To Break a Mirror

by Materious17

Chapter 4

"I'm sorry Boulder, I just can't do it." I finished undoing the last of her shackles once the lights came back on for morning drills.

"You have to Fluttershy! I can't take down that guard myself, this was just one of many reasons why I unshackled you."

"So you could use me as a weapon?" Well, yeah but I should probably say her comfort and wellbeing were priorities as well.

"It's them or us." I quickly slip back on her undone restraints to give the guards a sense of safety when they come in to feed us. The sounds of doors moving down the passageway indicated that the breakfast crew was on their way. In a few short minutes, we'll ambush 'em, get out of this cell, and make a run for it. It isn't a bullet proof plan, but it's all I got.

"Alright Fluttershy, I'll be sleeping in this corner, you know what to do." Why I decided to not watch was beyond me.

Probably the notion of Fluttershy having a raging temper was off-putting to me. In my stillness I could hear Fluttershy weeping softly, I just hoped they were tears of joy. Our cell door slammed open with the same muscle bulging pony from the night before. His metal tray full of the mush stew they expect us to call breakfast let alone food.

"Breakfast is served. Damn it prisoner wake up before I beat you awake." He was probably staring right at me so to avoid confrontation I rolled over and rubbed my eyes open. I should have figured my sleeping ambush wouldn't have had any success to begin with.

"What's wrong prisoner, didn't get your beauty sleep? And you, what's with the water works, here's your bucking food." The guard approached the deceptively locked up pegasus, readying the tray of goop to force feed her.

"I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy continued crying. I wasn't sure if she was genuinely sorry for what was about to take place, or if she was the greatest actress ever.

"Sorry about what?

"She's sorry for this." I quickly strike the back of his neck with my makeshift hammer from last night. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but I really hoped he would just fall over unconscious or something. He stood firm.

"Thanks kid, I had a crick in my neck all week." I dropped the tool in total shock. This pony is going to turn around and just break me in two and there's nothing I can do about it. He turned with a smirk on his face. Dropping the food tray he quickly reached to grab me and I was squeezed harder than the feeling of being crushed underneath a large boulder.

"How dare you! Get your hooves off of my friend!" The next scene was but a blur to me. I was heavily disorientated from the grappling but before my eyes was a horrific sight. My first friend from my memories, sat there staring deeply into the eyes of the guard. Her stare was piercing straight into his very soul and I was dropped almost immediately. I saw her mouth move but I couldn't hear what she was saying.

I get up slowly only to witness the guard now lying on the ground, sucking his hoof like a foal. Fluttershy just stood there, panting heavily. I rushed over to embrace her silky smooth fur and I never wanted to let go.

"Come on now, we don't have much time." I ended the hug what I felt was prematurely but I had a point. We ran out into the hallway only to be greeted by a single door other than our own.

"Well, looks like this is the only way." I'm honestly baffled, I thought there would have been other cells here, at least that's what it sounded like earlier. I just hope we find our way out of this maze. We crack the door open and bright sunlight filled the entire room. I was forced to squint just to bear the pain of how ridiculously bright it was.

Letting my eyes adjust, we appeared to be on the streets of Manehattan. In a section of the slums, not too far from my old hut.

"Wait, how did we end up here?" The door shut behind us. Reopening it showed the contents of a storage closet and nothing more, no guard, no cells, no shackles. I look over to Fluttershy who appeared to be in writhing pain holding her eyes. I forgot she hasn't seen the light of day in over a year and her beautifly blue-green eyes couldn't take the brightness anymore.

"It's ok Fluttershy..." I rubbed her back to try to calm her senses. "Were finally free."

"I see you Boulder."

"That's good Fluttershy, I know your eyes have lost a lot of their ability from living in such a dark room for so long. I don't know how we got here, but surprisingly enough were just a block away from my place. We can stay there for the time being until we figure out what to do next." Was that door magic? Was Mr. Break just playing some practical joke? Putting us so close yet so far from safety, his sense of humor is sickening if true.

I guided her down the streets of the poor, only to be further reminded of my poor life choices I made that resulted in me living in this dump. We can't stay here for long, Mr. Break is bound to be looking for us, and he knows where we live now. We came up on my little one room hut of a home to find the place more of a wreck than usual. Since I was gone, it looks like a few thieves got in and had themselves a party.

"Hmm, no one is here."

"Do you share this with someone?"

"Yeah, her name is Jade. She is my wife." Jade is my wife, then why didn't I sound happy when I said that? It's almost like the time we spent together hasn't been real for me. She loves a pony named Slate, a pony who I wish to never show his face again.

"You got married?!" I should have expected this reaction, I didn't even invite her to the reception. I didn't invite anyone, Slate did all of the work.

"Well, I guess I did. Anyways, we can't stay here Fluttershy. Mr. Break knows of this place, we need to get a few supplies and run away." I had no idea where we would head, anywhere but here.

"We could head to Ponyville. I'm sure my friends would be super happy to hear from us."

"No! I mean, not yet. We can't go back there, Mr. Break knows more about you than even I do, your home isn't any safer than mine." I look to the floor and make out the broken picture frame from earlier yesterday. On the stool it fell from was the mail I got that day, two letters to be specific.

"We may not be able to go back home yet, but I think I know where we can go instead." I pick up the letter from a pony named Pebble who lives in Baltimare. "I think I may have family in Baltimare, we should at least check it out."

"I thought you said your family died years ago?"

"Look, I don't know who this pony, and over the last two years I've been even debating my own past and childhood. Nothing seems to add up with my history and I think this pony may have the answers I'm looking for." I don't know why I got overly sensitive to the topic of my late parents, it definitely wasn't something to yell at Fluttershy about. The situation was tense and all I could do is tell Fluttershy bad news after more bad news. She looked devastated when I explained why we couldn't go back to Ponyville. I want to go back almost as much as she does but doing so would only put that entire town in jeopardy. Who knows what Mr. Break is up to now?

"I'm sorry Fluttershy, if it makes you feel better you can write a letter to your friends. Just don't tell them where we are headed. They won't be able to respond in this predicament but it may put their hearts and minds at ease to know you are safe. If they find us, Mr. Break can also find us." In the letter was a pair of train tickets for the next ride down to Baltimare.

"Well, it looks like we're leaving immediately. Here's an apple to hold you over, it's a little ripe, from the market over a day ago but it's got to be better than that slush you lived on for the last 18 months." I think she stopped talking to me on purpose, or maybe because she rarely had anything to say. I hope it was the latter. We made our way to the train station and boarded the next outgoing to Baltimare. I had no idea what we would find but at least I can keep Fluttershy safe.