Cynder is 'not Spikes special somedragon'

By: Black--Soul

Inspired by:
harlock5399 now Silas5399

From the story: Reborn as a dragon

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Chapter 27 - The Merchant 2/2

Cynder ask about her family and how they do after her death. It was a tough thought about them having to burying her and move on do suddenly after the incident that cost her life.

The Merchant kept track of them apparently, because he expected exactly this conversation to happen. He informed her that they mourned her passing, but they overcome the pain eventually and had been living a happy life together back than.

To be more precise he watched them for many decades, just to see if they be more than he expected them to become. One year here is a decade over there, so if they do the math with her 6 years here that the merchant watched them, he spend over 60 years on earth just to tell Cynder what become of them.

Long story short: Her beloved son never had another child, but her darling granddaughter had 4 children, three boys and a girl.

Cynders son died due to old age, surrounded by family and friends that still lived to that date.
The children had some of her grand-grandchildren and their families bloodline looks secured for all that it is worth for her now.

So she can rest easy that they both had fullfilled lives, unfortunately they all three missed a chance to make a mark in history. Unlike here where Cynder literally changed the lives of ten of thousands actively or passively.

But here in a world filled with activ magic did many a individual made quite the impact, even if their names didn't necessarily get writen down in history book or other media of knowledge retainer and their knowledge get lost to time or fools destroying the past knowledge and robbing future generations of the chance to avoid making the present unable to prevent past mistakes to be repeated in the future.

The Merchant come a long way, but he could not see a bright future for fools destroying knowledge of the past only because it didn't fit in their world view or they are simply petty.

Who cares? It's all in the past, but when wars repeatedly happen exactly because of it, than it was noones fault or everyone else but their fault, when it happend again as the mortals always insisted on.
But Cynders time would be wasted thinking about her old world, she should better care about this one.

Unlike on her old one would she stay here a lot longer and unlike as a human, she would shape this world and it's people. For better or for worse, but with immortal family members and herself going to live for centuries at the shorter end and multible thousands if not for ten of thousand years at best? She better make her life a good one.
If not for herself, than everyone else she cares about.

Cynder would probably be sad for a time, but she could finally let her past life rest and dedicate everything she had and was into her new life and family.

But it is how she react to pain past, present and future, that makes all the difference. And that is where the choices of her life come in. There was mutch to consider, the merchant had waited for this and give her a great speech:

"Think about any of your Heroes that you know of.
Then consider the Villains, what they did and why.
Both groups have one thing in common after all.
They all started in one degree or another, from a place of pain be it physically or mentally.
Even considering the ponies in this world, each one had something which he or she had to overcome in order to grow."

He obscured them both and only Discord could still listen to them:

"Twilight in the canon timeline had her own reluctance to see past her books, and her need to constantly prove herself to others, especially to her beloved mentor.
Learning that failure is a part of the way to success through perseverance.

Pinkie had her trials growing up and later with archiving her goals and spreading her joy and enjoyment of life and happyness to others.
Also accepting that not every situation could be changed for the better. Sharing tears and sorrow from time to time, so wounds could heal and the scars fade over time.

Applejack had the deaths of both her parents, she needed to find the strength in herself for everyone else to support them. She worked all her life hard to live up to the expectations she and others had of her.

Rainbow had to grow past her own self-confidence, learn to accept help and to make more reasonable choices and keep her expectations less fantasy and keep them closer to reality.
Also that stunt mares have health and life ensuring prepared for a reason before they hit the stage in the sky.

Rarity tasked herself to build a business in a world where the inhabitants usually went in their birthday suit, eventually settled down with a reasonable partner instead of a perfect mate that never existed anywhere outside the realm of books and stories.
Compromises are part of life after all.

Last but maybe most importantly Fluttershy. She is... well Fluttershy. She basically had to constantly improve something about herself, yet she had a impact like very few in history had.
For mortals and immortals alike."

When the merchant looked through the obscuring spell he had woven, did Discord give him the same smirk as he give the chaos god and a griffon version of a thumbs up.

Both the Hero and the Villain experienced pain. But the difference between the two was the hero said, "The world hurt me, and I'm going to make sure no one else ever feels this pain."

The Villain however said, "The world hurt me. Now, I'm going to make sure EVERYONE hurts just as much, or even more!"

The funny thing is, both characters believe they're in right, especially the ones being dead wrong.

So if you can convey that line of thinking in your action and teach other you will make the world a better place, one changed individual at a time.

Never try to change the world on its own, for the creatures in it shape it with their deeds and what they didn't do. If you can make your friends and should you become a leader of a group, your followers feel the experience of your pains and teach their lessons. With this you can change a lot in the world you will be living on for the rest of your life.

You and others might be able to draw them into the worlds you wish to create and make them and yourself laugh, cry or what you desire to experience.

I will give you some time to grow up and become the female you desire to become, but be warned:
No matter how well you are prepare or you waste your valuable time because you didn't, you will have the sweet fruits if your success and the bitter lashes of your defeats and if you suffer them all on your own or with others, it will be all on you.

I wanted to have your entire family with you as a starting benefit, but it was not to be. It seem the fate I wanted for you to follow had a mind of its own and you have more in some manners and less than I planned for. Make of it what you will, your card have been dealt and you better make the best of it. We all have to, from the most powerful immortal to the preceded weakly mortal.

Before I will be dispelling our privacy a little warning for both our benefits:
Don't trust or mistrust easily, things are often mutch more complex than can be seen and some of the darkest villainous creature have deserved more of a chance for redemption than any shining heros earned anything they preceding to be owned.

Even good deeds have consequences and some cruel actions can have very wide spread benefits.
That is all, what you make out of it is all on you from now on."

Discord listening to the words of this void traveled being reminded him of many things he experienced himself in this plain of existence or in another timeline when he explored them for their potencial.
Words have a magic all their own, he always was baffled how some of them are to be use to change some lives of mortals and immortals alike.

After having delivered, did the merchant had to ask for compensation for his service provided.
First he inspected Cynder rather clinical and by apparently do nothing more than waving his hands over Cynder in different positions seem to gain all the knowledge that he hoped to receive.

Unfortunately did Cynder was way to young and while her abilities indeed started to awaken, they would need at least about a decade to manifest sufficient to be even considered to be send out into the multiverse of the near countless displacement Equestrian versions.
As of now it would be idiotic to send her out, since even non displaced could rather easily end Cynder at her current statistics.

Apparently would he have to accept a incomplete Token, that he would not distribute and later exchange with a fully developed Token that would have her in a matured enough state to have a fighting chance.

The merchant was a bit unsure if this Equestrian 'Tree of Harmony' would not try to pull something, this rather exotic part of the multiverse reminded him of two displaced universes which turned out to have either instabile if not outright hostile mindsets to many unexpected things and individuals not fitting into their 'grand improvised plans'.

The death of a displaced was always regrettably a losing of good harvesting grounds for his customers consumption of entertainment. Why multiverse observing was so prominent with his 6 dimensional customers was beyond him, but as long he got his due rewards it was totally worth its inconveniences.

Cynder created a object that reminded her of the play card she had bought from the vendor that as she now know was apparently a dimensional hopping merchant with merchandise that changed the life's of their consumers beyond her wildest imagination.

Apparently would this 'incomplete Token' be enough to find her in roughly a decade in her universes time and allow him to meet again, when she actually was reasonably more mature to help others and vise versa.

The Merchant had than left business card behind for eatch immortal present and given them a gift in form of a potion.
Apparently one of his displaced give him access to things this universe had no means of obtaining it on its own materials and giving a new incentive to what was given freely already, to support Cynder hole heartfeltly for trading beyond their worlds limits.

He opened a gate with the new incomplete Token and it than kinda phase out of existence shortly after.

Discord used his potion on Cynder and her fatigue was undone, more like replaced by a dragon fire inside her that lit her tail metaphoricaly on fire.
It was amusing as it was concerning to see Cynder run on the walls in many circles by benefits of speed and g-forces alone.
Apparently she needed to burn of what ever the potion had given her to mutch off and after roughly impressive 15 minutes Cynder stopped wearing the walks of the round observation room walls out.

Discord further suggested a small visit to the Tree of Harmony cave with his entire family plus Cynder and her family within the Everfree Forest. He was reminded of something the Merchant had warned him of, he didn't want to see the tree to pull something iffy out of it branches.

If Discord had remembered to keep some chaos magic back... he probably would have wasted it on something else before remembering to keep some amount back for the tree pulling some order behind his back.

That crystal tree of unpredictable order was a necessity to be tolerated, occasionally even assisted. After all it had taken the part of its counter into consideration for the extended stoning.
At least that mutch would have the lord of unorderly things to give this opportunity chasing crystalline wanne be master chess player.

He also wondered why it wasn't already yapping at him about turning heads. Unless Harmony as unlikely as Celestia farting Breezy's out her ears giving Discord a compliment for revival of the Moon and its premature royal family reunion.

Bahhh... unlikely even if this overgrown mineral based air freshener wouldn't be Tarterus bend on knowing all and being ahead of any development.

A not to long time the same day later, did Discord unusually alongside the Alicorn mares and the Apple-Pear clan parents walked for hours through the Everfree Forest with Cynder, Cadance and Blueblood on their back toward their old castle of the three sisters. After all, Chrysalis has since her change done the best to be forgotten and rule with her family from the shadows.

Chrysalis disguised as a teenage Griffon riding Celestias back and entertaining Blueblood with chirping melodies, while her Swarm was clearing the patch of unwelcome opposition.

When they reached a purple sea serpent with a impressive orange face beard, did Celestia introduction was cut short and she acknowledged her next shipment of irredeemable ponies and non ponies alive for his nutritional supplements.
The sea serpent Steven thanked his generous business associate and thanked her for the nutritional support.

This was a darker side of Equestria that the Apple-Pear parents and Cynder could have done without knowing. Sometimes ignorance was bliss indeed.

Thanks to Steven many jails getting close to overfilling could free capacities. Unfortunately with soon changing policies would Steven have shortly need of hunting again, at least that in turn would help the regulation of the Predator population that had spiked over the years.

Steven jokingly asked if Celestia still was on occasion missing the doors and walking through solid walls where ever she needed to go, what Celestia with a wingpalm explained to have happened almost one century prior. It happend when she over indulge in the Minatour capital on bloodwine.
That plus fatigue after endless negotiation hours might have resulted in a few Celestia shaped new holes in walls, when she was making a straight line to her guest chambers.

A honest mistake, she usually as expected was polite enough to use doors or miss that a window, to pass obstructions inside a construction.
Also one reason why she was behind Discord, but before everypony else. Making a decent dent in the flora to give her sisters a lighter time to transport their valuable cargo without a scratch.

The Everfree is dangerous more than other places in Equestria, with exception of the Rainjungle of Equestria that is even more extrem than the Everfree Forest. Anyway it was a well known fact how many ponies and otherwise eatable prey traveld through the Everfree without ever leaving again.

After the royal sisters Queen Nightmare Moon & Princess Luna stopped caring for the Everfree Forest, because Princess Celestia send them to the moon, since she was seen as the lesser princess that was only good for paper work and talking the nobility politely down.

After only a decade of neglect the predators without sufficient food effort switched from pony defenders to their indiscriminately hunting nature.
In here over the centuries did many ponies found a telling end.

Stories about how somecreatures friend got gobbled up by a hydra or torn to shreds by a timberwolf, or snapped up by a cragadile, or even just sank into the marsh and drowned like one usually is doing in quicksand while traveling through uncharted Sattle Arabian established routes.
Death might happen less often in Equestria this days, but it still happens for the usual mortal.

When one predator or another, Timberwolves specifically slipped through Chrysalis Swarm defenses that take serious effort to keep the more daring wood spirits away, than Nightmare Moon giving it a death glare or Luna simply throw it away with telekinesis in the air, their lack of wings made sure they be busy reforming for a while.

Meanwhile the alicorns had fun walking through the usually very deadly Everfree Forest. To their surprise did a trio of Zebra siblings camp lay in their path through the forrest.

After a short talk did it turned out that they are on a self imposed journey to improve the Everfree Forest traveling paths, especially in this area and Discord convinced Celestia to use her Earthpony aspect to grow a conjured Haselnut into a full grown and sturdy tree, so the Zebras had a safe home to return after the Zebras had done their daily work .

Nightmare and Luna had fun using some spells on the tree to warp its inner space, while Celestia made sure the spells didn't harm the new treehouse.
As a result did the Zebras had now a hazelnut tree house with a unusual but working entrance, that resemble a sliding door that they had seen last time they been visiting neighpon mortal royalty inside their borders.
One of the few integrated yet self ruling city-states in Equestria.

Discord enjoyed this random encounter in their way to the tree of harmony. The act of kindness and generosity of his Alicorn family members was also nice to witness.
The adults honestly wished the Zebras good luck in their endeavors, further should they ever need help, than the Thestrals living in the forest would certainly help them with their troubles.
It would benefit them after all.

The youngest but still experienced Shaman and Alchemist Zecora thanked their royal benefactors, while her brothers already started to explore the treehouse in dream like disbelief.

The Zebra siblings had traveled a long way and they've been together around the clock, yet they really didn't think their timing would spare the time building a retreat for them anywhere this sturdy and spacious.

Since the royal family really lacked more time with a objective in mind, did they dissappeared into the Everfree Forest underbrush as fast as they had appeared.

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that had resulted randomly in a lot of changes without to mutch effort.
Discord smirked how he pranked 'Harmony' with two elements of harmony displayed in deed. Aspects displayes and given to a siblings triplet that would now not find a tragic end with only one of three surviving.
Productive chaos was quite delicious for Discord to experience when others did it for him with little to no input of himself.

Would they ever think about them tomorrow?
Unlikely with them all having more important things to keep in mind.
And like that Discord had without big fuss saved Zecoras tragedy from occurring and he would make sure they would in exchange do good on their goals.

Zecora and her siblings would now play a bigger picture in the future unbeknownst to them and help to unmake Harmonys plan for the Equestrian and non Equestria creature alike of this world.
For better and for worse.

Meanwhile would Bright Mac and Pear Butter share the knowledge of the Zebras and how they royals give them a treehouse of their own making, leading several nobels to seek out the Zebras and build a work relationship for their Alchemist potions and their knowledge in general.

Zecora and her brothers become not to long after the main suppliers for medication made out of Everfree Forest grown herbs and roots.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long time with no updates, but I am rather busy in the last months.

Especially with one or two accidents that had me away from anything beside text to speech function use and typing occational comments.

Hope you enjoy the chapter and the occasional proofreading I did on other chapters and stories.

Stay snuggly

Last time edited on the:
22.02.2024