Dreams of Broken Promise

A week passed by ever so slowly. Commander Hurricanes forces had continued to build, his influence even reaching one of the griffon clans. Canterlot fell under heavy guard, the barracks abuzz with activity. Discord watched as the engineers began to construct several cannons for use in war. The first results were messy, uncontrollable but with continued experimentation they revealed the true destructive power within. The king himself was nowhere to be seen, the royal quarters shut off from the general public.

Winter had begun to fall throughout Equestria, bearing with it the ill-fated presence of the Windigoes. Many ponies fled the city, unsure of what would be birthed from the brink of war. Tonight was the thirtieth annual Hearths Warming Eve, usually this celebration brought with it peace and harmony but the forces of a tyrant were mobilizing to attack this very eve.

"Commander Discord, the princess requests thou immediate presence. A matter of great importance awaits!"

"Thank you, squire!" He saluted his fellow soldier and proceeded towards the war hall.

The hall was filled to the brim with guards, soldiers, knights and many other members of both military and authority figures. A small group of pegasi stood at attention behind their leader, nervously they looked around the room. Several pairs of eyes fixed upon them, many of the unicorns were untrustworthy of the Privates troops. At the head of the proceeding stood the king and Princess Luna, both sharing uneasy glances at the map in front of them. The king saw Discord and beckoned him over.

"My loyal soldiers, let us begin our war preparations! Private Pansy, what is the status of the Band?"

"We are pinned down sire! Hurricanes forces attack from the east, their griffon air force is decimating our ranks. We have desperate need of thou artillery support!"

"An elite pegasus force can't even handle a pathetic griffon clan? Figures..."

"If it weren't for us he would be attacking the capital this very moment!"

"Enough! Fighting between ourselves is what landed us in this predicament, besides if we continue down this path it may just be our last winter! Look outside, do you not see the signs? The windigoes await on our very doorstep once again!" Discord threw open the windows, revealing the icy touch of winter.

A cold chill blew through the hall, freezing the air almost instantly. The wind howled its somber melodies as a single word was uttered.

Darkness...

The sky began to darken, the drums of war thundering from above. Private Pansy stood with mouth agape, shocked that her forces had been so quickly extinguished.

"Private! The time to move is now!"

She snapped out of her trance and stared the changeling in the eyes, "We will keep their forces at bay for as long as possible! Get those artillery weapons in place asap!"

"Yes ma'am! It shall be done!"

The small group of pegasus took to the skies, spears held beneath their wings. "For the Stormborn!"

Discord ran towards his liege and dropped into a defensive posture. The king was being escorted out by the rest of his band, their eyes focused on the clash of metal far above.

"Luna, we must get to the barracks! Without our support Pansy and her troop will surely fall prey to the elite griffon warriors."

"My lunar magic is more than capable of protecting my subjects!"

"Don't be foolish, as soon as you entered battle they would strike!"

"We will not abandon good soldiers!"

"There is no time for this! We must defend the artillery from attack. I have seen them in action, they will not be prepared for the onslaught!"

Luna stood her ground for another moment before heading towards the now open door. The battle raged above as they ran through the castle and out into the courtyard. The screeching of griffons was almost unintelligible over the roar of icy wind. A single tornado of frigid air ran a path of destruction throughout both sides of the conflict. Serrated icicles impaled the wings of several pegasi, rendering them helpless as their bodies were entombed in ice.

"This is far worse then we imagined, the windigoes will destroy us before to long! Forget the cannons, we need to gather the other elements! Only harmony can save us now!"

"Luna..."

"Yes?"

"I never got the chance to say this, but I-"

"Hush Discord! There is no time for this!"

Before he could respond however her lips touched his own, sending a spark of electricity through his withers and down his spine. Brief as it was, the two held onto the tender moment for years.

"A-are you sure the elements will work? They seem intent on hating one another..."

"Perhaps we-"

A bright ball of fire erupted from the upper chambers, melting the ice encasing the castle. The squadron that had breached the inner halls was incinerated in a heart beat, their ashes drifting away in the wind. From the open window the king could be seen engulfed in orange flames. The other side of the room was obscured by an unknown figure surrounded by purple flames. Both warriors stood facing one another, various spells flew throughout the room.

"Father!"

The king paused for a moment and gave his daughter a single loving smile. Suddenly he began to glow, causing his unseen foe to take a few cautious steps back. The chamber exploded with a violent wave of fire that turned the very stone into liquid magma. Luna cried out in anguish at the sight, her father having just sacrificed himself. The roar from the initial explosion caused a momentary cease fire. Neither side was sure who had initiated the blast, Hurricane simply continued his assault undeterred.

Discord tried to comfort the now distraught princess, her tears icy droplets against his skin.

"Luna, I know that you just want to let it all out but the kingdom is still in danger. I'm sure he would want you to honor his memory by stopping the bloodshed."

"Thou are right, we must stop Hurricane! But who was that other figure?"

"Who knows... But I'm sure no one could survive that blast. Let us be on our way, the Privates forces are beginning to falter!"

With each passing minute the temperature seemed to become increasingly frigid. Several soldiers fell from the sky, their wings seizing under the icy fingers of the blizzard. The harsh cries of the windigoes pierced the air, sending a small griffon squad fleeing in terror.

"Cowards! Our assault must press on!" Commander Hurricane began to grow increasingly more demented, his own forces were unsure of the motives that possessed this mad-pony.

"But sir our men-"

"No excuses!"

"This is madness!"

"No, this is warfare! If thou fail me..." He drew a single hoof across his neck in a threatening gesture.

Starswirl had been awoken by the sounds of screeching wind and the clash of blades. A violent explosion rocked the tower, causing the unicorn to stumble down a small flight of stairs. He pulled himself up and surveyed the upper chamber. A thick layer of molten stone covered the floor, barring escape from the tower. The ceiling was utterly obliterated, the freezing air rushed in to fill the void. Starswirl stood motionless, his mind reeling over the apparent use of a nova spell.

"The king must have sacrificed himself for the kingdom! We failed to protect him!" He stomped his hoof on the step shattering the delicate stone.

All of a sudden his body was wrapped in an aura of bluish-green magic and lifted over the boiling magma. Within moments he was once again on hard earth.

"Master! Your alive! Wait, where were you?"

"We had been in a deep slumber before we heard the shouts and clang of metal weapons. The explosion followed suite!"

"Starnova...he sacrificed himself.. For us."

"Do not fret my child, let us reclaim these lands from warfare!"

Luna stepped forward and spoke softly about her plans, "Perhaps we could use the elements to stop this madness?"

"It would be folly, such magics do not work in periods of civil war. The windigoes power stems from hatred and such a weapon can only banish or destroy. Do thou wish to be the one who wipes out an entire battalion?"

"No sir, we just thought..."

"We know of one that can help us Princess, she played a part in forming the treaty."

"Take us to her at once, time is not a luxury we possess."

The three took to the skies, desperately searching for the embassy now buried beneath a thick layer of snow. The battle begun to take a turn for the worse as more and more soldiers succumbed to the blizzards fury. Celestia had arrived earlier to aid them but alas even her powerful magic was powerless to the cold fury of nature. She tried with a great deal of effort to coat the city in a shield of heat, her focus beginning to falter. Before long she to became victim to the windigoes ancient power.

As the situation continued to deteriorate rapidly, Discord quickly began loosing hope. His mind reeled with thoughts of eternal winter and tombs of ice. However, before his mind could take root in sinister imaginings the silvery tip of the embassy appeared jutting out of the snow.

"We must clear this snow, any longer beneath this thick layer and they will freeze!"

"Stand back Discord!" A small flicker of fire erupted from the unicorn, the immense heat melting the frozen wall. Within seconds the earth was covered in a steaming puddle of water. The large door burst open, its denizens fleeing from their entrapment.

A single unicorn trotted out from behind the fearful group, her hooded face obscuring the simple grin on her face.

"Master Starswirl, how long has it been? We seem to have fallen back on our old hatreds... We presume that is why your here?"

"Its been far too long Clover. We thought that perhaps thou could give us the needed magic to vanquish the vicious windigoes and stop the insane attack from Hurricane."

The pale green unicorn stood still for a moment, contemplating on what could be used to stop this assault yet again. It seemed Commander Hurricanes fury had once again triumphed over his intelligence.

"Peace and friendship is the only magic we can think of that banishes those fiendish beings. Love could possibly work but that is an unknown subject to me. Unfortunately the Elements that thou possess are powerless in wake of ancient fury. Besides if used against the pegasi, it would destroy them all."

"If we used only half their power, could we at least keep the commander imprisoned for a time?" Discord questioned the elder unicorn, unsure how such powers worked.

"Why yes changeling we suppose that could work... Though we think we know where to find a powerful bond..." Clover gestured towards the two young ponies before her. "Though thou may hide it, We see the friendship between you both. Its energy blossoms forth like a thousand miniature suns, burning ever so brightly!"

"Our bond? You mean to say it is a form of magic?"

"A very powerful one, yes."

"And how exactly do we release it as a spell?"

"Very simple, thou must accept each others differences and calm the frantic mind of the Commander. Once this is accomplished it shall be released naturally."

Luna and Discord both gave each other a strange look. Her face was an exact mirror of his, a single smile perched on their lips.

"Fine it is settled, we take out our good friend Hurricane and then join hoof and sing songs to the bad fairies go away..." Said the changeling with thick sarcasm, his smile becoming a smirk.

"Discord! Behave thyself!"

"But..."

"No buts!"

"It's quite alright princess, we have managed to survive Starswirls sarcasm all these years..." Clover gave her old master a slight wink.

"Anyway, we should be vanquishing evil right at this moment. Starswirl are you coming?"

"Thou have saved us more than once, surely thou don't need my assistance."

"Right... So it isn't just laziness?"

"Stop stalling young one!"

"Just avoid the subject... Figures."

While this exchange had transpired, the pegasi troops had fallen back. Only a small unit stayed with their obviously deranged leader. Hurricane continued to attack with some unknown energy, even with frozen wing and shattered leg his blows were still very strong.

The private was locked in a seemingly never ending duel between the Comander and herself. Each pegasus was looking battered and bruised but still they fought. The soldiers beside her desperately kept the last hint of an army at bay. But even under their valiant efforts many of the unique buildings had been severely damaged. Hundreds of innocent ponies had frozen under the weathers fury, luckily it seemed they had been trapped within a bubble of heat before the ice had overwhelmed them.

Private Pansy began to grow weary from the fighting, her foe seemingly unable to falter. What dark magic coursed through his veins? As she awaited the inevitable, a bright silvery light exploded from the darkened sky. From the clouds came a navy blue alicorn, her horn glowing with blinding light. Beside her flew a griffon, but unlike any she had seen. His eyes flared with blue revealing the true form behind this disguise.

"Too late thou Princess of the Night arrives, my forces have won fool!"

"Has thou demented mind lost its power of sight? Your unit is the only one left! The rest were swept away by the windigoes YOU unleashed!"

"Excellent isn't it? It seems my master was right, eternal winter would be beautiful!"

"Have thou gone completely mad?!"

"Perhaps... But enough talk, let them witness your true death!"

"Commander Hurricane! On this day a terrible threshold has been exceeded! Thou madness has stripped many a soldier of their lives! We hereby place thou in custody for heinous war crimes against Equestria!"

"Just try to stop me!" The commander veered towards the princess, his bladed spear pointed towards her underside. As he drew closer a single blurred shadow flew past him. A sharp stabbing pain tore through the pegasus. Undeterred by the agonizing pain, he continued to slash at the princess. His body bled profusely from the open wounds across his chest but it only seemed to increase his fury.

Luna blasted him with several bolts of magic, trying to keep him at a distance. The private had managed to gain altitude during this fast battle. She flew behind her former leader and pulled him into a choker hold, he thrashed with all his might to throw her off but failed with each attempt.

"Attack him now while his under my hoof!"

Discord flew in with talons outstretched and raked him across the face. Another spurt of blood flew from the commanders unnaturally painless body. The changeling stared into his eyes and saw a dark being within.

"That thing is not Hurricane! In fact I don't think that's even a pegasus!"

"What?!"

The Commander finally revealed his true self, a strange amalgamation of horrendous creatures. Its evil whispering voice was enough to send chills down his spine.

"It seems my true form has been discovered... Before you flies a true creature of chaos! I am a draconequus, I am the true evolution of the changelings!"

"A tainted beast that must be cleansed!"

"My destiny has been fulfilled, your king lies dead, your kingdom in ruins! Before long the everlasting winter will consume you all..."

"Begone foul creature, the elements will destroy thou utterly!" Luna cried out in fury and unleashed a surge of magic upon this foul form.

Discord added his own to magic to the pool and together they trapped it forever in stone. The princess brought her hoof down through the statue, killing the mutant changeling within.

The soldiers that had blindly followed Hurricane, stared in shock and disgust at the fake before them. The harsh winds began to soften as both sides helped them up and lay their fallen to rest. A single bolt of energy flew into the sky, breaking apart the icy storm from within. Once again the magic of peace and friendship banished the creatures fueled by hate. The windigoes would never be fully vanquished, but only the winter months can bring forth their fury.

"Our duty is done, Discord thou have given me great strength in such a crisis. My fathers death was not in vain."

"It is my honor to serve your side milady! Our friendship will always remain stronger then any fiendish magic."

"We hope thou are right... But it seems our little friend was just following orders from an evil far greater."

"The figure within the castle, could that have been it?"

"We do not know Discord... When we find that beast, he will rue the day he murdered my father!"

Discord pulled her close and waited as her emotions finally burst forth. Her cries of pain stabbing him like a dagger. From the ruined castle stepped the haggard form of Celestia, an elder alicorn was draped over her shoulders. Luna looked up at her sister and gasped in horror at the injuries she had sustained.

:Sister! Are thou alright? Where is mother?"

"Luna, I... She was wounded by a strange black unicorn. Some form of curse was placed upon her... Her breathing is shallow but I think mother will pull through."

"Father... We saw him sacrifice himself for the kingdom."

"It has been a sad day my sister..."

The two sisters embraced one another, their tears mixing together. Private Pansy stepped forward and lay her helm before them.

"My liege, it was an honor to fight beside thee... To vanquish that dreaded clone! Your father will be missed, even the pegasus admired his steadfast resolve. I offer my condolences princess, but I must be on my way... Our true commander must be found at all costs!"

"Thank thee Private, your mighty warriors gave us the much needed time to destroy his form."

"Discord, It has been an honor... One day I may be the one who saves you!"

"Hehe perhaps..." Discord bowed low, his expression one of admiration.

Three days later, the city had returned to relative peace. Every civilian and soldier offered their hooves to repair the damage that had been caused. Several of the remaining griffon forces had been arrested and placed before a jury. As it so happened many of them were confused and disoriented, a dark magic had bound their will to the traitor. They were released hours later under close scrutiny. Their powerful wings were quite useful in clearing the heavy layer of snow blanketing the earth.

Discord refused to leave his mistresses side for any reason, he feared that an attempted assassination of the queen was inevitable and wished to protect the one he cared for. Luna slept through both the day and night, her pain over the loss of her father was great. Both of them felt their bond strengthen throughout the ordeal and remained in each others arms for most of the night.

Dawn rose late as the young Celestia struggled to raise the sun with her relative new gifts. Her fathers passing exacting its toll on the elder princess. The sun rose ever slowly into the sky, sharing its warmth with the kingdom of Equestria. All of the citizens were in mourning over their great leader. Not a single pony was missing at the funeral, even the pegasi that had attacked the city offered their sympathies.

The Queen managed to pull through, her injuries luckily not as severe as presumed. She rose from her seat and lay a hoof on her husbands empty cask. Not even ashes remained after such a powerful spell.

"My dear subjects. We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of a loving father, devoted husband and honorable king. King Starnova was more then just a pony, he was a symbol... A symbol of hope and peace. The sun rises from the heavens, his image forever emblazoned in its warmth. My daughter Celestia shall now be taking his place, Clover the Clever will be taking a role at her side as adviser. My youngest has a few words she would like to say." Queen Moonlight stood back and sat her tired body back down.

"We the Princess of the Night, have been struck a painful loss. My father was a great man and his life lives on in all of us. He taught us to show respect and accept those who garner unease and suspicion. Today is a great tragedy but with it comes a single truth, their are those who would seek to destroy us! Sacrifice and true friendship are our only saving grace, with it we vanquished the windigoes and destroyed a being of pure chaos."

Princess Luna shed a single tear as her words hit home, every pony before her felt the pain her face portrayed. Discord escorted her from the hall, her tears know becoming a steady stream. Celestia gave her sister a single worried glance before turning to give her own speech.

"For years my father raised us to be kind, caring and giving to our subjects. He taught me that true sacrifice may one day be needed. The world is full of dark and twisted beings, ones who seek only death. The sun that he raised everyday kept most of them at bay, he not only sacrificed himself for us but for all of Equestria! We will never forget his valuable lessons and must now let the past guide us to a brighter future!"

The crowd erupted into a chorus of cheers, mixed with the tears of anguish. Everpony gave a single salute up towards the heavens, their noble king now held within their hearts.

The night came rather quickly giving way to the honor feast held for their dear departed king. Luna had not partaken in the banquet and instead lay within her chambers, huddled before a vast fireplace. A single knock on the door awoke her from a light sleep.

"Luna, are you alright? After today I wasn't sure if I was the best choice to offer my condolences..."

"Please come in, thou company would be most appreciated."

Slowly the door opened revealing a now unarmored changeling. His bright blue eyes were fixed upon the clearly depressed princess. He knelt down before her and pulled the blanket over her shoulder.

"Your father was a great man, I would not be standing here if it wasn't for his influence. I may have never really been involved with Starnova but I have always admired the pony he was. "

"It is alright Discord, we value your sympathy as much as anypony else, but please let us just forget this tragedy for the night. Stay with me this eve."

"Of course, I will not leave your side.. Luna."

Together they lay in each others hoofs, not talking nor thinking, just the two of them wrapped in a loving embrace. Luna sighed ever so softly, here she was with a special somepony who merely days ago lent his strength to banish one of his own. Never would she had guessed that her first love would be a changeling of all things.

"Luna? There is something I wish to know..."

"Yes?"

"Have you ever encountered somepony's dream that seemed to be real?"

"Several times, yes... What is this about?"

"The first time we started the journey into the golem city I was shown a nightmarish vision. It has plagued many a pleasant dream for all these years..."

"This vision, may we ask what it is?"

Discord shifted uncomfortably, he was unsure of whether these dreams warranted a second opinion. Luna gave him a gentle caress across his cheek, a single moment passed before he began.

"A lidded eye opens and bares its gaze upon me. A corrupted voice reverberating throughout the dark chambers. It spoke of broken promises and corrupting lies, my chaos was being tested... I shouted a threat to reveal my enemy but he implied that one day we would meet."

"Eyes wreathed in purple flames? The voice of nightmares spoken in delayed whispers? There is only one being that we know of that can breach the subconscious mind. It is known only as the Watcher. Many who have seen it have fallen to madness, disaster following in their wake... But it seems thou mind is not so easily tormented."

"Has it ever rang true with it's words?"

"Evil is sometimes as subtle as a mule in mud, but the darkest forms of it work in simple words and whispered insanity. Perhaps we shall delve into thou mind and bear witness to your tormentor."

"No! It is my burden alone!"

"Let me help thou... Please. We owe thou that much."

Discords face softened at the worried expression plastered on her face. He slowly rose to a standing position and gave her a reassuring smile.

"If it pleases you, go right ahead... But stay out of my most private thoughts!"

"Oh thou can be sure of that..." Luna gave him a wink, sending a single bead of sweat trickling down his back.

"Umm right, well..."

"Just lay back and relax, let me soothe your tired muscles... We have several ways to send thou into a lucid state..."

Discord gave her an uneasy smile before lying himself across the cold stone and shutting his eyes. A slight tugging motion began in his lower back, gently pressing the tense muscles into a lax state.

"Just let the feeling of bliss flow freely..."

The changeling began to drift off, her gentle hooves soothing his aching joints. A soft trickle of hair fell upon his face,

"And of course a single kiss to send thou to the world of dreams!"

Within moments he was deep in a trance, his light snores revealing that her sleep spell had worked. Luna lay her hoof across his forehead and closed her mind from the outside world. A stream of syllables escaped her lips, unintelligible by a non magic wielder. Her horn glowed softy as her body became ethereal, slowly her mind joined with the changeling before her. Distant memories flooded into view, she tried with effort to avoid them but a few escaped into her own

She saw a young changeling attached to a rather shocked unicorn, a light green hue of magic seeping from him. As quick as it had come, another memory took its place. Luna stood before Discord, her face was the picture of beauty. Her words barely registered to his ears, only a single thought flooded in. "She is stunning, I have never laid eyes on a filly so mesmerizing." Luna smiled at his words, even then he loved her.

Discord had drifted further into sleep, his mind begun to dream. Luna felt her hooves touch relatively solid earth, a dark cavern opened up around her. In the distance stood the changeling, his shouts the only sound throughout. Slowly she trotted forward, his words now becoming clear.

"It is here! Run away!"

"We are here to help!"

"Please, just leave... It comes for me!"

Suddenly the ground gave way around her, a single shard of land remaining where she stood. From the shadows came a malevolent voice, a shred of anger flickered in his words.

"Trespasser! Thou dare wander into my nightmare world? Your precious Discord will be mine in due time. The love thou share will be shattered into thousands of pieces, chaos will give rise from the broken chains."

"Enough of thou twisted lies! Before thou stands the Princess of the Night, my powers shall banish thou forever from his mind!"

"A noble gesture... My return shall soon be heralded by those that serve me! Nightmares will be the least of thou problems. Eternal fear will send all scurrying before my presence. This host is beyond his usage... Chaos courses within his veins but remains bound within. Goodnight princess, soon we will be meeting in person!"

Discord snapped awake, his body flailing out in shock. He stared up at the motionless figure of Luna and gave a single cry.

"Luna!"

Within her own dream she stood within a small room, a single light peeked through the metal door. Luna stared through the keyhole, her stomach heaved at the sight before her. Hundreds of fleshless ponies stood feeding on their own organs. They laughed and joked, oblivious to their own pain and lifeless bones. At the end of the hall was a sinister throne, sharp black obsidian stood in contrast against the bloodred unicorn seated within. His mane burned in a hellish inferno of orange flames.

Luna screamed for release from this twisted nightmare but nopony could hear her cries. The door slid open revealing a cloaked figure with purple eyes.

"Time to feed my little alicorn! Mwahaha!"

The shadowy creature screeched loudly and enveloped the princess in its tenebrous form. The last thing she heard was the twisted laughs from the damned ponies watching with greedy eyes.

Luna awoke in a daze, her body seemingly intact. She shook her head in horror and disbelief at the scenes she had witnessed.

"Are you alright? I thought you were trapped within my mind!"

"It would appear we are perfectly fine... The dark being has released its hold over thou, but we must be prepared for his return..."

"Return? So he lives outside of dreams?"

"It would seem so..."

"I thank you for the help, we shall be friends till the end!"

"Yes we will, let us spend the rest of this night in peace..."

"I second that motion!"

Together they stayed awake and read the old history books that spoke of the Watcher and his disciples. Luna was more then intrigued by the tales of his power and influence. Throughout the ages he had risen three times from banishment, blanketing the world in shadows and fear. The two fell asleep with the book in hand, their dreams now free of torment.