Chapter 7: Is this still Equestria?

My vision cleared; I wasn't in Ponyville at all; I was in a jail cell; it was small and didn't look comfortable

When I checked my inventory I saw it was empty; not even a stick was there

'Now I have to deal with this?' I asked myself

"Don't frown; it isn't that bad." A voice said

I looked and saw a mare; she gave me a glance

"What happened?" I asked, "Where am I?"

"You're in Baltimare kid" the mare looked off, "Inescapable."

I looked around; the only thing in the way was an iron door

"Is this what's keeping us inside?" I asked; gesturing towards the door

"Not even an explosion can dent that thing" FireCracker smiled, "I tried."

I put my hoof to my chin, "Maybe we don't have to…"

I went about; even going as far as opening the sink; finding two things

"A stick and some cobblestone" I held the two items up, "This is almost too easy."

"How is that going to help us?" FireCracker eyed the items

"It opens the door" I smiled, "These things will open almost anything."

I handed her the lever; right then a guard opened the door

"Skarfly; you need to come with me." He barked

FireCracker looked at me in surprise, "You're Skarfly?"

I nodded before I followed the guard out into the tunnels; I was lead into a room; it was finely furnished and on the other side was…

The king of reality

The room was covered in silk and had glorious blood red curtains; a stained glass window depicting the defeat of the princesses was behind the king

"Hello Skarfly" he purred, "Please; have a seat."

"I'll stand." I said stiffly

"Very well; it doesn't matter to me." He shrugged

"I get the feeling that you didn't summon me here to look pretty." I rolled my eyes

"Still fighting I see" he sighed, "I figured Equestria would change that."

"Not much can change my mind" I gave him a hot glare

He smiled, "It seems Equestria hasn't lost its fighter roots."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded

"This land wasn't always the peaceful place you knew" the king explained, "I ruled with an iron fist; everything was exact."

'This is getting strange; worse than being in a video game.' I thought to myself

"When Celestia broke from my control it was when I had told her she couldn't be with the small colt named Discord; then she sowed the seeds of chaos within his heart."

'Celestia was more to blame than I expected…' I went through my inventory

"Then he overthrew me; sealing me into the fabric of reality itself" he slammed his hoof into the table; then he smiled, "But I got free."

"How?" I asked, "You shouldn't have been able to escape reality."

The king chuckled, "That is true; but the fabric was recently broken."

'This has to do with me…'

"It happened when you arrived; the first pony to stand up to the monsters that attacked."

"So me fighting the monsters let you escape and take over?" I summed up

"Exactly; now you're here and powerless."

"I wouldn't say that"

He gave me a look, "What do you mean?"

"I'm not dead" I smiled, "And I made a little something while I was in that cell."

There was a loud explosion

"See you later!" I waved

I ran; faster than I had ever run before; I flew through the corridors as I escaped Baltimare

'Weapons' my mind raced

I grabbed a few pieces of rubble that I found on the ground; several more explosions rippled through the structure

As I galloped through I placed a button on a random door and hit it; opening the doors

As luck would have it; Rainbowdash and Twilight came out of the cell; blinking at me without recognition

"We're leaving" I ordered, "Now."

"Where are we going?" Twilight

"Wherever isn't here" I answered

They seemed to gain their senses and nodded; I nodded and turned to face my destiny

Location: Baltimare Outskirts

I stopped for breath; the two mares behind me looked back on the structure that was Baltimare; several more explosions collapsed what was left

"Good job FireCracker" I huffed, "That was the best escape so far."

"Can't he just force us back there in seconds?" Rainbowdash asked; more like her old self

"Everything is by-the-book; he needs to do it in a way that would make sense." Twilight answered

"Twilight; go to Ponyville and report to me with what you find" I ordered, "Rainbow; do the same for Cloudsdale."

"Right!" Rainbowdash flew off

Twilight looked at me, "Will Equestria ever repay its debt?"

"It'll never have to." I smiled; adventure was here

Location: Baltimare Ruins

The king of reality slammed his hoof into the ground, "I want him found!"

"Can't you just poof him here?" a guard asked

"It has to follow the rules" the king asserted

"Right; form a search party!" the captain faced his men, "We need that colt found."

Location: Canterlot Dungeon

By now you're wondering where everypony else is; I feel you should know

Celestia looked at the mirror in shock; in front of her was a mare with a pink mane; no horn or wings; her coat and cutie mark were the same but her mane was no longer ethereal

"Skarfly; wherever you are…" Celestia looked out a window in the dungeon wall, "Don't fail…"

"Come on sister" Luna smiled, "When has he given up?"

"Not once; but that doesn't mean he can't lose." Celestia answered

"He won't; there is too much on the line." Luna asserted

"What if-"

"No more what-ifs sister; the time to bide is now." Luna got up and looked out the cell window, "I know he'll get this done."

Luna looked generally the same; her mane was the same way it appeared in episode two and her horn and wings were missing

"I hope so…" Celestia murmured

Location: Equestria Wilds

I trotted through the forest; the husk of Baltimare behind me

"You really did have a plan to get through that door" a female voice said

I turned and saw FireCracker

"Yeah well" I rubbed the back of my neck with my hoof, "You and I both needed out and I knew how to get us there."

She smiled, "You knew just what I planned to do; you got several dozen falsely convicted ponies out."

I sighed, "I just hope Equestria is in good enough shape; then we can get back to our lives."

"But you don't want to do you?" FireCracker asked

I looked to the sky; the sun was hidden behind the leaves; it didn't shine with the same feeling I knew so well

"I don't know yet; I just don't know." I whispered

I trotted over to a small tree; and I began to collect wood; after I gathered enough wood from the surrounding trees I made some basic wooden tools

"Those don't seem so strong" FireCracker noted

"They're wooden weapons; until I get iron I'm not ready for a war yet." I rolled my eyes

We continued to trot through the forest; I couldn't help but get the feeling that I was being eyed

"So where are you from?" FireCracker asked

Ah the big question; for the fortieth time or so

"Not from around here that's for sure." I answered; not in the mood

"Who were the two mares you let out earlier?"

"Two friends of mine" I almost went through my saddlebags as a force of habit

When I saw I forgot them back at Baltimare

I almost panicked; what about my journal?

Then I got an idea; I concentrated; on one letter

E

It was as if a screen of my saddlebag items appeared; I snapped up my journal and the iron

'That was close…'

"So where are we going?" FireCracker asked

"I'm just getting whoever I can ready for their war." I answered, "Then I'm going home."

"You can't do that!" FireCracker protested

"I'm not supposed to be here" I said, "So I'm leaving."

"What about the ponies that live here?"

"This isn't my war" I said; looking her in the eye, "This is a battle for Equestria. This has nothing to do with me."

"But the monsters…"

"I'm pretty sure that the king took care of them" I rolled my eyes, "My presence is only a danger to others."

FireCracker remained silent

"Anytime this happens I get stabbed in the back" I looked at the canopy, "I'm always abandoned."

"Well I'm still here." FireCracker pointed out, "That and your friend is bound to be looking for you."

"This isn't a game!" I turned, "This is war; something I'm ill-suited for."

"Well then leave!" FireCracker shouted, "Go!"

I looked at her angrily; I didn't have any business here so why should I stay?

"I am nothing more than someone who got thrown into this crazy mess of a country!" I said, "I wasn't here when the mobs arrived!"

"Well your cutie mark says you're supposed to!"

I paused; a cutie mark would say what your destiny was; was mine to win against these things that threatened Equestria? And why was I passing up a chance for adventure? I had a pretty boring and average life back home? Who was I to say no to this?

"Fine." I sighed, "But don't blame me if this is a bad idea."

FireCracker gave me a hug

"Now; we need to get to the nearest town." FireCracker pulled out a map

"Well I have no idea where I'm going; lead the way." I looked around, "The sooner we're out of these woods the better."