In the nursery, the fillies were waiting for Fluttershy to come back. They hoped that their nanny will come back and play with them again. The fillies fidgeted and sighed. Waiting is one thing they do not like doing at all.
"Aah, where is she?" Scootaloo cried. "I'm bored! It's been 20 minutes and I want her to play with us now!"
"Me too!" Babs Seed grumbled.
"Screwy, you can sense what ponies are doing, can you find out what Miss Fluttershy is doing?" Apple Bloom suggested.
"No need to tell me twice, AB!" Screwball smiled, as she closed her eyes. A vision of Miss Fluttershy talking with the servants appeared in her head. "She's still talking with our staff. It doesn't look like she'll be coming in a while.
"Aw, nuts!" Apple Bloom groaned, kicking at her toy ball. "I hate waiting!"
"Maybe we can do something else until she comes," Sweetie Belle said, gently.
"Okay Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo sarcastically remarked. "How about 'Pin the tail on Apple Bloom'?" Her red-haired sister scowled.
"How about a fair fight?" Apple Bloom challenged, pulling a surprised Scootaloo up by her fur, with her other hoof curled into a fist. Screwball quickly flashed between them before the fight started.
"Would you two knock it off?"
"How about hide-and-seek, girls?" Babs Seed offered. The other fillies smiled and agreed with her. Screwball was the only exception. She remembered Mothball and didn't want him to be discovered by her sisters!
"Guys I don't want to play this game, let's play something else!"
"Oh come on, Screwy!" Babs Seed said rolling her eyes. "It won't take that long!"
"Besides, you're outvoted!" Scootaloo chimed in. Screwball really did not want to play this game but she did not want to make her sisters angry. She thought of a way to make a compromise.
"Okay, but nopony hide in the wardrobe, okay?"
"Why?" Apple Bloom blinked with confusion.
"Because that'll be too obvious!" Screwball winked. "You need to hide in a place where nopony would ever suspect!"
"Oh, can we hide in the kitchen?" Sweetie Belle perked up.
"Yeah, whatever!" Screwball agreed, abruptly. She knew that she and her sisters would get in trouble for being outside of the nursery without an adult, but she had to think of something to keep Mothball hidden!
"If you say so...," Apple Bloom frowned. She had a feeling that Screwball 's hiding something. Whatever it was.
"So, who's going to be 'it?'" Scootaloo convoked.
"5...4...3...2...1! Ready or not, here I'll come!" Sweetie Belle shouted. Having already heard hoof steps leaving the nursery, Sweetie Belle gallopped out through the door. What she failed to realize was that Screwball had turned invisible during counting. Once Sweetie Belle was out of the room, Screwball became visible and decided to check on her friend. She gave a signal and the wardrobe opened. The princess stepped inside and found the young changeling sitting. Mothball quickly scrambled to his hooves and bowed before Screwball.
"Good afternoon Princess Screwball," the young changeling murmured politely.
"Mothball, please call me Screwball!" The princess giggled. "None of this 'Princess stuff', I don't do formalities!"
"Okay Prin-er, I mean Screwball!" Mothball stuttered nervously. He mentally kicked himself for embarrassing himself in front of her. Screwball sat down on her haunches in front of him. She turned on the wardrobe light on. When she did, Screwball felt her heart stop. She did not realize that Mothball had such lovely eyes. She felt like she could drown in them forever! Mothball felt the same way about Screwball's swirling eyes. To him, they were so mesmerizing. It lasted for a couple of minutes before one of the kids spoke.
"Mothball, you promised me that you tell me why you are here," Screwball whispered. "So why are you here?"
Of course Mothball remembered, he was just nervous about telling her about it. He swallowed and took a deep breath.
"Did you remember when I told you I'm running away?" He asked her. Screwball nodded. Of course she remembered.
"Yes, but from who?" She elaborated.
"From Starlight Glimmer!" Mothball growled. Screwball blinked.
"Starlight Glimmer? The countess?" Screwball did not know anything about politics but one thing she heard from her father was how much he hates Starlight Glimmer. She did not know why because whenever she'd ask him, he'd only tell her that she's not to be trusted.
"The one and only," Mothball confirmed. Screwball motioned him to continue.
"You see, I am from a small village, called McMane. My father, who was an earth pony, worked as a carpenter. My mother, a changeling, was a stay-at-home mom. Although we struggled to pay our house bills, the family was still happy together. One day, Starlight Glimmer, came to our town and started preaching about equality. You know, that all ponies should be equal and we should make that possible for Equestria."
"That doesn't seem so bad," Screwball said with a small smile. She was aware that mares did not have the same opportunities as stallions do when it comes to finding a job or inheriting their own homelands.
"Yes, but my parents and I really did not know what she was talking about. I thought she meant help ponies and non-ponies get along or that peasants should have the same rights as aristocrats! But we were wrong."
"Well, what was she talking about, then?" Screwball threw her arms up in the air, frowning. Mothball took another deep breath. He started to shiver.
"Glimmer was talking about getting rid of any animal that's not a pony whether it's a griffon, a dragon, a donkey, a penguin, a changeling, or in my case, a hybrid!"
"Why would she do such a thing?" Screwball gasped, putting her hoofs to her mouth.
"I do not know," Mothball grumbled. "When my parents saw Starlight Glimmer and her soldiers forcing a family of donkeys into a wagon, that's when we realized something was up!"
"How did you escape?" Screwball pressed on. She noticed Mothball's eyes becoming misty as he spoke.
"My parents told me I was no longer safe and had to escape. At night, they packed me food and clothing and told me to run as fast as I can! I didn't want to leave but I had no choice! It was either leave or stay and be taken away by Starlight! I ran as fast I could, hoping to find a place to hide! I traveled many miles and could not find a good hiding spot. Just when I was about to give up, I saw your castle and came here."
Screwball wanted nothing more to take the pain away from Mothball. She wished there was something she could do. Being separated from your family is something that Screwball could never imagine. It must be as painful as losing them to a strange drink.
"Do..you miss your parents?" She whispered, sadly.
"Of course!" Mothball emphasized. "I just hope they're still safe."
Without warning, Mothball felt himself being enveloped by Screwball's forelegs. He blushed at feeling so close to her and slowly wrapped his forelegs around her hair. Suddenly, the door swung open widely. The two tweens looked as if they saw a ghost and hugged each other tighter. The little princesses just continued standing there in the doorway, frozen. Their eyes never leaving their sister and the strange changeling until one of the fillies spoke.
"Hey Screwball, you said no pony can hide in the wardrobe!" Babs Seed shouted.
"Yeah, you cheated!" Scootaloo added, pointing her hoof at Screwball.
"I don't think that's the problem here," Apple Bloom said, glaring at Mothball.
"Who's he?" Sweetie Belle said, pointing her hoof at Mothball.
"Um, I can explain!" Mothball stammered.
"I'm telling Miss Fluttershy!" Apple Bloom warned. She started her way toward the exit door. Screwball poofed in front of her sister before Apple Bloom could reach the doorknob.
"Wait, don't tell Miss Fluttershy!" She cried. The eldest princess was not sure how angry her nanny would be, but she did not want to take the chance! Besides, Fluttershy might tell her father afterwards and he'll go berserk!
"MISS FLUTTERSHY! MISS FLUTTERSHY! MISS FLUTTERSHY!" Apple Bloom hollered. As she did, red winds appeared and slowly formed into a cloud in the ceiling. It made a thundering sound, Screwball tried to shush Apple Bloom but her sister just kept yelling. Mothball and the others noticed the red cloud and freaked out when it began to rain apples!
"DUCK!" Mothball shouted, hiding under Screwball's bed. Sweetie Belle managed to make a tent out of her blankets with her magic and took shelter. Scootaloo and Babs Seed retrieved under the beds.
Just then, Fluttershy opened the nursery door. Her eyes widened at the sight of apples raining hard in the nursery. Screwball literally zipped Apple Bloom's lips. The red cloud dissolved and the remaining apples splattered onto the floor. Everypony peeked out from their hiding spots when they heard the apples no longer falling. mothball did too, but slowly shrank back a little when his eyes glanced at a shocked Fluttershy.
"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy cried, seeing splattered applesauce everywhere. "What happened? Why is there applesauce everywhere?"
"Um, I can explain," Screwball said, sheepishly.
"...and that's why I'm here!" Mothball finished, rubbing the back of his head. So much for his cover not belong blown. He, Screwball, and Fluttershy were sitting in Fluttershy's bedroom, talking. The story the colt told Fluttershy was not as detailed as he told Screwball, because he did not want to bore the nanny. The other fillies were cleaning up the mess in the nursery. Sweetie Belle was the only one who successfully used her unicorn magic to clean the room faster by making half of the mess disappear. The others were not so lucky and had to use broomsticks and dustpans.
"Please don't tell father, Miss Fluttershy!" Screwball begged. "If you do, Father will send Mothball away. He has nowhere else to go! Please don't tell father!"
When Fluttershy stayed silent, Screwball spoke again.
"You won't tell father, right?"
"How long have you been here, Mothball?" Fluttershy finally asked.
"Two days, Miss Fluttershy," Mothball answered.
"Have you had anything to eat?"
"Not since this morning, Miss Fluttershy."
Fluttershy pondered for a while, and then, smiled.
"I'll get you something some food, some clothes, and a proper bed. As along as you stay in the nursery, nopony would ever know."
Both Mothball and Screwball sighed in relief. Screwball was glad she did not have to use her magic to sneak food to Mothball.
"But Miss Fluttershy," Mothball started, still a bit worried. "What if the cooks-"
"Don't worry, if they ask who I'm getting food for, I'll say it's for my pet rabbit," Fluttershy assured him. The changeling was so happy that he gave the surprised buttercream pegasus a hug.
"Oh thank you so much, Miss Fluttershy! You don't know how much this means to me!"
Screwball smiled and giggled.
"Remember how I told you I don't need a nanny, Miss Fluttershy? Well, maybe I do now!"