Chapter 4
I didn’t see this one coming; I never would have guessed that when I got home I would have a filly that was created from my own magic hugging me. As much as I wanted to like this I couldn’t, she thought I was her father when I don't actually know her, I didn’t even know how she got here. I went on one knee and went to her eye level.
“Screwball, how did you get here and where did you come from?”
She giggled an insanely cute giggle. “That’s easy daddy, I’m a part of you remember? The reason I’m here is because I was sleeping, waiting for you to come back but then I felt this huge magic energy and I knew you had woken up. I didn’t know why you didn’t let me out yet so I let myself out and now I’m here. Isn’t that wonderful?”
I gave her a nervous smile unsure of what to do. “Yeah…great.”
She pulled on my arm and tried to lead me out. “Come on daddy, let’s go have some fun.”
I had to tell her the truth, I couldn’t tell her I was her father if it wasn’t true.
“Wait Screwball, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it daddy?”
“You can’t call me that because…I’m not your dad.”
She looked confused and a little hurt. “What? But, you look just like him.”
“This isn’t what I really look like.” I snapped my fingers and turned into my human form. “This is me, the real me. I just have your dad’s powers, I’m sorry for getting your hopes up.”
Now she looked really hurt. “How did this happen?”
I went and sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to me, asking her to come sit down. She climbed up on the couch and sat next to me.
“Okay here’s what happened, you know how your dad loves to make chaos and because of that he was imprisoned?”
She nodded.
“Well, he broke out two days ago and some ponies got hurt and a lot of stuff got broken.”
She looked sad. “I didn’t know that ponies got hurt. Why didn’t he tell me he was out? He created me because he was lonely, why didn’t he let me out to play with him?”
“I wish I knew, but I don’t. Anyway, he was out for less than a day before he was put back into stone by my friends. The princess felt bad about imprisoning him again so she gave him an ultimatum.” She looked at me with confusion. “She gave him a choice, either change his ways and be let out or stay in stone forever.”
“So did he change?” She asked
I shook my head. “No, in fact he was going to make someone else change for him so that he didn’t have to then use that person to take over Equestria. Can you guess who that person is?”
She put her hoof to her chin and started thinking. “The princess?”
I smiled a bit at her silliness. “Me. He took me from where I lived and tried to use me to take over but I stopped him.” Suddenly something dawned on me. “But now I can’t get back, everything’s lost forever. My home, my friends, and my family they’re all gone.”
I was hurting now that I realized that everyone who I ever loved or cared about was gone, and it’s all thanks to Discord. Although it isn’t all bad, because of him I now have the power to bend reality to my whim, become everything I always wanted to be, and now I get to make new friends here in Ponyville with characters that I really like. I had a chance to start life anew, and as I looked at this small filly I felt that she deserved the same.
“Hey Screwball, I may not have a chance to talk to my dad again but that doesn’t mean that you should suffer the same.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m gonna take you to see your dad. It’s the least I can do for you.” We both got up off the couch and I reached my hand out. “Grab my hand and I can teleport us both there.”
She grabbed my hand and with my other one I snapped my fingers and we were teleported to the Canterlot garden where Discord was being held.
When we finished teleporting we were a couple feet off the ground so we fell down with a thump. I landed on my butt and it really hurt. "Ow, okay I still need to master long range teleportation." After that I walked through the garden to find the Discord statue with Screwball standing close to me, as we got closer to his statue Discord took notice.
“Oh look if it isn’t the human. What? Came to gloat that you trapped the most powerful being in Equestria in stone?” He said, probably still vexed that he was defeated so easily.
From behind me I heard Screwball whispering. “You trapped my daddy in stone?”
“I’m sorry, he was going to get out and reak havoc if I didn't do something.” I turned my attention back to Discord. “No need to be so mean, at least there’s some pony here who wants to see you.”
He looked curious as to who I was talking about until he saw Screwball step out from behind me then his expression changed, I wasn’t sure if it was good or bad though.
“Hi dad.” Screwball said a bit reluctant.
“Oh, hi…” Discord said not very enthusiastic.
This caught me off guard “Wow Discord, I would have thought that you’d be glad to have some company after being imprisoned in stone for a second time and especially since it’s your daughter.”
He scoffed. “Pfft oh please, I spent enough time with her while I was in stone. I could hear her consciousness yack, yack, yacking away and never stopping.”
I was a bit surprised at his response. “Okay, why are you acting like this? Seriously, who pissed in your cereal that you don’t want company?”
He started to look angry. “You want to know? Fine, I’ll tell you. When I first started ruling Equestria I was lonely and I wanted someone to rule by my side. I knew every pony was too scared of me so I made somepony myself, somepony who would want to be like me, a child.”
“So you created her to be your protege, someone you could mold into your image. You didn’t originally want her to be your daughter?” I asked.
“No, I didn’t want her as my daughter but she wouldn’t stop calling me daddy so I just ignored it after a while.”
“Okay, but I still don’t understand why you don’t want her here.”
“Ugh, because when I was put back in stone she was put back into me, her body was lost but her consciousness still remained and we talked and talked for decades until I got sick of it. Eventually, I learned how to get her to stop talking and I haven’t heard from her since.”
Now Screwball looked hurt. “So, you didn’t like me?”
“Hm let’s see, do I want to be with someone who endlessly talked for dozens of years on end. Hm, let me think…no!” He screamed the last bit which made Screwball scared and she went back behind me.
“Okay Discord that was a little bit too far don’t you think?”
“No, it’s not going too far when I don’t care.”
Now I was getting upset. “You don’t care? How can you not care about a filly that you created, who is literally tied to you by her very nature?”
“Because I find her insufferable.”
Now, I was entering full on rant mode. “Insufferable? You know what I find insuferable? When people are mean to children, I can understand being pissed off at an adult, or a bank that steals your money, or even a freaking inanimate object that you stub your toe on, but I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate HATEanyone who would be mean to a child. I just met Screwball today but I can tell she’s a way better person than you can hope to be, oh that’s right you don’t even want to be a nice person you wanted to trick me into being nice for you, you manipulating jerk.”
“Oh stop being so immature.”
“I’m immature? What’s immature is to completely ignore an important part of your life just because you’re annoyed with her. And in the end that’s what it all comes down to, you’re the one who’s immature and refuses to change so you manipulate everyone else. I used to think you were a cool guy who just wanted to cause panic but you're not your just an a**hole.”
“Okay now you’re taking things too far.”
“No, you want to know what would be taking things too far?” I snapped my fingers and summoned a giant two handed war hammer. “Me smashing you to bits and ending your sorry existence when there isn't a god damned thing you can do about it!”
I raised the hammer in anger and wanted so much to smash him to bits but then I saw Screwball who was now cowering in fear behind me. I couldn’t end the life of someone else, even someone as evil as Discord had a family and I needed to respect that.
“No, I won’t end you.” I snapped my fingers and the hammer disappeared. “You may be evil but you never killed anypony with your magic and if I want to prove that I’m better than you than I’m going to at least abide by your one good rule.”
Suddenly, all that anger left me and all I was left with was a crying Screwball which I couldn’t stand. I leaned down and wiped the tears from her eyes, and then I had a thought.
“Take a good look Discord because this is the last time you’ll see her.” I told him.
“Hm? Whatever do you mean?”
“Discord in a way I’m like you, I’m lonely and all my family and friends are gone and I can’t get back to them. Now think about it, if I’m very kind and very lonely and the very last human I’ll ever know, and there isn’t anything I can’t do, can I really just stand here and watch a child cry? No I can’t, so instead I’m gonna give her a reason to smile.”
With that I snapped my fingers and both me and Screwball disappeared back to my house. We both sat down, neither one of us talking due to what had occurred. A few minutes passed by and I needed to break the silence
“Screwball, I’m really sorry you had to see that. I didn’t mean to get all angry in front of you and make you cry, especially in front of your dad.”
She was still sniffling a bit, she had stopped crying earlier but she still looked sad.
“He’s not my dad anymore; he says he doesn’t want me and that he doesn’t like me. How can I call him dad after that?”
I walked over and put my arm around her shoulders trying to comfort her.
“I know and I’m sorry you had to go through that but there are still people who care about you.”
“Oh really? Who could care about someone as weird as me?”
I laughed a bit. “Me of course, in a way we both come from the same source, your dad gave me his powers because he felt that I was most like him just nicer, and he created you with his magic. But you are way funnier, kinder, smarter, and frankly cuter than he could ever be.”
She looked at me with wide eyes. “Do you mean that?”
“Of course I do, I said the exact same thing five minutes ago and I meant it both times. The way that I see it there’s no pony who wouldn’t want to have you for a daughter; in fact I have one in particular.”
“Who is it?”
“Me.”
She looked a bit surprised. “You? Why you?”
“Why not? I mean think about it, I’ve got the same carefree and laid back attitude of your dad, I’ve got his powers, and all three of us are cuckoo for cocoa puffs.”
“Cocoa what?” She asked
“Right, you don’t have those here. The point is that you and I are very similar and I really like having you around Screwball, plus it’s not like we can leave you without a dad, you’re still just a filly and you need someone to look after you. You need someone to help you and care for you and not just be your playmate. If you’d like I could be that person, and you could live here with me and be happy.” I opened my arms. “Screwball, will you be my daughter?”
She looked at me curiously for a moment until she smiled and ran up to me, jumping up and hugging me so tightly. “Yes, I’d love that.”
I couldn’t help but grin like an idiot. “That’s great, I’m really glad you accepted me, I thought it would be kind of weird since you just met me.”
She smiled and looked me in the eyes. “You stood up for me and made me feel appreciated, that’s more than my dad did for me. You sound like a really nice man and I’d love to call you dad.”
To hear that made me so happy. “You know I’ve never been a father before. They say that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication but I have a feeling that you are gonna be worth it Screwball.” I let her down from out hug. “So, what do you want to do? It’s only around seven o clock.”
Her stomach answered for her as I heard a low grumble.
“Food right, you’re probably hungry. Come on let’s head to the kitchen.”
We walked down the hall and I opened a door revealing a well-stocked kitchen with lots of food for ponies and a special cabinet filled with food just for me (mostly meats and stuff). I also have a refrigerator because I really like to cook, and this way I can keep the food cold in case I didn’t finish it (Whenever I seemed to summon food it’s always slightly warm.) Screwball sat down at a small table meant for two and I went to the fridge to see what we had.
“Screwball, do you like apples?”
“Yeah, they’re good.”
“Then you’re in for a treat.”
I took out three red delicious apples from the fridge, grabbed a jar of peanut butter and a butter knife, and a plate to put it on. I set the knife, jar, and plate on the table. First, I took the apples sliced them into fourths so there were twelve strips of apple. Then, I picked up the butter knife, opened the peanut butter jar and spread it evenly over every piece. When I was done Screwball looked a bit confused at the food I prepared.
“I’m sorry you’ve never seen food like this before but it’s good I promise you. Go ahead, try it.”
Screwball leaned her head down and ate one of the apple slices with peanut butter on it and I could tell she really liked it.
“This is so good, it’s sweet and crunchy and juicy all at the same time.”
“Well it’s nothing special, back home I could make way cooler stuff than this but there will be plenty of time for that later. For now let’s just enjoy our apples.”
We both sat down and ate six apple pieces each with left us both full, when we finished I put my plate in the sink and sat back down at the table.
“Look Screwball, normally I’m not very serious but this is one of those times when I need to be.”
“What is it?”
“Well it’s like this, you’re a young filly right? About seven years old-“
“Eight.” She corrected.
“And there’s still a lot about this world that you need to be taught, so I was thinking that you need to be signed up to go to school.”
“School? I haven’t gone there before, what’s that like?”
“Oh it’s a great place that helps you learn things about history and people, you get to read books, learn how to do math, and you can make friends with a lot of ponies.”
She looked excited. “That sounds like fun.”
“Oh it will be.” I lied, I’m a teenager and I know school is important but let’s face it it’s really boring.
“So tomorrow’s…actually I don’t know what tomorrow is, I’ve been here for two days and I didn’t even bother to check the calendar.”
I snapped my fingers and summoned a small calendar to hang on my fridge, I looked at the date and saw that today was Saturday, September 16th.
“16th? Okay so school has already started but she won’t be that far behind, that’s good.” “It’s Saturday so you can still play on Sunday and then I’ll take you in for school on Monday, that sounds fair?”
“Okay.” Screwball gave me a cute innocent smile and then yawned.
“Well some pony sounds tired, though I suppose forcing yourself out of a magical being, getting yelled at by your dad, and getting a new dad and place to live would take a lot out of you. Right then let’s get you to bed.”
She put her hooves up. “Carry me?”
She was too cute to resist so I picked her up, placed her on my back, and took her to bed. Since she was going to be living with me now for a few years I needed to make her a room to sleep in, we walked up to a room that was right next to mine and I put my hand on the door to activate my magic for the room. I shaped it, made a few changes, and put a mark on the door so Screwball would know which room was hers, it was her cutie mark a baseball right next to a screw. After about a minute I was happy with the result and opened the door revealing her new room.The walls were a shade of purple, the same as her coat, with a medium sized bed with a blue blanket for her to sleep in, a dresser to put things on, and a bookshelf filled with stories I could read to her.
“This is your room Screwball; hope you like it I made it myself.”
I wanted to see if she liked it but I looked behind me and saw her already starting to fall asleep. Gently, I placed her on the bed, tucked her under the blankets, and kissed her forehead good night.
“Good night Screwball.” I said softly.
"Goodnight." I heard her murmur.
I quietly shut the door to her room and crept into the living room, I sat down on the couch and just reflected on everything that happened. I still find it hard to believe that in two days my life had completely changed forever, whether it be the magical powers, making friends with the ponies, and now I have a small filly to look after. Was I said that I may not ever see my friends and family again? Of course, but I have a new life here and now i've got some pony who's going to depend on me to help them. I have a lot of things before me but I know I can handle it. Watch out Equestria, things are gonna get chaotic.