FEB 21 Wednesday.

I feel the hot sun on my left side as I stare over at Larimar.

Over the past few days, I've continued to spend a lot of my time with her, trying to learn as much as I can with the time I have. I've also started to make some preparations for leaving the Dragon Lands in a few days. I have to be back in Canterlot by the first of next month so I need to plan out my trip back carefully.

With the time I've had with Larimar, I've managed to copy most of the Dragon language. I didn't learn it as we literally just went through each word she knew and I copied them down one by one. We've definitely missed a fair few of them but this is enough to preserve the language so it won't be lost.

I have enough to translate any written words I don't know by working backwards from there with what I do know, and any words we missed are less used to begin with. It's far from perfect in many ways, but now the language can live on past those who have spoken it for so long.

While we have heavily focused on the language we mostly finished it, so now Larimar has taken to adding any words that pop into her head while we talk about other subjects. I just added another word she thought of and have been thinking for a few moments about a good question. "What do you consider strength to be?" I ask about something with a slightly more personal perspective.

Larimar has continued to become more relaxed with me as we spend time together, and while we aren't friends there is a sense of mutual respect. She doesn't call me Pony anymore and always uses my name when talking to me, she also takes a more relaxed tone, even showing a bit of emotion now.

She breathes out slowly and with a slight hiss. "Sss, for me? Strength is the amount of power you hold over others. Whether through respect, fear, or simply power." I'm not too surprised by that as she has been very pragmatic while talking with me. "Others tend to see only power, and even then only physical power." She adds after a moment of thought. "What do you consider strength?"

I nod as that's about what I expected to hear. She also phrased it in an interesting way, drawing clear lines between options but not dismissing any of them. "The ability to affect the world around you, for good or bad. Even the smallest action can ripple out into unseen change. Some have immense strength in that way, but never know it." I am a little philosophical because Larimar might be one of the few Dragons to appreciate that, maybe.

She shifts a bit and picks her head up off of the ground to look at me. "Maybe, but there are those who think they have such power, even when they don't." I nod having seen that a fair few times myself. "I believe your kind are very proud of your ruler, a princess, yes?" She asks, taking the initiative to ask about me instead of me asking about her, something she doesn't do as often.

I think for a long moment, Larimar being more than willing to wait for my answer. I take a moment to look at Entropy as she rests next to me, she occasionally looks up at Larimar with focused eyes. After some more time talking with Larimar, Entropy finally joined us for our meeting yesterday, and Larimar didn't even question it.

Entropy has just been sticking to my side without talking, but I can see she's gotten a bit more comfortable after the first day. I shrug, "It depends, the vast majority have a positive view of Princess Celestia, but that isn't universal. And I find that feelings for Princess Cadance are more varied." My words seem to get her more interested as her eyes focus a small bit.

"I was not aware you had another ruler, are they like the one of the sun?" She asks curiously and I pause as a thought occurs to me. That title is also interesting as it's not one I recognize. She sees my curiosity and elaborates. "I have seen her before, a few times actually, when she's come here."

I'm very intent on learning more about her thoughts on that but answer her first. "How much do you know about Alicorns?" I ask and she just shakes her head. "Ok, quickly then. An alicorn is a combination of all types of Pony, having all the advantages that come with that along with agelessness."

Her eyes focused more as she stayed silent in thought. "Princess Celestia has been the ruler of Equestria for over a thousand years, and no one is sure how old she actually is." That seems to take Larimar a little off guard, looking very thoughtful now. "Princess Cadance is much younger and ascended to the throne a decade or so ago."

Larimar looks directly at me and speaks after a moment. "I know of the power your Princess has, even I know she raises the sun, even if I fail to see how or why." She states with an interesting tone. "Is this other Princess similar? Having two beings of such power is... Well, that much power speaks for itself." She reasons.

I think for a moment, not wanting to give any sensitive information away. "Yes and no, it depends, I guess. Realistically Princess Celestia is older and more powerful, but Princess Cadance rules over Love." I see her tilt her head a bit and I try to think of how best to explain the horror in that statement.

"Princess Celestia has more raw power, I am speculating by the way, but this is widely seen as accurate," I add a warning to make it seem more vague. "But Love is, have you ever loved something, someone?" She doesn't answer that but still pays attention. "Imagine a being that can twist that love however it wants," I say seriously.

I see her eyes grow more focused as that information sinks in. "Power over the world is dangerous, power over another's mind." She trails off slowly getting the point I was making. "Do such things, happen?" She asks, in an almost cautious tone.

I quickly shake my head. "No, no, that was mostly the more, cautious side of me talking." I be honest as that is not what she is like and reassure her with a quick denial. "From what I know she is just as kind and elegant as Princess Celestia. But the hypothetical possibility exists, and few things can be scarier than love." I add with a calm and non-serious tone.

She's very thoughtful but her eyes return mostly to normal. I wanted to see what her reaction would be to a more abstract threat, and to a Pony being that powerful, it seems that like me she's better able to see the danger in such things. "So, when did you meet Princess Celestia? I didn't know she came here at all." I lie bluntly.

She slowly breathes out some smoke before settling down again. "A few centuries ago, she was visiting the Dragon Lord of that time. We did not speak much, a few words at most when she was looking for directions. She was, powerful, that may be the only word I can use to describe her." She shares freely.

Something to ask Celestia about then. "Huh, I guess it makes sense we have some contact with the Dragon Lord, still it seems odd." I lie again and move on. "So, you used a title for her, is that common for Dragons? Are you all aware of who she is?" I ask curiously.

She tilts her head. "Somewhat. Many elders remember a time or two when a Dragon decided to cause her trouble when she came, it did not go well for them." Oh, I am definitely asking Celestia about that. "That title though is older, I think around five centuries ago? Me and many other Dragons were gathered for a meeting by Dragon Lord Valdus."

I remember Celestia talking about this actually, something about an incident in Equestria. "Dragon Lord Valdus didn't want to make a deal with your Princess, said she was weak." I snort a little and Larimar chuckles as well. "Yes, a foolish thing indeed, and a few other foolish elders agreed. but what happened next quickly changed their minds." She says with some slight humor in her tone.

She cranes her neck up to the sky, "She set the sun in front of us, slightly before it would normally rise." I hold it in for a moment but let out a full laugh for a few moments. It seems Celestia can really be intimidating if she needs to be. "Needless to say, a deal was reached rather quickly, it was, an interesting thing to witness." She seems to think about the memories for a moment.

I nod in agreement as it's one hell of a way to make a statement. "Definitely. I am surprised she'd go so far, there's probably some reason though." She nods but doesn't give any suggestions. "So that's where the title came from? A fitting event, and something interesting to add." I take a few notes on that as the silence stretches on.

After a few minutes, Larimar looks directly over to me from her lying position, moving her head a little closer to look at me. "You are odd, very odd." She states something she's told me many times before. "I have met many Ponies, but you are just so, different." She points out the obvious.

I shrug a little at the change in topic. "Maybe, but there are many ponies and we tend to differ a lot. Part of it is definitely the fact that I've seen many things in my short life, some far more scary than any of you, no offense." I say truthfully, enjoying the fact I can be more open about my predatory side with her.

I am open about it around ponies, but it's very different when they know about it while talking to me and can't see it in me. She doesn't look annoyed and just nods, "Maybe you have, there are many things in the world and even we die." She agrees a bit but smiles a little a moment later. "That doesn't mean we aren't scary though, you just don't have that fear." She states this as a fact.

I shrug and start to pack my things up as I plan to head to the market and look for more things to buy while I still have time. "Or I'm very good at hiding it." I joke a little and stand up. "I'll be doing some other stuff today, you do what you want. Have a good day, Larimar." I wrap things up quickly as I don't really need to be overly polite with her.

She nods without questioning me and also stands up, stretching out like a cat for a moment. "Very well, Shade, try not to die." She surprisingly makes a joke back and I chuckle after a moment of stunned silence. She flies off without another word and Entropy jumps on my back as I start to make my way back to my cave.

As I walk back Entropy moves back into my shadow and I pass several Dragons, a few I've seen around the area before. They are far less curious about me after all the time I've spent here, like many things they just accepted it before moving on. I quickly make my way inside my cave and grab two large bags I've filled with chili powder for trading.

I look over at my desk and see five simple boxes made from Iron Oak wood. Each box contains a seed from the crystal plant I found, each seed wrapped in cloth and the boxes securely grown shut for transport. I've also named the plant, I even took my sweet time to think of something half-decent.

I'm calling it the Mantle Bloom, I've had a lot of free time to make notes and I ended up not being as lazy with a name for once. If you can really call such a name well thought out, it is literally just earth bloom with a fancy twist, but it's good enough for me.

I picked bloom because of the large flower it grew, something I've also kept with me. I stare at the boxes a moment longer and turn to leave the cave, making my way outside and up the small valley. I crest a hill not long after that and start to make my way to the edge of the market.

Something I quickly notice is that Larimar is here, just trading like she normally does, it seems she thought this was a good use of her day. I decide not to go near that part of the market and just look for a different Dragon I know, and luckily I spot Aurora not long after I arrive.

I make my way over and she looks up from organizing a few carved gems on display as she hears me approaching. "Hello, Aurora. It seems you're still doing well." I greet them amiably as she looks at me. I move one of the heavy sacks off of my back, "Up for some trading?" I ask a stupid question.

She looks me over for a moment and smiles back, showing more emotion than Larimar ever does. "Pony, it seems you're alive after all, good for you." She chuckles at her own joke and smells the air deeply while looking at the spice-filled sack. "And it seems you brought more than gold, anything of interest?" She moves her tail out of the way and lets me look over her inventory.

Aurora and I aren't friends, in fact I know her less than I know Larimar, but she's been nice and I promised some friends souvenirs. I walk over and start to look through the various carved gems while continuing to talk to her. "I agree, being alive is great." I joke back by being a little sarcastic.

She has many interesting carvings on display, more than the last time we met. "So, you end up striking some deal with Elder Larimar? I haven't seen her for a while now, at least not as much as normal." She asks casually while I pick out my first choice. I hold it up and she looks at the bag, "For that, you can take whatever you want, we can finish up with gold if needed." I nod and continue looking through the gems.

I shrug. "Maybe, or maybe not, who's to say?" I be very blatant in the fact I won't be giving her much of an answer. She just shrugs as well and continues to smile a bit while I pick out gems. We both go silent as I look through gems but I notice another Dragon getting close after a few moments.

I turn to glance at them and see a Dragon of similar size to Aurora, maybe sixty feet long at most. Black scales cover most of their body with deep red scales on their underbelly and wings. Their eyes are a bright red with horns that curve back behind their head, and lighter red spines running down their back.

I note their presence but ignore them as I've traded with other Dragons while shopping before so I just go back to looking at gems. That changes a few moments later when Aurora looks over and spots the Dragon as well and narrows her eyes to needle points.

I see and hear her claws dig into the stone beneath us a bit and her body shifts to be taller as the other Dragon walks over. I don't like such a reaction to begin with but the deep frown, almost a snarl, that Aurora has makes me more concerned. I don't turn but speak before the other Dragon gets close enough to hear us. "Are they going to be a problem?" I ask in a calm but firm tone.

Her eyes switch over to me and she looks confused as I don't turn around. "Probably, he's a... SSS." She just hisses loudly after a moment, seemingly not finding words to express her displeasure. "Just don't talk to him, he will try to be a fucker but won't do anything here." She says with surprising venom in her tone, it seems she really doesn't like that Dragon.

As the black Dragon gets close he smiles widely as he gets close to us, showing off all his teeth and stretching out his wings a little, as if displaying them. "Aurora, still doing your little doodles?" The cocky voice is deep and baritone, and I already don't like him for that sentence alone.

Aurora literally snarls at him. "I told you to FUCK OFF Obsidian." I now have a name for this Dragon, it fits if nothing else. Aurora's words are a little strained, she looks and sounds pretty pissed at his presence alone, but she just uses her words without acting physically.

I pick out a few more gems and finish up quickly. "These will do, are we good?" I ask, interrupting him as he opens his maw again to speak. She looks back at me and the items I selected, she looks at them for a moment and nods before reaching out for the bag of spice I left on the floor.

A second later a black tail quickly reaches out and takes hold of the bag before dragging it out of her reach. She snarls loudly and snaps her head to look back at him, "That is not yours to take! Give it back, NOW!" She demands of him in a yell while standing up to face him as he's only a dozen feet away from her.

That smile on his face lessens a bit and he stares at the slightly shorter Dragon. "Why? It was sitting on the ground, clearly unclaimed, who's to say it was yours?" He asks back in that same cocky tone. He brings it close and sniffs the bag before his eyes narrow a bit at the smell. "And such a nice thing I've found, truly a shame someone lost it." He says in a mocking tone.

She snarls more and steps close but he just smiles and looks down at her. "That would be mine actually, I even have a second bag of the exact same thing on my back. And I don't appreciate someone taking my things." I hold up the second bag as proof and stare at them as they both look over to me.

Obsidian looks at me with clear distaste at my interruption. "Really, Pony?" He asks me while moving closer to me. "And what are you going to do about it if I say it's not yours?" He asks while closing much of the distance between us, "Are you going to complain about me? To who?" He asks in another mocking tone.

He's standing less than ten feet away and I have to look almost straight up to maintain eye contact. I don't flinch, move back, or even pretend to look threatened, I just stare him down. "Well, I can't do the easy thing and just kill you." I start off and that gets both of them to blink, seemingly throwing them off.

Aurora looked like she was ready to intervene but stopped after hearing my words. "So, I'd have to get creative. Hey, Aurora, what do Dragons think about a Dragon that's lost their wings?" I ask while continuing to stare at Obsidian with a calm cold expression.

Obsidian looks both confused and a bit pissed at how I'm acting. "The fuck are yo-"

He doesn't get to finish before I'm answered by a confused and on-edge Aurora. "It's considered a great loss, and a pretty big humiliation if it happens in a fight, why?" She asks while sounding uncertain about my reaction before looking back to the other Dragon. "Obsidian, this is not your business, leave the bag and fuck off." She states in a slightly more calm but equally firm tone.

He looks at her and snaps his jaw shut, making a snapping sound. "Shut up! Both of you!" He turns back to me and I raise a brow. "So what PONY, you can't kill me! Why does that fucking matter?!" At this point, he's somewhat incensed and is also snarling. I notice in my senses a few of the Dragon guards have noticed the commotion and are moving over while watching us.

I shrug. "Well, like I said it means I'd have to get creative." I pretend to look over his body for a moment. "I'm thinking I'd start with a Sticking spell. A few of those and your feet would be stuck to the floor while your top and bottom teeth would be stuck together, preventing you from running or screaming for help." I start to say in a deadly serious and calm tone.

My utterly unhinged reaction and escalation really seemed to make him stop and think, as he blinks and moves his head back a little while looking confused. "Wha- What?" He sounds confused, lost to the danger he's now in. I really don't like this Dragon at the moment, he's been rude, taken my things, and is trying to bully me into compliance.

I could be nice, blend in, and back off, but that might be even more trouble for me. Dragons will notice if I act like a pushover, and that means they may try to do the same and I'll have to deal with that. And above all else, this Dragon is being an utter asshole, basically, fuck him.

I keep my dead serious tone and expression. "Yes, that would work, after that, it's just a matter of a few simple Cutting spells and backing up a little so you can't reach me." I looked him over again. "I think I could get your wings cut off easily enough, I'd have to heal you so you wouldn't bleed out, can't have you dying so soon after all." I chuckle a little as my own morbid joke.

My words aren't completely accurate as I don't have a Cutting spell, but I have something close enough. My serious tone and the insanely fucked up nature of my words seem to distract him well enough, which is the entire point as the Dragon guards get closer and closer to us. "You, the fuck?" Obsidian looks a bit perturbed at the thought.

I raise a brow at him pretending to look confused. "What? It's not like you'd die, I assure you I'm perfectly capable of healing any missing limbs, at least enough to not kill you." I tilt my head in apparent thought. "I wonder if I could reattach your wings afterward? I mean it's possible with ponies, something worth testing." I think out loud.

He takes a step back as that seems to be too much even for a Dragon, they may be violent but they aren't sadistic. "This- This is- You can't do anything like that here." He counters in a much more sober and less arrogant tone. He backs up a bit more, now noticing that a Dragon guard has arrived next to us.

I shrug and turn to the Dragon guard, a Dragon much larger than both Aurora and Obsidian. "Can you get him to give my shit back, he's being very annoying," I shout to them and address them directly as both Aurora and Obsidian turn to look at the much larger Dragon when they get close to us.

The older Dragon looks at all of us and turns to Aurora, "What is this about?" The deep female tone is obviously annoyed at us and seems to already be eyeing up Obsidian.

Aurora nods and looks at Obsidian with a glare. "I was trading with the Pony and this fucker took the Pony's goods." She says and at this point, Obsidian looks far less confident or certain about things. He goes from shock at the large Dragon that managed to get close to us without his notice because of my distraction and wariness at the large dragon's clearly annoyed tone.

The large Dragon turns to Obsidian and looks at the bag of spice still held in his tail. Obsidian opens his mouth to talk but is quickly cut off once again, "I can smell the spice on the pony, and I can see the second bag. Give it back and, get, out." They say with a threatening tone and absolutely zero patience for this shit.

The older Dragon has probably seen this exact thing play out before if she's been here a while, so it's no surprise that she figures him out quickly. Obsidian looks at all three of us but eventually throws the bag on the floor with a frustrated snarl, "Fine! Fuck this, and fuck you!" He stares at me before turning and flying off quickly.

I sigh after he flies off and the large Dragon guard just leaves after Obsidian flies a little ways away from us. I turn to Aurora and pick up the spice bag before giving it to her, "Thanks for the carvings, sorry if that caused you some trouble." I say genuinely and change my tone back to a friendly one.

Aurora still looks pretty annoyed but just puffs out some smoke before shaking her head. "He can't do anything beyond mess with me now, and it was worth it to see that look on his face." She laughs and seems to revel in his misfortune a bit. I am curious but it's not my business so I don't ask her about Obsidian or why she clearly dislikes him, not that I disagree.

"You may want to watch out though, he's an utter fucker." She warns while looking me over, "Then again, he might not want to mess with you." She takes the bag with a small smile and nods to me. "I suppose I should thank you, so ya, thanks." She gives an awkward but truthful thank you. "I am curious, were you serious about, all that?" She asks after a moment.

I pack away the little carvings I bought. "No problem, that Dragon is something else." I pack away my things and move away so she can lie back down. "Hmm, it depends, but if you see him without wings, it wasn't me. Have a good day, Aurora." I answer vaguely before walking off without another word.

Missing the look of slight respect, and interest she has as I do so.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :]
Current year is 996

I decided on Mantle Bloom, I wanted something more complex and less simple, but also still simple enough that Shade would come up with it. Thank you all for the absolutely lovely suggestions and names.

We've been in the Dragon Lands for a bit, and I decided we needed at least one more asshole. So introducing, Obsidian, an asshole.

I hope you all had a lovely Holliday, see you all on Monday.