A New Embrace

"Who is this special stallion?" Cadance asked, though with so much giddiness that her aunt was too embarrassed to answer. She bounced in place with Celestia's hooves in her own, ignoring the disturbing stares of her sister-in-law and the Spirit of Chaos. "Come on. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me!"

Celestia had carefully slipped out of Cadance' grasp and took that moment to step back. The joy of her niece was encouraging, but she did not need anyone interrogating her about Marcus when there are bigger problems. Her main focus was plain and simple: getting to his world to make sure Discord's stunt did not ruin, and that was all that mattered.

At once her thoughts increased, short flashbacks that shook her core. An ominous gasp from the Solar Princess was loud in the silence of her worry. Discord found he was feeling guilty as the alicorn hurried along with their plan. At first he'd been mellow with the giddy Cadance and suspicious Twilight, walking around the room like a marionette with no one jerking the strings he manifested to his arms and legs. He was getting very bored, until Celestia looked at him with a harsh glare.

"How long must we wait for the portal to be ready?" she asked, ignoring her nieces as they spoke about her finally finding a special somepony, though with different perspectives.

"We really do not have to wait," He breathed the words like air leaving his lungs, accompanied by his rare calmness for the situation and care for her. "I was hoping you would realize that the ruins are only necessary for maintaining a stable opening for your coltfriend to pass through, while I have the power to travel from dimension to dimension as I please."

Celestia found her heart swelling with anger and excitement. There should be no more surprises with this Spirit of chaos, but he proved her wrong. And yet, she was astonished by every turn he had taken for the foals and for her. Her suspicions continued to grow along with her fear of him betraying her a second time. Was he up to no good again? But he had a thing for Fluttershy and was afraid to hurt her again. But would he? Did it pass his mind to do something that goes against what he was taught by the Mane Six?

Her gaze shifted to the left and then cut back sharply to him. She could not stand her hard work and patience being all for nothing because of Discord possessing the ability to travel dimensions.

"And you did not bother telling me this why?" she asked, seething with rage as he chuckled. If there was anything that made her go over the edge, it was his chuckling. She despised that annoying sound.

Discord shrugged. "I wanted to see if you could figure it out. I mean, how hard was it to figure out since I gave you the obvious clue of dropping the foals off at the human's doorstep and sending your sister there as well."

"Well could you send us there as well?" she asked in a hasty tone.

"I can, but I will need time to recharge before finishing the runes."

"Just send us there now and fetch Shining Armor," Cadance demanded, though with a childish tune. "And inform him that he needs to watch over Canterlot while we are away. And not to worry about the Crystal Empire, the council can oversee my position in the meantime."

***

"What am I going to do with you two?" Marcus asked, jerking both disgruntled fillies back towards his chest, his arms firmly wrapped around their barrels. "It's been three years since I've been a parent, and you two bickering like this does not help."

"She started it," Nightmare Moon whined, kicking her sister in the foreleg with the tip of her hoof as she struggled for freedom.

Marcus had hastily prepared their place of "retribution" in separate corners, but neither were as cooperating as they were with breakfast. The chairs were small and lighting muted by the curtain. Snow blanketed the window, obscuring the Lunar Princess' gaze to the outside world of her potential lover's property. She felt trapped, moving around in a prison that is much small than the inside of the moon. How she could manage remaining sane she had no idea, but Luna was taking her time with the situation and with the potential future her sister may have started already. All she had to do was let Marcus have his time with Celestia, and then squeeze into their connection one hoof at a time.

"You know what happens to big cry babies," Chrysalis looked over towards her teary-eyed sister, pouty and jealous of the attention she gets with being so needy. "They get thrown away by their mommy and daddy because they don't want to deal with them."

Marcus barred his teeth at the smug changeling. "Chrysalis, you take that back right now and apologize to her. That was very mean and cruel of you to say to your sister. She has feelings, just like you."

Chrysalis wriggled in his arm before kicking him for good measure. "It's not my fault she's a big baby. And let go of me. You can't keep me here!"

As easy as it was for Marcus to let go of the filly, he did not let her have an inch of freedom. Nor did he give her the satisfaction. He knew from the last child the consequences of surrender. Just loosening his arm might alert her, and he would immediately invoke to the changeling the idea of her being able to push him around. Knowing that, to show his authority, he would provoke her with a challenge.

Marcus' gaze was steady on the green-haired filly, their eyes meeting in a clash of dominance as the Lunar Princess observed for assessment of his personality. He may be more handsome than any stallion she'd ever met, but looks would not deceive her. She would not let appearance fool her or her sister; there had to be something that would prove him worthy. Luna could only hope that the kind man was not as soft as she thinks he is.

Marcus' glare matched Chrysalis', but he had something she does not, something the blue alicorn could see through the nice façade. Luna had thought the human was fueling his counterattack with pride as an adult, but her experience and knowledge made her see past the windows of his eyes. Though the clash was indirect, she could feel a hidden character crawl out of him. There was no harm sensed by the man's slight change, but the Princess of Night was no fool to this feeling she suddenly felt. Her heart. Her mind. Her soul. They told her what she was experiencing as the changeling in his arm realized something was very wrong. Call it the instinct of sensing danger, and she was caught in the middle of it.

Luna was almost nervous to look at him, but she remembered the inferiority of his person. Still, there was something very wrong with him.

I have not felt this much emptiness since. . .

Marcus exhaled very slowly and released Nightmare Moon from his arm. "Go to the chair right now." he said in a hollow tone. Nightmare Moon looked back for a split second before dashing to her seat next to the fireplace. She did not look back afterward, nor say a single word. As for Chrysalis, her barrel was now clutched by both hands and she was dangling in front of the human.

"Now let's get one thing straight, little girl," Marcus began, though in a low tone. "If I am supposed to be your father, then you will abide by my rules and show respect. This is my house. This is my domain. And I will not be disrespected by anyone in my home. You will not kick me or your siblings ever again, and you will behave with me. If you do not, then I will have no choice but punish you."

As confused as Luna was of Marcus' change, perhaps she was deliberately drawn by this attention through the memories of her sister possessing the same terror. She knew Celestia carried the same atmosphere and used it only when absolutely necessary, but it took her generations to perfect a cold attitude. And yet, somehow, Marcus was able to show said attitude with a serious lack of experience. It surprised the princess a little, for he was just a mortal.

Suddenly, his gaze softened and the mild temper had returned. Marcus' smile was back, but it was a weak one, as though he were devoid of all reason to be happy. That alone made Luna worry, such cold eyes, like a hollow death, staring you down, ready to suck the last of your spirit while he smiled down into you shell.

"Go to you corner, please." Marcus whispered into the changeling's ear before setting her down to the floor. He nudged Chrysalis with his hand and watched her take her seat in other corner.

"Impressive," Luna whispered to herself.

"You two will remain in your corners for the next fifteen minutes." Marcus spared a firm glare whilst setting the timer on his watch. "When the timer beeps, you may leave your corners. Until then, I do not want to hear a sound from you. Nor do I want to see you fighting with one another. If I do, I will reset the timer and add an extra minute."

Marcus next move was to head into the kitchen and wash the remaining dishes in the sink. He stood up and made his way there with Luna following out of curiosity. Her blue eyes bore into the quiet human, making it difficult for him to think about his agenda for today, but he stayed very secluded, determined to keep his composure.

"You are not some mere mortal that my sister has fallen for. You appear to be calm and kind yet you possess a cold nature that is similar to hers, and you use it to cease any conflict."

Marcus nodded whilst turning on the hot water and plugging the sink, clutching to the thought of seeing Celestia again in a mental death grip.

"You could be with others and have more meaningful life, but you choose to live alone and secluded—why?"

Luna's intelligence lashed him like a whip. He even flinched under the soft tone as her snout met his arm. Beside the awkward affection and infatuation, Marcus head went up, his eyes focused on the backyard he could see through the kitchen window. Immediately a harsh remembrance enveloped his mind. His body tensed.

Marcus . . .she was just. . .

She was. . . He blinked to the gunshot replaying over and over in his head. The sound unforgettable and relentless as he processed the Lunar Princess sliding her head underneath his arm.

"I have my reasons for living out here; and these reasons help me stay alive." Marcus said, his voice devoid of all emotion with the effort it took to keep himself steady and collected. This worried Luna as the movement of his hands hastened. She began to notice from this movement a shift in his clothes that revealed more markings. The faster he scrubbed the remaining dishes, the more visible these markings were. If it wasn't for the poor lighting, she would guess that multiple bite marks scarred him and puncture wounds were on his shoulders.

Strange. . .

She turned her attention back to the original thing of her curiosity as Marcus his gaze toward her.

"What would you do if you saw my sister again?" she asked.

"Again?" he looked up to the ceiling and pondered. "I am not entirely sure. We told one another what we would do, but I doubt any of it would happen since it's just talking." he admitted, sighing while the princess took it upon herself to magically dry the dishes in the dish rack.

"Why do you have such doubts?"

"Because talking through pieces of paper is not the same as talking in person. We may have desires for one another, but I have the freedom to take action while she does not." he answered, looking down at the mare. "From the time she was here, I learned that she cannot be herself while having the crown on her head. Everything she does is another thing for others to judge. Plus she's told she is afraid of expressing herself around others."

"While I have no idea what my sister wants, my mind begs me to ask: what do you wish to do?" Luna asked curiously, stacking plates and glasses into the cupboard he left open before taking her own crown off her head.

"If I could I would hug your sister and tell her that I have missed her. And if she would not mind, I would give her the same kind of kiss we shared before she left," he explained as Luna took off her slippers. She set them on the counter and looked at the frowning human twiddling his thumbs in the soapy water.

"She grew to bond with a strange creature such as you; and because of it, she now has another reason to be happy." she told him, nuzzling his arm, eager to see if he would react. Surprisingly, he jerked his head to the right and stared are her in skepticism.

"She's happy because of me?" he asked, and Luna smiled warmly. She instinctively curled a wing around his arm and stroked it affectionately to drag him from the negatives of his distance with Celestia. She wanted to see more of the man that makes her sister smile. Marcus could not help but follow the alicorn's movement as she pulled him from the sink. She was murderously beautiful like her sister.

"Hmmmm. . ." she hummed erotically, using her left wing to touch his cheeks. She turned his head from side to side for better examination, her appendage drawing steady breaths from the man as he remembered the softness of wings. They were just as good as Celestia's, but Luna's were smoother.

"You have a gentle soul underneath those hollow eyes." she pointed out, her feathers now tracing down his neck. She also took careful note that underneath the clothing he was more toned than she assumed. He was no Minotaur, but there was a well-endowed body underneath those annoying garments. "I can see some of the reasons to her feelings for you, but the most interesting part is the similarity to your soul."

"My soul?"

"Yes, you have a deep similarity to my sister. You both carry kindness for all, but you are not afraid to do what must be done. And the biggest factor is that you have a great deal of pain behind your eyes." Luna inquired, holding onto his hand this time as she pulled down on his shirt. It was then she saw a black drawing on the upper muscle of his right arm, spying what looked she presumed to be a cutie mark. But that could not be right since he is not a pony, and it has a date underneath the names: Daniel. Luna wanted to ask but felt it would be intrusive of her. Plus the timer went off, and that broke off the moment.

"Alright girls, you can come out of your corner. But you'd better be nice to one another and behave." Marcus said sternly, leaving the Lunar Princess to see if they were getting along now. He walked inside the living room and watched Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon hop out of their chairs, taking his seat on the couch. He curled up in the afghan and lied down with Sombra leaning back towards the couch.

The two fillies continued to walk in silence and began to feel that they needed some affection from the man to really understand if he still loved or cared about them at all. Thinking back to the idea of him being their father, Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon wondered if their real parents were the same way as he is with them. They worried that maybe he was just tolerating their presence and was waiting for Luna to take them back to wherever they came from.

"Do you hate us?" Nightmare Moon asked, rearing up to the couch. Luna heard this as clearly as Marcus did but leaned over the couch to see his reaction with the filly. Upon watching the alicorn shed tears, she was fairly surprised, to say the least, to see Marcus scooping both foals into his chest with the intention of snuggling them. A long gaze at the human's questionable act confirmed to the princess what he was doing and it made her want him more.

"Hate you?" Marcus chuckled, petting their manes, halting their fear. "I do not hate any of you. I'm just stressed that you three came into my life so suddenly. It's been quite some time since I was a parent, and having three foals is entirely new to me."

Now this was a nice turn of events, and in Luna's favor too. She would always ask herself if there was somepony, anypony, that could love a monster such as her, and she knew from her encounters with stallions that it may be impossible to find a significant other that can see past her history. But whatever to the reason, a normal sign from the heavens would have sufficed for the Lunar Princess, which was saying something because, like all her dates, there was not even a good night kiss involved and she was left disappointed. Still, to see him hold her dark-self in his arms and comfort her without hesitation was a very nice indication to there being hope for her. As comfortable as he was with the fillies snuggling him, Luna took to her sweet, little desires that would, probably, make her sister angry with her.

"Might as well make it three. Come here, Sombra." Marcus grunted, reaching over the edge of the couch. He pinch the nape of Sombra's neck, lifted him off the floor, and placed him between his 'sisters' before pulling the afghan over them.

Oh how she adored seeing Marcus snuggle all three of them, so much that she felt compelled to make herself a little room.

"Make that four." She used her magic to pull the large footrest to the couch and teleported onto it. With enough room, she took advantage of his lower half and used it as a pillow, a loud hum of curiosity emanating from the man.

"Feeling left out?" Marcus asked, reaching over to pet the comfortable alicorn by her ear. Something like this was one of many dreams Luna has when she imagines a significant other in her life and she enjoyed it nonetheless. Marcus did not mind as much as he thought he would.

Luna giggled and then licked his hand, her affection a little too much for the trapped human before he blushed. His redness met a rather amused look from the princess.

I want him.