My mind awoke, and for several seconds I worked towards getting my mind fully operational, the memories of before came into my mind in an instant. I heard the sound of far away hoofsteps echoing in a cave, it was when they trotted out of hearing range did I open my eyes.
I was in a underground, that much was obvious, the hard and slightly damp floor showed I was near some water source. I tried to move my limps, they were tied up with rope.
I am sad to say that this isn't the first time such a situation has happened, it's just the first time somebody has tied me up THEN threw me in a cell.
There was nothing inside my cell except a door, made of hard oaken wood and reinforced with solid metal.
A barred window was the only thing letting any show of light through, illuminating my surroundings.
-Voidwalker-
Well, that happened...
Shit flying and it's about to hit the fan soon.
I told you to prepare, miss Fortune.
"Yes, because I could prepare for an organised attack on my home late at night. Anyone can attest to the fact of being caught off guard, and in case your omnipotence is failing you? I was preparing, I just didn't expect it to be so soon..." I began pulling and testing at my bonds as I listened carefully to my surroundings.
You have a few options in your current predicament, miss Fortune.
Stay for a bit to figure out what the hell is happening and then think of a way to escape or try to escape right at this moment with somewhat low chance of success on both. Your choice. The third option...Well, it's you yourself that will be in the known about it...if you can figure it out that is.
"Right now I would rather leave, but at the moment I'm tied up..." I looked around the small cell carefully, "At the moment I have no choice but to stay and figure out what is happening."
It's Adorable to try and act tough. But, it is not really all that beneficial...
"Who said it was helping? That was just a natural side effect when it comes to surviving." I snapped out, the next roll of text was occupied by a running image.
Until you have faced something like this, then I will consider you're tough enough.
It was another world, creatures with strange bodies who I could only assume were the 'Swarm' from what the voice was saying, killing off armored troops quickly and violently. At the end stood a bipedal being who called herself the Queen of Blades.
I stood unimpressed.
"That is meant to frighten me... you may have seen one hundred forms of terrors beyond the reasoning of a mortal, in comparison I likely haven't lived a fraction of the monstrosities you've seen. I usually am polite to entities when they are friendly, because they usually know me more than I know myself, but..."
"Don't you dare assume I haven't suffered enough be hardened by the experience, I may have not lived through an event of unimaginable horror, but I have a life of hardship making up for it, like right NOW, being foulnapped by others because of you beings intruding in my lifes, so don't DARE assume that this is an act..."
I breathed in... and out... and in... the thudding of my mind and heart slowing to a halt...
I opened my eyes, and turned my attention away from the disappearing message, instead focusing on another Prophet.
Oh bugger! This is not good my dear, not at all, it seem you’re in a bit of a pickle.
"A pickle is rather a strange description, its more like I'm a pickle inside a very sturdy jar..." I dryly state, I began breathing out until I had no air in my lungs, and began pulling and testing my bonds again.
Well you have earned another favor when you answered my last riddle so if you want I can guide you along towards the future with the best chance of escape, but that will use up both your remaining favors. It will also include getting you out of the bindings you find yourself in as well as one potion to help you out from the following list.
"I would rather save one favor for another more desperate time... I can get out of these ropes easily enough, they aren't as properly knotted as the ones from outside of Equestria, it's like they haven't kidnapped anyone before."
1. Potion of Frost
2. Potion of healing
3. Potion of invisibility
Simply nod your head and then say which potion you want. Also Smokey cannot help you due to the nature of the true foe you face. You will have to earn another favor to find out more about that thou I’m sorry to say.
Hmm... I suppose it couldn't hurt to get one of these on the way out, I am guessing this is a 'two for three' special that he is offering.
So? An escape route or a potion?
It wouldn't be so much of a problem if I...
...
I am sure if anyone were to see me now, they would see a disbelieving look on my face as I felt my bags of potions still strapped around my torso. I shook my head sadly.
"Equestria... even the supposed villains are incompetent." I mean sure, at first glance a bunch of vials and so on are rather nonthreatening, but they didn't take a thing off of me? They must have thought something was strange about the numerous objects I was holding.
"Loose ropes, no confiscating anything from my body, and leaving me alone in a cell... there has to be a trap in this, or I will be sorely disappointed." I held my breath one more time and pulled and stretched by body forwards, the ropes then came undone and around my legs just as quickly.
I took an unrestricted breath of air and looked back at the door, thankfully my favorite weapon for the job comes into play.
I still had some acid on me after all...
I kicked opened the door once the lock dissolved completely, I carefully listened for any sound of running or clanking armor, when none presented itself I walked out, eyes flickering back and forth down the long hallways, torches hung between each of the barred doorways, I was in a prison of course so likely they had other prisoners.
There wasn't any kind of alarm system, they just left me here like a bag of flour? Not expecting me to leave?
By Moss, they could have left a guard at the very least!
I can't believe it, when your own prisoners are criticizing your security measures, you know that you are failing.
I walked down the hallway, my hoofs clopping on the stone floor, the only form of problem made towards prisoners in the slightest, wish I had a bottle of 'soft shoe oil' on me, it would have made this easier... well, more so than it already is.
My eyes flickered to several perspectives, trying to highlight any subtle attempts to inhibit me in some way, yet still nothing present.
Maybe this is some elaborate prank from Pinkie and Rainbow, that could be the only other reason I can think of these incompetent measures to ensure my capture. I stopped suddenly as the sound of nearby hoofs sounded out, suddenly and nearby, but it wasn't down the hallway.
No, this was next to me, in one of the cells.
"Hey! Look dude, you and your mates foulnapped me, dumped me here, and the only time I saw your smelly flanks is when one of you walked past ignoring me, so I'm going to tell you right now to get me the buck out of here or I'll-
I turned my head to look at the voice obviously from the context she was a victim like me, I was met with a mane of blue hair, and a furrowed brow over her sunglasses, I recognized her...
"You are from Ponyville?" I asked her, my head tilted as she snorted angrily.
"Oh yes, yes I'm from Ponyville? What, your bucking plothole friends didn't think to tell you that lady?!" She turned away and the door shook slightly, likely from her bucking it, "Not to mention sticking this weird, I don't bucking know, THING on my horn!"
"I am not part of these people, I was captured myself." I patiently state, she stops suddenly, and looks at me suspiciously.
"... You sure dude? Because you kind of wear cloaks like them."
Again with my choice in clothing...
"Just because we share tastes in apparel does not mean we're connected in anyway, I would have thought that be obvious since I am talking to you as of the moment."
"... Alright, if your not with them plotholes, then would you kindly bust this bucking door open? I got this killer gig tomorrow and I need to catch some z's the day before."
Her speech was... unique, but I obliged and took out a pair of lock picks from the special bag of Cheshire's, I quick twist turn, using my tail to accurately handle the instruments, the lock opened with a click.
"Thanks dude, I've slept in worse but I don't really fancy these digs..." She looked around, "Well I've been in some dungeons before, but those usually have hundreds of my adoring fans and glow sticks... or just me in Tavi."
"... You mean you and Tavi, right?" I could only assume 'Tavi' was a friend of hers.
"I know what I said." She grinned cheekily, and I resisted the urge to slap my face, she wasn't hitting on ME at the very least.
Now with her head fully in view, I looked up to see some clasp of metal that was clamped around the unicorns horn, it was suppressing her magical abilities, I could tell that much from the way it disrupted the flow of magic from her horn to her brain.
"We need to get you out of that, we need to be at full fighting ability if we intend to escape this place."
"Good luck dude, I've been trying to break this thing off my head since I got here hours ago."
I looked at it carefully, and looked into the unicorns eyes.
"I want you to keep quiet about what you see here, understood?"
"Huh? What, we got to kiss or some-
"Don't be a Cloud Kicker."
"Hey! I'm not THAT loose."
I ignored her comment and rummaged inside my bag, the acid came out, but I knew it wold be too dangerous to use on it, so close to her horn and face, but thankfully enough I took out an extra water bottle, I always kept at least one in my bags for emergencies.
"Hold your breath." She gave me an odd look, but complied, I did the same and uncorked the acid, and then tipped drops of water down the neck of it, simply looking at it, I could tell the exact amount needed to dull the mix, however, it was just enough so that it wouldn't be so bad.
With that, I then wiped the excess acid on the wall nearby, and dipped it into the balanced mix, and finally painted it on the device on the unicorns horn. I breathed out, making the unicorn breath out as well since I seemed to give the go ahead.
"Alright, what was in that-
She stopped herself when the sound of sizzling reached her ears when I had given my breath to it, her eyes went cross eyed, trying to see what was happening, in twenty seconds the metal broke and fell too the ground with a clank. She rubbed her horn in relief.
"Man, you have no idea how much of a relief that is, by Celestia's bloody crack it's like I lost a hoof and it appeared again." She demonstrated her abilities by using levitation on a nearby torch, turning to me, "Ready to blow this apple stand?
"... Sorry, what?" I didn't get the metaphor she used, she arches an eyebrow.
"Uhhh... you know, get out of here?"
"Oh, of course."
"Names Vinyl Scratch? What's yours?"
"Scry Fortune."
She nodded and we turned to go down the corridor... it wasn't three doors down that another voice made itself known.
"AH! I knew it! Only you could be behind this Scry Fortune! The Great and Powerful TRIXIE! Commands you let her go at once!"
I couldn't help it, my hoof met my head with a painful, yet well understand, thud.
And now...Music for you. Don't worry, it won't prevent you from listening to anything important around you.
That extra line, that could only be Voidwalker popped up, and a set of drums, like a military like march music rose up, neither of the mares reacted to the sounds of war in the making. I myself simply ground my teeth at the upcoming conversation.