//------------------------------// // Present Day: In Canterlot // Story: The Pony, the Sphinx, and the Immortal // by HapHazred //------------------------------// It was midday in the city of Canterlot, and quite unlike the weather up in the north, where Twilight and her friends were trapped underground, it was pleasantly warm. Celestia sat at her desk, blissfully unaware of the troubles her prize pupil was being subject to. She had something interesting to read, after all. If there was one thing that never ceased to surprise her in her long, long life, it was how much you missed from your own tiny little perspective. Things that were ancient, even more ancient than Celestia, could go completely unnoticed simply due to the sheer size of the world you lived in. It would take an eternity to truly see everything, to experience everything. In the depths of her library, a certain book had surfaced. What it could change for history couldn’t be properly imagined. Perhaps there would be no grand revelation from the information trapped inside those ancient pages. Perhaps it would change everything. The only way to really know would be to open the book and begin reading. She adjusted a pair of spectacles on the bridge of her nose. Unlike other seemingly immortal beings, Celestia had found that staring at the sun every day (which was part of the job) had taken a toll on her eyesight. “What might you have there?” Celestia opened the book, not giving Discord so much as a glance. Whilst she didn’t mind him that much, she wasn’t about to outwardly show her surprise at his sudden appearances. That would only encourage him. “It’s Starswirl’s journal,” Celestia said. “One of them, at least.” Discord twisted and floated onto his back like a snake caught in honey. “Oh, that old fart,” he muttered. “Was quite a thorn in my side back in the day.” Discord changed his appearance to look half burned, like he had been on the wrong end of an explosive kitchen accident. “He also had a mean fireball spell.” “So did his student,” Celestia said. “I remember meeting Clover once.” “I’m afraid I never had the dubious pleasure,” Discord said. “I hear she was an absolute bore. All about ‘co-operation’ and ‘tolerance’. Ugh. Really got under my skin back then.” “Foiled your plans, however,” Celestia pointed out. “Hardly. She spent all that time trying to make Equestria ‘united’, but inject a bit of chaos, and what good was it for? Ten years of mayhem is what happened. Oh, those were the days.” Discord sighed. “I couldn’t go a single week-end without some ‘hero’ or whatnot trying to end my ‘tyranny’. It was their own fault for making life so boring, is what I told them. Then they’d try to hit me with pointy metal sticks.” “I wonder why.” “Spoilsports, I think.” “If you say so.” Discord leaned in towards Celestia. “So, do tell, how exactly did Clover foil my plans?” Celestia flicked through the pages of the journal, only half paying attention to Discord. “She warned me of you, for starters. She met us on top of our mountain.” “Oh, I remember that mountain.” “I remember you turned it into Saddle Bay.” “And the tourism business there should be thanking me for it!” Celestia turned another page. “In any case, she gave us a map to the elements of harmony.” Celestia smiled. “You know, the things that defeated you?” Discord frowned. “Oh, yes. Those.” He crossed his arms. “Hrmph.” “She warned us of you well before you began to exert your influence. Luna and myself were able to plan for your rule before you could really solidify your power.” Discord sighed. “Well, I suppose it all worked out in the end.” “Yes. One thousand years later.” “I suppose after one thousand years most things work themselves out.” Celestia nodded. “I suppose.” She held her hoof up. “Hold on, this bit is interesting.” “What?” “It’s about the eldritch library.” Discord shrugged. “I never heard of such a place.” “It was the single greatest collection of knowledge in history,” Celestia said. “It had books from across the ages. It was a true marvel.” Celestia leaned back. “I remember Clover talking about that, too, whilst she was visiting. I was too proud at the time to really take her seriously.” “As opposed to now, when everypony calls you ‘your highness’.” “Well, it is my job,” Celestia pointed out. “It seems Starswirl spent decades taking care of that place. Wait a minute…” “Hmm?” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Well, isn’t it a small world after all?” “Explain?” “Zerephonzidas,” Celestia said, passing the journal to Discord. “Have you ever heard of him?” “Hmm? No, not me.” “He’s a sphinx.” Discord became very serious. “Oh, I’ve heard of those, however. Pesky creatures if ever I saw them. Back when I was just a little draconequus only this high, one of them tried to study me. Put me in a jar and filled me full of magic.” Discord shuddered. “It was very distressing. It’s name was Edgaraslinar.” The embodiment of chaos shrugged, snapped his fingers and conjured up a small cloud to relax on. “He blew up.” “Ah.” “Why? Who was your sphinx?” “He met me eight hundred years ago to teach me how to… be an immortal, I suppose. He was an interesting character.” “Yes, aren’t all million year old demented monsters.” “You don’t seem to like sphinxes.” “You should never trust a sphinx is what I sometimes say. And this is me talking! Mark my words, sphinxes are bad news. One of them had the gall to ask me riddles when I was just going for a pleasant stroll!” Discord sighed. “He blew up too.” “Seems like a recurring theme.” “Well, only after he cut me into little pieces! It took me a hundred years to reform after that.” “How troublesome for you.” “You can bet your ‘Zerepohonzidas’ had some ulterior motive. Sphinxes aren’t made to be nice.” Celestia kept on reading. “Oh…” “What now?” Discord asked. “You could just lean back a bit and let me read too, if you’re going to make such a fuss about it…” Celestia swallowed. “It seems… ah, it seems Clover hadn’t been referring to you when she came to warn us on the mountain…” “Why? Wasn’t I good enough?” “No. Starswirl had been watching Zerephonzidas after the eldritch library closed. Apparently… he had been planning to meet me. All along....” “Surprised?” “Not terribly. The way he got me to find him was somewhat… manipulative.” Celestia looked out the window. “I can’t help but feel somewhat worried for Twilight now…” “Why? Where did you send her off to?” Celestia bit the inside of her mouth, thinking. “Discord, could you do me a favour and go to a dig site up north and make sure everything is… fine?” “Where exactly?” Discord asked. He raised a bushy eyebrow. “If you’re thinking of the place I’m thinking…” “Perhaps. There are some really old ruins that were once hidden in a desert.” Discord became, for once, serious. “I put that place up in the middle of a glacier for a reason, you know.” “Why?” “Because it was dangerous. To me, specifically.” He put a claw on his chest. “I’m sensitive to magic, see? That place tried rewiring my brain into pudding. I barely survived just tossing it thousands of miles into the least popular part of the world!” He darkened. “And I’m not as powerful as I once was. Being turned to stone a few times takes a toll, you know…” “You thought it was dangerous?” “Whatever was in there has a mind of its own,” Discord said. “A mind far older than mine. Far older than a sphinx, too. I daresay if you thought we were long-lived, then whatever that is… is most certainly immortal.” Celestia frowned. She was very quiet for a few moments. Discord twisted around to get a good look at her face. “Well?” “I need to summon my guard,” Celestia said, getting to her hooves and snapping the journal closed. “I’m going north.” She looked out towards the horizon. “Hopefully I’m not too late.”