Love Will Find a Way
Discord sat sadly on an upside-down tree stump, his head in his hands.
"First my wife," he uttered, "now my children! I should have known! The only creature you can trust is yourself!"
As he spoke, Zany appeared in the air before him, bringing a smile to the draconequus' face.
"Ah, my boy!" he exclaimed, taking the baby in his arms. "You missed your daddy, didn't you? You'll never leave me, right?"
Had he not been caught up in his joy, he would have noticed the devious smile on the infant's face.
Mothball hiked through the forest, carrying the unconscious mare on his back. His ears perked up as he heard a group of changelings nearby and quickly dove into the bushes. Screwball let out a moan. He silenced her with his hoof.
"She must be around here somewhere!" one of the soldiers said. "I smell chocolate milk!"
The prince gulped, but then had an idea. He took the form of a soldier changeling and leapt out of his hiding place.
"You dumb bugs missed her!" he exclaimed, pointing in the direction he had just come. "She went that way!"
One of the changelings sniffed the air. "He's right! The trail is fresh! We can still catch her!"
As soon as the three were gone, Mothball picked Screwball up and moved as fast as his legs could carry them both. After a while, he came across a strangely decorated hut inside a grand tree. The light was on, so whoever lived there was home.
Maybe they can help, Mothball thought.
He was about to knock on the door when he realized he was still in his changeling guise. No pony would assist him while looking like this. He transformed into the disguise he had used earlier that day with Screwball. He tapped his now gray hoof on the door.
"Who is knocking so late?" a deep female voice called from inside. "I'm coming, please wait!"
A black and white striped pony opened the door.
"Who are you, stranger? Do you not know the danger of being out at night in this forest of fright?"
"Please!" Mothball pleaded. "You have to help me! My friend here, she's..."
The pony's eyes widened at the sight of the unconscious mare. "Screwball! Bring her in, place her on the bed, and tell me why she looks near-dead!"
She guided the disguised prince over to the bed and helped him in setting Screwball down.
"Can you help her?" Mothball begged.
"I can, do not stress, but what caused this sickness?"
He bit his lip. If this mare knew he was a changeling, she would kick him out and keep him away from his Screwball.
"She, um...well..."
"Do not speak!" the pony commanded as she examined her patient. "She is very weak. I can barely feel her heartbeat. I'll make a soup for her to eat that will help her get well. When she will recover, only time will tell."
Mothball watched curiously as the striped mare searched her shelves of bottles and flasks.
"I've never seen a pony like you before," he observed.
"That's because I'm a zebra, not a pony," she said, turning to him with a bow. "I am Zecora, the one and only."
"Oh. Well how do you know Screwball?"
The zebra answered his question as she pulled a bottle from the shelf. "Seventeen years ago, her mother came to me to seek comfort on what she was about to agree. She chose to be the bride of an evil draconequus, but I told her that if she went, she would find great happiness."
Motball blinked. "You got her parents together?"
Zecora chuckled throatily as she poured the contents of the bottle into a boiling pot of water.
"That, you could say. Oh, I'll never forget that day." She was about to pick up another ingredient when she saw that Mothball was standing with nothing to do. "How rude of me. Would you like some tea?"
He was not a fan of tea, but he did not want to reject the zebra's hospitality. He nodded dumbly.
After mixing several more herbs and spices into the cauldron, Zecora muttered something in a language the prince did not understand. He sipped his tea with disgust, but it did not matter to him. All he could think about was how fragile his friend looked as she lay motionless on the bed beside him. While he held his cup in one hoof, he held Screwball's hoof in the other.
In a few minutes, the soup was ready. Zecora poured a bowl and approached the sick mare.
"Tilt her head back," she said to Mothball.
The prince set down his cup and did as the zebra said. As he gently pushed back Screwball's head, her mouth fell open. The zebra put the bowl to the young mare's lips and slowly poured the soup into her mouth. When she was done, Mothball carefully released Screwball's head and her mouth closed again.
"Is she going to be alright?"
Zecora sighed as she pulled the leopard print blanket over the young mare's body. "I do not know, I fear. For now, she must rest here."
Mothball's eyes glazed over with tears as he laid his hoof on his friend's forehead. "Please get better, Screwy."
The zebra picked up Mothball's cup and examined the tea leaves. Her eyes widened in fascination, her lips curling into a smile.
"How interesting," she murmured.
"What?" the changeling asked, facing the zebra.
Zecora smirked at him. "It was very noble of you to help Screwball, something I would not expect from a changeling, Prince Mothball."
His jaw dropped in surprise.
"I...I don't know what you're talking about!"
The zebra shook her head with a laugh. "You can drop the charade. I promise, you can stay."
He stared at her for a long while and then reluctantly changed back into himself.
"How did you know? Did my eyes give it away?"
"No," Zecora replied, holding out the tea-cup. "The leaves told me all. There is no tricking me, Prince Mothball."
He sighed and slumped to the floor. "Please, it's just Mothball. I'm no prince. I'm a traitor to my kind."
"Yes," Zecora nodded. "You did it because you fell in love with the pony you were supposed to dispose of."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you psychic or something?"
Instead of answering, the zebra gestured for him to sit at the table. He hesitated at the thought of parting from Screwball, but he did as she requested. After a few seconds, Zecora joined him, a stack of cards in her hooves.
"Well, your guess was only half right," Mothball claimed. "Changelings cannot love, let alone fall in love. I don't even have a heart."
"Are you sure?" Zecora asked, tilting her head. "After bringing Screwball here for a cure?"
"She's the only friend I ever had. What was I supposed to do?"
She shook her head. "You are so blind to what made you betray. Let us see what the cards have to say."
She shuffled the deck in her hooves and spread them on the table.
"Take three, and they will tell the past, the present and the future as well."
Mothball shrugged and decided to humor the zebra with her game. He took three from the deck and handed them to Zecora. She set them face-down in the middle and turned over the one on the left.
The card showed a picture of a dark figure with glowing red eyes that made Mothball cringe.
"The Devil," Zecora explained.
"It looks like Screwball's dad."
The zebra threw her head back in a laugh. "This represents the hell of your past. You've been scolded and harassed. A demon took control of your mind, shaping you to be blind to your heart, quite cleverly. As a result, you have been treated unfairly."
"My mother."
"You see yourself as a demon as well, a monster who belongs in Hell. You think that you are heartless, emotionless and bad. It is these very thoughts that make you sad."
Mothball said nothing. Zecora turned the card in the middle, revealing a white pegasus with red wings, pouring water from one goblet into another.
"Your present involves Temperance," the zebra stated, "a symbol of balance."
"What does that mean?" the prince inquired.
"You have given up your habits as a changeling and have let your true emotions take wing. All your life, you followed your mother. You left that mare for another. The pegasus' wings are red, representing 'desire,' but is white from hoof to head, representing 'purity.' You have combined both with maturity. You are a creature that feeds on love, but now you share it with that dove."
She pointed to Screwball.
"Okay, so I've changed," Mothball admitted, "but I told you, I'm not made to love!"
Zecora sighed. "Of this, you are so sure. Now we will see your future."
The last card had two unicorns, a mare and a colt, staring intensely at each other, their hooves entwined and their horns touching. Above their horns was a glowing pink heart. Zecora smiled at this one.
"The Lovers."
Mothball groaned. "Let me guess."
"When it comes to love, your future is bright. Do you believe now that I am right?"
"These are just a bunch of playing cards. They don't mean anything."
The zebra shook her head again. "That queen has led your thoughts astray. Perhaps I can convince you another way."
She circled the table and without warning, placed Mothball's hoof on her chest.
"Hey, what are you...?"
"What do you feel?" Zecora inquired nonchalantly.
He paused. "Your heart?"
"Indeed. Now come."
As he followed the zebra, Mothball realized something.
"Hey, how come you stopped talking in rhyme?"
Zecora did not answer and pulled the covers off Screwball. She took Mothball's hoof again and laid it on Screwball's chest.
"What do you feel now?"
"Her heart. What does this have to...?"
He was cut off as the zebra moved his hoof to his own chest.
"And now?"
Something thumped wildly against his hoof in a way similar to the thumping inside Screwball and Zecora. He had felt it many times before, but told himself it was nothing but the love he consumed pulsing through him. Then why was it in the exact same place in his chest as in Screwball's and Zecora's?
Where the heart should be?
Mothball looked up at the zebra. "There has to be another explanation. I'm not supposed to have a heart."
"That does not mean you cannot," Zecora stated. "What else could fill that spot? If you are heartless, Mothball, how do you explain your feelings for Screwball?"
The prince looked at the mare in the bed. Some of the color had returned to her cheeks, giving her face a gentle glow. It made him smile to see this, but also sad that she was still not awake.
"I can't explain it," he admitted. "The moment I saw her, I was bewitched. Sometimes I wonder if she cast a spell on me, but the more time I spent with her, the more I was compelled to stay with her. I tried not to, because I didn't want to hurt her, but I kept coming back.
"I know she loves me. I've always known. I was supposed to feed off it, but you know something? No matter how much time I spent with her, she never seemed to wither, not in the slightest. I felt her love transfer to me, but her energy never diminished. I began to assume she was immune."
He hung his head. "That was clearly not the case, after what my mother did to her."
Mothball noticed Screwball shivering, so he pulled the covers back over her body.
"I can't stop thinking about her," he continued. "Everything about her: her laugh, her smile, her sense of humor, her hair, her eyes..." He sighed. "Oh, what I would give to see them again. Do you think she'll get better soon?"
When he received no answer, Mothball turned his head. The zebra was no longer behind him.
"Zecora?"
"Do not fear! I am here."
He glanced around the room and found her stirring her cauldron. As he approached her, Zecora took the tea-cup he had drunk from and dumped the leaves into the boiling water.
"What are you doing now?" Mothball asked, peering inside.
Zecora took some green powder from a jar and blew it into the brew. Green images started to form, making the changeling gasp. Soon he was gazing at two silhouettes, one that resembled Screwball and another himself. The figures embraced each other and bent their bodies in a way that they formed a heart. Suddenly, the image evaporated into thin air and all that remained in the pot was green liquid.
"What was that?" the prince questioned, still in awe.
"That," Zecora replied, "is what happens when two become one, when they possess a magic more powerful than the sun. What you think as a weakness is not so. Strength is what comes with the glow."
"Do you ever give a straight answer?"
"No."
He stared at her and then at Screwball.
"If nothing changes, I could make more stew," the zebra said, "but I'll need some herbs, and help from you."
Mothball turned back to Zecora. "How can I help?"
As Screwball gained consciousness, everything came flooding back: her father's mental breakdown, her unpleasant encounter with Dinky, her mother's supposed betrayal, her brother turning out to be Chrysalis...
Her brother.
"Zany," she murmurred.
She felt something cool on her forehead, causing her to slowly open her eyes.
"Zany," she said again.
"Shhh," a warm voice whispered. "Take it easy, my little filly."
When Screwball's vision came into focus, she saw the zebra smiling over her and pressing a wet cloth to her forehead.
"Zecora?"
"It is good to see you awake. Tell me, does anything ache?"
The young mare groaned. "My head."
Zecora left for a moment and came back with a cup of tea. "Drink this, but not too fast. You lack your strength, but the worst has past."
Screwball struggled to sit up. "How did I get here? How long was I out?"
"For an hour you have been here. It was one of your friends that brought you, dear."
"Really?" she asked, sipping the tea. "Who? Dinky? One of the twins?"
The zebra was about to answer when a voice interrupted her:
"Hey, Zecora! I think I got the things you asked for!"
A gray stallion carrying a saddle bag stood in the doorway. Not knowing Screwball was awake, he transformed into Mothball. The young mare gasped.
"YOU!"
The changeling turned in alarm, but then smiled. "You're awake! Thank goodness!"
Screwball looked accusingly at Zecora. "How could you let him in here?! Do you have any idea who he is?!"
"He is the one who saved your life," the zebra replied. "I do not know why this causes you strife."
"Humph!" the mare huffed. "Saved my life, my hoof! What happened, your highness? Didn't want to lose your primary food source?!"
Mothball's grin had faded. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb! You've been using me all this time! You told your mother all my secrets! You betrayed me! I thought you were my friend!"
The prince was confused. "Screwy, let me explain..."
"I trusted you!"
"Screwball, please lie down..." Zecora started to say.
"No!" she screamed. "I won't be in the same room with him!"
Suddenly, the pillows flew off the bed and zoomed toward Mothball. He managed to duck in time.
"Screwy, please!" he begged.
But the mare was already up and running toward the door.
"You don't have the strength!" Zecora yelled.
Mothball moved in front of the mare. "The changelings are looking for you! It's not safe out there!"
Screwball scowled at him. "I don't care, so long as I'm away from you!"
She pushed him back and raced outside. She did not know where she was going. She just wanted to get as far away from him as possible. And yet, her heart was telling her to go back, but she would not listen. She did not trust her heart anymore.
It did not take long for her to run out of breath. She had gained some strength during her rest, but not enough to teleport. She panted with thirst and then spotted a river nearby.
As she knelt down for a drink, she caught her reflection, making her pause. The mare in the water looked just like her, only paler and...broken.
She sobbed. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so foolish, if I had listened to Daddy, none of this would've happened. I'd still be at home with my family, my friends...Zany."
Her little brother was her deepest regret. The poor infant had done nothing wrong, and yet he was paying the price for her actions.
Screwball shook her head. "No, this...this was all Mothball! He...he tricked me!"
If that was the case, then why could she not stop thinking about how hurt he had looked when she had rushed out? For that matter, why had he brought her to Zecora's in the first place? Why had he not taken her to Chrysalis?
Why did her heart still ache at the thought of him?
She looked at her reflection again and splashed the water furiously.
"I don't know what to think anymore!" she bawled.
She buried her face in her hooves, not hearing Mothball as he came out of the trees.
He looked at her with sad eyes, wanting to wrap his forelegs around her and assure her everything was alright. She had every right to be upset with him and he could not help but feel guilty.
He had to let her know how he felt, but he was not sure how. He was not disguised as a pony with nothing to lose. He was his changeling self. After what he had done, would she believe him?
He thought back to the night of the Grand Galloping Gala, when they had danced together. She had looked so beautiful. He then realized that at some point that night, he had fallen utterly and completely in love with her.
Then he remembered that song and how strangely the lyrics fit their relationship. This gave him an idea. It was corny, but it was the only way he knew how to express himself.
He started to sing: "In a very unusual way..."
Screwball's head shot up at the sound of his voice.
"One time I needed you."
She turned to him as he cautiously approached. Her instincts told her to run, but her heart kept her in place.
Mothball gulped as he continued: "In a very unusual way, you were my friend."
Screwball raised an eyebrow at him, slightly confused about why he was singing. It was not the sweetest of voices, and there was nervousness in his tone, but it was not horrible.
"Maybe it lasted a day,
Maybe it lasted an hour,
But somehow it will never end."
He held out his hoof, but she turned away. Mothball was hurt, but he would not give up.
"In a very unusual way,
I think I'm in..."
He choked on this word.
"I think I'm in..."
Screwball faced him again, her eyes wide. She remembered this song from the Gala, along with the next lyric.
Could it be?
Mothball was struggling so hard, he skipped the verse altogether, and the one after.
"In a very unusual way..."
He reached out his hoof again. This time, she let him touch her.
"I owe what I am to you."
Screwball turned the rest of her body as he laid both his hooves on her shoulders.
"Though at times it appears I won't stay,
I never go."
She wanted to keep listening, but her mind took control and she wrenched herself out of his grasp. She walked away with her head down, but Mothball was determined not to lose her again. He sang louder and with more passion:
"Special to me in my life..."
Screwball stopped in her tracks.
"Since the first day that I met you."
She slowly turned her head back to him.
"How could I ever forget you
Once you had touched my soul?"
She was now looking directly into his emerald eyes.
"In a very unusual way..."
They were so sincere, so sad, so desperate, in a way no creature could possibly fake.
"You've made me...whole."
She did not need her power to see the truth in them.
Screwball turned fully toward him. He extended his foreleg to her.
"I love you, Screwy."
The young mare could not contain her emotion any longer and did not hesitate to rush into his embrace.
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i love it
Zecora uses Tarot cards?
Aaaaaaw....... Cute!!!
3191881 Well, why not?
Another
in the plot!
love the new chapter as always!
Well... Now to see what they choose from here. Looking forward to reviewing :)
That was beautiful (little bit of crying)
I have not experienced true emotion in quite some time but that... that was definitely the closest I'd gotten in awhile.
3192033
I was thinking from the shadow man from that disney movie princess and the frog I think
Love will find a way. Now! Time to stop my dear Chrysalis Plan!
HOW COME CHRYSALIS IS SO SMART?!
Before I read this chapter there better be a certain song referenced here more heavily than by the title. Commence read sequence.
3195288 not getting high off a monkey or running through ash snow, though that song will do.
CLIFFHANGERS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
cliffhangers.
great story, tearing up over here but WHY YOU SO CLIFFHANGER-ISH
I swear imma stab whoever disliked this awsome story
And then changelings happened.
Seriously, I will be very (pleasantly) surprised if Mothball's singing didn't draw the attention of those searching changelings.
And we finally got Zecora Rafiki! Except she was supposed to get the musical number. Oh well.
The feels...
Re-read this chapter. Even better than first time reading.
not a huge fan of the swearing....
But loving this story!!
the title of the chapter is a song in the lion king 2
3193661 She isn't. She's just lucky that, despite the fact that the existence and abilities of changelings were spectacularly blown into the open during Cadance's wedding, that despite the fact that Changelings have been confirmed to be involved in their affairs recently, nopony seems to suspect them when ponies start behaving oddly due to their notoriously poor acting skills.
She also has going for her that, despite taking days to drain Shining Armor, she somehow managed to drain two near-omnipotent beings in a matter of a couple hours without either of them noticing or over-stuffing herself. I'm also wondering how they managed to abduct Zany or detain him against his will.
3192939
Dr Facilier, she even used the same line abotu the prophetic tarot cards. Discord and Fluttershy are going to be pissed when they find out Chrysalis is behind everything...
Arcana Cards!!! I love this story even more!!!!!
this is a very good fanfic and i love it
THE FEELS!!!!
my favourite Chapter. why? cause FEELS BOND! HICK THE DECK! now, seriously, I love re-Reading this Chapter and the ending makes me cry and the Disney movie references make me smile
WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE ANGRY, SCREWBALL?!
MOTHBALL SAVED YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and, ScrewMoth shipper forever! 
Zecora knows all. Glad to see that misunderstanding resolved quickly at least.
ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! tarot cards are so much fun!!!!!! did anyone else think of the songs:
pinkie's brew
or
Gypsy Bard
those are my favorite fan-made songs, but i will admit, i have a million favorites!
I KNEW THERE WOULD BE "THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG" REFRANCE!!!!
She shook her head. "You are so blind to what made you betray. Let us see what the cards have to say.
The cards, the cards, the cards will tell
The past, the present, and the future as well!
The cards, the cards, just take three
Take a little trip into your future with me! - Princess and the Frog
OH GOD I LOVE THIS!!!
Finally
I've been waiting for this moment forever. Or at least, it seems like forever.
please send video of mothball singing this romantic song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow. That was awesome! Sappy, but awesome!
A rhyme.
Best line ever I think I might use this in one of my stories.
Seriously, is there not a single character that is capable of actually listening for one minute? Is that too much to ask? Bloody emotions overwhelming all sense of rationality...
I still really like this story, love it even, but that really is starting to get on my nerves.
I knew she was gonna rhyme Screwball and Mothball.
6244945
Quite similar to what happened between Zecora and Applejack in Bride of Discord
Do you ever give a straight answer?"
"No."
WOW WORLD, I THOUGHT THAT WAS OVIOUS
"Do you ever give a straight answer?"
"No."
Well, you just did XD
7224068 well, no chiz<insert icarly sam here>
That's a reference to the Princess and the Frog...or a total coincidence.
dude what you are about to do is beyond corny. It is straight. up. CHEESY
I am waiting for the video !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!