Three weeks earlier…
The sound of baby Igneous wailing was deafening. Rachel's horns were still glowing blue and vibrating as the summoning of the mystical Cutie Map, images of the blue diamonds and wings still floating above her head.. Her jaw dropped as she turned to see Twilight with the doors to her chambers open.
Her shouts woke the baby up.
"Two things; one: fuck you for barging in like a deranged psycho and scaring him. Two: what the hell are you talking about?" Rachel growled as she pressed her crying newborn up against her shoulder and began bouncing him. Making shushing noises to get him to stop.
Twilight flinched. "I am so sorry, I know you told me to not barge in unannounced but at least I didn't teleport in this time." Her alicorn and dragon wing relaxed. She was still getting used to having her new wing. Having to lose her other wing during the conflict against the humans.
When realizing who Rachel meant by him, she let out a gasp. "Oh gosh I'm sorry I didn't know you gave birth yet." She clops over to the Queen and the tiny prince, feeling guilty to have spooked him.
"Oh he's precious, could i-"
"Take him from me and I'll rip your other feathered wing off." Rachel snarled as she managed to get Iggy to stop wailing and turned to soft whimpers.
Twilight leans away from her. "Right, sorry."
Postmortem hormones after delivery was hitting Rachel hard.
She shook her head before continuing. "What's happening to you right now is the result of the Cutie Map summoning you to do a Friendship Quest. The Map hasn't summoned anyone in years."
"So it just summons at random, especially to new mothers who literally just gave birth? I have so many other things to deal with, doing another mission is not what I need. I want to spend what time I have with my baby before Ember throws me back at the wolves."
"Rachel, it summoned you for a reason, what if that reason is because of Spike?" Twilight suggested.
Rachel held onto her child as her heart tightened. Her mind is constantly racing.
Could it actually be him?
"W-what if it's not and that map sents me to bum-fuck Egypt? It'll get my hopes up for nothing." Rachel asked nervously.
Luckily Iggy was too young to understand his mother's swear words.
Twilight gave her a soft smile. "As I just stated, it summoned you. I don't know why it decided to summon you now, but it wouldn't if it wasn't portrayed to you. The Map selects creatures who are best suited for a situation that requires their particular skill set and/or resources. You got the skill needed to bring him home." She assured him.
Rachel listened to her baby cooing softly before finally going back to sleep in her arms.
"I… I just gave birth." Her voice sounded hurt. After looking long and hard, she now has a chance to actually find him, but she didn't want to get her hopes up.
Nor did she want to part ways with her child, even if it's for a short time.
"I can't just leave Igneous," Rachel muttered, she leaned her head against his head before gently putting him down in his dark stone and golden encrusted bassinet.
She watched him get adjusted to his bed before resting. Placing a hand on his small chest. "Are you sure it's leading me to Spike?" she asked Twilight, glancing up at her.
"There's only one way to find out. No one else can go in your place. That happened once and that pony kept getting buzzed until they agreed to go." Twilight said.
Rachel shuddered.
This was the big lead she was waiting for after so many dead ends.
She looks down at Iggy. "For our family…" she muttered softly to him. "Okay, give me a couple of days to heal and make arrangements. I'll go." She said.
Once agreed, the glowing and vibration stopped.
Twilight nodded. "I have to make a couple of calls anyway. You weren't the only ones who got summoned and it'll take time for them to get here."
Rachel fully looked at her with a raised brow. "Who? "
Twilight sheepishly grinned."A pair of very old friends of mine. Don't worry, they are both on our side and very skilled."
Before Rachel could ask again, Twilight poofs off.
Rachel sighed deeply. Fucking alicorns…
She shook her head before looking back down at her baby. "Your mama and your family are a bit crazy, welcome to the world." She whispered softly.
Taking her hand off of him just to see Iggy wiggle in his sleep. Undoing the burrito blanket that he was wrapped with and stretching his little limbs before settling once more, his small but chunky spade tail out full display.
Rachel giggled, readjusting him so he was covered one more. "I love you, forever and a day… always and eternity." she felt tears cascading down her face.
The thought of leaving Igneous just after being born was torture of it itself. She can't just up and leave her newborn and go. What if something happens to her and Iggy ends up losing both parents?
So many new fears wrapped around her mind now that he's physically here. Rachel heard that the world becomes a whole new scary place the instant a baby enters. With what she faced and fought prior to Igneous being born, she was seeing the world in a whole new view.
She would rather be in a bubble than to step foot out with the baby.
However, Rachel knew she couldn't stay in. If there was a chance that this was Spike the Map was sending her to, she has to take it.
As much pain as it is to have to go, Rachel has to for their family.
Igneous needs both parents, Spike deserves to be a father. They will be a family.
"ARE YOU INSANE!?" Brimstone yelled after receiving the news from Rachel the next day of what she was going to do.
Sitting on her obsidian throne, holding the newborn in her arms, she had just informed Ember, Brimstone, the Twins and Malik of her plans.
The twins looked as baffled as the stallion.
"Rachel, Rachel, love, sweetie, has the pregnancy made you lose all sense of reasoning?" Ruby asked.
"You just literally gave fucking birth and you're leaving? " Gemcity gawked.
"I sorta agree with the lads here," Malik said, Rachel's Second-in-Command and an old friend from Earth turned Mordi. "Leaving right now is a bad idea."
"If it's a chance to find the Dragonlord, it's a good idea." Ember grunted.
"Trust me guys, I hate the thought of leaving Igneous as well. But what if it is him? What if this Cutie Map sends me to him? That's a chance I'm willing to take." Rachel said.
Iggy had his eyes open, fixated at the falling lava cascading into a pool next to the thrones.
"Rachel, I know you love Spike, but did you honestly forget that he left you? He left you a letter before abandoning you?" Brimstone reminded her.
"You barely recovered from that heartbreak, we can't stand to see you get hurt by him again." Ruby said.
"Did you forget the last night you spent with him, he choked you?" Gemcity asked.
There was a long silence with that. Rachel placed a hand around her neck.
On the final night before he left, Rachel was asleep before she was awakened with him over her, hands wrapped around her neck and held her down as he cut oxygen off of her. Having a PTSD episode as a result of Rarity poisoning him that made him turn into a fifty foot beast, causing destruction and deaths of hundreds of ponies with no control.
"He was having an episode. Don't you guys remember when I went through ones myself? Nights violently screaming and lashing out?" Rachel grunted as she lowered her hand from her neck. "I just happened to be in the same room when he had his episode. He left, yes, but Sombra took him after. He sent a message that he needs help."
"He left either way, abandoning all of his responsibilities and dumped it onto you." Brimstone said. "What if you help him but he still doesn't return? Have you thought of that?"
"That is enough!" Ember snarled. "It was an agreement between us that I take leadership, he was a baby when he won Dragonlord, too young at the time for him to rule, fuck off." Ember turned to the Queen."The battlefront looks promising as we have liberated towns that fell under control of Sombra. However we haven't heard of his whereabouts for months."
"I don't like it, shit right there is fishy enough." Rachel said as she felt Iggy trying to raise his claws to grab her engagement ring that she wore religiously around her neck.
The Blue Celestial, the Queen's Staff, hummed in her mind from its pocket dimension where it was stored. I know we have to go, now hush. Rachel commanded it. It only talks by hum frequencies, reminding her of a little robot from her favorite sci-fi films she used to watch on Earth and she understood it.
"I have a feeling he's planning on something. Will you be able to handle things while I'm gone?" Rachel asked ember.
Ember snorted."Been fighting battles a lot longer than you, if something raises I'll notify you."
Ruby threw her hands up. "Guys we're talking to a freaking brick wall."
"She's worse than Mother! " Gemcity groans.
"No one is worse than Lilith." Rachel grunted, calling their mother by her name. "I'm sorry guys but I have to go. I won't be alone. As soon as I get Spike, we're coming straight home." She said as she felt Iggy grabbed the necklace.
Rachel gently gets it out of his tiny claws.
"I need to give Iggy to someone who can take care of him, I don't want him anywhere near the fight. Ruby."
"You plan on using the cabin?" Ruby asked with a sigh, seeing that there was no use in trying to dissuade her from going.
"It's heavily guarded with spells and shields. I'll be adding my own touch but it's basically Fort Knox." Rachel said.
All but Malik didn't understand what she meant.
"Malik, you will be my eyes and ears. Gemcity," Rachel narrowed her eyes at her, knowing that the twins do everything together. "If I hear that you drop my son, I will instantly come back and mess your face up to the point you can't seduce creatures to feed off of. No holding him." She warned her. "And if you need to feed, call Brimstone, he'll take over so you guys can do whatever you need. And I'm also going to send personal guards, I want my son protected 24/7 until I get back."
A few days later after getting Iggy settled and tear jerked goodbye, Rachel set out to the Friendship Castle to began the course to save Spike once and for all.