Chapter 3: Children of Screwball and Mothball

After Screwball was impregnated, Mothball put his head up to his wife's stomach.

"Do you feel them?" Screwball asked.

"Yeah, but I'd rather both of them be ponies rather than Changelings." Mothball said, "I don't want my children exposed to heirs and the Hive. It'll be too much for them."

"So what if one is? Or both? I will still love them as I love you, so don't worry too much." Screwball replied.

"But don't you agree that it'll be too much for them?" Mothball asked.

"I guess, but if they have us as parents, nothing will be too much for them!" Screwball exclaimed.

"Please tell me we're not going to start singing. Changelings don't really sing..." Mothball said, "I've never really sing before."

"What do you mean, you've never sung before?" Screwball asked.

"I mean, I have and Mother has once, but generally Changelings don't really sing as I said before. The only Changelings with good voices are royals." He replied.

Open Your Heart Lyrics

Screwball: Anypony can sing if they put their mind to it, just like anything else in Equestria. You just gotta feel it inside your heart. Singing is an art that comes from within, it's much better than Changelings feeding off love. For you know there's already love inside you. You try.

Mothball: What must I do to open up my heart?

Screwball: If you'd really like to know, singing is a work of art. In fact, singing is the way to start if you want to open your heart. No ounce of chaos can do it, even though it can be so much fun.

Mothball (talking): Hey!

Screwball (talking): What? Oh right, oh right.

Mothball: So singing is the way to start?

Screwball (talking): Right on! You're getting it!

Screwball: For no ounce of chaos can open your heart, for no ounce of sucking love out of creatures can open a Changeling's heart. You need to just firmly believe in yourself and remember the golden rule!

Together:

Screwball: Singing is the way to start opening up your heart!

Mothball: For singing is the way to start opening up my heart!

Screwball clutched her stomach.

"Man, they're stubborn! They aren't supposed to come today, I expected them next month!" Screwball said.

"Screwy, I'll contact your parents as soon as possible." Mothball said, "Early childbirth is never fun."

"Thanks, Mothy." She said as she rose to her hooves.

But shortly after she collapsed once again, clutching her stomach in pain.

"Hurry!" She cried.

Just at that moment, Discord teleported himself, Fluttershy, and Screwball's little brother, Zany to Screwball and Mothball's house.

Discord summoned a bed and turned himself into a doctor. He then summoned an X-ray and a scalpel.

"Dad, what did you find?" Screwball asked.

"It seems that you have one girl and one boy." Discord replied.

"Changelings or ponies?" Mothball asked.

"You'll see once they come out." Discord said, snapping his fingers to make the X-ray disappear.

Discord took the scalpel and began cutting where the larva and foal would come out. Afterwards, Mothball looked at the children.

"A female Changeling and a male foal." He remarked, "Time to get out the Book of Changeling Monarchs."

"Book of Changeling Monarchs?" Screwball asked, "You never mentioned that before. What is iIt?

"Oh, sorry about that." Mothball said, "In the Hive, whenever a royal Changeling is born they receive a book that lists all of the kings and queens throughout Changeling history. It also says what they did, but all of them including the old Changeling way of feeding off love."

"She doesn't have to follow the majority." Screwball said, "In fact little Chaonia here can do just as Trixie and Moonbeam."

"There were in fact two Changeling queens named Chaonia in the past, so that makes her Chaonia III." Mothball remarked, "And I thought maybe she'd stick with the others."

"You never know." Screwball said.

"That's true." Said Mothball, "So now that we've got her name settled, what about the foal who resembles you?"

"I was thinking something along the lines of Crazy Swirl." Screwball replied.

"How about Hot Chocolate?" Her Changeling husband suggested.

Screwy gasped.

"That's perfect!" She exclaimed, "Princess Chaonia III and Hot Chocolate! Has a nice ring to it!"

And so they were named.