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StAugustine6 — Writing is Magic -- Chapter 10: Ancient Knowledge
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Published: 2013-05-01 17:49:08 +0000 UTC; Views: 320; Favourites: 2; Downloads: 0
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“Twilight told me you’ve heard of Scornbeasts.”
The Alicorn princess and I were in the middle of the Everfree Forest. There sat a hut carved into a tree. The two of us sat at a table, drinking herbal tea. Across from us was a zebra named Zecora, a mystic and expert on traditional remedies.
“Yes indeed,” she answered, “what about them do you need?”
“There’s only one source I know of about them, and that source is troubling to say the least. Somepony claims to have seen one not long ago, but nothing more has been said about them.”
“Scornbeasts are very old; ponies are not the only writers of stories told. Civilizations far and wide tell their own story’s side. You have but one book; you have missed many a crevice and nook.”
“But those stories would have needed to be passed down orally,” Twilight theorized, “There would be the possibility of the accounts becoming exaggerated.”
“Twilight friend, you might forget, quill and ink are not the only set. The spoken word is a powerful thing; it connects history together like string.”
“That still doesn’t tell us anything,” I complained, “How do you know these accounts are valid?”
“As the old saying goes,” Zecora laughed, “I must not tell, I must show.
She walked over to a cauldron and began to fill it with various herbs and powders. Twilight and I were motioned to look inside as she continued the story.
“Long ago, before Celestia and her sister moon, there was a king known as Wassoon. In order to make his army grow, the seeds of hate he did sow.
The water in the cauldron shifted, depicting the king’s evil deeds.
“When his heart was fully black, he allowed the Scornbeasts to attack. They were big and black and flew through the sky, devouring love and friendship as they passed by. His subjects and kingdom wasted away, never again to see the light of day. But Wassoon survived a spell, until a new figure arrived to toll the bell. The figure countered the Scornbeasts, who no longer had love upon which to feast. He reversed their wants, their basic needs, and so now upon hate did they feed. The king was soon destroyed by his creation, leaving no trace of his nation.”
“Wow, that’s some story,” I said, “is it possible that Wassoon or the Scornbeasts could escape their prison.”
“I cannot say for certain; you would have to ask he who dropped the curtain.”
“The one who defeated Wassoon,” Twilight deduced, “do you know who he is?”
“Indeed I do, but you will not like it true. He was known as the chaos lord, for he is the one who embodies Discord.”
“Discord,” Twilight and I exclaimed.
“The very one you turned to stone, and then released when he atoned.”
“You mean we have to work with the guy who almost took over Equestria, twice,” I said, flabbergasted, “I’m not sure I’m good with this idea.”
“Well according to Princess Celestia, he’s gotten along a lot better since Fluttershy reformed him. But if we’re going to go talk to him, I think we’ll need The Elements of Harmony, just in case.”
“We’re going to Canterlot again, aren’t we?”
It wasn’t long before the six and I were on a train to the capital city of Equestria. Twilight and I had already explained everything to the others.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Discord,” Fluttershy pointed out.
“Quite,” Rarity agreed, “I wonder if he’s been behaving like he promised.”
“You think Discord is behaving,” Rainbow said, shocked at such a concept, “He’s freakin’ Discord! I’m sure he’s been planning how he can get back at us since the last time we dealt with him.”
“Well that Princess says he’s been fine,” Twilight reassured, “But we’ll be cautious as always.”
Before I knew it, we were back at the Imperial Palace. Princess Celestia met us at the main entrance. The other six already had the Elements of Harmony on-hoof, while I was trying to look as confident as possible.
“Good to see all of you,” Celestia said after the usual bowing, “I’ve already told Discord you were coming. He’s very intrigued.”
As she said that, I could hear someone coming from down the hall. The figure that came into view was made up of the most mismatched assortment of things I’ve ever seen. I could tell why they called him Discord.
“Ah, hello there my little ponies,” he greeted, “I hadn’t realized how long it has been since I last laid eyes on you six.
He proceeded to pick up Fluttershy by the forelegs and swing her around for a bit. He stopped when he noticed me.
“And who is this, a new member of the team?”
“My name is Art Colter, perhaps you’ve heard of me?”
“Perhaps,” Discord contemplated, stroking his white beard with the lion paw that was his right hand, “I don’t keep up on current events as much as I should. But I can only assume that you have something to do with this whole Scornbeast thing Celestia told me about.”
“Precisely. We were told that it was you who banished the Scornbeasts to Tartarus all those millennia ago.”
“Guilty as charged. Although I kind of owe King Wassoon for helping bring me, chaos, into existence, I couldn’t just see him do that to his people. And so chaos reigned. But like you said, the Scornbeasts are in Tartarus forever, so I do not know why you are bringing them up again. Why do you ponies have to be so serious all the time? Can’t we have some fun as long as you’re here?”
“Business first, fun later. There was an alleged sighting of a Scornbeast in the south of the land. What do you say to that?”
“I would say that it’s impossible. And being the lord of chaos and all, for me to say something is impossible it has to be really impossible.”
As if to prove his point, he magically clothed himself in a smoking jacket and produced a chair to sit in and a pipe to smoke.
“Look…”
“Let me try,” Fluttershy interrupted, floating over, “Now Discord, you would know better than us, but is there any way you could think of that a Scornbeast could be here?”
“Have you ever been to Tartarus,” Discord snickered, “It’s guarded by the three-headed dog Cerberus and is the most miserable existence that is possible. But to answer your question, the only way it could happen is if someone else released them, the Scornbeasts cannot escape on their own.”
“What about Wassoon,” Twilight asked, “could he have done it?”
“That’s a good one princess,” Discord laughed, “I saw Wassoon breathe his last with my own eyes.”
“But wouldn’t his soul be in Tartarus as well?”
“Oh no, young Twilight, his soul is in purgatory, the middle ground between worlds.”
“Then isn’t it theoretically possible that his soul has escaped purgatory?”
“Ha. The day that that happens, I will eat my own horn.”
*SCREECH*
“What in tarnation was that?”
We all looked out of the large windows at the front of the castle. There seemed to be a large black cloud. However, this was organic, made up of hundreds of living creatures. They were large, black, winged, bearing a striking resemblance to griffons, just as all the sources depicted them. They seemed to be led by a kind of grayish-black haze.
“Scornbeasts,” I uttered in total shock.
“Guess you’re eating your horn when this is all over,” Rainbow quipped.
