~ Philomena the Royal Phoenix, by unknown Post-classical author

More poetic opening than usually, but those creatures deserve it. They are even rarer than the Poison Jokes these days, but it would be a shame to not give them some spotlight.

Phoenixes

Given the old reports, there used to be whole flocks of them residing in the Forest. Those mention periodical Phoenix migration every once in a while and I suspect it has something to do with Phoenixes following the great dragon migration to new nesting sites. Being used to your feathers burning surely allows you to live in neighborhood of fire-breathing creatures. We're probably in the Phoenixless period of Everfree today.

You can only find a few pairs in the southern drier parts of the Everfree and some are also residing in Whitetail. The rest now lives at the edge of the Badlands.

Surprisingly, not a lot of ponies comprehend that these regal birds are also birds of prey, the bane of squirrels and forest voles.

However, the rest of their lifecycle is really unique. Their feathers serve both as a fireproof shield and as a burning weapon. The rachis--the line in the center of the feather--has the ability to channel their fiery magic, allowing it to burn around their wings and tail. Activating this is within the Phoenix's will, but their feathers don't lose this feature after being pulled out. It just becomes more random afterwards. So, those of you not blessed with levitation, try to avoid using Phoenix quills... and those of you capable, make sure at least your face is far from it.

But back to the Phoenix's defenses. Their bright feathers can tell that their bearers aren't afraid of being spotted. Instead, their bright colors are a warning to predators. Much like poisonous salamander's colour gets stuck with the label "Don't eat. Let it be," in the mind of any animal that tried to taste it, bright red feathers are a non-pleasant reminder of the fire that burned your muzzle. Even the eggs are brightly colored, again as a warning.

Phoenix's feathers can vary from yellow to red with lighter markings, females always having a pink stripe at the tip of their beak, pinkish markings on wings are also possible. Another difference between the genders are the feathers on the top of their head. Male has a "crest" of thick feathers, while female's head is adorned by a peacock-like crown thingy.

But how is it with them burning to ashes if their feathers are fireproof? And why do they even have to burn down?
If they didn't, they'd die. Fire is a great weapon, but it needs huge amounts of magic, and thus energy to be controlled properly. Of course there isn't an indefinite amount of energy, so the Phoenix's body has to make compromise. To have fire-controlling abilities from a young age, their bones, muscles and intestines take quite a short time to get worn out. The beak becomes distorted, wings no longer able to carry them, neck muscles atrophy, not able to support the head anymore, and the bird starts to cough heavily, lungs slowly collapsing and filling with mucus. Very regal.

Simultaneously, the feathers start to fall off on their own with the small muscles operating them failing. This messy period of molting takes about a week and it's probably the only time when they are truly vulnerable. You can find a hidden molting Phoenix just by shed feathers lying all around. It's almost impossible to spot the bird as it hides in the treetops quietly--except for the coughing--and waits till their fireproof shield is down. Then the remains of their magic are called, igniting the Phoenix from inside and turning it to ashes.

Nopony knows if getting incinerated alive is painful or not. In my opinion, it's far better than what they must feel when their body starts to wear out. But everytime I managed to see them 'renewing', they fell into some sort of comatose sleep right before catching fire. Another interesting fact is that their fire doesn't ignite their surroundings.

Despite them being able to manipulate with their ashes and precisely recognize every part of their body--or at least if you throw their ashes to an already cinderfilled hearth, you get the same Phoenix. Not bigger, not lighter--they try to choose their hiding place to be in the lee of the branches. Adult Phoenix undergoes the cycle twice a year.

There is a second version of their renewal cycle, mainly used for courtship and mating. After female chooses the male-- he should be sporting a nice feather crest and bright colors, but the same should go for the female, because males don't accept the proposal from just anybody--they both start to perch and fly around, gently pulling out each other's feathers. When just a few are left, they soar high to the sky, getting rid of the remaining feathers and together fall to the ground in fire. When their ashes land, parts of them mix together. This mix then gets absorbed to female's body, making her pregnant. She then lays up to five eggs after a few days. During nesting, their fire-controlling ability is weakened, making the parents stronger until the young ones hatch.

Their feathers take just a few days to fully grow and the hatchlings start to fly shortly after. During growing up, the burning period prolongs from weeks to months till it stabilizes on periods lasting half a year.

So, what to do when you have a Phoenix nearby? Don't disturb them, not even in the ash form. And even if your good behaviour somehow managed to annoy them, you'll do best to lay down and not move. They'll just fly over you with ignited wings a few times and then leave. If a Phoenix is scared in the worn-out state, it can explode into your face.
The only thing dangerous for them would be falling in water and then getting cold. I reckon that feeding them ice cream isn't the best idea too.