Chicken and the Egg

"A foalsitter?" Screwball croaked "She's not even much older than me, and I-" She was interrupted by a coughing fit. Her voice was weak and hoarse. She closed her eyes with a pained expression and buried her face in the pillow.

Discord snapped his fingers and summoned a wet rag, which he placed carefully over his daughter's forehead. He turned to Scootaloo.

"Wet rags and soups in the kitchen, which is the door the to right. Bathroom is through that. If you ever have an emergency or need anything, press the big red button on the fridge and I'll know. As far as we know, we need to treat this like a really bad fever. Nothing too solid, and we need more bland foods than not, she throws them up if they're not.-"

Scootaloo started blankly at Discord. This was the untamed spirit of chaos? He sounded like her own father, back when he didn't have rapidly declining mental health, that was. Seeing him fret over the small creature dying on the sofa was rather disarming.

"I understand. I'll do my best." Scootaloo saluted.

"You'd better." Discord snarled. "Remember whose the god here, filly." And with that, he dissapeared.

"No pressure." Scootaloo sighed. "I'll just have the fury of the creature who took over Equestria focused on me if I'm not a miracle worker."

Scootaloo fell to the ground. "Yeah, piece of cake. I never should have volunteered, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had it right."

Scootaloo felt something pass through her mane and sat up. She turned around to find Screwball trying to reassure her.

"D-don't worry." Screwball rasped. "He knows I don't stand a chance. He's just in denial. H-he won't take it out on you."

So young, and already so forlorn. It truly was a sad sight. This little filly seemed unshaken by the fact that she knew she was gonna die.

So pathetic.

Scootaloo would not stand for it.

"You do stand a chance. I will help you heal. You will be healthy again!"

Screwball gave a broken sigh. "Great, daddy got a delusional foalsitter."

"Sorry kid, no returns." Joked Scootaloo.

"Hah, right into the m-mud?"

"Yeah, it was great. A pig even surfaced next to Silver Spoon before Diamond Tiara did. I thought it was fitting."

Screwball let out a shaky laugh.

"And all that because your friend threatened to tell on their mothers?"

"Yeah!"

Screwball paused.

"Must be nice to have a mother, despite that."

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at the little filly.

"Wouldn't know."

Screwball met Scootaloo's eyes and unsuccessfully tried suppressing a half smile. A moment later she shook her head and turned away.

"Well that sucks. W-who needs mothers anyways?"

Scootaloo brought a hoof up to her chin thoughtfully.

"I'd say... all of ponykind. It'd be kinda hard to continue our species without mares willing to be mothers."

Screwball looked up quizzically at Scootaloo. "Whatdya m-mean?"

Scootaloo froze.

"Has Discord not... given you the talk?"

Screwball blinked in response.

"What talk?"

Scootaloo blanched.

"Nevermind, new topic."

"But what talk?"

"NEW TOPIC." Scootaloo insisted, panicking.

And so it was that Scootaloo visited Screwball every day. Despite the utter confusion and terror of Scootaloo meeting an angry looking god of chaos and worried looking Rainbow Dash every day after school, the ponies of Ponyville did what they do best. Ignore the problem and trust the ex-element bearers would take care of it.

And so it was that each day Screwball grew a bit better, and bit more welcoming to and happy to see Scootaloo.

And so it was that Discord cleared Scootaloo to take Screwball out of Discord's weird dimension and on wagon rides around the outskirts of Ponyville, after having the orange pegasus swear to keep Screwball safe, along with the secret of who she was. And it was on that day that Screwball decided she was strong enough to practice chaos magic.

A decision that ended up terrible.

It started out small. Flame decals on a snail here, singing flowers to terrify RD there, but it got really bad after a certain question about why Screwball never saw her caretaker fly. Scootaloo unhappily recollected what she taught. When Scootaloo "came into this world" there were complications. The complications had costed Scootaloo her ability to fly... and her mother's life.

Screwball didn't accept that.

She scraped up what magic she could, and sent it directly at Scootaloo.

There was a sudden flash, then all went dark.

The speed, the adrenaline, the wind whipping through her mane. Scootaloo liked it. A lot.

She must have passed out while Rainbow Dash was taking her on a fly. Scootaloo accepted this explanation until it dawned onto her that she couldn't feel Rainbow's hoof holding her up. Also that she was falling. Falling really fast.

Scootaloo's eyes shot open. She was rendered speechless. However, whether that was from the fact that she was plummeting toward the ground at terminal velocity and having the screams ripped from her mouths before she could hear them, she did not know. She closed her eyes and put her hooves protectively in front of her. What she did not expect though, was her instincts to kick in and spread her wings wide, sending her soaring up into the clouds. Sensing she was no longer falling, Scootaloo opened her eyes, and blinked a few times to make sure what she was seeing was real. She... was flying. She looked at her wings. They had grown. She... she could fly.

The initial rush of joy lasted for about ten minutes before Scootaloo started wondering how she had gotten magical wings growth serum. She glided across the sky for a minute until it clicked.

Screwball.

Oh no, she was supposed to be watching over her so Discord didn't turn her into an orange Kiwi.

Scootaloo turned to start a dive when she felt a strong pulling sensation on her back.

She looked behind her to see her wings shrink back to normal, not-flying length.

"Oh ponyfeathers."