//------------------------------// // Elements, Weapons, and Compasses // Story: At the Twilight of Harmony // by Rammy //------------------------------// Storyteller struggled to not shake in fear. Not so much out of fear for himself, but fear for History Seeker. He of Hourglass could end up lashing out, once he heard the truth. Why are the other clan members playing hide and seek right now? He of Hourglass really could use them right now... “Storyteller, please. I need to know.” Storyteller’s resolve broke at the begging eyes of his firstclaw. “A little over two thousand years…” “Two… Two… TWO THOUSAND YEARS!” He of Hourglass backed up, his snout contorting in a mixture of emotions. Storyteller could sense the mana in the area spiking to dangerous levels. He of Hourglass’ emotional state was causing his magic to build out of control. “Quickly, behind me.” He gestured frantically to History Seeker. History Seeker didn’t need to be told twice, and scrambled to get behind him. As he did, Storyteller summoned two whips made of fire. Just in time, too, as, at that exact moment, He of Hourglass roared, and a shell of his sparks exploded outwards. History Seeker cowered in fright. He had seen some magic duels in his time, and had heard of the feats of He of Hourglass and the rest of the clan from Storyteller, but what he was witnessing was enough to finally cause his bowels to empty. A stream of burning raw magic passed to either side of him. The only things keeping them alive were the two flame whips that were slammed up and down, almost like a double jump rope. Soon, the raw magic reversed itself and then faded away. Seeing that the danger was probably past, Storyteller let the whips of flames dissipate into nothing. And I thought Twilight's angry magic surges were scary... For a while, all that History Seeker could hear was the pounding of his heart. When he finally was calm enough, he could hear the sniffing and crying of He of Hourglass. “A slumber is normally close to one hundred years…” Storyteller whispered to History Seeker, answering his unasked question. “He of Hourglass’ Slumber was unprecedented…” Even though History Seeker was icky from sweat and other unmentionables, he could not stand to see the dragon the way he was, so he went up and wrapped his wings around the now quivering dragon. “Let it all out...“ History Seeker cooed. “I knew that I would lose five of my best friends from childhood…” He of Hourglass whispered. “But to miss out on two thousand years of the lives of my clanmates… How… Why...” “Firstclaw, it doesn't matter because, for your clan, it was merely a moment’s breath.” “Never took you as a romantic…” He of Hourglass couldn’t help making a snarky remark. Storyteller made it too easy. “I’m not known as Storyteller for nothing…” He of Hourglass chuckled. “True..” Day 2 of the new era Early Morning, Grasslands near Hourglass. “When are you going to tell them?” Soul Fire finally got to the question that brought him here, to the tent that was set up for Golden DragonHeart to work in, and work is something he had plenty of. When Soul Fire first entered, the place was a disaster zone, with papers and scrolls scattered all over. Barely visible under a stack of papers, he could see a corner of a map of the Untamed Wilds, with various pins sticking in it to mark who knows what. During the short time he had been in the tent, the mess had only gotten worse. “Tell who what, Secondclaw?” Golden DragonHeart made a notation on the list he had in his claws. The list was one of Twilight’s. This one in particular was a master list that he was constructing for her on those that survived, were missing, or dead. Twilight did not want any pony or griffon to be unaccounted for before they left for home. According to several accounts of the battle, including one from Phoenix Wave, after the meteor attack, many had fled in terror. If this was Equestria, it would not be of much immediate concern; however, this was the Untamed Wilds.   Golden DragonHeart picked up a different scroll and began to compare its contents to the master scroll he had in his other paw. It was nice being her assistant again, if only for a bit. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone alive, but he squealed like a little girl at the chance to do so one more time. “Firstclaw, we both know that what happened to you did a lot of damage to your psyche...” Golden DragonHeart nearly ruined the scroll he was reading, but he managed to control himself before it was crumpled and torn up too much. For a moment, he did nothing, before he went back to compiling the data that he was tasked to do. He didn’t have time for this. “FIRSTCLAW!” Soul Fire grabbed Golden DragonHeart and spun him around. “Your feral half was destroyed, and you are entering Slumber early. If what I’m seeing of your inner fire is right, in a week at most…” “I know that Secondclaw!” Golden DragonHeart snapped as he carefully put the scroll he had been holding on the crates that he was using as a makeshift desk. The last thing he wanted was an angry Twilight, because he had destroyed the scroll and caused a needless delay… “I’m just not sure yet how to tell them… I can’t just walk up and exclaim: Hey Girls! The good news is, you have me back, but the bad news is, it’s only for the next week!” Golden DragonHeart began to cry. He didn’t want to lose them like this, so soon after remembering them. He knew Twilight would still be around after he awoke, but the rest, unless he got really lucky, would be long gone. Soul Fire started to lick Golden DragonHeart, and almost instantly, Golden DragonHeart felt better. Soul Fire knew it was painful, but he also knew it would be better to tell them now, rather than regret later that he had  not told them as soon as possible. “You know…” Golden DragonHeart commented as he relaxed further. “Rainbow would be spouting off a bunch of dirty jokes about us right now, if she knew what you are doing.” Golden DragonHeart put a claw on Soul Fire’s snout. He could already see the words forming. “Before you start needlessly lecturing again… I grew up with ponies, so I know what licking means to a pony…” Golden DragonHeart’s snarky remark was preemptively cut off by Soul Fire backhanding him. Day 4 of the new era Early Evening, Council of Harmony. The Hourglass Clan, along with the Bearers of Harmony, Discord and Phoenix Wave, stood together in the Council of Harmony. They were all gathered to witness the three remaining Keepers making it official, as it were. Sentinel noticed He of Hourglass was holding what looked to be a sword and shield wrapped in cloth. “Is that?” “Yeah,” He of Hourglass slowly unwrapped the shield. The round shield was of a decent size. If Sentinel remembered correctly, Quartermaster was going to enchant it to increase in size, depending on who was wielding it. On the front, She of Hourglass had painted it with a series of geometric designs, with the Spiral Spire in the center. The paint had been the sticking point for her, as she wanted to use a clear paint, with crushed powdered gems as pigment. From the looks of the shield, though, she had figured it out. “Quartermaster's and She of Hourglass’ final shield and sword…. complete with its scabbard.” “They were able to complete it?” Sentinel knew they were close to finishing when he left for Equestria, but, from what he was told, when news of his ‘death’ got to the clan, it had killed the mood for any hoarding. “Yes…” He of Hourglass answered as he unwrapped the sword and scabbard. The scabbard was fairly simple, made from white gold with ‘branches’ of platinum, leading to emeralds that were shaved thin and gently carved to look like leaves on side. He of Hourglass slowly pulled the sword out to allow Sentinel to see it. The sword was made from the same metal alloy as Scorpion’s guitar. Thorny rose vines were etched down the length of the blade, and a ruby carved into a rose was embedded into the hilt. Sentinel was sure that it was one of He of Hourglass’ creations. He was always known to ‘play’ with his food. “Why did you bring these here?” “You’ll see.” “What are you up to, Firstclaw?” “I call this final meeting of the Council of Harmony to order.” He of Hourglass called out, so that Sentinel could not press him on what he was going to do. “Second.” Discord and Sentinel spoke as one. Discord then snapped a piece of wood and knocked on it. He was about to snap it away, when it was floated away. Sentinel put the hunk of wood to his his ear, whispering, “Who’s there?” Don't you know it? Sentinel softly sung, hoping that Discord would pick up on the little joke. Can you see it? Discord grinned as he sung his line. “What?” Sentinel snapped irritably when he noticed the stares. However no one was fooled, as his eyes were shining with joy. “Let’s do this before I have to separate the children.” He of Hourglass commented, which elicited some giggles from the bearers. “I, the Dragon Keeper, have, by my own tail, vanquished the Nameless One. Because of this, I wish to resign as Keeper. To provide help for dragons, should they need harmony magic again,” He of Hourglass then stepped forward and laid the sword the scabbard and the shield down. “I shall place each of the traits of dragon harmony magic into these objects.” “If we weren’t hatchmates already…” Sentinel sniffed at the profound gesture his firstclaw was doing for They of Hourglass. He of Hourglass allowed himself a smile as he dug deep within himself. After a moment, he found what he needed, and he began to bring forth his harmony magic, pushing a single trait known as empathy or understanding into the shield and the other two, wisdom and courage, into the sword and scabbard. After a moment, he could no longer feel his harmony magic within himself, but he could feel its familiar warmth in what he now called the Weapons of Harmony. His attention was suddenly turned away from them, at the sound of a collective gasp. “What is it?” He asked. “Darling, your sparks; they are no longer multicolored, but just purple and green.” “So they are…” He of Hourglass noted, as he looked over himself. He was not terribly surprised, and personally, he thought that the multicolored sparks clashed a bit with his color scheme. It seems that it is my turn. Sentinel remarked to himself. He stepped forward and pulled out an amulet he had been working on in the few weeks before his ‘death’, and only just finished yesterday. It was made from polished black granite in the shape of a circle, with a horn and wings jutting from the top of it. The horn and wings were comprised of carefully cut rainbow crystals. “I, the Alicorn Keeper, hereby state that the Dark One is dead; as such, I wish to be released of my duty as the Alicorn Keeper. As a symbol of my resolve, I have already wielded my elements as one, which broke my ability to use them. Furthermore, I shall imbue this amulet with my alicorn magic, so that the pony tribes will have all the help possible, if ever they should need it.” Sentinel began to cast the same spell that the Equestrian princesses had used to transfer their magic into Twilight. The gathered ponies gasped as the large ball of magic poured out of Sentinel’s horn. Even Twilight gasped, as, even though she had seen this before, she didn’t get any opportunity to do anything but to tense up in preparation for the surge of power that was coming straight at her. As the stream of magic faded out, and the last of his alicorn magic left him, Sentinel could feel his alicorn form melting into his dragon form, his true form, one last time. Finally, with the last of his alicorn magic, he directed it into the amulet, which rushed down in a brilliant flash. Sentinel was stunned when he recovered from the loss of his alicorn magic. He had no idea that such a huge amount of his spark dragon magic had been constantly used to keep the alicorn magic suppressed and/or to maintain the alicorn form. Though he knew that the trade off was that his magic would never have the precision it once had. However, that was a small price to pay, in order to be what he was meant to be. Vorac seemed to agree, as Sentinel could hear him growl in contentment. “Secondclaw…” “Huh, what?” Sentinel shook his head to get out of his drunken stupor. He could see a single purple spark. He blinked, thinking he might have just been seeing things, or it was just leftover magic sparking. A green spark then appeared. He conjured a mirror, and he could see several sparks flowing down his body; all of them were purple and green. “Impossible!” Sentinel exclaimed in disbelief. “Sparks can only be on natural-born spark dragons…I’m merely an ascended Spark dragon...” “Says the dragon that has often been a walking impossibility.” He of Hourglass crossed his arms, smirking. “Impossible: thy name is Secondclaw.” “True…” Sentinel conceded. He had a feeling that it may never be known why he now sported the sparks indicative of spark dragons. At last, Discord walked forward. He sighed as he came to a stop. A mixture of emotions warred inside him at what he was about to do. He gazed back at Fluttershy, who gave him an encouraging smile, and a nod to go on. Discord relaxed a bit, as he turned to face the council once again. He was glad that he had explained what he was planning to do with her. “I, the Chimera Keeper, concur with my fellow Keepers that the Chaos Bringer is dead; as such, I wish to be absolved of my ’dooties’ as the Chimera Keeper.” Everyone there facepalmed or facehooved. “Twelve compasses that I have gathered are to be imbued with my harmony magic, as my symbol of resolve in this matter.” Discord snapped his fingers, teleporting in the twelve simple compasses that he had acquired. He got lucky that one of the ponies had a talent for making them. The pony had originally complained that he wouldn’t be able to make them as fancy as he felt they should be, in such a short amount of time. But Discord wanted the compasses to be plain and unassuming. A joke was never as funny if one could see the punch line coming… When Discord explained that he only wanted very plain compasses that snapped closed like a pocket watch, the pony stopped complaining and, with his help, the pony was able to complete the compasses late last night. One by one, Discord spun each compass on its edge like a top, transferring a piece of his harmony magic as the compass spun. When the compass wobbled and fell over, Discord went to the next one. Hopefully, I calculated this correctly… Maybe I should have requested Sentinel’s or Twilight’s help, to make sure twelve would be enough... Discord nervously thought as he went along. He breathed a sigh of relief that, on the twelfth one, he had exactly the right amount of magic left. “I know this is going to sound strange, coming from me… but not having harmony magic anymore is… strange.” Discord commented as the final compass fell to the floor. “Hey, didn’t you lose your magic to Tirek?” Rainbow eyed Discord with suspicion. “That was merely a part of my magic…“ “Then why didn’t you help?!” Rainbow Dash flew right at Discord, poking him roughly with an outstretched hoof. Discord calmly pushed Rainbow’s hoof down. “I couldn't; I didn’t have time to prevent Tirek from taking all of my magic, outside of blocking all of my magic from being used, which included my harmony magic. And did you forget that if a Keeper loses all their magic, they die?” Meanwhile, the sparks that floated up each of the thrones began to slow down. By the end of Discord’s explanation, they had frozen to near stillness. The Council of Harmony accepts your resignation. The council suddenly boomed out, spooking Fluttershy to the point of eeping and fainting backwards, still as a statue. Everyone else was startled, but managed to collect themselves quite quickly. The Keepers of Harmony are no more. This Council is dismissed, until such time that the Younger Races require advice on matters relating to Harmony… The three former Keepers just stood there, stoic, for some time after the Council's decision. For Sentinel and Discord, it was a relief to be free of a burden that had weighed on them for so long. For He of Hourglass, he was still not sure what to make of it, as he had only been a Keeper for a few short years. After a while, Discord finally shook himself out of his reprieve, and snapped himself and the ponies out of the council. This left only the dragons. Soul Fire, in particular, was staring at what used to be his throne, lost in thought. [color=#00ddddYou okay? Eternal Beats asked. He could hear his song, but it was no help right now, as the melody was too subdued to understand what exactly was the mood of Soul Fire’s heart. “Yeah…” Soul Fire sighed. “I’m just nostalgic. This is the place of my choosing, the place where my adoption by the dragons became more than just an adoption…” “Eh, why not?” Golden DragonHeart shrugged, before he motioned for his clan to follow him out of the Harmony Council chambers, and into the Plane of Harmony. History Seeker lifted up his compass in wonder. ”So this is one of the compasses that Discord imbued with his harmony magic?” “Yep, you have in your possession a Compass of Harmony…” He of Hourglass smiled. “I am a bit surprised that it’s been with you this long…” Storyteller commented. “Discord was not one to drag things out…” “Unless the payoff was worth it…” He of Hourglass commented as all three looked at the egg that was still in History Seeker’s saddlebag.