A Journy thru August

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11

Chapter 1

“Keep moving; don't pass out.” That was the first thought in August's mind, right as another harsh blow stuck him in the face.

As pain shot through the point of impact and his ears rang, he could just barely make out the cheering all around him. Most of it was for his opponent, a man blind in one eye with a large scar going down his face. He didn't even know his name, and frankly he didn’t care. The only thing he needed to know was that if he wanted that money, he had to beat him tonight.

God, he could go for a drink.

Another blow struck him as he was thinking about what kind of alcohol he'd want to drown in tonight. The thought brought him some comfort as blood shot out of his mouth and nose, along with a light cracking of his jaw.

August’s body fell to the ground, hitting the dirt hard, and he laid motionless for a moment, wondering how his life ended up there. Lucky for him, his opponent was a bit of a showboater, turning his back to gloat, oblivious to the warnings of the crowd.

Shaking off the dizziness and nausea from the last strike, August rose to his feet and charged his enemy from behind, wrapping his arms around his waist.

With a hard turn, he lifted the man off his feet and slammed him hard onto the ground. Dazed, his enemy couldn’t retaliate as August followed up jumping up and dropping his knees onto his chest, the man’s face turning red from the sudden loss of oxygen. Yet, August persisted, driving his fist into the man’s face again and again until his opponent didn't get back up.

Slowly shaking off the bloodlust and briefly glancing at his now blood covered knuckles, August looked a little closer and could tell his enemy was still breathing. Taking a moment to breath a sigh of relief, he stood up and raised his arms in the air.

"Who else wants some?! " He shouted, clenching his fists to show his readiness to fight.

The crowd booed at his declaration, yet none even attempted to do more. August merely shrugged it off satisfied with his victory as he headed towards the exit.

"Who needs you lowlifes anyway."

The crowd, despite their loud protests, were quick to part as he went, though he paid it little mind, he had money to collect,
Yet as his mind started to drift towards thoughts on what he might purchase, he felt the sensation of something strike him the back of the head.. He staggered forward and almost fell, a wet sensation slowly dripping down his back. Quickly, he raised his hand and touched the substance, only to be met with the smell of cheap whiskey.

Furious, August turned around and looked for the offender.

"Who's the fucker who just did that, and who wants to die?"

Surprisingly, a young man stepped out of the crowd, not even old enough to drink yet still looking unconcerned at what he’d just done.

"It was me. What are you going to do about it? Huh?"

August stood straight up and walked up to him, staring him right in the eyes. He was a full head shorter than him.

"Are you sure you want to do this, kid? If you do, you might end up like him."

He tilted his head towards the man still lying on the ground. though said man was still alive, his breathing was ragged, his nose and mouth bleeding, it was safe to say he’d need serious medical attention. The teenager did a double take, huffed, and turned.

"You're not even worth it. You old drunk."

August glared a little, before picking up a small rock and flicking it at the back of the kid’s head. Said child turned again, only to be met with August’s glare.

"It’s not wise to go picking fights you don’t plan to finish kid. And for the record," August turned and started walking, yet still shouted," I'm only 26."

Despite the earlier attack, August knew no one would try anything else, thus he continued onwards to the backrooms to collect his payment.

August was sitting on a bench in the back, waiting for the manager to come in. He poured some peroxide on his cut-up hands while he waited and wrapped them in a bandage. The disinfectant stung quite a bit yet he didn’t mind, quickly finishing wrapping his bandages as the door opened, a large man entering.

"Hey August, my boy, my heel champ, how you been, boy? Nice fight by the way. Although, I gotta admit, I wish you would put that kid in the ground that chopped up to you. I mean, it would have been great publicity, but in any case, here's where we made tonight on you.”

The large man quickly pulled out a small stack of twenties and handed them to August. “No one ever expects you to win those fights, even after you’ve been here so long. Always end up betting on the big guy and always losing big too.”guy."

As the man chuckled at his own joke, August took the money and smiled at his prize.

"Thanks, Marco." August counted as he was talking. 500 bucks. "You're right. It was a good night."

"Yeah, well, like I said, it's good to have a heel champ like you around; everyone loves betting against ya"

"Must be my winning personality," August said, rolling his eyes as he put the money in his pocket. Getting up, August grabbed a shirt out of the locker.

"You know, kid, I've seen a lot of people like you come and go in this world. I hope you don't go out like so many of them. I know you got your past, but don't let that ruin your future. My life ain't got nothing but trouble in it; even though I still got family back home, I hope you can too someday get out of this life, eventually,” Marco said, looking upon the young man with a mixture of pity and concern.

August looked at him as he was leaving the room.

"You know how I am, Marco. I travel around, and I just keep doing what I'm doing."

"I know, kid. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't show up the next day. You came out of nowhere, and I'm sure you'll disappear just the same. I’d tell yah that you don’t have to always cut and run, but you’ve pretty much pissed off everyone in this town already.”

August laughed a little as he put his shirt on.

"Yeah, you're right. Still, I have to thank you for all your help Marco. Love to stay longer, but I’ve way overstayed my welcome.. If my memory serves, doesn't Mikey get out of jail tomorrow?"

Marco let out a sigh and nodded. "Yeah, and we both remember what that psycho said, better if you're not here," Marco said, putting out a cigarette on the wall, "Get out of here, kid and take care of yourself."

“You too Marco.” And with that, August headed out the door, offering his benefactor one last wave before it closed.

"You always need a fresh start." That was August’s thought as he walked along.

Was this the life his family planned for him? His father, a wealthy businessman, had years of private tutoring from the best teachers to take over the company one day. Meanwhile his mother, the famed doctor and psychiatrist, was given every opportunity in life, but he never wanted that. He never wanted to be the businessman his father was. He never wanted to be a doctor. Truth be told, even he didn't know what he wanted revenge? Play music? To be what his family wanted? It was all a questionhe didn'thave a answer for.

Of course the years of self-defense classes had burned so deeply into his reflexes and fighting skills that he probably would be dead today without it. At least that was Useful.

Was it a perfect life? Hell No, but it was hardly the worst life ,despite all he'd lost . Then again, he still ended up in the bed of his truck with his trailer and motorcycle next to it in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere. His families all but outcast him.

"You have 3 years to come back or else we will come for you." Those were the last things his family said to him, yet, he accepted it.

As long as he doesn't make too much trouble. His parents can't find him, and for now thats how it's supposed to be. He'll keep traveling and moving until hes ready and the event occurs.

"Eventually, you'll be dead in an alley."

His parents already have three more kids, just a bit younger than him, and one of them would eventually take over the company, with him all but forgotten. Cut off from the flow of money his dad gives him to keep quiet about the shady dealing he does. One more swing in the bottle, and a bit of pain has gone away for the time being. Just looking up at the stars and wondering if he will ever be as free as they are, knowing the shadow of his family will always be there as he continues to hope to escape it. It was then that he looked up to see a shooting star.

And an admittedly silly idea pops into his head.

"Why not? I wish I could follow my heart's desire, live a new life in a new world, or at least where no one knows me like in an anime. Save the Princess and all that good shit."

Things were initially quiet, but quickly the wind started to pick up as he said these words. In less than a second a rainbow of light erupts onto the field, with August suddenly feeling more than a little lightheaded, falling backwards into his truck.

"Guess mixing whiskey and tequila is not a very good idea if you want to stay on your feet." A soft, feminine voice was heard behind him.

"Oh great, either I'm hearing things or a random chick found me; either way, I'm not interested, so just go away."

August attempted to stand, but settled for simply shooing the voice away with his hand, earning a light chuckle in response.

"You say that now, August, but trust me, one day you'll know and not want to go back. After all the mistakes I've made, Equestria needs you, and hopefully, you can do better and keep me from making the same mistakes in this timeline."

"Equestria, what the hell is that? God, I really did drink too much. Wait, how do you kno…?"

August made another attempt to stand, only to lose his balance, slamming his head against the metal of his trunk, and he was completely out cold.

"So this is what you were like before you came here. I've got to say, I honestly didn't believe you when you said you were a sad drunk. Seems I should’ve known better. Hopefully, this time we will do better. That's why, with the last of my power, I want to make you a bit more like us.'

A large alicorn, her eyes tired, her mane and coat burnt, looking very injured, lowered her head down, her horn glowing brightly, the body barely visible seemingly fading into starlight, and a light on her horn that's all that's left fades into August above the area around his heart.

"Oh, August, I love you. Please live well and stop them from making the same mistakes again. Good luck, my knight."

"Ugh…..the sun hurts. What time is it?"

August rolled over, groaning thanks to the mixture of the hangover and headache from his little fall, trying to get his phone out of his pocket. Sadly it seemed like his hands were failing him at this point.

"How much did I drink last night? God, I need to stop mixing whiskey and tequila. It is not a good idea yet, and I always do it. Wait, where am I?"

August glanced around to see that he was in a large field surrounded by trees.

"How in god's name did I get here? I knew the place I was at was a little world, but Jesus, wait, is that chick still here? Did she steal anything?"

August quickly jumped out of his truck bed and checked himself. Thankfully, his keys were still in his pocket and a quick check of the doors showed the car was still locked. He looked inside his car, and nothing moved. August began tapping on the phone to check the GPS error: no signal.

"What the? That should not be possible."

Again and again he checked and still got no signal.

"OK, that is a little freaky. I am really in the boonies."

A short, sharp pain in his head made him stop thinking for a second.

"Okay, migraine and hangover aspirin along breakfast first, then start thinking."

Groaning again, August went into his trailer, rummaging around the cabinet and grabbing the bottle of medicine.

"OK, that is a bit better. Guess the only thing I can do is just drive and try to find out where I am. I can't be too far out of town. I don't see any signs of anything, so I couldn't have driven too far when I was that drunk."

He hooked up his trailer to his truck, making sure his bike was fully secured. Once everything was set August began to drive north. 10, 20, and 60 minutes passed by, and all he saw were rolling fields and countryside.

"Ok, maybe I am a bit further in the boonies than I thought. Oh, at least I can enjoy the fresh air. It doesn't even smell like pollution, and cars have been here for years. The roads are all dirt too; this is nice countryside; pretty nice detour. Still, I hope I can get out of here soon."

As he continues driving, he begins to see the markings of the fence and field look like apple trees.

"Well, that's good. At least maybe I can actually find a farm and ask for directions, or maybe work for a little while. Farms always need an extra pair of hands.” A more firm plan in place August kept driving down the road, not knowing what he was running into.

"Alright, Twilight just a bit more to the left, just a bit more, and there, set it down gently." Said Applejack

\Twilight did as instructed, lowering the top of the silo back down. Repairs had been going very well after Discord's defeat, but they are still a long way from being done. The entire silo was turned inside out, and all the grain inside was replaced with jelly beans. Needless to say, it was a pretty time-consuming task.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief as she set the top of the silo back down before sealing it up o with a blast of magic.

"Thanks for helping us fix up the silo sugar cube. We appreciate it. Even with Granny Smith being fussy and touchy about using magic, we just couldn't get it all done in time for the harvest; if we didn't," Applejack said with a smile, offering Twilight a pat on the back.

"It's no problem, Applejack. I don't mind helping after all, especially since pretty much everypone in Ponyville needs a hoof. Everyone's working their hardest, so if you've got a free hoof, you might as well help too." Twilight spoke with her own smile, glancing at the still out of sorts town not far in the distance .

Twilight said she was wiping off the sweat from her forehead. Discord's defeat had left a lot of things needing repairs, not just on the farm but all of Ponyville.

Sugarcube Corner had been turned into a literal sugar cube. Rainbow Dash's house had been completely covered in cotton candy. And thanks to all the bizarre rain, half of the town was covered in chocolate.

Pinkie Pie helped with that one. Pretty much everypony knew she just ate it, with few bothering to ask how she put so much sugar away. It was just Pinkie being Pinkie.

Regardless, repairs had been going well, though at their current rate, it seemed safe to say they'll probably be done within the month, and then they can get back to normal.

"Hey Twi, you hear that?" Applejack said her head was jerking up.

Twilight tilted her head and looked at Applejack confused. “Not really, what are you talking about?”

"You know that rumbling," said Applejack.

Twilight lifted her head to inflict your ears around. Indeed, she could hear a loud rumbling coming from the north.

"What is that? Are the cows stampeding again?" Twilight’s eyes immediately started darting about, looking for the possible rampaging herd.

"No, that's not it. This doesn't sound like there are any cows I've heard of before."

The noise kept getting louder, sounding more violent every second.

"What's all that noise?" Granny Smith pokes her head out the window.

"Don't know, Granny, but get inside and tell Applebloom and Big Mac to stay quiet." Applejack shouted, while quickly retrieving her rope in case she needed to subdue something.

Applejack and Twilight rushed into the house, waiting for the noise, as it seemed like it was coming closer to them. They closed the windows just in case some mean customer was looking for trouble. They waited, looking outside the window, only to stare in shock at a large metal creature slowly pulling up to their home.

The sight left Applejack staring with an equally stunned Twilight.

"Twi, is that some kind of metal animal we don't know about?" Whispered Applejack.

Twilight's eyes were wide as she looked at her. Not out of fear, but out of genuine curiosity.

"That's no animal, Applejack, but some kind of machine. It almost looks like a large carriage, but I don't know what it is or what's behind it." Twilight pointed her hoof to the large panel of glass near the top of the object.

As they were talking, the machine went quiet, and they waited a few more seconds to see what would happen. Eventually, nothing, almost as if it’d just turned off. However, one of the doors popped open finally and to their shock, something exited.

The figure was a large bipedal creature, almost looking like a hairless Minotaur, but much shorter and not as bulky. More curious, his body was almost completely covered in clothing, except his head and hands.

Neither pony had much time to marvel at this strange new creature as he approached the door. Once he got close, he immediately started knocking with his hand.

"Hello, is anyone home? Not to interrupt anything, but I'm lost. I honestly have no clue where I am. If you can point me in the right direction, I'll be out of your way, or if I'm in the middle of nowhere like I think I am, I'll work on the farm for a little while if you need the hand. I have nothing else to do." The odd creature spoke with a fairly relaxed tone.

Twilight just looked at Granny and Applejack, unsure of what to do.

"Should one of you answer? It doesn't look like he wants any trouble," said Twilight.

"I don't know, Twilight. He's a strange-looking thing. I don't know if we should let him in. For all we know, he might be some leftover thing from Discord." Applejack

"Now that's just mean. He doesn't look that odd, at least not like Discord, and I thought we agreed to be more open minded after what happened with Zecora," said Twilight, with Applejack looked a little annoyed at being reminded of that adventure.

Sadly, this time around Granny Smith decided to make the choice for them.

"What's wrong with you two? Save the world, and you get Dang paranoid."

Granny walked over to the door and opened it. The stranger looked about ready to say something only for his mouth to hang open once he spotted Granny Smith, who opted to carry on with introductions.

“Howdy stranger. Names Granny Smith, welcome to Ponyville, and if you’re up for it, be more than happy to have another pair of hooves around this part.”

Author's Note

edited by fan without a face

Chapter 2

August turned his head toward the door, seeing it finally open up.

"Oh, thank god! I was a little worried that no one was home."

His enthusiasm didn’t last long, as he didn't notice there wasn’t anyone in the door frame. However, the scent of fresh baked goods flowing from the door indicated there should be someone inside.

"Huh, open door but no one’s home…wait did I somehow stumble on a witch’s house?"

It was then that he heard the older voice clearing their throat, and he looked down.

What he saw was definitely not what he expected. It came up a little below his waist. It was green, with white hair, and covered in wrinkles, witha little shawl on its back. And, in honesty, it kind of looks like a pony.

August turned his head and stared out of sheer confusion. His heart stopped when it spoke.

"Not exactly thrilled about being called a witch, though I do like to dress like one on Nightmare Night. Ah, way, howdy there. What can I do to help you with Youngin?"

Its voice was kind of clear and had a thick, distinctly Texas style, accent—honestly, something you'd expect of a grandmother, not threatening in the slightest. The fact that it came from this thing made August's eyes go wide. He took a step back, checked his watch, put his fingers to his neck, and said

"I must have drank something really weird last night."

And then he fell flat on his back, out cold. Granny Smith, to her credit, didn't look surprised. She huffed, turned back inside, and shouted upstairs.

"Big Mac, come down here. I'm going to need your help to get this big fellow on the couch. He looks like he's had a little too much fun."

She then turned around and stared at Applejack and Twilight.

"Ya’all are scared of this thing. It looks like he's about to scare himself to death."

Utterly unphased, she marched into the kitchen and started a kettle of tea. Applejack and Twilight just stared at her and then at the door, both of them having shocked and dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

Twilight shook her head and went outside to take a better look at the creature and to help levitate him onto the couch, as it seems Big Mac had snuck past them as they were talking and was seemingly having a bit of trouble trying to get him on his back.

"Do you want any help with that?" Twilight asked, her natural curiosity already starting to rear its head.

"Nope," said Big Mac, though he quickly found himself having a bit of trouble lifting the considerably taller August. .

“Are you going to let me help anyway? Twilight asked, trying not to smirk a little.

Big Mac huffed and said, "Yup," finally giving up.

Happy to help, Twilight quickly set to work levitating the strange creature before them.

It was no wonder Big Mac was having trouble trying to pick him up; despite being the second-tallest stallion in Ponyville, this creature was still close to twice his height and must have been more than double his weight. Even with her magic, Twilight could feel his weight as she floated him over to the couch, his feet dangling off at the side.

As all this was going on, Applejack was sending Apple Bloom up the stairs, not wanting her around the stranger quite yet.

"But I want to see him; he looks so weird," Apple Bloom said, her head bobbing in multiple directions to try and get a better look. .

"You'll have time to look at him later, when we know if he's safe or not. Right now, he's out cold, so give him some space and go up and do your homework. I know for a fact that you have an essay due tomorrow."

"Awwwww dang, How'd you know about that?"

"Cheerilee saw that you were not doing your homework and started telling us about it. Now get up there and get it done, or no dessert for you tonight," Applejack said with a hint of smug satisfaction.

"Awwwwwwwww," Applebloom moaned in defeat as she slowly ascended the stairs.

Applejack stared up the stairs as Apple Bloom went up, only turning around when she heard the door close behind her. She walked over to where the creature was lying and took a good look at him.

He really was an odd one, only having hair on his head, a little bit of scruff on his face, a scar above his right eye, and what would look like a bite mark on his neck. If she looked closely she could see bruises on his neck and arms, along with one forming on his face.

He was certainly the biggest fellow she had ever seen. Not only that, but he might even be taller than the princess. However, most surprising was just his appearance as a whole.

She'd never seen anything like him, not even in all those fancy books Twilight had. His arms ended in weird little snakes, and it didn't look like he had hooves but something else weird on his feet. Of course recognized the denim of his pants, though that was about the only thing.

Twilight was standing a bit further back, not quite sure what to make of this thing right in front of her. It was something no pony had ever seen. She would have known about a creature like this existing, either straight out of the Everfree or something entirely new, and that weird thing he was controlling was some kind of really advanced machine. How does it work? How do they move? Her mind was buzzing and filled with thoughts.

g She'd have to contact the princess about this as soon as she got back. This could be a new discovery altogether—a new creature, a new nation, possibly hidden in the Everree.

As the pair continued to muse, August, eyes still closed, could feel them staring at him. One was less than a foot away. There was another further back, and possibly one in the kitchen. He could hear a kettle being boiled, meaning there were three of them in total. As he contemplated what to do next, he heard another voice clear their throat.

"Twilight, do you think this thing is safe? It looks like some kind of mutated minotaur. If it came out of the Everfree, there's no telling what it could do."

"I don't know Applejack; I have never heard of anything like it. I'll have to study it and take it to the princess when I can, but we have to make sure it's not hurt first. We'll wait until it wakes up and then ask it some basic questions to see if we can figure out where it came from and if it means any harm. At the very least it seems to speak our language, so we should be able to communicate with it without too much problem."

August’s mind was rushing with information as he heard loud clicking sounds coming from the kitchen on his right; it must be the green one. Both of those voices sounded much too young to be hers, and the one closest to him spoke again.

"Granny, do you want any help with that?" said the closer one.

A snort sounded to his right. "No, I'm fine, Applejack. I might not be as spry as I used to be, but I can handle a tray of tea."

From the sound He could tell she was next to him, yet he tried to stay still and quiet.

"I can tell you're not asleep anymore, stranger, so stop pretending and stiffening up, so I can get a good look at you."

She could tell he was awake? August briefly contemplated calling her bluff, but ultimately, opened his eyes and stared straight at her.

"You may be old, but your senses are pretty sharp. I can respect that" August opted to keep things casual as he sat up and took a look around the room, meeting eyes with the other ponies.

"Since I'm not being restrained and it doesn't look like any of you want to hurt me, I'm going to assume you're all just as confused as me.”

The trio nodded, though that only helped solve one of the problems he found himself with. “Good to know, but not much help. Gotta say, either I'm hallucinating or something very, very odd has happened to me, so mind if I ask what exactly all of you are?"

Of the three, the purple one stepped forward.

"Well, sir, I'm Twilight," she said, pointing to herself with her hoof. She pointed towards the orange one.

"That's Applejack, and the one with the tea is her grandmother,Granny Smith. All of us are ponies and as to where you are, you're just outside the town called Ponyville. Can we ask who you are and where you're from?"

He took a second to process that these are talking multicolored ponies, one of which had a horn in the middle of her head, and and he currently has no idea where he was. Only thing he knew for sure at this point was apparently these ponies really sucked at naming things.

Shaking that thought aside, he opted for the cordial route and answer their question in kind.

"My name is August, and as for where I'm from, I grew up in a place called Washington. It’s part of a country called the United States of America, but based on the fact that I'm on a farm and we have never seen talking ponies before, I'm going to say I am not at home anymore or anywhere near it."

While both ponies looked stunned by this info, Twilight seemed more intrigued while Applejack seemed to have some possible insight.

"Well, first up, howdy and pleasure to meet you August.” The orange pony offered him a tip of the hat. “Tell me, does the name Discord mean anything to you?" said the orange one.

He looked over at her, wondering if she meant a dictionary definition or if he liked causing discord.

"Uh, not recently. I mean I got up to some kind of crazy stuff recently, but I doubt that’s the kind of discord you mean.”

Surprisingly, that seemed to get her to relax a bit more and even chuckle a little at his retort. “Heh, well you’d be right about that. Sorry about the weird question, but I had to be sure of something.”

"Alright, then do you know how you got here?" Twilight asked, suddenly levitating a notepad and pencil out of nowhere.

"Not really.” August said while trying not to freak out at the sudden display of magic. “The last thing I remember was getting wasted in a field with my truck. I woke up this morning, and I'm in the middle of nowhere. My phone does not work, and the first thing I find is this farm."

Twilight’s pencil rapidly went across the page, her face deep concentration, making sure not to miss any details.

"Would you mind if I ran a quick scan on you to see if you have any injuries or if I could trace any magic on you?" she asked

August tilted his head and looked at her oddly.

"Magic…wait is that what you’re using to make that notepad float?”

Twilight nodded again, making August zero in on the horn on her head and noting the glow.

"Guess I shouldn’t be surprised magic is a thing after unicorns and talking ponies. But yeah scanning me, sure I guess? Not that I could stop you if you wanted to."

"I would never use my magic on somepony who did not want me to," She said, looking positively offended at such an idea.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to imply anything.” August said offhandedly while standing still to allow Twilight to do her thing.

Her horn glowed brighter, and a flicker of light went across August's body. After a second or two, the light faded while Twilight hummed over the results.

"Well, I don't sense any injuries on you besides some bruising and alcohol poisoning."

She smirked at that, which August returned with an annoyed glare as she continued speaking.

"But I do sense an odd magic in you. I don't know if it's yours or someone else's. Unfortunately, my skills aren't very suited toward the medical field, but I don't think it's harmful."

"Well, it's good to know I don't have magic cancer..hopefully. Though you keep mentioning a princess. Is she the one who rules this place?"

“You’re right on the money sonny. Rules the whole dang country.”

The green one, Granny Smith if he remembered right, approached him and held a cup of tea up to him.

"Oh? Thank you. What kind of tea is this?"

He asked, taking a sip.

"Just some good old Green Apple Tea."

August paused for a moment, not expecting that kind of flavor, but took another sip. It was oddly sweet and almost tasted like apple juice mixed with green tea. Not bad.

"Thank you; it’s very tasty."

Granny Smith smiled and handed…or hooved a cup to Applejack, who took a seat nearby along with Twilight.

"Yes, Princess Celestia rules over Equestria, the country you're in, with her sister Luna. They have ruled over Equestria for a very long time."

August took another sip, mulling over the information.
"I'm going to guess these princesses are very old if this place is as magical as it seems."

All the ponies nodded, Twilight especially. “I don’t know exactly how long they’ve been ruling for, but it has been for at least a thousand years…is that considered long for your…species?”

August let out a long breath and put his head in his hands, running his fingers through his dark hair.

"This is all a lot to take in. I'm talking to multicolored ponies who apparently can use magic. A lot of what I believe is starting to come into question. And I overheard you say you wanted me to meet these princesses, who are immortal or something, which, yeah that's probably a good idea. But to be honest, my head hurts so much right now, and I don't think it's just the hangover talking. Do you mind if we just stay here for a while, and we can go meet your princess later?"

The purple one clapped her hoofs and bore a large smile on her face.

"Of course, we can meet her when you're ready, but I will be sending a letter to let her know about this. We don't have to go meet her right away. For now, I think you should come with me to my library so I can run a few tests on you to make sure nothing about our world is messing with you if you really aren't from here, which you seemed pretty sure of. Why?”Questioned Twilight

"To be honest with you, it's because humans, that’s what I am by the way, are the only intelligent species on our planet. We've seen every corner of our world, from our deepest oceans to even the sky, and the only ponies we have aren’t magical, multi-colored or even capable of talking, much less having their own country.”

Twilight looked even more excited by this new information, practically vibrating in her seat.

“An entirely new species of creatures, no an entire world completely separate from our own.” Twilight was again writing away on her notepad, only pausing for a moment. “And you said your species are called human, correct?”

“Yeah, or if you want the more scientific term, Homo-Sapien.”

Again Twilight paused, though more from confusion by the word choice this time.

"Weird, that sounds like ancient equestrian, well before Princess Celestia's time.

August's eyebrows shot up at that revelation.

"Seriously, ancient equestrian? I highly doubt our two worlds are connected, then again, I'm open to anything at this point. I might as well just start accepting facts as fiction since I'm talking with magical ponies."

Applejack finally spoke up after hearing this again.

"Y'all keep saying that this ain't that odd to us. No offense partner, but you're the weird one. No fur, real tall, wearing those strange duds; y'all are pretty out of place right now," She said, blunt and without hesitation.

Shockingly, August simply puffed and grinned at her.

"You're brutally honest, aren't you?" he said, leaning in closer to her. "I like that. Honesty is a good policy, even brutal honesty."

"My big sister is the most honest pony in Ponyville!"

A much squeaker, higher-pitched voice shut up from the couch behind him. He saw a poof of red hair and a pink ribbon when he turned his head.

"Applebloom, I told you to stay upstairs!"

The small one, Applebloom, hopped from the back of the couch onto the seat next to August, poking his leg with her hoof.

"Are y'all really from another world? That sounds like something out of one of Scootaloo's books?" Applebloom asked as she continued to poke.

"From the looks of things, it would seem so." August smiled and petted the little fillies head, messing up her hair and making her laugh.

Applejack looked a little uneasy at him being around Applebloom, but smiled inside when she seemed safe and unthreatened, even giggling at him poking her with one of his hands.

"What are those things called, mister?"

She asked, grabbing hold of his hand with her hoof, moving it back and forth, and poking it. August could feel an odd gripping feeling coming from her hoof, almost like she had tiny fingers wrapping around his hand, which he could not see.

Probably more magic

"Okay, that feels weird. But to answer your question, these are fingers, I guess you could say they are like claws just not sharp.. Humans use them to pick things up, and based on that feeling I have right now, I'd say you have some kind of magic that lets you do that."

Applebloom just stared at his hand and kept moving it back and forth.

Applejack let out a big sigh and went to grab something out of the kitchen.

"It doesn't seem like you mean any harm now, so I guess you can stay here for a day or two. We've got an extra room upstairs, if you want. Applebloom can show you, but y'all better go take a shower because you smell like liquor."

August grabbed his shirt with his other hand and took a sniff and winced. He did smell a bit like cheap booze and sweat.

"Well, I appreciate it. Though, I'm going to guess the shower you guys have is too small for me, and as for the room." He pointed outside, "I have one. My trailer is kind of like my house. I can move it around wherever I want as long as I have my truck. Am I ever glad I invested in an electric truck and solar panels"

"You live in that thing," said Applebloom, looking out at the large hunk of metal..

"Yep, I travel around where I want when I want, and with that, I can live just about anywhere."

"Would you mind if I take a look inside with you, Mr. August?" said Twilight, staring at the trailer like it was made of gold.

“I guess there’s no harm. I've got nothing to hide but dropping the mister thing. I mean, I can't be any older than you; probably. how old are you, um, Twilight?"

"I'm 23; Applejack's actually 25; and Bloom over there is 10."

"Huh, I was wrong, I’m 26 at least, if our worlds had the same years, I'd be surprised, if they did, but let's leave it at that."

"Can I come to Miss Twilight?" said Applebloom. "I want to see what an alien's house is like.” Twilight prepared to say no, only to be met by the filly’s large, sad eyes.

Before Twilight could answer, August opted to speak for her.

"Eh, there shouldn’t be any harm," he said, getting up, picking her up with one hand, and setting her on his shoulder. Apple Bloom's tiny hoofs wrapped around his neck, and August stood right up, towering over Twilight.

"Wow, mister, you really are tall."

"I'd have to agree with Applebloom on that.” Twilight craned her neck up just to meet August’s eyes. “Are you average height for someone in your world?"

"Well, I'm about 6 feet tall, just a bit above average but not by much. Also should warn you, trailer’s a little messy since I wasn’t expecting guests." He drank the rest of the tea and set it back on the tray next to him. "Thank you for the tea, Ms. Smith; I appreciate it."

"Why thank you, young man. It's good to see there's still some youngins out there with some manners, even if he's an alien. If you do end up wanting to stay in the house, just let us know. It can't be too warm inside that metal thing, and the nights around here get a little cold."

August huffed. "That's why I have a heater, but I appreciate it. Would you like me to move it anywhere so it's not in your driveway, like behind the barn or something?"

Granny smiled again and said, "If you don't mind, youngin we'd appreciate it; don't wanna be scaring folks with that big thing now do we??"

August nodded his head and began to walk outside, having to duck his head as he walked out of the door frame. Little Applebloom was still clinging to his back.

"Hey, wait for me!" Twilight quickly ran after them, trying to keep up with August’s much longer strides.

August went up to the side of his truck, waiting for Twilight to catch up. The unicorn in turn found herself staring in awe at this impressive machine that was much larger than even him. Just looking at it made him stunned he apparently could move it around at his lesiure. His species must be years ahead of theirs. She was so lost and thought she epped and jumped when he set Applebloom down on her back.

"As much as I don't mind the piggyback ride there, kid, I kind of need to focus when I drive this thing, and I don't want you messing with me when I'm trying to drive it. You too should stand clear while I get this thing parked behind your barn, okay?" August said as he pulled out his he pulled out his keys and hopped in the car, slamming the door shut behind him.

Twilight immediately backed up far away from it, not wanting to be anywhere near it when he started moving it.

As soon as she was clear, the engine roared to life, sounding like an angry beast, and what she could see through the glass was that August seemed totally calm about it. The car slowly began to move back, with the trailer still locked behind it. It was amazing as she saw him slowly move it behind the barn, unhook it, and then move the truck in next to it.

"All right, girls, you can come in now," he said, waving them over.

Twilight could still feel the vibrations from the truck and her bones. It was honestly terrifying that he used monster-like machines so normally, her legs were shaking as she got closer.

Slowly, she was about to step foot into an alien's home, and she'd see things she never imagined. What would the inside look like? They have incredibly advanced technology and machines that could see the entirety of the world. Would they be able to fly?

"Welcome to Casa de August. Pardon the mess," he said, opening the door.

Twilight's smile grew as she stared inside. This was the start of a great series of discoveries and adventures.

Chapter 3

As they entered the trailer, Twilight was expecting to see advanced technology, akin to something from one of the science fiction novels she’d often read.

Shining walls, gleaming machines far beyond her imagination. Instead what she got was trash on the floor, dirty dishes in the sink, and stained clothes on the backs of furniture.

Honestly, it was what she imagined Rainbow Dash’s house often looked like.

Still, despite the lack of hygiene, she still did recognize items in the room which looked similar to some items common in Ponyville but far more advanced looking. But again, she could not get over the fact that this ‘trailer’ was a mess.

"Yeah, sorry about this; I wasn't exactly expecting company. "August said, quickly grabbing a magazine with a human female, dressed in little clothing. The sight merited a mixture of curiosity and suspicion from Twilight.

"I'm going to get a change of clothes and take a quick shower. Feel free to poke around. Just don't try to open that tall green safe over there. It's got some important and somewhat dangerous stuff in it. I don't want either of you messing with it." August pointed his arm towards the right side of the trailer, where the aforementioned safe could be seen.

"What's in it, Mr. August?" said Apple Bloom, bouncing on the seat of the small dining table attached to the wall.

"Nothing you need to worry about now; just don't make a big mess…or a bigger mess then is already here, and no peeking at me, okay, Twilight? The last thing I want you to do is get in a free show,” August said with a bit of snark.

"I had no intention of peeping on you," said Twilight, looking offended and blushing slightly. “Even if I’m not exactly familiar with your people’s customs, I can tell that you value your privacy and respect that.

"Uh huh, and you’re not gonna tell me you weren’t a little curious about human anatomy?" said August walking into the small side room.

Again Twilight looked offended at the insinuation, but made no attempt to argue as she heard a small click as the door locked, followed by a slight rumble as water began to flow through the trailer.

Taking another glance and wincing at the disheveled state of the trailer, Twilight's love for organization kicked in as went to tidy up, using her magic to pick up several pieces of clothing and push them into a basket that already had some clothes in it, assuming it was the dirty clothes. Yet, even as she set about such a mundane task, she couldn’t help but marvel a little at the trailer itself.

It was mostly a long tube with a bedroom in the back and a small kitchen dining room in the middle, with what looked like an office in the front with two black boxes on a desk. As Twilight stared at the various objects in the room, Apple Bloom busied herself poking into the cabinets above and below the sink.

Continuing to scan around, Twilight picked up several magazines, putting them into a stack on a table, one with a picture of something similar to what was on the back of his truck. However, for whatever reason she couldn’t make heads or tails of the writing on the page.

“It’s odd how we seem to speak the same language, but our written language is so different. I wonder how long it would take to understand his way of speaking given he uses phrases and sayings I've never heard before. I wonder what the etymology is behind them?” thought Twilight, staring at the magazine in her magic, lost in her own world.

Curiosity peaked, she looked inside another magazine, and this one had pictures of several different humans and outfits, possibly some kind of fashion magazine.

“Rarity would love to see this; perhaps she can make him some new clothes and even learn about the fashions from his world. She would probably faint at the sheer possibilities.” Twilight chuckled to herself as she continued to read through the magazine.

Another picture was a large human male with dark skin and a shaved head, holding a tube with both hands, dust coming up around him and a flash of light coming from the end of the tube.

A click from behind her caught her attention and she turned around. August was stepping out of the shower, now dressed in denim pants and a piece of cloth only covering his chest. She then noticed what appeared to be a cutie mark on his shoulder that went down his arm.

"So humans get cutie marks too? Maybe our species aren't so different after all," Twilight said, studying the design trying to discern its meaning. Strangely it even had a deep scar going through part of it.

Apple Bloom raised her head and looked at him, noticing the mark on his shoulder.

"Wow, Mister, you got your cutie mark. How did you get it? What does it mean? What's your talent? Me and my friends have been trying to get cutie marks for a long time now, but no luck." rambled Apple Bloom bouncing on a chair.

August just looked very confused and then looked at his shoulder, on which was a stylized burning sun with a star inside it, branches wrapping around his arm and highlighting several scars ending at his wrist.

"Uh sorry, what's a cutie mark?" he asked, looking very confused. "Cuz this ain't it; it's a tattoo." August said, turning around to show them the design on the back.

"What's a tattoo?" asked Apple Bloom stepping on to the counter to have a closer look

"A tattoo is…" August trailed off for a minute, thinking about how best to explain. "A tattoo is basically ink that's injected into my skin. Kind of like a painting on my body. Humans get these done for many reasons, but most of them are because they either have a meaning to them or they think they look cool. They use a special kind of needle and ink to put them in our skin, and it doesn't fade away.”

His explanation seemed to make the little filly turn green at the idea of needles and ink, which made him chuckle a little at the youthful innocence. “ again, what's a cutie mark?" said August now genuinely curious.

Twilight however, didn’t seem to hear him, too zeroed in on the intricate tattoos on his body.

"Fascinating. I've heard about these, although not here in Equestria; they're mostly popular with griffins and zebras. Not a lot of ponies actually know what a tattoo is, so I'm not surprised you don't know Apple Bloom. And as for what a cutie mark is." Twilight turned around, pointing to her flank. "A cutie mark is special marking a pony gets when they realize what their special talent is, what they're meant to do, and what they enjoy most in life. For myself, I enjoy magic. Generally fillies like Apple Bloom don’t have them yet until they too realize what their special talent is." Said Twilight enjoying the feeling of exchanging knowledge.

Now it was August’s turn to look impressed…ignoring the somewhat awkward part that seeing the mark required looking at a pony’s backside.

"Wow. It must be nice having a magical mark that lets you know what you’re meant to do with your life. Us humans haven’t got anything like that, heck a lot of us go through our whole lives without figuring out what our purpose is. Though I can't say I’m personally crazy about the idea," Said August picking Apple Bloom up off the counter, the filly still staring at the tattoos on his body.

"Wouldn't getin poked by all of those needles really hurt mister, and you wouldn't want to get a mark?" asked Apple Bloom looking very confused at the idea of someone not wanting a cutie mark.

"Don't get me wrong; a lot of people probably would, and it’d make a lot of things easier back home, but personally, I like the idea that you can change what you're meant to do. And it didn't really hurt that much; it kind of just felt like someone was poking me with a pencil over and over again." Said August waving his hand in the air.

"Ooh, maybe I can ask Applejack if I can get one; I'm going to go ask her right now!" said Apple Bloom running out of the trailer back towards the farmhouse before Twilight could stop her.

“Oh I’m probably gonna get an earful from her sister for that,” August snickered and watched her run out. "Is she always like that? Seems very excitable, even for a kid."

Twilight just sighed and looked up with a tired smile. "She and her friends cause more chaos in this town than anypony in town trying to get their marks. And trust me, I’ve seen my share of chaos.”"

"You'll have to tell me about that someday, but come on, let's get going. Oh, hold on one second." August went to the green safe up against the wall, punched in a code, and opened it, revealing many different-looking tools inside, some of which looked like ones from the magazine. He grabbed one that was attached to a belt and hooked it around his pants.

"What are you grabbing that for?" Twilight said, watching as August strapped it to his pants.

"Force a habit, and you can never be too careful. Now tell me, Twilight, how far away is this town of yours?" asked August, holding the door open for Twilight.

"It's maybe a half-hour walk. Why?" Twilight said as the pair walked out the door.

"How do you feel about making that 5 minutes?" August pointed to the motorcycle on the bed of the truck.

"What do you mean by that?" Twilight said, sounding a little worried and taking a few steps back.

"What I mean is, how would you like to be the first pony to ride a motorcycle?" said August as he jumped into the bed of his truck and began unbuckling the motorcycle.

"Come on, Twilight, it'll be fun. We'll make one hell of an entrance, and like I said, it'd be a new experience. You'd be the first pony ever to ride a motorcycle. Think of all the data you'll be able to collect on it, and trust me, there's nothing like riding one," August beamed with gusto, standing the bed of the truck.

"Are you sure that thing is safe?" Twilight asked, looking up at him hesitantly.

"It's perfectly safe as long as you do as I say. Admittedly, my helmet won't fit you cause of your horn, so you'll just have to close your eyes and hang on tight. Still, you don’t have to worry, I ride this thing all the time, and I've never gotten hurt, and you're not driving it, so it should be fine."

"Should be?" asked Twilight, her voice raising a few points, and a bit of nervous sweat forming.

August kicked the rim down, rolled down his motorcycle, and sat on it.

“Come on, it'll be fun, and who knows, if I want to make a good first impression on all these little ponies and your town, I might as well make a big entrance. Plus, my motorcycle is probably better…." August taps the sides of the vehicle. "Then the truck."

“Well… Is it going to be fast and as loud as your... truck?” asked Twilight, still mentally weighing her options, though did somewhat agree a smaller vehicle was likely to cause less panic.

“Loud? Not as much as the truck, and it is a lot faster, but I won't go that fast since it's your first time on one.”

August sat on the bike, waiting for Twilight's decision. His arms were crossed in front of his chest. Twilight wasn't quite sure what to make of this. She didn't quite like the look on his face; it looked too much like Rainbow or Pinkie when they were about to pull one of their pranks. Still, she was wondering what it would be like to ride this machine. It's true; she would be the first pony ever to ride one.

Her natural curiosity and her intelligence/self preservation were arguing, and she wasn't quite sure which one to listen to. August watched with a grin on his face as the Twilight paced back and forth on the ground in front of him. She was muttering to herself, and he could pick out every other word.

“All the possibilities... it could be dangerous... but at the same time...” were just some of the phrases he picked out from the endless stream coming from her.

August sighed and kept watching her pace. Perhaps he pushed her a bit too far, but at the same time, he really wanted to see her freak out on a motorcycle. Plus, it would be quite the power trip to roll into town on his bike, a town where no one had seen a motorcycle before, and he'd be able to get a drink faster. This hangover was still driving him crazy, and he was wondering if he had time to go back inside and get his flask.

Just as he was about to, Twilight stopped pacing and stood right in front of him. She looked like she just ate a lime. Her lips were puckered and her eyes were slits.

"August, if you're sure this machine is safe, then I will trust you in the name of science. I will ride with you, but please just take it slow." Twilight asked, her eyes pleading.

August smiled and sat on the bike, patting the seat behind him.

“Sure, Twilight. I promise I won't go too fast. Just be sure you hang on tight. The last thing I want is for you to tumble off this thing. I won't lie. If you do, you're probably going to end up with more than a couple bruises.” said August patting the seat behind him.

Twilight gulped, walked forward, and tried to sit on the seat. It was a little awkward considering how tall he was compared to her and how the seat was designed, but after a minute, she managed to get up there and wrap her arms around him as tightly as she could. August grunted as she squeezed around his throat.

“Be careful there scaredy cat. I need to breathe," August said, lowering her house a bit further down his body around his chest.

“Alright, you're ready." August asked, turning his head.

“No, but do it anyway,” said Twilight, holding tight and with her eyes closed.

“Alright, then hold on tight.”

August turned the keys in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. He revved it a few times, making sure Twilight was firmly wrapped around him. Then, again slowly, he began driving forward, gently going faster.

In a matter of seconds he waved as he passed by Sweet Apple Acres and Apple Bloom. She was standing in the doorway with a slightly angry-looking Applejack. August quickly peeled out of the driveway before she could say anything to him.

As they rode, Twilight had very mixed feelings. He was going faster and faster, which was only making her more nervous. It was an odd feeling to ride this machine. She could feel the rumbling beneath her and the trees whizzing by.

“This must be how pegasi feel when they fly” Twilight thought.

August shouted over the sound of the wind. “You are ready to go faster.”

“What?” said Twilight, not being able to hear over the wind.

“I'll take that as a yes.”

August rocketed forward on the machine, quickly followed by Twilight yelling behind him. Of course, he simply laughed, enjoying the sensation as he pushed on. He always loved riding this bike. It was worth all the time and money he had put into it and the electric engine on it. Without it, he probably wouldn't be able to drive it here, and he relied on all the equipment he had to live off the grid. He's basically doing that now.

Twilight was still yelling as he enjoyed being lost in his own thoughts, only making out every fifth word or so. Quickly though he started to slow down, spotting buildings in the distance over a hill.

“Is that the town?” August said he stopped at the top of it.

Twilight was very frazzled, and her hair was a mess. She was gritting her teeth, and had her eyes closed, but when she felt they had stopped, she opened her eyes. After taking a few calming breaths to stop herself from shaking, she nodded.

"Yeah, that’s Ponyville; my home is in the middle of town, more or less. It’s the Golden Oaks Library; you can't miss it.”

August nodded and began to roll down the hill and drive into town.

Chapter 4

Rainbow Dash was enjoying her day. She had finished her work early since the town was only scheduled to be slightly cloudy. Thus she was free to indulge in her favorite pastime outside of flying…napping.

Quietly she slept atop a cloud just above Ponyville, the warm feeling of the sun against her fur and the relative peace of the town below providing the perfect balance for a restful sleep. It would’ve likely lasted well into the afternoon…only for her ear to perk up.

Groaning a little she turned her head to try and block the sound out, only for it to steadily get louder, prompting the pony to use her hooves to push parts of the cloud into her ears.

This proved truly futile as again the sound only got even louder, to the point where even the cloud couldn’t drown it out.

Her magenta eyes opened angrily, as she raised her neck up with a groan and looked over for the source. Immediately her eyes shifted to the direction the sound was coming from, yet all her eyes could spot was a rather large dust cloud.

Whatever it was, it was pretty big and pretty fast. Even at just a glance she could tell it would arrive in town in less than a minute.

Now awake and on high alert, Rainbow Dash rocketed towards town, a rainbow trail behind her.

“HEY EVERYPONY, CLEAR THE STREETS, QUICK! SOMETHINGS HEADED THIS WAY!” Rainbow Dash shouted, flying from one end of town to another in mere moments.

Several ponies immediately noted the sound and started running about, many fleeing into nearby homes and buildings for shelter.

Rarity, hearing the commotion, stuck her head out of her sewing room window and waved Rainbow Dash down. “Rainbow Dash, darling, what is going on? What are you bellowing about so early in the morning?”

“Something's heading towards the town and coming in hot. And whatever it is, it's kicking up a crazy huge dust cloud.” said Rainbow Dash, flapping her wings to stay eye level with Rarity.

"Oh, sweet Celestia, do you think it's another stampede?” asked Rarity, eyes widening in fear. Memories still fresh from the last one.

“Not sure. It looks like just one creature, but it's coming in fast and loud. We better brace ourselves and be ready for anything." Rainbow Dash said as a rumbling, growling sound could be heard getting closer by the second.

Quickly Dash flew up higher, preparing to get moving.

“Meet me down in front of town; we'll try to hold it off until Twilight gets back from Sweet Apple Acres. She’s gotta have heard this thing coming by now. Heck, she's probably chasing after it.”

Nodding, Rarity closed the window and quickly headed downstairs. Rainbow Dash went ahead and arrived at the entrance of town in seconds. Almost immediately she quickly gathered up some clouds, placing them near the entrance.

Thanks to her innate magic, if she needed to she could either shock whatever was coming with some lightning or wash it out with rain. Either way, she wasn’t gonna make this easy for whatever was coming, as she eyed the dust cloud in the distance.

Scene Change -

With Ponyville in view, August slowly applied pressure to the break, allowing their pace to also gradually decrease. Sadly it was a little hard to see everything perfectly due to the insane amount of dust they’d kicked up.

Kind of a fun reminder for August that he currently wasn’t on a paved road of any kind.

Still he was able to see enough to know they were close and finally allow the bike to come to a complete stop.

August turned off the keys in the ignition and stood up, Twilight still hanging on to his back, like a koala to a tree. Honestly the visual of her clinging to him as tightly as possible was honestly pretty hilarious, though he decided to keep that to himself, for now at least.

"Wow, you really are light. You know that" said August as he plucked the still jittering pony off and put her down on the ground as gently as he could. Twilight then proceeded to collapse, her legs shaking from the vibrations of the motorcycle…or her frayed nerves hard to tell.

Regardless the poor pony looked utterly drained, eyes half lidded, chest rapidly expanding and sweat dripping from her brow. Reminded him of someone just after they rode a rollercoaster for the first time.

"That was much more stressful than I thought. How do you do that all the time?" Twilight asked, gasping for air and slowly trying to stand back up, only for her still wobbling legs to keep her grounded.

"You get used to it after a while. Besides, that was just a 5-minute ride. I've been on this thing for hours at a time. So…" August trailed off, looking around, "Where is everyone?"

Twilight, taking another minute to properly get feeling back in her legs, looked at him and then proceeded to look around town. None of the shops were being manned, and all the windows and doors were closed. She let out a sigh as she remembered something similar happening not too long ago with Zecora.

"They must have heard us coming. The ponies here are nice but a little skittish. Especially when something or someone unusual comes into town," she said, putting on a half-smile and looking apologetic to the human.

"I'll try not to take offense to that," he said. "Here, let me…"

August didn't get to finish his sentence as he reached down towards Twilight. He was tackled by a blue blur and went with it, skidding to the ground.

Twilight gasped when she saw it was Rainbow Dash trying to wrestle August to the ground, but she was not having much luck. The much larger August was on top of her, with one hand holding down one of her wings, the other wing smacking him in the side, and his other hand around her throat, his large palm covering most of her thin neck.

“What the hell is this, you little...”

August was interrupted yet again, this time by a blast to the face by Pinkie’s Party Cannon, sending him off Rainbow Dash and landing in a basket of fruit.

The young man was stunned, ears ringing from the sudden shock as he tried to move. Rarity came from an alley and used her magic to tie a rope around him before August could regain his senses and lifted him into the air above them.

"Twilight, darling, are you alright? This ruffian didn’t hurt you, did it?” said Rarity as she helped Twilight stand up and brush the dirt off her.

“Let him down Rarity; he's not going to hurt us,” said Twilight, looking at her with an angry expression, leaving the posh pony surprised while August continued to attempt to break free.

“I wouldn't be so sure about that. I might punch the pink one shooting me in the face with….I’m hoping for whipped cream.”

“It’s actually homemade buttercream icing with a hint of marshmallow.” Pinkie said rather proudly, not the least bothered by the threat.

Curious, August’s tongue popped out and sampled the cream still on his face. “Huh, yeah I can actually tell, pretty good…but I've still got a bone to pick with the blue one that sucker punched me," August bluntly said as he was hanging upside down, bits of icing and confetti stuck to him.

Twilight rolled her eyes and overrode Rarity's magic with her own, setting August down and untying him. The still dazed human staggered a bit, but straightened up and brushed the confetti off his shoulder.

As Rainbow approached, he reached for his belt and drew his tool off, looking angry at her and Pinkie as they approached.

“Take one more step and al blow a hole right through one of your legs,” August said, pointing the tool at them.

Panicking, Twilight ran between them and looked at them both. “August! Girls! Calm down; no more fighting from any of you!”

Neither party seemed ready to back down, forcing Twilight to grab the tool out of August’s hand with her magic, roughly pulling it from his hands, and his eyes went wide.

"NO! DON’T! IT MIGHT GO OFF!“ He shouted, and a loud bang could be heard all around town. Birds flew out of trees, squirrels and other small animals scattered. The four ponies hit the ground and stayed down, not getting up until the ringing in their ears stopped.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash both slowly got up and shook their heads, their ears still ringing, Pinkie hiding behind her canon along with Rarity.

“WHAT WAS THAT?” Shouted Twilight, still not being able to hear herself.

“WHAT?” said Rainbow Dash, rubbing her ears.

“AUGUST? WHAT WAS THAT?" Twilight looked over at where August was, only to see that he wasn't there. She turned her head only to see August crouching over Pinkie Pie, his hands pressing down on her leg. He had ripped a part of his shirt off and was using it to tie a strip of fabric around her leg, most of the rest was pressed down lower to her hoof. The fabric was slowly being stained red.

His face was hard, but calm and focused. Pinkie conversely was whimpering and crying. Her hair had gone straight, and she looked pale. All Rainbow Dash and Twilight could do was stare at them frozen at the sight of the blood coming from their friend.

August said something to Pinkie, and she nodded. He picked her up in his arms, held her close to his chest, and ran to Twilight and said something to her; she couldn't hear him the first time. To her, his voice sounded muffled and far away as her hearing returned. All she could focus on was the blood slowly dripping onto the ground.

"Twilight! Snap out of it!” August shouted at her, snapping his fingers in her face. “Do you have a first aid kit at your house?”

"I…I ye…yes, I do,” She nodded, her mind recovering from the shock, though her eyes refused to leave the growing blood on the ground.

"Good, now all of you follow me.” he said, running towards the library.

In shock, both Rainbow Dash and Twilight followed him, Rarity similarly following, not saying a word as they ran ahead when they reached the front door. August barely stopped, kicked the door in, rushing in and set Pinkie down on an empty table as gently as he could.

"Twilight, listen to me get the first aid kit, some clean towels, and boil some water. OK?” August said. his voice was calm and level, but he spoke with a tone that left no room for argument. It reminded Twilight of Princess Celestia.

Twilight nodded quickly running upstairs while Rainbow Dash ran into the kitchen to get the water and towels.

In less than a minute, Twilight was back with the kit, Dash with the water in hoof, which Twilight immediately brought to a boil with her magic.

August opened the first aid kit, grabbed what was needed, seeing the gloves in the kit were both too small and lacked fingers, took a deep breath and put his hands into the boiling water, pain on his face from the intense heat, and started working on Pinkie Pie.

“We got lucky it didn't hit anything important. The bullet didn't go too deep from the looks of things. I have to get the bullet out and stop the bleeding. This is going to hurt, ok?”

August looked at Pinkie, and she nodded, fighting back against the tears still in her eyes. August grabbed a bottle of disinfectant from the kit, opened, smelled it, poured some on a cloth, and pressed on to the wound. Pinkie flinched and cried out, but August held her still.

“You two hold her down. I need her to be still for me to stitch her up.” August said, his hands held up to keep them as sterile as he could

"Wait, why should we listen to you?” asked Rainbow Dash glaring at him "Why should you do this and not a doctor at the hospital."

Her comment was interrupted by Rarity, having finally caught up and was panting in the doorway, covered in sweat and her makeup running, struggling to get a word in.

“How…is…Pinkie?”

As if fate was deciding to have a laugh, her question was then interrupted by the sound of another person walking down the nearby stairs.

"Twilight? What's going on? What's all the noise?" said Spike coming down the stairs, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

August, ignoring everything else going on, just turned his head and glared at Rainbow Dash, his eyes hard.

“Listen to me. Your doctors here don’t know how to treat bullet wounds and I went to med school for years. So unless you want your friend to bleed out, do as I say and hold her down now. You... white one," he pointed at Rarity blood on his hand. "Take the kid upstairs and keep him there. Kids don’t need to see this much blood.”

Looking a little queasy at the blood, Rarity nodded as she walked past him, nodding, putting a hoof on Spike, and walked up the stairs with him. “Come on, Spike, we need to give them some space.”

Spike, by now fully awake and viewing the situation, was wide-eyed and said nothing as they went up the stairs into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

"And this wouldn't have happened if Twilight hadn't tried to grab my gun out of my hand." said August, eyes locked on Twilight, who shrunk under his gaze, truly feeling like she was dealing with a disappointed Celestia.

"Rainbow, listen to him; he doesn't want to hurt her, and if he has medical training, we may not have a better option.” said Twilight bracing herself for the task at hoof.

"Fine, but one wrong move, and I’m bucking you in the face,” said Rainbow Dash holding Pinkie Pies front hoofs.

August nodded, and as Rainbow and Twilight held Pinkie down. Quickly, Twilight cast a spell on her leg, to numb the pain as best she could, though sadly she had little experience with medical spells.

Fishing through the kit, August pulled out a pair of tweezers along with a needle and thread, lightly pouring alcohol on them. The other two ponies in the room were only able to hold their breath and pray to Celestia that their friend would be alright. Twilight spent the entire time blaming herself for her friend getting hurt.

Chapter 5 Author's Note

sorry this one took so long had a family emergency.

Chapter 5

August let out a deep breath as he closed the final stitch and set the bloody needle down. Despite a rough start, his medical training had come back to him without a problem and the operation, as rudimentary as the tools had been, was a success. Shockingly, he was even able to keep his hands from shaking the entire time.

Frankly if he was being honest, the hardest part was keeping his eyes on the wound and not on the crying pink pony. Something about seeing her in pain and crying her eyes out felt so wrong for some reason.

“Okay, she should be fine. I got the bullet out and stopped the bleeding. We got lucky; if it had hit any farther to the left it might have hit a major artery. All that blood was from muscle damage, but she should recover with time. And if you guys are as hearty as horses in my world she will be ok.” August’s voice was tired and his hands were starting to shake as he spoke while he tried to wipe the blood off his hands with one of the towels.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight let go of Pinkie Pie; she had passed out not long after the operation had begun and her breathing was slow and deep, tear stains still visible on her cheeks.

Rainbow Dash sat on the ground, and Twilight let out a deep breath and stared at August as he washed off the blood on his hands.

Twilight couldn't believe what had just happened; her friend had gotten hurt, partially thanks to her, and this human had saved her. She was about to speak up when Rainbow Dash beat her to the punch.

“Just want to say that was awesome, but... how did you know how to do that, and what is that thing?” She asked, pointing to the weapon on his hip, flinching a little at the sight of it given what just happened.

“When did he pick it up?” Thought Twilight her eyes glued to the powerful weapon on his hip.

“I spent a long time in medical school; I didn't graduate for reasons I don’t feel like getting into,, but I did learn enough to save a life when I had to. As for this” August tapped the weapon on his hip. “It’s what’s known as a gun. Kind of like a miniature cannon that fires small, metal projectiles at high speed. People use it for self-defense in my world, it’s obviously pretty dangerous.”

Both ponies’s eyes widened at the description, looking at the item with greater trepidation.

“And you’re okay just carrying it around like that?” Twilight asked, now wanting to lock the weapon up in a safe or something to avoid such a problem.

August simply pulled the gun out and held it sideways, pointing to a small button on the side. “Don’t worry. This button here is called the safety, and when it’s pushed in, the gun can’t fire.” To prove his point he lightly squeezed the trigger, which refused to move. “Plus I also took the magazine out…that’s where projectiles are stored. So it’s nothing but a hunk of metal now.”

Explanation given, August put the gun on the table and stepped back, the two ponies also taking a step back despite the warning. August in turn raised his hands in the air and a genuinely sad look on his face.

“I swear, I didn't mean for this to happen. Yes, I probably should’ve left it behind, but I was just trying to... I just... wanted to protect myself.” August shuddered, sat down, held his head in his hands, and shook himself, slowly pacing around the room

“This is all so crazy. There I am getting hammered in a field and the next day, I'm in fucking magical pony land. And then as if that wasn’t enough on the first day, I shot one of the first ones I met.” August looked about ready to bash his head against a nearby wall but stopped short and simply looked at Twilight with remorse plastered all across his face. “I am so so sorry Twilight.”

Stunned and a little overwhelmed, Twilight looked from August to Pinkie and back again.

“It's not entirely your fault August, if I had just waited for you to lower your ...... gun… instead of just grabbing it, this wouldn't have happened. But you did save Pinkie's life, and I would like to believe you're being honest so let's put this behind us and….”

Before Twilight could finish, Pinkie’s eyes snapped open before she jumped up from behind Twilight and landed on August's lap, warping her forelegs around his neck, and kissed him, a pink lipstick mark left behind on his cheek. She was still pale but her mane had regained its curls and she had a small but pained smile on her face.

"Twilight, don’t be so cold to Auggie; he’s sorry and he saved me like in one of Rarity's sappy books, and I don’t mind, of course, as long as he carries me around awhile, I’d say we about even." Pinkie pressed her face close to August's and looked at Twilight with her big blue eyes and pouted.

August was too stunned to move as this Pinkie Pie landed on him, and he was left wondering how she was awake and could move so much after losing so much blood.

Also she smelled like cotton candy and cake now that she was so close to him…weird.

“PINKIE!” Shouted Rainbow Dash. “Don’t do that! You might hurt yourself more!” Rainbow Dash said as she flew over to Pinkie and August, trying to pry her off him, only to succeed in making Pinkie’s limbs stretch out instead.

It was at this point Rarity, Spike holding on tight to her back, small sobs coming from him, came down the stairs.

“Girls! Is Pinkie alright? Why are you shouting?” Her mane was frazzled, and her eyes were red and puffy, much the same as Spike’s, his green eyes framed by red veins. The fashionista let out a sigh of relief as she saw Pinkie Pie holding on tight to August, her body stretching and August's eyes wide in shock.

The display actually got a restrained chuckle from the posh pony, happy to see things had returned to some normality.

Of course, with all this insanity going on something had to give, in this case, August since he was getting pulled with Pinkie and didn’t have anything to keep him in place.

One more pull from Dash caused August to fall as Pinkie held onto him, landing flat on his stomach, Pinkie slipping out from under him yet still holding on.

Things were quiet for a moment, but August started laughing, his deep voice filling the room. The girls, besides Pinkie who joined in the laughter, stared at him as he wiped tears from his eyes.

“Why are we laughing?” asked Pinkie, tilting her head while sitting on August’s chest.

“I'm laughing because it just hit me. This whole situation is completely nuts. I have a talking pink pony on my chest that can apparently stretch like bubblegum. That one,” he pointed to Twilight, “Is fucking magic.” He pointed to Rainbow Dash. “She can fly. And I just did minor surgery on you after I shot you when she pulled my gun out of my hand WITH GODDAME TELEKINESIS. And now all I want is a stiff drink and hopefully forget some of what’s just happened as I’m not sure how much more my brain can handle.”

August softly laughed and covered his eyes, a thin line of tears running down his face as he did so. Pinkie was the first to do anything; she laid down on top of him, hugging his head into her chest fluff, patting the top of his head.

“I'm not as good at this as Fluttershy, but I can still help you when your all frownie wownies, so just let it out; it's going to be okay, Auggie." Pinkie held his head into her chest fluff, and after a few painful sobs, stopped crying and sat up, Pinkie still in his lap.

"Thanks, um, Pinkie? I needed that. The whole weight of everything just finally hit me I guess.”

August sat up a little, adjusting Pinkie to keep her comfortable as he once again looked at his surroundings. “I’m really not in my world. By all accounts I should be having a panic attack or suffering some kind of existential crisis, nevermind the whole talking pony thing…, honestly I’m a mix of relived and something I’m not sure of.”

That made him chuckle again, though it was a little more bitter than happy. “Truth is,I always wanted to get away from my world. Get away from so much. And now that I have, I can't tell if I miss them or if I’m relieved. I never have to face them again.” Said August wiping tears from his eyes, still processing everything that had happened.

“Umm, who are they, darling?" asks Rarity, wiping her smeared makeup off, finally composed enough to enter the conversation proper.

“They,” August said as he stood up with Pinkie Pie in his arms, setting her on a chair, “Are…were my family, and I don’t know any of you well enough to get into that. At least not while sober." August closed the first aid kit and sat down on an open chair beside Pinkie Pie, who immediately latched herself to his arm.

Twilight sighed and teleported the first aid kit and dirty tools away, walking closer to August and setting her hoof on his knee. August’s hands were still shaking and he was still coated in sweat.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. We’re all privy to secrets. However, we do need to talk about a lot.”

August nodded as Twilight seemed to enter lecture mode, sitting up and pulling out a notepad. “First topic: why did you feel the need to bring a weapon with you? I promise you that you'd be safe here.” Twilight looked into his eyes; she could see he was tired in mind and body.

“Yeah…. Why did you need that gun thing? What did you expect from a fight or something?” asked Rainbow Dash, glaring lightly at August.

Rainbow Dash had not said a word during the surgery and had a little blood on one of her hoofs. Though things had calmed down and it was clear what happened was an accident, Dash was still looking at him with suspicion and a little anger. Her wings were open and tensed, ready to shoot her forward and ram into August if he made the wrong move.

August let out a deep breath and tapped the gun on the table with one hand. “I have been on the run for years now, always looking over my shoulder. Always had the thought: is today the day my family comes for me. I won't lie It made me paranoid, and besides, look at it from my point of view. I’m in a strange world, surrounded by strange talking animals…no offense, who also have magic powers. I’m kind of on edge, and my gun wouldn't have gone off if Twilight hadn't grabbed it out of my hand.”

Twilight winced a little at the reminder, but acknowledged her own misstep.

August put his head in his hands and shook it back and forth. Groaning as he did so. ”This damn hangover is not helping my mood. Sorry if I'm a little rude right now.”

“I say we lock’em up and get rid of that gun thing,” said Rainbow Dash pointing a hoof at the lone human.

“Rainbow!” shouted Twilight. “That’s a little extreme, don’t you think? He is right. This is very stressful for all of us right now, but I know that if he actually wanted to hurt us, he could have. Think about it, he was alone with me and did nothing but tease me, no worse than you do.”

Rainbow Dash grunted and sat on the ground. As she sat, she noticed the blood on her hoofs, her face twisted in disgust and zipped to the bathroom and back to clean them off before coming back out in seconds.

“I don’t know Twilight; are you sure that he's safe?” asked Rainbow Dash shaking the water from her hoofs onto the floor of the library, much to Twilight’s annoyance.

It was at this point that Rarity walked up to August, moved his hands away from his eyes, and looked deep into his pale blue eyes.

"Darling, be honest now, ok?” She said gently.

August nodded, his eyebrow raised.

“Do you want to hurt us if we promise not to hurt you?” Rarity asked, staring deeply into him.

"No,” August said without hesitation. “I only had that gun with me out of habit and a bit of paranoia. I mean it, when I say this, I never wanted to hurt her... , not that much at least.” They all looked at him with shock and fear at that.

“What?” he asked, quickly holding his hands up. “She shot me with a cannon. That fucking hurt.” August said, rubbing his bruised chest.

The group had the decency to look a little sheepish at forgetting such a detail.

“Oppise,” said Pinkie Pie, rubbing the back of her head. “Sorry about that, Auggie. I thought you were a big meanie who wanted to hurt Twilight. But hay, I'd say we're even now.” Pinkie waved her wrapped hoof in the air. “And if I forgive you, then you have to do the same too Dashie.”

“But..but he..he can't just." Rainbow Dash stutters as Rarity picks up August’s torn and bloody shirt trying to ignore the blood.

Pinkie Pie looked at Rainbow Dash with big eyes and trembling lips. “Oh, fine, but if he makes one bad move, I’m going to buck him in the face.” Rainbow Dash stared hard at him. “Got that?”

However, he threat didn’t seem to get the reaction she expected as August looked both confused and a little weirded out.

“What?”

“I’m sorry, you’re gonna what my face?” August asked, dreading what exactly that meant. Thankfully Twilight was quick to clear things up.

“She means kick you in the face.”

August chuckled and nodded. "Don’t threaten me with a good time tomboy. But you're not taking my guns, got that? If this place is really magic, I need something to level the playing field, got it?” He met Rainbow Dash's glare with his own. His small eyes were intense and steady.

Rainbow Dash her face red, either from anger or embarrassment at being called tomboy, hard to tell. “Fine. Come on, Pinkie, let's get you looked at by Redheart." Rainbow Dash picked Pinkie Pie up and started to fly out the door.

“But Dashie, I want Auggie to carry me,” she said. August got up and followed after them, holding his arms out.

“I said I would, and I will. Besides, I need to get my bike anyway; I don’t want to leave it in the middle of town.”

“NO!!” shouted Rainbow Dash and Twilight at the same time.

Twilight spoke first: “You should stay here for the time being, August. I will get your... bike myself, just wait here for me, ok?”

“You don’t want me to scare the town anymore, huh?” August put his arms down and looked at her. Not looking surprised at her request.

Twilight, her head down, pawed at the floor of the library and said nothing.

“Hey, I get it. After that entrance, last thing I wanna do is cause a panic or something. And as for you,” he said, looking at Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, his eyes softening. “Good looking out for your friend. Keepin her safe, huh?”

Rainbow Dash nodded, and so did August as he sat down, rubbing his chest, a new bruise forming in the shape of a hoof.

This was the point that all gathered in the room truly looked at him and his body. He was covered in bruises, scars old and new, a few stitches ,and underneath it all firm muscle.

Rainbow was the least surprised having had similar injuries herself at one point. Twilight’s and Rarity’s eyes went wide in shock and Spike let out a small breath.

“I will make it up to you later, Pinkie. Treat you to dinner at my place or something, ok?” August suggested nodding towards the pink mare being carried pretending not to notice their reactions.

The Equestriennes in the room regained their senses as August and Pinkie Pie spoke.

"Hummmmmmm, okie dokie." Said Pinkie Pie. “Rainbow Dash away!!!!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and flew out the door.

“I will be right back. Don’t go anywhere, ok?” said Twilight, staring towards the door with a worried glance back at August’s body, wondering how she had not noticed all his injuries before.

August held his hands out. “Where am I going?” He chuckled, “My bike is over 500 pounds by the way. Don’t hurt your back.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and said, “I can lift well over that in my field; don’t worry. Rarity, keep an eye on him and Spike for me, ok?”

"Oh, of course, darling. I wanted to have a little chat with our guest anyway.” She trailed off, looking back at August’s shirt.

“Ok then” Twilight walked out the door, looking back at them. “Have fun,” she said, and left the three of them alone.

Chapter 6

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 7

August was floating in an endless sea, the sky so dark and the sea so cold they seemed one and the same, blended together in an endless void of peace and quiet.

In that moment, all the pain, worry, and stress were gone, and he was at peace.

But August was not happy; he could feel the cold water soaking his skin, and a glowing line of purple light was reaching up from the depths. The pale purple light let the wonders of the sea be seen as countless creatures swam by.

Stunned, August stood up, the water turning to ice underneath his feet, and the light stopped just underneath the ice.

Wordlessly, August began walking towards the moon in the distance. The waters were freezing as he walked, and his footsteps sent vibrations through the ocean drawing in the creatures.

Yet, even in spite of all the odd things happening, August wasn’t bothered and just continued his trek forward.

August had no direction, no reason for going on, just the simple thought that if he stopped, he would sink to the bottom with the monsters of the dark and not swim with the wonders of the ocean and the light. He did not belong with either, so he stayed away and just kept walking, only stopping when a massive creature of the depths burst through the still waters.

The water it sprayed hit August; it was not salt water but liquor, strong smelling, burning his eyes and skin.

Despite the grand entrance, the Creature did not stop August as he went, only following behind him, spraying him with liquor and burning parts of him , swallowing the ice as they went. And yet again despite the burning and the sights before him, August continued to walk, almost robotically without fail.

The Purple Light was still with him. August finally stopped, he was tired and sat down. The light gently came out of the water and stopped in front of him, lighting up his face and rubbing the tears away from it, holding on to him as The Creature began to swallow them both.

August reached out to The Purple Light as the Creature closed its jaws around them. As the darkness set in, August heard The Purple light scream out and fade away, leaving him alone in the dark.

Rather than panic, August stayed there, alone, for an endless amount of time until a bright glow came from The Creature’s jaws, and it faded away into starlight.
August did not move or speak; he simply sat and mourned The Purple Light as the tapping of hoofs stopped in front of him.

Before him stood a large pony, larger than any he’d seen thus far. It was adorned in dark purple fur, silver jewelry and curiously a mane that appeared to be made of the night sky itself. Also most notable was she not only had a horn like Twilight, but also wings like Rainbow Dash.

“Stand, mortal! Tis I Princess Luna of the Night! The Behemoth has been banished from thy dreams. Rest now, in peace.” Said Luna, her voice sending echoes through the waters, a small light flashing below.

August did not respond at first; he simply stood up, the tears still falling from his face. Luna could sense August’s mind was not whole. She lit up her horn, a small pulse of magic went from her to August, clearing his his eyes. He clenched his head and looked around, staring at his hands, flexing them as he did so.

“Canst thou hear me now, mortal?” Luna asked, stepping closer to August, who turned around and stared hard at Luna. Hisface was a mix of anger and confusion. The ocean around them became more violent as the platform of ice grew, yet Luna seemed unbothered, either by the cold or by his visible anger.

“I must admit, human, I find enjoyment in the scenery of thy dream. So few doth dream of the night’s beauty in such a manner as thou dost.” Luna said, taking in the sights of the blending of the ocean and the night sky with the full moon connecting them.

“Go away,” said August, as he began to walk again. “I don’t know who you are, but I don’t need your help and I’d like to be alone." August turned his back to Luna and walked towards the moon.

Luna was taken aback by this creature's attitude and trotted to catch up and walk beside him.

“The dreams are mine domain; ‘tis mine duty to aid those plagued by nightmares. Furthermore, ‘twas mine desire to meet Twilight’s reported human ere his arrival in mine kingdom.” Luna said, slowly walking next to August.

“You're the Princess?" Asked August not looking at her. “If you are, don’t you think it's rude to go into someone's head without asking huh? This is my dream; you have no right to be here.” Said August, snow was beginning to fall around them.

Luna raised an eyebrow, saying, “I hold sway over realms both seen and unseen. It is within mine right to traverse such domains in pursuit of my duties.”
It was strange, never before had any being dared question her authority with the realm of dreams.

“I...” said August, finally turning and poking Luna on the nose. “Don’t care. This is my head. I’m not one of your citizens and here I make the rules, so leave now before I make you.” Ice was beginning to form around August as the temperature began to drop.

“It would seem thou art the rude one. I, came to offer aid, yet thou insultest mine presence. As for mine departure mortal, know that I possess the power to banish thee from this realm with but a mere thought. Heed my words and show proper respect,lest thou incur mine wrath.” Luna’s voice was growing louder and echoing around them.

August stopped and glared at her, his eyes glowing bright blue. A thunderclap boomed in the distance. Luna met his glare, her own eyes glowing white. The two stood in front of each other, the waters around them crashing against the ice platform.

A bolt of lightning struck the ice, making the world go white, and August was upon her, a blast of wind surging him forward and charging them both into the sky, massive hurricanes forming between them as they flew in the air, clashing as fast as the bolts of light in the air.

Luna could not believe what was happening. This human was a Dream Walker; with just a touch of her magic, he was fully aware of this world and was shaping it around them.

Striking her with the full force of this dream world, he was raw and uncontrolled but powerful and fierce. The bolts of lightning blinding her, the winds slowing her wings, and his strikes on her body were as brutal as the storm forming around them.

She was not in any real danger here, it was a dream ultimately and she could easily negate any possible damage. Yet… it was a thrill to do battle again.

“This human is most intriguing, and it hath been many moons since I was challenged in the realm of dreams. Verily I shall relish a gentle spar with him.” thought Luna, folding her wings and diving down toward August.

The duo collided in the air, and the force cleared the clouds around them. August drew in power from the storm and sent sparks of electric power into Luna, causing her wings to become paralyzed as both of them fell into the sea.

Luna, shaking off the shock, was the first to surface, climbing on a large chunk of ice, shaking the freezing water from her coat, and turning to ice in the air. Her breathing was heavy, and her heart was pounding. She was enjoying this, quite a bit. She stood on guard, waiting for August to reemerge and continue their spar.

Luna however failed to notice that a blotch of shadow flowed from her soaked tail into the ocean, turning the sea black as it went deep into the waters.

Meanwhile August was still sinking. Unlike Luna who was having fun, he was angry, no livid. What right did she have to be here to invade his mind and ‘help’ him. If he wanted a therapist he’d talk to one when he was awake, not trespassing in what was supposed to be the one place he was safe.

He missed the light. August’s lungs were filling with water, and he kept sinking. He closed his eyes and just wanted to be alone and sleep.

“Do you want her gone?” said a deep female voice in the darkness.

“Don’t listen to the Darkness August. It just wants to use you.” A weaker, softer female voice spoke, as flash of light came from below.

August could only hear the soft voice as a whisper, and not anything else, its warning lost to him. He could feel the anger in him build and push the soft voice away.

“August,” it said. “Be careful." Retreating to gather its strength and wait.

"Yes.” August floated straight into the dark water around him, becoming more solid and warping around him.

“You're not ready for my full power yet, Human, but I can at least give you enough power to drive Luna away.”

A single drop of pure black water fell into his mouth, his blue eyes glowing brighter and gaining a hint of purple to them.

The light from his eyes lit up and illuminated the sea around him. Gone were the quiet and gentle creatures of the sea; now all that was around him were the beasts of the depths, and in front of them all was a shapeless shadow.

“That is all the power you can handle for now, human,” It said, caressing August’s face. “Go now and show that fool what she lost.”

August nodded and rocketed towards the surfaces gaining speed as he went. The Darkness chuckled and looked towards the soft lights.

“ I do not know what you are, but he is mine now, and someday soon I will rise again." It said blending into the black waters.

“He belongs to no one you monster, and he will beat you; he did it once already,” said the soft voice, shining just a bit brighter.

Luna was growing tired of waiting; she was tapping the ice with a hoof. She sighed and was about to blast the sea away when she felt it. A drop of darkness, almost nothing, but it was enough to send her fur on edge.

It was like when she was young and stupid, having angered a Mother Hydra.

As Luna was wrapped in her own thoughts, the ocean began to rise around her, a massive arm rising from the depths made of water and ice.

Slightly panicked, Luna tried to fly away but was caught mid-takeoff and held in the air as August rose from the sea, arms and legs warped in the swirling waters.

“Thou hast acquitted thyself thus far, human. Yet, I tire of this encounter. It is time for it to end!” Luna roared and surged her magic intending to blast August’s water golem to mist, but August stayed at eye level with her, unfazed.

“You're right, it is time for this to end.” August said, his own voice echoing around the sky. He pulled one of the massive arms back. “You may be a goddess out there, but here…I AM A TITAN!”

With a single mighty throw, he tossed Luna towards the moon at earth-shattering speeds, forcing her from his mind.

Luna awoke in her bed, jolting upright and clutching her blanket to her barrel. Her eyes were wide in shock and she immediately teleported to Celesta's bedchamber, landing on top of her.

“LUNA!” Shouted Celestia fully awake from the sudden scare.

“I beg thy pardon, dear sister, but I require thy immediate audience. ‘tis concerning the human Twilight hath discovered ” said Luna, rolling off her sister.

“Oh, did you go see him after all?” Questioned Celestia, yawning, still only half awake given the time of day.

“Aye, sister, I did indeed enter his dreams, yet the encounter did not unfold as I hoped. He grew angered by my intrusion, commanding me to depart. I resisted seeking to vanquish his nightmare, but he retaliated, forcing me from his dreamscape after a fierce struggle.” Luna stopped, seeing Celesta's unamused face.

“You got into a fight with a total stranger when he asked you to leave him alone?” Asked Celestia flatly, clearly not amused by the story.
Luna for her trouble, did look a little guilty at having taken the encounter a bit too far.

“Ummm, indeed, sister. However,the crux of the matter lies in his action: he forcibly expelled me from the dreamscape.” Luna said, reinstating her point.

The fog of sleep clearing from her mind, Celesta's eyes widened. “Well, that is unexpected. I know when in someone else's dream they could expel you if their will is strong enough, but still.”

Though the situation sounded a bit concerning it wasn’t completely unprecedented to happen. Luna had on more than one occasion gotten forcibly booted from some pony’s dream. For an unknown creature to do it though.

Celestia smiled and chuckled. “He is an interesting one, Luna; maybe he could be a student of yours. After all, the Art of Dream Walking has been long lost, and this may be a good opportunity.”

“I shall consider it, dear sister. Perchance he possesses the makings of a skilled Dreamwalker. Yet, I harbor concerns regarding the darkness within him. Nevertheless, I am well acquainted with the depths of darkness, perhaps better than any." Luna said, but she was still wary of him. She would have to keep her guard up around him.

“I understand Luna, but for the time being, stay out of his dreams, at least until we meet with him in person. Last thing we need is to make a bad impression on this stranger to our world,” Said Celestia, her eyes softening at her sister's worries.

“Indeed, sister, I shall refrain from entering his dreams anew until after our meeting with him. Verily, it is prudent that we discuss this matter face-to-face, especially considering his reaction to my previous intrusion into his dream realm."

“Alright, then Luna, now I have to raise the sun in a few hours. Would you like to stay? It's been so long since we cuddled." Said Celestia, holding her large wings open.

“Thank thee sister; that would be lovely,” said Luna as she lay down beside her sister.

Celestia unfolded her large wings, wrapping them around Luna and pulling her in close. Luna wiggled to find a comfortable spot. Luna closed her eyes and sighed as Celestia kissed the top of her head. Luna was still thinking about this human, August. He could control his dreams with almost no training and force her out of his dream realm, on top of that, she felt that all too familiar darkness.

Celestia smiled as she hugged Luna close to her. Her student had once again surprised her. This August was a new factor in the world. It will be a lot of work to do, but it may be worth it.

Chapter 8

August was not having a great time right now. After that crazy dream, he had woken up and felt the bile rising in his throat, and barely made it to the sink before the foul sick in his stomach came up.

After a minute of dry heaving and less than savory things coming out of his mouth, his stomach finally took a pause, allowing him to think.

It took August another minute to remember where he was as he washed the sick down the drain, wiped off his mouth, and took in slow, deep breaths trying to keep what was left in his stomach down. It had been too long since he had a drink, and the withdrawal was getting worse.

August, with his back to the sink, slid down, warping his arm around himself as he shook.

“I can’t let any of them see me like this.” August thought as he tried to pull himself up, one hand clutching the sink base, trying as hard as he could to keep his body stable.

August’s body was trembling as he opened the window to let the foul smell out. Stumbling, August slowly walked to the entrance of the kitchen, and keeping one hand on the wall, he walked towards the cabinet in the corner. He reached out one shaking hand and opened it.

Elsewhere, Twilight's nose twitched as she slowly woke her foggy mind from sleep and sat up from her desk. A piece of sketch paper fell from her cheek and onto the floor.

“Spike must have made breakfast by now.” Twilight thought to herself as she trotted down the stairs, lured by the smell of coffee.

A light snore came from Twilight's room as she came into the kitchen. She was shocked to see not Spike but August, a towel warped around his chest as a makeshift apron as he pulled a large pot off of the stovetop and flipped two pieces of toast on a skillet.

“That you Twilight?” August asked, not turning his head. “I thought I’d make breakfast since I woke up first. I’ll, pay you back for the wine by the way, I promise.”

Puzzled, Twilight looked around the kitchen, her purple eyes taking in the items August laid out: some pears, an empty bottle of wine, half a loaf of bread, butter, and some seasonings.

Twilight trotted up beside August as he worked. “What are you making?” she asked, peering over his shoulder to get a better look at what was in the pan.

“Wine-soaked French toast and pears. It was about the best I could make, considering I can’t read anything here. Have a seat; the food is going to be done in a few.”

Not wanting to argue, Twilight sat down at the table, eyeing the human as he worked. She was not sure what to make of him.

One minute he was flirting with her and being a goofball; the next he was intellectual and had an air about him that was similar to royalty. Twilight could not get a good read on his personality and it seemed to change on a dime.

What was he really like? Twilight’s natural curiosity was only matched by her growing concern from the sheer amount of damage she’d seen on his back. Why would he not seek proper medical attention?

Unable to ignore the issue, she tried to remember the details of her psychology classes; she hadn't paid much attention to them and dropped them from her itinerary for more magic-focused classes after about a month.

In hindsight, she probably should’ve completed that class. Would’ve been useful in a number of scenarios.

"Ok, eat up!” August said, pulling Twilight from her thoughts as he was setting up a plate with pears and French toast in front of her while his plate mainly contained eggs.

“I hope you enjoy it. I haven't made this in years, so might not quite be up to par.” August said as he pulled the towel from his chest, looking even more bruised than yesterday.

Twilight barely heard him, now more than ever wanting to say something, voice some concern about his health but unsure how to do so without causing trouble.

“Well, I can’t say I have had wine-based foods for breakfast before, but I’m sure your cooking will be fine.” Twilight said, taking a bite of the toast.

The room was very quiet, as the two were not sure how to start a conversation. Twilight, for her part, was trying to figure out how to ask him about the injuries on his body and how to get him to the hospital to be healed by the doctors.

August, on the other hand, was trying to remember the dream he had last night. All he could really recall was a lot of water, ice, and darkness. That and some purple light. But other than that, nothing was odd for him; he always remembered his dreams.

“So Twilight, mind if we swing by my trailer? I kind of need a change of clothes before we visit these princesses of yours.” August asked, taking a sip of water from his glass.

"Oh, don’t worry about that; it's going to be a few days before they can make room in their schedule to see us,” Twilight said, broken out of her own thoughts.

August chuckled and swallowed the last of his food, taking his and Twilight’s to the sink and washing them.

“We may want to let your friend Rarity know that since she's probably still working herself raw on whatever she thinks is “royal appropriate attire” for humans. She seems the type to not stop until she either drops or finishes whatever comes first.” August said as he was drying his hands off.

Twilight let out a sigh and nodded, remembering more than one time that exact thing had happened.

“Ok, then I’m going to head to my trailer and clean up. You do your thing with the fashionista. Don’t worry, I promise not to make any stops.” August said, already heading for the door, not waiting for Twilight to try and stop him.
But try she did, and popped in front of him with a purple flash. A pout on her face.

“Oh no, you don’t minster; you're going to the hospital right now and getting looked at,” Twilight said, blocking the door, deciding to ignore any pretenses and go for the blunt approach.

August raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, a smirk growing on his face.
The young man squatted down to be at eye level with Twilight and held her face in one hand. Their faces were so close to each other that they almost touched each other.

Twilight froze, and her face grew red as she felt August’s breath on her cheek and the smell of her wine on his breath.

“Closet pervert says what?” August said it quickly and shot up and over Twilight while she processed what he said.

Twilight’s face went through several changes very quickly as she went over what happened. Confusion from the sentence itself, shock for being called a pervert, and anger from being vaulted over.

Also the insinuation that she was secretly a pervert annoyed her as well, but that went without saying.

Now more than peeved, Twilight turned around, her horn lit, and she tried to raise a wall in front of August as he ran to his bike, but his long legs carried him faster than she thought, and she missed him as he sat on his bike, pulling his keys. However, said keys were quickly encased in a purple aura before he could activate the machine.

August frowned as his keys hovered over to Twilight. She held them in front of her and jingled them with her own smug face, still a bit red.

August huffed and crossed his arms. “I keep forgetting magic is a thing here.”

The two were in a stalemate for a moment, Twilight still smugly jingling the keys, waiting for August to respond.

Eventually, August sighed in defeat. “That’s going to make it hard for quick getaways in the future. Any chance I can get those back without going to the hospital?”

Twilight seemed to think this over for a second and floated the keys in front of August, but as he reached out, they poofed away, and in their place was a mint which dropped into his hand.

"No, there is not August. Now, it's your choice. You can either go to the hospital willingly or I can float you all the way there like a foal that is misbehaving.” Twilight said, sounding like a mother scolding a child, though with a slight edge of satisfaction at getting one over on him.

"Wow, Bookworm, you got some sas don’t you?" August said, standing up, pocketing the mint, and ruffling Twilight’s hair.

Twilight smacked August’s hand away and stared up at him. “I get enough of Rainbow Dash calling me that, so don’t you start. Now come on, let's go. I want to get you looked at. Some of those stitches look infected, and I’m sure there are even more I can’t see.” Twilight said as she was pulling August by his hand with her magic.

August rolled his eyes and followed her as they went, trying not to look back at the ponies staring at them as he was dragged through town. But he did chuckle at a trio of mares at a flower shop, all fainting at the sight of him.

“I can say I’m surprised, Twi; the last time I got dragged to a hospital like this, it was my big sister after I fell out of a tree and broke my arm.” August snickered at the memory.

Twilight turned her head and stared at August as they continued walking—well, Twilight was walking, August being half dragged along. “That does not really fill me with confidence, August. Have you always been so danger-prone?”

August rubbed the back of his head, saying, “Well, not really? That was the worst I got hurt as a kid. I was like 11? And come on, kids do stupid stuff all the time that ends up getting them hurt.”

Twilight sighed as they entered the hospital, the pair already predicting the reactions they were likely to get.

The mare at the front desk looked like she had not slept in days and was sipping a large cup of what was mostly coffee—maybe just a bit of whiskey…assuming they had that in this world. This job was very stressful after all.

Twilight rang the bell on the front desk to get the mare's attention. The bags under her eyes contrasted with her pink coat.

"Hello, my name is Graveyard Shift. What can I do to help you?” She paused as her eyes focused on the tall biped standing in front of her. Her eyes went wide, and she shouted, “Oh, sweet Celestia!” and slammed her hoof down on an intercom next to her. “INJURED NON-PONY PATIENT AT THE FRONT DESK!!”

August and Twilight both jumped as the doors around them burst open, with several doctors and nurses running out and a gurney being pushed in front of them. August was the first to react, and he tried to bolt to the front door but was stopped by several large earthpony nurses blocking the way.

In spite of him being larger than them, their natural strength and sheer numbers made August hesitate.

As he stopped in place, several unicorns lit up their horns and multi-colored magic floated him into the air, holding him down to the gurney as they looked him over.

“The patient has severe bruising around the upper chest area and several loose stitches on the arms, chest, and back. Possible internal bleeding.” Said a blue pegasus doctor as they pushed August deeper into the hospital.
August was struggling with the magical bindings holding them down.

“TWILIGHT I SWEAR TO GOD IF I GET PROBED, I’M GONNA…..” August’s voice was cut off as the doors closed behind them.

Twilight was frozen in place, not having moved, as everything happened. She blinked several times and looked back at Graveyard Shift, who was panting behind the desk.

Finally regaining her senses, Twilight practically stomped over to the front desk.

“Where are they taking him?” asked Twilight, slamming her hoofs on the desk, her own eyes going wide, and a few hairs popping out of place on her head.

"Miss, calm down. The doctors are taking him into the non-pony wing to be examined. You can go visit him once we get him looked at.” Graveyard Shift said as she was handing a clipboard to Twilight along with a pen.

“If you could, please fill out the forms as best you can. We need as much information as we can about him. I don’t think I've ever seen anything like him, even in text books.” She said as she was going back to work on her desk.

"You have no idea.” Said Twilight, calming down as she levitated the paperwork to complete.

After calming down, Twilight sat in the waiting room, waiting for an update on August. Several times she asked Graveyard Shift what was happening, and all she got back was that he was in good hoofs and was fine…besides having punched a doctor and trying to jump out of a window once he got free.

She was going to need to have him apologize for that later.

Twilight sighed as she stared at the clock. At the moment she hadn’t been able to accomplish much in the three hours she’d been sitting. She could only fill out the patient information sheet; she knew so little about August or his species; for all she knew, he could be a baby, and this fact was driving her crazy.

Twilight was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Graveyard Shift until her pink hoof poked her in the shoulder.

“Miss Twilight? You can go and see him now.” She said as she was taking a step back when Twilight jumped.

"Oh, thank you,” Twilight said, completely composing herself as the two headed into the non-pony wing of the hospital.

Twilight glanced around as they walked; most of the wing seemed to be empty, with a few rooms being used for storage. It made sense though given how rare it was for Ponyville to have, well, non-pony visitors.

August’s room was towards the back, and he was sitting on a bed much too large for him. The same blue pegasus doctor from before, now sporting a black eye, seemed to be lecturing him as they approached.

“I understand your frustration, Mr. August, but please understand that we were simply running basic scanning and healing spells on you; we would never do anything more advanced on an unknown species.” He said as he was holding an ice pack to his eye.

August glared at him and crossed his arms. “Even if it was ‘basic magic’ that didn’t give you the right to use them on me against my will, and now that you're done, I want my pants back please.”

Twilight entered the room and saw that August was indeed without his pants, only wearing a large hospital gown. When he saw Twilight, he sighed and waved her over.

The doctor stepped to the side as Twilight stood next to August and smiled up at him.

“Is everything okay, doctor?” Twilight asked, trying to break the tension between the two.

The doctor groaned a little due to his still sore eye. “Well, miss, your friend is to put it simply, beat up. His body is practically covered in old injuries ranging from bruised bones, to minor infections from the old stitches, which we removed and replaced where needed. Thankfully nothing too serious and as long as he takes it easy and doesn’t try mending the wounds himself, he should be fine.”

That last bit got him a light glare from August, though the doctor simply brushed it off, partially because he couldn’t see it due to his black eye.

"That's good to hear. Thank you. I hope he didn't cause too many problems." Said Twilight, trying to look apologetic on August’s behalf.

The doctor sighed and removed the ice pack from his face. "Well, miss, I won’t lie, he was a hoof full, but I have dealt with worse in this line of work.”

August looked back and forth between them, taking his pants back from the nurse as she floated them up to him.

“I’m standing right here, you know.” August said as he stood next to the nurse and changed.

August caught her staring at him, one place in particular, and winked at her, her face growing red. Twilight saw this interaction and rolled her eyes, calling out to August.

“Let's go August and thank you again, Doctor.” August patted the nurse on the head and nodded at the doctor as they left the room, snickering to himself as they went.

“What is so funny?” Twilight asked as they left the lobby and headed into town.

August smirked at her, “Well, just that, it seems that somethings are the same here as in my world.”

Twilight’s eyebrow rose at that. “And that would be?” she asked.

August's grin grew wider as he spoke, “That girls can’t help but look at a few places on guys when they get the chance for one.”

Twilight knitted her brows in confusion, and she stopped in her tracks, her face growing bright red. August laughed and kept walking towards the library.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait in between chapters everyone had a lot of family issues hit me all at one and didn't have the time to wright or the money to pay my editor. things should goa bit smoother now thou

Chapter 9

“It’s not going to happen in August.” Said Twilight, stomping her hoof on the ground.

“Well, we did it once already, and trust me, it's better the second time,” said August, crossing his arms over his bare chest, leaving the unicorn positively fuming.

Off to the side, Spike was enjoying the show out front from his and Twilight bedroom windows. It was nice to see somepony else get under Twilight skin, and one who wasn’t afraid to talk back to her either. The two of them had been going on like this since they came back from the hospital. August was leaning up his motorcycle and was trying to convince Twilight to ride it again.

He was having as much luck as you’d expect with that.

“Well, it would be a pain to push my bike all the way back to that farm, and I’m not leaving it here soo.” August waved his hand in the air as he trailed off, making it clear he wasn’t going to budge on this issue. .

Twilight let out a sigh and lowered her head. “Fine, a compromise then, you push it out of town and ride it the rest of the way. As loud as that thing is, you might give half the town a heart attack.”

There was a moment of silence between them before August, looking a tad bit satisfied, spoke. “You got yourself a deal, Sparkle. Now can I have my keys back?” August held out his hand, and with a poof, his keys dropped down.

“We have to stop by Rarity’s first and let her know it's going to be a few days before your clothes need to be done.” Twilight said, turning towards the north side of town, a hint of dread on her face knowing she’d have to get on the bike again at some point.

August put his keys in his pocket and grabbed the handlebars of his motorcycle, pushing it behind Twilight. Neither of the two spoke as they walked, both enjoying the quiet morning. It was a nice change of pace for August; most of the time he was in cities always looking over his shoulder and could always smell some kind of smoke.

But here he only could smell the fresh air and the various stalls around him, most of which were selling some kind of fruit. Once more was the relative quiet, no loud cars or horns, angry people screaming at each other, alarms or phones. No it was just occasional polite conversations and the occasional bird or animal.

It was completely detached from the chaos he was used to.

Despite the peace, he wondered if he really could let his guard down here thou. His sister's crying face flashed before his eyes but was taken out of the memory by the feeling of eyes on his back.

August caught sight of the three mares from before. He narrowed his eyes to get a closer look at them: one was a pale pink with a yellow mane, the second was yellow with a red mane, and the third was a bright pink with a green mare.

All three had wide eyes locked on him as he walked by ducking into their stall as Twilight and August came closer. Twilight remained neutral as they walked past, unphased by the odd behavior. August, on the other hand, got an idea and veered off course, and headed right to them, stopping in front of their stall.

The three mares all ducked as he got close. Smirking, August simply leaned over the side and looked down at them, all huddled together looking up at him. He gave them a gentle smile as he spoke.

“Hi,” he said, his voice making all three jump.

They all looked up at him, shaking a bit and holding onto each other.
“Yes?” said the pink and yellow one.

“You guys sell flowers right?” August leaned over and tapped one of the vases on their stall.

The three mares looked at each other and stood up, looking a bit calmer now.
The pink and yellow one spoke first, “Ye, yes, we do. I’m Lilly. These are my sisters, Rose and Daisy. How can we help you?”

August mentally chuckled a little. Seemed this world loved to be on the nose when it came to names. “I mean what were the odds three ponies named after flowers worked a flower shop.”

“Well… You see, I might have made a few mares angry at me. Any chance if I promise to pay you back, you could help me with that?” August said half grinning and rubbing the back of his head, hoping this wouldn’t turn into a massive scene.

The three of them looked at each other a little surprised, but seemed to relax a bit and smiled at August. Finding some relief in the fact that even if he was a strange new creature, he still knew that flowers were a good way to make a mare happy, they popped up from behind the stall.

“Well, we don’t usually offer credit, but….” said Rose, looking at Daisy.

“We can make an exception this time. Who are they?”

“Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity”

Lilly and Daisy Laughed while Rose turned around and began grabbing several boxes and paper wraps. Lilly, still snickering, went to help, and Rose went under the stall and grabbed some scrolls.

“Four mares in one day? Aren’t you a heartbreaker?” She said, teasing August as he huffed.

“What can I say, good or bad? I make a strong impression,” August said,
pulling out his wallet and taking his ID out and placing it on the counter.

“Hold on to this, I’ll come back for it with your money.” August smiled at them, giving them a half-lidded stare, trying to turn on the charm a bit.

Rose picked it up in her hoof and put it under the counter, tapping one of the four boxes.

"Ok, the white one is for Rarity; it has lilies in it; she loves the color and smell. The pink is for Pinkie Pie. She loves almost anything, but peonies have a sweet taste to them, so that’s your best bet. Rainbow’s not one for flowers, but….”

Rose leaned in and motioned for August to do the same.

“Don’t tell anyone, but she has a real soft spot for roses.” August nodded and made a zipper motion across his lips.

“And Twilight absolutely adores lavender and buys some every week.”

August glanced at the mentioned pony, now looking at him with a frown and a raised eyebrow.

Rose, following his gaze, saw Twilight standing behind him next to his bike and hummed a smirk on her face.

“Would you like those delivered, sir?" Rose said as her sisters came up behind her boxes on their backs.

August reached for the white box and held it under his arm, nodding at the florists, “I would appreciate it. I don’t think Rainbow Dash would take it well if she saw me right now, and I don’t know where Pinkie Pie lives, so…”

“We understand, and your total comes out to 80 bits by the way to be paid by the end of the week,” said Lilly, handing him a rolled-up scroll and tying a ribbon around it.

August nodded and pocketed the scroll. “Thanks ladies. I’ll make sure to pay you back as soon as I can." He winked at them. “One way or another,” his voice so thick with innuendo, all three went beet red as he walked away.

Twilight was another story, currently pouting as August walked back to her, setting the white box on his bike. “How did you pay for that?” she asked, knowing full well he was effectively destitute.

August chuckled as they began walking again. “Would you believe I scared them so bad they gave them to me for free?”

Twilight looked back at the three mares still standing at their stall faces bright red, practically fanning themselves in an attempt to cool off.

"No,” Twilight said simply. “For somepony from another world, you sure are good at getting into ponies heads.”

August laughed darkly as he walked beside her pushing his bike. “It's what I was raised for, so I can’t argue there. Besides, you guys don’t act that different from people in my world. Just a whole lot nicer.”

Intrigued, Twilight made a mental note of that remark to bring up later as they were at Rarity’s home, the sign still reading closed.

August rolled his bike to the side of the building and joined Twilight as she knocked on the door. After several minutes of waiting with no answer, August looked down and asked, “How good of friends are you with her?”

“She’s one of a hoof full of ponies I would trust with my life.” Twilight spoke with complete confidence that actually impressed the young human.

“Is that so. Ok then,” August said and opened the door, walking in with zero hesitation.

Twilight stared at August as he held the door open for her before sighing and walking in.

The pair looked around the room, taking everything in. Put simply, the place was a mess.

Bits of cloth lay on tables, half-finished sketches of rough human bodies and outfits lay on the floor, and several ripped and torn outfits hung on modified ponaquins in the rough shape of humans were everywhere.

August’s hand hovered over his gun out of habit, and he spoke with a tense tone, “This place looks like something out of a horror movie. All that’s missing is blood smears and a creepy message on the walls.”

Twilight eyes darted to his hip and her heart began to speed up. Her mind flashed to the look of pain on Pinkie’s face. Should she try and take his gun again? What could she do to keep August from feeling the need to pull that thing off his hip?

Surely he didn’t believe Rarity was going to harm him in some way did he?

As August was scanning the room, he could hear a dark voice in one ear telling him to be prepared to be ready to strike. His hand was inching closer, and he twitched when he felt the cold metal touch his fingers.

In an instant August felt a pain in his chest that turned into a calming warmth. What was he doing? Why was he so jumpy? He had always been on edge before but never on this level. And what was he scared of exactly, for crying out loud, this pony was just supposed to be a seamstress, not some psycho from a slasher film.

He let out a deep breath, ejected the magazine from the gun, and handed it to Twilight. If he really wanted to make a life for himself here he needs to show Twilight he can be trusted. Plus after what happened with Pinkie already, he’d rather not accidentally shoot another innocent pony.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief r and teleported the magazine away. She looked up to August, a smile on her face. “I don’t know what a movie is, but I’m sure that everything is... AAAHHHH!!”

Twilight let out a scream, as a hoof shot out from under some bunched up fabric on the floor along with a moan.

With a pop, Twilight was gone in a purple flash only for her to reappear on August's back, choking the life out of him as she did so. August was too busy trying not to fall over from the sudden weight pulling him back to stop the librarian from powering up her horn and letting out a blast of force, sending the clothes and white-furred pony flying a few feet away, dramatically screaming as she flew.

Twilight was huffing in August’s ear trying to gather her thoughts when she finally did. She gasped and hopped off August's back, who fell over onto the floor, and ran over to the very messy-looking Rarity laying dazed on the floor.

The normally prim and posh pony was, as she'd most likely say, a total disaster. Her mane was completely frayed, her makeup was running down her face, and she was covered in sweat. Once more, she had bits of fabric and thread trailing off her and was muttering as Twilight helped her up.

“His body is so strange. Needs a full range of movement totally different from a pony... and shoes. What about shoes?”

Rarity didn’t even seem to notice Twilight as she was led to a couch and sat down.

"Rarity, are you ok?” asked Twilight, worry in her voice as she touched her hoof to Rarity’s shoulder.

August was behind Twilight and loudly snapped his fingers in front of Rarity’s ear, making both ponies jump. Dazed for a moment, Rarity’s eyes focused on August, and she pounced. Going past Twilight and tackling August to the ground despite his size, standing on his chest.

“HOW DO YOUR KIND MAKE CLOTHES FOR YOUR BODIES!!!” She shouted in his face, her eyes practically stretching from their sockets into his own eyes.

August, looking a little nervous, rubbed the back of his head and looked at Twilight for help. Twilight sighing, lit up her horn and floated Rarity off of August and back onto the couch.

"Rarity, calm down,” she said, standing between the man and the mare, though the later looked as though she was holding onto her sanity by a thread.

“How can I calm down?! I haven’t been able to come up with one functional outfit for him, much less something that should be worn in front of the princesses!” Rarity cried before draping herself along the couch. ”I thought this would be the ultimate challenge, designing clothes for a completely new species, a chance to create something wholly unique….and I can’t come up with even one piece of clothing….I’M A FRAUD!”

The poor mare started to weep hysterically, managing to pull a bucket of ice cream seemingly out of no where before shoving her face into it.

August dusted himself off and stood up, wondering if getting tackled by ponies was just a part of his life now, as Twilight calmed Rarity down, patting her on the back.

Seeing a possible way to both make peace and hopefully restore some sanity to the conversation, August picked up his dropped box of flowers and opened it up, checking to make sure none were damaged.

“Oh Twilight, darling, what am I to do? I have never felt so defeated in my whole career. I have no frame of reference for his people or how to properly make patterns for his wardrobe.” Rarity wailed as she threw herself onto Twilight. “It’s like trying to make a painting without any paint.”

“Rarity it's fine; you have time to figure something out. We're not meeting the princesses for a few days at least.” Twilight cooed, “I’m sure by then you can figure it out.”

Seeing an opening, August walked over to the two mares and was leaning over the couch holding the white box in front of Rarity. His voice was soft as he got both of their attention.

“I have a bunch of fashion magazines back at my trailer, and you can take apart one of my old suits if it helps. They're too tight on me now anyway,” August said, flexing his arm in front of them.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that comment. “How many suits do you have?” she asked with curiosity in her voice.

“Five, all custom by a tailor in bespoke; they were all the height of fashion about five years ago.” August said making air quotes around the height of fashion part.

His attempt at humor seemed to work as Rarity smiled while she opened the box and smelled the lilies that sent calming her down.

Rarity sniffled and wiped away some of her running makeup before speaking, “Thank you, darling. I must apologize for you seeing me in such a state. It’s unbecoming of a lady. Just, give me a minute to make myself presentable and we can hopefully get started.”

Rarity was cut off as a loud ringing began coming from August. He, along with the mares in the room, jumped, and he pulled out a small rectangle from his pants, the sound coming from it.

“Huh, guess that mesh network still works.” August said tapping his phone twice and the sound stopped.

“What is that?” Twilight asked, eyes glued to the device in August’s hand.

“It’s my phone. It got an alert that something was at my trailer; seems my systems still work here. Guess all the money was worth it.” August kept tapping his phone as he talked.

He flipped it around, showing Twilight and Rarity a moving picture that showed Applejack. They both jumped when they heard her voice.

“Ya’ll in there? Granny wants to talk to ya!” shouted Applejack, rapping on his door.

August moved his hand and tapped the side of his phone and spoke, “Give me like twenty minutes, Applejack. I’m at Rarity’s right now.”

Applejack jumped and leaned into the screen. “Ya’ll got some fancy magic then. Al, let Granny know.” She turned around and walked away.

Twilight's eyes were wide, still marveling at the advanced piece of technology in August’s hand. She was so lost in thought she didn't notice him and Rarity talking.

After a minute of discussion, August patted her on the head and went to stand outside as Rarity went to clean herself up. Though again, Twilight ignored all that, still focusing on the phone.

His species was so much more advanced than theirs; they may not have magic from what he told her, but their technology seems to make up for it in spades. A device that could share images across miles; even some of the most advanced mages couldn't do something like that. And that was to say nothing of the communication abilities it possessed.

She couldn't help but wonder, Just what could their species really do if their casual technology was so astounding.

Chapter 10

“What am I doing?” thought August, pulling out his cigarettes and lighting one.

Here he was, outside of a talking pony shop after she had had a mental breakdown from not being able to make him a suit, and what was he doing? Blowing smoke rings and watching the rainbow of ponies walk by.

Just thinking that made him contemplate checking said smokes to make sure they were regular cigarettes and not marijuana ones. He still had nightmares about the hallucinations he’d had the one time he tried them and they happened to be laced with some heavy shit.

Shaking that thought aside, it was hard not to notice the many eyes currently watching him.

Some of them stared at him as he stood outside, almost like an exhibit at a zoo; others just kept walking. All in all, they were taking the whole alien in their town thing pretty well. But was he really ok with this?

Again, all things considered he was being strangely calm about the whole thing. He was effectively trapped in a world where not only did magic exist, but was primarily populated by short, brightly colored, sentient ponies.

Granted freaking out about it wasn’t gonna accomplish anything and given the frankly insane number of possible worlds he could’ve ended up in, happy pony land was totally cool with him.

Still, for the time being, he was getting by on his old habits: talk up the locals, make contacts, find a place to stay, and make some girls blush.

However, that didn’t resolve the major issue of the current situation.

“Can I really keep this up? They're not even human. Am I really ok with hitting on talking animals? Heck, if I’m stuck here forever am I just supposed to accept that?” Another ring of smoke flowed into the air.

Offhandedly, August stared at one mare as she walked by.

She had a wine-colored coat and an off-pink and white mane, three smiling flowers on her flank. She caught him staring at her and winked at him, her hips swaying a bit more as she walked away.

They certainly didn’t seem to mind it. Based on the reaction to him so far, he probably could find a partner if he wanted to. Heck some of these ponies seemed like they’d happily throw themselves at him if he asked.

“But do I want that?” He tapped the ashes into a flower pot and sighed, mulling over a question he’d have never considered until just a few days ago.

Back home, he had been too occupied with running and trying to get justice for Stella to ever have more than a one-night stand. Was he really ready to let it go?

More importantly, could he honestly, honestly, have any kind of relationship with a pony? Yes they were sentient, could speak, think and acted as human as he did, but they were still freaking ponies.

Could he really ignore that pretty massive difference? And again….

“Can I even let it go?” He finished the cigarette and put the butt into the pack.

The last five years had been dedicated to two goals: justice and his father's death.

August felt a tear run down his cheek as he remembered That night the night his sister never came home, and his world was torn apart and turned upside down.

August was just standing outside wiping his face when a cleaned up Rarity and Twilight walked out. However, August still remained somewhat oblivious to them until Rarity cleared her throat to get his attention.

August jumped his hand on his hip, and a pack of crushed cigarettes hit the ground. Twilight sighed and picked the pack up in her magic, floating it back in his hand.

“You know, August, you really don’t need to be so jumpy. Ponyville is a safe place.” Said Twilight, bumping his leg with her hip as she walked by.

August frowned a little at the gesture, but didn’t retort.

Rarity, on the other hand, recognized the signs of someone who had been crying and knew how to hide it. The slightly puffy eyes, tremble in his throat.

The sight brought a bit of excitement to her as she could smell a bit of tea in her future, and wanted to know more about it. She did love a good gossip session after all.

Whether August was willing to share was another matter entirely.

She pouted as August flicked Twilight’s ear and laughed as she rolled her eyes at him. Oh, she was going to get to the bottom of this, and maybe she might be able to help her best friend find a bit of romance along the way.

But first she had fashion to create. "Well, you two, as much as I enjoy your bickering, I must insist that we make haste. I still have much to learn if I want to make the wonder wardrobe I have envisioned for our dear August.“

August turned towards her, a big grin on his face, and pulled out his keys. “Well, if you're in that big of a rush, I have an idea.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide, and she started to sweat. “Oh no,” she said, taking a step back.

“I’m listening?” said Rarity, taking a step forward.

Five minutes later at Sweet Apple Acres

Twilight once again could not feel her legs and was being carried by August like a bag of flower. Rarity, on the other hand, was trotting just fine, a large smile on her face.

The purple unicorn was weakly glaring at her friend in envy, while also trying to stop her body from shaking.

“I must say, Darling, that was quite thrilling! I might want you to escort me back home if that’s not too much trouble?” Said Rarity a glint in her eyes.

“Don’t see why not. Maybe you should make yourself a motorcycle outfit to fit the biker babe growing inside you,” August said, walking backwards. “Though you’re probably gonna need to use a bit of leather.”

“O my, I don’t know, Darling. I’m not really one for the grunge style, but...” Rarity trailed off as she looked longingly at August’s bike.

“We’ll see when we see,” said August, trying not to jostle Twilight as they walked. “By the way girls, do you ponies value gold and silver?”

Twilight groaned and answered, “Of course we do... why?” she asked not having the energy to protest being carried.

“Just thinking of ways I can make some fast money,” August said, setting Twilight down on the Apple's front porch, only to chuckle as the poor pony collapsed in a heap on the porch.

“You girls wait here, I’m going to grab something from my trailer and be right back.” Said August is turning around. “Hopefully once I get back, Twilight will be able to stand up straight again.”

Twilight only offered a weak moan in response.

“Can we not accompany you, darling?" I would love to see your current wardrobe.” Rarity said taking a few steps towards August.

August stopped and spun around, “My trailer is a mess and no place for a lady like you, and someone needs to keep an eye on our motion-sick friend." August waved his hand at Twilight, who had yet to move.

Another moan from Twilight was enough to convince Rarity to back down and offer the poor librarian some comfort.

August left the two mares without giving Rarity a chance to argue. He needed a minute to himself.

His mind was full of half thoughts, and he could feel a headache coming on. His mask was about to crack and he needed a drink.

August let out a breath as he locked the door behind him. He walked over to his fridge and pulled out one of his flasks, taking a swig and draining it on the second pull.

The burning sensation from the alcohol served to calm his frayed nerves, and brought him a brief moment of relief.

August pulled out a second and put it in his back pocket as he grabbed a clean purple shirt with blue sleeves. He was glad to have a shirt again; he was getting sick of all the stares from the town folks.

Again, it’s not like he didn’t understand why they were staring at him, but it didn't mean he had to like it either.

With another sigh, August went into his bedroom and to his wall mirror. He held his phone out to a stain on the right side, both lit up, and the mirror opened, revealing a hidden wall with about a foot of room.

On the wall were dozens of papers, some were news articles, testimonies, and pictures, all tied together by string towards two pictures in the center. One was a girl in her early twenties; she had strawberry blonde hair and pale blue eyes. The other was a man in his late fifties who had black hair and blue eyes. All three shared very similar features.

August put his hand on one of the pictures, his fingers running along the string to a paper with his name and basic information on it: Leon Egress, owner of Egress Incorporated, Egress Publishing, Egress Manufacturing, and a former senator of California.

August ran his hand along a pink string to the girl’s information sheet. Stella Egress, eldest child of Leon and Victoria Egress, an award-winning singer, fashion designer, and owner of StarSigh Charity. Died on August 15, 2031, at 7:42 pm when her car exploded due to a faulty fuel line.

August huffed as he read that and kneeled down. He knew that was no accident. That car was top of the line, and he knew it. Stella loved that car; it was her baby; she would have never let a faulty fuel line happen.

Hell she’d told him it’d just gotten serviced a couple weeks prior and was perfectly fine.

The notes she sent him in case of her death were as clear as day she had discovered their parents' dirty business practices and gotten too close to shutting them down.

And she was killed for it. So what did August do? He honored her final request. But he went slower; over the course of five years he had dropped out of school, with his father's blessing, on a time to find himself.

And it had all paid off; he was to tear down his father and expose what he did—at least the human trafficking, that is. He opened the black duffle bag and checked its contents for several dozen thermoelectric explosives and the blueprints for Egress Shipping.

He was so close. He just needed a little more time and a few more files to prove everything. But now….the documents might as well have been used fast food napkins for all the good they would do.

He sighed and closed the bag, pushing it off to the side, grabbing a green bag and throwing it on the bed. It seemed much lighter than he remembered.

“I’m sorry, Stella,” he said, sitting on the bed. “It looks like I’m not going to be able to get back at dad for you. I hope you can forgive me.” August spoke to the picture, grabbing his shirt, a painful cold in his chest.

“I hope that I can be happy here, at least this place seems pretty accepting. The people, uh, ponies, seem kindhearted. I don’t have to worry about dad, about what might happen to me if they find me and what I was planning.”

As he continued to muse over thoughts of those long past, a chilling sensation started to wash over his entire body.

August’s eyes flashed purple and smoke floated from him. August had shut his eyes and did not notice as the smoke floated from him into the picture.

Taking a moment to breath, he slowly opened his eyes and looked for the smoke, but found none. Quickly he looked at a nearby mirror and found his eyes were their normal shade again.

Sighing he glared at his own reflection. “Damn crazy magic world. hope it didn’t mess up my heating or somthing”

The young man prepared to head out when another chill ran up his back, almost as if another presence was in the room with him. Slowly turning around, only saw the picture of his sister, eyes seemingly staring at him.

As he looked on, he heard the voice of his sister in his head. However, unlike the kind and warm voice he’d grown up hearing….this one was cold and angry.

“I died for this cause you should have too. You should have worked faster.” Her voice was like ice stabbing into his heart.

Despite the harsh words, August shook his head, that was not his sister, not the girl that raised him, not the girl that taught him to sing, not the girl who convinced their father to let him learn to play all kinds of music, read him bedtime stories, and tuck him in at night.
That was just his guilt and anger talking; he knew that, but it still hurt.

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, August grabbed the green duffle bag and a beer can off his table and chugged it, drowning them out.

Wordlessly, he grabbed a couple of the fashion magazines and his first suit out of the closet and closed the mirror door. As he walked out, he failed to see a shadow flow out of the mirror and re-enter his body as he locked his trailer, turning on the alarm, and he walked back to the apples farm house.

Back at the Apple House

Rarity was rubbing Twilight's back when August came into view. Twilight was standing now, if still a little weak in the knees, and Rarity waved to him as he approached.

“Well, darling, it seems our dear Twilight is not as keen on your… Oh my, I never asked, what it’s called, did I?” Said Rarity, sounding apologetic.

“It’s called a motorcycle, an electric one to be more precise, but don’t worry about it. Point is that it gets you from point A to point B really fast,” August said, waving his hand.

Twilight made a gulping sound and sighed. She stood up and looked up at August. “I expect a detailed explanation as to what that is later.” She said eyes locked onto August’s.

August laughed and ruffled her hair, walking past her, knocking on the front door. “I’ll try, but I’m not sure about most of the details myself.”

While Twilight was about to enter a rant about how his technology could change the world they were greeted by Applebloom opening the door, looking up at August and squeaking, before hugging his leg.

“Mista August I’m glad your back, u gatta tell Big Sis about them tattoo things so I can get one.” Applebloom was hopping up and down while August laughed and picked her up, booping her on the nose.

Applebloom giggled as she was put back on the ground and trotted in place as August spoke.

“We’ll see about that, though I wouldn’t get my hopes up, but I heard your grandmother wanted to talk to me,” August said as he pulled out a few magazines from his bag, handing them to Rarity.

“Al go get em!” Applebloom said already running into the house.

August chuckled at her childish behavior before holding out his suit bag for Rarity.

“Here you go Rarity. Feel free to go as crazy as you want with this.”

“Oh my darling, are you sure?” Rarity said, her eyes starting to sparkle, the idea of exploring a whole new world of fashion almost overwhelming her.

“Tear it apart for all I care,” August said as he shook the suit bag.
“And as for the magazines, just don’t cut em up or something, my sister is in a few of em,” he said, tapping the paper books that were currently floating in Rarity’s light blue magic.

“Oh?” said both mares, taking a glance at the magazines.

Rarity quickly opened one of them up and began flipping through the pages, stopping every few pages and glancing up at August looking for similar features. She saw a few of what she assumed were mares of his species, quickly taking in what noticeable details she could find.

The mares of his kind were smaller than him and had much longer legs and not as broad shoulders, as well as much softer features. They seemed to have teats on their chests which she noted how it was apparently common for them to show them off.

Putting that aside, Rarity focused on looking for the jet black hair, the pale blue eyes, and the dimples August had on his cheeks. But she saw none of them.

Continuing to look through the magazine, she saw one mare in a rich purple gown with gold chains wrapped around her waist. She had the same pale eyes, but her hair was such a bright strawberry red that it seemed to blaze off her.

Though not the one she sough, Rarity could acknowledge she was truly a lovely sight. Not just looks, but how she gave off a kindness that came through even in the picture.

Another glance, and it felt like a lightbulb lit in her head.

Rarity looked at the two side by side; the eyes matched, and they shared the dimples, but August gave off none of her warmth; he had a cold aura around him. But Rarity had a hunch that this was her.

Twilight, meanwhile, was locked in a staring contest with August. Every interaction she had with him only raised more questions; he had gone to medical school, his sister was a model, and he had a bad relationship with at least his father. Yet he was a drunk, a flirt, and was keenly aware of how to leverage his looks and charms to get what he wants.

Both mares were about to voice their thoughts when a raspy voice behind August.

“Took ya long enugh sonny!” Said Granny Smith, tapping August’s leg with her walker. “Get yer behind in here; we gotta lotta talk about if yer gonna be roosting here!”

August nodded and readjusted the bag on his shoulder. “Yes, we do, yes we do, and I might have a proposal if you're interested.”

Granny Smith raised an eyebrow and motioned for August and the girls to come inside.

“Why don’t you two Sugercubes wait in the kitchen? While me and this hear young fellow get to talking? Applejack’s gonna be down any second now.” Said Granny Smith as she and August walked into the den.

However, Rarity didn’t follow, quickly loading the magazines into her saddlebags and laying the suit over her back.

"Darling, give my love to Applejack. I’d love to stay, but I need to get to work and make a truly fabulous creation worthy of the princesses!” Rarity said, throwing her hair back. “Thank you again for all these wonderful sources of inspiration. I can feel my muse practically singing at this point.”

The posh mare was practically bouncing with excitement, only to stop when she shifted her gaze to Twilight.

“Make sure our dear August doesn’t get into any trouble, no?” Rarity said as she made her way towards her store.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she headed inside, the smell of fresh coffee leading her towards the kitchen.

Yes, so far August could get himself into trouble, but he was just talking to Granny Smith. She was about the most patient pony in Ponyville; if anypony could deal with his attitude, it was her.

Right?

Author's Note

out of curiosity if I wrote a bit of a side series for episodes that don't really fit into the narrative of this series would you guys enjoy it? it wouldn't be until i flush out the characters a bit more but i was curious if guys would be interested

Chapter 11

August was sitting at a worn wooden table, looking at all the pictures on the walls—dozens of ponies spanning God knows how long. Some were even in black and white.

Still blew his mind that with some exceptions, the ponies had managed to achieve a comparable level of technology to humans, though apparently never got around to computers, cell phones or the internet.

Then again that last part might’ve been for the best.

Granny Smith was humming a simple tune as she came back into the room, having left to fetch some tea. Her worn face winced in pain as she sat down, the old chair creaking under her weight.

“So, Sonny, what kinda proposition ya wanna give me, huh? I'd imagine y’all ain’t got a lotta bits to your name. Tryin’ to make some fast coin, ah?” Granny Smith crowed, her thick accent laced with a lifetime of wisdom.

August chuckled and nodded, unzipping his duffle bag and reaching inside.

“I can tell I won’t get anywhere trying to butter you up, so I’ll get right to the point, Ms. Smith.” August dropped two playing card-shaped pieces of metal on the table.

Granny Smith’s eyes widened just a tad as August pushed them closer. One was silver, and the other was gold. The old mare picked them up in her hoof and bit into them. She set them back down on the table, her eyes losing all softness as they locked onto August.

August grinned, unfazed by her hard stare. “They’re real, I promise you, Ms. Smith. And I know what you must be thinking.”

He cleared his throat and, with uncanny accuracy, mimicked Granny’s accent. “‘How’d this here youngin’ get this kinda money?’ I don’t expect you to trust me fully yet, but I promise you, I bought these legally and would like your help to exchange them into—”

August stopped his sales pitch as Granny Smith raised a hoof into the air and slowly lowered it back onto the table. Her eyes studied him.

“Let me see your hands, Sonny,” she said, holding out her hoof.

When August raised an eyebrow at her specific word choice and hesitated, she spoke again. “Used to know a Minotaur a long time ago. So, bring ’em here.”

August shrugged and leaned over to Granny Smith’s side of the table. As soon as she could reach, she grabbed his hands and examined them closely.

Granny Smith had seen a lot in her years. She turned his palms toward her, noting the calluses and scars. If there was one thing she knew, it was that if a young man had a lot of money, it meant one of a few things.

She took another look at August, who simply blinked and smiled at her.

“He ain’t no carpetbagger, that’s for dang sure. Too clean and dressed nice,” she thought, letting his hands go.

The two stared at each other for several tense moments until Granny Smith sighed and poured her new business partner a cup of tea.

“So now, youngin’, what are ya thinkin’ of doin’ with these here?” Granny Smith asked, tapping the gold card.

August took a sip and smiled wider, sliding the duffle bag over to the older mare before speaking. “Well, I was hoping to get your help exchanging these for money I can use. I was thinking I’d give you sixty percent, and you exchange it. Then, I’d buy some land off you.”

He took another sip of the tea. “And one favor, if you want to make even more.”

Granny Smith looked down at the open bag, and her teeth fell out.

Inside were at least a dozen of each gold and silver card, along with some green paper. She had only seen this much money once in her life—when the princess herself had funded her grandpa’s expedition to settle the land she now lived on.

The old mare grabbed her teeth and looked hard at August. “Why would ya give me sixty percent? This is your money, and at most, the labor cost would only be twenty.”

August’s expression shifted from a gentle smile to a pained one and back in the span of a second. Granny Smith caught it nonetheless.

August sighed before speaking. “To be honest, I don’t want to be rich ever again. I lived that life once and don’t want to fall back into bad habits.”

Granny Smith arched an eyebrow as he spoke.

“Hmmmm,” the old mare mused, looking him up and down.

“All right, Sonny. Let’s get ya set up then. How much land ya wantin’?”

August closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair as he imagined how much space he’d need for his solar panel system.

“It’d need to be a good-sized area to set up my trailer and truck. An open field would be nice. If it’s got enough room for a small garage for my bike, that’d be good too.”

Granny Smith pictured the farmland in her mind. With just the four of them, most of the farm wasn’t being used, despite what Applejack would say. There was the old barn at the edge of the Everfree near that shy mare’s cottage.

“If ya don’t mind waitin’ a few days, we can fix up an old barn and the field around it. Land needs a cuttin’ by now,” the old mare trailed off, thinking about how quickly the work could be done.

“Ain’t no rush on my end, Ms. Smith, but if you want to make it up to me, there is one thing you could do/” August smiled at the landowner.

“There it is. Maybe he’s a scammer after all,” Granny thought. “And what’d you be wantin’, Sonny?”

“Let me hold a small concert in your barn,” August said flatly.

Granny Smith blinked, not expecting that. “Why would ya wanna do that?”

August shrugged. “What better way for a town to warm up to a stranger than with good music?”

Granny Smith laughed and nodded. First impressions aside, she had a good feeling about this boy. What the hay—it’d been too long since they’d had a proper hoedown.

Back with Twilight

Applejack was sipping her coffee as Twilight paced around the table. Applejack caught a few words here and there as Twilight muttered to herself, clearly worked up over August and whether he was going to somehow get into a fight with Granny Smith.

“Sugarcube, I’m tellin’ ya, it’s gonna be fine. Granny may be old, but she can take care of herself. And this August feller don’t seem like the type to pick fights with old mares,” Applejack said as Twilight circled the table again.

“I know, Applejack, it’s just that... I don’t know! I can’t help it! He tried to run from me twice and punched a doctor in less than a day!” Twilight ranted as she continued pacing.

Applejack finished her coffee, setting the cup down with a half-smile. “Sugarcube, y’all gotta try and see this from his side: he’s far from home, surrounded by strangers. He can’t be in a good place right now. Celestia knows I wouldn’t be.”

Twilight stopped mid-step, her eyes widening. She realized what she had been doing. This whole time, all she’d focused on was what he was and his odd behavior—not how he must be feeling.

August had been calm this whole time, but when she stopped to think about it, it was horrible: in the span of two days, he’d been ripped from his home, no his very reality, surrounded by strange creatures, severely injured, performed surgery on Pinkie, and been forced into a hospital where he was examined against his will, again by strange creatures.

The fact the worst thing he’d done was punch one pony and nothing beyond that frankly took a great amount of restraint.

Sadly, Twilight was so lost in her thoughts, drowning in guilt for not considering how August must be feeling, that she didn’t notice Granny Smith walking into the room with a used tea tray on her back.

“Applejack, get Big Mac from out in the fields. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us the next few days,” Granny said, setting the tray in the sink.

Twilight whirled around at the sound of Granny Smith’s voice. Not seeing August anywhere, she sucked in a breath.

“Ms. Smith? Where’s August?” Twilight asked, teetering on the verge of panic.

“Hmmm? That big feller? He’s headin’ into town to get everypony’s attention for the hoedown we’re havin’ tonight,” Granny said calmly, beginning to wash the dishes.

Applejack’s ears perked up at that, and she glanced at Granny. “What hoedown, Granny?”

Granny Smith chuckled as she kept scrubbing. “That August feller wants to break the ice with the town all at once, so he’s gonna play some fancy human music for everypony.”

Applejack slowly turned to stare at Twilight, who was trembling, her mane sticking up.

All three mares turned their heads at once as the roar of an engine echoed by. Twilight barely caught a glimpse of a dust trail settling on the road.

“Arrrggghh!!!” Twilight screamed, running out of the kitchen and toward the front door, not bothering to close it behind her.

Applejack chuckled, shaking her head. “Granny, ya think I should follow her?”

Granny Smith dried her hooves. “Leave her be, Applejack. Her and that big feller can handle themselves. Besides, ya gotta get the barn ready.”

Applejack nodded as she headed out. This August feller sure as hay was making things hard on Twilight—and it seemed like he enjoyed it too.