(this chapter is a mix of the lion king 2, the little mermaid and Brave. Just a note to self-reminder to all the viewers)

Discord paced around Screwball and Cherry Blossom's bedroom, trying to control his frustration. His niece sat on the bed, glaring down at her hooves while Fluttershy and Tara stood a safe distance away from them both.

''It's not like I'm not a reasonable uncle!'' Discord ranted. '' I let you bend reality, I let you stay up late, Heck, I let you eat dessert before dinner! Yet the one rule I make, the one thing I tell you not to do, you just go on and break it!''

''But I….'' Cherry Blossom started to say.

'' Did you know who that stallion was?!''

''I…''

''Did you?!"

Cherry Blossom hung her head and sighed. ''Yes.''

''How long have you been seeing that boy?'' He asked calmly.

Cherry Blossom spat. ''As long as I lived!''

Discord sighed. ''How many times have I told you, cherry? Changelings are evil! You can' trust them! Especially that one!''

''but,''

'' All changelings are the same: cold, hideous monsters! Well, except for the reformed ones.''

''But, uncle, weren't you the one to talk?''

Fluttershy and Tara gasped in horror. But then, they gave Discord a look meaning: 'She does have a point.''

''Oh,'' He growled. '' Oh, Ok! So that's how you're going to play it, huh missy? Yes, I may be hideous, but at least I have a heart! Changelings aren't capable of feeling any form of – ''

'' Uncle, can't you understand, we love them!''

Tara and Fluttershy gasped again, Discord squinted his eyes angrily.

''No,'' he uttered, he growled as he grab- picked her up. ''You are a pony, he is a changeling!''

''I don't care!''

'' I have just had enough of you, girl!''

''Just listen!'' Cherry Blossom begged.

''I am the lord of chaos, you listen to me!''

Cherry Blossom growled in annoyance, '' This is So unfair!''

''Unfair?!'' Discord said.

''You were never there for me!'' Cherry Blossom said, '' This whole life for me is what you want! Do you ever bother to ask what I want? No! You walk around telling me what to do, what not to do, trying to makeme be like you! Well Guess what? I'll never be like you!''

''Oh, you're acting like a child!'' Discord scoffed.

'' And YOU'RE a beast! That's what you are!'' Cherry Blossom yelled pointing to a picture and lifting the delicate glass with her magic.

Discord gasped. ''Cherry!''

''I'll never be like you!'' Cherry Blossom continued as she raised the picture higher.

''Stop that, Young lady!'' Discord warned.

''I'd rather die than to be like you!'' Cherry Blossom screamed, Throwing it to the ground.

The picture frame of the family shattered, leaving the picture broken. Discord carefully picked up some of the pieces, his heart heavy. He then turned to his niece and screamed angrily.

''YOU. ARE A PRINCESS!'' He shouted. ''And I expect you to act like one!''

Cherry Blossom squeaked and stepped back a little bit, but maintained her angry appearance. ''Oh, yeah?!''

''I'll make you do it even if it means to kill that coltfreind of yours!'' Discord yelled.

''You don't even know him!''

''I know he's following in Chrysalis' footprints! And I must follow the ponies'.''

'' You will never be one of us!''

Discord froze and turned slowly to his niece in shock, tears forming in her baby blue eyes.

''You're a monster, uncle, '' Cherry Blossom said. '' And you always will be!''

As she raced past Screwball, Screwball Screamed: ''Cherry, Wait!''

She turned back to her father mad, and she yelled.

''You hypocrite!''

As she turned her back and raced after her cousin, Discord was frozen in place by Cherry Blossom's words. He had been hurt so badly he almost cried.

''So much for showing her who's boss.''

Discord turned to Tara, Whose hooves were crossed and her back against the wall.

''Besides, I think you were a little too hard on my daughter.''

"Too hard on her?!" the draconequus repeated. "She deliberately disobeyed me! On top of that, she used her magic against me and called me a heartless monster! A hypocritical one at that!"

"But Discord, don't you see?" Fluttershy asked.

"Don't I see what?"

"This is precisely how we were treated when we0fell in love with you!"

The draconequus grew silent. He tried to find a proper response, but he found none.

"Our niece's right," Fluttershy declared. "You are a hypocrite! You forbid Screwball and Cherry Blossom from falling in love with a changeling, when the world forbade us from falling in love with you and Chillcord!"

"That was different!" Discord insisted. "We loved you back! Changelings are incapable of love! They say they care for you, but once their hunger is satisfied, they stab you in the back!"

"Honey, I know you're probably too upset to discuss this, but exactly what happened between you and Chrysalis that made you enemies?" Tara asked.

He sighed. "It was a long time ago, when I was just a kid alone in the wild. I met Chryssy, err, Chrysalis when she was just a princess. Even at that age, she was devious! She did not seem to mind my appearance and she said she was my friend. I told her I was looking for a home, and she told me of this land where creatures of all kinds are accepted."

"Equestria?" Fluttershy guessed.

"You got it. Well, she was clearly wrong! But that's not what ticked me off! Years later, when I took over Equestria, newly crowned Chrysalis and her changelings took advantage of my disorder and fed off the ponies!"

He looked at his wife sincerely. "She used me! She sent me to Equestria, knowing the ponies would reject me and make me so mad that I would take over so she wouldn't have to do it herself!"

"Are you sure that's what happened?" Tara asked as she massaged her brother-in-law's stomach.

"Oh, I'm sure! She wasn't the least bit modest when she came to my lair to gloat about it!"

He groaned and collapsed on the bed. "I wish Screwball and Cherry Blossom would just realize that I don't want them to get hurt! And I certainly don't want them to face the same..."

"Shhh," Fluttershy whispered, stroking his head. "What happened with Chrysalis is all in the past now. Maybe her sons are different."

"How could you possibly know that?" Discord huffed.

"I don't, but seventeen years ago, I met some pony whom every pony thought was a monster. I thought he was a monster too, until I got to know him better. A year later, I married him, and have been happy ever since."

"But those changelings...they're evil!"

"You were evil too, weren't you?" Tara asked.

"Yes, but..."

"And you changed, didn't you?" Fluttershy asked.

"I did, but..."

"Well, what made you change?"

He looked up at her. After all these years, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Of course, he had cast an eternal youth spell on her not long after their wedding, so she did not look any different.

"You."

Fluttershy smiled. "Because you fell in love with me."

''I'm going to leave you too alone, now.'' Tara said as she flew to the door.

He sat up. "It was more than that. You were my everything! My life was incomplete without you in it!" He reached out to caress her cheek. "I would give up my power for you!"

"Then don't you think Prince Mothball and Screwdriver could feel the same about Screwball and Cherry Blossom?"

He stiffened. "I...I..." He sighed heavily. "Maybe you're right, but...you can't be too careful. I suppose I should go talk to them."

Fluttershy shook her head. "Give them a moment to calm down."

Cherry Blossom did not know where else to go. She instantly teleported to her sanctuary. Her first instinct was to sob into her hooves.

Why could her father not understand? He was always supportive with everything else she did. Even though she knew he would never allow her to see Screwdriver, it never seemed to matter until now. Now that he had figured out her secret, he was going to make sure she never left his sight again. It would be only a matter of minutes before he found her.

"I thought you'd be here."

Huh. Sooner than I thought.

"Go away!" she shouted.

"Huh?"

Cherry Blossom did a double take and realized it was not her uncle's voice. She turned around to see Screwdriver. She quickly cast a spell to fix her hair and makeup.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I thought you were my dad. What are you doing here?"

He took a step forth. "I came to see if you were okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just…Uncle and I got into a fight."

"Oh. I guess that's my fault."

"No. I was the one who told you to change into yourself. I'm also the one who threw my uncleinto a tree. You know I've never used magic on him before? We've always been so close and never fought." She sighed. "I guess it was bound to happen at some point."

She hung her head and was silent for a while. Screwdriver cautiously approached and sat down beside her.

"So how have things been? You know, other than trouble with the parents."

Cherry Blossom sniffed. "Okay, I guess." She smiled a bit. "I have a baby sister now."

The changeling raised his eyebrows. "A sister?"

"Yeah, her name is Zanabelle. She's the cutest baby you'll ever see!"

"Does she, um...do the things you do? I mean can she do magic?"

She nodded. "Though she has trouble controlling it. I can't wait until she's older! That way, we can play catch together and I can show her my wicked curve ball!"

"How old is she now?"

"Five months."

"What about your friends? How are they doing?"

"Dinky and Cinnamon Stick got together at the dance, so did Thunder and Apple Blossom. I think..." She scooted closer to him. "A lot of ponies got up the courage tonight to..." She touched his hoof with hers. "Tell the pony they liked that they...well..."

She did not need to say anything. Screwdriver could feel her emotion. Things were going according to plan. All he had to do was pretend he returned her affections and wriggle more information out of her. It is what his mother would want. But it was not what he wanted.

He pulled his hoof away. "Cherry, you can't! You can't have feelings for a changeling! You can't love something that has no heart to love you back with!"

Cherry Blossom looked at him seriously. "Why do you not see what I see?"

"See what?"

"This!"

She took his hoof again and this time placed it over his chest.

"Feel that?"

Something inside his chest was pumping rapidly.

"That's a heartbeat," Cherry Blossom stated.

Screwdriver stared at her in disbelief and then shook his head.

"That's impossible," he murmured. "I'm not supposed to have a heart! I'm exactly what your father and uncle says: cold, unfeeling..."

"If you're so cold and unfeeling, then why haven't you sucked me dry yet?"

"Because...because..."

He could not think of a reason, for there were too many candidates: because I don't want to hurt you, because I'm supposed to keep you alive, because I think you're really pretty...

He chose the safest one:

"You're the only friend I've ever had."

As she smiled, Screwdriver could have sworn he heard music. He figured it was his imagination until fireflies surrounded them in a heart-shaped pattern. Cherry Blossom batted her blue eyes innocently.

"Sorry," she said. "When I get emotional, I get a little carried away."

Exactly who is the seducer here?

Once again, he found himself lost in those blue angelic eyes. He did not know if it was her magic, or if her eyes truly sparkled. He almost did not realize she was leaning in, until her lips were inches away from his.

He wrenched himself away and the spell was broken.

"Did you not hear my warning?!" he snapped.

Cherry Blossom pouted. "I don't care!"

"You should! Do you think I would be able to live with myself if I hurt...?"

He paused, shocked at the words falling from his mouth. Cherry Blossom was equally surprised, not by his words, but by his frightened tone. Screwdriver decided he should get out of here before he gave her the wrong idea and so he could sort out this strange thumping inside him.

"You should go home," he said quickly.

Cherry Blossom blinked. "What?"

"Your family's probably worried sick about you."

She sighed. "I guess you're right. I'm in enough trouble as it is. Will I see you again?"

Screwdriver looked away. "I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"But..."

"For your own safety, Cherry, I think it's best you stay away."

It pained him to say it even more than it had the first time he had left. This time, it was for real, and Cherry Blossom knew he was not lying. He heard a sniff and resisted the urge to look at her, knowing those beautiful eyes were filling up with tears.

"Goodbye," he muttered.

Screwdriver took off before he could change his mind. Cherry Blossom's ears drooped as she began crying for the second time that evening.

She did not want to go back to Canterlot, but she felt she had no choice. Her parents would flip if she did not return soon.

Screwball watched from afar, and hung her head sadly and approached the young mare. Cherry Blossom knew it was her, inspite of the tears forming in her eyes.

"Any sign of them?" Fluttershy asked her friends.

Applejack shook her head. "We've looked everywhere!"

Discord was growing nervous. "You don't think they ran away, do you?"

When Screwball and Cherry Blossom materialized in front of him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank Celestia!"

"Where have you been, young ladies?" Fluttershy demanded, crossing her hooves.

"We were just getting some air," Cherry Blossom mumbled, not making eye contact with any pony.

"Cherry, I want to talk about..." her uncle started to say.

She turned his back to him. "I don't want to talk now. I just wanna go to bed."

Discord scowled. "How dare you turn your back on me?! You come back here, or I'll..."

"Let her go, honey," Fluttershy said, taking his paw in her hooves. "It's been a long night. She needs some rest."

"We could all use some rest," Twilight declared.

The others agreed and departed for their bedrooms, all except Applejack. She tapped the yellow pegasus on the shoulder.

"Fluttershy, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Fluttershy looked to her husband. After the family dispute, Discord needed her especially now, but Applejack's expression was desperate.

"This will only take a moment, dear."

The draconequus nodded solemnly and left the two mares alone.

"How do ya make it work?" Applejack asked suddenly.

Fluttershy's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Your marriage. It can't be easy! I mean don't you two ever fight?"

"But of course. Married couples get into fights all the time."

"Then how are you still together?"

"The thing with fights is that we argue about what is bothering us and after the fight, we try to fix it. If we never talk about our problems with each other, how will one know what's troubling the other?"

"But..." Applejack stammered. "Don't most marriages end because of...a fight?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "Fights are normal. Of course, I wouldn't know, but I think marriages break up due to a lack of a fight."

"Caramel and I never fought, until..."

The earth pony trailed off, which caught Fluttershy's attention.

"Until what? Applejack, you can tell me anything. Whatever it is, I won't talk about it with anyone. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Applejack smiled a little and took a deep breath. "I caught Caramel with another mare."

Fluttershy gasped. "What? When?"

The whole story came pouring out. "A few days before Screwball and Dinky's birthday, Caramel told me he was going out to lunch with a friend. Then while I was shopping, Upper Crust said she saw him at the café with his old marefriend, Apple Cider! I tried telling myself it was only a casual meal, but I was curious and asked Upper Crust to lead me to them! When we got there, her filthy hooves were all over him! In public, nonetheless!

"Humiliated and hurt, I rushed home, packed my things, left Caramel a note, picked the kids up from her piano lessons and hopped on the next train to Ponyville!"

As tears sprung in Applejack's eyes, the pegasus stood speechless. She tried to process Caramel Seedling ever doing such a thing. He was always such a gentlecolt to all of them.

"Maybe it isn't what you think," Fluttershy suggested.

"And what if it is?" Applejack snapped.

"Did you even talk to Caramel about this?"

"Well, I...no. I was just so upset, I couldn't talk to him! I haven't even told Cinnamon Roll about it!"

"Then how do you know that's what happened?"

The earth pony said nothing.

"Look, I won't say anything, but you should not leave something like this unsaid, especially to Caramel. If you don't discuss this matter with him, it will never be resolved."

Applejack looked her friend in the eye. "You're right. I shouldn't hold my anger in. I must speak with Caramel. I suppose that means I should throw those divorce papers away."

Fluttershy grinned. "That's good, Applejack."

"But...I need to sleep on it. Thank you, Fluttershy. You really are the best friend a pony could ever have."

Twilight did not mean to eavesdrop. She had returned to ask Fluttershy about the changeling when she overheard the conversation with Applejack. It got the alicorn thinking about her situation with Flash. They never really talked about what happened five years ago. Perhaps it was time they did.

She was also thinking about what had occurred with Screwball, Cherry Blossom and the changelings, whom Discord had claimed was Queen Chrysalis' heir. Screwball and Cherry Blossom had turned against Screwball's father to defend the boys. Twilight wanted to know why.

When Mothball and Screwdriver arrived at the hive, their mother was waiting.

"What did you find out from the halflings?" she asked.

The princes turned away from her. "We don't want a part of this anymore, Mother."

Queen Chyrsalis narrowed her eyes. "What did you say?"

"We said we don't want a part of this anymore!"

The elder changeling gritted her teeth. "Are you disagreeing with me?"

Mothball faced her defiantly. "Maybe we are. What are you going to do about it?"

Furious, her horn glowed green as she blasted a beam at him, sticking him to the wall.

''MB!'' Screwdriver exclaimed.

"No one defies me!" Chrysalis bellowed, stepping toward him. "Especially my own sons! Now tell me what you know!"

Mothball and Screwdriver was scared out of their wits. He had never stood up to his mother before, nor had she ever used force on him! Nevertheless, he kept his courage.

"I don't care what you do to us! Why can't you just leave that family alone?"

Chrysalis growled. "I should have known you'd be too weak for the task!" Then she smirked. "And I know precisely what makes you weak. Those halflings, they're something of...value to you, is she not?"

Mothball and Screwdriver froze in fear, causing Chrysalis to grin in triumph.

"I see they are. If I cannot get information from you, I could always go straight to the source."

"No!" they protested. "You can't! Please, don't hurt them!"

"You don't want them hurt?" the queen chuckled. "Then tell me what I need to know."