• Published 13th Dec 2011
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The Ambassador's Son - Midnightshadow



A colt loses his family, Celestia deems his best hope lies not with ponies, but a dragon.

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Thaumomancy

The ══════════
Ambassador's
══════════ Son

Chapter Seven
Thaumomancy
An MLP:FiM Fanfiction by Midnight Shadow


Chip sat on his haunches as the last of the dragons melted away into the shadows. He shivered.

“Chip, kid, you okay?”

Chip looked up at Carmine, his green eyes wide, “I... I think so. You?”

“Yeah. My wing hurts but nothing serious. I was more worried about you. That was...”

“Awful?”

“I was going to say amazing.” Carmine stretched, chewing at her wing with her beak before flexing it experimentally.

“I killed him...” Chip looked down morosely at his tail, the crimson stain drying to an ugly brown across his chestnut strands. He could still remember the moment. His sides stung where claws had penetrated his hide, his buck and simultaneous tail-flick had been a natural pony response to such a pounce, but he’d mixed it with the draconic fighting style that Sharptooth had been drilling into him. It had just happened, and he’d... he’d slit that troll’s throat like he was tearing through paper.

“Yeah, why didn’t you say you could fight like that? I thought those tail-things were just... jewelry or something.”

“Dad’s been teaching me but...” Chip whimpered, “I didn’t mean to, he just... he attacked me!”

“Dumb mutt was gonna kill ya, kid. You did good.”

“I killed him.”

“Snap out of it, things get killed all the time. Better him than you.” Carmine spat feathers again. She fluffed up her neck-ruff and added, “Or me.”

Chip couldn’t help but crack a small smile, “You like me, don’t you?”

“Dweeb!”

Chip’s grin faded, “Celestia’s beard, what’s dad gonna say? I promised him I wouldn’t...”

As if on cue, a circling shadow alighted in front of them, revealing itself to be a familiar emerald green dragon. “You promised me you wouldn’t what?”

Chip turned white, flicking his tail behind him. “I, I, I...”

Sharptooth strode across the small distance and picked up the foal, “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Tell me what happened...”

“I killed him.” came the muffled sobs as Chip started crying into the dragon’s chest. Chip started blubbering words and phrases, often choked out by sniffling.

The dragon held him tenderly, just listening, murmuring softly. Finally, Sharptooth turned to the griffon, placing the pony down. Chip still sniffled, but at least he was calmer. “Miss Carmine, I presume? Since Chip here is a little... indisposed, would you mind telling me just what in the nine realms is going on?”

Carmine clicked her beak softly, then scratched at the ground, “We... we were just hanging out when these two diamond dogs appeared. They... they attacked us. Chip killed one, some big blue dragon took the other one. Said he was Lord Sapphire.”

“Sapphire, hmm?

“He s-said to g-give his regards to Lord Diamond. That’s you, isn’t it?”

Sharptooth nodded slowly, “That I am. Did he say anything else?”

“He... knew my name. He said Chip was worthy. He said it was a clean kill. It was, sir, Chip was awesome. He killed that mutt like it was nothing! ...I mean, uh...”

“Quite alright, Miss Carmine. As one hunter to another I appreciate your accolades. So does Chip, or he will. Ugly truths aren’t less true for being ugly, and savagery amongst our kinds is one of them.”

“Where did he learn to fight like that?”

“He is a dragon, Miss Carmine. I have been teaching him.”

“You keep saying that but...”

“Rather unusual I know, but humour an old dragon. I also teach him to fly. Would you care to join us for a flying lesson? Something to celebrate my son’s first blood is in order, perhaps?”

“That’s another thing, s-sir, how exactly does a po- a dragon without wings, fly?”

“Let me demonstrate...”

♦♦♦

Carmine flew below the clouds, craning her head around for the swooping shape of the dragon. Above the sound of her wings flapping, she suddenly realized she could hear a strange cry, it was almost like a siren yet obviously made by a creature, not a machine. As it got louder, she realized it sounded a lot like Chip, screaming his head off.

“...YaaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHH-HHOOOOOOOOO!” the pony yelled as he plummeted through the clouds.

Carmine squawked and flapped, losing a few feathers as she twisted to first avoid and then keep and eye on the insane equine. Just as she was about to dive after what had to be a pony in a fatal plunge to his grisly, flat and wide death, an enormous bat-winged shape rocketed past her and swooped up under the pony, turning his fall into a long curve upwards and over. To her amazement, the crazy four-legged and zero-winged creature decided to leap off of the dragon’s back at the apex of his parabolic course to speed with outstretched hooves towards her. Somehow, Chip twisted in the air, looking graceful and athletic, as if he were ice-skating or dancing. She put one paw to her beak and giggled. He was mad, but he was kind of cool.

Once again, Chip dropped past her. This time the dragon caught the pony in his talons, spinning around to throw the pony upwards towards her.

Chip was shouting something now, something which she couldn’t hear as he was so far away, it sounded like... she bent forwards to get a better look and maybe hear what he was trying to say...

“Hey-Carmine-what-do-you-think-of-my-flying-”

Chip had misjudged the trip up, and Carmine hadn’t quite realized she should have moved. Chip’s muzzle, almost perfectly, came to rest for a single moment in mid-air, pressed up against Carmine’s beak.

Framed by the setting sun, thousands of feet in the air, they accidentally, but very thoroughly, kissed.

Carmine all but fell out of the sky in surprise. Chip did, screaming all the way. Carmine laughed, and turned a barrel-roll before diving after him. It wasn’t what she’d call flying, but it was falling with style, which was just as good.

♦♦♦

Celestia opened her eyes at the musical tone. It was the insistent yet kindly sort of tone that she had decreed would be used to indicate that her presence was required, and that ignoring it and sleeping would be a faux pas. Amusingly enough, it annoyed her. Something more intrusive could have real hate directed at it, and then it could be forgotten. An insipid, friendly simpering alarm made it somehow worse.

She sighed, and rolled over to get comfortable. “Yes?” she asked, addressing the air.

A globe of light appeared, solidifying into a head. The head was that of a medium-sized green dragon with white horns. “I hope I am not overly disturbing you, Tia.”

“Sharptooth! ...You are.” The princess frowned.

Sharptooth visibly smiled at her mock-anger, “You should know I wouldn’t be contacting you without good reason. This is about our... mutual friend.”

“Oh?”

“Indeed, he had two visitors today. One of them is no longer with us, the other is now an extended guest of my fellow dragon lords. I add that it was my own son that saw off our guest.”

“Sharpie, you can speak freely. Are you saying you were attacked?” Celestia sat up in bed, despite the awkward position, and fixed her gaze on the spectral dragon.

Sharptooth nodded, “As you wish. Two diamond dogs, Tia, at the Tacksworn Fair. Young Chip killed one and very likely would have killed the other if Lord Sapphire hadn’t intervened.”

“A pony? A foal at that? Killing a fully-grown diamond dog?”

“Tia, I did warn you. Chip is my son, that makes him a dragon. Were you not aware of the import of this?”

“I asked you to shelter him, what have you done?”

“I have taken my pawn, dear Celestia, and promoted him. I expect you to aid me in my endeavours to protect your subject and whichever part of the sanctity of your crown you feel was threatened by the unexpected and all-too-neat death of his parents.”

“I am not sure he is my subject any more, Sharpie, if you have made him your son.”

Sharptooth frowned, “Don’t split hairs with me, Celestia. I may not be our emperor, but I do not take kindly to a brushing off, even by you. You do not get to drop this... whatever this is on me and vanish.”

Celestia sighed, “You are quite right, my old friend. I was hoping that my fears were ungrounded, it seems not. Ambassador Sharptooth, Lord of the Diamond Expanse dragon clan, you have my full support.”

Sharptooth rumbled his discontent, “I was afraid that might be necessary. What can you tell me?”

Celestia shook her head, “Very little, just that whatever this is, it is important to some factions which have caused trouble in the past, and young Chiphoof is right in the middle.”

“Go on...”

“Well, as you know, diamond dogs are natural miners...”

♦♦♦

“...and they are actually capable of mining through almost anything. In some cases, even solid rock is no impediment.” Miss Calligraphy said brightly, changing the picture.

“Wooowwww.” the class said, as they gawked at the slides displaying a burrow from a diamond dog warren.

Diamond dogs. Chip felt sick to his stomach. He hadn’t wanted to go to school, but Sharptooth had made him. He kept expecting trouble any second, somepony to charge in and shout murderer! That’s the one! Get him! before dragging him off for imprisonment. Or banishment, and imprisonment where he was banished to. Chip’s mind wandered away from the classroom, back to the previous night. He still didn’t understand.

Sharptooth shook his head, “You were a dragon, in the draconic demesnes. Trespassing on draconic territory is unwise at best and often fatal. Attacking a dragon on top of that was already a death sentence for them.”

“B-but...”

“No, young one, this is part of who you are now. What were Lord Sapphire’s words?”

“H-he said I was worthy. I don’t understand...”

“The old rogue was watching every move, young Chiphoof.”

“Did you tell them I was coming?”

Sharptooth shook his head, “Of course not.”

“Th-then how did they know I was a dragon?”

“Quite apart from your fighting armor, every dragon knows another dragon when he sees one.”

“I ate rock-cakes.” Chip said, suddenly.

“Ah. Did you like them?”

“Yes! ...Am I going to die?”

“From rock cakes? No, don’t be silly.”

“But...”

“Chip,” Sharptooth bent down, “understand this, even if you don’t understand how or why. When I made you my son, I bestowed upon you the potential of my clan. It is ancient magic, we dragons are steeped in it. Ponies are creatures that have lost part of their nature, I refer of course to earth ponies. That, too, is your heritage. These twin legacies move within you. Let it happen.”

“So... am I becoming a dragon?” Chip asked, a strange expression on his muzzle.

Sharptooth shook his head, “No, young one, you already are.

“...Dragon.”

“Huh?” Chip shook his head, and looked up into Miss Calligraphy’s face, “What?”

“Can you answer the question?”

“Um, can you ask it again please? Please?”

“I asked what are the defining aspects of a dragon?”

“Well some think it’s our scaly skin, wings and claws. It’s not.”

“No?”

“My dad says not all dragons have wings, or claws, and some aren’t scaly. I think it’s magic. Ponies come in three tribes, earth, pegasus and unicorn. All have magic, even earth ponies, but it’s what dad calls intrinsic, at least for earth and pegasi. It’s what they are. Unicorns cast spells, but pegasi can fly and earth ponies make things grow. Dragons are... like earth and pegasus ponies, they have magic inside them... but they can do things with it like the unicorns.”

Miss Calligraphy blinked.

“They... also eat rocks?” Chip grinned, hopefully.

“Were you listening to anything I said, young Chiphoof?”

Chip shook his head, “Sorry Miss, but... I’m right, aren’t I?”

Miss Calligraphy narrowed her eyes, “We shall speak of this later... but yes, very insightful. This leads us nicely on to the laws of nature in Equestria. As you know, all flighted creatures possess the ability to perch on clouds. This is, as Chip here said, intrinsic. It is within them. Unicorns have the ability to cast a temporary spell to allow cloudwalking which bestows that same aspect, but it is temporary and it will fade. Pegasi have the innate ability to lift objects and carry them when they fly, this is a direct form of powerful magic which would be very tiring for even advanced unicorns to keep up, yet a pegasus can do this for hours without faltering. Investigating this is part of a growing field of magic called thaumomancy, the examination and control of magic itself. Some of our most talented unicorns have invested a lot of effort into understanding how such magic is bestowed upon objects by simple close proximity, and so effortlessly.”

“Miss?” asked Chip

“Yes, Chip?”

“You mean... that there is magic that can... give abilities from one species... to another?”

“Yes. Pegasi can pull a cart in which can ride produce and goods, even other ponies, and the cart and everything in it will fly almost by the will of the pegasus. Every pegasus can do this, some better than others, but do not underestimate it simply because it is an everyday occurence. It is powerful magic, all the more so for it being subtle, intrinsic and effortless.”

Chip sat back, looking at the slideshow. He still didn’t understand, but it was starting to make sense.

“Now, class, we have our pegasus teacher Southern Storm who has fetched a cloud for us, and our unicorn teacher Whisp Spark who can cast the cloud-walking spell. We will examine the behaviour of our test-subjects both before and after this example of thaumomancy, and we will write an essay on our observations.”

There was a chorus of groans.

“And if you’re all very good, we may go on a field-trip to the local weather-factory, if we can scare up enough unicorns from the fair to cast the necessary cloud-walking spells.”

The groans turned to cheers, even louder ones when Miss Calligraphy suggested they would visit the rainbow and snowflake factories.

♦♦♦

School was out for the day. As Chip walked out of the old schoolhouse, his mind was on the day’s lessons. Thaumomancy, he thought to himself, is that what Sharptooth did? The dragon’s words echoed in his ears, you already are a dragon. He didn’t feel like one, he guessed. Or maybe he did, it was hard to tell. He didn’t have much to compare it to. When, in fact, had it happened? He idly kicked stones across the school yard as he walked.

“Rock cakes.” he said to himself, “I wonder...” He bent and took a particularly large stone in his muzzle. It was admittedly dusty and gritty, but now as he played with it in his mouth he realized that it... almost had a flavour. Sometimes, when he’d been with his parents, they’d bought him boiled sweets. Hay cakes and carrot smoothies were staple surprises in the Irontail household, but boiled sweets were something different. He remembered them, now. Hard candy, gobstoppers... he almost laughed to himself. He had to be going nuts, but this rock... it reminded him of a gobstopper.

There was a sharp intake of breath somewhere ahead of him. He raised his head, gobstopper-rock in his jaw, to see Butch. Reflexively he grit his teeth. The rock burst, and he swallowed the pieces.

Butch, the top dog in the school, biggest hound on the block, turned white. He’d been planning to lay into the four-hooved pipsqueak, to make an example of him for showing him up twice, but now... he watched aghast as the pony ate rocks. He took several steps backwards, turned, and ran.

“Butch, wait...” Chip called.

Butch turned, “W-what?”

“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to hoof you in the family jewels, okay?”

“Sure, just... yeah. Back off.”

“I-I’m sorry about what happened at the fair, too!”

Butch sniffed, and then snarled out a reply, “I didn’t want to come into your stupid dragons’ den anyway. Smell ya later, pipsqueak.”

Chip watched the dog troll go, loping across the fields back towards town. One thought rang clearly in Chip’s head as he headed to the rendezvous point where Sharptooth would pick him up, and that was that Butch didn’t know. In fact, Nopony knew. More to the point, nopony would know. He swallowed again. Something was up, something big, and whatever it was, he was right smack in the middle of it.

There was only one place he could go, and it wasn’t home - he would have to go to Lord Sapphire. He would have to be quick, the fairground wasn’t far from the school and wasn’t far from where he usually got picked up, but he needed answers. He gulped again. He was going to demand answers from a dragon.

♦♦♦

Chip quivered in front of the large blue dragon. The creature’s eyes glowed in the semi-darkness.

Lord Sapphire leaned forwards, “Trouble?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Why would you be in any trouble?”

“The diamond dog...”

“Ah, of course, your trophy.” The dragon snapped his claws, and a smaller dragon skittered in from somewhere in the shadows. It was carrying a small box, which was placed in front of Chip. “I understand your eagerness, young one, your first trophy. Your adoptive father will be so proud.”

“I...”

“I took the liberty of having it thoroughly cleaned. The hide was unsalvageable, I’m afraid. They are not a good beast for decorative leather, at least not for anything other than mats or wash-cloth.”

“Thank you, s-sir.” Chip looked down at the box, aghast. He daren’t open it.

“It’s quite alright. Snack?” The dragon snapped his claws again, and a trolley was brought in, laden with what appeared to be precious jewels. “Go ahead, young one, you have earned it.”

Chip blinked, and squeaked out another “Thank you!” before picking up what appeared to be a ruby in his teeth. He rolled it around with his tongue, to his immense surprise it tasted peppery and strong, like one of those strange chili-things he remembered his father liking - though Chip had never understood why it was called a chilly if it was hot.

“Ah, Fire-rubies, they’re rather my favourite. Good show, though you don’t have to impress me by eating it.” The dragon had clambered down off his throne, and slapped Chip rather heartily on the back. Chip hiccuped, and bit down hard on the fire-ruby. He felt it shatter, and once again he swallowed it. His eyes started watering.

“I remember the first time I ate a fire-ruby - ha! - could barely taste anything for a week!”

Chip hiccuped. There was a brief flare of flame. He squeaked, and covered his muzzle with a hoof.

“I’d never seen one before, and your father neglected to inform me! He thought it was hilarious. I see you’ve inherited his taste for spicy food.”

Chip hiccuped, a gout of flame spurting around his hoof. He nodded dumbly, eyes streaming.

“Was there anything else?”

“Why?” Chip croaked, as he hiccuped again, ignoring the spurt of flame this time. “Where did they come from, and what did they want?”

Lord Sapphire’s eyes narrowed, “That is a very good question, young Chiphoof, unfortunately not one we have been able to answer. Our other guest wasn’t exactly forthcoming.”

“What happened?”

“It seems diamond dogs aren’t made quite so tough as I remember them being.”

Chip hiccuped again, breathing another burst of flame.

Lord Sapphire nodded, “Quite. Come, I believe your father is waiting for you, and is rather unimpressed at being kept waiting. I think one of these fire-rubies will pacify the old blaggard, yes?”

Chip hiccuped yet again, singing the bow on the cardboard box containing his ‘trophy’. Lord Sapphire, for his part, roared with laughter and led the way out of the tent.

♦♦♦