Until the Phoenix Flies Again

by Iron Quill

An Unexpected Meeting

3:An Unexpected Meeting

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I followed Vinyl to her club just as the sun was setting. I had wanted to see Princess Celestia set the sun and Princess Luna raise the moon, but Vinyl explained to me that the two royal Alicorn sisters only did that publicly on the spring and winter equinoxes.

She let me in the club for free, but then had to go DJ, so I was left on my own.

The club was foreign to me. I was used to pubs, like I had visited in Trottingham or saloons like out in Appleosa. This club looked like something out of a science fiction novel to me. The walls were reflective white. There were no main lights, but ponies wore glow sticks, or some unicorns simply lit their horns. The only light in the entire club focused on the main stage where Vinyl was working, laser lights that glided through the hazy atmosphere, making them appear to be solid beams, and the bar, where a rather burly looking yellow earth pony was serving drinks. Don’t get me wrong; even though the club was foreign, I liked the look and feel of it. It might have been a little too crowded, but that didn’t matter. I just wished I knew somepony there or had brought somepony. I know ponies all over the world, but I really don’t keep touch with them as much as I used to. The only ponies I knew that were near Canterlot, I did not want to here. They were fruit bat crazy and would more than likely tear this place up. Two of them tried to kill me at one point, but that’s another story.

I sighed and walked over to the bar, just as Vinyl unleashed a flurry of wubs everypony started dancing to.

“What’ll you have?” the bartender asked as I sat down.

“Do you have any apple cider?” I asked.

“You got the bits to pay for it?” he almost growled, a scar under his left eye scrunching up.

I was a little shocked. I had dealt with rough bar stallions before, but that was out towards the Bad Lands. I didn’t expect it from one working in the heart of Canterlot.

“Yeah,” I said throwing three gold bits on the counter.

“Sorry about that.” His tone changed entirely from hostile to extremely friendly. He grabbed a bottle from under the bar and slid it to me. “You wouldn’t believe how many ponies from out of town try to get their drinks for free, ya know?”

“Yeah, I know half of them,” I joked.

He laughed and got back to tending ponies ordering strange drinks that I had trouble looking at because of the bright colors, never mind think about drinking them. I popped open my cider bottle with my magic and took a quick drink.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” said a voice to my left.

I looked over and had to force myself not to stare. Standing next to me was the most beautiful mare I had ever laid eyes on. She was a Pegasus with a light orange body, deeper orange hair that had a windswept look mixed in with the same color as her coat. Her cutie mark looked like a tongue of fire, but I couldn’t really tell in the flashing lights.

The bartender slid a bottle her way after scooping up her three bits.

She sat down next to me and popped the cap off her bottle. “Why’re you here?” she asked.

I checked quickly to make sure she was talking to me. She looked at me expectantly though, a small smile on her lips. Her eyes, which were a darker orange than her coat but lighter than her mane, met mine.

“I’m new here,” I replied. “My new roommate owns the club so I, well, tagged along.”

“Sucks to be alone,” she said taking a swig of cider, “I didn’t come with anypony either.”

“Why not?” I took a quick drink.

“Why do you want to know?”

“You asked me, figured it was fair game,” I said confidently, but I was trying to hide my nervousness.

“Eh,” she answered, “I guess I just needed some ‘me’ time,” she finished wearily.

“Stressful job?”

“You have no idea.” She laughed and rolled her eyes.

“Huh.” I made a mental note to stay away from the subject.

“What’s your name?”

“Iron,” I said, “Iron Quill.”

“Writer, huh?”

“Yeah,” I shrugged, “you could say that.”

She finished off her bottle and turned towards me, “So, Iron, you want to dance?”

I almost had a spit take but caught myself in time “Sure!” I tried to act calm.

She stood up and I followed her to the dance floor. A new song came on as we started dancing, slow for dub step but very fast compared to most music.

“So, where you from?” she shouted over the music.

“Fillydelphia originally,” I shouted back “You?”

“Los Pegasus, but I’ve lived here for a while now. Why did you come to Canterlot?”

“I travel a lot, and I wanted to see the city.”

“Not the Wonderbolts show?” she asked, eyes widening.

“No, I didn’t even know it was going on.”

She stopped dancing for a second and stared at me with one eyebrow raised. “You don’t follow the Wonderbolts?”

“No.” I realized I was treading on thin ice. “Not really.” I braced for her to leave. Pegasi adore the Wonderbolts. Every young Pegasus wants to grow up to be one. If she was a fan then I was about to get walked out on. “Sorry,” I said as an afterthought.

Instead of walking out, she smiled at me, making my heart race.

“Don’t be,” she said and started dancing closer to me. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

We danced together until Vinyl stopped playing and ponies began to clear out.

“Well it was nice meeting you, Iron,” the orange Pegasus said to me smiling “I had a great time”

“Yeah, yeah me too.” I smiled back at her.

“Well I should probably go home, and get some sleep, but we should meet up again sometime.”

“That would be great!”

“See you around,” she called and flew out.

“Bye!” I called after her.

I was elated for a few minutes, until I started walking home. That’s when I realized I hadn’t even gotten her name.