The Faerie office couch was so much cozier than any bed Phoenix had owned before. But as much as he would’ve liked to lie there forever, the sun filtering in through the blinds slowly roused him and he slid out from under the cheap red quilt, stretching and yawning like a cat.
Mystic Faerie wasn’t around yet, but that was okay, because visiting hours at the detention center didn’t start until 8 AM. He had a full hour; plenty of time to do chores.
First job, pack away the quilt and pillow in the closet. Next order, medicine. Then getting dressed. Then cleaning the kitchen, then some light dusting, a little vacuuming…
Phoenix looked at the clock. 7:15. He sighed. The possibility of finally defending a client was getting to him.
He had the leftovers of the apple turnover for breakfast, nibbling slowly. 7:25. Where was she…?
He vacuumed the office again just to make all the carpet lines went the same direction. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do…
Oh, he could read some law books. Maybe. He wandered over to Mystic Faerie’s office and looked up at the overflowing bookshelves.
Difficult-looking legal books stood in a formidable row, mocking him.
Then he spotted an uncharacteristically brightly colored book to one side; it was a Daring Do book that Faerie Dust must have left here. Mystic Faerie surely wasn’t into that. He kinda wondered what was in the book…
An hour and a half later he closed the back cover and looked at the clock. Wow. It was super late. Where the heck was…?
Oh no. Mystic Faerie had a court case today. In the midst of the murder last night he’d completely forgotten.
Court started at 8 AM and it was 9 now. Where the heck was Mystic? Had something happened to her? Was her client okay?
He had to get to the courthouse and see. How could he be so irresponsible? Phoenix tossed the offending book onto the couch and ran to the door.
It was locked.
Phoenix had a key, of course, but the keyhole was on the outside. On the inside it had a little button to twist, just like in Phoenix’s old apartments. Unlike Phoenix’s old apartments, the button was sunken into the doorknob. It was no trouble at all for Mystic to twist the button with telekinesis, but Phoenix couldn’t reach it with his teeth or hooves. He could stick his tongue in the hole but his tongue couldn’t grip the button to twist it.
He was locked in his office.
Phoenix wasn’t sure whether to feel panicked or humiliated. Futilely he yanked on the door for a while. Then he walked over to the windows and examined them one by one; none of them opened except the one in the kitchen, which swung out a crack. This was bad this was so bad….
Okay, okay, this was no time to panic. On the other hoof, he literally had nothing else he could do right now.
Phoenix started experimenting with what the heaviest furniture was that he could lift. Mystic Faerie was in trouble somewhere and he had to find her; that’s what he was here for.
Settling for a kitchen stool, he hurled it out the huge office window. Glass flew everywhere in the alley between their office building and the next one over. Mystic Faerie wouldn’t be happy about the window but if he saved her that would make it okay.
Then he tied some kitchen towels around his hooves to protect from glass, just in case the shards got past his horseshoes. He took a flying leap out, and for a moment relished the second of wind rushing through his mane before he landed on the gritty, crackly, glass-covered pavement. None of the shards got through but just hearing the sound of him crushing them made him wince. If only he could fly.
No time for that. When he thought he was far enough away from the broken window he took the cloth off his hooves and tossed them back in the area. None of the glass seemed to be in the heavily trafficked areas; that was a small plus. On to find Mystic Faerie.
Mystic could be anywhere, so even though it seemed like a lower priority, he first galloped toward the courthouse. Mystic’s client would be in trouble if she hadn’t shown up.
The Canterlot courthouse was striking white and black marble on the outside and warm yellow and red wood on the inside. Phoenix skittered across the cream tile floor heading for the courthouse lobby. He had to get to the bottom of this….
…As he ran up to the double courthouse doors, they flew open, and Mystic Faerie and her client stepped out of the courthouse in the traditional shower of confetti given to winners.
Phoenix just stared blankly at Mystic for a full minute before she noticed he was there.
“Oh, Phoenix! What are you doing here?” Mystic said.
“Wh-why wouldn’t I be here!?” Phoenix said. “I’m training under you to be a lawyer and half the evidence you have is stuff I got for you! I thought I was going to be your silent partner.”
“Oh… um, that makes sense…” Mystic Faerie stared into the middle distance instead of meeting Phoenix’s eyes. “I’m sorry; I got held up in Kurain and I only just got back in time to start the trial and I would have come to fetch you if I’d have time…”
“You wouldn’t have needed to if I hadn’t been literally locked in my office,” Phoenix snapped. “What the hay, Mystic?”
“The office needs to be locked at night…” Mystic said, still not looking at him.
“You’re not telling me something,” Phoenix said.
“Sometimes I hate your powers…” Mystic Faerie sighed. “But hey, you got out, right?”
“By breaking your office window,” Phoenix said.
“You did what!?” Mystic Faerie whirled around.
“Broke the whole window…” Phoenix said.
“What the hay were you thinking? Do you know how long and how much money replacing that will take?” Mystic said.
“None because magic…?” Phoenix said hopefully.
“No, Phoenix, it doesn’t work that way,” Mystic said. “I am inches away from suing you for breach of contract, Phoenix Flight. I’m the one who gave you a chance to be a lawyer even though you barely have what it takes and I can’t believe you would repay my kindness this way. How could you do something so foolish?”
“I…” Phoenix stared at the ground. “I thought you might be in trouble…”
“You thought someone or something was strong enough to take out me, a high level unicorn, and that the only pony who could save me was not the cops or my family or anypony except you, a random flightless pegasus, and that’s why you broke my window. If I didn’t know you better I’d say you were making up a weak excuse.”
Phoenix wilted. “I… I’m sorry… please stop yelling at me…”
“I’m not yelling; I’m talking sternly. Yelling is for objections.” Mystic Faerie huffed. “…Look, I’ll give you a second chance. I have a number of things I need to take care of; if you can do them all to my satisfaction you can stay.”
Phoenix nearly wagged his tail. “Oh, thank you, Mystic!”
“You’re welcome,” Mystic said, smiling slightly. “Let’s go to my office and sort this out.”
After saying goodbye to her client, Mystic walked Phoenix back to her office building. Seeing all the broken glass made her wince.
“I’m sorry,” Phoenix said again.
“We’ll sort this out,” Mystic Faerie said.
In her office, she started making up a list of things for Phoenix to do today while Phoenix swept up broken glass. Halfway through, he dropped the broom with a gasp.
“Oh no… I completely forgot Twilight Sky!!”
“Who?” Mystic Faerie asked, since thanks to the broken window she could hear Phoenix perfectly despite her being inside.
“It… it’s a long story. See Dusty and I were at the donut shop together and-”
Phoenix felt like a steel claw was crushing his throat. He wanted to scream but he couldn’t breathe.
“Phoenix.” Faerie Dust walked over to the window, her horn lit, and yanked Phoenix around to look at him in the eye. “Why. Were you. On a date. With my sister?”
Phoenix clawed at his throat with one hoof even though he knew full well there wouldn’t be anything solid there.
“Don’t make excuses!” Mystic Faerie said, loosening her grip but shaking him a little to make up for it. “Answer me. Tell. The. Truth.
“It-it wasn’t really a date…” Phoenix whimpered.
“I don’t care.” Mystic Faerie shook Phoenix again. “You had no right being somewhere one-on-one with my sister.”
“Please stop hurting me… She just asked me to go with her for company. Was I supposed to say no?”
“Yes!” Mystic Faerie said. She dropped Phoenix abruptly. Phoenix fell to his knees, struggling for breath. Fortunately he was on concrete he’d already swept. “And quit your whining! I know I didn’t hurt you that much. Are you a stallion or a baby?”
“Sis?”
Phoenix and Mystic both started. Faerie Dust was by the entrance to the alley, staring at them, her expression confused and sad.
Phoenix felt his cheeks redden as he scrambled to his hooves; why’d she have to see him like that?
“Oh… Dusty. We were just, um, talking about you,” Mystic Faerie said.
“If this is about last night, I can pick my own friends, thank you very much!” Faerie Dust said, puffing her cheeks into a pout. Then she whirled on Phoenix without changing expression. “And where were you? Twilight and I have been waiting for almost an hour!”
“Sorry! I’m so sorry!” Phoenix dropped the broom with a rattle. “I’m sorry Faerie; I have to go meet a friend-”
“Not until you clean up this glass!” Mystic Faerie said.
Faerie Dust’s horn lit up and a wind current swept all the glass into a nearby dumpster. “Let’s run.”
Phoenix didn’t wait to see Mystic Faerie’s response; if she was truly mad she could always telekinetically block him from leaving, so he ran after Faerie Dust.
If Mystic reacted badly to his exit, he never noticed.