Philomena

Philomena is Princess Celestia's pet phoenix. She is a central character in A Bird in the Hoof.

History
Philomena appears in A Bird in the Hoof, introduced at the party held at Sugarcube Corner in honor of Celestia's visit. Fluttershy, worried at the sickly state of the bird, takes Philomena from Princess Celestia without permission to heal it. Throughout the episode, Fluttershy tries desperately to heal Philomena, but she has never seen a bird quite like it and all her attempted treatments seem to make its condition worse. The bird eventually escapes, making Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle chase her all around Ponyville. Eventually she bursts into flames, burns to ashes, and rises again, renewed.

Princess Celestia explains to Fluttershy that Philomena, like all phoenixes, plucks all her feathers and burns into ashes at the end of her life cycle, only to rise from the ashes and renew herself.

Trivia

 * Philomena's name is of Greek origin, meaning "powerful love".

Philomena