A Journy thru August

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.