Dragons of Hourglass

by Rammy

The Dragon Migration

"Oh…” He could hear himself groan. He whole body was heavy and ached. He wanted to opened his eyes but those too were like heavy rocks.

“I think he is awakening…” A distorted female voice called out in the darkness. He wasn’t really sure if he was really hearing it or if it was some figment of his mind.

“I better go… he should be here…” Another voice spoke though it was hard to hear as the volume seemed to dip beyond hearing several times. For a moment he heard nothing else. The silence and the darkness of his mind enveloped him again.

“Garble…” This time he heard his name being called. Go away I don’t want to talk right now...

“Garble... If you can hear me you have been injured…” Garble couldn’t hear the rest as he fell back into a sleepless slumber.

Garble became aware of the darkness once again. He tried again to open his eyes but the sudden brightness of the light burned him and he quickly shut his eyes. He attempted to get up but something lightly pushed him back. “Easy…”

Garble opened his eyes again. The light was still harsh but at least he could stand it now. Everything around him was a blur.

“Twilight why do I have to be here, with him?”

“Because I may need your speed to get the others. Plus you know how scared of dragons Fluttershy is...”

Scared of dragons? That means… He rubbed his eyes trying to get the blurriness out. Slowly his sight cleared and two ponies came into focus. He knew these two. He was constantly reminded about what he nearly did to them.

“Oh great...” Garble pinched his brow, “I’m healed by not only a bunch of namby pamby ponies but it had to be by you two.”

“Try again, whelp.”

Garble froze. He knew that voice. “He of Harmony…” He slowly turned to his left and there was the alicorn.

“Relax.” Harmony smirked, noticing that Garble was visibly paleing. “You have been through quite a bit if the injuries you have sustained have anything to say. As for healing you, they had nothing to do with that. You can thank me and the Bearer of Kindness for that.”

“Where am I?” Garble finally managed to unglue himself from Harmony to take a look around. There wasn’t much that he could see given that they were in a clearly dilapidated building of some kind.

“Not where you’re supposed to be.” Harmony leaned forward giving Garble a hard look. Garble gulped and absentmindedly touched his dishonor mark on his forehead. “I must say you are a lucky one Garble. Ironically lucky. You asked where you are? Welcome to the city of Hourglass! The territory of the once hatching you met all those years ago just before your dishonoring.”

“NO... no… no nononono.... “ Garble shook his head furiously, “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. The hatching you knew as Spike has Chosen and it is because of him you now live. He was within his right to kill you when you came crashing into the city.”

“He should have…”

“Bearer of Loyalty!/Rainbow! “ Harmony and Twilight admonished. Rainbow merely shrugged.

Harmony rubbed his head, a headache forming. “He staved off his claw because he noticed that you were injured with dark magic. Something that is of concern to both him and me.” Harmony got up and stretched, a few of his jointed popped. “Come, it’s best we not keep him waiting.”

“Are you crazy!?” Twilight suddenly noticed that she was yelling as everypony, even Garble, was staring at her. She coughed slightly before leaning closer to Harmony to whisper, “He needs to rest!”

“He of Hourglass may not be able to hold back his instincts much longer. I’m sorry but the sooner we do this the better.”

---

“A minotaur?” Garble nodded. “That’s not possible.”

“A minotaur could possibly take on a full grown dragon in the right circumstances if they use magic. Although their magic is internal similar to earth pony magic... Strange to have a Minotaur mystic on this continent never mind one that would be foolish enough…”

“He wasn’t alone.” Garble interrupted, “There were these small… creatures that looked like tar given form and life. The size of a dragon hatchling. Hell they even almost looked like dragon hatchlings except more angular and spiky…”

“Inklings…” Harmony breathed out.

“Inklings? Ling this and ling that…” Rainbow mocked. “I think there is ling on your brain.”

“Ugh. I rather use ‘ling’ then the usual name for those abominations as I’m in no mood to deal with a couple of giggling mares.”

“Cackling laughter, the horrible laughter… they poured over everydragon like water…. and the laughter...”

“Garble?”

“Why didn’t you kill me?” Garbled begged. He didn't want to go through all of this it was too… awful.

“Garble,” Harmony pulled Garble harshly around so he no longer could see He of Hourglass. “Focus on me not on He of Hourglass.”

“But…”

“He is a Keeper first, dragon second. Our concern here is the effects of the attack dragon migration not the fact that you are Dishonored.” Harmony sighed heavily. He understood Garble’s fear but he needed to keep Garble on topic. The pounding in his head was increasing he didn’t know how long he could last. “Okay tell me about the minotaur.”

“Um, well, he was a typical minotaur. He had black markings across his body… and he was wearing an amulet with a horn attached. Also...

“Wait, back up what did this horn amulet look like?”

“Curved, red. There was this odd smoke emitting…”

“Sombra.”

“He’s back…”

“Not likely…”

“But…”

Harmony raised a hoof silencing the Bearers. “While I’m positive that the horn was Sombra’s the behavior was not like him.”

“But he was defeated by... mmmphf.” Twilight’s retort got muffled by five different hoofs.

Harmony glared threateningly at Twilight. She nearly blew it. Luckily her friends where fast enough. “If anything Sombra’s methodical. Revenge by random attack? Doubtful.”

An feral growl got everyone’s attention. Everyone slowly turned to see that He of Hourglass was shaking in anger. “I’m getting tired of this.”

Harmony slowly nodded. “Anything else Garble?”

“I…”

“Dishonored…” He of the Flight whispered. His breathing ragged and shallow. “Listen to me…” He coughed up some blood. “You must fly out of here.”

“But…”

“Listen, it’s almost time… I can sense… I will give you time…” He of the Flight slowly got back up onto he feet. “I will teach this overgrown cow what it means to threaten a dragon’s hoard.”

Harmony rubbed his head after trying to get Garble attention several times, “I don’t think we‘ll get anything more out of him…”

“Then it looks like I got back right on time.”

“Discord! Excellent timing. Garble has—is—finished. However his recollection is scattered, broken.” Harmony paused for a moment to allow a spike in his headache to subside. ”Discord we need to know. What did you discover?”

Discord paled but nodded in agreement. “Harmony gave me a task several days ago: to go to the Dragon Migration to investigate. I’m afraid it’s bad. I mean really bad. The task for our young Keeper is now going to be much harder. Well it was going to be hard anyway with the thinned ranks of...”

Another growl emanated from He of Hourglass. Harmony sighed he was also irritated, his headache wasn’t helping. “Discord stay on topic.”

“Sorry… I managed to find them at The Chimney Arch Desert…”

“And…?”

“I found the bodies of at least three whelps and twelve adults. A complete bloodbath. All had been attacked by very potent Dark Magic. One of those was He of the Flight. I’m sorry, but the Dragon Migration is no more.”

Harmony gritted his teeth in grief and rage. The ground beneath him cracked from the exertion of pony earth magic. His mind sputtered out no longer able to have calm or coherent thoughts. Everyone back up slowly. Only Discord stayed behind. The anger from He of Hourglass evaporated in his concern over Harmony.

“Harmony, please calm down.” Discord tried to but a comforting paw on Harmony’s shoulder but quickly snapped his hand back. The fur on his paw singed. Not good.

“NO!” Harmony screamed. His coat lost all color as he rose into the air in a magic induced rage. He eyes, mane, and tail burst into flames.

Everyone watched in horror. It was like watching when Twilight gets so angry that she loses control. The day she finally believed in the Pinkie Sense being a prime example. This, however, made that day seem like she was only mildly irritated. The fiery mane and tail was familiar with but not the roar. It was like a dragon roar. The mana in the air became thick and angry.

For a moment to some Harmony seemed to have disappeared replaced by the body of a full grown dragon. They blinked and or shook their head to try and clear the vision. As fast as it came the vision of the dragon was gone. No one dared asked if what they saw was real or not the wrath of Harmony scaring them from speech.

Slowly the fire and bellowing smoke lessened as Harmony slowly drifted back to the ground. When his hooves touch the ground the fire that he had conjured wisped away. The smell of sulfur and ash however still hung in the air. He stumbled and fell. No one dare to see if he was okay, all were still too far in shock or fear, to move, to speak. Harmony was the only one to make a noise. An odd sobbing, angry, with a trace of feralness, growl emanated from him. Slowly he got up and in a whirl of light was gone.

The two Keepers eyed each other. Discord had felt with his innate ability Harmony’s magic going wild in contrast to what it should be at this stage of the Magic Wasting Disease. He doubted that in the short time he was gone he had gotten it cured or restabilized. Scorpan would have taken nearly two weeks to get here given his age. That many stairs would be hard on his joints.

He of Hourglass had different thoughts. The fiery mane and tail could be easily done with anyone with sufficient magically ability that let their emotions get too far out of control into anger. While he knew that He of Harmony followed the dragon codes he had no ability to enter a rage like that. It almost was like the rage of dragon who had its hoard not only stolen but destroyed. Was something about the Dragon Migration part of his hoard? Somehow that didn’t quite fit. The Dragon Migration was tied to He of the Flight’s hoard not He of Harmony’s. His hoard had to be tied to the lands of Equestria. Maybe it could have something to do with that sixth element.

Discord was to first to speak. “I… I think it’s best that we all retire for now. Twilight, Flutters you’d best help Garble back I doubt that he has fully recovered his strength to be trying to walk back to where you are dwelling.”

The girls only slowly noded as they each took a side of Garble to led him back. The others followed closely behind still shaking. Discord eyed them as they left. He suppose he would have to do some damage control, again. First though he had a different issue to deal with.

Discord stopped He of Hourglass as he turned to leave by putting his claw on his shoulder. A bold move that he hoped would not get him killed but he needed to know. “ He of Hourglass what is going on? Harmony’s magic has gone wild, feral. It didn’t feel like alicorn magic...”

He of Hourglass growled angrily but not towards He of Laughter. “I don’t know… He had an episode of the Magic Wasting Disease. I managed to stop the fainting, nothing else. I can’t explain the draconic rage.”

“Draconic rage?”

Author's Note:

Draconic rage? Indeed

Who is this minotaur and how did he get a hold of Sombra's horn?

What will Garble's fate be?