A New Embrace

Marcus, so far, was having a very relaxing first morning in his new role of 'parenthood'. He was resting peacefully as the fillies were nested in the crook of his neck, on both sides, but it was kind of difficult to keep his eyes closed since a certain colt had his mane brushing along his nose. Sombra was somewhere between half-asleep and comprehending the man, so he squeaked a most adorable yawn that would make the most heartless of creatures grow soft. Marcus did not mind having the unicorn on top of his chest as the morning sun rose through the curtains to greet them, as did the alert of the little tike becoming aware of his surroundings. There was a long, awkward silence when the former villain locked his eyes with Marcus, but everything else was on thin ice.

Marcus was not the best person to be around when it came to kids, he simply could not tolerate parents allowing their little ones to get away with certain crimes that deserve a spanking or grounding. Sombra, however, was a different case, and he had to play it cool until things are resolved. He really did not like the idea of having ex-criminals in his house, but, at the same time, he did not mind having them around—this being consideration they're lives are beginning anew.

The only problem was dealing with whatever response the little colt has to give.

Sombra slowly rose from under the blanket with some difficulty, not from grogginess, but from lack of control. It was very obvious Discord made him so young he could barely walk. Curious as any foal can be, he leaned down to the nervous man and sniffed him for a good minute as the fillies adjusted their positions, their hooves now tightly curled around Marcus' hands.

Still left with little understanding of the colt's action, Marcus chose the latter of keeping still and gathering his thoughts, albeit very quickly. It did not seem to take too long for him to gain a clear conscience as the foal grew a cute smile, his eyes big and wide with joy. He fell to his stomach and nuzzled Marcus' chin, giggling while the loving touch gave a tingly sensation.

"Dada," he squeaked, and then licked his chin. Marcus gave him a flat stare and groaned.

"Discord, if we ever meet, I am going to kick your ass." he whispered, just low enough for none of the foals to hear.

While the morning continued with understanding the situation, Marcus felt there was strange difference to his wake-up call, something beyond the foals coming into his life so suddenly. The alarm next to him was set to go off at seven o'clock, and it was going on eight in the morning. From what he could remember, his clock was constantly on and has not been touched since yesterday morning. As his common sense kicked him wide awake, a small rhythm of clopping echoed from the first floor of his house, and a very feminine voice speak in what he pinpointed—with his hearing, mind you—to bethe kitchen.

"What a strange way to keep food," the owner of the voice said. Next thing Marcus knows, he is hearing tupperware bounce on the floor and the mystery person curse to herself. "For buck sake, why is it so difficult to find a plate?"

Marcus sat up from the bed with Sombra in his arms, somehow not stirring either of the fillies. Sombra, on the other hand, was wide awake and afraid. He could see the look Marcus eyes and feel a change in the atmosphere as the intruder tried her best to stay, albeit very poorly. He curled his hooves around the man's neck and hid in his shoulder, whimpering as a small, steel box was pulled out of the dressed and opened by fingerprint.

Holding the frightened colt with his left arm, Marcus gently rubbed his back and shushed him whilst using the other hand to pull out an engraved Desert Eagle he received as a gift from his deceased grandfather. "Hey, it's okay little guy. No one is going to hurt you."

Another whimper made the slightly enraged man cringe on the inside as he loaded a magazine in the gun, his index finger clicking the safety to off.

Not in my fucking house.

Marcus rose to his feet very quietly and stepped out of the room with Sombra in his arm, instinct running wild. He kept his back against the wall opposite of the intruder's sight, hoping to sneak up on this female he keeps hearing. Firmly grasping the gun, he raised it to the right side of his of his face and stopped at the edge of the wall, just before entering the refurbished foyer. He could not see the shadow of his intruder as she dug through his refrigerator. This made his heart jump, for he could not tell if the woman had a weapon or someone next to her. How could he tell if there is more than one, or just her? Usually this would not scare him, but with a child in his arm—a child that is a mythological pony—he was stricken with fear for himself and Sombra.

Sombra whimpered once more, and Marcus gently threw his hand on the colt's snout as the invader perked her eyes to the sound. He looked at Sombra with trepidation and anger as the fridge was closed.

"Shhh~" he whispered with deadly silence.

"I thought I heard something," she whispered, before shrugging off the nervous feeling. "But it must have been my imagination. Oh well, back to pillaging before I have to meet this handsome stallion my sister fell for."

Marcus dropped the 'killer instinct' attitude but kept his gun at the ready. He cocked an eyebrow and pondered the female's words as she rummaged through the cupboard for something sweet or salty, although it was harder than it seems when her magic is limited for the time being. He did not know whether to be flattered by the intruder's words or to take this as a way for her to catch him off his guard. Either way, he still felt threatened by this mysterious person and was not going to let a compliment soften his judgment.

Inhaling a courageous breath, the confused but defensive man quietly entered the kitchen with his firearm directly pointed at the intruder tearing through the cabinets now. He could not see her at all, for she was crouched and poking her head inside to reach for a bag of potato chips, which she opened by tearing off the top with her teeth.

"Making a mess in someone's kitchen is quite rude," Marcus said in a threatening tone whilst kicking bowls and spoilable food to the side, his eyes locked on the curious pillager. "But to make a mess in MY kitchen is beyond any level of stupidity. Now put your hands where I can see and come out very slowly, or I'm going to pump you with so much lead you'll be sneezing number two pencils."

It took a lot of willpower not to pull the trigger when the intruder started to raised her head from behind the counter, with a potato chip hanging out of her mouth. There was also the fact that her mane gave away that she was not a woman—or a human in that matter, she was the most familiar pony Marcus could think of as he locked his gaze with hers in a very awkward silence.

Marcus didn't even know he lowered his gun, but the crunching sound of a munched potato chip snapped him out of his daze. The strange staring from the Princess of The Night ceased when she stood up with his potato chips in one of her wings, and he could not help feeling like his life was about to end. If anything, the most he could do is beg for mercy or a second chance to prove himself, but this was the Alicorn that sets the moon and enters dreams, not to mention she was once evil.

Setting the gun on the countertop, Marcus mentally kicked himself as Luna approached, her eyes showing no ill intention. But what did he know when it comes to a pony's nature? The most he can, honestly, say is their herbivores and very aggressive when they need to be.

I am so going to die now, and by Tia's sister. He gulped as their distance closed, sweat pouring down his brow. God, if you are up there right now, then I must ask that you SAVE MY SCRAWNY ASS RIGHT THIS SECOND!

"Are you the one that is known as Marcus Vegora?" Luna asked in a calm tone, but in Marcus' mind he was hearing the wrath of a goddess.

"Yes," he said with trepidation, his stomach twisting in knots. He watched the alicorn observe Sombra's behavior being somewhat true to Discord's word, and then lifted the bag of potato chips to Marcus.

"Well I no longer have to worry about my sister having good taste," Luna giggled, in which made Marcus exaggerate his shock over how calm she is. "But before we begin with formalities; would you be so kind as to help me find something nourishing? The sudden news of Discord's actions prevented me from having my dinner."

At that point, Marcus could not process anymore of what was happening. He just fell to the floor with Sombra giggling in his neck.

"I should have stayed in bed."

***

"I must say Tia, you certainly do have a unique taste for special stallions." Discord said in sarcastic fashion, his lips dripping with milk, which happened to turn into tiny bursts of electricity. He was currently eating a large bowl of wheat cereal, the round bits of raisins shaped into Marcus' face before entering his mouth. He took another bite, before burping in front of the extremely stressed princess. "Marcus is certainly a card, maybe a king of his own deck. But I never would have thought that you of all ponies would take interest in somepony with such a past."

The brushing of Celestia's mane ceased in the middle of an annoying knot she failed to massage in the shower, her wings falling to the floor as she suddenly fell silent. Not a word. Not a sound. Not even the angelic hum of the Solar Princess passed her lips when she heard Discord's words. That seemed to constitute enough to the Spirit of Chaos that he poked one of her very hard to find buttons, which only made the moment more satisfying.

"Oh dear, did I hit a nerve?" Discord mused as she slowly turned around with her gaze still at the floor. He was completely unafraid of the Alicorn, but that silence did give him an uneasy sense of dread during her little fit of a cold answer. Not that it mattered to him, because he's got enough power to turn the country into cheese!

"What do you know?" Celestia asked in a deadly tone, mane beginning to flare at the tips. Discord blinked in surprise of this reaction. He had not seen her this close to changing in over four millennia. And that was during the time of her first love making a fool out of her during her first dance.

Well this is new. She hasn't been this irked in a very long time.

"Marcus trusts me with his secrets," Celestia told him quietly. . .dangerously. Her mane ceased its growing flames, and she looked up to Discord in worry. She stood up and approached him, tears brim as she backed him into a corner. "And he trusts me with those secrets. For you to know what he's done just makes this worse."

Discord threw his arms in the air, dropping his cereal bowl. But, luckily for the floor, he enchanted it to rematerialize in the mane of certain cyan Pegasus that pranked him last week. "Down get your wings in a knot, Celestia. Nopony knows what I know about the human, not even your sister. The way things are, your sister thinks neutral of him—" he cupped his chin at that last part. "—Although I did tell her that he is tending to her old-self. That seemed to make her fall for the poor lad in an instant."

Celestia glared at him with every intention to burn a hole through his skull with her gaze. She wanted nothing more than to make the chuckling spirit squirm beneath her power for lacking the ability to keep his nose out of other pony's business. But that mindset hindrance of being a princess stopped her before the first spell to immobilize him, and she was stuck dealing with his annoying flank until he had enough magic to do as she requested.

This entire situation was starting to give her a massive headache. And Luna was not around to use that healing spell only she knows how to prefect for such problems.

"Just tell me how long you until another portal is ready for everypony?" she sighed to the floor, Discord, being the pompous spirit he is, checked his magic with a snap of his talon. His power channeled through his fingertips, but not as strongly as he predicted.

"For me to have enough magic to create a portal that will send you and Cadance will take a couple of days—this including the portal will open and close on my command from now on." he replied, before sending his magic through his entire body.

"I need to sleep," Celestia groaned, trudging to her bed while the Draconequus materialized a dark story from Earth.

"Shall I read you a story from Marcus' bookshelf?" he put a pair of oval shaped glasses on and flipped through the pages. "Ah, now this looks like an interesting story."

"What are you reading, Discord?" the Sun Deity groaned from under her pillow. Discord coughed to clear his throat, while using his free hand to blanket her.

"Just reading a book I found in your coltfriend's bookshelf," he teased, receiving the Glare of Death from the exhausted Alicorn. "Who I must say he has good taste in dark stories. And what an odd title. . .The Hunchback of Notre Dame." he cringed at the thought of a human having such a spine. "Dear me, sounds like somepony needs to see a chiropractor."

"You're in for a rude awakening, Discord." Celestia told him in a monotone. "That book has a most vulgar story about a man being treated like a monster. But I will not ruin it for you. I'll let you ruin your own mind."

"You sound as if you already read it." Discord said with genuine curiosity as he flipped to the first page of the story, narrowing his gaze to the first sentence.

"I did, and I read them all." Celestia replied, albeit very tiredly. "Now let me get some sleep. I have to be up in a few hours to inform the citizens of Luna being away, temporarily."

"One last thing, Celestia," he tapped his chin in a deep ponder. "What is it about the human that makes you so interested in him that you're wanting to keep it a secret from everypony?"

Celestia tossed to the left as Discord watched her impatiently for an answer. She sighed contently from thinking back to the reason behind her infatuation of the man who saved her. Smiling as the Draconequus groaned in annoyance, the Solar Princess clutched her hooves to her suddenly rapid-beating heart and giggled under her breath.

"He made me feel like a normal mare with feelings, not as a princess." She replied in a happy and content tone, her eyes fluttering closed before she could finish.

"Is that all?" Discord cocked an eyebrow at her. "He made you feel normal?"

"No," she shook her head and yawned, sleep overtaking her mind and body. "He hugged me. He made me feel. . . safe."

***

Upon having her first Earth meal in Marcus' surprisingly humble abode, the mask of the Lunar Princess fell to the floor. And out came a shockingly peaceful Luna with her cheeks full of cinnamon and honey dipped apple slices he thoroughly sliced for her liking. She currently at his countertop with her rump firmly set in a tall chair that could barely fit around her, but she was not complaining. Just the food itself was enough to impress her a little. And that is no small feat considering most of her meals consist of a chef that hardly sleeps at night and stays up most of his day to enjoy everyday life, albeit very poorly since he has to feed the goddess that guards his dreams.

Still, it was nice to be somewhere other than the loneliness of Canterlot and to have a home-cooked meal that did not consist of several maids or servants tending to her every whim. To relax as a normal mare without her secretary or Night Guard took much of her stress and worry as of late. The peace gifted to her helped rejuvenate the Alicorn, but the breakfast in front of her did the absolute best to make her exhausting travel worth while.

Meanwhile, Marcus was tending to a very hungry Sombra in the old baby chair his grandmother kept in the attic, feeding the little colt a jar of apple sauce since it was the only thing he would eat. Apple slices were put in front the unicorn, but that did not catch his eye. Scrambled eggs went out the door because of the odor. So was the french toast for its pinch of cinnamon, but Luna quickly took care of that and asked for more. Hence why apple sauce made the man's day, because he was starting to lose his temper with the foal.

Before another spoonful of apple sauce could land in Sombra's mouth, who so desperately loved for the sweet taste, Luna gave a slight cough which signaled the human to divide his attention.

"Master Thomas," Luna began as he stood up to relieve the pain his knees experienced with the hardwood floor, her eyes slightly narrowing in a serious manner. "I must say I am quite surprised of this predicament Discord has put you through. And, to be honest, I doubt anypony from my world would be so calm about harboring three fugitives. Not even Twilight Sparkle, I believe, could handle this maturely."

"Yeah, about that. . ." Marcus hesitated as he looked to the giggling colt with a soft cloth in the other hand. He began to wipe down Sombra's lips, but it became a serious fight with him. ". . .I don't really have the energy to be freaking out right now. That all went away when Celestia informed me you're coming here, and I immediately freaked out from the idea of not having my house baby-proof."

Luna nodded in understanding and continued to observe the man for her own reassurance. Given she is acting casual with Marcus, her true intentions, however, remained under the table as they shared a normal conversation.

"And you are not surprised by their change and presence?" she asked seriously, with an eyebrow cocked.

"Nothing is weirder than your sister showing up in my fields with cuts and scrapes all over her body," Marcus answered honestly, his eyes never leaving the hungry colt. Of course, Luna was astonished by his response. She never thought of this encounter having such a calm atmosphere to it, let alone the victim of Discord's shenanigans being so mature about it. "Besides, Tia insinuated in her letter these troublemakers being actual foals with no memory. So I will trust her judgment and do what I can to help, even if it means participating in the role Discord forced me into."

"Even to my own darkness?" she questioned, shooting a suspicious glare at him.

"Yes, even to the filly that was your darkness." he replied in a serious tone. "Believe me, it is a pain in the ass to comprehend what is happening to my life. But your sister requested that I watch over them until further notice, which I will do for as long as she needs."

Luna, for a moment, let all her doubt in the man was away, as she watched him lift Sombra to his arms and carry him to the living room. She still wondered how someone of a different world could act so calm and mature about this. It just did not seem right at all, a two legged male tending to the reformed monsters she and her sister have desperately tried to lock away for all of eternity. Where did such a gentlecolt come from, and why does he accept the situation? Luna shook her head in denial of the man being kind and understanding.

Different worldly creature or not, nopony should have this much kindness in their heart. She scrunched her nose in frustration. Handsome, I will agree. This façade, however, is going to end before my sister arrives.

"Dada," Sombra giggled as he curled up in Marcus' lap, cuddling while the television was switched and the current channel switched over to the AnimeHub.

"It's going to take some time to get use to that," Marcus said to himself, before looking back to the princess. "You want to come join me while the other two are still asleep? You might as well learn some stuff about human technology while you're staying in my house."

"Agreed, I shall join you." Luna replied with a warm smile, although the true face of her intentions whispered in the back of her mind. This is going to be a very interesting. . . observation.