Harmony blinked as he attempted to clear his vision. He could tell that he was lying on a couch next to a fire. He rubbed his foreleg against his eyes to clear the remaining sleep. It was then that he realized that he was in Scorpan’s home. Looked around he couldn’t see him. He slowly got up to a sitting position as he wasn’t sure how long he was out or how much strength he had and he wasn’t about to push it, yet.
“I never thought that I would see a dragon so distraught and so rage filled at the same time.” Harmony turned around to see that Scorpan was entering the den with a tray of tea. “Though I’m certain you have.”
Harmony rolled his eyes at Scorpan’s greeting him with his trademark musing, “I have…” He sighed as knew what that meant. For a dragon to have such polar opposite emotions at the same time…
“Harmony?” Scorpan snapped a claw in front of Harmony’s face. Harmony shooked his head at the sudden sound and movement. “Good. You’re back. Tea?”
Harmony nodded in thanks as he carefully tested his magic out. Finding that at least his telekinesis was working he levitated the cup and took a comforting sip of the soothing herbal tea.
Scorpan silently sipped his tea along with Harmony. He knew that Harmony was going to need something calming with what he was about to tell him. Once he noticed that Harmony put down his tea he nonchalantly commented. “You no longer have Magic Wasting Disease.”
If Harmony’s jaw could drop to the floor it would. Of all the things to go right he was not expecting that. It had to be too good to be true. “How? Are you sure? I mean…”
“Yes, I’m quite sure.” Scorpan was going to explain how he didn’t know how when he saw that Harmony was out for the count. Glad I waited until he put the cup down...
Harmony again had completely lost all of his senses. The shock of having the debilitating disease that he had been suffering from for so long to truly be gone was too much for him to process. Scorpan sighed heavily knowing he would need to wait patiently for Harmony’s gears to restart.
Scorpan managed to finished his third cup when Harmony finally woke from his catatonic state. Time for another one. “I have no idea why you are coughing slash vomiting up ash. I have not made a complete analysis yet, but it is draconic in origin.”
That only partly surprised Harmony. He was also thinking it was draconic as well but was hoping that Scorpan would have an answer as to why. “I haven’t been to the Migration in quite a while and I know you would have noticed if I had an ash problem when we attempted to cure the Magic Wasting Disease a couple of months ago.”
Scorpan put his cup down before speaking, “I don’t have an easy way to say this but what about the Dragon Keeper?”
“Hmmm…” Harmony had thought that could be a small possibility but neither him or Quartermaster had really done anything that would cause this much. He had coughed up ash before when he wasn’t careful at the Migration. It was a sign that he was inhaling too much of their smoke. It meant that he needed to renew one of several spells that he had to cast for his own protection whenever he was there. It was lucky that day that they had been the the whelp crater and not in any of the others… “It’s not likely but at this point I wouldn't count it out. What do you need from him?”
“A sample of his ash. Enough to fill this jar.” Scorpan put a sizable mason jar on the coffee table between them.
Harmony eyed the size of the jar. It was going to be interesting to get Quartermaster to produce that much ash willingly. “You sure you need that much?”
“Hopefully not. But I don’t want to have to walk all the way to Hourglass to get more. I’m not that young anymore. Plus with the final Keeper now here the ‘Chaos Bringer’ is going to make life a living Tartarus for all of us.”
“Very well...” Harmony sighed heavily at the reminder of the task ahead. “I will also get a sample from the other dragon of Hourglass as well.”
“Other dragon? In Hourglass? Are you saying that not only the Dragon Keeper has claimed Hourglass but another dragon as well? Hourglass is a large city but not that big.”
“The Keeper started a dragon clan.”
“A dragon clan?”
Harmony shrugged. “I pretty much know about as much as you on the subject.”
“Sounds headache inducing.”
Harmony raised an eyebrow at Scorpan’s knowing remark. “Are you reading into my magic more than you need too again?”
“No…” Scorpan quickly answered waving his hands defensively before he incredulously added, “should I?”
Harmony facehoofed knowing that he walked into that one. He decided not to indulge any more than that response as he didn't want to start that routine. At least Scorpan wouldn’t run it six feet under like a certain draconequus would. “How much does he know?”
“The Dragon Keeper? Not much. I had to kick him out when he wouldn’t stop acting like a vulture awaiting his next meal as I was attempting to access what was wrong with you.”
Harmony laughed a bit. “I bet that didn’t go well.” Harmony knew that Scorpan had done something extremely dangerous. A dragon with a threatened hoard was not someone you would want to get mad. Well madder than they would already be. Kicking him out could have been enough to become fricasseed with any other dragon. Luckily it was He of Hourglass. He was bound to do something surprising by doing what would be considered the opposite reaction of a ‘normal’ dragon.
“Not until I told him that his hovering was inhibiting my ability to help and that I would call for him when I had something or when you awoke.” Scorpan poured out another cup for Harmony who nodded in thanks. “I did ask him if there were any dragon specific diseases that might have any symptoms that would match yours. Unfortunately, he knew of none that could even remotely match. Of course a dragon disease might act differently on a non dragon…”
“What is the other thing.” Harmony eyed Scorpan over the rim of his cup.
“Uh…”
“There is something you are hiding… what is it?”
“Well, I’m still not positive of the results…”
Harmony slowly and dramatically put down his cup. “Scorpan…”
“When I checked your magic… I found an anomaly…”
“An anomaly?”
“There was dragon mana in you along with alicorn.”
“Odd, but I think I know how that happened. He of Hourglass stop a fainting spell a while back. Although it should have dispelled itself shortly afterwards.”
“I did surreptitiously scanned Golden Heart signature and it doesn't match. That would be odd if that was the only thing. This is what really got my attention: I had a hard time seeing the dragon magic. There is only one way that could happen. The dragon magic had the same signature as your native alicorn magic.”
“Correct me if I’m remembering wrong but what you just said was a step in the curing process for the Magic Wasting Disease. So why would that get you so concerned?”
“True. But what got me was that transplanted magic from a different species can not replenish itself. This magic can.”
“How!?” Harmony barely managed to keep himself from going into another zone out. The only thing that could even come close would be ascension. But in that case the magic type completely changes to the new. Twilight’s magic signature at her ascension was the same it just changed from unicorn to alicorn. That obviously didn’t happen here as the dragon magic would have clearly overpowered the Alicorn...
“No idea. After I discovered the dragon magic during your initial scan I removed some of the dragon mana to study to see if it was the source of your ash coughing. I had taken it to the lab to study. When I was unable to get much out of it I came back to do some more detailed scans. It was then that I found out that your dragon mana was increasing. I tried removing a larger amount just to see if maybe I had messed up the first time. I waited an hour and did the scan again and the mana level had returned to the previous amount. I experiment several more times but the same thing happened every time.”
“Did you remove it all?”
“No. I dared not. I wasn’t going to risk it. I’m not sure how the dragon mana is replenishing itself and I have no idea what could happen if I remove it all.”
“Is it over powering the alicorn mana?”
“No…” Scorpan blinked in confusion at such a strange question. “But I would refrain from trying to use the mana as the results may not be good.”
“Ugh…” Harmony rubbed his head with a vengeance as a migrane of a headache formed, “with every answer we only discover a more deeper mystery…”
“Seems to be a prevailing problem for you.”
“Do me a favor Scorpan. Keep everything about the dragon magic between us. I don’t think He of Hourglass could handle what it could mean.” Harmony began to stand as he knew that he had to get back to work and it could be a while before Scorpan could finish whatever experiments he needed to do. Scorpan tried putting out an arm to stop Harmony when but Harmony shook his head. “I have a job to do. You know this Scorpan. As we don’t know what exactly is causing this we are wasting time here…” Harmony looked to the north. Even though there was only a wall there he knew that He of Hourglass was out there, needing him.
Harmony could just feel the dreariness, the sadness, the pain. The source was sitting ahead of him. He of Hourglass was facing away with his back towards him. He was bowed over the water and his head was in his claws. His tail laid limpy on the ground and he was sure if He of Hourglass wings ㅡwherever they seemed to disappear toㅡ would be droopy. The bright sparks that normally flowed over him seemed to have dimmed like the mood that the dragon was in. A slight disturbance rippled in the waters of the Oasis which meant only one thing. It takes a lot for a proud dragon to demean themselves like that.
”He of Hourglass?” Harmony had softly called out as he didn’t want to startle him in this state. If the dragon heard there was no indication. He got right up to the dragon and whispered softly, “Brother?”
“I thought… I thought I was going to lose you.” When the dragon finally spoke it was in a whispered croak and he refused to face Harmony. Harmony’s heart nearly broke as he heard the pain emanating from his brother. “I was useless, totally useless…”
Now that was enough. Harmony knew better than that. That was Spike speaking not Golden Heart. Even as a hatchling Spike was not useless he just thought that. Usefulness was not defined by the sharpness of claws and teeth or by size of body. It was a lesson that Spike never quite got. Harmony sighed Looks like it’s time to get that lesson over with.
“I’m sorry brother, but you’re wrong.” Harmony lit his horn and conjured a musical wind. “You are so wrong.”
“Brother…” He of Hourglass looked around trying to figure out what was going on. The music was soothing but he could feel something much older and deeper as well.
Let your heart tell you the truth (He of Harmony?)
Never forget your place
Let my voice be soothing
Regain your peace
“Is this…?” He of Hourglass wondered. Harmony ignored him as he continued his song.
So a little voice tells you that you are useless?
May my voice cry out in song
You hear that you are what some might say is hopeless
For I say that they are wrong
Let your heart tell you the truth
Never forget your place
Let my voice be soothing
Regain your peace
He of Hourglass’ pain seemed to lift off of him. This definitely is the legendary Soul Music. He figured that the ancient form of harmony magic would return to the world, but…
Usefulness is not defined by size, fang, or claw
Nor only by strength alone
To just be there with another when their dark hour falls
‘Tis better than being one
He of Hourglass could fill the pull increase. The ancient musical magic of Harmony was calling for him to join. He couldn’t help but answer.
Let your(I’ll let my) heart tell you(me) the truth
Never forget your(my) place
Let my(our) voice(s) be soothing
Regain your(my) peace
Our hearts will sing out the truth
As we remember our place
Our voices will be soothing
And find our peace