Screwball and Mothball sat quietly on the couch and watched Discord pace back and forth, ranting as he had been doing for the past hour. Fluttershy sat in an armchair with Zany in her lap, waiting for her husband to cool down.
"COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS?!"
"As you've said a hundred times now," Screwball muttered.
"DIDN'T EVEN LEAVE A NOTE, OR CALL ON THE MAGIC MIRROR, OR EVEN INVENT THE TELEPHONE! YOU KIDS HAVE PULLED CRAZY STUNTS BEFORE, BUT THIS…THIS IS…"
Fluttershy gasped and covered Zany's ears. After a full three minutes, she put down her hooves and whispered to her son.
"Go play upstairs."
"Aw!" Zany pouted. "But it's fun watching Daddy be cranky!"
She gave him the Stare and the young colt floated up and disappeared through the ceiling.
As Discord continued his rant, Screwball was getting bored and Mothball was getting hungry. She summoned a chocolate shake for him and a comic book for herself.
"I TRUST YOU WITH MY DAUGHTER, I LET YOU PROPOSE TO HER, AND THEN YOU GO BEHIND MY BACK AND…" Discord trailed off when he noticed the two were otherwise occupied. "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!"
"Mmm-hmm," they nodded nonchalantly.
He slapped himself in the forehead. "Do you know what I thought when I saw both your beds empty?!"
"That we eloped?" Screwball grumbled.
"That we ran off to do something naughty?" Mothball muttered.
"That Mothball dragged me into the forest and left me for dead?"
Discord opened his mouth, annoyed and speechless. He growled as he clenched his fists together.
"Alright, smarties!" he grunted. "Where were you then?!"
Screwball looked up from her comic. "Are you quite done?"
"NO! I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU BOTH! AND YOU ARE BOTH GROUNDED FOR FIVE CENTURIES!" He paused. "Now I'm done."
She glanced back at her comic as she replied, "We went to the changeling hive."
"You WHAT?!" both Fluttershy and Discord exclaimed.
"What in Equestria were you doing there?!" Fluttershy demanded.
The engaged couple remained silent as Mothball sipped his shake and Screwball turned the pages of her book.
"WELL?!" Discord bellowed.
"We'll tell you everything if you'll just calm down and stop shouting," Screwball said firmly.
"CALM DOWN?! HOW CAN I BE CALM WHEN YOU TWO…?!"
"Discord," Fluttershy said gently, placing a hoof on his back. "Deep breaths."
Discord quickly inhaled and exhaled.
"Now count," she commanded softly.
"One, two, three, four, five, six…"
It took him until two hundred and thirty-seven, but Discord managed to calm down. Mothball and Screwball put their distractions away and looked at each other worriedly as they silently decided who should speak. Mothball hung his head and Screwball nodded in understanding.
"Well," she said, looking up at her parents, "you see, these changeling guards tried to kidnap Mothball last night because Chrysalis is dying and they need a ruler, but Mothball doesn't wanna be King so now we gotta find the other heir who Chrysalis apparently had before Mothball so that she can rule the changelings and we only have a few days until Chrysalis dies, can we have some breakfast now?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Discord said, putting up his paw and claw. "One more time, please, and a little slower, if you don't mind."
"Mother is dying," Mothball muttered solemnly.
"Oh dear," Fluttershy whispered.
Discord looked as if an anvil had just landed on his foot. "C-Chrissy? D-dying? But…that can't be! She's only a thousand and seventy-two! Or was it seventy-four?"
Fluttershy fluttered down to Mothball's side and put her hoof around him. "You okay?"
He sighed and looked away from her.
"Apparently it happens to all royal changelings," Screwball explained. "Some inherited disease, I guess." She paused and looked at Mothball. "Hey, should I be worried?"
"We've got at least a thousand years," he said. "Can we not worry about the distant future right now and focus on the present?"
"Right. Anyway, Chrysalis apparently had a daughter before Mothball named Princess Bellatrix whom she apparently banished a long time ago, so now we gotta go out and find her."
Discord slowly sat himself in the armchair. "She's dying?"
Fluttershy flew to her husband's side and stroked the back of his long neck. "I know it's a shock, honey. I mean Chrysalis has never been the nicest pony, but she's still your oldest…"
"Hey, wait a minute!" the draconequus shouted, standing up and looking down at Screwball. "Did you say there was a lost changeling princess you had to find?"
"Yeah," Screwball replied.
"And where exactly is this princess?"
She shrugged. "Heck if we know."
Her father folded his arms. "So what you're saying is that the two of you are about to go on a wild goose chase, going who knows where, going up against who knows what, for who knows how long?"
She looked up at the ceiling and then nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT! IF YOU THINK I'M GOING TO LET YOU GO OUT ON YOUR OWN WHERE YOU CAN GET MUGGED OR ABDUCTED OR MANGLED BY SOME MYTHICAL BEAST…"
"Here he goes again," Screwball muttered, rolling her eyes and picking up her comic book.
"WELL, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, MISSY! YOU AND YOUR CHANGELING FIANCÉ ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITHOUT AN ESCORT! AND I…"
A knock on the door interrupted him.
"I'll get it!" Fluttershy squeaked, anxious to break the tension.
She opened the door and was met with Princess Twilight Sparkle and her little daughter, Twinkle.
"Twilight!" Fluttershy piped, smiling awkwardly. "What are you doing here?"
"It's Saturday, remember?" Twilight said, scrunching her nose in confusion. "Ten o'clock?"
The pegasus looked down at Twinkle and gasped. "The playdate! I completely forgot!"
The princess leaned past Fluttershy and saw Discord glaring crossly at Screwball and Mothball.
"Is this a bad time?"
"Oh, no!" Fluttershy insisted. "Come in!" She called upstairs. "Zany! Your friend Twinkle's here!"
"Mom, why?!" Twinkle whined. "Zany's annoying! He bugs me!"
"Now, now, sweetie," Fluttershy said, kneeling down to her. "Zany adores you!"
"He turned my books into paper bats!"
"Uh…that was just a way to show his affection!"
"Don't you worry about it," Twilight said, summoning a comb to straighten out her daughter's short mane. "You just be nice to Zany and he'll be nice to you."
"Humph!" the three-year-old grunted. "He's a big meanie and always is!"
"'Always will be,' honey."
"See? You think so too!"
"Hiya, Twinkle Toes!"
Twinkle screeched as she looked up and found Zany balancing on her horn with his front left hoof.
"How…wha…?" she stammered.
"Prince of Chaos, baby!" he cackled.
He yelped in pain as sparks emitted from Twinkle's horn and burned his hoof. He sucked on it while the young alicorn smiled in triumph.
"Gotcha!"
Zany took his hoof out of his mouth and smiled. "Oh, but I got you. Or rather…your wings."
Twinkle gasped as he held up two small purple wings. She glanced at her back to confirm that they were no longer there. She glared up at Zany.
"Gimme back my wings!"
"You want 'em?" Zany taunted. "Come get 'em!"
He stuck them in his mouth like a dog with a newspaper and chuckled as he floated off.
"Zany!" Twinkle shouted, racing after him. "Come back here!"
Discord blinked as he watched her chase Zany around the room.
"Remind me again why we keep meshing these two together?" he whispered to Fluttershy. "They obviously hate each other."
"'Hate' is a strong word, honey," Fluttershy replied with a small smile. "If they spend more time together, they'll learn to get along."
"OW!" Zany screamed as a blast from Twinkle's horn singed his rear.
As his mouth opened, Twinkle's wings fell out and she caught them in her hooves.
"Ha!" she exclaimed with a smug grin. "I win!"
"Sure," Zany said nonchalantly. "You got your wings. Too bad about your tail though."
"What are you…?"
She gasped when she glanced back and realized her tail was gone. Zany smirked as he held it up triumphantly.
"Point for the Prince of Chaos!" he laughed as he flew upstairs.
"Zany, give that back!"
She started to chase him and then stopped and looked at the wings in her hooves. She tried to stick them onto her back.
"Ugh, how do you put these things back on?!" she whined.
"Hey, Twinkle Toes!" Zany called. "You too chicken to chase me?"
Twinkle narrowed her eyes. "Do not call me Twinkle Toes! I don't have toes!"
She dropped her wings and pursued the chaotic foal upstairs. Every pony flinched as they heard a blast and a yelp.
"MOM!" Zany's voice yelled. "TWINKLE TOES SET MY HAIR ON FIRE!"
Discord rolled his eyes at Fluttershy. "Oh, yeah. They're so in love!"
She blushed in embarrassment. "I'll just, uh…go sort that out."
She picked up Twinkle's disembodied wings and flew upstairs.
"ZANY!" her voice boomed. "PUT DOWN THAT ANVIL! TWINKLE! STOP SHOOTING LASER BEAMS AT ZANY!"
Discord and Twilight looked at each other and held up their hands and hooves.
"I didn't teach him/her that!" they said at the same time.
"Well," Screwball coughed as she stood up. "It's actually a good thing you're here, Aunt Twilight. We need your help finding a lost princess so Mothball doesn't have to become King of the Changelings."
Twilight blinked. "Wait, what?"
The chaotic mare sighed. "I'm going to have to explain the whole story over again, aren't I?"
After Screwball had briefed Twilight on the situation, the alicorn nodded in interest.
"Wow," she marveled. "I always wondered how changeling culture worked in terms of reproduction."
Fluttershy, who had returned from upstairs after breaking up the foal fight, turned to her friend with wide eyes.
"Really?" she asked, cringing.
The princess blushed. "I mean the whole thing with the queen and all."
"So now we have to find Princess Bellatrix before Chrysalis croaks," Screwball continued. "She apparently has to give some 'royal blessing' or it won't be official or whatever."
"One thing I don't get," Twilight said, turning to Mothball. "Why don't you want to be King? I mean with you ruling the changelings, you might keep them under control and find a way for them to feed on enough love to survive without hurting any pony."
"It, uh…" Mothball gulped, glancing at his fiancée. "It wouldn't work out for me and Screwy."
"Why not?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head. "King of the Changelings or not, can't you still be together?"
The changeling turned to Screwball, who gave him a pleading look.
"I can't marry a pony and be King," he said bluntly.
Screwball sighed in relief. Neither of them wanted Discord to know of the option of turning Screwball into a changeling.
"But maybe this princess could be a better queen than Chrysalis," Fluttershy suggested.
"She did leave the hive for some reason," Screwball pointed out.
"I'm sure she's lovely."
"I suppose," Twilight said, rubbing her chin. "And finding the lost princess could get the changelings on our side and we can work out a treaty of some sort."
"So you'll help us?" Screwball pleaded.
The alicorn nodded. "Of course, I will. But…why do you need my help?"
"You can use that location spell you showed me." She took out the crystal brush. "See? We even brought something of hers!"
"I suppose I could." Twilight scrutinized the younger mare. "Haven't you been practicing the spells I taught you?"
"Um…" Screwball stammered, her cheeks turning red. "Look, can you do the location spell or not?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Give me the brush."
Screwball held it out as the princess lifted it with her magic and set it on the coffee table. She stared intently at the brush for a few seconds. Then she closed her eyes as her horn glowed. A beam shot from her horn to the brush, engulfing it in bright magenta.
When the light diminished, Twilight opened her eyes. The brush was still glowing, but the magic had turned green. Then it slowly rose from the table and started spinning in place.
"It's searching for her," the alicorn explained.
The brush came to a sudden stop as it pointed in one direction. Twilight smiled in triumph.
"It has her trail."
"So now what?" Mothball inquired.
"Now we have to follow it."
"Okay!" Screwball chimed, hopping off the couch. "Let's go!"
"Hold on!" Discord exclaimed, standing up. "What makes you think you're going? The two of you are grounded, remember?"
His daughter scowled. "Dad, this is important!"
Twilight shrugged. "Finding a lost changeling princess is a pretty big deal."
"But no pony says you have to go!" Discord argued. "I mean Twilight here has the spell. She can find her on her own!"
The alicorn shook her head. "Even if I do find her, she won't trust me. After all, I have a bad reputation among changelings, not to mention I'm a princess to an enemy kingdom. It's best that Mothball comes along so I don't alarm her."
"But Screwy doesn't have to go!"
Screwball put her hoof defiantly around Mothball. "I go where he goes!"
"WHAT?!"
"Honey," Fluttershy said softly, touching his shoulder. "Screwball's old enough to make her own decisions. You know she'll be alright. She has your magic, after all." She turned to Screwball. "But you should wait a while before you leave. You two didn't get any sleep last night and haven't had breakfast."
Twilight nodded. "Your mother's right. We should prepare ourselves before heading out. Who knows where this brush will take us? I suggest we leave later this afternoon, so you two have time to rest and eat. I'll go get supplies from the library…"
"Uh, Aunt Twilight?" Screwball said, summoning a large brown backpack.
"Right. But I'll still have to send a message to Flash that I'll be gone for a while. He's in the Crystal Empire on business." She gasped. "Oh gosh! He won't be back for two days! Fluttershy, do you think you can take care of Twinkle until then?"
"But of course," Fluttershy smiled.
Every pony jumped as the castle suddenly shook.
"AN EARTHQUAKE?!" Zany's voice shouted from upstairs. "IS THAT THE BEST YOU GOT, TWINKLE TOES?! HOW ABOUT A VOLCANIC ERUPTION?!"
"He's not serious, is he?" Twilight questioned.
"I'll look into it," Discord volunteered.
He disappeared and returned a few seconds later, wearing a smile of satisfaction.
"I put them in a time-out. That should keep them quiet for a few minutes."
Twilight looked at him nervously. "Uh…what exactly do you mean by a 'time-out?'"
Fluttershy threw her hoof around the alicorn and forced a smile. "Don't worry! She's in good hooves here!"
"Then it's settled!" Discord declared. "We leave this afternoon!"
Screwball bit her lip. "We?"
"I'm coming with you, of course! You didn't think I was going to let you go on this quest without supervision, did you?"
"Um, Aunt Twilight…"
"Besides, it never hurts to have another chaotic claw onboard, right?"
"Um, Dad?" Screwball said, laughing nervously as she pushed the draconequus towards her room. "Can we talk?"
"Talk?" Discord repeated. "I know that word! It's never anything good!"
She slammed the door behind them and turned to her father sincerely.
"Look, Dad," she sighed. "I… How do I say this?" She took a deep breath. "You can't come with us."
Discord was taken aback. "What? Why?"
"Well…" She bit her lip. "See…you…
His arms drooped to his sides. "You…don't want me around?"
"No, no! It's just that…when you and Mothball are together, things can get…pretty ugly and…"
"Oh, I see!" He glared at her as he folded his arms. "It's him, isn't it?!"
"Dad, please…"
"Now that you have your big, strong, changeling fiancé, you don't need your old dad protecting you anymore! Is that right?!"
"Dad, stop! This is something I have to do on my own!"
"No, it's fine! I can tell when I'm not needed! After all, I spent the first thousand years of my life not being needed! I just didn't think my own daughter…"
"Dad, I didn't mean it like that! Why you always gotta freak out about everything?!"
"You know what? Forget it! You wanna go on this quest so bad? Then go! Don't let me slow you down!"
He flashed out of the room before Screwball could say anything further. She pressed her back against the door and slowly slid to the floor, groaning in frustration. She hated getting into fights with her dad, because he hardly ever let her get a word in. When he did, he wouldn't listen and take everything the wrong way.
But she really didn't want him to come. Not only would he spend the entire journey lecturing her and Mothball on how unmarried couples shouldn't hold hooves, but this was something she wanted to do alone, without his help. This problem involved her and Mothball, and only they should be working to fix it. They needed Twilight for the location spell, but her dad would just get in the way.
Still, she wished she hadn't yelled at him like that.
cool, first to post!
Second!
There's not much to say, besides great chapter. I can't wait to see what happens next!
third
Is Screwball's life span around the same as Mothball's, or will she out live the poor "guy"?
Yess! Another chapter
5343709 I would like to believe she is immortal, do to her having Discord's powers. Mothball however is likely not immortal and will eventually pass away...unless Screwball makes him immortal like Discord did with Fluttershy.
I was just wondering if we will learn more about what happened to Discord's parents as well as his race. I would like to believe Discord isn't the only one left. Also since his reformation I am surprised Twilight never became curious about this, I mean she knows how powerful Discord and Screwball is, shouldn't she worry that there may be a draconequus more powerful and maybe more experienced than Discord.
Get comfortable, he's gonna be like this for a while. *gets popcorn*
Snarky Screwball is best Screwball.
Considering how old he is, I'm not surprised his language can be, colorful...
Very fun.
Not really.
I sincerely doubt that.
I can think of a few things...
But they beat me to it.
Not yet.
Now he is. Also, can Moth even live that long?
You're doomed.
Told you.
They were dragged there by a pair of high ranking changelings to visit their dying Queen.
Good luck with that.
Told you. Again.
Thank you Fluttershy.
That may take a while.
Huh, less than I thought.
Your mother is law is dying, and you want breakfast? wow.
Thank you Discord.
Well put.
*shrugs*
Good idea.
Whom everyone suspects to be Trixie.
Yep.
Yep.
Heck if they know.
See?
Yeah, that's about the size of it.
You realize Moth can probably turn into something to scare it and Screwball can do virtually anything...
Want some popcorn with that?
Thank you Fluttershy, you're a saint.
Twilight and her daughter? Been a while since we've seen them.
If only it were that easy.
Oh I like this one, I wonder, if he and Twinkle marry in the far flung future, Twilight and Discord will be related. l wonder how she'd take that?
So he does.
Cause it's funny.
You ponies really are optimists.
I really like this kid.
Sarcasm duly noted.
What what?! And it's laser with an S.
Discord is best Jumba Jookiba. Oh and Twilight too.
She might actually be helpful, nice thinking.
Exactly.
Yep.
My reaction exactly.
Nice save.
It's probably a changeling thing.
If only it were that easy.
Well, that's one way of puttingit.
Not exactly.
Yeah, that wouldn't go over very well.
If it IS Trixie, well, unless he's changed a lot, then not really.
Smart thinking egghead.
She can learn regular unicorn spells? Nice.
So, it's like a compass in a sense?
Ooh, I was hoping he'd have forgotten about that.
It is, isn't it?
True...
Also true, and if it's who I think it is, she's definitly not going to be happy about seeing you.
Nice work, you get a cookie.
Smart thinking Flutters.
Once more, Twilight forgets how useful being Discord's Daughter can be.
True, married or not, he's still a guard.
Element of Kindness to the end.
DON'T GIVE HER IDEAS!
I hope not...
That's what I want to know.
Of course it wouldn't be that easy.
You're unfortunatly right.
No, that's not it at all. Right Screwball?
Oh dear.
You're overreacting Discord.
He's just overprotective, let him be.
Drat. I know how you feel though Screwball.
So that's why.
We all do things we regret later Screwball, these things happen.
Well.... you gotta respect Discord's fatherly devotion, but man is he thick headed.
Great chapter though.
loved this so much... sounds just like me and my sister
shame Discord took things the wrong way though with Screwball
At the start I thought he might still have feelings for Chryssy seeing he stopped ranting for a bit when he was told the news
"But it's fun watching Daddy be cranky!"
That line made me laugh
5344222 I don't think he's that thick-headed in the show.
Is he? Idk.
5343854
Fair enough, I was always under the impression that, because she's part pony, she'd die at some point down the road. Maybe in a few thousand years or so. Though your head cannon does seem to be a bit more chipper.
Is.. Is it weird that i found this kinda sad?
Great chapter! Wishing for more updates soon! Twinkle and Zany are adorable! I can totally see Discord following Screwball and Mothball! Can't wait to see what happens!
5345043 Like father like son. Though if Zany does like Twinkle would Twilight approve considering who his father is.
Oooh. I can certainly imagine how Discord can take things the wrong way, but not from experience. This oughtta be good. And don't worry about your story taking so long to update. I'm a patient person, and it creates suspense,
5345133 I think she would. She wouldn't look at Zany and be like "you can't like my daughter because your dad was evil at one point in his life!" Twilight would look at Zany for his own actions! Now if HIS actions are bad, that's a whole different story!
Twinkle and Zany...Truly the greatest couple of their time.
And we're off on our adventure~
Nce chapter. It was nice to take a break from studying for my final , and read this chapter
Also
iambrony.dget.cc/mlp/gif/416870__safe_animated_derpy+hooves_vinyl+scratch_octavia_dj+pon-dash-3_upvotes+galore_octavia+melody_derp_carrot+cake.gif
I really wanted some more lasers
Doesn't anyone know that quests of this nature have to be done with some discretion and by the affected individuals? Well Screwball knows but Twilight seems not to either.
Love it! Zany and Twinkle are adorable! Also, I can't wait to see how Twilight will react to (maybe) Trixie being Bellatrix. Keep being awesome!
5346311 so am i the only one who thinks Bellatrix is Trixie?
5346311 so am i the only one who thinks Bellatrix is Trixie?
OH MI GOSH THANK YOU FOR THIS CHAPTER!!!
cant wait for the next chapter do they find Bellatrix i.e. Trixie
whens the next chapter?
Ah, great! Like a compass, but pointing Bellatrix instead of North.
What gives? With the resources you have, it should take four hours tops to find this Bellatrix.
In case you're wondering, here's exactly how:
1. Ǵet a map of Equestria.
2. Mark your position and the brush's direction.
3. Use Chaos Magic to teleport half way across Equestria
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 and then use triangulation to get Bellatrix' location.
5. Teleport there using, again, Chaos Magic.
6. Walk into the direction the brush is pointing until you stand in front of Bellatrix. Duh.
7. Profit.
I mean, really, what was Twilight going to do? Set off from Ponyville on hoof, simply venturing wherever the brush was pointing?
Awesome story! More please?
disneyfrantic
what's going on?
it's been six days since the last update! AND YOU BETTER NOT LEAVE US HANGING!!!!!
sorry my finger was on caps
Yeah. Totally in love.
Uuhhh.... This won't end well at all... Um.... Zany.... This.... Volcanic eruption is going to kill... ponies.... and draconequi.... and Changelings..... Uh.... Yikes
The AvatarTLA reference made me laugh so hard!
5385948 Err...the WHAT reference? (I seriously don't know what you're talking about)
5385954
"Twinkle Toes". It is something that Toph calls Aang to tease him.
5385973 Uh-huh. Don't watch Avatar. And Twinkle Toes is a pretty common nickname.
5385980
Oops! My bad!
Still made me laugh!
when's the next chapter?
when's the next chapter?
5426066 If you had been paying attention, you would know I was working on a Christmas special.
And don't be rude. It doesn't make updates come any faster.
I really wish you'd update this, but then again I'm more fixated with your nutcracker story ATM. Ah well.
I love Zany and Twinkle. Dey are so cute.
Anyway. Can't wait for you to update either this or your nutcracker story cuz they're both great
sorry. It's just that you haven't updated in a while and this is a really good series.
5447191 Um...where did I put Harry Potter? Did I put it there accidentally? Hmm...
5343902 how long IS this comment?! It's humongous!
5450605 I was laughing when I saw the comment it was HUGE!!!!!
Come on, come on, come on!
I need my random awesomeness already!
Wow this stories good. I love this!
I noticed a couple people who commented on this story and saying things like "finally the next chapter or you haven't posted a chapter in ten days...are you ok?" I don't know if that's exactly what they said but I think it's kinda rude. I know it's exciting to see another chapter and you just can't wait for the next one, but you need to be more patient. You put a lot of pressure on the writer when you say thing like that. You need to be patient and wait, even if you wait for months for a chapter, you should be nice and don't say things like that.
If you didn't mean to be rude I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just pointing it out. She's probably really busy and she's gonna need breaks. You need to let her take her time and enjoy herself when she writes thing so she doesn't feel like she needs to rush or gets frustrated.
Btw again, I LOVE THIS!!
Firs off love the story. To those that actually read the comments I am getting the distinct feeling that the changeling princess is actually the "great and powerful" Trixy
5474357
Well her name is Bellatrix so it would fit.
...Also there's a betting pool up for who she is. If I remember correctly.
......THE GREAT AND POWERFUL BELLATRIXIE!