The Beginning on the End
37 days since the fall of Traxti City
11 days since Legacy Chaser’s murder
Noon, Hourglass
Sentinel was glad when the pulsating ‘doorbell’ on the matrix interrupted the merriment. He of Hourglass let go of Sentinel and tapped the matrix. A moment later and the Friendship Council overlaid the Hourglass Council room like always. Sentinel made note of all of the attendees paying special attention to the fact that there was a griffon in the mix.
“Greetings Hourglass Clan.” Celestia greeted with her usual smile.
“Same to You Equestria and Allied Griffon Eyries.” He of Hourglass responded back, bobbing his head towards Celestia and Ambassador Grizzle respectively.
Allied Griffon Eyries? Sentinel raised an eye at the griffon. I see I missed some interesting developments during my grief madness. One that Firstclaw neglected to tell me... This was what he had hoped would happen when he had Luna retrieve the Idol. The griffons finding something to live for again. Hopefully this time the griffons wouldn’t fall apart if the Idol was stolen/disappeared again. I wonder if this is just for the purpose of the war or if this going to be a more permanent thing. I hope permanent...
“Sentinel!” Celestia finally noticed the off pink dragon, pulling the dragon away from his thoughts. She had to stifle a giggle at the fact that the drake was pink. “It’s good to see you!”
“Same to you Celestia.” Sentinel smiled as he bobbed his head in greeting. He saw the glint in her eye but he was not going to tell her that it was no prank that he now sported pink scales.
Medallion...
Celestia eyed Sentinel for a moment more. She could see a note of sadness in the way the dragon held himself. Understandable to her with the recent loss. She filed it for a later more private conversation before she turned to He of Hourglass. “He of Hourglass, you sure made an impression in the Crystal Empire...”
Sentinel head snapped to his firstclaw at that. He of Hourglass was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly at Celestia’s praise. This is not good. Sentinel shook his head. Of all the places Dragon Keeper could have gone to he had to go there. The crystal ponies had been known to break free of memory spells and the spell he had constructed wasn’t a true memory wipe. Doing a true memory wipe over the entirety of Equestria would have not been possible. At least not without damaging the psyche of countless ponies to the point possibly killing them, especially those in Ponyville and the Crystal Empire. A safe, true memory wipe requires much more precision than what could have been done.
“...I do have one note on your actions.” Celestia noted as she ended her report on the Crystal Empire. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
Twilight and Sentinel snorted then fell into laughter at Celestia’s knowing light jab. He of Hourglass only groaned as his facepalmed. He knew why those two would find that so funny… but the mirth that the solar alicorn princess had in her eyes as she said it was confusing. He knew she was practiced in teasing but the way she said it betrayed a knowing of him far beyond what he would think she would know. Maybe she just was really good at reading people… if the length of her reign was any indication that was most likely the reason.
As Sentinel started to regain control he suddenly noticed that Luna seemed off. He took a hard look and wasn’t fooled by what he saw. Her expertly stylized fur and mane was meant to draw attention away from a glaring problem: her red shot eyes which betrayed a haggard, worn out pony. Given the fact that Luna was the only dreamwalker of any power in Equestria during a crisis this was of no surprise. The bombings must have gotten really bad to get her to such a state. Sentinel noted as he could see her struggling to maintain a regal pose. That would explain why she was standing in comparison to everyone else in the Friendship Council. She was worried that she would fall asleep if she sat down.
“Luna?” Luna didn't’ immediately respond. “Luna.” Sentinel repeated.
“Huh?” Luna blinked hard as her eyes refocused. “Yes, Sentinel?”
“It’s clear to me that you are over exerting yourself.” Sentinel gently admonished the lunar alicorn. “Understandable…” He sighed as he prepared for resistance for what needed to be done. “I will be taking over your dream walking duties the next few nights so you can get some much needed rest. After that I shall assist where and when I can.”
“Sentinel no offense but you are a dragon and you may end up only making nightmares worse.” Twilight countered. She knew what would happen if the dragon entered ponies dreams. She also felt that she needed to defend the lunar princess as she was struggling at the moment to stay conscious much less be able to defend herself.
“Bearer of Magic have you so little faith in me?” Sentinel shook his head. He knew that Twilight would defend Luna. Twilight had always been one to defend Luna fiercely. Sometimes too much and too quickly. “Though you are right, and even if I were in enter a ponies dream in my alicorn form it would cause panic and may cause many to lose faith in Luna at a crucial time. All I will be doing is ending any nightmare I come across...”
“But…” Twilight began to object again.
“Twilight.” Luna put up a hoof to silence Twilight. “Thy defense is commendable… but not necessary. We thank you for thy help.” Luna spoke in old Equestrian, further proving Sentinel’s point.
“On a related note,” He of Hourglass took the opportunity to segway into the next order of business. “has there been any progress to find the mastermind behind the bombings since we last spoke?”
“Other than the original suspicion of the Cult of the Moon? No.” Twilight shook her head.
“And the magic mixture of the bombs?”
“Discord has tried to crack it without success.” Twilight sadly again shook her head.
Sentinel was not surprised at hearing that, though he would commend them and the draconequus for trying. Sometimes hail mary’s worked. The problem was that while Discord excelled at making puzzles he sometimes struggled in solving them. Not to slight the draconequus as it was merely a chaos vs order thing. His magic was affected negatively if he let his mind become one tracked just like his own alicorn magic would be become less effectively if he didn’t keep his thoughts ordered.
“Send over all data you have on the bomb’s magic composition.” Sentinel ordered. “Maybe Scorpan or I can find something.”
Sentinel raised an eyebrow as Twilight nodded and immediately sent a packet to him. If she had a prepared packet ready for him she had either already expected this or the situation was becoming critical. Though to be fair having a dossier for law enforcement was a smart move. The more information in an easy form to understand was important in times like this.
“As you can see from the charts I have provided the bombs have been progressively been getting stronger. Even with the use special shield like spells on a lot of the buildings...”
“It’s common for bombs to become more sophisticated as the bomber becomes more skilled at creating them...” Sentinel spoke like he was recalling straight from memory. He merely blinked in confusion when he realized it was from memory. He shook that off as he continued to quickly read. As he continued to scan the documents something just seemed off about what he was seeing. The problem was it was merely a feeling like a buzzing in the back of his mind of something that he should know. “There is something about this that seems off…” I’m missing something, I know it. What is it!? Damn this memory issue of mine! “Do you have photos of the bombs sites? I just need a shot of the overall scenes.”
Twilight quickly sent the requested photos. “Do you think that maybe the answer is in the photos?”
“Maybe... It’s just a feeling like something I should know but I can’t figure out what…” Sentinel answered, waving his claw to allow the meeting to continue as he studied the photos and charts more. Scorpan moved closer so he could begin to look at the charts himself.
“Ambassador Grizzle…” Celestria motioned for the griffon to speak.
“Right. We are starting to get refugees from the eyries to the east. For the moment we are handling it but the stories that some of them are telling are… unsettling.”
“How so?” He of Hourglass questioned.
“Not much, but for seasoned griffon warriors especially those of our sister eyries to the east…” The griffon shivered, his plumage puffing up, “The only consistency is a dark, ashen cloud or fog rolling in the night, unearthly screams, fire and blood raining from the sky.”
Everydragon paled and began to shiver in fear. Even Sentinel, who was barely listening, shook. Grizzle noticed this curiosity. “Somehow I get the feeling you have heard of this..”
“Of course,” He of Hourglass gulped, “everydragon has ‘heard.’”
“How!?”
“Because…” The Dragon Keeper again shivered, “that is how the ‘Nameless One’ is described in the Dragon Heritage Memories: a dark cloud of ash and fire that rains blood.”
Silence fell over the meeting for a while. The only sound was the occasion shuffle of paper from Sentinel as he continued to examine the data from the bombings. For everyone the reports of the ‘Nameless One’s’ attacks were becoming more open was disturbing. All of them were thinking that it was only a matter of time before they may be facing off with the dragon himself.
“Quartermaster,” He of Hourglass finally broken the silence, “if the clan switches to a pure gem diets how many griffons do you think Hourglass can handle?”
“What!?” Quartermaster and Grizzle shouted in unison at the absurdity of what the Dragon Keeper insinuating.
“Quartermaster, Ambassador, please, swallow your pride.” He of Hourglass pinched his eyebrows. “I’m only interested in having those who wish and are able to fight. Recent events have only served to highlight Hourglass’ weaknesses. With the leyonic interference and remote location getting reinforcements from either Equestria or the Allied Griffon Eyries in a timely manner is next to impossible.”
“Typical…” Grizzle grumbled under his breath.
He of Hourglass clenched his claws so hard that he drew blood. He knew growling or coming off as angry would only fuel the griffon’s stereotypical view of dragons. Unfortunately, Quartermaster had heard as well and was less in control and growled angrily before He of Hourglass motioned him to be silent.
“Ambassador I would like to remind you that dragons have excellent hearing.” The griffon flinched in embarrassment. “As for your lack of faith in our reciprocation of help, both Alicorn Keeper and Twixt’d can reach Equestria in less than twelve to sixteen hours. And everyone else could reach in less than twenty-four. Unless one has on a prior occasion been to the Untamed Wilds and recovered their magic then it could take well over a week to reach Hourglass from the border of Equestria.”
“Ambassador, I’m not suggesting that you force any griffon to Hourglass! I’m merely giving you a way to help ease the social and economic pressure that will build as more refugees pour in. On top of that you probably don’t want to have deal with griffons with itchy talons.”
“So you think that we should Firstclaw!?” Quartermaster was completely taken aback. Sure he liked the griffon ambassador, even with the slight, and he was getting more comfortable with the ponies he just didn’t want to have to deal with warriors with a chip on their shoulders.
“You have yourself a deal.” Grizzle seemed to see what the Dragon Keeper was saying had merit. “But an issue still stands how many can your city handle. I will not send griffons to merely starve to death before they can get their revenge.”
“Quartermaster?” He of Hourglass verbally nudged the dragon. He would ask Secondclaw but he was not as familiar with the forest to the south as the metalworker.
Quartermaster sighed. “I’d say no more than two hundred. But if we are sieged… I can’t say.”
“That can be fixed.” He of Hourglass waved off the concern. “We are already working on building our stores for a possible siege in relation to our pony population. Earth pony magic has proven to be quite helpful in getting food to grow at a rapid pace. Luckily the grasslands to the north of Hourglass has proven to be a viable source of hay. It would not be hard to store up for a griffon population.”
“Celestia,” Sentinel suddenly spoke, “has there been any activity in the area surrounding the gates of Tartarus?”
“No…” Celestia blinked. She could not immediately place why the Alicorn Keeper would bring up the Gates. “Why?”
Sentinel floated a series of photos that he magically increased in size. “What do you see?”
Celestia eyed the photos trying to see how the photos could be connected in anyway to what he was insinuating. “Notice the damage to the stone?” Sentinel then laid out some photos. “You can see a progression in damage in particular to the stone. Most would contribute it to the increase in overall power. Except that several in the later bombings the buildings had their structural integrity enhanced by spells. The spell clearly did work to a degree but not when it comes to stone.”
“What so important about that?” Twilight asked as she took some notes. If Sentinel was correct she had a lot of work ahead.
“Let’s say you are a prisoner in Tartarus. And let’s say you want to escape. First you would have to break the chains binding you. Then you have to get past the guards and traps. If you managed that you would have to navigate a maze of tunnels to the surface. The rock, where solid, surrounding this prison is enchanted with a series of ancient spells to prevent one from digging their way out… or in.”
“Celestia, I believe that the cult is trying to break into Tartarus to free Nightmare Moon.” Celestia and Luna had paled. They both knew what was down in Tartarus. Tirek was just the tip of those housed there that could spell the end of Equestria nevermind the world at large.
“That’s impossible!” Twilight managed to spout out. “The elements destroyed the nightmare that had possessed Luna!”
“I know that but clearly they don’t. The escape and subsequent rampage of Tirek probably only only fueled the wrongful belief that the demon is there…” Sentinel humphed. “It’s actually a sound supposition given that the first time the Nightmare went against the Elements of Harmony the demon along with the host was imprisoned.”
“So they are preparing to assault the Gates of Tartarus in an ill conceived attempt to retrieve a nightmare that isn't there?!”
“No,” Sentinel shook his head. “I doubt they would go after the Gates of Tartarus, one of three open ways into the prison. I would wager that the bombs are an attempt to find a way to overcome the enchanted stone surrounding the prison.”
“Okay then…” Twilight rubbed her head trying to quench the headache building. “Did he or you know of any entrances in or near Equestria besides that Gates of Tartarus?”
“Not sure…” Sentinel answered, “but it will take too long for me to memory walk… and even then there may be ones that he wasn’t aware of… I will check the tomes in the Harmony Council, but somehow I doubt there will be much on sealed entrances. Having said that...”
Sentinel stopped when he noticed that He of Hourglass was receiving a scroll. Whatever it was was probably important as he knew that most dragons didn’t generally ‘shoot the breeze’ via firemail. Most would wait until the dragon migration or personally visit the dragon. Though it was possible that changed with the loss of the Migration. Even then, he knew that He of Hourglass’ network rarely talked to him much outside of ‘business’.
He of Hourglass opened the scroll and paled visibly before he began to shake, not in fear but in fury. “Damn it…” He cursed as he nearly crumbled the scroll in his anger.
“What is it Dragon Keeper?” Sentinel questioned. He had already guessed who the missive was most likely about but he was not going to jump to conclusion as to exactly what it could be about. There was just too many possibilities.
In response He of Hourglass laid open the scroll onto the floor for all to see. Unfortunately no one but the dragons could read the letter given that it was written in dragon script. The letter was very short but it was enough to make every dragon pale to near white.
He has found me.
“Fuck.” Quartermaster cursed.
Sentinel was never one to use minotaur curses, too coarse in his opinion, but in this case he agreed with his hatchmatch. “Fuck, indeed.”
“What in Celestia is going on?” Twilight snapped. She recognize that the letter was written in dragon script but she had not been taught it yet. He of Hourglass had told her that he would teach her after the war as he would only teach it in person and given the time required to learn it it would leave her away from Equestria for up to a year. Not something that could be done during war. Still being left in the dark was… infuriating.
“The beginning of the end Bearer of Magic.” Sentinel explained. “The ‘Nameless One’ has found a dragon that is in Dragon Keeper’s firemail network.”
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Griffon: "Our cities are being destroyed. There are thousands of refugees. It's a real crisis!"
Hourglass: "Quick! How many griffons can we hold here!"
Ex-Garble: "What?! I don't wanna have no stupid refugees."
Hourglass: "Refugees? Oh. Of course not. We only want soldiers to help protect us, making it harder for the griffons to protect themselves in this time of crisis. I mean, we help other people, right? Even though because even the weakest of our fliers is 7x the speed of every other race on the planet, our sacrifice of our safety is naturally less than yours will be when sharing soldiers."
Is it any wonder the ambassador would be pretty put out?
6456904 Remind me that if I need help with writing sarcasm to give you a call...
Was Grizzle right in his feelings of being put out yeah... Of course he did kind of put all the praise for the recovering of the idol on SF instead of Luna...
6457107
Hm? I don't remember him attributing thanks to anyone in regards to the idol... was that in a different chapter? Maybe the one where we learned Harmony was a Big Deal to them?
And, yeah, the general attitude that Hourglass appears to have is that the griffons are ungrateful for the help provided... when the dragons haven't provided any help to them, yet! And they are also asking the nation that is most in crisis to make a sacrifice for the dragons' benefit.
6457193
I can understand you not remember it was a waaaays back in An Equestria Crisis Rises
The Wendigo death count was never fully revealed in story the tally that was reveals was 1,384 pony deaths and counting two days after the attack but that didn't include the more secluded villages... the number is closer to 4k deaths and tens of thousands of injuries... this of course doesn't include griffons, minotaurs, diamond dogs, mules, donkeys etc... Luckily it was close to winter or the fall out would have been worse...
Griffons are fractured The Equestrian Eyries only recently came under one banner... and you forgot the Diamond dogs and Minotuars, Traxti City.... Also reread what GDH says:
GDH is in actuality is trying to help the griffons by basically saying send the trouble makers our way. The addition help is a plus.
Don't assume the dragons have suffered the least...
The pony soldiers was Celestia doing not SF or GDH doing...
I think I missing something else but I'm too tired to think further...