The Truth Will Out
38 days since the Nameless One’s escape
12 days since the fall of Traxti City
Morning, Canterlot
Sentinel slowly awoke and realized he was not in Hourglass nor anywhere else he recognized. He looked around the white room to see that he was in a hospital. He was sure it wasn’t the Ponyville hospital so the only logical place would be Canterlot. Only one way to be sure. He threw off the blankets and got up to check his chart.
His royal majesty “John Colt”
Two guesses on who said I was royalty… Sentinel facehoofed as let his chart drop back down on the edge of the bed.
“Very funny Celestia!” Sentinel bellowed out, spooking someone as he heard a clatter behind him. Sentinel turned to see that there was a mare, a nurse, on the floor shaking in fear. He walked up to the nurse he spooked, got down, and calmly asked, “How long?”
All he got out of the mare was incoherent fear filled blubbering.
“Look,” Sentinel sighed, “I’m not going to banish you to the moon... I just need to know how long I’ve been here.”
“Little under two days prince… I-I-I mean your majesty?”
“I am and never have been a ‘prince,’” Sentinel countered, “and I‘ve not been ‘your majesty’ for several years…”
“And you should be in bed and not scaring my nurses.” Came a stern voice from the doorway.
Sentinel looked up to see an irritated unicorn stallion, obvious a doctor from the fact he was wearing a white lab coat with a stethoscope hanging around his neck. “You must be the doctor in charge of royalty both Equestrian and otherwise…”
“I am.” The doctor nodded for the nurse to leave and she hurried scrambled out of the room. You are suffering from a severe case of physical and magical exhaustion you need to rest until…
“Not happening doctor,” Sentinel interrupted the doctor, “and you need to recalibrate your scanners or something because while I did have physical exhaustion I wasn’t magically exhausted.”
“Look… uh…”
“Sentinel.”
“Sentinel I’ll update your chart... as for your self diagnosis I have an advanced magic medical degree…”
“And at one point I suffered an advanced case of ‘Pony’ Magic Wasting Disease! I think I know what being magically exhausted entails.”
“That is impossible!” The doctor was showing signs of extreme irritation. “If you had that not only the scans would have shown it, but you would have mostly likely be on the verge of death! There is no known cure for advanced cases!” The doctor rubbed a hoof over his head. “As I was trying to say…. leave the diagnosis to those who are trained and know what they are saying.”
“I helped develop the original cure for less advanced cases along with Starswirl the Bearded and Scorpan brother of Tirek.”
“Whatever! I’m still the doctor here and if I must I will have you fitted medical magic inhibitor given your delusion state!”
“You got one graded for dragons?”
“Dragons!? No… But I do have one for alicorns.” The Doctor held the said horn inhibitor for Sentinel to see..
“Well unless you find and inhibitor that can handle dragon magic then do us both a favor and stand aside.”
“No.”
“You got guts doctor, and you will need it soon if this war escalates like I think it will.”
“Equestria is not at war.”
“War has already hit Equestria you just don’t know it yet.” Sentinel pushed the doctor aside with his magic and began his march out. He needed to get outside so he could teleport. He had no idea where the hospital in Canterlot was. Probably near the castle but he wasn’t about to do something as crazy as blind teleport, at least not yet.
“Hey! Stop him!” Sentinel could hear the doctor shouting behind him. He blocked another nurse and from what he could see a guard from stopping him as he made his way out of the hospital.
As soon as he was clear Sentinel teleported and found himself surrounded by ponies. Must be the start of day court. Lovely.
Once the shock of his teleportation wore off the pony’s immediately around him started bowing as soon as they saw that he was an alicorn. He could hear whispers of ‘alicorn’ and ‘stallion’ among other things that would incur Celestia’s wrath and Luna’s amusement.
“Will you please stop your snively bowing! I am no longer your ruler and will rather die than become your ruler again!”
This got the whispers to to increase. This time he could hear the words ‘again’ being used. Sentinel rolled his eyes and made his way to the throne.
“Is that how you really feel Sentinel?” Celestia quietly questioned when he got within whispering distance. She sounded a bit hurt at his declaration.
“I’m in agreement with my younger self ponies were never my people nor family only duty. And when my duty is done… Outside of the Bearers and you and your sister I would rather not see another pony for a long time.”
“All I’m saying is that you should give them a chance ponies as not as superstitious as they were…” Celestia commented as they entered the war room. The bearers were already there along with a red unicorn mare wearing rectangle glasses busy with various scrolls..
“Really?! Have they? OR how about when I show myself as being the same dragon as before? And the fact that a DRAGON is responsible for 1,384 and counting pony deaths! Unless you have princess as a title or are from Ponyville ponies have ‘issues’ with anything out of the ordinary and the only reason Ponyville is immune is becuase of ‘If it’s Tuesday’ syndrome!”
“But it’s Monday silly!”
Sentinel gritted his sharp teeth. “NOT! Helping Bearer of Joy…”
“Sentinel, please calm…”
“WE ARE AT WAR CELESTIA!” Sentinel roared. “DON’T LECTURE ME ON BEING CALM!”
“Sentinel…It’s more than that” Celestia put a comforting wing over him. “What has you so worked up?”
“We are alike… you and I. We are the same on the inside.” Was what the dragon said. And now he had Celestia making him more uncomfortable than he was before.
“Celestia…” Twilight hesitantly spoke as Sentinel struggled to control his rage. “Please put your wing off of him.”
Celestia blinked, a bit confused. She used to be able to comfort him by putting a wing over him why would that be a problem now?
“He is dragon, remember?” Twilight continued, wincing a bit at the confused and hurt look on Celestia muzzle. “He may have the personality and memories of an alicorn but he has the instincts of a dragon. A dragon never drapes a wing over another unless they have shared names, is a hatchmate, or it’s a parent. From his reaction I’d say he has not shared his name with you and obviously you are not a parent or hatchmate.”
“I… Uh… I’m sorry... I...” Celestia quickly snapped her wing to her side. Sentinel still looked angry but had at least stopped growling.
He knew that he upset Celestia and normally he would let it slide as he knew that Celestia was genuinely trying to comfort him but he wanted no comfort from a pony right now. The dragon had riled him up and then to be surrounding by fake loving ponies only incensed him further.
The door to the war room slammed wide open to reveal the black and ice blue whelp Twixt’d.
“Hello Twixt’d.” Sentinel rage left him as he greeted his former hatchmate.
“You!” Twixt’d lunged at him to the shock of everyone minus Sentinel who just allowed the whelp to attack him.
“I SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH YOU!” Twixt’d started pounding him as his scratching seemed to have no effect as Sentinel had cast a spell to harden his fur like dragon scale. “I HAD TO PACE AND HOPE YOU WOULD COME BACK… and when they found you… I... I felt so... so useless…”
“Twixt’d calm down!” Sentinel snapped as he pulled the whelp into a hug with his wing stopping the young dragons assault. “You are not useless! My hoard gives me strength, a purpose. Without you in it...”
“It’s just I’ve been having feelings and thoughts for a while now, thoughts… of my purpose…of what I really am, I guess? I don’t know…” Twixt’d sniffed a bit as his voice died out.
Sentinel pulled him into a tighter hug he would lick him but pony tongues just… ew. He is getting close to Choosing… Damn it… I want the curse to be lifted first… but I can’t delay it even for that… All I can hope for is that whatever the catalyst will be it will occur after the war… I guess I should be glad that it wasn’t the Sonic Rainboom.
After a moment, Twixt’d pulled himself out of the hug and started heading out.
“Where are you going?” Sentinel questioned with a slight smirk.
“The training grounds... I have a captain to destroy in a sparring match.”
“Make him weep like a little filly.” Sentinel ordered him. Celestia facehooved while Luna put a hoof to her mouth to hide her giggle.
Twixt’d chuckled as he left the war room. For a moment afterwards no one spoke. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak.
“That whelp is so awesome! Did you see him…” Sentinel attention was diverted from Rainbow by a tap on his shoulder. He turned to face Twilight, a series scrolls floating in her magic.
“So…” Twilight started. “I thought we had this taken care of.” She waved the series of scrolls in Sentinel’s face.
Sentinel eyed the scrolls but knew the answer. “He’s not concerned about me because I’m in his hoard; he’s concerned because he’s the Firstclaw.”
“I might believe that if I wasn’t also getting firemail from Quartermaster as well!” Sentinel’s response was to snort in amusement. Twilight’s muzzle twisted in confusion. “Why do you find that funny?”
Sentinel leaned in to whisper. “If you knew Quartermaster as well as I do you would… besides, Quartermaster's mate just laid their eggs,” He then spoke mentally to her. And adopted Twixt’d as his son... Do NOT let Twixt’d or anyone else know that his adopted… “Given the circumstances be glad that was all he did. A father can get quite protective… especially since I’m equivalent of a godparent. Luckily, I won’t need to go through the Rite again...”
“Oh… well… I…” Twilight stammered out not sure how to respond to that to hear that Quartermaster would mellow in such a way. From what she knew of him he wasn’t a sit back type. Then to hear that he had eggs and that Twixt’d was his adopted son kinda of shocked her.
“It seems fatherhood is the same no matter the race.”
“Yes, in a lot of ways, it is.” Sentinel smiled as he turned to face Celestia. He knew she was listening in. She was one to be always paying attention to side conversations. It probably made the long hours dealing with the nobles easier or at least less boring. He wasn’t mad with her snooping. She would understand the love of a parent more than most as that is what she in a lot of ways felt she was to the ponies.
“Quartermaster is going to have hatchlings, baby dragons! You know what this calls for?” Pinkie squealed out excitedly, popping up between Sentinel and Celestia.
“A party?” The bearers all answered in unison.
“A party!” Pinkie agreed as she reappeared in her earlier location while throwing confetti in the air.
“No it doesn’t…” Sentinel answered, making his way to the now flat maned Pinkie. “Because Bearer of Joy it may be a long time, centuries or millennia even, before they are hatched. Dragons don’t hatch their eggs until they know it’s safe.” He lifted her head so that she could fully see that he was not trying to be mean. “Hatchlings are quite defenseless against the dangers of the wild and other dragons. War is not a safe time for anyone much less a young child. And this war… is none like the world as seen since the the war to seal the ‘Nameless One.’”
The door hoped to admit a very tired and frazzled Luna.
“Ah thou art awake!” Luna slipped into the older dialect in her tiredness. She made her way to sit next to her sister. “What happened two days ago near the Whitetail Forest?”
Sentinel sighed heavily. “Our doom.”
“Cheery.” Rarity deadpanned.
Sentinel rubbed a building headache. “As Secondclaw of the Hourglass Clan I officially propose the Hourglass Clan to join with Equestria in an alliance.”
“Are you sure Sentinel!?” Twilight questioned. “You realize that this would bring the clan into the open and along with your dual nature. Your distaste for ponies and well as the ponies fear of your kind(or anything strange) could prove problematic.”
“Yes. I’m sure. And we need to do it today.”
“Very well…” Princess Celestia reluctantly agreed after a moment.
“But Princess the amount of work to draw up an alliance and no one know who or what this ‘clan’ is how could we form an alliance without…” The red mare finally got up from her writing to protest.
“Is not necessary… uh...” Sentinel countered, interrupting the red mare.
“Scribbling Notes. Scribbles for short.”
“Thank you ‘Scribbles,’ but Equestria and the Hourglass Clan have been friends since your king’s abdication.”
“But Equestria has never had a king!”
“Believe what you will.” Sentinel shrugged, not in the mood for giving a corrected history lesson.
“Still, signing a formal alliance in less than a day! And the nobles!”
“You ponies and the need for paper documents!”
“But you’re a pony!” Scribbles exclaimed not understanding why this alicorn stallion was implying that he wasn’t.
“Wrong. I. Am. Dragon.” Sentinel snarled before he rolled his eyes at the now fearful pony. “Celestia, how long has this scribe been on the job?”
“Three… three weeks your majesty.” Scribbles managed to reply.
“Figures.” Sentinel shook his head. “New staff are usually either hyper focused in a desire to impress the boss or so nervous to miss important details. Formal alliance papers have already been written they just need to be signed. As for the nobles… They can all go to Tartarus for all I care!”
“Sentinel!”
“Celestia,“ Sentinel smirked at her knowing full well what her annoyed reaction was really about, ”really? My alicorn self never like the nobles anyway…”
“I know that, but all of them!?”
“I suppose the term ‘all’ will need to be slightly modified.” Sentinel conceded with a smirk. He had seen the very brief agreeing look on Luna’s face.
“Now about your proposal…” Celestia began.
Here it comes. Sentinel thought darkly. She about to say something I will hate… but will have little option but to agree to...
“Seven dragons stretches things... One is a whelp and can’t use magic yet.” Celestia ignored Sentinel's look of annoyance. “Two just laid eggs. That leaves just four and I would assume that the defenses of Hourglass require that either you or He of Hourglass must remain…”
“Skip the song and dance Celestia.” Sentinel snapped wanting to end the charade. “His memories may be a bit grey and fuzzy prior to my ascension but I have not lost any intelligence or military skills.”
Celestia frowned for just a moment before putting back on a neutral face. “If the Hourglass has the resources I want three hundred ponies, a hundred from each of the three tribes, stationed in Hourglass.”
Knew it. Sentinel puffed out an annoyed breath. “That kind of change to the conditions of the alliance will need approval from the Firstclaw.”
“Here’s a scroll, an ink bottle, and a quill.” Celestia smiled, levitating the mentioned items.
Sentinel grumbled as he grabbed the items in his magic. He hated and loved that smile. It was the smile that meant trouble. This made a her very shrewd ruler at least when it came to ponies, and most races for that matter, as most would find that smile disarming. She wouldn't last long with most dragons… they don’t do diplomacy… at least not like that.
“It’s so unsettling having you do that to me.” Sentinel could see just the hint of a smirk. “This is payback for earlier isn’t it?”
“Mayhaps.”
“You might what to hold of that celebratory smile for later Celestia… You mess with dragons you will get burned…”
Firstclaw,
Celestia has requested a modification to the alliance agreement we drafted. Given light of the recent attacks… I am in agreement with her even if it will annoy both Quartermaster and myself to no end.
I will be in the Council in one hour with Celestia, Luna, and the Bearers. Bring Quartermaster with you. We shall discuss this in more detail then.
Secondclaw
“He of Laughter! What are…” Sentinel wondered. He didn’t think it was time for an update… though given the recent attack it was possible… but Discord was last on the trail of a possible lead on the cause of the green dome over Traxti City… This is not good...
“Thank insert blank blah blah yada yada!” Discord rolled his claw. “I’ve been desperately hoping for two days that you or He of Hourglass would show up!”
“I have been out cold for two days… What is going on?”
“I found out who was responsible for attacking Traxti City! It was…”
“A dragon.” Sentinel finished for Discord. Discord paled at Sentinel’s knowing that it was ‘a dragon’ not the ‘Chaos Bringer.’ “Hold off anything else until He of Hourglass gets here.”
“This war just got worse,” Discord worriedly commented, “didn’t it?.”
“Somehow, I think that will be the understatement of a lifetime…”
“He of…” Discord began, trying to calm his nerves.
“It’s Sentinel, He of Laughter.”
“Sentinel?” Discord pulled his goat beard in thought as he circled the alicorn. “It suits you… It really suits you… but it’s not your hoard name is it?”
“No…” Sentinel shook his head, “but it almost could be… Ah, here comes He of Hourglass and Quartermaster.” He bobbed his head towards the doors behind him just as the portal appeared.
“How did you know that?” Twilight finally spoke up.
“The council lights.” Sentinel responded. As he turned he was knocked over by a mass of purple and green.
“Brother, please, I’m fine I was just overtired. You need to learn to chill a bit” Sentinel pushed his brother off of him gently. “But you wouldn’t be the Firstclaw you are without fretting in your concern for your clanmate’s well being.”
“I suppose that would be true.” He of Hourglass blushed. “Why couldn't there be a manual or something on being a Firstclaw!?”
Celestia Twilight and Sentinel burst into laughter. He of Hourglass frustrations on lacking a how to be a firstclaw manual reminded them of night when Twilight ascended. He of Hourglass crossed his arms hotly. “I’m sorry Firstclaw…” Sentinel apologized once he was able to stop laughing. “I’ll explain it to you later…”
“As much as I find this therapeutic…” Celestia sniffed before her expression hardened. “We have more important things to discuss…”
“Yes we do… like the fact that the dragon that attacked Hourglass and Equestria is, or more accurate was, Quartz."
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XD well I'm curious what or how legacy and sentinel shipping will turn out
6195764 Did I say I was shipping SF and LC bc I'm sure I didn't... Although I did imply the possibility.
6195810 XD LC x other shipping!!!!!!!!
6196411 I didn't say that either...
6196443
More interactions with Sentinel always being right, Dragon manners being more important to follow than Pony manners, and Sentinel lording himself over Celestia. (And, to boot, the reminder that while Celestia considers Sentinel trustworthy, he doesn't feel the same way to her or He of Laughter. They're not really anything to him! Yay no giving of true names!)
... And it's a mixture of stuff I'm sure is deliberate flaws on Sentinel, but probably also things you don't think really egregious that annoy me.
6196654 Sentinel/Harmonious Knight and Celestia do have an interesting past... one of which I've only barley touched on... and with the political games between SF and Celestia and with SF being a warrior does not like... so I can understand your statement on Sentinel not trusting her.
However I can't see where in this chapter where I stated or implied that Sentinel didn't trust Discord... One can gain trust with a dragon without knowing the dragon's hoard name.
Celestia made a honest social blunder one that Sentinel would have normally let slide... but he did just awake from a fight with a vile dragon stated you and I are the same blah blah... and minor spoilers he is going to get even more ticked
The whole thing about dragon verse pony manners does seem to be a sore spot with you. I would site irl examples but I don't want to come off as annoying or snippy for your honest and always welcomed critiques
6196878
Well... the big disconnect is that, for most people, name giving is the most basic forms of respect. You meet someone, you respect them enough to know their name. But with dragons this is the opposite... So to everyone else's standards, dragons lack the most basic forms of respect for anyone who's not a dragon. Even shifting for the whole "you must really be close to them" it basically still means that if any person considered themself close to a dragon they would know the real reality: they were not actually that close, and it would feel very far away indeed.
... Now that I think about it... until Golden Heart... Harmony never got anyone's name. Not even Spike's parents, did he?
... Why is it that he thinks dragons accept him better than ponies? Because Harmony was an outsider so he assigned them a reason better than "I make people uneasy with my color scheme and act like a know it all jerk" to dragons, so he felt more like he was earning getting closer slowly, rather than ponies? Or was there something not-well explained that was even worse with ponies?
6198430
Culture shock isn't it.
And spot on analysis as for most non dragons this would be probably correct.
The very fact that Discord is being called He of Laughter means a lot of respect is being shown here and Discord knows enough about dragon manners to know this... The "S/He of" title is not used for non dragons the exception being a keeper or someone who has passed the Rite of Guardianship (though to be fair Harmony is the only non dragon to pass and he already was a keeper so kinda o redundant.)
you are correct. Now why would Spike's and Harmony's parents didn't tell him his name... Question: why does Twixt'd not know QM and She of Hourglasses names?
Harmony was treated worse by dragons then he did by ponies. and yet:
You want to re read "Disownment" in DoH for the more of the story...
A hoard name as well as the egg name are magical... Hoard names are similar to true names in fantasy settings... I can think of two fantasy book examples the Inheritance Cycle and Earthsea...
Next intermission will be dealing with the name issue in more depth...