The Titans' Orb: Breaking Dawn

by Mister Horncastle

Chapter Fifteen: Recruitment Drive

I rose from my slumber to find Phoenix already awake, sitting beside me and scrolling through Facebook on his phone. He turned to look down at me and smiled warmly.

“Hey there sleepyhead.” He cooed.

“Morning.” I mumbled back.

Giggling anxiously, he said that he was just about to get up and make breakfast, and if I wanted anything.

“Do you count?” I teased.

“Very funny. Alas, I’m never up for anything in the morning, thanks to my hypoglycaemia.”

“Hypo-glabba-what-now?” I babbled, tilting my head.

“It’s a condition concerning my blood sugar, it gets super low and I wake up pretty much every morning feeling dizzy, nauseous, and shaky. In other words, it’s a massive mood killer, sorry.”

“No worries at all, I was only being half serious anyway. So, isn’t that like diabetes?” I hummed.

“It’s quite literally the opposite.”

He explained to me that diabetes was when one’s blood sugars was too high, meanwhile hypoglycaemia was when their blood sugars were too low.

“Oh I see…” I murmured in understanding.

“People with diabetes can get bouts of hypoglycaemia, and people with hypoglycaemia have a risk of becoming diabetic if they don’t manage their diet, it’s a vicious old cycle.”

“Heh, sounds it.”

Getting up and stretching, Phoenix went to get dressed, to which I unashamedly watched until he was fully clothed.

“You’re not very subtle, you know?”

“I mean, with a body like yours, can you blame me?” I replied slyly.

“Oh stop it!” He giggled.

Reiterating the question if I wanted breakfast or not, I happily confirmed that I’d love some, along with a cup of coffee. He left the room and I looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

{Man… Last night…} I thought to myself, closing my eyes.

My time with Phoenix had been truly blissful, and not just because of the sex, I had genuinely enjoyed every second of the night. From drinking at the Pickles Pub, to running around and wrestling on the beach, to holding hands as we walked and talked, and of course, the incredibly passionate intimacy at the end.
All of it had been so perfect, and it was all thanks to Phoenix; he truly was a wholesome person, a kind soul, with a pure and gentle heart.

In my mind, I saw glimpses of myself beside him, older now, growing, talking, playing, loving.
We lived together, he had moved in with me, and his old housemate Kimberly was my friend too now.
We had a car, and would go on long drives together, often to the seaside.
We played videogames together, we read story books to one another, we cooked for one another and watched films side by side on a couch that neither of us really liked, taking turns to give one another back rubs, playfully arguing over who’s turn it was to do the dishes, it was usually mine…
These glimpses flashed faster and faster before my mind’s eye, as I saw hundreds of snapshots of a life where Phoenix was mine, and I was his, and we were happy together.

But this was not my life.
Whether it be a mere fantasy, or the echoes of my life in another dimension, my life was not that peaceful, nor would it be spent beside this man. My loyalty lay with the girls, and with the girls only. And my duty, to reclaiming The Titans’ Orb.
I cast my mind back to my audience with those six gods, and remembered the words that those magnificent beings had spoken to me. Since becoming their Champion, my function was now solely to prolong life and harmony on Equus, before eventually passing on the mantle to someone else and fading away into ancient history, it was a purpose not too dissimilar to Hawnu Rey’eng’s. And although it was perfectly fine to have passions and desires, nothing could ever come before my responsibility as Champion.

Opening my eyes with newfound clarity, I breathed in deeply, and got out of bed.

“Tah da!” Phoenix sang, passing me a cup of coffee and a toasted sandwich.

I thanked him and took a bite, it was ham and cheese, with a dash of black pepper. Closing my eyes and munching merrily, I savoured the flavour before swallowing and then taking a sip from my coffee.

“So uh, I would imagine you’ll need to go at some point?”

Sighing and dipping my head, I confirmed that I would, but if he could perhaps do me a favour before I did.

“Of course, what can I do?”

“I’ve not had any contact with anyone from my old life, not for a very long time. So I was wondering, if it’s not too forward of me. Would it be okay if you could lend me a few dollars so I can stop by a library or an internet café to use one of their computers? Just so I can send some people a few messages and let them know I’m doing okay.” I requested.

“Oh don’t be so silly! You can just use my laptop!” He exclaimed.

“For real? Blimey, that would make things so much easier…” I breathed a mighty sigh of relief.

“It’s no problem, really! I always bring my laptop so I can write poetry and play games while I’m away on sits, it’s already hooked up to the WiFi so feel free to hop on whenever you like.”

“Thank you Phoenix, so much.”

“Honestly, it’s no big deal, you’re most welcome!”

He finished his own breakfast and then went into the living room, where he retrieved his laptop, it was an MSI gaming laptop. Upon turning it on, the keyboard lit up in a fiery red, it was a top tier piece of kit for sure.

“This is Cynder, she’s my pride and joy.”

“She’s awesome.” I hummed.

Phoenix opened up an internet browser after logging in and proceeded to sign out of his Facebook account, along with his Skype profile upon me indicating that I’d probably contact people there too.

“All yours!” He chirped happily.

Thanking him once again, I hopped onto Facebook and put in my credentials, only to be greeted by a message stating that my account no longer existed.

{Ugh, because I’m legally dead.} I grumbled.

As it happened, I had an alt account, under the woefully unimaginative name of Guy Man; it was a practically useless profile that I had only ever used for sharing offensive memes, and more importantly for having another account’s farm to visit for extra rewards in one of Facebook’s browser games, called Farmville. This came to my advantage, for Josh also played Farmville, and was already friends with my alt account for the extra rewards too.

Phoenix went to let Saxon out into the backyard, while I logged into the account and began typing a message to Josh.

Hi Josh, it’s me, Callum.
My main account got deleted so I’m messaging you here.
I’m sure that reading this is going to come as quite a shock to you, given that I’ve been reported as deceased for almost a year. But once I explain things to you, everything will make sense.
I’m also going to need your help.
Again, once I explain, it’ll make sense…
You there bud?

It took a little while of anxiously waiting, but soon enough a little green circle appeared by his profile picture and the message soon displayed ‘Read’ at the bottom. And then, three little dots to indicate he was typing a response.
While I waited, Phoenix let Saxon into the rest of the house, to which he scrambled over to me and jumped up at me, sniffing my face intently before giving my cheek an almighty lick.

“Thanks boy…” I grumbled, wiping the slobber off my face.

Phoenix came over and scolded the Shepherd for jumping up.

“I’m going to take him for a walk, I’ll probably be gone for an hour or two.”

“Okay, no worries.”

“Will you, um… Be gone, when I get back?”

The puppy-dog eyes could’ve given Fluttershy a run for her money, I smiled warmly and chuckled as I told him that unless work decided that I urgently needed to get back, I could stick around to say goodbye properly. He broke into a huge grin and dipped his head, he then went to get a lead for the dog, but not before refilling my coffee mug for me and putting it at the table beside the laptop.

“Would it be weird to give you a quick hug?” He anxiously put forward.

“After last night, it would be weird if you didn’t.” I teased.

Laughing, he wrapped his arms around me from behind and gave me a squeeze, he then boldly pulled down the back of my shirt’s collar and kissed the back of my neck, making me shiver and covering my skin with goosebumps.

“See you later.” He breathed into my ear.

Sighing heavily and emitting a grin of my own, I said nothing and savoured the intimacy, before he backed away and clipped the lead onto Saxon’s collar, waved goodbye to me, and then left the property.

“Damn, I did not realise my neck was so bloody sensitive…” I reflected, rubbing away the goosebumps.

After taking a sip of my new cup of coffee, I looked to the laptop to find that Josh had replied.

Dear Sweet Celestia!!! CALLUM!?!?
Dude, I tried to wish you a happy birthday in January but it wouldn’t let me send you a message, I tried checking your profile and it said your account was now on a timer to be deleted due to the user passing away, I don’t know any of your family or other friends so I couldn’t ask anyone to be sure, but after a while I guessed you really had died…
What is going on!? Did you die and come back to life? Were you abducted by aliens?
Did you go to Equestria!? OH MY GOD, DID YOU GO TO EQUESTRIA CALLUM!?
Seriously though, please tell me what is going on!
And I’ll help in any way I can, unless it’s helping you rob a bank or something, I can’t even steal a pen without fessing up, LOL!

Exhaling loudly through my nose in amusement, I immediately typed my response.

Okay, well for starters, I don’t need your help robbing a bank! xD
Although there’s technically some smuggling involved.
And no, sadly I didn’t go to Equestria, however, you aren’t far off…
Let me start by owing you a massive apology, I always thought it was utterly ridiculous how you’ve always believed Equestria was actually real, because let’s be honest, it SOUNDS absolutely mad.
But it turns out, you were right. You were RIGHT Josh! IT’S REAL!!!
The reason I “died” is because I received some visitors in June last year, six visitors…
I’ve met them Josh, the Six are real, and they’re here on Earth.
They need my help in retrieving a very important Equestrian artefact, I can explain the full situation in person, but basically, I faked my own death so nobody would look for me while I guide and protect them as we journey across the globe in search of the artefact.
I’m in America right now, Ocean City, in the state of Maryland, and I need help getting to Michigan as we’re following a lead, and after that, we need to get to the West Coast.
Obviously, travelling with the girls, every move we make has to be incognito, and it’s a LONG way to go, so rather than taking risks, I’ve decided to reach out to someone I can trust.
Do you still have that modified school bus of yours? It would be perfect.
I know this is a huge ask, and I can’t offer much in return, but this is something I really need someone’s help with, and it would be for a cause that’s too important to put into words.
Plus, you’d be able to meet the girls for yourself, and you’d know for sure that I’m telling you the truth.
I know this must be a LOT to take in, especially so suddenly, but I can’t even begin to emphasise the importance and urgency in the situation…
So what do you say? Can you help us?
/)

Sighing heavily after typing all that out, I sent the message. I wasn’t sure if adding the brohoof at the end was too corny or not, but there was no deleting it now, especially as he’d seen the message almost immediately after I had pressed Enter. After a while of anxiously sipping at my coffee and rapping my fingertips against the table, Josh finally replied.

Um, wow… Like… WOW! Is this for real? This isn’t a prank, right?
Surely it can’t be, this is far too elaborate to be a prank, Facebook literally said that you DIED!
Holy mackerel, this is really happening isn’t it?
Okay, yes, I’ve still got my bus, and I can help you. But Ocean City’s quite the journey, I’m all the way in Iowa, so it’ll easily be like seventeen hours, and that’s not including the traffic. Basically, I wouldn’t be able to get to you until tomorrow if I set off today. But if I’m really doing this, then I’m going to need to pack some things, and make sure I’ve got enough fuel and stuff. Can I get all my stuff together today and actually feel prepared for this? Then leave tomorrow morning? I’ll drive most of the way, take a pit-stop and sleep for the night, and then get to you by midday the day after.

“Yes…” I hissed to myself, I had him hooked.

The girls were going to be absolutely thrilled once I told them that I’d secured some transport, I couldn’t even imagine how long it would’ve taken to get to Michigan without it. We’d have most likely used the bag technique the whole time, uncomfortably squished together for days on end, with me walking by day, and Rainbow Dash flying by night.

Oh mate, this is such a bloody relief, you have no idea how much it means that you’re doing this, thank you Josh, thank you SO much! By all means, leave tomorrow morning and we’ll see you in two days. Annoyingly I’m not going to have any internet access after this, so we need to set up a meeting spot.
On the south-most part of Ocean City, there’s a little fairground called the Jolly Roger at the Pier, how about we meet there? There’s a car park so you can put your bus there, then we can hop on and quickly get somewhere less populated ASAP so we can do proper introductions.

Josh happily agreed to that, and I let him know that I needed to contact someone else about what was going on in the hopes of getting some fire support. Thanking him once more, I said that I’d see him in two days, and we left it at that.

“Right, now on to Rommel.” I sighed.

Booting up Skype, I logged into my account, which was thankfully still active.

“Oh…” I murmured.

Before my eyes, were dozens of messages from my old social contacts, mainly brony friends of mine that I’d made throughout the couple of years leading up to my ‘death’. I scrolled though the messages, and I realised just how many people actually used to like me…

“Bro? You there?”

“Where have you gone?”

“You’ve been away for so long, hope you’re okay!”

“Miss you…”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Did I say something wrong during our last gaming sesh?”

“Um… Facebook says you’re…”

“RIP Callum”

“Tried to wish you a happy birthday on Facebook and now I’m crying…”

“Please say it ain’t so.”

“Really hope Facebook was pranking, you’re not really dead, right?”

“It was nice knowing you…”

“I wish I’d talked to you more.”

“Can’t believe you’re gone.”

Now misty-eyed, I continued going through my contacts until I finally found Rommel’s profile, under the name of Ranger Redstar, which was the name of his OC character. I typed up a hello and pretty much said the same thing I’d said to Josh, and soon enough, he replied.

Damn, you’re not dead? That’s cool.
I’m at work at the moment, can we talk later?

“That’s all you have to say?” I grumbled aloud, rolling my eyes.

Chuckling, I remembered that Rommel was always better to speak with verbally over a call.

I wish I could say yes but I won’t have access to the internet for long, I’ve reached out because I really need your help, it’s something really important. Can you step away from work for a quick call?

It seemed that he didn’t quite understand the gravity of the situation, so hopefully I could explain things better if he called me, which thankfully, he did. Skype started ringing and I quickly answered it, and then realised that he was video calling, not just audio; his face popped up on my screen, and I became visible on his.

“Oh shit dude, you really are still alive! I honestly thought you might have been a hacker on Callum’s account or something.” He spoke, his eyebrows raised.

“Nope, it’s really me.” I replied.

“This is crazy, so you’ve been pretending to be dead for nearly a year? Why? What’s going on, and why do you need my help so badly?”

“Okay, so this is going to sound absolutely mad, but please try to keep an open mind.”

“Alright, I’m listening…” He responded, cautious.

“I didn’t just pretend to be dead online, I faked my death in real life. As far as the world is concerned, including the government, I’m deceased. The reason why is, again, going to sound absolutely mad, but I came into contact with some visitors, from afar, if you catch my drift…”

“Aliens?” Rommel speculated, quite blankly in tone.

“I guess you could say that, yeah. Although, you know them, somewhat.” I implied.

He opened his mouth to guess, but then receded to think some more on what I had just said, his interest now heightening. Choosing not to play guessing games too much, I helped him out.

“At least, you know the cartoon versions of them.”

With the penny dropping, Mel squinted at me and itched his black beard.

“So let me get this straight. You expect me to believe that you met the Mane Six, and faked your death to hang out with them? Am I getting that right? Okay, so what’s next? Are you going to tell me that you have a nice cosy house somewhere in Equestria?”

“No, I don’t have a house there.” I replied, rolling my eyes, “Look, I appreciate this sounds ridiculous, but I did try to warn you, so please bear with me on this.”

Sighing, I had a feeling that Mel would be harder to convince, not that I blamed him though; who in their right mind would believe that the world from My Little Pony was a real, tangible place, especially just off the back of hearsay? It was only thanks to Josh being a fantasist that he was so easy to get on-board. It was mere dumb luck that he already believed in Equestria’s existence. But as for Rommel, I needed a way to convince him, something I could show him…

{The gay-sex nightlight!} I hollered in thought, mentally cheering at the idea.

Inhaling, I explained to Rommel how the girls had come to this world in search of two artefacts that have been wrongly sent here by an escapee from Tartarus.

“The first one is an orb.” I started, “It protects their planet from all sorts of interdimensional shit. It broke into six pieces when it was sent here, and it’s been scattered across the globe. For almost a year, we’ve been hunting them down, and it’s absolutely vital that we retrieve every single piece. As for the other artefact, it’s a sword, made from crystal. It glows in the dark and has more cultural significance that you can possibly imagine.”

Intrigued by my description of the artefacts, Rommel squinted at me in thought, biting his lip as he did so. Eventually, he asked if I had any evidence to back up a word of what I was saying. Confirming that I did, I rushed into the bedroom to grab Vitra ‘Aku. Upon returning, I unsheathed the blade and brought it up close to the camera, giving him a good long look at it. I then explained the void sheathe to him, slotting the sword back into it as I did so.

“It’s bigger on the inside.” I told him, “It’s a pocket dimension, where the blade can be safely hidden, without giving away its glow. You’re literally looking at magic, and this is a live Skype call, it would be completely and utterly impossible for me to edit or manipulate what you’re seeing.”

“Okay, I’ll hand it to you, that’s impressive.” he hummed, “But that could just as easily be a very expensive toy, just like those fake knives they use in movies, where the blade just goes back into the handle.”

“Dude, look at the size of the blade compared to the size of the handle.” I argued, “This is absolutely nothing like that! Besides, why on Earth would I fake my death, just to call you and show off a trick prop!?”

Humming again, Mel admitted that was a fair point.

“So why have you called me then?” he went on, “You’ve not actually said what you need my help for yet.”

“Well, having a sword is all fine and dandy,” I began, “but I need better protection. I’m in America right now, and the next piece of the Orb is on some random island in the Pacific. I have no idea how much danger lies ahead of me, but I need to keep the girls safe.”

“And how does that involve me exactly?” he said, peering down his nose at me, still not quite buying it.

Clearing my throat, I reminded him that for as long as we had been friends, Rommel had consistently sent me boastful pictures of all the guns he owned, and how proficient he was with them. Following this, I reminded him of how he had always stated his desire to use them beyond the firing range, preferably for a good cause. I knew in my heart that Rommel was good man, but he was also plagued by a glaring hero complex; above all else, he wanted to be the one to save the day. If he could do something that would contribute to the saving of lives, and be recognised for it, he would be more inclined to get involved, and I chose to prey on this weakness to sway him.

“Come on Mel, what could be a greater cause than the protection of one’s friends? You’d be saving lives.”

He looked away from the camera and sniffed, and after a moment of thought, it seemed that I had made some headway.

“Where are you? In America, I mean. And where are the ponies?”

“Ocean City, Maryland, but I won’t be for long.” I told him, “I’ve been able to secure some transport to Michigan, where we’ll be staying for a short while. The Six are hiding in a hotel room, just a few roads away. I’m using someone else’s laptop just to get some WiFi to talk to you, and then I’m going back there.”

“Right…” he muttered, stroking his chin and then pointing at me, “So you’re basically asking me to drive all the way to Michigan, with all my guns, and all my ammo, so you can take them? Then what, I just leave?”

“Well, you can come with us if you like?” I offered.

Should I have said that? The sudden thought of another person joining our quest caused me to frown for a moment. The suggestion immediately felt wrong as soon as the words had left my lips. After all we had been through together, protecting the girls had been my job, and my job alone. I was their guide. I was their one, singular human companion. But no, this was my own hero complex talking; having Mel with us would ensure an efficient gunman at our disposal, even if he joined us for just a little while, surely it wouldn’t be a bad thing? Once I had finished battling my inner turmoil on the matter, I doubled down on my offer, further tending to Rommel’s inner wants.

“Let’s be honest, you’re not all that fond of your job anyway. What is it you do again? Some meritless job with Henkel, right? I know for a fact that you want to do something bigger than that. You’ve wanted to do something adventurous and fantastical ever since we became friends, well now I’m presenting you with that opportunity. Obviously I can’t force you to do anything, but if you’re willing to help us, I can promise you an audience with the living, breathing, Mane Six, from an Equestria that very much exists. And if you’re willing to put your life on hold for a few months, you could join us in an adventure that you’ll never forget, and you’ll go down in the annals of Equestrian history as someone who helped keep their home safe. You’d be a hero in their world.”

Hook, line, and sinker.
Mel smirked, the temptation far too much for him to contravene. Shaking his head and sighing, he at long last proposed that if I called him when I got to Michigan, and he could see the ponies for himself over that call, then he would come to our aid with his guns and ammunition.

“But you listen here. If this all turns out to be one massive prank, you’ll be very lucky if I don’t shoot you with every damn gun I bring.” he warned me, winking.

We laughed, and I promised him once more that I was telling the truth, he nodded and said he was willing to believe me, and looked forward to receiving a call when I got to Michigan. He then needed to get back to work and so we brought the call to a close and said goodbye to one another.

“Oh, and Callum?” he said at the last moment.

“Yeah?”

“Even if this does end up being a stupid prank, I’m glad you’re still alive.”

Mel then hung up before I could respond.

“Always a flare for the dramatic.” I chuckled, rolling my eyes.

This was perfect, absolutely perfect. Not only had I gained safe transportation across the country via Josh, but Rommel was now willing to provide fire support once I got to Michigan.
It was then that a question dawned on me… WHERE in Michigan?

“Right, time to find Daddy.” I muttered, opening up a web browser.

The first thing I did was try searching at the source. Going to a website called Fimfiction, I searched for the notorious story which had brought to tears to so many eyes over the years; My Little Dashie… Annoyingly, ROBCakeran-Fifty-Three’s account didn’t yield much information, but after going through the finer details and finding a link to his DeviantArt account, I was able to confirm that this person truly was Rainbow Dash’s adopted father. Back in the Sahara, Rainbow Dash had told Twilight that her dad’s name was Alex, along with something about him being a trash picker, and here before me was a bio that lined up perfectly.

Hi diddly ho there!
The name is Alex, though most call me ROB. Either/or is fine with me. I write fan fictions and as of last may I’ve dove into the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic stuff. So, well, that’s what I write now-a-days. I also aim to start my own original work, but for the mean time I’m learning by writing fan fics. I also have several hobbies, my biggest ones are that I am a trash picker and I listen to classical LP and ceramic records.

Annoyingly, I couldn’t find anything to narrow down his exact location. However, given from his account bio, he seemed quite open to be contacted, as he’d quite freely given out some usernames to various platforms, including a Skype username.

{Hm, I could contact you and outright ask where you live?} I thought.

It was a better idea than none, but if I didn’t play my cards right, there was every possibility that he would just take me for a stalker and block me.

“I need an egghead’s take on this.” I decided aloud.

It had been ages since I’d put the collar on anyway; hopefully Twilight wouldn’t be angry with me for my absence and lack of communication. Heading to the bathroom and retrieving the enchanted accessory, I put it around my neck and clipped it on, shuddering slightly as I sensed the enchantment tapping into my brain, linking it to Twilight’s.

{Comms check, one two, one two, you there Twilight?}

{And where the FUCK have you been!?}

Gulping, I nervously explained that I took the collar off last night before taking a shower and just hadn’t remembered to put it back on until now.

{Well, while you were absent-mindedly ignoring me, guess who had to urgently organise an escape when hotel staff came knocking at the door and tried to come in?}

{Oh SHIT!} I shrieked in thought.

{Yeah, shit indeed! Rainbow Dash was still asleep, and nopony knew what the heck to do, so I had to make everyone rush around as quickly and quietly as possible, before escaping via the balcony!}

Burying my face into my hands, I couldn’t believe that I’d abandoned the girls for just one night, and they were already put at such an incredible risk.

{What happened? Where are you now? Are you safe?} I demanded to know.

{They tried opening the door without even knocking! My intuition kicked in and I just rushed for the door and locked it. Then I pretended to be a human and just shouted that I was naked, the people apologised and then said the room wasn’t supposed to have anyone in it. I said that certainly wasn’t true because I booked and paid for the room, and they went off to double check their records. While they were gone, I got everyone organised and we got into the saddlebag, then I had Rainbow Dash fly us out and into the clouds as fast as possible!}

Puffing loudly, I closed my eyes and groaned loudly as stress and anxiety washed over me like a great wave of thick tar, bogging me down and sapping out all the confidence and respite I had been feeling this morning.

{Bloody hell, that’s insane. Where are you now?} I asked.

{Hiding out where we crash landed. Away from the city, in that bushy area.}

{Okay, I’m glad you’re safe. I’m really sorry I wasn’t there, I feel awful.}

{Don’t be stupid, we all told you to go. I said we could handle ourselves, and that’s exactly what we did. However, you should feel awful because you made me worry about you! It’s been hours and hours and I’ve not heard anything from you all morning, now it’s the afternoon and I’ve been panicking for ages!}

{I’m sorry. Honestly, I just completely forgot to put the collar back on.}

Twilight continued to scold me, but it was obvious that she had simply been worried about me and was now making me pay for it, so I happily endured her angry rant. When she calmed down, I told her the good news that I’d been able to get both of my brony friends to help us.

{Oh, that’s incredible news! Fine, I forgive you.} She said merrily.

{Yeah, Phoenix is letting me use his laptop so I can message everyone. I’m now using it to try and track down Rainbow Dash’s human father, and I might have found something.}

{Oh? Go on?}

I explained to her that I might be able to message him directly, but I didn’t want to blow it by coming across like a creepy person trying to track him down.

{But you are a creepy person trying to track him down…}

{Focus, Book Horse. I need intelligent suggestions.} I retorted.

{Firstly, shut up. Secondly, that’s an easy one. And thirdly, shut up.}

Remaining silent, as per ordered twice, I took a sip of my coffee and grimaced upon finding it was now lukewarm. Meanwhile, Twilight elaborated.

{This guy wrote about his time with Dashie, didn’t he? He disguised it as a fantasy story, and it became really popular with all you brony people, right? Well, just message him and say that you’re a huge fan of his, and that you happen to be on vacation to Michigan, and you were wondering if he’d give you his autograph.}

{That’s actually genius, thanks Twi.}

{No problem. So how was your night with Phoenix anyway?}

Although she seemed earnest in her asking, I noticed a faint twinge of resentment in that question.

{I’ll tell you about it when I get back to you, but it went well, really well actually.}

{Good to know. I look forward to hearing all about it later.}

I opened Skype back up and copy-pasted the username into the search bar, Alex’s profile showed up and I began to type a message, and when I was done, I relayed it to Twilight to see if it sounded good.

Hello Alex, (or should I call you Rob?)
My name is Callum, I’m a huge fan of yours and have loved all your fanfictions, especially My Little Dashie, your ideas, along with your keyboard have made hundreds of bronies cry bittersweet tears, myself included.
Anyway, I’ll get to the point as not to get on your nerves…
So, I’m from England, but I’m on vacation at the moment and will be coming to visit Michigan, and I noticed on your DeviantArt that you’re also in Michigan. If it’s not too forward of me to ask, I was wondering if while I’m there, I could get your autograph? You’re such a huge inspiration to me and have inspired me to write stories of my own, and having an autograph or something would honestly be one of the most amazing things ever!!!
Is this something that you’d be okay with?
If so, please let me know.
Best regards, Callum.

{Sounds excellent, send it.} Twilight ordered.

{You sure?}

{Yes. You come across very innocent, like an authentic young fan who’s genuinely just hoping to get an autograph, I’d be surprised if he says no to that.}

Happily humming to myself, I sent the message and sat back in the hopes of a response.

Twenty minutes went by and there was no reply, I guessed Alex was busy during the day and didn’t have Skype on his phone. I heard the jingling of keys, followed by the front door opening; Saxon came into the room and immediately came over to headbutt me in the leg, before running off to get into his bed.

“I’m back!” Phoenix sang.

“I’m front!” I sang back.

Tutting, Phoenix came over and gave me a hug.

“Message everyone you wanted to?”

“Yeah, thank you for letting me use the laptop, I really appreciate it.”

Phoenix insisted that it wasn’t a problem, while he took off his shoes. I decided to log off and would see if I could perhaps log into Skype with Josh’s phone when he arrived to see if Alex had messaged back; for now though, it was high time that I got back to the girls.

“Guess you’re off now then?”

Dipping my head, I confirmed that I was. Sighing, Phoenix showed me to the front door and gave me another, much more tender hug. I held him back and we gently rocked side to side for a moment.

“I’m going to miss you. I know it was only for the night, but I felt really close to you.”

“I felt it too." I breathed back, "I’m really glad you decided to ask me out.”

“Will I ever see you again?”

I looked into his watery eyes and gave a melancholy smile, we both knew the answer to that question, and it was hurting him to acknowledge it. There was no denying the fact that Phoenix had already fallen for me, and if I had the luxury of falling for him too, I would have.

“You’ll see me every night. Just look for the moonlight upon the waves.”

Beginning to cry, Phoenix leaned in and planted his lips against mine. I passionately reciprocated as I gave him one last goodbye, telling him without words that we really had something here. When we finally broke apart, he spluttered that he had never given me his number.

“I don’t need it." I told him, "Should my life give me the chance to choose another path, I’ll find you.”

Smiling through the tears, Phoenix joked that I would have to be quick about it, in case someone else came along and beat me to it.

“I’ll see what I can do.” I huffed back.

Deep down, we both knew that we would never be seeing one another again, but it hurt less to pretend. There was something special about him, and for some reason, it was agonising to part ways, it was like a part of me was actively rejecting this choice. But it was the choice I made, and with one final kiss, I turned around, and walked away.

“Goodbye, Phoenix Storm. Perhaps in another life, ey?” I quietly murmured to myself.

“Perhaps in another life…”

---

Comments

[SpadeofGames]

Great chapter :D

[JcPlaty022]

I can tell things are going to be interesting in this story. Also did u change the title picture?

[The Archiver]

11459224
Yeah he did, check his recent posts, he changed all of them for all three stories.

[Mister Horncastle]

11459224
Glad you're enjoying, and as Kenzuki said, yes I did update the cover, which I have addressed in my most recent blog post.

[MikiStenbeck]

11459224
he did indeed, check the blogs.

[MikiStenbeck]

going to a website called Fimfiction

is this Siteception? i feal like it is. XDD

[GoldOsburn]

Greatest chapter ever.
I can't wait to see the chaos that Josh brings.

[Bossypants]

I forgot I read this chapter, the checkmate didn’t appear beside it when I decided to check the story for a new update. I also forgot to comment on it so here we go!!

I can’t wait for them to get a squad together! Time to show the Equestrians the power of ‘Merica!