//------------------------------//
// Traveling and Learning 
// Story: Trixie Meets a Great and Powerful Human 
// by 00Colt 
//------------------------------//

	
[POV: Joseph]


Sunrise. Took long enough. thought Joe. Having discovered he can sustain himself shortly after unlocking his abilities he had no need for sleep, food or even water. As usual he sat cross legged, meditating, reviewing the past twenty-four hours mentally, answering questions he might have had at that moment in time. Opening his eyes he watched as the sun slowly rose from the horizon.
You should tell her now. Said a voice. Joe groaned, not this again.
You already know why I can't tell her Blake, if I told her now what little trust she has in me will be shattered. 
Blake scoffed, being apart of Joseph since his successful experiment that resulted in his ability to do things far beyond what an ordinary human would consider 'normal', Blake has been that annoying voice in Joe's head. Yes, but you know that their are a multitude of possibilities for what could happen if you told her the truth, and many are positive if you decide to try and talk your way out of it!
That's saying if I correctly guessed her personality, Joe retorted, Even with all the knowledge I have at my disposal I still struggle to completely understand another life form's personality, and since you share my memories you know that.
What was that one saying you had? Blake asked in a mocking tone, Oh right, 'Just because I don't understand now doesn't mean I won't be able to figure it out later'. You've said it yourself! You don't yet understand her, so who knows if you won't later?
Then what is it you expect me to do? Joe asked, It's not exactly easy for one to figure out an others personality
Spend time with her. Blake stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, She'll open up to you eventually, then you can determine when she's going to be able to understand you had your reasons.
Joseph thought about that. Maybe Blake wasn't wrong, it wouldn't hurt to try at least. Fine. he mentally groaned, But if I follow your 'plan' and she ends up hating me forever you're going to spend eternity buried under the crushing weight of my darker thoughts.
Love you too. Blake said in farewell before retreating back into Joe's subconscious.
Joe groaned and watched as the sun made it's daily trek across the sky. Blake was always hard to understand, sometimes he  tried his hardest to give Joe good advice, and others just sat in his head and screwed with him. As unfortunate as it was, their was no discernible way to tell what his true intentions are, but for once he seemed to actually wants to see Joe succeed, but he could just be messing with him again. 
Sighing, he pushed the matter to the side, first things first, getting Trixie to full health again was his top priority.


[POV: Trixie]
 

Trixie awoke to the sound of birds singing. Yawning, she sat up and stretched, her left fore hoof still aching, but not overly so. Using her magic she removed the blanket covering her and exited her cart to see Joe, staring down at her, a frown upon his face.
"What's wrong Joe?" She asked
"Nothing," he growled "Besides the fact that I was wrong to help you, I should have left you with the manticore."
"What?!" Trixie asked stunned.
"You're a fraud Trixie, you're a failure and most of all a good for nothing liar! Good bye, and enjoy the parting gift!" He shouted sprouting wings and flying away.
Trixie sat on her haunches, what just happened? She wanted to cry, but couldn't. This has happened more times than she could count, so many ponies have left her, and now the only known human too! Looking up to where Joe was not moments ago she saw a large wrapped present. 
Maybe this is a prank? She hoped. Getting up she opened the present using her magic. At first she didn't know what it was, it just looked like a large ball of fur. It shifted and before her stood the manticore, with bloodshot eyes and bloody claws. Trixie screamed.  

All Trixie could hear was screaming, it continued until Joe slammed open the door to her cart a look of pure rage on his face his brown hair tinted black at the ends. The screaming stopped, it was then she realized that she had been the one screaming. Looking around Joe's expression went back to it's usual blank state and hair going back to chestnut brown.
"Hey, Trixie, you alright?" he asked. Trixie didn't respond, shaken from how real the dream felt. "Bad dream?" He walked to her side. 
"You left me." She whispered.
"What?" he asked
Trixie cleared her throat, she had an iron lump in her throat, and it hurt. "Trixie said you left her."
Joe rose a brow slightly, "That's what caused you to scream as if you were getting tortured?"
"Yes." she responded sheepishly.
"Well," he started, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know about after you're fully healed, but until then, you have no need to worry." 
Trixie gave a wry smile to Joe, as much as she hated to admit it, his reassurance helped calm her. He returned her smile with that half smirk of his and removed his hand from her shoulder. "I suggest you get ready, I planned on making you breakfast, so hurry up, it's nearly done."
"Okay, Trixie will ready herself." With a nod Joe left her cart, closing the door behind him.
Breakfast for me? Trixie thought, a lonely tear making its way down her cheek. 


[POV: Joseph]


That was different than expected. Joe though, pacing back and forth.
Minor complication, Blake said, She didn't say 'no thank you' now, did she?
No, but I kind of wanted to surprise her with breakfast in bed, not almost break her door of her hinges after I hear her scream, find it was just a night terror then nonchalantly say 'Oh, I made you breakfast.'.
You're blowing this out of proportion. Blake groaned You need to roll with the punches.
Easy for you to say, your just a split personality created as a byproduct from my experiment of unlocking the other ninety percent my brain, with no ability to take control of my body.
You pull that card out too much, besides, I'm the charismatic part of you and have most of your emotions, that's why since getting your powers you yourself has been rather emotionless.
You also sucked out my love for practical jokes. Joe pointed out. That's why you feed me bad advice from time to time, correct me if I'm wrong. Blake didn't respond to that, mumbling something about 'Us being part of  a whole' and 'You would do the same.'
Joe sighed, Listen, I just don't want to screw things up with her, you know why.                
Blake just made an annoyed noise, I tried to help you, unless you really need my help, I'm just gonna stay in your subconscious. and he did just that, leaving Joseph to his own thoughts.
Joe stopped pacing, "I'll never understand him." he said.
"Understand who?" Trixie asked. 
Shit...


[POV: Trixie]


After fixing her bedhead and brushing her coat so that her fur wasn't puffy Trixie exited her cart  to find Joe walking back and forth, apparently too consumed in thought to notice her. He eventually stopped.
"I'll never understand him." he stated
"Understand who?" Trixie asked
Joe looked up finally noticing her a look of shock on his face. "Err, no one!"
Trixie gave him a confused look. "Joe, Trixie can tell something's up, you were fine just a few minutes ago when you burst through Trixie's door, but now you're acting as if you just saw a ghost, you can tell Trixie what's wrong." 
Joe's regular look reappeared and he seemed to be thinking hard. After a minute of Trixie looking at him with confusion he nodded and said, "You don't want to know Trixie." 
"If Trixie didn't want to know, she wouldn't have asked."
One of Joe's eyes twitched, "Okay then, I just really don't want to explain it to you."
"And why's that?"
"Because somethings are better left unsaid." he replied. 
Though Trixie wished to pursue the matter further she already knew, from yesterdays conversation, that Joe was too stubborn to argue with. "Fine, you win," Trixie scowled the slightest bit. "You're very stubborn, now aren't you?"
Joe seemed to finally relax when Trixie admitted defeat. He sniffed the air and responded "Yes I am, but, on to another topic. Your breakfast is ready." Walking over to what were now coals, Trixie found a delightful tossed salad and on the coals themselves was a pan cooking sunny side up eggs.  
"This...is all for m-er, Trixie?" she asked sniffing the eggs, they smelled wonderful.
"I said I made you breakfast didn't I?"
Trixie gave him a deadpan look "Not what Trixie meant, Trixie meant is it all for her?" Joe nodded. "What about you?"
That half smile. Celestia, Trixie didn't know why, but that smile caused her mind to go into a befuddled state, she saw his mouth move but couldn't hear the words except. "... Need it." 
Trixie shook her head. "What?"
"I said I sustain myself, I have no need for food, water or even sleep, so, yes, it's all for you, because I really don't need it." he repeated. 
Trixie blinked and nodded, levitating the bowl containing her salad and the eggs onto the plate he provided and grasped the fork.

''I assume I did rather well?" Joe asked in an amused tone. Trixie only made a satisfied noise. After the first bite, Trixie started to stuff her muzzle with the salad, she didn't know why it was so delicious, or, rather how it could be so good. The eggs didn't fare much better and ended with the same fate as the salad.
"I'll take that as an affirmative." chuckling he got up from his log, both of which had not moved since last night, and took Trixie's plate and bowl and walked a little bit away from the little camp.
"Where are you going?" Trixie asked. Joe didn't respond, instead he used his magic to levitate the porcelain dishes into the air, where it sat for a few moments before getting blasted with water coming out of Joe's hand. Trixie sat and watched with wide eyes, though she used to boast her skill in magic she could almost never recreate the spells she memorized since magic kindergarten, but the spell Joe was using to clean her dishes was unfamiliar to her.
How could he be able to create his own spells? she asked herself. It took a lot of time and effort to create a simple spell, like to, say, enlarge a leaf to act as an umbrella. It would take months of research and testing to get it right, if ever.
He returned with the now clean dishes and dropped them off in the small compartment that stored all her food items in, and came back with a brow raised. "What's that look for?" he asked.
Trixie shook the look of disbelief off her face. "Nothing, I'm just curious about that spell you used to clean the dishes with, I'm familiar with many spells, but the one you used is a mystery to me."
"It's just a spell, I don't see what's so special about it." he responded nonchalantly.
"That's just it, it's a spell that I don't know of. Since I was a filly I studied all types of magic, and memorized over a thousand spells, though I can't cast every one of them, I know them, how to cast them and what should be their result. Of the multitude, the single spell you used is not apart of my knowledge, meaning, you've created your own spell."
"I'm not sure about the who 'created a spell thing'," he shrugged. "But you seem sure of it, so I guess I did."
"How can you be so flippant about it? Untested spells can easily go awry and cause and explosion or something equally disastrous!"
"Again, I can't agree or disagree with you because I discovered all the spells I know on my own."
Trixie was shocked again, there was no way he would have survived from rediscovering a spell, the last time that happened that unfortunate mare was locked in an asylum for years, she even had to have her horn surgically removed and even now still barks like a dog. "But...that can't be. You're still sane!"
"What?"	
Trixie groaned, he might be strong and know spells that aren't in any spell book, but he doesn't know the basis of magic itself. "Okay, if Trixie is going to explain this, Trixie will have to start from the beginning." she paused, organizing her thoughts, "From what historical documents show, magic is the-eh, foundation of all of Equestria and the lands we ponies originate from, the name has been lost in history, but in the times we lived in this distant land, there were three tribes of ponies, the Earth ponies, who cultivated the land. The Pegasi ponies, who moved the clouds and altered the weather for the Earth ponies to grow, in exchange some of the food that they grew. Finally there were the Unicorn ponies who, with their combined effort were able to raise the sun and moon. Each respective tribe had a different kind of magic flowing through them, the Unicorn tribe had the largest store of magic inside them and were able to accesses it. When Unicorns discovered this, they were only able to do basic things, like levitation spells and the like, and learned to combine their strength to control the wild sun and moon. After Equestria was founded with the three tribes working and living together, the Unicorns pooled their resources and knowledge to create many fantastic spells, one noted spell creator and tester was Starswirl the Bearded, but he, unlike many spell creators and testers was able to keep his sanity. Making new spells or rediscovering them taxes your magic pool, as it's known, tax it too much and you will go insane."
Joe didn't respond, he just sat on his log half, staring down at his hands, his eyes glazed.
"...How he got here?....Statistically impossible... can't be the same..." he mumbled, shaking his head he cleared his throat and said "I'm not completely sure that it would be the same for me as it would for you, but I'll take your word on it," he took a deep breath of air, exhaling he asked "So where are we going?"
"Trixie was going to go to Baltimare, a city where Trixie has not gone in many years."
Looking at the sun Joe responded, "I'm sure we can get a few miles in before night time if we leave now,"
Trixie agreed and was about to hook herself into her cart as usual when Joe stepped in front of her, looking up she asked, "What are you doing?"
"You aren't going to pull this cart with your fore hoof in its current state, go inside and relax, and pretend you're on a boat ride," he smirked.
Before she knew what she was doing she had nodded and entered her cart and was lying on her bed, a goofy grin on her face. Maybe my travels won't be so bad anymore. she thought, relaxing as the cart began moving forward.