***The Next Morning***

Discord stared into Celestia's mirror, his mind boggled by the Sun Goddess humming to herself as she brushed her hair. He should have known her morning would not be dull as they are. Always waking up and prepping for a long day of abating the selfish desires of those snobby nobles. He was under tense observation with this mare, but why should he when it is just a normal morning?

"What has you so giddy?" Discord disappeared, and then reappeared in the mirror as a reflection of Marcus, faking a warm smile as she ignored the urge to scold him for his antic. "Surely you're not acting so laid-back for that strange human, I hope. You do have your subjects to deal with today, so don't you think you should be more—how should I put it—uptight?"

Celestia giggled at the fake reflection and turned to the windows, confusing the Spirit of Chaos. She had never acted this way before, not even when Luna was freed by the Elements of Harmony. Was she under some sort of spell? Did somepony manipulate her mind while he read the Hunchback of Notre Dame overnight?

Celestia started to run a hoof through her mane and remembered the first touch Marcus gave her, his fingers pressing her cheek so smoothly before running down the back of her neck. She could not remember any stallion in her life touching her so caringly; if anything relative to a touch, her flank was the focus point for all her previous dates, but Marcus did not think about reaching there.

Although self-conscious of her plot being the biggest, Celestia did not waste her time thinking about how many cakes went to glorious backside. Instead she recalled the words of her savior and held them by heart as the blush deepened. Good heavens, she forgot how bold he was to tell her such a thing about herself. It made her embarrassed for him.

Well you shouldn't worry about how you look, because plump rears are a man's favorite, including me.

"I really do not understand you at the moment," Discord snipped, losing all patience with this alicorn. She hadn't said a bucking thing to her! "What has you so mesmerized by this furless creature?"

Celestia started to move him out from beside her, her wing pressuring the Draconequus to step aside, but he took the hint and teleported to the edge of her bed.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have somepony treat you like a normal pony or protect you out of sheer desire, not for the fact that you're a symbol of authority and benevolence?"

"That's a bit deep, even from you, Celestia." Discord pointed out, flabbergasted by the princess' poetic vocabulary. "What does being treated normal or protected out of free will have to do with that human?"

"It has everything to do with Marcus doing both of those things when he found me in the snow. I was not a princess or a goddess in his eyes, but a desperate and terrified mare that needed somepony to help her; and that is what he did. He saved me from the wolves."

Discord cocked an eyebrow and picked at the inside of his ear, uncertainty across his face during the raising of the sun. "I'm sorry Celestia, but did you just say 'wolves'?"

"Yes," she nodded at the end of her calling to the celestial body, mentally and magically exhausted from poor control. She was very deep in thought of seeing Marcus again and bringing him to Equestria, hopefully. "I said wolves, but they are not the same as the Timberwolves. They're the canines you would find in the badlands."

"I know the difference, but now you have an interesting tale; and I would love to hear how the Sun Goddess was saved from wolves." Discord insisted, adjusting himself to a more comfortable position. "You do have time to spare before doing your duty."

Celestia chuckled to him, and then took a seat next to him. "Well. . . I suppose it would not hurt to tell you, but only if you promise to keep it between us. I would not want my citizens to know I was saved by a two legged creature—let alone a mortal."

"I can keep this a secret, but I require a little something in return." Discord insinuated. Celestia sighed in disappointment of his greedy nature.

"I will allow you to turn the bath into a pool of custard for one day, and I will return your whoopee cushion to you."

"Deal," he chirped. "Now onto the tale of Celestia being saved."

Celestia took in a deep breath and backtracked to the start of her temporary banishment. She tapped her chin a few times to motivate her memory, something she does out of habit.

. . .

Celestia whipped around in the snow, gripping the ribbon her corrupted sister wrapped around her horn. She barely allowed herself a moment to take her eyes off the hounds with their glowing eyes fixed on her figure, or on the many lacerations she endured in her failure to stop Nightmare Moon. Her gaze was drawn straight to the hackles dripping with hunger. She tried to lift herself off the ground, but her wings and hooves were tightly squeezed by gold chains. Her magic wasn't any help either so long as the ribbon remains on her horn. She was completely incapacitated and hurting all over. Everything was burning at those chains.

The wolves were collecting an assessment of their prey's mobility and strength, relishing the strange pony unable to defend herself. The pack leader sent three of them to enclose the circle, removing all hope, a putrefying blend of death and anguish they had mixed by torturing her mind with suspense and delay.

"Get away from me!" the injured alicorn screamed. She was only partway through figuring out exactly where they plan to start devouring her. She couldn't do anything to help herself. The most she could do was take a bite out of one and take it with her; at least as an honorable way of dying, though she very much so wants to live right now.

The pack leader barked at the princess, saliva flung onto her coat as a faint roar was heard in the distance. Celestia and the wolves did not notice or hear it coming their way at a rapid pace, following the trail of paw prints. The only thing going through the wolves' minds were they need to run, they need to hunt, they need to eat. Celestia's mind, however, was thinking very different as they snarled and nipped at one another, arguing about personal space.

She looked down up to the pack leader hovering directly over her and prayed that everything happening to her was just a nightmare from the chocolate cake she ate last night. Tears poured down her cheeks as she hoped to wake up in her bedroom with Luna free from the darkness and Twilight proclaiming that she IS the new Element of Magic. She just wanted everything to be the way it should be, a new dawn with her sister back home and the elements brought back to life. She prayed harder and harder, muttering under her breath for Luna to wake her up, but nothing was happening. The pack leader was still standing over her as a pair of lights came into view and a series of gears twisted and turned before silencing themselves.

Celestia did not hear the large device nor see a heavily coated stranger leaping out of it, she was consumed in sorrow and despair whilst thinking about how her little sister will never have the chance to see her again. She cried at that thought, relieving herself the benevolent nature her ponies see. She cried in denial of being a meal to these ravenous beasts.

Until. . .

"Son of a bitch!" a male voice bellowed over the Solar Princess, his vocabulary completely new to her yet his all the reason she needed to have a little hope. The pack leader raised his head and was about to strike at Celestia's throat, but the man running up to her from behind leapt at the last second and hugged his barrel, throwing the entire pack into chaos. They'd never seen their two-legged enemy go straight for the alpha so boldly. It was bold, but also very foolish.

Immediately barks and snarls were heard around the alpha and the man struggling against one another. The snow wolf fought desperately to roll his body, but those arms were keeping him from clamping his maw on the strangers shoulder. They rolled in the snow and wrestled for supremacy as the pack watched from a distance. It was out of respect for their leader, knowing their place and how this was a challenge to prove himself. This man had been starving them of food for years now, depriving their fun of the hunt ever since they took one of his own, but not anymore.

Celestia watched the fight turn over to the wolf. He rolled in the man's arms and lunged for his neck, but he was not fast enough to make his mark. Both hands clamped on his neck, and Celestia's savior folded both his knees under the snapping canine before kicking with all his strength. A loud yelp was heard as the wolf flipped onto the ground, a rib or two cracked while his pack resisted the urge to help.

The man stood up and ripped off his gas mask so he could see better, his eyes blazing at the hungry wolf as he reached for his weapon. To his dismay, it was not in the holster like it should be and realized that he dropped it somewhere in the snow. Luckily it was visible, but the one of the females stood next to it. He cursed himself for that. Now he had no choice but to use extreme measures.

"You still mad that I killed your mate and pups, huh!?" he barked at the alpha, provoking it. The response he got was a few steps forward and a snarl, just as he expected. "You may be a stupid animal, but it must piss you off that I shot them. Well you took something precious to me, so an eye for an eye, fucker!"

The wolf began to run at the man, knowing through instinct he was being mocked. Every fiber of his body focused on ripping his jugular out and feasting on his corpse. It's what he wanted. It's he needed to redeem himself as the strongest of the pack. But little did he know what the wolf killer slipped through a stitched pocked in the right sleeve of his heavy cloak. It shined in Celestia's eyes for a moment, before disappearing behind his arm. She knew what it was and what he planned to do.

The stranger started challenging the leader with hand imagery. "Come on! Come take a piece of me! I'm right here and ready!" he screamed, before pushing himself into a sprint. There were only a few yards between the two males as they charged one another, leaving very little time to see what will happen.

Celestia gasped in shock of the wolf leaping, and then closed her eyes before the killing blow was made. This was the end for the howling man, until the noise turned into deadly silence. Though the snow was blocking most sounds, she should have heard something just now; at least a small cry of pain from the stranger, but there was nothing. Not a single sound was made.

Celestia anticipated a bloody scene while slowly opening her eyes—that is until she saw the unexpected. Her eyes went wide, fighting to believe that the results of their short fight. There had never a doubt in her mind that the wolf had the advantage of being faster and more in tune with his instincts. She was certain that supremacy was won by him, but she was wrong. Very wrong.

Slowly the blood dripped from the man's large machete and puddled at his feet, his other hand still holding the lifeless wolf by the throat. The pack saw this, backed away, and then took off in the snow before he could set his eyes on them. The former alpha twitched a little as he dropped to the ground, nerves now completely dead and unable to keep the body from relieving itself. Celestia realized the blade had been thrust into the mouth and through the neck, which severed the spinal cord and shattered a small piece of the spine.

He. . . He killed it.

The stranger did not bother checking his surroundings for the pack, he knew they were already gone. Instead he ripped his blade from the corpse and it towards his vehicle, but kept an eye on the teary-eyed princess behind him. She looked so fragile in her state and it brought a slight cringe to his chest. Real or an illusion—not that he gave a damn at the moment—seeing a fictional cartoon character in chains made him pity the poor mare.

Still, he was not sure if he should help her or turn around and leave. It wasn't to be spiteful, but there was the fact of Princess Celestia lying in the snow with her entire body squeezed in thin yet enchanted chains. How could he know if the alicorn is real or a figment of his imagination? What could he do to prove himself sane and not suffering from his need to never be lonely again?

He did not know what to say or do, so he stood there and—

"Help," Celestia's voice was cracking, weakened by the draining of her magic. She looked up to the stunned man figuring he should try to be a good person. He approached the princess, fell to one knee, and then removed his glove to touch her cheek.

Celestia did not know if this was a good idea, but what other choice did she have? Her body hurts all over. She has little strength left in her and a stomach that needs filling. Desperation won over fear that time.

She leaned into his hand and nuzzled it in an effort to thank him, even as her lifeless gaze searched through his eyes for the light of his soul. Surprisingly there was a bright light and a deep darkness inside him, but the light shown more than the blackness. That was all the Solar Princess needed to know if he was a good soul or not. That was all she needed to know if she can put the smallest bit of trust in him.

"They burn," she whimpered whilst crying into his hand. The stranger raised an eyebrow at her, but the chains flashing across her body snapped him out his stupor. It was not difficult for him to conclude that the chains were burning her hide.

"Please. . ." Celestia sobbed. "Please get them off of me!"

Quickly the man darted to his misplaced weapon, adrenaline spiking through his veins a second time. He picked it up, ran back to the princess, and aimed at the lock hanging off her wing. This made Celestia's breath catch in her throat and struggle, but he was ready.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you." the man exasperated, trying his best to not fire on her fur. It was much easier said than done. "Listen, my name is Marcus and I'm just going to break the lock, okay? This is going to break the lock, but it's going to be loud. I need you to stay still or I might shoot you by mistake."

Celestia didn't want to hear him or give anymore trust in this man, but that soothing touch of his hand persuaded her. It was the first time in her life that someone who actually cares was willing to comfort her. She never had someone like that before.

"Will it hurt?" she asked, her eyes narrowed on him. Marcus shook his head.

"It will not hurt you, but only if you still perfectly still. Now I'm going to count to three to prepare you, okay?"

Celestia nodded, begrudgingly.

"Okay, here goes," Marcus turned off the safety, aiming on the thinnest part of said lock as the princess looked away.

"One. . ." He looked up to see her cringing. "Two. . ."

"Just hurry up!" she demanded, only to have her words mulled by the sound of a short explosive clanking on the lock. Sparks of metal bounced into the snow and disappeared as the lock fell to the ground. Still it did not stop Celestia from yelping at the top of her lungs when the loud bang echoed in her ears.

"Okay," Marcus leaned away, eyes wide. The chains and ribbon suddenly disappeared, which is something you don't see everyday. "And here I thought I was going bat-shit crazy, but feeling and shooting that told me otherwise."

Marcus did not realize it just yet, but Celestia had lost consciousness before he spoke; even though the chains and ribbon were now gone, her body now had permission to shutdown from exhaustion. She could barely look up to the man picking her up before falling into a much needed slumber.

"Thank you. . . Sir Marcus. . . ."

. . .

"And that is how you fell in love with the boy?" Discord asked incredulously, ignoring how Celestia was shaking her and blushing at such a question. "Really my dear, chivalry is so bland in this era. You could have at least found some other reason to have feelings for him."

"I do have feelings for other than being saved by him!" Celestia's went dry as the words dug into Discord's mind, a smile curling on him as she thought of the real reason behind it all.

"Oh, there is another reason to you infatuation with this mortal. Now why would that be?" Discord gestured toward the image of Marcus in her mirror. "Why fall in love with a creature that is from another world; especially a world that is slower than ours."

Celestia gasped fearfully. "How did you—"

"My dear, I am the manipulator of reality." Discord proclaimed proudly, pressing a fist to his chest. "I know everything there is to know about dimensions and universes; and I know that by one day there you mean it was a whole week there. I know time is different between his world and ours. But enough about that—" he made himself an instant cup of hot fudge and started sipping on it. "—Tell me why you are in love with the human."

Celestia took in a deep breath, knowing the Spirit of Chaos will not let her off the hook until she tells him. She braced herself for what would come out of this, but little did she know of the two princesses standing inside her door with every detail glued to their memories.

"Marcus. . ." she became shaky on the inside, but why? It's just a little crush, right? ". . . He treated me like a normal mare and did not judge me. He made me feel that I am my own pony in my own image, not some monarch that others see as an almighty being."

"Very bold," Discord took another sip, fudge mustache on his top lip. "But what else?"

"He. . ." she paused, uncertain if Discord could handle this last part. "He kissed me, and I. . . liked it."

The next thing that was heard through the room and across the hall was Discord spewing his cup of hot fudge, along with two young alicorns gawking at their aunt.

***

"So you are the one who rescued my sister when she was banished by my dark-self?"

The quiet friendliness between Luna and Marcus rose into a bit of a noise, somewhat. He sat on the edge of his couch with a puzzled look for the alicorn as she eyed him with curiosity and some lust, staring with feelings her body has not felt for a very long time. She could barely remember the last time her heart skipping a beat the last time her sister brought home a coltfriend.

He nod his head and breathed in to control the uneasy tingle the princess was giving him with her eyes. If she was anything Celestia told him, then his life was going to take a bad turn before he knows it. Trying for conversation, he coughed into his hand and set the remote on the table to his left. "It wasn't really a rescue, she was just stranded in the snow as I drove through the field to scare away some wolves. We just happened to find one another when the wolves surrounded her."

"Wolves?" Luna gasped, scooting closer to the human as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. It wasn't until he did the Lunar Princess noticed a deep and long scar running behind his ear to wherever on the back of his neck. "There are actual wolves in this world?"

"Well yeah, but they usually run away at the sound of a gun." He ceased his movement and noticed Luna resting her head in his lap. This made him confused and slightly afraid.

He felt the start of grin, a bright blush creeping along his cheeks. His mind recalled every detail of their encounter as though it were yesterday. All those bullets wasted for her protection, fighting for his and her sake, finding her kindness to be replaced with a much more animalistic nature. . . A million sensations struck his body, and his memory flashed before his eyes.

He chuckled nervously whilst trying to figure out what Luna is trying to do. If he did not know any better, he would have to say she is trying to take advantage while Celestia is still in Equestria.

"Was my sister still herself, or did my evil-self injure her so much she reverted to her primal state?" Luna asked with much curiosity in her tone.

Marcus' attention perked to those words, and he narrowed his gaze at the blue alicorn in suspicion. "So you're the one that made Celestia so bat-shit crazy." he calmly accused, receiving a crimson blush under those blue cheeks of hers. "I was wondering who made her go ape-shit, because I lost a good car that day."

"Car?" Luna questioned, tapping the tip of her chin with her hoof. "What do you mean by 'car'? Is that some sort of new carriage your kind use for travelling?"

Marcus slapped his forehead for that one, remembering this was not the same pony he taught when she was in his house. Damn, I'm gonna have to go through every vital thing about technology with this one now. he sighed in annoyance of himself, knowing what had to be done. Guess I better give her a crash course.

"Sir Marcus?" Luna said.

"First off, my name is Marcus." he gently stood up with the Princess of The Night watching him like a filly. He took one last look at Sombra watching Dog with a Blog before gesturing for her to follow. "And, secondly—"

"Daddy," a extremely young, feminine voice whined, breaking his train of thought with a small tug of his shorts. He looked down Nightmare Moon pouting under the blanket they shared through the night. She could not look any cuter in said blanket as it covered everything but her face. "Chrysalis pulled on my mane and kicked me out of bed."

"Only because you kicked me in the face!" yelled a disgruntled Changleling.

If there was ever a moment to laugh, this was that moment. Though the younger version of herself and the very monster that nearly plunged her home into eternal darkness, Luna could not deny finding this filly to be fascinating and absolutely entertaining. The pouty attitude and clinginess to the human just tickled her sides, though she should be suspicious and a little defensive for the time being. Still, there was something about this reformed Nightmare Moon that did not send any alarming instincts to Luna nor give any dangerous waves of magic, almost as if there really is no darkness or monster in the filly at all.

This was supposed to be moment Marcus acts on the responsibility of caretaking the upset alicorn at his legs and come up with a solution to the problem, but his mind veered off track, leading him in wonder and fear of the role he must play for the time being. He thought how unfair it is for these foals to imprint on him. He did not deserve to have parenthood thrust into his life a second time; at least not in this sort of way. Sure, he wants to have a couple of children of his own and a nice wife to help him settle away from his dark past, but everything is completely off course. He has no woman in his life. He has no children of his own. Plus the idea of settling down is not going to happen while his old friends continue bothering him.

Marcus continued staring at Nightmare Moon as she caught the fastest glimpse of Luna sitting on the couch with the most curious look about her. A brief second of silence is exchanged before the timid filly gasps and darts to the side of his leg, hiding from the deep blue gaze of her forgotten ally. She clung to the man's leg and whimpered while the faintest hint of jealousy dims in Sombra's eyes. He notices Nightmare Moon receiving all the attention when Marcus pets her and feels neglected, although he was just fed and held for a good twenty minutes.

"Amazing," Luna whispers, leaning from the edge of the couch towards the cowering filly. She stares deeply into Nightmare Moon's eyes and searches for anything relative to darkness rising within her a second time. But, alas, she finds nothing in her, nothing but a young spirit with no idea what is happening, and that is what surprises her the most. "She really has no evil left in her heart. Discord did reform her."

As Marcus stares at Luna to see if she is going to react in a positive or negative manner, Sombra braces his weak legs and glares at the timid alicorn, approaching her with ill intention to steal Marcus' attention from her. Nobody notices him taking small steps, but rather turn their gazes to Chrysalis stepping into the living room with the blanket over her body. She grumbles at the sight of Nightmare Moon and makes her way to the chair, hopping up to it and taking all the space for herself.

"Tattle-tale," she snips, receiving a strong glare from the man. Marcus crosses his arms at this and kicks his mind into gear, deciding on a firm approach with the Changeling how he should deal with her.

"Young lady, there will be no name calling in my house." He points down to the alicorn staring at Sombra so curiously, unaware of what is about to happen. "Apologize to her right now, or there will be consequences."

Now Luna is not one to act surprised when it comes to parenting, but having the three most dangerous monsters in all of Equestria act so childishly —not to mention live with someone who is brave enough to deal with them—did give her a run for her bits; especially when she bet against Discord that his plan will backfire in a week. She expected this poor sap to break at the first sigh of insubordination and beg for her to take them back to Equestria.

"This will be most interesting," Luna whispered.

Author's Note

Took me all day, but I had some complications come up over the day. The first was my in-laws dog taking a bite out of my prosthetic leg when I got to their house, but metal beats bulldog everytime.

Also, my little colt is sick at the moment and needs his papa to take care of him while the queen is away in my place follow-up with sewing the drunk that took my leg.

Paperwork sucks, especially when she brings it to me.

And lastly, I'm going to very soon publish my novel online for everyone to see. I'll be going chapter by chapter every week.

Anyway, enjoy. Leave some criticism so I may improve.