Most Chaotically in Love
Tirek stood before the hall of the soulless creatures who had become ghoulish polyps. Long had he kept these abominations in his domain because his black heart fed on their despair and misery. That, and they also added a sense of macabre to the castle. Now, however, he would actually have another use for these sniveling worms. One he had considered, but lacked the proper power to see it through. With the power of chaos at his disposal, those plans could now bear fruit.
He stretched out his hand, and began to will the polyps to begin changing. And in a purple aura, the polyps did indeed begin to change, in mind and in body, into horrendous creatures. Massive beasts around Tirek's height with massive wings, and glowing swords in their hands.
"The time has come, my children." Tirek said with Orpheus and Sisyphus hovering close by. "Together, we will show the ponies, and Changelings who their master is. Once they feel my full wrath, every living creature in Equestria will bow to my will. And there is NOTHING they can do to stop me." He grinned. "Soon I will have power to revel the gods themselves, and ensure the stars themselves align to my design!"
🎵And at last
I'll live the life that i've longed for
All the glamour and the glitter and the glitz
Not to mention, by the way
The huge magic buffet
I love my subjects literally to bits
As for those
Poor Unfortunate Souls
My reign, my rules!
I'll employ delicious terrors
from the trenches to the shores
And enjoy sadistic pleasures
From the tropics to the poles
And, oh boy, i'll get revenge
With you know who
In starring roles
Those Poor. un. for-tunate. SOOOOOUUUUULS!
The monsters began roaring in triumph, and with bloodlust on their minds literally put there by Tirek. And Tirek himself couldn't help but laugh triumphantly as he took in all that would soon happen. All had gone according to his plans, and it would soon end with him ruling Equestria and beyond.
Nothing could take this away from him.
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, still holding his teacup in hoof.
"Well, your guess was only half right," Mothball claimed. "Changelings cannot love, let alone fall in love. I don't even have a heart. I did for a short while when I was turned into a true pony, but," Mothball sighed, "but that spell was broken. Now any chance I might of had at loving Screwball went down the hole I dug for myself. Now i'm a heartless monster again."
"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?"
"The Queen has led your thoughts astray. Perhaps I can show you what made you betray."
She circled the table and without warning, placed Mothball's hoof on her chest.
"Hey, what are you...? Why are you making me touch your chest? I'm very uncomfortable with this right now."
"What do you feel in my chest?" 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 in her chest?"
"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 can't- 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 with my tea leaves?" 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?"
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.
As Screwball gained consciousness, everything came flooding back: her father's mental breakdown, her unpleasant encounter with Dinky, her mother's supposed betrayal, her bargain with Tirek, 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, and Tirek all my secrets! You betrayed me! I thought you were my friend!"
The prince was confused, until he remembered their ordeal in the woods. "Screwy, let me explain..."
"So you didn't make a deal with that freaky monkey-bull thing?"
"No!" Screwball exclaimed, before he corrected himself. "Well, I did, but it was-"
"Oh, so your mother DIDN'T send you to drain me of my love, and promised you could have me as a prize?"
Mothball hesitated to speak until he finally said, "Well.....yes, mother did say all that, but I didn't-"
"I knew it! You DID betray me! What a relief! I am so glad we got that cleared up! I'm so glad we can go back to the way things were! La-dee-da-dee-de!." She shouted hysterically. "Oh, wait, we can't! 'Cause you know why? My father was tricked, and now he's probably gonna get turned to stone, and who knows what else is going to happen?!"
"Screwy, listen to me-"
"How could you do this?!"
"It was the only way to save-"
"I trusted you!"
"Screwball, please lie down..." Zecora started to say.
"No!" she screamed. "I won't be in the same room with him!"
"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. "Tirek and 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 her chocolate lake 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.
Screwball:
🎵Don't know why I did it
Don't know why I gave in
Now my heart is breaking
I won't be made a fool again
I thought he was honest
When I looked into his eyes
But look at where that's got me
My life has been a lie
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, and he didn't remember all the lyrics, but it was the only way he knew how to express himself.
Mothball:
🎵I feel a connection
Screwball's head shot up at the sound of his voice.
We...yadayada harmonize
She turned to him as he cautiously approached. Her instincts told her to run, but her heart kept her in place.
Our bond cannot be broken
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: Though...Dracula might criticize
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.
You see, I've gone mad
Descended periodically
Because I...
Because I...
F-Fell...down
Mothball sighed in defeat as he began to walk away. She was still hurting, and would never understand what he was trying to accomplish. Little did he know that at that moment, her mind clicked into place, and recognized the song he was singing. The song they danced to at the grand galloping gala - the song to which she fell in love with him. It was those same feelings buried beneath the lies, and deception that compelled her to sing with him, much to his joy.
Screwball:
And I've been falling faster
With every moment we spend
Mothball:
We'll dance tonight and after
"Promise we're more than just friends?" She was now looking directly into his emerald eyes. They were so sincere, so sad, so desperate, in a way no creature could possibly fake. She did not need her power to see the truth in them.
Screwball turned fully toward him. He extended his foreleg to her. "Much more." He smiled. "I love you, Screwy."
The young mare could not contain her emotion any longer and did not hesitate to rush into his embrace.
Screwball (same time as Mothball):
🎵We have a connection
Let's face it we harmonize
Our bond cannot be broken
Who cares if they criticize?
Mothball (same time as Screwball):
I've met an odd girl
Who's unlike any other
She has changed my whole world
And right now I discover
And I know that I have a heart
Both:
Because I fell for you (I fell for you)
Most chaotically
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How the heck is he a "monkey"? He is a centaur.
Anyway, near the end. Mothball was a coward for not telling her the truth much earlier. Or have enough confidence within himself to tell her to Shut Up, and let him explain fully.
Hopefully in the next chapter, once he fully explained. Screwball will apologize for what happened in here.
11265412
That was a reference joke to people comparing Tirek to a monkey when he was first introduced to MLPFIM.
Yes, he should've told her of Chrysalis' plan for Screwball when he still had a voice to speak with. But then they were bamboozled by two compulsive liars who know how to get inside people's heads. I think Screwball has some right to be angry, but no right to take it out on Mothball, let alone believe either of them. Especially when they were just trying to screw with her.
No worries, though, Mothball will explain everything about the important details next chapter.
11265451
I know this is wishful thinking. But can Chrysalis have a change of heart and be reformed? Apologizing to Mothball, Screwball, even to Discord, and the Pony cast? Unlike in the canon fan series that she just dies, the end.
I mean, with Tirek interfering and changing events, and considering that Tirek is the "the ultimate evil/villain behind it all" in this story. MAYBE he is actually the one that caused Chrysalis and Discord to be evil in the first place?
I'm not sure if I want to change the original story that much. After all, this is based on an existing fanfiction series, and I don't want to change too much. But maybe I can have her do something in the story that somewhat redeems her. Just maybe.