//------------------------------// // 43 - Wrath // Story: Just Roll With It // by sunnypack //------------------------------// Chapter 43: Wrath “Harmony, are you okay?” Concerned eyes peered at me. I struggled to keep my eyes open as I gave Lapis a wobbly smile. “Ish-I’m fiine,” I assured her in a way that somehow made her more concerned. “I don’t know what you’re made of, but I’m pretty sure it’s not rocks like we are.” “You’re made of…” I shook my head of the stars floating around it. “Bleh. What’s that?” Something wet and cold hit me in the face. “Oh, that?” Lapis gave me a teasing smile. “I wonder.” I realised there was whistling around my ears. Wait, whistling? Air rushing? I tried to sit up, but I realised, with a jolting thump, that I was tied down. I was not on stone ground anymore. I was on something moving underneath me… “Lapis,” I said as calmly as I could, “are we flying?” I already knew the answer. Clouds littered the sky above. The wet thing I had hit earlier had been a cloud. “Yep,” Lapis replied, too casually. “Pretty great, huh?” “No, I liked it the first time,” I shot back, “just when I was aware and willing!” “Oh don’t be such a hatchling about this,” Lapis grumbled. I could feel the gravelly tones from her chest reverberate in my chest cavity. “There are worse ways to be flying.” “Like what?” “Like being tossed.” I laughed. “Tossed?” I saw Lapis raise an eyebrow. “Oh it’s happened before.” I swallowed thickly, then decided to change the subject. “What happened during the time I was… out?” Lapis was silent so long I got worried. I snapped my fingers, loosening the ropes and clung onto her spines in a death grip. I would appreciate the view of the sunrise more if I weren’t so scared— Wait, sunrise? “A couple of days, actually,” Lapis finally answered. “I was so worried. I thought you did something permanent to yourself.” “No, I…” I didn’t know what to say. “I don’t know what happened.” “They didn’t either.” I looked at Lapis as she stared at me with a mused expression. “I meant the physician. You’re different in so many ways to a pony, but they assured me they were around long enough to be useful. Even so, they couldn’t make heads or tails of it. You didn’t have a heartbeat for a full minute. Then it came back, all weak and erratic. That scared the wits out of them.” My eyes widened. “My heart stopped?” Lapis grunted in acknowledgement. “I’m not going to lie, I was panicking.” “No kidding, I think I died.” Lapis gave me a scrutinising look, craning her head around before returning it. “Apparently. The oddest thing happened, though.” “What?” “Your father—” “My Dad?!” I gaped as Lapis simply continued. “—he came out, all trance-like in a state and knelt down beside you. Then he mumbled something—I couldn’t catch it—and reached into his pocket for this strange metallic thing covered in lights. Nothing happened initially, the ponies were all shocked and I didn’t know what to do. Then there was a jolt and you gasped for air. You were brought back. I don’t know how.” “No that can’t be right” I was getting more and more confused. Ever since the incident he had been getting worse and worse. He pretends it's alright, but I could tell there was a burden on his mind. Eventually, he gave up, and entered a sort of catatonic state. The demons of his former adventures had taken its toll on his mind. All I could do would be to visit him, but things have gotten so complicated and fast-paced I had forgotten. I swallowed the guilt rising in my throat thickly. In any case, it was impossible. He couldn't have been there. Could he? I felt the faintest glimmer of hope rise in chest. There was a chance he had changed, maybe back to his old self… “I’m not kidding, Harmony.” Lapis licked her draconic lips, staring straight ahead and flapping her wings. “I heard what happened to your father, I’m sorry.” I bit my lip. “We have to go back!” When Lapis didn’t stray from her course, I thumped her lightly with a hand. “Come on, we have to go back, my father is better! We have to go now!” “Harmony,” Lapis said with a shaky voice, “he isn’t better.” “But… but…” “I know, but it was only temporary—” “Then—” “He collapsed shortly thereafter, it took the rest of the day to stabilise him instead. Tempora sent a communication shortly after, she was all in a tizzy about you, but after hearing about your father she grew quiet. She charged me with taking you to the dragons. I’m sorry Harmony, I would have stayed, but she was so serious about it.” I nodded, unable to say anything. I clung onto Lapis tighter. Tears were soaking into the long sleeve of the shirt I wore. “I’m fine,” I said between breaths. “I’m fine.” Lapis didn’t say anything for a few minutes, while I gathered the shattered pieces of my consciousness back together. Below the land moved at a snail’s pace, even as we hurtled through the sky. Ordinarily, I would be ecstatic that I was riding a dragon. It was a literal fantasy come to life. Instead, I was trying so hard to keep my heart from bursting through my chest. I clenched Lapis’ spines more for my comfort than by necessity. “Your father brought you back,” Lapis finally spoke quietly. “I don’t know how he did it, but he did.” Lapis was silent for a few moments more. “He told me to tell you something.” I heard myself gasp, hating myself for getting my hopes up. “What? What did he say?!” “He told me to tell you that he was sorry for dragging you here and that if love had not a stranglehold on his heart, things might have been different. He told me that you now have everything you need to make a choice.” “A choice?” What was he talking about? How did he break the deadlock in his mind? “Isn’t he—” Better? Still trapped? I didn’t know what to think. “Yes, they confirmed he was still unaware of his surroundings. Before that he told me that he was sorry he couldn’t find another way. That he was sorry for everything.” The typical vague responses thrust my hope into icy waters. That was just the sickness responding. It wasn’t my old Dad. I sighed. “Thank you, Lapis. You’re a good friend.” “Well, you know, I mean… I'm just conveying a message, that's all.” “Thanks,” I mumbled to her, “do you mind if I close my eyes for a moment? I just… I need a break.” “Sure,” Lapis replied, “you take all the time you need.” Tying myself back to her, I tried hard to forget. But all I could think about were the thoughts of my Dad and what the uncertain future might hold. ——————— “Harmony, wake up.” Blearily, I shook myself awake. I not longer felt the cold, biting wind as we had coasted high up. The air was hot and heavy and it felt similar to the volcano summit she had taken me last time. I undid the ropes, feeling the marks on my arms and legs, even through the shirt and pants. I winced. Probably shouldn't take a nap on a dragon. Then I remembered all too late that I could have used the Sticky Spider’s Spell. Stupid. Getting off Lapis, my shoes didn't sink into ash like last time. Instead, dust and powdery rock underneath made an unpleasant crunching sound as I stood up. “Where are we?” I asked tentatively. Lapis eyed me with a slight smile. “The dragon lands.” Red. That’s the first thing I would say that would describe this place. There was a lot of red. From the open pits of lava, to the red rocks and brown rust-coloured minerals that veined the surrounding geological formations around us, I could see that it would be the main features of this place. I decided to give voice to the obvious. “Not much green around here is there?” The temperature was a little too hot for comfort, making me sweat slightly. The air was dry. Dry enough to burn into my lungs with every breath. “Perfect,” Lapis replied, “ponies have such a cold and wet environment.” “It’s not cold and wet,” I muttered, “it’s a nice temperature.” “Well, would you like to live on a mountain peak where it’s snowing all the time?” “I like the snow,” I retorted, rolling my eyes at her admonishing stare, “but yeah, I see what you mean.” Lapis turned serious, staring at me with concern weighing her gaze. “Harmony, are you alright?” I shrugged slightly. “Thanks, Lapis. I’ll be fine.” Lapis didn’t look so convinced. The dragon snorted and said something beneath her breath that I didn’t catch. My mouth opened and closed as I tried to articulate exactly how I felt. The two crystals clunked in my shirt pocket as I drummed my finger on my chin, trying hard not to scream. Eventually, I settled for raking my fingers through my hair and biting my lip, instead of taking my stress out in physical form. Besides, it would be kind of awkward making a scene in the heart of dragon territory. A place that housed a species priding power over all else. “I mean, it’s not like the entire future of two races are counting on me.” That came a lot more sarcastic then I wanted it to. I sighed, taking the crystals out. “All I can do is knock myself out with a stupid explosion.” The crystals were crazy. When a pony used them, they were fine. Apart from that crystallisation thing, but when I used them, poof. What the heck? Is it being dumb on purpose? What makes pony magic different from mine? Why does it only accept certain types of magic? Not even that, why does it only react well with ponies? Apart from the crystallisation, I mean. Lapis touched me lightly on the shoulder with a gentle claw. Her eyes communicated strength that I felt I didn’t have. “Harmony, we have to go.” “How much time do we have left?” Lapis pursed her lips. “After taking this trip… about a day.” I gaped at her. “What?! How long was I out?” Lapis licked her lips. “Long enough that you had to sleep most of the way.” She coughed. “At least a few days.” “I wouldn’t have slept that long unless—” I stared at her “—unless you did something.” “Small spell,” she explained, “it was the only way to get you across.” When I merely frowned at her. Lapis pointed to the sky. “When dragons fly high, the air gets thinner and harder to breathe. If you’re asleep, you don’t use as much air.” Oh, so that’s why. But something still didn’t seem right. “I thought you couldn’t do magic like unicorns could?” Lapis shrugged. “Dragons can sort of leak magic that match our intentions. Instead of a focused point that unicorns have, it’s like an aura that surrounds us or is made a physical manifestation by our fire.” She puffed a flame in demonstration, smiling as I took a hasty step back. “Oh yeah, you mentioned something like that…” Wait, so if dragon magic was diffuse and pony magic sharp and focused, then maybe there was some kind of underlying structure around it… The two crystals clacked in my pocket as I pondered the problem. Trouble is, I only have less than a day. But what if…? Lapis smiled. “You look like you have an idea.” “No guarantees, but I think I can prevent another blowout.” “Blowout?” “Magical explosion.” Lapis grinned. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s try it!” ———————— Lapis led me around the twisting path that skirted hot boiling pits of lava and dangerous thermal vents that could apparently strip the flesh right off my skin. I stuck close to Lapis, but seeing her triumphant smirk when I put a hand to one of her spines made me want to keep my distance. Still, Lapis didn’t do anything but rather fended off the curious looks and enquiries with a few curt words. “Why are they all staring at me like that?” I half-whispered to Lapis. Lapis laid a casual head on my shoulder that was a little more intimate than I liked. “Well, haven’t I told you before? You’re kinda cute to a dragon.” “Am not!” I said, slightly exasperated. “Why?” Lapis shrugged. “It’s the stubby claws and the soft-shelled look you have. You’re like a newborn dragon, all fragile and adorable.” “How so?” “Oh, I guess the equivalent is a pet dog. Ponies apparently like the look of them.” “Well, I’m more than that!” “Of course,” Lapis replied with a teasing smile. “You’re not at all… like that.” I tried, unsuccessfully, to ignore the cooing that happened all around me as I lifted my chin indignantly. Then I realised, with a sweeping gaze, that I was surrounded by dragons looking feminine in appearance. Of course, I haven’t a reference frame for a male yet, but judging by the bulky approaching dragon compared the serpentine grace of the dragons around me, it was clear that this was a nest of dragonesses. “Lapis, where are we?” “We’re in the female nesting area.” A dragoness playfully swatted a claw in my direction, almost like she wanted to catch me. The emerald-coloured dragoness clicked her tongue as if she was annoyed, but then gave a half-hearted shrug and conversed in a low tone to two other dragons listening avidly to her speech. Their sidelong glances, half-predatory and half-envious, shepherded me even closer to Lapis. She grinned wider, if that was possible. On the other side of things, the approaching dragon had gotten considerably bigger. I faltered moving forward as I suddenly apprehended the size and scale of its bulk. “Hey, Lapis, who’s that approaching us?” “That? Oh that’s the Dragon Lord.” “What?” I squeaked. Lapis chuckled. “Relax, Harmony, it’s mainly a ceremonial title. The Dragon Lord—or Lady—only presides over the festive activities in the Dragon Lands. Say hello.” Lapis’ tail nudged me forward with a impertinent shove at the base of my back. “Uhm, hello,” I managed to get out. It was one thing to be excited by a dragon the size of a throne room, but this was an order of magnitude different. This dragon was huge. Not just big. Not just large. Huge. Whilst Matriarch Scales was a veritable monster in terms of size, about half the size of the Grand Hall in the castle, this dragon was about ten times the size of that. This was a dragon that could grip the side of the mountain and block out the sun for miles around. Red and green mottled scales glinted dully in the high noon as I stared openly at the sheer magnitude of the dragon’s hulk. “H-Hello.” Well, there went all my composure, but you try and keep it when there are teeth twice as big as yourself only a few feet away. “A youngling from a species I do not recognise…” His voice was deep and gravelly, with the acoustic power to rumbled small stones on the ground with just that sentence. The dragon lowered his head until his eye was level with my face, or rather, my body. “Pray tell, what is the species you call yourselves?” “H-Human,” I replied, trying unsuccessfully to steady my voice. He was bigger than a Gargantua, and there wasn’t much bigger than a Gargantua. The dragon blinked his eye and a rumbling sound issued from his throat. It had a curious tinge to it. “I have not heard of a ‘human’ in all my time here, and that is indeed a long time. Did you spawn from the Earth or from the Sky?” I blinked at the dragon. “Neither,” I said, confusion furrowing my brows. “I arrived here by dimensional travel.” The dragon raised the ridge above his eye, giving him a surprised look. “I have not heard of such a thing before. Spare me the moment to explain such a thing.” “Uhm, well, I guess…” I groped for the words. “Do you know how… Okay, imagine that there was a world different to this. Like instead of dragons, ponies and griffins, there are different creatures and instead of being this world—” it occurred to me how difficult it was to explain multiple world theory from scratch “—actually, how about—” The Dragon Lord held up a claw. “Intriguing, perhaps you may explain this at length at a latter date. Come visit when you have the time, youngling.” He turned to Lapis. “Ah, young descendent of the Matriarch, I see you are here to escort the representative of the ponies.” He glanced around. “But I do not see one. Perhaps you have left them at the communal area? I will see to them later, then.” Lapis bowed her head. “Honoured Elder, I am most pleased you have remembered my countenance. The representative stands before you.” He blinked at me, then a rolling growling rumble issued from his throat as he appraised me again. It took me a while to figure out that he was actually laughing. “Well met, young one, well met. I assume this Council gathering will be inscribed to our history, then?” He nodded to himself. “Time will tell.” He glanced upwards. “Ah… Lapis, was it? I will take my leave, there is much to do.” As he turned away, I called back out to him. “Sorry, sir, but what is your name?!” The dragon paused and another rumbling chuckle rolled out. “Apologies, young one, I am known as Elder Bloodstone.” He swept a gaze along his flank and gave a humorous tilt of his head. “Fitting, don’t you think?” I nodded. “Yes, sir.” The dragon considered me for a moment, keeping that smile, then sauntered away, each step pounding the ground with ominous thunder. “Wow.” It was all I could say after that encounter. Lapis nudged me with her head, and gave me a crooked smile. “You haven’t seen anything yet.” —————— Towards the evening, Lapis led me to the communal section of the Outer Rim. The Dragon Lands were sectioned in concentric circles radiating from the central point of a volcano that extended out towards the sea. There was an inlet, followed by vast stretches of patchy low-level grasslands. The centre contained the summit and the active volcano. According to Lapis, no dragon actually lived that close, although some ceremonies and events sometimes took place there. The inner circle contained the venerable and well-respected dragons that presided over the community. The circle included Matriarch Scales, Gripple, Grackle, Magma, Infernus and Storm. Lapis told me that dragon names were chosen as a substitute for their real names, which many other races had trouble pronouncing. Dragons would choose names based on what appealed to them, and were not given names when they were born. That meant that any name I had heard so far were not real names. When I asked Lapis for her real name, she blushed and—for once—turned her head away in embarrassment. I learned later that knowing a real name was something prospective mating partners would do. After that decidedly awkward moment, we headed off to the communal area of the Dragon Lands. This was close to the edge of the concentric circles, so all types of dragons were around. Some glanced at me curiously, some derisively, and some with open hostility, their scrutinity ranged from welcoming to penetrative. It occurred to me that the dragons were more individualistic compared to the ponies. Ponies sought peer acknowledgement for an unknown situation, whilst dragons tended to form their own opinions quickly and decisively. Which made Tempora all the more different than her fellow ponies… “Harmony?” I was shaken out of my reverie by Lapis’ prompting. “Here we are, my cave.” We were at the side of the volcano. The cave entrance was set into the rock, clearly carved out with mathematical precision. I didn’t know what I had been expecting. Perhaps a dingy and dark cave with dust and soot and the such that marked a dragon living there. Instead, it was an ornate entrance to an intricately carved cavern, with beautiful art that decorated the wall in smooth shapes. Set into the stone were gems and gold lining forming whorls and arcs that flowed inwards, as if holding an arm out in invitation. The outer rim was marked with grooves and symbols that Lapis mentioned was a bold statement proclaiming her home. “Not what you were expecting?” Lapis said in response to my gaping mouth. I must have looked like a demented fish. “Noooooo…” I replied unintentionally drawing out the syllable. “Not what I was expecting. I thought it would be more dark and dank and dangerous.” “Honest, aren’t you?” Lapis replied with a chuckle, patting me on the head with a free paw. “But there’s more.” Intrigued I followed as Lapis beckoned me to follow. Deeper in the caves the passages were wider, with passages that twisted and turned, following some unknown path through the rock. “Aren’t you afraid someone is going to steal this?” “Steal? What do you mean?” “The gold and gems?” Lapis turned back to me with a confused look. “Why?” I gestured to the gems and gold in the walls, they were beautiful. “Aren’t these valuable?” Lapis shrugged. “I grant you the fact that they are pretty, but they are worthless. They’re just decorations.” I blinked in surprise as Lapis craned her neck to lick at one of the gems. “But delicious.” I shook my head. What would people of Earth do if they found this place? I frowned. That was the first time in a long time I had thought about Earth. It seemed so long ago. Sighing, I followed Lapis as she headed off again with a veritable skip in her step. “Where are you taking me?” I asked. We had been walking for a few minutes. “Not far now.” We turned around a few more corners and suddenly a vast hollow chamber opened up. Around the sides, gems glowed from an unseen light source, lighting up the flat, uninterrupted landscape below. “It’s a little meeting area we use for family gatherings, but I thought it would be nice for you to practice your demonstration here.” Lapis eyed me critically. “You had an idea?” I hesitated, but firmed my resolve as I brought out the two crystals. “Do you know how I talked about the magical bandwidth of these crystals?” Lapis nodded. “Something about getting the frequency right.” I placed the crystals on the ground in front of me. “What I noticed was that ponies and dragons had different ‘textures’ to their magic. You noticed too, right? Ponies had ‘smooth’ magic, whilst dragons had ‘rough’ magic. I wondered what it would be like to combine the two, but when I did…” Lapis sighed. “Poof.” “Exactly.” I raised a finger. “But that got me wondering. If there was a continuous spectrum of magic that was dependent on species, why is it that I can use magic from one species or another at all?” Lapis blinked at me. “You seem quite adept at picking it up.” “Maybe it might be me, or maybe, it has something to do with this.” I snapped my fingers a couple of sparks flying off. “Multifocal casting. It’s an application of that.” Lapis tilted her head. “What exactly do you mean?” “Hmm.” I marshalled my thoughts. “I’ve been exposed to all sorts of magic. Not only pony, not only dragon. I have a brother, he’s got this specific type of magic that’s very peculiar. It works through structure and construction, but in an entirely different way. It achieves the outcome by doing it intelligently.” “I still don’t understand what you’re trying to say.” I nodded. I picked up a rock. “Let’s say that this rock was a target for my magic and me throwing this rock was the spell.” I lobbed the stone. It arced through the air and landed several feet away. “So that’s what most spells achieve.” “Okay…” Lapis still looked confused, but she signalled me to go on. “So what happens if there’s a more efficient way of doing it? Just by knowing the nature of the things around you?” I picked up a similarly-sized stone. “What if, by utilising the energy around us, we can use it to achieve our own outcomes? Order to disorder.” I snapped my fingers and this time the rock zoomed out of my fist blasting us with a gale of wind as the rock smashed into the opposite end of the cavern. Lapis stared at my fist. “How did you do that?” I smiled. “You could say I ‘liberated’ the energy inside the rock. Order to disorder, chaos in entropy.” Lapis frowned. “The rock doesn’t have energy.” “Of course it does. Everything has energy and this is what tipped me off about the difference between dragon and pony magic. You see, dragons and ponies are inherently different. Emotional affect changes the texture of their magic. This magic is incompatible, it will destructively interfere, hence—” I snapped my fingers and a small detonation occurred in front of me with a loud retort. “But what if I make it a smooth continuous spectrum? What if I combined the primary emotional affects into one?” I snapped my fingers once again, Lapis flinched, but then cocked her head as nothing happened. Well, an explosion didn’t happen, at least. Instead, a floating orb of energy floating above my palm it was primarily white with shifting colours in its depths. The crystals, set into the ground, glowed sympathetically. “This sort of magic relies on liberating the magic inside something. Without a prime direction that handles the incoherent energy that comes out, it just goes ‘poof’, but harmonised together, like this, it prevents this rough mixing with the smooth, so to speak.” I held out my hand, levitating the rock towards it so that it hovered just above my palm. “You see by knowing that the rock has latent energy I can harness, the energy can be put into doing things for me, like compressing air.” The rock glowed with the heat of the air. “Or expanding it under the same volume.” The rock grew frosty, fracturing and growing brittle as the sudden change in temperature. “Amazing…” Lapis said, giving me a smile. “So, what does this mean?” This was where my smile died down a couple of notches. “I’m not sure.” I sighed. “It just means I can get a lot of power out of this, but ultimately, without being able to use this ‘coherent’ magic for anything, it’s useless.” I pursed my lips. “Unless I want a big explosion.” “But that’s perfect!” Lapis exclaimed. “You can just level a mountain or two as a demonstration.” I shook my head. “No. No way. I didn’t develop this sort of magical technology to be abused like that! I don’t want it to be used to level mountains or anything!” Lapis frowned. “Then how is it going to help in the Council gathering?” I gently gathered the crystals whilst eyeing the slowly dissipating ball of energy I had created. “I don’t know, and that’s what is eating me up inside.” I shifted the crystals in my hand, watching the light from the gems scattered around the room reflecting it back. Lapis shook her head, giving me an encouraging smile and a pat on the shoulders. “Well, I need to get something to eat, I’m starved. What do humans eat?” I blinked at her. “What do you eat?” Lapis shrugged. “Whatever I feel like at the time. Right now, I want to eat cake, but it’s hard to find a dragon that can bake one.” Lapis grinned at me, giving me a playful swat on the shoulder with her tail. “Come on, let’s go find something you’d be interested in.” ———————— “You’re like ponies, you can’t eat rocks!” Well, I’d try, but I don’t think my body would thank me for it. “Actually, some ponies can eat rock, but don’t ask me how.” I studied the menagerie of rocks and gemstones that littered the tray in front of me. Uncut, these gems probably wouldn’t amount to much, but each gem looked like they were cut and polished by a master craftsman… not that I would be able to tell the difference without one of Dad’s convenient devices. “Really? I heard tell that a pony ate a cart-full of rocks just to prove another pony wrong.” “Ah the old legend of Boastful Boulder. Tempora told me about that.” “You don’t call her mother?” I shrugged. “Sometimes, but most of the time it’s hard to accept. It hasn’t been that long since we’ve met. Only a handful of years.” “How cute!” “What?” Lapis patted me on the head in a somewhat patronising manner. “The way you say ‘handful’ instead of ‘claw-full’.” I looked at my hands. “Is it a big deal? I can change into a form that might suit where I’m from.” I activated the ring on my hand quickly transforming into my pony form. Lapis reared her head in surprise. “Wow, so you can even do that…” she said, eyes wide and sweeping along my form. “That’s a surprise.” “Well,” I replied, transforming back, “it’s more to blend in with the local school. My knowledge of magic isn’t very advanced.” Lapis tilted her head. “It would seem to me that you are more knowledgeable than you admit.” “No way,” I laughed off the suggestion, “you should see Star Swirl or Discord.” “Hmm.” Lapis smiled. “Perhaps you’ll introduce me to them in the future.” I smiled back. “You’ll love them, I promise.” Yet, even as I said that, I didn’t know how Lapis would react to Discord. There was always that nagging feeling, that little sensation in the back of my mind that worried if Discord would ever be accepted by anyone. No, I thought, of course he would be. He hasn’t done anything wrong. Lapis cocked her head. “That reminds me, you told me that magic for the dragons were different to ponies. Rough instead of smooth, right?” “Yes.” Lapis circled around the unappetising morsels of dragon-food and came over to my side. “What is the reason for that?” I considered that for a moment. “Well, it makes sense that it would be biological, right?” Lapis cocked her head. “What is the feeling of your own magic?” “Well, that’s…” The thought was an unfamiliar one. “I’ve never really given it a thought. I suppose it would be similar to a pony’s or a dragon’s, depending…” Lapis frowned at me. “Don’t you think that’s strange?” Now that I thought about it, that was strange. “Do I even have my own type of magic?” There was also the fact that my Dad had ‘zero magic fidelity’, according to Star Swirl. “I don’t know.” I drew the edge of lip through my teeth as I pondered the disturbing thought. “For some reason, I’ve been able to use magic. Star Swirl—” I looked at Lapis, wondering if she knew who he was. “Ah, him, the unbalanced unicorn. My mother has told me much about him.” Lapis chuckled. “He’s a wry one.” Lapis frowned. “Too fond of teleporting, though.” “That’s the unicorn,” I said, shaking my head. “He told me that creatures eventually are able to use magic here, regardless of whether they could or not.” I struggled to recall some of his lectures that were more like meandering ramblings. “He would always talk about how everything here emits this passive ‘field’ of magic. Manipulating this field is how unicorns can achieve action.” Lapis nodded again. “That sounds complicated, but I can see how ponies can do it. They have the bits for it.” She glanced at me. “But you seem not to.” I smiled. “Here, I don’t think it’s something you need biologically, but rather—” I tapped my forehead “—with the mind.” Lapis’ expression was like a break in the clouds. “So it’s all in the mind…” She licked her lips. “Do you think, maybe, a dragon could learn to use magic?” I tilted my head. “I don’t see why not. Anything with the focus and procedural knowledge could perform a spell. You just need to know in what order—” I stopped in mid sentence, the implications of my own words sinking in slowly. “Harmony, what’s—“ I held up a hand to stop whatever Lapis was saying, I needed time to think. “A system,” I mumbled, a tingling crawling up my arms as I rummaged in my pockets and took out the crystals. I picked up a rock. “Harmony, what are you doing—?!” Smash. The crystals fragmented as Lapis’ mouth fell open. I won’t lie and say I didn’t enjoy that expression, but the pressing need to piece together the puzzle that had been eluding me dampened my response to her comical features. I carefully arranged the crystals and some of the gems on the table. “Gems store power, but only for a period of time,” I said, “so they are kind of like capacitors. These guys amplify the signal, but they need a feedback, a resistance, so the smaller crystals…” I arranged the scintillating stones with fumbling fingers, ideas seemingly tumbling out faster than I could move my hands. My heart was pounding wildly and my breath was coming in small gasps. I felt like I was on the edge of a cliff, ready to leap into the brave unknown. “This is it, this is it, this is it,” I mumbled to myself in a voice that trembled with excitement. Lapis fell into silence, watching from the corner of the cave. I didn’t pay attention, but I think she was smiling. My concentration was almost one hundred percent locked on the geometrical shapes scattered in front of me. I sat at the table, rearranging the crystals, sometimes snapping my hand and watching a line connect a few, sometimes shaking my head and changing my mind. It would never work, destructive interference, I needed high purity crystals, but these were all I had, if only I could mine them myself, or get someone to find them. Thoughts appears and disappeared in cascading waves of inspiration as it finally struck me. I threw myself into the art of it. I don’t know how long I stood there, arranging, rearranging, shaping, discarding, reusing and trying and failing, but eventually the mass of crystals and gemstones gradually formed neat geometrical patterns. I picked up the last gem and snapped my fingers, watching the gem glow slightly as I infused within it the core instructional set I had envisioned from the start. I carefully placed it in the centre, where it sat, pulsing slowly and triggering the complex web of lines and whorls of power that linked all the elements together in a symphony of power and magic. Lapis had come back, I hadn’t seen her leave. She padded over to the table, looking equal parts awed and worried at the same time. She studied the design in silence for a while and then turned to me. “This is more than just a pretty picture, isn’t it?” My heady grin said it all. ————————— It was time. The moment I had been waiting for had arrived. I was to stand in front of the Council and convince them to accept me as the representative of the ponies. I could feel the faint beads of sweat gathering on my forehead. I was shivering in anticipatory dread, drenched in sweat but with a throat that was bone-dry. I was in a relatively cramped chamber facing the cutting gazes of around half a dozen dragons. Scales was the first I saw walking in, her face, as Lapis had warned, was stern and stiff as the stone around us. She stood proudly at the fore of the ‘pack’ of dragons. To her left and right, I saw a grey-coloured monstrosity that bared his teeth as I came in. He stood with his back ram-rod straight with a steely look in his eye and a fortitude that hit me almost like a physical wall. The one on the right, off-white and red, like pus and blood, stared at me with barely disguised contempt. He neither bared his teeth or so much as twitched, but I could feel a hatred from him that was unmistakably aimed at me. Through that ordeal, I was somehow able to get my legs moving. Three other dragons stood off to the side, including the head of the Dragon Lord, who had a face that seemed never to stop smiling, and two dragonesses with businesslike armour strapped to their huge barrel chests. Their claws were tipped with viciously sharp claw covers that seemed to mould into their paws like armoured gloves. I guessed that they probably had something to do with the military, but I could not be sure. There was supposed to be a sixth dragon, but I couldn’t see her. “Let the fledgling step forward,” growled one of the dragons. It was the grey one, Grackle. “Perhaps fledgling is generous,” Gripple added contemptuously. His red and yellow scales glittered as he appraised me more like food rather than guest. “Whelp would be more suitable.” Had I the courage to be offended, I probably would have been. “Enough, Gripple, Grackle, we are not here to insult a representative of the another nation,” Scales spat out with a growl. “Do not make the mistake of initiating without my consent.” “I will have a voice in the Council,” Grackle shot back, “if I deem it necessary.” Scales rounded on Grackle. “Is that a challenge?” Grackle stared at Scales for a long moment, too shocked to even speak. The rest of the dragons in the room had widened their eyes. Grackle’s tongue darted out momentarily to lick his non-existent lips before he gave a slight bow. “No, Matriarch, I only wish to impart my opinion.” His words were considerably more humble than a moment’s ago. “See that you remember your bounds.” The statement was less to Grackle than to the rest of the dragons. Just like a thunderhead passing, the storm was gone from Scales’ features, leaving behind a calm façade that considered me. “Though I will say this, young one, Grackle is right in being dismissive of you. You have not proven to be a representative of the ponies.” She leaned in. “Show us a demonstration of your power.” I cleared my throat, giving a hasty bow that was spoiled a little by some of the crystals in my front pocket spilling out. I ignored the snorts of derision as I gathered them up, remembering what Lapis had told me before. Don’t worry about embarrassing yourself out there, Harmony. Such a low opinion of you can only go up. Don’t try to do what you think will impress them, just be yourself. I took a deep breath and counted to three. One. Two. Three. I held out my handful of crystals. “What do you see here?” I asked the gathered crowd. “Crystals,” Scales remarked in amusement. “Oh magnificent gems,” Gripple commented sarcastically, “did you perhaps think that a dragon may be so cheaply bribed?” I was disheartened to see that it elicited a few chuckles from not only Grackle, but also the other gathered dragons as well. “Matriarch Scales is right, they are crystals, the difference being that they are special crystals that react with my magic in a specific way.” I clicked my fingers. The crystals glowed with a soft light. “And so you have made the decorations of our home prettier. I guess this is why the ponies like you so much. You are weak.” I ignored Grackle, holding the crystals up higher. Interspersed around the crystals were gems that floated along with them. “This structure,” I continued, pointing at the floating crystals, “is powered by the ambient magic I am emitting, similar to what dragons do.” Scales frowned at me, as if trying to solve a complex puzzle. “That is… interesting, but what does that achieve?” I gestured to Lapis who grinned, sauntering up to stand by my side. “My assistant will demonstrate.” The floating crystals gently came closer to Lapis as she closed her eyes and frowned in concentration. “Among increasing power it can allow one to—” Before I could finish my sentence, a resounding retort followed by a crashing boom was heard all around the chamber. I shook my head, temporarily disoriented by the loud noise generated by Lapis’ mistimed effort. “—Cast a spell—? By the Stars, Lapis, are you trying to kill someone?! What the heck did you cast?” Lapis looked insanely happy, the antithesis of my disapproving visage. “I just wanted something to go really fast!” Luckily, the stone that Lapis had propelled as an example hadn’t hit another dragon. Miraculously, it had embedded itself less than an inch next to the Dragon Lord’s head who was staring wide-eyed at the grievous damage to the wall next to his snout. Seeing where the stone had landed, Lapis froze, her smile dying down as quickly as it had sprouted. “O-Oh! Sorry!” Lapis stuttered. “Elder Bloodstone, I didn’t intend—” Bloodstone, clearly shocked, inspected the damaged wall and grunted. Whether the grunt was approving or damning, I couldn’t tell, but by the slight smile he wore, I optimistically chose the former. “Incredible,” Scales murmured, but then seemed to remember where she was. She straightened, casting a critical look around her at the other dragons before settling on me. “So a dragon may cast spells? Like the ponies?” “Only if they use my little trick.” I drew out a rather ornate staff that wrapped around a ruby gemstone. “A little gift between us. It’s not very powerful but it can accomplish relatively minor feats of magic all by itself. Without any training.” I turned to Scales, facing her, but my voice addressed Grackle and Gripple. I kept my expression carefully neutral. “Will that satisfy the Council?” Surprisingly, it was Bloodstone, the Dragon Lord, that broke the silence first. “Marvellous! Marvellous!” A rumbling chuckle echoed around the chamber causing the ground to shift under our feet. “We must convene to decide whether we will accept you as a representative.” His placid eye raked the room as if to search out dissidents. “But I rather think that won’t be necessary.” I bowed to the gathered dragons. “Thank you for taking the time to see me. I will leave the staff in the care of the Dragon Lord.” I could feel the sudden electric atmosphere as the words left my mouth. Grackle and Gripple’s face contorted, before grudgingly accepting, now radiated wariness. Scales tilted her head, looking as if she grasped my intentions, but said not a word as I crossed the floor and placed the staff at the clawed paws of the Dragon Lord. “Child,” the Dragon Lord spoke, “why would you be interested in bestowing the gift to one such as myself? I hold neither rank nor office that influences the dragons. Be it military, politics or economics, I have no power myself.” His head came uncomfortably closer. “So I ask, why?” My answer was simple. “Is there a need to explain why I need to give a gift to a friend?” Scales nodded approvingly. With this manoeuvre, I had carefully executed a cutting statement to the gathered dragons. By choosing the Dragon Lord, I had announced my intentions to remain officially neutral in the affairs of the dragons, but also, those that would do me a kind favour would be rewarded in turn. Gripple and Grackle shared a look, staring at me with eyes no longer contemptuous. There was a flicker of respect there, I could see. Though antagonistic, they were by no means stupid. Behind those eyes lay a calculating mind. I could tell I would have to keep on my toes with those two. “Very well,” the Dragon Lord replied with a warm voice, “I will accept such a gift graciously from my new friend.” To the others, he said, “I place my faith behind this one and acknowledge his strength. He is welcome to my Clan anytime he so wishes. Wherever the Dragon Lord’s lands may be, no harm shall befall him.” I looked around suddenly at the indrawn gasps. This was no light offer the Dragon Lord made. I bowed deeply to him. “It is my honour, Elder.” Bloodstone smiled at my response and gathered the staff in his claws, looking like a twig he could snap between his two claws. “Come visit anytime, Harmony.” As I left the cave with a gobsmacked Lapis in tow, I reflected that his parting words were the first time he’d ever referred to me by name. ————————— “You were great!” Lapis gushed with a little prance. She looked like a really big kitten pouncing from side to side. I couldn’t help but grin with her. Soon after we had been informed of the Council’s decision. It was unanimous, surprisingly, although an absentee vote was abstained. I didn’t think Gripple or Grackle would vote for me. Strange. “I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest,” I confessed, holding a hand over my thumping heart. It was true, the pressure the dragons exuded was crushing. “But I’m glad that’s over.” I touched Lapis on the shoulder. “What was that offer that Elder Bloodstone gave me?” Lapis stopped in her tracks her jaws dropping slightly before she snapped it back up. “Oh right, I forgot you didn’t know.” She composed herself, giving me a serious look. “Elder Bloodstone may only hold a ceremonial position, but his Clan is no joke. The land they occupy in the Dragon Lands are extensive and vast. Even the land we’re on right now belongs to him.” She patted a paw on the ground we were standing on to emphasise her point. “So you’ve made a powerful ally, without making a strong stance on who your political enemies were.” She nudged me with her head playfully, her good mood spilling all over the place. “I knew you were going to gift it to him, but I never thought he’d be that generous!” She hopped on ahead, signalling me to follow along. “This is great!” I couldn’t help but share in Lapis’ excitement. It felt nice to finally get something done. I was finally starting to make a difference here, with my own strength. “Representative?” A voice called back out behind us. It was a hulking black-scaled dragon with armour that went above and beyond what I would call intimidating. Vicious blades poked out from blackened steel. The breastplate had been through some rough times, with repairs and dings and dents that seemed to advertise the common usage of its service. On his arms were vanguards with shards of steel sweeping back, showing a lethal design. This was a dragon that meant business. “Yes?” I answered, wary. I kept a spell in the back of mind to teleport out of there with Lapis. Lapis eyed me and tapped me on the shoulder with her tail. “Relax,” she murmured, “it’s one of Storm’s. That’s Obsidian.” She glanced around at the burgeoning interest of the other dragons. “Besides, you’re in Bloodstone’s territory. No harm shall befall you here.” Obsidian either didn’t take notice or chose not to notice the growing crowd of interested dragons. “Representative. Storm requests your presence.” I eyed Obsidian, trying to get a measure of his intentions. “May I ask why?” Obsidian gave me a stoney look, silence stretching as if he were considering whether or not to tell me. I held his gaze, pushing down my nervousness and gritting my teeth. I was a representative here. I couldn’t shirk a gaze. He nodded slightly. “Storm simply wants to meet the Representative. Will that satisfy you?” I pursed my lips at the evasive answer, but simply nodded. I made for Obsidian, but when Lapis tried following a tail whipped out to bar her from taking another step. The tail was tipped with black steel that was similar to his armour. “Storm wishes to speak to the Representative, alone.” I was about to protest, but Lapis locked eyes with me and slightly shook her head. “Stay on Bloodstone’s land,” she warned, “I will meet you later.” Reluctantly, I nodded. Obsidian watched the exchange briefly before turning tail and led me outwards. It was a moderately long walk, and the one anxiety I had pooled in my stomach, making me feel decidedly foolish. I didn’t ask Lapis which areas was under Bloodstone’s control. “We will not stray from the Honourable Elder’s land,” Obsidian said, possibly in response to my outwardly mounting fidgeting. His face was like stone as he continued, “Storm would never indulge in dishonourable conduct. I don’t know if you are aware of much about dragons, but we have a Code of Honour. A Dragon’s Code is sacred.” I nodded, feeling a little more at ease. “Thanks.” I admired his armour. “Why is it that some dragons wear armour whilst others do not? I thought your scales were really hard?” Obsidian kept looking forward as he answered me. “The armour has been forged by dragon breath and worked with dragon paws. Each piece is infused with the innate feelings of the Forge Master that has created it and—” he looked at me “—with the feelings imbued by the wearer themselves. Thus each piece is moulded as an extension of the dragon itself. It is stronger than our scales.” Obsidian grunted. “Though some still believe the cumbersome weight is not worth the effort. Though Storm recognises the value of this.” The respect is evident in his speech. Storm was someone Obsidian deeply admired. We eventually arrived outside a cavern. Similar to Lapis’ abode, this one had decorations ringing the outside, but it was sparse in comparison to Lapis’ opulent display earlier in the day. A lot had happened in such a short span of time, my head was still spinning, and here I was, outside the lair of a dragon. For the first time, I felt a little uncertain. What would happen if I stepped foot here? “Come inside. Storm is waiting.” Obsidian communicated his impatience through a lash of his tail. I was reminded of the steel tips by the slight clang it made as his tail made contact with the ground. Inside, again, I was struck by the differences. It was purely functional from the looks of things. The walls were simple stone cut smoothly to accomodate the bulk of the dragon, but had no more decorative features other than mysteriously glowing gems that held an inner light. I walked in silence, wondering what Storm might have for me. It wasn’t look before we were taken to a serviceable room. The walls were ringed with lights, but other than that it was empty saved from a table that seemed to be carved from a single stone slab. Storm sat in the centre. She was an imposing dragoness, possessing armour like Obsidian, but this one had barely any scratches or dents, although it wasn’t devoid of it. Either she hadn’t been in many fights… or she’d never been hit properly. Either possibility didn’t tell me much about her. Deep blue scales glinted with white streaks that started from the tips of her claws and ended wistfully in blue, looking very much like racing clouds streaked across the canvas of a sky. It reminded me of a picturesque picnic day I had with the family. Storm’s eyes, however, stopped me with the force of her personality. I felt like I was struck by a bolt of lightning. For a moment, neither of us said anything, simply observing each other. I was aware of Obsidian casually making his way behind Storm and sitting on his haunches, just behind and to the right of her. Storm never broke eye contact with me, instead holding out a claw and gesturing to the opposite end of the table. “Sit, Representative.” I crossed my legs, ignoring the small amount of dirt on the floor. Storm placed a claw on the table, a talon tapping out a rhythmic beat as she continued to stare at me. “I apologise for not making it to the meeting.” Storm paused here, waiting for my reply. When I said nothing, she shrugged and continued. “They were impressed with the new technology you presented at the Council meeting.” Still I said nothing. Silence, Tempora once said, was more powerful than speech. Storm grunted as if confirming something to herself.’ “Obsidian, leave us.” “Lady Storm—” “Now.” Obsidian stiffened, glancing at me, then bowed to Storm and left the chamber. After hearing the last of his steps fade away, Storm continued. “Your name is Harmony, correct?” I nodded at this. Storm leaned on the table. “Let me be frank. You have power.” She raised her claw as I prepared to reject it. “I don’t mean you personally, and I do not mean that as an insult.” She traced a claw on the table. “You have power for dragons. Magic is a big deal. Of all of the things dragons are strong in, magic is not one of them. You must realise that the… tool you’ve given the Dragon Lord would be immensely useful.” Still wary, I nodded again, but still held my tongue, preferring her to speak. Storm cleared her throat. “I will be blunt, Lord Harmony, I wish that you teach us the method to create your staff.” “No.” My response was immediate. “It is not a weapon.” For the first time this meeting, Storm’s lips quirked upwards. “Oh? And what makes you think that it will be? Perhaps we simply want to utilise magic.” I shook my head. “And my answer is no. If I am representing the ponies, magic is off the table. You and I both know that the friction between ponies and dragon can only be on equal footing if they have magic to defend themselves.” The dragoness nodded. “I will pay you the compliment of acknowledging that this is so.” Storm tightened her lips. “But that does not remove the fact that you hold a powerful bargaining tool. As you well know, the dragon’s political landscape is vast and complex and there are no sides in the right or wrong but for powerful and weak.” She tapped her armour. “My Clan and all those who follow me and indeed most dragons recognise this. To be strong is to survive, to endure is to conquer your weakness, the future is only forged through the fires of fighting those that oppress you, is that not a concept you can agree on?” I tried to keep an impartial tone. “I will grant you some truth of what you say, but I may not agree with all of it.” Storm raised a ridged brow. “That is a politician’s answer. I am a military dragon. What I deal with is facts and straight answers. Answer me this, Lord Harmony, have you any intention of selling us that technology?” “No,” I said. “I cannot.” Storm didn’t look discouraged by my steadfast response. “You are a human, correct?” She chuckled at my expression. “News travels fast, Lord Harmony. What I want to know is your relationship with the ponies.” “They are my friends.” “Is that so? Friendships can change.” My voice hardened. “They are my family.” “Ah, so we get to the crux of the matter.” Storm leaned forward. “So you cannot strike a bargain with me that will disadvantage the ponies. How about a pledge against my honour that none of these ‘weapons’ that you teach us to make will harm a pony, how does that sound?” “No.” Storm sighed. “The rewards will be worth your time. Having a dragon as your friend comes with many uses. You will be treated well. All we ask is for you to use your knowledge to help us overcome a deficiency on our part. Do you not think that a dragon would wish to use magic?” Storm tilted her head. “If you lost your legs would you not want to walk again? What if you found that you were limping all your life, while others can pounce, leap or walk? Would you not want to gain that ability? That is what it is like for dragon that are with magic, but also without it.” Storm spotted my troubled expression and seized on the opportunity. “Think about it, Lord Harmony, you will be helping us regain the full use of our abilities.” I shot a look at her. “Regain?” Storm’s mouth twisted as she sat back. It looks like she hadn’t intended to say that. After a long pause, Storm pursed her lips and sighed. “Dragons used to be able to use magic like the ponies. One day, all at once, the ability for our magic was stolen from us. We have a legend about it, if you are interested.” She glanced at the gems set into the wall. “But perhaps you should ask your guide, Lady Lapis. I will be taking my leave.” Storm paused at the entrance of the cavern. “Obsidian will guide you out, but please, think on it before you go.” Before she turned to leave, I called out. “My answer is still no, for now.” Storm turned back. “For now is all I ask for.” —————— Returning to Lapis’ cavern, I realised that I was starving. I probably hadn’t eaten for days. Water here was available, but there wasn’t much food. They scrounged up something, but it was all dietary food nutritious for ponies. I stared at the unsatisfying collection of hay, grasses, flowers and so on next to gems and multi-coloured rocks. I wondered if I could digest pony food if I was in the form of a pony, or if it was merely cosmetic. Lapis stared at me from the corner as I shifted into pony form and tried some of the hay. I spat it back out. “Bleh! It tastes like hay!” Lapis burst out laughing. “What did you think it would taste like?” I shifted back into my form, trying very hard to wash out the taste of dry hay from my mouth with water. “I need some food, for flip’s sake.” Lapis hunched her shoulders in remorse. “Sorry, we forgot to think about your food. I think all we got is pony food.” I slumped at the table, slapping away the hay with a huff. I was about to say something when my hand made contact with something hard in the pile of hay. What was this? A familiar red colour greeted me. “This is… an apple!” Lapis stared at me like I was crazy. “Don’t eat that!” She yelled, suddenly looking alarmed. “It’s poison!” “What?!” I almost dropped the apple, but I maintained a grip on it when it almost tumbled out of my hands. “What do you mean poison?” Lapis pointed to the apple. “Those things grow on trees outside in the noxious marshlands.” She stared at the apple as if it would steal her soul then and there. “Everything in that marshland is poisonous.” Brilliant blue eyes held mine. “Everything.” I looked at the apple and gave it a sniff. It smelt like an apple. Lapis looked like she wanted to body-tackle me, so I rapidly placed the apple on the table and held up my hands. “Okay, okay, I get it. How about I cast a spell?” Lapis sent me a querying look. “What spell?” “There are a couple of simple spells that can determine whether something has poison in it,” I explained, waving my hands over the apple to emphasise my point. I snapped my fingers producing a matrix under the apple. “It’ll tell me if there’s—” I gasped. “I knew it!” Lapis said. I took a bite out of the apple as Lapis reared back in shock. “It’s great!” I said cheerfully eating the now-confirmed apple. “I’m not starving anymore.” Lapis swallowed thickly. “Never do that again.” “What?” I said between mouthfuls. “Can’t take the teasing when you dish it out?” —————— After finishing the apple, I searched for more, but there was no other mysterious fruits on the tabletop. Lapis was suspicious as to how an apple found its way into the pile of hay, but decided to let it go when I told her it was probably nothing, and did more good than harm. I was, however, suspecting something underneath all this. An fruit from a land only known for poisonous materials? Someone clearly didn’t like me, but I didn’t want to burden Lapis with my conjecture unless I had proof. This wasn’t something I could pin on anyone, though I knew a couple of dragons that stood to gain from this. “Well now that you’re the Representative,” Lapis said with a grin, “we can get you started on signing the treaty.” Indeed, this was the crux of why I was here in the first place. Some dragons wanted to wage war on the ponies. Although in the Council it was Grackle and Gripple that seemed to be of that opinion. The rest of the dragons seemed indifferent or maybe just cautious. Then there was the fact of Storm. Storm looked like she leaned on the side of Grackle and Gripple, but she did not seem to be strongly so. Lapis was curious about what had transpired between us. When she questioned me about Storm, I just shrugged and told her she wanted to meet me about the feat I performed in front of the Council. I didn’t want to let it slip for now; I was feeling a little paranoid. Squashing any feelings of guilt, I simply shrugged in the face of disbelief. Lapis didn’t enquire any further, although I had the urge to tell her about Storm’s little deal. Instead, I concentrated on finding food, which led to the apple-eating. Anyway, Lapis was more focused on me getting around to signing the treaty. She was antsy, despite the fact that the signing was happening tomorrow, as Scales was busy drafting the proposal today. It seemed like dragons were of the opinion that verbal agreement was more powerful than written and such formalities were simply considered ‘a pain in the haunches’, or so Lapis had told me. “That’s tomorrow,” I said, rising from the table. Something else was weighing on my mind. “I want to talk to you about something else instead.” Lapis looked surprised, but simply nodded her head and gestured for me to continue. I looked around the room. “There’s no one in these caves to hear us, right?” Lapis blinked at me, as if the suggestion itself was an outrageous claim. “You are afraid of an eavesdropper? Such a thing doesn’t occur among dragons. We prefer to fight one on one.” I got the feeling that Lapis had too much faith in the dragon’s Code of Honour. “Humour me,” I simply replied, flicking a hand towards the exit. “Find me a room that dragons would find difficult to listen in on.” Lapis smiled at me, waiting to see if I was making a joke, but when I kept staring at her, she sighed somewhat plaintively. “Oh alright, let’s go find somewhere that’ll suit you. It’s dark outside, but there’s bound to be a volcano full of light.” The prospect of staying at the sweltering heat of a volcano rim was already giving me second thoughts, but from the way Lapis raised an eye ridge, I got the feeling that was her attempt to dissuade me. “Yep, fine,” I said, ignoring her repeated sigh. “Let’s go.” Lapis led me outside. I didn’t see a dragon in sight, but there didn’t mean there wasn’t one listening in. We landed near the volcano summit at a rocky outcrop. The smell of sulfur clung to the air, oppressive and hot, determined to make its mark in my clothes and hair. I would be smelling of volcano and finding ash for a while now. Despite that, I relaxed slightly, confident that we would be able to spot listeners. “So, is this about Storm?” How perceptive of Lapis, but it wasn’t hard given the situation. “Yes,” I replied, nodding readily. “Storm gave me an offer. She wanted me to give her the secret of making these… tools for dragons.” It didn’t take long for Lapis to piece things together. “So she wants weapons.” “The question is,” I said, pacing like a caged tiger. “Why?” Lapis clicked her tongue. “Perhaps she’s in Grackle and Gripple’s claws?” I flicked a hand. “It didn’t seem like it. At least, she didn’t advertise the fact enough to be obvious, but she’s definitely got a direction for this.” Lapis scratched her sinuous neck with the tips of her talons. The black tips of her claws reflect the moonlight as she ponders the answer. Though the volcano was spewing out random gushes of ash in pluming clouds, breaks occurred from time to time so that the moon would pierce through the layers and light up the surface we stood on. Distracted, I look at the sky. For a moment, a group of stars blink. They don’t twinkle… they blink. That means… “Someone’s flying towards us!” Lapis whipped around, her eyes raking the sky. It goes without saying that dragon eyes were much, much better at spotting object from a greater distance and in the dark than humans were. I realised too late that coming out here might have been a mistake. I felt naked on the ground as we anxiously sought the predators swimming through the darkness. “Got them! Two dragons,” Lapis announced in a seething hiss. “They’re in battle gear; that’s not good.” Whoever sent these dragons was probably related to an eavesdropper that was meant to tail us. Or maybe Grackle and Gripple had seen an opportunity and thought to act on it. I hid behind the boulder in the lee side to the direction that Lapis had spotted the fliers. It would give us some time, but not much. At least we would not be vulnerable to missiles. I dragged Lapis bodily behind the same cover as she hissed in pain and shock from the strength of my grip. “What? Why’re you hiding?” “I don’t know who those two dragons were, but there’s a high chance they’re with Grackle and Gripple.” It looked like Lapis was still not comprehending the situation. “So what?” I gritted my teeth, waving an arm to the clearing around us. “No witnesses, two of us alone without weapons and two dragons in full battle gear. What does that tell you?” “Dragons wouldn’t do that,” she hissed. “I grant you that they may get caught up in politics and bicker and fight, but they would never do something as dishonourable as engaging us without a formal—” Lapis didn’t get more out as the boulder we were crouching behind suddenly shook as a booming thunder resounding like cannon fire directly in front us. Debris and rocks showered our vision as the singeing smell of burning metal pervaded my nose. I hunkered back into the cover as I peeked at astonishment at the glowing piece of metal jutting out of the rock. It was white-hot from the force of piercing the boulder, which in itself, had a huge crack meeting the ‘spear’ down the middle. “We’ve got to get out of here!” I yelled at Lapis. She stood frozen in mute shock, staring at the spear with wide unblinking eyes. “That could have…” I didn’t wait for more. I could hear the thumps of the dragons landing nearby. “Come out from there!” A rough voice yelled. “Or we will finish you where you hide!” “Okay!” I shouted back. I didn’t actually intend to come out. I was merely buying time. “We’ll face you properly, but let us die honourably!” I threw the last word in there, hoping that some shred of decency was left with these two. Maybe they’d consider it? But I wasn’t going to let chance decide my fate. I’ve never been in a serious fight before. Not when lives were on the line. It was completely different from the showdown in the Council chambers, where moments before I was just verbally jousting. I had to get out of this situation. Lapis growled in a soft, menacing streak of predatory anger. She seemed on the brink of violence. “How dare they?” She whispered just loud enough for me to hear. “Lapis.” She seemed to ignore me. “Lapis.” Lapis twitched, her gaze settling on me. She was on the brink of mortal commitment. “Stop.” Her eyes, moment ago feral and sharp, regained a rounder shape as her muscles uncoiled slightly. “Follow my lead,” I warned her. My plan had a chance of working if she didn’t do anything. I snapped my fingers, summoning a quick illusion of myself that peeked out from the boulder. A split-second later metallic spears pierced through my illusion. So they had no intention at all to honour their side of the parlay. “Tricky!” I heard them chuckle. The sound of their laughter was closer, I was sure. They were purposefully trying to stifle it to appear as if they were further. They knew we were blinded behind the boulder. I readied my fingers. “Close your eyes,” I whispered huskily to Lapis. Lapis squeezed them shut. Two heads rounded the corner as I unleashed my teleportation spell. “Argh—” Their screams cut out as we teleported a few metres to another boulder, where I hurriedly clambered on Lapis’ back. Lapis staggered from the reaction of the teleport. “Go! Go!” I yelled, urging her from behind. “They’ll be blinded.” Sure enough I saw them staggering around, paws to their eyes, their bodies barely illuminated by the sporadic light of the moon. Lapis took off immediately. “They’ll pick us off from the sky!” she shouted. I knew that, and I wasn’t confident that I could block the devastating power of those metallic spears with just a barrier of magic. If only I had thought to bring some crystals with me! I didn’t have time to berate myself. I had to come up with a distraction and fast. Distraction? That’s right, illusions! I quickly cast illusions of three additional clones of us. The strain of the illusions was incredible and I was gasping with the effort. It felt like I was lifting a chair with a single finger. Lapis saw the illusions and flew in a spiralling complex aerial manoeuvre that almost threw my concentration off. A whistling shriek of the metallic spear missed my head by scant inches. I almost ducked in reflex, but at the last second froze. That would have given our position away. It was just a shot in the dark for them. That gave me an idea. “Lapis!” I called out just enough for her to hear. “Head into the clouds!” If we timed this right, we could escape. Diving and spiralling, with our copies doing the same, Lapis and I weaved around, trying to look like we were shaking them off, rather than heading to the clouds above. I saw them aim for one of the illusive clones. They took a shot that missed, but this time, I timed it so that I ducked at their shot. I heard a roar of triumph as they focused on the illusion. In that moment, Lapis veered into the cloud and I snapped my fingers summoning yet another illusion to take our place. From the inside of the cloud, I kept an eye as they threw another metallic spear at our clones. I made this one hit. Hopefully they wouldn’t question the spear falling out to the side as our clone spiralled down to the depths. I made the other clones scatter in different directions. They didn’t take the bait of the falling clones, but couldn’t decide which of the three remaining to follow. I was almost at my limit anyway and the clones vanished as I succumbed to magical overload. Numbing fatigue clung to me, but I was gratified to hear the roars of savage outrage that they had lost their quarries. We waited in tense silence, retreating further into the cloud to avoid detection. We couldn’t see them, but they wouldn’t be able to see us either. There would be no guarantee that they wouldn’t be waiting around this area either afterwards, but after a couple of hours hovering, Lapis was ready to drop out of the air. Using a combination of gliding and the remnants of my magic we managed to make our way back to Lapis’ home. Matriarch Scales was waiting at the entrance, but whatever reason she had for dropping by was immediately abandoned as we collapsed in exhaustion in front of, well, her home. ———————— “How are you feeling?” “Hungry,” I replied hoarsely, taking a sip of water from a water held delicately in an outstretched paw. It looked like Scales’ entourage had come with her visit. A slim dragon that appeared to be her assistant was hovering around the Matriarch and was furnishing me with any need I requested. The dragon seemed to be in a fluster, after learning that I couldn’t eat almost anything normally offered in the Dragon Lands, but after getting a grasp on some dietary foods that were shared with ponies like honey and nuts and the such, a special order was prepared. They apologised for the gaffe of food earlier, but Scales bowed deeply and apologised further on the matter of the two assailants. “We have no excuse, we should have provided you protection, I should have seen to—” I shook my head, staying any further comment from Scales. How could she have known that dragons would attack us? They looked like they had planned for it, but the extent to which the dragons were willing to go seemed to go against every value that Scales and Lapis stood for. They were shocked to hear our account. Disbelief was unavoidable, but the doubts were erased when they found the metallic spear still embedded in the boulder. These dragons were not professional, I surmised, or they might have sent someone to clean up. Besides, they were clearly driven by some sort of emotional motive, seeing as how they were throwing spears left and right without regard as to stealth. Scales concurred with my assessment, but an undercurrent of unease was noticeable in her answer. “Still, I’m ashamed to admit this, but I should have known of such discontent within my ranks.” A dark look shadowed Scales’ face for a brief moment, but she shook clear of it so quickly, I almost thought it was my imagination. “But you can be safely back to your nation as soon as possible. Silver?” The assistant dragoness returned bearing a paper scroll. “Representative Harmony, this document signifies a life-long treaty with the ponies so long as you or I remain alive. Will you ratify this agreement?” I glanced around. There were only two other dragons, who looked like they were guards, Silver and Scales. Lapis was in another room recovering. “Is this enough?” I inquired. Scales smiled somewhat reticently. “I will convince them that it is.” In other words, this was a way out. It wasn’t ideal for anyone concerned, but Scales was taking my safety seriously. She was saying she would convince the others that my signature was valid and that these witnesses were sufficient. “Matriarch,” I said with a shaky smile, “you are too kind.” Scales held up the quill, looking as old as I felt tired. I gently pressed my hand against the quill and rejected her offer. “As I said, you are too kind. That is why I will do it in front of the Council.” Scales looked disappointment, but at the same time relieved. Her shoulders sagged with my words. “I’m sure your mother and father would be proud of you. So young, yet…” Her face set in as hard as stone. “There are those who would dare…” I swallowed hard. Scales noticed my discomfort and like a lamp switching on, her expression came back bright, reminding me of Lapis a little too much. “I won’t forget our debt to you. We will work hard to ensure the safety of both our nations.” Though we were nervous, nothing happened during the lead up and to the signing of the treaty. Grackle and Gripple looked like they had to swallow mud, but I tried not to take pleasure in that. Storm was present, but looked disinterested in the proceedings, and the Dragon Lord had attended. Ratification of the treaty didn’t depend on the Council since it was bound by the ruling heads of State, an archaic bit of Law, so I was grateful it wasn’t put to vote and the members of the Council only served as witnesses. Nothing happened in particular until after the ceremony. Again, a dragon was waiting outside. This time, it was Gripple himself. “Well done,” was the first thing he said. “You admit to it?” Lapis gaped at Gripple. Gripple shrugged. “Admit to what? I’m merely commenting on your escape last night.” Lapis narrowed her eyes. “How did you know about that? You could have only known—” Gripple sighed in a way that sounded like he was dealing with a stubborn child. “Lady Lapis, would you please refrain from casting aspersions on my character without evidence.” He glanced at me with a slight smile. “Take a note from your Representative friend. He is listening and learning.” I kept my face neutral. Getting angry at him here would only serve his purpose. “You have a proposal?” I asked, finally. I noted Gripple’s feigned surprise. “Why, am I so transparent?” When I didn’t answer, he shrugged. “Okay, I will admit to giving you a hard time in the Council chambers before we acknowledged you. Let us put that past us. You have knowledge, you have power and you have the skills to survive in battle. I am curious. You are not like most ponies.” “We can agree on that much,” I said. Gripple cocked his head as if I was a curious puzzle. “I wonder, with all you’ve done, and you are clearly not a pony, why you chose to be aligned with them?” “It is a family matter,” I answered truthfully. Gripple nodded. “Ah, yes, family ties. It is important to be with your family. After all, family is—” “Will you get to the point?” Lapis snapped. Gripple let out that desolate sigh once again. “You should take a note from your mother, Lady Lapis. Though Matriarch Scales is a dragon I disagree with, I hold respect for her power. No matter what her corrupt values are. You on the other hand need to learn respect before receiving it!” Lapis looked on the brink of lunging at him, but I held my hand out and shot her a warning glance. She locked eyes with me for a full five seconds and then huffed, turning her head away. Gripple watched the interaction with some amusement, his ire nowhere in evidence as he smiled at me. “Good, good, you are a reasonable Representative. Perhaps I misjudged you from the beginning. Think of my aggravations as a tiny test to see if we could place our faith in you. I, of course, will retract my earlier statements concerning attacks on your personage.” I noted that Gripple didn’t apologise for his actions, but I understood that it was just a political manoeuvre. Well, so was this: “May we have a profitable relationship,” I simply said with a nod. “Make me a deal I can’t refuse.” Gripple’s eyes widened as he took in my words. He couldn’t resist glancing over at Lapis with a sneer, but it was gone in a brief moment. He turned back to me. “Excellent. I look forward to working with you.” With that, he turned tail and loped off with a smug gait. It took two seconds after he left for Lapis to pin me to the ground. “Why did you do that?!” she yelled at me. Onlookers gasped at the sudden attack. Instead of answering, I snapped my fingers, teleporting us to the entrance of her cave. I bent over from the long-distance nausea and Lapis staggered under the disorientation, but whether through sheer rage or willpower, she remained standing. “Why did you do that!?” she repeated in a roar. I leaned against the wall of her cave. “The same reason—urk—” I placed a hand over my mouth and swallowed bile “—the same reason I was asking for a chance to fight those two dragons at the volcano. It buys us time.” Lapis, about to say something, shut her mouth and frowned. “Oh,” she said belatedly, realising my intentions, “so you’re trying to make him think you’re an ally.” “Yeah, that’s why I had to teleport out of there, because there were other dragons, some of which are—” “—Part of Gripple’s Clan, right,” Lapis finished, looking guilty. “Also, you looked really scary,” I added for good measure. Lapis’ jaw hung open as she tried to defend herself. “B-But I thought—! And you said—!” I let her twist in the wind for a few more seconds before waving her off. “In any case, the Treaty was signed, and Gripple and Grackle will be put off for now.” Lapis sighed, her shoulders sagging like a great weight had been lifted from them. “Thank you,” she said with a brilliant smile. “You made good on your promise.” I smiled back. “Well, you know, it’s always good to help a friend out.” Lapis grinned, then her expression turned serious. “As per Dragon’s Honour Code, I must protect you for life!” I laughed at that, then seeing her serious visage, I cut it short. “You’re not serious about that, are you?” Lapis didn’t answer, merely bowing her head. “Hey, Lapis, no, you’re not serious are you?” After a couple of moments of dreadful anticipation, Lapis nudged me with her snout. “No,” she said, “but you should have seen the look on your face.” I held a hand over my heart. “Right, okay. Right. That—yeah, okay.” Lapis giggled at my reddening expression. “Never change, Harmony.”