Buddy slowly opened his eyes. His body felt like he'd been trampled by a yumerplax from Vorbol 9. Wait, how did he know what a yumerplax was? He decided that was a mystery for another time as he sat up. About this time, he finally realized he was not in his bed at the Freedom Isle dorm. Once he saw what looked to be a ring of space rocks orbiting the planet, he knew he wasn't even on Earth.

Buddy scanned the horizon. Other than the ring, and no moon, the planet looked similar to Earth. The sky was blue-ish, the plants were a darker tint of green, and there was water. Most importantly, he could breathe the air and it wasn't too cold or hot.

Something seemed...familiar about this place. Buddy rubbed his head to ease the pain. Suddenly, like someone flipping a light switch in a dark room, it came back to him. He'd been exiled here. They feared his power. Their paranoia of him taking over their rule became so great that they got rid of him. They'd sent him to this barren planet to die so that they could keep their command.

If he was going to survive, he needed water.

Buddy limped to the nearby river. The running water would make purifying the water easier. Within minutes, Buddy had a purification system running; finally, something from Boy Scouts paid off. Buddy bent close to the water to retrieve some with his crafted cup. He gasped at the sight in the water. Somehow, his reflection was not his own. He looked younger and his hair was a different color—not to mention his eyes. His skin was also a little more tan.

Buddy scrambled back from the river. What was going on?

Suddenly, a sonic boom made him turn skyward. Meteors, some of the ring rocks got too close, were falling from the sky. Buddy began running as the heavenly fire started to rain down around him. He ran faster and faster and soon everything became a blur.

Finally, he had outpaced the death from above. Once he caught his breath, what he saw took it away. A ruined city stretched out before him. But what scared him was he recognized it.

"New York," he whispered.

This was not some unknown planet. It was Earth.

What...happened?

Buddy rubbed his head as another stab of pain hit. This time the pain was intense. So intense that his vision began to blur, but then he remembered. They had exiled him from Earth but by sending him to another Earth. One that'd been nearly destroyed when the Moon broke apart. Buddy was in another dimension.

***

Buddy gasped. He was alone, surrounded by darkness. His brow wet with sweat. His stomach threatened to return lunch. Finally, he saw the familiar form of his holographic clock. His breathing slowed as he realized he was back at his dorm. It'd been a nightmare. Or had it?

____
Words: 497
Entry for the "Join the Rebellion" Day 17 Flash Fiction Challenge by starwarsfans