At the Twilight of Harmony

by Rammy

Intermission II To Escape a Locked Room with Only Magic

“You appear to have a question or two on the tip of your tongue History Seeker.” Storyteller asked.

It was true, I had some questions, but I didn't realize I was being that obvious. The biggest was to do with the adoption of Twixt’d.

“I think it’s terrible… What was done to Twixt’d... I don’t mean being reviled because he was a street urchin...” I cringed when I realized what I just said. “Uh, well, that is terrible too… but the adoption… It seems just cruel to rid the young whelp of what little he had for memories. For that matter, the whole memory loss thing with a dragon choosing.”

“To someone like you, maybe. It’s just the way dragons are, and it never bothers them.”

“It still feels wrong.”

“A dragon is a magical creature unlike ponies…”

“And what of my emblem?” I snapped, not liking Storyteller’s assertion. “It’s magical in nature. So is my ability to fly. A pegasi can’t fly without magic our wings are just not big enough otherwise.”

“You don’t understand.” Storyteller shook his head. “Ponies are weakened without magic, but they can still survive. Pony civilization would probably collapse but as a race you would recover.”

“Everything thing about dragon is magic their births, growth, names, flames, even their bodies. A dragon's scales are tough because of magic. A dragon’s egg can only hatch by magic. A dragon’s sentience is magic without it they’re just a animal ruled by instinct like the animals in the Everfree Forest. “

“Do I need to continue?” Storyteller asked me a clearly rhetorical question so I didn’t answer, but I did look away in shame. “In anycase, the dragons would die out without magic, and that would shatter the harmony of this world irreversibly.”

“Then why couldn’t the adoption been less… destructive?”

“As I said, Quartermaster found out Twixt’d didn’t know his egg name. An egg name has great power as does a hoard name so if he had known the name Quartermaster would been able to adopt Twixt’d merely by changing his egg name.”

“Couldn’t he change it without it?”

“Sadly, no… As I said, the egg name has power. If he had tried giving him a new name without voiding the old one the two names would conflict.”

“How so?”

“The draconic language is a powerful tongue that is magical in nature. A dragon can’t lie when speaking it. A name is a representation of someone or something. Egg and Hoard names represent the possible destiny and true character of the dragon respectively. The egg name is given by the parents. The Hoard name is what the dragon ‘chooses’ but it’s really about the dragon finding out the true nature of his or hers heart. So those must first be given in that language or they have no effect. Most dragons don’t use the draconic language much outside of initial naming... Do you see why Quartermaster had to have known Twixt’d’s egg name?”

“Sort of.”

“Flames can be both helpful and hurtful. The Adoption Flame is not destructive but healing… Being an orphan is painful; being an orphaned street urchin even more. As for the Choosing being destructive that is the fault of the ‘Nameless One’ remember?”

“Oh right.” I had forgotten about that part… “I still don’t understand why couldn't the Adoption Flame, as you called it, help heal without altering memories like it did.”

“Dragon magic is raw and powerful and unlike pony magic which is about control and precision. A skilled dragon could be fairly precise but not as good as a typical unicorn.”

I blinked in confusion. I had only very rudimentary understanding of magic given that I was a pegasus not an unicorn. I could get the language part, that made perfect sense, but normal dragon magic was still was eluding me. Why can’t a dragon be more precise?

“Hmm... you still seem a bit confused. Understandable, as you are not a unicorn….” I sighed in relief that he noticed, and that I didn’t need to make a fool of myself by pretending to understand and risk getting caught that I was lying…” Each race that can do magic are based on different concepts or types of magic… Ponies magic is based on order, dragon magic is based on power, and our third keeper, Discord, a draconequus, is based on chaos.”

I rubbed my head as all of this complex information on magic was giving me a headache.

“Let me think of a visual example…” Storyteller hummed in thought for a few moments before he gasped. Hopefully what ever idea he just got had would make this a bit easier for me to understand. “Let’s pretend that that an unicorn, a dragon, and a draconequus were locked in the windowless room with a locked door blocking their escape.”

“There is no key in the room and the only way to open the door is through magic the door can not be force open by physical means. An unicorn may decide conjure a key to unlock the door or maybe melt off the hinges with a targeted magical blast. For a draconequus he might eat the door with a knife and fork or turn the door into a bead curtain or drink a potion with a label saying ‘drink me’ shirking him down to slip through the lock. A dragon could either roar the door into splinters or blast it with his magical flame. In either case the door would be shattered into toothpicks.”

“Just a second. If that is true, then how did Twist’d weld those metal rods together. I do know that that it takes a concentrated beam or stream of fire or magic.”

“Twixt’d is a whelp so he much smaller. As such, his flame would be comparably smaller… Also a dragons claws are great conduits for a dragon's flame so he could have used a claw to do it.”

“So he could have welded by heating up one of his claws with his flame?”

“Correct.”

“So the dragon in the windowless room could have…”

“Enough of this!” Storyteller growled angrily. The way he growled was really making me think that he was no pony… it sounded almost like what a griffon or a timberwolf. I’m beginning to think that he is a meat eater… “You are missing the point! The example of escaping the windowless room is what a typical dragon, unicorn, or draconequus would do. To get a claw to glow hot enough to do that and to have the precision would be a bit difficult and counterproductive. Especially trying to only get the hinge and nothing else. A full grown dragon’s claw is as big as you are.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Stop. You were just trying to understand, and I should have been more patient…”

A grumbling from my stomach got his attention, and I chuckled nervously.

“It appears it’s time for supper.” Storyteller chuckled as he left the den.

Well that did answer the question of what time it was. I had been curious since I first woke up, but the room was windowless.

A few moments later, and again, I was served a bowl of herbal broth but this time Storyteller had included a small loaf of bread for me to eat as well.

“Aren't you hungry?” Storyteller asked as I paused, wondering why Storyteller hadn't brought something for himself to eat.

My hunger overwhelmed me so I tore into the food. Before long I had finished my meal I rubbed my stomach in satisfaction. Storyteller then took the dishes away before returning with a medical kit.

“I was wondering…” I inquired as Storyteller started to examine me to make sure I was recovering. “What was Twixt’d’s role in the war?”

“Why would you ask that?”

“The amount of focus on him in your story. I would expect the Keepers like Sentinel, Discord or He of Hourglass to be a focus but a mere whelp?”

“Because it would be nice to complete the hat trick with Spike, then Harmony, and finally Twixt’d...maybe.”

“Huh!?”

“Ignore that... it’s a fourth wall thing…”

‘Fourth wall?!’ Why do all hermits have to get a bit loco in the coconut? I just hope that he doesn’t find out that I think he’s crazy.

“Prepare yourself.” Storyteller put the med kit down and again stared off at the fire. “While life must go on so does the war and where there is war there is death…”

Comments

[RadicalDishonesty]

Here's something unusual, a compliment:

“And what of my emblem?”

I like that they somehow returned to the pre FiM collectors terms for the symbols on a My Little Pony's flank. Would be better if it were an old outdated term but...

[Rammy]

6103389 Wait.... what???! One I know next to nothing about previous generations Two: a compliment from you? I agree its unusual...

Would be better if it were an old outdated term but..

Who says it wasn't?

On a side note I'm glad your back because it does keep me on my toes and make my stories stronger...