A Train to Paradise
Until the Phoenix Fly’s Again
1:A Train To Paradise
When a pony is young, they want to live their life to the fullest. So that when they’re old, they can look back and love what they see.
At least, that’s what they want.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Iron Quill. I’m a unicorn who’s mostly light brown, except for my mane, which is blond with brown undertones. My muzzle is the same color and for some reason everypony mistakes it for a beard.
I grew up in Fillydelphia, but have been away from it for so long that I no longer have the accent. I’d call myself a poet, but most ponies would disagree. You see, I’ve never published a book. I have never even tried. I’m always afraid somepony will hate my work. My cutie mark, the mark on my flank that represents my destiny, is a quill and scroll crossed, with a sword in the background. It means that I will always stand behind what I write and care about to the bitter end. But since I have never published, or for that matter ever even let a pony read my work, I have never fulfilled my destiny. So for the most part, I travel Equestria, going on adventures and getting odd jobs so I don’t go hungry. Most ponies wouldn’t even remember me, but by Celestia, I remember every one of them.
In my 16 year journey throughout Equestria, I have visited every major city, from Los Pegasus, (it was really tricky getting up there and staying on the clouds for that matter.) to Manehatten, (where I learned that an act of kindness, no matter how small it may seem, could resound volumes later). But there was one city I had not visited, Canterlot.
I may have never been there but I had seen pictures and heard stories: the city on a mountainside with white marble buildings, majestic gardens and everypony was supposed to be rich and beautiful.
Truly a paradise.
I had debated visiting a couple of times but turned away. What would a perfect city want with an imperfect stallion? But after the third time in my life passing it, I figured, why not?
I sold a few of the things I kept with me, little trinkets that were worth more in bits than sentimental value, and purchased a train ticket to Canterlot. I normally would have walked, but this is the capital of Equestria! One does not simply walk into it!
I had never been on a train before, and I was a little nervous. The brightly colored cars, the hiss of the steam engine, all were new to me. But I took a deep breath and lugged my suitcase on board.
The train cars were yellow on the inside for the most part, with white cushioned benches extending into the aisles from the walls.
I chose a bench in the middle of the car, just as the conductor called out “All aboard!” in a loud resonating voice.
I watched, amazed, as the train pulled away from the station with a huff of white smoke, followed by the steady rhythm of the engine.
Across from me, a Pegasus sat down. She was cyan blue with a rainbow colored mane that was a bit choppy. She had a magazine under her left foreleg that she started reading when she sat down.
I started reading the front of her magazine Wonderbolts illustrated when I noticed her looking at me.
“You going to see the show?” she asked motioning her head to the magazine.
“What show?” I asked
She looked at me slack jawed, as if I had grown a second head. “The Wonderbolts exhibition.”
“Never heard of it,” I said. Sure I had heard of the Wonderbolts, the greatest flyers in all of Equestria, but I never really followed sports.
“It’s only the greatest flying show ever!” the Pegasus exclaimed rising out of her seat, “it only comes every four years and tickets are impossible to get!” she smiled proudly and produced a yellow ticket with the Wonderbolts emblem on it, a lightning bolt with a pair of wings attached, printed on it.
“I bought these two years ago, just so I could make it this year,” she looked at her ticket proudly, “The tickets sold out two days later.”
“Wow that’s pretty impressive,” I replied genuinely impressed. “You must really like them.”
“Really like them?” she asked incredulously. “I love them! It’s my dream to be their captain one day.” stars shone in her eyes.
“I don’t doubt it,” I said smiling at her. “Just never give up on it.”
She smiled at me and held out her hoof, “The names Rainbow Dash.”
“Iron Quill,” I replied bumping her extended hoof.
“How come you’ve never heard of the Wonderbolts exhibition?”
“I probably heard of it when I was a colt, but I haven’t really followed sports since then. I travel around a lot you see.”
“Well now you have heard of it. If you’re not going to Canterlot for the show why are you going?”
“I’ve seen everywhere else in Equestria, so I figured it would be a good idea to visit it.”
“Cool. When were you in ponyville?”
“When I was a lot younger, maybe six years ago.”
“That explains why I don’t remember you passing through,” She shrugged and looked out her window, “Oh, hey were almost there!”
I looked out my window, watching as we approached the city. It was built on the side of a purple mountain range, nearly at the peak of the tallest mountain. The white marble glistened in the midday sun.
“I never understood why there are so many tunnels leading to it,” Rainbow said, turning back to her magazine as the train descended into darkness momentarily before the lamps lining the car flashed on from a magic surge.
“Wasn’t it because Canterlot was built on a mine?”
Rainbow shrugged and turned the page of her magazine. “Probably, I’ll ask my friend Twilight when I get home.”
The Perfect City and a Rather Strange Roommate.
3: An Unexpected Meeting
It took another ten minutes to reach Canterlot through several tunnels, but always going up. I had to restrain myself from sticking my head out the window like a dog. The glimpse of the city that I got before the train entered the station was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. I glimpsed beautiful wide streets of cobble stone lined with marble buildings. Above the entire city loomed the legendary Canterlot tower, standing over the entire city like a watchful guardian. Below that, I almost got a glimpse of the royal palace.
“Last stop, Canterlot station!” called the conductor from the engine room, his voice somehow reaching all the way down the cars.
“Nice meeting you Iron,” Rainbow said taking flight.
“Nice meeting you too,” I called after her as she flew down the corridor.
I called on my magic, feeling my horn light up, and lifted up my bag. The handle glowed a golden color, the same as my horn. It was easier weight-wise to carry my bags using magic, but I knew I would get a small headache later.
When I stepped off the train, I took out a scrap of newspaper from my bags. Before I had bought a ticket here, I had written ahead for a room. The rent was decent, and considering some of the places I had stayed at, sounded really nice.
I levitated my bags down the streets, amazed. The buildings all seemed to be connected. White marble made up the French styled buildings. Arches gracefully arched across the street, all decorated with facades of the history of Equestria. The cobble stone streets felt good under my hooves. Restaurants with outdoor café’s where ponies sat and mingled lined the streets. The smell of baking delicacies danced in my nose, their sweet flavor almost tapping the tip of my tongue. I closed my eyes and breathed it all in. this place was truly a paradise.
It didn’t take me long to find the house I was looking for, even though I had to force myself to look at the street names, not the buildings. Ponies lining the streets. That was another thing I heard right about. Every pony here was beautiful. And for the first time in my life, I felt underdressed.
Like most ponies I only wore clothes when it was cold out, or it was a special occasion. Now I had to look really hard to find somepony that wasn’t wearing cloths. Almost everypony either had a collar, tie, hat, or an entire suit coat on! I had only worn a suit once, and that was for a cousin’s wedding. I pushed the thought aside; maybe it was a holiday or something.
I continued walking until I found the house I was looking for, 326 Emerald way. I knocked on the door and waited.
From inside I heard the sounds of hooves on wood walking towards the door. It opened up slightly, revealing only one red iris eye. “Yeah?” the pony asked groggily the eyelid I could see slowly creeping shut.
“Hi, my names Iron quill. I’m here about the room,” I said cautiously.
“Oh!” the door shut for a second and I heard a deadbolt slide away. With a click, the door flew open.
Standing in the doorway was a pale white unicorn who had her blue mane either styled messy, or more than likely just got out of bed. She had a backwards Ti music note for a cutie mark. She flinched in the bright light and levitated a pair of purple shaded sunglasses onto her face. “That’s better. Sorry dude, I was out really late last night. Come on in!” She stepped aside letting me in.
Immediately the smell hit me. It smelled like a bunch of sour energy drinks, a nasty combination of sweet and bitter. I confirmed this theory when my hoof hit an empty can of the substance. The building was dark, so dark I couldn’t make out much of anything, except for a blue light being emitted from a laptop from a room at the end of a hall next to the stair case.
“Sorry about the mess,” she said lighting up her horn and trotting over, “I forgot you were coming today”
“It’s no problem Miss Scratch,” I said, taking my back right hoof out of a puddle of something.
“Call me Vinyl everypony else does,” she said walking over and picking up the energy drink can with her magic and took a swig. “Want some?” she asked offering it to me.
“I’m good,” I subconsciously backed up from the can.
She shrugged and took another swig, “c’mon let me show you your pad.”
She trotted over to the stair case lighting the way with her horn. I followed her up the stairs, glancing at pictures on the walls of, I assumed, her as a filly with her parents.
“My parents moved out of here a couple of years ago,” she explained, “I really don’t need a roommate, but I like the company. My old roommate, Octavia, moved out. Something about a gig in Vanhoover, and won’t be back for two years. How long are you going to be staying anyway?”
“A couple of months,” I guessed since that was how long I had stayed in most places.
“Dang, I wish you could stay longer. If it’s about the money, like I said, I just want the company.”
“I travel around a lot.”
“Oh, I hear ya,” Vinyl laughed “I was the same way for a few years until I set up my club.” She took out a set of keys and inserted one into the door at the top of the stairs
I smiled as I stepped into the room. Bare oak floors greeted me like a blank sheet of paper. The ceiling was high, twice as high as a regular ceiling. The curtained windows wrapped around the far right corner. In the same corner, a comfortable looking bed rested and a stream of sunlight lay across the blue sheets like a strand of gold thread. There was no other furniture in the room, but faint outlines showed where they used to be.
“It’s perfect,” I said smiling, “You mind if I open the curtains?”
“Nah, dude, go ahead,” she said tapping her glasses with her hoof, “I’m good.”
“What are you, a vampire?” I asked jokingly, opening the curtains with my magic at the same time.
“No, I just spend a lot of time on my computer; you know, writing songs and stuff.”
“What kind of songs?” I asked intrigued. I had sold a few songs to small time bands in the past, if they really liked them they tended to pay a lot.
“Dub step”
“Oh.” From my reaction you’d think I hated dub step but I actually like dub step, but the fact it didn’t have any words in it made it really hard to sell lyrics so I was a little disappointed.
“What? You got something against the wubs?” She said tipped her sunglasses down her nose and raised her eyebrows.
“No…no it’s nothing,” I said not wanting to explain. “I actually really like dub step.”
She smiled and pushed her glasses up her nose all the way. “Then you won’t mind the couple of bass cannons I got lyin’ around?” She smiled sinisterly as if it were an evil plan to dominate the world.
“Fire away,” I chuckled.
“Sweet. Hey you should check out my club Tavi really didn’t like it, but she’s a little ‘uptight’ but you seem like a pretty chill unicorn. Whadaya say?”
I shrugged and nodded, “Sure It sounds like fun. Anyway, I’ll try anything once.”
“Love that attitude bro,” She held out her hoof which I bumped with my own, “maybe you’d even like to try sushi; most ponies won’t eat it because it’s fish. You don’t mind fish right?”
“I’ve had it before,” I said a little confused.
“Yeah, we’re going to get along just fine,” She started walking out the door, “Bathrooms down the hall on the left. Holler if you need anything. I’ll be asleep downstairs.” She shut the door behind her as she walked out.
I smiled as I looked around at the room’s pale blue walls. I was going to like it here.
3:An Unexpected Meeting
:
I followed Vinyl to her club just as the sun was setting. I had wanted to see Princess Celestia set the sun and Princess Luna raise the moon, but Vinyl explained to me that the two royal Alicorn sisters only did that publicly on the spring and winter equinoxes.
She let me in the club for free, but then had to go DJ, so I was left on my own.
The club was foreign to me. I was used to pubs, like I had visited in Trottingham or saloons like out in Appleosa. This club looked like something out of a science fiction novel to me. The walls were reflective white. There were no main lights, but ponies wore glow sticks, or some unicorns simply lit their horns. The only light in the entire club focused on the main stage where Vinyl was working, laser lights that glided through the hazy atmosphere, making them appear to be solid beams, and the bar, where a rather burly looking yellow earth pony was serving drinks. Don’t get me wrong; even though the club was foreign, I liked the look and feel of it. It might have been a little too crowded, but that didn’t matter. I just wished I knew somepony there or had brought somepony. I know ponies all over the world, but I really don’t keep touch with them as much as I used to. The only ponies I knew that were near Canterlot, I did not want to here. They were fruit bat crazy and would more than likely tear this place up. Two of them tried to kill me at one point, but that’s another story.
I sighed and walked over to the bar, just as Vinyl unleashed a flurry of wubs everypony started dancing to.
“What’ll you have?” the bartender asked as I sat down.
“Do you have any apple cider?” I asked.
“You got the bits to pay for it?” he almost growled, a scar under his left eye scrunching up.
I was a little shocked. I had dealt with rough bar stallions before, but that was out towards the Bad Lands. I didn’t expect it from one working in the heart of Canterlot.
“Yeah,” I said throwing three gold bits on the counter.
“Sorry about that.” His tone changed entirely from hostile to extremely friendly. He grabbed a bottle from under the bar and slid it to me. “You wouldn’t believe how many ponies from out of town try to get their drinks for free, ya know?”
“Yeah, I know half of them,” I joked.
He laughed and got back to tending ponies ordering strange drinks that I had trouble looking at because of the bright colors, never mind think about drinking them. I popped open my cider bottle with my magic and took a quick drink.
“I’ll have what he’s having,” said a voice to my left.
I looked over and had to force myself not to stare. Standing next to me was the most beautiful mare I had ever laid eyes on. She was a Pegasus with a light orange body, deeper orange hair that had a windswept look mixed in with the same color as her coat. Her cutie mark looked like a tongue of fire, but I couldn’t really tell in the flashing lights.
The bartender slid a bottle her way after scooping up her three bits.
She sat down next to me and popped the cap off her bottle. “Why’re you here?” she asked.
I checked quickly to make sure she was talking to me. She looked at me expectantly though, a small smile on her lips. Her eyes, which were a darker orange than her coat but lighter than her mane, met mine.
“I’m new here,” I replied. “My new roommate owns the club so I, well, tagged along.”
“Sucks to be alone,” she said taking a swig of cider, “I didn’t come with anypony either.”
“Why not?” I took a quick drink.
“Why do you want to know?”
“You asked me, figured it was fair game,” I said confidently, but I was trying to hide my nervousness.
“Eh,” she answered, “I guess I just needed some ‘me’ time,” she finished wearily.
“Stressful job?”
“You have no idea.” She laughed and rolled her eyes.
“Huh.” I made a mental note to stay away from the subject.
“What’s your name?”
“Iron,” I said, “Iron Quill.”
“Writer, huh?”
“Yeah,” I shrugged, “you could say that.”
She finished off her bottle and turned towards me, “So, Iron, you want to dance?”
I almost had a spit take but caught myself in time “Sure!” I tried to act calm.
She stood up and I followed her to the dance floor. A new song came on as we started dancing, slow for dub step but very fast compared to most music.
“So, where you from?” she shouted over the music.
“Fillydelphia originally,” I shouted back “You?”
“Los Pegasus, but I’ve lived here for a while now. Why did you come to Canterlot?”
“I travel a lot, and I wanted to see the city.”
“Not the Wonderbolts show?” she asked, eyes widening.
“No, I didn’t even know it was going on.”
She stopped dancing for a second and stared at me with one eyebrow raised. “You don’t follow the Wonderbolts?”
“No.” I realized I was treading on thin ice. “Not really.” I braced for her to leave. Pegasi adore the Wonderbolts. Every young Pegasus wants to grow up to be one. If she was a fan then I was about to get walked out on. “Sorry,” I said as an afterthought.
Instead of walking out, she smiled at me, making my heart race.
“Don’t be,” she said and started dancing closer to me. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”
We danced together until Vinyl stopped playing and ponies began to clear out.
“Well it was nice meeting you, Iron,” the orange Pegasus said to me smiling “I had a great time”
“Yeah, yeah me too.” I smiled back at her.
“Well I should probably go home, and get some sleep, but we should meet up again sometime.”
“That would be great!”
“See you around,” she called and flew out.
“Bye!” I called after her.
I was elated for a few minutes, until I started walking home. That’s when I realized I hadn’t even gotten her name.
Of Poem, Paintings, Secrets and Cyber men
4:Of Poems, Paintings, Secrets and Cyber men
I woke up with the sun the next day. I was tired but it was something I was used to doing. I stretched, knocking off my blankets and looked out the window as I got out of bed.Bright red hues accented the few clouds in the sky. The dark indigo of night had yet to fade away and was instead turned orange where the light of the sun hit it. I smiled, remembering all the sunrises and sunsets I had ever seen from the desert sunrises near Dodge Junction that seemed to make the earth catch fire to the misty mornings of Vanhoover that made the hills look like a painting instead of real life.
I cracked my back and stretched, yawning. I reached over to my suitcase with my magic and took out my most prized possession, a red sheathed katana I got from a Japamareies trader when I was a colt. I drew the blade. Brilliant white steel flashed in the morning light. A sun was engraved on the left side of the blade, and on the right, it was tempered so that it appeared indigo with a silver moon engraved directly across from the sun. Sky Dancer, my sword. The instrument that had saved my life, more times than I could count, and not just in a fight either.
I got in the ready position. I used my magic to grab the hilt of the blade instead of standing on my hind legs and using my fore legs like I did when I was a colt and didn’t really have control over my magic. Ever since I was a colt, I had read every book and studied every manual on how to use this sword. I had gotten pretty good. I have only had to use Sky Dancer four times in my life thankfully, but now most raiders out in the Bad Lands were starting to use guns. If I ever went back there, I would have to get a handgun and retire Sky Dancer forever. Now is an age of transition. Vinyl’s laptop is a perfect symbol. In a few short years, ponies in Equestria went from using the most basic implements and technology to railways crisscrossing the nation and high speed computers in homes. I was a perfect symbol of the old age, and I would have to advance if I wanted to stay alive and continue my life style.
I was practicing for ten minutes when there was a knock on my door.
“Come in.”
Vinyl popped her head in then opened the door all the way. “Morning.”
“You’re up early,” I said raising an eyebrow.
“Never slept.” She walked over. “Whatcha got there?”
“A sword.” I quickly sheathed the blade.
“Wow, a warrior poet.” Vinyl smiled. “Epic. Hey, I have breakfast downstairs if you want to eat.”
“Sure,” I said and followed her after carefully putting away my sword.
I sat across from Vinyl who took nearly three quarters of the hay bacon and proceeded to wolf it down. I took mine more carefully, taking small bites, trying to remain somewhat neat.
“So,” Vinyl said before swallowing a mouthful of hay bacon, “I saw you dancing with somepony. Who was she?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “She never gave me her name.”
“Describe her to me. I probably know her.” Vinyl leaned her forelegs on the table using her hooves to prop up her head. “But don’t go looking for her or anything. Trust me. If mares are like stallions, they hate it. I mean I met this awesome guy once, and I showed up at his door the next day to see if he wanted to hang out, ya know? But he totally snubbed me! Can you believe that? What’s so weird about knowing where somepony lives?”
“No clue,” I said humoring her.
“Anyway,” Vinyl leaned back, “you were describing her.”
I described her best I could. When I was done Vinyl tapped her chin with her hoof. “Sounds familiar, but I can’t put a name to her, but I know I’ve seen her before.” She shrugged. “Ah well, if she really wants to see you again, she’ll find ya.” Vinyl stood up and stretched. “Well I’m crashing. I’d go around and see the city today, before all the tourists get here. You know with the Wonderbolts show and all.”
I assumed she rolled her eyes under her sunglasses by her posture. “Really they need a better soundtrack, less trumpets, more wubs.” She took a few more steps towards her bedroom, then fell on the floor and started snoring.
I shook my head and used my magic to carry her to her bedroom down the hall from the kitchen. She snored obnoxiously loud as I pulled the blanket over her. When I heard that, I was glad she slept during the day. I can’t stand snoring.
I waited a few hours before heading out. I decided to take a few of my notebooks when I went around the city. I never knew when inspiration could hit, and I didn’t want to lose a potentially great poem. I decided instead of heading along the main roads, to instead go see the gardens. I had heard so much about them that I had to see them for myself.
I wasn’t disappointed. To call them gardens would be an understatement; it was more like a forest. Small oak and maple trees grew gracefully in a checkerboard pattern. In the center, rested a large pond or a small lake. Weeping willows surrounded it. Paths cut through the trees and flowers seemed to sprout up everywhere along them. I followed a smaller path, admiring the flora. I had spent the last two years in the desert, so the lush green almost seemed foreign to me. I found a bench near the lake and sat down. I felt inspired so I took out a note book and started writing.
I was there for about ten minutes when somepony said, “Whatcha doing?”
I looked to my left and was surprised to see the mare from the club hovering next to me with powerful down strokes from her wings.
“Hey,” I said and moved over so she could sit down.
“I didn’t mean to stalk you or anything.” She alighted on the bench next to me. “I was just flying over and saw you so I decided to say hi.” She waved her hoof. “Hi!”
“Hi!” I quickly laughed.
She looked at the notebook I was holding with my magic and smiled mischievously. “What are you writing?”
“Nothing.” I tried to hide the journal, but before I could, a streak of orange shot past me and grabbed it. She flew a few feet above me holding the papers in her hooves.
“Hey!” I yelled, throwing my quill aside. “Give those back!”
“Oh if only you could fly,” she mocked playfully and started reading. Her playfull smile slowly disappeared and her eyes slowly widened as she read page after page. When she finished, she landed softly and handed the old leather notebook back to me.
“Wow,” she said looking at me with wide eyes.
“Yeah, I know they’re not that good,” I grumbled and started to hide them again.
“No! No I thought they were amazing! You wrote all these right?”
“Yeah…you really think they’re good?”
She cocked her head to the side and raised her right eyebrow. “If I had thought they were good, I would have said good, these are amazing!”
“Thanks.” I blushed a little.
“I mean most poems you read and you know exactly what the author means, but like this stanza.” She grabbed the book back from me.
“Across the glowing fields
And under the azure sky
A black crow flew
And together we stared eye and eye.”
She looked back at me. “The narrator must have been depressed or something. I mean he keeps going on about all the beauty around him for four stanzas before this and he sees the crow eye to eye.” She handed me my journal again and I looked at the poem she was talking about. “That’s deep,” she finished.
“I was really young when I wrote that.” I looked at the poem, “A Song of Autumn.” “I had just left home actually.”
“When was that?”
I huffed. “I guess I was six.”
“You left home at six? I didn’t even have my cutie mark then! Why?”
I shrugged and tucked the book behind me on the bench. “It’s a long story; you don’t want to hear it.”
“Yeah I do.” She sat down again and motioned for me to continue.
I took a deep breath and sighed. “Well, my parents weren’t exactly the greatest. My dad was a former royal guard gone mercenary, and my mother…” I paused remembering the only memory I had of her, a smiling face above my crib. “She left when I was young. I don’t know why, but she did. My dad was gone most of the time anyway, so I was already fending for myself. I left, though I doubt he noticed and stayed with family in southern Fillydelphia for high school, and then I just kept moving.” I shrugged and looked at a scar on my right shoulder from a bar fight I tried to break up a few years ago. “I guess I became my dad in the end.”
The Pegasi looked at me, her eyes full of concern. “No,” she said, “you would never abandon a colt. I may not know you that well, but I can tell that much.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
“Sometimes I wish I had left. My parents pushed me through flight school the second I got my cutie mark. But I guess they were right for doing it in the end.” She stared off into the distance.
“Why? What did you want to do?”
She smiled. “Wait here.” With a flash, she flew off.
I waited for about ten minutes, rereading “A Song of Autumn,” embarrassed she had read that poem, which I hated with a passion. With a flutter, the Pegasi appeared behind me. I started to turn around but she said, “Close your eyes.”
“Why?” I turned more so I could see her, but she kept avoiding my gaze.
“Just close them.”
“Or what?”
“I’ll leave and never come back,” she taunted.
“I doubt that.”
“Just close your eyes.” She laughed.
I sighed and complied.
“Okay,” she said galloping around in front of me, “open them.”
I opened my eyes slowly and was met with one of the most beautiful impressionist paintings of an ocean at sunset I had ever seen.
“So?” she asked poking her head over the canvas. “What do you think?”
“Wow! You’re quite the impressionist.”
“What if I was going for realism?” She glared at me.
I gulped. “I stand by what I said.”
She giggled and sat next to me. “You’re lucky.”
“I wish I could say more about it, but I’m not an artist.”
“Yeah you are. You just use a different medium.”
I shrugged and looked closer. “Pegasi write and paint with their mouths right?”
She nodded.
“Then I’m even more impressed. The brush strokes on the waves, it makes them come alive, and the sun,” I looked closer, “it actually looks like the sun at sun set. How many different colors did you use?”
“Eight,” she said proudly. “26 on the sky.”
I looked at her cutie mark. “Is that supposed to be a paint brush?” I asked jokingly.
“Nope, it’s fire,” she laughed.
“Still,” I looked back at the painting, “this is really impressive.”
“Thanks,” she said smiling, “most ponies don’t think I should paint,” she muttered sadness in her voice as she placed the painting beside the bench. “They say it’s ‘not my thing.’”
“Then you need to start talking to better ponies.” I smiled at her.
She moved closer to me. “Where would I meet these better ponies?”
My heart started racing and I could feel heat on my cheeks. “Well you know they’re all around.” I stammered.
“I think I know where to start looking,” she whispered.
Our lips almost touched when her eyes widened and she shot into the air, grabbing her painting on the way. “I…I have to go!”
“Wait!” I called jumping to my hooves. “Will I get to see you again? I mean, I don’t even know your name!”
She bit her bottom lip. “Meet me at the Golden Horseshoe, tonight, 6 p.m. I’m sorry, I have to go!” With a crack she flew off.
I shook my head. Mares. I started to pack up my things when I noticed somepony running down the path.
“Hey!” he shouted running over. I turned and saw the brown earth pony. He was wearing a fedora and a tweed jacket. A camera hung from around his neck, the light reflecting off the flash bulb kept hitting me in the eye as he ran over.
He stopped just in front of me a little out of breath and pulled a notepad from his jacket. “Speedy News,” he said introducing himself, grabbing and shaking my hoof, “with the Wonderbolts Illustrated. Tell me, how does it feel to be Spitfire’s new beau?”
“What?” I took my hoof back, my left eyebrow raising.
“Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts, you two almost kissed,” he said rapidly.
“Oh no, that wasn’t Spitfire.” I realized this is why she had bolted. “That was a friend of mine, uh, Misty Doo! Yeah, couldn’t be Spitfire,” I said backing up. “Misty Doo’s blind, afraid of heights, I got to go.”
I galloped back to Vinyl’s house as fast as my legs could take me. I needed advice and fast.
I burst through into the dark entryway and galloped to her room. The door was still open and she looked as if she hadn’t moved, but the pile of energy drink cans had grown and the entryway was cleared of them, so she must have gotten up at some point and cleaned up. I threw the thought aside and said loudly, “Vinyl!”
“Cyber Men!” she screamed and shot out of bed, her green sheets flying everywhere. She fell over to the side of the bed I couldn’t see, and then jumped back up, only this time she was carrying a large black box. She smashed a red button on the top of it and before I could react, I was thrown against the wall, the deep resonance of a bass speaker filling my ears.
“Iron!” she exclaimed when she saw it was me. She hit the top of her box again and with a click it stopped.
I slid down from the wall and landed face first into the green carpet. Despite Vinyl trying to clean up, it still smelled like sour energy drink. I started to get up, but a picture of her parents fell and hit me on the head, knocking me down again.
“Sorry, dude.” She trotted over and helped me up. “I should have warned you to wake me up slowly.”
“You weren’t lying about the bass cannon.” I watched all three of her as I stumbled, trying to regain my bearings.
“Epic, right!” She finally turned back into one pony. “I tried them at my club once, but according to the royal guard, they’re too ‘dangerous.’”
I shook my head. “Vinyl I have a problem.”
“Cyber Men!” She made a break for the bass cannon.
“No!” She stopped in her tracks. “I don’t even know what those are! Anyway this is worse.”
“What could be worse than Cyber Men?” She tilted her head to the side.
“Will you please stop with the Cyber Men,” I begged, hanging the picture of her parents back up using my magic. “Remember the mare I met at your club?”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t meet her, but continue.”
“I was at the park and she came up to me.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to snub her? Just because she wanted to talk doesn’t mean she’s a stalker.”
“No, I didn’t snub her, she left on her own.” I explained tapping my hoof.
“You told her she had bad breath didn’t you?” Vinyl narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
“No I didn’t!” I stomped my left fore hoof.
“Then it must have been something about her weight, huh? Never comment on a mare’s weight.”
“What? No! She’s not fat! I didn’t say anything!” I had to try to not beat my head against the wall.
“Well no wonder she left.” Vinyl shook her head, her blue hair splashing around her face.
“No, we talked and she tried to kiss me.”
Vinyl gasped and covered her mouth. “And you found out she was your cousin.”
“No!” I rolled my eyes
She backed up her right foreleg raised like she had just stepped in something nasty. “You found out you weren’t cousins and it turned you off?”
“No, where are you getting all these cousin ideas?” I pointed my hoof accusingly at her.
She shrugged. “I dunno. I just get the feeling family was involved. Happened to me before.”
“Vinyl”
“Didn’t find out till the sixth date.”
“Vinyl,” I said louder.
“I guess it should have been obvious though.” She tapped her chin with her hoof. “We did have the same last name.”
“Vinyl!” I shouted desperately.
“Yeah!” She snapped back to the present.
“It turns out she’s Spitfire!”
“Your cousin?” Her jaw dropped.
“No, my great Aunt Daisy Springs, from the 51st century,” I said sarcastically. “Spitfire’s the mare I met at your club!” the picture on the wall fell down again, screeching against the wall papered dry wall, as if were trying to make as much noise as possible.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Vinyl held up her hoof. “You’re telling me that Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts, greatest flyer in all of Equestria, and one of the most decorated soldiers of all time, tried to kiss you?”
“Yes!” I was relieved that she got the entire story. “And she invited me to dinner at the Golden Horseshoe tonight at six.”
“We’re talking about the restaurant Golden Horseshoe and not the shoe store on 36th right?”
“Wouldn’t that be copyright infringement?” I asked.
Vinyl shrugged. “I dunno, guess not, but dang! She must be making some serious bank! I don’t even make enough to afford that place!”
“What do I do?” I begged.
“How exactly did she tell you her name?” Vinyl asked.
“Well she didn’t tell me, but a reporter ran up after she left and asked how it felt to be Spitfire’s ‘beau.’ ”
“What did you say?”
“I said she wasn’t Spitfire, that it was a friend of mine I had known for a long time.”
“Good,” Vinyl said, “you did the right thing there; she obviously wanted to avoid the reporter. She still doesn’t know you know who she is?”
“Yes.”
“How come you didn’t recognize her earlier?” Vinyl asked.
“I don’t follow the Wonderbolts; the last Captain I heard about was Skysplitter.”
“He retired like ten years ago. Well, do you at least own a tux? One does not simply stand up one of the most famous and deadliest mares in Equestria, and you have to wear at least a tux to the Golden Horseshoe.”
“I don’t own a tux,” I said sadly. “I don’t even have enough to rent one. All I have is next month’s rent money. That’s not enough to rent one.”
“Hey remember what I said about the rent,” Vinyl laid her hoof on my shoulder. “I can spot you the money you need for the tux.”
“You’re the best, Vinyl.” I hugged her quickly.
“Don’t mention it,” she said waving her hoof. “Anyway I can’t have Spitfire bursting into my place and killing you for standing her up. You know how hard it will be to find a roommate then?”
