//------------------------------// // Misunderstanding // Story: Daughter of Discord // by DisneyFanatic23 //------------------------------// When Applejack arrived at the castle, Fluttershy was lying in a fetal position on the floor. "Fluttershy!" the cowgirl cried, racing up to her. "Are you okay?" Despite the shocking event of the day, Applejack worried that Discord had harmed her. "D-d-d-discord," the pegasus stammered. "He didn't hurt ya, did he?" "Not...too much." "Oh, it's a nightmare out there, Sugar! I mean what you did was wrong, but he didn't have to..." She looked up. "What are you talking about?" "Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash cried as she, Pinkie and Rarity entered the castle. "What's going on?" "It's raining yummy delicious chocolate milk rain everywhere!" Pinkie exclaimed. "And still no whipped cream!" "We just picked the kids up from the park, and they said they saw Discord take Screwball and Zany! And Prism said, and I quote, 'he's gone coo-coo!' Unquote." "What's this all about?" Rarity asked. "Fluttershy cheated on Discord and he got angry," Applejack said quickly. Rainbow scoffed. "Get real, AJ! Fluttershy would never..." "I saw her! She was in the alley this afternoon kissin' another stallion!" "That can't be!" Rarity declared. "She was at the spa with me all afternooon!" "Then who did I see?" "It certainly wasn't Fluttershy!" She narrowed her eyes at the unicorn. "You callin' me a liar?" "You calling Fluttershy a common...?!" "Girls!" Pinkie screamed. "This is no time for fighting! Can't you see Fluttershy's upset?" The pegasus shivered as she sobbed some more. Applejack sighed. "You're right. Fluttershy would never do a thing like that. She loves Discord more than anything! It's just...it looked so much like you! But it wasn't like you at all!" Pinkie gasped dramatically. "Maybe it was a changeling! I mean a changeling showed up at the Gala, so maybe this is all some evil plot to get Discord to turn evil again! Because the queen wants REVENGE!" Every pony stared at her with their eyebrows raised. "That actually makes sense," Rainbow said with a shrug. "Oh, goodness!" Rarity exclaimed. "And now Discord's flying around causing chaos, thinking poor, dear Fluttershy has betrayed him!" "And he's probably teaching Screwball and Zany to be meanies too!" Pinkie squealed. Fluttershy stood up. "I have to find them! I have to make things right!" "They could be anywhere by now, Sugar," Applejack said, shaking her head. "We best get to Twilight. I hate to say this, but...we need the Elements of Harmony." The yellow pegasus gasped. "No! We can't turn him to stone!" "Hopefully, it won't come to that. I'm sayin' we should have them just in case diplomatic talks don't cut it." "Applejack is right," Rarity agreed. "We should go to Canterlot at once!" "What about the kids?" Rainbow asked. "Isn't Cinnamon Stick still on his date with Dinky?" "Oh, shoot!" Applejack exclaimed. "I nearly forgot! Let's meet at the train station in half an hour, make sure our families are safe!" "I'll tell Soarin and the kids to go to your place, AJ. The sky's not the safest place for them at the moment." "And my little Gemstone!" Rarity shrieked. "I can't leave her alone!" "She went with the Tri-Pies to our house," Pinkie assured her. "Red Shoes will take care of her." "Then I will take Fluttershy for now, until we meet!" "Alright, ponies!" Applejack cheered. "Let's break!" "What's the point of even farming rocks, anyway?" Screwball asked her father. The three beings of chaos were positioned comfortably on a cotton candy cloud, overlooking Pinkie Pie's family rock farm. Gold Digger was chipping at a large boulder beneath them. "Who knows?" Discord shrugged. "Why don't we give them something useful to mine? Any ideas, sweetie?" Screwball rubbed her chin and then grinned mischievously. "I think I do." She took a piece of cloud and shaped it into a lever. She pulled it back and a pile of bricks fell from the cloud towards Gold Digger. "Now, now, honey," Discord warned. "That could kill him, and put him out of his misery too soon. At least give him a sporting chance." "Point taken." Screwball summoned a megaphone. "GERONIMO!" Gold Digger looked up. "What?" When he saw the pile of bricks plummeting towards him, he screamed and jumped out of the way. Screwball summoned a banana peel on which he slipped and fell face down into a banana cream pie. The two chaotic beings rolled onto their backs in laughter. "Classic!" Discord cried. "That's a classic!" "Can we make it rain now, Dad?" Screwball begged, bouncing up and down. "Can we, can we?" "Already?" "Yeah! But I've got something better than chocolate milk!" "I don't know what could be better, but go ahead." With a cackle, Screwball summoned a flock of pink clouds. A strange purple substance dripped from them onto Gold Digger. After a few seconds, his fur started turning the color of the rain. He screamed and raced inside the Pie family's house. Discord snorted. "What was that stuff?" "Purple hair dye!" Screwball bawled. "Oh, genius, dear!" The filly laughed and picked up her brother. "Did you see that, Zany? Wasn't that the most hilarious thing ever? That'll teach him to pick on ponies like us!" As she embraced the smiling infant, Screwball started feeling dizzy. She put her hoof to her head. "You alright, dear?" Discord asked with concern. "Yeah," she muttered, shaking her head. "Dad, can we go home now?" "No!" the draconequus said quickly. "I mean...we only pranked one pony! Wasn't there another colt who made fun of you?" "Silver Tray!" Screwball gritted her teeth. "How could I forget the little minion?! I wonder what he's doing now." "Let's find out." Discord snapped his fingers and teleported the three of them to a large mansion. Two mares, one pink with purple hair and one gray with platinum hair, lay sprawled in lawn chairs, basking in the sunlight. "Hey, I know her!" Screwball declared, pointing at the pink pony. "That's Gold Digger's big sister, Diamond Tiara! That other one must be Silver Spoon. She's Silver Tray's sister." As if on cue, the teenage colt appeared in the doorway of the mansion, wearing a butler's uniform and carrying a tray of lemonade. "Hurry up, Tray!" Silver Spoon ordered. "You're going to have to pick up the pace if you want those ten bits!" Silver Tray groaned. "Coming, sis!" "Gee," Screwball said. "I almost feel sorry for the guy." She paused. "Almost." "Watch and learn, sweetie," Discord coaxed. "So he wants to earn some extra money, eh?" He snapped his fingers and a coin appeared at Silver Tray's hooves. The colt's face lit up. "What luck!" "Yeah, but is it good or bad?" the draconequus whispered. His paw glowed as he pointed it at the colt. Gold light enveloped the tray, tipping it over and spilling the lemonade over the two mares. "Hey!" Diamond Tiara squealed. "Ew! It's sticky! This will take forever to wash out!" "Nice job, dummy!" Silver Spoon snapped. "But I didn't..." her brother protested. "Go make yourself useful and get us some towels!" Diamond Tiara demanded. Silver Tray sighed. "Yes, your highness." "That was a little mean, don't you think, Daddy?" Screwball asked. "You're right," Discord replied, tapping his chin. "We should help them get those stains out." He snapped his fingers, summoning a bucket of water. Snickering, he dumped it over the mares. They screamed in shock. "Need a cool down, ladies?!" Discord mocked. "Oh my gosh!" Silver Tray exclaimed, dropping what was left of the lemonade. "You're that evil dude!" "Correct-a-mundo!" "Look, I don't want any trouble! I didn't do anything to your daughter! It was all Gold Digger, I swear!" "Oh, really? That's not the way I heard it!" He used his magic to turn the boy upside-down and repeatedly banged his head into the ground. Appalled, Screwball teleported to her father's side. "Daddy, what are you doing?!" "Knocking some sense into him." "But you could hurt him!" "Didn't you used to do this to your foalsitters?" "I was little! I didn't know any better!" "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Silver Tray pleaded. "I didn't mean to...ow!" "Dad, please!" Discord groaned. "Fine. I'll put the little piggy down." He did so, but also tied him to a large platter and stuck an apple in his mouth. "I'd say he's learned his lesson." Screwball shook her head. "Dad, this has been fun and all, but we should call it a day before we get into any more trouble. I mean Mom's not gonna be happy." The draconequus scowled. "Who cares how your mother feels?!" The filly gasped. "Dad! How can you say such a thing?! What's gotten into you?" He paused. "Let's just say I've finally seen the light. Hey! Aren't the Orioles playing the Manehattan Giants this afternoon?" "Well, yeah." "And didn't the Orioles beat the Zappers last week?" "Yeah, real hard too! But Dad..." She trailed off as he put his tail around her. "How'd you like to crash the ball game like old times?" Screwball was tempted at the mention of baseball, but she could not stop thinking about her mother. Why was her dad acting like he did not care? "That...does sound fun, but...we should get home. It's Zany's nap time anyway." The infant appeared in Discord's arms. He was bouncing up and down with excitement. "He doesn't look sleepy to me!" As he tickled the baby, he felt a sudden wave of fatigue. Screwball raised an eyebrow as he slunk to the ground. "Maybe you could use a nap?" Discord shook his head wildly. "No! How can either of us sleep when there's chaos to wreak! Do you want to sabotage that ball game or not?" "I really don't know..." "I'll let you corrupt the pitcher!" "Mom wouldn't like..." "I'll let you hit a couple throws!" "Aunt Twilight said that..." "I'll buy you some peanuts!" Her eyes widened. "Extra salty?" "Extra, extra salty!" "Done! But after this, we're going straight home, right?" "But of course, honey!" She crossed her hooves. "Pinkie Promise?" He rolled his eyes and made the gesture. "I Pinkie Promise." Screwball smiled in satisfaction, not noticing that his fingers were crossed behind his back. Twilight ceased her pacing when her five best friends came bolting through the door. "What is going on out there?!" she demanded. "Fluttershy, I thought you would have Discord under your control by now!" The yellow pegasus whimpered. Applejack gave her an assuring pat on the back. "They had a misunderstanding," the cowgirl explained. "Now Discord's all mad and making it rain chocolate milk like crazy!" Pinkie shrieked. Twilight's eyes widened in fear. "Where's Screwball?" Fluttershy cried and buried her face in Applejack's shoulder. "Discord took her and Zany with him," Rarity replied sincerely. "Now all three of them are on the loose!" The alicorn hung her head. "I was afraid this would happen." "But that's not all!" Rainbow declared. "We think the changelings are involved!" "Explain." Applejack spoke slowly. "I saw Fluttershy with another stallion and Discord saw it too when he looked into my memories." "But Fluttershy was at the spa with me at the time," Rarity pointed out. "So you think it might have been a changeling you saw instead of Fluttershy?" Twilight asked for clarification. The cowgirl nodded. "So now Discord thinks Fluttershy's cheated on him and is takin' it out on Equestria!" "Hold on a second!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "If Discord could see into your mind, why didn't he open up Fluttershy's head to see that she was telling the truth?" "He looked pretty mad. I'll bet he wasn't thinkin' straight." "Honestly!" Rarity huffed. "You see what happens when you jump to conclusions without finding out the facts first?" Fluttershy stopped crying to glare at the unicorn. "What?" Twilight sighed and looked at the chaos storm through the window. "I'm afraid...we need the Elements of Harmony." Every pony gasped. "WHAT?!" Fluttershy screamed. "No! We can't, Twilight! We can't turn them to stone! They're my family! And poor little Zany is just a baby! And Screwball...I promised her she'd never suffer such a fate!" "Fluttershy," Twilight said slowly. "I don't want to use the Elements on them either. Hopefully, we won't have to, if we can reason with Discord. However, if things get out of hoof and he won't listen..." "NO!" "If it turns out we have to use the Elements against him, it will only be temporary. I know a spell that I think might release him from stone. We wouldn't be punishing him for all eternity, we'd just be giving him a time-out." Fluttershy relaxed a little. "I guess if it's for a little while...oh, but he'll hate me so much even if it was just for a little while! And what about the kids?" "Don't worry. We won't use the Elements against them. Zany is too young for such punishment, and Screwball is smart. Once we explain things to her, she'll come around." "I hope so," Rainbow said. "That kid is like family!" "And ya don't give up on family," Applejack agreed. "Besides, the twins won't look at me the same way again if I freeze their best friend." "Same with Cinnamon Stick and Apple Blossom." "I know little Gemstone will think of me a monster!" Rarity exclaimed. "And the Tri-Pies will think I'm a mean meanie pants for the rest of my life!" Pinkie squealed. Twilight turned back to Fluttershy. "We'll only use the Elements as a last resort, but we won't use them without your permission." The pegasus considered this. Discord had told her how much torment he had endured while in stone. She would never forgive herself if she had to put him through it again. Screwball would certainly be horrified, and what would happen if they could not release him? On the other hoof, if he were frozen, perhaps he would listen to her. "Just...don't hurt him." "Look over there, honey!" Discord exclaimed, pointing to one of the screaming ponies. "You missed one!" Screwball nodded and aimed her paintball cannon at the pony. "Gangway!" The stallion cried out as he was splattered with orange paint. Zany clapped in delight. "Excellent shot, sweetheart!" Discord declared, ruffling his daughter's mane. "This is awesome!" Screwball shouted. "But you know what we should have? Polka-dotted paint!" "Brilliant! Why hadn't I thought of that?" She was about to reload the cannon when she noticed her baby brother was missing. "Hey, where's Zany?" Discord rolled his eyes. "Oh, he wants to play hide-and-seek! Let's find him before he gets stuck in a wall again. I'll search high, you search low." Screwball saluted before teleporting to the ground. Her smile faded when she noticed the ponies running at the sight of her. One unicorn with a toothpaste cutie mark looked back at her for a moment. Screwball recognized her as Aquafresh. "What did I ever do to you?" The chaotic pony was confused. "Come on, Aquafresh! It was just a joke!" She glared at her. "Look around, Screwy. How many ponies do you see laughing?" Screwball stood frozen in place as the unicorn ran off with the others, leaving her in an empty paint-splattered street. She shook Aquafresh's words off and began searching for her brother. "Zany!" she called. "Zany! Come out, come out, wherever you are! I've got some chocolate milk!" "Screwy?" She turned and saw her best friend standing behind her. Only one eye was looking directly at her, but both of them were sad. "Dinky!" Screwball exclaimed. "Hey! How'd the date with Cinnamon Stick go?" "It got cut short," the unicorn said bluntly, "on account of the rain." "Oops!" the earth pony giggled. "Sorry about that! I hope you didn't get too wet!" She expected Dinky to laugh along with her, but the unicorn's serious expression did not falter. After a while, Screwball's smile was gone again. "Dinky, you okay?" "Why are you doing this?" Screwball blinked. "What? This? Relax, Dinky! Dad and I are just having a bit of fun! By the way, have you seen Zany?" "No." "Come on, Dinks!" She summoned a smiley mask. "Get into the spirit of things!" Dinky stared at her for a long time and then turned away. Screwball lowered her mask in puzzlement. "What's the matter with you? It's not like I haven't done stuff like this before." "Yes, but..." Dinky said in a choked voice. "You weren't...mean to other ponies before." Screwball scoffed. "Mean?! Dinks, it's not like any pony's getting hurt!" The unicorn looked up at her. "Cinnamon Stick slipped on a banana peel and hit his head." The earth pony froze. "Dinky, I...I didn't know! I can fix it! I mean I can't, but I can get Dad to!" "Just because you can fix him doesn't change the fact that you hurt him in the first place!" Screwball was taken aback. "Dinky, I've never seen this side of you..." "Really?!" Dinky snapped. "Gee, that's really funny! Because I've never seen this side of you! What happened to my best friend? The pony who always stood up for me, who would never hurt a fly? What happened to her?" "What are you talking about, Dinky? She's right here!" The unicorn shook her head. "No. You're not my best friend." Screwball's heart shattered into millions of pieces. "Dinky, how can you say that?" "I wanted to believe that Gold Digger and Silver Tray were wrong about you, but...now I see they were right. You...you're just like your dad. You're...you're bad." Dinky turned and ran while Screwball stood hurt and bewildered. In all their years of friendship, Dinky had never spoken so harshly to her, and never had she said such a thing. "She's wrong," she declared to herself. "I would never hurt anyone! I'm not bad! I'm not!" Screwball stomped her hoof, splashing it in a chocolate puddle. She subconsciously cleared the water and saw her reflection. Her parents always said she had a sweet and pretty face, but now it looked fierce and menacing. Realization overwhelmed her, her scowl turning into a frown. She gazed around at Ponyville and only now noticed how different it looked. Buildings were floating upside down and splattered in paint, the streets had a checkerboard design and banana peels scattered everywhere, the school she attended as a filly was hanging sideways from a tree. Everything looked...wrong. This was not the town she grew up in, these were not the streets she played in, this...this was chaos. Not a few harmless whimsical pranks, but full-scale chaos, the kind of thing her father said she was meant to create. She did not like it.