"Has anypony seen Discord?" Twilight asked at an early breakfast the morning after arriving.
"I thought I saw him go outside." Scorpan answered, placing some toast on the table.
"*yawn* Why do yah need to find him? Yah know him. Never around when yah need him. Won't leave when yah don't..." Applejack yawned taking some toast and apple jelly. She looked at the jar and was surprised to see that it was an Sweet Apple Acres product. "Scorpan, where'd yah get this?"
"Harmony brings me treats from Equestria from time to time. I think that was from a place called Sweet Apple.. Sweet Apple..." snapping his claws trying to remember the rest of the name.
"...Acres" Applejack finished for him "It's mah family's farm."
"Oh is it? Well tell me what things besides the obvious do you grow?"
Twilight had heard all this before so she quietly left to go find Discord. She was glad Scorpan knew where he went. She did not want to try to find him in the confusing layout of the house.
Twilight walked out into predawn air. Shivering lightly at the chill in the air, she began to looked around. Given the small size of the Oasis it only took her only a minute to check the lake shore, the trees, and behind the house. He was no where in sight. She was about to go back inside when she noticed that Discord was hovering high over the lake. Though she could not see his face, as he was facing away from her, he looked very troubled.
"I'm a bit surprised to see you out here Discord." She called out.
"You thought I would love being inside with the maze of halls and dead ends? Too much like a poor pony's version of Canterlot Castle." Discord answered without moving, his back still to her.
"Now that you mention it..." Twilight trailed off. She stood there for a moment trying to remember why she was out here looking for Discord. "Discord? Can we talk?"
Not turning to look at her Discord guessed. "If I was a gambling draconequus I would have made big money on what you are asking." Flipping a coin expertly but still staring off at distance. "You want to know about Harmony's condition don't you?"
Twilight opened and shut her mouth repeatedly, loss for words.
After an awkward silence Discord finally coughed and began to speak. "So... about what is affecting Harmony. You should know something first." conjuring an illusion of the Tree of Harmony and the Crystal Heart for Twilight to see. " These are examples of artifacts created from a Keeper giving up their harmony magic. It allows the magic of harmony to be used even if for some reason the Keepers are unable to help. (I don't think either one of us what to know what would happen if there was no Crystal Heart to stop Sombra.) From our experience with the Tirek incursion you know what happens when a pony loses their magic. It is very dangerous to give up your magic even more so for a Keeper given their dangerous lives."
"Shortly after creating the Tree, Harmony went on one of his... excursions into the dragon lands. He contracted, what is now, a very treatable disease, but at the time had no treatment. Of course, even if there was a treatment by the time he could have gotten back it would have been too late... The disease is called Pony Magic Wasting Disease...Well, it's not very accurate, any magical race can contract it."
Twilight went into shock. She knew that disease quite well every pony was taught what to look for. She was surprised that she didn’t see the signs in Harmony. Admittedly it was only the early stages that are taught given that nopony had ever reached the advance stage in nearly a millennia.. Of course if Harmony had the advance form she was at a loss on what to do. Still she knew she must try.
"But there has to be something we can do. Spike is taking his illness hard. I fear that Spike needs help... and as much as I want to help him... I fear.... I fear..." Twilight started to cry thinking back to something Harmony said. "When a dragon becomes an adult they forget everything from childhood..."
"I would try talking to Scorpan." Discord ignoring Twilight's breakdown over Spike.
"Why him?" Twilight sniffed.
"Really? For such a Starswirl the Bearded fanfilly you should know the part of the legend were Scorpan befriended a young unicorn? I mean, true, its not the most obvious thing but..." Discord then noticed that he was alone. Sighing heavily he again stare off, lost in worry.
Twilight stumbled into the kitchen knocking over some pots and pans.
"Twi wha's th' mattah? Yah tryin' to wake everypony?" Applejack exclaimed, helping her up.
"Sorry, I... I need... to speak ...to Scorpan... about... Harmony." Twilight huffed heavily pulling a pot off of her head.
Scorpan raised an eyebrow, "Well, then let's go to my study. Applejack, if you or anypony need me, see that cabinet?" Scopran pointed to a plain wooden cabinet secured to a wall on the other side of the kitchen near a dumbwaiter. Above it was a line of small bells. "In that box there is a bunch of strings. Pull the one marked 'Study.'"
Scorpan motioned for Twilight to follow him through a side door. After going through several hallways Scorpan stopped at a door, pulled out a key, unlocked the door, and walked in the now unlocked room. Twilight was suddenly envious. Admittedly it was a small room. But along every wall there was bookshelves that went to the ceiling full of books. From what she could see nearly every book was extremely old and on subjects that she doubt was even in the Canterlot Archives. She never saw a personal collection this large. The library, along with the books, in Ponyville was technically not hers and given her side job as the librarian she never saw the need to have a very large personal archive..
Taking a seat behind a desk, and motioning for her to sit on the cushion in front of the desk, Scorpan began, "So uh... What was your name again?"
"Twilight Sparkle." She absentmindedly sitting on the cushion.
"Thank you, my memory isn't as good in my old age. So, what can help you with concerning Harmony?"
"His illness... I want to do something to help him, but..." Twilight trailed off
“I see.” Scorpan crossed his claws thoughtfully, “Tell me, why should I tell you about it if Harmony himself has not told you?”
“Because Spike cares deeply for Harmony. Spike is going through... uh... changes in his life and I don’t know how to help him as I know very little about dragons. Harmony seems to be the only one with those answers. I can’t help but worry that his is at deaths door. I would not be a good big sister if I couldn’t find a way to help Spike by helping Harmony.”
“Hmm…..” Scorpan thought but said nothing further. Time seemed to past slowly for Twilight as she waited for a response. She so desperately wanted to plead further but she couldn't think of anything else that would further her cause.
Suddenly Scorpan started speaking again, "Twilight Sparkle... Twilight Sparkle..." he chewed on Twilight's name. Twilight titled her head in confusion. "Ah! Now I remember why you name was so familiar! You were the one that finished Starswirl's unfinished 'masterpiece.'"
"Um..." Twilight blushed heavily at this.
"You know... " shaking his claw in excitement, "I think you might be able to take another one of his masterpiece to the next level..." Scorpan turned around and began looking through his books. "...although to be fair Harmony and I helped him with this one."
"What? I never knew he had any help with any of his spells, potions, magic studies..."
"Not surprising.” Scorpan cut her off, “Not everything is recorded. But there is there also a lot of your history that was deliberately shrouded in mystery. There are some things Equestria is not yet ready to know..." Scorpan headed off Twilight's indignation. Turning to face Twilight for a moment he say the look on her. "Relax, Celestia is not trying to hide things from ponies for nefarious reasons... don't forget that nopony knew that Nightmare Moon, Luna, was Celestia's sister. Can you imagine how much chaos there would have been if that was common knowledge? Ponies, by their very nature, panic easily."
"Sadly I know what you mean…” Twilight sighed heavily,” Wait how do you know all this?”
“I may be a hermit but like the apple jam Harmony does keep me informed of what goes on in Equestria as well as a few other lands that you don't need to know about.”
Twilight decided to turn the conversation back to Starswirl eyeing some of Scorpan's books, “So back to this masterpiece of Starswirl that you think I can take further?"
"Oh, yes, of course. It's Starswirl's treatment for Pony Magic Wasting Disease... never could understand the 'pony' part of it..." Scorpan answered returning to his search through his bookshelves.
"Wait I thought it was too late for Harmony?" Twilight seemed confused. She knew that advance cases were untreatable which is why everypony was taught how to watch for it.
"Maybe, but if anypony can solve a problem that Starswirl couldn't solve I think it would it would be you. I have his notes in a binder... Ah here it is." Scorpan pulled out a binder. It looked like papers were haphazardly stuffed in it. Turning back to see Twilight's excitement, "Here's the deal. There will be breaks to leave the lab for food three times a day. Also six hours minimum of sleep, in a bed, a night. No exceptions."
Someone is taking a page from Spike. Twilight thought.
Noticing her processing his stipulations he chuckled a bit. "I have had practice with a certain over working pony and I don't mean Harmony." Scopran then pulled his beard, adding "Although he was almost as bad."
Twilight cringed a bit at Scorpan's knowing look but then nodded, solemnly.
"Good. Follow me we have much work to do." Scorpan motioned Twilight to follow as he walked out of the study.