FEB 10 Saturday.

I hold up a slightly jagged piece of obsidian and use a lava rock to try and blunt any sharp edges it has, before placing the obsidian inside my saddlebags as I continue to collect more.

The past few days have been much of the same for me, mostly just trading and gathering information. I've spent a lot more time at the market over the past few days. Right now I'm closer to one of the larger volcanoes collecting obsidian for an idea I had, I'll get to that in a minute though.

I pick up another piece and fill my saddlebags enough to be satisfied. I start to slowly make my way back to my cave while being careful of the terrain. I've spent my time at the market trading a mix of spices I've grown and bits for gems of large size, or some fresh fish.

I always try to ask a question or two while doing any trade, but I only get an answer around a quarter of the time. Those answers are also normally very short and simple, but it's let me piece a few more things together. As for the gems I've been buying? Well, I have a plan for them.

Most of the gems I just trade back to other Dragons to try and get more information, making as many deals as I can to that end. But a few of them I've kept safe inside the cave until I'm ready. I also got to talk to Aurora again, only for a few moments though as she wasn't in the mood to talk much at the time, or at least that's the excuse she gave me when I asked.

I didn't even get some good answers, but I did get another large gem cut into a decent cube, I also asked her if I could have her do a batch order. I need her to cut several gems, so I offered to bring them all to her today to be done at once, again I need it for my plan.

Most of the questions I've asked random Dragons have been simple things, food preference, age, or any number of other random things. But, It's very slow going and the few answers I got were basically unhelpful to me, I did learn a few interesting things though.

The market I've been at is actually one of the only three in the entire Dragon Lands, this one being the closest to the land bridge and the rest of the continent. The other one is on the furthest tip of the land mass, right next to the ocean, and the last one is in the dead center of the Dragon Lands.

I'm not sure I want to go to those markets, I am very curious but they are far away and flying seems like somewhat of a bad idea. I've seen a few Dragons get territorial about others flying near their homes and I do not want to deal with all that shit, and I'm not even sure if those markets are anything different from this one, just that they exist.

I leave my thoughts for the moment and step into my cave before traveling down and placing all the obsidian in a pile I've made over several trips so far. As for why I need all of this? Well, I wanted to test something and also train my abilities at the same time.

Obsidian is a type of volcanic glass and I want to see what would happen if I enchanted it. Would it act like a gem? Can it hold more magic because it is a silicon structure like some gems are? I have no idea, I don't remember reading or learning about anypony ever using it like a gem, so I'm curious.

Another thing that interests me is a possibility I was thinking about after I last visited Aurora. My control with space magic, and especially Spatial Cut, has continued to improve with time and practice. And with all my practice I've been able to deal with the Rebound from a Spatial Cut much better.

I haven't eliminated it but it's far less than before, barely making any noise when I cut a one-foot area. Larger cuts have more Rebound and I'm still working on doing them quickly, but the smaller cuts are nearly instant and make only a small popping noise now.

The form of Spatial Cutting I settled on, and the method I've continued to use, is one of compression. I make a very thin spatial plane overlapping an object, then I pull one flat side of the plane to the other flat side. It's like taking a piece of paper and somehow compressing it to be even thinner than it normally is.

The result is a paper-thin gap being formed when I let go of the space magic and it moves back into place. The physical matter tries to move back but I do the action so fast it can't keep up, the result is a perfectly smooth cut along an object with minimal damage.

Because the more control I have over the space magic while doing this the less magic it takes. I've been extremely focused on speed and control over my efforts. More control also reduces Rebound, which is why I have all this obsidian, it's a fragile material similar to gems in durability.

I have almost no Rebound on a one-foot wide, one-foot deep, square-shaped cut. So, what if I get enough control to cut a gem without any Rebound to damage it? I wouldn't be able to make any elaborate gem cuts, but a basic cube shape should be easy enough to do then.

All this means I need practice though, I'm going to use obsidian so as to not waste gems, I may be rich but burning money like that while surrounded by a usable alternative is just stupid. Most of the pieces of obsidian are smaller than one foot, around six inches or so on average, I mostly picked out rounded ones as well.

I pick one up and move it over to my desk to test my theory out before I need to leave. I float the gem in the air with my space magic before forming the Spatial Plane for a second and compressing the space, it snaps back with a very soft pop. One side of the chunk of obsidian falls down onto the desk.

I look at the obsidian and see that it's still in one solid piece, a perfectly flat and smooth cut now on one side of the chunk. The piece that fell down shattered, and the larger chunk does have several cracks from the Rebound, but despite the fragile material, it is still intact.

I smile and quickly make a note before doing the same action again to another side of the chunk, it cuts but cracks the chunk in half this time. I'm not surprised as the Rebound is still too much, but it did prove it's possible. This is only for six-inch cuts though, one foot sized cuts may not be possible with only a little practice.

I sweep the shards into a pile and start to gather everything I'll need for my meeting today. I've managed to buy a total of seven one-foot-wide diamonds, only one of them has been cut so far. All of them aren't perfect, one has a crack and three are cloudy on the inside and not very pure, the last three have particulates inside them.

I don't need them to be perfect, I just need them all cut good enough and ready to be enchanted. Over the past few days, I've been thinking about how to entice an elder Dragon into talking to me, specifically Larimar. She seems like my best bet for some good accurate answers.

She was nice enough and even considered my offer, but it was clear those answers wouldn't come without a cost. She seems like a deal-maker, that's probably the only solid thing I was able to take away from her personality. But what can I offer her?

Well, there are few things more valuable to a Dragon than their hoard, so what if I gave her a better way to protect it? Seven large cube cut diamonds, all in an Array powering a shield spell. It outclasses even the shield around Gaia's Eden and would stand up to a LOT of damage.

I'm not sure if it could stand up to a large Dragon for long, but it could at least take some hits and buy you time. So it seems like something a Dragon would be willing to trade a lot for, or at least answer a bunch of questions from a nosy pony. We'll see though.

I gather all six gems by sticking them together and lifting the whole thing in my field before making my way outside again. The day is cloudy and I even see some rain in the distance so I put on my cloak, rain is something less common here but it does happen. I turn and start the short walk to the market in the afternoon sun.

The rain reminds me of something interesting I learned. Interesting question for you, what do Dragons drink? I know they need water to live, so where do they get water in a place like this? I've been able to find out two answers to that question so far. One, although it is unpleasant, a Dragon can just straight up drink sea water.

I learned this from a Dragon complaining about it while I was shopping. It doesn't seem like a pleasant thing for them to drink from what I heard, but they can do so just fine if needed. I presume they prefer pure water, and springs seem to be one of the few good sources here.

I've seen a few very small streams of water from cliffs and other places, but no larger ones so far. It turns out that is for good reason, Dragons hoard them. They literally guard or live next to them while charging other Dragons for its use, an interesting part of the weird economy here, if you can even call it that.

I make it to the market and notice that a few Dragons are eyeing both me and the gems I have, not an uncommon thing so far. Many Dragons have shown more curiosity as I've continued to consistently show up day after day. None have really bothered me so far, but that might not last forever.

It doesn't take me long to find Aurora carving a gem while a young Dragon sits next to her watching the process. I place my gems down and Aurora looks over at me with a raised brow. "Huh. You did need a lot done, same deal as last time?" I nod, I agreed to pay her for the gems and my questions, just like the first time we talked. "Give me a bit, I'm busy." She motions to the other Dragon.

I turn and get a look at the other Dragon waiting, and to my pleasant surprise, I see a Dragon I recognize. White horns, light blue and deep blue scales, and a bored look. I nod in greeting, "I'm not sure how to address you, I'd say Princess Ember, but you all probably don't do that. Either way, it's a pleasure to meet you." I say in greeting, making sure to have a polite tone.

I've found that Dragons are not ones for formality, especially the young ones, so I take a direct and relaxed approach. She raises a brow at that and faces me more to look me over. "Ya, we don't Pony." She answers shortly and looks at the diamonds. "What are you even going to do with those?" She asks, sounding pretty bored.

She looks mostly the same as in the show, maybe a little smaller, it's hard to tell. I shrug, not really seeing a reason to lie to either of them. "Waiting to bother her with questions, and making a deal with an elder," I say casually while watching as Aurora continues to work away on a piece of emerald.

Aurora just huffs a bit, more used to how calmly I act now, but both look at me surprised at my words and Ember laughs after a moment, "You think an Elder will want that stuff?" She asks thoroughly amused. "That isn't even a snack to some of them."

I notice a lack of real mocking in her tone, she's just making banter and being relaxed about it, something I find to be a good sign with a Dragon. I smile back and lay out my things to make some tea, ignoring the look Ember gives me. "Now? No. But after enchanting them? Yes." I answer smoothly and make myself comfortable.

Both look surprised again, Aurora less so. There is a stretch of silence and I take that time to cast a spell to gather water and fill my kettle, both watching me with slight interest. I turn to Ember as the water starts to heat up, "So, how hard would it be to talk to your father?" I ask curiously not even bothering with small talk.

Aurora snorts at me and laughs a bit. "You really are a crazy Pony, first Larimar, and now The Dragon Lord?" She laughs harder while I and Ember share a look of confusion. Aurora sees that and huffs out smoke, "Dragons talk, and you just walking up to her like it's the most natural thing is a pretty decent story." She explains bluntly while going back to her work.

Ember looks interested and I just shrug. "Larimar is definitely knowledgeable, and decently nice to talk to," I say not giving anything away. "Plus, you all aren't too scary. No offense." I say truthfully as they don't scare me all that much. I can defend myself just fine and they wouldn't be able to stop me from running away if I wanted to.

Aurora just laughs more while Ember looks thoroughly confused, and maybe a bit impressed. Before she can say anything though Aurora gives her the finished carving. She takes it and stands before looking at me for a moment, "If you're actually going to try and talk to him, bring something interesting." She gives me some advice surprisingly, before smiling at me and showing her teeth. "I want to see if that confidence stays strong when meeting him." She says while walking away with a chuckle.

She seemed more level and chill than I thought she would be, or maybe I'm just used to the adult Dragons. I turn back to Aurora and pass her a bag, "All cubed." I instruct and move over the gems for her to work on. "Now, what can you tell me about her?" I ask while bringing out my notebook.

She spends a while counting out the bits, slowly making sure it's all there. "Not much? You know she's the Dragon Lord's whelp." She says before going silent and focusing on counting. After a few moments, she finishes and moves a diamond closer to her. "You actually making something out of these?" She asks while looking the diamonds over.

I nod and think of more questions. "Yup, it works better if they are cut though." I give her a bit of knowledge for free. "Ok, first. How much do you eat? And how Often?" I ask trying to get more basic information on Dragons and how they work. I've noticed many eating different things but always in different amounts.

She starts to cut a diamond while answering. "A few dozen fish every few days? And maybe, like around this much in gems a week." She holds up the diamond she's working on. I stop and give her an odd look as that is far less than I would have thought. "What?" She demands.

I shrug and write her answer down. "That just seems like a lot less than I expected. Is that about normal for a Dragon?" I ask, now thoroughly intrigued about the odd amounts.

She tilts her head. "Yes? I mean for an adult, yes. Ugh, ok, Look, it's not complicated. The young eat a lot, the older we get the less we eat." She says seeing my increasingly confused face. "And no I don't know why. An elder would eat more than what I do, maybe five, or six times more? I don't know how often." She answers a bit shortly, apparently finding the topic annoying to explain well.

How? That literally makes no damn sense. The bigger they get the more they would need to eat to function, you can't just ignore biology! Well, actually, magic. Dragons live a long time, and even if they don't use their magic like us their magic would grow over time with their bodies.

If a portion of that magic could be used to sustain their bodies it would cut down on food costs a lot. I have no idea how that would work, but Changelings also feed off of magic so it's totally possible that Dragons do the same, and it would also make some sense. "If you eat more gems do you feel full for longer?" I ask, having a hunch.

She nods silently and I make more notes, getting a decent theory going. A Dragon probably doesn't have that much magic, both because they don't practice with it actively and because it seems to be used for the body. From the way Dragons take strong blows and lift heavy things it's clear their magic improves their bodies, much like an earth pony actually.

If they can absorb some magic to feed themselves then eating gems, which naturally contain more magic than other things, would fill them more. I watch her slice off a piece of diamond and point to it. "Can I see that for a moment?" She raises a brow but tosses it to me. "So, what do you know about the Dragon language?" I ask while working.

I quickly enchant the gem slice to hold and gather magic before filling it completely with my magic. She watches me closely as I work but doesn't seem to understand anything I'm doing. "Again, not much. Never learned more than a few things, only the elders really know it. It's really annoying to learn it" She complains as I pass her back the gem. "What's this?" She asks slightly suspiciously.

I make some more notes. "I filled it with magic, it might make you more full than normal. Or maybe not, I'll pay you if you don't want it anymore." I don't ask her to eat it directly as it could be dangerous, I do doubt it would be though. She is a large Dragon and that gem slice doesn't have much magic in it, even with me filling it completely it's a tiny sliver.

She sniffs the gem, and her eyes turn to slits before she quickly devours the small gem's slice. "Sssss!" She hisses loudly in blatant satisfaction. "How, did you do that?" She half demands, looking for more interest in our conversation. "That tasted just like a Pure Gem." She says more to herself than me.

I raise a brow and tilt my ears. "I just filled it with magic, nothing else. What is a Pure Gem? And what does it taste like?" I ask back while making notes on her reaction and making sure to be even more vague about what I just did.

She takes a deep breath and blows out some flame from her maw. "Sometimes a gem smells really good, like the one you gave me. They taste great, like, charred meat. I always liked them." She doesn't seem to be able to explain all that well. "You think you could do that again?" She has a more focused tone and expression now.

I decided to lie for the first time and shake my head after seeing her reaction. "No, it will take me a while to do anything like that again. It takes me time to regain the magic I put into the gem." I half lie to downplay the facts. I don't want her to have too much of an interest in me.

Her reaction was interesting, and so was her explanation. Some gems fill with more magic than others, it depends on the location and the time they sit there. Natural gems that are already full of magic are rare, not as rare as an affinity gem but still up there.

Gems naturally leak out their magic, very slowly though. When being formed in an area with high amounts of magic they will absorb it over time, if they sit long enough they become an affinity gem, but if they are dug up sooner they are just a gem filled with magic.

Magic changes location often which is why affinity gems are rare. Those you do find are often drained of all magic, having formed in a magic-dense area but then having the magic move away leaving the gem to drain. It seems I have another thing I could trade with them.

Probably not actually, I don't need some greedy Dragon messing with me for a good meal. I finish several long notes and look back at her. "Do You know why you use the Pony language, and does the Dragon language have a written form?" I ask, deciding to leave the other topic alone.

She looks disappointed at the change in topic and my answer to her earlier question, but seems pleased at the snack, smiling more now. "Fine, but if you make another, I got some things to trade." She uses an actually nice tone, too nice to be anything but an attempt to encourage me to come back with more.

She seems to think for a moment and pauses in her work to draw something on the stone floor with a claw. It's six circles and two lines, it doesn't mean anything to me. "I think that means... Sun? My Sire tried to teach me, not that I listened to that cranky bastard."

She finishes the second gem and places it to the side. "It's easier, Dragon words are, messy." She motions to the symbol she drew as I copy it down. "I mean look at that? For sun?!!" She complains. "Pony is just easier, and the young ones always go to you Pony’s to trade gems. You all pay better, and the young ones always stay with each other so they talk a lot." She says dismissively.

I rapidly copy down her words and try to piece them together. "Ok, so it's just easier to trade with us, and use Pony? What about the Dragons who don't speak Pony?" I ask curiously while she snacks on more gem shavings.

She shrugs. "Ya, the Griffons and all them get pissy when we go to their damn cities. So, you ponies are the closest good option. It's just a flight that way." She points with her tail. "And? They can just learn Pony, like I said it's easier." She again seems pretty dismissive.

I never really thought about it, but I've never seen a Dragon in Griffonstone, or Feather Falls. I mean, Griffons are more predatory and might react worse to the presence of a Dragon than ponies, or maybe it's a locational thing. These cities have probably had bad interactions with the larger Dragons more often than Ponies. Also, Ponies may be scared, but they already deal with other predators like Griffons so they might be more used to it ironically.

If they aren't allowed to just go to those cities then the next best option is Equestria, it's straight across the sea and only a day or two's flight, and there are also many islands to rest on the way. We use a lot of gems and pay well for them from what I've seen, and if you're going to learn a language why learn one that's more time-consuming and doesn't get you anything?

It's not like Dragons give a shit about tradition from what I've seen, they just do what is easiest and most effective. And if the young ones are doing it then why not do the same? It's not like those younger Dragons are going to stop using Pony suddenly and spend a bunch of time learning Dragon. "Do you know when this started happening?" I ask curiously.

She tilts her head. "Ugh, no, before my time at least." I do know there are records of Dragons trading on the coasts of Equestria for a few centuries, but for how old she is. "Maybe a bit before me? My Sire knows a lot of Dragon, not everything though." She says while finishing the third gem.

This explains it somewhat, but it still leaves several unanswered questions. I feel like there is more, would they really just abandon their old language? Maybe it's more about mindset than I thought it was. I'm lost in thought for several minutes. "Well, how about this? just teach me everything you can about the Dragon language for the rest of our time." I offer simply.

She raises a brow but nods. "Sure, it's easier than your incessant questions." She shifts her weight and looks at the diamond in her claws. "Wait, where do I even start?" She asks herself.

I nearly sigh at that. This might take a while.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading. :]
Current year is 996

I thought this might be an interesting difference for Dragons. The idea that they don't really care about any from of culture, they just do what is best from them as individuals. If another Dragon can't speak pony why would they care? It's not their problem.

I'm note sure it fits perfectly though, and I have an idea on how to add to it. A moral quandary that may give you some thought, but that's for another day. Anyway, give me your thoughts on it, if your willing to that is.

Also I'm sorry I made yet another Chapter about boring talking, but I really like fleshing the Dragons out.