//------------------------------//
// Armageddon 
// Story: Daughter of Discord 
// by DisneyFanatic23 
//------------------------------//

	He was in his castle. Fluttershy stood at the door, pulling on her cape.

"Do you really have to go?" Discord asked.

The pegasus smiled. "I'm only going out for the night, honey. After all, it's not every night Twilight comes to town. We haven't had a Girl's Night in ages!"

"Yes, but..." He twaddled his fingers. "I thought we could...have a You-and-Me Night."

He glanced down sadly. Then he felt Fluttershy's soft hoof lift his chin so his eyes could meet hers. While her Stare could never manipulate him in the way it did animals, her loving gaze would always warm his heart. Then she gently kissed him on the muzzle.

"Tell you what," she said. "Tomorrow, we can drop Screwball off at Derpy's for a sleepover and then we'll spend the whole night together. How does that sound?"

His lips slowly curled into a smile and he nodded.

"Besides," Fluttershy continued, "it's not like you'll be alone."

As if on cue, a four-year-old Screwball appeared between them.

"Mommy, Mommy!" she chimed. "Can you read me a bedtime story?"

"Sorry, honey," the pegasus said, taking the filly in her arms. "Mommy has to leave now."

"Where are you going?"

"Out with your aunts. I will be back before morning." She kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Be good for your father, now."

"I will, Mommy."

Once she was gone, Discord sunk onto the couch. Young Screwball tapped his leg.

"Why Daddy sad?"

The draconequus looked down at the sweet filly's spiral eyes. They were filled with concern, yet still adorable. Smiling slightly, he lifted the toddler onto his knee.

"Daddy just misses Mommy, that's all."

Screwball nodded in understanding. Discord looked up as he felt chocolate milk drip onto his head. He grinned when he saw it falling from a cotton candy cloud. He scooted out of the way and made a glass appear to catch the milk.

"Feel better?" Screwball asked.

He turned to the filly and squeezed her in the crook of his arm. "Yes, dear. Feel better."

The scene shifted and Discord found himself in the garden. He glanced around at the greenery.

"Alright!" he called. "Where are you?"

He heard a laugh and spun around. Screwball, now a teenager, was peering out from behind a tree.

"Aha!"

She gasped and teleported out of her position.

"You can run, but you can't hide!"

He was about to look for his daughter when he heard another giggle, this one delicate and enchanting. He grinned mischievously and moved as quietly as possible towards the sound. He then spied a spot of pink behind a bush. Chuckling to himself, he teleported to that spot and surprised Fluttershy as he scooped her up in his arms.

"You're it," he whispered.

Fluttershy groaned. "We need to make a new set of rules for this game."

"Rules? My dear, have you forgotten who you married?"

He then brought his lips down upon hers. She moaned in response.

"Do you guys have to do that every time you catch each other?"

The couple pulled away to see Screwball scowling at them, a two-month-old Zany in her arms.

"Then again," the draconequus said, "we should have a new set of rules, like when the tagged creature kisses some pony, they're both 'It!'"

"Wait, what?"

Screwball cried out as her parents pulled her and Zany in for a group hug. They began laughing and the children could not resist laughing along as they tightened their embrace.

The image rippled as Discord woke from his dream. He sat up and realized he had fallen asleep on one of his clouds. He looked down and saw Zany cuddled up beside him. He smiled at the infant's innocent face and petted his pink mane.

That pink mane...

It was just like Fluttershy's.

Zany's eyes then opened, revealing his spiral eyes. If they were purple, they would be just like Screwball's.

Discord recalled the memories from his dream.

"Those were the days," he muttered.

Since he had fallen in love with her, Fluttershy had always brought joy to his miserable existence. The birth of Screwball had doubled that joy. They were a family. They loved each other, comforted each other when troubled. Sure, they had had their ups and downs, but they would always work it out in the end.

Why could it not be that way again?

He knew the answer. Fluttershy had broken his heart.

Since their marriage, there had scarcely been a day without Fluttershy. Even when she was not there, she would never be gone for long. Now that he thought about it, this was the longest they had been apart. There had been another time when they had parted under dark circumstances. During her captivity, he had nearly forced her into marriage and in his anger had physically harmed her. Then he released her and did not see her again for three days.

This was different. This time, she was not coming back. Why would she? After all, it was clear by the way she had kissed that stallion that she did not love him as she had before. It had destroyed him.

No one had told him that love did not always last forever.

Then there was Screwball: his daughter, his flesh and blood, his chaotic protégé. She was no different from her mother.

She had left him too, obviously not caring how he felt about it. She and her mother were probably in the home of that stallion, rejoicing at how they had broken the Lord of Chaos.

Discord shook his head. No, he was not broken! He was more powerful than any pony in Equestria!

"Look at the world I've created!"

He did so and thought it would prove that he was not weak, but as soon as he laid eyes on the chaotic town, his heart sank. It was all so beautiful, but who was there to appreciate it?

He glanced down at Zany who was smiling up at him with an open mouth. He at least had him.

"But you're a foal," he whispered. "You'll appreciate anything."

He put his paw to his heart. It was beating slower than usual and he could hear a string snap.

He had told his family time and time again that love was the most powerful form of chaos there was. How ironic it was that the very thing he lived for would ultimately destroy him.

"There he is!"

His ears perked up at the sound of Princess Twilight's voice. He looked down at the ground. The six bearers of the Elements of Harmony were directly below him, but the only pony he really saw was Fluttershy. While the others were glaring up at him angrily, her eyes were sad and pleading as he locked gaze with her.

Despite everything that had occurred the last two days, despite the tension between them, he still thought her the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Are you listening to me?"

Discord had been so focused on his wife that he had not heard Twilight's words.

"I said: your twenty-four hours are up!"

He scratched his head. "Twenty-four hours?"

"Yeah! And I see you're still causing chaos!"

Still confused, he picked up Zany and flew down to them. "Did I miss something?"

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Your sanity!"

"We will give you one more chance, Discord," Twilight said. "Unless you stop this madness now, we'll have no choice but to use our Elements."

Discord's eyes widened in fear and then tuned to Fluttershy. "You...you're letting them...do this?"

The pegasus hung her head shamefully. "I thought you had changed, but I was wrong."

He could not believe it. True, she had betrayed him, but he never would have thought she would be so cold as to turn him to stone! He shivered at the memory of his stone prison. He would be frozen forever. He would be alone in the cold. He would hear the world around him and not be a part of it. Fluttershy knew all this. Which is why he had to ask:

"Why, Fluttershy? Why?! What have I done to drive you away?! Was I a bad husband? Did I offend you? Was it because I yelled at Screwball? Because I apologized for that!"

"Hey," Applejack said, glancing around. "Where is Screwball?"

Discord bit his lip. "She...she...she's making cream cheese in Fillydelphia."

He could not tell them that Screwball had abandoned him. If he did, they would know that she hated him and would not care if he were turned to stone. But the fact that she was not with her mother worried him.

"Please, Discord," Fluttershy pleaded, stepping forth. "It doesn't have to be this way. We can go home, be a family, like we should. Be the stallion I fell in love with, the stallion I married, the stallion with whom I raised my children."

Her beautiful teal eyes were now stained with tears. "Discord, please..."

He wanted to do what she asked, to take her in his arms, but the memory of seeing her with that other stallion still burned in his mind.

"If you love me so much," he snapped, "why did you betray me?!"

"I didn't!" Fluttershy insisted. "It was..."

"If you love me so much, why do you still take their side?"

"Discord, please listen..."

"You would turn me to stone? Your husband?" He held up Zany. "The father of this child!"

Suddenly, the baby vanished from his hands and then reappeared on Fluttershy's back. Discord's hands fell to his sides.

"Et tu, Zany?" he choked.

His wife, his daughter and now his son. Whatever was left of his shattered heart was destroyed in that moment. He fell to his knees in defeat.

What was there left to live for?

The six mares tilted their heads in confusion.

"Well," Discord uttered, lifting his eyes slightly. "What are you waiting for? Do it."

"Discord..." Fluttershy started to say.

"I said DO IT!"

She gasped, but then hung her head. Twilight turned to her sympathetically, though it was clear she was equally shocked.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy," she whispered.

The six mares had used the Elements of Harmony multiple times, but this time, neither of them were willing to do it. Zany grinned evilly as Twilight's horn began to glow. Discord looked up at Fluttershy who had tears streaming down her cheeks.

He would not take his eyes off her, not even to blink. Despite the fact that she was crying, he wanted her beautiful face to be the last thing he would see.

"Fluttershy, I love you," he said under his breath.

He gripped his hands, preparing for what was to come.

"WAIT!"

Twilight stopped her spell and looked up. Everyone did the same. Screwball zoomed overhead and landed between her father and the ponies.

"You can't do this!"

"Screwball, sweetie," Twilight said gently. "Stand back."

"No! This is all a big mistake!"

"Honey, please..." Discord urged, not wanting his daughter to share his fate.

"Daddy! It wasn't Mom you saw kissing that stallion! It was a changeling! They both were!"

The draconequus' jaw dropped. "What?"

"Yes!" Fluttershy shouted. "It's true! I would never betray you, Discord!"

"But...but...why were you going to turn me to stone? Didn't you want me out of the way so you could run off with that stallion?"

"It wasn't going to be forever! We were just going to put you in a time-out! I didn't want to, but after the way you acted yesterday, talked about ruling Equestria, I...I felt I had no choice!"

"What are you talking about? I didn't say anything to you about ruling Equestria!"

"That was Chrysalis!" Screwball declared.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

The filly pointed at Zany. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

The ponies gasped and turned to the baby. Its eyes were blazing with green fire. Fluttershy shrieked and dropped him as he started to grow. Everyone backed away as it took the form of Chrysalis. She growled at Screwball.

"You really are a thorn in my side, you know that?"

"It is her!" Applejack cried.

Discord grabbed Fluttershy and Screwball and pulled them closer, his teeth bared at the Changeling Queen.

"What have you done with my boy?!" he demanded.

"Doesn't matter!" Chrysalis bellowed. "What you should really worry about is yourselves, as I put Plan B into action!"

She whistled and everyone looked up as a swarm of changelings filled the sky.

Discord laughed. "You think a few bugs will stop me?"

He snapped his fingers, teleporting himself and the ponies.

"Ha!" Discord said when they reappeared. "I sure showed her, didn't...?"

He gasped and saw that Chrysalis was still in front of him. They had only travelled a few inches. The queen threw her head back in a laugh.

"You foal!" she taunted. "While I was disguised as your son, I fed off your love! Whatever power you had left was wasted on chocolate rain!"

"No!" the draconequus cried, looking down at his paw and claw. "It's not possible!"

"Big mistake, Chrysalis!" Twilight exclaimed, powering her horn. "You're going back to the Changeling Forest where you belong!"

Just as the magic was about to transfer to her crown, Twilight's horn vanished.

"W-what?" she gasped. "H-how? W-why...WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?!"

"I have absorbed Discord's power," Chrysalis chuckled, "as well as his daughter's. Now that you cannot use magic, nothing can stop me now!"

Pinkie narrowed her eyes. "You're not a very nice lady!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

They were now surrounded by changelings, in the air and on the ground. Chrysalis circled her victims.

"I've been waiting to get revenge on the lot of you for years!" she gloated. "It's a pity that Princess Cadence and Shining Armor aren't here to join the party, but I'll see to them later. I've watched you all in your perfect little lives and well...they were just too perfect! So I spiced things up a little."

Twilight faced the queen. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, haven't you guessed?"

She gasped and spun around at the sound of her own voice and saw a duplicate of herself.

"It was I who told your boyfriend all those years ago that he was nothing but a peasant."

The alicorn stiffened. "What?"

Chrysalis turned back into herself. "That was all I did, of course. It was you who refused to talk things over with him. Shame, really. He had bought a ring for you, too."

Twilight clutched her heart. All that time, she had thought the reason Flash had left her was because he did not see how a relationship between a princess and a guard would work out. With all that talk of formalities, it had seemed the most reasonable, though it had not made sense since that had been the situation with her brother and foalsitter.

Now that she knew the real reason, she felt a weight of guilt on her shoulders.

"Flash," she uttered.

Chrysalis smirked and loomed over the white unicorn. "Your love life, Miss Rarity, was not so hard to ruin."

Rarity gasped as the queen transformed into Fleur-de-lils.

"I didn't even have to kiss him to make you angry," she said in her new voice. "But of course, I had to do it when you decided to go back to him. Oh, how he resisted me. He would not stop telling me how much he cared about you! If only you had listened to him."

The unicorn mimicked Twilight's gesture, tears forming in her eyes.

After turning into the queen, the changeling turned to Applejack.

"I was going to take Rarity's form and rekindle your Spikey-Wikey's old flame, but I had to keep your friendship with the unicorn stable if you were going to turn Discord to stone."

"That was all you?" Twilight asked in disbelief.

"Indeed."

"I don't get it," Screwball said. "I mean I get why you're mad at them, because they helped defeat you and all, but why pick on my dad?"

The Changeling Queen darted her eyes at the filly. "So he'll know what it's like to have a broken heart!"

Without warning, she shot a beam at Discord, sending him flying back into a floating cottage. Berry Punch stuck her head out the window to see what was going on. Once she did, she slammed the shutters.

"Dad!" Screwball cried.

"Do what you like with the others!" Chrysalis commanded her army. "The draconequus is mine!"

The filly narrowed her eyes. "Not if I can help it!"

With a great shout, she pounced onto the queen. Chrysalis yelped in surprise, but did not let her guard down.

"You little brat!"

Using her magic, she threw the filly off. Screwball landed within the crowd of changelings.

"Screwball!" Fluttershy shrieked, flying into the air. "Hang on, sweetie! Mommy's coming!"

"Stop her!" Chrysalis yelled.

"Oh no, you don't!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Just as several changelings were about to apprehend Fluttershy, Rainbow whizzed through them, knocking them over like bowling pins.

"Hold your ground, girls!" Twilight commanded her friends. "Fight them off as best you can!"

The cyan pegasus pounded her hooves together. "Bring it on!"

She let out a battle cry as she charged the changelings. She stopped in her tracks before she could kick her youngest daughter.

"Prism?" Rainbow questioned.

The filly blinked up at her and then smiled deviously. Rainbow realized the truth too late when Prism delivered a right-hook. Fluttershy caught her friend in the air.

"Don't let them distract you!" Twilight shouted. "Remember, they're just changelings!"

"Oh, really?"

The alicorn turned and gasped at the sight of her ex-boyfriend.

"It wasn't a changeling who broke your heart, Princess," the fake Flash Sentry said with a smirk. "I was the one who said it was over."

Twilight shrieked as she backed into another changeling disguised as Flash.

"But even after all those years," it said, "you wouldn't even talk to me."

"I said it was over," said a third Flash.

"But you agreed with me," said another.

Twilight tried to get away, but more and more Flashes appeared and were slowly closing in on her. She wanted to block their words out and fight, but they looked and sounded so much like Flash...

"Don't listen to them, Twilight!" Applejack called out. "They're lyin'!"

"And Heaven forbid they do that!"

The cowgirl gulped at the sound of her beloved dragon's voice. Soon all the changelings around her looked like Spike.

"It's funny how you're always so intent on telling the truth..." one said.

"...but it took you forever to confess your feelings for me!" the other finished with a cackle.

"Why, if you hadn't told me, I would've married Rarity!"

"But if you really want the truth, AJ..."

"...even though I'm married to you..."

"...you'll never be as pretty..."

"...as classy..."

"...as sophisticated as Rarity!"

"That's what's always been nagging at your brain, huh?"

"The fact that I loved Rarity..."

"...first!"

Applejack covered her ears. "No! It's not true! Y'all are lyin'! Spike loves me! He may have loved Rarity first, but he chose me!"

"You sure it was because he loved you?"

"Or were you just a last resort?"

The last changeling to speak screamed as he was blasted with magic. Rarity blew on her horn.

"The nerve!" she exclaimed. "Making dear, sweet Spikey-Wikey seem like a monster!"

"And you say I'm unfaithful!"

Rarity turned and saw several changelings take the form of Fancy Pants.

"You still hold that dragon in high esteem..." one said.

"...and yet you accuse me of adultery!" another finished.

"Then again, you might be right about that."

"After all, I didn't tell you where I was going that day..."

"And I didn't bother defending myself when you caught me in her embrace!"

"Honestly, my dear, you became boring after a while."

"Always talking about Ponyville!"

"You couldn't even give me a son!"

"Stop it!" Rarity shouted desperately. "My Fancy Pants would never say such vulgar things!"

The one directly behind her smirked. "Maybe not to your face."

The unicorn cried out and blasted as many changelings as she could, but they kept coming, shouting insults at her. Rainbow Dash decided to lend a hoof and bowled through the crowd. The pegasus hesitated when the changeling beneath her turned into Prism.

"You wouldn't hit your own daughter, would you?" it said, smiling up innocently.

Before Rainbow Dash could respond, she was attacked from behind by copies of Soarin and the twins. Meanwhile, Pinkie was grinning at a duplicate of Red Shoes.

She snorted with laughter. "Oh, if Red were here now! He would get a kick out of this!"

The changeling tilted its head and then took the form of Blueberry Pie. Pinkie only snorted again.

"I love that trick of yours! Ooh! Do me! Do me!"

The changeling groaned. "Forget this!"

Then it tackled her to the ground. Through all of this, Fluttershy had been pushing through the army, searching for her daughter.

"Screwy!" she called. "Screwy, where are you?"

"Mom!"

Fluttershy saw her daughter running towards her. Her relief was short-lived when a second Screwball cut between them.

"Mom, stop! It's a trick! I'm the real Screwball!"

"No, you're not!" the first Screwball insisted. "I am!"

"No, I am!" said a third Screwball.

"I'm Screwball!"

"I'm Screwball!"

"No, I'm Spartacus!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

Once Chrysalis was convinced that her army had everything under control, she advanced toward her enemy. The draconequus was recovering from his collision, rubbing his head while attempting to rise.

"At last," the queen said. "You're mine!"

She cried out as she was hit with a ball of golden light.

"Guess again, Queenie!" Discord said. "I still have some power left!"

While the queen was composing herself, Discord scanned the crowd for his family. He spotted his wife in the center of a circle of Screwballs. By the way she was quivering, it was no doubt that she was the real Fluttershy.

"Mom, you have to listen to me!" one of the Screwballs cried desperately. "It's really me!"

"She's lying!" another one insisted. "I'm the real one!"

"No, I am!"

Fluttershy glanced frantically at all the Screwballs. "Oh, which one is it? I don't know!"

Discord dove into the center and swept her up. He held out his paw to the army of clones.

"Hold it!"

The Screwballs all quieted down.

"Okay, there's only one way to find out who the real Screwball is!"

He cleared his throat and sang:

"Oh simple spawn of mine
Without you, I would be so lost
You have stuck by my side..."

Most of the clones looked at him in confusion, but one smiled and finished the line:

"No matter what the tragic cost."

Discord grinned and took the filly in his other arm.

"That's my girl!"

The changelings scowled and charged the trio, but Discord was quick and teleported out of the way, causing their attackers to collide. They reappeared only a few feet away, but at least they were concealed behind a hay cart.

"I'm so sorry," Discord said finally.

"Me too," Fluttershy said, taking his paw.

"Now's not the time!" Screwball declared, ducking as a changeling flew overhead.

Her father nodded. "Right. You two stay here. Keep each other safe. I'll take care of Chrysalis."

"What? Dad, I can fight!"

"No! I lost you girls once! I'm not going to lose you again!"

"But..."

"Listen to your father, honey," Fluttershy said before turning to her husband. "Be careful."

"I will," Discord uttered.

But Screwball still protested. "You're not strong enough, Dad! She'll kill you!"

He kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be fine."

Then he turned to his wife and Screwball saw the sorrow pass between their eyes. A tear fell down his cheek as Discord laid his hands on his love's shoulders and pulled her in for a long, desperate kiss. Fluttershy clung to him, never wanting to let go.

It was as if they were sharing their last embrace.

They did not want to pull away, but the screams from their friends forced them to.

"I love you," Fluttershy said abruptly.

Discord caressed her cheek. "And I love you."

They were leaning in to kiss again when a singed changeling fell next to them.

"You should probably..." Fluttershy started to say.

"Yeah."

Discord flapped his wings and rose into the sky.

"Hey, Chrissie!" he called. "Your mother eats stink bugs!"

The queen growled and chased after him.

The others were fighting off the changelings, but they were outnumbered. Rainbow Dash was prepping for a sonic rainboom when something tapped her leg.

"Mom!" Prism cried.

Rainbow huffed. "No way am I falling for that again!"

"What are you talking about?"

The filly yelped as the mare lifted her by the tail. "Time to teach you a lesson!"

She bolted into the sky. The filly in her grasp shrieked in terror.

"Mom, what are you doing?! Are you nuts?!"

"Says the one who thinks she can pull a fast one on Rainbow Dash! So long, sucker!"

"Mom, don't!"

Rainbow released the filly. She screamed as she plummeted to the ground. She flapped her wings, but they were not strong enough to lift her body. As soon as Rainbow saw this, her eyes widened.

"Prism?"

"HELP!"

Prism thought she was a goner. She closed her eyes and prepared for impact, but the ground never came. When she opened her eyes, she was on her mother's back.

"What gives, Mom?!" she exclaimed. "You trying to kill me?! You know I can't fly yet!"

Instead of answering, Rainbow set her on a balcony and hollered, "What the hay are you doing here?! I told you to stay inside!"

"I wanted to help!" the filly insisted.

"You could get killed out here!"

Prism folded her forelegs. "Yeah, you made your point when you DROPPED ME FROM THE SKY!"

"I thought you were a changeling! Where's your father? Where are the twins? Why aren't they keeping you out of trouble?"

"Rainbow!" Applejack shouted as she threw a changeling disguised as Cinnamon Roll off her back. "Could ya save the lecturin' for later and give us a hoof here?!"

The pegasus darted her eyes at her daughter. "Don't leave this spot!"

"But this isn't even our house!" Prism protested.

Her mother ignored her and returned to the fight. A second later, Dinky walked up beside the filly.

"What are you doing on our balcony?" The unicorn turned to the battle. "And what's going on?" She gasped. "Have our clones from the moon finally attacked?!"

Prism stared at the unicorn strangely and shook her head.

Down below, Twilight was kicking wildly at the Flash duplicates.

"I miss my horn," she grumbled.

Then she had an idea and spread out her wings. She flapped them so strongly that she blew the changelings off balance. Twilight smiled smugly.

"Oh yeah," she said, admiring her wings. "I love these things."

"There's too many of 'em!" Applejack yelled as she fended off duplicates of Cinnamon Stick.

"We need help!" Rarity cried, blasting copies of Gemstone.

Behind the hay cart, Screwball was trying to convince her mother to let her help the others.

"Your father told us to stay put!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

"But Mom, I can fight them!"

"No! I will not let you get hurt!"

Screwball was about to protest further when she heard a familiar cry. She peered over the cart and saw a gray unicorn with mismatched eyes charging through the crowd, a light blue pegasus filly with multi-colored hair riding on her back. They both wore kitchen strainers as helmets and the pegasus waved a wooden spoon. Screwball could not believe her eyes.

"Dinky? Prism?"

It did not take long for Rainbow Dash to notice the pair.

"Prism Soarin Dash!" she bellowed. "You are in big..."

She was cut off as a copy of Soarin pounced on her. Still charging, Dinky ignited her horn and blasted any changeling that got in their way. Some attacked from the side, only to be kicked in the face by Prism.

"Take that, punk!" the filly cried. "Taste..." she paused to punch another changeling, "the prism!"

At that moment, Thunder and Lightning Dash had flown in on the scene. They had been searching for their little sister for what felt like hours. Their jaws dropped when they saw her riding Dinky, battling changelings. Their mother had an equal expression on her face. Applejack smirked at her.

"You've got one tough little gal there, Rainbow."

"But we're still outnumbered!" Twilight declared.

Pinkie leapt into the air. "I've got it!"

She put her hoof to her mouth and whistled. Before you could blink, the Tri-Pies obediently answered their mother's call.

"Get the party cannons, girls!" Pinkie commanded. "And tell Daddy to bring the bunny!"

"Are we gonna throw a party?!" Blueberry asked excitedly.

"Oh yes, girls! Mama assures you it'll be a blast!"

"Yay!" the three cheered simultaneously.

As quickly as they had arrived, they left and returned with three miniature cannons matching the color of their fur and one larger blue cannon for their mother.

"Daddy will be here in a minute," Raspberry explained.

Pinkie's lips broke into a devious smile. "Excellent."

"Will this party have games, Mommy?" Cherry inquired.

"Yes! It's called 'Ponies vs. Clones!' The rules are...blast as many clones as you can! The one who gets the most gets a cupcake! No! Make that ten cupcakes! Oh, and..." She stuck a black moustache on her lip. "You must wear your moustache at all times!"

The triplets quickly obeyed, putting their moustaches on at the same time.

"Good! Now..."

She turned her cannon, surprising a changeling impersonating her.

"Say hello to my little friend!"

The Tri-Pies cheered as they fired confetti at the changelings, each hoping to earn some cupcakes. High above, Lightning slapped Thunder on the back, knocking him out of his shock.

"No way are we getting upstaged by our flightless baby sister and a bunch of confetti weapons!"

"Yeah!" her brother agreed. "Let's give them some Thunder..."

"And Lightning!"

They hoof bumped each other and then flew off to grab a cloud. After merging their two clouds together, they kicked back their legs, turning the large cloud black and causing it to rumble. Then a bolt of lightning struck one of the changelings, singeing its rear.

The twins laughed and continued kicking the cloud, striking all the enemies in range. Meanwhile, Pinkie was rapidly firing her cannon when Red Shoes tapped her on the shoulder.

"Well, it took you long enough!" she exclaimed. "Wait. It's really you, right?"

The stallion tilted his head and touched his face. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm me." He took off his magician's hat and held it out to her. "I got the bunny."

"Excellent!" She pointed to the Ponyville fountain. "Now get up there and show 'em your stuff, baby!"

Red Shoes grinned as he jumped up onto the rim of the fountain.

"Changelings and gentlemares!" he announced.

Several of the changelings paused for a while and stared at the red-headed stallion in confusion.

"Behold!" He showed the inside of the hat to his audience. "An ordinary hat! Completely empty!" He pulled back the sleeves of his magician's jacket. "Nothing up my sleeve!" He reached into the hat. "Presto!"

Red Shoes pulled out a set of pink ears that were much too large to fit in the hat. He continued pulling and the changelings cowered in fear. Before them stood a six-foot tall rabbit with sharp fangs, long claws and a foaming mouth.

"Okay, Harvey," Red Shoes said, gesturing to the changelings. "They're all yours."

The enormous rabbit roared and some of the changelings screamed and fled. Others stood their ground, only to be thwacked by Harvey's incredibly large paw. The mares and fillies looked up at the monster in awe.

"Where did you...?" Applejack started to ask.

"A little magic trick gone wrong," Red Shoes explained. "Been saving him for emergencies like this."

Pinkie sighed. "Isn't he just the greatest?"

While her army was being vanquished by a giant rabbit, Chrysalis scanned the town for her prey.

"Come on out, you coward!" she bellowed.

"Honestly, Chrissie!" called Discord's voice. "You used to love hide-and-seek! What happened to you?"

She growled. "You happened to me!"

Her ears perked up as she heard a twig snap behind her. She turned around just as Discord landed on her back. The two began wrestling each other, rolling in the dirt, taking turns pinning the other down.

"What did you mean by that?" Discord demanded.

The queen shouted and switched places with him so she was on top. "I was perfectly fine until you came into my life!"

"Oh, how tragic!" He rolled her onto her back. "I'll send you an apology card!"

He cried out as she kicked him in the stomach, forcing him off of her. The queen stood and looked grudgingly down at him.

"You've heard that changelings don't have hearts. Didn't you ever wonder why that was?"

Discord was caught by surprise at this question. He scratched his head, trying to think of a witty comeback.

"Evolution?"

She groaned. "Even after all these years, you're still ignorant! Changelings weren't always heartless. I still had my heart when we met. You do remember those days, don't you?"

He scowled. "You mean when you tricked me, made me your pawn in your scheme to conquer Equestria?!"

"Oh, Equestria was never part of the plan. When you took over, I simply saw an opportunity and took advantage of it."

"But...you said..."

"I lied! The real reason I sent you to Equestria was so you could feel the pain I had felt! I knew those ponies would never accept you, just as you never accepted me!"

"What are you talking about?!" Discord asked again. "You're not making sense!" He paused. "Wow. Never knew how annoying that could be."

"Now," the queen said ominously, "I can have my revenge!"

"For what?!"

"For rejecting me!"

Discord could not remember a time where he had been more shocked. He blinked multiple times before he was able to speak.

"Wait. You...me...you had a...crush...on me?" He paused. "I don't know whether I should be flattered or disgusted."

Chrysalis cried out angrily and charged up her horn. Discord quickly scattered out of the way and hid behind a rock.

"You rejected me!" she shouted again.

"In my defense," Discord called desperately, "I had no way knowing!"

He rushed to a garbage can as Chrysalis shattered the rock into millions of pieces.

"When I realized you had no love in your heart for anything," she growled, "I sent you to Equestria so you would know what rejection felt like!"

Discord moved behind a crate as the queen destroyed his hiding place.

"I thought you and I were alike," she continued. "Two outcasts in a world of rejection. I thought you would understand."

She blasted the crate, revealing the draconequus huddled in a ball. He hurried inside a mailbox.

"But I couldn't stop thinking about you," Chrysalis admitted, her voice cracking. "I had to take the pain away. So, using a spell I had discovered in a book of dark magic, I removed my heart from my chest!"

Discord gagged. "That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?"

He teleported out of the mailbox when he heard her horn charge up. He watched as she made it explode into paper. Discord searched frantically for another place to hide.

"The spell did more than I thought," Chrysalis said, smirking at how helpless he looked. "When I became Queen and started having children, I discovered that my new race of changelings lacked of hearts as well! Unfortunately, it meant we had to fill that empty space in our chests with love from others. Oh, but it was all worth it! From feeding off the love of others, we gain power! And power is stronger than any emotion you can ever inflict upon me! And with you out of the way, Equestria will be ours!"

"Now, now, Chrissie!" Discord said, holding up his hands as he backed away. "Let's not get hasty! It wouldn't have worked out. I mean didn't you eat your last three husbands?"

Chrysalis growled and was about to cast another spell when something hit her on the back of the head. She looked down and saw it was an apple.

"Who threw that?!" she demanded, spinning around.

Lined up behind a wooden table was a purple dragon, two adolescent fillies, a colt with a bandaged head and a muscular red stallion. They were all wearing pots on their heads and were each holding an apple, except for the younger filly.

"Good shot, little cuz!" Apple Blossom exclaimed.

Cinnamon Roll cracked her hooves. "It's all in the ankle!"

"Now let's really teach her a lesson! The Apple Family way! Right, Pa?"

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh nodded.

"Ready?" Cinnamon Stick exclaimed. "Aim!"

The Apples raised their ammo.

"Fire!"

They threw the apples at the queen, who was too stunned to dodge them. Cinnamon Roll tossed some toward Spike. He set them on fire and batted them with his tail. Chrysalis shrieked as they burned her.

"Why, you meddling..."

She prepared her horn, ready to vaporize the lot when she heard Discord fall to the ground. She turned back to him and saw that he was running away.

"I'll deal with you later!" she shouted at the family.

Discord looked up to see the queen flying after him. He flapped his wings, hoping he would pick up speed, but she landed on him with a thud.

"Now, I can..."

She trailed off as she saw the battle's progress. Most of her army had fallen at the hand of...a giant rabbit.

"No!" she cried. "We will not lose! Especially not to a bunny!"

She fired at the rabbit's back. It roared as the magic enveloped him. There was a flash of light and in the giant's place was a tiny, fluffy, white bunny. It hopped away in fear.

"Harvey!" Red Shoes exclaimed.

"Oh my gosh!" Screwball uttered. "She's gained more power than I thought!"

Flutershy squeaked when she saw her husband lying beneath the queen's hooves.

"No more interruptions!" Chrysalis declared, her horn glowing green. "Say your prayers, Dissy dear!"

Discord tried to struggle out of her grasp, but he was too weak.

"Discord!" Fluttershy cried.

She flew out of her hiding place. Screwball reached for her tail, but missed.

"Mom, don't!"

A beam shot from the queen's horn and a painful scream was heard. Every pony, even the changelings, went silent and turned to the sound. Screwball's eyes were wild, Discord's mouth fell open, the others stared at the horrific scene.

Even Chrysalis watched in shock as the yellow pegasus fell limply to the ground.