It was a graceful early morning in Aaaaaaaappleooosa! (Cough,cough)
Across the long stretches of the low early morning frontier sky, gentle breezes rolled across plains and stone as dawn broke into day. The coldness of the arid land’s night was slowly heated away by way of the rising sun rays that drowned all in view below. In a region of temperature extremes, this was a middle ground time; surpassing the darkness’ chill and preceding the high noon heat resulted in a temperate neutrality that was arguably the best time of day to be out and about. And someone took their chance to be out in this neutrality, going so far as being a few kilometers out of town. She was a bit of an outlier amongst Appleloosa, both on account of being a pegasus and because of her only slightly restrained pink fur paired with braided, reddish-pink hair that would contrast heavily with the largely rustic hues of the predominantly earth pony town. Still, born there or not, she was an Appleloosan through and through. Phoenix was her name and she was speeding back towards town across the pleasantly warm desert flats.
Or at least she was, until her eyes caught sight of a blur popping out from behind a passing boulder when it was too late to swerve out of the way, resulting in her heading right for it even after trying to put the airbrakes on.
One could virtually hear the skidding Phoenix ripped out of the air as she flailed and tried to kick to stop herself, only managing to yelp out-
“WoooaaaAH! GANG WAY!”
-before she crashed into the passerby. Phoenix tumbled and rolled across the ground in a heap of tangled limbs and dust, able to tell from the reflexive-
“OOF!”
-that she had definitely managed to crash into somepony. After they finally skid to a halt, it was Phoenix who was the first to try and rise. Managing to unhook her legs and wings from each other, the pegasus didn’t even bother trying to dust herself off just yet and instead turned around to try and help the poor pony she’d smashed into up to their hooves. She held her hoof out to her accidental victim of aeronautical happenstance, snorting out some dust from her nose and squinting to try and get a better look at the pony through the sandy cloud kicked up by their impact.
“Here-” she coughed to clear her throat.
“-lemme help you up. I am so sorry about that! I didn-’t see you coming!”
However, that designation of “pony” was soon shot down when the individual taking her hoof resulted in a set of taloned fingers gently grasping her hoof and a noticeable weight tugging on her as the owner of a chipper, energetic male voice helped himself to his paws and feet.
“Not a problem, I wasn’t looking either.”
Seeing the outline of a beak and the clawed fingers, and knowing the individual was some distance off the ground, Phoenix’s mind was quick to shift gears. Thankfully there wasn’t any panic in her mind, just bemusement.
-Huh, gryphon. First one I see out here and I manage to crash into him, weird.-
Shaking her head a bit to clear it, Phoenix set about swiping her hoof over the gryphon’s form while fanning her wings rapidly to help blow the dust off the two of them.
“Here lemme help yooooooooooooooooou!?-”
Her last syllable got drawn out upon getting a good look at the form that retained the featherless wings and scales her eyes were trained upon. Her confusion only grew when what she presumed had been crest feathers on the back of the gryphon’s head turned out to be crest feathers minus the feathers. Her head shot back in a mild startle, blinking five times to make sure the impact hadn’t knocked her or her vision silly.
-Well, this is new.-
The gryphon shook himself off some, staggering back to his feet with a bit of noticeable difficulty. Despite his issues, he was quick to throw a happy chirp towards the pegasus.
“Thanks, what’s your name?”
Phoenix took a few moments to realize she was staring, though for excusable and unorthodox reasons. She shook her head and now slightly redder face to force herself back into reality.
“Oh! Um, so uh, my name’s Phoenix Flamez!”
The gryphon tilted his head a bit like a confused bird. Had he had them, Phoenix was pretty sure he’d be raising an ear like a puppy trying to listen closer.
“Phoenix?”
He quipped, clicking his beak while doing so. The pegasus shrugged her shoulders some and waved her free hoof, as if trying to blow some notion off.
“Yeeah. I know it's weird for a pony to be named after a flaming bird, heheheh."
She said with a chuckle. Though she loved her name, she’d heard that sort of questioning inquiry dozens of times from intrigued or confused ponies enough to not harp on it. To her surprise however, what looked like a grin crossed the gryphon’s muzzle and he beamed with a snicker.
“Oh no no, I think it’s great! Haven’t heard a name relating to something like that in a loooong time!”
The redness on Phoenix’s muzzle returned and she scratched at the back of her head for a moment to ebb away some awkwardness. Still she couldn’t help but cast a goofy grin, both from the earnest compliment and the infectiously happy attitude that seemed to come for this stranger.
“Awww, thank you! What’s your title?”
She quipped, raising an ear and blinking her eyes at the gryphon who had finally let go of her limb. Curiously, her eye scanned him over and took note of how wobbly his legs seemed to be at times. The subtle flexing on the wing and arm muscles showed how disjointed he was. Still, he managed to hold his footing and give her a bow-like nod.
“I tend to gust the word ‘Rodan’ at people.”
Phoenix muffled her muzzle a bit to dampen a giggle. True, the reason this very random gryphon had scales, horns, and less feathers than she did was puzzling; but his happy demeanor was certainly a calm to any worry. Not wanting to greet placidness with rudeness, she mentally blew it off and opted to just think it was a case of unorthodox ancestry or some spellwork athoof she’d never heard of. His lack of a local accent and odd manner pegged him as a foreigner anyways.
“Nifty name you got there.”
Phoenix snickered with a smile, doing the motions of a curtsey styled bow.
“Thanks. So what brings a pon- you, out here? I haven’t been around this place long, but I don’t see too many ponies randomly out here in the desert. You from out of town or an Appleloosan?”
“Appleloosan. And yeah, I’m from there. Recent move in, but it’s home! I was out on a morning trip to find some cactus ears and blossoms-”
Phoenix quipped, drawing up her saddlebags that had miraculously stayed on through her and Rodan’s tumble. Even more miraculous was the fact the contents in the bag hadn’t been smashed from all the action. She popped open the bag and held it in such a way Rodan could peek at the contents inside, seeing many types of greenery, flower bulbs; and thick leaves.
“-Thalia said this stuff makes a good salve for wounds and even better eats after cooking, two things the town needs both of. What brings you so far out of town by the way?”
Rodan was about to say something, holding up a paw and opening his beak. Except whatever it was quickly quashed as he shut his trap and grumbled after wobbling a bit.
“Grnnnnnr…”
Phoenix tilted her head, clearing her throat to ensure she was audible.
“Uh, Rodan was it? I said what brings you out this ways? I take it you came in on the train earlier since you’re not from around here, or else I’d recognize you. So why are you so far from town?”
Rodan only grumbled again. If Phoenix wasn’t thinking it was effect of his reddish coloration in the morning sun, she’d think he was blushing. And considering his demeanor, about something embarrassing. Rodan seemed to notice her look and quickly turned his head away from her, all but confirming that last assumption she had about embarrassment. Phoenix fluttered her wings and lifted off the ground, hovering around and following Rodan’s field of vision with a curious expression on her otherwise deadpanning face. Unable to turn his head any further to avoid her, Rodan got up and took some steps to get around her.
Or at least he tried to before his wings moved in tandem with his arms, whacking himself in the face with one wing’s forward portion and flailing his arm on the opposite side like he was flapping it. He lost his footing, rapidly scrambling in a mass of limbs like some cartoon character running in the air to gain traction. He quickly wound up on his back, finally stopping his flailing and going slack. The gryphon sucked in a deep breath, intending to shrug it out. However when he attempted to cover his face with a paw, his wing acted out instead and thwacked him on the side of the head hard enough for Rodan to knock himself half silly, causing him to see stars for a few moments.
“Graaaaaaouch!”
Rodan snarled, trying to grasp at his wing with his paws but the jumble of limbs kept fidgeting around and he succeeded in thumping himself in the head several more times until a pair of hooves grabbed him by the wings.
“Here, lemme help you that.”
Phoenix muttered with an embarrassed snicker. Rodan shrugged, just stopping his motion all together.
“Thanks… Had this stuff under control until...”
“Until what?”
“You crashed into me and my body forgot how-to-motion.”
The gryphon muttered in a deadpan tone, spurring Phoenix to rub the back of her head and look off to the side in awkwardness.
“Eeeeeeeehheh, sorry about that. Mind kinda drifted while speeding back to town and I wasn’t expecting any other fliers to be out and about.”
“Not your fault. Just seems like my wings and arms only work together when they want to if I’m not flying.”
Suddenly her wings shot out and her eyes widened suddenly. An idea crossed the mare’s mind, cuing a confident smirk as she let go of Rodan’s wings and put one hoof on her hips and one over her chest while standing on her hind legs.
“Well, you’re lucky on who you crashed into today then!”
Rodan could only tilt his head.
“Hm?”
Phoenix glanced over the gryphon’s form.
“Your problem is getting six limbs to work in tandem right?”
“At least nailing it down enough to the point it sticks. I can fly but anything with my arms gets confusing.”
“Well, I do so happen to have moving as my hobby!”
Phoenix chirped, closing her eyes and lifting her head up with a happy smile. She shifted her hip to demonstrate her posing as she swayed her wings. Rodan figured she was trying to show him the symbol on her flank, as by now the kaiju had figured out whatever these ponies had their tended to relate to their talents, directly or metaphorically. He looked at hers, seeing what looked like a bow and a red ribbon.
“Archery and embroidery?”
He grunted incredulously, a bit confused by this. Phoenix snickered, opening and rolling her eyes.
“Well, one of my talents-”
She leaned in towards Rodan and elbowed him, a cheeky grin on the pegasus’ face that left Rodan wondering if he should be worried.
“-I’m a stage dancer back in Appleloosa!”
=================
A Short Time Later
Rodan should have worried more.
“You sure you said you were a dancer?”
“Why do you ask?”
Rodan was wondering how exactly to respond as he did the next motion. Phoenix had had him doing push-ups and “wing-ups”, spreading one’s wings straight upwards, for the last ten minutes while she lay on top of said wings. Rodan wasn’t tiring out, Amaterasu built him to fly across oceans so strength and stamina wasn’t an issue, he was just confused again as to why they were doing this. He swallowed back the bizarreness and agreed to a lesson, didn’t expect drill runs.
“Just curiosity.”
He grunted, flexing out again. Phoenix, laying on her back across Rodan’s wings, just patted him on the head crests.
“Less talk, more practice. I did this all the time. Gotta get your muscle groups down to be a good stagemare. You got tandem nailed down, so try a staggered pace now. Lower down and I want you to push out with your wings, and have them fully extended after your arms are bent in.”
Rodan grumbled through his beak, but nevertheless followed through and tried it. He squat down on his arms, the same action causing his wings to lower. He was starting to shake all over, nerves twitching and tingling at his joints as contradictory orders between his limbs threatened to reduce him back down to a flailing mass. His wings rattled, jostling Phoenix to a degree. The mare held fast to the leathery wings, her breath bated.
“Come on. Breathe, breaaaathe and focus! One set of limbs at time. You can do it!”
The gryphon was snorting out his nostrils and gritting his beak. His wings started to extend upwards some, but every inch upwards meant several more inches of wobbling. It felt like trying to convince one’s arm to be in two places at once while doing two different things. Phoenix tried to pull in and steady Rodan’s wings best she could, keeping a positive tone even as she was getting shook around.
“Straighten out! Straighten out!”
Rodan felt the pressure growing until it popped. On one level, he did succeed, the gryphon’s wings snapped out straight while he kept his arms bent. On the other level, having a surprisingly strong gryphon throw his wings up while a lighter mare was on top of said wings resulted in Phoenix getting sent flying up in a blur. Rodan and Phoenix’s reactions contrasted heavily. Rodan was quick to beat his wings and launch into the air after her. Phoenix did not share his startelement or fret, instead throwing her limbs outwards in glee while pin wheeling through the air, reacting like she just got launched off a trampoline.
“By Tanaka! Hang on!”
“WEEEEE!”
===============================
Several minutes more of alternating practice and no less than five more launches, the next sight would have just been outright surreal to any Terrans watching. The Wind element incarnate, the Omega Guardian Beast and arguably chief of the Terran skies… was having to dance by swinging his arms up and down while step-kicking with his legs in emulation of the pegasus doing the same. Phoenix kept a chipper, jovial tone as she effortlessly demonstrated the simple part of a stage dance; belting reassurance and orders in the manner of an instructor.
“Alright, now with the wings!”
She yelped before bringing her third set of limbs into play, smoothly flapping her wings up and down as well as upwards and downwards in a circle while extending and tilting her arms up and down during the step-kicks.
“Keep them rotating around steadily while moving your arms up and down at different paces!”
Phoenix nailed the motions like a professional. Her impromptu student wasn’t having as much luck, but to the gryphon’s delight he knew he had to be doing something right, even in this weird method; if he hadn’t tumbled over yet. Still while he was managing to copy her, mimic was a far cry. His movements were precariously balanced, more rigid than loose and mobile; and he opted to not even dare try the hip rocks and rolls Phoenix was laying out. If the mare was a feather or leaf dancing in the breeze, Rodan was a squid thrashing about on a beach. Every time he moved his arm, the corresponding wing would momentarily flinch and shake in jittering unease born of seemingly twisted and confused nerves accounting for the imbalance. The effect was so noticeable and the emulation so bad it was hilarious enough for both Phoenix and Rodan to try and resist bursting out in laughter. He looked ridiculous, but being Rodan he couldn’t care much more as he mentally lamented another ever present fact.
-Besides, I look like some human nestling’s toy right now; I already look ridiculous.-
Gradually though, even if he almost ended up face-planting when trying to mimic a long jump dance move Phoenix used; he was getting the hang of it. He had just tried struggling through a spin when he felt the side of his foot catch on a rock embedded in the dusty ground and his sense of balance was too thrown off from the dance motions to correct it. Rodan squawked and began to tumble, only for a snickering Phoenix to intervene. With as much flair and grace as one would expect of one bearing her primary talent, the pegasus weaved around and forward; catching Rodan by his arm and using her spinning momentum to twirl the gryphon around and upwards. Back up on his feet, Rodan stumbled through the spin but managed to get his bearings again. Taking a pause, the gryphon puffed out a sigh.
“Thanks! Guess I wasn’t made-er, born with this sort of thing in mind!”
Phoenix slowly wound down her spin, balancing on one of her hind hooves with a silly salute and smile on her face; seemingly ignoring the odd wording.
“No problem! And look!”
Her spinning slowed down enough she could point her hoof at Rodan, tracking her limb in his direction while she rotated. Rodan followed her point of view and saw what she was pointing at. His wings were slowly beating to keep him upright, his legs perfectly stable, and his forelimbs were individually articulating independently of his wings; one on the side of his head and the other down beside him. All without any muscle twitches or nerve confusion.
“You got it- Woaaaoh!”
Phoenix was cut off and Rodan looked back up at her. As silly as it looked, he recognized what the backwards leaning, frantic wing beats, and spinning arms meant to alter balance meant. The gryphon kicked off the ground and dove forward, grabbing the mare and shooting up into the air in a coordinated effort across all six of his limbs.
“I gotcha!”
Phoenix shook her head to clear the post-spinning dizziness, looked at Rodan, at the ground, and back to the gryphon. Her lips curled into a chipper grin and she patted him across the shoulders.
========================
Another block of hours practicing, running errands for Applejack and Thalia, and helping hoist up a house roof, and Rodan found himself back to his usual spot after dark; covered in blankets and perched atop the homestead of the ever hospitable Thalia and Dallas. The night was near dead quiet, save the occasional echoes of coyote song coming from the mesa. Rodan nevertheless stood in attention, using the high vantage to keep watch over both the town and the nearby ranches and plains. Amaterasu told him from the moment he was conscious that he, as the Guardian Beast of Air, was meant to safeguard those beneath the sky. In the modern day when he woke up without a fae in sight, he decided that that oath of protection applied to humans as descendents of his creators; even if some of his family like Anguirus or Varan didn’t see it that way. Now, as far as he could tell in this new world, the Equestrians were the human equivalents and Applejack told him he was welcome in their herd. That meant his flock was bigger than it had ever been before, a welcome change even if that meant there were more to look after.
-Hey, you are a Guardian Beast after all, not a monster.-
He shrugged, being as loud and mobile as a stone gargoyle for quite some time. When he saw something flying about amongst the houses however, he nearly shot up into the air and tackled it for fear of it being a returning gyaos. He calmed down considerably and lamented how ironic it'd be if he ended up doing that as soon as he recognized the shape now flying past him.
“Hey Phoenix.”
“YIIPE!”
The pegasus mare barked, shooting up a few meters from the startle. She quickly looked around for the source and soon spotted the familiar pair of lime green eyes and red, scaly paws waving at her. She jokingly scowled at the gryphon for flustering her, hooves upon her hips with pursed lips on her growling muzzle. Rodan stifled a chuckle. While an Equestrian might see the body language as clear signs of anger, Rodan couldn’t help but still find it adorable.
“Careful or you’ll wake up the town!”
His hushed snickers earned an eyeroll and gentle whap on the head. The gryphon grumbled and rubbed his crest as Phoenix took a seat next to his roost.
“Heh, sorry. Here, you’re shivering.”
Before Phoenix could speak otherwise, despite the fact the desert night chill really was numbing her wings, she found several quilts and blankets getting shifted onto her. Squirming for a time, the pegasus wormed her way under them to adjust the coverings into giving her a bit of heat before she got airborne again.
“Thanks, sorry about the tap.”
She muttered with lowered ears and quivering eyes that caused Rodan to feel like he was going to have a toothache despite being toothless.
-Arrrrrrrg! Cuuuuuuuute!-
Ignoring the question of whether or not a manavore could become diabetic, he gave her a friendly nudge.
“So you seem to be just about the only pony up, what’s keeping you?”
“Eh, minds kinda wanderin’. Sorry I don’t want to impose-!”
She had gotten up some to try and get ready for takeoff, but Rodan’s broader wing hooked around her back and gently held her down. Phoenix looked up to see the gryphon giving her a bemused look and a raised brow.
“Well then, roost for a spell and let your mind catch up to you.”
Phoenix pondered it for a short time, eyes twitching back and forth with inner thoughts; but soon enough she gave a subtle nod and relented. She folded her wings back in and let comfort take hold as she sat beside her companion.
They were dead quiet for a time, listening to the wind and distant howls and yips of the fauna. Rodan finished a visual scan of the viewable terrain to confirm once again that there was no sign of any gyaos. He took a glance at the quiet pegasus and initially was a bit confused and worried when he saw a wet glinting underneath her star gazing eyes. He waited for a time, the urge to inquire forcing up but being held in his throat, then being forced back down before he could gag on it. If something was bothering her, which it seemed to be the case, and she didn’t feel like getting vocal about it; he knew well enough to not poke a quiet cat. Something had her focus after all and verbal disruption would likely cause more anger than anything else, even if he was confused as all get-out right now.
Phoenix's mind wandered and sunk, slipping into a cold numbness so much it was less she was thinking about one thought in particular and more like it was a myriad of them. Grief was like that for a lot of folks. You have to have loved something to mourn its passing, and that mindset tended to pop up when doing things that reminded one of what they’d lost.
She felt a gentle heat and pressure move to her shoulder, making her conscious of Rodan apparently noticing how she was and moving in closer. The gryphon muttered a low clicking sound, which was both very alien yet also comforting to the mare. Signs of platonic affection amongst pterosaurs tended to sound more like them just clacking their beaks together, but it still gave Phoenix a smile and a chuckle.
Phoenix sighed, looking downwards and outwards at the vast, seemingly barren plains.
“Not too many ponies enjoy a night view like this. With everypony turning in early, especially after that gyaos attack; it’s gotten lonely out here.”
“Take it you don’t do this kind of thing alone much, huh?”
“No… Not here or before when I moved here.”
“Done with family?”
Phoenix’s tone dropped to a degree.
“Did.”
Rodan wasn’t a brainy sort, that was Varan or Lea’s jet stream, but he was smart enough to put two and two together. He sighed quietly, putting his wing around the mare a bit more. He'd definitely just hit a nerve.
“Oh, I see.. I see…”
“Wasn’t the gyaos, before you worry. It was my grandmother who stargazed with me a lot since I was a filly.... She’d lived a long life.”
Phoenix curled herself inwards some more, letting her position droop.
"Used to look forward to times like this. Now it's just a reminder."
Rodan could feel the mood dropping like a diving hawk after that memo, causing him to elect not to prod further. Regardless of if it was fact, Equestrians seemed to be pretty open folks for her to be telling him this or he'd just caught her at a confused time, he knew he had to do something to change pace soon. That was when a stray thought crossed his mind. Sucking in breath through his nose, the kaiju shrugged and shifted his gaze to not focus one specific star but rather to behold the vast of the night sky.
“You know, the world's always full of connections. Being alone can be just a perception if you wish it. Have a look.”
He grunted, gently putting his paw under Phoenix’s jaw. Thankfully not whacking himself or her in the head with a twitching wing this time, he pivoted her face up to the sky above.
Without any bright lights for miles, the entirety of the galaxy and Milky Way was in full view. It was as awe-inspiring as it was humbling. And it wasn’t ever just a feature that caused the enormity, but the collection of the whole. Hundreds of thousands of stars, light years of dark spans; and streaming, celestial glimmering painted the picture of infinity. Such a sight could make even a kaiju feel small. Rodan removed his paw from her snout and waved it in the direction of the sight.
“Think any of them think they’re alone?”
Hundreds of radiances glinted in Phoenix’s eyes. The awesome sight, happiness of nostalgia, and warmth of memory took their toll on her dour mood. In time, it slowly began to lift. After a half hour, Phoenix’s muzzle again bore a tiny smile and Rodan felt the brush of feathers across his back as she gave her answer.
“No."
"That's because no matter where someone is, no one is ever alone. Trust me, I've been places and flock I call kin is all around.”
The edges of the gryphon’s maw curled into a toothless grin.
“So, welcome to the flock; Phoenix Flamez.”
Phoenix crinkled her nose and let her smile grow, hugging Rodan across the back with her wing.
==================================
After an hour of star gazing, pointing out every odd shape they could in the celestials above; the two were chuckling and laughing over Rodan’s misidentification of Pisces as a 'limp noodle stuck on a spoon'. Phoenix rolled her eyes and play-punched Rodan in the shoulder.
“Hehe, hey, something else I remember now.”
“Hm?”
“Something odd from earlier you did that’s been confusing me.”
Phoenix raised an eyebrow and tilted her craned-back head to listen in.
“Well, we both managed to trip within a minute of each other during the training. I stumbled over a rock, no surprise there given I’m a horrible dancer even with a good teacher. But I didn’t see anything you could have tripped on or why.Heck, you were on perfectly flat ground and are more graceful than I could ever be soooo; how exactly did you manage to stumble?”
Phoenix snickered, putting a hoof over her muzzle to muffle her laughter and earning a more suspicious look from Rodan. She rolled her eyes in retort, waving her hoof.
“Oooh you know, even masters can falter.”
“Oh really? Some sort of six limbed secret I need to be aware of?”
Phoenix's laughing swelled sharply, causing her to snort out of her nose and honk. She tried to say something but kept having to choke back her laughing so much she couldn’t get a word out. Rodan narrowed his eyes.
“.... You fell on purpose to see if I could catch you, didn’t you?”
Phoenix sucked in a gasp, still chuckling under her breath as she bat her eyes playfully.
“Weeeell, every teacher has their final test. That was your semi-final.”
“Knew it- wait, semi-final? What’s the final?!”
==============
The Next Night
Phoenix skipped and pranced onto stage to the cheering lot of townsponies, aid workers, and visiting bison. Clad in a red and white dancing skirt, curled feather hat, and frilled sleeves; she spun around a hind leg before winding to a stop and dramatically motioning to the stage curtain. Applejack gave an impressed nod while sipping a mug of cider Thalia hoofed over to her, half-wondering where Rodan had disappeared to after letting the fillies, colts, and calves dog pile him.
The next four ponies and two bison in front of her got sprayed with cider when she saw the gryphon step out on stage next to Phoenix, eliciting another roar of laughter and cheers from the crowd. The wide brimmed stage hat wouldn’t have fit on his crested head if he tried, so the gryphon kicked it off his head and just let it hang across his back, the attire finalized by the red bandana and white long sleeve he managed to fit into despite his wings. Thalia put her hooves to her lips and gave a cheering whistle as the kaiju, a bit awkwardly, struck a ready pose mimicking Phoenix.
It was the oddest partner dance Phoenix had ever done and probably the most surreal or embarrassing thing Rodan had ever done, but both were more than happy to join in with the cheering cries of laughter after the celebration and act was done. After all, through it Rodan only managed to whack himself in the head as they were taking a bow and not before it.
Author's Note
Proofread by Lance-Omikron and Faith-Wolff
Artwork by FallenAngel5414 and Faith-Wolff
Thalia by TGB-Jerga
Phoenix Flamez by FallenAngel5414
