The forest beyond the mountains proved to be thick with vegetation and animals. Rays of sunlight tried to trickle down to the ground, but save for a few openings, it was nearly impossible. Despite the lack of natural light, it was still a bright and inviting place. Still, the knowledge of what resided there weighed heavily on the travelers making their way through the forest. There was no telling what to expect, what with the rumors and tall tales that made it notorious.
The legion of royalty walking through the forest disturbed the wildlife in their wake. The critters scattered around the area, making things eerily quiet save for the sounds of footsteps. That made any other sound, like a tree branch breaking or the gust of wind, send the royal guards on edge, even if there was nothing to worry about.
Celestia was careful to watch her step around the thick roots going through the soil below. Her eyes darted in all directions to catch any sign of this rumored kirin. Maybe there would be footprints or the remains of a fire. Hopefully, it wasn’t the type of kirin Fluttershy and Applejack met. As lovely as they were, they wouldn’t know the first thing about the type of creature Twilight and Spike were raising.
In the meantime, Starswirl had the hardest time getting through the forest. His body wasn’t exactly used to this kind of travel, and he was forced to take a break every now and then. The rest of the ponies were kind enough to stop for every break, but it made him feel foolish. Even if his face was drenched in sweat from the humidity, he was going to get through this, blast it. If he really came across a kirin, it would make the journey worth it.
As they pressed through, they noticed a change in the climate. Rather than thick vegetation, the woods gave way to more and more clearings. The ground wasn’t just a bunch of dirt and bushes anymore, it was more like lovely flowers of all shapes and colors. Not only that, but there were a few dirt paths there, almost like the kind of roads Ponyville had. Everyone had a feeling what this meant, and the guards raised their swords and spears just in case.
The area grew even more elaborate as they marched on. What once were stray flowers resembled curated gardens, and the dirt roads slowly gave way to stone tile. The trees were more spaced out, which allowed the sunlight to finally come down.
“Do you suppose this is where our little guest resides?” Celestia whispered.
“It certainly looks like someone’s been living here,” Starswirl agreed. “Not only that, but I suspect whoever lives here has been doing so for a long time.”
“Ah, so you noticed my handiwork!” a voice echoed throughout the forest. It was a deep male voice, with an accent that was unrecognizable by anypony. “What do you think of the sunflowers? Those were added just last year, and I thought it was a terrible idea at first. Yellow really isn’t my color.”
Celestia felt her coat hairs rise when she heard that deep, booming voice. “Who are you? Are you the kirin we’ve heard about?” The guards surrounded her on all sides, with their weapons pointed up in the air.
“Oh, so I’m popular now?” the stranger snickered. “How fun. Times changed, didn’t they. Oh well. The fact that you even know that word says the whole story.”
Starswirl took a step back and scanned the forest for the intruder. “We mean you no harm, kirin. We’re here to find out more about your kind, that is all.”
“Hmmph. I want to believe you, but you sound like the ‘let’s fight this kirin, burn down the garden he spent a hundred years on, teach him a lesson’ kind of guy. Then again, you do have a nice beard. What did that take, like twenty years?”
The old unicorn grumbled under his breath. “Five. Are you here to taunt us or teach us? Did we waste our time in visiting you?”
As if to answer his question, a gust of wind came through from the other side of the garden. Slowly but surely, the ponies could see a figure emerge through the trees. This person was tall, well over six feet, and his teal, dragon-like eyes glistened in the sunlight, along with his scaly, orange underside. His twin horns were almost completely black, and the rest of his body was a shade of red. He appeared like he was a dragon with fur in spots. Yet, despite his fearsome appearance, there was a smirk to his face.
Celestia couldn’t believe she was seeing a kirin with her own eyes. She had heard the rumors, but it was a shock to her sense that they were real. Looking at his frame, she could tell he was packed with muscles, and with those twin horns, he likely knew a thing or two about magic. Starswirl, on the other hand, was not impressed. All he saw was a punk with that smirk and the way he crossed his arms.
“Oh, by the way, you’re not supposed to be stepping on the grass,” the kirin commented. His horns glowed with his spell, and all the guards were lifted up into the air. They all thrashed around and tried to escape his magical grip. Celestia was prepared to race over and fight the kirin, only to see the guards placed neatly on the stone tile. “Yeah, that’s actually why I put those things there. Can’t really harm the dirt, but the grass is another story. Name’s Wildfire, by the way.”
Celestia and Starswirl looked at each other in bewilderment over the kirin’s nature, and the princess approached him a little bit. “Wildfire it is, then. We must apologize, for we had no idea the grass meant so much to you.” She took note of that, as her feet were mere inches from touching some grass blades of her own.
“Yeah yeah, they always say that before they run away and call me a monster,” Wildfire snorted. “So why are you really here? Everyone that comes into my garden have their reasons for it. I had one guy think I had a hoard of gold, all because I’m half dragon, and he demanded to know where it was! Griffons can be really greedy.”
Starswirl sighed. This was going to be a long conversation. “We have come for your guidance on kirin like you. We have knowledge of them, but never from dragon-pony offspring like yours. We could use the knowledge you can provide.”
Wildfire rubbed his chin and used his wings to float over their way. “Hmm, and why would I do that? Look, if you’re that stumped about my species, that means there’s nobody else like me. There’s a reason why we stayed hidden for so long. Your guards don’t seem to trust me, for once.” While he was saying that, the guards were in battle positions, and the archers had arrows on the ready.
“Stand down, everypony,” Celestia commanded. The legion was stunned by the order, and she shot them a look to let them know she meant it. They lowered their weapons, but they weren’t too pleased by it. “Is that better for you, Wildfire?”
“Better,” he nodded. “Look, I don’t mind talking to someone that’s not a woodland critter, but there’s a reason why I’m here by myself. Out of all the places in the world, this suits me the best.”
“And what would that reason be?” Starswirl pondered. “If you were to walk into Equestria today, you would surely receive a lot of attention. I just don’t understand how you’ve been able to hide for...um...however long you’ve been hiding.”
“A thousand years, give or take a century,” Wildfire shrugged. “That’s about how old I am.”
“Does that mean...no. It couldn’t be. That would place you almost as old as I am,” Celestia realized.
The kirin’s smirk faded away. “What did you say?”
“I’m 1,100 years old, as far as I can remember. That means we might be close to the same age, at least, for people as advanced in age as we are.”
Wildfire couldn’t believe his ears, and he cleared his ears to make sure about it. “Here’s a good question for you. Did Dragon Lord Torch get his title around the same time as yours?’
“You know about that? Even Equestrian historians rarely know about that,” Celestia pointed out. “Then again, our knowledge of the Dragon Lands was rare back then.”
“Oh yes, I was there,” Starswirl added. “It was rumored that Torch planned to celebrate his start as the Dragon Lord by planning a siege of Equestria itself, as Celestia and Luna were still fillies. However, it was also rumored that a dragon confronted him over the plan and put a stop to it.”
“Well...it’s why I’m here. It wasn’t a dragon that stopped him. It was a kirin. Me,” Wildfire replied. All the sarcasm left his sails, and what remained was a solemn creature, deep in thought.
“That was you?” Celestia gasped. “This is new to me. Could you explain what happened?”
Wildfire crossed his arms and recollected his thoughts. “You see, kirin like me, we have our destinies tied to certain events or people. That’s what my mother taught me, at least. She was the dragon in the family. If your timetable is right, that means we were born around the same time, Celestia. And I think my destiny was to stop Torch from invading Equestria when you wouldn’t have been able to stop it. He was kind of a jerk, and I felt like I had to do something about it.”
“So that’s why the siege was just a rumor,” Starswirl realized. “He never got past the planning stages.”
“Right. I confronted him over the siege, we fought to a draw, and I was kicked out of the Dragon Lands for fighting the Dragon Lord at all. So I tried to make a living in Equestria, and what did I get for my efforts? Oh, how about being called a monster, a freak of nature, that kind of stuff.” He squirmed a little bit. “Honestly, I don’t care anymore. That was a thousand years ago. I found my own place in the world, looking over this forest and making sure idiots don’t burn it down or something.”
Celestia’s heart soared for the kirin, and she placed her hand gently on the shoulder. He looked up at the princess, confused and startled. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, but we’re not here to pour salt on your wound. We’re here because there’s something of grave importance to us, and you might be the perfect pon--I mean, kirin to help us with it.”
“Yeah? What would that be?”
“There’s been another kirin, your kind of kirin, born in Equestria.”
Wildfire’s jaw dropped. “Really? Another one like me? You know they can’t just recreate the awesomeness that I am. Jeez, it’s not as easy as it looks.”
Starswirl had to do everything in his power not to lose his temper. “Yes, we’re aware of your ‘awesomeness’, but we need your help. What can we expect from the newly born kirin?”
“Hmm, where to begin. Your little kirin is going to be a real pain in the rear when it comes to magic. Twin horns, baby! Even alicorns don’t have that!”
“I can raise the sun by myself. Can you do that?” Celestia raised an eyebrow.
“Raise the sun? I could if I wanted to. I just don’t feel like it. Anyways, the next point is, and I hope you’re taking notes, your kirin will be obsessed with nature. Like, you notice how I got offended when you stepped on the grass? They’re all like that. At least, the ones like me.”
“Intriguing. The other type of kirin do seem to be harmonious with nature.” Starswirl reached around his pants for his notebook, only to hear scribbling behind him. One of the guards was already taking notes for him.
“This is truly fascinating, but there must be more you can tell us,” Celestia added. “For example, why are there so few of you? We haven’t seen any in all of my reign until we met you. Well, you and the baby, now.”
“There is one thing you need to keep in mind about kirin,” said Wildfire. “Whenever one of us is born, there’s a big thing about fate intertwining us with someone else, all that crap. That’s why it was a big deal when you and I were born around the same era, Princess. You could say I came into this world to stop Torch from wrecking things all over Equestria.”
“Is that so? In that case, I owe you my thanks,” Celestia offered. “I apologize that you never earned the reward you deserve for your hard work. But if that’s the case, who or what do you believe this kirin’s fate is tied to?”
“If you’re gonna push me into a corner like that, it’s time for me to come clean. I don’t really know. That just comes with time, ya know? I was lucky that my big moment came early in life, but it could happen at any time. Maybe decades from now.”
Starswirl huffed and looked off to the side. “I was afraid you had no answers for us. Was this journey a waste?”
“Hey hey, it’s not that big of a waste. You got to meet me, didn’t you? First kirin born from a pony and a dragon seen in centuries. If there’s another kirin running around now, though, that means something big is coming. It might already be here. You can’t really time it, but with this news I’m hearing, that means it’s gonna happen sooner or later.”
Celestia rubbed her chin as she pondered over things. “I wonder what this could be…”
------
Today started like any other day for Fizzle. He would beat Garble in a test of strength, hunt for any gold or treasure he came across, and the rest of the day would be spent with his mate. Surely, she would be thrilled that he found a chest buried under the sea, containing artifacts from ancient griffon kingdoms that very few knew about. He didn’t even know that he was holding something that would have sent Twilight into a freakout, he just knew it was fancy stuff.
His wings struggled to keep his body up as he flew around the mountains, and his arms strained from carrying this big chest around. Man, this was heavy. There was no way he was going to ask for help, though. The moment Garble found out he couldn’t do it by himself, he would never hear the end of it.
It wasn’t long until he found the way to the cave he called home. He wondered just how proud Ember would be of his catch, only to be interrupted from a blood curdling scream. It was Ember’s voice behind it, and he dropped the chest as soon as he heard it. He didn’t care that his treasure was now dropping along the side of the mountain, what mattered was inside the cave.
He raced inside the cave and searched for her everywhere he could think of. “Ember! What’s going on? Ember? Please tell me!”
“Fi...Fizzle...please come over here...OWWWW!” Ember screamed again. “I need your help...it hurts so much…” The voice came from the throne room, and the screams were growing louder.
Fizzle sprinted over to find her, and she was lying on her back by the throne, her entire body covered in sweat. She clutched at the gold piles around her body, and she roared from the agony.
“Ember! Ember, I’m right here,” he gasped. He came to her side and held her arm tightly. “Are you hurt? Did someone hit you?”
“I-I don’t know! My stomach started hurting out of nowhere, and I don’t know what to do!” Her back arched from the intensity of the pain. “What’s happening? Oh screw this!” She roared at the top of her lungs, and a pillar of fire shot out of her lips. “Just get it over with!”
“What is going on with you? Maybe we should take you to a hospital in Equestria?” The idea of asking ponies for help made him shiver. “They know more about dragons than they used to, and maybe they’ll--”
Ember howled louder than ever, and her claws dug into Fizzle’s arm. “I can’t make it to Equestria. Just...please don’t leave my side...I am not going to die this way!”
“I’m not leaving you. I can’t leave you like this. Just breathe. Breathe....”
She breathed in and out, in and out, and she clenched her eyes shut. Fizzle hung onto her as she went through the torture, but the scary part wasn’t the pain. It was the fear from not knowing what was causing this.
As the moment continued, they soon discovered the source of the pain. It was something that caught them off guard, but it gave Ember the little push she needed to endure. Her screeching echoed throughout the walls of the cave, and Fizzle was grateful Garble wasn’t here to tease them over this.
Ember’s claws dug into Fizzle’s scales, but he was willing to accept it for now. He stood there by her side as it continued, staying there until it was all over. When it was, the reward for going through this was worth it.
A dragon egg popped out to the floor, and Fizzle picked it up so Ember could see it. She was shell shocked when she opened her eyes and saw it in front of her. It never really occurred to her that she was carrying an egg around, and her mind was all over the place from the image.
“Wow. We’re parents now,” she whispered. “I had no idea it would be happening now.”
Fizzle sat down next to her and rubbed his hands the surface of the egg, truly realizing that it was theirs. “Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Right now, I’m just happy you’re still alive. I didn’t know if you were going to make it.”
“It’s...I have no idea.” She took a deep breath, as her body was aching from the delivery. “I need time to think. Had no idea this was why I was having stomach pains, but I figured we were going to have an egg one day.” She paused to let it register in her brain, and when she did, she started to smile. “It’s a good thing.”
Fizzle sighed in relief and leaned into her shoulder. “I was hoping you’d say that. About time we had a child that could kick some rear ends around here. I can look over the egg if you need me to. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for a long time.”
“Hey, don’t forget who’s Dragon Lord around here,” she laughed, and she gave him a light punch on the shoulder. “We’ll take turns looking over it. Hmm, that’s weird timing. We’re having an egg less than a year after Twilight and Spike had their kid.”
“Oh yeah. We should probably tell them about it when we get the chance. They’ll want to hear about it, and Spike’s going to be thrilled at the news.”
“Let’s give it a moment for now. I’ll send a letter to Celestia once I’ve stopped freaking out.” She hugged the egg and set it neatly between them. “It’s not like they’re going to freak out or anything, right?”
------
Celestia freaked out when she got the letter from Ember. “Wildfire, remember what you said about a kirin’s destiny? I think I know what it is now.”