"Oh please stop!" cried Phan-Nix. "I'm not a freak!"

"Yes you are! You are that freak from Manehattan!"

"Yeah your a flamer! Hahaha!"

"I like mares, not stallions! Now please leave me alone!"

"Hey!" Yelled Cheerlie. "Stop bullying, or two weeks staying after school doing extra work!"

"Fine..." said the trio in unison.

Cheerlie walked over to the crying colt, and sat down. "Shhh its ok Phan-Nix they're gone now. Did they hurt you like last time?"

Phan-Nix shook his head wiping away a tear. "No, but can I go home?"

"Of course sweetie! Those ponies will one day respect you, and when they ask for your help, don't. Now run on home, before I change my mind."

Phan-Nix jumped up and ran home, tears still flowing. Along his way though ponies looked at him, calling him a freak, and other mean names. He took a short cut, that led behind a store, and zipped around the back of his house.

He slowly walked in, but was caught by his mom, who was the only pony in Ponyville that loved him. She gave the look that asked, 'again?', and he slowly nodded as his tears sizzled on the hard-wood flooring. His mom walked up to him with a frown, and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry honey....it's my fault your like this..." she said. "If I wasn't stuiped, you'd be normal, and a unicorn, not a pegasus."

"W-what do you mean mommy?" He asked looking up at his mom.

"Come, lets have a snack while I explain..."

They walked into the kitchen, and Phan-Nix sat down as his mom started to cut up some apples into slices. He sat there as him mom made the snack, and did what he always did: study himself. He was grayish, sort of like ash, and his mane was fire that flowed like Celestia's mane, as well as his tale. He was a pegasus, but he didn't want to fly. It grabbed too much attention to himself, and he didn't like it.

"Ah there, now...Are you sure you want to hear this?" She asked, and Phan-Nix responded with a slight nod. "Okay, well it all started when I was about six months in with you in my oven. It was about eight'o clock as I was walking home with your father. Ah...what a nice handsom stallion he was..."

----

"So anyways I said to my friend that Delphi is doing well in a household environment."

"What did he say? Are we going to lose him?"

"Wrong! He said if there aren't any mishaps before Lux Shiner is born, then we can keep him!"

"Oh that's great news Phano!"

"Alright, well I need to go get a few things back at the lab, do you think you can make it home alone?"

"I've been living here in Manehattan for seven years, and you ask me that?" Jade Shiner asked.

"Right," he said giving a kiss to Jade. "see you in a hour or so." He walked off.

Jade started to walk on the side walk as the moon shone overhead, giving enough light to see. The city itself shone above the roof tops shining like becons that blocked out a large portion of the stars in the sky. It was late May, and so the summer festival was comming up, so she had to find something to give Celestia as a gift.

Her thoughts were forced away as a pony shoved her into a dark allyway.

"Give me every bit you own!" Demanded the pony.

"I-I don't have anything."

"Then your paying, with your life, whore!" The pony pulled out a knife.

"NO! P-please! Don't hurt my baby!"

"Funny, looks like I don't care!" He said stabbing his knife into her stomach. "See ya!"

Jade started to bleed quite a bit as she tried to make it to her house, which wasn't far away from her. 'Phoenix tears they'll heal me!' She thought as she entered her house.

"Delphi! H-help me!" She cried out in pain. She had lost alot of blood so she fell to the ground.

The phoenix flew to her. "I-I can't...its too deep. I mean I can save only one..." Delphi said.

"Heal my baby!"

"He won't live without you...but there is a way to save you both. Its a last resort..."

"No! You can't!"

"I was born to help your family Jade...this is the only way..." he said as he opened his wings, and started to glow brightly. "Thank you for caring for me Jade." Just as he said that his body started to shine like the sun as it broke apart. That's when Jade blacked out.

When she came to, a single phoenix feather was on the counter. She looked her stomach and saw no scars, but when she looked up she saw Delphi as he started to burn up.

"No!" She yelled as he turned into dust. "Come on!" She pled "Reform!"

As she yelled, and cried a knock was left on her door. She stopped and looked at it.

"Not now!"

"Um, Mrs. Shiner?"

"I said go!"

"Ma'am, I am sorry to say, but...there was an explosion at the research lab, your husband was killed in it. I am sorry for your loss."

A friend, and her husband in one day?

------

"And so it seems by your father's friend's help, we found out what happened."

"What?" He asked taking the final slice.

"He made you a phoenix in the process of saving our lives. He cried over me, and you healed by reforming."

"So...thanks to Delphi....I'm a freak?"

"Not a freak Phan, you are my favorite pony in the whole world." Jade said flicking her chestnut colored mane. "Now, I'm going to get a cupcake, do you want to come?"

"I guess so." He said.