Chapter Thirteen: Firebird - Part One
I stepped through the doorway and back into the hotel room, only to be immediately surrounded by the girls and violently seized at the collar by Rainbow Dash.
“A guy! A guy!? Seriously!? But… But… You’re not into guys! You’re straight!” She exclaimed.
“Well, I see you’ve told everyone.” I said to Twilight, raising an eyebrow.
“I couldn’t resist.” The purple unicorn giggled.
Pushing Dashie away and sitting down on the sofa, I rubbed the back of my neck anxiously.
“Trust me, I wasn’t expecting it to go this way, I am straight! But it’s just a date, it’s not like I’m going to hold hands with him all night and then jump into bed with the lad. It’ll be nothing more than a decent night out and a few drinks with another bloke, and it’s also a possible way of getting some cash. So why not, I suppose?”
“But what if things get… Intimate?” Rarity asked.
“Jeez, I don’t know Rare! Pretend he’s a girl, I guess? I don’t bloody know! Hopefully it won’t go that far, but if he starts trying to get things on with me, I suppose I’ll just try to keep an open mind and go with it, it’s not like I can do much else if I’m trying to get money off him.”
“You could just be honest and tell him you don’t swing that way?” Applejack posed.
“Well because, again, I’m trying to get money off him. If I can just suck it up and romance the chap, I’m sure he’ll be generous, he seems like a genuinely nice guy.”
“Heh, you’ll be sucking something up alright…” Rainbow Dash chuckled.
I partially unsheathed Vitra ‘Aku and glared at the pegasus.
“I will use this.” I threatened.
Chuckling nervously, she piped down and I slotted the sword back into its sheath. Sighing heavily, I buried my face into my hands and groaned.
“Am I way in over my head here? Or am I completely overthinking this? It’s just a few drinks, that’s all he offered, perhaps I’m being too bold to presume it’ll go further than that.” I huffed.
“Maybe, but it’s good to be prepared in case things do end up going further than that.” Said Twilight.
This immediately caused me to spiral back into over-worrying about it again.
“Oh god, what if it comes down to butt stuff?”
“Need a few tips?” Dashie asked, winking at me.
“I’m good, thanks.”
“Fair enough.” She shrugged.
With the lot of us actively ignoring the fact that Rainbow Dash had just very openly admitted that she was into anal, the others tried their best to calm me down and put things into perspective. Quite surprisingly, it ended up being Pinkie Pie that helped me the most; in an astonishing spectacle of maturity and wisdom, the mare took one of my hands in her hoof and smiled warmly at me.
“Look Cal, you’re thinking way too hard on this being about a guy. It sounds to me like you’ve been asked on a date by a nice person! Forget about if it’s a boy or a girl, and heck, forget about the money. Don’t you think you’ve earned a nice night out? We’ve overcome so many challenges, finding money’s going to be a breeze, so stop thinking so hard on it and just go to have fun. We’ll find another way to get what we need, but as for tonight, just go to make some memories and experience something new.
After all, life’s for living.”
I looked into those bright blue eyes of hers, so full of wholesomeness, innocence, and goodwill.
She was right.
Reaching forward, I wrapped my arms around the mare and hugged her tightly.
“Thanks Pinkie. You know, you’re actually incredibly wise when you want to be.”
“Me? Nah!”
“I mean it, I think we should look to you far more often than we do.” I insisted.
Blushing, Pinkie rolled her eyes and giggled, persisting that she was just ‘simple old Pinkie Pie’ and nothing more. Moving on, I took another deep breath and stretched.
“So, who even is this guy?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yeah, tell us about him!” Added Pinkie.
Shuffling uncomfortably on the sofa, I insisted that they knew just as much as I did, seeing as I had only just met the guy. Rarity pressed the matter however, demanding to know his name and what he looked like.
“He’s called Phoenix. Phoenix Storm.”
“Now that’s a name to remember!” Twilight exclaimed.
“That is literally, word for word, what I said to him.” I laughed in response.
Fluttershy eagerly hopped onto the sofa with me, her eyes now full of curiosity.
“I didn’t know phoenixes existed on Earth!” She gasped, quizzingly.
“They don’t, they only existed in old Greek mythology. In fact, they were probably inspired by glimpses of Equus, as they were with much of their stories and depictions.” I muttered ponderously.
“Greek-shmeek, what does Phoenix look like?” Dashie demanded.
Laughing, I described the lad to everyone, to which they all agreed that he sounded like a good catch.
“So, what should I wear? Do I dress up for this date?” I asked outwardly, shrugging.
“Honestly, the clothes you stole from the yacht suit you really well. Personally I’d just stick with what you’re already wearing.” Twilight answered.
“I concur, and besides, your only other option is the desert cloth getup that Hawnu Rey’eng provided for us, and that’s hardly suitable for an evening out in an urban environment.” Rarity added.
“You could always go pony-style and wear nothing?” Rainbow Dash teased.
“And you could always shut up?” I suggested in reply.
“Okay, I will. Bye.”
Dashie stuck her tongue out and trotted off into one of the bedrooms, declaring that she was going to take a nap, which hardly surprised me after how hard she’d worked herself yesterday. Despite all her moronic comments today, we practically owed her our lives after last night’s flight.
“My my, she is so jealous.” Applejack chuckled.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Of you, going on a date with someone that isn’t her.” She replied, chuckling.
“Oh that’s just bollocks, she’s not jealous. We aren’t sleeping together anymore, and even back when we were, it was strictly physical, she’s never been into me romantically.”
Chuckling even more, the orange mare sat beside me and slung a foreleg around my back.
“My sweet summer child, if you believe that, then you don’t know Rainbow Dash all too well. That ol’ pegasus is as jealous as can be… Once she’s been with a guy, even if it’s just for one night, she’ll forever more hate the idea of someone else having them afterwards. She’s got it in her head that sleeping with somepony claims them as her own, and she don’t like it when someone else tries to, well, unclaim them.”
“So basically I’m one of her trophies?” I queried, frowning.
“Something like that. And seeing as you’re the only human she’ll ever, claim… Well, someone else having you, especially another guy for that matter, let’s just say she could’ve killed someone when Twilight broke the news.”
“I see.” I murmured, still frowning.
“Hey, don’t let it get to you too much, she’s just being immature about it. If anything, take it as a compliment, what I wouldn’t give for somepony to be that possessive over me!” She laughed.
“You not been in the dating world much then?” I asked.
“Gosh no, I’ve never had the time, what with running the farm and caring for Applebloom and Granny Smith… I probably won’t find someone until Granny passes and Applebloom’s old enough to help run things, there’s just too much responsibility to divert the time to my love-life.”
“That’s pretty sad to be honest.”
“Eh, not really. There comes a point where you stop thinking about it, and you just commit to the life you already have. I’ve got my farm, I’ve got my family, and I’ve got my friends, and that’s all I need to be happy in life, so why spend time longing for something more?”
“Aww, Applejack, that’s really sweet…” Pinkie Pie moaned, lunging forward and hugging the farm pony.
Rarity then sighed heavily, resting a foreleg against her brow in a theatrical manner.
“And then there’s little old me, hopelessly longing for my Prince Charming on a daily basis, knowing I’ll never be complete in life without him…”
We all laughed, and before we knew it, the lot of us were all on the subject of dating and whom all of our dream partners would be. Applejack went first, and as expected, she’d want someone honest, dependable, and no stranger to a hard day of work. The ability to cook was also preferred, but not required.
Rarity was also predictable as hell, her dream fellow needed to be visually appealing, have an appreciation for fashion, knew how to treat a lady, and eager to shower her with romantic gestures.
“Fond of animals, and good with them, obviously.” Fluttershy declared.
“Well duh? That’d be like Twilight saying she wants someone literate.” I laughed.
“Hey! I wouldn’t mind if he was literate or not!”
Sniffing loudly in Twilight’s direction, I asked if anypony else could pick up the scent of bullshit in the air. Everyone laughed, besides Twilight of course, whom responded by poking me firmly in the arm with her hoof and arguing the point, scowling at me as she did so.
“I’ll have you know, that while having something in common is definitely an important factor, it’s also been proven many times that opposites attract. If my future partner ended up being unable to read, I would either help him learn, or simply read to him, it wouldn’t be a deal-breaker for me.”
“So what would be a deal-breaker then?” Rarity inquired.
“A lacking of emotional depth, for sure. I want someone whom I can talk about life, death, the universe, and all things in between with. I need a guy with a passion for the deeper aspects of life, and even if he isn’t literate, I’d still hope he has a mind for poetry, and an appreciation for it.”
We were about to say something when she quickly added that he would also need to have good dental hygiene, which made us all laugh.
“What? That’s a perfectly valid thing to want in a partner!” She whined.
“It’s not that, it’s just funny how much contrast there is between those two points.” Rarity giggled.
Crossing her hooves and shuffling uncomfortably, Twilight raised her muzzle and huffed defensively.
“What about you, Pinkie? What would you desire in a special somepony?” I put forward.
“Um, well he’s got to love parties, he’s got to love cake, and he’s got to love Gummy! And it’s also super important that he can keep up with my energy, like, I’d feel really bad if I was constantly wearing him out, because I know I can be quite a lot to put up with sometimes, and I don’t want to constantly exhaust the poor guy, so yeah, the most important thing is that he’s as extroverted and excitable as me.”
“Good luck finding a guy like that!” Rarity scoffed, chuckling.
“I know it won’t be easy, but I know he’s out there somewhere, and I know there’s something special about him, I just know it!” Pinkie protested.
“Something special? What do you mean, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
“I don’t know exactly, but I do know for a fact that whenever I eat cheese, I always have really romantic dreams, so maybe cheese has something to do with it.”
“Isn’t eating cheese before bed quite well known for conjuring odd dreams?” I pointed out.
“Well yes, but actually, no.” Twilight interjected.
The purple mare went on to explain that although eating cheese before bed did indeed increase the potential of dreams and nightmares, it wasn’t specifically cheese that caused it, and that eating any food that was harder to digest would cause it. Digesting food while asleep would disrupt one’s deeper rest, allowing dreams to occur more often and more vividly, on account of the brain being forced back into REM sleep.
“Thanks nerd.” I teased.
Pinkie thanked her for the explanation, but insisted that her experience was something different, as it was specifically cheese before bed that would bring on bouts of romantic and intimate dreams, which were always of the exact same stallion, and yet she would always wake with no memory of what he looked like.
“When you say… intimate?” I began.
“You know exactly what I mean and I’m not saying anything else about it! Talking about that sort of thing makes me kind of uncomfortable, I’m still really shy about that stuff and it just makes me feel all weird and confused!”
“Noted, filed, and shan’t be brought up again.” I replied, dipping my head respectfully.
Moving on from the subject, the girls turned to me and asked who my ideal partner would be.
“Other than strange men on the street of course.” Applejack added, winking.
I lunged forward and playfully tried to swipe at the mare with an open hand, she dodged back and stuck her tongue out at me. Rolling my eyes, I sat back and hummed, before giving my answer.
“Well, that’s quite a tough one, because the person I wanted is gone now. But uh, moving forward, I think I’d like someone who knows how to laugh in the face of adversity, to roll with the punches and be unafraid of throwing themselves into a new adventure. A durable sense of humour would be pretty ideal too, as you all know, I’m no stranger to cracking some darker jokes every now and then, and I don’t think I could settle down with someone that gets offended at every little off-comment I make.
And honestly, I’d need someone with a lot of patience, because after all I’ve been through, adjusting to a normal life, let alone a romantic one, is going to be hard. So yeah, someone with the patience and empathy to understand me, along with all the trauma I’ve been through, is going to be a must.”
I sat back and nodded my head, satisfied with the response I’d given.
“Well, let’s hope this Phoenix fellow is something along those lines, because it won’t be long before you have to go and see him.” Rarity sang, grinning.
“Oh don’t be so bloody ridiculous, it’s just a date!” I spat defiantly.
“And that’s how so many wonderful, committed, happy, long-term relationships begin…”
“Rarity, don’t make me turn the Mane Six into the Mane Five, I swear…”
“Oh darling, I’m just having a little fun with you.”
“Well put an end to it, it’s clearly making him uncomfortable!” Applejack butted in.
After a moment’s silence, she then added…
“Besides, it’s Phoenix that’s going to be having fun with him later.”
“That’s it!”
Jumping to my feet, I dived forward and tackled Applejack to the ground and started relentlessly tickling her just below the ribs, causing her to yelp and flail around wildly until she eventually begged for mercy.
“There is no mercy.” I croaked with a Sheev Palpatine impression, before pouncing on her once more.
After tickling a few more pleas for forgiveness out of her, I finally relented and released the mare, whom scrambled away from me and rushed to the bathroom without a moment’s hesitation.
“You nearly made me piss myself, you darn bastard!” She wailed as she left.
“Good!” I hollered after her.
Chuckling, I dusted myself off and made sure there wasn’t any fur on my clothes, although the girls didn’t shed all that much, I had always noticed a few short hairs here and there on my clothing throughout our travels, let alone their bedding.
After about forty minutes of freshening myself up and making idle chit-chat with the girls, it was time to leave, I tucked Vitra ‘Aku’s handle under my shirt, with the rest of the relic remaining well hidden, thanks to the void sheath.
“Not planning on killing your date, are you?” Twilight jested.
“It’s just for emergencies. For all I know, this guy could be leading me into a trap.”
“Paranoid much, dear?” Said Rarity.
“Hey, with all we’ve faced, you never know.” I hummed.
“Well, regardless, that thing is hardly well concealed, you’ve got a great big bulge coming out of the side of your shirt from the handle.”
Looking down and to my left, Rarity was right.
“Huh, didn’t think it was that obvious.”
Thinking about it, people in the states were allowed to carry arms, so I could potentially pass it off as my handgun or something, but on the other hand, why would I be bringing a gun to a bloody date?
“Oh, I’ve got an idea!” Rarity sang, and then used her magic to levitate her bag over.
Rummaging around through her belongings for but a second, Rarity pulled out a long turquoise sash.
“Shirt up.” She ordered.
Lifting up my shirt, I allowed Rarity to levitate the sash over to me and wrap around my belly, sword included, binding it to me and making it almost impossible to perceive after putting my shirt back down.
“There we go!”
“Nice one, thanks Rare!”
Picking up my collar from the kitchen countertop, I put it around my neck and headed to the doorway.
“Are you all going to be okay without me tonight?”
“We’re fully grown adults, we’ll be totally fine, go have some fun!” Applejack called over.
“What if-”
“Callum, we’ll be fine.” Twilight interrupted.
She approached me and looked up into my eyes with a confident smile.
“You may be our protector, and a fearsome warrior, but as Rarity says, we are fully grown adults, three of which have all had to take lives too during this journey, we can handle ourselves for just one night.”
“Alright then, well in that case, wish me luck.”
“Have a great time. As Pinkie said, don’t think about the money, just have a good time for the sake of having a good time. Oh, and don’t feel like you need to keep that collar on all night, it might make things weird, or not, who knows?”
I nodded in affirmation and stepped out the door.
“No adult channels while I’m away, alright?”
“We are never bringing that up again, ever.” Twilight growled.
“Adult what?” Applejack inquired.
“Byyeeee!” I sang, shutting the door in Twilight’s face and skipping down the corridor.
After making my way down the corridor and down the elevator, I emerged from the hotel and began retracing my steps back towards the colourful water tower; I only got lost once, but upon asking a friendly old man along the way, I was thankfully pointed in the right direction.
I was the first to arrive, and so I sat on a short stone wall that was close by and patiently waited.
{Everything okay?} Twilight’s voice echoed in my mind.
{He’s not here yet, but all’s good for now.} I responded.
{Okay, well, let me know when you’re with him.}
{Yes ma’am!}
{Hey! I’m not your mother!} She barked back defensively.
{No no, I said yes ma’am! It’s a short way of saying madam.}
{Ooh right! It just sounds really different with your English accent.}
{Ugh, get lost, you numpty!}
{Yes sir!}
Twilight went completely silent from then on, most likely from embarrassment from the misunderstanding, I lightly chuckled to myself and then looked around anxiously for Phoenix, it was certainly after six o’clock now and there was still no sign of him.
Five minutes went by and I couldn’t help but start to feel a little anxious, paranoid even. What if I had gravely misunderstood the situation, what if this was some sort of trap? Gulping, I chose to remain steadfast and wait for him, and if it was indeed a trap, I would face it with sword in hand.
But it was no trap, and it was no grave misunderstanding, for at long last I spotted Phoenix rushing down the street, waving as he spotted me. He was wearing the same outfit from before, but I could already spot from a distance that he was now wearing a necklace and had put some product in his hair.
“Hiya! So sorry for being late! I got stuck at work!” He panted upon reaching me.
“It’s not a problem, don’t worry. Although I must admit, I was beginning to think you’d never show.” I replied.
“Truth be told, I was scared you wouldn’t be here either.” He admitted.
“Well, here I am!” I announced with a grin, taking a little bow.
“Then may I have the pleasure of asking you to accompany me tonight?”
Taking a couple of seconds to study the giddy young fellow, I let Pinkie Pie’s words of encouragement resonate with me once more, before confidently giving my answer.
“Lead the way.”
After about ten minutes of walking and making small talk, (which also involved me telepathically informing Twilight that I was safe and sound), we arrived at a bar called the Pickles Pub.
“This is the place! You’ll love it here, they’ve got pool tables, live music, and they’re LGBT friendly. It’s one of the finest spots in the city for a good night out.” Phoenix announced.
“Sounds grand.”
He pushed the door open and went in, being sure to hold the door for me as I entered; the guy wasn’t kidding, the warmth, live music, clinking of glasses and scent of pub grub hit me all at once, it was like I’d stepped through a portal into a different world.
“Oh no… I feel a Storm approaching!” One of the bartenders hollered over to us.
“Sup Sammy!” Phoenix called back.
Letting him take the lead as I adjusted to the new environment and atmosphere, we went over to the bar and met Sammy the bartender, whom was seemingly a good friend of Phoenix’s.
“And who’s this handsome fellow then?” Sammy asked.
“Name’s Callum, nice to meet you.” I replied with a smile, reaching over to shake his hand.
“Ooh, is that a British accent I hear?”
“It is indeed.”
“Well get you, Phoenix! Out here catching the exotic ones!”
Laughing nervously, Phoenix demanded that Sammy stop embarrassing him and to get some drinks underway, which the bartender happily obliged to.
“What can I get you both then? First drink’s on the house, I’m feeling generous today.”
“Oh how you spoil me, Sammy! I’ll have a Smirnoff Ice.” Phoenix announced.
“And you? Something British, I’m sure? You look like a Guinness sort of guy.” Sammy suggested.
Personally, I never tried a Guinness, but I knew for a fact that my brother was highly fond of it, and had always advocated it as the perfect drink for the British gentleman, so I decided to place my faith in him and concur that a Guinness would be lovely.
Sammy poured and served our drinks, and then we made our way over to a free table in the far end of the pub, where the live music wasn’t quite so loud.
“Hope you don’t mind if we sit in the corner, I’m a bit hypersensitive to loud music, it’s the one part I don’t really like about here.” Said Phoenix.
“Don’t worry about it, I actually prefer corners, they’re safer.” I replied.
“I get that, sometimes it’s nice to know nobody’s going to come up behind you, ey?”
“Exactly.”
“Well, here’s to two paranoid guys, sitting in the corner!” He laughed, raising his glass.
I raised my own and we lightly clinked them together, before taking our first sips of the night; Oliver was certainly not wrong about Guinness, it was hearty stuff and very strong, I didn’t even like it at first until taking a few more sips to get used to it.
“I’m glad you were able to get the night off, is your client going to be okay without your protection? Or is it going to be my fault when they end up in trouble?” Phoenix joked.
“Nah, they’ll be fine for one night, I’ve been given permission to switch off for once.” I replied, chuckling.
“Sounds like quite the tough job.”
“Aye, it comes with its challenges.” I sighed with a shrug.
The sheer gravity of that understatement almost made me laugh, but I composed myself and decided to turn the questions on him instead.
“So what do you do? You mentioned earlier that your job kept you a little late?”
“Yeah, sorry about that. It was just because the dog I’m looking after was being a nightmare just before I was about to leave. I’m a professional pet sitter, I basically stay at people’s houses and look after their animals while they’re away on holidays, business trips, that sort of thing.” He explained.
“Oh right, that’s pretty cool.” I hummed.
“It’s not too bad, I’m actually quite anxious when it comes to socialising, so it’s nice having a job where I can be all by myself and take a break from it all, you know?”
“That’s pretty understandable. Although, I wouldn’t have guessed you were an introvert from what I’ve met so far, you seem really confident and easy-going.” I replied, smiling.
“Thanks, I appreciate that. I’ve been trying to push myself to be a bit more outgoing and adventurous in life, and when I saw your collar, I thought I’d take a chance and say hi. And then when you spoke and I realised you were British, I just had to shoot my shot! There was no way I was going to let the opportunity to take a Brit out for the night pass me by.”
Understanding the guy a little better, I found myself even more comfortable in my situation. It seemed that at his core, Phoenix was just an anxious young lad in search of some fun memories, and he was bold enough to take a chance; letting my guard down, I decided to take a chance of my own.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I don’t get a lot of human contact either, not in my line of work, so it’s actually quite refreshing to just have some fun on a night out with a regular person.” I admitted.
“Oh, really? That’s so great to hear! If I’m telling the truth, I was a little nervous that you were just humouring me to be polite. I mean let’s face it, what are the chances of bumping into someone on the street who is A, British? B, attractive? And C, gay? Like, seriously, what are the odds?”
“Pretty low. Although, I never said that I was gay.” I replied cautiously.
This completely caught Phoenix off-guard, he analysed my face briefly before slowly beginning to speak.
“I… Um… Have I read this whole thing wrong…?”
“No. Thankfully, I never strictly said that I was straight either.” I teased slyly.
“Oh my gosh, don’t do that to me! You had me so worried!” He exclaimed.
Taking a massive sigh of relief, Phoenix took a massive sip from his drink while I laughed, as much as I felt a little bad for spooking him, seeing him so adorably agitated was also incredibly amusing.
“Thanks by the way, for so forwardly saying that you find me attractive.” I spoke, teasing him further.
Now blushing beyond belief, the poor guy was practically hiding behind his drink, an anxious grin plastered across his cherry-red face. I decided to tantalise him no further, but not before delivering the kill-shot that almost made him choke on his drink.
“You don’t look so bad yourself, especially in red.”
Barely able to gulp down his drink without spluttering on it, Phoenix plonked down his glass and looked at me with the most flustered of expressions.
“Going straight for the jugular then, are you?” He giggled.
“Well you tried shooting your shot earlier, as you put it. I thought I’d shoot mine.” I chuckled back.
“Consider it well placed, I think we’re going to need another round.”
Phoenix got up from the table and went over to the bar, I kept an eye on him and smiled as he went; this evening was going wonderfully.
While I waited for Phoenix to return, my concentration drifted to a television that hung just above the bar, it was currently displaying the news headlines, and upon realising what was on the screen, my whole damn jaw almost dropped into my drink.
Helicopter footage showed a boat, a yacht to be specific, billowing smoke as it slowly sunk into the sea.
“No, way…” I muttered to myself.
The headline read, ‘Mystery Yacht Catches Fire Out At Sea!’, and it very clearly showed the smouldering remnants of the same Princess Eighty-Five Yacht we had sacrificed to get here.
{You there, Purple Smart?} I called out in thought, deciding that I should tell the girls about it.
{The heck did you just call me?}
{You heard me. Turn on the TV, there’s a cinematic cliché happening right now!}
{What do you mean?}
{Okay, so there’s this huge cliché in loads of movies and TV shows, and I mean loads… The main character will be on the run from the law, he’ll be sat in a bar or something, and then he’ll notice there’s a TV displaying the news channel. And then, to his utmost shock and horror, his face will appear on the screen, branding him a fugitive from the law, with citizens being urged to report him if they see him.
It’s one of the most overused clichés in crime drama.} I explained.
{I see… Wait, hang on! Are we on the TV!?} She shrieked in fear.
{Not exactly, but the boat I set on fire is. Check the news!}
There was a brief silence as Twilight was presumably seizing the remote and searching for the channel.
{Found it! Whoa, that’s a lot of smoke!} She exclaimed.
{What are they saying? I can’t hear the TV here.} I requested.
{Um, apparently it’s really confusing everyone. Nobody can tell where the yacht came from, nor who owned it. The Coast Guard Cutter that attempted to intercept the yacht are saying it just burst into flames as soon as they tried to approach it, without any sign of anyone trying to escape, no bodies were found inside the wreckage either, suggesting there was never a crew at all.
The news story has already gone international, and they’re saying that there will be an ongoing investigation. Now they’re saying that if the data on its Voyage Event Recorder can’t be recovered due to damage from the fire, it will quite possibly go down as one of the strangest maritime mysteries in history.}
{Aww, how flattering, I’m an international mystery now!} I joked.
{At least nobody from the Cutter saw Rainbow Dash flying away, that’s what matters.} Said Twilight.
{Yeah, one-hundred percent.}
{How’s your evening going anyway?}
{Oh it’s going fantastically! We’re at a bar, a fun little place called the Pickles Pub. There’s live music and stuff, really nice atmosphere. Truth be told, I’m actually really enjoying myself, he’s a really nice guy.}
{That’s awesome news, I’m really happy for you! Think it’ll go anywhere?} She hinted.
{Um, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?}
{Fair enough. Well, I hope it continues to go well for you.}
{Thanks Twi. Are you all okay back there?} I asked.
{Yeah, we’ve all been taking turns to change channels on the TV and watch different genres of human media, it’s really fun actually, educational too!}
{No adult channels I presume?}
{Go away!}
Chuckling to myself, I returned my focus to the pub and hummed along to the live music until Phoenix returned with the second round, to which I thanked him graciously.
“Sorry I took so long, Sammy wouldn’t stop talking my ears off…” He apologised, sitting down.
“No worries at all, I was just happy vibing to the music.” I replied with a warm smile.
I delved into my second pint of Guinness and decided to get to know Phoenix a little more.
We spent the next forty minutes exchanging pasts, and boy had Phoenix lived a life…
Born into a devout Christian community, personally run by his mentally disturbed grandfather, the poor dude had basically grown up in a cult. The bible had been hammered into him with full force from the day he was old enough to comprehend words. To make matters even worse, he was the first and only child in the hamlet, which meant he had basically been treated as a project by everyone, to create the perfect little obedient Christian child.
“Well that didn’t pan out very well, did it, with you being gay and all?” I joked.
“Yeah no kidding, they did not take my coming out very well.”
“Conservative American Christians, being judgemental and homophobic? No way!” I gasped.
“I know right, who’d have thunk it?” He huffed back, rolling his eyes.
He went on to say that although it took many years to overcome such an intensive upbringing, along with having to unlearn many toxic beliefs and behaviours, he still had no contempt for his family, even though he had been cast out choosing to ‘live a life of sin’, as his family had so eloquently put it.
“As much as it hurts, I know they’re only staying true to what they believe is right, it’s not from a place of hatred. They still love me, at least, my parents and my siblings do, it’s just that they don’t feel able to support or accept me as who I am.” He explained.
“That’s sad, really sad. But I totally commend you for being so benign about it, I don’t think I’d be able to forgive my family if they’d raised me like that, only to then give me the boot upon making a life decision they didn’t agree with.” I hummed.
“It took me a long time to get to that point, but it was only after forgiving them that I found peace within myself, there was a lot of anger, and letting bygones be bygones allowed that anger to fade away. Sometimes forgiveness isn’t about the forgiven, but rather, the forgiver.”
“That’s, really poetic.” I said, smiling.
“Heh, thanks.”
Changing the subject, Phoenix asked about my family instead, to which I told him the truth.
“I grew up with my parents and my brother, and then one day my dad never came home. My mum took full custody of us, only to discover later down the line that she wasn’t my real mum! My real mother was dying of cancer somewhere here in America, and my dad abandoned us to stay with her during her final days, in which he stopped eating, drinking, and literally died of a broken heart.”
“What the crap? That’s insane!”
“Yeah, it was pretty fucked up. The authorities found his diary and it explained everything. My fake mother was just an old friend of my dad’s who had agreed to step in and help raise us, it was some flawed attempt at giving us a normal childhood. How that backfired, right? Anyway, she got arrested, my brother went and joined the army, while I got into this line of work, serving others as a loyal protector.”
“Wow, that’s like, one of the craziest stories I’ve ever heard. That could easily be a plotline for a movie, or a book, or something like that.” Phoenix said enthusiastically.
“Hmm, perhaps I’ll get into writing when I retire.” I laughed.
After taking turns exchanging more details about our life stories, (with me taking extra care not to mention the technicolour alien ponies from another dimension), we decided to play a few rounds of pool together, which was mountains of fun, we played for well over an hour and after constant competitive taunting of one another, a fair amount of tension had begun to grow between us, and although I was nervous to admit it, I was enjoying that tension.
As this evening had progressed, I found myself liking Phoenix more and more, not in the same way that I was immediately infatuated with Bunnie, but I found myself already being very comfortable with his companionship. There was no denying the fact that he was attractive, and I didn’t know if it was just the alcohol talking, but I was beginning to notice that on a more personal level.
“So, not that I’m not enjoying myself, but how long are we planning on staying here?” I asked.
“Are you getting bored?” Phoenix replied anxiously.
“Not at all, I’m just wondering where you’ll take me next.” I hinted with a sly grin.
“Oh, uh, well… Did you have anything in mind?”
“Rebounding the question are we?” I teased.
“A little bit, yeah.” He confessed with a chuckle.
Taking a swig of my Guinness, I took the time to ponder for a moment before suggesting we took a night-time stroll at the beach, before perhaps heading back to his place. Blushing a little, he nodded his head and said that sounded like an excellent plan, except for one thing.
“I house-share with my friend Kimberly, so we wouldn’t be alone if we went back there. Plus, I’m in the middle of a pet sit, so we’ll have to go back to my client’s house. You don’t mind dogs do you? Big dogs to be specific?”
“Not at all, I’m a huge dog lover, especially when bigger breeds are concerned. I used to have a deerhound called Archer and he was absolutely massive!” I answered merrily.
“Sweet, because there’s a German Shepherd at the property called Saxon.”
“Oh nice, Shepherds are awesome dogs.”
“I’ll say, they’re my favourite, I have one of my own back home, his name is Trooper.”
“Trooper? Cool name, very fitting for a Shepherd.”
“Yeah, he’s my boy, although he’s not the first one I had. Back when I was younger, I had another called Shep, but sadly he got hit by a car and we had to put him down. Trooper was his replacement, I guess, not that you can replace a friend.”
“I know what you mean, don’t worry.” I assured him.
{Shep huh? Interesting.} I thought to myself.
{What?} Twilight asked.
{Phoenix used to have a dog called Shep, pretty cool coincidence right?}
{Wow, what are the odds? Although I’ll go out on a limb and guess this Shep didn’t fight in battles and help establish a nation via decades of war and bloodshed, right?} She giggled.
{Most likely not.} I agreed.
{Well, thanks for that fun little piece of information. I’m going to go to bed soon, feeling pretty tired.}
{No worries, goodnight!} I replied.
{Night!} She sang back.
“You okay?” Phoenix asked.
“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine, sorry. Just blanked out for a moment.” I lied.
“Oh, okay. Well I asked you if you wanted one more drink before we get out of here?”
“Sure, I’m sure I won’t be having another pint of Guinness any time soon after this, so I might as well make the most of your generosity.” I chuckled.
Nodding, Phoenix went over to the bar to order our final rounds, and I watched him as he went, admiring his figure with a smile. Thinking back on the advice I was given earlier once more, I was finally convinced once and for all; I was attracted to Phoenix, and I liked it.
Exhaling out of my nose with amusement, I muttered under my breath to myself.
“Dammit Pinkie Pie, you’ve made me like men…”
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AW YA BABY haven't even read it yet but i know its finna be LIT LETS GO
Ah finally a chapter were nobody has to worry and it's just about relaxation man with all the comedic atmosphere it feels like nothing can go wrong
11389913
That was my goal for this chapter.
I wanted a change of pace for once, where I could take some time to explore some character development for Callum in a fun environment, where he learns more about his own sexuality.
That said, however, this is only Part One.
What'll happen in Part Two? Only time will tell...
Why are all my favourite stories suddenly uploading this week??! Like wtf!!!
“Wow, that’s like, one of the craziest stories I’ve ever heard. That could easily be a plotline for a movie, or a book, or something like that.” Phoenix said enthusiastically.
*cough cough* "or fanfiction" *cough cough*
;3
Now to wait to find the age-old question top or bottom.
Damn it took a long time for this chapter 3 come out.
11390805
Wink wink, nudge nudge.
This is where I reveal that I really AM the Callum from the story...
Turns out, I'm just writing this story as a secret auto-biography.
Alright, I just finished the chapter! Personal opinions aside, I believe this one was very well done and beautifully written. I was never big on homosexuality, but the way it is portrayed in this chapter actually makes this kind of stuff interesting and a good read. Glad there was a change in pace and our hero can take a moment to relax.
Anyway, well done and I can’t wait for the next one!
11391512
Well, I'm most certainly glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and I very much appreciate your honesty.
As I explained in another comment, I wanted an enjoyable change of pace and to develop Callum's character a little more, and explore his sexuality in a fun and relaxed environment, and most importantly, a realistic one.
This story, while a work of fiction, is also very deeply rooted in truth, with many conversations, situations, and characters being based on some of my true life experiences, which I then work into the story as a hidden testament to my life.
And as a guy, predominantly into girls, I have been on a handful of dates with other guys too, just to open the door to all possibilities and better understand myself as a person. This chapter, and its context, is based on one of those dates, and my own personal development.
Don't worry, I'm not changing Callum's character, I'm merely painting a more realistic image of him, and to experiment with a new theme that echoes segments of my own personal life.
I recently started to read these stories (by recently I mean over the last three or four days) and I have to admit I cannot wait for the next chapter to come out. This is well written, the humor is refreshing and doesn't feel forced, and best of all I love the references. I mean the only reference that I would love to see is something from Legend of Zelda, but the way you make it out to be is great. I know I have just hopped on this bandwagon for your writing, but I am happy to see it and can't wait to see where this goes from here. Keep on keeping on and I hope that you have a great time with the later chapters.
11409869
Thank you for this, I'm so glad to know that my story has brought enjoyment to someone new; this is precisely why I'm still (slowly) remastering the original chapters to bring a better reading experience to new readers like yourself.
I will apologise in advance for the upcoming waits for future chapters, I have a hectic life, a committed marriage, and a dodgy mental health to keep in check, so my time for writing is often quite few and far between.
As for a Zelda reference, I'll possibly see what I can do...
Once again, thanks for letting me know that you love the story so far.
Comments like these, from readers like you, are partially the reason I keep going in life.
Kind regards,
- Callum
11411936
so that's why no new ones have come lately, i was wondering, ngl...
That is a sentence