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Description
Before the founding of the Empire of Equestria, even before the birth of pony civilization in general, the god Keris gave the gift of fire to each of the equine races. This, Keris' first and greatest blessing to the ponies of the world of Equestria, was revered and studied by all. With fire, the Earth Ponies were able to tame the wild, fey forests that controlled Equestria's lowlands. With fire, the Pegasi were able to craft weather patterns with unparalleled precision. With fire, the Unicorns were able to reach new levels of knowledge about the physical and magical world that surrounded them. But for all this, it was the Zebras who mastered Keris' gift and brought the art of fire to a state of near-perfection.

Living as they did in the deserts and jungles of Zebrica, the Zebras had from the start been hard-pressed for survival. Terrifying beasts of earth and shadow stalked the forests, while the mighty dragons controlled the open plains and mountains. The Zebra tribes never stayed in place long, always dodging around the hunting territory of Equestria's most dangerous predators, always hiding and evading. This changed when Keris, Goddess of Change, bestowed upon them the knowledge of fire and its uses.

The wisest among the Zebra immediately grasped the value of fire as a survival tool -- to keep warm in the winters, to rid food of diseases and parasites, to provide light in dark and dangerous places. It was they who perfected the art of creating and maintaining fire -- the most skilled among them would carry a single ember in their mane or tail, using that one tiny spark to create fire wherever they needed it.

The most curious among the Zebra saw the value of fire as a tool for exploration and creation. Fire could strip away tough exteriors to lay bare the inner workings of the jungle's mighty trees. Fire could transform mundane plants and other ingredients into potent chemical brews, much more effective than chewing raw leaves as the Zebras had done for centuries. In extreme circumstances, fire could even be used to cleanse and purify severe injuries, preventing sickness and disease.

But for all of this, it was the most aggressive Zebras who turned fire into the terrifying weapon that it is today. Learning from the dragons, who had known fire since their first days, these brave warriors learned how to manipulate fire itself. They learned to command it to burn brighter and hotter than it ever would naturally, to guide its ravenous, insatiable hunger as carefully as their own hooves, and most importantly, they learned how to absorb fire directly, supercharging their own bodies in the manner of the dragons.

In time, the Zebra tribes grew from a race of timid scavengers into proud and mighty civilizations willing to take on all comers in defense of their land. Even the typically aloof dragons took notice of them, and respected the Zebra for their mastery of fire. So it was that the chief among the dragons, Exakktus the Black, made a peace-gift to the Zebras -- two enchanted vials each containing a quantity of Dragonfire.

Dragonfire is not truly fire. It is the physical manifestation of the magical singularity which powers a dragon's body, and it is one of the most potent substances in the known universe. As long as a single quantity of the substance is smaller than a certain maximum mass, it will self-sustain an average temperature of 5000 degrees Celsius, comparable to the surface of the Sun, with light emissions to match. In this state, the dragonfire is simply emitting the energy produced by the previously mentioned "singularity". However, if the mass of an uncontrolled sample of dragonfire exceeds the "critical mass", the singularity will begin to reabsorb its own radiant energy, re-emitting it ten times over. A cataclysmic chain reaction then occurs, and everything within several kilometers is turned to ash.

The two vials of Dragonfire together contain enough to start such a chain reaction.

Description
Before the founding of the Empire of Equestria, even before the birth of pony civilization in general, the god Keris gave the gift of fire to each of the equine races. This, Keris' first and greatest blessing to the ponies of the world of Equestria, was revered and studied by all. With fire, the Earth Ponies were able to tame the wild, fey forests that controlled Equestria's lowlands. With fire, the Pegasi were able to craft weather patterns with unparalleled precision. With fire, the Unicorns were able to reach new levels of knowledge about the physical and magical world that surrounded them. But for all this, it was the Zebras who mastered Keris' gift and brought the art of fire to a state of near-perfection.

Living as they did in the deserts and jungles of Zebrica, the Zebras had from the start been hard-pressed for survival. Terrifying beasts of earth and shadow stalked the forests, while the mighty dragons controlled the open plains and mountains. The Zebra tribes never stayed in place long, always dodging around the hunting territory of Equestria's most dangerous predators, always hiding and evading. This changed when Keris, Goddess of Change, bestowed upon them the knowledge of fire and its uses.

The wisest among the Zebra immediately grasped the value of fire as a survival tool -- to keep warm in the winters, to rid food of diseases and parasites, to provide light in dark and dangerous places. It was they who perfected the art of creating and maintaining fire -- the most skilled among them would carry a single ember in their mane or tail, using that one tiny spark to create fire wherever they needed it.

The most curious among the Zebra saw the value of fire as a tool for exploration and creation. Fire could strip away tough exteriors to lay bare the inner workings of the jungle's mighty trees. Fire could transform mundane plants and other ingredients into potent chemical brews, much more effective than chewing raw leaves as the Zebras had done for centuries. In extreme circumstances, fire could even be used to cleanse and purify severe injuries, preventing sickness and disease.

But for all of this, it was the most aggressive Zebras who turned fire into the terrifying weapon that it is today. Learning from the dragons, who had known fire since their first days, these brave warriors learned how to manipulate fire itself. They learned to command it to burn brighter and hotter than it ever would naturally, to guide its ravenous, insatiable hunger as carefully as their own hooves, and most importantly, they learned how to absorb fire directly, supercharging their own bodies in the manner of the dragons.

In time, the Zebra tribes grew from a race of timid scavengers into proud and mighty civilizations willing to take on all comers in defense of their land. Even the typically aloof dragons took notice of them, and respected the Zebra for their mastery of fire. So it was that the chief among the dragons, Exakktus the Black, made a peace-gift to the Zebras -- two enchanted vials each containing a quantity of Dragonfire.

Dragonfire is not truly fire. It is the physical manifestation of the magical singularity which powers a dragon's body, and it is one of the most potent substances in the known universe. As long as a single quantity of the substance is smaller than a certain maximum mass, it will self-sustain an average temperature of 5000 degrees Celsius, comparable to the surface of the Sun, with light emissions to match. In this state, the dragonfire is simply emitting the energy produced by the previously mentioned "singularity". However, if the mass of an uncontrolled sample of dragonfire exceeds the "critical mass", the singularity will begin to reabsorb its own radiant energy, re-emitting it ten times over. A cataclysmic chain reaction then occurs, and everything within several kilometers is turned to ash.

The two vials of Dragonfire together contain enough to start such a chain reaction.