For a Phoenix Feather

As the sun began to peek through the canopy once more, Vermillion blearily awoke, lifting his head up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes with a free hoof. The fire was burning quite low, so he added the last few bits of gathered wood to build it back up. A touch of spellfire did the rest. Seeing Twisted still sleeping, he decided to stay put and let her rest. This is when being a unicorn really came in handy.

His magic reached out and began collecting the supplies for breakfast. A pot was soon filled with water from his canteens, and within a few minutes a pot of oatmeal was bubbling merrily over the fire. He idly cored and sliced several apples to add to it as he felt his companion begin to stir.

Twisted yawned, her eyes opening drowsily as she stretched out against him only to look up at him, her eyes widening and a hot feeling rushing to her cheeks, "O-Oh!" She jumped a bit and inched away from him, rubbing the back of her head as she gathered herself together. She looked back up at him and chuckled nervously, "M-Morning... sorry about last night. I must have been more tired than I thought."

Vermillion laughed softly and dropped the apple slices into the oatmeal, stirring the pot slowly as it finished cooking. "Hey, no worries. I was plenty comfy too, you know." He winked at her as he levitated a couple tins to the pot and filled them with hot oatmeal, then placed one in front of each of them. "Hopefully you got the sleep you needed. Today's the day we finally ask for what we came for." He looked up and spotted a couple splashes of crimson amid the green of the canopy, grinning in anticipation of what was to come. He levitated a couple spoons over and proceeded to tuck into his oatmeal, nearly burning his tongue with the still hot meal. "Ahhh! Ah hot, hot..." he hissed, offering a sheepish grin.

Twisted blinked, her expression blank as she stared at him and his burnt tongue before she burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hoof. "Geez, ya think?" she teased, blowing on a spoonful of her own oatmeal and slowly putting it into her mouth to make sure not to burn her taste buds off. "You'd think you'd wanna taste it, right?" She chuckled, looking up at the stirring birds above them. Today would be a fun day indeed.

Vermillion stuck out his tongue at her, more red than usual thanks to its unfortunate encounter with his meal, before he returned to eating. After they had finished, he used the last of his water to clean out the tins and pot before stowing them again and pulling out several items for the day. He checked the poppy seeds he had left next to the fire, and found them perfectly ripened by the heat. Out of his saddlebags came a small rectangular box. He did not want anything untoward happening to the feather once he got it.

"We'll need to grab some more water before we make the trip back," he called over his shoulder. "But in the meantime, where do we start?"

Twisted helped pack up, removing the ruby from the ensnarement he had made for it and offering it to him, "We'll need this." She said softly before pulling the saddle bags back onto her back, a few complications due to her wings but in the end they did not hurt as much as they had.

She led him back to the trail and headed deeper into the forest "We need to find.. The center!" she exclaimed happily, stopping in the middle where there were small fires lit everywhere, damaged feathers and ashes piled everywhere as she turned to look at him, "This is usually where they molt, die, and rebirth so we should be able to find a feather you're looking for somewhere in here. If not, we use the seeds and hope they work. If any of them come near us, give them some."

Vermillion nodded and, once his saddlebags were secured across his back, he followed her over towards the molting grounds. They moved from ash pile to ash pile, but all he found were bits of feather consumed by the magical flames of their rebirth. "For an eternal bird, they sure make it hard to find an intact feather..." He continued to search for some time until he heard a call from a nearby tree and spotted a phoenix eyeing them. Could a bird like that even look suspicious? He had a feeling they were rather intelligent. He could not imagine Princess Celestia would keep anything less than something clever as her private company. It was when a more slender but slightly taller bird alighted next to the first that he recognized a mated pair. The mother was evidently getting ready to lay her eggs soon. He looked around and spotted the nest in the tree he was under, then looked back and saw the male slowly spreading his wings with less than friendly body language. "Uhhh, Twisted...?"

Twisted turned, "What is it-" she paused, following his gaze before her eyes widened, "Raise the ruby up slowly and back up. Offer some seeds as you do so," she said softly, taking a few steps away from the nest. "If he accepts them we should be okay. If not... We need to run. Fast." She spoke smoothly, an unnatural, calming feeling passing over him as she backed up against a tree, a shiver going up her spine. Shit. She looked up at the bird, bowing her head deeply, lowering her wings to touch the ground, "We mean you no harm," she started, forcing the trembling down so her body would not shake. "We're merely looking for a feather from one of you generous and gorgeous birds." She had no idea if this and their offering would help but... She had to try right? It was not exactly easy to get through the thick foliage quickly.

Vermillion slowly levitated over the fire ruby, gently spinning it in a beam of light. He had been hoping for a moment with a phoenix, but not like this. Even so, he had thoroughly prepared. As the ruby gleamed, the birds paused. As they did, he began to hum.

His horn glowed as he wove a subtle spell. It was a simple trick, a narrator's specialty. He tuned his voice to be melodic and smooth, and the notes of a lullaby his grandmother once sung to him floated out across the clearing, the magic making the soft notes reach far through the woods. Then he lit his horn with a soft blue flame, letting it trail down the front in slowly waving arcs of cerulean. He waited for the birds to make a move as he continued to hum, his focus entirely on maintaining his multiple spells and serenading the phoenixes.

Twisted looked over at him with a small smile, looking up at the birds above slowly lowering their wings and just watching them with their golden eyes. She turned to him before looking up at at the birds, "If you wouldn't mind... Would you be willing to give my musical friend a singular feather..?" she asked softly, her ears perked forwards as she watched them.

The male cocked his head to the side before smoothly spreading his wings and gliding down. Deep in concentration, Vermillion barely acknowledged the sudden addition of weight on his horn as he finished the lullaby. As he let the vocal spell fade and opened his eyes, he found his head slightly bowed. His mouth twisted into a wry grin as he floated the poppy seeds over and proffered them to the phoenix perched on his near horizontal horn. His eyes almost crossed as he looked up at the creature, which was enjoying the warmth of the fire spell as he kept the flame low and warm. To an onlooker, it was rather comical.

Twisted chuckled softly as the male landed on his horn, bowing her head as the female made her head a perch as well, squawking askance of the strange ponies intruding on their home while the male sampled the seeds with a pleased trill.She smiled and gently moved a little closer to Vermillion and her mate so she might enjoy some warmth and seeds, still grateful she had not set her mane on fire at this point.

The two ponies stood side by side with the two love birds atop their heads, enjoying the magical flames and the seeds before the two looked at her, cocking their heads again. Twisted looked up at them shyly. "We're just looking for a feather and we'll be on our way. If that's okay?"

The male squawked again, this time leaning around and preening for a moment before returning with a feather in his beak. Vermillion's eyes lit up, and he only just managed to reign in his emotions so he would not startle the birds. "Thank you very much. This means quite a lot to me." The female trilled before grabbing the foil package of seeds and flying back up to their tree, the male making a quick nip against Vermillion's horn before taking off and swooping up to join his mate. The unicorn watched them go with wonder in his eyes. After a moment he realized he had spent several minutes simply staring up at the birds as they worked on their nest, and he turned to his companion with a goofy grin. He tried to resist, but the urge overwhelmed him and he pumped his hoof victoriously.

"Mission accomplished!"

Twisted smirked and nudged him towards the "exit" so they would leave the birds to their nest, giving a soft nod and a thank you to the birds as they left.  After getting back on the path she chuckled. "Well that was fun." She looked over at him and laughed again, his eyes fixated on the feather he was gifted, "I'm glad he gave that to you. Finding non-burned ones are extremely rare and would have taken days." She looked ahead as she stretched out her wings, a few down feathers coming now. Thank Celestia for her quick healing.

She reflected on their trip so far, looking up at the canopy above them before a twinge of sadness crossed her face. It was over. By tomorrow, at the latest, she'd be back home and going to work her multiple jobs again. She sighed softly and shook her head, glancing over her shoulder. And her new friend would be going back to Canterlot.

Vermillion carefully stored the newly acquired feather in a wooden case purchased for just this purpose and stored it securely in his bags. He trotted up next to his companion as they made their way from the grove and back the way he came. "Thanks so much for helping me out, Twisted. I couldn't have made this trip without you. You've got to let me pay you back somehow when we get back to Ponyville." He had an irascible smile on his face that told her he would not be swayed.

Twisted blinked, taking a step away from him in her stride before laughing, returning to her original place, "Well.." She paused, thinking it over before grinning, "How about you take me for a proper dinner? Not just apples and oatmeal, eh?" She stuck her tongue out at him, the sun still pretty high in the sky. We may even make it back to town today.

The unicorn returned the laugh and eagerly nodded his agreement. "Absolutely! Best thing after a trip like this is a proper hot dinner." He practically skipped along for a moment at the thought. "If there's one thing that always warms my heart, and gut, it's food! Have any place in mind?"

Twisted thought quite hard on her meal before sighing, "Honestly. What I want is gonna make you laugh at me." She replied, a soft blush on her cheeks as she play-pouted at him. She had the opportunity to make him take her out to a fancy-shmancy restaurant on the royal guard's dime and that was what she wanted? She was almost disappointed in herself... Almost.

"You obviously have never seen me devour the peanut butter, jelly, and waffle sandwich supreme I invented a while back when we were bored during training." He let his expression become wistful. "Ah... that was one of the best food comas ever," he finished with a sigh. "Seriously, I'm up for whatever. I've never been one for fancy food, and I've never shied away from the value menu at Hayburger," he harumphed as his tongue poked out at her.

"Then a hayburger it is!" She grinned, trotting ahead of him, "Come on! We can break the forest edge if we hurry!" she already had a distance advantage as she took off, happy they accomplished their goal and almost excited to have a companion to go to a nice, hot dinner, and then, if he wanted, relaxing at home.

The return trip to Ponyville was rather uneventful. They made much better time with the predators watching warily from the shadows. In broad daylight and in the presence of ponies who had already demonstrated they were not to be trifled with, their courage was severely lacking. The two had absolutely no problems with this situation as it stood.

As they finally caught sight of a familiar house in the middle of the Everfree, Vermillion realized that their escapade was over. He rather did not like that.I mean, food would be nice, but I still have another couple weeks left before I have to be back in Canterlot. His vacation was not over yet, so...

"Hey, quick question for you. Where's the cheapest place to stay in Ponyville? I expected my search for the feather to be a whole hay of a lot longer, so I still have a couple weeks to burn. Got any ideas how I should spend it, or who with?" Well, so much for subtlety. Oh well, that had never been his thing anyway.

Twisted looked over at him as they got to her house and she unlocked the door, "Well..." She smirked a bit at his "subtlety" as she let him in so they could unwind before dinner. "I have that extra room so if you want you could stay there. Hay, if you want, you could "pay" me for your room like you would at an inn, I guarantee I'm cheaper." She teased, lugging the saddlebag off her back and sprawling out across her couch, a few vertebrae in her spine popping loudly, "Awww..."

Vermillion winced at the sound of popping joints, before he stretched as well and found a few that were close, if not quite, as sickening to hear. "Well, I'm hoping I can find some other ways to be useful around here, but in this town? I can’t think of a place I'd rather be." He paused for a moment. "Well, after we get this trip to Hayburger in order. C'mon, c'mon! Let's go! We have all of tomorrow to rest up, and Hayburger closes in an hour!" He trotted in place impatiently, his childish behavior triggering a laughing fit in the pegasus, ending with a short snort. He evidently either did not notice, or paid it no heed, his hooves still prancing in place as he dumped his saddlebags and grabbed his bit pouch, tucking it into his scarf. Where he had gotten all this energy, she could only guess.

Twisted used her wings to push off from the couch, smirking a bit as she passed him and opened the door, "Alright, alright!" She laughed, adjusting her bandana before following him out the door and down the path towards town. It was a simple matter of ordering their food and grabbing a table.

"Sweet Celestia, I needed this." She grinned, taking a sip of her soda as they waited for their order, almost snickering to herself at his bewildered expression. Guess mares ate daintily in Canterlot. She had ordered two burgers, a large combo, and a side of pie. She assumed most mares on a "date" would get a salad instead.

She did not consider it a date, but everypony around them sure did. Giving a wink and a snicker as they noticed a rather handsome unicorn with the town freak. "A pity date probably," she heard a mare say before she sighed and watched the ground, sipping on her straw.

She knew a few ponies in town and very few were kind to her. Most of them got their laughs at trying to mess her up on the job, though she would never hold it against them. She just wanted harmony, and if that's what it took then she would put up with it.

The mare that made the comment was making her way to her seat with a snide smile on her face. The smile was quickly replaced with a variety of condiments as she tripped and upended her tray over herself, landing face-first in her hoity-toity little salad. Across the table from Ribbon, Vermillion sat with a nonchalant expression as he casually devoured one of his three hayburgers, but she caught the faintest glimmer of blue around his horn for the briefest moment. He simply offered her conspiratorial smile and wink.

As he sat though, his face became a bit bewildered again. He had the strangest feeling of deja vu. "Huh. Y'know, this feels really familiar. I mean, I'm not complaining, it's always great when somepony feels like they've always been your friend but... Eh. Whatever. I'm just being weird, I guess," he offered with a comical expression and cheesy grin. He had the faintest beginnings of a headache. The trip must have taken more out of him than he thought.

She gave him a scolding look before a small smile crawled across her lips and she took a few fries and popped them in her mouth, "Mmn.." She tilted her head at his comment before nodding. This was familiar. She just could not put her hoof on it. "I dunno.. You take the freak of the town out for dinner often?" She teased, her multicolored eyes looking up at him as she drank her drink again.

"So uhm, Vermillion..." she started. If she was gonna be friends with him she might as well get to know him better. "You grow up in Canterlot?" She bit into her own burger as she thought back to her own time in Canterlot.

He gave her an exaggerated but genuine frown at the freak comment, but opted to answer her question instead of touch upon it. "Yeah I did. Went to school there as well. My dad was from Baltimare, though." He absentmindedly munched on a bunch of hayfries between sentences. He decided to come back to her comment. "And freaks are the kinds of creatures the guard keep away from ponies. You? You're just unique. I remember this filly back in school who had eyes a lot... like yours..." His brow furrowed and he seemed to stare at her, or rather through her, for nearly half a minute before shaking his head. "Man, my head is all kinds of jumbled. I'll be knocking out hard tonight, I guess. But first!" He leapt from his seat before Twisted could comment, and stood in line at the counter for a couple minutes, then returned with a pair of milkshakes. "One strawberry and one chocolate. Your choice which you want. I like 'em both," he offered with a bright smile.

Twisted blinked before laughing, taking the chocolate happily, "Thanks so much!" she grinned, taking a sip before quickly removing the lid and using the straw to get the whipped cream out of the top of her drink. After a few minutes of fishing it out and sticking the straw in her mouth she looked up at him, blushing a bit before giving a small laugh, "S-sorry.. It's my favorite part and I can't save it."

She glanced around the room before getting out of her seat, saying, "Hey, let's head home. The sun is going down." She threw out her trash and kept the shake with her wing as she waited for him at the doorway

He snickered a little at her antics, but nodded and gestured for her to take the lead. After disposing of what was left of their trash, he followed her out and into the streets of Ponyville. he noticed a few looks shot their way by townsponies, a number of which were less than flattering towards her. He stared a few of them down, and none could hold his firm gaze for long. However, just as many were friendly, and he gave a smile and wave to each of those. Any time he saw anything pink, he felt his hair stand on end until he confirmed it was not the party pony he met on Friday. He could seriously go without another party for some time.

Eventually they were once again alone walking along the path into the Everfree. It seemed more comfortable to him now that it was familiar, and he felt at ease with his companion. It was astonishing how quickly they had bonded over their little trip, but that's always how it seemed with the best of his friends. It was like he already knew her. That thought lingered for a bit before the slurping noise from his cup indicated he had hit the end of his shake as they reached her door. "Ponyfeathers. That was a good shake." His sweet tooth heartily concurred.

Twisted yawned a bit, glancing back at him before chuckling at his comment, "Yeah, it really hit the spot, didn't it?" She smiled and looked forward before she suddenly stopped in her tracks. She almost groaned as she turned to Vermillion, blocking his view of the house as she gave a nervous smile, "H-Hey... Maybe we should stick around town tonight?" Her sudden change and nervous behavior was totally not suspicious at all. Nope.

"Now my dear, how rude." A sultry voice spoke seemingly out of nowhere, until a small creature popped out of her mane, startling the both of them before he saw it in it's entirety. The head of a pony, the arm of a lion, the claw of an eagle, the leg of a dragon, and the leg of a goat with a pegasus wing and a bat wing pointing out of either side of him, a sly expression on his little face...

Buck.