//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Honesty // Story: Like A Phoenix // by Coda Singer //------------------------------// Twilight galloped out the door at full speed. She didn't have the time or patience to deal with a new pony or gryphon or changeling. She was exhausted and full of hate, and right now all she wanted to do was punish Travis. For some reason while she was galloping towards he voice of a random creature, she found herself crying. And brought the corner of her tear filled eye she noticed a figure galloping towards her. If she could use her magic she would have already casted a spell at... What looked like a pony. Twilight was getting closer and closer to the other pony. "Twilight!?" The voice sounded familiar. It also sounded joyful and confused. Twilight blinked her eyes and looked up to see a familiar freckled face. Twilight tried to slow down butane was going too fast. She tackled the other pony. They tumbled to the ground and rolled for a couple feet. Twilight opened her eyes to see the face of Apple Jack. Twilight and Apple Jack stood still, staring at each other with a look of disbelief on both of their face. "Twilight! Boy am I glad to see you! What happ... Uhhh... Twilight." Twilight began sobbing, large tears rolling down her cheeks and landing on Apple Jack's chest. "Twilight?" Twilight wrapped her arms around Apple Jack's neck and pulled her into the worlds tightest hug. Apple Jack paused for a moment and returned the hug with a smile on her face. "Who is.. Uhhh." Travis had walked out the door but collapsed almost instantly. Sweetie Bell came through the door and gasped when she saw Apple Jack. "Uhh... Twilight." Apple Jack began trying to push Twilight away but she clung to Apple Jack with all her might. "You can let go now." Sweetie Bell trotted over and illuminated her horn. Twilight was pulled from Apple Jack and levitated in the air. She hung there limply, too over come by emotion to move. "I'll take her bed." Said Sweetie Bell beginning to walk back into the house. "Good to see you A.J." Sweetie Bell laid Twilight down in her bed and pulled the blankets over her sobbing body. She stroked Twilight's mane and walked back out into the main room. Travis was lying on a table in the middle of the room He was shaking and he was covered in sweat. "So what's wrong with him?" Asked Apple Jack. Looking down at the changeling's shaking body. "I don't know." Said Sweetie Bell, grabbing a cloth soaked in hot water and placing it on his forehead. Sweetie Bell looked up at Apple Jack. "You were so quick to help him. Do you trust him?" "We'll if what ya said is true... Then I see no good reason why not to." Sweetie Bell smiled and looked down at Travis. "I wish Twilight believed that too." Apple Jack flicked her green eyes back and forth between Sweetie Bell's smiling face and Travis' unconscious face. After a couple seconds she put two and two together. A smirk grew beneath her muzzle. "I bet you were quick to trust him too." Sweetie Bell looked up confused. "What do you mean?" "Oh come on... It's obvious." Sweetie Bell maintained her puzzled look. "You got a little crush now don't you?" Sweetie Bell's face turned red faster than Rainbow Dash could clear the sky. "No!" She yelled, looking back down at his face. "How old his he?" Pried Apple Jack. "Twelve." Said Sweetie Bell hesitantly. "Aaahh, only..." Apple Jack looked at he wall where the days after the day she arrived were marked. Apple Jack counted up the tallies and smiled. "One year older than you." Sweetie Bell's face grew a deeper shade of red. "Star crossed lovers in a baron wasteland. This should be a book." Sweetie Bell just stared at the table, trying not to look at Travis. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." Apple Jack winked. "I don't have a crush on him!" Sweetie Bell shouted. "Okay! Okay... If you say so." Apple Jack kicked a rock across the room. "So what's his story?" "Travis?" "Yeah." A smile grew across Sweetie Bell's face once again, Apple Jack just shook her head. "He was meant to be a warrior but something went wrong. He got pony DNA mixed in. He feels some true emotion." Sweetie Bell's eyes flickers and her smile grew wider. "He's sweet and sensitive. He speaks in poem sometimes... It's beautiful." Apple Jack grinned a small grin to herself. "He sounds nice." "Just wait till you actually meet him." At that, Travis opened his eyes and sat up. Twilight walked out of her room at the same time. "Twilight! It's good to... Oh here it is again." Twilight pulled Apple Jack into another hug. "It's good to see you too." She said into Apple Jack's ear. Travis groaned and put his hoof to his head. "What happened?" Asked Sweetie Bell. "Twilight's emotion... It was too much to take." "Uhh, what?" Said Apple Jack confused. "Oh... You must be Apple Jack. Travis lifted himself off of the table and held out his hoof to Apple Jack who still had Twilight clinging to her. Apple Jack hesitated. "It's okay." He said with a friendly look. Apple Jack took his hoof and a smile appeared on Travis' face. "So what's this whole emotions thingy?" Asked Apple Jack. "Changelings get a deep connection with ponies when they 'feed' off of them." "You've been feedin' off o' them!?" Apple Jack pushed Twilight away and looked into her eyes, trying to find any sign of harm. "Only to keep myself alive. I'm not draining their life or hypnotizing them or anything." Apple Jack looked at Travis shiftily, then looked to Sweetie Bell. She nodded her head with a smile. "Alright, but no funny business." Travis nodded and crossed his heart wiht his hoof. "Anyways, we get a deep connection with the ponies. We can read their past, see their memories, feel their emotions. If you're powerful enough, or if you've spent enough time feeding off of a pony you can even see their destiny. Or that's what queen Chrysalis told us. Anyways when Twilight saw you, the raw explosion of emotion was too much to take." Travis did the familiar inhale. "The love between you too is strong as well. Ooh!" He paused and licked his lips... Blueberry!" Apple Jack looked to Twilight who rolled her eyes and let herself fall back onto all four hooves. "Sweetie Bell, take Travis back into the room." Twilight turned towards her own bedroom and began walking. "Twilight! You can trust him!" Sweetie Bell shouted. "He's dangerous." "It was just confetti!" Said Travis with impatience. Twilight looked down at the mess Travis had made earlier. "Confetti or not, he can use magic." Twilight gave Travis a look of hatred. "And that makes him dangerous... Come on Apple Jack, I've got so much to- OW!" Twilight spun around as something hit he back of her head. Twilight looked down to see a book. "Read it." Said Sweetie Bell. "Come on Travis, I'll stay with you." She grabbed his hoof and they walked into the guest bedroom. Sweetie Bell slammed the door. Twilight reached down and picked it up with her C.L.A.M.P. she looked at the cover, it was a fine, soft brown material and was completely blank. Twilight was about to open it when she noticed the time dial was at 3. "We should get to bed, help me move this extra bed Into my room." Apple Jack looked at the spare bed which was still in the main room. "Why don't ya use your magic?" Twilight hesitated. "Long story." Twilight and Apple Jack eventually got the bed into Twilight's room with great difficulty. Apple Jack quickly fell asleep while Twilight stayed up. Making sure Apple Jack was asleep, Twilight slipped out of bed and snuck into the main room. She sat down at her desk and lit a candle. She pulled out the brown book which Sweetie Bell had thrown at her and opened it. The first page read, "The Poems of a Changeling, as first spoken by Travis the Changeling, written down by Sweetie Bell the pony." Twilight looked around to make sure nopony was watching and began to read. "Poem No. 1, Heart Of Stone." Twilight paused and looked towards her saddle bag. Seeming to agree with herself she got up and pulled out a small bag of oats. Twilight resumes her position, and began reading. "Wow..." Twilight closed the brown book with a thud, the sound was satisfying. Twilight looked towards the door to the guest bedroom. After a minute she grabbed the candle and opened the door. "Travis?" She looked in the corner and saw him curled up in a blanket with his head on a pillow that Twilight didn't remember giving him. "Travis." She said a little louder. His body jerked and he looked up sleepily. "Hey." He said in a slurred voice. "Twilight set down the candle and retrieved the book from the desk. "I read this." She placed it on the floor and slid it to him. He studied it, the. Opened it to the front page. "The Poems of a Changeling." He chuckled. "If I had known she was writing it down I would've tried harder." He flipped he page over and smiled at the title of the first poem. "Travis umm... I don't... I'm sorry fo-" "Twilight." Travis interrupted, he was now staring at Twilight. His eyes zooming in and out of focus. "You're having mixed feelings." Twilight paused and looked back into Travis' eyes. "I want you to tell me how your friends died." A tear rolled down both Twilight and Travis' cheeks. "I believe it will make you feel better." "I thought you could see my memories." Her voice wavered with sadness, a lump growing in her throat. Travis sat down and looked at her. She took a deep breath. "We planned the battle for Canterlot a couple days after we escaped. Sorry about the leg by the way. I was sent to infiltrate the castle while Celestia took care of the guards. I was supposed to find the sleeping chambers, inside... I saw Chrysalis sleeping. I cast a spell that would finish her once and for all but... She tricked me... After I cast the spell her body transformed into... Pinkie." Twilight swallowed hard and pushed the thought away. "Afterwards we were caught and put in the dungeons, but with Celestia's help we managed to escape. Our next mission was to find Rainbow Dash. We split up to find her and eventually I spotted her In the throne room with Discord, Sombra and Chrysalis. Nightmare moon was gone. Still don't know what she was doing out there. Apple Jack and I formed a plan then attacked. But Apple Jack was hit by a spell which was cast by Chrysalis. Flutter Shy and I began fighting. But soon she became swarmed by Changelings. Celestia flew In to fight so I went to help Flutter Shy. When I pulled the changeling's off I found her unconscious and missing a hoof from the knee down. I teleported back to our hideout where Rarity was. I told Rarity to try and heal her while I went back. I returned, Celestia's horn was snapped, Chrysalis was missing a head and Sombra was gone. I tried to fight but Discord overpowered me. I was about to teleport when Sombra showed up levitating a dead Rarity and Flutter Shy." Now a stream of tears was rolling down both of their faces. "I was too weak to fight. Discord, used Chrysalis' head and Celestia's horn to cast a spell which would turn all of my victories into failures, every time I defeated a villain would be reversed. Soon all of Equestria was wiped from existence." Travis wiped the tears from his face. "And Pinkie's door?" "I was tricked into killing my own friend and all of my memories of her were turned into nightmares. I don't think I would be able to live through going into a place where we spent so much time together." Travis nodded as more tears fell Down Both of their faces. Travis' was ready to slide the book back to Twilight but she interrupted. "Keep it, I'll want to read it later when more poems are added." Twilight grabbed the candle and opened the door, she was halfway out of it when she stopped. "And Travis?" Travis looked back as Twilight pulled her face back into the room. "I'll make sure a desk and a bed are put into this room." Travis smiled and Twilight exited the room.