“Questions”
Conrad Schmidt
Earth Pony Relocation Zone Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville, Equestria
September 4th, 15 ALR (After Luna’s Return)

It was all too quick for him to really process. One moment, the soldier pony was ordering him to drop his weapon, the next he was laying dead in a pool of his own blood. He didn’t know why he spoke up in the Earth Ponies defense, or why he disobeyed the orders shouted at him, but there was no way he could reverse his actions now. All he could do now was press this Rarity character and pray the government would not send more troops, knowing full well that the chances of that were astronomically slim.

Rarity just stood where she was quietly, still gaping at her dead comrade. Conrad couldn’t help but feel pity for the terrified mare... after all, there was no way she could’ve known what his rifle would do and just how deadly it was. She must think that he was using a stick of sorcery or something similar.

Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Conrad got his response as Rarity unsheathed her sword and placed it gently on the ground. “I know when to give up, and clearly this is one of those times. All I ask is that you spare my life,” she said slowly. Conrad could clearly hear the wavering tone of Rarity’s voice, knowing full well that she was absolutely terrified.

He immediately walked towards Rarity, stopping a few feet in front of her before looking down at her. “You’re very wise Ms. Rarity, and I respect that. I sincerely apologize for killing your comrade there; you must understand that I was defending myself. As long as you cooperate with me and answer all of my questions, I’ll be certain to let you live,” he explained. Rarity nodded as she took a seat on her rump, raising her gaze to meet Conrad’s.

“Very well, I’ll tell you what I can. Just ask away.” she replied, her voice taking on a more calm tone. Conrad gave a short smile, then got down to a kneeling position and looked at Rarity, observing her polished armor. The whole thing was painted a rich shade of purple, with a large diamond fixed onto the chest piece.

“Let’s start off easy. What’s your rank and why do you wear such... flashy armor?” Conrad finally asked, keeping a neutral look on his face. Rarity thought for a few moments, and then grinned.

“I’m a Captain, responsible for dealing with only the most worrisome Relocation Camps for Her Majesty Princess Twilight Sparkle. As for why I wear such wonderful armor, it’s because I have a reputation to uphold. I want to look my best as I uphold Twilight’s will, to show that while I’m a mare who shows no mercy, I’m also a mare of class.”

Conrad listened with interest, taking note of how much pride was in her voice. Once Rarity finished, Conrad took a bit to think of what else he wanted to ask her when Applejack walked over to the both of them and cleared her throat.

“Ah got a question for ya Rarity. How the hay did ya go from generous and friendly to cold and merciless? I know y’all are part of the Death Heads and all but you were never like this, getting down in the mud and killing ponies without hesitation. It’s just not like ya to join such an organization like the Death Heads and kill ponies who resist Twilight.” she asked slowly, clearly struggling to not let much emotion in her voice. Rarity froze at this, looking deep into Applejack’s eyes as she pondered her answer.

Meanwhile, Conrad watched both of them with interest, wondering why Applejack had asked such a question. It was almost like they were friends before the relocation camp, something that intrigued Conrad deeply. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Rarity cleared her throat before looking at the ground.

“I... well I had no choice Applejack, darling… Twilight personally asked me to join the Death Headss. At first I didn’t want to, but then… then she threatened Sweetie Belle, and I had no choice. From there, my only goal was to impress Twilight, so I did my best to be as ruthless as possible. It was the only way to keep Sweetie safe…” she explained softly, tears forming in her eyes. Applejack sighed, walking over to Rarity before wrapping her forelegs around her in a hug, trying her best to comfort her as she began to cry.

Conrad watched the embrace calmly, bringing himself back up to his full height and taking a step back. These two would need time to recover the time that had been lost between them, and Conrad knew it would be best to let them have their space. Taking his rifle off his shoulder, he quickly pulled the bolt back and forth four times before loading a fresh stripper clip and placing the rifle back on his shoulder. He then reached down and grabbed the four rounds that he ejected and put them all in his ammo pouch before crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for the two old friends to break off their hug.

After a few minutes, Applejack pulled away from Rarity, giving the Captain a small smile. “Ah’m happy to see you back Rarity... I missed you and the others so much. When ah heard that you were this evil, relentless officer in the Death Headss, ah thought ah lost ya to Twilight’s evil. Ah just wish Twilight hadn’t changed so much. It’s heartbreaking to see what she’s become, a tyrannical dictator with no sense or proper morals anymore.” she said shakily, taking a seat on her rump. Rarity nodded slowly, looking deep into Applejack’s eyes for a while before suddenly turning her gaze to Conrad.

“Maybe you can help us Mr Schmidt. I mean you killed Steel Resolve with ease from a distance with your weapon there. If you managed to kill him so easily...maybe you can help fight back against Twilight!” she exclaimed as she rose to her hooves. Conrad’s eyes widened as he heard this, completely astounded that Rarity would ask him to do such a thing. It was one thing to kill a guard pony who was charging him, but to help a bunch of ponies rebel against a tyrannical government by himself? No way in hell that would work.

“I’m sorry, but there is no way in hell I’ll fight against this Princess Twilight. I’m just one man, and to be frank I just want to get home. I killed Steel Resolve in self defense, if I had any other option I would of had taken it.” Conrad replied rather sharply, eliciting murmurs from the crowd of earth ponies. Rarity opened her mouth to retort against this when Applejack held up her hoof to stop Rarity and turned to look at Conrad.

“Ah understand you’re want to get home Conrad, and that ya killed Steel Resolve in self defense, but Rarity has a point. We need your help if we’re ever going to survive. If Twilight gives up on sending us away, we’re still going to slowly starve here on the farm, live our days in suffering. Ah have a feeling that we aren’t the only ponies in this situation... ah think that all earth ponies are suffering in this way. Please Conrad. The fate of our entire race hangs in the balance here!” she exclaimed in a sad, pleading tone.

Deep in Conrad’s mind, he knew what Applejack was saying was true, yet he was unsure on if he should stay and help or continue to try to get home. If he stayed, he’d be facing overwhelming odds, and would probably be killed in his efforts. However, if he went back home to Earth, perhaps he’d have better chances with his brothers in arms in the 6th Army in Stalingrad. He thought about it for a while before finally clearing his throat and looking at Applejack.

“Give me till tomorrow morning to think about it. I’ll give you your answer then.” he replied rather curtly. There were murmurs of disappointment from the crowd, but Applejack smiled a bit.

“Thank you for at least considering it Conrad. It means a lot to the rest of the ponies and me here on the farm. Now, let me take you to a place where ya can rest your head. Rarity, ya can come with me too. As for the rest of y’all, get back to work. Ah think we’ve had enough excitement for one day.” she exclaimed. The crowd was rather quick to disband, a lot of them muttering as they went back to working the orchard leaving Applejack, Conrad and Rarity alone in the clearing. There was a moment of silence between the three before Applejack finally gestured for them to follow her as she started walking towards the barn. Rarity and Conrad stayed back for a few seconds, eyeing the body of Steel Resolve for a few seconds. Conrad shrugged at the body, without much emotion, while Rarity took the small period to honor her comrade before reluctantly following.

Author's Note

Special thanks to Echo_Off for editing this chapter, and become the official editor for this story. He's a brave man to delve into my shitty writing to fix it up, and he deserves all the respect.