At the Twilight of Harmony

by Rammy

Multiple Personalities or How to Induce Migraines

44 days since the Nameless One’s escape

18 days since the fall of Traxti City

Afternoon, Hourglass

---

“Good afternoon Quartermaster.” Sentinel called out from the entrance of the forge.

A grunt of greeting was the only reply he got. Sentinel wasn’t surprised about the lack of a proper response. Quartermaster had be quite busy of late and probably was in a crucial spot that require his complete attention. He could tell though from the response that he got that he had permission to enter. Not that he need much given that not only was he secondclaw he was also Quartermaster’s hatchmate. He wasn’t at the point of a hoard gem… That may come into play if ever She of Hourglass and himself became hatchmates.

She of Hourglass soon came out from the back where the nest was to greet Sentinel who was currently watching Quartermaster.

“Welcome Secondclaw… As you can see Quartermaster is busy with a very delicate part of the Captain's armor. Is there a reason for your visit besides checking up on the progress of the Guard’s armor?”

“Firstclaw wants to hold a meeting.”

“Where and when?”

“The hunting grounds... If it is alright with you two here. Twixt’d will guard his clutchmates until the meeting is over… I know how leery you are about leaving your eggs unattended.”

“And when?”

“As soon as Firstclaw pulls Twixt’d way from the sparring grounds… The ponies and him have been taking a shining to each other…”

Quartermaster smirked as he finally finished the smelting the alloy he was working on. “Showing those namby pamby ponies what’s for?”

“You could say that…” Sentinel rolled his eyes. “I’m thinking of having him be in charge of non magic combat.”

---

“So, what is the meeting about?” Metal Claws asked, trying to resist the urge to return to the forge. He was willing to give the ponies the benefit of the doubt not only because of Soul Fire and Golden DragonHeart but also because they were to wield his hoard. But even then it was difficult…

“Me.” Soul Fire answered. Metal Claws raised an eyebrow at this. “Remember when I revealed that I retained the alicorn’s memories?”

---

23 Days after Soul Fire’s Choosing

Afternoon, Hourglass City

---

“Firstclaw why has the sky become dark and grey?” Legacy Chaser shivered a bit as she asked. The other clan members nodded in agreement.

“‘The Nameless One’ has escaped his prison.” Soul Fire responded as he entered the council chambers.

“Soul Fire!” Golden DragonHeart exclaimed in shock he could handle this without him so why was he here? “It’s not been thirty days yet…”

“As long as we keep this meeting short I should be okay.” Soul Fire was finding it easier to maintain his balance more and more, even with the escape of the ‘Nameless One’ causing him rage and unease. He knew it would happen but why so long after Golden DragonHeart’s Choosing and why right after his?

“If you say so Soul Fire.” Golden DragonHeart shrugged knowing better than to push.

“So… Metal Claws started, wanting to get back to what was angering him, “what are we going to do about that vile ‘dragon?’”

“For now?” The purple spark dragon remarked. “Not much more than what we are doing…”

“Nothing? NOTHING!” The red dragon screamed, smoke pouring out of his maw. “The scourge of dragon kind has escape and you want us to effectively do nothing!?”

“Did you really think the ‘Nameless One’ would come waltzing into Hourglass and lie down to die just like that?!?” Soul Fire slammed Metals Claws jaw shut. “Even though he has had hundreds of thousands of years to plan his revenge the world has changed enough that he will probably not reveal himself until he has had enough time to figure out all the changes and plan accordingly… until he makes a move we won’t know how to counter him.”

“And how would you figure that?” Metal Claws growled, flexing his claws in a menacing manner.

“I didn’t... ‘he’ did.”

“He? Who’s this ‘he’ you speak of?” Eternal Beats joked. A smack from Metal Claws’ tail made him yelp. Clearly the red dragon wasn’t in the mood for Eternal Beats’s lightheartedness

“He as in Harmonious Knight.” Soul Fire answered, breaking up the coming fight between Eternal Beats and Metal Claws.

Everydragon there but Golden DragonHeart went into various forms of shock from slackjawed to incoherent blabbering. Soul Fire and Golden DragonHeart waited for a while why the dragons pulled themselves together.

“A normal Choosing the memories should not be lost. ‘Detached’ but not lost...” Soul Fire noticed the lost looks on the clan’s faces. “I have all of his memories, but they are like the Dragon Heritage memories. I don’t have instant recall. If I wish to know what he knew I have to memory walk.”

---

Present

---

“Yeah... What about it?”

“I didn’t explain everything about the detached memories... they don’t remain detached. Over time the memories will become reattached...”

“And you couldn’t have told us then?” Soul Fire stared at Metal Claws. “Oh right…” Metal Claws blushed when he realized the reason why and that he had asked a stupid question with an obvious answer.

“The second reason for not telling you was I wasn't even sure it would happen. The memories were from an alicorn soul not a dragon soul I wasn’t going to raise anydragons hopes much less mine. I didn’t escape all of the curses on our race just some. For one I’m still subject to codes that are corrupted.”

“Is it possible to talk to your feral side?” Golden DragonHeart asked, moving the conversation to the other point he wanted to address. He raised a claw to stop the question forming on Metal Claws’ maw.

That surprised Soul Fire and given his powers of deduction and his recent maturation of the Clan leading code. “If that didn’t come from you I would be insulted, Dragon Keeper…”

“I’m, sorry Soul Fire,” Golden DragonHeart apologized, “but I need to understand the dynamic between your sides, and they should know as well.”

“You think it might help with your role of getting dragons back into harmony?” Soul Fire already knew the answer but asked it for his clanmates benefit. His keeper nodded. “Okay… I was going to wait until tomorrow to hunt… you are lucky that I am getting hungry… What I need you all to understand is that my feral side isn't caged. That means that he may not want to come out nor will he be forced out just because you want him to come out. For now, only Firstclaw may speak to him. He is the only one here that he trusts… sorry Metal Claws and MetalEtched Claws.”

After he got nods of agreement from his clan he took off. A few minutes later, he returned with a dead deer in his claws. He dropped the deer then landed. Sentient Soul Fire rubbed his paws excitedly as he eyed the deer. He felt like a colt in a candy store. Finally he decided on how to proceed and feral Soul Fire purred in agreement. With that both went to work smashing, cutting, and churning the innards into mush.

Golden DragonHeart struggled to not become nauseated from watching the dragon. This was worst than the last time, especially now that he knew about his sadistic tendencies with his food. His secondclaw wasn’t just squeezing the heart to mash but the entire insides of the deer. And what made it worse was the glint of satisfaction in the eyes of Soul Fire. Even Metal Claws and MetalEtched Claws, who were meat eaters, found the display unnerving.

“Speak.” came a guttural deep voice from Soul Fire. Metal Claws and MetalEtched Claws shuddered slightly at the sound of Soul Fire’s voice. Golden DragonHeart paled and in fear he took a step back. Soul Fire sounded almost like him whenever he slipped into rage.

Maybe this was a bad idea…

Soul Fire patience ran out as his growled angrily. “TALK!”

“Right… Sorry uh… how should I address you?”

At this Soul Fire stop his gleeful pureeing to look up at Golden DragonHeart. The eyes had darkened clearly they had become completely feral… slitted, fierce, and almost emotionless. The last time he had seen this was just before Soul Fire’s Choosing.

Golden DragonHeart gulped but manage to push through his fear to explain. “Not to offend either one but I need something way to speak to you in way that allows others to know which one I am talking to…”

“Have name. Remember?”

“Yes, I know that, but about non dragons? I can’t have them become confused. I and any dragon can understand the difference between Soul Fire and Soul Fire, but someone like our Captain of the Hourglass Guard can not.”

“Don’t care.”

“Ugh, this is migrace inducing…” Golden DragonHeart grumbled, rubbing his head.

“And now you see why I meditate as much as I do…” Soul Fire spoke in his normal voice and chuckled as he understood Golden DragonHeart’s dilemma. “If I don’t I tend to lose my identity and or slip from sentient to feral when neither us want… Never mind to try and reclaim as much of his memories as possible…”

“Soul Fire?” Golden DragonHeart questioned. He was sure that it was the sentient half talking again and he was sure what that meant but needed to double check.

“Yeah?”

“I take it your feral half is done talking…”

“As you should recall, he is short tempered… He has gone into the recess of our mind… for now…”

“Fero…” MetalEtched Claws muttered, whispered almost.

“Fero?” Soul Fire raised an eyebrow in question.

“As in ferocious…” MetalEtched Claws explained. “No too close to feral..”

Metal Claws eyed his mate unsure of exactly what her train of thought was. He figured she would reveal it in time. In the mean time, now that feral Soul Fire was done talking he could ask a question that had been playing in his mind since the revelation that Soul Fire allowed his feral side free reign. “So exactly how is your feral side able to come out without being in one of the growths or in the middle of becoming a rage dragon?”

“Special circumstances Metal Claws.”

“Let me guess, once being an alicorn?” Metal Claws crossed his forelegs.

“It did help, yes… Remember the ash illness?” Metal Claws nodded. “Prior or shortly after those instances and right after each cutiemark’s reappearance he would be pulled into his inner fire…”

“What? How? The only way to even observe an inner fire is through another's eyes and never your own..”

“True… My guess is the fact I had two types of soul at the same time… Now that I only possess one I can’t reenter it… trust me, I’ve tried…. Just prior to choosing when he found out his soul was alicorn and dragon he also discovered that the dragon had no name… the alicorn, he laid down without any provocation or persuasion of any kind, he was willing to have his life ended like that of a dishonored dragon. That is how he became to trust me or him or ugh whatever…”

“I got it! Vorac!” MetalEtched Claws shouted, startling everydragon.

Soul Fire started to uncontrollably purr and rumble in contentment. A feeling just like during his first hunt pulled on his mind… to become completely feral. Unlike that time, his time he mentally stepped down encouraging his feral half to go all out. The feral side surge forward so much that the sentinel side was temporarily gone. Just like during mating and growths.

Must make her hatchmate now. Vorac thought as blew his white fire onto his tail and held it out toward MetalEtched Claws.

MetalEtched Claws was caught off guard. She wasn’t expecting a move like that especially from the now titled Vorac.

“Go on…” Metal Claws grinned as nudged his frozen mate forward. He shivered in excitement at her becoming a fellow hatchmate of Soul Fire.

MetalEtched Claws shock induced hesitation lifted and she followed Vorac’s lead before blowing her orange flame on her own tail and touching her tail to his.

The white fire and orange flame danced between the two dragons’ tails. MetalEtched Claws and Vorac could feel the fire beginning to burn painfully but neither one dared to let go less they would have to start again. Just when it was getting to be unbearable the flames died out leaving both of their tails charred. To finish each dragon carefully cleaned the ash from their tails with their tongues leaving behind fresh and clean scales. The acrid ash in their mouths sealed their fates as hatchmates. Vorac could feel that the link between MetalEtched Claws and ‘Sentinel’ strengthen.

“I’m sorry…” Vorac growled out in apology. Vorac then faded back to the background of the mind and Soul Fire felt his mind return to normal… That was... unexpected...

“What just happen!?” Golden DragonHeart was clueless as to what just happened. He understood the Fire Tail Ceremony but why would the feral half initiate it?

“Why did he say I’m sorry?” Metal Claws added.

“Vorac felt it was time... As I said before I will not caged a part of myself, but that doesn't mean I understand what he is thinking all of the time… And as for him saying he's sorry I would assume that it would that is had to do with when MetalEtched Claws was laying… it was a struggle on my part to keep Vorac from trying to smash your eggs…”

“We knew the risks…” MetalEtched Claws shrugged. “There was no reason for the apology…”

“I uh…” Soul Fire stammered. Wait why did Vorac apologize? That’s something I would do as it’s a sentient thing, not feral...

“Why don’t we let Soul Fire finish his meal…” Golden DragonHeart suppressed a knowing laugh. “I know you two still have work to do, and I’m sure Twixt’d will want to get back to the sparring grounds.”

Soul Fire dived right back into the deer getting gore all over his snout causing a shudder of pleasure to flow along his spine. He really loved blood, guts, and gore. He sat on his haunches and cracked open the skull like a coconut on his knee…

---

Evening, Hourglass

---

“You wanted to see me?” Soul Fire asked as he walked into the forge.

Metal Claws put the sword he was working on in a barrel of oil to cool it until he could get back to it and turned to face his hatchmate, waving his claw. The door to the forge shut behind Soul Fire. Soul Fire looked back at the sound. He had never seen Metal Claws do that before… the doors had always remained open… of course now there was ponies inside the city so whatever they wanted to talk about they must have wanted privacy for it. “We felt that it was time…”

“Time for what?” Soul Fire wondered as he watched MetalEtched Claws come from the back expertly avoiding the piles of items that were stacked about the forge.

MetalEtched Claws walked up to Soul Fire, grinning from ear to ear. She opened her claw to reveal that she was holding a dark red gem and gave it to him.

A Hoard Gem!?? Soul Fire starred in shock at the gem. Sure, he wanted a hoard gem from every dragon in the clan, and have them as hatchmates, but he would never push… He figured they would give him a hoard gem eventually he just never expected it so soon.

A purring rumble could be heard in his heart… It confused him for a moment before he realized his body also really purring. Both sides were now in tandem and why not the purring felt so good… like a long stretch after napping. It was just like when he realized the joys of the hunt. We really have the best hoard don't we?

*Agreed.* Came a gruff thought in Soul Fire’s mind.

The shock of Vorac speaking to him temporarily stopped his purring before it returned even louder than before. His feral half never talked to him like that since before his choosing… of course, the feral half never talked before then, period, and he was Harmonious Knight then but then he wasn’t… Harmonious Knight he was Soul Fire his soul was Harmonious Knight but he was Soul Fire. Soul Fire mentally shook his head before the spiraling and confusing who and what he was and is line of thinking made him lose his euphoria.

He popped the Hoard Gem into his mouth and crunched on it. He was better prepared for what was to come. So he relaxed as in his mind he became Metal Claws and not Soul Fire. As he looked around he knew exactly what each piece of metal in the forge was for and how to create new ones. Drool dripped from his open maw as his gaze landed on his mate MetalEtched Claws lustfully. A red dragon suddenly blocked his path from his mate. He would deal with him in a short manner.

Suddenly, he realized he wasn’t supposed to be Metal Claws he was supposed to be Soul Fire and he shook off those feelings and memories as he fully became Soul Fire again… The memories of how the forge and such left him but the memories of how two mates felt for each other strangely didn’t. So that was what is was like to have a mate...

*Need mate...* Vorac spoke again.

He never had a strong urge to find a mate given that the dragon part of him was still trapped within his inner fire when he went through the first growth. Now his loins and heart ached for one. His purring became a loud rumble as he began to daydream of the perfect mate.

“Brother?” Metal Claws worriedly questioned. He was aware of the effects of a hoard gem but knowing the effects and seeing them were two different things, and he was sure the rumbling purr was not one them.

“Hm??” Soul Fire dreamily wondered before he suddenly realized he was still in his hatchmates’ hoard and they still had a lot of work to do. “Oh, right, I should let you get back to your hoard.”

“Wait… It’s not that…” Metal Claws reached out as Soul Fire started to head out.

Soul Fire gave a gruff, feral laugh. “I know.” Before Metal Claws or MetalEtched Claws could further object Soul Fire had left the forge.

Metal Claws remembered that laugh, it sounded just like the Vorac’s laugh, assuming that it was Vorac, from just before Soul Fire’s choosing. Metal Claws rubbed his head as he tried to ward off a headache. The purring rumble and gruntal laugh did make him wonder was feral Vorac and sentient Soul Fire blending together? Was this what rage growth was before it was rage growth?