I heard later that the banging in the library had lasted for many hours. With nothing else to do, Frostbite and I made our way through the residential side of town.
“Dude, what the hell!?” I asked him.
“I know right? That little guy put on quite a show,” he said, pointing at the bird in my hand. I had it held carefully against my chest so it wouldn’t fall and hurt itself. It continued to stare at me as it had been doing since its birth not half an hour before. It tilted its head back and forth curiously. “And the look on Data Point’s face! I thought we were done for!”
“I don’t mean them! I mean what the hell is wrong with you!? We were so close to getting payed! How did you manage to fuck it up so bad? Rose is going to kill us!”
“What do you mean us? She wouldn’t be mad at you if you stabbed her in the face.”
“She’ll kill you then. The point is that someone still dies in this situation!”
He could tell exactly how pissed I was at him, and not just by my tone of voice. He suddenly found his hooves very interesting and his ears pulled themselves back. “Sorry. I couldn’t see very well and I tripped,” he said.
“What do you mean you couldn’t see, weren’t you raised in a cave?”
“Just because I have good night vision, that doesn’t mean my eyes don’t have to adjust to the dark. Those blinds were only closed for a few seconds before I tripped!” he defended.
“Fine, whatever. I guess it doesn’t matter now,” I said. We continued walking for a few seconds before Frost spoke up again.
“Did you see how those towers fell though? That was so weird. And that giant book fell just right to tear down the blinds.”
I sighed. “Yeah, but that’s basically what I’ve come to expect of this world. Lots of weird cartoony shit goes down here and usually I’m the only one who notices.”
“We may not have gotten payed, but hey, at least we got a bird, right?” Frost asked. He was clearly trying to cheer me up, and it wasn’t working. It was less that I was mad at him, and more that I was mad at our current situation and how we had found ourselves there.
“I don’t even know what kind of bird this is! I don’t even know what gender it is! It could be dangerous for all we know. I’d look it up in the library, but seeing as we’re probably banned for life now, we’re shit outta luck on that front, aren't we?” I ranted.
“Honestly, I didn’t think the egg was even real! I though it was just some fancy decorative piece that wasn’t supposed to see daylight because it would ruin the paint job or something. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to burst into flames!” Frost’s head drooped again and I looked to the bird in my hand. “You wouldn’t happen to know what you are, would you little guy?” I wasn’t expecting a reply, but the bird shook its head no. I looked at it confused for a second before dismissing the response as a trick of the mind.
“What are we going to do with it?” Frostbite asked.
“I guess I’ll keep it for now, assuming it isn’t a total pain in the ass to take care of.” The bird started nuzzling my chest. We arrived in front of our apartment a few seconds later. “Hopefully Rose won’t mind too much,” I said before knocking on the front door. A few seconds later the door opened and a tan head and red mane appeared in the doorway.
“Sir, if I may ask, why are you holding a bird?” Rosebud asked.
“Yeah, Frost. Why am I holding a bird?”
“Really, you’re just going to throw me under the wagon here?” Frost asked.
“Well, the nice mare asked a question, and I figured you’d be the best one to tell her the answer.”
“Wow, you’re really doing this aren’t you?” His only response was my evil smile. He sighed. “Fine, let’s get this over with.”
We all went inside and sat at the kitchen table and Frostbite began to recount the events of the last few days.
—————
“So that’s why you have a bird, sir?”
“That’s why I have a bird,” I confirmed.
Said bird was nuzzling as deep as possible into my chest at the moment. I had tried to set it on the table multiple times throughout story time, but the bird would immediately waddle it’s way back to me like its life depended on having physical contact with me. I had given up after the third try.
“It seems to like you,” Frost commented.
“Yeah, I noticed.”
“What kind of bird is it, sir?”
“Like I told Frostbite, I have no clue, and I can’t exactly go to the library to find out.”
“Well, sir, I believe there is a veterinary clinic in town. Maybe they will know what it is. Or I could visit the library when I have time. The librarian doesn’t know my face.”
“I like the vet idea. You already do plenty Rose, and I don’t want you to use up what free time you have on this,” I told her. Of the three of us, she was the main source of income. She was a bartender and tended to do odd jobs in her spare time. Even then, she was still eager to try and please me whenever I was around. “Frost and I will try and find the vet. Rose, you should probably get a nap in before your shift at the bar.”
“Of course, sir. If you need anything from me just wake me up.”
Rose stood and went to her room to sleep, closing the door behind her. I had managed to get her to stop bowing to me a few months ago, but I just couldn’t get her to stop calling me ‘sir’ all the time.
“She must have been really tired, she didn’t even yell at me,” Frost said.
“Yeah, I know. We should do something nice for her, but for now let’s go to the vet’s.”
—————
It had taken an hour to find the place. We had to stop and ask for directions more than once. The building was small, but spacious on the inside. With bird in hand I walked up to the receptionist desk.
“Hi, how can I help you?” the pony behind the desk asked.
“Hi. I came into possession of this bird through... strange circumstances, to say the least,” I said, holding the avian so she could see it. “I know absolutely nothing about it and I was wondering if you guys could give it a checkup and tell me anything about it.”
The receptionist glanced at the bird. “I don’t recognize the species, but I’m sure one of the doctors could help answer some questions,” she said. She slid a paper across the desk. “If you would fill this out, a doctor should be out in a few minutes.”
I gave her my thanks and took the sheet. Filling the thing out was a hassle and a half, what with the bird in the way near constantly, trying to garner my attention. The form went back to the receptionist and I sat back down on a bench along with a few other waiting customers and what I assumed to be their pets. I didn’t wait long, as a door off to the side opened up and a smiling griffin stood in the doorway, ushering out a pony and her dog to check out with the receptionist.
“Marcus Reed?” he called. I stood and made my way over, Frost trailing behind me. “I’m Doctor Razorbeak. So, I hear we have a mystery bird on our talons.” He said, closing the door behind us. The room was simple, consisting of a metal table for checkups and a counter with a sink and drawers.
“Yup,” I said.
“May I see it?” I moved over to the table and put the bird down. Unsurprisingly, it immediately started waddling back to me. I pushed it back to the center of the table before it could fall off. “Wow, it has beautiful coloration. How old is it?”
“It was born this morning,” said Frostbite.
“That’s strange,” the doctor said, looking perplexed.
Another push.
“Why’s that?”
“Birds aren’t normally born with their feathers. Some species are born with fluff, like we griffins, but I don’t know of any species that are born with full on feathers.”
Another push. An indignant squawk.
“I think someone wants some attention,” Razerbeak chuckled.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, well it’s had plenty of attention over the past few hours. I’ve been holding it pretty much its entire life. I don’t think wanting to have my hands free for five minutes is asking to much.”
“Can you give us a gender doc?” Frostbite asked.
Razerbeak hummed thoughtfully. “I can’t be certain without being invasive, but based on the plumage, I believe it is male.”
Another push. That seemed to be the last straw for the little bird. It squawked again, but this time a small flame erupted from its mouth.
“Woah!” I shouted, yanking my hand back to avoid being burned.
“Well,” the doc said. “I think I know what our mystery bird is now. I don’t think many vets have had the privilege of working with a phoenix before.”
“Phoenix?” I asked. I guess that made sense. The various shades of red feathers and the spontaneous combustion of the egg it came from should have given it away. If I had known they existed in this world, that probably would have been my first guess.
Oh, who am I kidding? This world has unicorns, griffins, and seemingly every other creature from human mythology, so it wasn’t much of a stretch to think phoenixes would exist here too.
“Since we know what it is now, what else can you tell us about it doc?” I asked.
“Not much really. They’re red, breath fire, and don’t like staying dead. Not much is known about them because they’re so rare. It also doesn’t help that there’s only one case in recorded history of a domesticated pheonix. Well, I guess it’s two now. The only other being to have a pet phoenix is Princess Celestia herself.” Razerbeak replied.
“Holy shit!” Frostbite said in awe. “Marcus, do you know what this means? Screw getting payed for the job! We could sell the bird, get rich and retire early!”
“First of all, when did you start using my curses? And second, we aren’t selling the bird.” That seemed to deflate the blue stallion slightly. The animal in question chirped in agreement. How I could tell it was agreement, I had no clue. It even nodded its little head before it began to waddle at me again. This time I picked it up, holding it as I had coming in. It nestled into my chest and chirped happily.
“That aside,” I pushed on. “Do you know why it’s so smart doc? It seems to understand what we’re saying and responds to questions.”
“Magical creatures aren’t my forte Mr. Reed. I may know a few tidbits about plenty of strange animals, due to the nature of the pets some in this town choose to keep, but like I said earlier, phoenixes are a complete mystery. The only thing I can say is I don’t know.”
“Alright, that’s understandable. Can you at least tell me why he’s so damn clingy?”
“Some animals tend to imprint on the first thing they see, so that would be my best guess. It could also be that he just likes you. It’s still a baby, so it will be dependent on you for a time. Once again, I can’t say how long that will be. If you have anymore questions, it would probably be wise to get in touch with the only other being with a phoenix.”
“So you’re telling me to wing it. Great.” As if the ruler of a nation would want to talk to me about my new pet. How the hell would I even get in contact with her? “Can you give him a checkup so we can head out? I’d like to get some rest before we pick out a new job.”
————
We left the clinic not long after. The doc gave the bird his first checkup, though it was to get a baseline rather than determine if he was healthy, and asked me to bring him back in periodically.
By the time we got back to the apartment the sun was beginning to set. Rose was up and she had dinner ready for our return. We sat down and I explained what happed at the vet’s to Rose while we ate.
“What are you going to do with it sir?” She asked
“Sell it!” Frostbite said.
“I’m not selling him.” I stated flatly. “The way you’ve been acting, I’d expect you to be part of Greed’s bunch.”
“Stop being an embarrassment in front of the lord!” Rose snapped aggressively at Frost.
“First of all, I’m no lord, and second, calm down Rose. It was just a joke, wasn’t it Frost?” I said, giving him an easy out.
“Yup, just a joke.” Smart boy.
“Of course sir.” Rose said. Her earlier demeanor had done a complete one-eighty.
I looked down at the phoenix on the table. We didn’t have anything to feed him so I just gave it some of my food. “If we’re going to keep you, you need a name.”
“How about Payday?” Frost suggested.
“Rose, you have 10 seconds to do with him as you please,” I said dully, starting a mental countdown. The wicked grin that split her face was the stuff of nightmares. She didn’t waste any time, launching herself over the table at Frost. Frostbite yelped in surprise and fell backwards off his cushion. Rose flew over him, hitting the air he used to occupy. When she landed she turned with a snarl to where Frost lay on the floor. He quickly rolled onto his hooves and ran around to my side of the table, Rose giving chase, but not quite fast enough to catch him before he could hide behind me. Every time she made a move Frost would move to put his new meat shield between them. This went on for a few more seconds before I called it. “Time’s up.”
Rose immediately calmed down and smiled at me sweetly. “Thank you for the opportunity sir,” She said before returning to her seat and acting like nothing had happened. Frost seemed content hiding behind me, just in case she attacked again. The bird had tilted its head back and forth in curiosity as the scene played out in front of it. Once again, how I could tell it was curiosity was anyone’s guess. I reached out and scratched its feathered head with a finger. It showed its approval by leaning into the appendage.
“Seriously, it needs a name,” I said. “Preferably something with a fire theme because, you know, flaming bird and all.”
Everyone took a few seconds to think before Rose spoke up. “What about Cinder?”
“I like it, but that feels more like a female name.”
Back to brainstorming.
“Dawn?” I thought out loud. “No. That’s good too, but see above comment.”
“Sunny?” Frost asked.
“We’re getting closer, keep going along that line of thinking.”
“Ember, Ray, Pyre, Scorch, Ash-“
“Hold on, go back!” I interrupted his rapid fire list.
“What, Scorch?”
“No, before that.”
“Pyre?”
I looked at the little phoenix on the table. I rolled the name around in my head, trying to determine if it would fit the little guy. The bird seemed more intelligent than it should be, so I decided it should have a say in its own name. “What do you think little guy? You look like a Pyre to me.” It looked at me adorably for a second before it gave a nod of confirmation. “I guess that settles it. His name is Pyre.”
“Good for you sir.” Rose said without a single hint of sarcasm. Frost, finally determining that the danger had passed, sat back down and we all finished eating.
Rose left for her shift at the bar not long after. I decided to turn in early so I could wake up early and find a new job to make up for our last failure. I took a shower and entered the room Rose had slept in earlier, while Frost entered his own room. The apartment only had two bedrooms, and with three of us and only two of them, it had been an issue upon moving in. The three of us had to hash out a deal for who got what room.
Of course, Rose had immediately insisted that I get one of the rooms. I tried to reason that I could sleep on the couch, something I was totally fine with and was much more suited for than my companions. After Rose was done with her conniption at the mere suggestion that I sleep on the couch, we somehow came to the agreement that I would take Rose’s room when she wasn’t using it. We could both store things in it, but if we are both staying the night I would sleep on the couch. Looking back now, that was probably one of the reasons she worked the night shift. Frost hadn’t added anything to the conversation for fear of losing his own room.
I made my way over to the bed, bird in hand. Well crap, what was I going to do with him? He didn’t have anywhere to sleep, so I set him on the nightstand and sat on the mattress. The little bird immediately began his waddling routine to try and get back to me. I sighed in exasperation. “Look, little guy, I don’t have anywhere to put you right now. Can you just hang out on the nightstand for the night?”
Pyre shook his head and jumped off the nightstand and into my lap.
“What do you mean ‘no’? You can’t sleep in the bed. If I roll over, you’ll be crushed.” The bird was undeterred and snuggled up to my stomach. After a moment I sighed. “You probably wouldn’t care as long as I was touching you, huh?” A nod was the answer I received.
“Fine, you win. If I wake up to find a dead bird, after all the trouble we went through today, I’m going to be pissed.” I picked up Pyre and rolled onto my back. I pulled the covers over myself and placed Pyre on top of my chest. He immediately curled up into a tiny ball of crimson feathers. It was kinda strange because birds don’t normally do that, but I knew after the events of today the word normal shouldn’t be applied to this bird.
“We’re also going to have to do something about how clingy you are. In town it’s cute, but when I’m working it’s going to get someone killed.” When I got no response I looked down to find Pyre out cold on my chest. Thinking he had the right idea, I quickly joined him in the world of dreams.
[End Chapter Two]