"It was like a different human was up there, I swear, Darling," Rarity said with a smile as Twilight sat across from her, listening to her tale of Phoenix at the banquet she attended, "Neither of us were expecting him to be asked to give a quick speech, but he went up there with no hesitation and... Well he spoke! Very well, might I add. Oh, you should have been there. You would have been so proud."
"Yeah, I wish I was..." Twilight said as she glanced down, "It's so weird... We've known him for a while now, think you've sized him up, and then suddenly there's this small change in him one day... And the moment he's gone everything you hear about him is like he's a different pony- uh, human."
"It is a bit odd," Rarity nodded before freezing as she noticed the desolate look on her friend's face, "Twilight dear, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Twilight said as she looked up and smiled, "I guess I'm just a bit worried about Phoenix."
Rarity smiled as she waved a hoof in the air, "Oh don't be, darling. If anything I've seen means anything he's better than ever."
Twilight sighed as she looked down, "That's... Oh, this makes me sound mean, but that's what I'm worried about! Don't you think it's weird he just suddenly changed!"
Rarity blinked at the sudden outburst as she tried to think of a response, "I... Suppose it is a bit weird, but I must say with no offense meant towards Phoenix at all: He is very weird."
Twilight huffed as she crossed her forelegs across her chest, "He's not that weird, but even so, sudden changes like his don't just happen for no reason."
"Twilight, I don't mean to be nosy or to assume anything, but..." Rarity started as she leaned in, looking over her shoulders to make sure no one was listening, "Do you miss Phoenix already? It's only been a week, he'll be back before you know it."
"I don't-" Twilight began as she raised her voice, taking a pause as she realized how worked up she was, "...Maybe a little. I know I don't always have to be with him, but... I just feel like I'm missing something important."
Rarity nodded slowly as she looked at Twilight, seemingly examining her. A silence fell upon the two as they sat, Twilight looked down at the floor as Rarity kept her eyes on Twilight, trying to find the answer as to what was missing. A small gasp from Rarity broke the silence, causing Twilight to look up in confusion.
"Is something up?" Twilight frowned
"I think I've figured out what's missing," Rarity said with a knowing smile
"What is it?" Twilight asked, a hint of hesitation in her voice as if she knew whatever Rarity had to tell was going to be uncomfortable.
"Before I say..." Rarity hummed as she turned to her saddle bag, lifting an envelope out of it and drifting it over to Twilight, "Phoenix wrote you a letter... I was going to give it to you as I left so you had some personal time, but I think you should read it now."
Twilight took the letter in her magic as she eyed Rarity questioningly, "Do you know what he wrote?"
"No, but now I want to watch you read it," Rarity smiled
Twilight took a deep breath as she opened the letter, pulling the folded paper out of the envelope and lifting it to her face as she began to read.
Dear Twilight,
I guess maybe I should have talked with everyone about my trip... If I did maybe seeing Rarity in Baltimare wouldn't have scared the living daylight out of me.
Before I get into the nitty-gritty of what I did in Baltimare, let me respond to your previous letter.
You've never made me feel like an annoyance nor anything short of welcome in this new world. I'm sorry that I made it seem like that's how I feel, I promise it isn't. You're the best thing that could have happened to me here and I'm thankful for you and all you've done for me everyday. I guess I just wish I could do something to return all the kindness you've shown me. I know now I haven't shown enough towards you.
You're questions are certainly not a burden and I'm happy to answer them. I'm doing well on my journey and I'm happy with the pace I've set. In regards to Celestia and Luna and the reason for my walk, I think there must have been a miscommunication somewhere. I never stated there was no reason for my trip. Maybe the Emperor's New Clothes story muddled that up a bit. I'll have to apologize to them when I get the chance.
With my clothes, I simply just didn't have enough space in my bag and figured I'd think of something before I got up to the Frozen North. Now that I have the bag Rarity made me as well as the new clothes, there's no problem anymore.
Lastly, about my humor. Twilight, you don't need to worry.
Let's get into my time in Baltimare, shall we? I came into the fair city like many a-traveller: with a sore back and a head of hair full of leaves and twigs. When I was touring the city, I saw a boutique with a dress I thought Rarity might like... When I went to buy and send it to her, she popped up and tried to scare my soul from my body. Of course, she had made the dress so there wasn't really a point in sending it to her. There goes my good deed, huh?
Anyways, after that little scene, Rarity invited me to her fashion show and banquet. I've been to a fashion show once or twice back on Earth and of course one or two here in Equestria. This one, I think was the most enjoyable. It was most likely because of the amount of people. It wasn't some exclusive, closed off event that only the elites of fashion could see. Anypony who could buy a ticket was there. It made the whole thing much more enjoyable.
I wasn't expecting much from the banquet, to be honest. I'd been to countless banquets back on Earth and those were the second most boring events you could go to. Much like the fashion show, however, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. The atmosphere wasn't as high-falutin as banquets typically were. It was easy to just sit down and talk with other ponies... Besides myself at first, everypony actually seemed like they wanted to be there and they weren't stuck there because of some obligation. There was one thing I could think of that could have made that banquet perfect for me though.
It reminded me of the Grand Galloping Gala from last year. I remember when you told me about it, I wanted to bang my head against a wall. I mentioned that banquets were the second most boring events, right? Well the first are galas. Galas are the worst... Or at least were the worst. From my experience, galas were just parties rich people threw so they could brag to each other about how rich they are. The amount of self-congratulatory behavior mixed with obscene displays of wealth made me want to puke more than half the time. The Grand Galloping Gala... Honestly was no different. That being said though, I don't think I ever enjoyed a gala more than the Grand Galloping Gala. What made that gala great and what would have made the banquet perfect is you.
Even when we were just standing there, greeting ponies as they entered the building, being by your side was just... Fulfilling. The talks we had, the laughs we shared, and every moment in between is something I won't ever forget. There's just something about you that makes even the most excruciating events enjoyable. You managed to make the thing I hated the most, attending a gala, into something I wish we could do every night.
The next time we cross paths, I really need to do something for you to repay you for everything you've done for me and to make up all the hardship I've caused.
Please tell Rarity I say thank you for the clothes, again. And tell all our friends that I miss them and I hope they can forgive me for leaving so suddenly. I have my work cut out for me on the apology front, it seems.
Thinking of you always,
Phoenix
Twilight set down the letter as she swallowed, trying her best not to cry as she used a wing to fan her face.
"Darling, you're bright red~" Rarity hummed with a smile, "Do I have to say it?"
Twilight shook her head as she used a hoof to drag the letter close to her, "No... I think I know what's missing now too..."
----
"What I wouldn't do for a Philly cheesesteak..." Phoenix mumbled to himself as he walked down a long road filled with food vendors serving almost, but not quite, human meals. Phoenix wasn't exactly sure what a "Filly cheesehay" tasted like, but he had a feeling he wouldn't like it. That didn't stop him from seriously consider trying one, however. Lost in deep debate on whether or not he was going to try it out, he didn't notice as a cyan pegasus flew up from behind him, laughing to herself as she inched closer
"BOO!"
"JESUS TAP DANCING CHRIST!" Phoenix shouted in surprise as he jumped high into the air, turning around to face the vocal assailant.
"Ha, I got you good!" The rainbow maned pegasus laughed, her hooves crossed over her chest as she reclined in the air, tears coming from the corner of her eyes.
"My god, Rainbow. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Phoenix said as he put a hand over his heart.
"Come on, dude, you gotta say it~" Rainbow smirked as she hovered close to his face, "I got youuuuu~"
"Ya, you got me," Phoenix said with a roll of his eyes, "What're you doing here?... Is Twilight sending you guys to check on me or something?"
"Nah, she gets your whole deal," Rainbow assured with a wave of her hoof, "I'm here cause the Filly weather team needed an extra hoof after a few ponies called sick."
"Ah, gotcha," Phoenix nodded, "Don't let me keep you, Dash."
"Listen, I'll be done in like 10 minutes tops. Stick around, will ya? We can grab some lunch or something," Rainbow said
Phoenix laughed a bit as he shook his head, "Am I paying this time, too?"
"Nah, I got this one-" Rainbow began as she pat a hoof near her wing, her eyes going wide as she began to pat all over her body, "Ha, so, uh... Funny story... I forgot all my bits back in Ponyville."
"Of course you did," Phoenix hummed, "Lucky for you, one of the princesses snuck a generous amount of bits into my bag when I wasn't looking."
Rainbow laughed as she rubbed her hooves together, "Ah yeah! Looks like the princesses are the ones paying for our meal then!"
"What a conniving way to think of it," Phoenix snorted, "But you're not wrong."
Rainbow Dash laughed as she quickly turned her heads to look at the clouds, waving a hoof towards Phoenix, "I'll be back in a second, just stick around and chill, okay?"
"You got it, boss," Phoenix hummed as he watched the pegasus fly away. His gaze shifted back to the Filly cheesehay stand, his curiosity growing ever more. Trying to turn his attention to something else, he looked to a newsstand and approached it. Maybe something interesting happened in the day it took him to go from Baltimare to Fillydelphia.
Approaching the large stacks of paper, he glanced across the different prints, looking for something that caught his attention. And something surely did. On the front page of a paper called the "Equestrian Inquirer" laid two pictures of himself, one was of him at the Banquet last night, standing and giving his quick speech, and the other was a picture of him speaking with Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. The latter picture looked as if it was taken from very far away with a high quality camera. The headline read, "Phoenix The Human and Princess Luna's Royal Secret!"
With a snort, Phoenix picked up the paper and unfolded it, "What, did we both kill Princess Diana or something?" Phoenix had never been one to read tabloids, whether on Earth or in Equestria. However, when Equestrian tabloids began to write about him, he couldn't help but read. His favorite piece so far was an article titled "Humans Eat Foals!?!" with a picture of him playing a game with a group of schoolfoals.
"Alright, let's see what they've got"
Just a few days ago, Phoenix the Human was spotted in Canterlot being escorted by countless guards to Canterlot Castle. Upon arrival, he was greeted by not only Princess Celestia, but Princess Luna as well! According to our inside sources, Phoenix was immediately taken into a secret meeting room where only he and the princesses resided.
Phoenix only stayed in Canterlot for half a day before leaving. After his departure from Canterlot, he was next seen in Baltimare. In Baltimare, Phoenix played an integral role in planning Baltimare's Annual Fashion Fundraiser despite not being on the bill or even associated with event before it began. Our sources tell us the reason for his sudden association with the fundraiser is directly connected to the meeting Phoenix had with the princesses.
While the exact contents of the meeting are unknown, our sources tell us that it was to discuss Princess Luna wishing to court Phoenix, but before she could begin, he had to prove himself a worthy public servant. To do this, Princess Celestia pulled strings to allow Phoenix to help with the fundraiser. Since he left Canterlot, it is reported that Princess Luna has not stopped asking about her Human lover's progress.
Seeing as the fundraiser was a massive success, we expect the official announcement of Princess Luna and Phoenix's relationship to be coming soon!
Phoenix stared in disbelief as he scanned the last two paragraphs of the article again. He couldn't even begin to think of how whoever wrote this article managed to create such an absurd story, one so absurd he wished it was about him assassinating royalty.
All Phoenix could muster was a single word. One he had not used since he first arrived in Equestria and hadn't used since.
"Bruh."
Phoenix read over the article again, thinking he missed something integral to understanding the true nature of the article, but he only found himself more confused.
"Bruh, what?" Phoenix said, "Say that to my face, Equestrian Inquirer, I dare you."
Despite his original guttural and disgusted reaction, Phoenix couldn't help but let a smile cross his face. He doubted Princess Luna would read these papers or that she'd even hear about this story, so he had to make sure she did. His only regret is that he wouldn't be there to see the look on her face when she read it. Quickly snatching another two copies and paying for them, he quickly walked to the nearest bench and sat down. Setting two of the copies to the side and holding one, he began to read over it again, making sure he grabbed the right copies.
"AHHH!!!" A familiar voice screamed out as something shook him violently from behind
Phoenix looked over his shoulder and spotted the Cyan pegasus hovering in the air, muzzle right next to his ear as she held onto his shoulders, "Oh, hey Dash."
"You jump up scared when I yell boo from far away, but you don't even care when I scream in your ear and shake you?" Rainbow pouted as she drifted backwards
"I found something much scarier," Phoenix laughed.
"Pfft, what is it?" Rainbow asked as she crossed her forelegs across her chest
"Take a look," Phoenix hummed as he held the paper out to her
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Can't you just tell me what it says?"
"Dash... Can you read?" Phoenix frowned
"What?!" Rainbow asked as her eyes went wide
"It's just whenever I tell you to read something you tell me to read it for you," Phoenix noted
"I-I can read! I've read the entire Daring Do series! I just don't like reading newspapers, they're boring" Rainbow explained, a blush across her face
"Gotcha," Phoenix nodded as he looked back to the paper, "I still think you should read it. You won't believe me if I tell you,"
"Try me," Rainbow scoffed
"Well, apparently Luna and I are dating," Phoenix hummed
"What?! No way it says that!" Rainbow shouted as she snatched the paper from Phoenix's hands. She quickly raised the paper as close as she could to her face and began to read, mumbling what she read under her breath. Once she finished, she moved the paper away from her face and stared at Phoenix in shock, "...When were you gonna tell us?!"
"What?"
"When were you gonna tell us you were dating Luna?!"
Phoenix let out a laugh as he rubbed his face in annoyance, "Never because we're not!"
Rainbow frowned as she looked to the paper then back to Phoenix, "...Then why did they say you are?"
Phoenix shrugged, "I dunno, so people buy their papers? It's just some tabloid piece, they make stuff up all the time."
Rainbow laughed as she settled down on the bench next to Phoenix, "You had me going there for a second!... Wow, could you imagine? You and Luna?"
"I'm not sure if i want to imagine," Phoenix laughed with a shake of his head, "Buuuuut, if I have to imagine it, I'm not gonna imagine it alone."
Rainbow looked at Phoenix with a confused look before she suddenly realized at what he was hinting at causing a mischievous smirk to appear on her face, "You're gonna send this to Princess Luna?"
"Oh yeah," Phoenix hummed, "She's gotta suffer through this with me. That's what couples do, right?"
"Hey, let me get a copy. I wanna show it to Twilight, she's gonna freak," Rainbow laughed as she reached over him and grabbed one of the papers.
"I wouldn't say she'd freak," Phoenix snorted, "...She'd be excited that's for sure though,"
"Pfft, excited?" Rainbow laughed, "She'd be the opposite of excited. She'd be jealous!"
"Oh yeah, of course," Phoenix rolled his eyes.
"What? Don't tell me you haven't seen it!" Rainbow said as she nudged him
"Seen what?" Phoenix asked with a raise of an eyebrow
"Dude, no way," Rainbow said as she looked at him in disbelief, "You haven't seen it? Twilight's got the huuuuuugggggggeeeesssst crush on you!"
"Ha, good one," Phoenix snorted.
"You think I'm joking?" Rainbow frowned
"And failing miserably at it," Phoenix hummed
"Are you blind or something? How have you not noticed," Rainbow asked, "You notice everything! That's like, your thing."
"Because there's nothing to notice," Phoenix shrugged.
"Wow, stallions really are oblivious," Rainbow huffed, "Here, let's do it this way. Do you have a crush on her?"
Phoenix sighed as he leaned over, rubbing his temples, "Dash, I don't wanna think about that... It's just gonna make a lot of things way more complicated and I don't think I can deal with that."
"What, do you think she doesn't like you back or something?" Rainbow questioned
"Dash," Phoenix groaned, "Please, just... Let it go. I don't wanna talk about it."
"Sorry..." Rainbow mumbled
Phoenix took a deep breath as he sat back up right, "It's okay... I've just got a lot of things on my mind, ya know?"
"I get you," Rainbow nodded, "How about we get some food already? I saw you eyeing the Filly Cheesehay stand."
"You got me," Phoenix laughed, "...Would you mind sticking around for a bit after we eat? I wanna write some letters and if you wouldn't mind delivering them to Twilight I'd appreciate it... One's to Luna, but I figured Twilight could magic it over or whatever."
"You got it, Nix. I mean, you're covering lunch, right?" Rainbow hummed
"Right," Phoenix laughed
----
"Yo, Twilight, are you here?" Rainbow Dash called out as she entered the castle
"Be right there!" A voice called out. Before Rainbow could even turned her head, a familiar purple pony popped into view and trotted up to her, "Rainbow Dash, there you are! Where've you been all day?"
"Well, I had to fly to Fillydelphia to help out with some stuff and you'd never guess who I saw," Rainbow hummed
"Oh, did you see Phoenix? How is he? Has he been eating and sleeping well? He's not hurt is he?" Twilight began to fret
"Twilight, chill," Rainbow laughed, "He's all good. I've got a letter from him actually... And one for Princess Luna too. Do you think you could send it off?" Rainbow asked as she pulled out an envelope
"Oh, of course! I'll get that to Spike right away," Twilight hummed as she took the envelope in her magic, "And you've got one for me too?"
"Mhm, right here," Rainbow said as she reached and grabbed another envelope. Twilight grabbed it with a wide smile on her face, already beginning to open it up as Rainbow hummed, "So, did you hear the news?"
"...What news?" Twilight asked as she set the letter down
"About Princess Luna and Phoenix? It was in the paper," Rainbow told
"I haven't heard anything about them! Is something the matter?" Twilight frowned
"Nah, they're great! Look, read this!" Rainbow said with a smile as she pulled out a newspaper.
Twilight cautiously took the paper from Rainbow and began to read, "'Phoenix The Human and Princess Luna's Royal Secret!' How sensational..." Twilight commented as she started the article. Rainbow watched in excitement, trying to contain her laughter as Twilight quickly made her way down the page. As she did, her curious look quickly devolved into one of sadness. Her face drooped as she hung onto each word of the article, her ears folding down as she looked at the floor, "He never told me..."
"He didn't tell anyone! It was a big secret," Rainbow hummed
"Did... Did he tell you that?" Twilight asked as she looked up at Rainbow, her disappointment clear in her voice
"Mhm," Rainbow nodded, causing Twilight to deflate even more than she already had, "So secret not even Phoenix or Princess Luna knew about it!"
"What?"
"Twilight, it's made up!" Rainbow laughed, "Sorry, sorry, I just had to scare you a little! Phoenix found that some paper wrote a dumb article and I just had to."
"Wait, so... They're not together?" Twilight asked
"Nope, he's still your stallion to catch~" Rainbow said with a smirk
Twilight blushed brightly as she looked to Rainbow Dash then quickly looked away, "I don't know what you mean."
"Come on, Twilight," Rainbow snorted, "You don't have to hide it from me!"
"H-How-" Twilight stuttered as she looked around before closing the gap between her and Rainbow, "How do you know?! Rarity didn't even know until this morning! I didn't even know until this morning!"
"Pfft, seriously?" Rainbow laughed, "He's like, all you talk about! And remember the night when we all found out Phoenix was stuck here? And even though he said he was fine you insisted that you stay with him even though he was gonna go to bed? And you refused to get up from his lap?"
"I just wanted to make sure he was actually ok!" Twilight stomped
"So did everyone else, but we weren't curling up and falling asleep in his lap like an over-sized cat," Rainbow teased
"Shush," Twilight huffed
"Twilight's got a cruuuusssshhh~" Rainbow hummed
"Stop it, Dash!" Twilight blushed as she looked away, "W-why is Phoenix sending Princess Luna a letter, by the way?"
Rainbow laughed as she shook her head, "Someone's gotta tell the princess about her new stallion friend."
"Oh stars, I don't think that's going to end well," Twilight frowned
"Maybe, but it's still funny," Rainbow hummed, "Anyways, back to you and Pheeny Weeny~"
"A-Actually Dash, I've got a lot of work to do! M-maybe we can pick this up tomorrow?" Twilight swallowed as she ushered Rainbow Dash to the castle doors
"Oh, sure," Rainbow laughed as she walked slowly to the door, "You need some personal time with that letter, right?"
"Don't be gross!" Twilight chastised
"Hey, that's where your mind went. I just meant you wanted some peace and quiet," Rainbow hummed as she made it to the open door, "See ya later, Twilight!"
Twilight watched as the pegasus flew off from the castle, not taking her eyes off her until she was just a speck in the sky. With a sigh, Twilight walked back into her castle and retrieved the partially opened letter. Taking a deep breath, she continued her mission and opened it, taking it from the envelope and unfolding it
Dear Twilight,
Before I begin, have you read that article yet? Don't worry, I can wait until you do...
Now that you've read it, let me apologize first... Even though it was Rainbow Dash's idea. I told her it'd be dumb, but she insisted. Personally, I just wanted to tell Luna and freak her out by pretending it was all true. But besides that, isn't that article just wild? Some ponies really just come up with the weirdest things. And why me and Luna? I feel like we've spent the least amount of time together, you'd think if they were coming up with some dumb romance story it'd be with someone in Ponyville. But tabloids will be tabloids, it's nice to see that in Equestria even tabloids are just as weird. At least this one isn't claiming my dad helped assassinate the President or something.
Anyways, onto stories that are real. I don't really have one. Nothing exciting has happened since my little adventure with Rarity, which I guess is kind of a good thing. I made it to Fillydelphia pretty quickly and without incident. I'm mega regretting my no inn rule now and so is my back, but we push on. I think this marks a halfway point, though! Now all that's left is Manehattan, Neighagra Falls, then the Crystal Empire.
Think I'm gonna bump into somepony in Manehattan too? I mean, once is a coincidence, twice is a pattern. I think that's how the saying goes, I don't remember. If I bumped into a third pony I'd say they're being sent to find me, but I know better.
I hope all is well back in Ponyville and that you're doing well too. Rainbow Dash encouraged me to try my first hay-based food and I've gotta say... It's not as terrible as I thought it'd be. Still pretty bad, but not offensively bad like I thought it'd be. I could tolerate it with more seasoning, I think.
That kind of seems to be the case with most things in Equestria with me. I assume it's gonna be awful, but it ends up just being mildly distasteful... Sometimes even good. Damn, I'm finding metaphors and lessons through food, maybe I am losing my mind. I guess we'll see, won't we?
I still miss you and still hope you're doing well. Tell everyone I say hi, again. Except for Dash, I've already said hi to her.
Thinking of you always,
Phoenix