Caught
"Is your talent gardening?" Dinky guessed.
The children were in the schoolyard where Apple Blossom was showing off her new cutie mark: a pink flower.
"Nope," she replied. "My talent is perfumes!"
"Huh?" every pony uttered.
"Actually, I have Thunder Dash to thank for my cutie mark. When he told me the other day that I smelled nice, I got an idea!"
Thunder blushed. "You heard that?"
"I'm glad I did! See, that morning, one of Aunt Applejack's apple pies fell on my head and that's why I had that smell! I figured I could use that smell to make a perfume!"
She opened her saddle bag and withdrew a small spray bottle. She squirted some at Lightning Dash. The pegasus grunted in annoyance but then took a whiff of herself.
"Smells good," she said bluntly.
"So why is your cutie mark a flower and not a perfume bottle?" Dinky asked.
"Because I made the perfume with apple blossoms that I had pressed in my scrapbook," Apple Blossom explained. "They had fallen off the trees before they could turn to apples. Mom says my cutie mark means I can give every pony my apple-y flowery scent!"
While every pony congratulated Apple Blossom, Screwball sat on a bench and doodle in the dirt with a stick.
"Screwball!"
The filly jumped and turned to Apple Blossom.
"Weren't you listening to my story?"
Screwball shook her head. "Sorry, Blossom. Congratulations on your cutie mark."
Her other friends had gathered round to see what she had been so occupied in.
"Since when did you become so girly?" Thunder inquired.
"What do you mean?" Screwball asked.
Lightning pointed to the dirt. It was covered in little hearts and a few big ones with the initials 'SB' and 'MB' written in them. Screwball dropped her stick. She had not realized she had been drawing all that.
"Ooh!" Dinky exclaimed. "Who's MB?"
"No pony!" Screwball insisted, using her magic to make the incriminating doodles disappear.
Apple Blossom scrutinized her face. "Wait a minute." She gasped dramatically. "No way! Screwy's got a crush!"
"What?! No I don't!"
"You so do! You're blushing like crazy!"
Dinky squealed. "Oh my gosh! Who is it?"
"Is he cute?"
"What color is his mane?"
"It's not Thunder Dash, is it?"
"Is it Cinnamon Stick?"
"You girls know we're standing right here, right?" Cinnamon Stick scowled.
"So spill!" Apple Blossom urged. "Who is it?"
Screwball was literally saved by the bell. As the other foals hastened inside the schoolhouse, she let out a sigh of relief.
Over the past month, she and Prince Mothball have been meeting up frequently. In those meetings, they had played, laughed and confided in each other. Neither of them had told anyone about it and it was becoming harder and harder for Screwball to keep the secret from her friends and family.
Apple Blossom was not the first to notice anything weird about her behavior. Last week, at dinner, her mother had been the one to observe Screwball's lack of appetite.
"Is everything alright, honey?" Fluttershy had asked.
The filly had not responded as she spread her mashed potatoes over her plate.
"Hmm?" Then she had returned to reality. "Oh. I'm just not hungry."
"I think I know what the problem is," her father had said, snapping his fingers and turning the potatoes into cotton candy. Then his eyes had widened at the shape she had made in her food. "Now when did you become all about hearts and kisses?"
Screwball had quickly eaten her meal and pretended like nothing had happened.
When she came home with a dreamy look in her eyes, her parents were especially suspicious.
"Tell me you also think there's something wrong with our daughter," Discord said.
"Not wrong," Fluttershy replied, shaking her head, "just peculiar."
"I'll say! When we bowled yesterday, when she knocked down the pins, they jumped back up and stood in the shape of a heart! And when she jumped in the pool, her splash was heart-shaped too! Now she's making goo-goo eyes?! What happened to my non-kissy, non-mushy little girl?"
"You mean you don't see it?"
"Don't see what?"
She put her hoof to her forehead. "Honey, I believe our daughter is experiencing her first crush."
Discord blinked. "Crush? Then that means...there's a boy?" His body was suddenly engulfed in flames. "WHO IS HE?! I'LL BURN HIM TO A CRISP IF HE THINKS HE CAN DATE MY DAUGHTER!"
He would have burnt down the entire house had Fluttershy not dumped a bucket of water on him. She made sure to always have one handy whenever he blew his top.
"Would you get a hold of yourself?" Fluttershy demanded. "This is a good thing!"
"How can it possibly be a good thing?" Discord snapped, his eyes filling with tears. "How can it be good that my little girl is growing up?" He scowled. "I'm getting to the bottom of this!"
Screwball glanced up from her homework as her dad swung the door open.
"Who is it?" he demanded.
The filly blinked. "What are you...?"
"You mother is on the crazy suspicion that you have a crush."
Screwball's cheeks turned pinker. "I...um..."
"It's not true, is it?"
She sighed in relief. "Yeah, right. No crush here!"
Discord laughed and ruffled her mane. "I knew she was just pulling my leg! To think my daughter would get all mushy over a boy!"
She smiled nervously. "Yeah. To think."
"What do you call these things again?" Mothball asked, examining the strange substance in his hooves.
"Donuts," Screwball answered with her mouth full.
"They're fantastic!"
"So you can eat whole foods?"
"Sure, but they don't usually taste very good. Chocolate is an exception. It tastes just like love."
"Oh, okay. Your turn."
After swallowing the rest of his donut, Mothball tapped his chin. They had been going back and forth with questions ever since their first meeting.
"Your unicorn friend," he said, "the one with the strange eyes? How did that happen? Was it an accident?"
Screwball shook her head. "It runs in her family. She and I were actually born on the same day and we've been best friends ever since! One year we have the birthday party at my house, the next at Dinky's and then at mine and so on."
He scratched his head. "What's a birthday party?"
She blinked. "Wow. You really need to get out more. A birthday party is a party you have to celebrate the date of your birth."
"In that case, if we had birthday parties at the hive, there'd be one every day."
Screwball snickered. "Aunt Pinkie would have a blast!"
"She's the crazy one, right?"
"You bet your tail she is! Although she's not really my aunt, she's still my favorite! She can turn any bad day around just by being herself. Plus, she gave me this cool hat!"
Mothball sighed. "You have an amazing family, even if most of them aren't related to you."
"I don't get it. Aren't there changelings your age for you to play with?"
"Well, sure, but we don't play, we train. We learn how to hunt so we can feed ourselves. I have to learn especially. Mother says if I'm going to be King, I have to find food for the hive."
Screwball glanced down and circled her hoof in the ground nervously. "Does it...hurt?"
"Does what hurt?"
"When you feed on ponies' love...do you...hurt them?"
Mothball cringed. "Well...when we drain them of their love, we drain them of their power. They slowly weaken, but...they're not hurt if we're not around them for long."
He paused and backed away from Screwball. "Maybe we shouldn't..."
The filly gasped and pointed to the sky. "Look! A shooting star!"
She closed her eyes and concentrated.
"What are you doing?" the prince asked.
"If you make a wish on a shooting star, it'll come true," she explained.
"What'd you wish for?"
She laughed. "Silly! You can't tell your wish, or else it won't come true!"
"I fail to see how a star can possess magical wish-granting abilities."
"You're talking to an earth pony with chaotic powers."
"Fair point."
"Ooh, there's another one! This one's yours! Go on! Make a wish!"
Mothball glanced at the filly and then at the star. He thought the idea a bit silly, but he did not want to disappoint his friend. Before the star burnt out, he shut his eyes and silently made his wish: I wish I wasn't a changeling, so I could have a heart.
But their forbidden friendship was not to remain secret forever. Mothball was prepared to meet Screwball for a game of beach volleyball. He had made a hole in his wall leading outside, concealed by a changeling poster (the only decoration he was allowed). He was about to lift it up when a chilling voice stopped him in his tracks:
"Going somewhere, son?"
The prince gasped and turned to face his mother. He faked a grin.
"W-what are you talking about, Mother? I was just...smoothing out this poster!"
Chrysalis chuckled. "You can cut the charade, son. I know of your secret exit, and where you've been sneaking off to the past several weeks."
Mothball gulped. There was no use hiding now that he had been caught red hoofed. He got down on his knees.
"I'm prepared for my punishment, Mother," he said, shutting his eyes with a shiver.
"Punishment?" Chrysalis said, raising an eyebrow. "You want me to punish you for doing exactly as I told you?"
He opened his eyes and looked up at her in confusion. "What?"
"I asked you to find out whatever you could about the halfling and you have. You are quite brilliant, my son! The silly filly doesn't suspect a thing! Of course, your mission will have to be cut short."
"What do you mean?"
The queen smirked as she laid her hoof on the colt's shoulder. "You are doing so well, my son, you are ready for the next level of your training, and it will require long and tedious hours, so your little scheme will have to be put on hold."
Mothball choked at what his mother was saying. She had known what he had been doing all along and now he had to stop, but what did she mean by the 'next level' of training?
She seemed to read his thoughts. "This spawn of Discord could be more useful than I thought. She could be the key to our success! And you, my son," she lifted his chin towards her, "will be the one to turn that key in the lock."
A chill ran up his spine at the tone of her voice. "What do you mean, Mother?"
She let him go and walked to the curtain covering the entrance. "First lesson in your new level of training, son:" she grinned at him evilly, "breaking a heart."
The prince could not speak. His mother chuckled darkly.
"Go," she commanded. "Meet your little girlfriend and inform her you are unable to see her again. But don't just tell her. Break her! Be cruel, be cold, be vicious!"
"You..." Mothball stammered. "You...w-want me to...w-what?"
"Break the filly's fragile heart and enjoy the pleasure you'll get from it!"
"B-b-but..."
"If you don't do as I say, I will know."
His legs quivered. She would know. She had spies everywhere. He had been a fool to think he could sneak out unnoticed! She had only let him go so he could do her dirty work. Now she was asking him to break the beautiful heart he admired and envied and to emotionally hurt the pony it belonged to. He wanted to refuse, but how could he? He could not disobey his mother.
As Mothball approached the chocolate lake, he saw that it was surrounded by sand. Screwball stood by a net, bouncing a volleyball on her head. He smiled at her innocence and then frowned at what he had to do.
When Screwball saw her friend, she caught the ball in her hooves. "What took you so long?"
"I, um..." he stuttered. "I...had trouble sneaking out."
She shrugged. "That's okay. You want to serve first?"
Her swirly eyes sparkled with excitement. He looked away so he could avoid getting lost in them. He searched the trees for changeling scouts, but did not expect to find any, for they were masters of camouflage. He would bet his life that they were watching right now and would report to their queen on his actions.
Mothball stepped closer to Screwball, still avoiding her gaze, and took a deep breath. "We can't play volleyball tonight, Screwball."
The filly's grin wavered, but she kept it up. "Okay. We can play something else, if you'd like."
"No, Screwy...I...see...I can't play with you anymore."
This time, her smile vanished completely. "What? Why?"
His mother's words rang through his head: Be cruel, be cold, be vicious!
"I..." He narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin in an uppity fashion. "I don't want to play with you anymore! You've...you've gotten boring!"
Screwball dropped the ball in disbelief. "Mothball, what's going on? Why are you lying to me?"
He winced. He had forgotten that she was a living lie detector. Then an idea struck him. He knew she could tell he was lying, but his mother did not.
"I'm not lying!" he insisted. "I've grown tired of you! It was fun for a while, but...then it became dull. And to think I risked getting into trouble for you! You're lucky no one caught me!"
Screwball's eyes widened in realization. She could sense the falseness in every word, including the last sentence. He had been caught, possibly by his mother. But why was he acting like this?
"It really is amazing I was never caught!" he continued. "I mean Mother has spies everywhere, and they don't know a thing about this!"
Another lie. Screwball understood now. They were being watched, and so he was pretending to be cruel. After a long pause, she realized she had to play along.
"Well, fine!" she snapped. "Maybe I'm tired of you too!"
Mothball was slightly taken aback, but straightened up and tried to look cold. "If we're so tired of each other, then maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore!"
"Fine with me!"
He could not tell if she had gotten his message, but the spies were watching and he had to retain his image.
"You know? You were never my friend! You're just a stupid, funny-eyed girl!"
Screwball gasped and almost struck him with a lightning bolt, but remembered it was a lie and controlled herself.
"Well...you weren't my friend either! I just liked disobeying my parents! After all, how can I be friends with a heartless monster?"
He felt a pain in his chest, but told himself she was acting. "Okay then! I'll never sneak out to see you again!"
He then turned on his hoof and took to the skies. Screwball bit her cheeks. It was the best she could do to contain her grin.
He had been lying.
Stats
Page generated in 0.021 seconds
Total duration
1,015 users online
152,632 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
wait, there is a sequel too?!!!
where is that follow button....
MOOORRRRREEEEE
Baddabababa, I'm lovin' it
Wait,,, changelings are insects. Mothballs kill insects.
Foreshadowing?
Why is there no more! Why? WHY?
Chrysalis disliked this story :P
when will the next chapters come out. I have just read this story 2 x
Dawwwwwwww!
"WHO IS HE?! I'LL BURN HIM TO A CRISP IF HE THINKS HE CAN DATE MY DAUGHTER!"
I was just waiting and waiting for that moment ever since I began this fic. I am not dissapoint.
Some pony-draconequus is over protective
Mothball > reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/You_are_a_genius.gif
i love this fic man
Daddy discord
Discord blinked. "Crush? Then that means...there's a boy?" His body was suddenly engulfed in flames. "WHO IS HE?! I'LL BURN HIM TO A CRISP IF HE THINKS HE CAN DATE MY DAUGHTER!"
i was laughing so hard!! that was so cute
Screwball's a better lie detector than Toph.
3723278
So was probably every reader here.
"But of course I didn't daddy. I got mushy over a girl."
Later in history books that day would become known as the day the Everfree Forest was burned to ashes.
3990666 lol I'm watching it and she is a better lie detector than toph
"WHO IS HE?! I'LL BURN HIM TO A CRISP IF HE THINKS HE CAN DATE MY DAUGHTER!" Gees discord over protective again .
Also she is a better lie detector than toph from avatar ( I say as I am watching it }
My dad's reaction to any boy I talk about
5267720 BwaHAHA! That's Hilarious. Remember, he's only protecting you from the wolves and sharks out there... or are they the same thing?
5267720 That's a understatement I liked a girl HER DAD PULLED A DEAGLE OUT AND NEARLY SHOT ME POINT BLANK. I was so lucky she slapped it to the side. After we became friends he told me it was a flash round not a real bullet
THANK GOD, you found a way around the most annoying clique of all romances, the misunderstanding! I didn't even see it coming, and I alway see things coming!
Brava, brava!
Loved Discords reaction
orig01.deviantart.net/6724/f/2015/217/8/3/dare_by_xxmarkingxx-d94cyxw.png
He would have burnt down the entire house had Fluttershy not dumped a bucket of water on him. She made sure to always have one handy whenever he blew his top.
I think fluttershy is developing chaos magic..
WHO IS HE? I'LL BURN HIM TO A CRISP IF HE THINKS HE CAN DATE MY DAUGHTER! Oh god. I think just exploded twice from that.
Lol, my dad said the same thing when I told him that the new guy in my class was funny. Lol
You and me both.
6578712
Oh that is easy to explain. It is simply because of Princess Luna. How could you forget about the princess of the night?!
6668279 XDXDXDXDXDXDXD
ain't it supposed to be allowed instead of aloud?
Chrysalis is still an idiot. I mean really! She wants her son to break the heart of one of the most powerful ponies in existence. One who probably would have killed him when he did.
And you wonder why you failed at invading Equestria.
7797513 Eeyup!
Ah brilliant! A complete subversion of the misunderstanding cliche! That power of hers is quite the tool!
This has been cute and funny so far, but also serious too. I especially like the twisting of Third Act Misunderstanding, description of the budding love of Screwball and Mothball, and Discord's overprotective fatherness.
Oh boy that's going to be fun for mothball
Aww poor kid
Well this certainly was an unexpected turn and kind of sad so it looks like apple blossom finally found her cutie mark but apparently the others noticed that Screwballs been kind of distracted lately she almost blew her cover when they asked her that she has a crush on a boy even Fluttershy is starting to notice unlike Discord he didn't until Fluttershy mentioned it but unfortunately for mothball Chrysalis has been watching him for a while including her drones and it felt like he could not escape from that but chrysalis asked him to do the most Unthinkable thing break screwball's heart he had no choice so would he meet up with her he basically said he doesn't want to see her again but knowing to screwball she can tell that he was lying but knowing to the fact that they were being watched so she has to play along even though it's kind of harsh but they had to or else things will escalated let's just hope that those two got the message from each other without any misunderstanding
Rita Hay Worth and the Bug Flank Redemption.