//------------------------------// // In the Weyr of the Seadragons // Story: With a Shine in His Eyes // by Kotushk Fier //------------------------------// The pearls given to me to work with were of considerable rarity and quality, allowing me to bind a more powerful version of the spell I had chosen, and for less magical effort than I expected, as well. I sent for a report of the kelp growth, trying to gauge the extent of invasion, and finally settled on enchanting twenty-seven of the pearls. If any more were needed before I returned from the weyr visit, I could easily make more, but I wanted to try to end the problem in one swift action. I distributed the pearls among a few couriers, and inquired as to the location of the weyr. Apparently they were situated northeast, and I set out immediately. Two hours later and feeling like I swam in circles, despite Shimmer Wave's assurance we were swimming straight... "The weyr is right around this mountain, Novalis. I dare not venture further, as I am uncomfortable being this close to anything that might consider me a snack," Shimmer said as she glanced nervously at the bubble streams rising to the surface from behind the large underwater mountain. "If you say so. I'll go on ahead. Thank you for the escort. If you prefer, you may go home, and come check on me in about three hours. If I'm not here, you can assume I was the snack instead. Just kidding," I said as she looked at me in alarm. "I'm sure they won't be trying to eat me. Believe it or not, dragons are pretty grumpy, but not necessarily ready to chew on any pony that comes along." "Just be careful, OK? I'd rather not tangle with the Princess of the Moon if something happened to her ambassador." "Sure thing," I said noncommittally. I then turned and swam towards the bubble streams, slowing my racing heart and schooling my features into one of absolute fearlessness. Dragons might be powerful creatures, but they respect strength above all. I merely had to show them I was not going to be intimidated. The first thing I noticed upon seeing the weyr was that it was far more communal than I expected. Mother dragonesses lay overlooking a large crater where small drayklings were playing. A few males were swimming lazily around the perimeter, guarding against anything that might foolishly attempt to attack the large gathering of dragonkind. Surveying the weyr, I eventually spotted a dragon easily twice as big as the males floating around, and a third larger than the females. The Queen Dragoness, the one I needed to speak to most. I began swimming determinedly towards her, and before long attracted the attention of three of the males, who swam closer to investigate the intruder. They roared at me, and blew scalding streams of water towards me, but I deflected the warnings and ignored them. They swam warily around me as I continued, not considering me a threat, but also not willing to leave me alone, either. Finally, as I was getting closer to the queen, a slightly larger than average male swam from the depths to float before me. "Who are you, to come into the lair of dragonkind? A snack, perhaps, delivered to our queen?" "My name is Novalis. I am an ambassador of the Princess of the Moon, Princess Luna, and I wish an audience with your queen. I am not here to cause problems, but I simply will not be turned aside, either." "Very well, little Novalis. But be on your best behavior, lest you find yourself seeing the other use of our tongue and teeth." With no more words, he swam to the queen, floating by her head to whisper in her ears. She glanced at me, critically observing me before motioning me to proceed. "Ambassador Novalis, it is our... pleasure, to speak to one so close to the land rulers. You realize you have no jurisdiction here, yes? So what do you wish to speak about, and be hasty." "I'll get straight to the point. You are currently living fairly close to a colony of seaponies. The presence of your powerful magic is causing disturbances in the kelp growth, and they wanted to know for what reason you chose to reside here." "What if we merely wanted a change of scenery?" she asked, chuckling softly. "I find that implausible, Your Majesty. I know that dragonkind do not care to live near other creatures. Most creatures are not as powerful, and thus don't deserve to share your space. So I would like to know what has chased you from your home, and if possible, I would be willing to attempt to help you reclaim it." "As you just said, most creatures are not as powerful as we. So what hope would you have to drive something from our home that we cannot?" "Dragons have long memories, and many oral stories passed down, yes? Such as the tale of the time unicorns were in full tune of all their magics, and could even fight dragons as equals in terms of magical power? I have learned that ancient art. I am in full command of all my power. And I've studied many different schools of magic, even some that are unknown to dragonkind. Not to boast, but I'm easily a match for almost anything on this planet." The queen raised an eyeridge and cast a more critical eye over. Without warning, she unleashed a powerful stream of water, superheated to evaporate the surrounding seawater around the stream. Before the water could boil me alive, I summoned a cloud of magic particles, crystallizing the water in front of me into pure True Ice, instantly freezing the water around it, including the blast from the queen. Without missing a step, I directed the True Ice towards the queen, stopping it short of her massive chest, allowing it to freeze the water touching her scales as she reared back in surprise. After a long moment, she snaked her head around the shard of frozen water, and slowly blinked both eyes as she lowered her head in submission. With that done, I retracted my magic, allowing the True Ice to dissolve. "Now, what has stolen your home from you?" "Sirens. The filthy creatures are enchanting all living creatures within thirty miles, making it difficult to hunt without falling thrall to their singing. They've even enslaved a large land pony settlement, which I believe you call Baltimare." Baltimare? This would explain why Canterlot lost contact with the city a while back. No couriers we sent ever returned, and no one had heard from their relatives in a few weeks. If they were all enthralled by a siren's bewitching song, this would be grave news...