I don't own My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic or any of the characters except for the one OC
Screwball
This time I'll get it right, she thought, this time.
Screwball already knew her role in life, what her destiny was. Between her curly, untamable white and purple hair, the white swirls around her irises, and he fact that her Father was the master of chaos; Discord, Screwball knew that she was meant for chaotic, disorienting things.
When she went to her father with this realization, he gave the little filly one trial to prove that she could handle the position of being his second in command; make one chocolate rain cloud.
"If you can handle that, then I'll gladly teach you everything I know-"
"Okay!" She said happily, hugged her father, and left their castle to go do the simple task.
Or so it seemed in the beginning. She was given the task early in the morning... or late at night. It was hard to tell. But she went at the challenge the entire day, but the work went to no avail. She could make cartons of milk, or regular storm clouds, but she could not make the Cotten Candy filled chocolate milk rain clouds that her father could make with ease. Every time screwball did use her powers, they never worked the way she wanted them too.
"This would be simpler if I was a unicorn" she mumbled angrily to herself, slowly surveying the mess she made. The task she was given would have be proven easier if she was born a unicorn. But she was an earth pony with chaotic powers, so she had a harder time controlling them than most fillies her age.
"True, but that wouldn't make you unique, Screwball." Said a mares voice behind the young pony.
"What are you doing here Shadow Bandit?" She huffed in exasperation, not bothering to look behind her. The mare just smiled and sat down, smirking while looking at the pile of poorly made storm clouds.
Shadow Bandit was a burnt orange-brown color, and had a long black mane, her cutie mark was her mask, an all black mask with sequins on it, which she wore all the time. As much as the black leather vest with the sued wings on the back, and the black pirate hat with the gold brim that was always donned on her head. Though She was just a typical run-off-the-mill unicorn, she was well known for her control over the shadows. Either bending them to her will, or using them to get around Equestria. As well as being a renown Kleptomaniac that tried stealing something out of Screwball and Discord's castle, but after that was settled, and she proved to be an ally to Discord, was made his advisor, so she stuck around, planning with the master of disaster and foal sitting Screwball.
"Your father wanted me to check up on you. Make sure you don't hurt yourself too bad." Shadow Bandit said lightly.
"I don't need to be 'checked up on' I'm doing fine on my own."
"You sure about that?" The older mare asked while looking around at the pathetic remnants of the storm clouds and the spilled milk cartons Screwball tried to conjure.
"Then help me!" Screwball yelled.
"That's not what you were told to do, now is it?" she asked rhetorically, "your father told you to make a chocolate rain storm cloud, not me."
"I'm not asking you to make it for me. I'm just asking you to help me get started." She explained.
"Well... Let's see what you can do so far." Shadow said, backing up, then sat down.
"Okay." Then she tried her best to make a storm cloud. She focused, thinking about the small puff ball of Cotten candy. She kept focusing until her head hurt. A small blue-green ball of energy was forming where Screwball was focusing, slowly growing. Shadow slowly backed up when the energy spark started to grow. She's seen Discord make those clouds a thousand times over, and never once has there ever been a ball of energy like that before.
Thought when the spark grew to the size of a basketball, the small filly started to loose control of it. It started to rickashay and spaz, slowly becoming out of control. Before Screwball could loose control of it completely, Shadow used her magic to put a dark grey magical dome around the energy before it imploded, and used her control over the shadows to transport her and Screwball to a safe distance.
The energy then exploded. Dirt, grass, and milk flew all over the place, including on Shadow and Screwball. Shadow Bandit commanded her shadow to turn into wings (it was harder to do in the daylight, but it was doable) flew over to the sight. Everything, including the ground, was destroyed. Screwball trotted over to the sight and grimaced at the mess she made. Sure, destruction was one of the main things her dad expected of her, but she didn't like destroying things that she didn't mean to destroy.
"That's never happened before, right?" Shadow Bandit asked, slowly surveying the mess.
"Once before." Screwball admitted miserably. That happened the first time she tried to make a storm cloud, though that time was much worse than this time.
"Okay... Maybe you do need some type of help."
"You'll teach me?!" Screwball asked excitedly, smiling an innocent smile.
"I'll talk to your father and see what he thinks, but NO promises." Shadow said, sounding defeated.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Screwball yelled in delight. She then started to jump around the elder unicorn, cheering.
"Don't get excited yet, and don't think I going to show you everything. I expect you to do it on your own." Shadow Bandit explained. "Now at least try to help me clean this mess. Discord might like chaos, but I'm halfway certain he doesn't like a big mess everywhere."
Neither Shadow Bandit or Screwball did know the full answer to that, and neither did they notice Discord lingering in the background, surveying his beloved daughter try to do what he does best.
Discord
Discord was already iffy about the idea of letting Screwball help him with the chaotic reign he was in charge of. Discord's job was dangerous enough, he saw that much, and he already had Shadow Bandit to look after considering she never thought things through and was reckless. The last thing he wanted was for his only daughter to get hurt.
Screwball was the only light in his life that wasn't chaotic, well... Fully. At first, he thought the idea of Screwball working beside him was a brilliant idea. But as he watched her grow the first three years of her life, he saw how unstable
her powers were. But he did need a lieutenant. So when Shadow Bandit trying to rob them blind, using her power over shadows to get her there on the first place, was in some sense, a blessing.
Not to mention that she was one of the only few alicorns in existence, she made his reign even more powerful. But he could see his young filly grow restless with not helping him. She was strong enough, but considering she was born an Earth pony, and not a unicorn like she was originally was intended to be, her powers where more unstable than most.
So when Screwball came to her father with her request of wanting to help him, he didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell her no, that she wasn't ready yet, but he couldn't bring himself to it. So he thought he could give her a small task.
"Make one storm cloud." Discord had said.
"What?" Screwball asked, her hypnotizing eyes read confusion.
"If you can do that then I'll gladly teach you everything I know-" he said. to an extent he was going to say, but he was cut off by his daughters squeal of delight.
"Okay! Thank you! You won't regret this! I'll make you proud!" She said excitedly. She then hugged him and then ran out the door.
"She can at least handle that." Discord said to himself out loud.
"You sure about that?" A mares voice said behind him.
"It's one cloud. What's the worse that could possibly happen?" He said turning toward the shadow bending pony. Assuring both his lieutenant and himself.
"She blows up the castle and kills us all." Shadow Bandit said frankly. "Don't you think you should have at least waited until she got her cutie mark to decide whether or not she helps us."
"It's just a test to see if she's capable of handling the responsibility." As he said that, however, there was a loud explosion in the horizon. Shadow and Discord both looked at each other, both thinking the same thing; Screwball.
"Maybe you should check up on her in a little while." Discord decided.
"Will do."
Even after that, and secretly checking up on Screwballs progress, he still had his worries. He did his best to keep her from getting hurt. He made sure she never left the perimeter of the castle, one of the first things he had Shadow do when she agreed to go under his command was to foal-sit Screwball, and whenever he could, he constantly kept an eye on her.
Later on that day both Shadow Bandit and Screwball came back into the manner. Both covered in dirt and grass. Both ponies looked exhausted. Though Screwball looked both ashamed and irritated as well.
"What happened to you two?" Discord asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Chaos." Shadow said lightly. Screwball on the other hoof, didn't bother answering her doting father. She ran up to her room, slamming the door behind her. Discord then looked at his lieutenant with a worried expression.
"She couldn't make a cloud," Shadow Bandit explained. "and she didn't want to leave."
"Oh."
"Sure as hell has your determination I'll give her that," His second in command said while getting a glass of water. "But she can't control her magic right. Everything literally blows up in her face."
"What do you want me to do about it? She needs to learn this on her own." Discord explained.
"I understand that. But with all do respect, you can't just expect her to get it on the first try. The least you could do is help her, Or at least let me do it." And with that, Shadow Bandit left to go upstairs. Either to go find Screwball, or to her room to go to sleep.
A little later, Discord went to find his daughter. He found her in her room. She was laying on her side on the small bed. Her eyes were closed, but her face read annoyance and exasperation, as well as disappointment and shame.
"What in Equestria am I going to do with you?" He mumbled softly, testing whether or his daughter was asleep. She did not stir, so he confirmed that Screwball was asleep. Discord then teleported himself right next to his beloved daughter, carefully stroking her wild, untamable hair. After maybe an hour of laying there, discord then teleported himself back to the foyer.
Shadow Bandit
At first Shadow Bandits plan was to go to sleep, but as she walked by Screwballs room, her plans changed. She saw the small spawn of chaos trying, once again, trying to make a storm cloud. But to no avail, she made a chocolate milk carton, and it exploded in her face.
"What's the point of having these powers when I can't even use them right?!" Screwball screamed angrily. She then screamed into her pillow, and collapsed on her bed.
"Don't get so worked up, kid" Shadow Bandit said as she walked into the little fillys room. "You'll get it right eventually.
"Don't patronize me!"
"Whoa! Here I am trying to help you, and here you are screaming at me." The unicorn said while sitting on the floor. "No wonder you don't have any friends."
"I have friends!" Screwball yelled defensively. Looking at the mare with annoyance.
"Me and your dad don't count, Screwy."
"Are you here for something?"
"Just here for moral support. Better than bumming around here I guess." Shadow said while jumping on Screwballs bed.
"Well your not helping." After that neither of the two ponies said a word for a minute or two.
"I think your dad agreed with me helping you though." Shadow said with a smile. "So that's something."
"What's the point? Everything I try to do I just screw up!" Screwball said in a defeated tone. "My daddy's disappointed in me enough, I really don't want to add on to it."
"Stop talking like that. Your fathers extremely proud of you." Shadow said putting her hoof on Screwballs shoulder, "don't ever think other wise."
"Sure." Screwball said indifferently.
"We'll start training you tomorrow." And with that, Shadow got up and took her leave.
There wasn't any doubt in the reformed thief's mind that Discord loved his daughter. Aside from chaos, she was the one thing he truly cared about. Shadow herself thought it was sweet. But she also thought it was crippling, if anyone got their hooves on Screwball, they would have Discord at their disposal. Though as time went on watching the chaotic family, she saw that Screwball was more than capable of taking care of herself. But even though Screwball was powerful, the power she had gotten from her dad wasn't the most... Stable, to say the least.
But never the less, Shadow considered that there wasn't anything Discord couldn't handle with his little girl, considering he watches her like a haw. though Shadow did know that one of these days, with Screwballs reckless behavior, she would end up getting hurt.
Shadow shouldn't have jinxed their luck.
If Discord seems a little OOC to some of you, sorry about that. I don't exactly no what angle to from for him and screwball... Oh well, I'll figure it out eventually.
leave a review if you liked the story, didn't like the story, or if you have suggestions for said story.
this is the fist MLP fanfic I've ever written, so go lightly with the constructive criticism, and the second fan Fic I've ever written. So again tread lightly if you will.
Thanks for reading. =)
new revised version of the first chapter. It mostly had to do with Delusional Potato's comment.
for those of you who read the first version, I can kinda see how making my OC an Alicorn was a little cheap, and I'm not certain how most will like the whole "Shadow Wings" concept, but it does go with Shadows abilities, and a good deal of the story kinda hovers around the possibility of Shadow being able to fly.
the second thing, I don't know if it was just Delusional Potato, or many of you agree that right now Shadow seems kinda useless, but come on, it's the first chapter. I'm still setting the story and Shadow Bandit's worth will show in the next chapter or so.
as for the spelling and grammar stuff, I'll do my best. But I got a C in grammar, so not much hope there...
thanks again for reading =)
