A Journy thru August

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.