The celebration was underway as many ponies enjoyed the festivities of games and candy. Princess Luna walked around the town, ensuring everypony was enjoying themselves. And while many bowed and invited her to play games with them, Princess Luna still felt empty. The loss of Konrad took an emotional toll on her, preventing her from finding fulfillment in the celebration.
”I just don’t feel happy. I wish he was here.”
Walking by the Library and residence of Twilight Sparkle, Princess Luna hoped that her sister’s protege’ wouldn’t come out and talk to her. While it was understandable they didn’t wish to harm Konrad, she still couldn’t help resentment toward her and her friends. To her relief, nopony came out, and with further observation, it appeared the Library was empty.
”Good. I do not wish to speak to them. They must already be out and about the town.”
Suddenly, a flash of lightning and a thunderous roar came from a block away. Cries of ponies were heard, causing Princess Luna to avert her attention to the disturbance. Looking at the sky, a small but rogue dark cloud was being scurried away from the crime scene by nopony other than Rainbow Dash. On top of the cloud was another pony Princess Luna could not recognize other than being a filly. Both were wearing the costumes of the Shadow Bolts, a fictional flight team she had created when Nightmare Moon held influence over her.
”So the Element of Loyalty has a small partner in crime this year. One would think she would use a new trick, yet, everypony still falls for it. I’ll deal them a prank of my own later.”
As Princess Luna continued forward, she noticed a few ponies playing the Spider Toss game. Several young and mature ponies failed, making Princess Luna smile.
”I’ll show them how to toss a spider!”
Ponies noticed her presence as she walked up to the stand and bowed. Wanting to put everypony at ease, Princess Luna addressed the herd before her,
“Relax, my dear subjects, we wish to join the festivities! May we have a turn, if you don’t mind?”
A little filly dressed as a ladybug gave Princess Luna a fake spider, eager to see her attempt at the toss. Looking at the goal, Luna could see why so many ponies were missing. It was too far away.
”It would seem that they misjudged the distance in their panic from this morning. No matter, it shouldn’t be too hard to correct.”
“Come close young one, watch how I toss it.”
The cute filly in the ladybug costume obeyed her command and watched as Princess Luna tossed the spider in the air. Arching through the air, the spider met its mark in the center of the artificial web.
“Huzzah! Right on the mark!”
“Woohoo!” cheered the little filly.
“Now you try. Remember how I threw it?”
“Yes, Princess Luna.”
Taking a spider, the filly threw it in the air towards the spider’s nest. Princess Luna’s heart sank as she could tell the filly’s toss would be too short. Using her magic secretly, Princess Luna corrected the spider’s pathway, and with her years of skill and finesse using magic, the spider landed right in the center of the web.
“Yea! I made it! Woohoo!”
Several ponies cheered, and hoof stomped at the scene before them. Smiling at her ponies, Princess Luna couldn’t help but think about the distance of the web.
”This web is too far away. I refuse to let any of my subjects be disappointed any further. Time for a distraction.”
Subtly using her magic again, Princess Luna cast a spell on a nearby shadow of a mare in a mummy costume. The shadow began to rise out of place, formed a set of large, sharp teeth, and grabbed the mare’s costume. The mare took notice of the frightening but harmless illusion before her; she screamed exceptionally loud, catching the attention of everypony around her. The web was enveloped in her blue magic hue and brought closer to where they stood.
Before everypony could cause a riot like last year, Princess Luna cast a simple magic beam at the illusion, dissipating it and returning a normal shadow to the mare in the mummy costume. With everypony still in shock, Princess Luna stomped her hoof on the ground and said,
“Nothing shall ever harm my subjects! EVER!”
Realizing that she yelled, Luna expected everypony to cower in fear or run away from her.
”No! Now they’ll run away...please don’t-”
“WOOHOO!!! YEA!!!!” cheered everypony.
“You saved my mommy! Thank you, Princess Luna! You’re my favorite Princess!”
The little filly dressed as a ladybug gave Princess Luna a hug before running over to her mother, asking her to play the spider toss game. Luna stood there as the ponies went back to playing the game, leaving her deep in thoughts.
”They didn’t flee when I yelled...she thinks I’m her favorite Princess...Oh, this is most wonderful!”
A smile crept on her face as Princess Luna walked away to see the rest of the town celebrating Nightmare Night. With a new feeling of happiness, Luna continued to observe the celebration. Most ponies wore the same costumes from last year, with a few trying different outfits. One pony came up to her dressed as a clown, and Princess Luna immediately recognized who it was.
“Madam Mayor, it is a pleasure to see you again. I take it you love your costume very much.”
”It’s a ridiculous costume. Mother loved clowns, and so did Tia; father and I never could understand why.”
After bowing to Princess Luna, Mayor Mare adjusted her clown wig, looking more ridiculous.
“Why, thank you, your Highness! I very much do! Clowns are so much fun.”
”I highly disagree. Clowns are just plain....odd.”
Forcing a smile, Princess Luna asked,
“Indeed...Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Oh! Pardon me, but there is something you can do! The Cake Family of Sugarcube Corner have baked a magnificent cake in your honor, and they would like you to be the first pony to cut the cake.”
”A cake in my honor? Tia will likely be the first in line, and the others will be there too. I should complete this task with haste.”
“Very well...is there anything else?”
“We would like you to commence the costume contest after that. And when everypony has voted on their favorite costumes, the winner will receive one thousand bits, presented by you.”
Raising an eyebrow, Princess Luna said,
“One thousand bits? That’s quite the prize indeed.”
“Yes, it is, and it would be a perfect spot to end the Celebration.”
“Indeed it would.”
”I wonder how Applebloom is faring? We have a special prank of our own to pull.”
Looking around, Princess Luna could not find Applebloom amongst the ponies. Sighing in disappointment, Princess Luna asked,
“When is the event at Sugarcube Corner going to start?”
“Ummm...”
Pulling out a pocket watch from her costume, the mare’s eyes widened upon looking at the time.
“It’s actually now, Your Highness. They must be waiting for you.”
Forcing a smile, Princess Luna,
“Well, I should not be late. If you’ll excuse me, Madam Mare, I have a cake to cut.”
As Mayor Mare bowed again, Luna began to walk her way over Sugarcube Corner. Knowing the likelihood of seeing her sister and at least one element bearer caused her to lose the smile she had gained earlier.
”Hopefully, this cake isn’t terrible. It’s going to be awkward walking in there. Where could Apple Bloom be?”
Apple Bloom was walking along Ponyville, trying to find some of her friends or Princess Luna. The young filly was still depressed at the death of Konrad. While she made it clear to Applejack that she didn’t hate her and understood his death was unintentional, Apple Bloom still couldn’t bring herself to be around her in the meantime. The rest of the day had been very awkward and depressing around the farm. While being excused from her chores was a relief, it made no difference as she moped and mourned her human friend.
Now that Nightmare Night was here, one of her favorite times of the year, she couldn’t find herself enjoying even a few events. Applejack was still in her scarecrow costume from last year, helping the ponies at the apple bobbing station, but with a slight frown on her face. Applebloom didn’t even bother dressing up in her old costume, as her spirit of the celebration was nowhere to be found. At first, she tried the spider toss but couldn’t even land one on the web.
When that didn’t work, Apple Bloom rode the hay ride pulled by her brother. Big Macintosh wasn’t much of a talker, but even he tried to talk to his younger sister to no avail while pulling her. After the ride, she hugged her brother before walking around town. Knowing there was an event at Sugarcube Corner, Apple Bloom made her way toward the bakery.
Unfortunately, she ran into a pair she didn’t want to see.
“So the blank flank didn’t dress up this year?”
“That’s like SO lame!”
Standing in front of Apple Bloom were Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, wearing expensive and elaborate Princess outfits. With Apple Bloom’s head focused on the ground, she failed to notice them ahead of her.
”Oh, brother! So unoriginal.”
“What do y’all want?”
“Oh, nothing, just wanted to see what lame costume you’re wearing.”
“Wait, Diamond Tiara! I know what she is!”
Applebloom’s body tensed up, knowing she was about to be insulted by bullies before her. It was bad enough to lose her human best friend but to be insulted while in mourning was another thing. Applebloom felt useless that she couldn’t do anything for Konrad, but if there was one thing she could do, it was teach her bullies a lesson.
”I don’t care anymore; I’m gonna do what I should have done long ago.”
“Oooh! What is she?”
“A loser blank flank that doesn’t even have a friend with her.”
As the two fillies laughed at Apple Bloom’s expense, she prepared to lunge at the bullies before seeing somepony she recognized behind them. It was none other than Princess Luna who gave her a wink. Apple Bloom immediately knew what to do as she smiled with a nod, relaxed her body, and put on a fake tone of sadness.
“Awww...I’m such a loser...I just knew it all along.”
“See Silver Spoon? Even she admits it!”
“Oh, this is just too good!”
“Eeyup, I’m just a loser...that went into Everfree Forest right after school where I belong.”
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at each other with confusion before turning back to Apple Bloom.
“What? You went into Everfree Forest?” asked Diamond Tiara.
Continuing her fake sob story, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but feel excitement and anticipation for the finale.
”I hope they wet themselves.”
“Eeyup...Everfree Forest, where I made some new friends,” replied Applebloom.
Scoffing at Apple Bloom’s claim, Silver Spoon asked,
“Like who would want to be your friend? Other blank flanks?”
“Not just any blank flanks....special blank flanks...”
Apple Bloom began to give them the best evil smile she could muster, signaling Princess Luna she was ready. Apple Bloom’s eyes glowed a dark red as she slowly began to walk toward them. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon started backing up as Apple Bloom’s eyes continued to glow.
“They’re nice ponies...and they’ll take you too, just like they did with me.”
“Stay back! Get away!” cried, Diamond Tiara.
“Let’s get out of here!” cried Silver Spoon.
As both turned around, the sight of a zombie Nightmare Moon was staring them in the face.
“They accepted me too! Come little ones, it won’t hurt to join.”
“Much...” finished Apple Bloom.
Both turned around and saw Applebloom had fully transformed into a zombie pony, with a bloody smile on her face. No longer able to contain their fear, both fillies screamed while holding each other before running away, creating a large dust cloud. When the bully classmates were gone, Apple Bloom and Princess Luna turned back to normal, laughing very hard at their successful prank.
“Ahahaha! I don’t think I’ve ever seen them run away like that in my life!”
“A very successful prank indeed. I’m delighted it went well. Much preferable over violence, I would think.”
A blush formed on Apple Bloom’s face at Princess Luna’s mention of violence. The filly knew she was wrong for preparing to hurt her classmates and Princess Luna calling her out on it was embarrassing indeed.
“I...I wasn’t.”
“Going to hurt them? I think we both know that’s what would happen had I not found you in time. I highly suggest you find an alternate solution next time, young Apple Bloom. I know I wish I had long ago...”
“I’m sorry, Princess Luna...I was so mad at what they said when I had no friends. I couldn’t help but think of him.”
“Him? You mean...”
“Uh-huh...Konrad...he’s not coming back.”
”Cause of the stupid Elements of Harmony! I want him back!”
Feeling hoof on her shoulder, Apple Bloom looked up and saw Princess Luna giving her a look of sympathy.
“So you know what happened? Who told you?”
“My sister. I know she didn’t mean it, but I’m so mad! I don’t even want to be around her! He was a good feller, and now he’s gone! He saved us, and that’s what he got? It’s not fair! Just not fair!”
Pouting, Apple Bloom crossed her forelegs, thinking about the loss of Konrad.
”He’s supposed to be here! I was gonna show him to the whole town, and we’d have fun! I want him now!”
Standing back on all fours, Apple Bloom broke from her thoughts, listening to Princess Luna.
“Apple Bloom, I understand how you feel. I miss him very, very much. And as angry as I am at my sister for her blunder, I cannot blame her. This was a tragic accident that neither of them wished to happen.”
“I know,” said Apple Bloom with her ears down. “I just want him back.”
“I’m sure both our sisters wanted us back too. It’s a shame Konrad kept us safe, only to not be with our family and friends tonight. Do you think he would want us to be mad and unhappy, not enjoying ourselves?”
“Umm...I don’t think so.”
“Do you believe he would wish his friend was sad?
“No...I think he’d want me to be happy.”
“I agree...Applebloom, would you do me the honor of escorting me to Sugarcube Corner? I hear there’s a cake they made in honor of me, but I think I will need help cutting and eating it. And our sisters may be there too. We wouldn’t want them to get the first slice now, would we?
”He’d want me to be happy. I know he would.”
“Nope! No siree!”
As Apple Bloom and Princess Luna began to make their way towards Sugarcube Corner, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but notice a bit lying on the ground. Even though she knew it wouldn’t work, she wanted to do it anyway. Picking up the bit with her teeth, Apple Bloom ran over to a well nearby. She closed her eyes and quickly wished before tossing the bit inside.
Giving a small smile, Apple Bloom said,
“Now, I’m ready to get some cake!”
“Made a good wish, did you?”
“Eeyup!”
BOOM!
The loud thunder could be heard from nearby, eliciting a pair of screams that Applebloom recognized. Laughing, Apple Bloom said,
“I know who those two are.”
“As do I. Rainbow Dash and her sidekick are on a prank streak tonight.”
“Sidekick? Oh, that’s Scootaloo. She told me she would hang out with Rainbow Dash yesterday.”
“One of you’re friends, I assume?”
“Yeah, she doesn’t have her cutie mark too.”
Looking back at the pair above the cloud getting ready to terrorize another group, Princess Luna commented,
“Somepony is going to get back at them soon. They’d best take heed. Now, where is this place, Apple Bloom?”
Pointing at Sugarcube Corner, the pair made their way over to the bakery, ready to eat some sweets, as the crack of another sound of a thunderous blast echoed from behind them, followed by screams.
The breeze was gentle to the human walking along the pathway to Ponyville, giving him some relief against his battered and bruised face. With the unmistakable Halloween-like lights gently glowing ahead in the distance, it wasn’t hard for Konrad to know where he was going. Having seen the show many times over gave him a rough idea of where he was.
”Let’s see, I think Sweet Apple Acres is close to the forest. If I keep walking the pathway, I should come across it. Hopefully, I’m on the right pathway.”
The man was fortunate to see not only the town ahead but was relieved the moon was shining bright, allowing him to see where he was going in the dark outskirts of Ponyville. Limping along the way while holding his left arm, the young man looked up at the full moon. He couldn’t resist thinking of Princess Luna as he watched the moon above, noticing the differences in shape and texture compared to earth’s moon.
”I’m glad she’s safe as well as Apple Bloom. I miss them both.”
Suddenly the man stopped as he realized what he was doing. He was going to Ponyville, the Mecca of bronies and pegasisters.
”I’m going to Ponyville...this...this is really unbelievable! But...can I really live with them? Will I be able to relate to them? There’s so much of earth I’m going to miss, and it’s going to be hard for them to understand me on some level. Did I make the right choice? Should I have gone to heaven with Ruby and Mitta? Can I even-”
The loud but unmistakable howl of a Timberwolf could be heard from the forest, shaking the man out of his contemplative worries.
”Fuck this shit! Ponyville, here I come!”
Picking the pace like a mad man, Konrad made his way down the path with the lights of Ponyville getting closer. As sweat continued pouring down his face, the breeze served as a slight relief for the man in pain of his wounds. Remaining on the path, he worried about how he would be received when he made it to town. Would they panic in fear?
Would they arrest him on the spot? What if he ran into those who didn’t receive him well, such as Rainbow Dash?
”I got to find Applebloom or Princess Luna; they’ll back me up. I’m tired of this stupid “Ah! A human!” shit. Can’t believe the mane six and Celestia hate me. This sucks balls.”
After an eternity, Konrad finally noticed a familiar landmark that made him happy beyond belief.
”Oh my God...I’m safe! So this is what the farm looks like....still cartoony looking but cool anyway.”
Standing at the front entrance, Konrad found himself at an impasse, wondering how to approach the occupants of the farm. If he ran into Applejack or, God forbid, Big Macintosh, he’d be screwed. On top of that, trespassing on personal property was a major no-no for any farm folk. He’d be even more trouble with the mane six should he anger Applejack.
He refused to suffer a repeat of the Elements of Harmony blasting him. As much as he hated sneaking, Konrad needed to find Apple Bloom, considering she was his best chance for immediate and long-term survival. Taking a quick look around the farm, he didn’t see anypony or any other living being in the immediate area. Relaxing by taking a deep breath, Konrad slowly passed the entrance onto Sweet Apple Acres.
The front area didn’t offer any concealment except a field of small crops nearby, which wasn’t particularly compatible with his camouflage pattern. Doing his best to be quiet, the man almost made it to the front door, with a heavy emphasis on “almost.” A small but furious growl came from behind as he was about to check the door. His body was frozen as his face turned pale with fear gripping him. Konrad mentally facepalmed himself for overlooking one small detail about the Apple family member he forgot.
”Winona...GOD DAMMIT! I forgot about their dog!”
Slowly turning around, the man found himself staring at the dog with a look of fury on her doggie face. Never before did Konrad think he could be afraid of a small dog, especially one from a girl’s cartoon. Attempting to sidestep from the door, Winona barked at his sudden movement that she deemed hostile. While confident that even in his wounded condition, he could take her out, the consequences of such action would be severe.
His entire situation was like a tight rope, and one small move could cost him his freedom. And even more at risk was his friendship with Apple Bloom, the filly he never wanted to see cry again.
”Shit! I can’t kill her! She’s just defending her loved ones from some weird smelly human! Apple Bloom will hate me if I hurt her, and the ponies will hate me even more!”
After standing there for a few more nerve-racking seconds, an idea popped into his mind.
”If I present myself as non-threatening and let her sniff me, I could get her to calm down and maybe even help me.”
Seeing no alternative, the man slowly knelt down and extended his hand for the dog to sniff. Noticing his slow but seemingly submissive behavior, Winona approached the man with caution sniffing his hand and thoroughly analyzing the scent she smelled. As the dog continued her scent inspection of the man, Konrad turned his head to his shoulder and took a sniff. For the first time since arriving in Equestria, it was his turn to have his face turn green.
”That’s what I smell like?! Holy shit...I need a bath or shower big time! DAYUM!”
Turning his attention back to the dog, Konrad was worried about what would happen if she rejected his attempt to be friendly. More and more sweat poured down his face as he gave a nervous smile to the canine defender of the farm. After sniffing him thoroughly, Winona began to lick his hand and wagged her tail in happiness. A warm and familiar feeling began to swell inside him as Winona smiled at him, recognizing him as a friendly individual.
”D’awww! Right in the feels! Winona is such a cute dog! Phew, that was close!”
The man sat down with his legs crossed and patted them, beckoning the friendly female canine to come closer. Winona was too eager to grant Konrad’s request, who was rewarded with a nice belly rub from his fingers.
“Who’s a good doggie? You’re a good doggie!”
For Winona, this was pure heaven. Never before had she experienced a belly rub from a human’s fingers before. It was a natural feeling to her, and the strange human was now a friend.
“If you knew where Apple Bloom was, I’d rub your belly much longer.”
Raising her head up, Winona got on all fours and pointed her muzzle in a direction to his right.
”Is she telling me where she is? If so, she just earned a belly rub.”
“Apple Bloom? You know where she is?”
“Woof!”
“She over there?”
“Woof, Woof!”
“She didn’t fall in a well, did she?”
Winona simply just gave a blank stare at Konrad. Whether she picked up on his reference or got tired of him calling her message wrong, he couldn’t tell.
”I think I just offended all canines everywhere. Some don’t have a sense of humor in the animal kingdom.”
“Okay, okay, so that way?”
Pointing his finger in the same direction, Winona barked some more before running off. Taking that as his cue to follow, he limped his way over and found Winona barking next to a clothing line. Despite not needing to wear clothes as much as humans, ponies wore them anyway and were required to clean them. On the line was Granny Smith’s neck scarf, a dress that clearly belonged to Applejack, a pair of overalls of Big Macintosh’s size, and a green head bandana. Winona pointed and barked at the bandana, which confused the man even more.
“Uh, that’s not Apple Bloom, sweetie. That’s just my-oh! I get it now.”
”She must have picked up her scent on my hand. No wonder she brought me to this. Looks like giving Applebloom that scarf saved my ass just now.”
“Woof, Woof!”
“Okay, girl, I got the message, belly rub time.”
Despite not bringing him to Apple Bloom, Konrad felt the canine deserved a treat for at least doing what she thought he wanted. Patting his legs as a signal to come to him, Winona did just that and was rewarded with another belly rub.
“Good girl! You’re the best dog in the world!”
As Winona continued to bask in the comforting feeling of Konrad’s fingers, the man began to form a plan for the setback he encountered. It was apparent nopony was home, seeing how they would have come out by now the dog’s barking, and his time here would be further wasted if he continued to wait. Looking at the scarf hanging on the line, Konrad took it and wrapped it around his neck.
”Fuck, it must be Nightmare Night or something. They mentioned it was coming up. Looks like my “Guardian” Angel dropped me back here the night ahead. Which means...”
“Luna’s in Ponyville! And if I’m correct, Apple Bloom is there!”
As the man began to make his way back to the entrance, Winona began to whine that the human was no longer rubbing her belly.
“I promise I’ll come back. Hell, if your owners will let me, I’ll take you for a walk and even play some fetch. How about that?”
“Woof, Woof!” replied Winona in approval, her tail wagging back and forth in happiness.
“Sounds like a plan! You stay here and hold the fort now, you hear?”
“Woof!”
Making his way back to the entrance, Konrad watched the lights glowing from the town ahead. While disappointed that Apple Bloom wasn’t home, he was glad to have made a new friend. Even though that friend was a dog, it was refreshing to not have to run away from a new face. Walking back through the entrance, Konrad looked and smiled at Winona, sitting not far from the door and watching him leave the farm.
”Good dog indeed! Now I’m off to find Apple Bloom and Princess Luna without getting the town freaked out about me. It shouldn’t be hard....should it? I mean, it’s not like I’m looking for Waldo or any shit like that. Both of them should stick out from the crowd.”
As the human continued his way towards Ponyville, he was unaware of the challenge he had undertaken, akin to finding a needle in the haystack.
”Well, ready or not, here I come.”