Chapter 5
Using so much magic left Cliff exhausted. He excused himself to the guest bedroom as soon as he finished helping Spike and Twilight clean up dinner. The bed felt cold and empty without his friends and family to share it, but years of traveling alone had taught him to endure. At least it was better than sleeping outside again.
It was light outside when the young dragon awoke. He stretched out his arms and legs, and breathed some fire on his clawed hands to warm them. After a long yawn, Cliff slid out of bed and went to find his little brother.
Spike was in the kitchen, dressed in an apron and a white hat, mixing something in a bowl. “Hey Cliff, did you get a good night's sleep?”
“It was fine.” He suppressed another yawn. “What are you doing down here?”
“I decided to let you and Twilight sleep in while I made breakfast.” He poured some of the mixture onto an iron skillet. “Do you like pancakes?”
“I don't know,” Cliff admitted. His knowledge of pancakes was limited to having heard the word before.
Spike held out a small, round object that vaguely resembled bread. “No need to worry if you don't. Ponies have all sorts of good foods. We'll try them all until we find something you like.”
“Good plan.” He took the offered pancake and bit into it. It was warm and starchy, but there was little else that could be said. “It's... better than grass.”
The younger dragon chuckled. “Try it with butter and syrup, Cliff.” He gestured to the table, where both condiments had been laid out.
Cliff added a small amount of butter and a dollop of syrup, and took another bite. “Much better.”
“That's good.” Spike flipped another pancake off the skillet and onto a stack of finished ones. “Could you go wake up Twilight? She'll freak out if I let her sleep any longer.”
“Of course.” Cliff made his way to the alicorn's bedroom, but then he paused. How exactly do ponies wake each other? Breathing fire on the late riser was how dragons usually got the job done, but he couldn't see that ending well here. Maybe talking to her would work. “Uh, Twilight?”
No response.
“Twilight?” he said it a bit louder.
“Hnnn...” Her eyes fluttered open. “OhmyCelestia, what time is it?!” She literally flew to the clock. “Seven thirty-three? I was supposed to be up an hour ago!” It was only then that the alicorn noticed Cliff. “Sorry about yelling. I just need to hurry and get ready. If I don't make up for all that studying I missed, it'll throw my whole month off schedule!”
Since he couldn't think of a good response to that, Cliff just said, “Spike is making breakfast.”
“Okay.” Twilight pulled a book over with her magic. “Maybe I can get some studying done while I eat.”
Cliff followed her back to the kitchen, where they worked their way through a meal of pancakes. It was still no toasted rabbit, but the young dragon could at least see himself surviving on food like this. He ate a light meal, so it wouldn't interfere with his morning run, and then helped Spike with the dishes. Meanwhile, Twilight retreated to her study.
“Do you do all the chores around here?” Cliff asked.
Spike thought about it. “Twilight helps when she can, but she has a lot of duties to take care of now that she's a princess .”
“Like what?”
“Well... today she has to meet with the hospital board to go over their budget and finalize how much they'll pay Zecora for each of her potions. Then she needs to meet with Mayor Mare about plans for the Spring Wrap-up Festival. Then she's getting fitted for a new gown. Then the Ponyville school board needs help planning their next trip to Canterlot. Then-”
“I think I understand,” Cliff interrupted. Taking the day off to show him around suddenly carried a lot more weight. “No wonder she needs an assistant.”
“Two assistants actually.” Spike smiled. “Owlowiscious is my junior.”
“Who?”
The younger dragon laughed. “Exactly.”
“What?”
“He's an owl.”
It took Cliff a second to get the joke. “Ah. Never mind.” He put the last of the dishes away. “What will you be doing for the next few hours?”
“I have some chores to finish around here.” Spike glanced at the clock. “You should get ready, Rainbow Dash will be arriving soon.”
Cliff had been going to invite the little dragon to exercise with them, but he didn't want to interfere with the workings of the house more than he already had. “Okay, but don't forget to practice your magic whenever you have free time.”
“No worries, I will.”
He made his way to the palace entry hall and settled down to do his warmups. Even with his new theory about ponies, Cliff wasn't crazy enough to leave himself alone and vulnerable in public.
When Rainbow Dash got there, she didn't so much open the door as crash into it so hard that it opened on its own. “Hey, Cliff.” She paused. “Uh, you okay?”
He relaxed his battle stance, dropped several defensive spells, and put a hand over his frantically beating heart. “Y-yeah, I'm fine.”
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Okay, so, ready to start training?”
Cliff took a few deep breaths. “Just one moment. I'd like to do a quick scan, if you don't mind.”
“A what?” She cocked her head to the side. “Like an x-ray or something?”
What's an x-ray? “It just gives me an idea of your physical strengths and weaknesses, so we'll know what to focus on.”
“Oh, sure, but you aren't going to find any weaknesses on this mare!”
Glad that she bought it, Cliff placed two claws over her heart. “This will only take a moment.” There probably was a spell out there to do what he had described, but the young dragon certainly didn't know it. He cast Insight.
Rainbow Dash's emotions were very different than he had expected. She wasn't nearly as confidant as she pretended to be, for starters. She was fiercely loyal, which was normal for a warrior, but she wasn't at all suspicious of him, just a little curious. “Uh, Cliff, what are you doing?” There was no desire to attack, either.
He decided to push her from an unexpected direction. “It's a spell. I can't risk you slowing me down if we run into a pack of timberwolves or something.”
“Slow you down?” The pegasus laughed. “I hate to break it to ya, Cliff, but you're talking to the fastest flier in Equestria.” She actually believed what she was saying. More importantly, her loyalty reached out towards the young dragon, coupled with determination and a desire to protect. If they did stumble across a monster of some kind, Rainbow Dash would throw herself in front of it to protect him without a second thought.
Another part of Cliff's belief that ponies were enemies shattered. “I believe you.” He ended the spell and tried not to feel too guilty about distrusting her. “Anyway, you're perfectly healthy. Let's go.”
It was another clear day outside. Those probably happened a lot, with all the pegasi around. Cliff had mixed feelings about the crowds he could see wandering through the town streets. Everything he had seen and heard before running into Princess Luna in Canterlot told him that ponies were his most dangerous enemies. Everything that had happened since then, however...
Unaware of his inner conflict, Rainbow Dash trotted up beside the young dragon and grinned. “Alright, the way I figure it, we both need to work on our endurance. So we're going to start running, and see who can go the longest without stopping.”
Cliff nodded. “Lead on.”
Her confidant grin remained firmly in place. “Just try to keep up.” Then she took off, moving at a medium gallop.
He settled into a comfortable rhythm behind her, happy to focus on the simple joy of running.
Rainbow Dash lead them around the edge of Ponyville, past Sweet Apple Acres, and then down a side road that lead them by Fluttershy's cottage before circling around towards Canterlot. They followed this for a mile or so before turning onto a dirt road that led them back to the edge of Ponyville. “Ready... to... give up?” Rainbow asked between breaths.
“Still got... more... to give,” Cliff replied. It had been months since he had run himself to the point of total exhaustion, and some masochistic part of him was enjoying this.
“Good.” Rainbow Dash was apparently as crazy as he was, because she led them back to the road to Sweet Apple Acres. They began the entire loop over again, though much more slowly this time.
Getting past the farm and cottage was a case study in agony. Cliff's chest felt like it would burst and his throat had been rubbed raw from a thousand gasping breaths. He really had to wonder what was keeping that pegasus moving.
The road to Canterlot was at least five times as long as he remembered it, but it was nothing compared to the dirt road. Dust caked onto him, aided by a liberal amount of sweat, and each bump threatened to interrupt the precarious balancing act that their run had become.
Finally, his claws came down on a loose rock, and it was all over. Cliff smashed into the ground and couldn't muster the energy to get back up. Another thump reached him as the blue pegasus also dropped.
“It looks... like... you won,” the young dragon croaked.
“You... know it.” Rainbow Dash didn't sound any better. She flapped her wings enough to get off the ground and come back to him. “I only tripped... because I was stopping... to see... if you were okay.” She tried to land on her hooves but wound up collapsing again.
“I'm fine,” Cliff said, though he knew he didn't look like it.
“Good,” Rainbow Dash flopped onto her side. “I'd hate to... break ya... on our first workout.” They spent a minute resting before the mare spoke again. “So, what happened with Fluttershy anyway?”
Cliff had wondered when that was going to come up. “How much do you know already?”
“Twilight told us that she used The Stare on you when you first met, and that she was feeling pretty guilty about it. Then at Applejack's, she kept asking if you wanted anything.”
“That's most of it right there.” The young dragon sighed. “She kept asking, and I lost my patience and told her to go away.”
Rainbow Dash smack a hoof over her eyes. “Come on Cliff, how could you not know that she'd run off in tears after something like that?”
How am I supposed to predict anything that mare does? “Do you want to know the truth?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“She scares me a little.”
The pegasus burst into laughter. “You, scared of Fluttershy?”
“Well, yes.”
It took a while for Rainbow Dash to stop laughing. “Okay, I'm sorry. It's just that we've been friends since we were fillies, and I've never met a less intimidating pegasus.”
“Threaten her pet rabbit sometime.”
“Yeah, not gonna happen.” She looked towards Ponyville. “You're going to apologize to her, right?”
The dragon nodded. “She's coming over this afternoon. I'll do it then.”
“Good.” Rainbow Dash climbed unsteadily to her hooves. “I hope you don't mind the third degree, Cliff. I'm just trying to look out for my gal pal.”
“I know.” He rose to his feet as well. The blue pegasus was a protector by nature. She would do anything to keep her friends safe. “Hey, Rainbow?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for trusting me.”
She shrugged. “No worries, Cliff. What are friends for?”
The young dragon found himself smiling. “Thanks for that as well.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
After a quiet walk back to the palace, Cliff made plans with Rainbow Dash to go running the next morning and then stumbled inside to clean off. He took a bath, which was far more relaxing than it had any right to be, and then went looking for Spike.
Unfortunately, the baby dragon was nowhere to be found and Twilight had already left for her meeting. With nothing else to do, Cliff settled down to think while he practiced his magic.
He was trying to remain objective, but evidence and logic were both firmly supporting the idea that the problems between dragons and ponies were all due to some horrible misunderstanding. I'll read a few more hearts, just to be sure, but as it stands now, maybe I can afford to relax a little.
Nearly an hour later, while reviewing a spell to locate gemstones, the young dragon came to a realization. If he was going to contribute to this town, he would need a job of some kind. How do jobs work anyway? He filed that alongside 'Pony Society' for things that he needed to learn more about.
Spike got back from shopping soon afterward. Cliff explained his concerns as they put everything away.
“I don't know what jobs are available right now.” The baby dragon tapped a claw against his chin. “We could look around town later, if you want.”
“Uh, maybe we should just ask Twilight.” Even crowds of dragons made Cliff uncomfortable sometimes. “Anyway, how much were you able to practice your magic?”
“I tried it on the way to the market, and again on the way back.” Spike shifted uncomfortably. “It didn't go very well.”
He gave his brother a quick hug. “It doesn't matter how well you did. What matters is that you put forth the effort to try.”
The baby dragon blushed. “Thanks, Cliff.”
“What chores do you have to do now?”
Spike checked the clock. “Well it's almost noon, so I should get working on lunch.”
Cliff nodded. “Would you mind teaching me?”
“Wait, you want to learn how to cook?”
“Cook pony foods, yes. Besides, you can tell me more about pony society while we work.”
“Uh, okay.” Spike opened a cupboard and began pulling out ingredients. “I'm happy as long as we get to spend time together.”
Cliff Runner smiled. “Same here, brother.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Cooking pony food turned out to be relatively simple. Spike had a number of books explaining how to make various dishes. All they had to do was follow the instructions. It did take longer than Cliff had expected, but that just gave them more time to talk. He learned about the Ponyville market, the businesses nearby, the schooling system, and the basics of how taxes worked. In return, he explained the draconic equivalents.
“Why did you spend so much time teaching kids?” Spike asked as he chopped up strawberries.
“Well most of the other adults have to spend their time on the farm or in the ruins. They needed somedragon to keep an eye on the hatchlings.” Cliff shrugged. “Besides, I enjoyed it.” The book said that he was making muffins, but so far it just looked like goop.
“Maybe you could be a teacher?”
“A nice thought, but I doubt most of these ponies would want to leave their sons and daughters with a dragon.”
“Why not?”
“I'm different than they are, Spike, and it takes time to feel comfortable around anything that's different.” His life at the moment was a perfect example.
“Our friends seem comfortable around you,” Spike pointed out. “And they've only known you for a day.”
“...I guess you have me there.” He added a scoop of oats to the batter. “Maybe I'm the only one that feels uncomfortable around here.”
The younger dragon seemed genuinely concerned. “You don't like it here?”
“It's not that.” It kind of was that. “Things are just...” terrifyingly confusing, “different, than at the Redstone Coven, and I'm taking time to adjust.”
They both heard the door to the living quarters open. “Spike? Cliff?” Twilight's voice reached them. “Are you two home?”
“We're in the kitchen, Twilight,” Spike called back.
A moment later, the Princess came around the corner. “Hey, you two. Did you enjoy your morning?”
Cliff shrugged, and Spike said, “Eh, it was alright. How about you?”
“We finished the hospital budget, and I made sure that Zecora will get a fair price for all of her potions. There was even some extra time, so I went by Rarity's early.” She looked behind her, and a certain yellow pegasus came into view. “Since Fluttershy here was coming over anyway, I thought maybe she could join us for lunch.”
Crap. Cliff embraced the Stillness. He couldn't let things turn out like they had the first two times they'd interacted.
“Uh, if you don't have enough, then that's okay.” The mare's voice was barely more than a whisper.
“No worries, Fluttershy,” Spike assured her. “We aren't finished yet, but Cliff and I are putting together a nice big lunch. We'd love to have you share it.”
“Oh, okay. So long as it's no trouble.”
Cliff took a deep breath. If he had to apologize, he may as well get it over with. “Uh, Twilight, could you help Spike for a minute? I'd like to talk to Fluttershy alone.” He turned to the pegasus. “If you don't mind, that is.”
“N-no, that's fine.” She looked down.
Twilight gave the dragon an encouraging grin. “I'd love to help Spike. You two can talk in the living room.”
Slipping past her, Cliff led Fluttershy down the short hallway. Apologize. Accept her apology. Ask to be friends. I can do this. He took a seat on one of the couches.
Fluttershy settled onto the couch opposite him, her eyes still downcast.
Silence filled the room as Cliff struggled for the right words. “I...” he sighed. “I'm really sorry about yesterday.”
“No, it was my fault,” she insisted, finally looking up. “I was so mean to you when we first met, and then I wouldn't leave you alone at Sweet Apple Acres. It's no wonder you got mad at me...”
Did just accept or reject my apology? Crap, she looks upset! “I-I did get mad, but you didn't deserve what I said.” Cliff faked a mournful sigh. “Please forgive me for being so rude.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “I did deserve it. You must have been so scared to be in a new place, surrounded by strangers, and then I... I...” She looked like she was about to cry.
Cliff resisted the urge to facepalm. Why can't things ever be easy with this mare? “Fluttershy?”
“Yes?” she whispered.
“There's a spell I'd like use, if you don't mind.” Since talking is just making things worse.
“You can use magic?” She looked at him in surprise. “I- uh, yes, you can use it.”
“Okay.” Cliff got up slowly, and knelt in front of her. “I just need to put two claws over your heart. I promise it won't hurt.”
Fluttershy cringed and looked away. “Do you need to?”
He nodded. “Yes.” Please, just let me calm you down.
“O-okay.” she closed her eyes and winced like she was about to be hit.
Cliff placed his claws as gently as he could, but that didn't stop her from jumping when they first brushed against her yellow coat, or trembling each second they remained. “It's okay,” Cliff whispered, partly to himself. He cast Insight.
Fluttershy wasn't just scared, she was terrified! Her fear was easily as strong as what Cliff felt for the entire Ponyville marketplace, and it was directed right at him.
Wait, what? He looked into it more deeply. She's a dragon-phobic introvert, he realized. No wonder she got upset at the party. Just working up the courage to talk to me must have taken everything she had. Cliff soothed away her fears so that he could 'see' the rest of her heart.
Almost immediately, the pegasus stopped shaking.
“This magic calms your heart,” Cliff explained as he studied her emotional landscape. Extremely nurturing. I guess her pets should have made that obvious. Rather unsure of herself. Prefers peace and calm. She was also the least violent creature he had ever encountered. If he hadn't been there, Cliff would have trouble believing that the incident with The Stare had actually happened. “Are you feeling better?”
A tiny smile graced her features. “Yes, thank you so much.”
“I'm glad. This next spell will let you feel my own emotions.” Heart's Mirror appeared in the space between them. He manufactured a cluster of positive emotions to feed into it.
Admiration filled the area, mixed with sorrow for past mistakes, and a desire to learn more. Most powerful of all though, was hope. “This is how I feel about you, Fluttershy.” He lied. To be fair, his emotions had improved greatly in the last few seconds, but there was still a lot of uneasiness, which would only make her feel worse. “I know we had a rough start, but I want to move past that. In fact, if you're willing to have me, I'd be honored to call you my friend.”
She murmured something unintelligible.
“What was that?” Cliff leaned closer.
She said it again, so quietly that he almost didn't hear it this time either. “...Okay...”
Relief washed through the young dragon, reflecting in his spell. He added some joy as well. “Thank you, Fluttershy.” He let his spell fade and backed away. “Are you okay?”
Fluttershy looked up nervously, but her smile was genuine. “Yes, um, thank you. I want to be your friend too, Cliff Runner.”
“I'm glad.” Cliff returned the smile. “By the way, it's, uh, it's okay that dragons scare you. Ponies scare me a little, so... yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, let's get back to the kitchen before Twilight comes looking for us.”
She climbed off the couch and followed after him. “Um, can all dragons use magic?”
“No, just wyrms.” He saw her confused expression. “Dragons without wings.”
She nodded. “I never knew that there were different types of dragons, and your magic was wonderful.”
In spite of himself, Cliff grinned from the compliment.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Lunch was a combination of fruit smoothies and oat muffins. Cliff Runner enjoyed the smoothies, but the muffins were barely tolerable. He muscled his way through one before deciding that he could put up with being a little hungry until dinner.
“No go, huh?” Spike asked, noticing his older brother's expression.
“Sorry.” Cliff washed his mouth out with more of the smoothie. “At least this drink is good.”
Fluttershy looked at Twilight questioningly.
“Cliff isn't used to pony food yet,” the purple mare explained. “We're trying different things to see what he likes.”
“Oh, um... you like eggs, right?”
Cliff nodded. “Fish too. Thank you for both of those from yesterday.”
“It was no problem.” Fluttershy nearly whispered. That seemed to be her normal speaking voice.
“So, Twilight.” Cliff turned to the alicorn. “Were you able to practice your magic at all?”
“Yes, three different times.” She grinned. “Twice while walking, and once while waiting for our meeting to start.”
“Excellent.” He noticed that Fluttershy was looking confused again. “I'm teaching Spike and Twilight dragon magic. For some reason, it seems alicorns can use it.”
“It's part of our natural magic field.” Twilight explained. “I've known that I had an extra ability since I transformed. I just didn't know how to use it until now.”
“Really? Congratulations, Twilight. You too, Spike.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy, but we're still just learning the basics,” Twilight said, and Spike nodded his agreement. “Neither of us can cast anything yet.”
“Give it time,” Cliff assured her. “The first spell is always the hardest.”
“Oh, by the way, Twilight,” Spike said. “Do you know of any job openings in Ponyville?”
“Nothing comes to mind. Why do you ask?”
“Cliff wants to get a job.”
“You do?” She turned to the older dragon. “Would you mind if I asked why?”
What kind of question is that? “To contribute, of course.”
His answer seemed to surprise the alicorn. “Oh, I thought you needed money to buy something.”
“Why would I need to buy something?” Cliff asked in confusion.
Spike chose that moment to step in. “Dragons don't have money, Twilight. They're totally communal. I spent all morning explaining to Cliff how money is supposed to work.”
The older dragon could only shrug.
Twilight tapped a hoof against her chin, no doubt storing that information away. “Well, if you just want to contribute... You could help Spike. He's been having some trouble with all the chores lately, and I'm too busy with my princess duties to help as much as I'd like.”
“That sounds good.”
Spike laughed. “Sweet. Now you're my junior assistant.”
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15 bits he has to be stopped from roasting or ripping apart a noble!
… I expect Cliff to f*ck things up badly. Calling it now. He's gonna have issues with certain things. Just you wait...
Do I really need to lecture you on just how fundamentally flawed a communal civilization is?
4472261
30 Bits says he somehow gets Fluttershy to fall for him.
I sense a small problem. The way that you explained how Twilight was able to use the dragon magic, was that it came from the heart.
And if even a pony (alicorn or not) can use dragon magic, why can't dragons with wings use it?
Sense. That makes none, grasshopper.
Good
4472400
The same way unicorn magic comes from the mind, but not all thinking creatures can use it, or how a pegasus couldn't use the natural magic of an earth pony, even though it has the same basic body structure.
4472320
Nope. I'm aware that it only works under very limited circumstances. In the case of wyrms, each coven is limited to a relatively small size, plus they have different instincts, and their innate magic, combined with Darwin, has literally been breeding them to avoid any selfishness or greed for millions of years. So no, I don't think dragon society is really all that feasible in our world.
4472320
While what you say is true, to apply it to this story requires a certain assumption that the behavior and thought process of wyrms is the same as humans. One of the main obstacles to a communal economy is how some members will typically display some level of greed down the line. In the cannon of this story, such wyrms would end up leaving the community to pursue their desires. Since greed isn't a long lasting factor, a communal system is far more plausible and sustainable.
WaitwaitwaitWHAT? You now have my complete attention o3o
Aaaand there goes my previous theory about Cliff being ISTP—after reading this chapter and the author's note, he's a clear INFJ. Gawsh dernit, I always mistype INFJs as I_TPs! :U I should have known his type from his insightfulness about others, his awareness of others' feelings, and his tendency to take life very seriously. That also explains the relative lack of serious conflict-inducing misunderstandings sparked by Cliff's presence, because he can see through the ponies easily :P
With the concept of an idealistic dragon culture and an INFJ narrator, I am now doubly interested in this story after reading this chapter. :3
Nice job with this chapter. I enjoyed reading it and see how Fluttershy and Cliff made up. Good luck with the next chapter.
4472452
Assuming that unicorn magic comes from the mind then, in the universe you're creating. Not all see it that way. And earth ponies can't use pegasus magic, because they use fundamentally different types of magic. And if that's the reason you're using for why dragons with wings can't use wyrm magic, then why can Twilight?
4472261
I see your 15, and I raise you 30 bits that it'll be Blueblood.
Hmmmm........ In most stories i read Alicorns are considered a kind of mix of all of the pony breeds. So if that same assumption is true in this universe, it would imply that Alicorns are part dragon......cool.
And I know you said you didn't want to make cliff the equal of a Alicorn, but can I ask if there is some very rare breed of dragon that is the equal to Alicorns, if just to give the dragons an equal footing to the ponies?
4472640
Wow. I don't mind admitting that you know tons more about this than I do. I am glad that I've made you more interested, though. I can only hope to be worthy of your interest as time goes by.
4472733
>Asks for explanation about magic
>Author gives explanation about how magic works in this story
>Refuses explanation
4472733
Because Twilight is an Alicorn. It can be reasonably assumed that she could use any type of magic. And before you say "Oh, assuming that's how it works, not everybody sees it that way!", you know, we sort of have to assume, seeing as how FiM isn't f**king Tolkien, and does not and will not answer these questions for us!
4472862
I am allowed to ask for explanations. I am not declaring that the author is unable to give them.
I am asking him, because I am confused. Not because I'm metaphorically stabbing him in the back.
I didn't refuse his explanation, it just didn't answer it entirely for me.
Next time you reply to a comment, try to be less of an ass.
I wonder if Cliff will end up with RD of FS. Good chapter.
4472733
Admittedly, unicorn magic coming from the mind is a bit of an assumption. It's based on something Twilight said in issue #4 of the main comics, "You can't achieve my kind of magic through just raw ability, it's focused study. You'll never be able to do what I just did because you don't know how."
Drakes having wings, but no magic, and wyrms having magic, but no wings was mostly inspired by the difference between pegasi and unicorns. No wyrms other than Spike have been seen in the show, which is how I justify nopony knowing about dragon magic.
I actually bounced back and forth a few times about letting Twilight learn dragon magic. The reason I decided to go with it was that it gave me a lot more opportunities for her and Cliff to talk. That, and alicorns (as far as I can tell), have some type of magic other than their unicorn powers. Since they're meant to be a living example of unity between groups, I figured I could say that they've been representing a fourth group (dragons) without actually realizing it. So yes, alicorns are technically part dragon in this fanfiction.
4472891
Alright, thank you for taking the time to explain that.
4472777
I considered having dragon-alicorns (dracocorns?) but no other race in the show seems to have an ascended form, so yeah. Cliff and Twilight will actually have a conversation about that in another few chapters (9 or 10, as things are going right now).
4472895
I just hope it made sense. Let me know if you have any other questions. I can't guarantee that I'll have a good answer, but at the very least, I can tell you why I made a certain decision.
4472914 Well, the changelings seem to have, at least at the brief glance we had of them compared to the Queen, but I know some stories claim she is simply of a higher born caste.
4472746 I see your 30 and raise you 60 that Rarity will help.
4473248
Good point. It never crossed my mind that changeling queens might be classified as a sort of ascended changeling, but that makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. Thanks for the insight!
4473315 Glad to help.
4472746 Deal!
4472572 It doesn't even have to be greed. Even a society of perfect altruistic angels cannot make communism work.
The central tenet of communism is "from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs" (translated: "take wealth from those who produced it and give to those that did not" :P) relies on multiple fallacies:
1 the false assumption that needs can be predicted quantifiably and evaluated objectively
2 the false assumption that abilities can be predicted quantifiably and evaluated objectively
3 the false assumption that all people are interchangeable
4 most importantly, a complete misunderstanding of the nature of wealth---the long falsified labor theory of value (that it is the work put into something that gives it worth.)
Any two individuals will have wildly varying abilities(can you quantify a farmer vs. a doctor?), and their hierarchy of needs is a subjective list that changes literally moment to moment (whether you're hungry or sick determines who is producing something you need at a given moment.) And even in a society of perfect altruists (another self-defeating hypothetical), each individual would be at any given time producing less than one of his neighbors, and needing more...
Capitalism is predicated not on greed but on the immutable reality that only you can best know what you need at any given moment--- not some all powerful temporal authority or nebulous 'society.' This is not petulance against authority figures but an acknowledgment of the limitations of any governing authority's knowledge or wisdom.
Also, what you produce and create is yours... it is an extension of your self, your ideas made material. And that no matter what it is, it is only as valuable as what people willingly give you for it.
I like your interpritations of dragon culture from Spike's behavior. Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
4473587
While I did manage to formulate a response to this, it falls outside of the scope of countering your original comment. It would have essentially summed up to agreeing that a communal society can't truly work followed by explaining why I think the Wyrm system doesn't fit the flawed assumptions you mentioned. I'm happy learning something then moving on.
Well then.
i was just playing megaman X3, then this pops up.
4473587
Statewide communism is not the only sort of communal society that can exist. Consider, for example, a society arranged in small, possibly nomadic family groups; where, instead of objects being owned by an individual, objects are owned by a family, and shared between the family. While a family will on (probably fairly regular) occasion require goods or services from outside the family, such as a doctor, this can be purchased via a barter system between the two families.
That seems a workable model for a moneyless dragon society to me.
4473587
This is a large part of the "Idealized" in wyrm society. You'll see more of it later, but for now, think of it as a group that all pitches in to do whatever needs doing. This wouldn't work, of course, unless all members of the group feel the need to contribute as much as they can, and don't ask for more than they need. In other words, I honestly don't think humans would be able to manage this system well, if at all. However, I wanted something that felt unique, rather than being Ponyville with scales, and would allow for a fair amount of confusion and/or misunderstandings between Cliff Runner and the citizens of Equestria.
4474112
That's actually pretty close to how it is, except the trade takes place between covens, and each coven thinks of itself kind of like a large family.
In case this matters to anyone, covens rarely have more than 100 dragons, making the whole equal representation thing more feasible.
I very much like your ideas about Dragon civilization. I agree with your assesment of what they would value if they wanted to be peaceful an kind, although the dragons of the show do not seem to be interested in such a civilization. They are less peace and more Smaug.
4474369
True. That's why I said that they're a different sub-species of dragons, and the much more warlike one. Drakes (the ones in the show), and wyrms (Cliff and Spike), don't get along very well because they have fundamentally opposed values. (Possessions and power vs. Community and selflessness). More of this will be explained in future chapters. I just didn't want to do a huge info dump right at the beginning.
4474459 No, I understand what you are doing, inventing a sub-species, and that's my point. YOU invented it. I was saying it's brilliant, and a piece of lore I would love to see in the show, but something that doesn't actually exist in the established MLP universe.
4474499
Oh, sorry. Thanks for the feedback, and I'm really glad you like what I've cooked up so far. Hopefully you'll like the rest as well. *Fingers crossed*
4472261
4472746
150 Bits this noble is BlueBlood and no one will stop him
So basically, pony society is idealistic capitalism and dragon society is idealistic socialism? I can dig it.
4474794
Yeah, that's the basic gist of things. It sounds kind of screwed up now that I'm thinking about it in those terms...
4474611 I'll take that bet!
All I want from this story is a little bit of meeeaaaat.
Really awesome !! I hope to see more clif and spike moments
4476533
Don't worry. There will be plenty of those.
There should be a part for just spike like what his day was like when cliff isn't around
This fic is amazing, I love it, keep up the good work, I can't wait for the next chapter
4477534
Those parts are actually coming. You'll see them starting to pop up around chapter 10.
4477840
Thanks! The next one comes out tomorrow afternoon, by the way.