//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 - Ignitus Rekindled // Story: The Lunar Chalice // by Spirals95 //------------------------------// Chapter 20 “Oh Ignitus, look over here please!” Ignitus was beginning to remember just how joyful his wife was, with her pointing out each and every special thing about the world around her. She hadn’t had an actual date with him in a very long time, and now every little detail, object and passerby made her heart sing. Something had made him feel less attached to her before, but now that memory was seemingly gone, replaced by a chalky and uncertain void in his mind that he chose to ignore. Faerie Tail was standing over a fresh bed of daffodils growing by the side of the road, yellow blooms peeking out from underneath the soil. “I don’t understand dear, they’re just flowers,” said Ignitus. “But daffodils are your favorite!” she sighed, “Aren’t they lovely?” “Is that was these are?” the half-stunned unicorn asked, “Wow, I haven’t seen any in a very long time. How did you know that they’re my favorite flower? I don’t remember ever telling you I had a favorite flower.” “Well, when we got married… Princess Celestia had a hundred daffodils planted in the garden we wed in. It was the most beautiful sight in the world, my sweet husband and I walking down the isle, surrounded by flowers and loved ones,” beamed the mare, remembering the most important day of her life. “How… how come I don’t remember that?” he stuttered, bending down to get a closer look at one of the bell-shaped flowers, “I only can remember your beauty, Faerie. Never paid any attention to the flowers.” “Oh Ignitus!” she sighed, blushing heavily. The red stallion cleared his throat, “So… what’s next, love?” “I haven’t a clue! I’m just so happy you’ve chosen to stay,” she answered, embracing him in a warm hug, “I’m interested in whatever you have to offer.” As if moved by some invisible force, her husband offered, “We should find some foals to tell a story to. I remember how you used to love telling stories, and how raising Midnight and Twinken made it hard to write and read out loud. You always wanted to be a filly’s author, but… I guess never let you chase that dream.” “I… I chose to be a mother, dear,” Faerie Tail responded, knowing his guilt had really built up over the years, “we chose to have foals, together. I didn’t give up my dream, I made a new one.“ “Still,” said Ignitus, pressing his muzzle against hers and closing his eyes, “you stopped what your cutie mark meant for you to do the year we married. I’ve made this all about my life and my needs, and it’s time to change.” When he opened his eyes again, Faerie Tail saw another greenish twinkle reflecting in them, a repeat of the strange event she saw in the palace. But emotion replaced deep thought, for years she had hoped her husband would put down his demanding pursuits and focus once more on his loving family. It felt like a fantasy, but Ignitus was really here, telling her how much he loved her and wanted to go back to the days before his terrible discovery. Faerie Tail found her own troubles interrupted, as a yellowish earth pony was stomping past the couple with a very irritated look on her face. “Excuse me,” she said, sidestepping Ignitus’ leaning in for a deep kiss, making her husband stumble. The other mare turned around and snapped, “What is it, lady?” “Oh, um,” stammered Faerie, “I was wondering if you were okay. You’re quite upset, is all.” “I’m a bit angry, yeah,” admitted Lighthearted, “kind of just got backstabbed by somepony who tricked me into liking him.” “That’s horrible,” commented Ignitus with about as much emotion as a stone, “I’d love to talk some sense into a pony like that.” “Heh, a pony, that’s cute,” Lighthearted chuckled weakly, “you guys wouldn’t believe me, but that guy’s that zebra from the newspaper. I’m trying to find him so I can give him a piece of my mind!” “The zebra?” grunted Ignitus, “I know...” Ignitus knew it was Rosseth right away, but got met with his wife’s big puppy dog eyes when he tried to speak up about it. “Dear...” He felt compelled to say, “I’m sorry ma'am. That zebra you’re describing has given us a lot of trouble lately as well. But, I’ve promised my wife a nice time out tonight, perhaps later I can help you find him.” “I’m going to go see if the princess is in so I can talk to her about this,” said Lighthearted, “I’ve heard she’s got information. Of course, the chances she’ll let me in to talk to her...” “Then tell the gatekeeper Ignitus Enflame sent you over, they’ll let you in,” instructed the detective, “they’ll let you in. I’m a detective with Canterlot, it’ll get you to Princess Cadance fast.” Lighthearted was taken aback, “Woah… thanks! I will. You guys have fun tonight!” The mare made a swift exit, and once she was out of earshot, Ignitus turned to his wife and started in. “What a tough cookie. Do you think Midnight would like her?” His wife wrinkled her nose, “Honeeeey!” “Only kidding. Mostly.” “She did what?” laughed Limpwing, her eyes bright and wide. “She bewitched Ignitus into trying to salvage his dying marriage,” chuckled Arbiter, pouring Limpwing another hot cup of mint tea from a nearby bronze kettle. The two ponies were spending time together in a secluded study room on the east side of the crystal palace, normally used for going over scrolls and books from the palace library. Here Limpwing had set up camp, having declined a regular room to sleep on a basic mattress on the floor and pour over the pages of her training books. Arbiter had brought up the tea, her personal favorite, and couldn’t help but go into detail about his relative’s predicament. Needless to say, the pegasus mare with the bad wing was eating it up. Limpwing had brought out two flat reed mats for them to sit on while they enjoyed their tea and juicy gossip. It wasn’t the comfiest sit for either pony, but it was enough. “Cadance has gone off the deep end,” Limpwing guffawed heartily before scooping up her teacup with her good wing and chugging down the hot liquid, “if Princess Celestia found out about this, she’d turn pale! Well, pale-r.” “I know, which is why we need to help keep things a secret until that curse wears off,” said Arbiter a bit more seriously, “I think we ought to find the two of them and make sure they don’t do anything to humiliate themselves.” “What’s the worst that could happen?” asked Limpwing rhetorically. “A lot,” grumbled the captain, wondering why she couldn’t engage him for a moment. She batted her eyelashes, “Are you worried Midnight might end up with another brother?” Arbiter frowned, “Hilarious, lieutenant.” Limpwing ignored him and laid down on the mat, “I’m just teasing, Arbiter. Honestly I’m glad this had happened for Faerie Tail’s sake, but something tells me you think it’ll all come crashing down on them.” “It most certainly will,” he answered, sighing, “I don’t want Faerie Tail to get led on too far before she’s told the truth. We need to get out there and let her know what happened.” “You really want to take away that hope from her?” Limpwing asked, “I mean, that’s pretty rough.” “Hmm.” “I really think you ought to let it play out,” she said, pushing forward on her hooves and getting close to him, “who knows? I’m always going with the flow, maybe you should, too!” “I trust your advice,” he answered, scooting back, “but you know me. I am not a kind enough individual. I don’t have faith things will work unless they’re made to by force.” Limpwing rolled her eyes, how obvious did she need to be with him, anyways? “Hey now,” she said softly, “you’re a lot nicer than what you think you are. At least, I think you are. I’ve had a lot of fun spending time with you over the past year or so, all those sword lessons were fun!” Arbiter took a deep breath, “Well Limpwing, I appreciate your kinds words. I guess it would be fine to let this play out and hope that my cousin and his wife find happiness again. They deserve that kind of happiness.” Limpwing wanted to know how he felt, “...and you believe you don’t deserve that kind of happiness?” “I don’t deserve anything. I’ve made poor choices.” “So has he,” countered Limpwing, rolling her eyes “sure he didn’t exactly live the lifestyle you had, or tried to off a certain campy stallion, buuuut… I think you’ve done way better. You’re a neat guy.” Arbiter finally managed to climb out of the self hate and put on a modest smile for her. When they had first met, Arbiter had appreciated Limpwing’s physical appearance, the soft blue of her coat and neon mane, her red eyes... during his days as a younger soldier he’d chased plenty of mares with those kinds of thoughts on his mind. Limpwing had started the same as well, but after a time of getting to know her, there was something a bit different there he couldn’t explain. She of course, could see past his awkward smile and knew he was restraining his feelings on purpose. The pegasus couldn’t help but laugh, “Hey, there we go, a smile! You starting to see the light, Arby? At least you didn’t have a son only to bug him about becoming a grunt every five minutes. Why does that guy care so much about him serving Equestria, anyways?” “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you Limpwing,” said the captain, chuckling in disgust, “it doesn’t excuse either of our behaviors anyways, past or present. Of course, that doesn’t mean what’s happening now isn’t suitable payback for his treatment of his son.” “Then we agree this whole thing with the princess is hilarious and should totally be abused for our entertainment?” grinned the pegasus, tilting her head. “Abuse is such a strong word, I prefer ‘enjoyed’ to the fullest,” he answered, “let’s go and find them.” “Before we do, wanna spar?” asked the pegasus, spreading her wings, “I could go for a little practice, and hey, what if Techie’s right and King Sombra comes back? I wanna be the one to cut him down to size!” Arbiter stood tall, and nodded in agreement, “Very well Miss Limpwing, I accept your challenge! I’ll see you in the palace armory. Don’t think I’ll go easy on your just because you are a mare, though.” “Oooh, you’re gonna pay for that,” she hissed teasingly, “see you down there, tough guy. Hope I don’t bruise your ego when you’re on the floor with a training sword lump, like you always do when we train together!” The gray pegasus left the room with a satisfied grin on his face and a renewed sense of confidence. Once Limpwing was absolutely sure he was gone, the crafty pegasus pony reached for her trusty flight goggles on the floor of the study room, and pulled out a small piece of paper she unraveled. It was a handy list of just a few items: 1. Make cookies for the target. 2. Restore target’s confidence and self-love. 3… “My mission’s almost complete,” she said confidently to herself, “just one more step… if my target is willing to cooperate!” Ignitus had taken the love of his life to a wonderful restaurant on the opposite side of the empire, far away from the scene of the bank robbery or anything else that would remind him of work. The establishment was a quiet, outlandishly luxurious restaurant, indoor seating with crystal sculptures throughout the restaurant floor that shifted culture as magical energy flowed through them from the power sources in the wide stone bases they rested upon. Ponies dressed in fine clothing sat at most of the tables, topped with fine white linens held in place with smooth, gently burning candles. The food was simply eloquent as well, the most popular menu choice being a four course meal, including a house salad with vegetables picked from local gardens, a curious spicy hot soup made from peppers and local artisan cheese, the main course of a finely cooked penne pasta baked with thick cut tomatoes and rare organic mushrooms picked from the forests, all followed by the most sinful and diet-busting piece of strawberry shortcake imaginable. With the purchase of both their meals came a shared bottle of their favorite drink at the table, and they got to enjoy it like they did in their earlier days dating in fine crystal glasses. “This is wonderful, sweetheart,” said Faerie, putting another tender bite of pasta into her mouth with a magically-controlled fork, “it’s just like how things used to be...” “Those things are here to stay, Faerie,” he assured, having cleaned his own plate, “I will do anything to make sure you and I stay together now. I love you more than anything else in Equestria, always.” Something a bit monotone came off about his statement, and Faerie Tail was beginning to think that maybe it was a bit… too nice. She enjoyed this sudden burst of love and softness from her husband, but she also felt that Ignitus’s more hardened side was a bit of his charm. “Are you sure you’re still satisfied with everything?” she asked, placing her fork down, “It’s so sudden, how you’ve decided to change things around.” Cadance’s bewitchment, however, was being severely underestimated by Faerie. Ignitus was unable to experience the negative feelings brought on by thinking about his son, or his lack of entry into the military. About the only thing truly free about his thinking was the restaurant he had picked, and the words he was choosing to express his legitimate love for his wife hidden deep behind the stony exterior he had put on for so long. It was as if whatever had hardened him before had suddenly been melted away by the princess’s spell. It forced him to come up with a compromise to appear normal, “Faerie, I have my disagreements with you, but I didn’t want it to ruin everything. Please trust me.” From the closest table to them, Arbiter and Limpwing had positioned themselves to get a closer look. They were loosely disguised, Limpwing having put on a fine artificial fur coat and large sunglasses, and Arbiter in a pinstripe suit and hat. Given how engrossed with each other the other couple was, a more convincing concealment of their identities seemed unnecessary. “What do you think Arby?” she asked, holding her menu in front of her muzzle, “Cadance’s bewitchment sure is strong… Ignitus seems pretty sincere.” “We will see, Limpwing,” he answered, uncertain, “I’m more concerned about what happens when it wears off. In the meantime, helping keep them out of trouble is all we can do, at least until Techorse and his friends return.” “I don’t see any trouble here,” chuckled Limpwing, pointing out how the couple was leaning in closer to each other with each passing moment. “Faerie… I love you,” said Ignitus softly, “and I will prove it to you.” Without warning, their table was suddenly flipped to the side with a huge crash as Ignitus pushed through the table in a spectacular display of affection, throwing himself onto his wife and locking her into a passionate kiss on the floor of the restaurant. The remains of their dinner spilled everywhere, and not a pair of eyes in the restaurant wasn’t focused on them making out like college freshmen in shameless public view. “OOOOH, looks like Midnight’s getting TWINS!” hooted Limpwing, Arbiter growling at her in response. Of course, that stunt got the four of them kicked out of the restaurant in short order, with many statements of “Get a room!” and “There are fillies present!” following them. But Faerie Tail had been captivated once more by the stallion who chose to marry her, and their tails were wrapped tightly together while they trotted down the street. Just as important, they were laughing together like they had just fallen in love that week. “It’s like they’re young again,” commented Arbiter, “perhaps even if for a moment, Cadance’s spell was worth it. I’ve never seen either of them this happy.” “Yeah, isn’t it gross?” joked Limpwing. “Maybe just a bit,” he agreed, surprising her. “Well, at least they’re happy,” she said, “we gonna keep following them?” “Maybe that’s enough for tonight,” answered Arbiter, “we found out what we needed to. Cadance’s spell is very strong, and Faerie Tail doesn’t need to know for now.” Limpwing suggested, “So, how’s about we go see a show or something? Suns’ going down, bet the Crystal Empire’s got a ton of stuff to do.” “That sounds perfect,” he answered, “comedy?” A smirk came across her face, “Do we really need one after that display?” Arbiter met her eyes with his one remaining one, and shook his head in disbelief while still smiling at the bad joke. Looking down the street, he could see his cousin and spouse disappearing into the distance, the sunset in front of them, burning the sky with bright oranges and reds. “Maybe you’re right,” he said, “let’s enjoy our own night out on the town. We’ve already had a good hour of swordplay, so what else can we do?” “Ice cream sodas?” she suggested, grinning, “I like those!” “Sure,” Arbiter laughed, “we deserve a treat after putting up with that scene.” As they walked away, Limpwing said to him, “Hey, do you suppose that Ross guy actually thinks he’s going to bring back…” Noticing several crystal ponies around her still staring thanks to the incident inside the restaurant, the pegasus carefully held her tongue lest she start a riot. “You know… that guy?” “I’m not sure what he’s thinking,” answered the captain, “but even if he could, he’s got the most dogged stallion we know on his case. He’ll be stopped.” “That’s for sure,” snickered Limpwing, “so that means Rosseth’s going to be Techorse’s best friend after this, just like you?” “We are not…” he blushed, “Limpwing, sometimes I really find myself frustrated with you!” “Guess that means I like you,” she teased, running her tail across his front leg as she trotted past him, “come on, Arby! Let’s go get that ice cream soda, I need my sugar!” He cleared his throat, embarrassed, and let out a subtle groan while following her to the nearest ice cream shop. “What am I going to do with that mare?”