Like A Phoenix

by Coda Singer

Chapter 13: Memories

Twilight, Sweetie Bell, Travis, Coda, Apple Jack and Rarity teleported out of the Colony in a flash of light. Sweetie Bell didn't look like she needed to try as hard as she did last time. She was getting better. Twilight, Apple Jack and Sweetie Bell hugged Rarity once again. She smiled and returned the hug.

"Nice to see you all again. And who are they?" Rarity gestured to Travis and Coda. They smiled nervously, Rarity gave a confused look when she noticed Travis' sleek black body and glowin green eyes.

"That's Travis." Said Twilight.

"Pleased to meet you!" Said Travis, stepping forward slowly, trying not to scare Rarity. She took his hoof and shook it.

"Charmed, I'm sure." Said Rarity.

"And that's Coda Singer." Twilight pointed to Coda who waved wih a smile on his face before Rarity began speaking.

"Goodness! What happened to you?" She ran to Coda and inspected his bloody bandage.

"Oh uh... Banged my head on a rock." Rarity slowly lifted his bandage to reveal a large, red gash just a few inches above his eye. Rarity and Coda both winced.

"You poor thing!" Rarity said with concern in his voice.

"It's nothing." Said Coda.

"Nonsense!" Retorted Rarity. She illuminated her horn and pointed it at Coda's head. The gash on his forehead solely began to knit back together. After a few seconds it was no longer visible. "There you go my dear. You'll still have a scar beneath your coat but nopony will notice a thing." Coda pressed his hoof to his forehead hen inspected it for blood. He smiled when he didn't find any.

"Thanks!" Said Coda great fully.

"No problem." Said Rarity. She turned back and saw Sweetie Bell with her black eye. "And what happened to you!?" Rarity ran to Sweetie Bell and instantly illuminated her horn.

"A guard hit me a couple times." Said Sweetie Bell as her eye changed back to it's normal white color and it began to open. "I'm glad you're here big sis."

"I'm glad I'm here too." Rarity and Sweetie Bell embraced eachother again. "So what happened here exactly?" She said as she pulled herself away from Sweetie Bell's hug.

"Long story." Said Twilight. Rarity smiled at her. "But lets walk and talk." Twilight and the other's explained their stories and how hey found out about the Colony. They explained how they escaped, how Travis turned into a Chimera, how they fought with Cinder and defeated him.

"I know that part." Said Rarity. "What is that ugly thin around your wrist." Rarity gestured to the C.L.A.M.P.

"Oh uh... This helps me pick things up." Twilight explained.

"We'll why don't you use your magic anymore?" Pried Rarity.

"I lost my magic." Rarity stopped dead in her tracks.

"What!? How!?"

"Before my thirteen years here started, I cast a spell to send me back in time. I spoke to myself, didn't tell her anything of course, then came back here. After that my magic slowly just... Stopped. I can't use it anymore."

"That doesn't make any sense." Said Rarity, resuming her pace as her and the others began walking again. Hey we're now deep in the forest. "If you cast a powerful spell like that it would drain you of energy for around a day. You would just be exhausted you wouldn't lose your magic." Twilight shrugged.

"It's gone now so I'm stuck with this." Twilight lifted her hoof with the ugly bronze C.L.A.M.P attached to it. Rarity shook her head.

"You simply must let me fabulize that thing once we set up camp somewhere." About an hour passed and they finally emerged from the forest. They found themselves in a large clearing. Twilight looked up she saw no clouds in the sky.

"I recognize this place." Said Twilight, looking around at her surroundings. Rarity and the others didn't seem to recognize it at all.

"Where are we exactly?" Asked Coda, looking across he empty field but Twilight kept her eyes on the sky.

"We're below what used to be Cloudsdale." Rarity looked to the sky as well and slowly remembered falling from the sky, her butterfly wings had burst into flames and with an explosion of Rainbow she was caught in midair. The memory flashed over Rarity's eyes and she recognized it as well. "Which means." Twilight turned back to the forest and began galloping as fast as she could, she was aimed slightly to the left from where they emerged. The others looked at eachother, shrugged, and followed Twilight as quickly as they could. They ran for a few minutes before Twilight stopped suddenly. The others stopped behind her and tried to see what she was looking at. All they saw was an empty dirt path.

"These used to be railroad tracks." Said Twilight. She leapt onto the path and began following it to the left. Afte another two minutes they found themselves in front of the ruined gates of Canterlot. The castle behind the gates was overgrown and partially destroyed. Twilight could make out the windows of the throne room, mos of them were smashed or broken over time. Most of the taller spires had felled due to age and most of he castle was covered in moss and vines.

"Do you think they're in there?" Asked Apple Jack.

"No." Said Twilight. "If Discord, Sombra and Nightmare moon were still there, it would be in better shape." Apple Jack turned back to the castle and marveled at the sight. Memories of Celestia flitted across Twilight's mind. Travis felt her twinge of sorrow and looked at her. Twilight noticed and quickly blocked out her emotions. Travis shook his head and turned back to Canterlot. Twilight poked the gates with her hoof. The gates squealed in resistance. Twilight looked back at the others, they all shrugged and Twilight opened the gates fully with a screech of rusty metal on rusty metal.

Twilight and her friends walked through the gate and continued down the dirt trail. As they got closer and closer the shadow of the castle loomed over their heads, Twilight still thought it was very unlikely Discord and the others were still in Canterlot but Twilight knew it was still possible. She paid close attention to the darkest spots of the road. Places beneath bushes, deep in the forest behind them. Twilight anticipated a Sombra to come leaping out of the darkness, or Nightmare moon to suddenly attack from the skies, or maybe Discord teleporting in front of them and casting some crazy spell that turns their hooves into pillows or something.

Twilight disagreed with this thought. Discord had become much more violent the last time they met. His spells caused pain, real pain. Twilight remembered Discord slapping her across the face, sending her flying across the throne room in the castle before her. She shuddered at the memory.

Eventually Twilight and the others approached the large wooden front doors of the castle. So many memories flashed by Twilight's eyes. Most of them ruined by Discord's spell. That was another effect, when all of Twilight's victories were shifted into failures, her memories changed into nightmares. Apple Jack lost her farm to Flim and Flam, Luna was lost deep inside of Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis murdered Shining armor and Cadence, Discord's reign never ended. Twilight had tried to block her memories of Pinkie, she didn't know what she'd do if her memories of Pinkie were ruined.

Twilight pulled herself from whatever trance she was in to find her hoof was on the splintered wooden door. She looked back at her friends who were all looking at her with concern on their face. She looked back to the door and pushed it open. Twilight recognized the large entryway. To her right was the large hallway leading to the dungeons, to her left was the hallway leading to the sleeping chambers. Another memory attempted to whizz through Twilight's brain but she blocked it.

"Where to?" Asked Apple Jack. Twilight turned to her left and began walking. "Dungeons it is." It seemed Apple Jack remembered the layout of the castle as well. How could they forget, Celestia practically crammed it into their heads before the attack on Canterlot. Twilight looked back and noticed Rarity was shifty eyed as well. Sweetie Bell and Coda seemed amazed at the sight of the old, overgrown castle. Travis was acting very strange. He kept moving his head up and down, left and right. He kept shaking it, almost like he was trying to shake off some kind of insect.

"Are you alright?" Asked Rarity, noticing his strange behavior as well.

"F-fine." Said Travis in a strained voice. Twilight stopped and put her hoof on Travis' shoulder. He froze, his eyes shifting in and out of focus. His eyes staying out of focus a bit longer than they should. Twilight could tell he wasn't sensing emotion. "Something is seriously wrong." He said through gritted teeth.

"With the castle?" Asked Coda.

"No," responded Travis. "Something outside the castle, or... Under it? I can't tell." Twilight looked deep into Travis eyes. His eyes flitted upwards and met her's. He inhaled deeply and his eyes zoomed back into focus, growing large and deep green. Twilight smiled. "There's a lot of emotion in this castle, echoes of emotion. Though It sounded long ago the echo is still thunderous." Twilight pulled out Poems of a Changeling and wore down Travis' quote.

"You'll have to finish that later." Said Twilight. Travis smiled a strained smile and they continued walking. Twilight arrived at the metal barred door leading down to the dungeons. Twilight screeched open the door and looked deep into the darkness. Rarity, Sweetie Bell and Travis illuminated their horns and lead the way. Twilight and Coda followed. After a few seconds of stairs they found themselves at the familiar dark, dirty, damp room with sets of chains across the wall. Twilight recognized the set of chains she had been placed in all those years ago. Across the room was a brick on the floor and a hole in the wall where Celestia had stashed a key which they used to escape.

"Aah!" Travis screamed and clutched his head in pain.

"What's wrong!?" Yelled Sweetie Bell, running over to Travis' side. Travis fell to the ground, still clutching his head and screaming.

"Get him out of here!" Yelled Twilight, galloping over to Travis and throwing him over her back. She galloped up the stairs and exited the dungeons, Travis stopped screaming and shut his eyes.

"That room." Said Travis, wincing as he spoke and still breathing heavily. "There was... Too much emotion in there. Or... There used to be." Twilight looked back down the stairs and remembered the conversation she had with her friends all those years ago.

"We can't save Pinkie... Pinkie's dead." Travis winced and Twilight pushed away that memory. "Alright we'll stay away from that room then." Said Twilight, feeling a twinge of guilt in her heart. Sweetie Bell kissed her hoof and planted it on Travis' cheek. Travis inhaled once more and was better in no time. He got to his hooves and smiled at Sweetie Bell who blushed. Twilight shook her head and waited for the others to come up the stairs.

"Should we head to the sleeping chambers?" Asked Rarity.

"I don't see why not." Said Apple Jack, "What d'you say Twilight." Twilight didn't respond. "Uhh... Twilight?"

"Huh?" Twilight jumped as she zoned back in to Equestria. "Yeah, let's go." The others shrugged as they began walking to the other side of the main hall. Twilih recognized the long hallway covered in doors. She remembered exactly which one lead to the sleeping chambers. When she approached it she paused.

"Maybe you should stay here." Twilight said to Travis. "The dungeons didn't have half the emotion this room has in it." Travis was shaking already. He nodded in obvious agreement.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Twilight reached for the knob. An image flashed before her eyes, a door with three balloons painted onto the wood. Twilight blinked as the image disappeared as quickly as it came. Travis grunted and moved a few steps backwards. Twilight exhaled and opened the door. Inside she saw a large bed. The rest o the room was empty, a shattered window adorned the wall behind the bed. On the side of the bed facing Twilight, there was a large, red stain. Twilight knew very well why it was there. Another memory flashed by her eyes.
Chrysalis lying on a bed, clearly asleep. Twilight crept up close to the bed. She illuminated her horn with one of the most powerful spells she knew. Chrysalis' eyes opened and she looked up a Twilight. She didn't hesitate, Twilight shot a bolt of red lightning. A large, singed hole was plunged into Chrysalis' stomach. Red blood came pouring out. Twilight realized too late that changeling blood was green. With a flash of green light Chrysalis' body transformed slowly, the black insectoid skin changed into bright pink fur and Chrysalis' body changed into the body of Pinkie. A shadow of a smile still etched onto her face from the joy of seeing her best friend again.
Twilight felt warm tears flowing down her cheeks. She heard the muffled screaming of Travis, and the yells of Apple Jack in Twilight's ears.

"Twilight! Snap out of it!" Apple Jack slammed the door and Twilight came back into reality. Travis' screaming ceased and Apple Jack stopped her yelling.

"We should leave." Twilight said Shortly. Apple Jack nodded and they began walking back to the main hall. Travis and Sweetie Bell left first followed by Coda and Rarity. Apple Jack and Twilight stayed back and looked around the hall. Out of the corner of Twilight's eye she could have sworn she saw something black, whip behind a corner. Apple Jack tugged on Twilight's mane and pulled her out the door. They galloped as far away from the castle as possible until they reached the forest. Twilight counted heads and made sure she found six.

"Let's head west." Said Twilight. The others nodded and followed Twilight. They wandered through the forest and found themselves in the clearing beneath what used to be Cloudsdale. Twilight heard a sound which resembled rumbling thunder. Twilight looked around for the source of the noise and saw a massive crowd of ponies, all heading west.

"Who are they?" Asked Coda, looking in awe at the crowd.

"It's the colony." Responded Twilight. A spark of hope filled her chest and inside she knew it would all be over soon.

Comments

[Coda Singer]

5474227 thanks for understanding? Glad to see you get it? And you stayed true to my universe? I'm taking this joke too far?