//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Changing Dreams // Story: Painful Memories // by Wayofthepen //------------------------------// Travus's eyes looked at each of the patients infront of him, each holding a gun. "You don't have to do this. You can escape with us!" He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Don't waste this gesture. We don't have a home in there anymore." Said the leader, smiling upon him. "Elena, I won't forget this." She took her hand off and motioned for the patients to take their positions. "We got your back, keep moving. We won't hold them for long, so run." She shoved him as he took off. The sound of an explosion forced him to turn back, but he kept running. They were getting slaughtered. The scene blacked out as he began seeing Ponyville. "Oh god, my head..." Travus looked around him. He was laying in a wide open field of green grass. The sun was bearing down on him, making him not want to move. "Ya know...For once in my life, I am at peace." He thought aloud, smiling. "Celestia has a work of art, doesn't she?" The voice shocked him, forcing him to sit upright. He turned to his left to see Eric standing over him. "Yeah, guess she does..." He motioned for Eric to sit with him, which he did. "Who is Elena?" Travus asked him. Eric looked like this question had left him a bit saddened. "She helped us escape with Dash. She died trying to keep you from getting shot while Dash dragged you out." Travus turned his head to him and gave him a smile. "She was a tough girl...Her eyes were both red, right?" Eric nodded. They both laid back and just watched the sky, listening to the wonderful sounds of nature. Why is this world so much better than ours...No more hate or death, just love and compassion... "Eric, I want your honest opinion on something." Eric turned his head to Travus and nodded. "Did I enjoy...Killing?" Eric moved his face back up to the sky, deep in thought. "Hard to say. You made it an act that you did so that people would fear you. You were always good at deceiving people, thus your stealth eye. You were strong enough to rip the doors off their hinges, but you made yourself look weak. You did begin to enjoy it." Travus looked over to his friend, and something came into his mind he had to say. "What made me stop?" Eric closed his white eyes and let out a sigh. "Dash did. She saw that you were becoming something other than the real you." "And the real me is...?" Eric still had his eyes closed, but he gained a smile. "Who you are now. A confused pony who is understanding and sees the good in people...Except for Dr. Torez, he was a dick." The two laughed at Eric's last comment before clouds started moving in, blocking their view. "Strange...Weather was supposed to be clear." Travus gave Eric a confused look. "Seriously, did you pay attention to a single word that left my mouth in the hospital?" Travus let out a chuckle as he hopped to his hooves. "Come on, let's go to Twilight's. I have a memory session with her." Eric nodded after getting up. They were about to start walking when Eric stopped him. "I want to try something." Travus rolled his eyes and stepped back from his friend. His horn began to glow a shade of blue, which grew ever brighter with every passing second. "What are you...Whoa." Light started blaring from Eric's back, nearly blinding Travus. When the light subsided, Eric had magical wings sprouting from his back. "Care to try that wing out?" Eric said jokingly as the two began their flight to the library. Right as they were about to land, Travus felt a sudden pain in his right wing. Smart move, fly on a broken wing. He began to fall at increasing speeds towards the library. He flipped belly-down and used his wings to glide through the library window. This caught Twilight off guard, and she fell out of her chair. "A magical thing called a door exists. You could have used it." Travus laughed with her as he opened the door for Eric, who glided through the door with his magic wings. After landing, he made them disappear with a flash similar to when they first showed up. "How did you...?" Eric put a hoof to protest her asking. "Details, details...Either way, we need you to restore Travus's memories. All of them." She looked horrified at the idea. "Both of us can't handle to bring them all back at once. I can do portion by portion." Eric shrugged at her remark. Travus looked between the two arguing ponies before deciding to speak up. "Guys..." They kept on talking. "Guys?" They were still talking. "GUYS!" They both turned to him suddenly. "Bit by bit, I will remember. Let's have both of you help me." They nodded in agreement and proceeded to the lab below. After setting Travus in the chair, they both readied their magic. At first, the scene of him sitting in a cell wars fuzzy. After two seconds, it was so clear you could have been right there. - - - - - - - - He was laying on his back on the bed, thinking about breaking out. "Dash, are you there?" Three thuds came from the vent. "Good. Is it time?" Two thuds this time. "Goin' silent or loud?" Two thuds. "Give me a sec...Now we can finally meet face to face." He sprang from the bed and landed infront of the door. He cracked his neck and put his fist to the door. Closing his eyes, he pulled his fist as far back as he could. Opening his eyes, he connected his hand to the door, sending it flying. No alarm. Strange... He heard a voice from down the hall and turned to it, expecting a guard. Instead, it was a girl with an assault rifle in her arms. "Perfect timing. A mix, too...Your kind is rare. Get a move on, recruit." Travus shrugged and ran to follow her. After moving around a few hallways, they came to a set of steel doors. "Hang on, she should be on the other side." Travus was about to ask who when the door opened, revealing a...Pony? How is she a... "Twilight and Zecora worked together to make a tonic to keep me in my original form. Travus, their waiting for you in the portal room. Get moving." All he could do was nod and follow orders. As he started running, he saw Dash zoom ahead of him. Suddenly, he began moving at her speed. "Try to keep up, we're almost there." She called to him. After a few minutes they could see the door to the portal room...Closed. Dash was going too fast to stop in time, so Travus did the only thing he thought he could. He ran faster, jumped while extending his foot to kick the door, and made it break open. He fell to the ground, rolling his way until he hit a control panel. "That was a bit...Anti-climactic." Travus said as he got up, wiping off some dust. "What did you expect?" He turned to Dash and smiled. "An explosion, to be honest." Suddenly, one was heard behind him. "Told you." They turned behind them to see patients running towards them. "Incoming! Mercer, get the portal operational. Eric, go help him. Travus, over here now!" He ran over to her, catching an assault rifle. "Grazer and Ven can help you out." Travus nodded as he positioned himself behind some rubble. "Alright. It's 'bout to get real in here." Ven called to him. "Subjects are attempting to escape!" A guard shouted. Travus loaded his rifle and pointed it down the hallway. Ven was sitting next to him, praying. Grazer was right next to the door, waiting to ambush them. "You think they ran off?" Travus said as he peered over his cover. Soon after, three bullets flew by his head. Ven yanked him down and began blind-firing. "Someone as special as you can die so easily doing that." Ven said. Travus looked at him closely. His eyes were...Normal? He was a patient, but he is normal? Ven jumped over the cover while shooting his rifle at the incoming soldiers. "Grazer, you napping or something?!" He called as Travus began taking pot-shots at the soldiers. "Screw this gun, I fight better with my own fists!" Travus thought aloud. Then it hit him. Dear god, tell me I am not going to... Travus slung his gun to his back and started rushing towards the guards. As he past Grazer and Ven, they stared at him like he was insane. "Halt, subject." Travus stopped in his tracks, finally noticing how many guards were around him. He counted at least ten, all armed with rifles. "State your name, and keep your hands in the air." Travus gained a smile as a plan formed in his head. "Travus, and my hands aren't the only thing that's going in the air." The guard looked at him questioningly until he noticed something very important. His eye color. "Grazer, Ven, pick em off!" Travus yelled as he leaped into the air. Before the guards could react, Travus slammed into the ground. The concrete floor cracked as a shockwave knocked the guards into the air. Ven and Grazer took that as a cue to start shooting, and did. Travus was still fighting hand-to-hand with the guards when the memory started fading away. - - - - - - - - Opening his eyes, he noticed that Twilight had fallen down and Eric was covering his own eyes. "Are you alright?" Travus said as he wobbled out of the chair. Eric opened his eyes, but was looking around like crazy. "This is...Strange. I don't remember that happening..." Travus looked at him weirdly. "You fought with your hands, yet when I was there you didn't...And those two died there. Travus, something strange is going on." Travus shrugged as he went to help Twilight up. After helping her up, a voice played inside his head. "Dreams are but a portion of reality. If a dream can be changed, then so can reality. Don't repeat the wrongs, right them." Travus just stared into the mirror, wondering what the words meant. "Travus? You alright?" He ignored his friend as his reflection changed to his human form. It stayed like that until it slowly reverted as Eric put a hoof on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" Travus just stared into the mirror for a few more seconds before speaking. "Do you remember our last day at school? When we talked about how awesome it would be to be here...?" Eric nodded and asked how he remembered. "I don't know...Wonder how our friends are doing back home without us." Eric gave him a smile. "Knowing them, arguing about where we are. We're kinda stuck here, you know?" Travus shrugged. "I know...*Yawn* What I also know is that I need sleep..." They all walked upstairs to the bedroom where all three slept soundly. Travus opened his eyes to a snowy field. This is Equestria alright, but wait... He went to put a hoof infront of his face, but it was a hand. He looked at his back to find long black wings. "Finally a dream?" He thought aloud. "I knew we would speak sometime, Travus." He turned around at the female voice. It was a girl with long white wings, red eyes, and brown hair. Elena.