Author's Note

Sorry for the gap between chapters, been busy these past couple of weeks.

Verkleidet

Chapter 3

Its been almost a week since Augustus was thrown here, into Equestria. His life here hasn't gotten any better, only worse. As he walks the same walk as the people here, they criticize him on his face, and his clothes, and he was sick of it. But he had not showered or gotten his trench clothes clean in more than a week, not since before the raid back in his world. Today, he was going to visit Rarity to get his clothes patched up and fully cleaned.

Rarity had told him where she lived and worked, at a very large purple boutique near the center of the town. Augustus slowly walked there, exchanging looks with a matter of different creatures. These half-horse people keep giving him a look of disgust which slightly fired his nerves, and he noticed 2 guards looking at him very closely, and he looked back at them before walking into the boutique.

He closed the door, taking off his trench coat and his boots, then removed his helm from his head and began to roam around the foyer.

"Miss Rarity, I am here. Where are you?" Augustus asked before hearing a loud thump in the door on the side of the foyer. He put his clothes onto a coat rack, and slowly walked over to it, and it was open. He peered inside to see Rarity with her head down on her table. He walked inside and looked at her, tapping her shoulder, and she slowly turned her head to face Augustus, and revealed very large bags under her eyes exclaiming her exhaustion.

"Miss Rarity, are you alright?" Augustus asked before Rarity got up, once again towering over him by nearly a good half foot of space.

"Yes, Darling. Just a bit stretched thin since Sweetie Belle left." Rarity said, rubbing her eyes. Augustus nodded. Rarity had told him about her earlier in the time in his arrival, but has yet to meet her. He returned to his task at hand.

"Miss Rarity, do you need help?" Augustus asked. Rarity begun to shake her head, but stopped, and then very slowly looked away and nodded, sighing.

"Yes, it would be nice to have help." Rarity said as she walked over to a rack with several types of fabrics and cloth in rolls on it, and she carried a couple of them over to her table.

"I need to finish this suit for a very important client. I would do it myself, but I don't know any magic that gives a pony more hands." She said, holding her head in her hands on her workbench.

"Darling, your help would be much appreciated." She said before huffing in a large amount of air, and Augustus's bodily odors hit her nose like a carriage.

"But first, you need to bathe." Rarity said, pushing him out the door and upstairs towards her own bathroom.

"I will clean your clothes while you get clean. There are towels under the sink in the cabinet." Rarity said as Augustus entered the bathroom and slightly closed the door before stripping his clothes off, and realized the very bad smell they contained. He piled them outside the door where Rarity picked them up with her magic, and walked away to her washing room.

Augustus closed the door and turned on the shower by twisting the awkward knobs on the tile siding. He turned the heat all the way up, making the room fog with steam. The near boiling water calmed Augustus, and he sat in there for sometime, trying to see how he even got this far, as to use some strange creatures bathroom that looks so similar to a humans its incomprehensible.

He looked on the shelf in the shower and saw multiple soaps, but went with the one that had 'Lavender' written on the front, and began washing his body. His chest, arms, legs, and head were cleaned quickly, and Augustus instantly felt much better knowing he did not stink like a corpse. He waited a few more minutes to let the soapy water wash down his face, and finally he turned off the water. He stepped out of the shower with a towel on the cabinet. He takes the towel and wraps it around his waist. A pattern of knocks sounds at the door, and he opens it slightly, revealing Rarity with his clothes hung on her arm.

"Here you go dear, it was rather easy to wash them, seeing that your, smaller than the average pony." Rarity said.

"Thank you kindly Miss Rarity." Augustus said before shutting the door and hearing the steps slowly fade from his hearing. He inspected his clothes, and he found that they were cleaner than before the war. He put them on, and instantly his nostrils were hit with the smell of flowers. As he put on his clothes, he opened the door and grabbed the towel he had and dried his hair a bit before laying it down on his head, flattening his hair back into its original state.

He looked at himself in the mirror, but saw himself from a week ago, in the trenches, face covered in mud and small splatters of blood. He sighed at the memory, and he leaned the on the cabinet taking a few breaths. He shook his head and walked out of the bathroom, walking down the large staircase into the lobby.

He entered the room that Rarity was in and saw her with her head down again, and heard a gentle snoring coming from her. He walked over to her and shook her slightly, stirring her awake, and she yawned heavily before picking her head up from the workbench. Augustus looked at her from the side, the obvious streaks under her eyes signifying her great exhaust.

"Miss Rarity, you need to rest." Augustus said with his arm on her shoulder, and she looked over to him, and nodded very slowly before getting up. Augustus helped her up as much as he could, but he was horribly under her height, and was more of use to her as a walking stick. As they went up the stairs, Rarity slipped, causing much of her forward weight to fall onto Augustus's back, and he nearly collapsed, but he got his footing back and tipped her back up.

Rarity yawned and opened the door with her magic, then closed it once more with the same ability. Augustus got out from under her and she slumped herself on the bed and laid on her side, closing her eyes and her lips lightly moving.

"Thank you, Mister August."

"You're welcome, now please rest."

Rarity let her head rest on her arms, and within time, the only thing to be heard was the light breathing coming from the sleeping figure on the bed. Augustus wiped his forehead and opened the door, walking back downstairs slowly, the floorboards of the stairs creaking underneath him. Once he got downstairs, he looked around the lobby, and noticed a small couch in the middle with a table with very fine tea cups and dishes.

He sat down on the couch and laid his head back, closing his eyes and thinking of home once more, his life, and what was his family. He lost himself and his eyes were lost in a dead stare at the ceiling, and quickly, within a blink, everything around him was concrete, the fabric couches replaced by crates and wooden chairs.

His gear was back on him, and he could see his friends around him, laughing to each other with bottles of liquor in hand.

"Augustus, mien gott. Hans, you should have seen him during the last raid."

"Hush, Walter."

The men laughed around him and Augustus began to smile, and looked at his hands, gloved and his body covered in his normal trench attire. His friends looked at him again with wide grins, as if expecting him to do something. His smile dimmed a slight bit, waiting for something.

"Augustus, how have you been? Have you recovered from what happened to your family?" Hans said, his smile disappearing and being replaced with a more serious feature. Augustus frowned as Hans looked to him with the same serious look.

"I cannot forgive what the Lieutenant did to my family."

"Well, you aren't here anymore. You're in their world. And you already found love here."

"Here? Wait your here too?!" Augustus questioned. Hans got up from his seat, and so did his other 2 friends, all looking at him with serious faces.

"Listen closely Augustus. Something isn't right in this world, just like our world. The rulers have paid poor decisions and will pay deeply." Hans said, before he walked over to a closet, and slammed the door open, and a green mist enveloped the room in seconds. Gas! Augustus quickly backed up and reached for his mask.

Suddenly Walter came up behind him and grabbed his arms from behind him, forcing him to the floor. Augustus's head was turned against the ground, and he could see his friend morphing into a black beast with green eyes and fangs. Hans and the other man had turned into the same grotesque creatures, and he looked into the closet to see a dark figure coming out slowly. It emerged from the thick green clouds of mist, it looked at him with its emerald green eyes. Augustus inspected it and noticed that it looked just like the women in the world he was in.

"W-what are you, beast?!" Augustus said, and felt a pain in his back as the drone on top of him kicked him in the ribs, releasing him. He groaned on the ground as the figure came closer with clacking heels, chuckling to itself.

"I am naught but an exiled queen. Wandering the wastes, noble warrior. And you, have got my attention."It says, eyes flashing.

Augustus got up and ran towards the metal bunker door, banging on it.

"Hilfe! Someone help!" Augustus screamed as the woman behind him lurked closer, and her 2 minions got closer too. Augustus backed himself up to the door, as much as he could, and the woman pressed into him, her large body pinning him to the door.

"So much for bravery. Whats your name stud?" The figure said, laughing manically. Augustus was being pressed into the door too heavily to even respond, and felt a small pang of pain as she pressed a small bit more and laughed at his pain.

"Such a creature, how did you even survive the Everfree?" The womanly figured heartily laughed. Augustus finally shoved her off and slowly slid on the door, landing on the floor, and she once more approached him, picking up his chin and looking deeply into his eyes and making his heart stop for a split second in fear.

"You'll be mine soon enough. A queen needs a king by her side."

Augustus shot up instantly, scanning the room around him. He was back inside of Rarity's house, but the light outside had disappeared and the horizon was descending. He held his head in his arms, curling his legs to his chest trying to comfort himself. His eyes began to water, and the sound of sobbing hit the walls and lightly echoed up the stairs. Augustus clutched his head and he got up, kicking Rarity's coffee table. He looks up at the ceiling, then back to the floor. He wipes his eyes and heads towards the door, but notices that his trench coat and boots are gone.

He looks around quickly, and goes into Rarity's workroom, and finds the clothes neatly folded with a note on top.

' Thank you for earlier. Count this as a token of gratitude. - Rarity

Augustus crumpled the note and grabbed his things, quickly putting them on and opening the door to a burning orange horizon. His quick footsteps and very loud exit from Rarity's shop had attracted the attention of many passing ponies, and he only made his footsteps quicker. He made eye contact with nearly every pony looking in his direction, until his eyes fell on a guard. Augustus slowed down his movement, and he bared his eyes on the guard, and the guards stoic mouth turned into a cheeky smile, and his eyes begun to glow a very light green.

Augustus felt his heart drop and ran for the edge of town where Fluttershy lived. He opened the door rapidly, and noticed the 6 mares looking at his entrance. He ignored them and ran for his rifle, grabbing it and undoing the safety. He charges for his backpack and satchel, then continues to haul himself out the door. The girls quickly follow, fearful of what he plans.

"Augustus, where are you going?" Twilight asks. He simply ignores her and remained on his course towards the forest.

"Sir, you best speak up. You ain't goin' in there without good reason!" Applejack said, getting in front of him and blocking his path. Augustus pushes her out of the way and she revolts by clutching him to the ground.

"What in sane Tartarus has gotten into you?!" She yells. Augustus kicks her off of him, and he runs for the trees once again. Augustus nearly tackled as Rainbow Dash clutched to his back.

"Don't you hurt her!" She yells. Her iron grip restricted his movement a bit, and he got on a single knee, trying to get her arm from around his neck. His elbow met her abdomen, and she retracted, wincing and groaning. Augustus grabbed his rifle strap and pulled it around, pointing it at the 6 mares. They all look at him with fear in their eyes.

"I- I cant stay here. Someone is coming for me!" Augustus said, turning around and throwing the rifle over his shoulder with the strap. His feet pound against the hard forest floor, and the snaps and cracks of fallen branches and twigs beg him onward to somewhere safe, somewhere away from the creature he saw.

Augustus felt his head cramp, he heart beating like a drum. His lungs working overtime to carry him to where ever his feet took him. His eyes filled with tears as the pain of all this running was very well disabling his thoughts, but his fear remained intact, driving him like a rampant cart. His legs were burning up, and his body got heavier every second that passed, until finally, he fell over, rolling on the ground until he is a stopped by a tree. He groaned and laid his head on the grassy floor of the woods, and he began to break down. He fully cried, his face turning a faint red, small tears burning his cheeks as he cried on the ground.

"Why couldn't someone else be here, why me?!" He sobbed quietly. He covered his eyes with his dirtied gloves and left himself to his thoughts and burning cheeks rolling with dry tears. His nerves were shot, and his body was aching from the continuous running.

He got up, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve, and looking around at the darkness around him. Fear once again gripped him fiercely, and he jogged through the forest despite his whole body feeling as if its being torn apart. His eyes constantly scanning the area around him, and an opening over a cliff revealed a lower area, and to the left, a construct of some sort. Augustus squinted his tired eyes and saw that it was a castle.

He quickly went over to the castle and inspected it from across a very unstable looking rope bridge. He very carefully stepped on each plank, testing its durability, and several broke under him, but the general amount stayed unbroken. Once he was across, he was greeted by 2 large and dark blue doors. His curiosity and hope were coming back. This place seemed like, even in disrepair, a good place to settle down.

With great effort, he pushed the 2 heavy doors aside, and entered into a very dark and haunting hallway with torn banners depicting the sun and moon, and 2 celestial beings behind them. Augustus took out his rifle and walked, slightly crouched as to ease the sound of his footsteps on the old mossy stone brick. Once more, he was face to face with 2 more doors, but this time, the insignia of the 2 figures were one each door, and he slowly pushed it open, revealing 2 massive thrones, nearly double his height.

He pulled his rifle closer to his chest, and entered slowly, making sure to rotate all around to check for unexpected surprises. He peered around the doors, and took a step forward, and his foot went down a bit, and the stone beneath it clicked. Small torches on the side of the castle lit up, casting light all over the room, albeit one side being a shade of purple and the other a normal yellow.

'What is this place?' Augustus wondered to himself. He went forward and took a closer glance at the thrones, and they both seemed to be for someone of unnatural height. The thrones themselves were made of gold and what was a luscious padding reduced to nothing more than wet rags. He backed up and went into the hall he came from, and noticed that the torches in here were not lit. He sighed and grabbed one of the torches from off the throne room walls and ventured back to the main door and shut it tightly, barring it with a rotten plank from a dilapidated bench.

He looked to his right and spotted a small flower pot, almost pristine and empty. He leaned the torch on the top edge of the pot, illuminating the area around him. He laid down on the hard stone floor, and put his bag under his head, looking up at the broken ceiling that revealed a starry night above him. The dark blue haze of the sky and small twinkling stars inside of it soothed him immensely. His exhausted body was ready for rest, and he had a hard time keeping his eyes open. His eyes glanced over the banner once more, and the 2 beings on it, circling each other. His tired mind piecing together the castles decorations and the thrones. His eyes finally closed, completely worn out from his long run, his body felt heated, despite being on a cold floor. He put his arms under his head, and let the night sky drown out the sound of locusts and crickets outside the enormous doors.