//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: From Regret to Rage // by GivingSpider //------------------------------// Characters used here are property of their respective owners - Summer had arrived and brought very comfortable weather with it. Practically all of Equestria was actively enjoying the season’s bounty of sun and fun. From the golden coasts to the small towns nestled in the hearts of old forests there was much rejoicing. Celestia’s sun graciously sent warm rays that seemed to still give comfort and joy after the moon had taken its place. If there ever was a perfect time to spend with family; this had to be that time. Unless of course your father was trapped in stone and in what looked like a state of agony. Screwball slowly climbed her petrified parent and hugged his cold and hard neck. She glanced at the sun and muttered a silent curse. Everypony except her had found comfort in the warm glow. Everypony except her loved the sun. Screwball wasn’t a real fan of the moon or its master but she easily hated Celestia more than Luna. She glanced around the garden where her father stood and could see the castle. She saw the grand stained glass windows that decorated the audience chamber. The young filly could make out the simple pictures that depicted the six ponies that put him back in his statue form shortly after he escaped. Six ponies who each and every day since enjoyed their time with their loved ones and never once thought about her sadness. A lone tear crept from her eye as she averted her gaze. Screwball gently nuzzled her father’s neck and muttered a silent wish for him to be free again, but just like her words for the sun there was no reply from anypony or anything. The young earth pony steadily crept to the top of her father’s head and looked around the garden again. She had inherited Discord’s powers, imagination and his love of chaos. She could go forth and find plenty of amusement. If there was no amusement to be found she could create some at will. She could spend an entire day playing pranks on the unsuspecting in memory of her father’s antics. Screwball had even formed a very complex plan that resulted in taking off with the manes of Celestia and Luna and hiding them in a box full of paper snakes sitting on a pressure sensitive trigger wired to paint their coats a putrid green. She giggled to herself as she wiped away at her eye. She was so sure that her father would have loved to see it that she was ready to sign her name under it. Even if it meant that she would be caught. Screwball paused in her thoughts at the sound of somepony coming. She looked and saw a family of five moving through the garden. She didn’t pay any mind to what they were saying. She didn’t pout or threaten when the youngest stopped to make fun of her father’s distorted body. She simply watched them proceed with their little family outing. By the time they were gone her tears were back in force. She was so broken that she just about lost her focus on the magic that kept her invisible. Screwball clung to her father’s antler for support as she sobbed. Even though her family was close enough to tightly hug she felt intolerable lonely. Her father was literally right under her hooves yet he was so far away. She let her body slide downward until she rested in his outstretched arms. She lay there pretending that his warm limbs were really holding to mask the reality that she was in an uncomfortable position on what may as well be two long suspended rocks. She looked at the sun and offered a more audible insult. She looked at the window dedicated to her father’s second defeat and with the shake of her hoof she donated some colorful language to the silent garden. Two guards came into view after that. They glanced around in a thorough search for the outbursts and went from indignant to very confused. Screwball took some comfort in their confusion and admitted that it did make her feel a tiny bit better. She admitted that this wasn’t the first time she took her frustration out on the sentries that patrolled the garden; but she also had to admit that her problems weren’t with them. The guards themselves did nothing to her father. She looked at the sun. She had to make Celestia pay. She looked at where the moon would rise from. She had to make Luna pay. She looked at the stained glass window. She had to make the Element Bearers pay. She wiped her tears away and saw another family coming. Or was it the same one just going back to the exit? Screwball didn’t care. She stared at them from her perch on her father’s practically dead arms. She felt a distinct heat growing in her chest the felt an awful lot like jealousy. Her jealousy slowly burned and merged with her growing hatred. She dropped from her spot and stepped towards them as her judgment started to fade away. She only stopped when her anger turned into a reminder that the random family had nothing to do with her broken family. She paused as her anger slowly turned into a plan. She glanced at the window again and started to make careful calculations. Time seemed to just stop mattering as she thought. The sun fell and rose then fell again before she budged and scratched her nose. She abruptly gave her beanie propeller a spin and rose up to her father’s neck. She gave the cold surface a quick nuzzling before soaring off from the garden for the first time in what felt like ages. She flew with the determination of a storm towards her destination. She couldn’t remember ever going that fast in her life. Screwball shot through the air with such force that it was just easier to aim at an angle towards the ground than to slow down and stop. She pounded the ground with such force that she carved a decent wound in the ground. She got up and shook herself off before taking note of the confused ponies who witnessed a sudden unseen force carving up the earth. Screwball recognized the element of Honesty immediately and briefly considered skipping a few steps and getting revenge on the heartless farmer early. She took in some deep breaths for composure. She had a plan and was going to see it through. Step by step. Line by line. Her plan was perfect and it deserved a perfect execution. She trotted away from the farm towards the town in the distance. She dropped her spell of invisibility just before finding herself in the streets. She marched with purpose to her destination and sat in the road. She waited for the damn sun to come back up. The sun rose and she stared at the door in front of her. At the sound of the inside latch opening she marched inside. The smells of the bakery filled her instantly. They almost dulled the pain in her heart. She walked up to the Element of Laughter and gently tugged at her tail. The older earth pony turned and looked down at Screwball with a smile. Upon making eye contact Screwball channeled more energy and the ‘it’s a beautiful day and anything is possible’ smile turned into a cold stare. Screwball looked deep into her eyes and uttered a simple phrase. “I would like to order some cupcakes.”