//------------------------------// // Initiation // Story: Travesty in Four Chapter // by Winter Silvermane //------------------------------// ~ Initiation ~ "... I do not know how to write down what happened today. I don't even know what to feel in this situation anymore. They don't understand my feelings. They say it's a natural thing that happened. There is nothing wrong with it. How could it be normal to take somepony's life? (...) We were attacked by savage ponies. I have to admit before this journey I would have ran away, but Whisper prepared me for this case. I had to fight. There were like 20 lightly armed pony. For Whisper it counted as breakfast. I wonder how many pony did she kill before. They gave me a crossbow as they couldn't count on me to fight hoof-to-hoof. I just waited patiently on the sideline when I saw a pegasus filly running towards Lady Everblaze. I only wanted to give her a warning shot. I accidentally shot her in the neck. I dropped the weapon, and ran to her as fast I could. I put my hoof on her neck to stop the blood, that was seeping out. Her eyes were lifeless. I held her dead body close to me, while I cried so loud, that even the gods themselves heard. I don't know how long the moment last, but I remember Whisper pulling me up. I spot blood on her armor. It wasn't her blood. She told me that I passed my initiation. For me it wasn't a virtue, but a sin. I committed a sin against ponykind. When I took her life I lost my innocence. I became a monster... " Rosemary - The Grand Expedition: A journey around the world " Ugh... " Travesty finally started to wake up. Her senses were completely dull. Her body felt like if it was on fire. " Hyuelal yigaoekak kgewkakf! " She heard an unknown male voice, but she couldn't understand a word what he said. She laid there for a few minutes, before gathering all of her strength to get up. After what if felt like an eternity she opened her eyes, while pulling herself up. She found herself in an underground place. The stone floor beneath her hooves were glowing. She found it quite strange. Crude stone walls covered her view. Only two small gap were on each side. She crawled to one of the gap to look around, when a three headed dog barked at her angrily. With new found strength she jumped back. " Cerberus? It seems even in death I found myself in Tartarus. That's my luck. " She paced around so the numbness in her body could fade. " You are wrong. You are not dead. " The voice was coming from a prison similar to hers. She walked to the other gap. She looked at the direction of the voice. " Who are you, and how do you know, that I'm not dead? " She looked at him suspiciously. If he was in Tartarus clearly she couldn't trust him. " I am Tirek. " The very old, and weak looking Tirek came forward from the cover of the wall. " You were banished here with a spell. " He was coughing badly after saying this. He pretended to be very sick. " Could you come closer a little? I am very old and could barely see you. " She was thinking about it, but she thought that he was clearly old, and couldn't do anything to harm her. She walked out of the cover of the stone wall. " Fool. " He opened his mouth, and started consuming her magic. Nausea hit her as he was starting to drain her very slowly. " W-what are you doing to me? " Travesty tried to move back, but the connection was strong enough to hold her in place. " I shall consume your magic. You are very powerful. " Naturally one pony would give him a measly amount of magic, but Travesty was different. He already started to regain his original form, and there was a lot more magic he could still consume. " Fuck off asshole! This is my magic! " She gritted her teeth as she tried to pull her magic back, but she could only slow down the process. " Yeeeeees! With your power I could break out of this prison, and rule Equestria! " Tirek was already boasting about his inevitable victory. " I'm not going to give up! NEVER! " She completely lost control over herself. She let out her anger, and in doing so, she did the unthinkable. She tapped into her own life force, and used its power to create a magical explosion. Indigo colored magic burst out of her body, and it destroyed everything in its wake. Her prison crumbled to dust, and the whole place started shake. Her magic was so intense it felt like it could tear apart even the very fabric of reality. Tirek did the most sensible thing he could do. He cut the connection and tried to find cover from the magic. Cerberus wasn't that lucky. He got the full blast head on, and just simply run away in fear. He left Tartarus unguarded. Travesty was floating above the ground. Indigo magic wildly lashing out from her body. Her once bright, and colorful mane started to fade away. Half of it turned grey. On her beautiful young face a few wrinkle appeared. It wasn't enough for it to make her look very old, but she did matured quite a bit despite being still very young. She walked into her neighbor's prison very slowly. She blasted the rock into bits where Tirek was hiding. Her eyes were still glowing with power, and magic trashing around her wildly. " Who are you? What are you? " Tirek was shaking in fear, because of her suffocating evil aura. Never in his life before met somepony as powerful as she. Even his magic stealing ability didn't work on her. " I am Travesty. " She let out an evil laugh. " I am invincible! Nopony could challenge my power! I am the Queen of Tartarus! Ahahahahahahaha! " She laughed, and laughed. Her evil voice penetrated even the deepest parts of Tartarus. Waking up ancient monsters who were imprisoned here. All they could do is to bow before her, or die trying to fight her. All of them accepted her as their queen. All except one. " What a bold statement. " A very deep voice came from the depths. Travesty just lashed out with her magic. Breaking apart the other prison with it. " Silence, monster! I am your Queen now! Kneel before me, or die! " She shouted in the direction of the voice. She didn't care about Tirek anymore, who was slowly creeping away from her. He vowed himself, that if he ever gets out alive he will change, and reunite with his brother. " Is that so? " He chuckled. " Then come my Queen. Come, and find me, and I shall give you your coronation present. " The voice taunted her. Travesty slowly descended in to the deepest parts of Tartarus. Monsters were looking at her fearfully from their hiding spots. Eyes following her every movement. She was on top of a hill. Looking down she saw a pony slowly pushing a boulder closer and closer to the top, but as he was about to reach the top with it, the boulder just moved to the side, then rolled back to the base of the hill. " Damn it! I almost had it this time. " She looked at the pony below her. He was a light brown stallion with black eyes. His jet black mane was interwoven with pearls. He also wore a rusty golden crown. " Amusing. " She laughed lightly. " Is this your punishment? " " How dare you laugh at me! I'm a king. " He pointed at her with his hoof. " Ha! You? A king? " In the next moment she was next to him. Looking into his eyes. She snarled at him. " Oh, yes. I know who you are. King Sisyphus. You are not the only royalty here. I am Travesty The Shattered. Queen of Tartarus. Kneel before your Queen. " She commanded. " You are betting on a loosing horse, if you think that I will ever bow before you. Even death itself couldn't make me bow. " He looked into her eyes defiantly. She used her sweet and seductive voice. " I know. Cheating death twice is quite an achievement. You are a very clever, and crafty pony. I want you to join me in my quest. " " What is the catch? What do you need from me? " He was thinking about the possibilities on how to outwit her. " Lead my army, and you shall be rewarded. Defy me and perish forever. " She circled around him. " What is your answer? " " Of course I will lead your army. Just break the curse that holds me to this place, and we can go. " He was giving her a very trustworthy smile. She smiled back. He thought he had her in his hooves, but something happened he wasn't prepared for. Her magic reached out, and grabbed his throat. He was grasping for air. She leaned closer and whispered into his ear. " Never forget this. Never try to double-cross me, or your punishment will be much more severe, than just rolling a boulder. Is that clear? " Her icy glare bore into his soul. " Y-yes my Queen. " He knew that he just couldn't outwit her. He had to play her game... for now. " Your task is to make a presentable army out of these mindless monsters. " With her magic she created an ordinary leather whip. " You won't have any trouble if you use this. " She gave it to him. He looked at the whip in his hooves, then looked back at Travesty. " Good. You are smart enough not to attack me with it. This was your first test, and you passed with flying colors. " She was about to leave, when he shouted after her. " Wait! What about my punishment? " His fate was in her hooves. Now he realized on what angle she was playing. He will be in her debt. " Use the whip on the boulder. " He looked at her as if he was questioning her sanity, but nevertheless did what was asked from him. Surprisingly as the whip hit the boulder, it exploded into pieces. He was in awe how much power she put into his hooves. " Now you see how much I trust you. You can easily bring the pieces to the top. The rest depends on you. " " I shall serve you faithfully my Queen. You will have your army. I will make it so personally. " He realized, that if he couldn't outwit her, then the next best thing is to be on her good side. " May I ask what do you plan to do with an army? " He was curious about what did she plan to do. " I will conquer Equestria. " She stomped with her hoof. " They cast me aside. Now I shall return, and make them pay. I will be their Que--.. AAARGH! " She clutched her head. Pain overwhelmed her senses completely. " My Queen! " He ran to her, but her magic was trashing wildly around her. He was afraid, that she might kill him accidentally, so he backed away. She writhed on the floor in pain. Her magic didn't respond to her callings. It formed a cocoon around her body. Soon darkness enveloped her completely. Travesty felt like she was about to die. A throbbing headache made it impossible for her to even know what was happening around her. After a few minutes the pain started to lessen. She opened her eyes, and with the help of her front hooves she pushed herself up. As she looked around she found herself in a glass dome. The inside of the dome was a total wasteland. Sand, rocks, bones, and dead trees were the residents of this place. On one of the trees, there was a rope, that they traditionally use for hanging ponies up. It was just there. Waiting for a pony whose life it could take. Travesty then focused her attention to the outside of the dome. Behind the glass she saw floating islands. A storm, that covered the land in fire, and a lake made out of some kind of gelatin. It was an ever shifting, and changing place. In front of her eyes the grass changed color. It was now blue. " Where in the name of Celestia I am? " She wanted to put her hoof on the glass, but as she touched it. Her hoof went straight trough it. She pulled back quickly. Travesty gathered her courage to go outside. She was about to do so, when a voice startled her. " I wouldn't recommend you to go out there. " She turned around, and saw a mare standing on a rock. " You wouldn't survive in the Dreamscape. " " What? How? You are.. me? " She looked at her more thoroughly. She just looks like me, but she is much more older. Half of her mane is....grey. No.. No! She was horrified. She is from my vision. How is this possible? " I forget how stupid my old self was. Ugh.. I need all of my willpower not to kill you. " She gave Travesty an icy glare. " I maybe stupid, but you are a real bitch. " She sent an equally hard glare at her. " Guilty as charged. " She laughed lightly. " I can't help it. You will understand it once you grow up. " She quickly pounced upon the unsuspecting filly. She gave her a very passionate kiss. Poor Travesty desperately tried to push the mare away. The more she fought back, the more passionate the mare became. After what it felt like an eternity Travesty gave up fighting against her. Seeing that she wasn't fighting anymore, the mare simply stopped what she was doing, and let the filly go. "Blurgh..! " The amethyst filly scrunched her face in disgust. I've been violated.. by myself. *sigh* I bet some kind of deity must hate me. Her future self just smiled at this. " Oh, don't be so mean. It wasn't that bad, was it? I always wanted to give my first kiss to somepony I love. " Travesty would have been very angry if what she said wasn't so sad. " This was your first kiss? You never felt love before? My future sure sounds great. " The filly said in a sad tone. " Awwww, you are so adorable. " The mare completely changed. Few moments ago she was a psychotic killer, and in the next moment her voice become softer. Her face went into a more relaxed state with a small smile. The mare gently stroke the filly's face. " Stallions, mares, and all kind of monsters showed no love for me, only for my body. " She let out a sigh. " In time I learned to love myself. I vowed to myself, that I will never cry, and those who try to hurt me shall feel my vengeance. " She put her hoof under her chin, then slowly pushed her head up, so she will look into her eyes. " You are still just a naive little filly. I'm a mare who has seen untold horrors. I did horrible things, but don't judge me because of that. My future was never bright. I had to crawl through hell, and I was all alone through this journey. That made me the pony who I am today. Do I feel regret? No, and I never will. If I do that, I would deny who I am. Do you understand? " " It means... " Her eyes widened in realization. " There is no redemption for you. You can not change who you are. You will fight till the bitter end, not because you want to, but because you have to. This is who you are. A pony consumed by darkness. " If Travesty ever felt the need to die, this was the moment. She didn't want to suffer like her future self. Before she could even think about it, the mare gently embraced her. The filly felt the warmth that radiated from her counterpart. Travesty felt this kind of warmth only once before. When Fluttershy took care of her. Now she knew what this unknown feeling was. It was love. Pure love. " I don't want to live anymore. Now, that I know what lies ahead of me. " She cried, while snuggling into the mare's mane. It somehow comforted her. " Oh you big dummy. " She gently patted her on the back, then slapped her really hard. Her facial expression turned into a very serious one. " Travesty! Listen to me! " She put her hooves on the side of her face, and forced her to look into her eyes. " You have to be strong for what will happen to you. For both of our sake. The future is yours. Don't be afraid of what lies within. You can still change. " As she said her last words, she leaned closer, and gave her a farewell kiss. It wasn't a kiss, that a lover would give. It was a kiss, that a mother would give to her child. Suddenly the warmth was gone. The filly gently wiped her tears, and opened her eyes, but the mare was gone. Travesty was more confused, then before. Is this what awaits me? To be a monster, who stops at nothing? Is there any other way? She said I could still change. How? The Void Zone was built on a very delicate balance. If somepony in any way disturbs it, it will come crushing down on Equestria. That is why being a guard pony here is a very important job. They have to patrol the city constantly while being neutral. Which is very hard as all three faction tries to bribe the guards as hard as they could. Even the best guard ponies will succumb for the temptation. Instead of doing the night patrols they had a very rough night, at a little tavern. Drinking, gambling, and mares of all kind were the main topic on their mind. The night turned into morning, and the morning into afternoon. The guards were still asleep as they had to make up for the lack of sleep they had to endure during their little get together. The barracks were a complete mess. The remains of alchoholic beverages, different kind of snacks, and even a few underwear were here and there. Their blissful sleeping was disturbed by a pony, who kicked the barracks door open. The drunk guards just groaned in annoyance, as they had a massive hangover. The arriving stallion looked around carefully at the situation at hoof. He walked to the closest pony. He kicked him awake. " Where can I find Sergeant Pepper Spray? " It was more like a demand, then a question. " Back there. In his own room. " He didn't even looked up, as he just pointed his hoof in a direction. The stallion walked into room, where the garrison commander was sleeping. He had two mare sleeping with him. " Sergeant Pepper Spray! " He shouted at the pony. Said pony just groaned as he was awakened. " Can't you see ponies are sleeping here? Go fuck yourself somewhere else. " He barked at the unknown pony while still half asleep. He snuggled closer to one of the mares. " *ahem* Ladies, if you forgive me, but I need to speak with the Sergeant privately. " It was a demand, and the mares knew it exactly. They quickly put their dresses on, then stood in front of the newly arrived stallion waiting for their payment. He begrudgingly pulled out a few bits, and put it into their hooves. Still they remained, and were waiting for more. He gritted his teeth while giving more money to them. " It was our pleasure doing business with you. " They left them alone, while counting their money. One of them leaned closer, and whispered into his ear. " If you need stress release, you can find me, and I can give you a little discount. " The stallion's anger was up to the roof, but on the outside he remained calm. " Sergeant Pepper Spray! I demand an explanation. " He stomped with his hoof. There goes the calmness. " Who do you think you are? " The Sergeant angrily got out of the bed, so he could teach a lesson to this annoying guard pony. Realization dawned upon him as he saw the pony in front of him. " Well? Who I am? " The stallion leaned closer threateningly. " C-c-captain Hammerhead. " He stuttered. " Sir, I didn't got a notice, that you will inspect the garrison. If I knew you were coming. " He was afraid that his guard career will be over. " That's Commander Hammerhead now. " Pepper Spray almost fainted. He insulted the Commander. The Commander! He was so screwed. " I'm not here to inspect the garrison. " " Phew.. " He let out his breath that he hold back. He swiped the sweat from his forehead. " I'm here to personally investigate the murder that occurred last night in the Red Light District. " " Murder? What murder? " He quickly shut up. Judging by Hammerhead's glare it wasn't the best thing to say to help his case. " Tell me Sergeant. What is the meaning of this? Drunk guards on duty? If I was an enemy I could have killed all of you without any difficulty. This is unacceptable!" He shouted. Pepper Spray got a massive headache thanks to this. " I-..It was just a little get together. Some stress relief? Surely you can understand. This job is really hard. " He was digging himself deeper and deeper. " I understand. " The Sergeant almost cheered at this. " You are relieved of command. When the case is closed, you and the rest of the guards will return to Canterlot. " He said calmly. " Wait, what? Then what will happen with the garrison? We are needed here. " "I would watch my tone Sergeant in your place. I don't have to explain myself in front of you. Wake up the rest of them, and assemble at the yard. Double Time! " Hammerhead just smirked seeing the Sergeant tried to wake up the drunk guards. After a painful thirty minutes the guards finally assembled in the yard. They were a pathetic bunch in Hammerhead's eyes. Their armors had missing pieces. Some of them even lost their helmet.Their weapon were dull, or completely broken. " You are all a disgrace. Not even fit for guards. " His words completely destroyed their self-esteem. " But.. you can prove yourself, that you are worthy of this title. " They all perked up at this. " Midnight give me a little support here. " As he said that a very big storm cloud appeared above them, and showered them with ice cold water. " Attention! " Even though they shivered, his commanding voice was enough for them to stand in line. " There was a murder in the Red Light District at 1:43. My team arrived at 3:00. We have already taken every evidence, and our doctor investigated the body. " He walked backed and forth in front of them. " Who was the victim Commander? " The Sergeant asked. " That is why I'm here personally, as this matter is very delicate. " He waited for his words to settle in. " The victim was none less, then Filthy Rich an Agent of Mr. Nine. " Now the guards knew they really screwed up. Heads will role, that is for sure. " The resolve of this issue will greatly sway my judgement in the matter of your... life style. " They all pulled themselves together, as he said that. They will do this investigation so perfectly, that the Commander surely won't court martial them. At least they thought that. " Listen up! It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to trust in you, but we need your help. Princess Celestia only allowed a small team to come with me. Our duty is--... " " Small team? " Midnight laughed. " You brought half of the Night Guards with you including me. This isn't a small team. This is a freaking power display. " Despite his little jab. Midnight was very proud, that the Night Guards could finally show themselves to the rest of the world. " As I was saying. " He ignored Midnight completely. " Our duty is to find the murderer, bring him or her back to Canterlot, before this whole situation blows up the fragile peace between the factions. " " What is our task, sir? " One of the mostly sober guard asked. " Midnight. " He turned towards the pegasus. " You and your fellow Night Guards will lock down the city completely. You have the authority to use force if required. The rest of you. " He turned back to the Royal Guards. " You will sweep through the city. Listen carefully. After the autopsy the doctor theorize,that our target is probably a pegasus, or a unicorn. Our only lead is a cyan colored hair on the victim. We don't know if it was on him before the attack, or it got on him during the attack. I will personally investigate this lead as it leads towards the brothel that is run by Madame Coral Rift. " The guards gulped at this. She was very famous for caring about her girls, and she will do anything to stop the guards investigation if it turns out, that one of her girls killed Filthy Rich. This could cause a retaliation from Mr. Nine. They are here to stop the war before happening. " Sergeant Pepper Spray! " He set his gaze upon said pony. " Sir? " He gulped nervously. " You will accompany me, and Midnight, and give us a basic rundown of the situation before the murder. " He gave him a weak nod. " Alright everypony. Do you know your role? " They all nodded. " Then move out! Let's go! " The once busy city full of ponies turned into a real ghost town. The guards swarmed the city. The Night Guards were an imposing sight. It unnerved every member of the underworld. The tension was so thick, that you could see ponies started to arm themselves. They prepared for war. " Commander, I don't want to question your methods, but are you sure, that this is the right thing to do? The folks here aren't that easily intimidated by simple guards. " Pepper Spray bumped into the commander as he stopped in front of him. He looked back at him. " Do you think I am just a simple guard? Learn and watch kid. " He took megaphone out, then jumped upon the roof of one of the merchant stands. " Citizens of the Void Zone. This is Commander Hammerhead speaking. The city is under lock down on my command. Nopony enters or leaves 'till I find out who murdered Filthy Rich. We can do this the easy way. You give us the culprit, and I'm leaving as nothing happened. Or we could do it the hard way. I will tear apart this city If I had to. " After a few minutes the city returned to its normal state. 'Normal' in a way, that ponies returned to their own districts. Merchants started to barricade their stands. A pony with a lots of golden necklace around his neck approached Hammerhead. " Commander Hammerhead. What an inspiring speech. You sure know how to shake up things in this boring little town. Allow me to introduce myself. " He bowed lightly. " I am Sweet Silver. I'm representing his lordship here. Mr. Nine was very devastated that one of his agent had died in such a brutal manner, and he has high hopes, that you could find the culprit without incidents. He also likes to offer any help, that could make your visit... less stressful. If Madame Coral Rift refuses to cooperate I'm sure his lordship could find a way, to help you out. " He spoke like a snake. To Hammerhead it felt like poison was seeping into his skull through his ears. " Sweet Silver, right? Tell Mr. Nine, that I accepted his generous offer. I only require information. Filthy Rich may have been an exemplary citizen, but he still might had a few enemies. Also I advise him to not interfere with our work, as we are very thorough in our work. " Hammerhead almost puked, that he had to sweet talk with him. Sweet Silver just gave him a curt nod before leaving. Hammerhead barely heard a 'filthy commoner' comment. " Wow.. Commander. You are so awesome. He is the most stuck up arrogant pony I ever known, and you made him bow before you. " Pepper Spray heard the stories about Hammerhead, but he always thought it was just propaganda, and over exaggeration. Seeing him in action made him question his beliefs. " I'm not that awesome. I'm just a regular stallion who does his job. " He smiled lightly. " Let me give you a little advice. In our kind of job you have to have balls of steel. There are a lots of ponies out there who will want to use their influence to deter you from your duty. You have to stand your ground and say ' I don't care. It is my duty, and if you stand in my way. You are an enemy of Equestria.' " " I'm not brave enough. " He stopped walking. " Maybe I should just resign. I'm not fit to be a guard. " He lowered his head. " It's your choice. But I ask you one thing. At the end of the day. When you go home, and think about your life. Who do you want to be? The guy who ran away at the first sign of difficulty? You can do that, but you will be forever a loser. Or... you can change yourself. Stand your ground, and earn respect through hard work. Fight your way through, and emerge as a hero of Equestria. " During his speech Hammerhead never looked back at him. He just walked forward not waiting for him. " I'm sorry Commander. " He pulled of his helmet, and put it on an abandoned merchant stand. He left without another word. " Do you really had to be this harsh? " Midnight asked from his friend as he walked besides him. " Yes. He had to hear it. Being a guard requires more than physical fitness. It requires faith. Faith in Equestria. Faith in the future, that what we do is worth doing. If that is not there, even the smallest breeze could take you down. " " Wow. You sound so wise suddenly. Who are you, and what did you do with Commander Hothead? " He playfully hit Hammerhead's shoulder. " I have my moments. " He said it with a smug smile. " You should have yours, but I think you are a lost cause. " " Oh really? How about a race to the brothel? " Before Hammerhead could even say no. Midnight flew away. " You don't even know where the brothel is. " He laughed lightly, and walked to the opposite direction. At least he knew where to go. " You must have cheated somehow. " Midnight said in an annoyed tone as he landed next to his friend. " It was just a little race. " Still he laughed at the misfortune of the pegasus. " I will speak with the Madame, while you look around. You have to be very cautious. " " Yes, mother. " He rolled his eyes. " Let's go. Just don't tell my wife, that I was in a brothel. " They entered into the building. - before the complete lock down - The sun loomed over the horizon. This glorious orb was bathing the city in orange. Spreading it's warmth to the earth. Making ponies happy, and helping them to grow food. There is no reason for a pony to hate the sun. Travesty hated the sun. As she opened her eyes she stared into its glorious form. She screamed in pain. Although she really did overreact the whole thing. " Oh thank Celestia. You are awake. " The mare she saved was next to her. She smiled shyly at the filly. Travesty looked around the room. It was a very tidy place. A very comfortable bed. A few wardrobe, with various clothes in it. It was probably what she used to wear during her work hours. What really caught her attention was her book collection. She had almost every book, that her mother wrote. She even saw a few first edition. " Why do you have those books? " She pointed at them with her hoof. " Oh, these? " She grabbed one of the books. " I really love your mother's work. The raw emotion. How she wrote down everything. The good, the bad, the worse. Everything. You feel you are part of something greater. I really love her writing style. " The mare clutched the book close to herself. She acted like a giddy schoolgirl. " Could you tell me what happened? After I fainted. I only remember the blood. It was everywhere. " Travesty shivered. She still couldn't understand how could she killed somepony in cold blood. " You saved me! " The mare hugged the filly. " But I killed him! I'm a murderer. What will happen know? I can't just pretend it didn't happen. Why did you help me? You obviously bathed me as I smell like industrial soap." Travesty crunched her nose up in disgust. The mare sat upon the bed, and started to comb the filly's unruly mane. Travesty didn't protest. She felt a harsh pain in her soul. This moment made her remember Fluttershy, who did exactly the same thing to her. " Nopony really showed me any kindness. For them I'm just an object, that they could use, then discard. But you! You came for me. You helped without wanting anything in return. You were kind to me. I would never judge you for what you did. I.. don't know how to say this. " The mare blushed, and hid under her mane. " Do you want to be my friend? " She smiled at the filly hopefully. " I don't know. I don't really have any friends at all. " Travesty thought about the Crusaders. Are they my friends? " Oh.. if not friends, maybe I can be your big sister? We could... go into the park, eat ice cream. I could help you with your homework. Teach you how to cook, sew. We could be like a family. I always wanted a little sister. " She was holding her breath back. She really wanted to be friends with the filly. " I.. I.. " Travesty stuttered very heavily. " I.. w-would love that. " " If you ever need help you can come here. You will be welcomed here. This apartment is not much, but I will share it with you, alright? " She looked at her clock. " Oh no! I will be late for work. I was so worried about you, that I completely forgot about it. " " C-can I stay here for a while? I don't know If I'm able to go home. At least not alone. " Travesty mentally gritted her teeth. Stupid! Why do I act like a stupid, scared , and shy schoolgirl? She is not Fluttershy! But I love her the same way. Argh! What are these confusing feelings? " Of course you can stay. This is your home now too. " The mare put on her dress. " Be safe, and don't let anypony in. Just to be sure. If you want to eat, just look into the fridge, but if you need something from the market, you can find a few bits under the bed in a box. " " Are you really have to go? " She tried not to sound too desperate. " I'm sorry Travesty, but I have to pay my rent somehow. I wish there was any other way, than this. " She gave the filly a hug before leaving the apartment. As the mare left, Travesty put her hooves on the ledge of the window. Watching her leaving the building, she waved after her newest friend. One question echoed in her mind. Why is my life has to be so fucked up? *sigh* Hey, voice? Are you in there? Silence was her answer. Great. There most be something wrong with me. I feel it inside me. This burning sensation. It is so familiar.