//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16: Un-written 
// Story: Like A Phoenix 
// by Coda Singer 
//------------------------------//

	Twilight, Sweetie bell, Travis, Apple Jack, Coda, Rarity and the rest of the Colony have been walking west for several hours. The ripple, by Twilight's calculations, should be in the center of the clearing beneath Cloudsdale. They had reached Unicorn Way and were now heading towards the ocean. Twilight didn't know what they were going to do when they reached the water, most likely try to build a boat before it's too late. Twilight had been pondering how they were going to destroy Sombra. 
She thought of setting him on fire but she didn't know if his ashes would be enough to bring him back to the past. Twilight decided to take a break from all this thinking and enjoy her surroundings, They were in a green, lush forest with a beautiful canopy of leaves overhead. Twilight looked over to Sweetie Bell who was scribbling away In Poems of a Changeling with Travis pumping out sonnets beside her. Twilight was impressed at his ability to turn anything into a beautiful speech. He wrote a poem earlier about a leaf that brought tears to Twilight's eyes. 
Rarity was looking in awe at the foliage around her, multicolored flowers grew near the trunks of brown trees with vibrant green vines and moss growing on the beautiful brown bark. Twilight felt a little poetic herself after seeing the forest. Apple Jack was talking with Coda as they walked while the rest of the Colony talked among themselves, there was the perfect volume of chatter for the forest to remain peaceful. Twilight, all at once, realized how sore her hooves were and how dehydrated she was and she quickly came to a decision.
"Ponies of the Colony! We all deserve some rest, we shall stay in this forest for the next hour!" A few ponies cheered at her announcement and laid down in the soft grass. Twilight joined them and smiled as she finally relaxed. Twilight's eyelids suddenly felt heavy and they began to close, before she knew it she was in a deep sleep and a new reality formed around her. She was back in the clearing under what used to be Cloudsdale, she was standing on her rock looking over the green field where her Colony had been a few hours ago but now lay baron and empty. Twilight didn't know why she was so attached to her rock, it made her feel powerful which was something she hadn't felt since she lost her magic. But something seemed oddly familiar, besides the fact that she spent the better time of the past two days there. It was something about the air, the colors around her seemed darker and tinted grey, and then she realized why things were strange as soon as Sombra came back into her view.
"Hello again." He said with a wicked grin. To his surprise Twilight smiled back.
"Hi!" She sat down on the rock and looked him dead in his sickly green eyes. To her surprise Sombra smiled back and sat down.
"I know you've been trying to find a way to kill me." Twilight kept her grin in tact, she had suspected he had spies. "I hope you know there's no point in trying. Even if you do, by some miracle that dead Celestia has given to you, kill me. What will you do then? Rule Equestria with an iron hoof? There's nothing left to rule!"
"Then what do you do?" Asked Twilight defiantly. "If there's nothing to rule, why are you still here?"
"Oh, me?" Sombra smiled wider and chuckled under his breath. "Well, I just enjoy watching you squirm. The fact that you think you can kill me is hilarious." Twilight smirked confidently. "Perhaps you're wondering how I know all these things?" Sombra got up and strutted around the rock, clearly full of himself. "I have eyes in the shadows."
"Like who?" Asked Twilight. "So many ponies have come back it's no surprise that you've corrupted some of them."
"Oh I could easily corrupt anypony I want." His tone suggested he was completely uninterested with his current conversation. "But I wouldn't bore myself with such activities. My eyes In the shadows are the shadows themselves." Twilight noticed something different about Sombra but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. Then it clicked.
"Why are you so... light about this whole thing?"
"What ever could you mean Twilight?" Said Sombra, sounding sarcastically surprised and offended.
"Well for the king of darkness, you seem... Happy. I've never heard you use sarcasm before."
"I guess a bit of Discord rubbed off on me, before I had to wipe the rest of Discord off of me." Twilight instantly lost her smile.
'What do you mean." She said it like it wasn't a question.
"Oops." Said Sombra, "Did I say that out loud?" Twilight stared at Sombra, a dead look on her face. "Yes I killed Discord, it was all a bit messy but it got the job done."
"How did you kill him?" Asked Twilight, getting to her hooves.
"Why so curious?" Asked Sombra in a playfully suspicious tone. "You're being a bit nosey aren't you?" Twilight didn't respond. "Let's not talk about who has already died, instead let's talk about the ponies who're going to die! Like... five ponies from your Colony." Sombra whacked his hoof against the ground and Twilight heard the distant sound of screaming. "Those screams are from ponies who're loyal to you. Crying out for their leader."
"Stop it!" Twilight screamed, she felt the dream around her begin to collapse.
"If you don't give up within the hour, I will kill you and all of your Colony personally." Said Sombra in a distant, echoing voice. And with that, Twilight woke in the forest. The screams she had heard were no longer distant, they were close and spine tingling. Twilight lept up from the grass and looked around, trying to see who was injured. A couple of ponies were all standing in a circle, blocking Twilight's view, other ponies were waking up from their own dreams. Twilight ran over to the circle of ponies and shoved two of them aside. Four ponies were lying dead on the ground, four ponies she didn't recognize. Twilight whipped her head around and saw a white hoof  lying still from behind a tree. Twilight galloped over and stopped behind the trunk. She didn't know who she preferred it to be and she hated herself for preferring one over the other two. She slowly peered behind the tree and collapsed as she saw Rarity's deep blue eyes still open staring back at her. Rarity's limp body was resting against the tree, a large, black spike sticking out of her chest.
"NO!" Twilight screamed and she slammed her hoof against the ground. She pressed her ear against Rarity's chest looking for a pulse. Nothing. Twilight began pressing her hoof against Rarity's chest, trying to remember that book she read about CPR. Subconsciously she knew there was no point but she was too overwhelmed by sadness to stop. She heard another scream from behind her and she turned to see Travis fall to the ground. Sweetie Bell rushed to his side, tears in her eyes and on her cheeks.
"Get him as far away from Twilight as you can!" Yelled Apple Jack. "Stay away from the ripple." Sweetie bell nodded, illuminated her horn and teleported away taking Travis with her. Apple Jack ran to Twilight's side. "Twilight, I know you're upset. I am too but we need to get away from here and come up with a plan."
"No!" Twilight screamed I defiance. "I have a plan already. Sombra will come to us within the hour, we're going to meet him and kill him." Twilight looked up to Apple Jack who had tears in her own eyes. "Get the colony ready, we're going to fight." Apple Jack nodded and went to tell the others. A few ponies cheered out of anger and sadness and a few didn't respond. Twilight turned back to Rarity and looked her dead in her dead eyes. "I swear to you, I will kill Sombra. I will stop him." Twilight got to her hooves and wiped the tears from her eyes. "We're going back to the clearing! Prepare for a fight!" Sweetie bell reappeared. "Sweetie Bell, I need you to take us back to the clearing."
"What?" Asked Sweetie Bell, wiping away tears. "I can't teleport all these ponies at once."
"Then take us one at a time. Make sure they stay well past the middle of the field, around my rock should do." Sweetie Bell nodded and grabbed a few ponies hooves before teleporting. After around twenty minutes Sweetie Bell had teleported everypony including Twilight. Sweetie Bell looked to Travis who was sitting out in the middle of the field discussing battle strategies with other ponies. Twilight grabbed Sweetie Bell's shoulders and looked her in the eyes.
"Sweetie Bell I want you to teleport back to the forest when Sombra gets here."
"N-"
"I can't have you in danger." Twilight interrupted. "Not after what just happened." Sweetie Bell stepped closer to Twilight.
"No." She looked Twilight dead in the eyes, a fierce look on her face. "I'm going to stay behind and fight, even if I die I should just come back to life in the past right?" Twilight shook her head and opened her mouth to speak but Sweetie Bell interrupted. "I am going to fight alongside the people I love, my friends. I'm fighting for them and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Twilight smiled a sad smile.
"That's my girl." She said, hugging the confused and sad Sweetie Bell. "Just... try not to die... You're like a daughter to me." Sweetie Bell smiled.
"Here," Sweetie Bell reached into her saddle bag and pulled out Poems of a Changeling. Twilight smiled as Sweetie Bell handed the book to her. Twilight took it and slipped it into her own saddle bags.
"I'll make sure there's one last entry." Said Twilight. Sweetie Bell smirked a tear filled smirk and galloped to Travis' side, kissing him on the cheek and looking down at the maps and charts Travis had drawn in the dirt. Twilight half smiled and looked down to her time dial. Not long now. She paused, wondering what battle precautions she should take when she remembered she was still wearing armor. It had completely skipped her mind, her friends were still wearing armor as well. She didn't know how she forgot.
"Twilight." Said a voice. Twilight jumped and saw Coda standing next to her. "Are you sure about this?" Twilight nodded.
"We either stop the apocalypse or die trying, we can't run anymore. It's time to fight." Coda nodded and ran over to Travis. Twilight looked out across the field, all the ponies were gathered around Travis, each of them loyal to Twilight and willing to die for her. She still had a hard time believing it. Twilight looked back to her time dial and jumped. Time had really passed, there were only a few minutes left. Twilight slid the blade out of her C.L.A.M.P and prepared her self.
"Get ready!" She yelled across the field. Sweetie Bell and Travis and the other unicorns illuminated their horns, Coda stretched his wings and took to the skies alongside the other pegasi. A few ponies had knifes and sharpened sticks from their base. Everypony looked around, not knowing where Sombra would appear but Twilight knew exactly where he would be. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard a cackle from behind her. She turned to see Sombra standing on top of Twilight's rock, he had a wicked smile on his face.
"You're really trying my patience Twilight Sparkle!" He screamed in an insane voice, a lot higher than before. "Honestly! How stupid does somepony need to be to lead an entire colony to their deaths!?"
"Not very stupid it turns out!" Twilight called back. "You see I know something that you don't know! Despite all of your spying!" Sombra laughed again.
"What could you possibly know that I don't?"
"Let's not focus on that right now." Twilight lifted the blade and aimed it at Sombra. "ATTACK!" She screamed. The Colony's yells of battle joined her own as the pegasi dove towards the armored pony standing on Twilight's rock. Sombra laughed and began to grow exponentially, he became a large, writhing mass of shadows with a grey armored head sticking out of the top. Black wriggling tendrils of darkness grew from the creature lying before them and struck towards the pegasi flying towards him. Twilight watched as three of the sixteen pegasi were speared through the chest, Coda managed to dodge out of the way and stab a sharpened stick into one of the tendrils. Sombra roared a mighty roar and the tentacles whipped in every direction. Pegasi fell to the ground only to get up and take back to the skies. Twilight thrust her blade forward again and screamed.
"Unicorns!" Spells and levitated weapons came flying from overhead. The spells and weapons hit Sombra but they didn't seem to have any effect. He roared once more and the tendrils grew rigid, they shot outwards and one was headed straight for Twilight. She lept out of the way and rolled across the ground. 
The rigid shadow stuck into the ground and seemed to melt, the now liquidated shadow pooled up the rock and rejoined the writhing mass that was Sombra. In that moment Twilight realized just how powerful Sombra was. More and more spears of shadow shot outwards, tentacles writhing and killing ponies left and right. Twilight watched as Coda was hit with a tendril and went flying through the air, unconscious and out of control. 
Twilight snapped out of whatever trance she was in and began scaling the rock, Sombra didn't notice due to the dozens of Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth Ponies keeping him distracted. Twilight managed to climb behind Sombra. She leapt at him with a mighty yell, blade stretched outwards. A tendril slammed into Twilight's side sending her flying off the rock, she hit the ground with a thud and rolled for a few feet, Twilight's C.L.A.M.P fell off of her wrist and began to roll. After a few inches the C.L.A.M.P vanished, Twilight leapt to her hooves and galloped away from the invisible ripple. 
Twilight turned to Sombra preparing for a second attack but Sombra was looking right back at her. He smiled and illuminated his horn, sending a bolt of red flame towards her. Twilight seemed to watch it in slow motion, the bolt of red fire stretching towards her. Twilight seemed to relax, knowing her fate. When all of a sudden a streak of black crossed Twilight's vision, the red flame stopped and time resumed it's pace. Twilight stood still, shocked and confused as to what just happened. Twilight shifted her gaze to where the black streak had landed and she saw Travis, with a charred hole over where his Changeling heart was. Twilight ran to his side and pressed her hoof against the charred hole.
"Twilight," He started but Twilight shushed him.
"Be quiet you can... You can heal from this you'll be fine." Twilight felt more tears well up in her eyes, Travis had his own tears dripping down his cheeks.
"Get... Get Sweetie Bell." He coughed. Twilight turned and screamed for Sweetie Bell, she turned her head and saw Travis looking up at her. Sweetie Bell screamed and ran over to him.  "Grab the book." Twilight pulled out Poems of a Changeling and handed it to Sweetie Bell, Twilight got up and left Travis' side. She looked straight at Sombra who stopped fighting and looked at Twilight.
"Stand down colony!" Twilight screamed. The ponies continued to attack. "I said STAND DOWN!" Her voice echoed throughout the field and the ponies fell silent and stopped their fighting. Twilight stepped towards Sombra. "How did you kill Discord." Again, she said it like it wasn't a question. Sombra cackled once more.
"That's not important right now."
"Oh it's more important than you could possibly imagine. It doesn't even matter that you killed my friend over here." Twilight looked at Travis who was whispering into Sweetie Bell's ear, Sweetie Bell was scribbling something into Poems of a Changeling. Sombra stared at Twilight, confused but seemed to give in.
"I cast a spell of my own making. Sort of like Discord's but much more powerful. Instead of creating an alternate present like this one by changing the past. I erased their past completely." Twilight understood but was still confused.
"What do you mean by 'Their'?
"Oops," Said Sombra playfully. "Me and my big mouth. I didn't just use the spell on Discord, I used it of Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis as well. But that was a long time ago." Twilight began laughing, much to Sombra's surprise. "Is there a joke I missed?"
"Yes actually!" Twilight laughed, "And it's a pretty funny one too!" She said between snorts.
"Well I hope you'd explain it to me." Said Sombra, slowly shrinking back into his armored, pony form.
"Well, you remember how I told you I know something you don't?" Sombra nodded. "That thing happens to be Discord's spell reversing." Sombra looked confused and disbelieving. "There's a kind of ripple moving across Equestria, turning things back to the way they were. Including ponies who've died. I don't just want to kill you, I wanted to erase you from history so you could never execute the plan which erased Equestria." Sombra seemed to finally understand. "And now you've done that for me! You've literally stopped yourself! How stupid does somepony have to be to seal their own fate?" Sombra grew angry.
"Then maybe I'll just have to wipe you from history as well!" Sombra screamed. He reared his head and pointed his horn at Twilight. Sombra's face was contorted in concentration, as powerful as he may be, this spell was a challenge for him. His horn illuminated with a pale red aura. The red light grew larger and brighter before Sombra yelled and released an orb of energy sailing towards Twilight with incredible speed, leaving no time for her to react, she closed her eyes and waited to be erased.
But nothing happened. Twilight opened her eyes to find that the field was gone and replaced by a world of blue, as far as the eye could see. Small, white orbs were suspended, mid-air throughout the strange world Twilight was now in.
"What is this place?" Twilight muttered to herself.
"This is the Celestial plane." Said a familiar voice from over Twilight's shoulder. Twilight spun around and saw a tall, pure white alicorn standing before her. Twilight froze, not knowing what to do, a sea of emotions rushing over her. She could only imagine what Travis was feeling.
"Celestia?" Twilight asked to her former mentor, disbelievingly. Celestia nodded. Twilight looked up and down the tall alicorn, feeling as though it couldn't be true. Celestia had a few scars on her face and flank, around three quarters of her horn was snapped off, she lost the rest of it while fighting Discord before the history wipe. felt tears well up in her eyes and she rushed forwards, embracing her teacher. After years of teaching Twilight, Celestia felt almost like a mother to her. "But how?" She said in amazement, detaching from the hug.
"When Discord erased History, I managed to escape here before the spell could reach me. This is a different dimension, it can't be effected by spells cast in the normal realm."
"So..." Said Twilight, slightly confused. "You faked your own death?" Celestia paused.
"You could say that." Twilight hugged Celestia once again.
"You're awesome." Celestia hugged Twilight in return.
"I suppose I am." Celestia pushed away from the hug and looked Twilight in the eyes with joy. "I'm so proud of you Twilight."
"Why?" Twilight asked.
"You survived for fifteen years, you raised Sweetie Bell, you found more ponies, you forgave Travis and you found out how to stop the apocalypse." Celestia listed. "You have all the makings to be my successor." Twilight smiled a tear filled smile but paused for a moment.
"Why didn't you help me?" Twilight asked, slightly angry but still sad and joyful. 
"My dear Twilight." Said Celestia, looking into Twilight's eyes. "I would've, but I knew that in order to learn anything from this experience you would need to do it alone."
"Fifteen years." Said Twilight, tears of both joy and sadness now falling from her eyes. Celestia hugged Twilight once more.
"I know Twilight, I know." She held Twilight close. "But we can't focus on that, right now you need to stop Sombra."
"How?" Asked Twilight, her feelings of joy turning into feelings of hopelessness. "You saw what was about to happen, I'm about to be erased from history, and I can't even use magic." Celestia chuckled.
"Remember all those years ago, when you and your friends fought Nightmare moon?" Celestia asked.
"Yes." Said Twilight. "Why?"
"Well you said it yourself, all the elements of harmony needed was a spark. That spark still lives inside of you Twilight, with the Elements of Harmony or without them."
"I don't understand." Said Twilight, confused.
"Twilight, if there's anything you've always been good at, it's magic."
"But even if I do have my magic, i'm not powerful enough to defeat Sombra without the elements."
"Twilight, you have your friends. You don't need the elements, your friendship is strong enough." Twilight looked at Celestia, not quite certain as to what she was saying. "Trust me." Said Celestia reassuringly, "I'm basically a god remember?" Twilight chuckled and Celestia disappeared. The blue world began to fade and the field below what used to be CloudsDale took it's place. Sombra was in mid-scream, a red orb of energy was suspended in mid-air, a few feet from Twilight's face.
Time began to go from a complete halt, to a slow pace, speeding up quickly. Twilight focused all of her energy, she thought of Sweetie Bell, Rarity, Apple Jack, Coda and Travis... And that was all she needed. Twilight vanished in a flash of purple light and reappeared behind Sombra, who shouted in surprise as Twilight disappeared, the spell Sombra cast hit the ground, causing a chunk of dirt and grass to vanish a few yards away from where Travis and Sweetie Bell lay, both of them watching in awe.
Sombra turned around as Twilight spun on her front hooves and bucked Sombra in the face, sending him flying off of Twilight's rock. He soared a few yards before Twilight turned back around and summoned all the energy she could. Her horn illuminated and began to spark, Twilight smiled as the familiar feeling of red lightning rushed through her body, She shot a single bolt at  Sombra, striking him in the chest and sending him further backwards.
He roared in pain and anger before vanishing into thin air. Twilight half smiled and reared up on her hind legs as what was left of the Colony, cheered. Twilight teleported down from her rock and appeared next to Travis and Sweetie Bell. Travis lay motionless, his eyes out of focus and still. Twilight knew it was too late. She moved her hoof and closed his eyes. Sweetie Bell pulled his body into a hug and cried into his limp shoulder.
"He'll be fine in the past." Said Twilight, stroking Sweetie Bell's mane. "He'll be alive and well in his hive beneath Manehattan."
"But I won't remember him." Sweetie Bell sobbed. "I won't know how sweet and sensitive he was." Twilight looked at Travis' body, he had a slight smile on his face, next to him Poems of a Changeling was open and a freshly written poem was etched into the paper. Twilight read it and felt tears well up in her eyes.
"I have an idea." Twilight pulled out a quill and flipped to the inside cover. She scribbled something and shut the book. Twilight looked to Sweetie Bell and nodded. "I think you know what my idea is." Sweetie Bell nodded. "I want you to cast the spell." Sweetie Bell shook her head, tears still running down her cheeks.
"There's no way I could cast a spell like that."
'Worth a shot." Responded Twilight. Sweetie Bell didn't respond for a few moments before nodding and looking at the book, her tears falling on the cover. She illuminated her horn and focused on the book, after a few seconds Poems of a Changeling vanished in a flash of light. Twilight smiled.
"I guess I'll forget all the lessons you taught me as well." Sweetie Bell gently laid Travis down on the grass and pulled Twilight into a hug.
"Come on," She said, pushing Sweetie Bell away and looking at her tear soaked face. "It's time to go." Sweetie Bell nodded. "The battle is won!" Twilight yelled to the colony who all cheered and celebrated. "But it's time to go back to our old lives." The colony cheered once more and began walking towards the ripple, ponies vanished left and right until the field was practically empty besides Twilight, Apple Jack and Sweetie Bell. "Let's go home." Twilight finished. Apple Jack stood up and walked forwards.
"To Sweet Apple Acres." She said sentimentally as she stepped forwards and vanished. Sweetie Bell followed.
"To my sister." Sweetie bell vanished. Twilight looked around the field full of corpses. She saw Coda lying on the ground dead, she turned and examined Travis' body as well. She looked up at he rock where Celestia was standing, a look of pride on her face. She nodded with a smile and Twilight nodded back. Twilight took a deep breath and walked towards the ripple.
"To my friends." Twilight vanished






Twilight woke with a start. She had the most horrible nightmare but she didn't like to think about it. She inhaled deeply and smiled at the familiar scent of her library home. She didn't know why but she felt sentimental, as if she hadn't been in the library for a long time. She paused, eyes closed and breath held to savor the moment. The warm feeling of blankets on her fur, the soft, plush pillow beneath her head. She exhaled and relished in the feeling of home.
Twilight climbed out of bed, making sure not to wake Spike as she did so. Spike had sapphire cupcake all over his face from yesterday. She had bought him one from Sugar Cube Corner, he was so happy. Twilight smiled and opened the door lading down into the main library. The door squeaked as he opened it slowly, Spike shifted in his blankets and muttered something about Rarity in his sleep.
Twilight chuckled slightly as she left her room. she made her way downstairs and began walking towards the kitchen when something caught her eye. A leather book was lying on the table which she didn't recognize. She had read almost every book in the library, let alone remembered what they looked like, but for some reason, Twilight couldn't put a title to the leather bound book. 
She walked towards the book and examined it, the words "Poems of a Changeling" were sewn into the cover in golden thread. Twilight placed a hoof on the cover, it had a familiar feeling, like she had held it before. She opened the book and found writing in red ink on the inside cover which looked, surprisingly similar to her own. She began reading the red writing.	"In the hopes that you never recognize this. Sincerely, Dusk." Twilight paused, recognizing the name... Dusk She couldn't remember where she heard it before. She brushed away the thought and read  a second scribble, written below the first. 
"P.S. Read the last poem." Twilight flipped through the pages and found the last poem about halfway through the book. She began reading.



There comes a time in our lives when our lives come to an end. It doesn't matter how or why, what matters is that you're with a friend. I, Travis the Changeling of Manehattan, have found love and friendship and more than I thought could ever happen. Our lives are a journey, full of joy and sorrow. And some days when Joy can't be found you can always look to tomorrow. And sure along the road, friends and family will die. But as long as there memory lives on... Like a phoenix they will rise.



The End