my granddam signal flare was a royal guardspony until she died while trying to guard other ponies
that was 20 years ago when i was only 4 years old but i do still remember a little about her
she introduced me to tea-smoked apples
she wore a perfume that smelled like pine and spruce and a little like caraway
her brand of destiny was a flame in the shape of a heart
her magic was bright and warm like the sun and so much about meledri's magic feels the same
that memory gave me an idea
this morning i searched around fairhaven and bought some smoked apples
i also turned up a perfume that's so similar to what i remember it's hard to believe it's from droaam and not wherever within the everglow signal found hers
i put the smoked apples in a bowl and lit a candle to warm a tiny pan with a drop of the perfume in it then meditated my way into a nap
i figured this might shake loose any more memories about her
it shook loose a dream
i was a young filly watching her practice on a training dummy
she was calm and precise in her movements as she paced around the dummy and occasionally aimed her horn to lance it with rays of magic that were bright like the sun
i asked why she had to learn how to hurt others
she explained that she needed to be ready to defend everypony from sick animals or dangerous creatures
then i asked if she'd ever had to fight other ponies
she didn't answer directly
she said that we should always try for peace but there were some beings who couldn't be convinced to stop hurting others so they had to be deterred by turning their own violence against them
i said that made me sad
she said it made her sad too and it should never be a happy task
then she asked me to promise that if i ever had to fight i'd only use enough force to get them to stop and never more than that
when i promised she smiled and said i was a good pony
on waking i realized two important things
one is that i can assemble some of the magic i already know to create a spell that would very literally turn an opponent's aggressions against them so i'll be working on that today
the other is that in the dream i was only 4 years old but somehow my front legs were harmonized
... what would my life be like if i could have started harmonizing that early?
anyhow i think i know how to fight palor now
thanks grandma
i miss you