FEB 23 Friday.

I look over the large gem with a critical eye, making sure everything is as it should be and it won't explode by accident.

It's been two days since the incident with Obsidian and I'm happy to say I haven't seen him again, I even checked in on Aurora again yesterday for a little while to have her cut one last gem for me. A two-foot wide and three-foot-long diamond that thins by a few inches at one end making an uneven rectangle.

It took Aurora a few hours to carve it out and I had to lug it for a while, the diamond is also not the best quality. It has a few large cracks in it and is cloudy on the thinner side, but it's more than powerful enough for my needs. I've been spending a little time since then working on my gift for Torch.

I plan to ask Larimar about how to actually try and meet him, but that's for later today. As for what I'm making? Well, I had to think for a while what a Dragon like Torch would even want. I know he's massive in size and probably has a fair few things of his own so after a lot of thought I've decided on making something a bit more creative.

I could have made a shield like I did for Larimar, but protection from other Dragons is one of the few things Torch doesn't need. So, like I said I got more creative with my ideas and decided to make something very simple, almost mind-numbingly simple in fact.

Water is a bit or a problem in the Dragon Lands, and it's a bigger problem for larger Dragons, as I learned from Larimar a few days ago. Turns out that while magic helps stave off hunger, it doesn't give the body water, meaning large Dragons actually need large amounts of water to stay alive.

My best theory is that magic can provide energy but not physical material. A dragon still needs to eat actual things and still needs water to live, and as a very large Dragon water is probably a bit of a problem for Torch. I expect he has his own private water source to drink from but that's not perfect and it might be a distance away from his home that he has to travel to very often, and that makes it a minor annoyance.

That is why I wish to provide a solution for him, I plan to gift him an easy-to-use endless source of water to drink from. It also is a very easy thing to set up for me, only taking a few hours of spell modification and a little enchanting. The result is the massive gem in front of me, slowly floating in the air.

I went with a similar design philosophy as I did with Larimar's shield. A large ball shield with the diamond floating in the middle of it, along with the ability for the diamond to be placed in midair wherever needed. This makes it easy for him to grab and move around along with simplifying the usage of the main effect.

The gem in the center will pull air inside the shield in large amounts before condensing it, and with the same water gathering and purification spells I used for the water flasks, it collects water inside the shield. The water that is produced will pour out of the shield from several small holes that I've made always appear on the bottom of the shield using a Down rune to tell the spell the correct direction.

It produces a pretty decent amount of water every second, it can generate a large amount of water if left somewhere where the water can pool together and gather below the floating gem. I inspect the spells one last time before nodding to myself and standing up with a stretch, Entropy hops over to me and merges into my shadow as she already knows the plan for today.

I normally spend a little of my time planning out things I need to do, and I often share those plans with Entropy so she knows as well. I pack up a few simple things and go through my mental schedule again, planning to leave the Dragon Lands for almost four weeks here.

I still have several things I want to do but it is nearing the time to leave, I have five days left before I plan to leave and make my way back to Griffonstone and get on a train. There is some good news, which is that the distance between the land bridge and Griffonstone is short enough for Entropy to travel in one teleportation.

With that, I can cut a day off of my travel time. I need to be back in Canterlot by the sixth of next month but the next train from Griffonstone to Canterlot leaves on the third of next month so while I could technically spend another day or two in the Dragon Lands I think it's best to wrap up this trip so I don't get delayed by something.

So I plan to leave the Dragon lands on the first of next month and make my way back to Griffonstone before spending two days there and getting on a train back home. That should get me home just in time to not miss anything important, and if something does delay us it shouldn't be too bad.

I spend a moment checking on the five seeds I got and making sure they are still alive. They seem to be and have stayed stable and dormant since I grew them, I'll just have to see if they work when I attempt to grow them. I grab my saddlebags and start to leave the cave, but stop for a moment when I hear something.

It's a small banging sound and after focusing my senses I notice a small Dragon knocking on the shield at the entrance of my cave. It doesn't take me more than a moment to put together that Smolder seems to have taken me up on my words of wisdom.

I said she should knock as more of a joke than anything, but she was very curious about me before so it's not too much of a surprise that she's trying to learn more about me. I stand still and think for a few moments. Smolder is far from a threat to me, the most she could do is tell others where I am, and after my demonstration I don't think she would do that.

I was planning on talking to Larimar again but getting a young Dragons perspective would be nice and changing things up a bit doesn't sound too bad. After some thought, I nod to myself and start to walk up to the entrance of the cave with a relaxed smile and a good mood.

I check if there is anyone else outside the cave, but it is just her alone, so I walk up with steady steps. As I near the shield I see her knocking on it and looking inside curiously, her eyes moving to me as I walk close enough for her to make me out in the darkness. "Hello again, thank you for being polite and waiting." I am also polite myself as I have no reason to be rude to her.

I see her back up a little from the shield after I get close enough for her to see me clearly. "Sure? Is that really all it takes for you to be so, nice?" She asks seriously and seems interested in ponies to an extent. "Oh ya, I heard you stood up to an adult Dragon, is that true? Because that sounds badass." She adds after a moment with a surprisingly relaxed mood.

I chuckle a little at her slightly energetic and pretty chill attitude, but also take notice of her gossip. I can tell she's a little nervous, occasionally looking at other things but also making sure to keep me in her vision at all times. Not that I blame her, I'm mostly an unknown and this is the Dragon Lands.

I nod slowly after a moment. "For me it is, politeness can get you a lot further than you may think, at least with the right creatures. As for that mess? In a way, I mostly just told him what would happen if he crossed me." I answer with a shrug of my own. "So, what brings you here?" I ask, moving past the topic quickly.

She seems smart enough to notice what I'm doing, and also smart enough to not press me on it, but she isn't very good at hiding her expressions. She frowns a tiny bit, but it quickly leaves, "Huh, good to know?" She sounds a bit uncertain and shakes her head a little after a moment. "So, you fine with, talking some more?" She changes the subject and asks me with some trepidation and awkwardness.

I did say a change of pace would be nice, and Larimar can wait a little longer. I nod after a moment and her face lifts into a small smile after my agreement. "Why not, lets go outside though, I need some air." I give a blatant excuse to not meet inside the cave and walk through the shield and past her.

It's the early morning and the sun has only been up for a little while, the small valley we're inside is still mostly shaded. I pick a random spot a little away from the cave and place some cloth down to lie on while Smolder follows from a few feet behind me. I lay down and turn to her, "So, anything in particular you want to talk about? I don't have too long so we might have to be quick" I ask while bringing out my teapot. I do want to talk to her but I have a time limit and it's fairly strict.

She looks around for a moment and eventually decides to just sit down on the rocky ground in front of me. "Umm, mmm." She doesn't answer immediately and instead looks around a little, eventually looking at the teapot I'm filling with water, "What is that? And what are you doing with it?" She points a claw at me and the teapot.

I smile a bit and activate the enchantment on the metal teapot to heat the water inside. "You're not the only curious one, I'll be asking you questions as well, deal?" I offer while taking out some tea leaves. She just nods immediately without saying anything, "It's a teapot, and I'm making tea." I answer bluntly, a little surprised she doesn't know what it is. "I'd think you'd have seen this in a Pony city?" I ask back, curious at her lack of knowledge.

She looks at my saddlebags with attentive eyes and watches as I make my tea. She looks a bit bashful at my words and scratches the back of her neck, "Ya, I haven't gone to Pony Land, yet!" She adds the last word quickly. "I, well, I haven't gotten to go yet, my Mother won't let me," I note the use of a Dragon word along with the rather amusing name Dragons have for Equestria.

It takes me a moment but I'm pretty sure she meant her mother. "Hmm, well, she must have her reasons," I comment and pour myself some tea before taking out a second teacup and filling it as well. She raises a brow as I pass the filled cup to her, "I thought you might like to try it." I offer neutrally.

The tea is the mint and lemon variant of Blood Leaf Tea, and while normally I wouldn't give it to others I see no harm in doing so here. She seemed genuine when she asked what a teapot was, it's doubtful she'd know that this tea was special. She stares at the cup for a few moments before taking it gently and spending a moment getting a finger through the small handle. "Oh, ok? So I just, drink it?" I nod while sipping my own tea.

She brings it up to her maw and tastes it by dipping her long tongue in the tea first. She tastes it for a few moments before shrugging and dumping the entire cup in her open maw like a shot. "Ssss." The quiet hiss sounds pleased, and the smile she has grows a bit. "That's, pretty good actually, what is this?" She seems more intrigued and passes her cup back to me.

I chuckle a bit at her confusion while I refill her cup slowly, "Normally you take sips and drink it slowly, it lasts longer and you get to enjoy it longer as well." She just looks confused at the idea but nods regardless. "There are an endless number of tea types, made from many things. But in the end, tea is just flavoring water using different plants or spices." I give her a painfully simple explanation of tea to move past the topic. "So, how'd you hear about me and that one Dragon?"

She takes a slower sip of the tea but also breaks the delicate teacup's handle in the process as she grips it a little too tightly. "Uhhh, shit." She looks hesitant and I just laugh a little at her predicament as she manages to keep hold of the cup before it can fall, while the handle breaks off entirely. "I, I'll just hold this thing like... This." She puts the cup in her palm.

I nod and don't make a problem out of it, I can always get more cups and these ones are just some I bought and aren't special to me, that was also pretty funny. She shifts on the ground a bit and takes another drink while thinking, "I first heard about it at the market, I was buying gems." She starts to explain.

I'm tempted to take notes, but I do need to relax a little so I just remember things as I listen. "Something about a Pony and this Dragon looking pissed? Obisodi- No." She seems to draw a blank on the name and shakes her head a little. "Doesn't matter, I heard you really pissed them off about something, he was complaining to others about it I think." She moves on from her attempts to remember.

It seems Obsidian is madder than I thought he was, then again some Dragons value their pride quite a bit. I nod and refill her cup again as she holds it out, the handle broken off on the ground excluded. I refill it as I have plenty of tea, "They say anything interesting?" I ask curiously. I was expecting something like this honestly, but it's still a little annoying to hear about.

She thinks for a moment, scratching her arm a bit. "Yes? I think that Dragon you angered was asking about you." I feel myself focusing more as it seems this might be more trouble than I thought. She huffs a little smoke out, "I don't know, I think I saw them paying others to find things out? I guess you might want to prepare? Or run?" She offers in a relaxed tone.

I can tell she's not really worried about it, and that makes sense, this isn't her problem and she's already been helpful with the warning. I nod my thanks, "No need for that, a warning is enough." I say vaguely, already planning out a few things in my head. "So, anything in particular you wanted to ask about?" I ask as she doesn't seem to know all that much about Obsidian and his plans, I'll have to ask Larimar to see how serious this all is.

She blinks a few times and stares at me before nodding. "That whole, lightning thing was magic, right?" I nod. "Ya that, I want to learn about magic." She says bluntly and I'm again not too surprised. "So, how? Like do you just know how to do that? Does it take a long time to learn?" She drops a few vague questions on me.

I again chuckle a bit, finding her curiosity and ignorance a little refreshing. "How is a very complicated question, and yes I had to learn how to do that. It's the accumulation of over a decade of study and constant training." I say, trying to prove a point on how time-consuming it is.

She tilts her head a little, nodding. "Ok, so? Like, all of you know how to do that? I mean I could have learned that if it's that quick." She reasons and I nearly sigh as I realize my mistake. A decade is a lot to a Pony, it's basically nothing for a Dragon, even a young one.

I think for a few moments and shake my head. "There are a lot of very complicated reasons, but to simplify, you are half correct. I'm not sure a Dragon can learn magic but it should be possible. The problem is everything else you need to learn first." I explain as she quickly drinks through another cup of tea.

"You need years of dedicated study and practice, along with the actual knowledge itself, something that's really hard to find here." I motion around us. "So maybe? It depends on a lot of things, and I'm no expert in anything like this." I am blatantly honest with her as I honestly don't know.

I can't see a reason why a Dragon couldn't learn runic magic, but I also don't know if there would be problems and differences in trying to do so. I let her finish the cup of tea and stand up to pack up my things. "I probably should get going, I still have someone to meet." I decided to end our meeting a little abruptly despite the shortness of it.

She jumps out of her thoughts and looks up at me, she just nods and stands up as well not questioning me. I decided to end this early as I do have things I need to do and she doesn't seem to know much. I also don't really feel like diving down the rabbit hole of explaining magic to her in detail.

She picks up the broken cup handle and awkwardly holds it out to me with the cup. "Ya, sorry about, that." She looks away a bit and that nearly makes me chuckle again at her tone. "The, tea? Ya, that was good, so, thanks." She tries to improve the situation, and I notice she looks at the small broken cup curiously as she holds it out to me.

I think for a moment and shake my head. "You can keep it if you like, I don't have any use for it now. Consider it thanks for the warning." It's a very small payment for the warning she gave me but she seems happy enough and smiles before retracting her hand. "By the way, my name is Shade, nice to meet you."

She tilts her head a bit and nods again. "Smolder, see you around, and ahh, try not to die?" She looks uncertain and shrugs once again. "That black Dragon really did look angry, he might do something about it." She gives me a clearer warning in a more clear tone, as she knows from experience, which she probably does.

I finish packing my things and nod back, "I'll be fine. Have a good day, Smolder." I keep my goodbye short before turning and starting my walk outside of the valley, I still have a meeting to get to after all. I do find Smolder interesting, she's the only young Dragon who's been curious enough to seek me out.

We honestly didn't have much to talk about, and what she wanted to learn would take me far too long to explain. Maybe I could bring her a few books if I even come back here? I am curious if a Dragon can actually learn magic. I leave my thoughts as it doesn't take me long to find Larimar sitting where she always does.

As I approach she looks at me with those slightly attentive eyes. She waits in silence as I set my things down and start on some fresh tea as mine has gone cold while walking here. "Larimar, good to see you as always." I start things off like I normally do.

She nods slowly and lies her head back down. "Shade, it seems you've caused some trouble." She hints rather bluntly and I sigh slowly. It seems I really do have a problem if even she knows about this. She chuckles a bit at my reaction, "As if that whelp could threaten you. It is rather annoying dealing with whelps though." She agrees with my growing annoyance.

I rub my nose a bit and just sigh again. "I would rather not have to deal with it at all. Do you think it's likely he'll try something? I could just avoid him completely if I tried." I say that second part more to myself but also wanting to hear her thoughts. I take a long drink of my tea and try not to stress and worry too much over all of this.

"Ssss. Possibly." She remarks in a rather simple way. "That whelp may try something, just put him in his place. Or do that now, but from what I've heard about that one he's very stubborn, he may just get back up again." I take out my notebook and just nod, taking her words to heart. "What did you even do to make him like that?" She asks.

I shrug and be honest. "Threatened to cut off his wings, and heal them back on to do it again." My mood has taken a bit of a downturn at the confirmation that Obsidian might be an actual problem for me. Larimar stays silent to my words, but her eyes focus a bit. "What should I expect from him?"

She moves her tail a bit and thinks for a moment. "You really don't act like a normal predator, you're more, vengeful." She makes a blatant observation yet again, striking close to the truth. "A fight is pretty obvious, probably where others can watch as you made him back down in front of many. It's a matter of pride for him, I assume, foolish." She seems to disapprove of his pride and shows it slightly in her tone.

I chuckle a bit and nod despite the slightly bad mood I'm now in. "Pride before the fall." I use a saying from my old life as it comes to mind. "If I wanted to meet the Dragon Lord, how would I go about doing that?" I ask changing the subject while making more mental plans for later. It seems I'll need to keep my senses sharp and prepare for this asshole.

She chuckles a little, the heavy vibrations felt through the ground beneath me. "Yes, I expected you'd ask something like that eventually." It seems Larimar has me pinned down a bit, she's starting to actually figure my personality out a little. "What are you hoping to gain from meeting him? What answers do you seek?" She asks with a neutral tone like normal.

I think about that for a few moments. I could ask Torch about a lot, but one thing truly stands out a little above what he could tell me. "It's said he wields a powerful magical artifact, supposedly to control other Dragons. I don't even want to touch that thing if it's even real, messing with powerful magic like that is a bad idea." I am truthful and quickly add the second part so she doesn't get the wrong idea. "It is a very interesting thing, and if anyone would know anything about it, it's him."

She stays silent and eyes me for a few moments. "Hmm, good, many have tried in the past and it never ended well." She seemed very certain about that and I raised a brow in surprise not knowing if the item was actually real. "Yes, it exists. I have seen a few others try to take it, it only accepts one master at a time." She says like that explains everything.

I make several notes quickly. "So what do you know about it? All I've been able to piece together is that it's a powerful item and the reason a Dragon Lord has such power. Even then my sources disagreed on basically everything so I'm not sure that's even correct." I half lie as I really don't know much about the item in question.

I blindly guessed the Bloodstone Scepter lets the user control Dragons in some way, but the show never fully stated that so confirmation would be good. I watch her large eye blink, a second transparent eyelid moving over her eye slightly faster than her outer eyelid.

It's a small but interesting thing that lets a Dragon keep their eyes open when breathing flame, keeping the eyes safe from the fire while still being able to see. They also use it when bathing in lava, although it doesn't let them keep their eyes open when their head is inside lava, it's too fragile to protect them fully, and doing that can damage the eyes.

She blinks her eyes and keeps talking. "Little, I've seen it many times. I know it can control other Dragons, and I do mean that literally." She emphasized to me and I made more notes while feeling a little shocked that I was actually correct. "Beyond that, I know it is called the Bloodstone Scepter, and that it reacts, violently to others trying to take it." She finishes with a certain finality to her tone.

Well, that's concerning. I only knew that the staff existed and guessed it was magical, I actually know very little about it. For all I know it could have just been some staff the Dragon Lord used as a prize for his gauntlet, but it seems to be much more than I thought it would be.

Yet another reason to investigate then, an artifact like that is something that should be watched closely. At least it can't be stolen easily, well not by a Dragon. I make several notes and try to plan out how to approach the Dragon Lord. "Do you know where he lives? I would rather not get lost before walking into his home and trying to talk with him." I joke a little bit.

She huffs a little smoke out. "Yes, and I can give you directions easily enough. I will warn you, it's best to bring a gift. Call it a, tradition, a bribe, or whatever you like." She says with a small bit of humor. "Many have spoken to him before, so just bring something good and you will at least be heard." She gives me some simple enough advice.

I nod as I was already planning to do just that. I flip through my notes trying to find something else to ask about, and eventually, I find a topic I remembered recently. "This is another vague one. But what do you know about greed growth? Or greed increasing the size of a Dragon?" I ask as a change in subject.

I look up from my notes quickly as Larimar snaps her head and looks at me, now much more focused on our conversation, far more than I've ever seen before. Her eyes heavily narrowed and with an intense stare, her body actually tensing slightly as she eyed me in a whole new way. "How do you know of that?" Her tone is deadly serious and slightly, excited.

I look up at the large and VERY focused Dragon with one thought. :Fuck:

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :)
Current year is 996

I couldn't dedicate too much time to Smolder, so I thought I'd at least add one more small encounter with her. We might not see her again on this trip though. Also, I thought Obsidian being open about his actions makes more sense, so ya.

Also, this one will be continued.