//------------------------------// // The morning after // Story: Travis won't die in the end // by Blue dragon 116 //------------------------------// Cold, that was all I felt as I drifted in complete darkness, unsure of whether I was asleep or something far worse. The answer I sought came to me in the form of a soft melodic whispering in the darkness. "Travis.... wake up Travis." The effect was almost instantaneous as the void around me began to brighten and I could feel myself begin to awaken. Garbled voices greeted my ears as I slowly forced my eyes open. Only to see everything in brightly colored blurs, but with time everything began to come into focus showing all the girls standing at the foot of the bed I was in. While a very drowsy looking Luna was hauling herself from a chair to my right a tired grin on her face when she noticed me looking at her. Celestia stood behind her sister a unreadable mask on her face as she looked down at me. "Did anyone bother to catch the plate number of the truck that hit me." I groaned as I sat up in the bed, and the blanket that covered me fell showing the damage my little stunt had done to the clothes Rarity made me. "Nothing hit you Travis, you are suffering from magical fatigue." Celestia said matter of factly, prompting me to stop my impromptu self inspection and shoot her a annoyed glare. "It means I feel like shit Celestia." I grumbled as I forced my aching arms to heed my command and peel away the burnt and ruined remains of my clothes. A pained gasp and pitiful whimper being the only sounds to remind me I wasn't alone as I threw the remains of my shirt and coat into a corner. "Well, what now I'm going to assume that since we are all standing here with a lack of black bug things all went well after I passed out?" I stated as I glanced around. All the girls were glaring at me save Twilight and Luna, even Celestia had a glare poorly hidden behind her emotionless mask. "Would anyone care to explain the glares I'm getting, and I would highly suggest you knock it off." I growled meeting every pair of glaring eyes with a glare of my own. "There is something you are not telling us Travis." Twilight began quietly looking anywhere but at me. "Come again Twilight, I don't think I heard you right could you please repeat that?" I said as I glanced around once more, only for my gaze to come rest on Celestia. "There is something you haven't told us that is what she is saying Travis." Celestia said her expressionless mask cracking slightly to show an angry snear. "You claim you are unable to use magic but have used it twice since you arrived here. And when you first met the changeling Chrysalis you saw right through her disguise and didn't inform us immediately. Which would lead me to believe you are in league with the Changelings, or harbor ill intent for Equestria or one of us in this room." A heavy silence filled the room with Celestia and I exchanging glares while Twilight and Luna had stunned expressions on their faces and the rest of the girls looked at me with a mix of fear and anger. "How was I supposed to know the swiss cheese bug pony I met wasn't one Mi Amore Cadenza, in case it has escaped you're infinite wisdom Celestia I have never met the alicorn in question until yesterday at the wedding." I stated oblivious to the fact the candles around the room began to burn brighter ever slightly. " And how would you know if I saw through her disguise, if she was even wearing one?" "The fact you barged into the wedding ranting how she wasn't really my niece is one reason." Celestia growled her mask breaking a little more as her expression began to darken . " And then add in the fact that when she removed her disguise you were not shocked in the slightest." "I learned she had hostile intentions when she had one of her minions try and restrain me in my room." I seethed as I could feel my temper and patience slipping away bit by bit as we continued our little argument. "And being a person of decent character I decided to do the right thing and attempt to aid you ponies stop a disaster before it could happen. And what do I get for my good deed, I learn the hard way I can indeed do magic and exhaust myself to the point of passing out in aiding the true Cadence. And when I wake up I am interrogated and my intentions and character are questioned, maybe I should just save you poor pitiful ponies the headache and simply pack my things and leave." "NO!!!!!" Luna and Twilight shouted together Startling me and Celestia out of our stare down long enough to look at them with bewildered expressions. "What we simply do not wish to see a friend leave." Luna said bashfully a blush staining her cheeks. I stared at her bewildered for a moment until a loud snort reminded me I was in the middle of a argument. "Do you have something you would like to say Celestia?" I Growled my anger returning full force while the candles burned white hot in their holders. "While you leaving would not have been my first suggestion, the option was surely being considered." Celestia stated earning a few nods of approval from the mares at the foot of the bed. "And let me guess Princess." I growled spitting out the title as if it were bile. "One of the other options was to lock me away with no justification and only further the rift in the relationship between man and pony." As I spoke the candles all around the room began to burn a ominous red color casting the whole room in a eerie glow, while unsettling shadows could be seen passing across my face as I glared at Celestia. " If you continue to show signs of being unstable and unable to control yourself I will be forced to take extreme measures. I would rather have you hate me and lock you away like a rabid beast, instead of you moving freely and being a menace to my ponies and wreck unknown havoc across the land." Celestia stated coldly as she openly glared at me and motioned to the candles around the room, while all the ponies in the room stared at her with varying levels of shock on their faces. "I am a HUMAN Princess not a beast." I growled as the sheets clenched tightly in my fists began to smolder. "As for training I can name two perfectly qualified ponies standing here now who could train me." "And neither of them would take you into their tutelage." Celestia said as she took a menacing step forward. "Sister that is enough." Luna said as she stepped between Celestia and I, only to be brushed aside by her sister as I spoke. "And what authority do you have to make that decision for them Celestia." I stated my voice cold and flat as I spoke shocking Celestia for a moment. "And for that matter how do you even know who I am talking about for all you know I could be referring to Rarity and Rainbow dash." "Attempting to train a beast such as yourself would be a complete waste of time. " Rarity stated with a nod of approval from Rainbow dash. A tense silence hung over the room while I stared off into the distance and took long deep breaths doing my best to reign in my temper. While the light from the candles around fluctuated in time with my breath, fluctuating less and less with each passing second until they didn't fluctuate at all and returned to their normal color. "Step one I have control Celestia." I stated my voice devoid of emotion as I continued to stare off into space, only for my eyes to regain focus and lock on Luna. "Step two Princess Luna would you please instruct me in magic so I will have better control over it?" I could see Celestia Stiffen and openly glare at me after I spoke, while Twilight looked downtrodden and upset. A few seconds passed while Luna's mouth moved like a fish out of water and I awaited her response. And just when she seemed to find her voice Celestia stepped between us with her arms crossed as she stared down at me. "She refuses." Celestia said, only to visibly bristle as I leaned to the side to look at her sister and say. "Your answer Luna?" "She refuses, she will not teach you." Celestia growled as she leaned forward and blocked out my view of anything but her. "I thought princesses were supposed to be schooled in modesty and etiquette Celestia?" I said as I stared at her chest which was almost falling out the top of her dress. "We are, why do you ask?" Celestia growled as she leaned forward further to where her face was finally in view. "Because if I didn't know any better I would say you were trying to give me a show. What with the way you breasts are almost a hairs breath from falling completely out of you dress." I stated plainly continuing to stare into the valley of Celestia's cleavage. Only for a annoyed grunt to come from Celestia as she straitened up and crossed her arms below her breasts. Putting her in the same position as before except I couldn't see as much this time. "You truly are a filthy creature arnt you." Rarity stated her voice dripping with barely contained contempt as she glared at me, while I simply smiled at her as if I was being praised. "Ohh why thank you Rarity its so kind of you to notice." I stated sarcastically earning a disgusted snort and upturned nose from the fashionista. "My earlier question still stands Luna." I said looking to her for a answer, only for her sister to step in once again. "And she refuses I will not allow her to waste her valuable time on one such as you, why not ask Twilight to train you if you must." Celestia said her earlier sense of calm returning for a moment. While Twilight seemed to brighten up and even tried to say something before I shut her down when I said. "No thanks if I wanted to have my training controlled by you Celestia I would have asked you directly. And that is to much to ask of Twilight anyway, she is already providing me with a place to stay for the time being." I stated coldly having to stop myself from cringing at the depressed look that crossed Twilight's face as she sank into a nearby chair. "I will take you as my apprentice Travis." Luna stated stepping around her sister and reaching a hand to me to seal the deal. "You will do no such thing" Celestia screeched as she stepped between Luna and I once again, which quickly deteriorated into the two arguing. With the temperature dropping to the point we were all shivering and could see our breath . "THAT IS ENOUGH." Someone yelled in the royal canterlot voice, snapping Celestia and Luna out of their argument as the temperature began to return to normal. While the two turned to the bed across from mine, one I didn't notice before was occupied by Cadence and Shinning Armor. A tense silence filled the room as the battered and worn princess of love glared at all of us in turn. Her glare only softening when she stole a glance at her husband who was groaning in his sleep. "Now I don't know what possessed all of you to act like foals." Cadence growled her glare unmet by all in the room. "But I will not lie here and listen to you torment this poor soul, especially when he saved Shiny and I from that horrible creature." "Be that as it may Cadence there are still things he must answer for." Celestia said, her once angry and dark expression now loving and motherly as she looked to her niece. "And what has he done that would warrant such treatment from you of all ponies auntie?" Cadence countered as she quirked an eyebrow at her aunt. "I can answer that." I stated simply my gaze transfixed on the sheets that were once bunched up in my hands. "You will say no more you are still......" "Let him speak Celestia." Cadence demanded stopping her aunt mid sentence. "Please continue." "The things I stand accused of are so simple its insulting." I stated my eyes still on the burnt spots of the sheets. "I stand accused of harboring secrets from the princesses. While its true I figured Chrysalis wasn't really Cadence, I thought that if i could see her for what she was then surely so could the princesses. I stand accused of being a monster hellbent on eating ponies simply because I require protein in the form of meat in my diet. This accusation coming from the same ponies I called friends not even three days ago. I stand accused of being unstable and out of control thanks to my understandably short temper after past events." I chuckled darkly after I took a breath and paused for a moment. "All these accusations are flung against me without rhyme or reason. The only time I have acted with violence during my stay here is in defense of myself, my property, or someone else. Never once have I given you reason to believe I harbor ill intent for any of you, its almost like one pony hates me simply for being human. And they are doing everything in their power to convince everyone else I am a monster." "Is that all, did I miss any girls?" I asked finally ripping my gaze from the sheets to stare at the girls at the end of the bed. Only to earn gasps of horror and a few hasty steps in retreat as an answer. Curious I began to look for a mirror finding one on a table right next to the bed. What I saw in the mirror surprised me. Gone was almost all the color in my skin leaving me looking like I was standing on deaths door, while my eyes were completely lifeless and devoid of emotion. Seeming to be grey rather than their usual lively blue color, in a word I looked like shit, depressed and barely alive shit. Everything remained quite for so long after I spoke It almost seemed as if I were alone in the room. Until the sound of a mattress squeaking drew my attention away from my reflection and towards Cadence. Who had stood and made her way to my bedside and was staring into my eyes. For what felt like hours she simply stared into my eyes, while I just sat there to drained to do anything even if I wanted to. Then Cadence just stood and returned to her husbands side, her horn glowing as Shining Armor did as well and began to float. "He speaks the truth Auntie, now we will all leave and let him rest." Cadence said as she began to make her way for the door her husband floating behind her still asleep. Only to stop at the door and hold it open and wait for everyone else left before she slipped through herself and said. "Sleep well Travis, tomarrow will definitely be interesting." And with that the door closed leaving me alone with my thoughts. It didnt take long for the exhaustion to force me to lay back down and begin to drift off to sleep. And as I lay there I could have sworn I saw something move in the shadows across the room. While a dark chuckle filled the room, just as my eyes closed and sleep claimed me