Daughter Of Discord

Secret

"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 and her 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, Prism. 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 could not concentrate. She 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 had looked so sad when his frightening mother took him away. She knew changelings had no hearts, but did that mean they had no emotion?

Her father had called them monsters, which appalled her. After all, neither he nor she liked being called such a thing. The prince had not looked monstrous. Sure, he was unusual, but so was she. In fact, she was fascinated by how different and mysterious he was.

Why had he stayed? Why had he not run off once his 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, are you paying attention?" Apple Blossom demanded, imitating her mother.

Screwball shook out her thoughts. "Sorry, guys. I'm...distracted today."

"Did you eat some bad muffins for breakfast?" Dinky asked.

She snorted in amusement. "No. I just...have a few things on my mind."

"Well, get those things out of your mind!" 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's having a crisis here?"

"Maybe she has low blood sugar," Cinnamon Stick suggested.

"I made some rolls this morning!" Cinnamon Roll announced.

"Don't be silly," said Thunder. "Screwball eats nothing but cotton candy and chocolate! She's never low on blood sugar!"

"Is she sick?" Prism asked.

"Now that's even sillier. Screwball's the Princess of Chaos. She never gets sick!"

"Yeah," Lightning groaned, rolling her eyes at her sister. "Don't be an idiot, Prism."