"You want to try apple bucking again?" Cinnamon Stick suggested.
"Uh-uh," Apple Blossom said, shaking her head. "Not after what happened last time! I couldn't feel my legs for a week!"
"You smell nice," whispered Thunder Dash, who had been standing right behind her. "I mean...maybe you're a teacher like your mom!"
She scratched her head. "Huh. Hadn't thought of that."
"You'll need some sort of practice," said Lightning Dash.
"We could play school!" Dinky exclaimed.
Screwball, Cherry Blossom and their friends were at Cinnamon Stick and Apple Blossom's clubhouse, which had been passed down to them from their aunt Apple Bloom. They had all been Cutie Mark Crusaders at one point, until Apple Blossom was the only blank flank left. Today they were going to fix that.
They were not alone. Thunder and Lightning had brought their four-year-old sister, Winter. She was the spitting image of her mother, from the wild rainbow mane to the cyan fur. The only difference was her father's emerald eyes. Cinnamon Stick had brought his younger sister, Cinnamon Roll, as well. The seven-year-old had a tan coat and platinum blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and she was just as eager to get her cutie mark, even though she had plenty of time ahead of her. The twins had also brought their family's pet tortoise, Tank.
While every pony pretended to be Apple Blossom's students, Screwball and Cherry Blossom could not concentrate. Cherry Blossom should be thrilled, as she had not had the chance to hang out with her friends since her grounding, but her mind was on the friend she had lost.
Prince Mothball and Screwdriver had looked so sad when their frightening mother took them away. They knew changelings had no hearts, but did that mean they had no emotion?
Their father had called them monsters, which appalled them. After all, neither he nor she liked being called such a thing. The princes had not looked monstrous. Sure, they were unusual, but so were they. In fact, they were fascinated by how different and mysterious they was.
Why had they stayed? Why had they not run off once their cover had been blown?
She remembered how he had reacted when that manticore had appeared. While he could have saved himself, he had taken her with him. Of course, she had been in no danger, but he had obviously thought otherwise and had tried to pull her out of it. If he was as heartless as her father had said, why would he have bothered?
"Screwball, Cherry Blossom, are you paying attention?" Apple Blossom demanded, imitating her mother.
Screwball and Cherry Blossom shook out her thoughts. "Sorry, guys. We're...distracted today."
"Did you eat some bad muffins for breakfast?" Dinky asked.
They snorted in amusement. "No. I just...have a few things on our minds."
"Well, get those things out of your minds!" Apple Blossom ordered, banging her stick on the map of Ponyville. "We have a lesson here!"
"Cut the theatrics for a moment, Blossom," said Lightning. "Can't you see Screwball and Cherry blossom's having a crisis here?"
"Maybe they have low blood sugar," Cinnamon Stick suggested.
"I made some rolls this morning!" Cinnamon Roll announced.
"Don't be silly," said Thunder. "Screwball and Cherry Blossom eat nothing but cotton candy and chocolate! They're never low on blood sugar!"
"Are they sick?" Winter asked.
"Now that's even sillier. Screwball and Cherry Blossom's the Princesses of Chaos. She never gets sick!"
"Yeah," Lightning groaned, rolling her eyes at her sister. "Don't be an idiot, Winter."
The tiny pegasus gasped. "I'll tell Mommy and Daddy you said a bad word!"
"Idiot's not a bad word!"
"Yeah!" Thunder confirmed. "A bad word would be..."
He was cut off as his mouth was suddenly zipped closed.
"What kind of big brother are you?" Screwball demanded.
Thunder grumbled as he unzipped his mouth. "Just tell us what's wrong, Screwy and Cherry, so we can stop arguing about it."
They were not sure whether or not to tell their friends. They decided to run a test first.
"Do you guys know what a changeling is?"
Every pony gasped in horror, aside from Dinky and Apple Blossom.
"What's a changeling?" the two asked together.
"They're shape shifters!" Lightning declared.
"They're evil!" Thunder added.
"They're scary!" Cinnamon Roll shivered, hiding behind her brother.
"They take the form of the ones you love!" Cinnamon Stick exclaimed.
"And they eat that love!" Lightning finished.
"Like spaghetti!" Winter shouted.
"Our mom battled those guys at Flurry Heart's parents' wedding!" Thunder claimed, punching his hooves in the air.
"They were tough!" Lightning grunted.
"But our mom was victorious!
"Our parents were there too," Cinnamon Stick reminded them. "So were Screwball's mom, Aunt Twilight, Aunt Rarity and Aunt Pinkie. But Mom said Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence defeated them in the end."
Lightning rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, but mom fought them hard!"
"And knocked a hundred of them out!" Thunder added.
"Yeah!" Winter cheered. "Our mommy is awesome!"
"Shut up, Winter," Lightning muttered.
"You said another bad word! I'm telling!"
"Why did you ask, Screwy and Cherry ?" Cinnamon Stick inquired.
Screwball and Cherry Blossom now knew they could not tell their friends. While they trusted them with their life, they would not understand.
"No reason," they lied. "Did I hear something about cinnamon rolls?"
As Prince Mothball and Screwdriver headed to their chamber, they heard the buzzes among the changelings:
"How come they get to be Princes? They're just little brats! I've served this hive longer than they ever have!"
"They're nothing special, except that they look different! Talk about discrimination!"
"The least her majesty could do is to pick a female to be heir!"
"Maybe they'll choose a queen when they inherit the throne."
"Ha! We've never needed a king and we don't need one now!"
The princes quickened their pace and pretended not to hear them.
"And how come they get a bigger room?"
Their chamber was the second largest in the hive, next to the queen's. The others slept in hexagonal alcoves, shared by up to twenty changelings. They could feel their glares of envy wherever they went.
The worst part was that being Prince was an honor they were not sure they wanted. They were not as clever or ambitious as their mother. Even the privilege of calling her 'their mother' made them weary. She showed them no tenderness. She did not even come to tuck them in or say goodnight. She was not the one to nurse them as a larva. That job went to the nurse changelings, though they had received special attention even then. They had a personal nurse that was ordered to look after them and no one else. The only time their mother wanted to see them was to prepare them for the throne and tell them of her plans.
They did not understand what made them so special. The others were right. They just had the fortune or misfortune of looking different. Chrysalis' heir should have been a girl to give birth to the changelings. They had pointed this out to their mother once and her reply was that they could worry about finding a queen later. It was not something for a boy on the verge of adolescence to think about.
As they crawled into bed, Mothball's mind wandered to the filly he had met over a week ago. He could not get her out of his head. The first time he saw her he thought she was pretty, even while drenched in chocolate milk. Her swirly curls were like wisps of purple and white clouds. Her fur was as pink as the sky at sunset. And her eyes, oh, he could not stop thinking about her entrancing lollipop eyes.
Screwdriver's mind wandered to the young alicorn filly. He could not get her out of his head. The first time he saw her he thought she was pretty, even while drenched in chocolate milk. Her mane, oh, her beautiful blue mane, was like clear skies of blue. Her fur was as red as a cherry he'd pick on a warm, summer day, and her eyes, oh, her eyes, he could not stop thinking about her enchanting, sea-blue eyes.
Their chests pounded again.
"What the heck is wrong with me?!" they shouted, slamming their hooves on the bed. "They're just stupid girls!"
They sighed in agony. No, they were not stupid. They had bravely faced that manticore and had tactically found a way to tame it. They still thought them crazy, (espiecially the red alicorn) but that made them more interesting.
Indeed, there was no pony like them. As they had said, they were two of a kind.
They had to see them again, not because their mother had asked them to find out more about them, but because they wanted to. It was clear they were not going to get any sleep anyway.
Sneaking out of the hive was not going to be simple. There were guards at every exit and even the hallways were infested with changelings. So Mothball and Screwdriver took the form of fruit flies. Insects were quite easy and the first things changelings learned to transform into. Their small body made them practically invisible to everyone in the hive and they were able to slip out into the outside world.
"And as Shining Armor and Cadence kissed, Rainbow Dash performed her famous sonic rainboom!"
Fluttershy had just finished telling her daughter and niece the story of the changeling invasion in Canterlot. Screwball and Cherry Blossom had requested it, not knowing what to expect. Queen Chrysalis sounded quite evil from her mother's description. Tricking a stallion into marrying her while imprisoning the real bride as well as Aunt Twilight certainly was quite monstrous. Were her sons anything like her?
"I hope I didn't scare you," Fluttershy said.
Screwball shook her head. "No. But Mom, do you really believe all changelings are heartless?"
''more heartless than manticores?'' Cherry Blossom asked.
The pegasus smiled. "I'm sure your father/uncle was just exaggerating. Of course," she shivered, "after that incident in Canterlot, I almost believe him. Then again, I thought your father was a heartless monster before I got to know him."
"Hypocrite," the fillies huffed.
"Do you know why I went with your father/uncle?"
"Because Equestria was in danger?"
"Well, that was part of it, but before I accepted the deal, I went to Zecora for advice. She told me that if I married Discord, there would be great happiness in my future, and that all he wanted was some pony to love him. I came to him with the belief that I could tame him." She chuckled. "I never expected what would become of it, like the fact that we would have beautiful, special little fillies along the way."
She leaned over and kissed her daughter and niece on the forehead. "Goodnight, my angels. I love you."
"Love you too, Mommy," Screwball said with a smile.
Fluttershy opened the music box on the side table. It had been a gift from Discord on Screwball and Cherry Blossom's fifth birthday. It played without the need of being cranked and alternated between "Hush Now, Quiet Now", "Daddy Discord." And ''Cousin Screwball''. Fluttershy then clapped her hooves, turning the lights off.
Hours after her mother/aunt had departed, Screwball still lay awake in bed. The changeling princes would not leave her mind. She remembered how they had not heard of chocolate milk or playing before. What kind of life had he led to not have tasted chocolate milk? Knowing his diet answered the question, but still! Five thousand brothers and sisters, and they did not know how to have fun?
He must be lonely, she concluded, which was probably ridiculous if they had five thousand playmates at home. Unless he's an outcast like me.
You mean outcasts like us. Cherry Blossom replied in her thoughts.
Ever since They turned nine, they found out they could not only talk to each other physically, but telepathically. They could talk to each other through thought if they don't want to say it out loud.
Screwball looked at her twin cousin. You're right. Maybe they are outcasts like…
Her thoughts were interrupted by a rap at their window. They sat up in bed and turned toward the sound. Two dark shadows was at their window. They slid to the floor and cautiously approached. Their eyes widened when they saw their intruders.
Cherry Blossom lifted the window. "What are you doing here?"
"We wanted to see you," Prince Mothball whispered, "and have more of that 'fun' we were having the other day."
Screwball glanced around. "Are you crazy? What if our parents saw you?"
"Why do you think We came here after dark? So you coming or what?" Screwdriver asked.
"What if we don't wanna have fun with you? How do we know you won't just suck our love from us like a vampire?" Cherry Blossom asked.
"We'll be careful, we promise. Besides, if we wanted your love, we wouldn't have come like this." The brothers replied.
Despite how much they wanted to go with them, they had to be vigilant. There was a chance their dads could have been right.
They sighed. "Okay. Meet us at the chocolate lake in fifteen minutes."
The changelings brightened up. "Great! we'll see you!"
Screwball shut the window as Mothball and Screwdriver flew away. She grabbed her hat, but before she put it on, she and Cherry Blossom looked in the mirror and smoothed out their hair. Their hooves were on the doorknob when a thought occurred to her.
"Hold on a second."
They opened the window again and flew out.
It was much faster to reach the lake by flight than on foot. Mothball and Screwdriver had beaten her to it.
"I'm glad you came," they said with a grin.
"Don't get happy just yet," Screwball warned.
"We want to know what this is all about." Cherry Blossom demanded.
Mothball sighed. "I guess your parents told you a lot about changelings, huh? Well, my mother told me a lot about your parents."
Curious, Screwball sat down beside him. "What about them?"
"Well, for starters, she told me that your dad was the Lord of Chaos that took over Equestria two or three times." Screwdriver said as Cherry Blossom sat next to him.
"He's not like that anymore," Screwball insisted. "Not since he met my mom."
"Yeah, she said that too. Hey, how did that happen anyway?" Mothball asked.
"My parents, you mean?"
"Yeah. Don't take this the wrong way, but how did a pony fall in love with the evil Spirit of Chaos?"
Cherry Blossom sprawled in the grass. "Well, it's a funny story really. The last time Uncle took over Equestria, he asked for a bride if he would stop his chaos. My mom was the only one brave enough to do it." She giggled. "I've heard the story so many times, yet they keep adding new things. For instance, my mom told me tonight that she went because she thought she could tame Daddy.
"They were engaged for a really long time. Every night, Dad would ask Mom if she loved him. They made a deal that they would not get married until she said yes. Daddy said that his plan had worked in reverse and he was falling for her instead. One day, he let her go."
Mothball and Screwdriver blinked in astonishment. "But I thought you said he was in love with her!"
"He was. He did everything he could to please her: gave her a comfortable bedroom, created a garden full of plants and animals, took her on romantic dates, you get the picture. But he knew she wasn't completely happy, because all she wanted was her freedom. So he gave it to her.
"A few days later, Mom and Auntie realized how unhappy they was without Dads and went back to them. On the way, they ran into a pack of Timberwolves. Dad and Uncle heard Auntie's screams and saved her. They brought them back to the castle and then they confessed their love for each other! But they weren't ready for marriage yet and didn't tie the knot until a year later. Then they had us!"
Mothball had listened to the entire story intently, watching the filly's excited glow as she told it.
"That's…" he stammered. "That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard."
Screwball's cheeks turned pinker. "You know, our dads may seem scary at first, but they're a real softie once you get to know him."
He laughed nervously. "I think he'd prefer to not know me."
"So what's your dad like?"
"Oh. You see, We...don't exactly have a father."
Screwball's smile wavered. "You never knew him?"
She understood that these things happen. Her friend never met her father, and all she knew about him was that he had been a doctor and explorer of some sorts.
"It's not that," Mothball explained. "The changeling race works like a bee hive. You know that bees have a queen, right?"
Screwball and Cherry Blossom nodded. Cheerilee had taught them about bees months ago.
"That's our mom, as you probably know. She gives birth to all the changelings, the workers, the soldiers, the nurses, the drones. That's what We meant when we said we had five thousand brothers and sisters."
"Wow," Screwball uttered. "I've always wondered what it was like not to be an only child."
''Well, Mom was going to have a baby a few years later.'' Cherry Blossom predicted.
Mothball laughed. "What I would give for that! Just because I have a lot of siblings, doesn't mean we're all one big happy family! Actually, most of them hate me. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a bit different from other changelings."
Screwball scooted closer to him. "Because you're a prince?"
"Well…yeah. What I mean is changelings don't usually look the way I do. They don't have hair or pupils, for example. They're more bug-like than pony-like. When Mother saw that We were 'special,' she made me heir to her throne."
"You're special? What a coincidence! I'm special too!" Cherry Blossom blushed. "Oh, I didn't mean to brag! It's just a fact."
Screwdriver giggled. "I figured. I've never met a half-pony, half uh..."
"Draconequus."
"...half-drakanaka before."
She stifled a laugh. "Good try."
"Your magic is really amazing! I've never seen anything like it!" Mothball said.
"Please, you should see our dads'! They can turn an entire orchard into an ice skating rink!"
"Still, We bet if you looked up the word 'special' in the dictionary, there'd be a picture of your faces." Mothball and Screwdriver blushed.
"I'm sure you'd be there too."
They groaned. "The only thing that makes me special is that I look different."
"So? There's nothing wrong with being different."
"If that weren't the only reason we were Prince!" Screwball and Cherry Blossom jumped back as they suddenly raised they're voice. "Sorry, it just bugs us how every changeling envies us for being the queen's favorite, a position we neither deserve nor want!"
There was silence for a moment. Then Mothball suddenly felt something soft brush against him. He looked down to see a pink hoof upon his black deformed one. He then looked up at the filly it belonged to. As he did, his green eyes met her deep, purple ones. The spirals in them seemed to go on forever. Screwdriver did the same with Cherry Blossom.
"If you don't want it," Cherry Blossom whispered, "you don't have to take it. Also, what you are doesn't label who you are. I'm one of the daughters of chaos, but that doesn't mean I'm going to take over Equestria one day. I'm also the niece of the Element of Kindness, but that doesn't mean I'm Miss Nice-to-Every-Pony. I'm a little bit of both, but I'm also me."
Screwdriver stared at her for a long while, not breaking contact from those blue pupils.
"Why are you so nice to me?" he asked. "Even now when you know what I am?"
She smiled at him. "My parents taught me that no matter how frightening one may appear, every creature has a heart."
He pulled his hoof away and turned his back to her. "Not changelings."
Her smile disappeared and she looked at the colt sympathetically. "So it's true that you literally don't have a heart?"
He nodded. "Why do you think we feed off love? With no heart to keep our blood pumping, we need the love to survive, but we're incapable of feeling any love ourselves."
He turned to her as she gently laid her hoof on his shoulder. "I don't believe that."
Mothball and Screwdriver coldly flicked their hoof away. "What do you want from us?"
they blinked. "We want to be your friends."
Their head shot up and they faced them again. "Friends?"
They nodded. "If that's okay with you, of course."
Mothball could not believe it. He had never had a friend before and the fact that this pretty filly was making the offer was even more astonishing. What else could they say, other than: "Sure?"
They surprised them again by flinging her hooves around his neck. It took them a while to realize they were hugging them! They felt like theirstomach was literally going to explode from the affection he was receiving.
What was he doing? He was feeding off her feelings of friendship! What were to happen if it ever became more than that? He could drain her of her magnificent powers! He was probably doing that right now!
Screwball and Cherry Blossom suddenly pulled away, her cheeks coloring in a fashion the prince could not help but find cute.
"You, um..." they stuttered, "w-wanna...swim?"
Mothball stared at her for another long moment and then shrugged. She smiled and reached out to touch the lake, transforming it to clear water.
The filly was still getting over the rush of feeling his sleek body. Even though it was impossible, she could have sworn that in that moment her head had been on his chest, she had heard a heartbeat.
