• Published 15th Nov 2014
  • 26,501 Views, 1,485 Comments

Son-In-Law of Discord - DisneyFanatic23



Sequel to "Daughter of Discord." After living with the Discord family, Mothball thinks he is ready to take the next step with Screwball. Their plans are put on hold when the changelings want Mothball for their king.

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The Search

A few hours later, Fluttershy, Zany and Twinkle were standing at the castle entrance to see Screwball, Twilight and Mothball off.

"You sure you don't want me and the girls to come along?" Fluttershy asked her friend. "It'll be like old times."

"I appreciate the offer," Twilight said with a smile, "but it'll be enough of a shock for Bellatrix to see a princess of Equestria, but all the bearers of the Elements of Harmony? She'll think we mean her harm and run before we get the chance to talk to her. Besides, a lot's changed over the decades. We all have families and responsibilities now. Which reminds me…"

She knelt down to her daughter. "You be good now, sweetie. Okay?"

Twinkle folded her hooves and glanced sideways at Zany. "I will if he will."

"I'll only be gone for a few days. As soon as we find the princess and bring her back to her hive, I'll be right home. If you get lonely, you can always call me on the magic mirror."

"Oh, Screwball!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Do you have the…?"

Screwball smiled as she flashed a mirror into her hoof. "Roger!"

Her mother kissed her on the forehead. "You sure you're ready for something like this?"

"Get real, Mom. Mothy and I defeated a whole changeling army. How bad could finding one changeling princess be?"

"Now, if you run into any carnivorous creatures along the way…"

"Relax, Mom! I'll do what you taught me."

Fluttershy grinned and gave her daughter a hug. Then she did the same to Mothball.

"Take care," she whispered.

"I will, Mom," he replied.

Screwball looked through the doorway and saw Discord moping on the couch, his back turned to her.

"Dad?" she called softly.

He gave no response. Fluttershy looked back at him and sighed.

"He's just concerned for you, you know?" she told her daughter.

"I know," Screwball said with a sigh. "I just wish I hadn't yelled at him. Can you tell him I'm sorry and that…I love him?"

Fluttershy nodded and kissed her daughter one last time.

"Good luck, sweetie."

She and the foals waved as the traveling party took to the skies. Twilight withdrew the glowing brush from her saddlebag and waited for it to point the way.

When they were out of sight, Twinkle yelped and spun around.

"Who pinched me?!"

Zany let out a snicker, which made the young alicorn fume in fury.

"Why, you…"

She lashed out her hooves at him, which forced Fluttershy to step between them.

"Alright, kids," she commanded softly. "Why don't you go play in the ball pit? If I hear any fighting or dangerous use of magic, I will not hesitate to have Discord send you back to your bubbles!"

The foals shrieked and zoomed upstairs. Fluttershy then looked sympathetically at her husband, flew over to him and sat down.

"Screwy's sorry, you know," she said gently. "And she loves…"

"I heard," Discord mumbled, turning to face her. "How come you're not worried? Usually, when something like this happens, you're fussing over every pony."

"I'm very worried, honey, but one of us has to keep a level head here. Besides, Screwy's a grown girl. Not to mention she has your power. She's perfectly capable of handling herself."

He huffed. "That's not the point. She prefers that walking ball of Swiss cheese over me!"

"Sweetie, you know that's not true."

"I'm sorry. It's just that…my little Screwy's growing up and…"

Fluttershy laid a hoof on his shoulder. "I know. Lots of changes are happening and you're not ready to let her go yet. Discord, just because Screwy's growing up and starting a life of her own doesn't mean you'll stop being her father."

He sighed and said nothing. Fluttershy lowered her hoof as a new thought came to her.

"How are you feeling, by the way?"

"Cross," Discord growled. "I thought that was already established."

"No. I meant about…Chrysalis."

He paused. "What about her?"

"Well…despite everything…you seemed quite shocked when you heard she was dying. You said she used to be your friend…"

"Fluttershy, I know it is in your nature to sympathize with all living creatures, but this psychopath tried to kill you! And succeeded, for that matter!"

"But I'm alive now, aren't I?"

"That's not the point! Since the beginning, she's stopped at nothing to destroy my happiness! Why, she's the very reason I came to Equestria and went mad and was turned to stone and…"

"And met me."

"Ye…"

He stopped and looked at her as realization came to him. Fluttershy smiled assuredly.

"If you want, you can go see her."

"But…" he started to say.

"It's okay. I won't mind."

"But…we hate each other!"

"Then now's as good a time as ever for you to tie up any loose ends that remain between you two."

He stared into his wife's eyes for a long time and then sighed. "As always, you're right."


When Discord flashed into Chrysalis' bedroom, the changelings guarding her bared their teeth. General Mantis stood protectively in front of his queen.

"What are you doing here, chaotic scum?!"

The draconequus folded his arms. "I request an audience with Queen Insectra Arachne Chrysalis Changeling III."

"You're not welcome here, you cur! If you don't make yourself scarce by the time I count to five, we'll have no choice but to…"

"It's alright, General," Chrysalis commanded hoarsely. "Let him approach."

"But your majesty, what if he…?"

"I'm already on my deathbed. What more can he do to me?"

"But…"

"Leave us!"

The changelings hesitated, but obeyed their queen's command. They shot deadly glares at the draconequus before departing out the door. The general did not leave his spot.

"That includes you, Mantis," Chrysalis heaved.

"But my queen…"

"Go! I'll be fine."

Mantis opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by his queen's warning glance. He hung his head in defeat and followed the others out. When the door was shut, Discord and Chrysalis were left alone for the first time in over a millennium.

"So," she said, smirking slightly. "Have you come to gloat? Perhaps put me out of my misery?"

"Actually," he replied slowly, "I've come to…well, talk."

She snorted. "Talk, eh? Well, I must say it's been a while since that's happened. You remember the last time we just 'talked?' On that cliff…the two of us…so young…"

Discord turned his back. "Those days have long since passed."

"But you haven't forgotten them, have you? I certainly haven't."

"The past is the past, Chrysalis. I actually came to…make amends."

"Really?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I must say. It took you long enough. Why the sudden change of heart?"

He faced her again. "Luckily for you, my wife has a very forgiving soul. You remember her, don't you? The one you nearly murdered?!"

"Did I? Well, well, well. You sure know how to pick 'em, Dissy dear. You mean to say this pony is naïve enough to forgive me for trying to destroy her?"

Discord pounded his fists on the bed. "If you insult my wife again, I will make your death come sooner!"

"If you really are here to make amends, you're not doing a very good job of it."

He took a deep breath and retracted his paw and claw. "Right. Well, for starters…I can cure you."

She huffed. "Yeah, right. Even if you could, why would you do that for me?"

"You're the most messed up mare I've ever met, but you're still the mother of the boy my daughter's going to marry."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Go on. Just try your chaos magic on me."

Discord snapped his fingers and waited. But Chrysalis didn't look any better. He snapped again and still nothing happened. She shook her head with a sigh.

"It's no use, old friend. I'm magically terminal. No spell in the world can cure me. Don't even bother trying. My time has come. I'm dried up. Gone. So if you have nothing else to say, leave."

Discord stared at her for a moment and then turned his back again. He raised his claw to teleport himself away.

"Dissy?" Chrysalis called weakly. "I just want you to know…I didn't want to send you away. It was my mother's idea."

He lowered his claw and sighed. "That's alright. You know? In a strange, twisted way, I should thank you."

She raised an eyebrow again. "Really?"

He turned his head. "Had it not been for you, I would've never met Fluttershy and found my happiness. Also, by having Mothball, you provided my daughter with happiness too."

Chrysalis groaned. "In that case, my plans to destroy you clearly backfired."

They couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Then Chrysalis looked up at him with sad eyes.

"Do you suppose, if things had been different…you and I could've…?"

Discord thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. "No. I wasn't in a place to love anybody. But maybe…if we had tried hard enough…we could've been friends."

She sighed. "Even then, that wouldn't have been enough."

He shrugged. "I'm sorry."

"Oh well," she heaved as she closed her eyes. "Guess some things were never meant to be."

Discord watched as she fell asleep and thought about the young princess he had met long ago. He hadn't forgotten that night on the cliff. He was still thinking about it when he teleported home.


"Go on, Chrissy," Queen Arachne said as she stretched on her throne. "Show Mummy what you've learned."

Princess Chrysalis closed her eyes and concentrated on the most complicated creature she could think of. Soon enough, green flames engulfed her as she began to change form. Her hooves became paws, her fangs grew a foot long, her head enlarged into that of a tiger. Arachne's eyes widened as a head grew from her daughter's tail and another seemed to be developing on her shoulder. When the flames diminished, a tiger-goat-snake chimera stood in Chrysalis' place.

"Impressive," Arachne said with a smirk. "You've certainly been practicing."

Chrysalis breathed as she returned to her young adult self. "I learned from the best."

"Oh, yes," her mother said as she walked towards her. "You are ready, my dear."

"Ready for the throne?"

"That too. You see, I have a special mission for you."

"What is it, Mother?"

"My scouts tell me that the young princesses of Equestria have befriended a young monster with powers beyond anything they have ever seen."

Chrysalis stiffened and whispered, "Discord?"

"Yes," Arachne growled. "It would appear our little pawn is getting the royal treatment from those ponies. If they don't start hating him soon, he'll never be motivated to take Equestria for us! So, my dear, I want you to go see this Discord and find his weak points. Surely there's something we can use against him."

"M-me?" the princess stammered. "You want me to see him?"

"Oh, I know how you've been pining for that creature. I've seen you sneaking out trying to catch a glimpse of him. Well, my dear, if all goes as planned, you can have him. After all, with his unique power, you can create the most powerful changeling race in history!"

Chrysalis was excited, not about the power, but the idea of getting the creature she had been dreaming of for the last decade. After going over things with her mother, she buzzed out of the hive.

On the borders of Equestria, she found him sitting on a cliff. In the town below, a parade was in progress, and he was making fireworks appear in the sky with a wave of his paw.

The changeling's heart beat wildly as her eyes beheld him. He was taller, at least a foot more than her. His neck was now as long as a giraffe's and his body as skinny as a snake's. The white hair on his head was thinning out and a deer antler and goat horn had sprouted. When his head turned, she could examine his profile. His face was longer and thinner, and a small white goatee had grown on his chin.

She had thought him cute before, but now he was as handsome as ever.

Then she ducked behind a tree, contemplating how she was going to approach him. She licked her hoof and used it to straighten out her mane and then dusted the grime off her body. Then she decided to have some fun with him and took the form of a manticore.

She jumped out of her hiding place and roared. Discord spun around in surprise, but narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers. Chrysalis shrieked as she was turned upside-down.

"No, wait!" she said, changing back to herself. "It's me!"

Discord squinted and gasped. "Chrissy?"

The princess yelped as she was dropped to the ground. The draconequus approached her in amazement.

"Is it really you?"

Chrysalis looked up at him and smiled. "We should stop meeting like this."

He laughed as he helped her up. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," she said, nervously rubbing her foreleg. "I…I missed you."

He blinked. "You missed me?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh. I…I would've come sooner, but…Mother…"

"Aw, it's okay. I get it."

"So how are things? I hear you're doing quite well here in Equestria."

"Oh, you wouldn't believe it! Come, look!"

She blushed as he grabbed her hoof and led her to the cliff's edge. He snapped his fingers and made more fireworks appear.

"You see?" he said, pointing to the sky and then the parade below. "The princesses are letting me help out with festivals and natural disasters and stuff. I can use my magic and no pony's criticizing me for it! The fireworks are my favorite thing to do!"

"They're beautiful," Chrysalis said.

"Oh, just sit back. You ain't seen nothing yet!"

He sat them both down and waved his glowing paw. Chrysalis gasped as one firework took the form of a dragon that began flapping through the sky. It then breathed fire, causing several "Oohs!" to erupt from below.

As the show went on, Chrysalis turned to Discord. His smiling face was glowing with the flashing colors he was creating in the sky. In a moment of boldness, she closed her eyes and slowly leaned her head onto his shoulder. Discord looked down at her in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" she said, quickly sitting back up.

They glanced away awkwardly.

"So, um," Chrysalis stammered. "If you play such a big role in this parade, why are you up here and not down there with the ponies?"

Discord sighed sadly. "Unfortunately…not every pony is used to the way I look. The princesses are okay with me, but…"

She looked at him sympathetically and touched his paw. He glanced down at her hoof as if the action were alien.

"But you at least have some friends, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, smiling slightly. "Celestia's especially great."

She blinked. "Celestia?"

"The oldest princess. She's actually the one who found me. See, I've been living in a cave for the last decade and she saw me practicing my magic. She suggested I use my talents for good and offered me a home at the castle. I don't think I've ever met a nicer pony!"

Chrysalis felt a twinge of uneasiness in her stomach. "So you would say this Celestia is a good…friend?"

"I think so. Well, she says she is."

She gulped. "Is she…pretty?"

He tapped his chin in thought. "Well, by pony standards, I think so. Oh, you should see her hair! It's the neatest shade of pink and it's flowing! No, really! It actually defies gravity! So chaotic!"

Chrysalis took a strand of her flat, greasy cobweb hair in her hoof and scowled. Then she turned to Discord and cast the spell to make her see his loved ones. Her face grew hot when a white alicorn with flowing pink hair came up. It wasn't quite love, but the affection he held for Celestia was greater than what he felt for her!

A new feeling started welling up within her, one she had never experienced before. Her blood was boiling, her face was flushing, her head was pounding. She had the urge to zap that alicorn into dust.

She felt jealousy. Pure, burning jealousy.

"So how have you been?" Discord asked.

"Fine," Chrysalis said through her teeth. "So…do you think anything…serious might come with this Celestia?"

He tilted his head in thought. "I don't know. You think I'd have a chance?"

She was heaving so hard, steam blew out of her nostrils.

"You alright?" Discord questioned.

"Fine!" she snapped. "Just fine!"

He shrugged and turned back to the parade. She followed his gaze and smirked as an idea occurred to her.

"You know, you don't have to do everything the princesses tell you."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well…it doesn't seem fair that you should only use magic at their request. You should be allowed to do what you want. You know. Have a little fun."

He twiddled his fingers. "Well…"

"Oh, I don't mean do something destructive. I'm just saying you could…spice things up a bit. That parade is rather boring, don't you think?"

He gazed down at the procession. "Well…those floats aren't nearly as colorful…"

"I know. Ugh! That awful shade of brown on that one! Wouldn't it look better if it were…pink?"

"Hmm," Discord said, rubbing his chin with a smile. "You know? It probably would."

He snapped his fingers and one of the floats turned pink. They could hear a few gasps from the crowd.

"How about confetti?" Chrysalis suggested. "Don't all parades have confetti?"

"I haven't been to many," Discord declared. "Do they?"

"They should."

He snapped his fingers and confetti began falling from the sky. The ponies shrieked and murmured in confusion.

"Great!" Chrysalis applauded. "But you know what would make this really phenomenal? You remember that chocolate rain you showed me? I'm sure the ponies would love to see chocolate milk fall from the sky!"

"Hey, you're right!"

He snapped his fingers again and pink clouds appeared over the town. The ponies screamed as brown rain started pouring on them. Discord and Chrysalis laughed hysterically.

"Oh, this is so much fun!" Discord wailed. "Why didn't I think of this sooner?!"

Chrysalis smiled. "You just needed the right…inspiration."

"Oh, Celestia and Luna will love this!"

The princess frowned and then scowled. Then she let out a grunt as she got up and fled.

"Hey, where you going?" Discord called. "The fun's just beginning! Chrissy?"

She ignored his shouts and kept flying until she reached the hive. When she burst into the throne room, she was in tears. Queen Arachne's eyes widened at the sight.

"Darling, what's the matter?"

"Oh, Mother!" Chrysalis wailed, throwing her hooves around the queen. "I…I feel awful!"

"Shhh, shhh," her mother whispered, stroking her back. "Tell me what happened."

"He…he wouldn't stop talking about that…that Celestia! He…he said her hair was prettier than mine and…he loves her more than me!"

"Oh, Chrissy. I warned you about this. You must never let your emotions rule you. But fear not, sweetheart. Once Equestria is ours and the princesses are disposed of, he can be yours."

"I…I feel so…angry! Like…like I want…I want…"

"What, my dear?"

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes and pulled away from her mother.

"I want to make him suffer!" she said through her teeth.

Arachne smiled. "That's my girl."


Screwball, Mothball and Twilight had been following the hairbrush for two hours. They flew above the trees in order to shorten the journey as well as avoid danger below. Screwball had suggested teleporting ahead a little, but Twilight argued that if they teleported too far ahead, they'd have to fly around until they found the trail again. So while Twilight led the group, paying close attention to the brush, the engaged couple came up with ways to pass the time.

"Is it bigger than a breadbox?" Screwball asked.

Mothball raised an eyebrow. "A regular-sized one or the one in our kitchen?"

"The one in our kitchen."

"Then yes."

"Is it a whale?"

"Yes."

"Woo hoo! That's fifty-seven to fifty-five! I win!"

The changeling groaned. "Can we play something else?"

"Wait!" Twilight said, suddenly coming to a stop.

"What?" Screwball asked.

"Something's wrong."

In front of them, the hairbrush was twisting and turning, pointing in one direction and then another.

"Strange," Twilight uttered. "The brush can't seem to decide whether we should go south or southwest."

"Why's it doing that?" Mothball inquired.

"I don't know. Maybe I did the spell wrong or…"

Then the brush stopped and moved in its chosen direction.

"I guess it's southwest then," Screwball said as she followed it.

"It's still strange," Twilight muttered. "I wonder what made it do that."

Eventually, they stopped their pondering and continued on their journey. Mothball glanced at his fiancée and decided to say something that had been on his mind all day.

"Uh, Screwy?" he said.

"Yeah?" she replied with a smile.

"Suppose…Bellatrix doesn't want to be Queen. What do we do then?"

Screwball rolled her eyes. "We force her, of course!"

"But what if…?"

"We're here!" Twilight announced.

The group looked out in the far distance and saw a small town in the middle of the desert.

"Where are we?" Mothball asked.

"Looks like Canter Creek. According to this brush, Bellatrix is somewhere in that town."

"Yee-haw!" Screwball exclaimed, making a cowboy hat appear on her head. "I always wanted to visit the Old West!"

As they descended to the ground, Mothball took the form of a green pegasus with blue hair so as not to alarm the locals. Screwball gazed in wonder at the old-fashioned desert town.

"This place is amazing!"

"Ah, yes," Twilight said with a sigh. "Good old Canter Creek. You know the girls and I once defeated a gang of cattle rustlers here?"

"Ooh, I love that story!" Screwball squeaked, clapping her hooves together. "I especially love the part where Mom distracts the bad guys with her atomic cuteness!"

"There don't seem to be a lot of ponies here," Mothball observed. "Why would Bellatrix hang out here? Usually a changeling would settle somewhere with lots of potential victims."

"I don't know," Twilight said, not taking her eyes off the brush, "but keep your nose out for her."

He sniffed the air and gagged. "This town smells like chili peppers!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot!" Screwball exclaimed. "Canter Creek grows the best chili peppers in Equestria! Auntie Twilight, we should remember to get some!"

"First we find the princess," the alicorn said. "Then maybe we'll do some shopping."

Mothball yelped as some pony bumped into him.

"Oh, excuse me, mister!" a filly's voice said.

"No problem," he said as a flash of blue went by.

Then he paused as he caught a whiff of something strange. It smelt of dried mustard, plumeria and jasmine, but it wasn't Bellatrix. There was something else about the smell that peaked his curiosity. He turned to locate the source of the scent.

"Hey, look!" Screwball shouted. "The brush is leading us to that caravan over there!"

Mothball forgot the odd smell and turned to where Screwball was pointing. A small crowd of ponies was gathered around a wooden wagon painted dark blue. It opened up into a stage with a red curtain.

"You suppose Bellatrix's somewhere in the audience?" Screwball asked.

"We'll have to see," Twilight said, following the brush into the crowd.

Ponies grunted and gasped as she pushed through, though smiled brightly when they saw the princess. Some of them whispered praises to her, but she ignored them. As the young couple followed her, Mothball sniffed the air again.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "I think I've got her scent!"

"So she is here?" Screwball asked.

"Yeah," he sniffed. "And the brush seems to know the way."

"Just think. We could find the princess and see a show!"

"This is actually the ideal hunting ground for a changeling. With ponies giving so much adoration to the performer, it's like an all-you-can-eat buffet!"

Twilight stopped at the front of the crowd.

"What's wrong?" Screwball asked.

The alicorn looked up. "The brush is pointing to the stage."

"Of course," Mothball uttered. "It's one thing to be in the audience for a performance, but to be the performer! No pony gets more love than a good performer!"

"So now what?" Screwball inquired. "Do we jump backstage?"

"Something about this stage," Twilight said, rubbing her chin. "It looks a little familiar…"

Trumpets were set on either side of the stage and the roof suddenly opened to reveal cardboard cutouts of stars and planets. A sign hung from the side of the caravan with a symbol that racked at Twilight's memory.

"Come one, come all!" a voice echoed.

The alicorn froze. "That voice…"

"Mares and gentlecolts, cowponies and, uh…cows! Come and witness the amazing magic…"

She grew pale. "No. It can't be."

"…of the Great and Powerful TRRRRIXIE!"

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long wait. I wanted to get my "Nutcracker" story done. I thought I'd be finished with that before the holiday season was up. Oh well. Better late than never.

Okay, a lot of you expected it. Aw, man! I knew I was being too obvious!

I didn't want to delve too much into the big search, because with those three, I really don't think it would've taken long. And I wanted to use most of this chapter to expand more on Discord and Chrysalis' relationship.

Canter Creek is from Issues #25 and #26 of the MLP Comic series. I loved that arc so much, I just had to bring it up!