Daughter of Discord: Of Love and Darkness

by kahnac

Facing the Darkness

"Daddy? Screwball meakly said as she saw her father's fate.

"At last, it's mine!" Tirek proclaimed as he took the Princesses crowns, and merged them into a single crown. When he placed it atop his head, he began to laugh wickedly as his hands surged with the now godly might he had claimed for his own. He reveled in the power that was now his. All he would need is the magic from that princess in the frozen north, and he would become truly all-powerful.

However, he remained blissfully unaware of a certain mare whose sorrow had turned to anger.

Screwball stood on her hind legs and gripped her hooves into fists. This monster had manipulated Mothball for his own ends, kidnapped her brother, stolen her power and now practically destroyed her family!

She had had it!

Tirek grew quiet as pink clouds covered the sky and thunder sounded. He looked at the young mare. Lightning struck behind her, her spiral purple eyes glowing between flashes.

"Uh oh," Lightning Dash uttered.

The other teenagers and foals all panicked, knowing what was to come.

"You," Screwball breathed, "have messed...WITH THE WRONG MARE!"

A series of pies appeared beside her and rocketed towards the queen. He blocked them with a shield, but one hit himsquare in the face.

"Cherry?!" he cried. "I HATE CHERRY!"

"Hey!" Cherry Pie exclaimed. "I ain't so fond of you either, buddy!"

As Tirek aimed her hand at Screwball, Twilight and her friends quickly moved the unconscious Discord and Fluttershy out of the way. The Centaur shot a beam at her, but Screwball avoided it with a tilt of her head.

"Don't waste your breath, brat!" Tirek snapped. "I have the Princesses power and your father's! You cannot defeat me!"

"You may have the Power of Chaos," Screwball said, "but I've been using it much longer! Hope you like Mozart!"

A shadow cast over the centaur. He looked up and saw a piano falling towards him. He gasped and snapped his fingers, turning it to bubbles.

He smirked. "Silly, but effective. I could get used to this."

"Well, you're not going to get a lot of time!" Screwball declared. "By the way, meat sauce or alfredo?"

Tirek blinked. "What?"

He yelped as acres of spaghetti dropped on her head, followed by a flood of meatballs. He growled at the filly as he burned off the spaghetti. "How are you this powerful? You're only half of what your father is, and even then you should not be able to compete with the power I now wield!"

"I'm stronger than you took me for!"

Tirek hummed in intrigue. "Yes: I underestimated you. But don't think you can fool with me, you little brat. As I said, I wield more power than you can possibly imagine. Observe." With a roar, he then charged up his body with magical energy. All of the power he had collected over the years, as well as the magic he had recently stolen were now bubbling to the surface. Screwball let a bead of sweat fall down her brow as she began to worry. She could sense the raw power Tirek was calling upon, and knew she stood no chance against it. Yet she would not falter: the lives of her friends and family depended on it.

"Go ahead!" She cried out. "Call on as much power as you want! In the end, you'll still lose, Tirek!"

Tirek laughed as he summoned a demonic sword with a red eye at its center, "You overestimate your chances, halfling." He then struck her with a bolt of magic from his sword, and forced her on her back. He loomed over her with the tip of his blade pointed at her throat. "There is nothing in your arsenal that could-" he suddenly cried out in pain as a spear lanced through the air, and cut the skin on his right arm. He turned to see Mothball, glaring at him in the air. "Why you little fool!"

"Mothy!" Screwball cried out.

"No more games!" Tirek snarled, then turned to his pets. "Orpheus, Sisyphus: after him!"

Mothball yelped as he flew away from the winged creatures. Unfortunately, they were the faster, and they caught him: turning once more into winged snakes, and wrapping around his body in an attempt to smother him. Mantis, Acari and Bombus ran to their princes aid once they were on the ground. Mantis bit into Orpheus' tail, making him scream in pain. Bombus held Sisyphus in a stranglehold while Acari repeatedly punched him. The made the pair release Mothball, and they reverted to their true forms once again while sneering at the three changelings.

"Say goodbye to your sweetheart." Tirek said in a wicked tone as he aimed his sword at Mothball. But Screwball was quick, and leaped onto his back. She grabbed his hair, and yanked it as hard as she could just as he fired a beam of purple energy from his sword. Instead of hitting the prince, it struck and vaporized the two Qirin who had been his servants for years. "Babies!" Tirek cried out, almost dropping his sword in horror. Screwball took this chance to run up to Mothball, and get him to his feet.

Tirek soon felt the same thing Screwball had felt moments ago: Rage.

These two whelps had caused him a great deal of pain, and now he would make them suffer for it. A dark mist sparking with mystic energy began to circle around his body as he began calling upon the stolen magic. Together, they began to change his very form.

"Mothy!" Screwball said. "You have to get to the woods! He'll kill you!"

"No!" Mothball protested. "I'm not leaving you!"

Suddenly, the very ground beneath their feet began to quake, and tremble. Then it started to crack as something massive tore through the earth. The two avoided the massive form as it reached out to grab them. But as bellowing laughter echoed throughout the land, they were both horrified to see a giant Tirek, sporting a pair of gigantic devil wings of red and black towering over them with mad glee. He looked down on them, and said as he finished his laughter in a deep, booming voice, "You pitiful, insignificant fools!"

"Look out!" Screwball cried as one of dozens of enormous plundervines came slamming down on where the two figures once stood. Were it not for Screwball's teleportation skills, they'd have been crushed under the massive vine. They then witnessed TIrek swing his sword around as purple lightning coursed through it, bringing forth massive thunderstorms that began to tear apart everything with bolts of lightning. He proclaimed, "Now I am the ruler of all Equestria! The winds, the earth, and its magic obey my every whim!"

The very land itself began to contort as earthquakes tore at it from all around. Pieces of stone erupted from the ground, and deep crevices formed. All the while, Tirek stood firm in his position with his writhing vines surrounding him. Mothball and Screwball rushed over to where their friends were still trapped, and freed them from the vines. Screwball wanted to do more for them, the princesses and her father, but for now a magical barrier would have to suffice. All the while, the Changelings and TIracians were being blown around by the thunderous winds and rains as they tore apart the land. "This world, and all its spoils bow to my power!" Tirek proclaimed as he whirled his sword around again, causing the fires below to twist, and swirl around him in a frightening display of power.

"We gotta stop him!" Rainbow said.

"Yes, but how?" Rarity asked. "Without Twilight and-...and Fluttershy, we simply cannot use the elements!"

"There's gotta be something we can do!" Applejack said.

Screwball gave it some thought, and then said, "There's nothing any of you can do: but Mothball and I can."

"Wait, seriously?" Mothball asked incredulously. "How?"

"By working together, and going past our limits. We need to go beyond what we normally can do if we want to win."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a sec!" Pinkie interjected. "This is probably the part where I say "Plus ultra!", or something, but even I gotta admit that's crazy talk!"

"Indeed, Screwball." Rarity added. "Besides, what would your mother and father think if you went, and tried to-"

"Mom and Dad aren't here right now!" Screwball exclaimed before taking a breath. "I know it's dangerous. I know we could get hurt, or worse. But right now, it's the only chance we have of saving our home. My mind's already made up, so don't try to stop us." She turned to Mothball. "Are you with me, Mothy?"

He smiled, and held Screwball's hoof. "To the ends of Equestria, and beyond." He then thought about what he said. "Okay, that was a little cheesy, but you get what I mean."

Screwball just giggled, and then teleported the both of them away. The other ponies tried to get out to stop them, but none of them could get through the forcefield. All they could do was sit, and pray that those two would make it.

---

The duo appeared on a raised platform of stone right next to Tirek as he continued to wreak havoc on the land. "Alright, i'll try and come up with something to deal with Tirek while you keep him busy." Screwball said to Mothball.

"How exactly am I supposed to keep him busy?" Asked Mothball. "It's not exactly as if I can turn into anything significant to get his attention."

"Sure you can: you're a changeling! Just think big, and you'll come up with something." Screwball said. "Now let's hope I can do the same thing before we end up getting vaped."

"What?! Screwy!" Mothball protested, but he was too late. Screwball teleported away again to who knows where, leaving Mothball alone. Even though he thought this was crazy, he knew this was the only course of action available. So he began to concentrate. Focus all of his energy on selecting a form that could match Tirek. And after a while, in his desperation, Mothball thought of a form, and with great exertion, he transformed into a green and black dragon with large wings, and curved horns. He was surprised that this actually worked, but also thrilled. He was a full-grown dragon now. And now he was going to teach Tirek some manners. "TIREK!" He shouted, earning the centaur's attention.

"Well, well." Tirek said mockingly. "The little prince has finally grown, hasn't he? Do you really think you can stand up to me, boy?"

"It doesn't matter what I think!" Mothball said while climbing down the platform. "The only thing that matters is stopping you: and i'm gonna do my best to do it!"

"You'll forfeit your life in trying, but by all means, come for me, little prince!" Tirek said, raising his purple-flaming sword. "Come and face your destiny!"

The two foes collided with tremendous force. The massive titans putting all of their force into overpowering the other. Mothball tried to bite Tirek's head, but he dodged each one. When he made another attempt, Tirek headbutted the dragon in the face. He then raised his sword, and prepared to cut off Mothball's head. The prince saw this, however, and quickly set fire to Tirek, distracting him long enough to punch him. Tirek snarled, and punched Mothball back, forcing onto his back. Tirek threw his left hand down, and called forth lightning to strike Mothball. He was electrocuted, to be certain, but his dragon physiology made him more durable than almost anything on the planet. He slammed his tail into TIrek's legs, nearly tripping him in the process. He got back to his feet, and then breathed his fiery breath once more. Only this time, Tirek blocked it with his hand, and then condensed the fire into the palm of his hand. Charging it with dark magic, he hurled the ball at Mothball, who ducked to avoid the ball of dark fire. It obliterated a nearby hill.

Meanwhile, Screwball was putting her idea into motion. "Alright, Screwball, you can do this! Think big, think big, think big!" Putting all of her concentration into her power, she called forth a massive airship with a broken point at the front. She then teleported to the helm, and began the task of sailing this airship towards Tirek.

As for the centaur, he was growing weary of this battle. Mothball managed to get some more hits in, but they did little but annoy the mighty deity. After catching Mothball's fist, he began pummeling the changeling prince as his Plundervines began to ensnare him. After a particularly nasty uppercut, Tirek stomped his foot on Mothball's chest, pinning him to the ground. With a sinister grin, and maniacal laughter, he raised up his sword, and pointed the blade downwards. He intended to run the dragon through with his blade. "So long, lover boy!" Mothball grew fearful as he saw his death drawing near. Unknown to either of the giants, Screwball piloted the airship until it was but inches away from the centaur's exposed centaur. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late: he had been impaled through the middle of his body. With a loud scream of pain, his moans echoed out for all to hear. Mothball smiled as he noticed Screwball at the helm. "Way to go, Screwy!" he shouted.

But sadly, it was not over yet.

A purple orb of magic grew between Tirek's horns, and he began blasting apart the ship until only the piece protruding from the center of his chest remained. Screwball teleported beside Mothball, who finally had given into exertion, and reverted to his true form. "Foolish child!" Tirek shouted, as he ripped out the wooden piece from his chest. "Did you really think I could be felled so easily?! You have both proven to be more trouble to me alive! And I have been generous for too long! Now you perish!" He then fired another beam of magic at the pair, forcing them to dodge the attack. Several times this was done, until Screwball began to feel tired from teleporting herself, and Mothball so frequently. This amused Tirek greatly as he said, "So much for true love!"

"No!" Chrysalis shouted as she suddenly appeared with most of her Changeling forces, struggling against the stormy winds. "They are mine to finish off!"

Tirek only laughed in response. "You always knew how to be amusing, your "majesty". But how do you intend to finish them off when you have no magic to spare?"

"I have strength enough to finish them!" Chrysalis claimed.

"Is that so?" Tirek inquired. "Then by all means, finish them. But know that when you fail, the end will come for all of you."

Chrysalis ignored this, and left Tirek to continue raining down his chaos upon the land. "Surround them." She ordered her troops before addressing the pair. "I must admit, my son, you have impressed me with your skill against Tirek. You would have made me proud were you still on my side. Sadly, you have proven a disappointment, and must pay the consequences for your foolishness. More, your foolishness has cost General Mantis whatever love he had inside of him. "Well, doesn't matter!" Chrysalis shouted. "You have disobeyed me for the last time!"

Mothball felt a small sense of fear at having to confront his own mother. Then Screwball stood firmly in front of Mothball. The queen paused at this action and felt the love pass between the two. She could sense its power and that instead of it transferring to Mothball, it was bouncing back to the filly and growing stronger each second.

This frightened the queen, but she covered her fear with a smirk.

"Oh, my son," she said, shaking her head. "Have I taught you nothing? Love is weakness! Besides, you have no heart to feel it!"

Mothball stomped his hoof. "You're wrong!"

Chrysalis jumped at his assertive tone. "What?"

"You're wrong! I do have a heart! I've felt it! You've known all along, haven't you?"

"Mothball..."

"Haven't you?!"

His mother stared at him for a moment and then grunted. "Alright. I suppose since I'm going to destroy you anyway, you might as well know."

The couple tightened their grip on each other as the queen circled them.

"You are right," she began. "You are more different from your siblings than you appear. You see, my dear, making a common changeling is simple. Making a royal changeling is a...two-creature job. Unlike your half-siblings, you have a father."

Mothball stiffened. "W-what?"

"It was a one-night stand with some random fool who thought I was his wife. Honestly, I don't even remember his name. A changeling's gotta eat."

Screwball gagged. "That's just sick, lady."

"I was shocked to discover a prince had come out of it. At first, I was thrilled at the idea of having an heir, until I realized just how much of a pony you really were. Seems your father, along with giving you life, gave you a heart. So I tricked you into believing you didn't have one. I intended to shape you into a cold, cruel changeling so you would become the evil tyrant you were born to be! I almost succeeded too, until this meddling halfling captured your interest!"

"So it's true then!" Mothball exclaimed. "You've lied to me all these years!"

"Oh, Mothball, Mothball, Mothball. I lie to everyone!"

"Apparently she even took her own heart out because daddy didn't love her back." Screwball explained.

"Really, mom?" Mothball asked. "You had a crush on that guy?"

"Hey! That's still my dad, you know!"

"But, if you were able to take out your own heart, then why not just take mine?" Mothball asked. "It would have saved you alot of trouble."

That question caught Chrysalis offguard, and she couldn't respond properly.

"And what about General Mantis? You didn't take his heart, either. You just fed on the love he was carrying around to get your strength back."

"How did you know about that?" Chrysalis asked.

"I think I know." Screwball said. "It wasn't enough to remove your heart, was it, Chrysalis? You're still hurting, aren't you? And you were so focused on bottling up your emotions that you shut everyone out. You refused to love again, so noone loved you. That's why you let Mothball keep his heart: in some sick, twisted way, you were hoping that he would love you."

This worried Chrysalis. "Y-...You know nothing about-"

"But shutting everyone out won't work, Chrysalis. I know: I tried that, and it didn't work. Only when you let others in can you truly feel-"

"Enough of this!" Chrysalis shouted, charging up her horn. "I will not have you interfering any longer!"

She fired a green beam of magic at Screwball.

"No!" Mothball cried.

As he moved in front of her, a golden bubble formed around the pair that caused the green beam to bounce off.

"What?" Chrysalis uttered.

The two looked around the magic they were encased in. It reminded Mothball of something and Screwball was thinking back to her mother's story.

"What is this?" Screwball wondered.

"I don't know," the prince said. "I...I was just thinking about saving you and..."

Mothball then recalled the image of the two ponies in Zecora's cauldron and the zebra's words:

That 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.

"Love is strength."

"What?" Screwball said.

Their forcefield did not last long and Chrysalis took her chance. Screwball quickly used her magic to seal her and Mothball in a steel box, hoping to buy them time.

"Zecora!" he exclaimed. "When she was talking about balancing powers and strength, she was trying to tell us that our love is creating some sort of magic that could possibly defeat my mother, and possibly even Tirek!"

"But that makes no sense!" Screwball insisted. "She gains power from love! How can it be used to defeat her? And what about all that stolen magic Tirek has? How can love-"

Then she remembered who had defeated Chrysalis in the first place: Cadence and Shining Armor. Those two were in love. Cadence was the Princess of Love. Maybe...

Screwball gapsed suddenly. "Chocolate milk!"

Mothball blinked. "Screwy, this is hardly the time for a snack!"

"No! Hear me out! You've said so yourself that chocolate milk is like love, right?"

"I said it tasted like love, but..."

"Well, chocolate milk is the best thing ever and it makes you feel great, but if you drink too much of it, you get a belly ache. If chocolate milk is anything like love..."

"...excess of it can make you sick!" The prince gasped and gripped her shoulders. "Screwy, you're a genius!"

She batted her eyes and flipped her hair. "Yeah, I know."

Their moment was interrupted when Chrysalis' horn burned a hole in the steel wall. The queen was growling in frustration.

"Enough is enough!"

The couple glanced at each other and stepped out of the box defiantly.

"We agree, Mother!" Mothball exclaimed. "This has to end now!"

"And it shall end - for ALL of you!" Tirek said, having watched the whole drama, and finally grown sick of it. He was now standing over the gathered group, and raised his sword over his head to finish them all.

They stood on their hind legs and squeezed each other's hoof. Mothball whispered to her.

"How are we going to do this?"

Screwball spun him around to face her.

"Kiss me."

"WHAT?!"

Queen Chrysalis panicked for a moment but quickly reverted her expression to one of anger.

"Quit stalling and meet your fate!"

"Kiss me," Screwball repeated, pulling her love closer.

Mothball flinched away. "I...I can't."

"You have to."

"I don't want to hurt you!"

He tried to pry out of her grasp, but she held him firmly. She looked at him sincerely with those purple swirls that enchanted him so.

"You won't," she whispered.

She did not savor the moment. There was no time for that. Instead, she was straightforward. Their lips met before he could protest. He expected her to feel pain. He expected her to slip away. He expected her power to transfer to him permanently.

Instead, he felt warmth, not just from her, but deep within himself.

He found himself liking the kiss. Her soft lips tasted of chocolate. Her gentle hoof caressed his face. He at last closed his eyes and flung his forelegs around her in surrender. Their manes blew in the wind. They rose into the air as golden mist swirled around them. Tirek watched in worry, as Chrysalis looked up in terror.

"No," she said. "NO! NOT AGAIN!"

Unbeknownst to the villains, the elements of harmony began to interact with Screwball and Mothball, enhancing their magic. The storm died, and allowed the Tiracians to land. As they watched, they could feel Tirek's curse was being undone by the magic of Harmony, and Love, and smiled. Tirek himself could feel his own power begin to wain over his slaves, and the magic within him began to turn on him. The Tiracians all began reverting back into various creatures in the light of the two lovers. Even the Princesses and Discord were returned to normal. He squinted above the fire and made out the figures of two ponies within a ball of golden light. His eyes popped open once he realized who the ponies were.

"He's kissing my daughter."

He scowled.

"HE'S KISSING MY DAUGHTER!"

The others nodded dumbly, watching with their mouths agape.

"WELL, DON'T JUST STAND THERE LIKE IDIOTS!" Discord bellowed. "DO SOMETHING! GET THAT CREEP AWAY FROM MY..."

He trailed off when Zany jumped onto his stomach, gurgling happily.

"Dada!"

"Zany?" Discord said, taking the infant in his hands. "Is it really you?"

A tiny pink cloud appeared above the boy and dripped chocolate milk. The draconequus smiled.

"It's you, alright! But...how did...?"

The baby pointed up at the floating couple. "Mothball."

The light around them grew brighter as they rose higher. Then the two opened their glowing white eyes. The bubble burst and expanded towards Chrysalis. The queen cried out as the magic pushed her back. The other changelings attempted to flee, but the force field was too fast for them.

The army screamed as it was sent hurdling to the Changeling Forest, not to be seen again for a long, long time.

And as for Tirek, he once again screamed in anguish as the magic tore him apart from within. The combination of harmony, and love was too much for his black heart to handle, and he began to burn inside the magic. His whole body collapsed as he lost his strength, and all of the stolen magic began pouring out of his disintegrating body. In moments, there was soon nothing left of the demonic centaur.

Tirek was finally no more.

But things did not stop there: the magic released by Mothball, and Screwball washed over the land, and began to restore everything to the way it used to be. Creatures could feel their magic return to them, including the Princesses and Discord. Soon all was as it had been before Discord's chaos reign had begun. Peace had been restored at last.

When the young couple floated back to the ground, their lips were still locked. The world around them had returned to normal and not a changeling, except Mothball, was in sight. The fillies and colts hopped out of their hiding places and cheered. Discord was struck in awe, but still angry.

"At some point they should come up for air!" he exclaimed furiously.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Hon, the boy just saved our lives! Not to mention he brought Zany back."

When the pair finally pulled away, Mothball was smiling like an idiot.

"Wow!"

His eyes spun in circles and animated hearts popped up behind his head. This made Screwball giggle. Her friends rushed to her side and embraced her as the forcefield died down.

"That was amazing!" Apple Blossom shouted.

"Heroic!" Cinnamon Stick added.

"Cool!" the Tri-Pies piped.

"Romantic!" Cinnamon Roll sighed.

"Awesome!" Prism said, but then she stuck out her tongue. "Even if it did involve kissing."

"So you guys aren't mad at me?" Screwball asked hopefully.

"Of course not!" Dinky insisted. "We forgive you!"

"Yeah," Cinnamon Stick said, putting his hoof to his bandaged head. "It wasn't even that bad."

Meanwhile, Mothball was twirling in circles, lost in the memory of the bliss he had just experienced.

"Uh oh," Apple Blossom chuckled. "Screwy, I think your kiss did more than save the world. You've made the poor boy all loopy!"

The group laughed. Screwball broke their hug and walked over to her coltfriend. She put her hooves on his shoulders to stop him from falling over. Mothball then returned to his senses, only to get lost in her hypnotic swirls.

"I'm proud of you, Screwy."

They both turned toward Twilight, holding each other's hooves.

"You lost yourself in your emotions, but in the end, you did not lose sight of what was truly important: the love for your family, the love for your friends, and," the alicorn smirked, "the love for your colt."

Mothball blushed nervously. "Princess...I know I've done some bad things in the past, but I swear I'll be careful around ponies! I can become a vegetarian and live on chocolate! I'll become technicolored, and look like a jewel beetle!"

Twilight laughed. "You are pardoned, Mothball."

The alicorn's mirth diminished when Discord stepped in front of her. Mothball shrunk under the draconequus' strict glare. His arms were folded and his face wore a frown. The changeling clung to Screwball for leverage. She gave him a reassuring squeeze.

Discord glanced between the two. Neither said anything for a long while. Then he sighed and extended his paw towards the changeling.

Mothball looked at it unsurely. He glanced at Screwball, who was grinning excitedly. She let go of him and nudged him toward Discord's paw. The prince gazed up at the draconequus. His eyebrow was raised, as if to say: Do you want my daughter or not?

The changeling slowly raised his hoof and placed it in his paw. As soon as they made contact, Mothball felt a bolt of electricity and shook uncontrollably. He wrenched his hoof away.

Discord started laughing and revealed the joybuzzer in his paw. He clutched his stomach as he collapsed to the ground. The Pie family was laughing as well, as was Screwball. The others either giggled or just grinned in amusement.

Mothball looked at his marefriend in confusion. "What are you laughing at? Your dad just electrocuted me!"

Screwball chuckled as she patted him on the back. "Baby, that's his way of showing that he likes you!"

The changeling looked at the others. Cinnamon Stick gave him a shrug.

"It's true."

Mothball then found himself snickering. Suddenly, he noticed three insects emerge from the dirt before reverting to their true forms. "Mantis! Acari! Bombus! How did you-!?"

"We were given our magic back just as that love wave passed over us." Mantis explained.

"I guess it must have sensed we had no bad intentions, so it let us be." Bombus theorized.

"Which is honestly a surprise." Acari remarked.

"It doesn't matter right now." Mothball said happily. "I'm just glad you three are okay."

"As are we." Princess Celestia said as she approached the group. All of them bowed to the princesses before they were bidden to rise. When they did, they saw a gentle smile on both their faces. Both nodded to the 3 changelings, showing their appreciation for all that they had done. But the moment was ruined when Discord remembered something both important.....and tragic.

"Fluttershy!"

He raced over to where they left her as Screwball took back Zany, and then the whole group followed behind the draconequus. They reached the spot where they had laid Fluttershy when everything had gone crazy. Now, here they were, standing over her with looks of heartbreak. Discord felt it worst of all.

"No," Discord uttered.

He lifted Fluttershy's lifeless body and held her close. Her once soft yellow fur was now pale and stiff. He sobbed into her pink mane. Its rosy scent had gone stale and her strands of silk had gone brittle.

He pulled away slightly to look at her face. Never again would he see her sweet smile, nor her sparkling teal eyes. Never would he hear her enchanting voice or her delicate laughter.

She was gone. For real, this time.

Screwball squeezed Zany as tears fell from her eyes. Mothball pulled her in for an embrace and allowed her to cry on his shoulder. He stroked her mane sympathetically.

Fluttershy's friends all shed tears, but they knew neither of them were as heartbroken as Discord.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy," he whispered, running his hands through her fur and mane. "I'm so sorry! No amount of chaos can replace my love for you. Please, don't leave me now. I love you. Fluttershy, I love you so much."

He pressed his face to hers. "Come back to me."

As he said that, a golden tear fell from his eye and landed on Fluttershy's forehead. Slowly, her colors returned and her heart started up again.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at her husband's teary face.

"Discord?" she uttered.

Discord gasped and looked at her. "Fluttershy?"

The others lifted their heads in disbelief, their mouths spreading into smiles.

"Doesn't anypony check a pulse anymore?" She weakly joked.

"Oh, Fluttershy!"

He embraced his wife, surprising her, but she returned his hug.

"How...?" Applejack breathed. "How is this possible?!"

"It...it isn't!" Twilight exclaimed happily. "There's no way she... Oh, but who cares?!"

Screwball left Mothball and ran to her parents.

"Mom!"

The couple pulled away and opened their arms for their daughter. Fluttershy weeped at the sight of Zany.

"Oh, my baby!" she cried. "I thought I had lost you!"

"We thought we had lost you!" Screwball sniffed.

"Our family," Discord sighed, "together at last!"

"Promise me we'll never split up again?"

The draconequus shook his head with a laugh. "Never."

Mothball smiled as the family embraced each other. He was happy that they were whole again, but it also made him sad. The changelings were the only family he had ever known. Now that he had left them, he had no one. Noone except the 3 changelings who had risked everything to help him these past four days. But that was about it. He did not even have a place to live.

Then Fluttershy noticed Mothball. She was surprised to see him here, but given the fact that Discord had not vaporized him, she figured things were sorted out between them now. She reached out her hoof toward him. Mothball beamed as he took it and she pulled him in.

Pinkie Pie blew her nose in a handkerchief.

"It's so beautiful!" she cried.

Then she smiled suddenly. "Hey! You know what this calls for?"

Everyone laughed.

"Yes, Pinkie," Twilight said. "We definitely do."

Author's Note:

And here we are at the climax of the story. The big showdown with Lord Tirek. And I made sure that it would be a doozy of a showdown. Given the depiction of this Tirek is based on Ursula, I had to make him a giant when he went crazy, and started unleashing his own brand of chaos on the land. And naturally, I had to have the lovers work together to try, and stop him. Thus they go beyond their limits, and take their powers to a whole new level.

Too bad it isn't enough until Chrysalis unwittingly gives the idea to use the power of love to defeat the evil changelings, and Tirek. The power of Harmony was simply a bonus as it sensed the qualities of the lovers, and deemed them worthy of their power - even if just for this one time. Both powers combined overpowered and destroyed Tirek while freeing his slaves. It also gave our changeling trio a pass due to their recently acquired benevolent nature.

And of course Fluttershy survived this. No way was I gonna kill her off when she didn't die in the original story. Also, Chrysalis fed off of Mantis off-screen so that she could attack Screwball and Mothball. The love wave healed his heart, and replenished him and his subordinates.

The original story is owned by DisneyFanatic2364

Comments

[OP Omni God-Emperor Doom]

This is fine.

[kahnac]

11631915
Good to know.