Equus Ignis
By Music Brush.
Prologue: No More...
The air was filled with a cool breeze that blew through Ignis Flare's mane and tail that flowed like a quiet flame in the still air as she sat alone on the balcony with a phoenix on the railing by her side and her heart racing a mile a minute. She was waiting on the balcony, watching Celestia's sun slowly slide down the west sky toward the far mountains leading outside Equestria borders.
She turned her gase to the phoenix, who was looking up at her. The phoenix could not speak, but she could tell he was giving her reassuring words to help calm her down or ease her upcoming pain. She knew this time would come, as it did so many times before. Though, this time it felt like it had come far to soon. She was now questioning why she let herself get into this situation again in the first place. Had she not learned her lesson the first time? Or did she just ignore it all, thinking that one day it would be different this time?
She had wanted so desperately for this time to be one of those 'one-in-a-million' specials, but after fifty long beautiful years the time had once again come for her heart to be broken. But this time it was much more.
"Ignis?" Came a gentle voice from behind. Ignis gave no response. She just sat there, lost in her thoughts.
"Ignis... he wants to see you."
This managed to capture the red alicorn's attention. She turned her head to look back and see the tall, regal princess of Equestria, Princess Celestia looking down at her with a saddened expression on her face. A part of the young alicorn did not want to go, but she was not about to deny the final reuest of somepony she cared about. She got to her hooves as the phoenix flapped his wings, taking to the sky and she started walking past the princess with heavy hooves clopping on the floor.
She heard Celestia's hooves behind her, but she did not let that bother her. She knew that she would not have to ask the princess to leave them be as she spent his last moments with him. She always allowed Ignis her time alone, especially during moments such as this.
Ignis walked through the corridors of the large palace, her hooves muffled by the red carpet permanently stretched out on the floor. She did not dare to look up at any of the mirrors that were lined on the wals every here and there, for she did not want to see the heartache in her own eye. She would not be able to handle the burden if she saw her own sadness.
She followed the red carpet through the corridors of the palace with Celestia walking up by her side. It was not a long trip at all, just a short walk down the hall then a turn to the right and she was standing in front of a single door, wherein was the one whom she was asked to see.
She went no farther then where she stood, her heart pounding in her chest almost to her throught. She knew what she was about to face and she was seriously considering just turning around and flying away. But if she did, the one she loved would not get his last wish and would never get to see her again. She could not deny him this wish.
Still, the thought of running away was very strong in her mind and she was about to turn and run when she felt a warm, loving cheek against her own. Instantly, most all her fears were washed away and she closed her eyes as she leaned into Celestia's gentle touch.
Ignis was not a princess, nor was she a student of Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. But Celestia was like a second mother to her, especially in times like this when she was at her most vulnerable. Ignis loved Celestia for her gentle heart. She made these moments more bearable, but it still did not prevent the outcome of another lost love and a heavy heart.
"Go to him." Celestia said as she slowly pulled away from Ignis.
Ignis looked up at the older alicorn and gave a weak, saddened smile before she turned and faced the door in front of her. She ignited her horn and let her magic flow through the door, making it slowly swing open until she could walk in.
The inside of the room was nicely decorated for a high class pony couple. The windows were draped with deep crimson curtains with golden lining, a fireplace was built into the wall on the far side. There was a desk to the left with a few pictures settle atop of her and a blue unicorn stallion standing happily side by side. And in the center of the room on the opposite side of the door was a bed large enough for four ponies.
Resting on the bed was a single blue unicorn under the blankets, his breathing slow and groggy. His eyes were closed as he lay onhis back, waiting for her to come to his side.
Upon seeing the stallion Ignis' heart once again sank and the thought of running away flooded her mind, but the door was quietly closed behind her andthe windows were sealed shut by the stallion's request. She now could remain silent and wait for it all to be over, or she could grant him his final wish and be there by his side.
As much as she wanted to keep her distance from the pain she would never forgive herself if she were to let this go without being there for him.
"Ignis?" Came a cracked voice from the bed. "Please, come here."
That was all the motivation the young alicorn needed. She began walking up to the bed, keeping her eyes locked on the stallion until she could see his eyes, wich were filled with love, joy, and sadness all for her. When she got to the bedside she sat on her haunches and smiled weakly at him.
"Hey," he said, holding his hoof up to her cheek. "What're those tears for?"
"Please, don't sweetheart." She said.
"Honey, I know you've been through this before..." He wiped a tear from under her eye then settled his hoof under her cheek.
"You haven't had to go through it as many times as I have." She stated.
"No, but that doesn't mean I don't know how you feel." He said with a sweet voice.
She closed her eyes as she fought back a sob and tears forcing there way to the outside world. Her heart growing more heavy by the second as the moment grew closer that she would never see him again. Soon she felt another hoof on her other cheek and she opened her eyes to see him smiling at her.
"Ignis, my love." He said. She just looked at him as she waited for himto continue. "Ignis, I want you to promise me two things."
"Please..." She said.
"Two things." He stated. She bit her bottom lip to fight back the sobs threatening to break free. "First thing, I want you to promise me you won't let me be your last. I want you to find somepony else to help ease your pain. Find somepony to love, even if it's the royal family. I don't care. Just don't let me be your last."
This request made Ignis bite down on her lower lip harder. She was asked to do the same thing many times before, each in a different way. 'Take my brother.' 'She will take care of you' Everytime she was asked to find love again she would take her time to heal and when another found there way into her heart she would devote herself to them until the very end.
The stallion could see the hardship of the request in her eyes and gave her a weak, reassuring smile to try and comfort her.
"I know you can do this my love. You have a strong, large heart that could care fore the world ten times over." He said.
"I don't know if it's enough anymore." She said.
"You have to try for me." He said.
She said nothing for several seconds as he gently stroked her cheeks with his hooves before she gave her head a small nod. She would grant him this last wish, but it would take time. She loved him like no other before him and this loss would mark the nineth lover she lost since her birth centuries ago.
He smiled at her and wiped away nother tear from her cheek before he continued.
"The next thing I want from you..." he paused. "...is one last kiss from my wife."
This was a breaking point for Ignis. She let her head drop as sobs escaped her lips. He reacted instantly by pulling her head closer and wrapping his forelegs around her neck, letting her cry in his chest for a minute. He petted the back of head, his hoof gently sliding over her mane that behaved like a gentle fire.
After a minute he pulled her head up to look into her eyes. She looked into his with a heart more heavy now than ever before. She had been asked to find love again before, though she had never before been asked to give the last kiss. She saw the patience in his eyes as he waited for her, holding on to his last breath for that last moment. That one thing the was second only to the one he was asking to give it to him.
She choked back a sob before she slowly pulled closer, closing the gap between them until there lips met for the last time in a passionate kiss. She held the kiss for a long time, relishing this moment until she felt nothing coming back from him anymore.
She pulled away to find him laying there with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. His chest was still and his breath was silent. The blue unicorn who had been her husband for many wonderful years was now gone. The gentle and peaceful death of her tenth love had finally arrived and she was once again filled with a heavy and broken heart.
Her eyes welled up with tears and her lower lip began to tremble as she fought back the strongest urge to cry she had ever felt in her entire life. After a long minute of holding back all the emotion building up inside her she let it all out at once and screamed her cries to the loss of her husband.
~~)oOo(~~
Ignis spent the entire week after the funeral locked in her room crying her heart out over her loss. She had not come out for anyone or anything. She did not eat, sleep or do anything except cry for the whole castle to hear. Soe of the guards even got frustrated enough to cast soundproof spells, but that was only a temporary solution as the spell would soon ware off.
Soon one of the guards got so fed up with it he marched right up to the princess in the audience chamber to complain about this. He used his unicorn magic to burst the doors open and trotted up the carpet to the throne where Celestia sat, staring at the guard in shock and disapproval.
"Your highness, I can't take it anymore!"
"What is the meaning of this?" Celestia asked.
"That alicorn..."
"You're to refer to her as Ignis Flare, not as some creature." Celestia interrupted.
"Forgive me your highness, but this has been going on for over a week now and the guards, meaning me as well are tired of it!"
"She just lost a husband. Imagine the pain you would feel if you were immortal and suffered as much as she has."
"With all do respect, your highness, but I understand the pain she's feeling all to well." The guard said.
"How so, pray tell?" Celestia asked.
"I'm going to admit to you now princess, I've loved many mares, both wihin and outside the guard and I've lost each of them one way or another." He explained.
"Ignis has married all of her lovers and stood by each of their deathbeds as they left this world." Celestia countered.
The guard opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out. Celestia raised a brow as she waited for him to reply. Finally the guard sighed in defeat as he let his head drop.
"Tuché princess." He said. "But the guards are still getting pretty aggravated about this and want something done about it. We want no more of this."
"I understand corporal. I wil speak with her shortly." Celestia said.
"Thank you princess." The guard said as he bowed his head, then turned to walk away.
When the guard left the room Celestia gave a sigh and turned to face another guard standing by her throne.
"Cancel the rest of my day, please. I need to speak with mistress Flare." Celestia ordered.
"Yes your highness." The guard said as he bowed his head then trotted out of the room with full meaning in his step.
~~)oOo(~~
Ignis was laying on her belly with her face buried in her pillow to help muffle her sobs. She had managed to quiet her tears a bit since the death of her husband over a week ago, but the heartbreak was still there, leaving a hole so large she had no idea how she could get over it. This was her thenth lover in the centuries of her life, and this was the most precious to her heart, minus one she had a long time ago.
There was a knock on the door, but Ignis ignored it as she kept her face buried in her pillow, drowning in the tears of her sorrow. The knock came again, this time with a familiar gentle voice calling her name. Ignis was still hurt and she did not want to talk with anypony, even the one who was like her mother.
She heard the door click and swing open and close, followed by hoof steps that stopped by her bed. Ignis said something that was inaudible through her pillow.
"Ignis, sweety, I can't understand you through your pillow." Celestia said in a sweet, motherly tone. Ignis lifted her head enough to face the princess and lay it back down on the pillow.
"I had that door sealed." Ignis said through her sobs.
"I know." Celestia replied, placing a hoof on her shoulder. Ignis made no effert to resist. She wlecomed the touch as she always did. She loved Celestia just like her mother, since Celestia cared for her like a mother it seemed right.
"I thought you could use the company." Celestia said.
Ignis sniffed. "Why?" She asked.
"Why what sweety?" Celestia asked.
"Wby must it be like this? Enerytime I find somepony I soon loose them. I can't go on like this anymore, Celestia!" Celestia was about to say something. "Please... make the pain go away..."
Chapter One:
Birth Of Fire
Celestia's sun shone through the window, casting its bright rays into Fire Heart's bedroom and causing the cream colored mare to stir and wake up. She blinked her eyes open and gave a loud groan as she stretched out her forelegs and arched her back, earning a few loud crackles coming from her joints. She then placed her right front hoof to her head at the base of her unicorn horn and massaged hed temple. She had a bit of a headache from the night before, of wich she was absolutely not happy about.
What started out as a normal evening after a day of Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns turned into a wild night on the town. She was convinced to join a few of her classmates for some time at a pub near the edge of the grewing city of Canterlot wich was now the home of Celestia and her school. The castle was new and Celestia, along with her younger sister, Luna, lived in the castle as they ruled over the land equally. Celestia ruled the day, while Luna ruled the night.
Fire Heart had finished her day at school, then went home to take care of Excan, her pet phoenix of wich she obtained through her studies at the school. After that she went out for the day to enjoy herself while allowing Excan his freedom to roam the skies, wich her did not do.
Fire had bumped into a few of her classmates who offered her to join them that night for some fun at the pub. At first she refused, but their pleading for he to join was to much for her kind heart. She acompanied them to their outing and after a few drinks everything went fuzzy and she could not remember anything after that.
Now that she was back in her room she regretted whatever it was she did last night. She did not know what she did, but she knew that the events of the evening would come back to her, be it by memory or story. Either way,she knew she would not like it.
She looked up while keeping her hoof on her temple and found Excan staring down at her from his swing hanging from the ceiling by her bed. He looked rugged and several of his feathers were missing, but that was not the bit of his features that was bothering her. The part that was bothering her was the look he was giving her.
"What?" She asked.
Being a phoenix, Excan said nothing. He just sat there staring at her with those orange eyes. It looked like he was staring a message into her soul, and it started to give her chills.
"Come now, Excan." She stated. "I'm sure rebirth is not that bad."
He gave a sharp cough, causing more feathers to come flying off his body and fall back and forth to the ground. She followed the feathers to the floor then gave a sigh, followed by a groan.
"Grr, my head!" She exclaimed. She looked back up at her phoenix friend, who continued to stare at her. "Okay, I get it. I screwed up last night and you are going through hardship now. Forgive me, my friend."
This seemed to get a positive reaction from Excan, but he continued to stare down at Fire Heart. She rolled her eyes, soon regretting that movement as it increased her migraine.
"I wonder if the princess had to go through a hangover." She mused as she lit up her horn. It took longer than normal for her to cast do to the large headache coursing through her brain, but she finally managed to cast a detox. She then felt a bubbling sensation within her belly that rose up to her throught.
"Oh, damn!" She said as she bolted off her bed and dashed for the bathroom to the left at the other end of the room. She barely managed to make it to the toilet before the sensation reached her mouth. She reached her head over the seet, but the release was not a liquid. The detox escaped in the form of a small cloud leaving her mouth and disappearing in the air just above the bowl.
"In the name of Celestia! Why gass?" She asked, feeling better now than she did when she woke up.
She preferred a detox to take the form of vomit over gass. Gass left a smell that was hard to get rid of, and a burp or a fart was just to gross for her. Although vomiting was not a pleasant site for her, it still left no trace afterwards and the small only lasted a short period of time.
As soon as she was done she heard another cough coming from Excan, followed by what sounded like a fire starting allof the sudden. She looked up for a minute and listened to the flames die and the sound of mettle being filled with something.
"It's about time mister." She called jokingly as she got up from her spot and starting walking out of the bathroom. "You've been looking aweful for nearly a week now." She walked into the room to find Excan's ashes filling the tray placed under his swing for the soul purpose of a phoenix rebirth. She stopped next to the tray and stared down at the contents.
"You may come out of the ashes now. I wish to see your beautiful new coat." She said
Soon after a light began to peak through the ash and a phoenix dawned with a full body of bright red and orange feathers emerged and flew around and down to her back. He then lifted a wing and began to preen his new feathers as she admired and marveled his newfound glory.
"You look amazing!" She chimed with a smile.
After admiring his refirbished body she turned and walked over to the window behind her, opened it and absorbed the bright sun. She flinched as remnabts of her migraine still lingered after the detox. Excan relished in the sunlight as it hit his feathers and he outstretched his wings and gave them a flap to lift himself off her back and flew away.
"Go enjoy yourself old friend." She said.
As Excan flew away, the sound of young foals running, laughing and playing filled Fire Heart's ears. She looked down from her phoenix to see several young foals out in the morning sun playing games and enjoying their summertime freedom.
Celestia's school was a year round program for its students. Students were permitted to take a summer vacation or they could stay throughout the summer to continue their studies. Fire Heart was one who stayed to study all throughout the year to leanr more about the phoenix, her most favorite creature in the wide range of legendary creatures.
Upon hearing the children her heart sank and he let out a deep, heavy sigh. The one thing she loved more than phoenixes was the one thing that she could not naturally come by on her own, and she certainly was not into looking for a stallion to make it happen.
"I want a foal."
~~)oOo(~~
"Well then, I must suggest you begin a search for a suitor." Princess Celestia said with an encouraging smile.
"But princess, I'm not even remotely interested in finding a mate, and I most certainly will not repeat an incident like last night just to get pregnant." Fire Heart replied, shuddering at the images of what she was told she did last night.
Apparently after she got drunk she became the highlight of the party and started showing herself off like a mare in heat. On her way to the audience chamber to meet up with the princess about her desire to have a foal she ran into one of the stallions she was with last night and learned that in her drunken state she had allowed him to take her to bed. She immediately ran to the nearest rest room and performed a birth control spell. The detox spell she had casted earlier would have done the trick, but she wanted to make extra sure she did not become pregnant from intoxication. She may have wanted a child, but not that much.
"I admire your morality in this matter, mis Heart." Celestia said with a warm smile. "Any other mare in your position would have gone back for more, not giving it a second thought about becoming pregnant."
"I am not like other mares, your highness." Fire replied.
"And I applaud you for that." Celestia stated proudly. "Have you considered adopting? There are plenty of children out there looking for parents like you."
"I want natural birth princess." Fire replied. "But I'm not yet ready to accept a stallion in my life. If a good stallion comes into my life that is better than all these other hookers I have encountered then I may open my heart."
"High standards, I see." Celestia mused. "I am sure you will find the perfect stallion some day my little pony."
"Is there nothing you can do to help me with this matter princess?" Fire asked.
Celestia thought about it silently for a few minutes as she turned her gaze over to Excan who cam flying in the window and landed on Fire Heart's back proudly. The two nuzzled each other to show that she cared for the phoenix and he was thankful for her kind heart. This caused Celestia to smile at the phoenix and unicorn and she thought about her own pet phoenix, Phillomena who was young and proud.
"Perhaps there is something you can do." Celestia said. Fire looked up with hope in her eyes. "But it still requires another."
~~)oOo(~~
Fire Heart was now alone outside of the city with her phoenix, Excan on her back as she trotted into an open area at the base of the mountain. She had her saddlebag lightly packed with a book and a few items ment for magical rituals such as this.
Celestia had instructed Fire that she would need her phoenix for the ritual, wich at first she refused until the princess explained that all she would need from Excan was a feather from his tail. Everything else she needed from the phoenix she already had and demonstrated it in the audience chamber earlier. The rest was provided to her by Celestia along with the information she woud need to cast the spell and successfully conceive.
Fire stopped at a nice open place and admired the scenery, thinking this place would make nice farmland, wich was perfect since Celestia had said the ritual would help to make the land fertile for growing plants and crops. She looked back at Excan with a smile and he hopped offher back onto a nearby rock and waited for her as she slipped her saddlebag off and began to empty its contents.
After she pulled out the items required for the spell she looked up at Excan with a concerned smile.
"Should I do this, Excan?" She asked him. "I do want a child of my own, but I do not wish to do anything that may hurt any of us."
Excan gave his head a slow nod, sending the message that he wanted her to go on, to be happy. She knew what his unspoken message was. She smiled at him and illuminated her horn, causing the book she was given to perform the ritual and the tall grass to flatten around her.
"Then, let us do this my old friend."
Excan let out a caw as he stretched out his wings proudly, ready to play his part to make his unicorn friend happy. Several minutes later, Fire had everything set up to the last letter of the book. She mixed the items she was given together in a bowl and held it up in her red magic glow as he turned her head to gaze to Excan.
"Now all we need is your feather." She said.
In response to her words Excan reached back and plucked a feather from his tail and held it in his beak for her. She took the feather in her magic and added it to the mix in the bowl. When the feather was mixed in the contents of the bowl became a red liquid and the wind began to blow around her and Excan.
Fire Heart looked at the liquid for a minute before she looked up at Excan with a mixed look of joy and concern in her eyes. Excan gave another nod of his head, encouraging her to continue with the last portion of the ritual. She smiled sheepishly then turned head back to the bowl and took in a deep breath. She lifted the bowl up to her mouth and began to drink the potion.
As soon as the liquid hit the back of her through she felt an extreme burning sensation running through her body and she wanted to spit out the potion, but she knew if she did than she would have to all over, if she did not die from making the mistake of stopping the ritual before it was complete. She tilted her head back and drank the potion faster without stopping. She wanted this to work and she was not going to stop until it was done.
The wind billowed through her red mane and tail as she drank the potion, fighting past the burning in her body for what seemed like hours until it was all gone. She swallowed the last of the firey liquid and dropped the bowl as he gasped for air, silently begging for the sensation to stop.
Excan only sat there as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.
Soon the wind died down and the unicorn let herself drop to the ground, panting and gasping from the experience as if she just spent several hours with a stallion in bed. After everything calmed down there was only one quiestion on her mind.
"Did it work?"
~~)oOo(~~
Two weeks later Fire Heart was being examined by Princess Celestia. She layed on her side on a bed as Celestia felt and lit her horn over the unicorn's belly. The princess' hoof was gentle and well precticed.
After several minutes Celestia moved herself away from the young mare and trotted over to a nearby sink to wash her hooves.
"Well princess? Did I do it wright?" Fire asked.
"Calm yourself my little pony." Celestia said as she turned back from the sink. "I have wonderful news for you."
"It worked?!" Fire asked excitedly.
"You can expect a new set of hooves to arrive in nine months." Celestia said.
"So, I am...?"
"Yes, you are pregnant Fire Heart. Congratulations."
Fire Heart had to restrain herself from screaming and jumping in the air. She had gotten her wish and she was more than overjoyed to know that she would be a mother. She got up and ran over to the princess, wrapping her hooves around her neck with a tear falling down her cheek.
"Thank you Celestia." She said.
"You are most welcome Fire Heart."
~~)oOo(~~
Eleven months later Fire Heart found herself in excruciating pain as she had been in labor for hours now and was laying in a hospital bed with the doctor at her lower end, instructing her to push, wich she did with vigor.
Fire wanted Celestia to be here for this wonderful occasion, but unfortunately the princess was on indisposed for the time being.
"Mis Heart, I need you to push again, now!" The doctor ordered.
Fire screamed as she did what she was instructed to do and after what seemed like hours, even days, her ears were met with the sound of crying. She gasped and looked up as she heard tbis noised. Soon her eyes were met with the smiling face of a white mare with a pink mane.
"Congratulations, mis Heart." She said. "Your the mother of a beautiful healthy baby girl." The doctor layed the baby into Fire Heart's forelegs.
As soon as she felt her foal in her grasp, all the pain she had just experienced was washed away and fresh tears of pure joy welled in her eyes. The foal stopped crying after being placed in her mother's hold and looked up at the cream colored mare.
"Hello baby." Fire said.
"What are you going to call her?" The doctor asked.
Fire thought about it for a minute as she stared at her doughter, admiring her brilliant red coat, fire-like mane and blue eyes. She smiled at her baby as ideas floaded her mind about what to call her.
"Her name is Ignis Flare."
