Author's Note

And a lovely Evening to all of you.

Hope your doing fine, not much to this little message but to "say hey and glad to see ya here."

I hope everyone is enjoying the new rewrite, as it has been interersting putting a more realistic spin while still having fun with the fantasy portion of what is.

As always leave a comment if you would like, I do love hearing from you guys. Hope your week goes very well indeed.

Also, just a reminder if you would like to support my work, I do have a Kofi that you can donate to if you have the spare funds to do so.

Thank you so much for reading.

Peace

Meet and Greet

Orion's first time on a train from this world was boring, save for a trio of griffons all gabbing away about some ruins that had suddenly appeared far to the north, there was nothing but the windows to really pay attention to.

The view was breathtakingly spectacular as the rail had taken them around the mountain itself, affording the passengers scenes of rolling grasslands, tiny towns, and a massive forest to the south. He vaguely remembered seeing that forest before, years ago on his journey to the city above.

Unlike the rest of Equestria, turning into the myriad of hues and colors of fall, that forest was just as verdant green as if it was the middle of summer. Only a small portion toward the west matched the rest of the world. He couldn't be sure, but he supposed the forest to the south was all evergreens of some kind.

He really should pay attention to his geography classes.

His new shadow, Seregant Strikes, had already begun snoring away across from him the moment they had left the station. Clearly, the mare wasn't as concerned with his potential escape as she had expressed the afternoon before.

Orion was beginning to think the guard had only wanted to watch the show that was Mount Evergarden going up in full eruption.

With an estimated two-hour arrival time, he was already bored. He poked at the nullstone ring sitting snugly on his horn. It was not his first encounter with the curious object, the last had been when he was six, so his experience with it was limited.

Attempting to channel magic through his horn the night before had been an interesting exercise. He could hold the raw flows of mana in his horn just fine, but when it came to forming a spell it all got sucked in like soda through a straw, straight into the ring itself. Even the bands’ assitances was for nothing.

He wondered, not for the first time, where all that magic went. Did it just act as some magical magnet and keep it all forever, or did it dissipate all that force back into the environment in a way that didn't affect the local space.

One rather interesting development was when he pulled in more and more magic through the bands on his arm. The ring had begun to strangely rattle. That should have been impossible with how it had sealed itself. He would have continued to increase the amount he was pulling in save for the fact that a headache had manifested itself the harder it shook.

Stopping had lessened the effect, but it did not go away completely, lingering into the night and part of this morning. Despite the pain, he couldn’t help but feel as if there was something to that rattle. It reminded him of a lesson, but of what he could not dredge up.

He sighed. With the train not quite packed but more than enough ponies scattered about in seats, he didn't want to look like he was trying to escape. Already more than a few had pointed out the ring and the guard. Hushed voices ladened with fear were irritating him as well as making his headache worse.

Instead he sat back and thought about what had happened yesterday.

At the time, he had been more preoccupied with how he had acted and what might have been had Celestia gone nova. But now he had time to organize what had happened before she started her nuclear fission.

While Blueblood had continued his demands for him to essentially be tortured, the Princess had frowned, staring at her nephew. Her horn was lit up, and she was focused on him like a viper on a bird. Minutes later it was like she already knew everything, claiming that he had been under observation since his return to the city in the summer.

A chill swept through him and his stomach dropped.

She had read the poor bastard's mind. That was the only explanation. She had read his mind somehow, and knew everything.

Chills turned to an outright shudder of fear.

In history class, they had learned of a group of unicorns who invoked a spell that would pull knowledge from the victim's mind. It was an egregious violation of the sanctity of one's own privacy, their sense of self. Not only that but it acted as a brain melt, completely rendering the victim incapable of doing much more than breathing. Once that particular possé of ponies had been punished, Celestia had signed a law outlawing the practice of mind magic beyond the theoretical, even that was heavily monitored.

It would seem that she believed that law never really applied to her. The question was, how did she do it without turning Blueblood into a fucking vegetable. More importantly, could she do it to himself? Had she refined the spell to such a degree that she no longer had to worry about the side effect?

"I mean, she could have actually been watching him. But the guy is a complete moron. If yesterday had really been his plan the poor bastard might need a helmet. There would be no reason to watch someone that dumb, would there?"

It felt like someone was gripping his heart. He stared vacantly at the scenery, without really taking it in anymore. Even if it was true that she had Blueblood and his family under observation, that meant he too, could be getting the same treatment.

It was not a comforting line of thought, though if there had been something she had learned, he doubted he would be on the way to Ponyville.

Still, the idea scared the hell out of him.

By the time the train had pulled into the station, he had come up with nothing to allay those fears. He wished he hadn't thought about it.

Stepping down the last step from beneath the station's red and green awning was like stepping back in time. Yet not…somehow.

As poor as Stalliongrad had looked in comparison to Manehattan and Canterlot, Ponyville was even more so. In terms of architecture at least.

Instead of tile, thatch dominated the town rooftops save for a few and the government buildings themselves.

Thatched roofs were accompanied by white plaster walls, cute arch-top lead glass windows, and small murals on some of the homes.

Unless he missed his guess, many of the ones he could see looked to be cutiemarks.

Well organized streets in a spiderweb pattern shot out from the largest building in town, City Hall. Gravel dominated the roads. But here and there showed signs of upgrades as cobblestone made more and more appearances the closer to the center they walked.

Every yard had a flower bed full to bursting with multiple hues of blossoms despite the falling temperatures.

However, what really caught his attention was the people. They were all bright smiles and kind greetings. No one seemed to take it amiss that a colt was walking down the street under guard, with a nullring on his horn, instead they waved at him.

Some did tut at him in an admonishing, if gentle, way. That came mares they passed.

What was really a surprise was the fact that it wasn't just earth ponies. They were the majority, of course, but they weren't alone.

Pegasi, unicorns, and even cows were intermixed with each other. Chatting away as if life was normal. There was no division although there was a rather lively argument breaking out in the marketplace Orion and his escort wandered by.

So much for ever having beef again.

His time in Canterlot had made this little trip so strange. These folks were friendly and kind. Canterlonians were assholes to each other. It was the snobbish kind, with veiled insults. The noblesse looking down on everyone else.

This was…well, quaint.

That was a good descriptor for this place. The townsfolk seemed to not have a care in the world.

His aforementioned guard yawned loudly and stretched. The moment they had stopped she had snapped awake as if she had been on alert all morning and hustled him out of the train and station. How Errant Strikes was able to do all that so suddenly he could only chalk up to military training.

Now his escort walked next to him, hands clasped behind her head, smiling and nodding greeting to everyone that gave one, either first or in return.

He just shook his head in amusement.

"So boss lady, where the hell are we headed?" Orion finally asked after they had gotten to the center of town.

"Behind the Hall. The local guard station has some barracks for in town patrol. You'll be staying there, and it's closest to the school. A good thing too because a village this size only really has one." She remarked.

"Only one huh?"

He kept his comments to himself. He liked the mare from a personal standpoint, but her being here was already likely to make this tour of pain worse.

Walking around, what he could only describe as a colorfully garish, non-descriptive, standard government building, they soon found the rather compact tower of the local guard. A round, four story structure painted to match the city hall in all its glory.

Like every other building, there was a flower garden that wrapped around it, and several pots full of the same sitting about the doorstep.

They had completely mislabeled their village. Should have been called Flowerville instead.

Stepping inside had the usual affair for a building of its function. A pair of desks, several chairs, and a map of the town itself sitting on the opposite wall of the door.

Turns out Ponyville had more than one point of interest.

There was another market on the far side of town, near the farms that sat outside the village. An old warehouse near where the train station sat. It was currently labeled derelict, and of all things a huge tree south from them called the Golden Oak Library.

"Why would you name a tree a library? It's a tree not a giant fucking book."

Each place had their own spider web of roads and alleyways that blended with the overall set up.

Honestly, it was better planned out than Canterlot. Other than the one long main street that went from entrance to the castle, the roadways and side streets were an absolute nightmare to navigate.

Behind one of the desks, sat a rather large earth pony stallion. Looking at the tan and blue maned pony in the standard uniform of the guard, he gaped. The stallion was jacked.

He could not help but notice that everyone was bigger here. Especially the stallions. A massive shift from the normally smaller demure population of males back in the city.

"Jesus, what do they feed you man?!" He bellowed as the guard stood up to come around the desk.

The stallion's laughter was his first response.

"Not sure what "Jesus" means but my ma and pa fed me the labor of the land, colt."

He had picked up the local accent early on but it hadn't sunk in at first. Now, with this country bumpkin yapping at him he realized all too late where he actually was.

Hillbilly ponies. He had been sent to help teach kids in a hillbilly town.

"Goddamnit. I left the country farm life for this very reason!"

Instead of laughing at him as well, Errant had taken to shooting sultry looks at the man. "So, I imagine this isn't the only thing big about you." She touched his arm, Orion was sure she was talking about his silo instead.

"Hah! Sorry ma'am, but I'm already in a herd of six. I doubt they would tolerate another addition." He laughed, but did run an appreciative eye over her, which she returned with interest.

Orion Falls groaned with disgust.

"If you two are gonna dig that pit of affair, can you at least show me to my bunk, cell, or spot on the floor where I'll be sleeping when I am not being run ragged by brats." Both adults blushed furiously.

"Orion, you're being rude." The mare hissed at him, while the still unnamed stallion looked elsewhere.

"And you need to get laid more often, your acting like it's March for fuck sakes. Can we just get on with this? The pair of you can flirt all ya want when I'm happily elsewhere." He shot back.

More blushes followed, with stammering peppered in for the flavor of embarrassment he had gotten out of them.

It didn't take long, and unlucky him, he was bunking with the rest of the guards on the second floor. At least the cots were comfortable.

Yay.

Collard Green, the stallion's name if anyone could believe, was a Ponyvillian born and raised. As he showed him around he splurged his life story and family history.

Orion didn't think it could be done with as small a place as the Ponyville guard barracks. But the Guardstallion improvised, and drug him across the small town itself as well. The excuse that he should know where everything was the only reason given.

The Greens, a family name as it turned out, had moved here with the Apple Family and had helped establish the community at its founding.

Well, it was more of a following after. The Apples being pioneers here as they were the first family to settle some seven hundred or so years ago, the records and tales were never quite specific enough, in the valley. At first they had named the place Sweet Apple Valley. Named after a matriarch of the family who died centuries ago.

But as more families arrived, the Greens being the first, new names were brought up to name the town. Greenville, Floral Town, the list went on.

There was even a brief two month span in which the town was dubbed Nowhere. A prank by two fillies that Canterlot's Zoning and Agricultural departments both fell for.

In Orion's opinion that had been the only interesting point of Ponyville's history. But good Ol' Collard was on a roll and could not be stopped.

Soon enough the small village, the families had gotten together and after a month of arguments and brawls, had settled on the name of Ponyville. Beating out Terra Equine by a fair margin due to the fact that by this time the town was flooded with more than just earth ponies, namely unicorns and pegasi.

In Green's opinion that was rather speciest, if he said so himself, and he did, but at the time it likely made sense to the denizens. Even now there were only ponies living in the fair size town, but they had been getting a lot of griffons and a couple of minotaurs showing interest in the past decade.

A new name change was likely in their future.

It didn't stop there unfortunately for Orion. The Officer of the Ponyville Guard continued on with a more indepth telling of his families origins, of a farmstead in the Blackhoof Hills north of the Dragonlands.

How his great-great-grandsire, because for some reason grandpa wasn't good enough, received a letter from the Apple's matriarch inviting him to uproot his herd and follow after to a valley that was said to be; "'verflowing with life jest perfect for farmin'".

As he was beginning to tell the tale of their journey frought with hunger and danger, Orion had figured out how to tune the stallion out.

There was much rejoicing in his soul.

"And this is to be a new bakery of some sort!" Collard finished with a wave in direction of a half built circular structure. It looked like the beginning of a tower till you got to roughly where the third floor would be, a strange conglomeration of wood at very odd angles sat like a lump up there.

The sudden change in conversation had jerked him from blissful daydreaming, and so the first thing that came from his mouth had not gone through the necessary checks and balances that he normally goes through in order not offend anyone.

"That, is going to be one UGLY bakery." He regretted the moment he said it of course.

A skinny yellow stallion currently applying a layer of plaster to the outside of the building spun around, spraying wet plaster everywhere.

He was clearly the owner, but instead of anger and rage there was only anguish. With tears rolling down his cheeks he dashed out of sight behind the structure.

As sobs began to echo from the alley, both Orion and Collard beat a hasty retreat back to the barracks.

"Well, that's one place I can't go to." Which was just as well, the baked goods was likely going to end up way too sweet for him.

The following morning found the black colt standing on the step of the school building.

"Looks like a fucking gingerbread house…" he mummured, carefully keeping it quiet as a stream of foals passed by him.

It was larger than he was expecting. The outside painted red and shingled in a dark hue of the same. The intricate pink and white line work in swooping strokes was a nice touch, if a tad garish and girly to him.

"The hell is up with the pink hearts?"

Unlike every other picture he had ever seen of these places of lesser learning, save for the coloring, there was an extension built on the right hand side. It was smaller, but constructed much the same as the rest including the eye wrenching color palette.

His hackles suddenly rose, he was being watched.

Turning around he was surprised to find two fillies looking close to the same age as himself, maybe a little older, watching him.

One, an orange furred blond maned cowpony wearing overalls and a red flannel shirt was eyeing him with suspicion. Freckles, or at least the semblance of them, speckled the area under her deep green eyes. Those eyes turned to a glare as her gaze fell on the nullring still on his horn.

He had tried getting Collard, or any of the guards, to remove the thing. That had not worked of course, as each of them cited the law about disobedience to the Princess's will.

The other filly, well almost a mare the way she dressed, was far less hostile, though she wore a pensive frown with full purple painted lips on an all white face. Her deep purple mane was stylized in a way that a curl actually covered her left eye just a bit. And like the cowpony's green, these were a stunning purple.

Dressed in a rather conservative blue and white dress cut just above the knee, she was the very picture of beauty and sophistication.

Instead of her frown being directed at his horn, it instead was being focused on his clothes of all things. A white hand slowly reaching out. "....I could do better…"

He wanted to be angry, but he had bought the plain long sleeve orange shirt and black pants at a budget. At this juncture of his life he didn't really see the need to spend a ton of money on garments that he would likely grow out of in a few months. So her dissing his duds was really par for the course.

"They were cheap. Do you have any idea how much clothes cost in Canterlot?" It had been the first thing any of them had said to each other, in the silence of the moment, those words were deafening.

Instead of startlement, angry face just got angrier, and frowny face went in the complete opposite direction. A smile, warm and excited, exploded on her face.

"You're from Canterlot?!" Okay, so he could definitely use hearing aids now. What was up with that voice?

The purple maned filly did a little dance in place, and before he could react, had grabbed his hands in her own. She had a strong grip.

"Oh I've always dreamed of living in Canterlot! The glamor! The culture! The ponies of influence!" Now he could place the accent.

He had seen way too many movies.

She sounded like a blue blood rich kid from one of those lifetime movies in New England. He couldn't for the life of him remember what it was called though.

"I don't see what's all great 'bout a fancy pants place like dat." The other spoke sourly. "It's all fakery and wotnot I tell ya." She snorted derisively.

"Oh nonsense Applejack! You just have no culture! I fear there is no hope for you!" Spoke the still unnamed of the pair, if rather dramatically.

"Rares! Ya know we have plenty of culture right here in Ponyville. Ya don't need no fru fru ponies blinding you with all their fancy speeches and weird parties!" She shot back, arms crossed under a surprising amount of breast. Okay maybe they were way older than him.

The pair began to bicker at one another, arguments flying across the short distance so fast he could not even hope to keep up.

"Fillies!" The shout made him nearly jump out of his fur. Spinning around he hopped a few steps back and to the right of Applejack.

He had not heard the plump school marm approach in her conservative dark blue dress.

Short and a good deal into her middle years, there was gray and white streaking her tight bun of yellow, the green mare glared at the two ponies who now we're looking a good deal chastened.

"School has begun and you sit here like hens arguing over the corn. Get your tails in there and sit proper! I expected better of you two." Her eyes did a better job of herding than any sheep dog in existence could ever have hoped as they followed, more like chased, the pair inside.

Orion could only stand there, bemusement painted on his face as he too watched the fillies retreat inside.

"And now who are you, dear?" Hard blue eyes had softened considerably, the corners of her eyes crinkling in a way that made him reevaluate her age.

"Oh, Orion Falls. Not sure you've heard about me yet." He quickly responded. She now had a pleasant demeanor, with a smile bright and happy, but he hadn't forgotten that hard eye'd glare she had given the two before.

This was a mare who ruled her classroom.

"Ah yes, I have indeed. I am Mrs. Sunflower. Emerald Sunflower. And you my young colt, are the trouble maker from up in Canterlot." The smile had disappeared, but neither was she upset just yet.

"Uh, yeah. How much of that have you heard?"

"From what I've heard, you injured a great deal of ponies with magic." And there's the frown.

"Actually, it was more physical than anything else. The most I used my magic was deflecting their spells away from me," he gave a frown of his own, "and they came after me. I'm being punished for going a bit farther than I intended."

"So that's it. Couldn't control your temper could ya? Well I wouldn't go trying anything here if I was you." She shot a thumb back toward the school house. "That little filly, Applejack, has a brother that will bend you into shapes no pony has a right to even be in. You just be minding your manners and respecting boundaries. You're to be helpin' me teach these foals', and I'd like to see what a fancy education in Canterlot gets ya."

"Oh, well this will just be a barrel of fun now won't it?" He decided it was best not to try and dissuade her current conceptions.

At mentioning he was the one attacked her eyes had hardened. She would not believe him. Not unless Celestia herself hauled her big white ass down here and told her. Even then video evidence would likely be required judging by that stare.

"Now in ya git. I have a class to teach and you got work to do." With that she spun around and walked inside. He followed in her wake, a sour twist to his mouth.

"This is gonna be fun…" Somewhere in the conversation, Collard had seen himself out of the situation.

Introductions were easy, once the class had calmed down and stopped oggling the newcomer.

Applejack didn't trust him. His baggy clothes were rumpled his mane all done up in a mass of braids and loose hair, completely unkempt. His tail just barely looked like a brush had run through it.

Granny always said you can judge a pony by the way they care for themselves.

At present, this Orion Falls, looked like a bum. Even worse was why he was here.

"Setting the record straight before rumors begin. I am here as part of my community service. I won't go into details, as many of you here are likely too young to really understand. Suffice to say I am here because of a really bad fight, that I did not begin, but a lot of colts got hurt over it. I went too far and I was angry."

As he continued on she noted that Mrs. Sunflower's eyebrows had begun a march to her maneline. Was he lying, he didn't seem like he was lying. If anything she was surprised at the strange honesty she was feeling from him. That didn't make her like him any though.

To her, he was trouble just waiting to plop down on your head, like an apple left too long on the branch.

"I will do my best to help Mrs. Sunflower in her duties, and maybe impart some of what I know to anything you're studying." He finished.

"Thank you Orion for that rather…honest, introduction." The teacher commented dryly.

"Lies only serve to do two things, hurting those around you, and shelter the ignorant. Lying here would gain no one anything."

"No one?"

A hand shot up, little Trolly Cart was waving his arm for all he was worth.

Orion looked at Mrs. Sunflower, and she nodded. "Uh yes?" He pointed and looked back at the colt.

"Um uh, what's...what's a "no one"?" His squeaky little voice chirped out. The little pegasus had a lilting voice like many in his race.

"Well, let me ask you a question for that question. Is a griffon a pony?" Rather than answer, Trolly's head just shook back and forth. "How about a minotaur?" Again, the same head shake.

As he plowed on through the list of intelligent creatures in the world, Applejack began to wonder where he was going with this.

"Sorry for so many questions, but it was to make a point. When you say anypony, or nopony, or any of the other pronouns that are often used, you are actually excluding a fair bit of the global population. Not that it matters, as where you live is more often that not, pony populated. But my point is that when I speak, I make an effort to include all in my conversations. Even if they are not there." He rolled his hand in a circular motion. "It's not... respect, it's common courtesy. Respect is an entirely different category that I won't get into today. But I hope that explains my opinion on the matter, and also why I say things the way I do."

Trolly only nodded, a bewildered expression on his little face. He didn't get it, but she did. It was oddly…nice, coming from somepony that was a troublemaker. It was almost certainly far away from what she expected from him.

When she looked over to her friend, she could only sigh.

Of course, Rarity had not even noticed. In her hands was one of the latest fashion magazines. So no point in getting her opinion on the subject of this new colt in the class.

"There will be more time for questions later." Mrs. Sunflower said, followed with a resounding clap of her hands. "Foals, please open your history books to chapter seven. Today we will be discussing the failure…"

As their teacher went on, Applejack continued to eye Orion, he somehow had already gotten his hands on a textbook of his own, and was flipping through the pages with an amused grin.

"Yer not to be trusted, bucko…" She believed it too. He looked far too happy for somepony both suspended and being punished.

That, and he had been lying at one point. He did not regret what he did. Not at all.

The first day actually went pretty well for him. The kids were attentive for one. The books were at least printed in the last century so already better than what he had expected, so that was two. And while Mrs. Sunflower could be harsh she was also fair.

Going over the lesson plans while the brats were on recess, he noticed the lack of science on anything.

"Hey Mrs. S. You barely have a science hour. Mostly it's just reading scientific journals so old I'm pretty sure they've been disproven by now."

"Hmm, oh yes. I'm afraid science isn't exactly my strong suit. Most herds 'round here just want their foals to know reading, writing, math and history. The rest…" She just shrugged.

"Well, mind if I take it up? I actually know a fair bit." A number of simple experiments had begun to come to mind that he could show them and explain. It'd also give him something to do besides handing out papers and the occasional sweep of the floors. Might as well have some fun, and if the kids were having a good time, then they weren't being annoying.

Her face went neutral, stone had more expression.

"Why?"

Shrugging uncomfortably under that gaze he was reminded of what he had said before. Don't hurt those around you.

"Honestly, I'm gonna be bored to tears if all you end up having me do is sweep and hand out papers. I figured since I know at least the level of education they should have in that department, I can give them a show of a few simple experiments and explain the reason and why it happens. Who knows, I might be able to inspire a few to become future scientists." Not likely.

The minute stretched into two, then three before she finally spoke.

"You are not what I was expectin'." She finally said. "When I was told that I was gettin' a troubled colt who destroyed his lunchroom in rage, I'll be honest, I was half expecting a monster. Since you got here you've been courteous, helpful, and patient. That last is made more surprisin' by the fact that you haven't shown the slightest bit of annoyance at all the questions being thrown at you."

"Well before you go thinking the charges were false or made worse than they actually were, I should just tell you flat out that yes, I did do all of that." He chuckled. He missed the show Family Matters. "Though it wasn't my intention to go that far at first."

"At first?"

He sighed and sat down on the edge of a desk. "Let's be honest, those asshats got what they deserved." Her face tightened at his choice of vocabulary, but he pushed on. "They let a lone idiot talk them into attacking me over my dietary needs. All because the father of said idiot took offense at the fact that, unlike any pony out there, I need meat in order to maintain my health. Prince BlueDouche the Bloodcanoe can eat me." He laughed. It was a good name if he thought so himself.

"Top it off, I am almost positive there was something else going on, but I'd be damned if I knew what." He didn't want to give voice to the fears that plagued him about Celestia right that minute. Odds are those thoughts would likely not be well received.

"I...see." To say she looked floored by his exposition would have been an overstatement. Perturbed would be more accurate judging from her face. "So you regret that the event happened, but not the end."

His grinned and nodded.

"The only regret is I didn't break more ribs on Blueblood when I chucked his idiot of a brat at him." He frowned. "But it shouldn't have gone down like that to begin with. So yes, I regret that it happened, but not my actions, I tried my best to keep it from going down that road..."

"And I should let you teach the science hour? With that language?" Okay that was fair.

"Maybe you shouldn't, but I've been honest with you. And I've gone YEARS without hitting anyone before then. That's the truth too." Okay not his strongest argument. "But I am an orphan, don't know if they told ya that. I've had to deal with kids as young as they, sometimes even younger, for years. That's where my familiarity and patience with their constant questions and annoying habits comes from. Hell, I've tutored a good deal of them before their adoptions."

He was often irritated by children's presence in his life, but Orion liked to think he had built up a pretty good tolerance for them. Sometimes they even made him laugh. Still hated tutoring. But he really didn't want to be that bored here.

He wasn't about to argue his language, he had already resolved not to change. Though he was surprised she never bothered to interject when he educated the class on proper vernacular. All the other teachers just hopped on him the moment he submitted a paper.

Always a mark off. Bitches.

"They really should have told me more about you than what you have done." She looked at the clock, a massive ticking thing, hung up on the wall. "Recess is almost over, I will give you this week. But you will tell me what you plan to teach them in detail. If I don't like it, you won't be doing anything but what I give you. Understand?"

"Oh yeah, absolutely. Tell me, what do you know about volcanoes?" He smiled. This might be fun after all.

While the first day went by quickly and with few interruptions, the second day turned into chaos the moment after lunch was finished that afternoon.

Mrs. Sunflower and him had gone over the lesson he had planned for the week the night before, and he had given her an example of the baking soda volcano he had planned for the end of the week. She found it delightful. Her word, not his.

Today was supposed to be the build up to that day. Starting with general principles of how a volcano works and it's diagrams.

Instead, the moment she had stepped out of class to let him teach, the little shits had begun throwing random nonsense at each other and him. Screams and shouts as some of them began bickering with each other.

Ten minutes in and he still had not gotten the class under control. He wanted to scream. To throw something himself, but he knew Mrs. Sunflower was watching.

The two oldest, Rarity and Applejack, had not taken part in the chaos. One had her face buried in the same magazine he had seen the day before. The other, oh the other was no doubt the ringleader of this circus.

The orange filly had her hands shoved deep in the blue overall's pockets, a smirk plastered on her face. This was going to be a daily event if he didn't put a stop to it now.

Walking stiffly to the blackboard under a barrage of projectiles he placed his fingertips against it and dragged down long and slow. It always fascinated him that he still had nails on the tips of his fingers. Now he used those nails to bring agony.

The resulting screech made fillies and colts alike squeal and cover their ears, Rarity had screech nearly as loud, tossing her magazine halfway across the room.

The cowfilly had sat up ramrod straight ears laid back and a scowl on her face. When she went to open her mouth after he was done he jabbed a finger at her.

"Don't you dare. I know you had something to do with this." He jabbed the same finger at a little filly in a soft red dress. "What's your name kiddo?"

Rubbing her ears she gave him a baleful glare that only a child could give, offended and pouty.

"My name is Roseluck, and I'm not a goat!" The others, recovering from the noise, giggling a little at her expense.

He smiled. First thing one has to know when dealing with kids is not to let them ruffle you too much, and to show them you want to be nice.

"Sorry little lady, I call everyone kiddo like one would call them a foal. It's slang." By then he had walked over and ruffled her mane, getting a giggle from her. "Hey bud, mind if I sit on your desk for a minute?" Trolly, if he remembered correctly, just nodded and moved his books over.

Sitting down he looked at Rose again.

"Now, before I took over this class, Mrs. Sunflower had been telling me that you all were amazingly well behaved. But the evidence of today shows you're all acting like a bunch of monkeys given sugar injections. What gives?"

No one said a word. The little filly with the two tone pink mane just stared at her desk, biting her bottom lip.

He sighed.

"Listen, I have a job. It's a punishment for being a bad...pony." He wanted to die. It was rare that he ever put himself, even in his own head, in the same category as the rest of them. "I'm just trying to help Mrs. Sunflower in something I know for a fact that I can do. But I won't be able to teach you all something legitimately cool if I have to corral you all into some semblance of order. So come on, what's up?"

Still no luck from little Rose, but the colt that sat before her piped up.

"Applejack said you was a bad pony." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the bitch's face go pale. "She...she said we shouldn't listen to you because you're a criminal, and criminals ain't worth the trouble of listening to."

Orion's head slowly turned toward the cowfilly, eyes ablaze with restrained fury.

"And the truth shall set you free. You, Missy. You and I will have words later." With that he dismissed her from thought. Time to rally the kids.

"Thank you…? You know what? I don't know your name either. And that's a shame. What is it kid?"

"I'm Mirror Finish! And I ain't no goat either!" Which got more laughter from the assemblage of foals.

Orion could only roll his eyes in mock indignation as he reminded them all it was slang.

"Alright, alright. You all poked fun at me enough. How would you all like to learn about something really cool?" To that he got a chorus of excited brat noises. "Today I want to talk about volcanos." Noises died as confused glances took their places. "You know, those mountains that happen to spew smoke and sometimes really hot rock?"

"Oh you mean like Mount Surefire? That place is real scary!" Roseluck was cowering in her seat.

"I suppose volcanoes are a bit frightening, and indeed they can be dangerous if you're foolish. I would caution you to never climb one for instance. But this week I hope to teach you how they work, why they exist, and more importantly have a little fun making a mock version of our own. Using different materials of course."

"Ya mean ta tell us yer gunna be makin' one explode in here?!" Shouted Applejack. This was too good of a chance to knock her down a peg.

"No you silly goose." PG language, he had to keep reminding himself of that. "This by the way foals, is the pony version of an eruption." He jabbed a thumb toward her. That got the expected laughter, which forced the now blushing cowfilly to sit her ass back down.

"No, we will be making one, actually two, this Friday. One for show, the other so you can see how it all works. The materials we will be using will be safe. Simple chemicals you can find in any home in fact. But we will all still wear proper PPE, no sense in letting vinegar fly into someone's eye by accident."

Another hand rose. After he gestured to her she responded.

"What's PPE? Oh and I am Carrot Top!"

"Pleasure to meet you Miss Top." He responded with a smile. This might not be so bad after all. "PPE stands for Personal Protective…."

She had been hesitant to let the colt take over her class. As things started to devolve into chaos she had almost stepped in to put a stop to all of it.

When that screeching noise echoed about the classroom, she had her hand on the handle when he started speaking, first starting with Applejack.

As he went on, Emerald took her hand away and listened. A smile growing on her face. He sounded like a stallion thirty years into the business, knowing that he had to work to get stubborn little ponies to listen to him. She had to muffle her laughter when she heard Orion speak on the truth and how it sets one free.

An excellent saying.

Then, miraculously, he began to sway the fillies and colts to his side.

He may claim he doesn't like foals, but he was amazingly talented in gaining their interest. If she were nearly a hundred years younger she might have tried her hand at him in a few years.

With renewed hope she listened in as he began teaching them a subject she had never known existed.

Well, he couldn't blame her for trying to run away the moment the bell rang, but Orion was much faster than the cowfilly could ever hope to be. Well as far as she knew at least.

"Hey there Blondie! Going somewhere?"

She jerked as if struck. He had managed to get ahead of her at a tree down at a bend in the road heading out of town.

Though he did cheat to get here by slipping out ten minutes before class ended. Mrs. Sunflower had only nodded when she saw him slowly edge his way to the door. She knew what was up.

During the last recess they had discussed how he was going to deal with her, and had surprised the school marm with the suggestion of bringing this up with her family.

He figured if anyone would get her to not attempt future disruptions, it would be them.

"What do you want. I got chorin' to do and I don't need some city colt gettin' in muh way." She balled up her fists, glaring hard at him.

"Oh nothing much, just gonna tag along home with you to tell your family about what you did, or tried to do. I figure you can explain your actions there for them as well as for me." He smiled, keeping any sense of malice or glee from reaching his lips.

He had decided this must be done with as little emotion as possible. Really drive it home for her that this was because she had done badly.

Once again the insides of her ears paled. "Ya can't!" It came out a demand but was definitely more of a plea.

"I can, and I will. I want my suspension to go smoothly and I'll be damned if you try this shit again. I'm nipping it in the ass right fuckin' now." So much for keeping his emotions in check. "Now, march young lady."

The walk to her farm was lovely. For him not for her. She drug her hooves in the dirt as if bearing the weight of a cross and all the world's sins on her back.

Well it was hers to carry as she made the damn thing herself so to speak. Beside the view was gorgeous.

With the fall colors just turning the leaves to reds, oranges and browns, it was still a surprise to see greens intermixed in the collage of colors. The oddity was what sat behind some of the farms dotting the south side of the road they traveled on.

A massive forest of green some three or four hundred yards from where they walked towered over damn near everything. Bizarrely every type of plant, from evergreen to jungle bushes, packed side by side in twisted versions of themselves along the fields that had been cut out to make room for crops.

The Everfree Forest. It had been one of the questions he had wondered about, and the guards told him that the place was death waiting for anyone willing to wander in there.

Manticores, chimeras, and even a living bundles of branches known as Timberwolves existed inside, just to name a few. Every now and then some creature from the forest would make an incursion into the lands of Equestria and it often took an entire brigade to find and root out the beasts.

Apparently there were legends around the woodland as well, but he couldn't get anyone to talk about it other than to tell him not to go anywhere near it. He resolved when he got back to Canterlot he would see if Twilight would be willing to procure him books discussing the Forest and its myths.

Like it or not, the filly had lit a fire in him learning about the world's history.

To the west and northwest stood the Whitetail woods. Unlike the untamed jungle to the south, the woods were well forested but not to the tangle the other was. Birch, oak, and several he didn't know the name of stood tall and straight. All with at least some of the hues of autumn in their branches.

Apparently there was rumors of a tribe of deer living somewhere inside. The forest was named after them, but no one had seen a hair of the species in some time.

Every now and then Orion would catch his prisoner, for lack of a better term, watching him with sullen resentment. Her hooves would always slow at that point and he would just turn and smile at her.

"As I said before, I got till eight tonight, I doubt you do working on a farm and all. I believe you said something about "chorin'”?" It was a struggle to keep the malice out of his voice.

He was angry, and rightly so in this case. But maybe too heated about it. He would have to find something to hit later tonight, it was clear to him he still had a fair bit of anger from what happened at school a few days ago.

Glumly she faced forward and resume her death march. It was all rather dramatic with all the sighing and angry mutters issuing forth from her mouth.

They passed three farms before coming up to the cart path that lead up to a rather large, quaint two story farm house. From this distance all he could really tell was the roof was red tiled, and that the walls were coated in white wash.

Your standard barn rose to it's east, bright red as the apples that were in the trees they had passed.

It was like he walked onto any farm in the south of America.

"Well, this is a rather lovely homestead." He remarked. It was too.

"Keep yer opinions to yerself." She grumbled.

"I will spread my opinions wherever I may find fertile soil for them to take root in the minds of the masses."

"Wut?"

He snorted in laughter and gave her a gentle push. "Take me to your leaders earth filly." The fact that she didn't understand the joke just made him laugh harder.

Then a cough, a clearing of a throat, snapped his mouth closed and he turned slowly about to face red flannel.

He thought himself a real comedian. But that was okay, the colt could think of himself all he liked because Applejack had noticed something he had not.

Her brother, Big Macintosh, had been following them since the East Orchard. With a grin she watched as Orion took several steps back after coming face to navel with her brother.

"Okay, seriously. The hell do they feed you guys down here?" He said in wonder. "First that guard at the barracks, now your giant ass. Are their any normal ponies around here, or did the whole lot of you decend from Clydesdales?"

Her grin vanished like the Apple Family Cider during cider season.

"Why ain't he scared? And wut in tarnation is a Clydes-whatsit?"

The colt displayed not a hint of discomfort other then rubbing his neck as he craned it back to look at her older sibling.

Big Mac merely grunted, which was as much as surprise for the red stallion. Surprise at the fact that he hadn't scared this pony out of his wits.

"Not much for words, huh? Hey Applebottom. Whose the mountain of muscle here?"

"That's muh brother, Big Macintosh." She said numbly. This was not going as well as she'd hoped. Applejack had been hoping that one look at her brother would have been enough to send this varmint scurrying for the hills.

"Dude, I'm gonna call you Diesel. You won't understand the reference and it would require years of engineering history to explain it to you. Believe me, it fits and is not an insult." He gave her a glance and then a grin of his own bloomed on his face. "Oh...I see. Judging by that sour look you expected him to scare me off. Well, he is very intimidating, and if I was in the wrong, I'd be nervous as a pig to market. But Mrs. Sunflower told me a little about your family, so I was expecting this."

She was stunned. AJ never imagined her honest, respectable teacher would take the side of this lowdown scoundrel!

"Hey Diesel, where's the family at. Applejack here did a bad and she's gonna tell them all about it."

The look she received from her brother was all disappointment, that hurt worse than the likely tongue lashing and weeks of chores she would get extra for all this. She hated disappointing her brother.

Big Mac's hand shot up and pointed at the house.

"There?"

"Eeeyup."

"Stallion of few words indeed, I get that. Thanks bud. Come on Blondie. Let's go talk to your folks." Without wait he just marched off, a smile on his face.

She followed after, feeling her brothers disapproving stare on the back of her head.

This had been a bad idea from that start, her friend had been right. When she tried to talk Rarity into helping her rile the foals up against him. Her best and only pal in the world had told her it was the worst plan ever.

She should have listened.

Everyone was glaring at the filly in the room. For good reason too. This whole thing was stupid as hell.

In the center of the livingroom sat the four of them with Applejack standing on a rug in the middle.

Orion had chosen a lovely wooden rocking chair that somehow seemed to fit snuggly with his body. But the comfort that came from the seat had vanished as he heard the incredibly bad take on his apparent punishment.

Her parents were obviously equally as floored as he was.

Pear Butter had been all warm smiles and excited gossip when her daughter had shown up with a colt on the porch. He could only guess at the time that he was the first "boy" she had ever brought home and she, of course being a mom, had taken it the wrong way.

Now the the peach color mare flushed with embarrassment as her daughter told them all what she did and why. Gripping her flannel dress she gave an admonishing glare at her errant foal.

The father, Bright Mac, had been much less excited, not exactly angry, but none too pleased to see him either. He seemed at first resigned at the fact that his little filly was finally taking up with colts.

Now he sat on the love seat with his wife, a blank expression on his face that just screamed shame a mile off. He kept stroking his corncob pipe that he had pulled from his red flannel pocket with a lemon yellow thumb.

The last of the present family, was a green mare named Granny Smith. There was a theme here, or at least a family uniform, because the sour green mare was also in flannel. Red of course.

But she too was giving a disapproving stare at the young mare.

This whole thing was stupid as hell, and he kinda had to blame himself. When he had given the censored version of why he was there, he didn't imagine it could be taken anyway other than what he meant. And for the foals it likely was good enough.

However, Applejack had a strong sense of honesty and honor. One she put many against and found them wanting. He was just the latest, but she didn't have the whole story, and judging by a few glances from the rest of the family, he was not being viewed in that favorable of a light either.

"So you believe that I am a rotten pony that likes to hurt others. And I'm only being punished because I got caught. Correct?" A nod. She had told her parents and grandmother of what had given rise to her thoughts. "You didn't sense any remorse in me about beating those colts up, and you believed my punishment insufficient to the crime. That sum it up nicely?"

Another nod, though slower.

"Well, your right. I don't regret what I did to those idiots. They've had it coming for awhile. Don't!" He snapped when she opened her mouth. Her father took on a hard stare. Attention fully on him now. "The reason why, is because I won't ever regret defending myself."

Applejack's quirked her head in bewilderment. "Wut you mean defending yerself. You attacked those ponies. Didn't ya?"

"I did not. In fact, for the majority of my time in that school, I have avoided altercations as much as possible. I not-promised Mrs. Evergarden that I would try my best not to get into any fights while I lived at her orphanage."

"You're an orphan?" That had been the first time her father had spoken. The thick muscled stallion had remained silent and allowed the mares to speak the majority of the time, so the deep baritone had been rather startling coming out of the rather quiet pony. It seems the son shares his restraint in verbal communication.

"Yep, and don't frown like that. I rather enjoy it. I get to attend one of the most prestigious schools in the world and my needs are all met." Unless they could get him a bike, then yes for the most part his needs were met. But they didn't need to know that.

"But what 'bout a family of yer own?" Granny spoke up.

He sighed heavily, and explained. Explained why he didn't want a family or a herd of his own, why he did what he did on the mezzanine at school. Everything. He hoped this wouldn't have to be done every time he met new people.

"That...that's so sad." Bright Mac bawled.

"Come on, dude. Be a man for fucks sake." He couldn't believe it was the barrel-chested of a stallion that broke down instead of the mares. It was another reminder of this world's gender roles being reversed for the most part.

"And yer fine with just bein' an orphan, colt?" Granny had actually poked him in the chest. Hard. She looked ancient, but the mare didn't waver.

"Yeah." Her frown deepened. "Really! I don't like pretending I'm something I'm not." It was already hard just trying to be one of them. Stacking on being a dutiful colt role would be just too much. And he didn't think he could say "I love you" to any adult figure.

"This whole fight was started by others, but it was clear you was winnin' it. Why go so far?" The motherly look was gone from Peach's face.

He thought about that for a few minutes. He could just tell them that he was in rage mode, and for the most part he was. But a small part of Orion had still been in some control.

"Have you ever wondered why you don't stick your hand in a fire?"

"Ya hand gets burnt plum off." Applejack's mother said dryly. "What's that have ta do with you beatin' poor foals who couldn't fight back?"

"Okay, first and foremost, those little idiots started it. We can argue that till we're both blue in the face and the point will still stand." He hadn't realized he had jabbed a finger at the now offended mare till he dropped his hand giving an apologetic look. "Secondly, there is this: when the first pony started messing with that roaring power known as fire, they had to learn first pain in order to respect it. Oh yes, first fear was invoked, but eventually the ancestors had learned fire bad when mishandled. In time they learned lessons about that element that carried through the ages. Now we just have to tell someone to not do that."

"We get it, fire bad. Fire hurt. Again, what's yer point colt?" Granny had taken over again.

"I'm getting to it." He sighed. "I wanted them to learn the lesson that screwing with me was a one way ticket to a very bad time. Not just for them, but for every single egocentric asshat who might hear of this." He glared back hotly at the country family, voice rising. "I don't want to spend my school years having to spank a bunch of fools who have nothing better to do then be a jerk to some orphan just trying to get a passing grade. I'm a fuckin' fourteen year old colt trying to make it through the world and I don't need that bullshit everytime I turn the fuck around!"

It was at that moment he realized he was cursing and shouting. At the same time. In what could be considered a godly household. Without the god. Okay maybe the god.

To say he now had their attention was an understatement. Pear's eyebrows had shot to her scalp. Granny had a thoughtful frown on her face nodding to herself and looking at him with a cocked head.

Bright Mac's face had taken on a solemn expression. Out of all of them, Orion suspected he actually understood where he was coming from, and his daughter was digging a hoof into the floor looking very much like she wanted to become a part of the rug there.

He stared into his hands, head hung low and went on in a quieter tone.

"I'm sorry. I just deal with so much nonsense with judgemental jerkwads who can't see past their own noses. To even bother to understand where another person might be coming from. And the worst part is I can't even blame them."

"What do ya mean, Orion?" Pear once again had taken the initiative. Concern in her eyes.

"It's like..mmm…" He had no idea how to explain. "...it's like you have this tree in your yard, right? And you need to cut it down because it's choking the life out of the plants around it. So you do it. Turns out, your neighbor just lost the benefit of its shade. You didn't do it out of trying to inconvenience them, only out of seeing to your own needs, but they end up suffering anyways. Even if it was your right, they now have to struggle to shelter themselves in another way."

"In the same way, those noble ponies are not hateful little shits out of malicious design. But out of generational apathy and indifference that had begun somewhere in their bloodlines. They do things without really thinking of the little guy." He frowned. "And I'm just as much of a hypocrite. Instead of trying to help them see what they were doing was wrong, I just beat the holy hell out of them. I made them piss themselves in terror. All they will see from me now is a guy to be feared."

He had no idea where this had come from, but as he talked, he realized this had been simmering in him for a long time. Being around these people just felt, comfortable. Like he could really tell them what he was feeling and wouldn't be judged for it.

He hadn't felt like this in over twenty, no, thirty years now. Not since the last time he had stayed with his grandparents. Just before he mired himself in drugs and partying.

Looking at them, he was struck with a profound sense of loss and pain he had not allowed himself to feel since the trial. He blinked tears away.

"If I start crying, I'm gonna kick my own ass."

It seemed he had been lying to himself. He did miss having a family. Having people he could rely on.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring tears into this."

"Nuthin' to be sorry about, foal." The old mare said, grabbing hold of his knee. "A pony no matter the age or what's in their pants deserves a good cry every now and then. Even a tough-as-nails Jane Filly like you." She chuckled, which he did as well.

Then she thumped him real hard on the head. Like, really hard.

"Ow! The hell lady!?" She smacked him again, and he recoiled out of his seat.

"Now I can have sympathy fer ya because yer a foal and ya have it rough. Wut I won't tolerate is ya swearin' in muh house!" Standing to her full height, she glared at him. Glared up at him. She was really tiny for an earth pony, and he had stood trying to run from the abuse.

"Lady I've been talking like this since I was a kid! I'm not-"

"I don't care if ya was cussing in the womb! Ya won't do it in muh house or on muh property. You hear me?!"

It was clear who ran Sweet Apple Acres, and she ruled with an iron fist.

"Fine! I won't f-," he moderated his tone, "I will refrain from swearing in your house. But the town is fair game." It was best he gave some concessions, without his magic he wasn't sure he could keep this mare from beating him to death. But he would not give this woman an inch more than necessary. He could see himself bending to damn near anything she wanted if he did.

"That's better. Now ya staying fer dinner. Ah ah!" She shushed him before he could object. "Yer staying fer dinner and that's final. Ya can tell us all about this volcano project ya got goin' on with the class that AJ here mentioned."

He gaped at her. He had forgotten that Applejack had mentioned how ridiculous she thought it was that he was allowed to teach the science portion of the class. Now she wanted to hear about it.

"But it's a bit too early yet for dinner. Young stallions like yerself need to burn energy, and don't think them baggy clothes hid what ya got under there." She jabbed him in the stomach. "Just as I thought, yer not like them city ponies. Ya got a fair bit o' muscle under them clothes. Or my name ain't Granny Smith Apple."

He glared at her as he rubbed his stomach. First his head now his stomach, the lady was going to leave him with bruises if she didn't stop.

"AJ! Take him out with ya to start hauling this morning's harvest into the barn. Show him proper now. Both ya git on!" She shooed them out of the living room and a fair bit down the hall before she was satisfied and turned around. Just as the screen door was about to bang shut from their passing he heard, "Bright! We got a use for Hertamer. Break out that…"

Both foals stood on the porch, staring bewilderedly at one another.

"Dare I ask what that was about?" He finally asked.

"That's Granny fer ya. Once she gets that bee in 'er ear it's hard to stop 'er. Come on, 'rion. I'll show ya the baskets."

They walked along quietly, her staring fixedly ahead while he just barely noticed where his own hooves we're going.

In truth he felt drained. Like something had been yanked out of him and all the stuff that had been holding him up had poured out. It just felt so, comfortable. That was the word he kept coming back to. It felt like he was back home in Indiana.

"Hey...uh 'rion?"

"Yeah?" He mumbled absently.

"I jest wanted ta say I'm real sorry fer the way I acted. It wasn't very nice, and I shoulda gotten the whole story before I had made up my mind on ya. I'm really sorry."

"It's...it's fine Applebottom. I didn't really help things by giving that half-assed explanation."

"Watch yer language mister, jest cuz Granny isn't here don't mean you can go back the way ya were." She glared hotly. "Ya gave her ya word!"

He laughed and held up his hands to hold her off as he explained.

"I did make a promise, that your granny had yanked out of me, but I specifically said in her house. Are we in her house?"

"No, but-"

"First rule of making a deal, always be very careful about the wording in any agreement. I gave my word and I won't swear inside your family home. But I'll say whatever the fuck I like outside of it." He grinned at her and she just stared back sullenly.

"Fine." She grumped.

Granny Smith had been in the kitchen for almost twenty minutes. He could hear butter frying. Then more butter frying.

"The hell she making?"

The rest of the Apple Clan sat around in their seats rather quietly. Faces looking a little pale. Big Mac looked a little green in fact.

After hauling in what he could only assume was a literal semi trailer of apple baskets, and rinsing off by a hand pump of most of the sweat that had accumulated the pair had come back at the call of dinner, only to now sit around as quiet as mice in the walls.

"Um, Mr. Apple? What's going on?" Might as well get to the bottom of things, they were all clearly uncomfortable about something.

"I ah...that is...umm…"

Orion frowned. What was going on with them? Standing up he wandered into the kitchen, might as well see what he could help with.

At the stove, an archaic looking thing that used wood as a cooking implement, stood Granny Smith. But she wasn't moving.

"Hey Granny, everything alright in here?" He asked and was treated to the old mare squawking like one of them hens in the yard, dancing about in place.

He really tried not to laugh. Okay he didn't.

"How dare ya sneak up on me!" She hollered and thumped him on the head with a spoon. Forget bruises, he was going to suffer memory loss.

"I didn't sneak up on anything, what's taking so long? Anything I can help with?" Her expression was one of both grief, and the same pale look the rest of her kin had. "What's wrong?"

"I...I am sorry Orion, I really am, but I can't bring myself ta do it."

"Do what?" He asked quizzically.

"I...I.." she looked behind her, not at the stove, but at the countertop next to the stove.

Peering around her, his eyes widened marginally. On the counter in a blue plate, were two thickly cut pieces of meat, in a pool of blood.

"Granny, what is this?" He asked very quietly. Hertamer had been a name he realized.

"Well, we...well more like I..well I thought since one of our pigs had passed late this morn, and ya being what ya are, we could get more than fertilizer outta the ol' feller." He held up his hand and she stopped babbling.

"So that's what's going on. They're trying to feed me what I need to eat." It was touching.

One of their hogs had died on a most opportune day, and they decided, upon hearing his story and the weird thing that he was, to butcher the animal for him.

He sighed heavily.

"Granny, do you and your family know how to properly process meat? How to prepare the animal for butchering?" She winced at the word, but shook her head no. "I'm afraid Mr. Hertamer is going to become fertilizer without ever reaching a higher purpose. I cannot eat this without it being properly prepared. There's a method that goes into this, and you need to know what you are doing in order for your intended recipient not to get sick eating it."

"Oh," was all she said.

"Yeah." He said quietly. "I appreciate it though. Thank you for thinking of my needs, but I can go a month without meat." He smiled. "Besides there is always fish. That's easy to prepare and cook."

"I see, well…"

Before she could continue he picked up the plate and carefully took it outside to dump the contents with the rest of the animal off in the compost heap that had been fenced off some distance away. It was downwind, in a ditch, south from the home. At least they knew where to do the butchering.

Looking up he could see the sky wasn’t just darkening from the sun descending. From the south, above the Everfree, black clouds roiled and had already pushed into the general area.

“Better eat and go as soon as I can. That looks like a terrible time.”

Coming back inside he noted that she had barely moved as he walked over to rinse the plate out and put it in the sink.

"Again, I thank you. But I can slum it with you herbivores for a while. I'd be more worried about my fridge when I get back to Canterlot. I might need a refill on essential goods." He chuckled to himself. He was so gonna gorge himself when he got home. "Come on Granny, everyone is waiting on you."

Dinner was nice, the conversation was warm and friendly. Lifting a fork-full of squash to his lips, a hollow boom sounded, and with dread he realized there was a good chance of having to march back in the rain. Something was off about the thunder though, another sound beneath the rumble. What that might be he could not place.

Applejack had been largely quiet since he returned with the old mare from the kitchen.

"Sweetheart? What's wrong? Yer usually far more talkative than this, wut got ya down, hun?" Her mother said suddenly.

All eyes fell on the normally outgoing filly, who seemed to have drawn in on herself as she pushed the few pieces of pie around, that had been her dessert, with a fork.

Orion watched over the rim of his mug, the cider had been particularly good and this was his fourth. He was going to piss an ocean when he got back to the barracks, but it was delicious so it was totally worth it.

"Ma...I…." She closed her mouth and frowned, and shook her head as if arguing with herself. That fixed expression of self loathing was not one he ever expected to see on her. Even her parents looked worried, and the brother was not too far behind them. Though that sleepy look in his eyes made him look more tired than concerned.

"Well? Out with it foal. We ain't got all night and Orion has to get back to town soon enough as it is." Granny had absolutely no sympathy for the obvious turmoil broiling in her granddaughter. The old mare just wanted it done with.

No, she had a twinkle in her eye. She knew something was up. But what?

He wouldn't have to wait long as Applejack shook her head once more and fixed a determined mask onto her face.

"'rion, I want ta apologize. I judged ya harshly when I knew nuthin' at all. I can't ask ya to forgive me, cause I was wrong. But I still want ta say I'm awful sorry about whippin' them foals into a lather like that."

He waited, there was more judging by the way her lips practically writhed like two worms. He just raised an eyebrow and set his now empty mug down. But why was she doing it again? He had forgiven her outside already, what more was there?

"I….I have a 'abit of judging books, and them sorts, by their cover." His other eyebrow rose and she blushed furiously. "In this case I mighta judged ya by somepony else's description."

"To be fair, I did dime myself out there." He smiled lightly. "So I have some blame in that as well...in my defense I can only say that I was trying to keep things simple and direct. Next time I will add more context, but why apologize again if I may ask?"

"Cause my family didn't hear it." He nodded. Wanting them to know that she had done so made sense.

But his response was about as much an apology as she was going to get out of him, and he hadn't truly done anything wrong. He should have given greater detail when he had been asked by the kids in her school. He just didn't know how to go about explaining the incident without making it worse than it already was.

"Well now ya both have apologized," he didn't argue with the old mare, "and that is the end of that. Now finish yer pie filly. Ya got a colt ta walk home."

He liked the old-timer. He really did. But she was a staunch believer in the old ways, as Mrs. Branch was, where mares and fillies held the door for stallions and colts. That behavior was less prevalent in the major cities, and places where Equestrian rule was more of a suggestion, so he had been blessed to have only put up with mild versions of it there.

However, during his little tour of the town, he had been subjected to door holding and way too many smiles. Particularly oily smiles. It was uncomfortable to say the least, made worse because he had been raised to do the same for women in his world. It had already led to several awkward moments before he came to the quiet little village.

"I don't need an escort. It took like a half hour to get out here. I'm pretty positive I can run that in half that time, and I do need the exercise." Which was true. Hell, if he pushed himself he could get it down to ten minutes or close too. Applejack had dragged her hooves for most of that trip.

"Now that is nonsense." Pear had come back in from the kitchen after collecting the dessert plates, fists on hips, a grim look upon her face. "There are beasties that occasionally roam out from the forest, ain't no place for a colt ta be left alone by himself."

"Just give me a big stick." He joked, but he noticed both stallions giving him odd and alarmed looks.

"Orion, ya don't need ta go through all that. I'm done I can walk ya home no problem." Applejack pushed back against her seat and stood up.

That was it. He was tired of the reverse chauvinism. Time for a culture shock.

"And I said no, and I mean NO." He kept his voice level, but oh how he wanted to shout at them again. "Now I do appreciate your concern, but I can and will outrun your...butt... just to prove a point." For whatever reason, he had hesitated on what he was originally going to say. Out of the corner of his eye, Granny just nodded in satisfaction, which only made him want to curse just to prove he could, and would.

Other matters first, he would let her have her win.

"That doesn't mean I don't appreciate your concern. I do. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, but I will not be waited on hand and hoof because of what I have dangling between my legs. I will fight you all on this." A snort came from Big Mac. "That includes you Diesel. There's a frying pan in the kitchen that has your name on it if you think otherwise." That got several eye bulges of alarm, even the sleepy giant of a stallion gave a start.

Those green eyes showed a surprising amount of fear. Maybe he had gone to far with the threat?

"Now you see here-" began Granny once more.

"No. You see here," he mocked back, "I don't need someone holding my hand. I won't budge on this, because she doesn't need to be out there either. If there is some type of danger, its one life or two. I choose only one life, and that is the worst case scenario. If something happens I can just jump into a tree. I can wait 'em out or in the morning when the guard comes looking for me they can be dealt with then. Because we all know they will come lookin’ if my…rear doesn’t show up." He flicked the nullring on his horn for emphasis.

It seemed he had managed to cow most of the clan into compliance. Applejack having been as quiet as a mouse in an alley full of cats, had drifted behind her brother.

The only one not yielding any ground was the matriarch of the family. She had stood up and come around the table to stand nose to nose with him. Well try to at least, he towered over her and he continued on she had begun to realize it and had backed up.

High pitched barks sounded out from behind the house, urgent in their frequency.

"What, is that?" He asked. If that was their scarry timberwolves he was going to laugh.

"Winona! She's real scared!" The farm filly said in a harsh whisper. Indeed, the entire family had gone deathly quiet. "Pa is she in her kennel?!" It sounded like all the air had been squeezed out of her.

"Eyup. Put 'er in just before we all sat down fer dinner. Don't you worry none, nothing getting in that corral." He said in a whisper barely audible. But it was enough for the filly to breath a little easier.

"Worry about the pup some other time, we gots ta secure the house. Quench the lights. Board up the doors and windows. Move ponies!" Granny hissed out. The rest leapt to obey silently.

Pear headed upstairs, why was beyond him, maybe there were open windows up there as well. Bright Mac and his two foals quickly began shutting up windows and doors on the ground floor.

On his walk up to the home he had noticed the shutters outside the house, painted a brilliant shade of red. What he hadn't seen when coming inside, mostly due to the original purpose of his visit, were panels on rails hidden behind the curtains.

All made of heavy wood, they were latched down after being rolled into place from where they had been so cunningly hidden.

Orion followed the old mare to one of the already closed windows, and as she unlatched to peer out, he looked over her shoulder to look out through the narrow view afforded them.

In the failing afternoon light, it wasn't quite dark but getting there, sat a large shed with a square fenced off portion connected to it. Inside was a dog, more of a puppy really, running back and forth ears laid back and brown-white hackles raised.

He tried to see more, but Granny refused to open the indoor shutter further.

Suddenly she, Winona, stopped running and backed as far against the wall of the shed as she could. Tail curled between her legs.

Not even seconds passed before a large creature stalked into view. It looked to be far larger than himself, decked out for all the world like some mad scientist's little creation of wolf and plant.

When he had seen the pictures in science class, he had thought it a great joke. A Timberwolf. It looked ridiculous and ungainly.

Seeing it now, he could see why the family was worried. Gnarled limbs moved with the grace of a predator in its prime, each ending in paws that had large claws uncovered by foliage. Green eyes flashed in what he thought was a bioluminescent glow as the mouth gaped wide, exposing a row of sizeable teeth that were twisted, all pointing in the same direction. If haphazardly.

It howled. Or at least he thought it was a howl. It sounded like tree trunks snapping under giant pillows. That was chilling.

"An Alpha?!" Whispered Bright Mac.

"No, but he's close. A biggun fer sure." Granny was equally as quiet as they all watched the creature stalk toward the fenced off shed. A rather masculine whimper stirred behind them, but none looked back. Unable to take their eyes from the scene.

"That fence...that is most certainly not gonna stop that fuckin' thing."

The chicken wire had been doubled, but it was clear that the wooden beast was on a mission. Either it was going to clear the fence in a jump, or force its way through. Either way, that pup was dead.

"Winona…" Whimpered Applejack next to him. Somehow she had managed to latch onto him. Tears were pouring freely from her eyes that tore at his own heart. Yet she did not look away.

"Can't you guys, like, band together. Kill the damn thing?" That suggestion got mortified looks. He shrank back from those stares and as he slipped back away from the window, they had returned their eyes to what was about to go down outside.

The farm filly was now hugging her brother. Both quietly crying.

"You could do it." He mentally slapped the thought away. Judging by the size of that beast he would be insane to attempt it, restrained as he was. There had to be another way than trying to go toe to toe with the thing.

"Maybe a different vantage point."

Moving quickly, he left the living room and headed upstairs as quietly as possible. Sneaking up the stairs where Pear had originally gone, he winced as the stair boards squeaked under his weight.

At the top, he could just see the motherly mare shutting a rather thick looking door
She nearly screamed when she saw him.

"What are you doing up here?" She whispered vexedly.

"Your daughter's dog is in major trouble." He spoke, keeping his tone as low as hers. "I'm trying to get a better look, maybe I can do something." He moved to the end of the hall to peer out if another shuttered window.

Below, the Timberwolf slammed itself against the wire fencing and it buckled inward. It wouldn't be long now.

"That is most certainly not good."

A hand fell on his shoulder. "Youngin' I know ya mean well and all, but there ain't nothin' you can do. Come back down stairs.

"Take the nullring off." Why hadn't he thought of it before. She jerked back in surprise.

"What? No! Why would I go and do that, yer supposed to be under a punishment of sorts. Why?"

"And if it's not satisfied with the dog?"

Pear's eyes widen, but she said nothing, as the both watched on as the denizen of the forest slammed its bulk against the thin barricade again.

"Make a decision, and make it fast Mrs. Apple." A flash caused the mare to jump in place, thunder boomed over head.

The sound of rain drumming on the roof started slow, but picked up in intensity quickly.

"Well, that sucks." Orion muttered, once more peeking into the gloom as the failing sunlight was swallowed up in a haze of falling water and stormy clouds.