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.