“You don’t want me to send it?”

Twilight might have convinced herself that phoenixes were pure good, but that didn’t stop her from being afraid now. She had done tests with the phoenix, after concluding that he wasn’t intelligent, some even before that, and without asking for his consent – naturally, because he hadn’t been able to give it! Yes Philomena had once made a joke, but fact was that Peewee simply hadn’t shown to understand what was going on! How could she have known? How could he suddenly be sentient?

He shook his head.

“You can understand me now?” she asked in a whisper.

He nodded.

“Have you always been able to...”

He shook his head. Somewhere inside, Twilight felt relief. This would appear to explain it, as bizarre was it was in its own right.

“How?”

He shook his head once more, and his left wing twitched in a way which was unmistakably signaling that-

“He doesn’t want you to ask.”

Twilight’s gaze met Fluttershy’s.

“Is he talking to you?”

“No, I just wasn’t sure if you- ... I have a lot of experience reading body language.”

Twilight nodded. “That makes sense. Keep paying attention.” She turned back to the phoenix. “You don’t want...” She stopped herself, shaking her head. “Do you want me to contact the princess?” she rephrased her question.

He shook his head.

“Do you want me to tell the other elements?”

He...

... nodded. Beside her, Fluttershy gave a small gasp.

“Do you know about the tower?”

He nodded.

“Can we tell anypony else?” Fluttershy chimed in. “Beside the elements.”

He shook his head.

“Do you want us to... investigate the tower?”

Peewee nodded. Suddenly, Twilight had bad feeling, a suspicion, which, if true...

She tried asking the question, but her voice was so quiet that she had to try again.

“Do you want us to destroy it?”

The moment her mouth stopped moving, his eyes stared directly into hers. Twilight wasn’t sure, but she thought his head was moving, giving the faintest idea of a nod, before he tilted it to the side, giving a cry which sounded unlike anything Twilight had heard from him before.

“Not yet?” Fluttershy asked, “just investigate for now?”

He blinked. Then he nodded.

Author's Note

I wanted to release the next three chapters today, but I'm not finished working over the third (which has normal length again). Takes a stupidly long time. But it's progressing.