Daughter of the brother Of Discord

"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 and Cherry Blossom sat on a bench and doodle in the dirt with a stick.

"Screwball! Cherry Blossom!"

The fillies jumped and turned to Apple Blossom.

"Weren't you listening to my story?"

Screwball shook her head. "Sorry, Blossom. Congratulations on your cutie mark."

Their other friends had gathered round to see what they had been so occupied in.

"Since when did you become so girly?" Thunder inquired.

"What do you mean?" Cherry Blossom asked.

Lightning pointed to the dirt. It was covered in little hearts and a few big ones with the initials 'SB' and 'MB' and also ‘’CB’’ and ‘’SD’’ written in them. Screwball and Cherry Blossom dropped their stick. She had not realized she had been drawing all that.

"Ooh!" Dinky exclaimed. "Who's MB and Sd?"

"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 and Cherry’s got a crush!"
"What?! No We don't!"

"You so do! You're blushing like crazy!"

Dinky squealed. "Oh my gosh! Who are they?"

"Are they cute?"

"What color are their manes?"

"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 and Cherry Blossom were literally saved by the bell. As the other foals hastened inside the schoolhouse, they 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 fillies had not responded as they spread their mashed potatoes over her plate.

"Hmm?" Then they had returned to reality. "Oh. We’re just not hungry."

"I think I know what the problem is," their fathers had said, snapping their fingers and turning the potatoes into cotton candy. Then their eyes had widened at the shape they had made in their food. "Now when did you become all about hearts and kisses?"

Screwball had quickly eaten her meal and pretended like nothing had happened.

Cherry blossom and Screwball:
We met two odd buys,
Who don’t have any hearts,
But they, are so charming, like the moon and the stars,
Screwball:
He makes me a-squeal,
Don’t wanna talk about it.
Cherry Blossom:
Well have a cup of water, cuz’
Both:
Odd is so chaotic!
When They came home with a dreamy look in her eyes, their parents were especially suspicious.

"Tell me you also think there's something wrong with our daughter," Discord and Chillcord said.

"Not wrong," Fluttershy replied, shaking her head, "just peculiar."

‘’very peculiar.’’ Tara said

"I'll say! When we bowled yesterday, when they knocked down the pins, they jumped back up and stood in the shape of a big heart! And when they jumped in the pool, their splash was heart-shaped too! Now they’re making goo-goo eyes?! What happened to our non-kissy, non-mushy little girls?"

"You mean you don't see it?" Tara giggled.

"Don't see what?"

She put her hoof to her forehead. "Honey, I believe our daughters are experiencing their first crush. Well, Crushes."

Discord And Chillcord blinked. "Crush? Then that means...there's boys?" Their body was suddenly engulfed in flames. "WHO ARE THEY?! WE'LL BURN THEM TO A CRISP IF THEY THINK THEY CAN DATE OUR DAUGHTERS!"

They would have burnt down the entire house had Fluttershy not dumped a bucket of water on them. She and Tara made sure to always have one handy whenever they blew their top.

"Would you get a hold of yourself?" Fluttershy demanded. "This is a good thing!"

"How can it possibly be a good thing?" Discord and Chillcord snapped, their eyes filling with tears. "How can it be good that our little girls are growing up?" Discord scowled. "I'm getting to the bottom of this!"

Screwball and Cherry Blossom glanced up from their homework as Screwball’s dad swung the door open.

"Who is it?" he demanded.

The fillies blinked. "What are you...?"

"You mothers are on the crazy suspicion that you have crushes."

Screwball and Cherry Blossom's cheeks turned pinker. "We...um..."

"It's not true, is it?"

They sighed in relief. "Yeah, right. No crush here!"

Discord laughed and ruffled Their mane. "I knew she was just pulling my leg! To think my daughter would get all mushy over a boy!"

They 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!" Screwdriver exclaimed.

"So you can eat whole foods?" Cherry Blossom inquired.

"Sure, but they don't usually taste very good. Chocolate is an exception. It tastes just like love." Mothball said.

"Oh, okay. Your turn."

After swallowing the rest of his doughnut, 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 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?"

Cherry Blossom 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 our aunt, she's still our 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? Cherry Blossom asked

"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 We’re going to be Kings, We 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?" Cherry Blossom asked.

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 and Cherry Blossom. "Maybe we shouldn't..."

The fillies gasped and pointed to the sky. "Look! A shooting star!"

They closed their eyes and concentrated.

"What are you doing?" the prince asked.

"If you make a wish on a shooting star, it'll come true," they explained.

"What'd you wish for?" Screwdriver asked.

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, sons?"

The princes gasped and turned to face their mother. Mothball faked a grin.

"W-what are you talking about, Mother? We were just...smoothing out this poster!"

Chrysalis chuckled. "You can cut the charade, sons. 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.

"We’re prepared for my punishment, Mother," they said, shutting Their eyes with a shiver.

"Punishment?" Chrysalis said, raising an eyebrow. "You want me to punish you for doing exactly as I told you?"

They opened their 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 colts’ shoulder. "You are doing so well, my sons, 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 and Screwdriver choked at what their mother was saying. She had known what they 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. They could be the key to our success! And you, my sons," she lifted his chin towards her, "will be the one to turn that key in the lock."

A chill ran up their 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 girlfriends and inform them you are unable to see them 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 their friends, she caught the ball in her hooves. "What took you so long?"

"I, um..." they 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."

Screwdriver nodded in agreement. ‘’Sorry, Cherry.’’

The fillies’ grins wavered, but Screwball kept it up. "Okay. We can play something else, if you'd like."

"No, Screwy...I...see...I can't play with you anymore."

‘’MB’s right. Again, sorry Cherry.’’ Screwdriver agreed.

This time, their smile vanished completely. "What? Why?"

Their mother's words rang through their head: Be cruel, be cold, be vicious!
"I..." Mothball 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!"

‘’Uh… Yeah! Yeah You too, Cherry!’’ Screwdriver yelled.

Screwball dropped the ball in disbelief. "Mothball, what's going on? Why are you lying to us?"

Cherry Blossom started to verge up tears. ‘’Was it something we said?’’

They winced. They had forgotten that they were living lie detectors. Then an idea struck them. They knew they could tell they were lying, but their mother did not.

"I'm not lying!" Mothball 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!"

‘’Yeah! Its not like any pony’s watching us so abruptly!’’ Screwdriver screamed as he pushed away Cherry Blossom.

Screwball's eyes widened in realization. She could sense the falseness in every word, including the last sentence. They had been caught, possibly by their mother. But why were they acting like this?

"It really is amazing I was never caught!" Screwdriver continued. "I mean Mother has spies everywhere, and they don't know a thing about this!"

Another lie. Screwball and Cherry Blossom understood now. They were being watched, and so they were pretending to be cruel. After a long pause, they realized they had to play along.

"Well, fine!" Screwball snapped. "Maybe we’re tired of you too!"

‘’Yeah! In fact! You’re so ugly even my face feels sour!’’ Cherry Blossom snapped.

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 us!"

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!"

Cherry Blossom gasped and almost struck him with a lightning bolt, but remembered it was a lie and controlled herself.
"Well...you weren't our friends either! We just liked disobeying our parents! After all, how can we be friends with heartless monsters?"

He felt a pain in his chest, but told himself she was acting. "Okay then! I'll never sneak out to see you again!"
They then turned on their hoof and took to the skies. Screwball bit her cheeks. It was the best she could do to contain her grin.

They had been lying.