Son-In-Law of Discord

by DisneyFanatic23


Confrontations and Complications

Twilight's jaw dropped as the all-too-familiar blue unicorn in the purple hat and cape poofed onstage. The alicorn quickly hid behind Mothball and crouched to the ground. He and Screwball looked down at her in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Mothball asked.

"Trixie?!" Twilight whispered. "Princess Bellatrix is Trixie?!"

"You know her?"

"Know her? She once took over Ponyville!"

"Oh, was she the one with the Alicorn Amulet?" Screwball questioned. "I thought you said she turned good afterwards."

"She did, but…I haven't seen her in over twenty years and…Mothball, are you sure that's her?"

The disguised changeling turned to the unicorn performing onstage and inhaled deeply.

"That's Bellatrix, alright," he declared.

Screwball slapped herself in the forehead. "Oh, I get it! Bellatrix? Trixie? Wow! This would've been so obvious if I had actually known this pony."

"It explains a lot. From what we found in her room, Bellatrix was a lover of magic. Like I said, she can get lots of love from an audience."

"So why are you hiding, Aunt Twilight?"

"I don't want to reveal myself until we're absolutely sure," the alicorn whispered.

"The brush is pointing right to her."

Sure enough, as Trixie moved across the stage, so did the hairbrush.

"And she has Bellatrix's scent," Mothball said.

"But…it just can't be," Twilight murmured. "I…I would've seen it! Right? It would explain why she hasn't really aged, but…she couldn't have been!"

"And now!" Trixie said to the crowd. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will now perform the most daring, most fantastical, most magnificent, most…!"

She paused and raised her nose, taking a sniff of the air. She looked down at the front row and went pale.

"Um, uh…" she stammered, her lip quivering. "And now the Great and Powerful Trixie will…disappear! Thank you, bye!"

She brought down her hooves and smoke appeared. Once it cleared, however, the trio could see her cape sweeping behind the curtain.

"Oh, no you don't!" Twilight hollered as she zoomed after her.

"Don't let her get away!" Screwball shouted as she and Mothball jumped onstage.

"Hey!" they heard from behind the curtain, followed by a thump.

As Screwball went backstage, Mothball looked back at the shocked audience and gave them a nervous grin.

"Um…that's all, folks!" he waved. "Just some, uh…family business! Move along! Nothing to see here!"

He jumped through the curtain to find Twilight pinning Trixie down, her horn glowing dangerously.

"Unhoof me!" Trixie demanded. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will not stand for this outrage!"

"Cut the act, Trixie!" Twilight ordered. "If that is your real name!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb! I know you're Princess Bellatrix in disguise! What have you done with the real Trixie?!"

Trixie blinked, looking genuinely confused. "What?"

"The real Trixie! What have you done with her?!"

"Twilight, I am Trixie!"

"Don't give me that! I know you're a changeling pretending to be Trixie so you can…"

"No, you don't understand! Bellatrix is Trixie!"

Twilight cocked her head. "Excuse me?"

The blue unicorn sighed in defeat. "The Great and Powerful Trixie and Princess Bellatrix are one in the same. Trixie is Bellatrix and Bellatrix is Trixie."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Are you really that dense, Twilight? Bellatrix didn't get rid of Trixie and pretend to be her. Bellatrix invented Trixie! She was Bellatrix when she first came to Ponyville and she was Bellatrix when she wore the Alicorn Amulet. Trixie had been Bellatrix all along!"

"She's telling the truth," Screwball announced.

"Thank you, uh…pony with weird eyes? Now, would you please get off me?!"

Twilight stepped lightly off Trixie, or rather Bellatrix, allowing her to rise. The changeling princess brushed herself off and scowled at the trio.

"It took you long enough to figure out I was a changeling," she said to the alicorn. "The question is: why come after me? And why bring my princely brother along?"

Mothball blinked as he changed into his true form. "How'd you know?"

She rolled her eyes. "Um, hello?! You smell like mustard mixed with plumeria, insect repellant and dirty underwear! And since only the queen can produce children, of course you're my brother!"

"Gee, thanks."

"You smell great to me, honey!" Screwball exclaimed.

"And who is this?" Trixie/Bellatrix asked. "Your girlfriend?" She sniffed in Screwball's direction and hissed. "What kind of abomination is she?!"

The chaotic pony scowled. "I happen to be Screwball, the daughter of Discord, Lord of Chaos. Perhaps you've heard of him?"

The changeling princess put her hooves on her hips. "Really, little brother? The daughter of Mother's sworn enemy? And in the company of a princess of Equestria, no less! Mother will kick you out for sure when she finds out."

"She already did," Mothball explained. "But she didn't kick me out. I left the hive."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Typical. Mother just can't keep her little birds in the nest, can she? So what are you doing here, uh…?"

"Mothball."

She snorted. "Mothball? Mother named you Mothball?! Well, after having thousands of children, I can imagine her running out of good names."

"So…if you've been a changeling this whole time," Twilight said, "why didn't you use your transfiguration skills in your show?"

"Ugh! Because then you would've known I was a changeling, of course! You would've sent the royal guards after me! Of course, the Great and Powerful Trixie can handle herself, but Princess Bellatrix didn't have her fellow changelings to back her up!"

"But your aura. It's pink. All the changelings I've seen have a green aura."

"Oh. That." Trixie tapped her horn. "That was always a mystery to Mother too. Apparently, I was also born with purple eyes, even though most changeling eyes are either blue or green. Mother says I might've gotten them from my father." She huffed. "If only she could remember who he was."

"Yeah, that seems to be a trend," Mothball muttered.

"You still haven't told me why you're here. Didn't Bellatrix make it clear that she wanted nothing more to do with the changelings?"

"Chrysalis said you were banished," Screwball said.

"I was," Trixie groaned, turning away. "But after Trixie's last encounter with Twilight Sparkle, Bellatrix began rethinking things. Twilight could've punished Trixie, but she forgave her. Eventually, Bellatrix lost interest in being Queen and left the changelings for good."

Screwball raised an eyebrow. "Why do you keep referring to yourself in the third person?"

The changeling princess shot her a weary look. "You would too if you had been living a double life for twenty-five years."

Mothball cleared his throat. "You see, um…sis…"

"Don't call me that. Just…don't."

"Right. Anyway, we came here because…Mother is dying."

He waited for Trixie's reaction, but she didn't even flinch.

"How unfortunate," she said dryly. "Well, doesn't really come as much of a surprise. She lived for like a thousand years or something. I'd say it's about time."

"Sheesh," Screwball whispered to her fiancé. "She really is your mother's daughter. Seriously, if you gave her that echo effect, I'd think it was your mom talking!"

"Is that all you came to say? That Mother is dying? Am I to be invited to her funeral?"

"Geez, Trixie," Twilight said, scrunching her nose. "I mean I'm not so fond of Chrysalis either, but she's your mother for crying out loud!"

"I know that," Trixie grunted, turning around. "She's also the mare who's called me useless and weak my entire life! Did I not mention she kicked me out because I was 'unfit to rule?'"

"Yeah, about that," Mothball said, stepping forward. "We actually came to ask you to be Queen in her place."

The changeling princess raised an eyebrow. Then she threw back her head and laughed.

"Oh, I get it! This is a joke, right? You've come to play a joke on Bellatrix, huh? Make fun of the royal failure, huh?"

"No, we're surprisingly serious," Screwball said in annoyance.

"Mother asked for you personally," Mothball declared.

Trixie snorted. "Yeah, right. Like that mare would ask for me! After all, she's got you, hasn't she? The perfect little prince she's so fond of?"

The prince groaned. Sister or not, he was really losing patience with this mare.

"I can't be King and marry Screwy."

"Ah, yes," Trixie smirked. "The classic Romeo and Juliet dilemma. Mother won't even let her undergo the transformation, eh?"

"Transformation?" Twilight questioned.

"I don't want that life for her!" Mothball said quickly.

"Can't blame you," Trixie said with a sigh. "As we both know, the life of a changeling is full of misery."

"So will you accept the throne or not?"

She huffed. "You're kidding, right? After decades of trying to please that control freak, you really think I'm going to follow in her hoofsteps?!"

"But…" Twilight uttered. "Didn't you always want power?"

"I did," Trixie spat in her face, "but that was before…you!"

The alicorn jumped back. "Is this about that Ursa Minor again? Or the Alicorn Amulet?"

"Both and more! You have no idea what you did to Trixie, did you?! When Mother kicked Bellatrix out, she sought out to impress her in any way she could! So she became the Great and Powerful Trixie and won the adoration of millions, slowly building up power so she could show her mother what she was made of! But then you came along and showed her up that no pony would come and see her shows!

"So she found the Alicorn Amulet, which gave her enough power to take control of Ponyville, and later Equestria! What would impress her mother more than doing what she had failed to do in the past? But then you show me up again, destroying all chances Bellatrix had of winning back her crown!"

Trixie paused and hung her head. "But…all that power had twisted Bellatrix's heart. She became a monster and…felt sorry for it. She didn't think you'd forgive her, but you did and…that opened up new possibilities."

She began pacing the wagon. "Trixie tried to change, but she still had to eat. So she continued her show business. She even became a queen for a short while."

"Oh yeah," Twilight interjected. "Rainbow told me about that incident with the Diamond Dogs."

"But Trixie wasn't cut out to be a ruler! While it would've been enough to impress her mother, she just couldn't handle it! So…that was when she gave up her royal ambition."

"I'm confused," Screwball said, cradling her head. "I mean not just with trying to keep up with the dual personality thing, but are you mad at Aunt Twilight or not?"

Trixie scowled. "Oh, I'm very mad! At Mothbutt too! You see, Twilight…" She stuck her nose in the alicorn's face. "Perfect, little Twilight! You have so much power, Twilight! You should be my student, Twilight! Here's a pair of wings and a crown, Twilight! Twilight, Twilight, TWILIGHT!"

"I thought we were past this," said the alicorn. "Last time we met, you…"

"Trixie thought we were too! Trixie's not jealous of you, Twilight, but Bellatrix is! You were always so powerful, so perfect, that even my own mother favored you over me! Oh, yes! I know all about Mother's offer to make you her protégé! To top it all off, you were made a princess!"

She tuned to Mothball. "And you! Mummy's little favorite! Don't deny it! You should've heard her raving about how powerful you were at such a young age! Why should Mother need Bellatrix when she's already got her perfect, precious prince and perfect princess protégé?!"

"Okay, lady," Screwball said, "you need to get a grip! First off, it's not that hard to speak in the first person. Second, Twilight didn't accept Chrysalis' offer and third, this is your chance to finally prove your mother wrong! I mean look around you!"

She gestured around the room. "An old, rundown wagon with a limited amount of space? A greasy old stove? A bed with a moth-eaten blanket? A…gross, is that a chamber pot? You're not even getting that big of an audience! No offense, girl, but your life doesn't look so hot. Wouldn't it be a big step up to be Queen of the Changelings? Heck, anything would be better than this cesspool! Even my home's not nearly as messy! If you accept the throne, wouldn't you be exchanging this life for a better one?"

Trixie hung her head. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

"What? What could possibly be holding you…?"

She was cut off as the wagon's side door opened. Mothball quickly put his disguise back on.

"Mom, I'm home!" a blue filly carrying a basket exclaimed. "I got the chili peppers, though they were out of white ones, but I got good deal on the…"

She trailed off when she realized they weren't alone. The filly looked about ten years old, possessing bright yellow eyes like an owl's. She was dressed most unusually, with a set of red rubber boots on all her hooves, a pair of white disco pants concealing her back legs and posterior, and a purple baseball cap sitting backwards on her head. They could not see her horn, but it was clear she was a unicorn since the basket of chili peppers was floating beside her, encased in a green aura. The hair curling out from under the cap was light blue and blue-gray and also curled down her neck.

Mothball sniffed the air and smelled the strange scent he had caught earlier.

The filly tilted her head at the trio. "Mom, what's going on?"

"Moonbeam," Trixie said, biting her lip nervously. "Sweetie, uh…Mummy's having a little meeting right now, so…"

"Hey wait," Moonbeam said, her face lighting up. "Is that Princess Twilight?!"

She dropped her basket and zoomed in front of the alicorn. She was jumping up and down in excitement.

"Oh my gosh! I am such a huge fan! You're like…the most amazing pony ever! Oh! Next to my mom, of course."

"Of…course," Twilight stammered, trying to wrap her head around what she was seeing.

Moonbeam turned to Screwball and gasped. "Wow! Look at your eyes!"

The chaotic pony grinned. "I would, but…they're kind of in my head."

The filly snorted. "I think they're cool! Ooh! And I like your hat!"

"Thanks. I like yours."

Moonbeam sniffed the air and turned to Mothball. "Hey, Mom! This guy smells like us! Only more underwear-y. Hey. How come you smell like underwear when you're not wearing any?"

"Moonbeam!" Trixie exclaimed, stomping her hoof. "Wait outside, would you?" She started pushing the filly gently out the door. "And remember, if you feel a sneeze coming on…"

"I duck out of sight," Moonbeam said, rolling her eyes as if they had gone through this before.

"Good girl. This won't take a minute."

"Can you get me Princess Twilight's autograph?"

Trixie groaned. "Yes, yes, Mummy will get you an autograph."

"What's she doing here anyway? Are you getting arrested again?"

"Just wait outside!"

After giving her a final push, Trixie slammed the door. Then she sighed as she leaned her forehead against it.

"Your daughter?" Twilight asked.

Trixie nodded.

"How old?"

"Nine."

"And the father?"

Trixie sighed again as she stepped away from the door. "Doesn't even know."

"Is she a…?" Mothball started to ask.

"Yes."

"But she looks just like you," Twilight said. "I mean…this you."

"Well," Trixie heaved as she faced the trio, "Moonbeam's a…special case. She came as a surprise, really. I didn't think I'd be able to reproduce until after I received the Royal Blessing. The day Moonbeam came…well…it's a good thing I wasn't in a hospital, or else she would've shocked the nurses. Yes, she has a changeling form, but…I guess her DNA got confused.

"See, I had spent so much time in this pony form that when she came out, she not only resembled my disguise, but had a few of…her father's traits. But when she sneezed, she turned into a changeling larva. I swear, I thought I was going nuts! But it kept happening every time she sneezed. She has no control over her transformations whatsoever."

"So why the get-up?" Screwball asked.

Trixie bit her lip. "There are…some things she can't even hide in her pony form."

"But she's still a royal, right?" Mothball inquired.

"Of course, she is. I certainly didn't make her on my own, did I?"

"But doesn't this make you a better candidate for Queen?" Screwball questioned. "I mean you've already got the heir part covered."

Trixie scowled. "I am not subjecting my daughter to that life! I will not have her growing up with high hopes, only to have them crushed in the end!"

"Does she know about changelings?" Mothball asked.

"Oh, she knows what we are, but I haven't told her…everything. She doesn't know we're royals, or about the hive, let alone about Mother. But she knows how vital it is that we hide ourselves, in order to avoid being ostracized. Luckily, she doesn't need a lot of love to keep her going and can survive on regular food, but I've never had her feed on any pony. She's a good soul and if she knew she had the capability to hurt some pony…"

She folded her hooves and turned away. "So you see why I can't accept the throne. It will only bring my daughter to ruin."

Twilight stared at her for a long time. "What's happened to you, Trixie?"

"You want me to go over the whole backstory again?" Trixie snorted.

"No, I mean, why do you seem so…cold?"

She shrugged. "A lot's changed over the years."

"Yes, but…the Trixie I knew was so full of passion and you're…I don't know what it is, but if not for the frustration, I'd almost say you were…emotionless."

Trixie gave her an annoyed look. "You're the genius, Twilight. You figure it out."

Mothball had an idea and used the spell to help him see her loved ones. He had at least thought Moonbeam would come up, but he saw nothing. He looked sympathetically at Trixie.

"You don't have a heart, do you?"

Trixie turned away. Twilight's eyes widened in shock.

"But…no! I mean last time we met, you were so…remorseful and…and crying and…"

"I had a heart then," the changeling princess snapped, "but not anymore! Okay?!"

"So wait," Mothball said. "You were born with a heart? And knew about it?"

"Of course I knew I had a heart! I mean what idiot would grow up not knowing they had a heart?"

The prince blushed.

"What happened?" Screwball asked.

Trixie sighed. "Ten years ago, I returned to the hive and asked my mother to remove my heart. She did it, thinking making me emotionless would help me become a better changeling. I'll confess, I was thinking of returning, but…once I was devoid of most of my emotions, I began thinking logically. Mother never cared for me. She just wanted a piece of clay to mold into a copy of herself. I would never be what she wanted me to be, so…I told her I was done."

"But why? Why have your heart ripped out?"

Twilight was the first to answer. "Moonbeam's father. He broke your heart, didn't he?"

Trixie said nothing for a while. Then she straightened up.

"Look, I'm sorry you came all this way for nothing, but I am never going back to that insane asylum. So if you have nothing more to say, I suggest you leave."