Fighting Freedom

Author's Two Cents: After like forever since I mentioned that I wanted to rewrite the story, I've actually decided to do it. Oh and feel free to just you know, skip ahead to the story right now. I had actually lost interest in MLP for awhile. I'm not quite sure why, but I was. Good news is that I am once again in love with the show. Oh and FYI this story won't be the same as the other one. Yes it's a rewrite, but I'll be following a different path. I don't want to tell you to much though… Also if you see a (____) That's what I'm thinking as I'm writing.

(Skip to the second chapter if you want ponies right away. This just provides some background on the character and how he arrives in Equestria.)

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A flash of lightning lit up the room, and thunder boomed out only a few seconds later. I woke up from the sound, and sat up straight. I looked around in dazed confusion as the sound of rain flooded my room. I took a few seconds to blankly stare at one corner of my room before acting. I got out of the bed and walked towards a wooden desk. The desk was attached to a bookcase stuffed with books. Several looked worn as if they had been read quite a few times, while others, still bearing the dog mark on the corners, looked much more preserved.

I reached over the desk and hit a button on a laptop. Instantly the sounds of rain and thunder stopped. Flashes of light ceased to… flash (Good job brain).

"I need to stop leaving my computer on." I said, and then sighed. The clock told me it was 5 in the afternoon. You wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at the room though. It was pitch dark now that the laptop had been shut off. Not a single window was in the room to let light in. I reached over and flipped a light switch.

The light flickered a few times and I whispered, "Lumos…"

The light stayed on after and I chuckled to myself. I stretched myself out and twisted my neck. No cracks came from the stretching, but I adopted a satisfied look. I looked down at the bed and laughed again. On the bed the covers were thrown to one side, and the sheets didn't fare much better.

I then went about an everyday ritual. I brushed my teeth and took a shower. I dressed myself in shorts and a tee shirt (t-shirt?). I pulled out a phone and began pressing buttons rapidly. After doing so I threw the phone on a nearby couch. I dragged myself to the kitchen and opened the fridge. I looked inside it and pondered it. I then closed the door and went over to a food cabinet. I looked inside this for some time as well. I switched between the two a couple times before giving up. A sudden ding went off from the couch.

I looked at my phone and saw what I had been hoping to see, at least that would explain why my face split into a grin. I grabbed a key chain and dashed out the door. Almost like a little kid does. I got into a small car and put the keys into the ignition. I turned the car on, but didn't start driving. First I plugged my phone into a pair of speakers which were hooked up to the cigarette lighter power source. I hit the shuffle button on said phone and music began to play. As I continued to hit skip several times I looked at my mirror. A small plastic figurine hung from it. It was another small pony, but pink in coat and mane color.

"Safe driving Pinkie." I said this and then strapped on my seat belt. I lowered the windows and opened the sun roof. I skipped several more songs before finally settling on one. I put the car into drive and pushed on the gas. I got onto the main road and began driving at a faster speed. As I drove to my destination I began singing in a deep voice,

"Get on your feet boy, rip it up, rip it up, rip it up if you're ever gonna make it. Get on your feet girl, rip it up, rip it up, rip it up if you're ever gonna make it!~"

The small black car raced down the cement and made several noises that would've made anyone cringe. The car did look severely beat up. The front was smashed flat from several encounters, and the back wasn't much better. The sides had several dents, but nothing to serious.

After about 30 minutes of driving, in which several red lights were ran, the car finally came to a stop. The engine coming to a stop sounded more like a great sigh. Almost as if the car itself had been holding its breath in fear. I stepped out of the car and looked forwards. I had arrived at a rather large park. As far as parks go it was pretty normal, except for the several tennis courts which lacked tennis nets.

I turned back to my car and opened the trunk. I took out some equipment and began heading towards one of the courts. There was already several others there waiting for me.

One of them called out to me, "Hey man, decided to catch a few hours of the sun?"

I shouted back, "Nah I woke up to eat. Thought I might get some exercise done though."

I reached the group and set the equipment down. Practice swords and small flags littered the ground. I reached down and picked up one of the wooden swords.

"Well exercise 1 first. I'm with you as always,"

At this point I lightly punched one of the other guys in the group,

"and I'll be the target first."

The rest of the group picked up their own equipment. They totaled six and worked in pairs of two. I threw the wooden sword to my partner and signaled him to start. My partner rushed me and began attempting to strike me. No matter what he tried, I was too fast. I either dodged or redirected the swing with my arms. This continued for 30 minutes with a few blows finding their mark, especially towards the end. After the 30 minutes we took a break and sat down. I opened up a water bottle and took a drink from it. After I had a sizeable amount I handed the bottle to my partner.

While doing so I said, "I think my arms and hands are building up calluses."

The partner finished his drink and threw the empty bottle on the grass. He turned to me and said,

"I think every part of my body is doing that. These things can hurt."

I shook my head, "Well we could wear padding, but why bother? Too expensive, besides this builds character.

The other guy replied, "Anything that isn't good seems to build character."

"Well even bullying builds character. Just think about it. Someone who gets bullied a lot will either never do it when he is older because he knows how it feels, or he'll take revenge on the smaller kids all the time. Either way his experiences have built up to that."

"I suppose."

"Sometimes I think I'm too smart for my own good."

"You wish. Although I'll admit sometimes you have freaky moments of insight. Then again other times you just spew nonsense."

"You don't think I'm crazy do you?"

"Of course I do! Well at least in comparison to the norm. Though to be fair, I'm probably not the best judge of this."

"Well from what I can see, the norm is to have your head stuck up your ass. To only care for yourself and think about all things physical."

"Sure looks that way. I have faith in the small part of the population that actually cares. Although most of them aren't involved in important stuff. Maybe that's how you avoid becoming an ass hole. Just don't become important."

"You have a point. That was kind of random though."

"I just get the feeling that we're explaining a little background to people without just blandly pointing it out. Like the fact that I'm 19 and you're 20, soon to be 21. Also the fact that we both have an occupation of doing absolutely nothing. No job or school until September. Oh and our 10 minute break is over, my turn to be target."

We stood up and began the exercise again. We continued like this for a few hours until the sun was giving off its final rays. We packed up the equipment and put it back into the car. Everyone said their goodbyes except for me and my partner.

I looked up and said, "You need a ride?"

My partner said, "It would be appreciated."

We both got into the car and the engine roared (More like whined -_-). I looked at my partner and said,

"Pinkie demands that seatbelts be worn at all times."

My partner sighed and put his seatbelt on, "You and your damn ponies."

"Hey, it's our damn ponies. Besides, ponies are cool. Then again a lot of things are cool."

"Indeed now hurry up and drive. I have yet to see the new episode of MLP, and I hear it’s a good one."

I chuckled as I began driving, "Implying there are bad episodes."

After around 15 minutes of driving a cop car speed past the small black car.

"Damn, that's the 5th one to pass us. I wonder what's going on tonight."

I replied, "Maybe the local wildlife has become a bit too active."

"Wait what?"

"I meant that some idiots got really drunk."

"Oh."

The car pulled up to a house and stopped. The passenger got out, said his goodbyes, and closed the door. The car sped off again making not so safe noises. I sighed once I was alone and dropped my smile. I drove through the night in silence. The time was most likely around 11 or 12. The dark night confirmed this and the moon shone brightly.

I arrived at my home and parked the car. I went inside and dropped the keys on the table. I didn't bother shouting "I'm home" or anything. I opened the door to the stairwell and headed down stairs.

I closed the stairwell door behind me and descended. Today so far was good, but it had only been 7 hours. It had plenty of time to settle down. Training always got me in a good mood, especially because I was with friends.

I grabbed my computer off my desk and brought it into bed with me. I brought my plushie who I had taken to calling Mac when no one was around. I turned the computer on again and the sounds of a storm greeted me. I don't know why, but I always enjoyed storms. They calmed me down and gave me more of a "free" feel. I began catching up on everything for the day.

For some reason the internet couldn't entertain me that day. I closed my laptop and set it on the ground. I simply laid back in my bed and held on to Mac tight. I began talking to him in low tones,

"One day Mac I'm going to get out of here. Just you wait, one day I'll be exploring all the stars. Maybe I'll come visit you some day. After all I'm sure Equestria is out there somewhere. Anything and everything after all. I'll be honest with you though Mac. I'm kind of scared to leave here. I'm kind of scared dying. I wouldn't be if it would just happen, but I don't think I have the guts to do it myself. Besides that would give off the wrong vibe. I mean I should be happy here, and in some ways I am. I have some great friends, and my life as of right now is incredibly easy. I don't have to do anything. Not even some dead end job. I'm just so bored here. Nothing interesting here on Earth. Imagine if I could get out there though. I might find some planet that has lava surfing or something! Well no probably not. That doesn't sound like a good idea."

I paused to think on the idea of surfing lava, and how one would do such a thing. Eventually I just threw that idea out the window. I continued on with my monologue,

"Some people might tell me to find enjoyment here, or some crap like that. I've been doing that for 18 years now, I'm getting tired of it. Besides I have my life set out for me here. How boring is that? Knowing what's going to happen. I can't even just leave. Imagine how my family would react if I just disappeared. I couldn't do that to them. At least my friends would understand .Then again if I leave this planet I think I might be able to do it. Sorry family, but the universe awaits! Something like that anyways. You know what would be cool? Ending up in the world with the Avatar. Oh and I could be a bender, but what type? I suppose it's kinda pointless to speculate eh? The here and now type of thing. Then again, if you aren't happy with your lot in life I think it's okay to dream a bit. Some might tell me to take action, but that's a pretty big action to take."

I looked down at Mac to make sure he was still awake. I was quite aware that he was a plushie, but I still treated him like a friend. Imagine if he became real and knew everything that he experienced as a plushie. I don't think that will happen, but I'm a bit of a dreamer.

"You see Mac I've got a sort of motto to follow. I call it "Anything and Everything". See I think that existence is infinite and anything that has ever been is out there. That's why I'm confident Equestria is out there. Out of infinite existence it has to be. Finding it might be a little bit difficult, but I'll figure that part out once I get there. Have to get off this planet first eh?"
Before I could continue having a discussion with a stuffed toy, my stomach made an interruption. I had yet to eat today. Even though it was near 5 a.m., it was dinner time for me. I didn't want to wake my mom up by making food, so I just figured I would go and get something to eat. There were only a few places open at this time. I decided that since my stomach was feeling rude, I was going to be rude to it. I looked for the keys only to find them exactly where I had left them. I got in my car and flicked the pink figure.

"Safe driving Pinkie."

I put on the seat belt and began to drive. I don't want to sound particularly evil or anything, but it was the last time I would be doing so for a long time. My phone shuffled through a few songs before I landed on one that I liked. The air flowing from the open windows blew my short hair backwards. I took a deep breath enjoying the sensation of the wind before breaking out in song.

"I've seen a lot a sights, and traveled many miles! Shook a thousand hands, and seen my share of smiles."

Maybe if I had been paying more attention I could've avoided what happened next. In hindsight though, I'm glad I didn't. Besides the if game in reference to "what if I did this instead" annoys me. No point in dwelling on the past. I was driving up a hill that I couldn't see past when it happened. I was near the top when something obstructed my view. With the scarce amount of time I had I did one last thing, and that was to think 'Oh the irony' (Because cars have iron in them).

The large semi-truck overtook my small car easily. Just one of the wheels was taller than my car. The truck easily crushed the small car beneath it. The driver in the truck probably didn't even notice at first. The resounding sounds however alerted him. He swerved the truck and smashed into a tree on the side of the road. The tree didn't fare much better than the car. It made a sickening crack as the truck slammed into it.

Sirens rang out through the night.

One moment there was a truck heading for me, and then a few moments of intense pain, then nothing at all. Well nothing at all would be wrong. I was still…. alive? I could still think at least. I couldn't feel anything though. I couldn't even see anything, and it wasn't just black. There was literally nothing. It was almost like all my senses had shut down and my brain was the only thing left.

My first thoughts were pretty standard I think. Mostly along the lines of 'what the hell just happened?' After I got over the shock I calmed down enough to think clearly. I began talking out loud to myself in an effort to keep myself calm,

"Well then, that's that. Kind of lame, cliché too. Hit by a damn drunk driver. If I could I would give him some a piece of my mind. Which is most likely not possible. I kind of have to assume that my body is a mere splat on the road now. If I'm really lucky, or unlucky rather, I'm in a coma. Always wondered what a coma patient is going through. I always thought it was just like a nap. If you wake up from it, it's like you had just been asleep. Then again if it's like sleep they would dream. Maybe they would dream of a whole different life in vivid detail. Then they would wake up to find out it was all fake."

Those last words echoed out and then it made me realize something. I was unable to feel a body of any sort, but I was talking. I hadn't thought about it before, but maybe I was in control. I tried imagining a nice big pizza for me to devour, but that didn't work. I sighed and stood up. I did that without thinking either. I looked down at myself and was comforted to see I did indeed have a body. The same body that had just been crushed. Well in its uncrushed form obviously.

I looked even farther down and was unnerved. There was nothing below me, or around me at all. Yet here I was, standing on nothing. Maybe I was standing only because I was used to having ground below me. Whatever the case I stopped focusing on the nothing beneath me. I did a 360 not actually expecting to see anything. However, when I was turned around I saw a small bundle on the… nothing ground.

It was a long bundle wrapped up in a white tarp. I undid the knot holding the tarp to the bundle. It felt weird. Like a bundle of sticks almost (Har har). The tarp fell off and whatever was inside fell on the ground. No noises were made, but several things rolled on the nothing ground. After a few seconds I was able to identify the stuff as the training equipment. I reached down and picked up my bokken. It was plain wood, but I had carved a small symbol into the handle. After admiring my own stick, I looked at the rest on the ground. After a little bit of back and forth, I decided to leave the stuff there. If my friends ever showed up here, they might need it.

At first I had no idea what I was going to do. All I knew was that standing still never got much done. I walked in a random direction for a while. I didn't even feel remotely tired after several miles. I wasn't exactly the most athletic person ever. Although I did rely on my legs a lot. I ran at least 3 times a week going at least 5 miles. I also loved to go on backpacking trips. Trekking 14 miles with a good 50 pounds on your back. Now that's what I call traveling. Just you, your pack, and some good company. Maybe a few musical instruments too. Too bad I don't know how to play any. I'll make a vow to learn one eventually.

I won't bore you with the details with the walk. Even if I did it might take up a sentence or two. It was mostly just me thinking to myself while I walked. I did check back every once in a while to make sure I was moving. I couldn't see the stuff anymore so at least I know something had moved. I'll be honest though. When something did happen, it did weird me out.
I had just been looking at my feet hitting the nothing ground when a voice called out to me.

"Hail strange spirit. You who walks in physical form in such a place interests me. Would you mind having a chat with me?"
I looked up and around to find the source of the voice. I saw a large bonsai tree growing out of the nothing ground and someone in the tree. It wasn't really a someone though. It was more like a giant lizard person. He was laying on a branch with his back against the trunk. He was holding a plate in one claw, and chopsticks in the other. His green scales allowed him to blend in very well with the tree. Of course the tree was very obvious in the middle of nothing. So it was debatable whether or not if he was well hidden.

"Um… hello lizard dude."

He jumped down from the tree balancing his plate carefully.

"My name is… well I don't really know. In this place that isn't a place do we have names? Or are we all starting anew?"

"I'll just call you Scales for now then. I don't suppose you could tell me what you are then?"

Scales let out a laugh. Weird thing was it sounded perfectly normal. No lizard like things about the laugh at all. Once he finished laughing he said, "In a place where nothing exists, not even the ground, you question the appearance of something. Maybe that is wiser than it sounds. The form I have taken was the very first I ever had. The species name you most likely could understand is 'Fulvah'. Although most will not take kindly to the use of that word."

Great. I found a lizard who likes to speak in riddles, what else is there?

He eyed me warily before motioning with his chopsticks, "Come stranger sit under the tree with me. Share some of my meal. As two travelers whose path has met, we must be respectful of each other."

I complied with his wishes, even though he was a bit strange. I didn't really feel scared of him, even if he did have claws and razor teeth. I mean I died and ended up here. How redundant would it be if I died here? Besides I'm not even sure if I had a body at first. I laid against the tree and the lizard handed me the plate and chopsticks. I'm not very good with sticks, but I made do. I picked up a white ball and stuck it in my mouth. I chewed on it for a little bit and swallowed.

"Rice cakes? For some reason I thought you were eating meat…"

Scales looked at me and said, "What is wrong with rice cakes?"

Besides the fact that you’re a lizard-man thing eating them? Absolutely nothing.

"Nothing is wrong with rice cakes, I love them." I passed him back the plate and continued talking, "So how did you end up here?"

Apparently I was hilarious because this guy kept on laughing. When he was done he said, "How does anyone end up here? Do you even know where here is? You must be new stranger. You are currently in the Spirit Stream, also known as "The Resting Place". It has many names, but in the end it’s a place between places. That odd plane of existence that doesn't exist. No one is sure about its true nature, but we do know that it is very relaxing. Travelers like you and me use it all the time. Well at least that's how it used to be."

I didn't really know what he was talking about but I listened politely.

"There used to be a great many souls traveling through this place, as many had awoken from the most basic life. However after the great cataclysm, many of them couldn't deal with the memories they had. They gave up their immortality and erased themselves from existence."

I was now even more interested, "What do you mean?"

Scales put down the plate, which still had as many rice cakes on it as when he handed it to me, and continued speaking, "They erased all their memories and gave up the ability to keep memories after death. It was easier to do this than live with what they had done. They locked their souls again to be forever gone. You may even be one of those souls, just unlocked again."

I stared at the ground as I munched on this mind food, "What did they do?"

Scales replied, "No one knows. There isn't a single soul out there who knows the details of what happened. Well… never mind. They came to this place one final time and used the energies here to lock their souls once more. As I said the nature of this place is unknown, but there is some things we know. One such thing is the fact that anyone who comes here is bathed in the energies of this place. These energies give them the ability to do exactly what I said. To relock their souls and cease to exist. Well most anyways. I gave up the ability to do so."

Something was nagging me and I asked, "How does something cease to exist?"

Scales nodded, "Well maybe that isn't the best term. Their souls are still out there, but they don't remember anything. Memories define a soul. All the experiences they had ever been through were erased. So they were essentially erased. Of course they still live on experiencing new things, but the lives they lived before are forever gone."

"You say lives in multiple terms. Is there some sort of reincarnation cycle? Am I enlightened or something?"

Scales eyed me even more curiously and said, "I think I have answered all I can. Thank you stranger for keeping us company."

I didn't move, "Wait you said you gave up the ability to erase yourself. How did you do that?"

Scales got a faraway look in his eye. As if he was recalling something from long long ago. After a minute or so he said, "When I first arrived Frank was here to greet me. He told me about the power to do this. Back then I was a fresh soul, unaware of the universe in its entirety. I announced to the nothingness that I didn't want this power. I thought I would want to live forever and ever. Well now that I have done so I have grown tired. So now I simply stay here in this place of great relaxation. Every once in a while a stranger such as you will arrive. No one uses this as travel anymore. To many better and easier ways to travel nowadays. I remember back when I first arrived. There was no other way to travel. Then again existence was a lot smaller back then."

Here he took a deep breath and didn't speak again. I studied his face in greater detail. Where I had seen sparks in his eyes I now only saw dull grey shines. He did look immensely tired. He also had that 'I'm an ancient thing' feel to him. I finally stood up and spoke out loudly,

"Hear me place that is not a place. I refute this power to relock my soul. Instead I give it to this soul here."

For a few seconds nothing happened, and I began to feel silly. However a light glow began to withdraw from by body. It flowed from me to Scales. I felt like I had lost some sort of power, but it wasn't necessarily bad. It was a foreign power leaving me. Once it was gone, I felt more like myself than I ever had.

Scales absorbed the power and he gave me a look of gratitude, "Thank you much stranger. I will not forget this kindness… well hopefully. However, I hope you know the severity of such a decision. There may not be a kind stranger when you are in my position."

I waved his words off and said, "Just do me a favor. Don't use that right away. I would like to travel with you a bit sometime. If you would want to anyways."

Scales looked back at the tree for a moment, "I shall think on it stranger. Now let me do something for you. Hand me that stick you carry."

I threw him my bokken and he caught it easily. He ran his claws up and down the length of the entire thing. A small glow encased the bokken. There was a flash of light and my jaw dropped. The bokken had become a very ornate katana. The handle was of a dragon with its mouth open. The dragon was completely made of small emeralds except for the eyes which were two brilliant diamonds. At the maw of the beast small gold flames encased the beginning of the blade. After the flames the blade went straight out. It didn't even curve a little.

Scales held the sword out to me, but for a few seconds all I could do was stare. He chuckled again, and set it in my hands. Once the sword was in my hand it turned back into the normal bokken.

Before I could say anything he interrupted me, "There is a saying about this place. It may not bring you to where you want to go, or even when you want. However, it will always bring you where you need to go. This blade will only be a blade when you need it to be. Now I sense that you need to be off now. Goodbye kind traveler. Frank says goodbye as well, and that you should search out a mage by the name Morkar."

I only had one more question for him, "Whose Frank?"

Scales laughed harder than ever before at this. I was getting annoyed at making jokes I didn't get.

Scales leaned on the tree and said, "Frank is the tree." He continued to laugh again and he pointed behind me. I turned my head to see more nothing. I looked back to see nothing there as well. I could still hear the fading laughter though.

I smiled a little to myself and looked down at my bokken. That same bright glow came back, and once again it became a very ornate weapon. I quickly figured out that just because it looked glittery didn't mean it wasn't sharp. For a moment the kid in me took over. I began swinging the sword around myself as if I was fighting invisible foes. After a few minutes of this I noticed that I had been scraping the ground. There were small rips across the ground. The rips began to close themselves. After several minutes of being dumbfounded I got a brilliant idea.

Using my impressive knowledge of fantasy books and cartoons I devised on how to leave this place. I concentrated on the name of the mage Frank had told me. I held up the sword high above my head and shouted,

"Golden Dragon Sword!"

The sword glowed a brilliant gold color and I slashed downwards. A large rip appeared in the air before me. I could only see purple swirls through the rip, but I decided to take the chance. I didn't even hesitate as I leapt into the rip. As I fell through the rip I thought about the landing. Then I thought about how this might be a bad idea.
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AN: 5000 word PAWNCH! I just wanted to include everything before ponies. I did say that this wasn't required reading right? Some things you might like to know.

The first song was "Rip it Up" by Jet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7HkXI70t88

The second was "Going out in Style" by DKM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWrPIju1Lgs

And the golden dragon sword reference was to Xioalin Showdown.