A New Embrace

Celestia sits on her throne with a mysterious scroll hidden under her left wing and a smile growing as the clock reaches the end of her shift as Princess of The Sun. She waits for the nobles to take their leave by tapping on the pillow of her chair with impatient aptitude for the scroll to be unsealed and read. The sun was to be set within the hour, but that was not her sole focus for today. No. The scroll was her sole focus. Her only meaning to smile so brightly and feel an emotion that has not touched her heart since the day she returned to Equestria to see her little sister stripped of the darkness that took her mind.

The scroll had a waxed seal on it. Said seal was not Equestrian, but rather from a different symbol that is not of her world. It was the letter 'M', and Celestia knew from that symbol that it has been an entire week since she secretly messaged her other-worldly friend.

You see, when Celestia was temporarily banished to her sun by the Mare in The Moon, her corrupted sister, Princess Luna—Also known as Nightmare Moon—the magic that should have shackled her actually sent her across the stars and into a rift that no longer exists. She wound up in the humble abode of a creature that saved her from a pack of werewolves, and things from then on became a quick development of friendship.

The hours of worrying and hectic terror became calming and rather fun for the princess. Her mystery of being in such a world turned to amusement and fun, and her new friend became something more than a friend as they shared tea and a few slices of cake. Unfortunately, the cakes were devoured by her, and she knew that her time on this world was to a close. Still, the alicorn shared many things with this stranger and found herself sharing similar feelings that could not be spoken of.

In the end, they exchanged confessions of being attracted to one another and promised to write to one another. It was the only thing Celestia could do to stay in contact with him, and she's done so wholeheartedly with the man, so that one day she will soon have the power to bring him to her world, or to find a way to see him.

Who is this mysterious writer you ask? Honestly, Celestia is not quite sure of him as well. She merely knows that he stole her heart with his lack of formality. He treated her like a pony and not like a princess or a goddess that is to be revered by all. He shook her hoof instead of bowing. He gave her a hug instead of lecturing about how she needs to stay strong. He treated her like a normal pony and gave her friendship that cannot be found in the eyes of her little ponies.

Celestia has him as a true friend, but she wants more than that from him. And by the gods she was going to get that chance no matter how many spells it would take to get him here or her there. But for now, she was going to enjoy the indirect company he gives her with his reply, and she was going to enjoy every word, as though it were to be the last letter between them.

A small frown curls her muzzle, nobles noticing the negativity when looking back one last time. "Hurry up and close the doors," she whispered very aggressively, her hoof tapping so rapidly that it dents her chair. She was frustrated—or perhaps she was just very impatient. "I have better things to do than listen anymore of your selfish squabbling."

The guard standing closest to her throne winced under the shadow of his helmet, hearing the princess grow more impatient by the minute. Did she hear herself at all? She sounded like a spoiled filly that gets anything she wants. She sounded like a dictator that's lost her patience. Still she could not help how she sounded right now. It should have been a gentle request, not a command under her breath. She was not that kind of princess anymore, but that scroll in her wing was driving her up the wall. She wants—No, she needs to read it. She misses him. She misses having those strong arms hug her so nicely without. She misses hearing his soft and loving voice.

She misses him, and being in that chair did not help her overcome those few minutes left in her shift.

Even the guards were afraid to speak to the alicorn. Her word was equivalent to law. More, she was annoyed of having no understanding as to why the nobles thought it was so necessary to have her undivided attention at all times. Did they forget that their presence in the castle is merely a privilege, and that she tolerates their bickering?

It made no sense to Princess Celestia and until it did, until she could figure out why it was so important to have selfish nobles in her kingdom, she wasn't going to rock the boat; at least not now.

Finally the doors closed and the guards relieved themselves of being guards of the Sun Deity. There was a brief silence—an uncomfortable one—as if their princess just experienced something more dreadful than losing her sister a thousand years ago. This, however, was no form of dread, sorrow, or anything of the sort. It was silent happiness.

Celestia's heart stuttered at the ringing of six o'clock bell and she stood, leaped, unable to contain her joy at this point. She had been aware of the guards in her throne room whispering to one another when she became loose and free to be happy. She was very aware of it, of the many eyes locked onto her, of the small gathering they made when she left her chair, but now her complete concentration was on the scroll beneath her wing.

She willed herself to return to some formal demeanor in spite of the overbearing, officious manner her guards show. She actually counted the seconds, waiting for her co-ruler to enter the room and take over for the night. Had she been so indulged with her own emotions, the Throne Room would be without a princess right now. But, alas, she knew that a house needs a parent present for the time being, and her kingdom needs her until the Lunar Deity arrives. Few words could be said once she regained her composure.

Darn it, Luna. Must you take your time with prepping yourself? Her joy altered to annoyance in the form of a loud snort. This made the guards grimace as she sighed into the open air before hanging her head low. You come in, take my spot for the entire night, and deal with the nobles that stay up to whine and gripe for more money, power, or land. That is all, and yet you take forever to arrive.

"Um, Princess Celestia, are you feeling alright?" A lower ranked guard asked from a distance, his fellow guards gesturing with their hooves for him to approach the mare—that is if she will not take her angst out on him. "You seem very stressed over something. Is it anything we, guards, can solve for you?"

"No, it is something only I can deal with," Celestia murmured, setting the scroll deeper into her wings, hiding it so not even the eyes of her younger sister can see the truth to her joy. It was going on 6:10 and her little sister had yet to show the smallest indication of her arrival. She did not even see servant in evidence of delivering a message and supposed Luna was procrastinating with her duties.

"Luna," Celestia hissed, tail flicking with much frustration behind her tone. "Where in the name of our mother are you? I want to read my letter from him and reply before bed."

Celestia scowled at the doors which lead to Luna's room as the guards for the Night Shift entered in a dutiable fashion. Both of the captains for each shift shook hooves and said a few words before switching roles, their attitudes shifting swiftly as the alabaster alicorn began to pace from column to column.

The sun was almost ready to set, and still there was no sigh of the Lunar Princess. Another glance at the clock showed it was fifteen after six. Finally, the Solar Princess huffed loudly and threw caution of a kingdom with no princess at the moment into the wind for her own sake. She'd been in the Throne Room long enough, exhausted by the nobles for their greed, and deserved the chance to at least read her letter. Immortal or not, it had been twelve hours and she needed a break. Twelve hours in a chair that is losing its softness will drive anyone mad, and she was not going to spend another minute in that darn thing.

It was a long time for her to be in the same spot, the same room that traps her, and this letter is all she has to be free in some small manner. He is her freedom, her means to a social life that is without formality. And most of all, he is the one that keeps her sane enough to deal with so many problems.

"Buck it," Celestia whispered to the clock, magic swiftly flowing into her horn as the scroll unrolled from crumbling in her wing. "I'm going to my room and read the letter. It's all I have to contact him before gaining enough runes to open a rift."

Glowing in the majestic aura of her majestic, Celestia disappeared from the Throne Room in a flash of bright yellow and reappeared in her room. She stood at the door and tossed her crown and regalia to the desk with quick levitation, almost as if she were annoyed to have trinkets on her. She was even actually shaking her body to loosen up and remove the flat spot on her mane as she slipped out of her gold slippers.

Her body complimented itself with magnificent curves of a real mare that has yet to be touched by a stallion. Strong and fit—for an older mare that is—yet so radiant and lean. Her flanks were definitely big, but they were firm and plump, so plump that a stallion would kill to touch them.

While the princess had her freedom, she carefully flattened the crumbled parchment and then occupied the large, purple pillow that is her reading spot. She smiled when her legs no longer held her up. They were sore and achy. The long hours of being a monarch had done her good, but now she was free and needed to read her letter.

Until...

"Well aren't you an excited filly," a male voice said behind the princess, his long drawl alarming the mare as the room became eerie with familiar magic. "I have not seen you this excited since the day you became a princess."

Celestia knew all too well to let herself be confused or curious by who she is hearing behind her. That voice could never be forgotten. Never in a million years and certainly not in this eternity of hers. He has too much of a reputation in mischief to be forgotten by the one that imprisoned him the first time they fought.

She craned her neck and peered to the owner of said voice, but stopped when laughter came next. If she looked behind herself there would be a prank or trouble of some sort waiting to get her. She knew better than that. Her room would be violated with something or some part of her body would be covered in cotton candy or whatever. If I turn around and talk him, something will happen and I will be infuriated while he makes his great escape. She took in a deep breath and resumed the matter at hoof, ignoring the spirit's rude notion of poking her flank. Just ignore him and read the letter, Celestia. Eventually he will get bored and leave the room.

"Hey, Celestia," the annoying spirit said, repeating the words with each poke he made to her cutie mark. Celestia could ignore it and tune him out any day of the week, but this was getting out of hoof and she had so little time to rest before collecting another rune from the vault for her task. "Hey, Celestia. Hey, Celestia. Hey, Celestia."

Focus on the letter.

"Hey, Celestia."

Focus and he will..."

"Hey...Celestia."

"WHAT!?" Celestia could not hold back her frustration any longer. From being in court all day to having a little sister that takes her sweet time getting ready, it was bound to happen sooner or later. The princess was bound to unleash her intensity, but must it be from the one who annoys her so much?

"What is it, Discord?" she asked very rudely—not that it wavered the smile he wore. "What could you possibly have to say after having all day to fetch for me yet decide to wait when I am comfortable and off duty?"

Discord walked past her to the fireplace closed in by the stainless steel guard and tempered glass. To his own amusement of annoying the Princess of Day, he held a silent demeanor with a score of devious thoughts running through his head, each artfully crafted for pranking, some large, some small, all devised and fashioned in different proportions. He snapped his talon, and with that sound came the chaotic appearance of a chocolate shake inside a vase from the dining hall.

He said, "Nothing like a shake to perk me up before having a little fun with my favorite friend. The day has been rather boring since Fluttershy left for Manehattan to help with some homeless critters." He paused for a moment, sipping on his shake as the princess held her letter in the open. "Besides, I have some information that might be of great importance to you."

"If it involves changing anything or is merely a joke, then keep me out of it." Celestia said scathingly, teeth barring while the Draconequus tittered his thoughts.

"Celestia, let me ask you a question." At those words, Celestia dropped the hateful glare and perked her ears for what he has to ask. She knew Discord for all of who he is as an immortal like her. A monarch yet a child by heart. And yet, somehow, he had a way of showing maturity in his words. It was not like him to speak so clearly, nor respectfully at all. If anything, Discord would do his very best to disrespect the princess in a playful manner, and he would do it just to see where things would go.

But now...

Celestia cocked an eyebrow at the Spirit of Chaos. "What do you have to ask me?"

There was a brief silence between the two, one that made the alicorn slightly nervous. Discord continued to stare at the fire, his eyes burning with the recent memory of his current actions towards some very infamous villains. "Do you think that everyone deserves a second chance? That even the most vile and cruel monsters in this world deserve one more chance to do what is right?"

Celestia never thought of that; at least not for those that are too cruel to have a second chance. She was so used to giving those who did so little in crime a second chance that she hadn't considered that it took a little more compassion and understanding to do so even to the ones her wronged her so much.

She didn't answer the Draconequus. She was tired and in desperate need to read the letter of her true friend. Discord, however, would never let her remain silent. She closed her eyes, sighed deeply, and willed herself to find an answer that would be suffice. It wasn't a perfect answer she was concerned finding. It was having a moment to reply to him. Clearly, it she did not send a letter back to him very soon, even should she be able to explain her delay, eventually their friendship would begin to harden and remain where it is in their long-distance relationship. She had to write back soon. She had to let him know that her feelings for him were just as strong as they were in the beginning.

"I suppose everypony deserves a second chance," she said tiredly. "But that is not for me to decide; it is up to those who wish to redeem themselves."

Discord chuckled to the fire. Said chuckle tore away the awkwardness between them and created a different kind of atmosphere. At least he was calm and collected, at the moment. He could feel his recent actions take their toll in the distant travel he secretly started, something he knew would infuriate the alicorn. He could almost hear the screams of the villains he wronged for the better good.

Celestia followed the odd silence. She hadn't realized how truly shaken Discord was after making a mistake that would affect the lives of three villains and, no matter what could be done to help them, that a certain person in Celestia's heart would be forced to do such a task.

There was little the Spirit of Chaos could do about making this mistake that binds the princess and her friend so tightly in fate. He had barely allowed himself to acknowledge those piercing screams in his head. It tore through him in a way that felt the opposite of good, something he felt when he betrayed his friends for a little fun with a certain Centaur.

"I've made a terrible mistake on my own behalf," Discord began, his words ensnaring Celestia's undivided attention as the letter in her grasp reflected in the mirror across him. "I do hope that you will forgive for what I have done, Celestia. I know that some boundaries are not meant to be pushed, but I allowed myself to be indulged."

Celestia raised herself instantly. She approached the somber Draconequus and caught a shoulder with her wing, observing carefully as the flames began to wither in contact of the chill that grew from his magic.

"Discord, did you harm or kill one of my little ponies?" Celestia asked calmly. Her eyes, however said differently, almost dangerously with concern glowing in them.

Discord waved a paw at the princess and shook his head. "Nothing of the sort, my dear. I have simply altered the lives of certain creatures we all thought to no longer exist."

Celestia sighed at the fire, rubbing her head of the mild headache, but she turned abruptly and forced herself to listen. "What have you done this time, Discord?"

"Just something that might affect you and a certain human you've been writing to for the last couple of years." Discord answered, his words causing the princess to recoil.

Celestia lifted herself instantly and approached the Sprit of Chaos with haste. She leaned close and caught his shoulder with a wing, worrying as the flames withered in contact of the magic he released. It began to grow dark in the alicorn's bedroom, splinters of burnt wood being the only light between the two.

"Did you harm or kill one of my little ponies?" Celestia asked again, although the glow in her eyes said differently as to what she is feeling. "And how did you know about him?"

Discord raised his bear paw at her and waved it fluidly. "Nothing of the sort, my dear," he answered. "I have simply made things a little interesting for your friend."

His tone had gone thoughtful. Celestia's magic betrayed her when fear came into her heart, and she found herself looking to the floor as the scroll fell between them. Discord's rugged features were expressionless, but his piercing eyes saw far too much in the guilt he created. His confession gave a jolt in the alicorn's chest as his talon glided down to the parchment, a fluid, easy move that was nearly impossible for the princess to follow; that is until she realized it.

Discord lifted the scroll to his eyes and took in a deep breath, something she found to be the most disturbing revelation of a wrong committed by the reformed immortal. The rough scratch of Discord's talon smoothed over the words in the letter, words mashing together as he read it. When he moved his tail over hers, adding warmth with his sorrow for the poor soul he wrong, terror sprang up as if the princess had been awoken by a terrible nightmare.

"I have been spying on you for quite some time now," the Spirit of Chaos confessed, building more fear in the princess as he finished reading her letter. "Ever since Fluttershy reformed me, I felt the urge to spy on you and see what it is that keeps you so alive and happy. And, well, your letters to this stranger have been what kept me so curious."

Celestia lowered her tone to a threatening growl. "If you hurt him in any way whatsoever, I swear to the heavens that no corner in the entire world will keep you from punishment. I care deeply about him."

"Hence why you have me helping you collect runes," Discord stated. He could not be anymore correct on that piece of information. "I suppose you want me to use my powers to open a rift that will bring him here or send you there, while having the runes to prevent any unsafe ripple in our universe."

Celestia grit her teeth, baring great anger, but she kept it in control and forced herself to stay calm and collected. "Yes, and I hope that he is unharmed at the moment. I have plans to bring him here and keep him part of my world, but only if you have not done something to him."

"Oh I am fairly certain that he is alright," Discord insinuated. "In fact, I am very certain that he is waking up to the knocking I did to his door before coming back to this world. He should be at his door right now and looking down to a box I left for him, with some reformed ponies shaking and crying inside said box."

Using the tip of her hoof, Celestia pulled his gaze aside the fireplace and to her. No trace of anger remained, knowing her human is alright. Frowning, she dug deep into this conversation. "Discord, what do you mean by reformed ponies? And what does this have to do with my one true friend?"

Discord tried a sheepish smile, exposing his mischief nature once more. "Oh I simply had a little fun with three ponies I found to be starving and dying in my last travel to the badlands," he paused for a moment as the alicorn's eyes dilated from worry. He tapped a claw to his chin and chuckled like a colt. "Sensing powerful magic is quite handy, but sensing those three monsters made it very interesting. I just could not help myself, not when your friend and your writing were the two things going through my head when I found them."

Shaken to her core, Celestia narrowed her gaze to him. "Discord, What. Did. You. Do?"

"Calm down, Sun Butt, your coltfriend is safe and sound."

"He is not my coltfriend," Celestia blushed after saying that, but recovered to find herself in deep thought of such a thing. "He-he is a true friend and I care about him because we—"

"Have a special connection," Discord interrupted, his words aiming true, just as he wanted. Sadly, the princess turned beet red and ruffled her wings, unable to hide the truth. "Please, Celestia, I am too old to not see that you are falling for this guy, and that every letter you receive from him lifts your spirits. You are, clearly, falling for someone that does not exist in our world."

"Just tell me what you did," Celestia demanded. "I don't have time for your games and riddles, especially when you took it upon yourself to pay him a visit and drop off whoever or whatever at his doorstep."

"Oh don't be such an obsessed mare, Molly," he chuckled. "I simply gave him a little gift for keeping you some company. No need to thank me since those three hooligans needed a good life elsewhere."

"Discord, tell me now!"

"Oh Celestia, all I did is—"

***

Marcus Vegora pulled back his robe and pocketed the sash after it slipped from the loops, his hands firmly grasping his grandfather's Desert Eagle, which he keeps in the lockbox beneath his bed. The phrase engraved on the barrel as 'Angel's Carrying Steel: First Platoon, 1946'.

He walked silently across the living and used the light from his washing machine to see where the doorknob was, making certain he did not trip or make any sudden noise that could alarm the person knocking at his door. His heartbeat was so fast that he was afraid anyone could hear it beyond the door. Everything he was doing hinged on darkness and silence.

The brick house was two stories high yet well-kept in his standards. It looked as if someone recently rebuilt it with a more rustic touch of red paint and a brick path that stretches around the house to his pool patio. Heavy snow grew on his shingled room and fell at given points of wind gusting too hard, causing mounds to form around the curtained windows and doors.

He came forward to meet whoever had knocked on the door within his closed-off garage, looking solemn as the gears in his mind spun wildly with fear greasing them. Unfortunately it was two o'clock in the morning and shadows of pitch blackness surrounded his well-guarded home, giving him a disadvantage to the stranger—or strangers—at his door.

No one should be at his door. Not even a small mouse should be found in there, because the foundation is set with steel wool in every inch of the walls. The garage is always closed and locked at night, so it says on the monitor built inside the wall to his left.

"How can someone be in my garage right now?" he said. His voice was kind, but behind the kindness was the expressionless resort to kill if needed.

He glanced to the monitor that was needing an update very soon and then tapped on the screen to filter the multiple cameras around his home, making certain his eyes were downcast to the door. He was very groggy yet very ready for someone to try and break insides—that is if they're able to break past the two inch thick, oak compressed door. He had taken care of finding the monitor hidden in the shadows to see who it was that broke into his garage, just in case the police need footage.

Marcus looked over his truck and found no one standing at the door, and then several times moved the monitor with the analog stick that is screwed into the wall. He observed every corner with disbelieving eyes, his mind unable to comprehend the intruder as a ghost or no one at all. There was not a soul to be seen. Not even a small, dead bug in a spider's web could be found.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the confusion. "I know I just heard someone knocking on the door." He choked back a cough, he was certain, of being more silent than death itself. "There is no way for someone to break in and leave with triggering one of the alarms."

The monitor stopped at the door on his command and studied it much closer. Marcus watched as the only viable evidence of an intruder in his garage moved in a large box that is covered with a thick blanket. It scooted and bounced a little, but it stopped and remained motionless.

Marcus stared at the box and studied it, his gaze flat from annoyance. "You have to got to be shitting me?" There was skepticism in his whisper. "A cardboard with something inside of it."

Finally there was noise on the monitor, something that came to his ears after the screen fuzzed out for a second. Marcus was unrepentant at that point. There was amusement in his whisper. No matter how serious the situation, he could not resist in the least a chuckle for his intruder.

This is too funny. He managed to keep a straight face and gave the button at the bottom left of the screen a light push, turning on the lights in the garage. "Alright, I better see what's in the box and get this bullshit over with."

Okay, even to his ears, that sounded more logical than hiding in his house for the remainder of the night. If necessary he'd give the intruder an official welcome with a bullet to any spot comes into aim first. Right now, he was having too much fun listening to the multiple voices that were caught on his monitor. Two being female, but neither having maturity or age behind them. Rather than voices ringing in the speakers there were cries and whimpers, including a sniffle or two.

That is until one had the courage to speak.

"Where are we?" female youth said, unaware of the monitor recording every second as Marcus unlocked the door. "Is somepony out there?"

Sompeony, He questioned, safety off and gun ready. Only a pony says that word, but Celestia hasn't been here for almost two years.

He felt a little shocked by this. If he knew anything at all about a pony, he knew he would put on some kind of gentle smile. But this could not be right. Celestia did not make any plans of coming back or sending him a package.

Marcus managed to get these thoughts out of his head before opening the door. He looked down at the box with a blank stare and nudged it with his big toe. What came next stunned him to his very soul and sent shivers of worry and curiosity down his spine. It took a lot of discipline for the man to regain his composure when his nudge resulted in the same voices that are heard on the matter. He did not doubt himself any longer when the voices inside turned into whimpers and short yelps.

What the hell is in this box? I know that Celestia said something about finding a way to visit me, but she never informed me of sending someone or something to me first. Is this some sort sick joke, or is she fucking with me right now?

He heaved a sigh and squatted to the box, his eyes locked onto the a blue eye that was peeking through a hole. Then came a gasp from the owner of the eye, causing the others to whimper pitifully when they had their turns.

"Is it going to eat us?" a female youth asked.

"I don't want to be eaten," a female youth pitched. "I'll bite it if it tries."

That was hitting very close to the urge of opening the box. Marcus was going to find out what is in that box, but first he needed to be sure that no one was about to attack him. Carefully, he took a couple of minutes to check every nook and cranny that can hide a man. He checked under his truck and behind the tool boxes, and, finally, the tool locker that is filled with yard equipment. When the coast was clear, Marcus gave a skeptic smile and placed the gun next to his foot, with the barrel facing the wall. Kneeling to the box, his hands removed the thick, brown blanket and went to work on the folds of the box. He was quick to open it and give the creatures some air until their faces gave him the most powerful jolt to his mind.

Inside the box was a basket sitting on a green blanket that looked very similar to fresh, green grass. Said basket was occupied with three foals of different species but similar age. The first was a frightened alicorn of charcoal fur and a dark purple mane that almost matches a cosmic shade of the stars. She was lying on her stomach and looked away from Joshua as he blinked in uncertainty. Her eyes were very familiar, so was her appearance, but it did not quite ring a bell.

Next to her was a black furred filly with silky, green hair and a jagged horn that is probably too big for her head. Some parts of her body had tiny holes, but most of them were on her hooves and seemed harmless. She sat on her haunches as the tall man leaned down to her eye level, meeting his curiosity with her own.

"Are you going to eat us?" she asked out of the blue.

Marcus held his gaze at the filly, ignoring the buzzing that came from her paper thin wings. "Uh....no." he said awkwardly, causing the filly giggle into her hooves.

"You're funny looking," she laughed quietly. "Are you a furless Minotaur?"

"No, I'm a human. But who are you?"

"I'm..." the green haired filly paused for a moment. She could not think of her name for a few moments, which happened to be quite strange to the human. She should at least know her own name. Thankfully it came to her. "Oh yeah, I'm Chrysalis—" she pointed at the other two. "And this is my sister, Nightmare Moon. And that sleepyhead there is our little brother, Sombra. He's been sleeping ever since the funny looking dragon picked us up."

Marcus' eyebrow rose up dramatically. He faked a mature tone as he slowly turned to the colt next to Chrysalis. "Sombra...Funny looking dragon?" he said to himself.

There was no mistaking the colt in the basket. The purple aura seeping through his eyelids, the curved horn and grey fur; it was definitely the former Unicorn King of The Crystal Empire. And here he was, snoring through the entire conversation this 'Chrysalis' was having with him. His hooves were over his mouth, but there was no denying how loud his smooth snoring was.

Marcus gave him one last look and stood back up, his mind going elsewhere as the Changeling made an effort to comfort the purple mane alicorn. He waited until logic came to him to do anything in response of their presence. He took careful comprehension yet remained confused about their existence.

How in the hell are they alive? And just who thought it was a good idea to make them young and send them to me? Funny Looking dragon is something Celestia would not be, and neither her sister. Whoever did this is a sick bastard, because I do not have the desire for these things to grow up again and kill me for fun.

"It's so cold," Nightmare Moon whimpered, her body shivering as the touch of winter caught up with them. "Where is the blanket that weird dragon with the dangling tooth gave us?"

Dangling tooth? he pressed his right hand to his chin and pondered deeply about the one who caused this. He was very suspicious, but he was not certain of who. Clearly there is a purpose for three villains to be young again and in his garage. Did someone in Equestria suspect it was best for them to be here? Celestia, maybe? If so, that didn't bode well for what he already planned to do. He needed to figure this out and be done with it, but how could he?

"It's really cold out here." Nightmare Moon whined, her adorable tone not helping Marcus decide what is best for himself.

He groaned and slapped his forehead with his palm, unable to deny that, no matter how villainous these three are—or were, he found it freaking adorable of them to be like this. "If this is some sort of prank by Celestia, I will never write to her again."

He sighed heavily as the cute groans of a certain unicorn touched him. Everything about this was incredibly awkward and even if he didn't want it, he needed to be kind and caring to them. He had no quarrel with villains of such a world, and he was not going to assume with fear that their crimes will be the same. They were brought here for a reason—a reason that has yet to come across his mind, and he was going to at least give them what no one else can give: A warm place to sleep and warm food if they are hungry.

Marcus had felt some sort of tingling in his chest when he leaned down to the foals and scooped the box into his hands. It was surprising how light they felt. Then again, each foal was barely twice the size of a puppy, and he lifts weights at least three times a week.

I'm gonna regret this in the morning. He turned around and made his way into the house, after picking up the gun. "Alright, lets get you inside and bundled up in front of the fireplace." he said solemnly—but neither filly knew of the tone he carried.

"Mister, what's your name?" Chrysalis asked.

"Marcus," the human answered.

Suddenly the Changeling gasped excitedly and rose to the edge of the large box, nuzzling the man's chest as her sister did the same at a much slower pace.

"Daddy," Chrysalis said happily. "The funny looking dragon said our daddy's name is Marcus. You're our daddy!"

"Daddy?" Marcus ventured. That's when the light bulb came on, and all of the clues that lead to this 'funny looking dragon' led to the one being that can tear through the fabrics of space.

Angry, frustrated, annoyed, Marcus had only one name to say when it came to him. One name that always leads to mischief and chaos itself.

He grit his teeth while setting the box onto the couch, then said, "Discord, you son of a bitch!"

"That's the name," Chrysalis added. "Discord was the funny looking dragon. He said that you are our daddy and will take care of us."

Celestia, you better write back soon!

To Be Continued...