but rough estimate? Probably 2000 or so leftover of the Dragunov ammo, or 7.62 x 54r as it’s called. That’s not counting the other types of rounds I have. I got about 7,000 rounds into the truck before I ran out of time.” Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle’s eyes widened at the number, while Apple Bloom said, “Darn, that’s a lot!”. Konrad shrugged before continuing, “And that’s a low number for the average person’s stockpile. There are people with more money than I have in my bank account, or “had,” I should say. Certain collectors had many times the amount of ammunition I own. Heck, these aren’t even all the weapons I used to own. I left eight of them at my apartment when I bugged out in a hurry. This was literally all I could grab at the time before I had to leave.” Twilight Sparkle asked, “Is it okay for me to ask why you had to leave your home? You make it sound like something terrible happened.” Shining Armor added another question before Konrad could answer, “And why would you flee in the first place? Was your home attacked? If so, why didn’t you stay to fight? After everything you did the other night, I can’t imagine you running away.” Konrad looked at the two pony siblings and sighed while looking at the ground. The memories of Raccoon City were just as fresh in his mind as Sunny Town. Konrad tried his best to carefully give a succinct answer why saying, “Remember when I said Sunny Town wasn’t the first time I dealt with the undead? Let’s just say something similar happened, and the odds were not in my favor, even more so than back in Sunny Town. I don’t want to talk about it now; maybe later.” “But-” said Twilight Sparkle before being interrupted by Konrad, “I said, I don’t want to talk about it.” The mare looked at her brother, who shook his head at his sister. She got the message and dropped the subject without noting Konrad’s revelation. Neither of the ponies was sure what to say with the information the man had revealed. Twilight Sparkle’s quill wrote down Konrad’s statements automatically word for word. Her auto-record spell was helpful in long-term writing, and the information the man was revealing was extensive. She was sure Spike would have complained at the many details Konrad talked about and was grateful he wasn’t here. Konrad eventually removed all the cartridges from the Makarov and Kalashnikov magazines and adequately stored the ammunition and weapons in their respective cases. He wanted to clean the guns but didn’t have the spare time. After organizing the truck, Shining Armor offered his condolences, “Sorry about your truck and stuff, Konrad. From what I was told, they couldn’t get in to store your weapons. The door was locked, and it was impossible to unlock it with magic. They had to force it open with tools. I’m certain we can fix it later if you’d like.” Konrad sighed before saying, “Thanks, bro, it’s just irritating, but I understand. And Twilight, I know you have many questions, but it’s best if you write some down for later. We’ll be here all day if I try to answer all the technical questions, and I’m not in the mood right now. That includes how the truck works.” “Okay, sorry...” said Twilight Sparkle. Her ears lowered in disappointment as he used her magic to store the notes in a saddle bag. Konrad took the keys out of his pocket and said, “Now, let’s see if the truck will turn over. It’s going to be hard to take this to Canterlot if I can’t drive it out of here.” All three ponies smiled and were excited to see the truck roar to life. The man walked to the driver’s side with the door open and sat in the seat. The ponies walked over and watched Konrad as he put his foot on the clutch and turned the key in the ignition. The Bronco made several whining noises and struggled to turn over before the engine eventually turned over. Konrad shouted, “YES! THANK YOU, GOD!” before revving the engine with gas. The noise in the warehouse amplified the engine’s noise, making the ponies cover their ears with their hooves. Konrad laughed maniacally before Twilight shouted, “DO YOU HAVE TO DO THAT?!” “SORRY! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!” shouted Konrad as he revved the engine again. Twilight narrowed her eyes at Konrad as Apple Bloom shouted, “KONRAD! IT’S TOO LOUD!” The man felt guilty, turned the truck off, and said, “Sorry folks, I got carried away. It runs just fine, and by the way, the brakes were left in the park. Probably why it took forever to get here.” Twilight Sparkle groaned in annoyance before saying, “That doesn’t explain why magic wouldn’t unlock the door. A simple unlocking spell rarely fails. Are we done here? I didn’t get as many notes as I hoped.” Konrad rolled his eyes as he got out of the truck and closed the vehicle door. The man pulled out his phone and turned it on. Sure enough, there was plenty of power left on the phone, full of photos and videos he had saved. Nothing on the phone was unsafe for the ponies or any other creature on Equis to view. Konrad grinned and said, “Oh, I’m not so sure about that. I have this!” He held it up with a grin, and the ponies were confused. Konrad noticed this and mentally chided himself as he thought, ”Oh yeah, they don’t know what smartphones are. Stupid me.” “What is that, Konrad?” asked Apple Bloom. “Follow me; I’ll show you outside and Twilight; this should make up for the notes you wanted to take about my stuff.” Twilight Sparkle smiled and eagerly said, “Well, show us! Don’t make us wait.” The man and the ponies walked out of the warehouse with the Solar Guards closing their doors. After walking away from the warehouse, Konrad explained, “This is my smartphone, also known as a cellphone. It’s a communication device to talk to people from near and far. It doesn’t work since there’s no network and towers to carry the signal. And before you ask, I’m not going to explain the technical details right now. But it can have a calculator, storing documents, and...” He turned on the phone’s camera and took a quick picture of the ponies. Neither of the ponies in the photo was prepared and sported quizzed looks, not unlike awkward family photos. Konrad had to admit, it would be hilarious if he had posted the picture back on Earth on the internet. The number of reactions from 4Chan alone would have been hilarious, which made Konrad chuckle at the thought. ”As far as I’m aware, I’m the first human in Equestria to take photos...well, multi-verse is a thing, so probably no. Still cool, though.” He walked over and showed them the photo. Their faces were shocked to see such a quick and clear photo. Apple Bloom said, “Woah! That’s cool!” Shining Armor nodded his head and said, “Now that’s nifty. I wish you had given us a heads up; it’s not the most flattering photo.” Konrad replied, “Eh, sorry about that. I was just trying to show off the phone. What do you think, Twilight?” The unicorn mare was in awe at the device and, without warning, swiped it from Konrad. He didn’t even have time to blink before she began inspecting the phone and asked many questions. Twilight blurted out, “This is amazing! How does it work? What other applications can this device make? Is it magic-powered? This is truly revolutionary! How do you use it?” Konrad rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah, you can use it, Twilight. Thanks for asking me.” Twilight Sparkle blew a raspberry at Konrad and said, “Oh, come on! You can’t just dangle a valuable artifact in my face and not let me study this! It’s not fair, and I’ve been very patient. You promised you to know?” Apple Bloom said, “You made a promise, Konrad. Granny Smith told me we gotta keep our promises.” ”Dammit, Apple Bloom! Why do you gotta take her side and use Granny Smith’s logic on me!” Konrad shook his head and said, “Yes, I did promise but still, not cool to just swipe property.” Twilight Sparkle kept tapping the screen with her hoof to explore the phone’s functionality. All she managed to do was move the photo around with jitters and open up random applications, slowing the phone down. She huffed in annoyance, “Seriously, how does this work? How can I take more pictures with this thing?” The man sported a smirk and said, “Well, I could show you how to use it, but...I want an apology first.” Twilight Sparkle looked at Konrad with an annoyed pout and said, “What?! Why? Just show me how to use this! It’s for science!” Shining Armor sighed, took the phone away with his magic, and hovered it back to Konrad. The stallion unicorn sighed and said, “Twilly, you can’t just take things without permission. Promise or not, it’s not how mom and dad raised us.” Twilight groaned in annoyance once more and still sported her pouting. Konrad had to admit, it was cute and adorable, but he knew the main character, the mare was not worth having as an enemy. She replied, “Fine. I’m sorry, Konrad. I really just want to learn about humans and what your life was like.” The man smiled and said, “Apology accepted.” The man knelt down, and the ponies came up close as he motioned them to watch him use the phone. Using his pointer finger, Konrad said, “It’s a touchscreen. It’s meant for fingers, but it can be manipulated with hooves, so long as you’re careful. Just watch.” The man closed the phone app and cycled through the main menu and the background apps. All three ponies went “Oooh” and “aah” as he showed them the essential functions. He explained what apps were, how they were updated and downloaded and showed them how to take pictures. He gave it to Twilight Sparkle, who successfully took a photo of him and Apple Bloom making goofy faces. She even took a picture of Shining Armor, which came out decent. Konrad was sure Princess Cadence would appreciate the photo herself. Twilight Sparkle even took a selfie, which was somewhat awkward as her aim with the camera wasn’t great. ”I should have shown her the selfie mode. Oh well.” He even showed them how to record a video, which made the ponies flip out in amazement. The look on their faces was awe that a single mobile device could take better videos than Equestria’s heavy recording cameras. He recorded Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor saying hello and waving to their parents before panning the camera to Apple Bloom. The filly said hello to all of her immediate family members, which Konrad had always intended to show them before leaving for Canterlot. After a whole hour of playing with the phone and answering more questions, Twilight Sparkle offered to give Konrad a town tour. The man gladly accepted and followed her, with Shining Armor and Apple Bloom by his side. He got to see not only the significant landmarks of Ponyville but other places he wasn’t aware of from the show. In addition, more ponies were walking about, including other pegasi ponies flying in the sky. Every single pony within eyesight stared at Konrad, still shocked to see a real-life human walking in their presence. Even Ditzy (Derpy) Hooves flew by and stared at him before adorably flying into a house wall and harmlessly bumping her head. The cross-eyed mare rubbed her head and blushed with a sheepish smile before flying off. Konrad chuckled as Twilight Sparkle face hooved at the accident-prone mare. The man continued to enjoy the attention as they walked through Ponyville. And to top it off, he had Apple Bloom, the best member of the CMC, next to his side. For Konrad, the day was only getting better and better, but his instincts made him feel a bit on edge. Shining Armor noticed this and asked, “You okay, Konrad? You look like you’re on alert.” To the best of his ability, the man looked around and saw nothing out of place. Looked at Shining Armor and replied, “Dunno, bro. I just had a strange feeling that I was being watched, not in a good way. I think I might have a little bit of PTSD or something from the other night.” Shining Armor nodded and said, “Gotcha. I don’t blame you for feeling that way. But I have guards stationed around Ponyville, and Twilight and I are no slouches in the magic defense department. Anything that messes with you will have to answer to us.” Apple Bloom added, “And me! Hiya!” Apple Bloom executed a few karate moves before losing balance and falling down. The filly added, “Ah’m okay.” Konrad laughed before helping her back up. After helping Apple Bloom get back on her hooves, Konrad asked, “So, where are we going?” Twilight answered, “Well, the park is nearby, and it’s a bright day. Would you like to go for a walk in the park? It should be relaxing for you, and there’s bound to be many ponies who’d like to meet you. Oh! I just remembered that Princess Luna is arranging lunch for you at the Ponyville Café and that Pinkie Pie has a surprise for you at Sugarcube Corner! And before you ask, it’s a bakery and a great place to get a treat. I’m certain she’s made a cupcake for you.” Konrad smiled but not without reason. Like anybody who watched the show, he knew damn well Pinkie Pie would throw him a surprise party. And he couldn’t wait for it. ”Seriously?! A freaking party thrown by Pinkie Pie? If anyone has earned it, it’s me. And I get lunch with Princess Luna! Looks like life is getting better by the minute.” “Awesome! Sounds awesome all around. Lead the way to the park, and we can take more photos and videos.” Apple Bloom, Twilight Sparkle, and Shining Armor were excited as the four of them walked toward the park. Konrad was happy and relaxed about having two planned events ahead of him. Unknown to all four, a single cloud carefully floated and followed them in the sky. “Soon...” whispered a voice in the cloud.