The Fall of Discord

by Chris

Rating: everyone
Tags: Discord, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5508

A translation of the ancient epic describing the battle in which Discord was locked in stone.

A translation of the ancient epic describing the battle in which Discord was locked in stone. Rendered in Modern Equestrian using common vernacular by T. Sparkle, this is the first truly accessible rendering of the poem to see publication. For both amateur historians and lovers of classical literature, it is an essential addition to any library.

Written for the February Write-Off, and inspired by this prompt: "A fire breaks out in the Everfree Forest."

Now available in Spanish, courtesy of SPANIARD KIWI.

Published 2012-03-06 18:23:25 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-19 05:20:14 UTC

Chapter 1

The Fall of Discord

Translated into Modern Equestrian by T. Sparkle

1: Of the Times of Trouble

In the darkest days / of Discord’s rule,
Millenia whilom / at the limits of history,
The lands of the ponies / were lorded and patronized
By that cruel creature. / Callous of their needs,
And dismissive of the many / multitudes of sufferings 5
Which he flagrantly inflicted / on his fearful subjects,
The Draconequus kept / the creatures he ruled
In a steady state / of unsettlement and fear.

To fight this foe, / and to finally loose
The lands he ruled / from their loveless regent, 10
A council was called / whose care was to be
The discovery of a cure / for Equestria’s plight.
Four were the fighters / who in freedom’s name
Did gather together / that gloomy night,
And with utmost urgency / they owned that they 15
Would strive without cease / to unseat their foe;
They would master a means / of mitigating the rule
Of their foul overlord.

2: Of the Council’s Members

The creature which came / to council most swiftly
Was Pyre-et-Planeta, / placed among dragons 20
The highest, and held / most holy of drakes.
The Fire of the World / was fearful and wonderful
To behold in his prime: / a horrifying and powerful
Paragon of puissance, / yet unparalleled in his kindness
Towards the bevy of beings / who begged for his aid. 25
The Pyre’s people / were a proud race,
Unsatisfied to accept / their slavery at the paws
Of Discord the Devious. / The dragon thus decided
To call to council / those uncowed by his reign,
That together the gathering / might gamble their strength 30
‘Gainst the malicious entity / whose eldrich powers
Trapped them in thrall / and trod upon them.

The second who sought / the summons to answer
Was Celestia Light-bringer, / leader of the ponies.
Her people were oppressed / more powerfully by Discord 35
Than any other / of the earth’s races.
Seeking to destroy / that insidious evil’s
Unmitigated malice, / she marched to council
With vengeance in her veins / and vows of retribution.

The penultimate arrival / was the alicorn regent 40
Luna the Luminous. / Like Celestia, she came
To help the hapless / horses and ponies
Who suffered as slaves / in the service of Discord.
Ever an enigma, / her emotions were opaque.
In silence she sat, / stone-faced and unreadable; 45
As the council convened / she kept her peace.

The rearmost arrival / at the rebels’ meeting
Was the humble and unheralded / Hydra-et-Lerna,
Ruler among reptiles / and regent of lizards.
Wise though he was, / his unwillingness to risk 50
Life or limb / made an unlikely ally
Of the multi-minded / and monstrous being.
For many moons / he had masterfully hidden
His four heads / and fathomless bulk,
Skillfully secreting / himself from detection, 55
Untouched and untainted / by the tortures of Chaos.
Though ruled by fear / he arrived, finally;
His dread of Discord / undone by the hope
That freedom might be found / in fellowship with the Council.
Thus did they meet. 60

Of the Council

When the four who would fain / fight for the liberation
Of their peoples from oppression / at the paws of Discord
Had assembled in secret, / safe from discovery,
Then Pyre did speak, / their purpose to declare.

His words were weighted / with his wish for peace 65
And security for his kind / and all kindred spirits.
He swore by the scales / of star-bound Draco,
And the unflinching flames / of the furnaces of Dis
That by life or by death / he would relieve the dragons
Of their redressless dolor / at Discord’s hands. 70

Then Celestia did relate / her loathing for Discord,
And the degree of her gall / was given speech;
She vowed her revenge / on that villainous creature.
She proposed a plan / to perish his evil
And unmake his malice / and misery forever. 75
She said, “I shall seek / for a concealed magic,
Whose existence is a secret / unspoken for ages
Lest our oppressor should prize / this power for himself.
The Elements of Harmony / are the items I hereby
Declare I shall discover / and carry against Discord, 80
That he be made helpless / by Harmony’s power.”

A plot was then expounded / by Pyre and Celestia,
Whereby the wyvern / would wield his flames
‘Gainst the Forest of Everfree, / foundation of Evil
And home to his hideous / and horrible schemes, 85
In open defiance / of the Enemy’s might,
Drawing out Discord / in deadly challenge
And allowing Celestia / to look, unminded,
For the elusive Elements / without any the wiser.

Then Luna did say / that along with her sister 90
She too would undertake / to travel Equestria
And search for the artifacts / they sought to use.

But the Hydra was wracked / by helpless affright,
Too terrified to attempt / such a trying endeavor.
So the ponies did put / a proposal to him: 95
That his station be to mass / the subjects of Malice
And hide them as he / had hidden himself,
That they might be spared / if the throws of the struggle
Should become cataclysmic / and crater the land.
Thus it was agreed. 100

Of Honesty

Ere they did exit / and enact their duties,
Celestia Light-bringer / did lapse into silence.
Her face was filled / by her fearful misgivings,
And with Pyre she spoke, / and put into speech
The troubles and turmoil / that tortured her heart. 105
“Thy duties, oh Dragon, / are most dangerous of all.
To face a foe / as fearsome as Discord,
Even Pyre-et-Planetum / cannot possibly triumph.”

“Sooth doth thou speak,” / did scoff the Fire,
“But to succeed in my assigned / station this day 110
I only need decoy / our enemy, Discord,
For so long a length / as Luna and thou
Require to uncover / the locations of the Elements.”

Then Celestia lapsed / into lengthy silence.
When she spoke, she said, / “And assuming we fail? 115
If the Elements are sequestered / too expertly to uncover?
Or if they prove to be apocryphal, / what providence then,
Can prevent that villain / from viciously taking
The life from thy body / and letting thy blood
Spill forth in sanguine / streams of ruin?" 120
She stopped then, and slowly / did steady her voice,
Then continued softly, / tears in her eyes,
“I fear that in this fight / thy Fire shall perish,
And should Luna and I / be luckless in our efforts,
The idea of thy death / is a dreadful weight; 125
A passing most vile, / should thou perish in vain.”

But the Fire’s face / was full of mirth,
And lightly he said / to Celestia Sun-Sage,
“Come sorrow or success, / come sadness or joy,
If by deeds this day / my duty I uphold, 130
Come life or come death, / o Celestia divine,
Contentment I shall take / in triumph or defeat.”
And this was Honesty.

Of Generosity

As each of the others / did eagerly part,
Quick to attend / to the coup they would attempt, 135
Hydra-et-Lerna, / beholden to learning,
Wisest of serpents, / whose wit was assembled
By melding four minds / which mingled their thoughts
In a common accord, / cringed with fear
As he pondered the possible / punishments which Discord 140
Might inflict on they four. /

Fearful though he was,
He swiftly did stride / through the cities and towns
That circled the site / where soon would be fought
By the dragon and Discord / a dreadful battle.
Everfree he dared / not enter; the danger 145
That to Chaos it occur / to question his presence
He guessed was too great / to gamble the safety
Of the wretches he’d rescued / from around the edges
Of that troublesome forest. / Taking all creatures
Who his quest could uncover, / quickly he worked. 150

Gathering the ponies / and groups of peasants
Of assorted species, / he swiftly did run
To the mounted mazes / which mark the skirts
Of the Drakenridge mountains. / Dutifully he massed
The thrumming throngs / that there did gather 155
And cleverly did occlude / these creatures inside
A kingly cavern / where countless times
He, when in straits, / had hidden in silence,
Avoiding the villainy / of the vicious Discord.
Yet when they were gathered, / that woeful group 160
Of villeins and varlets / whom the vile Draconequus
held under his yoke, / no area remained
For the Hydra to hide. / Hopelessness wracked
That brilliant being / whose unbridled fear
Now threatened to throw / his thinking awry. 165

Yet despite his strangling / sense of terror
No coward was he! / Courage found the Hydra
When need was nigh; / he knew his duty.
He accepted the solution without reservation.
Concealing those souls / whom he’d sworn to protect, 170
The Hydra did hence / from the hilly mountains.
Though dismay on his minds / did massively weigh,
He trod to the trees / which trimmed the forest:
His plan, to aid / Pyre in his task.
And this was Generosity. 175

Of Kindness

When Pyre approached / the point in the forest
Midmost among / its mazing paths,
He cried out for Chaos / to come to battle
And face a foe / who would fain bring down
His unrighteous rulership / and his ruin effect. 180
Swiftly did Discord / assent to this dare,
Arriving with riotous / roars of laughter.
“You feel, oh Fire, / your flame is my match?
You dare to doubt / great Discord’s might?
You fill me, oh Fire, / with unfettered joy. 185
To see such silliness / in sooth is my pleasure!”

To contend with these taunts / that titan did not deign,
Knowing that delay / was necessary to allow
Celestia and Luna / to locate the Elements.
He silently stood / stoic and impassive 190
As Discord did chortle / at his doomed challenge.

Finally the Foe / did flutter his paw,
And say, “In sooth, / despite the mirth
You’ve gallantly given, / my grace is limited,
And your challenge I now / must check. But know, 195
Ere your end / that I, your lord,
Have taken some trifling / entertainment from your passing.”

Now Pyre did proffer / as he puffed his cheeks,
And readied the roaring / redness of his flames,
“Come then, cur, / and declare your power! 200
No fear shall you find / affixed in my breast!
My breath shall burn, / and the barbs of my tail
Shall rend you roundly, / oh regent unloved!
Prepare thyself / for upon the sun,
The moon, the stars, / and the many things stranger 205
Which dwell in darkness / and undying light:
No power or puissance / thy passion can devise
Shall restrain my hostility / nor spare thy life!”

Then Discord the Devious / a dreadful laugh
Let loose from his lips / as he lurched to his feet. 210
“Oh Pyre-et-Planeta, / perish the thought!
If you should prove able / your yowling flames
And curved claws / to crown me with,
Then sadly mistaken / is my assessment of you.”
Then, snapping his fingers, / the unsavory foe 215
Did summon to stand / steadfast before him
A bevy of beasts, / brutally misshapen,
And twisted to violence / by incantations most vile.
Rats and rabbits, / all races of birds,
The wolves of the woods / and warthogs of the plains, 220
Even ponies were part / of this deplorable army.
Their minds had been mastered / by the magic of Discord;
They were helpless to do aught / but heed their overlord.

With his thralls assembled / betwixt they two,
Chaos had crafted / a cunning trap. 225
Pyre-et-Planeta / to approach was helpless
Unless he were ready / to lay low the wretched
But blameless beings / now banded before him.
As laid was this gambit / by the unlawful god
The Hydra did hence / to the edge of the forest, 230
Seeking to essay / and assist the Fire
In his doomed endeavor / and deal with the Draconequus.

Then the Fire of the World / was filled with tranquility.
To aid his subjects /and allies both,
He accepted the solution without reservation. 235
Filling the furnace / which fueled his body
With flagrant flame, / the Fire did breathe.
But his breath did not blast / the beasts before him:
Instead, he spewed / his sear all directions
And filled the forest / with unfathomable destruction 240
So heated that the Hydra / could not hope to enter,
And ringing the regiment / his rival did field.
Then stood he uncowed, / and strongly declared,
“If death is my doom, / I’ll deem it thus:
A little loss, / to like as me. 245
Victory I’ll avow, / though vanquished I be,
So long as my ideals / still lord my deeds.”

Then Pyre did banish / his powerful breath
And coiled his tail, / his claws he trimmed,
And offered no argument / when the Enemy’s hordes 250
Did viciously attack. / He availed himself not
Of their slavering jaws / and unrestrained cruelty.
And this was Kindness.

Of Loyalty

Long did Celestia / and Luna, the sisters
Whose place to all ponies / is as parent to child, 255
Scour and scrape / as they searched the lands
For any hint / of the Elements of Harmony.
With Evil occupied / by their ally’s distraction
These two were left / unattended to look.

To the deepest depths / of the darkest oceans, 260
Where many are the monsters / unmarked by the sun,
Who swim in the silence / of stygian gloom
The sisters did search, / but success they found not.

To the deepest depths / of the darkest caves,
Where the cloying closeness / of cavern walls 265
Endangers all ponies / who endeavor to explore,
The sisters did search, / but success they found not.

To the deepest depths / of the darkest jungles,
Where trees, unattended, / grow tall and wide,
And beneath their branches / illumination is banished, 270
The sisters did search, / but success they found not.

To the sun-drenched skies / assembled above
The earth, they soared, / and aimed to see
If the view, from such vantage / more valuable proved.
But even the eagle-sharp / eyes of the sisters 275
Were tools too base / to detect the boon
They craved to secure. / Crying her anger
And tired frustration / to the untrammeled sky,
Celestia Light-bringer / unleashed her grief.

“Our search is in vain! / No scrutiny we’ve devised 280
Has augured aught / of the Elements we seek.
While we flounder in failure / the Fire of the World
Both life and limb / does lavishly wager.
If our efforts should end / in calamitous defeat,
Then what of Pyre? / And what of the Hydra? 285
And the fate of those faultless / who fled, as well,
Shall hang o’er our heads / hence for all time!
Luna, my sister, / lighten my sorrow:
Tell me what trials / untaken as yet
May guide our steps / to glorious success!” 290

Then Luna the Luminous / did look to the earth,
And saw with the searching / sight of the gods,
The Everfree Forest / eaten by flame,
And standing therein, / at the center of all,
Pyre-et-Planeta, / pressed on all sides, 295
As the Draconequus cackled / at the carnage before him.
And around the edges / of the roaring Everfree
Brooded and balked / the rebuffed Hydra,
Deterred by the trees / which tortuously burned,
He looked for some line / to allow him to pass, 300
But the great conflagration / gave him no means
Of approaching Pyre / to proffer his aid.

Celestia did look / where Luna had turned,
And whispered aloud, / “If we should lend
Our aid to our allies... / yet, even so arrayed, 305
No threat would we pose / to the thaumaturgies of Oppression.
To wager our all / on an unwinnable gambit?
Plainly Pyre / would find preferable that we
Escape to contend / with the Draconequus at a time
When luck is more likely / to allow us success.” 310

But when Luna and Celestia / locked their gazes,
They both, by the bond / that bound them together
Knew undeniably / that neither could bear
To abandon their friends / who battled afar;
They accepted the solution without reservation. 315
Fleet and fast / they flew to the aid
Of Pyre-et-Planeta, / paragon of dragonkind,
As the Hydra his heads / did heft above the smoke,
And facing the forest’s / flaming ruin
Did run to the rescue / of the regent of dragons 320
Searing his scales / and scouring his hide
With a burning blaze / that blackened and scarred.
Heedless of his ruin / the Hydra did race.
And this was Loyalty.

Of Laughter

Discord the Devious / did devilishly grin 325
To see the assault / his servants did make
Upon Pyre-et-Planeta, / who implacably bore
The unfettered fangs / and fearsome claws
Of the mind-bound masses / with maliceless serenity.
Cruelly the creatures / did callously rend 330
The flesh from the Fire, / freely his blood
Did splatter the stones / where stood he, impassive,
Until came the time / when the tortures he suffered
So sapped his strength / that to stand he was unable.
No sign or signal / that he suffered was given; 335
In expression and voice, / his peace was unvanquished.
Yet at length his limbs / did lose their strength
And caving, the Fire / did crumble and fall.

With cackling mirth / did Chaos demand,
“Fire of the World, / does my fun leave you weary? 340
Is your unwavering will / too weak to continue?
So sad, it seems / to see such frivolity
Conclude so quickly.” / Then, clapping his paws,
He ordered the animals / and others in his thrall
To end the life / of the obstinate lizard. 345

But ere the army / his end could effect,
Forth from the flames / which filled the woods
The Hydra did burst / bearing hideous burns.
His scales were scorched / to strips of black
Which horrid did hang / from half-baked flesh. 350
Despite the suffering / his status did give,
Without hesitation / he urgently tore
To the side of the Fire / and swinging his faces
As cudgels, he caught / the creatures, and threw
Their fractured forms / from Pyre’s side. 355
Then spun he to Discord / and standing o’er the dragon
Did say with speech / both strong and unwavering:
“No more shall be made / your malice to suffer
Pyre-et-Planeta / while present am I
To oppose your power! / Pyre I’ll defend 360
While my strength remains / and sound are my minds!”

But Hydra-et-Lerna / was helpless to battle
The devilry of Discord: / no deity he.
Celestia Light-bringer / and Luna her sister,
And Pyre-et-Planeta / were empowered to match 365
The strength of Despite / in spirit, if not
In level of power. / Lerna did appreciate
The absurdity of the stand; / no simpleminded fool
Was the learned lizard. / Yet little though his might,
And though filled with fear, / he defended Pyre. 370
Knowing the nature / of their needful struggle,
He accepted the solution without reservation.

Then Discord did deign / to deal directly
With the impudent Hydra; / no use had he
For his mindless minions / ‘gainst so meager a foe. 375
Stepping forward / he snapped his fingers,
And his chaotic power / at once did pulse.

The instant that Evil / had enacted his spell,
The melding of minds / which had made the Hydra
Most bright and brilliant / of beings on earth 380
Was cut like a cord, / and chaos did reign
In his body and brains / as each battled to find
The mingling of mind / on which memory depended.
Cast into untenable / and cruel tumult,
All were unable / to enact any plan. 385
So long had lived / the luckless brains
In unity and harmony / that alone they were helpless.

With mickle mirth / and malice did Discord
Watch and wait / as unwound the mind
Of the cleverest creature / to course to the earth. 390
Slowly, a smile / of simpleminded peace
Did leech to the lips / of Lerna’s four heads.
Despite the sense / of unspeakable loss
Which each of the four / tenebrously felt,
Still each was filled / with a strange and unfocused 395
Feeling of serenity / and satisfaction with their lot.
Lurching from the lack / of lucid command
The Hydra did hence, / uncomprehending of all,
Wandering away / towards the woods’ dying flames.

When done was this deed, / Discord did turn 400
To face the Fire, / who failing did lie,
His lifeblood staining / the land sanguine.
“Can you allow,” / the Draconequus laughed,
“For so insane a stroke / as your slow-witted ally
Did dubiously dare / to address me with? 405
He shall be happier / henceforth, I deem,
His intellect eroded / to echo his wisdom.
Such is the mercy / I’ve settled to mete out.
But now you must know / that monotony rises:
This farcical fight / to a finish must draw. 410
Tell me, oh titan / of towering fire,
What do you wish / your last words to be?”

Then Pyre-et-Planeta / ponderously lifted
His eyes to the the heavens, / and even as helpless
He lay at the lenity / of the unlawful Discord, 415
His vanishing vision / revealed the approach
Of the sisters, who sought / to strike against Evil.
He summoned his strength / and slowly he raised
A crimson-stained claw, / coaxing the Draconequus
To crowd more closely, / curious and eager 420
To catch the last words / of the courage-filled wyrm.
And this was the thought / which that Thain among dragons
To Discord did breathe / with his dying breath:

“Duck.”

Confused and confounded, / the foe did pause, 425
And as this odd / epithet he considered,
Celestia Light-bringer / launched from the sky
And hard did she heave / her hooves to his back.

And even as vigour / did ebb from the veins
Of the Fire of the World, / the farcical sight 430
Of Discord the Devious, / dastard and foe,
Panting and appalled, / lying prone on the ground,
His face in the muck / and his features muddled,
Did bring to his heart / a sublime happiness.
And Pyre-et-Planeta / did pass from life 435
Satisfied with his lot, / a smile on his lips.
And this was Laughter.

Of Magic

Celestia Light-bringer / and Luna her sister
Swiftly to the side / of the serpent did rush.
Ignoring Despite’s / ignoble sputtering, 440
Their magic they turned / to mending the tortures
And patching the form / of Pyre, the Fire.
But the knowledge needed / to renege his passing
From life into death / they lacked, the two deities.
The power possessed / by the pony sisters 445
Was too paltry the passing / of Pyre to undo.
Despite their struggles / stirred not the Fire.

As Despite did stand / and settled his head,
The two did turn / with tears in their eyes
To face the foe / whose unflinching malice 450
Such heinous harm / to the Hydra had wrought,
Such terrible trials / and troubles had inflicted
On the many multitudes / he mastered and ruled,
Such dismal death / to the dragon had given.

A light from Celestia / and Luna’s eyes 455
Did shine and shimmer / with seraphic lambence.
And this was Magic.

Of the Aftermath

Thus came to conclusion / the Draconequus’s reign
And saved from suffering / were the assemblage of ponies
Whom Hydra-et-Lerna / had hidden away. 460
Yet peace for the races / of ponies, and others,
Was bought for those beings / at unbearable price.

Let ever the sacrifice / in Evil’s despite
Of Pyre-et-Planeta, / paragon of dragons,
Be lauded and sung, / and lovingly celebrated; 465
The Royal Castle / of the Regal Sisters
An eternal tribute, / constructed on the site
Where the Fire his finish / did finally meet.

Let ever the sacrifice / in Evil’s despite
Of Hydra-et-Lerna, / humble and low, 470
Among demons and deities / desperately outmatched,
Yet content to face trials / both terrible and daunting
And pay any price; / his compassion limitless,
Be prized and applauded, / and his praises sung.

So long as life / in these lands should endure, 475
May Celestia, Luna, / Lerna, and Pyre
Eternal tribute / be tirelessly given!
Hail life! / Hail love!
Forever and ever / let it always be thus!
Hail! 480

Notes Regarding the Translation

Since it was discovered 1004 AC by a group of amateur equitologists exploring the ruins of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, the anonymously authored The Fall of Discord has been the subject of extensive study by scholars and researchers from all over Equestria. Numerous translations already exist, and dozens of papers have been written discussing the linguistic, cultural, historical, and mythological insights which can be gleaned from it.

However, what has not been produced to date is a translation which both uses the modern vernacular and mimics the alliterative style of the original manuscript. My goal has been to create such a work, one which anypony can read and enjoy on its own merits. As such, I have confined myself to only a few words of explanation, preferring to let the poem speak for itself as much as possible.

As many modern readers may not be familiar with alliterative verse, I feel that a brief description would be helpful. A poetic form which died out several hundred years ago, alliterative verse typically consists of lines with four stressed syllables and any number of unstressed syllables. Each line is broken into two half-lines, indicated by a slash. The four stressed syllables preferentially alliterate in AA/AB form. That is to say, the first three stressed syllables all start with the same sound, though not necessarily the same letter, and the last does not. I should also note here that all vowels are considered to alliterate with one another, and voiced and unvoiced consonants do so as well (so for example, “them” and “think” would alliterate). AB/AB and AB/AC patterns are also used, but are far less common: in the original manuscript, only thirty-five of the standard lines did not follow the AA/AB form. In this translation that number is somewhat higher, reflecting the difficulty of holding a work to both its poetic form and its original meaning.

Below, I have included several notes which primarily concern specific translation decisions which I’ve made. While these may be of interest to anypony who wishes to know more about ancient Equestria in general and the original manuscript in particular, I must reiterate that they are not required reading in order to appreciate this epic tale. This translation is meant to be accessible to all ponies, and it is my hope that I have accomplished exactly that.

-T. Sparkle

2: While I have attempted to limit my use of archaic or uncommon words, I’ve found myself unable to do away with them completely without sacrificing the poetic structure. Whilom (HWHY-lum, meaning “past, previous (to)”) is one example. I believe I have managed to limit the use of these words to situations where their meaning is clear in context, however.

20: While the original manuscript is written in Old Earth Pony, the forerunner to Modern Equestrian, names are often given in both OEP and Classical Unicorn. It is clear that the author of this poem was not literate in Unicorn, as several grammatical errors occur in those names. Most likely, the names were written in both styles to maximize the number of alliterative possibilities, a practice I’ve continued in this translation. Note also that titles and descriptions are often used in place of names for similar reasons. In the original manuscript, Discord is referred to by over two dozen names, titles, and descriptions.

31: Although the stressed syllable of “malicious” properly starts with an L, the original manuscript allows for midword stressed syllables preceded by a single weak consonant to alliterate with vowels. It additionally allows for midword stressed syllables where two consonant sounds precede the vowel to use either for poetic purposes. I have continued both practices, albeit as sparingly as I was able.

40-46: Those who have had the opportunity to meet Princess Luna will immediately recognize that her portrayal in this poem bears little resemblance to her actual personality. For those wishing to know more about the subject, Hoofe discusses her appearance in this piece at length in his book, The Royal Sisters: Portrayals in Ancient and Modern Literature. Here, I will confine myself to observing that this poem was probably written down two to three hundred years after Nightmare Moon’s banishment, and the portrayal of Luna as a silent and solitary being was not uncommon at that time.

47-59: Both Celestia and Luna are obviously real, and the Fire of the World’s existence can be substantiated by numerous historical sources. The Hydra’s role in this tale, however, is widely considered apocryphal. I wrote to Celestia to ask her if there was any veracity to the story of a hyper-intelligent hydra taking part in that battle (among other questions), but she maintained her usual refusal to confirm or deny historical events.

79: It is obvious from the presentation here and throughout this story that the author expected his audience to be familiar with the Elements of Harmony. For readers unfamiliar with these objects, I recommend the text The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide (Updated Fourth Edition).

133: As in the original, I have attempted to leave it ambiguous whether the Honesty referred to was Celestia acknowledging (confessing?) the danger of the task she had given Pyre, Pyre’s claim that he would be satisfied even if he didn’t survive, or both. In fact, all of the sections concerning the Elements (with the arguable exception of Magic) contain similar ambiguities, which I have done my best to preserve.

169, 235, 315, 372: In OEP, “he clyppan ðy andswaru unmurnlice.” Note that this does not alliterate in the original language either. As this line appears several times throughout the manuscript, it seems likely that it was a familiar expression or exhortation in the author’s time. I have translated it literally.

260, 264, 268: In OEP, each of these lines begins “steap swigian stilnes” ("deep [in the] still silence"). While I’ve done my best to craft a suitable translation, I include this here because I feel that the power of the original line is lost in any attempt to render it in Modern Equestrian.

348-350: Although I am aware the descriptions here and throughout the rest of the section on Laughter at times border on excessively graphic, I have elected not to censor the text in this translation. As Papyrus notes in her treatise, Comedy in Pre-Classical Societies, the pairing of pain and mirth was doubtless deliberate on the part of the author; it was common in writings of the time to evoke discomfort (hence, comedy) by juxtaposing humor and suffering.

362-367: The powerlessness of mortals (Elements of Harmony notwithstanding) against Discord is a matter of serious contention at the time of this writing. I will not comment on the matter other than to observe that the opinion of the manuscript’s author is clear from the text.

424: In the manuscript, “scawian,” lit. “look around / look at (out).” I have opted for a less literal translation because I feel that holding Pyre to a single word (as in the original) more acutely conveys the humor of the line.

457-458: As in the manuscript, I have skipped from part nine to part eleven. While a few scholars believe this to be a simple transcription error by the original author, most authorities agree that it was done deliberately to convey the passage of time and events between the two sections.