I struggled very hard to keep my laughter in as I stood there with the mayor, observing.

“Darling! How could you not tell me?!” Rarity almost shrieked.

“Now, simmer down, Rarity. Ah ain’t nothin' different than the mare that got on the train this mornin'. Y’all don’t need to be makin' a fuss over this.”

Rarity’s eye twitched. I glanced over to see if any of the other ponies were worried about this sudden turn of events. Nope, just many watching with amusement.

“Not make a fuss, not make a fuss?! Applejack, darling, you are a noble! You are one of the elite, a landowner with ties to the ruling class of Equestria! One of my best friends, and you never told me! Why, to think how uncouth I have addressed you, and the clothing I have made for you, so unbecoming!”

Rarity rose on her hinds and fell backwards, and somehow, an old type fainting couch caught her.

I blinked. “Where in the—” only to find the mayor shaking her head.

“Like Pinkie, just don’t, Mr. McDonald. It is best not to question some things.”

Frowning but giving her a nod, I looked back over to see AJ roll her eyes, before glacning over at Twilight. “Will y’all do something about... this?” gesturing with her hoof.

Twilight put a hoof to her chest dramatically. “Why, Lady Apple, what would you wish of your princess?”

All right, that did it. I started to chuckle lightly, trying to cover it up with evidently fake coughing. Applejack, however, shot me a dirty look before looking back at Twilight, then over to Cortland and Golden.

“Twilight, somepony, come on! This ain’t funny no more!”

While it was fun, it had to come to a end. That end came in the form of a voice that cut the crowd to silence.

“Applejack Jacqueline Apple!”

Oh crap, that tone. Colored with the hesitation and pause only age brings. Yet the mare standing there, while old, was no frail lady. Faded green coat, mane and tail white with age, but her eyes. They spoke to a strength I only hope I have at her age. There was no doubt in my mind, even if I did not know the ponies from the show, that I would know this mare as the matriarch of her family.

I watched Applejack turn and lay her ears down. “G-Granny, why, it is late, you should be in bed…”

Standing behind the elder mare, was the big red apple himself, wearing a frown on his muzzle.

“Yer darn tootin' I should be, but some darn fool went and stuck a stick in a hornets nest b’fore askin' me! Now, you wouldn’t know who that was would you?” she questioned, eyeing her granddaughter.

How could I remain quiet? Applejack had stuck her neck out for me, so I did about the most foolish thing I could think of. I spoke up.

“Ma’am, please don’t be too mad at Applejack. She was just—”

The look shot right at me made my mouth snap shut. Momma raised me to respect my elders, and it was clear to me this one could likely put a hurt on me if she wanted to.

“I will deal with you in a moment, young fella. You just hold quiet and mind your manners.”

I snatched my hat off and dipped my head respectfully, saying, “Yes, ma’am,” in about the most timid and quiet voice I had used in years. I suddenly felt like a schoolboy being given a dressing down to.

Watching her turn back to the orange mare once more, she started in with a series of questions I suspect she already knew the answers to. Again it was her eyes, that body may be old, but her eyes gave things away. She was sharp as a tack and likely one of the smartest mares standing there in the street.

“Somepony needed help?”

“Uh huh.”

“You put our name behind them?”

“Eeyup.”

“Took the punishment like an Apple?”

“Eeyup.”

“You trust him 'round our family?”

A slight pause as she looked over at me, then back at her grandmother and gave a nod. “Ah do, Granny.”

The old mare gave a snort and turned to face me, walking over. I kept my hat in my hands and looked down at her, keeping steady eye contact as was polite. She reached out and poked me with a hoof in the hand a few times.

“Strange looking stallion, but ya know how to be respectful. I hear ya gave that arrogant Blueblood boy a woopin' fer striking a mare.”

Still with one eye on me, the other closed, she was tapping her chin.

“Well, young fella, what do ya got to say about that?”

I gulped and looked down into her eyes. “Ma’am, I just did what was right, that is all. I ended up in a lot of trouble and your granddaughter stood by my side. I am thankful for that.”

She gave me the one eye look, then nodded her head.

“Well, he talks like an Apple. Put him in tha spare room fer now out in the barn an' we will see if he can work like an Apple.”

Not a word more was said as she turned and started to walk off. Yet I found myself almost eye to eye with a large red stallion. He spoke in a deep voice, one that was quiet, respectful, but clearly one not to be ignored.

“You an' I are gonna talk later.”

It dawned on me, with his size, a buck from him would damn near break me in half, more enforcing the fact that I was in their world and not the other way around. I lifted my hat and put it back on. “Yes, sir.”

He snorted. “Don’t be callin' me sir, you call me Big Mac,” and like that, he was gone, walking his grandmother back down the road.

I looked over at the girls who were all just watching quietly even as the talk and party started back up again.

“Well, sugarcube, ya passed Granny Smith’s first test.”

I am not sure if I should be relieved by that, or tensed because there would be more tests to come.

I was about to suggest slipping out of the party quietly when a throat cleared next to me. Turning and looking down some, I found a dark purple mare standing with Twilight. The earth pony had three daisies as her cutie mark.

“Shane, this is Miss Cheerilee, she would like to ask a favor of you.”

I turned and looked at her with a smile “How can I help you, ma’am?”

I watched her smile. “Mr. McDonald—”

I held up a hand. “Shane please,” watching her give me a nod back.

“Shane, I teach at the Ponyville Elementary and I was hoping, well, considering you will be a figure here in town for a bit, I was hoping I could talk you into coming to school tomorrow afternoon after lunch and sitting down with my students. It would do them well to learn of another culture, and it would help everypony adjust to your presence sooner.”

I blinked and looked at Twilight, who gave a nod, then I glanced over at the orange mare that had walked up. She too gave a bit of a nod.

“Ah think he would be right happy to, Cheerilee, and as his sponsor, ah will see to it he gets there.”

I turned and looked at Applejack with a frown, but I did owe her a lot of money, bits, whatever. I will go with the flow on this. It might be fun to meet the little ones. As I stood there listening to the ponies talk around me, it hit me. Wait, three of the most destructive foals to ever exist go to that school.

A shiver then ran down my spine.

---

Walking down the road with Applejack, I looked around. Sure, it was dark, but the moon was bright in the sky and I had no proper issue seeing the road ahead.

“Ah was figuring, in the mornin', Big Mac, a few folks that are visiting, and myself can go with ya to yer cabin and get what ya need from it.”

I looked down at her and gave her a smile. "That would help out. I am going to guess we will have to gut my cabin, bed and all.”

She responded with a nod. “Ah been ponderin' how to get the stuff out. So, if we bring a few wagons and some rope, ya could go in, tie stuff off, an' then we could haul the item out across the ground.”

Tapping my chin, I thought about that. A very simple but brilliant idea, it would make things go so much faster and smoother. “That might just work, Applejack.”

She smiled and looked back to where we were walking. I found myself glancing down at her once in awhile as we walked in silence. Remembering walks with another woman, I once more pondered that. I would not say it out loud, but it was nice to not be alone. It was wonderful to not dwell on the dark memories for a bit.

It was nice to have a real friend again. Even if that friend was a talking technicolor pony with a southern drawl. I pondered on that, too, and looked up at the moon. I guess in a way, in that moment, it came to me. We humans were not so different from the ponies, we were never meant to be alone, at least most of us.

---

The room in the barn had clearly been an office of some type. The old wood desk, a few cabinets of paperwork. However, now there was a bedding along one wall. It looked to be a pile of hay with a few blankets laid over it, then a few more for covers. AJ glanced at it, then up at me.

“Ah am sorry, Shane, best we could do on short notice. Once we get yer things here, we can clear out the old desk and stuff, make this yer room. It is plenty warm, insulated, and the old stove there works well if ya stoke the fire in it. Come winter ya won’t be wantin' for warmth.”

I smiled genuinely. “Relax, AJ, it is fine. Thank you again. You have gone beyond what most folks would for a stranger.”

She scuffed her hoof on the ground and rolled her eyes. “Ya ain’t no stranger, sugarcube, yer a friend in need. Goodnight, Shane,” and she turned and walked out.

I sighed out, making note of the box with my weapons in it along the wall, the bag with my new clothing laid across that. I took my backpack off and settled in for a nights sleep.

---

It may not have been a bed, but I slept like a log. The sun had just started to hint at the sky, when something wet slurped across my face!

Eyes shooting open I was greeted by the view of a small collie dog who barked. I jumped back some, only to see three little fillies staring wide-eyed at me. Grabbing the blanket, I yanked it up around me.

“Boy, he sure do spook easy,” the butter-yellow filly with a bow in her mane said as she looked at the white unicorn and tangerine pegasus next to her.

“G-girls, what are you doing?”

I knew well who they were, as all three smiled, Apple Bloom spoke up.

“Well, Applejack and Granny Smith told me to come out here and wake ya up fer breakfast. Oh, my name is Apple Bloom, and this is Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. We are...”

I clenched my teeth I knew what was coming as together they said with a lot of gusto behind it.

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders!...” Apple Bloom gestured, “and this is Winona,” the dog barked again.

All right, despite the rude wake up, I couldn’t be too mad. They really were adorable, for three forces of chaos packed into little bodies and possibly Discord's creations in all reality. I would have to guess they came up to about my knee, perhaps my lower thigh, and the dog didn’t come quite up to my knee.

“Okay, girls, I am awake... but, I need to get dressed, so...” I gestured to the door.

Scootaloo looked at me with her head tilted. It reminded me a bit of Dash, perhaps it is a pegasus thing? “Why can’t you just get dressed with us here?”

I groaned a bit, but was saved by a voice. “Girls, y’all go on inside now and leave Shane to get ready.”

Looking up at the door to see Cortland standing there, they all three gave an “Ahh, ponyfeathers,” but turned and trotted out. Cort chuckled some as he almost got knocked over by the fillies and their dog.

“I will stand watch at the door, take your time.”

I called out as the door closed. “Thanks, Cort. Hey, where did you stay last night?”

There was a long pause before I heard him say. “Spare room up in the main house.”

I tugged my shirt on and grabbed my deodorant, making note I was down to half on this one, that would leave me with five more tubes, that had to last me... well, likely a lifetime. It is little things like deodorant I was going to miss most if I could not get home.

“Oh, cool, where did Golden hold up?”

Again, a long pause. I looked at the closed door before I heard his voice with an almost shy tone. “Spare room up in the main house.”

I grabbed my boots and started to tug them on, already having pulled my pants up and buckled the belt. “Oh, lucky for you, they have two rooms spare.”

His response was far quieter as I opened the door to find him looking at me, nine shades of pink across his face. “They don’t.”

I paused this time, looking down at the buff unicorn stallion, then gave a polite nod of my head. After all, this was their thing and none of my concern. However, as Cort was a friend, I did smile and say in a quiet tone back. “Good for you two, how long now?”

He shrugged, blush retaining though. “We have been kind of seeing each other for a few weeks, but since we got assigned to you and see each other almost every hour of every day…”

I held up my fist to him and received a hoof bump. “Again, good for you two.”

He smiled and we started to walk for the house.

---

Breakfast was huge. No meat products, obviously, but Granny did fix scrambled eggs for me. Even after I had thanked her a few times, she made it clear I was her responsibility now and I would eat right. I found myself once more in awe of the old mare, and I wondered if perhaps she was more on the ball than even Celestia was.

After breakfast, we met up with several other stallions and mares pulling wagons. In total, we had six if you counted the one Big Mac was pulling. We headed into the woods along a trail that I knew would lead us to the cabin and the guards there. Cortland and Golden were both armored up and had crossbows holstered across their backs.

I found myself walking next to Big Mac at one point. There was not a lot of talking going on what with the wagons having to be pulled single file and only two guards. Cort was up front, Golden was in the back.

“It true y’all took a hoof to the snoot pullin' Rainbow Dash out of a bad place?”

I glanced over at the large draft stallion and gave a nod. “Yep.”

Again he was quiet for a bit, chewing on things from the look he had.

“Ma family means everything to me, Shane,” he glanced over at me and then back to his job of pulling. “But ah suspect you understand that pretty well. Long as you remember whose name ya carry, you an I are good.”

I smiled some and tipped my hat in return. “Big Mac, I owe AJ and your family everything right now. You are giving me a job to pay my debt, you all are giving me a roof over my head, and food in my belly. Would take a fool to not see what side his bread is buttered on.”

He grunted and just replied with, “Eeyup,” but the tone was everything.

I did look back to our walk and was quite. Again, we walked on, before I said without looking over at him. “Thank you for being upfront with me, big guy.”

He turned his head to look at me, then gave a soft, short smile. “Eeyup."

Pony of few words, I liked him.

Once we arrived, Cort cleared things with the captain in charge of the small contingent of soldiers. They had cleared back the tree line a good thirty yards in a half moon at the front of the cabin, and set up a small tent fort. Using the trees cut down to build short log walls around, again a half moon with the dead zone as their back wall.

I grabbed four ropes from one of the wagons and we spent time rigging up a pulley system. Anchoring one side to the wall inside the cabin, out the door, and out to another pulley mounted to a tree outside the dead zone.

This way I could be in the cabin, tie things on, and they could pull the items out in the air above the dead area, to the safe zone and load them on wagons. We tested things first, and it seemed they could touch items like the chairs and sofa and my clothing, although, it made their hooves tingle some. I made note to tell Twilight about that, too, as it may help her research on how to get me home.

It was hot, backbreaking work but we got all but my bed—and a few things I knew I wouldn’t need—loaded up. Most of it was clothing, food, the gun safe. That had taken four ponies to move along with myself, and it was alone in the back of Mac’s wagon. I took a few small chairs, some cups and plates, a bit of silverware, and my desk along with all the items in it. We had also pulled two of the solar panels down from the roof, along with a ton of wire and four of the eight batteries. One inverter came with me, one stayed in the cabin. After all it was under constant guard and look what we had to go through to get just a few items from it. Even then, none of the ponies could cross the line and help me inside.

By the time we got back and unloaded all the wagons into the barn. It was time to take a quick shower and head for the schoolhouse as promised. I would have to move things around once I got back, but Applejack said it would be safe in the barn for now and she locked it up.