Fluttershy shook her husband desperately.
"Discord, wake up!"
The draconequus only snuggled deeper into his pillow and groaned. "Oh, Fluttershy..."
"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!"
"The bowling alley?"
"Yes."
"The swimming pool?
"Yes."
"The ice cream room?"
"Yes."
"The bouncy room?"
"Yes! She's nowhere in the house! What if something horrible happened to her?"
He chuckled and patted her on the head. "Don't get so paranoid, honey. Screwball's a big girl. Wherever she is, she can take care of herself."
"Discord!"
He sighed. "Alright, if it will ease your worry, I will look for her."
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.
"Aw, man!" the prince groaned.
"Don't feel bad. You put up a pretty good fight."
"How'd you get 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. "I'm unique for...different reasons."
"I never knew hanging out could be so much fun!"
"Five thousand brothers and sisters and you don't hang out with them?"
"Well, they're not exactly my siblings. You 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's your dad?!" 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.
"Fluttershy, I told you to stay put!" Discord hissed. "Let me take care of this pest!"
He was about to lash out when 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, Dissy dear."
"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.
"Son?" Discord snorted. "Aren't all changelings your children?"
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.
"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.
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 screeched.
"I don't think the fact that she was out in the forest is the issue here," Discord grunted. "What were you doing with a changeling?!"
"I don't understand," Screwball said. "What is a changeling?"
"A changeling is a heartless, soulless monster 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!" he spat venomously. "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?"
He roared and slammed his fist against the wall. "Every creature but changelings! They have no hearts! Literally!"
He opened his chest, frightening Screwball and showing nothing inside.
"They are born without a heart! They are hollow! No heart, no compassion, no morals, no soul!"
"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, vicious and cunning! And of all the changelings you could have encountered, it had to be the queen's favorite son!"
"He was just a kid," Screwball muttered.
"Doesn't matter! All changelings are the same!"
Fluttershy crossed her hooves. "You sound so sure. How do you know Chrysalis?"
He sighed. "Some time during my three years of exile, Chrysalis told me about her plot against Canterlot and asked me to join her. She said if the plan succeeded, I would be free to spread my chaos. I rejected her, of course, because not only did I think the plan was lousy, but I was a solo act."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that all?"
"Well, we met a couple times over the centuries. You know she's about as old as I am? She stayed clear of me though, because I had no love for her to feed. Why? What did you...?" He paused when he caught the jealous rage in her eye. "Wait, did you...?" He burst out laughing. "You...you thought...me and...and Chrysalis?!" He ruffled his wife's hair. "Oh, you really are paranoid, my dear. You're the only mare who's ever caught my eye."
He then kissed her in desperation. "Okay?"
Fluttershy sighed. "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.
"You're grounded for a week," Discord stated.
"You are not to leave the house, with the exception of school," Fluttershy clarified. "No friends over, no sweets..."
"Now honey, let's not go overboard!"
"NEED I REMIND YOU OF THE FIRST RULE OF THE HUNT?!" Chrysalis hollered, shaking the green palace that the changelings considered their hive.
"It wasn't my fault, 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!"
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 female. 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 awesome! 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 chaotic brat could be of use to us."
"Mother?" Mothball gasped. "You're not going to...hurt her, are you?"
"Indeed 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...?"
"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.