Grey Hoof was not all happy at the recent run of events. Blood Clop had returned from heading to the suspected hiding place of the filly, Alicorn Princess, and more importantly…the human. At first when Blood Clop returned, Grey Hoof smiled at his longtime friend and expected to see the human and all of his other friends as well. Instead, the human was not there…nor anypony else for that matter. Worse, Blood Clop looked like he had cried not too long ago, with anger and pain in his eyes.
It was exactly something he didn't want any of his friends to go through and now after all he has done, his first new friend outside of Sunny Town was suffering. It was all too obvious what happened…everypony had been put to rest.
"No…it can't be! They are all…"
"Grey Hoof! That…that human killed them all! They are all gone! Crimson Tail is gone! AAGGHH!" shouted Blood Clop who was on the verge of crying.
Several Blood Hooves and Sunny Towners were standing near Tree Leaf's punch table having the time of their life until they heard Blood Clop's news. All of them gasped and a few of the mares started to cry. Three Leaf was one of them and Gladstone immediately began to comfort her as she cried out blood from her eyes. She immediately hugged Gladstone, and said to him,
"I'm scared! Don't let the human get me!"
"Don't worry Three Leaf, I'll rip his heart out for you, and you can use him for some punch."
Three Leaf began to cry on Gladstone's neck while the Stallion's eyes glow a dark red. Roneo and Starlet began to hug themselves tightly, and were shaking in fear at the news they heard. The other Blood Hooves ceased drinking Three Leaf's punch and started to pony growl.
"That human must die! He'll ruin the party!"
"Let's make him into punch!"
"Can't we all just get along? The nerve of someponies!"
"This is a most unfortunate turn of events. Still…I want that human."
"Where is the human now and the others now?"
"I don't know, but they most likely are going to try and leave Everfree Forest. If that Alicorn escapes, then she'll bring outside invaders to Sunny Town!"
A random Blood Hoof stallion shouted,
"Invaders must die!"
Grey Hoof was starting to get very annoyed at the random shouting but none the less let them do so anyway. They were after all scared and it was understandable.
"I see…Do you have a rough idea which direction they will head?" asked Grey Hoof.
"Yes, they are still on the other side of the river but it eventually cuts off into a different direction. If they are heading to the place I think they are heading, then the will be forced to cross it eventually, and that means I can ambush them and kill that human!"
Blood Clop stomped ta ground in anger and started to mutter under his breath,
"I hate you Konrad….I hate you."
All of the other Blood Hooves were stomping their hooves in anger as well at the human called Konrad. Grey Hoof, while angry too, still wanted Konrad alive. There was something about this human male that he wanted to see, and there was something else about him that he couldn't quite put his hoof on. If he could be given the gift the, they would have a powerful friend indeed.
"But the others are furious at him and I understand their pain…but this is too much of an opportunity to let go. We need that human to protect us from the marked ones, and a human that is a Blood Hoof or Hand…now that's something that could liven up the party or at least keep it going."
Blood Clop was now pounding the ground in anger while the other stallions Blood Hooves and Blanks were doing the same. Grey Hoof did not like how the party was going, as this wasn't supposed to be the spirit of his party. He simply worked too hard to keep it and Sunny Town going.
"If I have to tear you apart Konrad, I will…it is after all in your best interests and ours."
"Blood Clop, I'm going to let you take some more Blood Hooves and I only want you to take what's necessary to catch him. We still have many of our friends sleeping and I don't want them woken up unless it's necessary. They will need to stay and defend Sunny Town if things get worse. We need to keep the party-"
"The party doesn't matter! We must kill the human! The party is for ponies only!"
Grey Hoof did not like the fact that Blood Clop disagreed with him in front of everypony, but worse was the fact he said HIS party didn't matter. Did he not understand what Grey Hoof has done to keep everypony happy? He should since he is Grey Hoof's right hoof stallion. He was letting the pain of Crimson Tail's death get the better of his judgment.
"Blood Clop I know you are angry, as we all our, but we need this human to protect Sunny Town. He is our-"
"OUR END IF WE DON'T STOP HIM!"
Blood Clop immediately knocked over Three Leaf's table in anger, spilling the punch on the ground. Three Leaf shouted at Blood clop in anger,
"Hey! That took me awhile to make you jerk!"
"Shut up! Nopony likes your punch anyway!" shouted Blood Clop.
Three Leaf immediately stepped back in shock and…pain? Her eyes were starting to well up with blood tears before Gladstone ran over to her side glaring at Blood Clop. Several of the other Blood Hooves were watching in horror as it looked like a fight was going to break out. Excluding Mitta, this was the first time a fight or a real conflict had ever broken out in Sunny Town.
"That was uncalled for Blood Clop! We know you're sad about Crimson Tail, but that doesn't give you the right to do this." Said Gladstone.
"Yes it does give me the right, because everypony here is too busy drinking punch and eating cake when they should be fighting this human and killing him and his bitch Alicorn mare! You are all too stupid to see what's really important! The party this year is just…pony shit!"
Everypony, except Grey Hoof and Blood Clop, gasped in shock that normally cool and collected stallion. He, for many years, had been the fore front of Sunny Town's protection at Grey Hoof's direction and they were now seeing a dear friend break down. Worse was the fact that he was starting to insult their way of life and more importantly, his friends.
"This is not like you Blood Clop, I'm sorry my friend but this is how it is and you need to make the best of it for everypony."
"Blood Clop, we know you're mad, but you will stop this instant, and obey my orders." Said Grey Hoof in stern tone.
"Why should I? You can't see that the human is the greatest threat to us! You need to let go of the party and let me kill him!"
Everypony was now backing away from the two stallions, especially when they say Grey Hoof's eyes glow a dark red with a strange black haze coming from his eyes.
"Blood Clop, I'm going to give you one last warning…do not disobey-"
"I HATE HUMANS! AND I HATE THAT ALICORN! THEY DON'T DESERVE FRIENDSHIP! MAKE SOMEPONY ELSE DO-"
That was the last straw for Grey Hoof, and no longer would he take this insubordination from his good friend any more. His eyes were now a bright red and black haze poured out from his eyes, making its way towards Blood Clop. The black haze made a very strange humming sound, and the immediately the stallion seized up and was lifted in the air a few mini hooves above the ground. Grey Hoof had his left fore leg raised towards Blood Clop, as if it was somehow controlling the Blood Hoof's movement.
"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!" shouted Grey Hoof.
Everypony was scared at what was taking place before them. Starlet and Roneo were holding onto each other for dear life, Three Leaf was hiding behind Gladstone, and several of the other Blood Hooves by the table were shaking in fear at the sight before them. Blood Clop was shaking and grunting in pain every two or three seconds. This went on for a good 15 seconds before Grey Hoof let go of Blood Clop gently on the ground. Blood Clop collapsed on the ground, and was panting in exhaustion as Grey Hoof slowly walked up to him.
The leaser of Sunny Town lowered his muzzle to his friends ear and said,
"I know that hurt you and I'm sorry, but I had to get you to stop hurting your friends. This is your and their home Blood Clop, and we need you to be focused. I know the nothing can replace your loss, but that doesn't give you the right to take it out on anypony."
Blood Clop looked at his friend, and Grey Hoof noticed something. Blood Clop's eyes were starting to well up with blood tears, and it seemed that he was almost on the verge of crying. Grey Hoof had never seen his good friend do this before and it pained him to see Blood Clop go through this emotional trial. Blood Clop then spoke to Grey Hoof with the pain very apparent in his voice,
"Her…her last words were…I love you…she loved me Grey Hoof! I wanted to spend eternity with her having fun and being protected with my friends…I wanted to make her happy as well as everypony here…but that human!"
Blood Clop then stomped the ground at the mention of the word human, and continued,
"He took her away from me! I don't get it! Why doesn't he understand that we are trying to help him! We only want friendship! I…I just…want her back…"
Just before Blood Clop was about to cry, Grey Hoof put his hoof on his friend's equine shoulder and said,
"Someponies fear something they don't truly understand, and act on that fear which makes even the best of intentions cause pain to others. This Konrad clearly does not understand this, and must have some sort of fear towards our protection. Since nopony has ever seen or met a human until now, we really don't know the true extent to their nature is, or why they act the way they do. He is severely misguided, and must be shown the ways of our heard, pony or not. Besides, nopony is ever the same and we are not the best of characters as well. You remember Ruby?"
Blood Clop's eyes went a dark red at the mention of her.
"Yes…that evil marked one."
"Yes…I know. You see, long ago when she earned the mark, I was forced to banish her. This did not sit well with Ruby and Mitta, but none the less she had to leave. At the time, Ruby selfishly refused to leave, not understanding the full impact of her presence and the mark. I was affronted that she was so selfish to not see the bigger picture, and I also realized the danger she presented to other ponies should she had been forced to leave…so the decision was made that she had to go…permanently. Nopony ever liked to do what we had to do but the survival of the town was dependent upon it, and it none the less had to be done."
Grey Hoof looked towards the house where Mitta was being held and even though he couldn't see her, he felt that she was somehow staring right at him, judging his actions and reasons. It seemed that her motherly love blinded her to what was more important and he realized that she was just as selfish as Ruby. Grey Hoof sighed and then turned back to Blood Clop and continued,
"And so we, with the exception of Mitta, did what had to be done. At first I felt guilty at what we had done, but then a blessing happened, as if some other power heard our plea to be protected. And so, our protection was given, and now you see the result of the perfect life. Unfortunately, Ruby came back as a vengeful ghost and did not go to pony heaven as she should have. She blamed us! Can you believe that?! And even worse she tried to ruin our way of life, not wanting to let things go. It was then I realized the threat that Ruby was, and I could not let her go about to ruin my, I mean, our party…"
"So you started the Blood Hooves…protecting me."
"Yes, I remember when you were scared but ever since then, you've been shown friendship, never had to worry about money, food, and more importantly you made that possible for a certain young mare."
"Crimson Tail…"
"Yes, Blood Clop, and now Ruby has gotten to this strange and fearful human, no doubt telling him lies about us and warping the truth. I don't know where he came from or how Ruby found him, but I'm pretty sure that not all humans are like him. I'm willing to bet that he's a lot like you in some regards, loyal, fierce, and determined to protect his friends just like you. It's a shame that he's unfortunately made his way with the wrong crowd, and we need to change that, not just for his sake but for ours."
"But…he's hurt our friends! How can we accept him like that? He's just a violent biped!"
"You know him better than any of us, and no doubt you've gotten a glimpse at him. Did you happen to see any sort of compassion from him?"
"Well…the last thing he asked of Crimson Tail and I before he…attacked us was that he wished to hug that filly Apple Bloom one last time."
Grey Hoof's eyes widened at the revelation that a strange being like Konrad would even want to hug a young filly.
"It seems I was right, there is more to this human than I thought. Hopefully he will be a good friend to us all."
"Now Blood Clop, does that sound like a truly violent being to you?"
"Well…no it doesn't come to think of it, but…"
"And what about his relation with that Alicorn oh what was her name? Princess Luna?"
Blood Clop laughed a bit at the mention of the Princess, before he said,
"Yes, her name is Princess Luna, and for some reason, she has a…desire to become his special somepony. I know this because she and…Ruby…were fighting over him when Crimson Tail and I arrived. I don't see how a mare could like him."
Grey Hoof's eyes widened and he immediately began to think,
"An Alicorn has an affection for a human? And so does Ruby apparently. It seems that human males do have a certain way with the mares…how interesting…I wonder what a female human is like…"
Grey Hoof chuckled a bit
"That is most certainly interesting indeed…now Blood Clop, if it's possible for a mare and a man to become each other's special somepony, then don't you think it's possible for a human to become our friend?"
Blood Clop looked around a bit at the ground, almost as if he were a young colt shyly speaking to an adult, and said,
"I guess…but why would I want to be friends with somepony, uh human, that did those things to us?"
"Crimson Tail hit you a good amount of times before you gave her the gift when you first met. Did you say the same thing to yourself when she did that?"
"But…I…she…it's not the same thing! She didn't kill anypony!"
"Doesn't matter, as unlikely as it could have been, she could have killed you, and would never have known the gift of Sunny Town. This human is simply afraid like Crimson Tail and the others were. The difference is he has the ability to effectively resist, even if it's wrong of him to do so."
"I…see…but…"
"When it comes down to it, he's no better or worse than anypony. You don't have to like him, but you need to understand the fact that he's our bet for Sunny Town's defense, as his carriage and weapons are too important to pass up. If others come to destroy us, he can resist all of them and his knowledge of fighting will be very useful for Sunny Town. All we need to do is capture him and give him the gift, when that is done, I can control him and he'll be under my command. Hopefully over time, he'll see that this place is his best bet for protection and salvation, if not, we will have numerous tools to our advantage."
Grey Hoof let go of Blood Clop and began to look at everypony. None of them had moved since he was forced to subdue Blood Clop and several of them turned their eyes away from in fear. That hurt Grey Hoof a lot on the inside, as he never wanted his friends to fear him. Taking a deep sigh, he held his hoof out to Blood Clop, who in return just looked at it. For second, Grey Hoof thought his friend would not accept his help and was afraid that their friendship was over.
He was proven wrong as Blood Clop grabbed his hoof with his own, and was pulled up by Grey Hoof. The stallion Blood Hoof wiped the dirt of his hooves and made eye contact with Grey Hoof, and said,
"Grey Hoof…I'm sorry for acting like a jerk."
Grey Hoof became relieved and gave off a genuine smile and said,
"I forgive you Blood Clop, and I'm sorry for doing what I did. I think, however, that you need to apologize to somepony else, namely Three Leaf."
Blood Clop looked over to Three Leaf, who was still hiding behind Gladstone. He slowly made his way over to the couple, and received a glare from Gladstone. When he got within talking distance, he stopped and lowered his head in shame. He then spoke to Three Leaf and said,
"Three Leaf…I'm sorry for what I said…there was and is no excuse for what I did. I can only ask that you forgive me. Same to you Gladstone."
Blood Clop just stood there with his head lowered and was surprised to feel somepony hug him. He raised his head and noticed that it was Three Leaf, with Gladstone standing beside her.
"It's okay Blood Clop, I forgive you. I can't image what it's like to lose your special somepony. I might have done the same thing if I was in your horseshoes." Said Three Leaf.
Three Leaf let go of Blood Clop and Gladstone walk forward and raised his hoof to Blood Clop's shoulder.
"I forgive you as well Blood Clop, and we are here for you…friend."
Gladstone let go of Blood Clop and walked back over to Three Leaf. Blood Clop made eye contact with the couple and said,
"Thank you…both of you. I'm sorry for knocking down your punch table…and for the record…it's actually good stuff."
Three Leaf giggle a bit and said,
"Thanks…now don't you have something else to do?"
Blood Clop's eyes widened as he realized what she meant. The Human and the Alicorn were still out there and they needed to be taken care of. Blood Clop nodded at Three Leaf and made his way back to Grey Hoof and said,
"Grey Hoof, we have a human to catch and show the ways of Sunny Town. May I be excused to go find him?"
Grey hoof smiled and said,
"Yes you may, take as much Blood Hooves as you need to get the job done. May I ask you one thing though?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"When you said Princess Luna and Ruby were fighting over Konrad, which mare did he chose?"
"I don't know, we interrupted him them before he made a choice. Personally, I don't think it seems right that a human and a pony become each other's…you know. However, if I had to guess, I would say he would have chosen Princess Luna for I saw how he acted towards her earlier on in the night. If he had chosen Ruby, I would have killed him right there on the spot…stupid marked one."
Blood Clop snorted and stomped his hoof on the ground at the mention of Ruby. Grey Hoof merely chuckled at this and thought to himself,
"How interesting and strange that this fascinates me. I certainly am going to look forward to meeting this human."
"Well, he seems to have a soft spot for the mares, and he seems very devoted to his friends just like how he cares for that filly. Maybe that's something you can take advantage of."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it, would you have left Crimson Tail behind?"
"Absolutely not! I-"
"Relax Blood Clop, it was a hypothetical question. Now remember what I said earlier about how he seems to have qualities like you?"
"Yes…a little bit."
"Do you think he would leave anypony behind…like Ruby for example?"
"But she's a marked on and…well…if he did choose than he most certainly would come back for her. And she can't leave the forest too even she wanted to do so…I think I know what you're getting at."
"Excellent…now to spring him into motion."
"Good…now that I've given you that tip, what are you going to do now?"
Blood Clop smiled a bit and turned to several of the Blood Hooves nearby.
"My Friends!" spoke an enthusiastic Blood Clop, "I need your help to catch this human! Together we can stop this human and show him the ways of Sunny Town! Will you join me in saving a strange, but lost soul, and more importantly, our home?"
Numerous Blood Hooves, mare and Stallion alike, stepped forward towards Blood Clop and nodded their heads, eager to stop this human.
"We're with you Blood Clop!" shouted a mare.
"For Crimson Tail!" said a Stallion.
"For our home and for the punch! It tastes goods!" said a rather not so bright mare with crooked red eyes.
Blood Clop just looked at her a bit confused while Three Leaf smiled a bit. Grey Hoof on the other hoof performed a quick face hoof.
"I swear that Skull Mush was never a bright mare."
"Okay…" said Blood Clop, "We're going to break into three groups with three per group. And-"
"Will that makes it 13 Blood Hooves totals?" asked Skull Mush.
Blood Clop just looked at her weird and said,
"No… it doesn't…anyway, the Human, Alicorn, Filly and the…marked one…will most likely follow the river towards the forest line to where the human was first spotted. They are on the other side of the river, but they will be forced to cross it eventually to make it to the tree line. When this happens, they will be vulnerable to our attack and we will box him in on all sides. Ruby…will not be able to leave the forest and I suspect that the human will not leave her behind. If we can't get all of them, then we'll capture Ruby and hopefully, he'll be forced to come towards our direction. From there we will catch him and bring him to Sunny Town. Do NOT take him lightly and don't be afraid to cause him…pain."
Several of the Blood Hooves gave off evil smiles at the thought of hurting the human that killed their friends earlier. Blood Clop turned to Grey Hoof, who in turn said,
"Go ahead Blood Clop, go find the human and bring him here…and when you do and when the time comes…I will personally let you give him the gift in any way you see fit."
Blood Clop gave off his most evil smile yet, and nodded at Grey Hoof. Without wasting any more time, he motioned for his newly assembled pack to follow him. In an instant they ran away from Sunny Town as fast as they could. They were gone in less than 10 seconds, a new record for Blood Clop.
"I wish you luck my friend, and I'm sorry for your loss. You will see her again in Pony Heaven…and I most certainly look forward to meeting you Konrad…I hope you did choose Princess Luna because Ruby is just a dirty marked mare. Oh well, it's not important…now I wonder if there's any more of that punch."
Grey Hoof turned around to see that Three Leaf was whimpering a bit at the loss of the punch she made, with Gladstone holding his hoof to the back of her neck. Roneo and Starlet were once again muzzling each other in a corner, with a few words such as "Snookie Wookums" and "Honey Bunny" being said to each other. Grey Hoof was glad that they were each other's special somepony, but this in his mind was taking it way too far.
"Yuck…you two need to get a room…anyway, no more punch? Darn it! I guess I'll just settle for some cake, it is after all not a lie."
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Konrad and Ruby were running as fast as they could, but unfortunately it wasn't good enough. The "Steve Magnet" Serpent was long gone and Konrad unleashed fury of colorful words.
"FUCK! GODDAMIT! I HATE THAT STUPID FAGGOT! HE WOULDN'T EVEN LISTEN JUST ONE BIT! AGGGGH!"
Ruby turned to look at Konrad and noticed the look of red rage on his face. As small line was pulsating on the side of his neck what she assumed to be blood vein. He was doing his best to keep his breathing going and she notice a few sweat drops on his face. Several of them made contact with Princess Luna's mane, causing it to get a little wet with a few of her strange strands sticking to the side of his neck, and few flew into his mouth as he jumped over a rock.
Konrad immediately spit it out and the strands were now covered a bit in his saliva. Ruby chuckled a bit while keeping Apple Bloom on her back, doing her best to keep the filly balanced. Konrad quickly looked at Ruby and said,
"Something funny?"
"Oh nothing, it's just that you got a mouth full of mane."
Konrad laughed a bit and said,
"Yeah…it happens….*huff* Damn, I'm getting tired! You sure you don't want to trade?"
Ruby then spoke to him in a seductive voice and said,
"Only if it involves you carrying me. I'm actually jealous of her right now."
Konrad's eyes widened and he gave a weak smile and said with a few huffs,
"Yeah…I can definitely *huff* tell. Though, she isn't *huff* doing what you did *huff* on the river, so I guess she'll just have *huff* to stay on my back for now."
Ruby blushed with embarrassment and thought to herself.
"Ugh! Why did I have to go into heat? I'm so embarrassed right now! That's never happened to me before…I really want him though, and I hope he did choose me."
Konrad seemed to notice this and he spoke to her in a reassuring tone, with his speed slowing a bit down.
"Look on the bright side; at least she isn't doing what you did. That would be awkward wouldn't it?"
Ruby stopped and so did Konrad as he noticed she stopped running. Ruby was simply giving him a 'not amused' look on her face, and Konrad gave a weak smile in return. He lightly chuckled and said,
"That wasn't funny was it?"
"No…it wasn't…don't do it again or…"
"You'll clock me like you did earlier?"
At the mention of that previous accident Ruby blushed with embarrassment and lowered her ears and said,
"I'm sorry about that Konrad…I didn't…I mean I wasn't trying to-"
"It's okay Ruby, I'm just messing with you, but it is a bit rude, and I'm sorry about that. I can get carried away sometimes just like my…cursing. Anyway, you got an awesome hook Ruby! Most girls I know can't do anything like that."
"Oh you! You're just trying to make me feel better…well its working!"
Ruby pony squealed and then said,
"Well, clearly none of them were a down to Earth Equestrian Mare."
Konrad then smirked a bit, which Ruby found very handsome and he spoke in nice soft tone,
"No…they weren't."
Effeminately blushed and smiled at him, doing her best to make herself attractive to him. It seemed to be working for a bit as he got closer to her.
"Is he going to? Is he going to kiss me?! Oh please do it! I'm right here waiting for you!"
But the moment never came as he stopped and appeared to be thinking again. Just like earlier it almost seemed as if he was talking to somepony in his mind. Ruby sighed in disappointment, which Konrad didn't notice.
"Pony feathers! Why can't he just simply figure it out that he can have me?! I mean, what do I have to do to make it so darn obvious!? I thought I had him there…I guess I'll find out later when we get to the forest edge, but…I know he was going to, which means he's chosen me!"
Ruby then turned her head to check on Apple Bloom while Konrad was thinking to himself. The young filly was resting on her back, seemingly at peace and breathing quietly. Ruby felt very bad for accidentally getting the young filly involved in this whole mess.
"She doesn't deserve this…it's my fault for being curious. I swear I'll find a way out of this for you. You're going to go home…friend."
Ruby then took a look at her leg wound and felt extreme anger for what the Blood Hooves had done, more specifically Crimson Tail. That Mare had hurt Apple Bloom and Ruby saw not only the pain on the little filly's face, but on Konrad's as well. It was very obvious that Konrad cared for Apple Bloom a lot, and there was no way he was just going to let her suffer.
"Come to think of it, he never did tell me what happened when he went after Blood Clop and Crimson Tail."
"Konrad?"
"Hmm?" replied Konrad who finally broke out of his thoughts.
"What happened to Crimson Tail and Blood Clop?"
"Oh, I shot at them and killed Crimson Tail. Blood Clop got away though, and I'm pretty sure he's going to flat out kill me when he sees me."
"I'm glad that you killed Crimson Tail…that bitch."
"You can say that again, but I think we've wasted a enough time here. Let's hurry up and get the hell out here! I don't want that stupid serpent going to blab about you and me."
Ruby's ears perked up when he mentioned her and Konrad. All of a sudden Ruby began wondering if this was another sign that he had chosen her, but Konrad saw that, and said,
"I uh mean…us being ponynappers."
Ruby's ears lowered and she said,
"Oh…okay."
"I'm still going to tell you of my decision when we get to the edge of the forest. And don't forget, Luna need's to hear my decision too, so you'll just have to wait. Now with that said, let's get out of here!"
"Okay, I'll just have to wait for his decision…oh darn it Konrad! Just tell me! No! Stay focused Ruby! You need to get Apple Bloom home!"
Ruby nodded in agreement and looked ahead down the river. They weren't that far from the tree line, but the problem was the fact that they would be forced to cross the river. Ruby shuddered a bit at having to potentially meet the Blood Hooves again. Normally she was used to having to see them, but ever since Konrad appeared, she finally had something better to look forward to. Konrad really was her beacon of hope and happiness, and for once she was actually looking forward to something worthwhile instead of the reenactment of her death.
"Okay, now Konrad, We are going to have to cross the river ahead because it curves off into a direction away from Ponyville. When we get on the other side we need to run until we get to the forest's edge. If I know Blood Clop, and I do, then he's going to come right back at us with everypony he has, and I know for a fact that you don't want to die. I can't let you suffer like the others have and I don't want you to be a ghost too."
Ruby looked at Konrad and said,
"Konrad, I just want to let you know that I…I lo-"
Konrad immediately put his finger on her lips, silencing her from speaking.
"Darn it! Why is it he's so good at doing that? I just want him know that I love him!"
"Shhh…we can talk about this later. Right now we need to get out of here. Like you said, when we get to the other side, we need to run as fast as possible. Are you ready?"
Ruby then turned to Apple Bloom and adjusted the young filly on her back to make sure she wouldn't fall off. Satisfied that Apple Bloom was secure, Ruby turned back to Konrad who was now adjusting Princess Luna on his back. He had made sure that her mane wouldn't wave in front of him as best as he could. They both had a look of determination on their faces as Ruby said,
"Okay, I'm ready Konrad."
Konrad in return just nodded and Ruby began to run forward. Konrad began to run after Ruby, making sure to keep up the pace as best as possible. Having an Alicorn on his back and having weapons slung across his shoulder made this difficult. Despite that, Konrad was doing a good job keeping up with Ruby as she looked back to check up on him every now and then.
"I hope we can get out of here fast enough and I also hope that serpent didn't tell anypony about us being monsters. I certainly don't want Konrad to fight so overzealous Guard. If they react to him like Princess Luna did to me, then I'll buck all of them!"
Ruby then saw the river crossing up ahead and remembered that she still didn't know how to swim. It seemed that Konrad would have to carry all of them over the river again. As soon as Ruby realized that fact, a smile started to creep up on her face. Both of them made it to the area where they needed to cross and Ruby stopped. Konrad caught up a few seconds later and Ruby could hear him breathing heavily.
She turned to see that he was sweating a lot now, and his legs seemed a bit tired. He made eye contact with Ruby and asked,
"Why did we stop?"
The smile was still on Ruby's face, something she just couldn't control.
"I still don't know how to swim Konrad…I guess I'm going to need you help again."
A small smile and blush came across his face. It was a much different reaction that what he had last time she asked him to carry her across, and that made Ruby speculate even more.
"He wants to carry me! Oh yeah, he totally picked me for sure. I'm SOOO going to enjoy holding him, even if he is a bit sweaty!"
"Yeah…you're right…I guess I should carry you across first in case the Blood Clop and the others come back. Can't leave Apple Bloom or Princess Luna unguarded right?"
Ruby nodded her head and gently set Apple Bloom on the ground, as Konrad did the same with Princess Luna. Ruby observed Konrad carefully fold her mane of her exposed side on the ground, doing his best to help keep it from being dirty. Seeing him take care of Princess Luna made Ruby jealous as she remembered what that Konrad admitted to giving her a massage.
"I wish he would do that to me, but at least I get to hold him again!"
"Ready Ruby?"
"Y-yes…"
Both Konrad and Ruby blushed as she jumped on to his back. Her fore legs wrapped around his shoulders while Konrad grabbed Ruby's hind legs with his arms. Ruby couldn't bet help notice how close his arms were to her plot, and wondered if he was aware of the fact too. Konrad carefully made his way into the river, and Ruby could feel the water come up to her. The water was a bit cold just like earlier but Konrad's body heat made it a much comfortable ride.
"I hope he doesn't mind if I rest my head on his neck."
Taking a risk, Ruby decided to rest her head on his neck and was prepared to lift her head back up again in case it made him uncomfortable. Thankfully, he didn't protest verbally or physically and Ruby was able to relax as he carried her across, with a big smile on her face. But the moment was over as they made it across and he set her gently down. Konrad made eye contact with her and had a smile on his face.
"Well…that was much better than last time…I'll be right back."
"Okay, but hurry up. I want to get Apple Bloom out of here."
"And Princess Luna…"
Ruby frowned a bit before nodding her head and said,
"Yes…her too."
Konrad gave off a salute to Ruby before swimming as fast as he could across the river. When he made it to the other side, he grabbed Apple Bloom gently and held her in his arms as if she were a new born foal. As she saw him carry her across, she couldn't but help remember her dream of her and Konrad having a family. It was an absurd fantasy, but it was good one anyway.
"I really wish that could become a reality, but I'll accept it if it doesn't happen. I just hope I can at least be his special somepony."
As Konrad made it across, he carefully put her on Ruby's back, and went back over for Princess Luna. Ruby still didn't like the fact that Luna was on his back, but there's was nothing she could do about it. As soon as Konrad and Luna made it across, Ruby looked around for Blood Clop or any Blood Hooves. Unable to see anything, she looked back at Konrad and said,
"There tree line is close by. Ready?"
"Yeah, let's get out of here."
Ruby and Konrad, carrying Apple Bloom and Princess Luna on their backs, ran as fast as they could towards to the edge of Everfree Forest, with both having a sense of impending closure and hope. Unfortunately for all of them, the night was far from over.
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Shining Armor was currently running as fast as possible with Spartrota Group Alpha following him. Princess Celestia, the bearers and the rest of the Elite Guards were behind them in a bit of a distance, moving slowly while the Alpha group secured the area ahead. Shining Armor was determined to find these Blood Hooves and burn them out of existence. He felt a quick pang a quilt for feeling such a bad thing…hatred.
"I know it's not a good thing, but I just can't help it! They tried to kill my little sister! How am I supposed to feel?! I hope Cadence isn't worried."
When it came to the other beings though, he didn't know what to feel. He had no idea what to expect from the so called Ghost Mare, and was even more at a loss for the new biped being. What was it? What did it look like? If it had two legs, then did it have a tail? It couldn't be a dragon for the Serpent would have said so, and if it wasn't, did it have a coat? Shining Armor chided himself for not asking very specific questions, but there was nothing he could do now other than prepare himself for the worst.
The more he thought about it the more he began to consider what Twilight said. There certainly were things that didn't make sense, if this creature did in fact subdue Princess Luna, why didn't it do the same to the Serpent? It seemed very foolish to be seen twice by a witness and not even make an attempt to prevent him from escaping. And where did the Ghost Mare come from anyway? Why wasn't it with him the first time he was seen?
"I'll give it a chance to surrender and then I'll get to the bottom of this whole mess. Who knows? Maybe Twily was right, maybe there's more to this than meets the eye."
All of a sudden, one of the Spartrota Guards shouted out to Shining Armor,
"Captain! Look ahead! I think I see the monster and the ghost!"
Shining Armor looked ahead and about 200 hooves away, he could make out four figures near the Everfree Forest tree line. He immediately was able to make out the Ghost Mare that the serpent described and Shining Armor felt creeped out when he saw it. The Ghost had bright glowing eyes just like the Serpent described, with its grey coat, orange highlighted mane and tail, with a magnifying Glass for a cutie mark.
Also in the group was the younger sister of Apple Jack, known as Apple Bloom. She was laying on the ground, with her eyes closed, coat dirty and she seemed to have a…
"She's wounded! Oh NO! I've got to get to her! They are going to have some explaining to do!"
Also in the group was Princess Luna resting on the ground, and as they got closer, Shining Armor could see that Princess Luna looked terrible. Her black eye, as described by the serpent, was very visible and it greatly contrasted with the Princess's nightly coat.
"Princess Celestia will not be pleased at all. I wonder how that happened to her, and…WHAT THE HAY IS THAT THING!?"
As the group got closer, they could make out something that nopony had ever seen before. Shining Armor couldn't quite describe what it was until he got closer. It was wearing some sort of forest patterned outfit, very strange boots, had a very weird looking vest, and instead of a coat, it had some pale skin that was a somewhere between the color pink and white. It also had weird looking ears and a very short mane on the top of its head.
There were very few times that Shining Armor felt fear, one of them was for Twilight's safety when this night began and the other was when he feared for Cadence's condition in the Crystal Kingdom during King Sombra's return. And now he was feeling fear seeing this new creature that supposedly subdued Princess Luna. On one hoof, he felt like he shouldn't let this get to him, but on the other hoof, this was something he nopony had any clue about and could be very powerful. It almost made him worry about now seeing Cadence, Twilight or his parents ever again.
As they got closer and closer, Shining Armor made eye contact the Ghost Mare. It creeped him out when her yellow eyes pierced his, almost making him shiver. Her eyes got very wide all of a sudden and she tapped her hoof on the strange being's shoulder as they were about 150 hooves away. Now it was the strange creature's turn to face Shining Armor and the young Captain noticed that the creature had an eye color similar to his. It's eyes were a bit smaller than a pony's but other than that not much different.
"I can't show any fear! Definitely not now!"
Shining Armor's face turned into a one of a tough resolve and narrowed his eyes in hope that the creature would fear him. And to his surprise, it worked! The strange being's eyes widened in fear making Shining Armor more confident in himself. With the fear it showed, and his magical ability, not to mention with a few Spartrota Scouts with him, he was sure that a victory would follow if a fight broke out. Shining Armor also noticed in the distance near a tree, were two metal sticks with wood attached to them with one having a curved orange protrusion.
He recognized those object from the serpents description and he guess that they must be some sort of weapon.
"Hay, I don't even know if they even are weapons but can't be too careful! Doesn't look like a sword or spear though."
As the group got closer, Shining Armor expected the creature to make a run for his weapons that were resting on a tree near the Ghost Mare. He was wrong.
The creature instead did something that neither him nor his squad could foresee. The creature grabbed Princess Luna on the ground and started to violently shake her with his strange claws. Her head and mane started to wave like crazy and her horn almost hit him a few times. Shining Armor and the group ran even faster with rage in their eyes at their leader being assaulted in such undignified manner.
As they were about 50 hooves away, the creature all of a sudden slapped Princess Luna, and this ticked the charging stallions off.
"I guess Twily was wrong, that creature must have hurt Princess Luna after all! It's time to stop this!"
The creature turned its eyes back to the group, who were now in talking distance, and its eyes widened once more. It immediately turned to look at Princess Luna and Shining Armor almost heard it say something like "Please" but that was all he heard before it got up on its two legs while somehow balancing itself without a tail. The group was now within 25 hooves and Shining got a much better look at it. It had no muzzle whatsoever with its nose independent of its mouth.
It was also sweating greatly and Shining assumed this was due to fear of the group approaching them. The group had finally made it to the creature standing behind the hopefully unconscious Princess Luna and Apple Bloom. Shining Armor pulled his spear from its carrying strap on his armor's back and so did the two other Guards with him. All of them aimed their spears with precision and uniformity at the strange creature that had a worried look on his face.
The creature took a step back but did not make an attempt to go for its assumed weapons. This puzzled Shining Armor as it seemed to contradict the assumed hostile behavior that was reported by the serpent, as well as his assault in front of the him and his guards. Shining Armor shrugged that thought off as it was most likely due to fear of him and his guards or more likely a tactical error that the creature made and was now unable to correct it. Shining Armor glared at the creature and said with as much authority as possible.
"Halt right there criminal scum! As a Prince of Equestria and Captain of the Royal Guard, I am placing you under arrest for assaulting a ruler of Equestria, pony napping, terrorizing innocents, and disturbing the peace! You will surrender now and hoof over any contraband that you have and you will submit for questioning!"
The other guards glared at the creature and the mare behind him simply stared at them, seemingly worried about what would happen next.
"Good that they understand how much trouble they are in. Perhaps this will resolve…what…the hay? Is he…laughing?"
The creature in front of him just dropped to the ground and started laughing his flank off. Began to roll on the ground laughing with his face turning red, and tears coming from his eyes. Shining Armor looked at his Guards and saw the confusion on their faces too. He then turned to the Ghost Mare in the tree line, who just shrugged before held her hoof to her muzzle, and started to giggle on her own. The male creature on the ground continued to laugh and point at Shining Armor, as if he was the biggest fool in all of Equestria.
Shining Armor's face began turning into reddish hue in anger and he shouted to the creature,
"This is not a laughing matter! Do you not understand the charges that have been laid against you?!"
The male stopped rolling on the ground and suddenly got back on his strange looking boots. The male tried to do his best to form a coherent sentence, but started to laugh again. Shining's patience was now wearing thin and he began to make it very clear about that too.
"Why are laughing!? Speak to me foul…whatever you are!"
"Hey Ruby, he called me foul! Does that remind you of somepony?"
The Ghost Mare now known as Ruby began to giggle a bit at the inside joke.
"At least he isn't blasting you with magic…yet."
"Don't tempt me foul spirit."
Ruby all of sudden glared at Shining Armor, and he did his best not to show any fear at her glowing eyes.
The male then rested his claws on his hips, smiled at Shining and said,
"Oh you! Royals are very Royalish! You even talk like it too! Well, not as much as the Princess but…yeah."
Shining Armor was starting to hate this guy every passing second, as he not only didn't respect his title, but he was speaking to him as if he were some sort of foal.
"Royalish? That's not even a word!"
"Yes it is." Replied the male.
"Why is that?"
"Because I said so."
"That doesn't make it so and you know it!"
"Whatever! I do what I want!"
"Not in this kingdom!"
The guy waved his arms his strange arm in dismissal and said,
"Fine. Have it your way…at Burger King!"
The guy then chuckled a bit again at another inside joke and Shining Armor had no clue what it could be.
"Burger King?! What they hay is he talking about?! This guy is so freaking strange, rude and disrespectful!"
"I don't know what you're talking about or who this "Burger King" is but you will come with us now! And you will explain why you assaulted Princess Luna and Apple Bloom."
The male suddenly widened his eyes in surprised and began to dismiss his accusation with his arms waving back and forth.
"Whoa whoa! I think you got the wrong impression. I did NOT hit any of them at all!"
"It's true, he didn't hurt any of them at all." Said Ruby.
Shining Armor snorted and said,
"We saw you shake and slap our Princess on the ground. That seems like assault to me."
The male narrowed his eyes at Shining Armor and said,
"I was trying to wake her up so she can explain the situation, as I'm pretty sure you wouldn't accept my explanation even if I tried."
"Is that so?"
"Very much so."
Then Shining Armor looked at Princess Luna and saw the black eye that she had.
"This guy is going to explain this for sure"
"Then why does she have a black eye?"
The male in front of him froze and began to scratch the back of his neck. Despite being a bit different from a pony, it was obvious that he was nervous and clearly didn't want to divulge the truth. It almost reminded Shining Armor of the Engineer from the train.
"Uh…that was a misunderstanding."
"Like this for example?"
"Yeah…this."
"That's a terrible explanation. Who did this? Tell me now!"
Shining Armor suddenly poked the biped male and the tip of his spear hit his vest, making a loud tap noise. Apparently, there was something hard in his green vest that prevented the tip from making contact with his body. Perhaps this was some form of armor? The male suddenly glared at him and said,
"Hey flank face, do that again and I'll give you a black eye myself."
Shining Armor glared back again and said,
"So your true colors are now revealed. It's obvious you are the culprit behind her injuries, and you clearly are hiding something, since you will not answer my questions honestly. You better hope Princess Celestia will take mercy on you, for I've never seen her this furious before."
The male suddenly shook with fear and asked,
"What?"
"Yes, Princess Celestia, the sister of the one you assaulted, is on this way as we speak and she is not happy at all. I swear nopony has ever managed to make her this furious before. I can tell you'll have a good future of being a statue in her garden for a long time to come. I'm sure if you beg for mercy she might give your life in prison. Though I wouldn't count on it, hurting family does hit close to home, I should know."
The male's face started to pale and it was obvious he was in fear.
"Who wouldn't? Those are terrible punishments, but he clearly deserves it. It was his doing after all."
"You stupid Royalty! He didn't hit her, I did! And she deserved it too!"
"Ruby, you're not helping!" said the male.
"I'm sorry Konrad but I don't want you to be punished for something you didn't do!"
"Konrad? What kind of name is that? Strange but irrelevant at the moment."
Shining Armor pointed his spear at her, and even though she was a bit of a distance away, she got into a fighting stance as if to say "I dare you".
"Well, it looks like you will join him too."
The male, now known as Konrad, all of a sudden stepped in front of Shining Armor effectively blocking his view from Ruby. The custom spear was now pointed at the male and he said,
"Don't point that at her or…"
"Silence you foul two legged renegade!"
Shining Armor lightly poked the male again in the vest with his spear, not to wound, but to drive a point across that his behavior would not be tolerated. Unfortunately, all this did was piss off Konrad, and for his trouble, a blur came out of nowhere and made contact with his muzzle.
Shining Armor stumbled from the surprise strike but recovered into a fighting stance. His Earth Pony guards were now snorting in anger that their Captain/Prince was assaulted by this Konrad, but that didn't compare at all to the Prince's fury. His muzzle was now bleeding a bit and Shining Armor wasn't sure if it was broken, but it certainly hurt for sure.
Konrad had struck him with his surprisingly strong and blunt claws that were balled up into the size of a hoof. His legs and arms were now in some sort of strange stance that could only be interpreted as one of aggression. Combined with the blow he just received, it was clear that force was going to be used to restrain this…Konrad.
"And so it has come to this. I'm sorry Twily, but you're wrong about this. I wish you weren't though."
"Resisting arrest, striking a Guard, and Royal member of Equestria. You are going to pay for your crime!"
And so the epic flinging of pony excrement began with Shining Armor charging towards the weaponless male known as Konrad, with his Spartrota Guards on his side backing him up. It was only the beginning of what was possibly his worst night ever.
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Konrad was pissed, very pissed, and Princess Luna would be too if she were awake. Unfortunately for Konrad, a huge misunderstanding occurred and out of all things he never expected to happen, aside from being cast into Equestria, was fighting Shining Armor and his Guards. Their armor looked a bit different, it seemed a bit flashier, but it really didn't matter.
Konrad had struck Shining Armor after he jabbed him again with the spear. For some reason, when he pointed the spear at Ruby and implied that she would be turned to stone, that got his blood boiling. Ruby had suffered enough and there was no way he was going to let anypony hurt her, just like he wouldn't let anypony hurt Luna or Apple Bloom. When he was jabbed by Shining's spear, the Renegade symbol appeared and Konrad immediately gave into it.
And he was starting to regret that decision greatly, and his conscience made it clear that what he did was not a good decision at all.
"Konrad! You should not have done that! I understand that you were just trying to protect Ruby, but what you did was totally counterproductive. You really need to work on your anger issues!"
"I know…but-"
"No buts! You should yield right now!"
"How can I? Don't you see the look on their faces? They'll probably beat the crap out of me! Dammit! Why couldn't Luna just wake up?"
"Look Konrad, you can't kill them! You've got to do something! Get your SVD and for the love of Luna, DO NOT SHOOT THEM!"
"You don't need to tell me that!"
"Look, I'm sorry for-"
Shining Armor immediately attempted to jab Konrad fiercely with his spear, while Konrad dodged it by moving to his right hearing a swoosh motion of the weapon.
SWOOSH!
"Can't we just-"
SWOOSH!
"I YEIL-"
SWOOSH!
Konrad could see the look of anger on Shining Armor's face, with it having a red hue of anger, and a little bit of blood coming from his nose. It seemed that Konrad might have broken his nose, and he felt a bit guilty for doing so. The guy was after all just doing his job protecting those he cared for and Konrad felt bad. Despite that, he was getting tired of dodging his impalement attempts, and made a last effort to end the fight.
"STOP!" shouted Konrad.
And surprisingly he did. Shining Armor ceased attacking but his offensive stance was still ever vigilant.
"Look, I yield. My bad."
Konrad raises his arms and did his best to give a sincere smile. It didn't work.
"Your "bad"? You come into my Kingdom, threaten my fellow ponies, hurt my Princess, that filly, consorted with the Blood Hooves-"
"Blood Hooves? I didn't-"
Shining Armor ignored him however, and continued on his grievances.
"-that almost murdered my sister, and you expect me to simply accept that it is all your "bad"? I'll accept your yield after I've done the same to your nose!"
Konrad's eyes widened and he began to worry about what was going to happened next. It seemed that Shining Armor was too angry to simply accept his yield and Konrad was now expecting a beat down similar to a police beat down. It didn't look good at all.
"What the hell dude!? I'm sorry! You don't have to do this! This is madness!"
"Madness? THIS IS SPARTROTA!"
"WOW! WHAT A RIPOFF!" replied Konrad.
"I guess he's gonna-"
All of sudden, Shining Armor spun around and bucked Konrad hard…very hard indeed. His hind legs bucked him in the vest and if it wasn't for his AKM Magazines, he might have broken a rib. Konrad was knocked to the ground and the wind was knocked out of him too.
"-and he did. Fuck that hurt!"
He quickly recovered and immediately got back on his feet though the pain in his abdomen was still there.
Not wasting anytime, he immediately turned around and ran to grab his SVD, intending on making it a makeshift staff.
"Oh no, you don't!" Shouted one of the Guards. One of the Earth Pony Guards made an attempt to cut Konrad off. Ruby saw this, grabbed the SVD with her teeth and threw it towards Konrad.
"Catch!" shouted Ruby.
Konrad raised his hand and grabbed the rifle and immediately set it on safe. There was no way he was going to kill them even if they were overzealous copy cats. Konrad could he the Guard behind him and swung the rifle around and smacked the Guard with the butt stock of the rifle.
SMACK!
The Guard took the full brunt of the butt stock and went,
"OOF!"
He collapsed on the ground like a bag of potatoes and was out cold.
"Good! One down two to go, and I didn't have to hurt him with lethal force. Dammit Luna, wake up! I have to tell both of them my decision!"
"Stop the fight first Konrad! Stay focused!"
Snapping out of his thoughts, he noticed that Shining Armor and the other Guard were now livid in anger. The other Guard charged him full on and attempted to impale him with the spear. Konrad side stepped, avoiding the strike and jabbed one of his forelegs with the muzzle end of the SVD. The muzzle made contact with the foreleg and it hit very hard, knocking the guard off balance. Konrad took advantage of this by giving the guard an upper hoof with the SVD's butt stock.
It hit the stallion hard and some of his teeth broke, but otherwise still very much able to fight. The stallion in return swung his spear to Konrad's side and tried to cut him with the side of the spear tip. Konrad did his best to avoid it but was unable to fully avoid it. The Spear's tip hit the side of Konrad's left arm and a sharp pain was felt.
"AGH! FUCK YOU!"
Konrad charged the Guard intending to jab his throat with the blunt muzzle end of the SVD. The guard attempted to impale him once more as the human got closer and closer. His aim wasn't true though, and Konrad simply jumped to the side as he got close and avoided the spear. The guard's eye's widened as the saw the SVD's muzzle come wright at him, fully expecting to be killed.
Fortunately for him, all it did was cause pain on his throat, at it felt like a punch. This didn't make the pain any better though, and the guard began to gasp for air, dropping his spear on the ground and grabbing his throat with his fore hooves. This was all Konrad needed to finish the job.
Konrad swung the rifle's stock to the side of his head and smacked him very hard.
SMACK!
And just like that he fell to the ground out cold. Konrad turned to Shining Armor, who was shocked at how his Guards were easily taken down, gave of a small smirk and said,
"You want to continue this?"
Shining's shocked expression quickly changed into a determined look, just shouting to the world that he was ready to fight to the death if need be.
"It's my duty to protect my ponies. A being that lacks honor, such as you, wouldn't understand."
Before Konrad could reply, Shining Armor raised his Spear that looked much different from the rest. It seemed to be made out of some strange bluish metal, and had a larger tip than the others. The tip was made of some shiny looking gold colored metal, and had a much more elegant yet deadly razor like cut. No doubt this was especially made for him and he seemed to know how to use it.
Konrad replied by pulling out his bayonet and attached it to the rifle. He didn't want to have to hurt the guy, but he just wouldn't give up or accept his yield. Shining Armor looked surprised at what Konrad did and seemed to be fascinated by the unique feature of Konrad's rifle.
"A staff AND a spear? Impressive creature, but there's one thing you lack."
Konrad rolled his eyes at the over dramatic monologue coming from a cliché Shining Armor…so to speak.
"And that is?" asked Konrad in an unenthusiastic response.
"I have magic."
"Oh shit! I forgot about that!"
Konrad watched in horror as the Shining Armor's horn glowed a light purple hue, similar to Twilight Sparkle's. Konrad immediately felt something wrong and there was a tingling sensation.
"So this is what magic feels like…WAIT! MAGIC! SHIT!"
Konrad looked at his feet and saw they were being held together. He couldn't move and was doing his best to break free when suddenly Shining Armor made a charge for Konrad. It seemed that magic was indeed effective against humans and Konrad now wished he was immune to it like the HiE fan fictions he read. As Konrad began to struggle, he noticed something.
Shining Armor's horn was constantly glowing and it seemed that he had to constantly keep the spell going in order for it hold. He could see Shining's face strain and that was a sign it wasn't easy for him. One would think this would seem like child's play to him, but maybe Konrad did have at least some resistance.
"Only one way to find out! He's getting closer now!"
Konrad began to work against the magic that wrapped around his feet and pretended that it was a loose rope, tugging and pulling with all of his might. All of a sudden, the spell broke and Konrad stumbled backwards and by the grace of God, didn't fall on his ass.
"Nice try flank face!"
Shining Armor disregard the insult and continued to charge anyway, moving even faster than the others had. He immediately began a flurry of strikes that Konrad barely dodged. The ones that he wasn't able to dodge were blocked by the rifle's barrel making a clash of metal tings.
TING! TING! SWOOSH! TING! SWOOSH!
"WHY…WON'T…YOU…FALL!" yelled Shining Armor.
"Just like Oblivion. What a copy-"
A bad mistake for Konrad, as his random thought cost him his situation awareness. Shining Armor struck the side of Konrad's left forearm and made another graze like the other guard had. He felt the pain and saw the blood oozing out. Konrad let out a cry of pain, and immediately kicked Shining Armor off of him, making contact with his armor.
PANG!
Shining Armor was hit pretty hard by Konrad's kick and stumbled back a bit, but was otherwise uninjured. Konrad recovered and attempted to jab Shining Armor's foreleg like he did with the other guard, hoping to cut him and hopefully knock him out. Shining Armor had seen this trick before however and as Konrad made the strike, the bayoneted SVD was repelled. Konrad unexpectedly reeled back, and was at a loss of why his attack didn't work.
It became obvious however; that Shining Armor used magic to create a miniature purple bubble shield similar to the one he used to protect Canterlot. The Prince/Captain smirked and boasted,
"My signature Shield Spell. You're not going to get though it I assure you foul creature."
"FUCK! How am I supposed to get through this?"
"KONRAD! There are someponies in the distance!" shouted Ruby.
Konrad saw Ruby point in a direction and saw in the far distance several figures. He aimed the SVD's scope in the direction and confirmed what Ruby had indeed seen. There were Guards…lots and lots of Guards. But it wasn't just Guards, there was…
"IT'S THE MANE SIX AND PRINCESS CELESTIA! And they look…pissed…oh shit! Shit Shit SHIT!"
"Heh, you're in trouble now, and when I tell them that you've hurt Apple Bloom and Princess Luna…well, I think you now the rest."
Konrad couldn't take it anymore; his anger was so freaking high at this bullshit situation. If he surrendered and didn't have Princess Luna to back him up, then he would simply be fucked.
"But I If can knock him out before they get here, I might just have a chance to explain everything without him interrupting. Either way I'm fucked, so this is my best shot. I hope this works."
Konrad took the safety off of his rifle and aimed it at the shield, careful to avoid Shining Armor. The Stallion just looked at his weapon, confused as to what was going to happen.
"You might have your magic, but that is insignificant compared to the power of the gun!"
Konrad aimed with the SVD scope and fired of a shot.
BANG!
The bullet made contact with the shield, clearly having an effect as it rippled violently and large cracks became visible, giving Konrad comfort in the knowledge that his rifle worked. Shining Armor was shocked at the loud noise as well as the effective damage that was done to his shield.
"WHAT THE BUCK WAS THAT?!" shouted Shining Armor.
Konrad smiled as he shot the shield again.
BANG!
The shield appeared to be on the verge of shattering and Shining Armor did his best to reinforce it, using a lot of magical energy. The shield looked good as new, but at a price as Shining Armor was getting weaker and weaker using magic to reinforce the shield with every bullet strike.
"OH CMON!" Shouted Konrad.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The shield suddenly shattered into a million shards and harmlessly dissipated. The Stallion was now barely struggling to stand up and Konrad immediately took this opportunity to hit him. He rushed over and knocked Shining Armor on his back by spinning his body and delivering a sidekick that he had seen one of the S.T.A.R.S. members do in a demonstration at the RPD Station for the city.
THUD!
The armor made a loud noise and Shining Armor said,
"OOF!"
The stallion was too tired to resist and Konrad immediately threw his spear harmlessly to the side, away from Shining Armor's reach. Shining Armor looked at Konrad, and he could see the fear in his eyes. He was afraid, most likely afraid that he wouldn't see his friends, sister, and Princess Cadence. He confirmed it when Shining Armor started to beg for mercy,
"P-please don't kill me! I have a family and a wife…I want to see them again."
His voice was weak and it appeared that he was also close to passing out. Konrad need to set things straight right here. He raised the SVD and Shining Armor closed his eyes expecting the blade to meet him. Instead, he heard the rifle jam into the ground beside him, harmlessly standing.
"Dammit! I didn't hurt Princess Luna and I didn't hurt Apple Bloom! I can explain everything, but right now we need to stop fighting. My behavior earlier was unacceptable, and for that I apologize. I sometimes get carried away when my friends get threatened, especially when they are threatened with petrification. I'm sorry for what I did to your guards, where I come from I took an oath to protect my friends and family, which I assume you have as well?"
Shining Armor nodded and gave a smile,
"Heh, it seems you and I, are not that different. I guess there's more to you than meets the eye."
"You can say that, and you will live to see your family and wife, but there's one thing I'm going to ask of you."
Shining Armor suddenly looked like he was about to pass out, no doubt in the same manner that. Konrad snapped his fingers in front of Shining Armor's face and said,
"Hey! Stay with me! I need you to ask your Princess for a chance to explain myself and for Ruby. There are things she needs to know about me and about the Blood Hooves."
"You mean…you've seen them?"
"Yeah, they tried to kill all of us, and almost succeeded. They were the ones that hurt Apple Bloom. All I want is a chance to explain myself. Can you speak for me on my behalf? Please, I don't want us to be enemies, and neither do Apple Bloom and Princess Luna."
Shining Armor looked at Princess Luna and Apple Bloom, both of them while asking Konrad,
"Wh-why did your friend assault Princess Luna?"
"Uhh…that's complicated. When Princess Luna becomes awake, she can explain it better than I can."
He raised his eye, clearly showing that he rather hear it from him right now.
"Uh…trust me on this. It's something that's better discussed behind closed doors."
Shining Armor chuckled, and whether he understood him or not, Konrad had no clue.
"If you say so, but I can't do anything if Princess Celestia demands you to answer it."
"Fair enough I suppose. Now, do we have a deal?"
Konrad held his hand out for Shining Armor to shake. He looked at it and said,
"Uh, what am I supposed to do?"
"Oh sorry, you shake it. It's a custom where I'm from."
Shining Armor held out his hoof and Konrad grabbed it and shook it firmly. After the agreement was made. Konrad was about to help him up, when all of a sudden Ruby started to scream.
"KONRAD! HELP ME!" Konrad grabbed the SVD and all of a sudden saw Ruby being bit, bucked and dragged away by three Blood Hooves.
Shining Armor and saw this as well and his mouth opened wide in shock.
"They ARE real! Holy haystack!" shouted Shining Armor.
Konrad tried his best to aim at the Blood Hooves, but couldn't since he didn't have a clear shot.
"RRRRGGGHHH!" gurgled a Blood Hoof.
Konrad saw them bite Ruby very hard, and saw a little bit of blood on her legs. He still didn't understand how a ghost could have body like that but she was in pain and there was no way he was going to let them hurt her.
"Shoot! I don't have a clear shot!"
"AAAGGGGHHHH!" screamed Ruby.
And all of sudden she was gone, no more screaming, nothing but the sound of the silent night.
Konrad felt a tug on his leg and he saw Shining Armor nod to him.
"Go after her, she needs you."
"But-"
"Did you swear to protect her by any chance?"
"Yeah but-"
"Then go, I'll explain to them when they get here, and I'll send all of the Guards with us to help you. If you stay, they probably won't give you a chance to explain. Just do your best to leave a trail so we can find you, and when we do find you, you will need to surrender and be taken into custody."
Konrad visibly shifted uncomfortably, but Shining Armor reassured him.
"If you are indeed telling the truth, then you'll be fine. I'm sure Apple Bloom and Princess Luna will tell us all we need. I swear you will be treated fairly."
Konrad looked at the now on coming group of Guards with the mane 6, with the Elements of Harmony and a very pissed off looking Princess Celestia in armor. Konrad didn't need any more convincing, his ass was out of there until Shining Armor could cool them down or until hopefully Princess Luna or Apple Bloom would wake up and explain.
"Do one more favor for me, when Apple Bloom wakes up tell her she can have all the Pop Tarts and tell Princess Luna that she'll know my decision her my decision when I get back. Oh! And tell her I said I still got more points than her."
Shining Armor blinked in confusion, but nodded and said,
"Umm…okay…I'll…t-tell them."
"Oh lord, he better not pass out when I leave."
"Good and tell your guys to follow the trail of dead Blood Hooves."
Konrad gave Shining Armor a pat on the shoulder before looking at the crowd that away 200 yards away now and getting closer. He then made his way over to the tree where his AKM was and noticed that it was gone.
"Fuck! They took my gun! Shit! I better use my Makarov unless I get to an opening; it's very thick right now. Blanks and Blood hooves…you're fucked now. You have no idea the Chaos I'm going to unleash on your flanks."
And a very pissed off human with guns began to run off into Everfree Forest, ready to shoot every demon like zombie pony as if he were a pissed off space marine stuck on mars.
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Princess Celestia, the Bearers and the Spartrota Guards were moving closer and closer to Everfree Forest. Twilight Sparkle didn't need her magic to sense the unease that surrounded the group. They were all nervous of what lied ahead, nervous of what evil they may face. Out of the group of her friends, Apple Jack was ahead of all of them while being beside Princess Celestia.
Both of them had sisters missing and it was obvious to everypony they were concerned. What none of them knew, however, was the anger that was being projected towards the direction of Everfree Forest. Whatever this strange creature was, it was going to need a lot of help should it decide to be foolish enough to stand up to two mares on a mission to save family.
"I have to admit I'm nervous and concerned for my brother. I just hope all will be fine, but I still can't help to think that there's more to this than meets the eye. There are too many unknown variables here for Celestia's sake!"
Twilight Sparkle took the time to check up on her friends as they were walking along the path. Rainbow Dash was simply hovering in the air, looking our or any trouble, more specifically the Blood Hooves and the creature that she kept referring to as "Bozo". Fluttershy still had her assertive or angry face due to the possibility of Apple Bloom or Princess Luna being hurt by monster that was behaving badly. Twilight certainly knew that if the creature got the stare from Fluttershy, it truly deserved it. Rarity was doing to her best to avoid mud and dirt piles the entire way, occasionally worried about how dirty the monster would be.
This earned a glare from Apple Jack and Rarity blushed a bit for worrying about such trivial things when more important issues were at hoof. Pinkie Pie on the other hoof was overly excited, hopping up and down along the path with them. Twilight still didn't understand what Pinkie Pie meant by the word person from earlier. It seemed so familiar but she just couldn't put her hoof on it.
"I give up. I'm never going to understand Pinkie Pie."
As if on cue, Pinkie Pie began to show all the signs of her Pinkie Sense catching everypony's attention. Twilight immediately got on the ground, afraid of something falling out of the sky.
"Oh NOES! Somepony is in trouble! And they aren't getting along! NO!" cried Pinkie Pie.
Princess Celestia looked at Twilight, and asked,
"Are you okay my faithful student?"
Seeing that nothing was going to happen to her at least, Twilight got and blushed a bit.
"Heheh, I haven't had much luck with her Pinkie Sense in the past."
Princess Celestia gave off a warm smile, and which made Twilight feel a bit better, even if the situation was unpleasant. The smile didn't last however as the Princess turned to Pinkie Pie and asked,
"Would you kindly elaborate on your Pinkie "Sense"?"
Before Pinkie spoke, she began to have her hooves twitch and tail spin around in circles. This lasted only for about two seconds before she replied,
"Don't have to. We're about to see and hear something."
The Princess raised an eye brow before a bright purple flash in the distance took everypony by surprise. Rainbow Dash flew up in the air and pointed out to the group with her right hoof.
"Look! It's Shining Armor! He's shielding himself from…omygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"
"And here comes the sound!" said Pinkie Pie.
Nopony had time to react to Pinkie Pie's statement as a loud noise shouted out in the night accompanied by a flash.
BANG!
Rainbow Dash's face went pale at the sight she was witnessing. Everypony began to look in the direction she was pointing at, curious to see what was scaring her and everypony was shocked at what they were witnessing. Out in the distance, roughly 600 hooves away, there was what appeared to be a pair of yellow eyes near the tree line but that wasn't all they saw; Princess Luna, Apple Bloom, and two Guards were on the ground laying down. And the one thing that stood out from them all was…
"It's the monster! It's attacking your brother Twi!" shouted Rainbow Dash.
Twilight gasped and said,
"MY BBBFF! NOO!"
"What terrible ruffian that beast is! I may not be able to see much of it from here, but I can't tell it's just too rude and dirty!" said Rarity.
"Oh no he doesn't! I'm going to have to give him the stare!" said Fluttershy.
"WHAT ARE WE WAITING HERE FOR?! LET'S GO HELP THEM! AH CAN SEE MAH SISTER NEAR THAT MONSTER!"
Princess Celestia commanded everypony in her old and almost forgotten Canterlot voice,
"EVERYPONY! MAKE HASTE TO ASSIST OUR FRIENDS! GIRLS! STAY CLOSE TO ME AND BE READY TO USE THE ELEMENTS!"
Princes Celestia then went into a full gallop and so did everypony else following her. Apple Jack was galloping right next to Princess Celestia, with anger projected at the hard to see figure ahead of them. Rainbow Dash was flying above everypony, staying close to Princess Celestia, and her friends. The rest of the Spartrota Guards were following close behind, ready to surround and fight the being ahead if necessary.
"No! Please be safe brother!"
Unfortunately, as the group got closer, the flashed become more frequent as well as the noise, with almost a half second delay in the sound.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The noise sent chills down everypony's spine; even Princess Celestia herself was not immune to the loud and strange noise. Everypony witnessed, as they ran towards the fight scene, Shining Armor's Shield Spell shatter in the distance and notice the green creature buck him with one leg. The Captain of the Royal Guard fell down, and it all seemed that he was doomed. The creature was still a bit hard to see but what was unmistakable was the metal staff it carried, with what appeared to be some blade at the end.
The creature raised it in the air and appeared to bring it down on Shining Armor.
Everypony was shocked, and Twilight shouted,
"BROTHER! NOOOOO!"
Tears were starting to fall from her eyes as they ran as fast as they could. Princess Celestia shouted,
"You will pay for this transgression biped!"
"We're going to get you bozo!" shouted Rainbow Dash.
"That's it! I'm not going to be sorry for giving you the stare this time!" shouted Fluttershy.
"Don't worry every pony! Look!" said Pinkie Pie.
As they continued to get closer, the noticed something different. It was Shining Armor and it appeared that he was shaking his hoof with the creature. Twilight immediately was relieved that he was still alive but confused as to why he would be shaking his hoof with this creature that just hurt him. Everypony, however, was too fixated on the green biped to noticed the Blood Hooves in the background dragging away Ruby.
"Princess Celestia! He's alive!"
"Stay focused my student, it is NOT our friend!"
As they got a bit closer to it now, roughly 150 hooves away, it saw them coming in his direction, grabbed it's strange device and ran into Everfree Forest.
"It's getting away! Come back here and face us jerk!" shouted Rainbow Dash.
The group had finally made it to the fallen group before them and the ones with siblings ran immediately over their sisters and brother. The guards immediately surrounded the area and formed a perimeter around the Princess and the bearers. Apple Jack immediately hugged Apple Bloom and started to cry her heart out for her injured sister.
"Ah'm never letting *sniff* you outta mah *sniff* forever ya hear me! Oh no! What did that vermin do to you!" said Apple Jack as she noticed the leg wound.
Princess Celestia knelt down to Luna and began to check her for any injuries. After quick observation and magic scan, Celestia was relieved that her Lulu was safe, but a few tears escaped her own eyes as well.
"My dear sister…I thought I lost you again…please forgive me for not being considerate of your feelings." Whispered Celestia.
Princess Celestia then gently wrapped her fore legs around Luna to give her a hug.
Twilight Sparkle immediately ran over to Shining Armor and saw that he was still conscious, but looked like a mess and very tired.
"Brother! You're alive!"
Shining Armor gave off a weak smile and said,
"Heh, hey Twily. Your brother just got his flank hoofed to him or clawed to him…whatever he had."
"Are you okay?"
"Tired…and sore…"
Shining Armor began to fade in and out of consciousness, which cause Twilight to become worried.
"Brother! Stay with me!" shouted Twilight.
Shining Armor looked at Twilight and said,
"Heh, Twily?"
"Yes?"
"You were right. There is more going on here and Konrad isn't one of them. He wanted me to pass on a message…"
"What is it?!"
"He said Apple Bloom can have all the pop tarts. He also wanted Princess Luna to know that he will tell her of his decision when he gets back and that he still has more points than her….whatever that stuff means."
Twilight was greatly confused at the message the new being, known as Konrad, wanted to pass along.
"It seems that we will find out more when they wake up."
"Brother, is there anything you can tell us? Shiny!"
Shining Armor passed out and Twilight began to panic. Began to perform a magic scan and knew that while he was fine, he was in no condition to continue his duties. Twilight noticed that everypony was around her and no doubt heard their entire conversation. Princess Celestia was the first to speak,
"It appears this biped has a name…Konrad."
"That jerk is going to pay! What the hay is a name like that anyway? Konrad…pfft!" said Rainbow Dash
"Ohh! It mentioned points! I wonder what games he likes!"
"Pinkie! Are you kidding me?! This guy just beat up two guards and Twilight's brother! It is NOT a good guy at all!"
"Oh silly filly, it was a misunderstanding! Do you know how I-"
Everypony spoke at the same time and said,
"PINKIE SENSE, WE KNOW!"
"Bingo! You got it right! I wonder how many points that is?"
Rainbow Dash face hoofed while Apple Jack spoke up,
"Ah agree with Dash, Twi. Why would this feller go around insulting everpony and start fights with guards and YOUR brother?! That don't sit right with me!"
"He certainly looked like a ruffian to me! And his attire was absolutely dreadful!" said Rarity.
"But my brother said there was more going on here and that this Konrad wasn't one of them!"
"One of who darling?" asked Rarity
"I think he meant…the Blood Hooves." Said Twilight.
"But he didn't say that now did he Sugarcube?" said Apple Jack.
"Well…no but it certainly does bring doubt to the whole situation. We know that this Konrad has a friendly acquaintance with Apple Bloom-"
"Hold on there Twi? Friendly? Did you see what it did?!" asked Apple Jack.
"Granted it doesn't look good but we don't know what led up to the confrontation. Also, notice Apple Bloom's bow."
"It's not her bow Sugarcube, it's just some old green…looking…loose rag tied to her mane…what the hay? Is this…"
"Well, it would seem that this Konrad clearly has no sense of fashion nor does he know how to tie a mane bow. Then again…that is rather odd. It looks…" said Rarity.
"Just like his outfit!" smiled Twilight. "It would be a safe bet that he is on friendly terms with Apple Bloom. I mean, why else would he give her a new mane bow?"
"New is hardly the term I would call this kitchen rag darling….but I see your point." Said Rarity dismissing the green rag.
"And I wonder what Pop Tarts are? OOH! Maybe they're cupcakes!" said Pinkie Pie.
"Well…they could be anything really, but considering he said she could have all of them, then they may very well be." Said Twilight.
"But…what about Princess Luna? What did he mean by decision? And where did the ghost go?" asked Fluttershy.
Twilight raised her hoof and was now at a loss to find an answer.
"I don't know…but when Princess Luna wakes up, then she could tell us what's going on. Same goes for Apple Bloom…and my brother too."
"This is dumb!" said Rainbow Dash, "That Konrad is getting away while sit down on our flanks! We need to find him, kick Blood Hoof flanks, and get back home!"
"My subjects." Said Princess Celestia.
Everypony became silent was now listening to her.
"I have concluded that Twilight may be right concerning this…Konrad."
Twilight smiled and was about to speak up before Celestia cut her off.
"However, that does not explain why he attacked our Guards and in particular, your brother Twilight. I am willing to listen to him explain himself, but right now we cannot afford to have some dangerous unknown male with a powerful weapon to roam free in the Kingdom. We will learn more when our loved ones wake up and explain what is going on. Until then, we will pursue this Konrad, Ghost mare, and Blood Hooves. Guards!"
Three Guards broke rank and stood at attention, ready to serve their Princess.
"I want you to take my sister, Apple Bloom and Shining Armor to the Hospital and allow no visitors except family. I want to be immediately notified in the event they regain consciousness. Is that understood?"
"YES YOUR HIGHNESS!"
Princess Luna, Apple Bloom, and Shining Armor were now picked up by three Guards and were now being escorted to the hospital. Princess Celestia then turned back to the mane six and said,
"We are going to find the Blood Hooves and remove them from our Kingdon. We will be surrounded by the finest Guards in all of Equestria, and I will be there with all of you. None of you have anything to fear. Now…are all of you ready?"
The bearers then looked at each other and said,
"I'm in!" said Rainbow Dash.
"Ah'm gonna buck them for sure!" said Apple Jack.
"They won't last against the stare! I know how to be assertive!" Said a still soft spoken Fluttershy.
"I know I'm not going to enjoy this forest…but I'll teach those ruffians a lesson in manners!" said Rarity.
"I can't wait to throw him a party!" said Pinkie Pie, who still thought this Konrad would be a good friend.
"We're all with you Princess! And if we can handle Discord, than we can handle this!"
Princess Celestia gave the bearers a warm smile, and that made all of them feel safe being with their leader.
"Very well my loyal subjects. Stay close to me, and all shall be fine."
Princess Celestia, the Element bearers, and the Guards all made their way into Everfree Forest in search of the Blood Hooves and also the one known as Konrad. Everfree Forest was about to get a much more chaotic place soon enough, and a certain Chaotic Lord as all too excited.