//------------------------------// // Dawn of a New Era // Story: At the Twilight of Harmony // by Rammy //------------------------------// “Well, well, well… if it isn’t a pair of trespassers…” A voice echoed out. History Seeker tensed up at the sound of the voice that he was sure had come from behind him. He knew it had been too good to be true. He slowly turned to see who spoke. *        *        * When History Seeker looked behind himself, he expected to see a dragon, but what he saw was nothing. Just the library. History Seeker chuckled at his reaction. I think this city is causing me to hear voices... “Firstclaw, I expected you to take a bit more time to wake up…” History Seeker started to panic as Storyteller spoke. “How long have you been there?” “Long enough, Storyteller.” Came the bodiless voice again, known only as Firstclaw. History Seeker was sure, though, that this ‘Firstclaw’ was He of Hourglass. By this point, History Seeker was amazed he had not lost his bowels. Or at least, he would have been, if the terror that was coursing through his body would allow him to think of anything other than death and doom. Suddenly, something hit the back of the pony’s head. History Seeker yelped and spun around to see Storyteller standing behind him. “Will you relax already!” Storyteller inwardly groaned. “Firstclaw, maybe you could stop scaring the poor pony and show yourself.” Purple and green sparks started to appear right in front of History Seeker, causing him to back up. He didn’t get too far, as Storyteller blocked his escape. Soon, he could see a familiar purple and green dragon appear from the sparks. Except it looked almost like a dragon had stepped in glittery gold hoof paint, then stamped his or her paw onto He of Hourglass’ face. History Seeker was too terrified to question why though. “I’m not going to hurt you…”  He of Hourglass crouched down to make himself appear smaller, in hopes that it would help ease the pony’s fear. He knew that the pony had taken his clanmate’s egg, as he had smelled the pony when he had awoken. He knew that there was no way that Storyteller would have let anyone into Hourglass, much less his library, unless they were trustworthy enough. Maybe I went a touch too far... “H-h-how c-ca-can I t-t-trust you?” History Seeker was shaking so hard that he chattered out his question. “Well, for one thing, Juls ir viesis thav zazlis, and second, your compass…” “WHAT THE BUCK IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT MY COMPASS!?” The complete turnaround of History Seeker surprised He of Hourglass; even with his use of Draconian to state he was a guest and not a thief, he didn’t expect a pony going from out right fright, to screaming in anger. “I KNOW! MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE IT’S THE MAGICAL COMPASS OF VAGUENESS!” “Well, no…” He of Hourglass grinned, finding he was really liking this pony. Magical compass of vagueness indeed. “It’s more along the lines of One compass to rule them all, One compass to find them, One compass to bring them all and in the darkness bind them…” “Ugh, Firstclaw, that is not how it works and…” Storyteller started to object before He of Hourglass crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Uh... good point...” “What are… No...” History Seeker raised one forehoof while the other slapped his face. “I don’t want to know. Mr I-hide-in-a-cloak will only confuse and annoy me with non-answer answers, and Mr Dragon Snarkfest will probably tell me using remarks that would require inside knowledge, which I don’t have.” “Your loss.” He of Hourglass shrugged. He would be more than happy to tell him, but if Storyteller had not told him yet, maybe he was waiting to tell, as to not spoil the story. At least the pony had lost his fear of him. “Do you wish to tell this next part, Firstclaw?” “No, go right ahead, Storyteller.” In a rush, the clan made their way to Quartermaster. Due to Twixt’d’s and Sentinel’s speed, they got to him first. What they saw was hard to swallow. For Scorpion and He of Hourglass, it was a shocking sight; in contrast for Twixt’d and Sentinel, who had seen Medallion, this was not quite as bad… but it was close. He of Hourglass struggled to remain upright, as the guilt crashed down on him again. Quartermaster was on his back. His wings were torn and broken, which was to be expected, given how hard He of Hourglass had not only slammed him into the ground, but then slammed into him. His chest sported a half-dozen deep puncture marks from where He of Hourglass’ claws had dug into his chest. It was clear that all of his ribs were broken, as well as his chest being visibly caved inward. Sentinel quickly changed to being an alicorn, and, as he did, his dragon form, as light, formed around him. He was going to need both types of magic to have a chance at saving Quartermaster, if he was even alive. I really could use Scorpan right now… but no time... Sentinel went about sending as much healing magic as he could into Quartermaster. While he did that, he attempted to get a better feel for the extent of the injuries he was dealing with. Thanks to that, he could see that Quartermaster was alive, if barely. But, as he continued, his expression turned from one of concentration to one of grimness. Both lungs were punctured. The liver, spleen, and one kidney had several lacerations from the broken ribs. Quartermaster’s back had several fractures, and, as was already visible, the wings were shattered. Sentinel let his horn fade, along with the healing spell. There is nothing he could do, the internal bleeding from all of that was massive. Even Scorpan’s skill would be for naught. How Quartermaster managed to live this long was a shocker to him. He switched back to his dragon form, knowing that he could do nothing more… “I’m sorry…” Sentinel sighed, as he shed a single tear. “Quartermaster is dying, and there is nothing that can be done…” “What?” He of Hourglass grabbed Sentinel and shook him hard, much to the dragon's annoyance. “There must be something!” “FIRSTCLAW, ENOUGH!” Sentinel roared, shocking He of Hourglass out of his guilt trip. He removed himself from his firstclaw’s grip, and turned back to his hatchmate. “Quartermaster, Scorpion, or even I would have gladly laid down our lives, if that is what it took to get you back…even by your own claw or flame...” “I... buh... I.. Really?” He of Hourglass asked as soon as he could form the single word question. “Jā.” The clan as one spoke. Quartermaster groaned painfully as he opened his eyes, catching everydragon’s attention. “Quartermaster?” Sentinel whispered in surprise. He was not expecting Quartermaster to regain consciousness. “Hatchmate, did… did we… beat the rage out of him?” Quartermaster painfully asked. Sentinel moved to the side, so that Quartermaster could see He of Hourglass. Quartermaster manage to crack a smile, upon seeing his firstclaw back to normal, though he didn't like seeing the shame on He of Hourglass’ face. He should be filled with shame, not his firstclaw. Now that he knew that his firstclaw was back to normal, he could find out about how his hatchmate survived. “Secondclaw... how… did...” Quartermaster stopped talking, as the buildup of blood in his lungs and maw suddenly made it too difficult to talk. “Short answer?” Sentinel answered as he cast a spell to help ease Quartermaster‘s breathing by removing the blood in his lungs. He knew that all it did was delay the inevitable, but right now, his hatchmate deserve to have an answer. “By the grace of the Voice and the Spirits of the buffalo.” “My mate…” “Don’t worry, I killed the fucker and HiS SCrEAms WeRe delicIOUS.” Sentinel and Vorac drooled at the memory. “Good.” “What are you talking about?” He of Hourglass questioned, confused. “Who are you referring to?” “She of Hourglass was killed, and two of their eggs were smashed…by the white and yellow dragon...” Sentinel growled out. He was still a bit annoyed that it couldn’t have lasted a bit longer, but, in the end, the dragon got exactly what was coming to him. The clan reacted in a mix of rage and grief over the news. Sentinel put up a claw to get their attention. There would be time for grieving/raging over that later, as first, they had a very pressing matter to deal with first. “Right now, all you need to know is that the dragon responsible is dead… We, however, have a pressing manner to deal with right now. Twixt’d’s Choosing is upon us.” “How!? He’s not even five!” Quartermaster weakly protested, coughing. “Yet, Twixt’d ready… right?” Vorac spoke up, to which Twixt’d nodded in response. *You did it again!* Sentinel fake pouted, to the sounds of Vorac’s laughter. “Dad, thank you for everything,” Twixt’d walked up to gaze into his father's eyes. To see his dad dying was killing him inside, but he needed to do this… and he wanted his dad to be proud of him one last time... “but I know who I am. I can hear it calling me. I need to answer it.” “Quartermaster, when it’s time, it’s time…” Sentinel added. “Firstclaw and I had been noticing the signs for months… Personally, I was a bit surprised it didn’t happen when Twixt’d broke the Rainboom barrier the first time… The question that needs answering right now is, if Twixt’d still wishes join the clan, or to go out on his own.” “Secondclaw I…” He of Hourglass began to object, before he was stopped by Sentinel clamping his mouth shut with magic. He of Hourglass would have protested him doing that, but his shame was still too strong. He wanted Twixt’d to join, but after what he did to Quartermaster… He was soon to be a Kinslayer… A dragon that killed a clanmate in a dishonorable fashion... Twixt’d went silent for a moment. He looked at his fading father, then at the remaining dragons of Hourglass. Each one had lost so much in the war, but somehow, they still pulled through because they had each other... Earlier Twixt’d held his breath, wondering if whatever happened meant that Sentinel had found a way to bring back Firstclaw. He watched as Secondclaw, Sentinel, landed near Firstclaw and the initial back and forth between them. It was clear that Firstclaw was terrified of Secondclaw. But it was clear that, while He of Hourglass was terrified, Secondclaw only seemed to have joy and concern. Secondclaw’s eyes were glowing! Not from power, but with joy! It was joy the likes of which he had never seen, before. It drew him in, and he could feel that same joy. It surpassed all joy, even when he first broke the Rainboom barrier. He felt like he could Rainboom the Rainboom while staying perfectly still. He finally broke free of the contact … He didn’t want to, but Sentinel had returned his attention to the girls and Firstclaw. Having nothing else to do, and some things to think about, he decided to land next to Scorpion. All my life I wanted to escape… Escape the misery of the streets of Traxti City… to fly away like the seagulls… ...He didn’t want to die that day on the cliffs overlooking Traxti City… he knew dragons were supposed to fly…. and, in his young mind and desperation… he thought... ...Sentinel, or Harmony, as he was back when he was Harmony, always wanted him to soar differently… quit thinking so negative, he would always say. He never seemed to fly much, but he always seemed to soar in his heart… Thinking about it, Twixt’d had only one thought on all of this...   ...That was true flying, true soaring… for, if one soared in their heart… one could fly, even on the ground… and that joy was the joy he had for his family, for me, for Firstclaw… From deep within Twixt’d, he could feel what he truly was, what he wanted to hoard, his name… He felt such an urgency to open his metaphorical wings in a soaring roar! Only one thing held him back now, and he wanted to let his parents... DAD! “I’m joining.” “But...” He of Hourglass began to protest. “I...I’m the reason… that...” “Enough!” Twixt’d snapped, angrily staring down the spark dragon. “I will not have my firstclaw be apologetic one moment further. You are still family to my dad, and soon, my clan will be all that I have left to remind me of him… I refuse to let bitterness, pain, and rage cage me. I will be free from the chains that bind me, but I don’t want to be free and alone. I want to see that same freedom come alive in others as they see me… soar...” “Let’s do this,” Sentinel spoke, before they could get any further off track. He cast another healing spell on Quartermaster, hoping that it would keep him alive long enough for the completion of Twixt’d’s Choosing. “Quartermaster has mere moments left.” The gathered dragons began to roar, almost in sync, right away. Even Quartermaster, who was fast fading, was able to roar with the rest, though his roar was much weaker. Quartermaster began to tear up as he heard his son join in. Slozszelts CktüisSirts Golden DragonHeart roared his name. Tvēsele Uzuthszrēüs Soul Fire added after his firstclaw. Letāls Thazs Metal Claws managed to roar his name, but he started to cough up massive amounts of blood. Pain began to course through him even more than it already had. He fought to remain conscious; he was not going to miss this. Lūžīzs Ritls Eternal Beats, as usual, sang his name. Cktlathējošs Tesesis Twixt’d roared out the name he had chosen. As Twixt’d roared his name, he could feel a strange but warm power rush through him. He could feel a change going on in his inner fire, and in his mind. Something from within his inner fire was torn out, and whatever it was caused his inner fire to become wild and free, and the desire to hoard to fuel that fire came upon him. At the same time, a rush of new memories, instincts, new ways of thinking, and of being an adult, flooded his mind. For a second, he tensed up at the changes going on in his mind. He relaxed, as he suddenly realized that he knew that his memories would return fully later…  there was hoarding to do, first, after all. The roaring faded away, leaving only the sound of the raspy breathing coming from Metal Claws. The blood, for the moment, had stopped pouring out of his maw, now that the stress of roaring was gone. “Father!” The dragon went to his father and brother in concern. He knew that Metal Claws was dying, but still... Metal Claws looked at his clanmate, Soaring Skies, confused. “How?” “With the Nameless One’s death, the curse should have lifted… Remember when I said that dragons were not supposed to lose their memories?” Soul Fire reminded Metal Claws. “Though, in this case, I would say clan memories told him, over Soaring Skies’ whelp and hatchling memories… as those should be currently ‘detached” “Soul Fire is correct…” Soaring skies nodded in agreement. “I know that you are my adoptive father from the clan memories… my ‘detached’ memories, as Soul Fire put it, aside from the ‘adoptive’ part, also say that you are my father… it’s a weird disconnect...” “Imagine having ten thousand years of alicorn memories…” That elicited a chuckle from the entire clan, except Metal Claws, who more gurgled than laughed. The blood was rushing back in. Soul Fire refrained from doing anything this time, as he didn’t want to prolong his hatchmate’s suffering any longer, now that Soaring Skies had chosen. Soaring Skies also looked at his father and brother, and could see that Metal Claws was trying to speak his last words to him, but he was too weak to speak up, so he walked up closer. Metal Claws smiled and slowly reached out with a claw, caressing Soaring Skies’ cheek. “Soaring Skies... you are not... my son any… anymore but…with pride... I... call you... my... bro… ther...” At that, the light faded from Metal Claws’ eyes, as he joined the Voice. “And yet…” Soaring Skies began to truly tear up. “A son I shall remain to you… brother.” At that, Soaring Skies raised his head and roared in anguish. The remaining members of the clan joined in. They let the entire grasslands of the Untamed Wilds hear their mourning for the loss of not only Metal Claws, but also MetalEtched Claws, and their two unhatched eggs. Now that Quartermaster’s body was cremated, and he had a moment to collect himself, Sentinel had one more thing to do before he took care of anything else; namely, the mess at the forge. The sun and moon needed to be set back on course before the panic that he knew would be worldwide by now got any worse. Nevermind the damage that a standing still sun and moon would do. Sentinel wandered the battlefield, trying to find where Celestia’s and Luna’s bodies could be. He needed to find them, to get the sun and moon moving on their own. The problem was that the battlefield was spread out over a large area, and the mana concentration was making using scanning or a want-it need-it spells next to impossible. Also, he basically had to do this alone; the ponies had been exceptionally on edge around the dragons, right now. Not surprising, given what happened. He might have had it a bit easier as an alicorn, but he no longer wished to use his alicorn form. At least he had the Bearers helping him. *Found them.* Sentinel looked up to see a stream of purple light signaling Twilight’s location. Sentinel sighed. What he needed to do next was not going to endear the ponies to him… Not that they ever really were all that endeared to him to begin with. Oh well… at least I have my clan... In a flash of teleportation, he found himself next to Twilight, and in front of a small group of unicorns and a single earth pony. They tensed up and blocked Sentinel's path as he attempted to walk towards the bodies of Celestia and Luna, both of which had been covered by sheets. “Please stand aside.” Sentinel asked. The ponies made no indication that they would, until Twilight nodded her consent. “Celestia, Luna, my cousins…” Sentinel teared up as he nuzzled each body affectionately. For the first time, he was genuine in calling them cousins. He didn’t know why, but he just felt that it was right. “May the crisp grass and refreshing waters of the Pasturelands be forever yours.” At that, Sentinel raised the bodies with his magic, making sure the sheets remained wrapped around them. He then, in a similar fashion to when he sent Celestia’s anchor for Spike back, he shot them at their respective heavenly charges. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?” Twilight roared, once the shock of what happened wore off. The unicorns that had been guarding the bodies readied to blast Sentinel. The earth pony looked like he was preparing to charge at him. “Then I guess you wanted it to remain at twilight?” Sentinel calmly stated. “You already know that the history of Equestria is no where near what is recorded… Tell me, who besides the princesses can move the sun or the moon?” “Discord?” Sentinel looked at Twilight and raised an eyebrow. Twilight tittered when she realized that it would not be a good idea… “You?” “I can…but I refuse to be saddled with that responsibility…” “But how...” “He of Laughter can tell you that there were times when no one controlled the sun or moon. The sun and moon should have started to moved on their own already, but Celestia and Luna... in desperation... they tied the sun and moon a bit too much to themselves… Their bodies are going to be needed as a catalyst for their movement. Never mind the fact that this is how they always wanted to be ‘interned’, as a way to let their ponies know that they are still watching over them...” “Besides,” Sentinel leaned in to whisper, “Bearer of Magic, ponies are going to look for someone to blame for their deaths, and they will... I would rather they blame the clan then you.” “What!?” Twilight knew it wasn’t the clan’s fault, and how would doing what he did make sure the clan received the blame… “How would doing…?” A brilliant flash interrupted Twilight, and everyone looked over to see that the moon was rising into the sky, and that something that had been absent for nearly twenty years was back. “Interesting...” Sentinel muttered in wonder as the shadow of a mare on the moon returned. Maybe it’s a good thing, as it will help the ponies in this time… Losing Celestia and Luna is going to be tough… I wonder if Luna planned this? The moon was moving a bit faster than normal, which was a bit disconcerting for Sentinel, but he waited to see if it was just rushing to get itself back into correct position. His assumption seemed to be correct, as the moon suddenly slowed down near the horizon. At that point, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the sky went as dark as it would be normally be for night. “And so begins the dawn of a new era…” Sentinel noted as the sun began to rise. It was the first day of his freedom from being a Keeper. His duty was over. Now, he just needed to pass the torch, as it were... “For the era of the Keepers has set…” Sentinel pulled the Elements of Harmony off of him, that he had earlier chained together in a crude necklace. “These I give back to you to bear, until time comes such that they are passed to new bearers.“ Sentinel levitated the Elements of Harmony back to the necks of their respective bearers. As he did, he added. “Thank you, Elements.”   “Ah shucks, ‘twere nothin’.” Applejack blushed as her element was put back on her neck. Sentinel chuckled. “I wasn’t talking to you, though you have my thanks as well…” “Then darling, who were you talking to?” Rarity asked as hers was put on her neck, much to her relief. At least she would have a nice accessory to offset the awful state she knew her coiffure was in. “The Elements, of course.” Sentinel stated as if they should already know. ”They are semi-sentient, after all.” History Seeker had to groan at that. Of course, Sentinel has to speak as if they should have already known that… History Seeker again found himself wondering if Storyteller was really Sentinel, because Storyteller did the same thing sometimes… Though he remembered from his cheat-cheat sheet of Hourglass dragon ‘names’ and titles that He of Hourglass only used Secondclaw or Alicorn Keeper to address him… Unless that has changed in the last two thousands years. History Seeker began to rub his forehead, trying to ease the headache he gave himself. He was glad, though, that Storyteller had stopped; as it was, he only barely made it through the death of Quartermaster. Over the past weeks, he had gotten emotionally invested in the lives of the dragons of the Hourglass Clan. That, and he was now the caretaker of the surviving egg of Quartermaster and She of Hourglass... that is, if they didn’t take it back... He looked over to see that the dragon seemed to be looking off towards the distance, clearly lost in memories. Maybe the forge was in that direction; he wasn't sure, as he had not yet been shown, much less told, where the forge was in relation to the library. Though Storyteller did say that Medallion had a memorial in the city, it would make sense that so would Quartermaster, She of Hourglass and the two eggs would be included in that. Maybe it was that which he was looking at. It could also have just been that he was looking off in the distance… “Firstclaw?” Storyteller questioned He of Hourglass. He had stopped the story when he noticed that the dragon had zoned out. “I do have a question.” Storyteller nodded his okay for History Seeker to ask his question. “You said that a shadow of a mare appeared on the moon after Luna’s body, I guess, reached it?… But I have never seen nor heard of that before… and I don’t think that there is any recording of something similar, myth or historical…” Damn it… Storyteller cringed when he heard that question. He had thought about leaving out that detail, but he was telling the story from a position of truth, and he could not leave that out, as it would tie into the eventual fall of Equestria… Hopefully Firstclaw will remain too lost in memories to notice… I’m not ready to tell him that his Slumber was much longer than normal... Storyteller sighed, as he knew that he had no choice at this point. “That is because it faded over time… It has been… you know... I don’t remember when it was last visible by the naked eye, or through a telescope… obviously, it has been a long while…” “Wait,” He of Hourglass snapped out of his reprieve. “You have never heard of the Mare in the Moon?” Storyteller could feel a sense of panic rising within him. This was exactly what he was afraid of. History Seeker shook his head negatively. “Nightmare Night?” “No…” History Seeker answered. He was beginning to become uncomfortable, as he could see panic on the features of the dragon. “Costumes, and going door to door, getting candy?” Again History Seeker shook his head. “Huh. Maybe you are from one of those towns that never celebrated it; it had not spread completely across Equestria before the war…that’s it.” He of Hourglass smiled as he convinced himself that that was why the pony knew nothing of the Mare in the Moon. “So, where are you from?” “Uh, well, I’m from a place called Castle Town…” Storyteller now really regretted keeping his appearance masked underneath his cloak, as he couldn't surreptitiously warn History Seeker to stop. ”It’s between the Everfree and Canterhorn Mountain.” “Sounds like it’s near Ponyville...” He of Hourglass tapped his chin in thought. “Uh… Ponyville doesn’t exist... At least, I don’t think there is a town called Ponyville...” “What?” He of Hourglass nearly yelled in his shock over what the pony was saying. “It’s like the most famous little town in Equestria!” It was at this point that History Seeker knew he was in trouble, and began to sweat. Pony kabobs here I come... He of Hourglass frowned at what he saw. The pony suddenly was very nervous and sweating hard. The stallion looked like Applejack when she lied. Something was going on and, as he thought about it, he had an inkling already. Storyteller tensed up even more as He of Hourglass walked up to him and kneeled down to look him in the eyes. He knew the question that was about to be asked was the one question he was not ready for. “Storyteller, how long have I Slumbered?”