Dreams of Broken Promise

Four years later, everything was going well. Discord's aging process had now been reversed, a miracle of zebra voodoo. Starswirl had slowly begun to train the young changeling, encouraging his powers of love and controlled chaos. He seemed to be quite the fast learner, surpassing even Aurora's expectations. He tried hard to only consume what he needed when he fed. But sometimes he could get carried away. Many who saw Discord wander through the forest would stare at the strange site.

"Starswirl the Bearded raising a changeling? What's next pet manticores?"

"I say! What a peculiar specimen..."

Discord simply ignored these conversations as he could be tempted to feed in anger. Hatred is the quickest way to become dark and twisted, a typical changeling will simply succumb to the hunger. He silently slipped into the trees, crouching beneath the fallen trees. A flash of green fire shone within. Soon after a silvery colt trotted out from the trees, the blue of his eyes unusually bright.

"How goes thy day?"

"Very well thank you! Be wary, a strange changeling stalks these woods..."

"Oh much appreciated my good sir!" A single small beam of magic blinded the colt, a very angry Starswirl appeared before him.

"What did we tell thou? We do not use shape shifting to help our selfish cause!"

"But they-"

"Release thou captive at once!"

"Alright, alright....I was just having some fun!"

"No excuses!"

In his place stood Discord in changeling form once more. A slight yelp could be heard within a hollowed out log. Within was a very angry colt, having been trapped in a small cocoon.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that master"

.

"As if normal foals aren't enough!"

They stayed briefly to apologize to the colt and his friends, but all their answers were of anger and resentment. The one who had been trapped spat at the young changeling, then he simply walked away.

"Discord, let them be...their fear of your kind simply adds to it."

"They will be silenced when I prove them wrong!" Murmured the changeling, a determined scowl glued to his features.

The next day arrived in all its splendor, the sun shone over the mountain peaks. A small silhouette was seen against the sky, a small pack rested on his hindquarters. The pegasus quickly dove into a free fall, his impressive skills seen by none. He made a slightly awkward landing, almost breaking his collarbone on the sheer stone wall. Slowly the pegasus descended, a bruised ego now worming its way through his gut.

Clang! Clang! "Special delivery for one, Starswirl the Bearded! It even has the royal seal!"

The door creaked open, a disheveled Discord slowly yawned and extended his hoof.

"Thank you, I'll give it to him shortly."

"Are you a-?"

"Yes I am a changeling, now get out!"

"O-of course, please don't hurt me!"

The changeling watched the pegasus fly off in fear, a heavy sigh wracked his body.

"Typical, they take one look at me and flee in terror... Hmm I wonder what this letter says. Surely a slight peek wouldn't-"

"Good morning young Discord! Oh is that for me? Excellent a letter from the king."

With a guilty heart he handed the letter to his father. Starswirl wandered over to the bench and began to read aloud.

Dear Starswirl,

We recently decided that our little Luna is in need of some much needed attention. Her friends simply point and laugh, her strange tastes in old tales and fictional monsters simply lost on others. We would be honored to have your son Discord meet the lovely young filly. We are sure a changeling would understand perfectly what she suffers through daily. Please, it would be much appreciated!

Yours Faithfully,

The King & Queen

"They want me, to become friends... with a Princess? This is a joke right? Haha! Oh thou aren't laughing. But really, a changeling and a princess? Talk about chaos!"

"Hush Discord, it would be quite an honor to work alongside a princess... And besides thou could use a little fresh air. Just be a good boy and do not drain her energy... We do not want to explain that!"

"Fine, it looks like this battle is lost anyway..."

As if on cue the large hoof-falls of the royal guard rang through the empty valley, a massive golden carriage drifted into view. The doors swung open, revealing red velvet seats within. At the front stood the driver, a fine-toned pegasus of somewhat regal birth. He called out towards the castle, his booming voice easily heard through the thick oaken door.

"Sir Starswirl the Bearded, thou and your accompanying party are to ride swiftly and without delay to the marble halls of Canterlot! An urgent meeting with the king and queen has been called to order. Under Law 17, Subsection D this meeting has been deemed top secret and all accompanying parties must be withheld from such privy information!"

Starswirl opened the door slowly, a questioning gaze falling upon the muscular pegasus.

"So the letter was just an invitation to discuss important business?"

"Yes, but they would be more then keen to let the two children meet."

"Alright... Come Discord! We must be off post-haste!"

Since little Luna was born, a powerful magic blossomed within the young filly. At night she would often be seen fully alert and charged with a strange energy. The stars themselves shone lighter or darker depending on her moods. Her mother, gifted with the power over the night, was more then happy to see her youngest daughter take after her. As each year past her powers steadily rose, quickly surpassing even her sister, Celestia. The bond between the sisters never once frayed, their connection nigh unbreakable. It only seemed to add to the power Princess Luna held within. Today her father mentioned some new friend he wanted her to meet. A creature called a changeling, a strange race that Luna regarded with a morbid curiosity.

"Father, is he really a honest to hoof changeling? We have long awaited the chance to study the mythical creatures that wander the wide open world. May we perhaps try a few experiments?"

"Luna! Young Discord is not some wild thing thou can simply study under a..."

"Microscope?"

"Don't interrupt! What we are trying to say is, please just this once act like a royal princess, not some studious lower class bookworm!"

"But..."

"No buts! Just give him a chance!"

"Alright, fine!"

"There's a good girl."

After a fairly fast trek through the harsh winter air, the large carriage had finally begun its descent. Discord had been watching the land rise and fall as they flew over the mountainous terrain, his mind focused on meeting the princess.

A lone changeling within the royal courts? It is unheard of! What if she hates my kind? What if she merely passes me by? No, I must stay on the positive! Starswirl himself greatly respects the king and his children could not possibly be so venomous... Besides I could really use a friend."

"Discord? Are thou feeling up to this?"

"Of course, father!"

The carriage jerked somewhat violently as it landed, sending a wave of nausea through the now pale blue unicorn.

"Urrp, it seems air travel is not first class for thee, perhaps we take the roads next time.."

"Haha! Well it seems we have landed on solid ground, with slight turbulence I must add!"

"Very funny... "

The door opened to the bright light of the morning sun, the gentle rays caressing their skin. Before them sat a massive castle, its ivory towers sat silently above, watching over the vast kingdom sprawled beneath them. The sheer scale and beauty amazed Discord, the gray walls of the tower quickly forgotten. He stared in wonder as the grand doors slid open, revealing the majestic king and queen of Southern Equestria. The proud king stood well over seven feet, his fiery orange mane glowing slightly within the sunlight. On his flank was a cutie mark of a supernova, a glowing star within a ring of fire. Beside him stood the regal and beautiful queen. Though she too was tall, her gracefulness was not hard to miss. A flowing mane of pure white light shone brilliantly, a powerful aura seemingly enveloped around her. Her dark blue flank was seemingly bare until she faced the sun, a full moon surrounded by shining stars glittered in the light.

Discord was simply in awe, before him stood two majestic rulers of noble birth. He noticed that they both had horns and thought they might be unicorns, but then he saw large wings protruding from their backs like a pegasus.

"Father? What species are they? I have never seen such... magnificent beings!"

"They are Alicorns my dear child, a very rare species of pony dating back thousands of years. But now only those of the royal bloodline still exist, the rest wiped out by the War of Faces."

"War of Faces?"

"A tale for another time perhaps, for now remember thou courtly manners!"

The king grasped the hoof of Starswirl, a firm shake was followed by a small conversation involving strange new weapons. Discord hesitantly took a single hoof forward, his face contorted in fear.

"Y-your M-majesty, a p-pleasure to m-meet you!" He bowed low, hoping his bow was not as awkward as it felt.

"And thou must be the changeling, Discord? Please no need to be so formal, thou are the adopted son of an honored hero! We should be the ones bowing to you!"

"T-thank thou, your Majesty!"

"Don't let my husbands enthusiasm overbear thee! We art Queen Moonlight, and it is certainly a pleasure to come across such a pleasant changeling!"

Starswirl cleared his throat, a harsh sound that drew the kings attention.

"Perhaps it is time we discussed our agenda for this visit?"

"Ah yes, we better be on our way dear. Please, make thyself at home Discord, Little Luna is dying to meet thou! She will be with thee shortly."

Starswirl silently mouthed a simple magic spell, sealing the changelings draining magic away. He stared after Discord, hoping that he may discover a friend.

Discord stood still for several minutes slowly getting a grip over his anxiety. He breathed deeply, releasing it all in a steady stream of hot air. He then put on his best smile and slowly began to trot through the castle doors. He gasped loudly, the beauty of the main hall simply taking his breath away. Intricate tapestries hung on the light purple walls. Some depicted battles, others heroes and heroines of old. A large red carpet led towards the upper halls, a single star within the center. Standing on the staircase was a pure white alicorn, her face a mixture of intrigue and fear. She silently handed out her hoof, a simple gesture of trust.

"Hi! I'm Princess Celestia, nice to meet a umm changeling!"

"Thank thee your majesty, it is a pleasure to meet a beautiful princess."

"Oh please, I get enough of that royal stuff from my father..."

"Right, well to be perfectly honest I hate being so formal. Its just so... boring!"

"Uh huh...well my sister will be with thou shortly, she has some experiment or something she wants to perform." The princess looked positively bored, she didn't want to be stuck foal sitting this thing!

"Alright, I can tell you're just a barrel of laughs..." Discord glared at the princess, taken aback by her apparent coldness.

He ran up the stairs, suddenly interested to meet the younger sister. Experiments? On me? Hmm sounds fun!

A large empty hallway led to the living quarters, five doors stood on either side. All were locked tightly shut. At the end was a single staircase, leading directly to the basement. He could hear the loud sounds of machinery and steam echoing through the empty hall. Discord hovered over the first stair, an uneasy feeling in his gut. He thought to himself, whats the worst that could happen?

"Ok! So if we put this here...and replace this gizmo there, it should be...Perfect! Its all in working order. Now we just need a guinea pig...."

"Umm hello? Princess Luna?"

Luna suddenly spun around, a huge grin present on her face.

"Oh, oh! You must be Discord! What a wonderful name for such a creature!"

"Excuse me? I am not just some thing!"

"Oh my, we didn't mean to offend... We're just sooo excited to meet our first changeling!"

Discord simply stood and stared, shocked to see somepony so excited to meet one of his kind. He noticed the huge difference between the sisters almost immediately, not only were their personalities polar opposites, but their color hues as well. From the pure white of day, to the ebony blue of night. Luna was shorter but much more beautiful, Discord utterly mesmerized by her simple beauty. As she spoke her gorgeous hair twinkled in the light, a single hair hung down over her face.

"Hey, umm you there? Thou hath merely stood there, mouth hanging open like a common dog spotting a bone! What, do we have oil in our mane again? Why didn't we tie it up, uggghh..."

"N-no I was just admiring you're umm, giant metal thing! Its just so errr big!"

"What this old thing? Its simply my Self-Automated Transformer Gizmo!"

"A what?"

"It takes the magical effigy of your transformation abilities and creates a simple sub-atomic particle that when put under a powerful laser..." She tapped several small buttons on the machine eliciting a loud hum from within "...should create a automated transformation within thou body that will allow said user to change into non-pony entities."

"Errr..."

"Please, hop in! We wish to examine the process while thou are here!"

"Umm ok, but perhaps I sh-"

He felt a hard nudge in his hindquarters, sending him hurtling into the open door of the machine. Before he could say another word, Luna's voice was heard through a single speaker above his head.

Right! Do thou see the red switch below your left hoof?

"Yes..."

We want thou to press it and set this baby in motion!

"Perhaps we could get better acquainted first? I haven't even been on a first date!"

Hush! It begins!

A loud whooshing sound came from behind Discord, followed by a gale force vacuum that drained his magical energy. A single beam of green light shot towards his horn. Suddenly a strange feeling washed over him, his hooves became sharpened talons. Large feathered wings erupted from his spine, quickly consuming his insectile ones. His snout began to bulge out, ending in a sharp beak.

"What in Starnovas name?!"

Fantastic! Thou have become a griffon! My work is complete!

"That's great and all but how in Tartarus do I revert back?"

Umm, We didn't really consider that....

"Oh, just perfect.... I'm now trapped as a.... Hey wait! You turned me into a female griffon?!"

Oops...

"This day is becoming such a joy...."