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Chapter Text

The best part about waking up each morning was seeing her sleeping beside him. He stared lovingly at her tiny figure breathing delicately. He reached out his eagle claw to stroke her silky pink mane.

Had they really been married for four years already? It was hard enough for him to believe that they had gotten married in the first place, that after eons of loneliness, he had fallen in love with the most beautiful mare in the world, and she returned his love. Seeing her each morning reminded him that he had not dreamt it.

She stirred in her sleep and slowly rolled over to face him. Her adorable teal eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning," he whispered.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Good morning. What time is it?"

He checked the wiggly-handed clock on the wall. "Oh, about a quarter past nine."

"Oh, I should go feed the animals."

She flipped onto her back and attempted to rise, but he stopped her by pulling her closer to his body.

"I'm sure they can wait," he said lowly.

"Discord…"

"Alright, if you insist." He snapped his fingers. "Done! Now you have plenty of time!"

He tightened his grip on her. She shook her head.

"Discord, I'm going to have to get up eventually. I have to meet the girls at the spa this afternoon."

"Yes, but in the meantime…"

"Do we have to go through this every morning?"

"Can I help it if I want to spend as much time with you as possible? Can I help it if I love you?"

"No, I suppose not."

"Besides, you were rather sleepy last night. You deserve a break."

She sighed in defeat. "Alright, but just a little longer."

As he kissed his beloved wife, Discord concluded that life could not get better than this.

2:00pm

"We're almost there!" Pinkie Pie chimed as she led Fluttershy and Discord towards Sugar Cube Corner. The gravel path crunched satisfyingly under their hooves, and Celestia's sun was sharing its warm spring embrace onto their backs. Fluttershy's face glowed bright and her eyelashes bat away in the glare of the beautiful sunlight.

"You sure you don't want me to carry you?"

She shook her head as she steadied herself. "No, I can handle it. Pinkie, what's this all about, anyway?"

"You'll see!" Pinkie snorted as she bounced up the bakery steps.

Fluttershy was about to follow her when Discord scooped her into his arms.

"Oh dearie, you're such a gentleman!" She giggled.

 

As soon as they were inside, every pony jumped out of hiding and shouted:

"SURPRISE!"

Fluttershy gasped at the decorated room before her. Her five best friends as well as Spike and her three favorite fillies were there. On the wall was a banner reading: 'Congratulations!'

"What is…?"

"We threw you a baby shower!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

"But it isn't even born yet, it can't even take baths..." Discord said, confused.

The mares laughed.

"A baby shower is a party for expecting mothers," Twilight explained. "Her female friends organize it and bring gifts for the new baby."

Tears filled Fluttershy's eyes. "Girls, this is wonderful! Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank us yet!" Pinkie insisted. "You haven't opened your presents yet!"

She led her friend to the stack of presents and handed her one wrapped in pink, with a green bow.

Discord turned to the young spike, who was now taller and sharper than before. He even had wings now!

"if this is a mare's party, then why are we here? You're a little man," discord accentuated with a noogie, "and I'm... Some sort of he-what-who-thing." Spike shrugged and sat on Discord's shoulders.

"Open mine first!"

Fluttershy was about to sit down when Discord summoned a comfortable pillow beneath her. Pinkie placed the gift in her lap and Fluttershy began unwrapping it. She opened the box to reveal a yellow and orange hat with a green propeller. She took it out and looked at it questioningly.

"I saw it in the hat shop the other day and thought it would look cutesy wootsy on your baby!" Pinkie said excitedly.

Discord twirled the propeller. "It is kind of cute."

"Thank you, Pinkie," Fluttershy smiled. "I'm sure our child will love it."

"Now for the one from me!" Rarity said, handing her a box in purple wrapping and a periwinkle bow.

Inside were six sets of foal-sized foot pajamas in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

"Of course, when the baby arrives, I can make a whole new set with proper measurements on the case that it isn't... Pony shaped."

"They're beautiful, Rarity," Fluttershy said.

She opened Twilight's present next: an illustrated book on fairytales to read to the child. Then Rainbow Dash gave her a red, green, and white rattle, which she explained had been hers as a foal.

Next was Applejack's present: a baby bonnet with apples embroidered along the edge.

"It was mine," Applejack explained, "I figured you should have it."

"Me next!" Apple Bloom bounced!

The filly gave her a small quilt. It was checkered in brown and yellow. Each yellow square was decorated with a pink butterfly matching Fluttershy's cutie mark and each brown square had a black and white spiral in the center.

"I made it myself!" Apple Bloom said proudly. "I incorporated both the parents' personalities into it, so that your baby may always be reminded how special she is!"

"Apple Bloom," Fluttershy uttered, "this is beautiful!"

She slid out of her seat and gave the filly a hug. The dragon then hopped off of Discord with his gift.

"I had to ask Twilight's permission for this first," he said.

In the box was an old stuffed green dragon, covered in felt armor.

"This is Sir Lionheart," Spike explained. "Twilight gave him to me after she took me home, but I've kind of grown out of it. I'm sure Discord Jr. will like it!"

"I have a toy for the baby too!" Scootaloo announced. She brought out a tiny red scooter with a yellow bow on it. "This was my first scooter, but I've gotten too big for it now."

"And I have a record of my favorite lullabies!" Sweetie Belle said, holding up said record.

"Oh, thank you, everyone!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "These are all such wonderful presents!"

"We're not done," Twilight declared. "We all pitched in on this one."

Pinkie Pie bounced upstairs, followed by the cowgirl. The returned with a wooden crib painted glittery green and decorated with pink roses on the side. The cushion was feathered and the laced pillow was made of silk. Fluttershy was sobbing with a smile.

"You are all such wonderful friends and I know our baby is going to have the best aunts, and cousin, in the world!"

They all moved into a group hug when suddenly, Fluttershy felt a sharp pain in her belly. She let out a cry and clutched her stomach. Her friends backed away as Discord flew to her side.

 

The five ponies, three fillies and dragon paced around the waiting room. They stiffened when they heard Fluttershy's scream.

"What are they doing to her?!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

"I'm sure she's fine," Twilight said calmly.

When Dr. Stable entered the room, the duchess jumped out of her seat.

"Is she still alive?!" she asked frantically.

The doctor laughed. "Fluttershy has successfully given birth to a healthy baby girl and is going to be fine."

Every pony gasped.

"A girl?" Pinkie repeated. "This is fantastic!"

"Wait," Rarity said. "What does it look like?"

Fluttershy sobbed into her husband's chest.

"She's okay my queen, just small. She's okay."

"I only got to hold her for a second..."

Discord needed to distract her, keep her mind off of her filly in the NICU.

Discord scratched his head. "She looks so…normal."

The infant was an earth pony with a pink coat and bounding curls of purple and white hair on her head.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Fluttershy sniffled. "You said you didn't want our child to be judged by her looks like you were."

"Yeah, but…how will people know she's ours?"

The pegasus lay in thought. "I don't think it matters dear, she's ours, and..."

Discord held her hoof. "If we're loud enough with our pride, ponies will know."

Fluttershy chuckled. "Y'know, I've got an earth pony grandma on my Dad's side. I guess the genes just skipped mine and my dad's generations."

Weeks later, NICU visiting hours.

"It's mine alright!" He bent down and tickled the infant. Her eyes were bright spirals with no pupils. "Cootchie-cootchie-coo!" The baby let out a laugh as she attempted to squirm away from the delightful torture. "Aw, look at her! Isn't she just an adorable little screwball?" His face lit up. "That's it! We'll call her Screwball!... If you want to, that is."

Fluttershy smiled as she caressed her baby through the glass. "Of course, it's perfect."

"Nah, but that's why it's good."

"Which one is it?!" Pinkie demanded, eagerly pressing her face against the window of the nursery.

"The one in the middle," Nurse Sweetheart said, pointing.

The ponies turned their attention to the pink foal sucking on her hoof.

"she's…" Rainbow speculated, "…normal."

Screwball then opened her swirly eyes.

"Never mind."

Every pony jumped as Discord appeared behind them. "I know, isn't she precious? We named her Screwball!"

"How lovely," Rarity cooed.

"Aw, she's so cute!" Pinkie squeaked.

"We had another that day. Nurse Sweetheart explained, "from a Miz Muffins. Maybe you know her?"

"You mean Derpy?" Rainbow asked. She mumbled, "no one calls her muffins, dude."

The nurse pointed to the cradle beside Screwball's. Lying inside was a gray unicorn with blonde hair. Her eyes were looking in opposite directions.

"That's Derpy's alright," the pegasus confirmed. "What's its name?"

"She called her Dinky," the nurse replied. "Dinky Doo."

Screwball stared in wonder at the large ponies looking at her. She thought they were quite funny, especially the pink one. She then imagined what it would be like to tug on that beautiful poofy hair.

She turned her head as the baby in the crib next to her started crying. She could tell this pony was different from the others because of her eyes, and seemed drawn to her. She wanted her to stop crying and a pacifier suddenly appeared in the unicorn's mouth. The ponies saw this and gasped.

"Celestia save her." Discord said in awe. "Oh, oh not now. Not with the magic..." He grimaced. She was like him, with the problems he would have had at her age.

"A baby with Discord's powers?" Spike uttered.

Twilight shook with anxiety. Or was it excitement at the prospect of a pony with chaotic magic? In any case, she whispered:

"oh boy."

 

There was no doubt about it. Screwball proved to be a difficult baby. A unicorn or a pegasus filly would have been easier, despite their magical surges and eagerness to fly. The daughter of pure chaos had that and more.

While her magic satisfied her hunger with a great many things she should not possibly be able to eat, the baby did not fully understand the capability of her powers. A single thought from her infantile mind would cause something extraordinary to happen. One day, Fluttershy had the misfortune to come into the nursery and find her child gnawing on the bars of her crib, which had been turned to licorice.

worst of all for discord, the girl cried day in and day out. the shrill whining, how he would give anything to stop that infernal sound that tugged at his heartstrings!

In a flash, he was on top a unicycle juggling a pie, a boot and an anvil. Screwball stopped crying and watched this act with curiosity. The objects then slipped out of her father's hands and landed on his head: first the boot, then the pie, then the anvil.

"Ta-da!"

She blinked for a moment and then cried again.

"Tough crowd," he muttered. He knelt to her bedside. "For goodness sake, what do you want from me, kid?"

What would Fluttershy do in this predicament? In the time that he had known her, he still had trouble being gentle with other creatures. He thought the problem was that others were too absorbed with his appearance to give him a chance, but then he realized that the problem might be him not giving them a chance, or rather kindness a chance.

Maybe he should give it a chance now. He thought about what Fluttershy would use to calm the baby down and then snapped his fingers.

"A lullaby! Is that what you want?"

The filly seemed to understand him for she stopped wailing for a bit and held out her hooves with a whimper, indicating that she wanted him to hold her as well. He carefully scooped her in his arms. She was so tiny and soft. He would not be surprised if she grew up to be as beautiful as her mother. Thank the heavens she had inherited that part of her.

He cradled her gently and attempted to sing the lullaby Fluttershy would always use:

"Hush now, quiet now It's time to lay your…"

He trailed off as she began crying again. He rolled his eyes.

"Everyone's a critic."

Unfortunately, he was not as gifted in singing as his wife was, mostly because he had not had much practice. Besides, the song was not in his key. Maybe he should try another song, but he did not know that many. Perhaps he should make one up. The first line he sung came straight from his thoughts:

"Please do not cry, my dear, Your papa is so very here…"

She paused a moment to listen to the haunting tune. Discord glanced down and saw that his cheesy song was working, so he continued:

"And if any pony Causes you any harm or fear…"

He thought about what he would do if anything happened to his daughter.

"Then I will cast them out from here, 'Cause I…am your papa, Discord. And you…are a piece of me."

The filly giggled in delight, clearly enjoying the song. She clapped her tiny hooves for more. Discord smiled down at her.

"Oh simple spawn of mine, Without you, I would be so lost. I will stick by your side, No matter what the tragic cost. Our crazed imagined thoughts are what give you and me our strength. 'Cause you…are my daughter, Screwball, And you're…gonna sleep right now."

The lullaby took its effect as Screwball let out a yawn and closed her eyes. He gazed in awe as she innocently sucked her hoof. He would have given her a pacifier, but it might deform her teeth, (or so he told himself since she ate the last three.) So he laid her in her crib, careful not to wake her. He picked up her stuffed dragon king Lionheart and slid it under her free foreleg. He then gently tugged the quilt over her small body.

Smiling, he leaned forward and lightly kissed the filly on the forehead.

When he teleported back into bed, he announced to his wife, "Our baby can fly."

Fluttershy sighed, still half asleep. "Of course, she can."

Despite the complications, Discord and Fluttershy loved their newborn filly. She had a contagious laugh that was a combination of joy and sneakiness, much like her father's. Her powers, while making her difficult to deal with, were actually quite entertaining. Once she had learned to teleport, she and Discord took the game of peek-a-boo to new heights. She would often get restless, but Fluttershy was able to calm her down with her tenderness. When that did not work, she would use the Stare on her. Discord was grateful that the filly had not inherited his immunity.

The biggest issue was finding a babysitter. While Pinkie was the most eager, not even she could handle the filly's unpredictability. Rainbow Dash could do it when she wasn't working with the other wonder bolts, (or slacking off.) Rarity was great with the filly, because she was like a sweeter, sillier version of her own cat, Opal. Applejack seemed to be a natural with her. Still, every pony had their turn helping with the baby.

Sometimes Derpy and her daughter, Dinky could come over. She would amuse her playmate with her powers, making their toys levitate and circle in the air. Dinky would clap her hooves in pleasure. The only magical surges the unicorn had had were when her pacifier, the same one Screwball had given her when they met in the hospital, was out of reach.

When Autumn Glory, Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack's daughter came over, Screwball was given a four year old mentor.

The young filly took interest in her friend's horn. Screwball was a little over a year old when she discovered that it wasn't normal to use magic without a horn. She was able to fly at their age too, but she noticed that she did not have wings. She also realized that their eyes looked in the same direction, but she already knew that Dinky's eyes were unique.

Some point at this age, she met a pony she had never seen before and jumped back at the sight of her. Her short curly mane was purple with streaks of white, her coat was a light pink, but it was her eyes that interested Screwball the most. They were different. They were nothing like Dinky's. She seemed to have no blackness in her eye, only a purple swirl.

Screwball reached out to touch the filly and at the same time, the filly reached out to touch her. Their hooves met and Screwball flinched at the smooth texture she was feeling. It was not a hoof, it was glass. Her parents had already observed that Screwball seemed quite intelligent and understanding for a foal her age and it did not take long for her to conclude that the strange filly was indeed her.

That was when she knew.

Fluttershy found her daughter sitting in front of the full-length mirror and flew down to her.

"So there you are," she said, reaching her hooves out to her. "I've been looking…"

Her hoof then tapped at the reflection of her eyes.

As Screwball grew older and developed better speech, she began noticing other things that were different about her. Her diet was the first indicator. Her friends always stared at her when she drank her sip cup instead of the milk inside it. Her playmates, their mothers and her own mother did not do the things she did. Objects did not appear out of nowhere on their command, nor did they just come to them from afar.

Ah yes, her dad. Of course screwball knew how different he was from the other ponies: his size, his shape, his appearance, his behavior. whenever her mother or one of the other ponies was next to him it stuck out.

When she was six, she finally approached her parents about this. It was after they read her a bedtime story that she asked.

"Mommy, Daddy?"

"Yes, dear?" her mother responded softly.

"Why am I different?"

Discord and Fluttershy paused, their smiles squishing into nervous silent words as they shared a look.

"You're the same in ways that matter," Discord insisted.

"Like your friend Dinky," Fluttershy added.

"She doesn't have magic like mine mommy." Screwball said. "Not like mine. ponies don't do what I do, and I'm not a unicorn."

Her mother glanced to the side. "Sweetie…"

The filly pointed to Discord. "I'm more like daddy."

He winced. "Screwy, I think you…"

"Why?"

The couple looked at each other again, sighed, and smiled simultaneously.

"Yes, my love," Fluttershy said. "You and Papa are both a draconequus."

Screwball tilted her head. "Like Uncle Spike?"

Her mother laughed. "No, princess, you and Papa are the only two draconequi that have ever existed."

Discord put his paw over his heart. "My dear, you flatter me! Yet your flattery is an understatement. I am the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony! It is my duty to make the world less boring with my little…quirks. After all, what would this world be without a box of starving crazed weasels in every donut shop?"

Screwball squealed and kicked her hooves happily in agreement.

Fluttershy continued, "you and your papa are special and your differences from other ponies make you special, they almost define you. Almost. You are also made of your similarities to ponies you care about. You are what you make of yourself."

"how eloquent, my queen," Discord cooed, leaning forward to brush his daughter's hair. "you are special, because you are a product of two species, two creatures who love each other very much despite their differences."

He smirked as he wrapped his tail around Fluttershy and pulled her closer. She was startled at first but then laughed and kissed him on the snout.

"Your father's right," she said to the filly.

"Well, duh!" Discord huffed. "Of course I am! I only repeated what you said!" She nudged him playfully in the ribs with her elbow.

The filly smiled, assuring them that their words had helped. After her parents had kissed her goodnight and turned out the lights, Screwball closed her eyes and sighed contently.

"nopony means more to us than you, screwy."

She meant something to ponies that love her, and she means something to herself.

Screwball was 6 when she started school. There was some debate that morning on who would take her, and I'm the end they both went, since they both wanted to. It was almost fall, and the auburn light reflected through the falling leaves, the air smelled like warm remnants of cider and wood shavings. The schoolhouse shone brick red, white fences lines the area.

As they slowly approached the red building, Screwball felt her stomach churn.

"What if the ponies don't like me?" she asked her parents.

"Of course they'll like you!" Discord replied, playfully twirling the propeller on her hat. "Why wouldn't they? After all, who wouldn't like the most adorable filly in all of Equestria?"

Silence fell over the schoolyard as the foals stopped their playing at the sight of the draconequus. The kicked up leaves seemed to still and the light on their faces highlighted the unfamiliarity. Screwball gestured to them.

"cuz' I'm weird?"

"And that's what makes you so adorable!" her father exclaimed, ruffling her mane.

"Everything will be alright, honey," Fluttershy assured the filly. "Dinky will be here, so will Autumn Glory and Taco Grandé."

After Pinkie and Cheese Sandwich had their first son, Taco Grandé, Applejack caught the baby fever once more, and rainbow dash and Rarity wouldn't object once she'd taken them to the orphanage and they'd seen the children that made their hearts skip a beat. They adopted the cinnamon twins shortly after, maple cinnamon, a boy, and cinnamon twist, a girl.

"Your teacher is also Cheerilee," Fluttershy continued. "You remember her: the crusaders' teacher? Oh, and big mac's daughter is there too!"

Apple Blossom was also around Screwball's age. They had not met that often, but she knew she was Aunt Applejack's real niece. She also remembered Sugar belle, a very nice mare who always smiled crooked and warm.

"And don't worry if any pony makes fun of you," Discord added. "Just show them who's Boss and turn them into an orange!"

Fluttershy shook her head. She looked back at the filly. "If any pony can't accept how special you are, that's their problem. As for your magic…don't get into any trouble and don't make any pony feel jealous…Promise me you'll behave. Okay, honey?"

Screwball nodded. "I'll be good, Mommy."

Pinkie pie strolled up to the playground with her Coltfriend, cheese, bounding with her foal on her back. Then rainbow and Applejack showed up with their own children.

The twins landed with a thud as Dinky tackled them both. Applejack chuckled as she appeared behind them. At her side was a light brown colt with a black mane and autumn brown eyes.

"I see y'all are just as excited as Maple here," the cowgirl said, patting her adopted son on the back.

Dinky looked up and blushed slightly at the sight of Maple Cinnamon Screwball noticed him returning her blush.

"hi d-," he stuttered. He was stuck on the letter "D".

Dinky waved her hoof with unmatched enthusiasm ."HI!!!"

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack shared a knowing look.

Every pony looked up as the school bell rang and Cheerilee emerged from the building.

"Alright, kids! Come inside!"

Fluttershy gave her daughter a light shove. "Go on! We'll come and pick you up at three."

After receiving another kiss, Screwball joined her friends as they raced up the steps. She stopped at the door.

"Oh, Ms Cheerilee!" Rainbow exclaimed, handing her the apple. "This is for you!"

"Why thank you, Dash," Cheerilee said with a smile. "How's the twins?"

"see, that's just what I wanted to hear. Cuz' I got something I need to tell you, ma'am. See, Maple's got a stutter, and he's really shy about it. Try not to hold it against him?"

Cheerilee put her hoof into Rainbow Dash's. "You have my word, miss. You too, miss Applejack."

Cheerilee attempted to get her new students to settle down. "Alright, class! I know you're excited and all. You'll find your name on your new desk."

"Well, welcome to the new school year, my little ponies!" Cheerilee announced. "I'm your teacher, Ms Cheerilee. We're going to spend this morning getting to know one another. Everyone turn to the pony next to you and introduce yourselves."

When Maple turned to his right, he met the green eyes of an earth pony with pastel yellow mane, yellow-green coat, and lots of freckles.

"hey cuz! I haven't s-s-seen you around so much, y...you moved to ponyville?"

"darn right I did!"

Screwball's desk partner on her right was a white unicorn with red, white and blue striped hair. She flinched at the sight of the earth pony's eyes. Screwball eagerly extended her hoof.

"Hi! I'm Screwball!"

The unicorn hesitantly shook her hoof. "Aquafresh."

"Isn't this all exciting?"

"Uh…yeah. Hey, are you…?"

Cheerilee tapped her ruler on her desk to get every pony's attention. "Alright, now we're each going to introduce ourselves to the class. State your name and please share something interesting about yourself. I will go first as an example." She cleared her throat. "My name is Cheerilee, I have a strawberry garden, and currently teaching a wonderful class!"

Screwball tried to pay close attention to the others as they introduced themselves, but the only ones she really listened to were her friends.

"I'm cinnamon twist, I like reptiles and ants!"

"I- I'm.... Maple Cinna-cinnamon." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes tight. "I l-like herdin' dogs a...and interior design."

The twins did a hoof bump before Apple Blossom spoke:

"My name is Apple Blossom, I like helping around the house and playing in the flowers."

Dinky was very excited for her introduction: "I'm Dinky Doo and I like muffins!"

Screwball giggled slightly and then realized it was her turn. "I'm Screwball and my dad's the Lord of Chaos!"

The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Screwball shrank at the thought that maybe she had gloated, despite what her mother had told her. She had not meant to brag, but the teacher had asked for something interesting, and well, that was the most interesting thing about her.

She could not understand why every pony was so shocked. Based on how the twins were looking at her, she had the feeling that what she said was wrong. Why? It was not like they did not know. It was not like she had grown a second head.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked the teacher.

Cheerilee shook her head. "No, Screwball, you said nothing wrong. Let's continue."

"I'm Aquafresh," the unicorn beside her said, rather shakily, "and my mom's a dentist."

Screwball did not hear the rest of the introductions, or pay attention as Cheerilee began the lesson. She was too busy listening to the whispers of the two colts behind her.

"She's the one my sister told me about! Her daddy's supposed to be a big scary monster!"

"Yeah! I think I saw him this morning!"

"My sister tells me she's as much a freak as he is!"

"Yeah! I mean look at that hat she's wearing!"

She protectively held onto her treasured hat from Aunt Pinkie.

Her head wrenched around her neck as she faced the colts. "I like my hat!"

"Screwball!"

She faced Cheerilee, realizing that she had said that out loud.

"What's going on?" the teacher asked crossly.

"Sorry, Ms Cheerilee," she pleaded. "But…they're saying mean things about me."

"Tattle tale," whispered the boy behind her.

"Is this true, Gold Digger?"

The colt with golden fur and a light green mane shook his head. "No, Ms Cheerilee. We were just talking about her eyes."

The teacher squinted at him. "Your sister was a pupil of mine, so I expect you to be familiar with the rules of this class. Every pony, let it be known that from now on, there will be no talking during the lesson! And boys-"

"yeeees?" They batted their lashes Innocently.

"it's not nice to talk about other ponies' features."

Screwball glanced over at Apple Blossom and tried to copy her pose by sitting upright and folding her hooves on her desk. She could not get in trouble on the first day of school. Mom would get upset.

She flinched as she felt a prick on the back of her neck. She glanced around and shrugged it off, assuming it to be a fly. Then she felt it again. It did not hurt really, but she found it quite annoying. Then something hopped onto her desk: a rubber band. She looked at the golden colt out of the corner of her eye. He and his friend were snickering with pleasure.

She thought of what her father had said numerous times that morning: If any pony makes fun of you, show them who's Boss. She did not want to disappoint her mother, but these colts needed to be taught a lesson. She had to be subtle in her revenge, for Cheerilee knew about her powers.

Screwball glanced at the rubber band that had missed and remembered Aunt Pinkie showing her something called a Cat's Cradle. She smiled deviously as she made a rubber band appear between Gold Digger's legs and copied the trick. When she was successful, she tried it on the other colt.

Then the bell rang for recess and the two boys tripped out of their seats.

"What the…?" Gold Digger uttered, looking at his tied legs.

Two Pegasi, thunder crack and lightning slash, gawked at the sight and gave Screwball a questioning glance. She nodded with a devilish grin.

"Nice," Lightning muttered, giving her a hoof bump.

"Let's get out of here before the teacher notices," Thunder whispered.

The fillies agreed and rushed toward the playground. For the first five minutes of recess, Screwball and Dinky spun a rope while the twins competed over who could jump the longest

"Nine, ten…" Dinky counted. "Uh…what comes after ten?

"Eleven," Screwball continued. "Twelve, thirteen…hey, guys! Watch this!"

She let go of the rope, but it kept spinning as if some pony was still holding that end. Dinky gasped and released her end as well.

"Awesome!" the twins exclaimed.

"We have the coolest friend ever!" Lightning declared.

"And the sneakiest!" Thunder added.

"are you guys Rainbow Dash's kids?"

"aw, we wish! We met at flight camp one day, and we been friends eva since! Practically twins, like the Cinnamons."

"Who wants to play kickball?"

The twins stopped jumping, entangling themselves in the rope.

"I do, I do!" Dinky hopped excitedly

The three laughed at their friend's enthusiasm and followed her to join the other students as they gathered round. Screwball's smile faded when she saw that Gold Digger was the one who had made the announcement. His blue eyes met hers and they gave each other a mutual glare.

"Sorry," he said. "This game is for ponies only!"

"But I am a pony," Screwball insisted.

"No, you're not. You're a Discord. My big sister Diamond Tiara told me so! You saw that big monster?" Gold Digger asked the foals. "That's her daddy!"

"My big sis said your daddy took over Equestria! Three times! He's the baddest of bad guys! He's evil!" Silver platter announced.

Screwball had no idea what he was talking about, but she stomped her hoof in anger. "Daddy's not evil!"

"He is evil! That means you're evil too! Look at her eyes!"

"Hey!" the twins cried, standing in front of their friend.

"Leave her alone!" Thunder crack cried.

"What's wrong with you?" Lightning demanded.

"What's wrong with me?" Gold Digger repeated. "What's wrong with her? She's got funny eyes! Like her dopey friend over there!"

Screwball gasped and glanced at Dinky, who was on the verge of tears. Picking on her was one thing, but no pony made fun of Dinky! No pony! She might look different, but she was not a dope!

Gold Digger made Screwball so mad she just wished the sky would come crashing down on him! The students looked up as a dark shadow covered them and screamed when they saw a piano hurdling directly towards Gold Digger. They all scattered out of the way. Screwball managed to grab Dinky before the instrument hit the ground, smashing into piece

As soon as she heard the crash, Cheerilee rushed out and gasped at the sight of the broken piano. How had that gotten into the schoolyard? She looked towards Screwball, who had a horrified guilty look on her face. She shook violently with her mouth agape.

Fluttershy knew something was up when her daughter did not come out of the building immediately. Dinky then explained that Cheerilee had kept Screwball after class. Expecting the worst, Fluttershy entered the classroom. Cheerilee was sitting expectedly at her desk, and Screwball on a stool in the corner. As soon as she saw her mother, she faced the wall in shame.

"I appreciate you coming here, Fluttershy," the teacher said softly, yet bluntly.

"What's going on?" the pegasus inquired.

"Have a seat, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy pulled up a chair and sat across from Cheerilee.

"It appears that there was a little…accident today."

The pegasus glanced over at Screwball. "What happened?"

"Well…how do I put this? A piano dropped from the sky."

Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock. "A piano?!"

"Yes. I checked, and there was no moving cart in the sky at the moment."

"You think…Screwball?"

Cheerilee looked to the filly in the corner. "Well, Screwball?"

She turned her head slowly, wincing at the expression on their faces.

"I didn't mean to!" she insisted. "They were making fun of me and Dinky! I didn't want it to happen! They made me so mad!"

"Honey, you promised you would behave!" Fluttershy shouted, almost too loudly.

"They called Daddy evil!"

Her mother's angry expression changed into one of fear. She then faced the teacher again.

"I assure you it won't happen again."

"I understand," Cheerilee said, solemn. "I understand that it's hard to keep it in check, and I can give you some resources to help with the situation."

The filly slid off the stool and smiled nervously up at her mother. The tragic glare she received in return caused her to hang her head. The room was suddenly all too tall, all too cold and empty, nowhere there was a sight of life.

"We're going to talk with your father about this."

 

"Would serve the brat right for picking on my daughter!"

They were sitting at the dinner table. Fluttershy had just explained the events at school.

"I also tied his hooves into a Cat's Cradle," Screwball admitted, picking at her peas.

Her father guffawed. "You did?! What'd you use? A string or rubber band?"

"Rubber band. He threw rubber bands at me first."

"Giving him a taste of his own medicine, huh?" He clapped his hands. "Genius! Pure genius, that's what it is!"

"He said you were evil," Screwball stated.

They both turned to her with wide eyes.

...

"Who told you that?" Discord demanded, quiet, as if afraid to rouse awake some deep feeling locked away in a bitter, sharp, dark tower with a moat of red roses.

"Gold Digger," she replied. "He said you were evil, and that I was evil too. That I wasn't a pony like they are."

"Sweetheart," her mother said, stroking her mane tenderly. "You're not evil and neither is your father."

Screwball looked her father in the eyes. "He said you took over Equestria."

Discord shrank guiltily into his seat. "Um…yes. I took over Equestria once…or twice, but that was a long time ago."

"You see, honey," Fluttershy explained, "your father was…evil, long before we met."

"Seems like a thousand years ago," the draconequus reminisced. "Actually, it was. I was ostracized because of my appearance and well…you could say I went crazy…like you did today with the piano. The princesses punished me by turning me to stone for a thousand years. When I was released…I met your mother. We didn't start on the friendliest of terms. She was one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the only things that could defeat me. Of course, now just a look from your beautiful mother can do that..." He winked at her and she couldn't help but smile as she rolled her eyes.

"I came up with a plan to dispose of the Elements of Harmony, but that didn't work out, so I tried something else. You see, I…"

He did not want to go into detail of what had happened. He did not want his daughter to think him a monster. Thankfully, Fluttershy summed it up gently.

"He said he would leave Equestria be in exchange for a willing bride."

He sighed in relief. "Yes, I…had grown rather lonely over the years and…your mother was the one who accepted the deal."

Screwball's eyes widened. "You were forced to marry Daddy?"

Fluttershy hesitated. "No princess. I only married him when we fell in love."

"your mother brought out the good in me because she gave me a chance," Discord finished, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Your mother is an amazing mare. Remember that. She was the only one who had truly accepted me back then. I then realized that I could not have Equestria and her at the same time, and I could not live without her, so…"

She took his paw. "We got married."

He grinned and kissed her lightly on the lips, making Screwball gag. "Yes, we did. That's what matters, letting ponies give you a chance."

"So never you mind what Gold Digger said."

"But he made fun of Dinky too!" Screwball reminded them.

"And that was wrong of him, but if that piano had hit him, would that have made you any better?"

She hung her head. "No."

"Good."

"So…Daddy's not the baddest of bad guys?"

Discord chuckled. "No. Well, once upon a time…" He trailed off as Fluttershy poked him in the ribs. "I mean no! I found something better than chaos."

He smiled at his wife and she returned his smile.

"Remember this, honey," Fluttershy said. "When it comes to love, appearances are insignificant."

"Indeed," Discord agreed. "It's the most powerful form of chaos there is!"

A deep brewing pain seared through Discords's heart. His consciousness seemed outside himself as the girls talked themselves okay again. He couldn't ignore the ringing in his ears as the world became insignificant to him.

Justice and freedom shouldn't be mutually exclusive.

Chapter Text

At this moment, Screwball was ten years old. Most of her friends had received their cutie marks by now, except for Apple Blossom, who was as obsessed over it.
Thunder had a large explosion on his flank while Lightning had a lightning bolt. They had received them after wrangling some escaped storms. Dinky had a postcard and Cinnamon twist had a cinnamon stick, making their talents quite obvious.

Taco Grandé and his toasted tortilla, for he loved catering for parties and maple cinnamon and his maple leaf, for he enjoyed making maple syrup. Autumn glory herself had her long-recieved zap apple. Autumn Glory was an older filly, about 14, who'd filled their heads with the magic of that fateful day when their flanks would glow brighter than Celestia's sun.

Autumn Glory was Rarity's daughter from a previous relationship to prince blueblood, though this was hidden from her it.

and she loved screwball, loved her little friends that she took to watching after when their parents were away. she was staunchly protective of the young ponies, which made screwball only more envious of her. screwball loved being herself, more than anything really, for that was hammered into her mind at infancy. But Autumn Glory seemed to have it all figured out: social interaction, femininity, three whole moms. Screwball knew it was wrong to make assumptions about a life she really knew nothing about, but as much as she loved that pony, she couldn't connect to everything she was. she seemed to be everything screwball wasn't and it confused and disconnected her.

but here, with all her friends beside her, It made Screwball finally feel like she was a part of something.

They were in the schoolyard, making teams for a game of basketball. Unfortunately, Gold Digger and Silver platter were the captains. Their cutie marks were three gold nuggets and a silver tray, respectively. Lightning and thunder were picked first, since they were the best athletes. Then as he crowd was picked near clean, it came down to Apple Blossom, Screwball and Dinky.

"Let's see…" Silver platter thought, rubbing his chin. "Okay, I'll take the blank flank."

Apple Blossom groaned as she went to join his team.

"Alright, let's play!" Gold Digger announced, bouncing the basketball.

"Hey!" Dinky cried. Her brows were furrowed as she realized what she'd done. "What about us?"

The colt turned to the remaining pair. "What about you?"

"You kidding me?" Silver Tray grunted. "Dumbo can't keep her eye on the ball. and it's a pony game."

Screwball gritted her teeth. "I am a pony."

"who here actually believes that!" Gold Digger taunted.

"Knock it off, guys!" Lightning shouted.

"You're not being fair!" Thunder agreed.

"Why don't you let them play?" Cinnamon Stick demanded.

Gold Digger tilted his head towards Screwball. "Why doesn't she go back where she belongs? In the Canterlot Gardens with her dad!"

Screwball had to bite her cheek to hold back her anger. Dinky put a hoof on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Screwy," she said. "I didn't want to play basketball, anyway."

"Hey, numbskull!" Gold Digger called. "Catch!"

Dinky did not see the ball in time to catch it. It hit her square in the forehead, a metallic PA-TANG reverberated throughout her pounding head.

"Dinky!" Screwball cried, kneeling down to her.

"Gosh, sorry!" Gold Digger said sarcastically. "Hope that didn't cause any brain damage!"

Screwball narrowed her eyes at the colt, fire blazing within them. "You jerk! Dinky may be uncoordinated, but she's not stupid!"

"Speaking of stupid, You freaks deserve each other!"

A few other kids started laughing with him. Screwball looked down at her best friend covered in blood from her muzzle, tears streaming from her eyes.

"That's it!"

She stood on her hind legs and clapped her front hooves together with a great boom, causing the ponies to fall silent as they looked up at her in alarm.

"You want to play basketball? Fine! Let's play some basketball!"

Gold Digger let out a shriek as gold light enveloped around him, pressing him into a sphere. The others backed away as he bounced on the asphalt.

"Screwball, what are you doing?!" Cinnamon twist exclaimed in horror.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Screwball screamed like a mad mare. "I'm scoring three points!"

The colt screamed as he was thrown across the basketball court and into the net. The insane filly then darted her eyes at Silver Tray. Before he had a chance to escape, he was pressed into a ball as well and tossed into the other basket.

"Woo hoo!" Screwball cried, throwing her hooves into the air. "That's six points for me, zip for you!"

A score board appeared matching what she had just announced. Apple Blossom raced inside the schoolhouse.

"Screwball, are you nuts?!" Dinky cried out.

"Nuts?! I'm not nuts! Cuz I'm Screwball, the Princess of Chaos! And you all made fun of me and hurt my friend! NO MORE!"

As she let out a frightening laugh, the sky turned red and a bolt of lightning struck. Screwball paused as she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see Cheerilee's furious and concerned face staring back at her.

 

Screwball sat hunched on the school steps. Even though the door was closed, she could hear the conversation clear as day.

"That pony nearly killed my boy!" Filthy Rich bellowed.

"She didn't mean to harm any pony," Fluttershy insisted.

"She's a menace! You should expel her at once-No!" Silver Tray's mother screeched. "A child like that should be in an asylum! After all, what else can you do with the Devil's child?!"

Fluttershy gasped and Screwball heard an uncharacteristicly angry voice. "How dare you insult my child and my husband?!"

"Every pony, calm down!" Cheerilee shouted.

"Calm down?!" Filthy exclaimed. "Look at my son! Look at her son! I've never been one to tell another pony how to parent their foal, but That girl must be disciplined! I've got half a mind to tell the princess to increase the security around here!"

"And what about your kids?" Derpy demanded. "They hurt my Dinky! Screwball was defending her!"

Screwball winced as she tried to block their words out.

"Freak! Devil child! Mad pony! Halfling! Monster..."

A tear fell down her cheek.

The sound of the door slamming open broke her out of her trance. She looked up to see Gold Digger, Silver Tray and their parents send her death glares as they passed by. The boys held ice packs to their heads. Gold digger stuck his tongue out at the filly before his ear was pulled by his father.

"none of that 'half-pony' malarkey. You call her by her name, got it boy?" And they trotted off.

Next came Derpy and Dinky, but they were silent. Then her mother appeared. She was not happy. "You're lucky she didn't expel you," she said calmly. Screwball hung her head.

"Honey, this is the third complaint I've received this year! I've let the other mishaps slide, but this…this is worse than the piano incident!"

"I'm sorry-" her throat felt like it was wrapped in needles. She burst out in sobs that shook her small frame. "I…I don't know why- I…I didn't mean…"

Fluttershy sighed and sat beside her daughter. "Look. It's noble that you were standing up for your friend, but you hurt those ponies just as they had hurt you and Dinky."

"I wish I had done worse."

"Screwball!"

"At least then it would have all stopped!" She shouted, eyes bulging with pain and grief, almost regret. "They're right, Mommy. Maybe I am evil like they say. I…I don't wanna be evil!"

She cried into her mother's chest. Fluttershy stroked her mane tenderly.

"You're not evil, sweetie. You just made a bad decision."

"What if I can't control myself next time? What if I…?"

"You'll learn, angel baby. Maybe…you shouldn't use your powers anymore, at least not in school. Okay? And we'll accommodate, like they said at magic camp."

Her daughter glanced up and nodded.

Dinky slowly approached them. "I still think you were pretty scary back there, but…thanks for sticking up for me."

Screwball looked at her friend and then stood to embrace her.

"I have an idea!" Derpy exclaimed. "Why don't we forget this whole mess and go down to Sugar Cube Corner? A good muffin always makes me feel better!"

Dinky cheered in agreement.

"Can we, Mommy?" Screwball begged. "I'll clean the bathroom tonight!"

Fluttershy rolled her eyes, knowing that chore would only take a few seconds. "Alright."

The four were greeted by an exasperated Pinkie Pie.

"Hello…" she wheezed, "Derpy…Flutter…Screwy…Dinky…table…for…four?"

"Sure," Fluttershy uttered. "You alright, Pinkie?"

"Fine!" she gasped. "Running…store…myself…busy! Seat yourselves! Berightwithyou!"

As they entered the shop, Screwball gasped, seeing the cinnamon twins, thunder and lightning, and Apple Blossom occupying a table.

"On second thought," she whispered to her mother, "let's go.

Fluttershy stopped her daughter and pushed her back in the other direction. "You can't avoid your friends forever."

"They think I'm a freak!"

"You don't know that. And if they do, I suggest you prove them wrong."

Screwball turned in the direction of the two colts and two fillies that were looking at her now. She took a deep breath and approached them.

"Hey," she uttered. "I know you probably don't want to speak to me again after what I did…"

"Are you kidding?" Lightning exclaimed.

"That was…awesome!" Thunder declared, giving his sister a brohoof.

Screwball's ears perked up. "You mean you're not mad?"

"Mad?" Apple Blossom repeated. "Sure, we were a little freaked, but it's about time some pony taught those bullies a lesson!"

"Just don't go so loony on us again, okay?" Cinnamon twist asked with a shiver. "That scared the hay out of me!"

"What are you standing down there for?" Maple inquired. "We're friends, aren't we?" Lightning questioned. "Pull up a seat!"

Screwball smiled as she and Dinky joined their friends. No matter what happened, she always knew she could count on them.

 

Nobody said anything at the dinner table for the first fifteen minutes. The only sound was Discord's crunching on rocks. (Igneous of course, a dragon delight!) Fluttershy kept glancing at Screwball and tilting her head towards Discord. The filly shook her head in response. Finally, the draconequus dropped his fork.

"Okay, what's with the awkward silence?"

"Screwball," Fluttershy said slowly. "Isn't there something you want to tell Daddy?"

"About what?" Screwball asked innocently.

"About what happened at school today?"

"Alright, story time!" Discord grinned and leaned back on his chair. "What'd you do this time?"

"I…" Screwball stammered. "I…played basketball with Gold Digger and Silver Tray."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's…nice?"

She took a deep breath. "They were the basketballs."

Discord stifled a laugh, but he could not contain it. He pounded his fist on the table, clutching his stomach with his claw.

"You…played basketball…and they…were the basketballs! Oh, if I had been there to see that! Wait! I can!"

He vanished from his seat and then reappeared a few seconds later, rolling on the floor with laughter.

"Oh, that was priceless! You know you have your mother's evil laugh? Pure ge..." his laughter stuttered and his smile became nervously stifled.

Screwball could not help but shrink down.

"May I speak with you alone, my queen?"

He followed his wife to the bedroom. Once she had shut the door, she twirled her around to face him.

She leaned in for a kiss and he caught it with the passion of ten thousand fireflies lighting a path to heaven. They kissed for a moment before discord remembered why he called her here and gently pushed away.

"now wait a minute! That's not what I meant!"

"I know, but you looked stressed."

"It is a big deal! Doesn't it concern you…how much alike we are? Me and screwy?"

"Why should it? She is our daughter."

"That's exactly why we should be worried! I love her as much as you do, but her powers…they're getting out of hand!"

"I know, but I don't know how to help her with that! Discord…the things they called her today…"

"Names are nothing."

"They called her a monster."

"...What?"

"Don't you see? She might wind up an outcast…like you were. What if something happens to make her lose control? What if…what if we have to turn her to…?"

He held up his claw. "Don't say it!"

She sighed as he slowly lay down, wrapping himself around her. "I know it's a horrible thing to suggest, but it could happen."

"No, it won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because she's our daughter." He gently lifted her chin. "She may have my demented mind, but she also has your good heart. That's how I know that no matter how many times she loses control, she will not go down the path I left long ago." He chuckled. "Besides, you've gone insane a couple times yourself."

She gasped and slapped his paw away. While giggling. "I hope she has your sense of justice."

"What?" he shrugged. "I love it when you go nuts! It's so…attractive."

Fluttershy covered her blushing goofy face with her hooves, pulled apart just for Discord to smooch her perfect muzzle. "Go talk to your daughter for Celestia's sake!" She giggled.

 

Freak, monster, devil child, doesn't belong…

The words echoed throughout Screwball's nightmares.

Go back to the Canterlot Gardens where you belong!

"No," she murmured, tossing in her bed.

You're evil, just like your daddy!

"No! NO!"

Discord was instantly at her bedside. "Screwball, honey?" he gasped. "What's wrong?"

The filly shrieked as her eyes popped open. She sighed in relief at the sight of her father. A first for discord.

"I'm okay, Daddy. I just had a bad dream."

"Oh, I see." He sat upon her bed. "Care to talk about it?"

"It was…those things they said about me today…they won't go away…"

"Is that all?" He took her into his arms and patted her on the back. "There, there. What do I always say?"

Screwball scrunched her nose. "Sauerkraut is good for you?"

"No, no, the other thing."

"Never bring pie to a cake fight?

"No, no, no! I mean about name-calling!"

"Oh. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

"Exactly! Well, technically the sticks and stones won't hurt you either."

She pulled away from his embrace and looked up at him desperately. "But Dad, what if they're right? I lost my mind today! I even scared my friends!"

He waved his paw as if it were a minor detail. "Every pony loses their mind once in a while. You should have seen your mother at her first Grand Galloping Gala!" He tapped his chin. "Actually, you can!"

He pulled a projector from nowhere and an image appeared on the wall. Screwball gasped at the sight of a slightly younger version of her mother in a torn ball gown, standing beside a huge net.

"I'll catch you yet, my pretties!" she said creepily to the animals cowering in fear. "Oh, yes. As soon as one of you little birds, or monkeys, or bears touches this net, you'll be mine! MINE!"

She then broke into maniacal laughter, lightning striking from the sky. Screwball did not know whether to be scared or amused. It was hard to believe that the mare she was watching was her sweet, nurturing mother.

Discord sighed in awe. "Yes, isn't she ravishing?" He pushed the image away. "Now you know not to get on your mother's bad side. The treatment she gave you and I today was nothing."

"Okay, so it's not as bad as I thought," Screwball admitted. "It's worse! I'm crazy on both sides!"

She groaned as she collapsed her head onto her pillow.

"Screwball, Screwball, Screwball," Discord said, shaking his head. "Every pony's crazy! Some just show it better than others."

"I being one of them," she mumbled, flipping onto her side.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, sweetie," her father assured her, stroking her head. "You have something that other ponies do not: chaos!"

"And where is that going to get me? Look at what it did to you!"

Discord was taken aback by this. Screwball sat up and faced him.

"I'm sorry, but… sometimes I think I might go too crazy…that I might turn evil…that they'll have to turn me to stone!"

"Oh, honey, don't say such a thing!" He tenderly wrapped his arms around her. "No pony's going to turn you to stone, or bring you any harm of any sorts, not while I'm here to protect you." He wiped her tears from her face. "It's..."

The filly shook her head with a sniff.

"screwy if you don't listen to me now, you might never get another chance to hear it again. You're a draconequus and ponies don't like change. They wanna stay stuck in their ways and they were raised to hate us. Now don't give them a reason to, don't give them what they want to believe is true. You don't get second chances with these ponies, they'll see you slip up and they might treat you in ways you will never recover from."

Screwball sniffled at the thought.

"But you know something? They'll always be wrong. Keep your head up high and prove to them what you know you are, what you make of yourself. Get your education. Make friends that trust you and treat you with the truth. You can't act like these other ponies, they have more than you do, more chances and more support. That doesn't mean you have to respect them. But princess..."

He lifted her head and kissed her cheek.

"make yourself something to be respected. And don't take any of their crap."

She pondered. She did not understand completely, but she nodded anyway, in the back of her mind this would never leave her. It wasn't sweet, it wasn't cruel, it was tangy and just kept her awake. She would never forget this, she needed it.

"Good," her father smiled. "Now let's get you back to bed, shall we? I've got half a mind to march right up to the school council tomorrow and keep those colts out of college with what they called you."

Screwball crawled back under the covers and smiled up at the draconequus as he tucked her in.

"Would you sing me a lullaby, Daddy?"

He paused and chuckled. "I think you'd prefer your mother to sing for you."

"No. Her voice is beautiful, but I also like it when you sing."

He sighed and sang the lullaby he had written for her. This time, he added a new verse:

"Remember that one time I took you to that baseball game? You got your cutie mark, And things were never quite the same. Your wild pitches flew Driving the ponies all insane. 'Cause I…am your papa, Discord And you…are a piece of me."

It was a subtle reminder of how special she was to him.

"I love you, papa," Screwball said when he was finished.

He kissed her on the forehead. "I love you too, my little abomination. And you take that name with pride."

Chapter Text

When Screwball awoke that weekend it was nearly dawn. The midnight air thickened as the morning settled over her window. She often rose early, as it gave her the perfect opportunity to sneak out. She needed to clear her head.

After putting her hat on, she opened the door with a crack. Light gushed from the crack and illuminated her eyes and she squinted.

upon seeing that her parents were not yet awake, She floated into the air and slowly made her way to the front door. Screwball transported outside of the colorful castle and crossed the bridge into the Everfree Forest. Teleporting was harder than it looked. At her current age, the filly could travel no further than a few feet. Even that would leave her slightly dizzy, she opted to run the rest of the way.

She came upon a brown lake, one she had found a few years ago the first time she had snuck out, only The water had not been brown then. She had turned it into chocolate milk so the creatures of the forest would not come for a drink, so she would be left alone. This was her sanctuary. This was where she could spread her chaos freely. No rules, no judgment, no ponies, just her and fun.

Miles away, in a forest much darker and more sinister than the Everfree Forest, Queen Chrysalis was sitting on her throne, plotting her next move.

One of her servants approached cautiously.

The castle walls were riddled with organic and geometric designs. A honeycomb or near steel hard shell echoed every flutter of wings against the hollow chambers. Thick brambles of thorns hid the place from any prying eye.

"Uh, your majesty?" he whimpered with a bow. "The prince is here to see you."

"Oh, yes," the queen muttered. "Let him come forth."

The changeling who approached was slightly different from the others. While he had a sleek black body with a green elektra, translucent wings and deformed legs. He had blue hair flowing down to his shoulders and green eyes with black pupils. He was quite young, a foal at that, a small male version of the queen. His eyes were the only indication that he was different from her aside from his being a male, since they were downturned, when his mother's were sharp and lifted up.

"Ah, the prince," she said with pride.

She stepped down from her throne to inspect his growth. She lifted his chin so that he may look into her eyes.

"Today's the day you go on your first hunt. If you are ever to one day rule as King, then you must be able to find food for your subjects. Are you ready, boy?"

The prince straightened up and held his head high. "I am, mother!"

"Show me! What is the first rule of hunts?"

"Do not get caught!"

"And the second rule?"

"Make sure the pony you change into is not around!"

"And our motto?"

"Love is weakness for the victim, but strength for us!"

"Excellent!" The queen's smile was not warm, but dripped with a slimy condescending disposition.

"Now, since you are still young, I suggest you keep your targets simple, perhaps a young foal of some sort. And steer clear of Canterlot. They are always on the lookout for 'suspicious characters.' And don't return until you've had enough to make me proud."

The prince nodded and took to the skies.

He had not left the Changeling Forest without an escort before and was not familiar with the outside world. He gawked at the greenness of it all. He imagined what it would be like to roll in that soft grass...

He shook these thoughts out of his mind. He had a job to do.

His expedition led him to the Everfree Forest. The best way to catch an unsuspecting pony was in a closed area. He was not aware of the forest's danger or its lack of ponies.

He landed on the path and began his search.

His ears perked up as he heard a noise. He hid in the bushes and listened again. It was soft, it was haunting. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. The sound guided him to a clearing.

He gawked at the sight. Where trees should have been, there were enormous candy canes with slightly less enormous gumdrops surrounding them. The ground was pink with orange and green polka-dotted toadstools and swirly lollipops growing up from it. What sort of place was this?

The prince jumped as something emerged from the muddy lake. It was a filly looking about his age wearing a mask and snorkel. The thick brown water dripped from her curly purple and white mane and pink fur. As she started humming, the prince realized that beautiful melody had been coming from her.

The filly sighed. "Snorkeling can get boring."

The putt-putt boat beside her grew to a much larger size, and she climbed inside, lighting the candle, a newspaper hat atop her head. The prince was astounded, swearing that he had not seen her horn!

"Sailing, however..." she smiled bright!

She summoned a small mast and pulled up a flag with a screw and baseball on it, matching her cutie mark. Then she made an eye patch appear over her eye.

"Argh!" she cried. "Ahoy, mateys! Next stop, Fillydelphia, where we shall rob them of their gold, their jewels, and their cream cheese!"

The prince stifled a chuckle. This filly was quite amusing.

"Well, I've never been to Greenland, And I've never been to Denver, and I've never buried treasure in St. louis or saint Paul~!" She changed loudly in her happy little voice. It was just slightly deeper than most young fillies, and he could tell she was in a choir class.

At that moment, something pounded hard inside the prince's chest. In a mere instant, perplexed as he was enchanted by this filly, he had forgotten to feed!

The prince looked into the filly's mind for her loved ones. The first thing he saw startled him, for it was a mangled creature that he figured to be her pet. How cruel of these folk to force such a creature into captivity! Next was a pegasus that he assumed to be the mother. That would not do, He had not mastered adult transformations yet. Then he saw a unicorn filly with strange eyes. He closed his eyes and concentrated, adopting the pony's shape. In a blaze of green fire, he had turned into the unicorn.

The disguised changeling jumped out of the trees and approached the sailing filly. "There you are!"

Screwball shrieked in surprise. "Dinky, what are you doing here?"

The prince gasped as the filly floated to shore, changing her paper hat into a propeller one. He then got a good look at her eyes as she removed the patch. They were unlike anything he had ever seen before and he could get lost in those hypnotic spirals.

"Dinky?" He snapped out of his trance, remembering he was disguised as the unicorn filly (Dinky, was it?). He borrowed one of the excuses his mother taught him:

"I came looking for you! Your mother's worried sick!"

"But why are you out here?" Screwball asked, tilting her head. "Don't you know it's dangerous out here?"

"You're out here, aren't you?"

"Well yeah, but I can protect myself. Besides, I thought this forest scared you to death!"

The changeling hesitated. "Uh, yeah! But I got brave! Your mom's looking for you!"

He could feel the love on his tongue. Friendship was not the most filling of meals, but it had a decent taste. It was like a nice merengue.

Screwball, in the mean time, was growing suspicious. She could not explain it, but she could tell when ponies were lying and Dinky was not one to lie. her ears suddenly pinned to the sides of her head.

"You're not Dinky," she muttered, scowling.

The changeling's false eyes widened and then he laughed.

"Don't be silly! Of course, I'm Dinky!"

He squealed as he was lifted by the tail off the ground. He faced his adversary upside-down.

No! He could not be caught on his first hunt!

"Put me down! It's really me! I'm Dinky!"

"No, you're not!" the filly snapped, stomping her hoof. "Show yourself!"

Then the prince was unwillingly changed back to his true self. Screwball gazed at the creature in wonder.

Swiss cheese legs, cobweb hair, a deformed horn, insect-like wings: she had never seen anything like it before.

"What are you?" she asked, circling around him.

"How did you do that?!" the prince demanded, finally noticing something about the filly.

"More importantly, how did you do that without a horn?"

"That's none of your business! Who do you think you are, posing as my friend? Impersonating ponies is a crime!"

"But how did you know…?"

"Answer my question! Who are you and what are you doing here?!"

He waved his forelegs desperately. "I do not want trouble! I was just so hungry and…"

The filly's mouth broke into a smile. "Well, why didn't you say so?"

The prince cried out as she dropped him. He rubbed his head in pain.

"If you're hungry, I can just give you something!" Screwball said cheerfully. "You like cotton candy?"

"Huh?" he uttered.

"How about chocolate milk?"

"What is that?"

Screwball gasped as if she had witnessed a murder.

"You've never had chocolate milk?! What sick, twisted home did you grow up in?! Oh well. I'd say it's about time you tried it."

She summoned a glass and dipped it in the lake. She handed it to the changeling, who looked at it like he had no idea what to do with it.

"Go on, drink it!" the filly urged.

He cringed. "You insist I drink... mucky water?"

"It's not mucky water. It's chocolate milk! Trust me, you'll love it!"

He figured he should tell her that he did not eat or drink, but for some reason he did not want to disappoint this filly. He was still trying to process how she had unmasked him and why she had not run away by now. So he hesitantly took the glass and raised it to his lips.

His eyes shot open as the liquid touched his tongue. He then chugged the rest of the contents down his throat. It tasted like an earthy orangish-yellow with bright green swirls. It tasted organic and ancient, like a groovy, warm R&B track.

"This stuff is amazing!" he exclaimed. "It tastes just like love!"

Screwball tilted her head. "Mrs. Sparkle says it's because chocolate makes the love part of your brain work like being in love does!"

She giggled as the peculiar colt scooped his glass into the lake. She still did not know what he was.

"I've never seen a creature like you before," she stated.

"I could say the same about you," the prince said, looking her over. "How do you do all this without a horn? And your eyes are very…"

"Strange, I know."

"fascinating."

She beamed and puffed out her chest with pride.

"I'm the only one of my kind!"

"Really? Oh, what I would give to be the only one of my kind!"

"Why? Are there many of you?"

He fiddled with his glass. "I have about five thousand sisters at home."

"Five thousand?!" Screwball exclaimed in disbelief. "Golly! Imagine the grocery bills!"

The prince burst into laughter. "Actually, we get our food from…"

He trailed off as they heard a loud roar in the distance. The foals turned to see a large manticore leap out of the trees!

It was in a furious state, waving its scorpion stinger frantically to and fro!

The prince grabbed Screwball's hoof. "we need to run!"

"But I can…" she tried to protest.

He practically lifted her off the ground as he pulled her along. She was amazed at how strong he was, considering he was slightly smaller than she was.

"Wait!" she cried, tugging herself out of his grasp.

"the strength of a territorial manticore can topple trees!" the changeling spat!

She ignored him and approached the roaring beast. "Easy, boy!" Screwball cried. The manticore kept wailing.

"she's a female, Her mane is large and her colors are less vibrant..." He trembled.

"then she's likely just protecting her cubs."

This time, the creature stopped and turned his attention to the filly.

"That's better," she said, nuzzling his paw with her snout.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you."

"You won't hurt her?"

 Screwball looked up at the manticore with a slow blink.

She lowered her stature and stepped back. She spoke only in body movement, squiggling and squaggling along like a bee on a string. The manticore nodded with a smile and vanished into the forest. The prince stared at the filly in awe.

"How did you…?"

"Mom told me to show every beast a little kindness," Screwball explained. "I let her know that we won't mess with her territory."

"That was amazing! You were…" he paused as he and the filly locked eyes. "You must be the bravest pony I have ever met."

She pulled him into a gentle embrace.

"You were pretty brave yourself, trying to get me out of danger. Hey! We weren't properly introduced. My name's Screwball."

He raised an eyebrow. "Screwball? That's weird."

"take it up with my parents, I dunno."

"No, I mean it's weird, because my name is Mothball."

She gasped. "We're both balls! Hey, you want to hang out?"

Prince Mothball blinked, as if he had never heard the expression before.

"Hang out?"

"Yeah! I don't have school today. We can play all morning!"

"Play?"

She tilted her head at him. "What's the matter? Don't you know how to play?"

He said nothing.

"Oh. Well, I'll teach you!"

The prince was skeptical about this. He should really be returning to the hive, but he was feeling so strange around this pony. He assumed it was because of the positive emotions emitting from her to his stomach. His mother had told him not to return until his belly was full, and he could obey that command by staying with the girl.

"Well…" he stammered.

"May I have more of that chocolate milk?"

Screwball giggled. "Sure."

Neither of them noticed, high above the trees, the insectoid scout lieutenant prying into the scene.

 

 

In the cottage beyond the forest, Fluttershy stretched awake as the bright weekend rays of sun peered at her through the windows. She needed... Waffles. Screwball loves waffles too! She should wake her up to help her cook.

9:46 AM

Fluttershy shook her husband desperately. "Discord, wake up!"

The draconequus only snuggled deeper into his pillow and groaned.

"Dude…"

"Wake up!"

He cried out as she rolled him onto the floor. He stood up and glared at her.

"What the heck was that for?!"

"Screwball's gone!" Fluttershy shrieked.

His eyes widened. "What do you mean gone?"

"I went to wake her for breakfast, but she wasn't in bed!"

He waved his paw and huffed. "I'm sure she just went to the bathroom or the garden or something."

"I've looked everywhere! She's nowhere in the house! What if something horrible happened to her?"

He chuckled and patted her shoulder. He summoned a metal detector and scanned the ground. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at this action until the machine beeped.

"I got her scent! Follow me!"

 

"Ha!" Mothball exclaimed, taking Screwball's knight with his rook. The filly simply rolled her eyes and moved her queen with her magic. The chess piece suddenly came to life and sliced the rook with a marble sword.

"Checkmate," she said.

"oh drat!" the prince groaned.

"Don't feel bad. You put up a pretty good fight."

"How did you get to be so good at this?"

"My dad and I would play using both our magic."

"Your dad has powers like yours? I thought you were the only one."

She bit her lip, not wanting to scare her new friend off.

"Well, we are the only ones."

"I never knew hanging out could be so much fun!"

"Five thousand sisters and you don't hang out with them?"

"Well, they are not exactly my sisters. see-" He was cut short when Discord appeared between them, crushing the remaining chess pieces.

Mothball jumped back in fright. The draconequus was crouched down on all fours, his fur standing on end, his teeth growling at the changeling.

"Step away from my daughter!" he barked.

"Daddy, wait!" Screwball protested

"That is your father?!" Mothball squealed.

Fluttershy then emerged from the bushes, rushing to her daughter. "Screwball! Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Mom?" Screwball uttered as her mother took her protectively in her arms.

"he's just a boy, but there's only one-!" Discord softened, but remained on guard.

Chrysalis materialized in front of him. The draconequus paused and returned to his defensive position.

"Chrysalis," he snarled.

"Discord," the queen chuckled.

"It's been a while, Thing." She spat such a name with venom laced malice.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be living out your exile in the Changeling Forest?"

"I bear no ill will. I was only fetching my son. I don't believe you've met Prince Mothball."

"Prince?" Screwball repeated Queen Chrysalis laughed as she proudly showed off her son.

"Mothball is a special case. He is the heir to my throne."

Her head shot up as she felt a great wave of love. She looked between the draconequus and the pegasus. Their love was radiating out of them in a way the queen had never experienced. Such love emitted from the filly as well. It tasted downright magnificent, if not overpowering.

"And what's this?" she said with a dark chuckle. "I never fancied you a family man, Discord. And to think all it took to turn you from the evil Lord of Chaos to a fluffy do-gooder was a gooey romance with an itty, bitty, wimpy pegasus."

Fluttershy shivered but stayed strong and pulled her daughter closer to her. Discord held out his arm defensively.

"I think you should leave now, your majesty. And if you or any of your little hatchlings ever come near my family again…"

Chrysalis shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't dream of it. Come, son." She did not give him a choice as she picked him up in her mouth.

"Bye," he mouthed to Screwball as his mother carried him away.

"Bye," the filly whispered sadly in return.

When they had returned to the castle, Screwball gave her parents a nervous smile that wavered as they glared down at her.

"What do you think you were doing?" her father bellowed. He wasn't loud, he never shouted, but it scared her all the same.

He lowered his stature and became docile as she seemed afraid of him.

The filly drew a circle with her hoof. "I was…I was…"

"You know you're not supposed to go into the Everfree Forest alone!" her mother snapped. "You could have gotten killed!"

"I'm not a baby, Mom! I go out there all the time!" She covered her mouth as her secret spilled.

"What?!" Fluttershy near fainted.

"we can talk about that later." Discord grunted. "What were you doing with a changeling?"

"I don't understand," Screwball said. "What is a changeling?"

"A changeling is a heartless, insectoid creature that takes the form of the one you love and feeds off your love for them, which is exactly what that Prince Hairball was doing to you!"

"That would explain why he looked like Dinky at first. But he didn't seem so bad…"

"He's a changeling, baby." he spat. "He was feeding off your power."

"But after I found out who he was, he stayed."

"So he could satisfy his appetite."

"Don't you and Mom always say that every creature has a heart?"

"Every creature but changelings. It's why they eat love. It pumps their blood and magic throughout the body."

He opened his chest, frightening Screwball and showing nothing inside.

"see, the changelings can't feel love because they don't have these. That's why he can't be your friend."

"Discord, close that up!" Fluttershy commanded. "You're scaring our child!"

He groaned as she shut the lid. "Sorry for the dramatics, but you get the picture. Changelings are cruel and cunning! And that since that boy was the prince, he might be trying to get Intel on ponyville."

"He was just a kid," Screwball muttered.

"I'm sorry, princess, but it's too late for him. He was raised by queen Chrysalis, so he doesn't know any different than what she tells him. He can't help but feed on us."

Fluttershy now grew curious. In all their years together, he'd never mentioned knowing the queen.

"You sound so sure. How do you know Chrysalis?"

He sighed. "Some time before 'you-know-who,' Chrysalis tried to recruit me and befriend me to get close to the throne. I said no, of course, because not only did I think the plan was lousy, but I was a solo act."

Fluttershy didn't need to question discord as to who exactly he wouldn't name.

Cosmos.

"Well, like I said, changelings can't love. And even if they could, You're the only mare who's ever caught my eye."

Fluttershy chuckled and remembered that she was supposed to be disciplining her child, so she locked in.

"Okay. As for you, young lady…"

Screwball hung her head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disobey you and I didn't know Mothball was a changeling. We were just having so much fun and…"

She closed her eyes. "I deserve whatever punishment you have for me."

Her parents looked at each other, made a silent agreement and nodded.

"Well, you really didn't know... And you couldn't've done anything wrong..."

Discord noogied her head. "So you have nothing to be punished for."

"Please, just stay out of the... The-" Fluttershy's voice was small and afraid. "The Everfree forest."

"so... How's waffles sound?"

 

"NEED I REMIND YOU OF THE FIRST RULE OF THE HUNT?!" Chrysalis hollered, shaking the green palace that the changelings considered their hive.

"my deepest apologies mother!" Prince Mothball insisted. "She used her magic to get rid of my disguise! I don't know how she did it since she's not a unicorn…and she's just a filly!"

"Still, you disobeyed me! You stayed, you worthless, wretched spawn!"

The prince cowered, fearing she was going to strike him, but the queen took a deep breath, calming herself down.

"Your hunt was not completely unsuccessful, however. Because of your carelessness, we now know that Discord is married, and has a daughter at that."

"Mother," Mothball stammered. "If I may, who is Discord?"

"Discord is the Lord of Chaos, or was, until he was weakened by the love of a pony. Be grateful you do not have a heart, son. We cannot survive without the existence of love. It is what gives us our power. Feeling love, on the other hand, will only lead to your downfall…as it will for my old friend."

"What are you talking about-"

"What did you learn about this girl?"

He pondered. "Her name is Screwball, she's very powerful…"

"How powerful?"

"Like really powerful! It was incredible! She turned water into this thing called 'chocolate milk'…you should try it, Mother, it's delectable! She changed me back to myself just by yelling at me! She made these little things called 'chess pieces' move…"

"Hmm," the queen mused, rubbing her chin. "A spitting image of her father, no doubt."

She smiled as a plan formed into her mind.

"This little brat could be of use to us."

"Mother?" Mothball gasped. "You're not going to…hurt her, are you?"

"Indeed, I will not. Not yet, anyway."

She turned to her son. "I want you to find out everything you can about this Screwball. You seem to have gained her trust."

"But I don't understand. What are you…?"

"what don't you understand?! As long as Discord is thriving with power, and is on Equestria's good side, I cannot make my attack! For centuries, we have competed for Equestria's throne! I've been searching for his weakness, until I assumed that creature to be as heartless as we were! But now…he has something he cares about. Two things, to be exact. We can use his precious little family against him and take our rightful place as the dominant race of Equestria!"

Prince Mothball stared at his mother as she cackled evilly.

He did not want to hurt Screwball. She had been nice to him.

All the other changelings resented him, even the ones his own age, because he was next in line and they were not. He had expected ponies to run at the sight of him if he had ever been discovered, but this filly, she had been unafraid. While she had been curious, she had treated him like he was nothing unusual. He now understood the reason for that after seeing her father.

She must hate him now that she knew what he was. Still, he could not stop thinking about her: her voice, her laughter, her magic, her hair, her eyes…those swirly, enchanting, hypnotic eyes… He felt that pounding in his chest again. What was with that? He must be getting sick or something.

"Mantis, take your brother to his room."

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