//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6. Old Wounds, Old Scars 
// Story: Resuscitatio Artium Magicarum 
// by Xomniac 
//------------------------------//

For the longest time, the allies were silent, staring silently at each other, daring someone to speak first.

After what felt like an eternity, Gilda sighed despondently. “My name is Gilda Behertz. And...before I start, there’s something you should know. There’s no easy way to say this...” 

She took a deep breath before exhaling heavily. “Ponies, buffalo, cattle, donkeys, horses, sheep, mules, goats, zebras, dragons, minotaurs, diamond dogs, griffons, and a few others.” She stated solemnly.

Scholar’s eyes shot wide, his entire being burning with an unspoken fury. “That list does not  imply what I think it does.” He whispered.

The griffon shook her head sadly. “The only sapient species in Mundus.”

The ground surrounding Scholar cracked as the runes around him whipped into a frenzy.

Gilda closed her eyes. ‘And now for the kicker.’ “Of them, only the horses and griffons have actual, sovereign states.”

Fragments of earth started to unconsciously orbit around Scholar as he shook in rage.

Gilda’s talons dug sharply into her arms. “If you can even call Eagleland ‘sovereign’.”

The magic around him cut out abruptly as he stared at her. “Explain.” He quietly demanded.

She looked at him sadly for a moment before staring into the fire. “Eagleland was founded about a millenia ago, plus a few centuries. The constitution was written by King Arthur Peregrine...”

“And Princess Celestia, I’m guessing.” Scholar said in a dead voice.

Gilda nodded silently. “It wasn’t obvious at the time...but things went downhill from there. For starters, I can easily count how many families in the House of Lords are of Griffon descent, and the House of Commons?” She sneered angrily. “I can’t count how many laws have been passed to make it less than a formality.”

Scholar was silent for a moment before finally... “What about the royal family?”

Gilda snorted. “Oh sure, they live in Buckingjay Palace, but it doesn’t matter. One of the stipulations of the constitution is that the Captain of the Guard must be a pony. ‘To promote friendship and harmony’.” She sang mockingly before spitting. “Peh! Friendship my furry ass. The Queen might make some appearances, but at the end of the day, everyone knows that all the orders come from the Tower of Loondon.” She shivered in fear. “Turns out that when Celestia’s not watching, the ponies take it as a sign to stop acting all cute and cuddly. Criminals commit suicide rather than go there. The guards slip them the blades. Out of pity.”

Once anew there was silence. Then, Gilda spoke again, this time with steel in her voice. “Over the years following your imprisonment, Celestia went on a witch-hunt, sealing or destroying all traces of Concordia and the Academia. But she didn’t get it all. Records, transcripts, closely guarded, hidden away. But they exist. I managed to read a few. I...I learned how things used to be. About our pride...” Slowly, Gilda’s voice softened. As she let her eyes trail the smoke ascending into the heavens, she sounded downright reverent. “I learned of the Stormknights.” She breathed.

Scholar’s mood flipped, going from tense to relaxed, his eyes becoming soft.

“I read so much about them,” Gilda whispered. “About how they ruled the skies, the lords of the clouds. Even the dragons didn’t dare to cross them. I read about their code of honor, how they swore to uphold justice. I learned about their bases, the Pillars of Typhon, storms that bridged the heavens and earth, each dwarfing Cloudsdale... I learned of the cyclopes. How they manipulated the lightning with their bare hands, forging it into weapons and armor for the Knights to use. And I learned of their leaders...”

“The Turbine Brothers,” Scholar said quietly. His eyes were distant, lost in the annals of history. “Three of them. Lightning, the youngest, who was the swiftest of them all, so fast he could catch the wind and hold it in his hands. Thunder, the strongest, who carried with him a mighty hammer with which he shaped the wind to his liking, each blow shaking the world. And last, but oh so far from least, Thunderbolt, the eldest. He held the magic, and whenever he inspected Thunder’s work, it would be imbued with the power of the heavens themselves. Together, they created lightning bolts, bringing into existence tempest after tempest, gale after gale.”

Scholar sighed nostalgically. “People called them The Storm Smiths,” He smiled sadly. “I just called them friends.”

Gilda stared at him quietly for a few moments before finally spreading her talons, letting the lightning dance between her gauntlet’s fingers. “I want it back,” She whispered. “Our honor, the power, the glory, the Stormknights, all of it. I want it all back.” She then narrowed her eyes, clenching her gauntlet into a fist and engulfing the entire thing in energy. “But most of all?” She growled. “I want Celestia’s neck under my paws.”

“And Trixie will gladly help with that endeavor.” The unicorn intoned darkly.

Scholar watched her for a moment before posing his question. “Why would you help? You’re a pony, one of those for whom this ‘perfect world’ was intended.”

Trixie let out a bark of laughter. “Perfect!? Hardly. Every day for those wretches, it’s get up, go to work, laugh with your neighbors, love your family, go to sleep content. Day after day after day, the same old song and dance, sometimes literally! Before The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon accepted the title of Guard, she was an entertainer, a performer. The masses cheered and screamed for the most paltry of illusions, awed by parlor tricks and mundane performances.” 

She scowled angrily. “Yes, we live safe, happy lives, but at the cost of stagnation. The world is made of plastic with little to no true, free beauty. What of our art, hm? Where are the novels that tell of the lives of the exploits of the brave warriors, where are the portraits of the most beautiful clouds? What of the magic?” Trixie sighed in despair. “So many ancient, beautiful practices. To summon beings of the astral plane, to manipulate the elements at their roots...” An eager grin played across her muzzle. “To converse with the dead.”


Scholar’s curiosity compelled him to lean forwards. “Sounds like you want that most of all, hm?”

Trixie chuckled in response. “Indeed, Trixie does. Should Trixie one day get the chance, Trixie would love nothing more than to be granted an audience with Solum Nox himself.”

Scholar blinked in shock. “The Wight Lord? What business do you have with him?”

Trixie sighed yearningly as she gazed up at the stars. “The wraiths were amalgamations of departed souls, each composed of a few hundred spirits at a time. But Solum? As a wight, he commanded thousands. Surely, amongst all these departed lives, there must be a few masters of the old ways, correct?” She inquired hopefully.

Scholar shrugged indifferently. “Of course. It was common practice to hold a contract with one of the undead back in the day. It guaranteed the ability to fight after we could no longer fight and provided you with a fool-proof retirement plan. Solum alone must have a few hundred ancient masters and researchers and such.”

Trixie nodded decisively. “Then Trixie shall bargain with Solum Nox to attain an audience with the souls she seeks! Trixie realizes it will be difficult, she has read the old manuscripts. She knows that Solum has a history of being difficult,”

“Cough!Greedysackofshit!Cough!” Chrysalis nonchalantly added.

“But Trixie must try!” She continued unimpeded. “To discover what was once lost, to make it new and display it before the world, that is Trixie’s dream, her goal!”

Scholar chuckled at her enthusiasm. “And it’s an admirable one. When we get Solum out of whatever hole he was dropped into, I’ll call in as much debt from him as I can to help.” He turned his head to look at Iron Will. “And all that’s left is you.”

Iron Will was silent as he stared into the fire. The entire time, he had not spoken a single word. His face was solemn, morose, miserable. When he finally spoke, it was with a voice filled with a deep anguish. “After the Alicorns sealed Chief Minos into stone, they sank Thammenipoli into the earth, deeper than any of our mines could ever reach. After that... they stole our power. We...couldn’t interact with the earth anymore. We couldn’t navigate our mines, couldn’t dig. Without the guiding hand of the minotaurs, the Earth Clans dissolved. Some, like the dwarves and the gnomes were sealed. The diamond dogs fell into separate packs and did what they had to do to survive, digging aimlessly where they can. But the minotaurs...”

He squeezed his eyes shut, tears silently trailing down his face. “The dogs have their packs, the buffalo have their herds, the zebras have their tribes. We... have nothing. Iron Will’s people aren’t nomadic, that would mean they stay together. Nomads have their culture, they have each other. The minotaur are scattered across the world, each fending for themselves. We don’t have a culture, we don’t have a past. The best we can do is carve our own place in the world. At worst...we survive in poverty.”

Iron Will re-opened his eyes. Though still tear-stained, they burned with the kind of fire only seen in the deepest fissures of the earth. “Iron Will will see the Buried City return to it’s former glory. he will see Minos freed, and his people re-united. Iron Will will return his people to their old ways of life, and to the earth from which they came. Iron Will swears it.”

Scholar was silent as he stared at them all. Evaluating them. Analyzing them. Picking apart their very lives. Their souls. 

Finally, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reopened them, gazing upon the trio anew. The three couldn’t help but freeze. Something about the mood had changed. The very air was electrified, the moment filled with energy.

When he at last spoke, Scholar’s voice was...old. Filled with wisdom and experience. “Three warriors sit before me,” He turned his sight upon Gilda, who sat up straighter. “One who seeks to return her race to their former glory,” Next was Trixie, who swallowed heavily. “One who seeks to revive the lost arts,” And finally Iron Will, who unflinchingly returned his stare. “And one who seeks to give his people a home.”

Another moment of silence, he spoke anew.

“As of this moment, you are no longer Alumni of the Academia Arcana.”

For the trio, it felt as if hell had simultaneously broken loose and frozen over.

However, before they could react in any way, Scholar spoke again. “By the power vested in me as Professor Magnus, I name the three of you Magisters of the Academia Arcana.” His mood flipped again as he smiled widely at them. “Congratulations!”

There was a dumbstruck silence as the trio gaped at the Rune Keeper, broken only by Chrysalis laughing at the looks on their faces.

Gilda felt her eye twitch. “Practically every day is going to be like this, isn’t it?”

Scholar chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “Basically.”

Chrysalis cackled maniacally. “Welcome to hell! HAHAHA!”

Trixie growled under her breath. “The Annoyed and Pissed Off Trixie would like to know if her friends would be interested in joining her in planning a murder.”

Iron Will groaned and rubbed his snout. “Iron Will fears that it may be too late for that.”

“Oh, it is never too late for a cold-blooded assassination.” Gilda snarled.

Chrysalis smirked at Scholar. “Ten seconds after being promoted and they’re already plotting your demise.”

He beamed back at her. “I know, right? They’re naturals! Well!” Scholar clapped his hands and stood up. “Grab your manticore meat and get ready to move, it’s time to get down to business.”

The group blinked in surprise before scrambling to their hooves and paws. Scholar, Gilda, Iron Will and Chrysalis each tore a chunk out of the cooking corpse while Trixie did her best to hide how green she was.

Gilda raised an eyebrow at Scholar as she munched on the cooked remains. “So, what’s the plan oh wise one?”

Scholar swallowed the mouthful of meat he had and responded. “Well, first off, Chrysalis, you good to teleport?”

The Changeling Queen nodded. “Absolutely. Thanks to your ward, I’m back to full strength.”

Scholar nodded decisively. “Good. Then get us back to your hive, pronto. We need to hurry if we want to make it to Canterlot before Celestia and Luna decide it’s time for daybreak.”

The group’s jaws dropped once again.

“Wh-we just got the hell out of there! Why do we need to go back!?” Gilda demanded.

Chrysalis frowned. “It’s the Lexicon, isn’t it?”

Scholar nodded solemnly. “Unfortunately.”

Trixie whipped her head between the two before raising her hoof. “Wait, Trixie is confused. What is the Lexicon?”

“The Lexicon De Arcana. My grimoire, and the single most powerful and extensive collection of magical knowledge this side of the astral plane. I wrote, enchanted and warded the damn thing myself so that only I can use it, and I need it to get back to full power.”

Iron Will frowned as a thought crossed his mind. “Wait, if it’s that important to you, then wouldn’t Celestia have destroyed it or hidden it far far away?”

Scholar nodded at the minotaur. “Saying ‘destroy’ instead of ‘burn’ because I obviously would have warded against it, smart bull. And also, she could have destroyed it, but that would have  involved taking out half the continent in a blast of pure energy.”

Gilda’s jaw dropped open. “Holy shit!”

Scholar chuckled devilishly. “I know, right? I really overhauled that thing. Anyways, as for keeping it close to her, I doubt that she’d have let something that powerful out of her sight. Seriously, she took a risk with stashing me so far out and look where that got her.”

Chrysalis nodded in acceptance. “Alright, good point. So what now?”

Scholar held a finger up. “First, we get to Chrysalis’s hive and fix things up. We’re going to need an army for this. Then, we sneak back in to Canterlot and crash the wedding reception. If we play our cards just right, they won’t be able to make a move against us while I get my book back.”

The trio stared at him for a second before finally Trixie face-hoofed and groaned. “You’re just playing this by the ear, aren’t you?”

“They’re learning! See Chrysalis? I told you they were naturals!” 

There was a trio of groans before the group was engulfed in a flash of bright green light.

After that, all that was left was the smoldering remains of a manticore.


-One Hour Later, Canterlot Gardens-





It was an average night in Canterlot gardens. Or at least, it would have been, if not for the pounding music and flashing lights coming from the reception to Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor’s wedding. Considering how the party was also doubling as a victory celebration for the defeat of the changeling invasion, the party would be going on for a nice long while.

Unknown to the partygoers, there were multiple unwanted guests in attendance. 

A ways away from the party, the air shimmered for a second before finally unveiling and revealing the trio, Chrysalis, and Scholar.

Scholar glanced at Chrysalis silently. Her eyes flashed green for a moment before she nodded. Scholar nodded back and gestured ahead with his hand. The rest of the group signaled their acknowledgement before beginning to move forwards.

However, as they came up to an intersection, something changed.

Scholar halted all of a sudden, raising his arm and forcing the rest of the group to halt.

Chrysalis tapped his shoulder and looked at him worriedly.

Scholar’s only response was to move in the direction that led away from the party.

The team glanced at each other in confusion before hesitantly following closely behind him.

After about a minute of walking, Chrysalis decided to chance speaking. “Scholar,” She hissed, “What on Mundus are you doing!? My children are in position, why aren’t we heading to the reception!?”

“A mistake,” Scholar growled under his breath. “A very big, stupid mistake. But it’s a mistake I’d rather get over and done with.”

Chrysalis growled. “Damn it, Scholar, what the hell...are you...” She trailed off as she saw where they’d arrived.

The Canterlot Statue Garden.

“Oh.” She whispered.

“Yeah,” Scholar mumbled as he continued walking. “Oh.”

Iron Will frowned in confusion. “Iron Will doesn’t understand. What are we doing here?”

“That’s easy,” Scholar stopped in front of a statue and stared up at it. A mismatched monster, made up of at least eight different species and was posed in a ridiculous position.

“We’re here to see an old acquaintance.”

Gilda grimaced in confusion. “What, this ugly-ass statue?”

“Oh, like you’re such a looker!”


The trio jerked back in shock. The voice had come from their heads! “W-what!?” Trixie stammered. “It speaks!?”

“‘It’ is such an insulting term! I, madam, am a ‘he’!”


“Friends, allow me to introduce Discord, Spirit of Chaos.” Chrysalis said solemnly.

“And all around pain in the ass.” Scholar finished in a dead tone of voice.

“Now you’re just being mean!” the statue exclaimed. “And calling me a mere ‘acquaintance’ of all things? Come now, Scholar, I thought we were friends!”


“We are not friends, Discord.” Scholar stated.

That seemed to throw the petrified draconequus for a loop. “I-wha-! Scholar! Such harsh words! Why would you possibly be so pointlessly cruel!?”


“Let me think...” Scholar said mockingly. “Oh, I know!” His runes whipped into a furious frenzy. “All of this? The world being completely fucked up? IT’S ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!”


Discord’s presence immediately turned frigid. “It was not my fault. Those arrogant, self-righteous nags started it.”


“Yes,” Scholar snarled, “But you escalated it!”



~~~





Scholar growled furiously as he paced in the room. “Where are they!?” He demanded.


There was a flash of green light before Queen Chrysalis appeared in the chamber, scowling angrily.


Scholar whipped around to face her before sighing in exasperation. “They’re not coming, are they?”


Chrysalis snorted in derision. “Of course not. Her Imperious Bitchiness is far too occupied with rallying the troops for war to be bothered!”


The Rune Keeper groaned. “And let me guess, the others are too busy trying to calm her down to make it?”


Chrysalis’s scowl deepened. “Wrong. They’re all helping her.”


Scholar’s jaw dropped. “All of them. Even him!?”


Chrysalis nodded. “He was using that voice. I haven’t heard him use it since...” She shuddered at the mere memory.


Scholar’s fist clenched. “Damn it! The greatest pacifist in the world and even he’s baying for blood!”


“As should we!” Serpense interjected as he tromped in. “We should be acting right alongside them!” “Why the hell are we still here!?”


“Because, snake-breath,” Scholar reprimanded. “You’re all over-reacting!”


“Over-reacting!?” A strong, gravelly voice demanded.


Scholar flinched and turned around. Towering above him at around ten feet tall was a nigh literal mountain of brown metal armor and pure muscle. A minotaur of unparalleled size and power, he had a golden ring through his nose and was lugging a huge, double-bladed war axe over his shoulders.


“Minos.” He groaned.


The minotaur snorted furiously. “You know what’s going on in there. My people can’t move the earth! Barely any of our magic is working! Hell, some races are even being actively poisoned!”


“He’s right, Scholar,” Chrysalis interjected. “My children are reacting very negatively to the concentrated harmony.”


“As are the hydra!” Serpense added. “And the hippocampi!” “And the water nymphs!” “Freaking hell, even the slimes are panicking!” “Nothing fazes them!”


“Even the souls.”


The Rune Keeper shuddered at the voice. 


Or rather voices. 


From out of the shadows came a floating, shadowy figure. He was cloaked in a ratty, dilapidated black-and-blue cloak that covered its entire body. The figure had no legs, and from out of it’s sleeves protruded two skeletal hands. Looking beneath the hood, all that could be seen was a nigh infinite darkness, broken only by a source of blue light deep inside the hood. Orbiting around the figure were multiple balls of ethereal blue flame. A singular length of chain was wrapped around it’s torso and hung down from it’s arms, ending in spiked shackles.


The creature started speaking. It’s voice was low and droning, but the truly frightening aspect was that it repeated on and on and on, sounding as though an entire crowd, a legion, was speaking simultaneously. “Several individuals have expired within the event,” It intoned. “Yet none of their contracts have been upheld. Their souls remain uncollected. Their transactions remain unfulfilled. Truly a tragedy.”


“Yeeees, Solum, truly we should be focusing less on the overall consequences of this dilemma and more on how your business is suffering.”Scholar growled acidically.


“We are glad you agree.” The wight stated emotionlessly.


“Don’t change the subject, Scholar,” Minos rumbled, his voice like two tectonic plates grating against each other. “The Wight Lord might be a self-concerned ass, but the point stands! This is the time for action!”


“No! It isn’t!” Scholar protested. “Look, what Celestia, Luna and Cadance are doing is completely insane, yes, but it’s also out of desperation!” He sighed heavily. “We all know how things have been going for awhile now. We all know that the ponies have had a hard time coping. This isn’t an act of malice, or aggressiveness! This is a last resort. They’re panicking, being irrational, but so long as we play our cards right, this will all blow over.”


“And then what!?” Chrysalis demanded. “We just leave them-?”


“No,” Scholar interrupted coldly. “No, look, just because this will end peacefully does not mean that all will be forgiven. I’ve already spoken with the Brothers and Daemos. We’ll apprehend them and discuss how to handle them. Together. Calmly. Mark my words,  there will be repercussions for this.”


“Oh I’ll say there will.”


All of the heads present snapped up, staring at the being floating above them.


Scholar swallowed heavily, a sense of foreboding overcoming him. “What are you talking about, Discord?”


The draconequus chuckled maliciously. “Oh, nothing much. Just planning my assault on Equestria.”


Scholar’s eyes snapped wide open. “What!? Discord, have you heard a single word I’ve been saying!?”


Discord leaned back in the air and conjured a salmon that he used to buff his claws. “Oh yes, I have. Every word to be precise. It’s just that I’m calling bullshit on every last one of them.”


Scholar’s breath began to quicken, the runes around him beginning to accelerate. “Discord, listen to me, please. This is a very delicate situation. If you press them, if you do the wrong thing, this could all spiral out of control!”


The Spirit of Chaos’s dismissed the fish, his smile growing positively feral as his mismatched fangs protruded from his lips. “Perfect.”


The Rune Keeper paled dramatically. “Not in a good way, Discord! Not in a way that you, me or anyone would enjoy! Everyone will suffer!”


“Unless,” The demonic being growled, “I slaughter every piece of life in that little shithole.”


Serpense shuddered. “D-Discord...” “What the hell-” “Why are you acting like this!?”


Minos narrowed his eyes as his grip on his axe re-doubled, the earth around him instinctually beginning to rumble. “What are you planning, demon?”


Discord snarled angrily as his face twisted in rage. “What those prissy pony bitches have done is blasphemy! They have murdered all of the chaos in Equestria! Destroyed it at it’s core! This...affront! Will not! Go! Unpunished!”


Chrysalis took a step back. Sweat would have been trailing down her carapace, had she had any sweat glands. “Discord, listen to yourself! The loss of chaos...it’s driven you mad!”


“Madder.” Solum groaned.


“Solum, shut it!” Scholar yelled. “Discord, don’t do it!”


Discord yanked out the pike he’d been using to clean his ears, bringing a load of earwax with it. “Hmm? What was that?” He grinned menacingly and held up his fingers in a motion that was recognized with horror by everyone present.


“All I heard was ‘do it’.”


SNAP!


“DISCORD!”



~~~





Discord’s fury could be felt in the minds of everyone present. “I did what I had to do.”


“Once your little ‘temper tantrum’ was over and done with,” Scholar rumbled, unimpeded. “We were forced to fix things on a global scale. To clean up the mess you made. And in the middle of it all, the Alicorns were convinced that there was only one way to do things, one way to make the world safe.” 

“It’s not my fault that they overreacted! All you had to do was hit them like I did! Kill them once and for all!”

His eyes narrowed menacingly. “We were still reeling from your loss. We had no freaking idea of what was to come. When I came to negotiate, I was ambushed and forced to surrender. I was imprisoned, first in a normal cell, then in Tartarus!”


“I...I’m sorry about that, but...”


“Without Scholar, Concordia died, Discord,” Chrysalis stated coldly. “We couldn’t coordinate, we couldn’t work together, we broke down.”

“T-that’s, that’s not-”

“They shattered us. Took us down separately. One by one by one, we were sealed away in our prisons. Our people were sealed.”

“B-but now you’re free! You c-can free them and-”

“ Some were killed.”


“-grk!”

“The trolls, the djinn...they’re extinct, Discord. Gone. They all fought to the bitter end.”

“...”

 Her tone turned accusatory. “All because you threw a fit.”

“ENOUGH!”


The group flinched in pain from the sudden shout that rang through their heads.

“You think I don’t already know that!?” Discord growled. “I understand damn it! And I’m sorry! I screwed up, irrevocably! I made a mistake, a big one. One so big that even I can’t fix. I might proclaim to be omnipotent, but there are things even I can’t change. This is all my fault, and I’m sorry.”


The magic around Scholar died down, but his tone remained frigid. “Do you expect us to forgive you because you freed us?” He demanded. “Do you think we’ll let you out in turn?”

The draconequus sighed within his prison. “I think you’ll do the right thing, and fix what I broke. I think that you’ll be what this world needs, what I can’t be.”


“And what would that be, Discord?” Chrysalis demanded. “A hero? The knight in shining armor come to save the day?”

To their surprise, Discord snorted. “Hardly. What this world needs is a villain who can play the protagonist.”

Trixie blinked in confusion. “Come again?”

“You heard me! A villain! This pretty little world needs to be torn apart with ferocity, animosity, but the one doing the tearing also needs to be likeable, to be both good and bad at the same time! I can play the villain easily enough, but at the end of the day, I’m not fierce enough to pull it off, I don’t have the determination. But Scholar?” He chuckled sardonically. “You have the fire. You have the will, the drive! You can be cruel or noble as the situation calls. You can do what needs to be done.”


For the longest time, Scholar was silent, staring at the statue. At last...

“I haven’t forgiven you,” He stated neutrally. “We aren’t friends. But... I suppose I can rescind some animosity.”

A sigh of relief could be heard from Discord. “It’s better than nothing. Now then! I have some gifts!”


Gilda crossed her arms and glared at the trickster being. “Oh yeah? What?”

“First answer me these riddles three!”


Scholar wheeled around and began walking towards the reception. “We’re leaving.”

“BENEATH ME! THEY’RE BENEATH ME DAMN IT GET BACK HERE!”


Scholar stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the statue in a bored manner. “Talk fast.”

If it could’ve, Discord’s eye would have twitched. Lacking that, all he could do was growl. “Arrogant little- while I was free, I managed to swipe some things from Canterlot’s main vault, where Celestia keeps a lot of old, dangerous items. I couldn’t find the Lexicon, it’s too well hidden, but I did find a nice substitute. I buried them beneath me so that when I was put back, my chaos would keep them well hidden. All you have to do is move me.”


Scholar stared at him apathetically for a second before finally sighing. He caught Iron Will’s eye and jerked his head at the statue.

The minotaur nodded in acknowledgement. He took hold of the statue and-

CRASH!

“OW! Be a bit more careful, will you!? You almost broke my horn off!”


“Keyword ‘almost’, Discord, now stop complaining.” Scholar told the toppled Spirit. He then turned his attention towards where he’d been standing. “Now, what did you-!” Scholar cut himself off as he stared at what was poking out of the dirt.

“T-this is-!”

“Am I good or what?”


Scholar was silent for a moment as he drew the objects out of the earth and held them in his hands. After gazing upon them for a few minutes, he responded.

“Discord...I still haven’t forgiven you...” A small smile played across his lips. “But this goes a long ways towards that goal.”

“Huzzah!” 

“Now then!” Scholar turned around and gazed at his team, glasses glinting in anticipation. “Everyone listen up.”

Everyone present couldn’t help but to grin.

“I have a plan.”

To Be Continued…