Don't Do What M'gan Did

Writers: Aaron, Devin, Estelle, Halyonix, Iluva, Sia
Date Posted: 29th October 2026

Characters: R'lor, M'gan, I'thralos, Zaidi, Tindral, H'yazi, L'tos
Description: M’gan guest lectures the weyrlings on the dangers of going /between/ times.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 1 of Turn 13
Notes: Mentioned: N'vanik

R'lor

I'thralos

Zaidi

R’lor didn’t much like any of this, but there was (ironically) no going back now. The full Weyrling class sat in the room, waiting to hear the lecture. He had mixed feelings about M’gan teaching this first lesson, but the Weyrleader had insisted and R’lor had decided it wasn’t worth arguing over.

I'thralos supposed it was good news that he was up and moving further than the Infirmary hallways these days, but the return to the weyrling classrooms was not a welcome one. He still had a long way to go with physical activity before he was cleared to climb aboard Vorlogoth again-- he wasn't yet bearing much weight on that leg yet-- but he managed to slide into a seat in the back with at least some grace, kicking the injured leg up to rest on a neighbouring chair and setting his crutches down so no one would be so inclined to sit next to him.

Zaidi generally disliked classroom lectures and wasn't particularly keen for whichever one they were about to have. That said, she ended up in a seat near the front of the room, hands clasped in her lap like a studious pupil. She wanted to do well, but it was hard to pay attention even when the material was interesting, even when it was important-- though it was all important, she supposed. She just hoped it would be one of those lessons where they could be split into groups to talk a problem through. Or maybe be given materials to work with. Or maybe be dismissed early.

Tindral didn’t want to be in the front of the class but Zaidi was there so she summoned up the courage to timidly join her friend, while Mdorith praised her for doing so. Notes weren’t hard for her to take -- it was the application of them that she hated.

M'gan strode into the classroom precisely on time, with all of a bronzerider's natural confidence and looking entirely too un-chastened to soothe the Weyrlingmaster's nerves. In fact, he seemed positively cheerful.

"Good morning, Weyrlings. I'm honored to have been invited to speak to you on a subject of great importance, concerning your dragons' abilities." He nodded courteously to R'lor. "Weyrlingmaster. May I ask if you've already introduced this topic, or should I start from the beginning?"

“Please start from the beginning. You are, after all, the one with more experience,” R’lor said.

"Of course. Though I expect what I'm about to say will sound rather hard to believe." M'gan smiled broadly at the class. "I rely on your trust in the Weyrlingmaster's good sense and respect for your training, that he wouldn't waste your time by inviting a madman to speak to you. Rest assured I'm very much in my right mind, and remember that your dragons are capable of amazing feats, though we may rather take them for granted after a few months of training. Taking us anywhere on Pern in an instant, with only an image to guide their way...

"What you won't have been told, since it's been a closely guarded secret among dragonriders until very recently - though some of you might have heard rumors - is that dragons aren't limited to anywhere." He paused and his gaze scanned the class, seeing some bemused expressions, others sceptical, a few intrigued. "They can take you any _when_."

The room had gone quiet in a way that felt… different from ordinary quiet. Zaidi’s hands clenched and unclenched in her lap and she resisted the urge to turn around and see how the rest of the class was reacting.

}:What does Isarth’s mean by any_when_?:{ Bharboth demanded, eager to know what he knew about her abilities.

**I don't know.** Zaidi thought back, glancing over at Tindral, confused, apprehensive-- but found for the first time that morning that she was very interested in finding out.

H’yazi was almost always eager to pay attention in lectures, but today, nothing in the world could have stopped him from hearing whatever was about to come next.

M'gan studied the faces in the room. Most looked bewildered, others skeptical, and a few were leaning forward in their chairs, expressions intent. Much as he'd feared.

"That’s right. Dragons have the ability to go /between/ to the past, or the future. Some of you might have heard old harper tales and dismissed them as legends, but it is possible, and it works essentially the same way as traveling between places. You visualize your destination, and you go. Simple as that."

"But - " He held up a hand. "Before any of you decide to take a quick trip to next month and find out who wins the Lord Holder's purse at the Amber Hills races, I have a warning for you. Arriving at the precise time you intend is extremely difficult. Most of the features you've learned - rivers and mountains, cliffs and bays - look the same today as they did a hundred Turns ago, or two hundred into the future. Even worse, if they _don't_ look how you expect then you could be lost /between/ entirely. There are ways, but I'm not going to tell you, because that's only the start of the dangers."

At least M’gan was emphasizing the dangers, as he was supposed to. R’lor scanned the class to see if anyone looked too eager at this information.

“If it's _so_ dangerous,” L'tos said slowly, after taking the time to process the revelation, “why were some riders told this and others weren't?”

}:Quite right!:{ Hallisenth agreed.

"Well, now that's a leadership decision. It's not for me to question the will of the Weyrleaders," M'gan said, his virtuous tone bearing only a hint of relish at the thought of where he was shifting the blame. He smiled blandly at R'lor. "Unless you'd like to take that one, Weyrlingmaster?"

A small flicker of annoyance crossed R’lor’s face as he met M’gan’s gaze. “Because some people believe that bronze and brownriders naturally have better judgment than us blue and greenriders.” He turned to the class. “I myself was only told when I became Weyrlingmaster. While we need to respect and obey our leaders, that doesn’t mean they always make the best decisions.”

L'tos sat back, and folded his hands together, his expression one of polite and utter disapproval. “I see. Thank you, Weyrlingmaster R'lor.” He said finally. “I trust anyone in this class wouldn't be so reckless as to try such a thing.”

Listening to all of this, Tindral felt a familiar yet still unsettling anger blossoming within her. Again, adults were making decisions that affected her and they weren’t asking her! Did every adult think that she was dumb just because she was young? Why were they always going on about making the best decisions for someone without _asking_ someone what they thought about it?!

Zaidi's hand suddenly went up and she felt her throat close a little and she was immediately red-faced with embarrassment and alarm (not to mention Bharboth's unconscionably rude mental tirade still gusting over her thoughts). She looked up at her hand as if shocked that her arm might have just done this without her. But M'gan had experience and M'gan was here and she-- Bharboth, she and Bharboth-- both she and Bharboth _needed_ to know.

“Um… sir,” Wide-eyed, she looked at the bronzerider. “W… Why did _you_ go?” Was that okay to ask?!

I'thralos perked up, suddenly very interested in the conversation. "Yeah, what made you want to risk that?"

For the first time, M'gan hesitated. Since his return he'd been steadfast in his insistence that he would not reveal where he'd really gone and why. He'd either said so, in no uncertain terms, or spun some ridiculous story, usually at the Weyrleader's expense. But he still had enough respect for the rank, if not the man himself, that he couldn't quite bring himself to make fun of N'vanik in front of the weyrlings - and, meeting the earnest gaze of the young greenrider, he somehow felt he had to take her question seriously.

"It was a personal matter. Something from my past that I felt I had to resolve. But now..." For a brief moment, he closed his eyes, his insouciance slipping. "I misjudged my return, and because of that, though I never meant it, I abandoned my post and left my Wing leaderless. I regret that."

“As you can see, even the most experienced riders can make a mistake when trying something so dangerous.” R’lor’s gaze swept over the class, hoping none of them would be reckless enough to attempt it. “M’gan is lucky he came back at all. He and Isarth could have easily been lost /between/ forever.”

Bharboth scoffed. }:I could do it.:{

**Bharbie, no.** A red-faced Zaidi glanced at R'lor as if he might actually hear her dragon, too.

Hallisenth snorted her opinion of such a jaunt, and L'tos tried to keep his expression politely neutral, with only limited success. “Noted, sir.” He told R'lor.

Tindral’s expression turned into a thoughtful scowl. Something personal? Something to resolve in his past? That felt…weak. It was the kind of language that adults used when they didn’t really have a good reason to do a thing but had done it anyway. Like they were withholding information and shouldn’t be.

She didn’t like it. But then again, she didn’t like a lot of things lately. She was, however, glad that Zaidi had asked. Her friend was brave.

“If you have any questions about this, you will come directly to _me_ do you understand?” R’lor gave them a hard look. “I’d better not hear of any of you attempting to go /between/ times. Because if you _do_ survive, you _will_ be found out and I _will_ send you to the Weyrleader, and he’s not nearly as forgiving as I am.”

Last updated on the November 2nd 2026

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Don't Do What M'gan Did