This is...impossible!
Inside the sparkling-clean throne room of Canterlot Castle, Queen Concordia read and reread the letter three times to ensure that her eyes weren't deceiving her. Nearby, her trusted advisor and court magician Star Swirl the Bearded thoughtfully wove a hoof through his long flowing namesake, patiently awaiting his queen's orders. The alicorn ruler opened the scroll once more and focused on its words, hoping that she was mistaken in what was written:
Your Majesty,
I am writing to you from the Canterlot Orphanage, which I run alongside my compatriot Dawn Glimmer. Discord, who is one of my charges, lost control of his magic, injuring and intimidating four of the other children and scaring the rest. Now mind you, he was defending a friend of his from the four colts in question and must be treated as sympathetically as possible. He is a chimera, though I am unsure as to what kind as he possesses a pony's head, a lion's paw, a bird talon, a cloven hoof and lizard claw for feet, a serpentine tail and two wings, one bird and one bat. I worry for Discord's safety as well as the safety of the others so I humbly request that you send one of your wizards to inspect him. He truly is a kind-hearted and virtuous young colt but his unconventional appearance coupled with his unique brand of magic make it almost impossible for him to make friends. Please help him. You are his only hope.
Your Humble Servant,
Violet Twinkle
Queen Concordia sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. It was simply impossible for any of them to still be around and the mention of it having magic worried the queen more than anything on Equestria. She sat up straight in her throne and beckoned for her advisor. "Star Swirl, do you believe the authenticity of this Miss Twinkle's account?"
The old stallion replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, though I do find it a tad difficult to believe. Surely you don't think...-"
"Indeed I do!" Queen Concordia replied sharply. "If even one draconequus is running loose in Equestria, then we might very well be looking at the end of our way of life." Taking a deep breath, she then drew herself up very regally and commanded, "Star Swirl, I am sending you to the Canterlot Orphanage to see this 'Discord' and confirm Miss Twinkle's story. If it is true, then bring it here as soon as you can. I must see it with my own eyes."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Star Swirl replied starkly and quickly departed, leaving Queen Concordia alone with her thoughts. Her eyes caught the sight of a familiar painting, its subject an older unicorn stallion with an imperial beard, an orange and yellow mane wildly cascading down his shoulders like fire. She sighed and gazed at the painting's soft smiling face, wishing for nothing more than to hold him in her arms again. Ten years had passed since King Solaris' passing and since that day, Queen Concordia vowed to never let her family suffer another loss like that again. They took my beloved away from me and my daughters but justice won out in the end. She took one last longing glance at the painting before preparing herself for whatever Star Swirl's inquiries would discover.
Although he could've been easily brought into town by wagon and armed escort, Star Swirl insisted that such actions would draw too much attention for a fact-finding mission and Queen Concordia finally relented, agreeing that his presence should be kept low-key. For as long as he had been in the queen's employ (which was far longer than he cared to remember), Star Swirl had never seen Concordia so frantic and terrified before, even after the twin ordeal of the Umbrum-Draconequus War and the death of her husband. The shock of a surviving draconequus and the implications of his existence were surely ominous but the queen treated this as the end of all life. Star Swirl furrowed his brow at this thought. He knew better than anypony how dangerous this particular breed of chimera were but he didn't share his monarch's inherent fear and loathing for them. If anything, they were a fascinating species and it would be nice to study one that wasn't trying to eat him or turn his head into a pumpkin.
Finally arriving at the modest but well-built house, Star Swirl knocked on the door and was promptly greeted by a pink mare with a dark purple and blue-streaked mane. The mare took in the sight of the tall pointed hat and flowing cape before she smiled somewhat nervously, "Hello there, Sir. Good morning to you."
Star Swirl raised a busy eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'Good morning?' Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"
The mare blinked. "A-all of them, I suppose."
"Let me get down to business. I am Star Swirl the Bearded, court magician to Her Majesty Queen Concordia and I am here to inspect one of your orphans, the one you call 'Discord.'" To prove his authenticity, he showed her a medallion bearing the Royal Seal along with a edict with Queen Concordia's signature and wax seal.
Both pieces of evidence caused the mare to drop to her hocks as she began to praise both Queen Concordia and Star Swirl, causing the old stallion to roll his eyes. "Yes, yes of course! Come in and I will aid you however I can! I am Dawn Glimmer, co-matron of this fine establishment. Surely you must be tired from your journey! I will make you a nice cup of tea. Or would you prefer coffee? A nice cranberry cocktail?" The mare continued to prattle on as she led a now annoyed Star Swirl to the living room and practically shoved him into the large recliner situated right next to the fireplace.
He raised a hoof and cleared his throat somewhat contemptuously. "No, no, I require nothing, Madam. I just need to speak with Miss Violet Twinkle and this...Discord. Can you manage that?"
Although Star Swirl's gruff demeanor was off-putting, Dawn merely grinned, "Yes, of course. I will go fetch them!" She quickly ducked out of the room, leaving Star Swirl to stretch his legs and relax in what was admittedly quite a comfortable chair. At least that irritating chatterbox can do something right-...
"Won't you reconsider a cup of tea? I just heated some up," Dawn grinned as she suddenly popped back in the room.
"No thank you," Star Swirl insisted through gritted teeth.
Dawn nodded and turned as if to leave when she asked, "Some apple cider...perhaps?"
"I'm fine." Star Swirl could feel his patience wearing dangerously thin.
Dawn almost made it to the door when she turned once more to the wizard. "Ovaltine?"
"No thank you. I'm perfectly fine," Star Swirl said much more forcefully, feeling the vein bouncing on his forehead.
"Alright then, if you're sure. I'll just go get Violet and Discord-..."
"Yes, yes, hop to it!" Star Swirl snapped and the mare finally took the hint and left, grumbling about the decline of good manners in Equestria.
Two minutes later, a purple unicorn in a frilly dark-blue dress arrived, leading a small timid figure that hid behind her hindlegs. Star Swirl rose to meet her, finding enough time to calm himself down and shaking her hoof calmly.
"Greetings Star Swirl. I am Violet Twinkle and I am honored to have you here," She began cordially and Star Swirl noticed that he already found her company much more enjoyable. "Discord? Come on out. The nice stallion just wants to talk to you. You're not in any trouble, I promise." A small gray head popped out from behind its hiding spot, its yellow and red eyes staring uncertainly at the new visitor. "Come on, it's okay, sweetie." With much trepidation, Discord finally emerged, his whole body shaking as he sat on the floor in front of Star Swirl, whose face remained impassive despite the millions of thoughts racing through his mind at the side of a creature he thought long gone.
An honest-to-goodness draconequus! Truly astounding! How Queen Concordia managed to miss one I cannot say though I am somewhat happy that she did. Star Swirl eyed the little colt up and down. "Do you know why you're here?"
Discord looked back at Violet, who nodded encouragingly at him before he turned to Star Swirl and gulped nervously. "Is it...because I went overboard with my magic? I swear, I didn't mean it!"
It was strange to see an adolescent draconequus, especially one so fearful. The only ones Star Swirl had ever seen were full grown and charging at him with spiked maces and battle-axes, the fires of war and violence burning brightly in their eyes. He replied, "I am curious about your...talents. Show me."
The little chimera shrank, his eyes widening enough to dominate his face. "W-what?"
Star Swirl folded his forelegs. "Show me your magic. I want a demonstration."
Again, Discord looked to his guardian for permission and once he received her conformation, he sighed and focused on the stack of playing cards on the lampstand beside Star Swirl's chair. With a quiet pop! the cards floated into the air, sailing past his head like an airborne locomotive before landing on the coffee table, each card beginning to fold around as they began to form a structure. When it was finished, the cards formed a perfect replica of Canterlot Castle. The wizard was stunned. Such a display of magic was much more advanced than ponies around that age and yet Discord managed it in only a few seconds' time and without breaking a sweat. This might actually work to the queen's favor.
"You...you don't like it?"
Star Swirl noticed Discord's hurt expression and realized that his jaw had sprung open. Promptly snapping it shut, he smiled, "My boy, that was one of the most impressive feats of magic that I have ever seen."
The chimera stared bafflingly at the wizard, his expression half-incredulous, half-skeptical. "R-really?"
"Really! I should inform the queen of this at once! She'll definitely want to meet you as soon as possible!"
Violet put a foreleg around Discord protectively. "M-meet the queen?"
Star Swirl stopped in the middle of dictating his letter and responded as-a-matter-of-factly, "Of course! Such talents would go to waste here in this place, no offense. He needs proper training to hone his gifts and I don't trust the academy to handle such a responsibility. With the queen's permission, I will personally tutor young Discord at the castle."
Violet appeared as though she was going to faint. "The castle?! Mister Star Swirl, are you...certain of this? Discord is still so young after all and as you can see, he's a very unique child. Isn't this a bit soon?"
"Oh nonsense! With such raw magical talent, he should begin training sooner rather than later. Besides, weren't you the one that wrote to Queen Concordia asking for assistance with Discord's gifts? Wouldn't he be better off living at the castle, having his every need taken care of and receiving a proper education? It's a fine better arrangement than most ponies could even ask for!" Star Swirl then sighed, "Then again, as Discord's guardian, the choice is up to you."
Drawing Discord in tight, Violet began taking deep, prolonged breaths as she stared into his mismatched eyes. Star Swirl's offer was far greater than she ever couldn't hoped but the thought of being separated from her ersatz son was simply too much. She recalled rocking him to sleep as an infant, the day that he uttered, "Violet," which was his first word. For every moment of his life so far, Violet had been there and now hearing that he'd be leaving her was a blow she thought she'd be ready for. Every orphan is expected to be adopted but Discord wasn't a regular orphan. He was her son.
"May I think about it? It's such a big decision," Violet finally stated, her voice shaky with heartbreak.
Star Swirl, noticing the fresh tears lightly peppering the mare's eyelids, nodded solemnly. He never thought he'd see the day that a pony would cry over a draconequus. "Yes, you may." He rose from his seat and headed for the exit. "I'll be sampling the local shops should you change your mind. You have six hours." And with that, he left.