“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